Final Post: THANK YOU LEWISTON

Dear Lewiston First Naz,
I have been avoiding this final blog post because as long as I don't write it, I can pretend my summer adventure is still going and I am going back to Lewiston. However, I wanted to thank you, Lewiston First Naz, for the way you took me in an loved me this summer. Thank you for letting me love on your teenagers for three months. Thank you for walking by my side as I learned how to live 2,000 miles away from my family and everything I have ever known. Thank you for being the reason I walked away with a lifelong friend who I feel like I have known forever. Thank you for giving my Grandparents an opportunity (and probably the only one) to hear me preach, and thank you for the special opportunity to preach for the very first time on a platform my grandpa also preached on. Thank you for helping me realize how capable I am, but that it's also ok to ask for help. Thank you for being patient with me when I seemed like more work than help. Thank you for treating me like your own...like I had spent my who life in the valley. Thank you for expecting anything great out of me because of who my family is, but also knowing the potential I have. Thank you for surrounding a complete stranger on my first Sunday morning and all laying hands and praying over me. Thank you for allowing Cliff and Bill to mentor me this summer when that wasn't even their job, and thank you especially for allowing Aaron to take the time to teach me everything he did. Thank you for TacoTime runs and Kenzie's Blasts. Thank you for opening your homes to me when I was homesick. Thank you for allowing me a couple trips up to Coeur d'Alene to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you for your prayers and hugs. Thank you for sitting through my first sermon no matter how painful it might have been:) Thank you for introducing me to huckleberries and river nights. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live closer to my  extended family than I ever have in my life.
Most of all.....Thank you for the best summer of my life. Thank you for helping me learn how to do this thing called ministry. 
You have a special and large piece of my heart and I will forever be so grateful for the love and grace shown to me this summer.
I will be back to visit!
Love you all,
Hannah

Me above the LC Valley 

Kelsey and Me

me and the Middletons

Me, Aaron, Cliff, and Bill

David and I hiking 

Me and Grandpa and Grandma

my wonderful teens:)

me getting to preach

My adventure shoes and I made it though a fantastic summer of adventures! 

David Coming, One Week Left, Preaching

I am sorry I have taken so long to write again! It has been a crazy crazy few weeks. Between spending time with students, trips to theme parks, and camp I have been very busy. It has been such a great few weeks, and I can’t believe I only have one week left. I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden three months were gone.

I was in charge of a trip to Silverwood which is the big theme park in the Northwest. I rode a ride called Aftershock. It literally goes from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. It was ridiculous. No kids died, or got left, so I would call the trip a success.:)

I have gotten to spend time with my grandparents this summer which has been so fun. When you normally only get to see them every other year, getting to see them like 7 or 8 times in one summer is a pretty big deal.

Two weeks ago I went into the garage of the house I am staying at to get something out of the fridge, on my way out of the garage I hit a corner. I was on the phone with David and it hurt pretty bad so I hung up so that I could collect myself. I get to the front door and all of a sudden blood starts pouring out of my head. My first thought was, "Oh man, I can't get this on my shirt." So I leaned forward and put my hands on my head to keep the blood off my shirt, but in the process got it all over the floor. When I finally make it to the bathroom, I turn the light on only to be staring into the face of what looks like a murder victim, only to realize the person with a face covered in blood and blood running down my arms is, in fact, myself. So I had to clean up not only myself but the floor. It is still kind of tender, and when I touch it, it feels like someone is tapping the back of my head so that's fun! Now I have a shooting star looking battle wound to remember this summer by.:)

Two Saturdays ago I took a road trip with the Middleton’s (the youth pastor and his family) up to a camp north of Spokane, WA. It was such a fun day filled with laughs and loud singing. Oh and Red Robin:) I am so thankful for the Middleton’s and the way they have let me invade their family for the last 3 months. They have loved on me and teased me and treated me like I was part of them family and I love it.

Last Monday I headed to Northwest District Teen Camp. It was very different from home but so similar as well. The speaker was the same speaker that spoke at middle school camp for the Tennessee (now Midsouth) district last year. She did an awesome and really spoke into my students lives.

