Settling in?

Well, I made it. Most of you know the drama that went on to get me over to the states to do the internship at KCC. It all took so long and then last minute I got the visa and had 2 nights to pack. Living on the edge...thats me! Hahaha!

Updates for all ya'll back home. I'm here and it has been strange but good. It has taken the first week to kind of settle in. Although there is alot more bonding to do I have started making some good friends and am loving the interns, my host family, the pastors and the church.

Interns:

(Left to right) Me (Tashe, Tishe, Tesh), Reecie (Carrice), Lauren (The New Yorker), Todd (Mod squad Todd), Nate (Holes), Nate (Nate the great. He is the one I am working with doing highschool stuff), and Mike (Koleslaw or Kozy bear). There are 7 of us. We are going to have alot of fun and really grow together and I am getting more excited everyday we spend time together. For the first time, me and 2 of the other interns spent some real quality time talking about life, love and God. It really encouraged us all and helped us to get to know eachother better. SOOOOO good! I'm really looking forward to more times like that with all of them.

Host family:

I am living with the Clarks. And, as it is with everything else, it is getting better and better everyday as we get to know eachother and get comfortable with eachother.

Ruth (mum/mom) is thoughtful and caring.

Doug (dad) is funny and cheeky. He threw me in like nearly freezing water to welcome me.

Austin (brother) is fun, polite and cool. He also plays guitar in the HUGE church band.

Brianne (sister) is cute, giggly and makes me laugh. She also sings in the middle school band on Sundays.

Pastors:

Well I am working directly with 3-4 pastors.

Jeff is the high school pastor and also the person that asked me to come over. He is encouraging, inspiring and incredibly good at what God has asked him to do.

Ian is the middle school (5-8) pastor, He is so much fun and just makes me laugh. When paople talk he listens...rare quality.

Mike I have not spent alot of time with yet but he comes across as a welcoming, caring, and christ-like person.

Church:

The church is huge. It is called Kentwood Community Chuch (you can google it). It has a great feel great leaders and an awesome worship team. When I say team I mean like, 7 upfront singers a choir of about 50-60 people, a drummer, 2 keys, 2 guitars, 1 bongos, 1 bass, an either brass or strings orchastra, and probably more that I cant think of. The worship leaders is some of the best singers I've heard and it is just alot of fun.

So I am working mostly with another intern named Nate. Nate and I are heading up the high school ministry...woohooo... as well as alot of other things like programming camps, events, games, and also just being with the kids, speaking, and they want me to do some music as well. AHHHHHHHH! It is all very exciting and challenging.

Alot has happened in the first week and it has been tough already. Alot of questions have gone through my head but I am so glad that I came.

On my first day, pastor Jeff announced that he is stepping down from his position becouse God has laid something very huge and challenging on his heart. That was a huge blow to all of us. The middle school pastors daughter had a fall and fractured her skull, and the other pastor that heads up the family department has had a heart attack and is in hospital waiting for an opperation as soon as he is well enough for it.

I also got to spend 2 days with Grant (more to come on that).

It's been crazy, but I know through all of this, God is doing something great with all of us. I am excited to see what God is going to do wiht the time we all have together.

Prayer requests:

Please pray for all those things that have happened,

please pray that I will continue to connect,

and please pray that God will use me here in every way possible.