This is a learning experience...

The title is a phrase I am borrowing from Steve Foss. I have seen him the last two weekends and will see him this coming weekend as well. His presence in my life is one of the many blessings I have experienced since moving back to SD.

On Saturday we had Boys Night Out. A grand total of 3 high school boys showed up. I also had 3 adult males there - so that's a good ratio. The final group of three included me and the couple who owned the house. The size of the group did not limit the fun, however. It was a great night and I enjoyed spending time playing games and getting to know these young men. Hopefully the next time we have the event more will come. In time, though... in time.

At youth on Sunday, I got to play an electric guitar for the first time. The praise team consisted of me and the pastor's son who is an accomplished musician. He decided it would be better for him to play the drums - and I would play guitar and sing. That's sort of a lot of pressure, but I think it turned out well. I was having fun. Felt a bit like a rock star with the electric guitar. He put some effect on it for the song "It is you" by the Newsboys which made it sound really cool.

Other highlights - we did communion with grapes and wheat thins as a way to remember we are all in this Christian journey together. One student came up to me later wanting to know more music by Brandon Heath because I played "Give Me Your Eyes" during our offering time. The students are banding together to help a former youth pastor from this church who recently found out he has a form of cancer. I hope that if I needed help like that someday that they would feel inclined to do for me what they are doing for him.

I told someone today that the more I do this job - the more I find I must do. The more I learn, the more I realize I have yet to learn. I think if there was a lesson that characterized my life that would be it. No matter how much I know - it will only open doors for me to learn more. I came into this job knowing very little - so I have many doors to go through.

The Journey: Senior High Youth Rally

I had a not so subtle hint from a friend that I should post about my weekend at the High School Youth Rally - and to my own astonishment - I'm writing it already!

Every year the Dakotas Conference of the United Methodist Church holds two rallies for its youth - the Senior High Rally now called "The Journey" is in the fall. The Middle School Rally "The Crossing" is held in March. I would say spring, but this is the Dakotas - you just never know. For example, it is October, but when I awoke Saturday morning - there was some snow on the ground. Welcome home, Katie.

So, Friday I packed three girls and their stuff into my little car. I had one cancellation due to illness, so that allowed me to drive my car to Mitchell rather than the church van. I drove the church van around Milbank on Thursday and let's just say God had His hand in providing a way for me to NOT drive that van! Anyone who knows me knows I dislike driving large vehicles - so there you go.

We had to make a stop in Arlington so I could pick up my sleeping bag at my parents' house. Oops! But one of the girls decided to actually leave the vehicle and meet my parents and my dog. The other two girls opted to stay in the car and become mutes for the rest of the trip. They communicated mostly through a serious of smiles and smirks with the occasional rolling of the eyes. Although I attempted to crack the code - I've never been very committed to studying languages... especially languages of teenage girls with attitudes.

The actually youth rally went well. I recognized many of the youth workers from working at the camp. I had a lot of people look at me, cock their head to one side, scrunch up their face and say "I know you from somewhere, don't I?" Even so, I was by myself for most of the weekend. The kids had lecture times, small group times, arts village times, option times, eating times, etc. I did not have to attend the small group or option times, so I spent that time staring off into space, or bothering my old boss Steve. He was there to promote Lake Poinsett Camp, so I did my part to help. I also did volunteer to help lead the scripture drama section of the arts village - which was enjoyable as well. It is so easy for me to forget how much I loved and still love theater.

One other small story from this weekend. We stayed at Dakota Wesleyan University and slept in their gym. On Saturday night, the football team returned victorious and needed to put their equipment away. Well, just so happens that the girls from our event use their locker rooms for showering, etc. So, I stood out in the hallway partly directing girls to wait for their showers until the football players are gone and partly waiting myself since the adult women bathroom area was also a locker room. So, there I was standing in the hallway holding my pajamas and toothpaste, etc talking to another youth worker from ND. We were trading college experiences. She dated a jock - I read books. She dated a track star - I read books. She married another track star - I read books... and so on. Then I look up and see a familiar face - a guy who graduated from USF. We don't know each other well, but I remembered his name and before I knew it I called after him. It was very evident that he didn't know me. I introduced myself and after a momentary pause the lightbulb went on in his mind and he said, "Oh yeah! You were really smart, right?" I'm still not sure how one responds to that... awkward.

Today we returned in the early afternoon. I have spent the rest of the day firmly planted on my couch watching the beginning of Robin Hood Season 2. I highly recommend this show. It is British, well-written, a mixture of action and comedy and did I mention Richard Armitage is in it? Oh yeah. :)

Brandon Heath!

Brandon Heath in Fargo, ND

Last night I went to Fargo, ND to see the Feed the Hungry tour with Leeland and Brandon Heath! It was a great show. At one point I was actually 1 foot away from Brandon waiting to talk to him, but he was talking to another couple and I couldn't bring myself to interrupt. Oh well. I did get an awesome t-shirt and 3 kids for my youth groups to sponsor. Not only that, but I got to hang out with my cousin Amanda and her husband Tabb.

On the way home this morning I nearly ran out of gas in North Dakota. The gas light was on for nearly 20 miles before I found a gas station. I kept praying to God to make the gas last. I was stressing - who wants to be stranded on the interstate in ND? There's very little south Fargo before you hit the SD border (I know that now!)

It was a great trip and I wish I would have taken a picture with Amanda and Tabb! Gosh...what was I thinking?

SYATP

So much has been happening. Last week my life went into chaos mode and doesn't show signs of slowing - which I love. HS and MS youth fellowships have begun - youth praise band is going well (they improve each week).