It was also a BEAUTIFUL camp. One of the things I love about the Northwest is how beautiful it is. I like Tennessee in the fall when the leaves change colors, but otherwise it has nothing on the Northwest.

I also was surprised on the first day of camp by my cousin John. He and I are 2 months apart and he surprised me at camp. I got to spend the whole week with him which was so fun since I don’t get to see him much. We got to go to NYC2011 together when we were in high school, and then we got to be counselors together this last week! It is so fun to have a cousin close in age that I have been able to share those experiences with.

This coming Sunday on August 9^th I will be preaching on a Sunday morning for the first time. This is completely terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I am very excited, though, to preach my first sermon in the church I was dedicated. I am also very excited to preach my first sermon on a platform my grandpa preached on. That’s really special to me. I will be giving my testimony as part of my sermon. If you want information on live streaming the service, you can talk to mom, however it will also be on a podcast in the next week or so!

Here is the best news yet. DAVID IS COMING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After 3 months of not seeing him, I am totally over this whole long distance thing. I was not made to be a military girlfriend. Three months is enough for me. I cannot wait for him to walk off the airplane and give him the biggest hug and just be able to hold his hand….and maybe sneak a kiss or twoJ Ok. There is my mushiness.

With a week to go, going home is very bittersweet, and I hope no one takes offense to that. It is very hard to leave a place you have come to love. It’s hard to leave a place where I have grown in ways I didn’t even realize I needed to grow, and to leave people who have loved me so well and who have taught me so much. I have always, and always will love the Pacific Northwest, and I would be lying if I said I would hate to live here one day. However, I am so excited to come home to my family, both biological and other. I would not have grown this summer if those of you at home had not prepared me for this summer the way you did. I can’t wait to get to church to hug everyone and tell everyone about my adventure, but there will always be a piece of me now in Lewiston, Idaho, but I think we can all shareJ

See you in 7 days!!

Hannah

The crazy Roller Coaster

The lake I went to with the Middleton's north of Spokane:)

Lunch with some super cool students at Taco Time:)

The Middleton crew

They made me Sweet tea!!

Me and John at camp

Just a pretty picture of the Northwest:)

Me and my favorite friend Kelsey at the Moscow Farmers Market

 

To the Parents of #NYCLOU15 Students

To the parents who have sent students off to NYC,
I just wanted to prepare you for the week your student is going to have. Some of you might have been to NYC as a teen, and some of you may have never gone, but no matter which category you fall under, I just wanted you to be filled in by someone who went as a student to NYC2011. I have enough excitement for your students, because they don't really know what to be excited about yet.
NYC will change your student(s). They are about to spend a week with thousands of students who are just like them.
So here are some things that might happen:
Some of your students will walk away having a better idea of what college they want to go to. Most of them will walk away much closer to the students they went with.
Some of you will have students that will come home with the entire course of their life changed. I am writing this post from Lewiston, Idaho because of NYC2011. I heard the LORD call me to vocational ministry during that week in Louisville, and here I am four years halfway done with college, and interning at a church in Idaho to better prepare myself for the ministry God called me too. I am so excited at the prospect of a student having a life changing experience like that this week.
Some of your students will simply say yes to the beautiful grace of God this week.
Be prepared to have your student unable to describe right away what they experienced this week. It may take days...or weeks...or even months for them to be able to understand exactly what God did in them.
I can't begin to explain how thankful I am for the experience I had at NYC. When people ask me about some of the most impactful events in my life, I point to NYC without hesitation, and I know that most of your students will too.
So this week I urge you to PRAY. Pray for the adults who are going to be guiding your students throw this experience. Especially pray for their youth pastor who is going to be exhausted, yet so excited to watch the change happen in your students. Pray for the speakers, that they have the right words, and that they are simply mouthpieces for God. But most importantly pray that your students lives are changed.
My prayer this week is that your students lives are changed just like mine, and so many others were four years ago. I pray that our students ears and hearts are open to the wonderful all consuming love and grace of an awesome God and say yes to the great things He has for them.
Sincerely,
A former NYCer

NYC 2011 Louisville, Kentucky

HALF OVER?!?!?!

