I am currently sitting on my air mattress at the high school in Lame Deer, MT (N. Cheyenne Reservation). I am listening to pipes clang, floors squeak, and fans running on full blast-oh the sounds of summer. This is a place I have come to love.
In some ways, it is hard to believe that it is already Wednesday of our first "prep week" before summer programming starts. In other ways, I cannot believe that it is only Wednesday. It seems like time has raced by and dragged on simultaneously since I stepped foot on an airplane to Denver almost 2 weeks ago.
A lot has happened since then so I will give you short updates today. I will try to be more consistent in the future but I am often without internet access so we will see how that plays out.
Until then, here goes nothing....
In pure YouthWorks fashion, I was picked up from the airport by 3 guys in a huge, flatbed towtruck...people stared, I just smiled.
I got to drive a huge, Ford F-150 through Sonic to get a diet coke-doesn't get much better in my book.
May 22 marked the beginning of our summer staff training-I have 16 great staff this summer (more on these people later).
I sat with my staff and heard them describe their feelings about the summer-they used some of the following words: anticipatory, expectant, humbled, anxious, hopeful, and the list goes on...I cannot wait to see where this journey takes them.
I attended a hip-hop church service and now have a new love-the music has kept me company on the road.
I went up into the mountains with a great group of people-I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
I spent a day with Anna roadtripping from Colorado through Wyoming. There are too many stories to share but the memories are priceless.
I dropped my cell phone in a toilet at a random McDonalds-my cell phone never recovered-sad.
I hiked to the top of a hill then back down again completely barefoot-as God intended it :)
I reconnected with friends in Lodge Grass and Lame Deer as I sat and talked with Wales, Lonnie, Jason, Andre, Shannon, and Candi. It makes my heart happy to see them again.
I went to an arrowthrowing competition at the Casino in Crow Agency. It was cold and rainy but totally worth it.
I just learned the first half of the dance for, "We're all in this together" out of high school musical. My staff are learning it for a skit and, I thought it was necessary that I join in. It was hysterical.
I have spent countless hours on the phone with staff, trip leaders, my managers, and community members. It has given me life and worn me out at the same time. I love it.
I feel like these one liners don't even begin to describe the past two weeks but they are a fun start. As I sit here and think about everything that has happened up to this point, my mind floods with details and logistics but, stronger than these thoughts, are those of people. I am reminded of the incredible opportunity and resonsibility this job is. I get to meet and work with some great people in the coming days, weeks, and months. My prayer for this summer is growth, wisdom, and an increased capacity to love-no matter what that looks like.
**Note:
I do not claim to be a gifted (or interesting) writer so I suppose that entertainment is not the goal of this summer blog. Rather, my hope is that I can share my thoughts, experiences, and lessons learned along the way.
The people I will write about are some of the truest friends I have ever had and these places host some of the most incredible landscapes I have ever seen. I am excited to share my journey with you and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers along the way.
Here's to the beginning....
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