Yesterday I went to Pipestone, MN (112 miles away) to visit my former seminary roommate, Jen. She was in MN visiting family and we took advantage of the fact we were so close to one another. It was so wonderful to see her and meet her family! I was told that I was the first of her seminary friends to meet her parents and her younger brother Micah. They are a truly great family and I can't wait for Jen's other seminary friends to meet them!

It was a quick trip, though, because I had to wake up early this morning for See You At The Pole! SYATP is a student lead prayer time around the school's flagpole. It is a nationwide event that happens the 4th Wednesday of September every year. Last year 20 kids met around the Milbank flagpole, this year we had 75! It does a heart good to see so many students get up early to come and pray. I am sure that the promise of free donuts was a small draw for some students though...

What I really enjoyed about this morning is that we had many of the pastors from Milbank's churches present. There were Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Assembly of God and others all present. What a showing of the unity of the body of Christ! I hope that the success of this event leads to more projects that we can do together.

I better not make this any longer. I have phone calls to make before heading back to the school to eat lunch with the students. Tomorrow I am going to Fargo, ND to see Brandon Heath in concert with my cousin. So excited for that!

Thank you all for being patient with me as I find time to share my experiences.

Snapshot of Today

9:00 Go to work: Been working on some powerpoints for this Sunday (Rally Sunday). Today I was adding music slides and doing some other editing. Also went through music book in office to create a list of music for the youth praise band to learn.

11:45 Minor crisis with the copier in the office. As I am trying to leave for lunch since I actually had plans today, they recruit my help. My advice - restart the machine. And it worked.

12:05 Meet up with Mike, the Lutheran youth pastor and head over to the high school. We get our visitors badges and proceed to hang up SYATP posters. Visited with two ladies who were recruiting for Snow Queen (shared my embarassing Snow Queen story). We made our way to the lunch room to eat with some high school students. Menu was corn dogs. We stayed in the lunch room and talked with students (but did not eat.)

1:14 Head to Subway with Mike for lunch. Way better than corndogs.

2:00 Return to work for an hour before leaving again because I don't feel well.

3:30 Watch a Netflix, laying on the couch, slowly feeling better.

7:00 Arrive at Milbank High School to listen to a speaker, Pam Stenzel, talk about sex education. She was actually very good. Favorite thing she said: Opposites may attract for personalities, but character always attracts character. You will date what you are.

9:30 Watching Federer on the US OPEN - Soderling does not even have a chance...

On another note - a friend told me today that I have a "wealth of patience and servant-heartedness" That is the nices compliment I've recieved in a very long time. So thank you.

Planning and Prayer

This week has been a lot of making contacts. Early in the week I made up and sent out a newsletter to every household with children in middle school and high school. Then I emailed every email address I could find in my office as well as add every student I could find on Facebook. Not to mention fielding new text messages from students who now have my number via my newsletter. It is sort of strange to put so much effort in putting myself out there just hoping people will respond to me without actually having met me or having only met me briefly.

One major accomplishment for the week was buying and assembling my bookshelf. I needed another bookshelf in the office because I just have a lot of books (didn't even bring them all to the office!) There is a scratch in one side, but other than that it turned out pretty well considering I did it all on my own.

The other major accomplishment was beginning to plan for my first joint event with another church - See You At the Pole. It is a nation-wide event where students gather around the flagpole at their school early in the morning to pray. They pray for their teachers, leaders, coaches up through state-wide, national and world leaders. It was something I did in high school and I'm excited to take part in it again.

Thursday night I went to a board of education meeting. Basically, I teach the high school Sunday School class and then later Sunday afternoon - they see me again for youth fellowship. That's a lot of Katie in one day, I think. Especially considering I have to come up with stuff to do - they don't have any sort of expectation or curriculum for me to use. It has been suggested to me that I write my own curriculum or to study a specific book - so perhaps I will come up with a few options and discuss them with the students on Rally Sunday.

On a slightly more interesting and fun note, my parents and my brother's children came to visit today! It was so great for them to be in my apartment - I think I got the seal of approval from the kids. Randi really liked my bathroom and my shoe racks...random I know. Randi and Jacob also liked sitting on my balcony and eating their strawberry fruit bars. Lizzie enjoyed the park across the street. Overall - a successful trip.

I have a lot to look forward to this coming week. My first home sporting events, friends coming to visit and Lifelight is next weekend - first youth activity for me. Pray for me. Please. :)

First Week

I cannot believe it is already Friday! This week went by very quickly. I have been to a couple of meetings which, more than anything else, remind me that I have a job now. I have been able to talk with a variety of people about the youth group and get some very helpful input. As a new person to the church and town, I am relying on the grace of others to point me in the right direction as far as who to contact, etc.

I have been fortunate enough to make a friend of my neighbor in the apartment building. She is a teacher at the high school, but only lives in Milbank during the week. She spends her weekends in Doland with her husband, so her apartment is her second home. She is very good about stopping by and asking how my day was. Yesterday we went for a walk between rain showers. I am very grateful for that company right now.

I also finally met my landlord yesterday, the infamous Dewey. In the whole process of looking for and renting and moving into this apartment, I had not met him. He finally got some rent out of me and he fixed the tub in the bathroom - I would say that is a "win, win, win" situation. :)

My Dad was also in town yesterday and brought with him some fresh garden produce. It was so nice to sit in my livingroom chatting with my dad about my new job. He was also able to see my office and sit on the couch in there as well. I think my office couch is more comfortable than my apt. couch - but perhaps that is just me :)

Tomorrow I am off and off to Watertown to do a little shopping. After a week of work, there are certain things I realized I need - such as a day planner, a ready supply of candy, etc.

I feel a little overwhelmed, but to borrow a phrase from Steve Foss, this is all a "learning experience" and I am grateful for it.