My time in Lewiston is already half over! It doesn't seem like I have been gone for 7 weeks, but I have. I have come to love this little town, and the people in it. I am in a place where the people want to help me grow and learn. Everyone is so eager to help me, and even though I am just a college student, I am treated as an equal to the adult leaders in the youth group who have been there for years. It's been so awesome.
I got a surprise from David this week, he sent money to Ken and Christine (who I am living with) for them to get me flowers from him. He is the sweetest, and has been so supportive while I have been gone. I sure love him. :)
This week I got to see my mom!!!!! While the people here have become like family, it was so relieving to see a familiar face from home. Especially since it was mom. She surprised me at youth group last Wednesday, and from there we had three days of visiting people, getting pedicures, and exploring the surrounding areas that I hadn't explored yet. One day we just decided to drive for a long time just to see where it took us and what kinds of things we would see. Friday night we went up on the hill and took pictures of the LC Valley at night, so that was really cool. It was so nice to just have her to talk to and be with. There is nothing like having your mom around, and it's even better when she is your best friend. After church on Sunday, we drove back to Coeur d'Alene (about 2 hours) to Grandma and Grandpa's house. It has been so fun to live within driving distance of them! Monday morning we woke up and grandpa took us to brunch. As I was looking at my menu, I found a cinnamon roll that looked amazing. It was a small little cinnamon roll with a little icing drizzled on top. Nothing to write home about. HOWEVER, about 20 minutes later the waiter comes back with mom and grandpa's food, and the BIGGEST CINNAMON ROLL I HAD EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. It was literally the size of my face. It was about 3 inches thick with dough, and about an inch thick of icing. It was incredible. You can see it in the picture below. After brunch, I had to say my goodbyes not only to grandma and grandpa, but also to mom. I am so so glad she came, but it was hard to say goodbye again.
Tonight we had river night. We went tubing on the river. For those of you back home, this is basically lake day but in a river. It was awesome and I didn't fall off the tube. It was almost as good as riding Chuck Mashburn's boat, although I don't think anyone will ever reach Chuck's level:)
The most amazing thing (besides mom being here) of this last week was seeing the Northern Lights! Now I know it wasn't like the ones in Alaska or anywhere farther up north, but I think no matter where you see them, they are beautiful. To suddenly see beautiful lights dance through the sky is something you don't forget. It was really exciting.
It is very bitter sweet knowing my time is half over. I love it here, but I love home too. Ugh. Growing up is hard.
Until next time!
Hannah

Me and mom in downtown Lewiston

My BEAUTIFUL flowers from my sweet David

Our pedicures! We even got little jewels on our toes!

Out taking sunset pictures in the Palouse.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS! AHHHHH!!!!

