I'm back from Maine--or rather have been since early this week but have been woefully negligent in posting here

So what's new?

Maine was absolutely gorgeous and the people I met were equally so. We were welcomed so warmly everywhere we went and sometimes it felt like we were being served much more than serving. My perspective on ministry was widened as well. Try as I might not to, I had truly started to believe (if only by observance around here) that effective ministry only comes from tiring out a bunch of heartstrong ministers. We worked at a food bank started off of a woman's porch, scraped paint on the church of an energetic man who started a thrift shop with his wife to give back $30,000 a year to the community, and were shepherded to Acadia National Park by a pastor who serves a five-point charge and still finds time and energy to drive the local school bus. The youth were largely hard-working and a good bunch. I had a lot of fun meeting new people, and spending a little time away from what has started to seem like the daily grind was a huge refreshment.

Since back:

~ devouring the second half of Gone with the Wind sacrificed from my travel bag to save space
~ attending to all lost time with the babies and toddlers of the family, namely my cousin's two-- one finally achieved the long awaited potty training; the other cut his second tooth smiling all (most of) the way
~ the life and times of the scraping of walls & ceiling in my upstairs bathroom--color yet tbd
~ catching up with friends over coffee breaks and fireworks
~ job application frenzy--will I ever find one? maybe by school year
~ starting app. to Albion--will...be...there...soon...if only...for fall overnight

Youth '07 in five!