Call for Support

My Grandpa is a wonderful and wise man who once said, "Working for God doesn't pay very well, but your boss is awesome and the retirement benefits are out of this world!" The truth is he's not wrong. There are tons of Bible verses I could post about welcoming the foreigner, serving the widowed and the orphaned, or taking the Gospel to all the nations. I encourage you to look into those topics or check out this resource for some specific verses. I really want to focus on what Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 right now though. He says that the children are the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven and that "whoever receives one such child in my name receives me" (Matt 18:5). What I'm doing here in Clarkston, the reason that I came, was to serve these kids that the Lord already loves so much and support them in whatever way I can. I came to love them and be a face they know and recognize that can connect them and their families with resources. I came to hang out with them, listen to them, get ice cream with them. I came to provide them with opportunities to improve themselves and learn through summer camp and after school programs. I came to be a neighbor, a mentor, and a friend. I believe that the work I am doing here has eternal effects.

My official role at Friends of Refugees is as Youth Programs Staff (specifically the 2016 Camp Director!). FOR is working to raise part of what I need to live on over the next year, but I'm responsible for raising the rest. Being in this position is one that can be very scary sometimes. You put yourself in the vulnerable place of asking others for help and depend on those people to come through for you. The really cool thing about being in this position is that I have to fully depend on the Lord to provide the right people to support me. It's a humbling yet exciting state to be in. Every single donation, every dollar and every encouragement is all not just for my good, but allows for the continuation of the Lord's work with the youth here in Clarkston.

I genuinely hope you will consider supporting me with a one time or monthly financial gift. Check out my support letter, contact me for more information, and pray about it.

Thank you for reading this blog and being the awesome, supportive, people that you are. I couldn't do any of this without y'all!

When you support me, you support this one too. :)

Back to School

It's August and I'm not buying school supplies or checking on where my classes are or even trying to figure out which of my friends I can eat lunch with. I'm not looking up what time I need to catch the bus or finishing summer reading assignments I procrastinated on or buying books for school. Instead, I'm sitting in on meetings, planning programs, and hanging out with those kiddos that are still in school. So far, I'm quite enjoying my first post-grad August. There are plenty of adjustments that I'm still making, but the "real world" is treating me well so far.

Walking into the FOR office in Clarkston International Bible Church (CIBC) and be welcomed by the other staff has been really encouraging. It's also been a lot of fun to get to work more closely with people like Annalisa (who works with the youth at CIBC) in planning an after school homework group for middle and high school girls. Getting opportunities to work with a great group of people for a community I love is pretty awesome. 

Here's the break down of that after school group:

• We meet Thursdays 4:30-6:30 (boys meet on Tuesdays)
• First 30 minutes we get settled, hang out, and catch up
• Next hour we do homework or other academic activities
• The last 30 minutes we eat dinner and do a little devotion

We are hoping that besides helping girls achieve their academic goals, we will also be able to facilitate life giving relationships between leaders and students. There will be opportunities for willing girls to tell their stories and share about what it's like to be a teenaged girl living in Clarkston. Whether they are a refugee or not, each girl has unique experiences that makes her special. Finishing homework and setting academic goals is great, but the chance to mentor these girls and help them become all God created them to be is something to get really excited about!

Wish List:

• Tables and chairs (to do homework on)
• Flash cards (multiplication and division)
• A vacuum claener and/or carpet sweeper (to kep our space clean)
• combination locks (to keep our supplies safe)
• Volunteers to provide dinners (we have the rice, just need something to go with it)
• Calculators (scientific and graphing for students to borrow)

And then it was over...

At least camp is. We have officially completed out last day of camp for summer 2015. Camp season comes and goes, but there is so much in store for the next 10 months! The last week of camp is a really special one for us. We head out to Camp Westminster on Conyers for some extra fun. We climb rock walls, ride horses, swim, fish, kayak, and try out archery. The kids love getting the opportunity to stretch themselves by trying things they have never done before and our staff loves getting to take the week to lay back a little and just enjoy spending time with the kids we've come to love so much. I personally enjoyed hanging out wtih the first grade babies all week and getting to know them better. 

Just a taste of the Westminster fun.

Westminster week is also a special week because we get the chance to teach Bible stories more openly. During regular camp weeks, we are more careful about how we go about sharing the Gospel and teaching Bible stories because of the multiple cultures and religions represented at our camp. This last week, we notify parents that there will be more explicit teachings from the Bible and also tell the kids that there will be stories about Jesus. Some campers choose not to participate in the story time, but most of them do. The campers get to learn the God loves them, that He protects them, and that He forgives them. It is a really sweet time as we get the chance to talk more openly about our faith with the kids. No matter what their background is, Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist, there is value in having conversations about faith and scripture. Many of our campers had really good questions and received the stories well. 

The custest first grader fisher girl you've ever seen.

Proud first grader of his bull's eye.

How do you neatly wrap up 7 weeks of chaos and cat herding? I can say that I'm tired. Probably more than tired. Exhausted doesn't even seem strong enough of a word. So why do camp? I think one of our precious first graders summed it up best: "At camp we get to try things we've never done before. Sometimes it's scary and we're not good at it. But sometimes you find out you like something new." As a camper, my favorite part of camp was being in an environment where you could be anyone and try anything. For a week, it felt like reality was suspended and that I could try things I never would otherwise because camp is a safe bubble created to provide me with new opportunities to stretch and grow myself. As a camp co-director, I hope that our campers have that feeling at Summer Spectacular. I have also found that though my role has changed, camp is still a place for me to grow and change. I have learned about how I handle stress, my leadership style, the importance of communication, and how relationships work. It amazes me how much I learn from kids and staff every summer. 

Goofy first grader waiting for his turn on a horse.

Fearless first graders taking on the rock wall.

Saying good bye to campers and interns is never fun, but thanks to social media and my new Clarkston address, this year’s good byes were the easiest. Life in Clarkston doesn't stop here. My first stop was some R&R in Vermont (I was hoping to post this before then, but that didn’t work out). A week of clean, fresh air, fishing, and exploring with Grandmother did me good. I'm refreshed and ready to tackle what comes next. Soon, fall will be here with its cool weather, school, tutoring programs, and fundraising. Stay tuned to figure out how you can be involved to keep the camp spirit going through the school year. 

This is the Big Rock, a family landmark that every Buck has a picture with.