Learning to Breathe

What a crazy couple weeks it has been! I have been to Salt Lake City and back which was awesome. We stopped in Nampa, ID over night on our way down to SLC and on our way back. On the way back I got to see some of my Christianson cousins which was so fun! It's been exciting to see family two years in a row! While we were in Salt Lake we stayed at Salt Lake City Central Church of the Nazarene. They were really great hosts. We spent two days working around the church doing yard work and painting some room. One afternoon we spent some time handing out care kits to the homeless in the community. It made me miss my Emmaus friends. The third day we were there we went to a pregnancy resource center to do some work. This was especially interesting because it was located right next to a Planned Parenthood building. That was pretty shocking. The whole week though was really great for me as it gave me the opportunity to get to know my students better and in a way I wouldn't have had we not had the trip.
The one hard part of the week was knowing I wasn't at Camp Garner Creek. This was the first time in 10 years that I wasn't at camp, and that made me pretty homesick. Up until that point I had been doing pretty good in terms of homesickness, but knowing my district was all together and I wasn't there was a little sad. Thankfully though, Matt thought to FaceTime me during their youth group time and I was able to see everyone's beautiful faces for a few minutes!! That was definitely a highlight for me, and helped ease my homesickness.
With all the stuff going on, I have been BUSY. I have LOVED being in Lewiston and don't think I have stopped yet. I have so much I have learned and still need to learn in a place that is so unlike home. I haven't felt stressed at all since I've been here and it's been wonderful. However, thanks to Cliff and Aaron, I am learning that there is negative stress and positive stress, and while I haven't felt negative stress, that doesn't mean I haven't been stressed. The last few days I have been fighting sickness and exhaustion. I have just done so much and not realized the toll it was taking because I have been loving what I have been doing. So the last few days I have been learning to take deep breaths and slow down a little, so that I can be my very best for my students and the people around me. It's a learning curve, but I will get it. MINISTRY IS HARD! Youth ministry is not just ski trips and camps and TNT. Ministry is being on 24/7 for people that need you. Ministry is phone calls and paper work and emails and going going going. Ministry is the constant and complete reliance on the Holy Spirit to give you the words to say, and know the right things to do. I have been called to do the hardest job on the planet, but the LORD will provide what I need, and I will learn to slow down a little and take a deep breath.
Thankfully, the LORD knows I need to see a familiar face from home, and this evening I get to pick up my mom to spend a few days with me which she is out here in the Pacific Northwest. I am so excited to have someone who really truly knows me here in town for a few days. It will do me a lot of good. YAY!!!
I miss everyone back home lots, but I am surrounded here by people who love me while I am a long ways from home.
Hannah

Me, Pastor Cliff, and Rich Kennedy (Team Cook)

Me and some of my high school girl students at the Great Salt Lake

This is my new friend Kelsey Kennedy, I think we were sisters separated at birth.:)

My students at the Salt Lake!:)

We got henna tattoos:)

 

Cousin Shay at the water park!:)

 

Salt Lake City Bound!

Today I am headed to Salt Lake City for a mission trip! This is pretty bitter sweet as this is also the week First Church is going to camp. I haven't missed camp in 10 years. Growing up is hard. It rained a TON this week in Lewiston! I know it has been raining a lot in Nashville, but since the valley is technically a desert, rain is a big deal here. Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. Pastor Bill (who basically runs the office) has been gone this week so I was given office duty. Because of some unforeseen delays in a church van pickup, Aaron and Cliff were gone most of the day so I was in the office all alone all day. I sent my time watching Netflix and writing my name in paper clips! Not exactly the most productive of days, but they finally made it back and my friend Kelsey came and kept me company for a while.
This week I have been a little homesick. I was sad to miss the ordination service at Camp Garner Creek. I would have loved to see Sabrina and Scott get ordained! On top of that I won't be able to talk to David much if at all this next week while I am in Salt Lake City and he is at camp, and then all my friends from home will be at camp! It's just one of those weeks. Thankfully a few days after I get back from SLC Mom is coming to visit me!!! I am SOOOOOO excited! I LOVE the people here but it will be wonderful to see a familiar face from home next week.
One exciting this this week, besides getting ready for Salt Lake, was the fact that David bought a plane ticket this week to come see me!! He will be coming my last week out here, and then we will fly back to Nashville together!
I can't wait to show David around my town and take him to some of the places I have come to enjoy.
I will post again when I get back from Salt Lake City!
Love you all!
Hannah

Thought this fire truck was pretty cute. A man and his son were driving it!

Get to see this view every day on my way home from work. I love it!

A rainbow after one of our many storms this week!

Walked along the rive last night. I love the views here!

Adventure Shoes and PowerPoint Oops.

