Around fair time in the summer of '09, I was torn between showing cattle the next year, or moving on with my post high school graduation life. Yes, this is true evidence that I am a beaver and was attempting to plan a whole year in advance! After a couple of weeks of wrestling with thoughts of the next summer, I finally told God that He could have it and I would go wherever He lead. I was at peace and forgot about that prayer until late in June the following summer when the answer was revealed.
Sometime early on in 2010, I was beginning to contemplate the summer ahead. I had a couple of classes to squeeze in at Hills so I could finish my AA degree and head up to UNI in the fall. Other than that, I had no idea what was going to happen. I didn't really care to go back to my old job at Pioneer, and I didn't really have any other options. One day in church, (Grandpa) Wayne came up to me and asked me what I was doing come summer. I told him straight up what was going on. He told me that he had been in contact with Jill and had mentioned my name. I could remember a couple of other girls a few years before doing this "backyard Bible school" thing, but wasn't sure if that was something for me. Jill soon got a hold of me and explained what all I would be doing if I was willing to take the job as a summer missionary for CEF. I would be going to backyards, front yards, parks, churches, and anywhere people were willing to host a 5-Day Club. Basically, it's like a short and sweet version of Bible School. There are games, pledges, memory verses, songs, Bible stories, missionary stories, and a snack, if we were lucky. I prayed about it and told Jill I would love to give it a try.
The month of May brought a lot of everything. It brought fundraising for the summer, classes wrapping up, a couple of rough situations in my life that I had to overcome, and then finally, summer. The training camp was June 13-19. I was nervous! I did not prepare as I should have and I didn't really know anyone. This was strange new territory to me. When we got to Faith, I was surrounded by young teens. Talk about a maturity gap! I definitely felt like an outsider at some points, but I knew that God had a reason for me to be there. I was intimidated. Some of these teens had been a missionary before and had been reciting the Gospel before the age of 10. I had grown up differently than these guys, but I worked through that. There were amazing leaders who prayed with us and over us daily, gave us advice on how we could tell the story better, and made us practice telling everything to a tree to get us prepared. Despite the age differences, I made a lot of friends that week.
I taught 5-Day Club with Shane and Cheyanne all summer. Boy, did I educate these two! They had never heard of Indiana Jones, and I took them to Vennard a time or two; they also had a hard time getting me around their hometown of Pella. They are still working hard for CEF as far as I know. They have both been helping with Good News Club that happens throughout the school year. My baby gained a lot of miles that summer, and my AC didn't work that wonderfully, but it was a great place to bond with these 2 teens.
Throughout the weeks, it was really neat to hear from Jill about kids that she saw the year before and how far they had come in the past year. One of the most encouraging things of the summer was when a parent would thank us and tell us about how encouraging we were to them. I still have a thank you note from one of the moms that I will continue to treasure for years to come.
I met so many incredible kids that were always excited to participate and answer questions. Sometimes, the kids just didn't want the stories to end! We had so many prayers of salvation between the clubs and other events that we did. It was an amazing moment every time I saw that light bulb go on and the kids get it. I saw God work in so many lives, including my own, that summer, and I continue to draw on things that I learned during that CEF summer. This was the first time that I presented the Gospel, and then I had to do it to strangers every week. Talk about disequilibrium! Now, I know that I can in fact present the Gospel and to all ages. It was a summer I will forever cherish in my heart.
I like horseback riding! :)
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