Adventures in the West : 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