Holy cow. It has been so crazy since really settling into my time in Lewiston. I have been going going going. It has been wonderful and crazy all at the same time. Thankfully, I have had my Chacos (my adventures shoes). I think there has only been a couple days that I haven't worn them. They have taken me all over town, and I love them!! This last week, they have taken my a ton of places. Sunday we had a barbecue fundraiser for the youth group that I kind of was in charge of. It was great to just be able to jump in and do things. There has been the NAIA World Series all day every day since last Friday. I have watched more baseball this week than I have in my entire life. It's been really fun. Tonight is the championship and LCSC (Lewis Clark State College) is playing! This is the state college here in Lewiston so everyone and their dog is going to be at the game tonight. I have an LCSC shirt to wear and everything! It's going to be great! Because of baseball going late, and all the things I have been doing and learning, I am a little tired. Thankfully, though, I have Fridays and Saturdays off so this morning I got to sleep till 10:00!! It was so great to wake up and not have to do anything. Being an adult is rough...:) Wednesday was my second night in youth group. I almost have all of our regular kids' names down so I am feeling pretty accomplished. It's been fun to get to know a new set of students since I have known everyone at home my whole life. It has been a new experience. We did a scavenger hunt around town where we gave the kids pictures of just a part of a sign and the kids had to find it and take a picture with their group by the sign. We went all over the LC Valley. It was a blast and gave me a chance to not only get to know some students better but also to get to know where I am living better.
Here is my funny story for the week...
Yesterday I was putting together a slideshow for church on Sunday that had pictures of our graduating seniors on it. Because of all of the pictures, it ended up being a 60 slide slideshow. It was so long. Well my PowerPoint software crashed TWICE after I was basically done with the slideshow. By the time I had put the slideshow together for the third time I was pretty frustrated. I was tired of doing the same thing over and over and it was taking forever. So I finally finished it the third time and was getting ready to add music to it, except that Aaron kept talking to me. So I finally looked at him and said, "I just have to finish this stupid slideshow and then I can talk to you." Well...apparently as I was adding the music, it was recording my voice. When I went to watch the final product, instead of music I heard, "I just have to finish this stupid PowerPoint.  I just have to finish this stupid PowerPoint.  I just have to finish this stupid PowerPoint. " OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. At this point, Aaron is laughing and I am panicking because I can't give this church a slideshow with me saying that over and over again! As much as I miss everyone back home, I am not ready to get sent home yet!:) Anyways, after a bit of a struggle to figure out how to erase that little blessing, I finally finished the slideshow, but you can be sure that I will watch it one more time before Sunday morning to make sure it's gone.
I miss everyone at home. Especially my parents and brothers and David. It is hard to not see them everyday, but thankfully we have things like FaceTime and group messages to keep it from being super super hard being away from them.
This week Aaron and I are getting ready to take 30 students to Salt Lake City for a mission trip! It's going to be great, and I will update on that trip too:)
I love and miss everyone back home!!

This was my group at one of our stops for the scavenger hunt!

LCSC playing last night in the semifinals. Championship here we come!

This is how David feels about me being gone. I love him:)

My adventure shoes at the games earlier this week! Yay for baseball and chacos!

Settling In....Kind of.

I moved to Lewiston and within 48 hours I was already on the road again. This time I was headed BACK to Coeur d'Alene for a Northwest District Leadership retreat. After living on the same district my whole life, it was weird to be at a district even where I knew no one. We were at a campground that backed up to a river. It was beautiful. We spent the week (Monday through Wednesday that is) in groups doing case studies. In those case studies we would look at pastors/churches and an issue that went with them. The point of the exercise was to determine what should have happened, or what should happen moving forward with the church we read about. It was very interesting to listen to the pastors at my table give different opinions on the different case studies. It was also interesting to see the difference between the Northwest District and the Tennessee (Well I guess we are Midsouth now..) District. The culture is so much different here and it is exciting to learn about that.
Another thing I am having to adjust to here is the weather. Believe it or not there is a place in this world that does not have humidity. That place is called the Pacific Northwest....also known as heaven. Having grown up in the south, I am used to very hot and humid weather in the summer, and I know it is time to start using sun screen because it gets warm right when it is time to start using it again. However the lack of humidity really makes a difference! I have yet to feel really warm yet (except for our three our trip back to Lewiston in a church van with broken A/C). Because of the fact that I haven't really felt hot yet, I forget that it is actually summer and I can still get a sunburn! I got my first one (and hopefully my only one) of the summer on Monday while I was sitting on the dock by the river. It was just a joy to get in a hot shower the next morning and feel like my skin was literally on fire because I had forgotten about my burn.
Yesterday was my first time in youth group. Aaron had my share my testimony with the students. I have never shared that before, and it was really exciting to get to share it with them! I was told I did a good job, so I will have to take their word for that. I love the kids already and can't wait to build deeper relationships with them. Every day that I am out here, my calling into ministry is confirmed, and I have Aaron, Cliff, and Bill (the guys I get to work with at First Naz) to thank for that.
Tomorrow is the start of the NAIA World Series. This is held in Lewiston every year (random place I know). Before Trevecca went to the NCAA, we used to come up here and play in the World Series! This is a huge deal in the valley, and tons of people come down to watch the games. This is also extra exciting for me because I grew up hearing mom tell stories of singing the national anthem for the opening game when she lived here, and now I get to experience the games for myself! I have my sunscreen already ready, and can't wait for a week of baseball and all sorts of fun!

Got to go to a cousin event (I have never gotten to since we live so far away). I got to spend time with Bethany, while we watched Noah's band concert! It was fun, as usual when we are together:)

This is my new church with the beautiful sunset in the background!

This was the river behind the campground I was at this weekend for the leadership retreat.

Cliff (Senior Pastor) and Aaron (youth pastor) relaxing...mostly because they can.

At the river!

My new LCSC (Lewis Clark State College) hat for the World Series!

Grandparents, Sweet Tea, Casinos, and Church

Well I made it to Lewiston and made it through my first Sunday at my new church! It was so great to spend time with my grandparents in Post Falls this week before I came to Lewiston. I don't get to see them much, and I have never gotten to spend time with them completely to myself so that was really special and fun. I am also back in the land of Tillamook products!!!!! For those of you that don't know, Tillamook makes the best cheese and best ice cream. Period.
I moved in with a wonderful couple, Ken and Christine King. They have spoiled me with my own bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room. Christine also stocked the fridge with sweet tea! Sweet tea does not exist up here really, so for her to do that was awesome. Sweet tea is my one southern habit.:)
For my first night in Lewiston last night I went to a casino on the reservation. Unfortunately there was no money gambled...:) There is a bug auditorium there so I was there watching a new student at her dance recital.
Today was also my first Sunday at Lewiston First which was such a great time. I got to meet my new students during Sunday School, and then during the service, the whole church came and prayed over me. I already feel apart of the church family. It was so fun to worship with a truly authentic group of people who really love the LORD, and I get to for 3 months!
I was whisked away after church to Taco Time with the Middletons (Aaron Middleton is the youth pastor I am working with) and the Johnsons (another sweet family in the church). For those of you back home that don't know what Taco Time is, I am sure you are thinking something along the lines of Taco Bell. Well stop that. Taco Time does serve the some of the same types of food as Taco Bell, but its WAAAAYYYYYYY better. Like real meat and sit down restaurant sized portions. It was so good. I then went to a girls small group and got to know some of my new girls a little better.
I am loving being out here, but it is hard to go from the only place I've ever known, to anywhere else, so I miss everyone back home a lot, but thankful I will be pretty busy here, so that will make up for missing everyone. BUT I really do love being on this adventure. It has been awesome so far, and I know I couldn't have picked a better youth pastor, or church to intern with out here.
I know some people have wanted my new address, so message me or talk to mom if you want it. I would LOVE some mail from home!
I love you all and miss you terribly, but am thankful to know I am covered with prayers from home! 
Hannah

View from the road in front of the church

My new favorite place....just kidding:)

The church praying over me this morning!

TILLAMOOK ICE CREAM!!!!!

Grandma and Grandpa time:)

 

Lewiston and Clarkston (LC Valley)

Taco Time Nachos

 

Ok Aaron (the only guy) is my youth pastor I am interning with. His daughters are Kelsey, the girl in front of me, and Sarah, the girl next to me (his wife Steph was taking the picture). Then the Johnsons are Dena, who is next to Sarah, and her daughters across from her, Amber and Ashley.