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.

The end of camp is near...

and though the days are long, the sun is hot, and there's only so many times I can listen to campers ask me where their water bottle is, I don't want it to be over.
We were extremely blessed this week with some short termers from Virginia that love working refugees. They were flexible, willing to serve however they could, and our kids and staff loved them. I am so thankful for their servant hearts and for their passion for missions. It was so nice to spend our last week at the Clarkston Community Center with volunteers who were so easy to work with. Each of our teams this summer has been a blessing, but the added complications of 4 grades going to the pool and a talent show, this group deserves a shout out for their ability to flex. Thank you!
This week there were a lot of extra things going on outside of camp. Tuesday night one of our very own middle school campers and her friends helped plan and host a block party at one of the nearby apartment complexes. We had hotdogs, chips, bananas, brownies, music, games, and great company. The girls stayed after camp and went with me to Sam’s to get enough food for 300 people, pack my car full of games, and set up for the party. They invited everyone they saw and made it a great success. It was so much fun to have people who live and work in the community, apartment residents, McKendree volunteers, GFM staff and interns, the short termers from Virginia, and as many of our kids from camp that could get a ride all together in one place. I got to reconnect with old campers, catch up with some current ones, and meet parents of campers. From my perspective, I loved watching the girls fill with pride over their hard work paying off (they have been planning for a long time).
Wednesday and Thursday were busy days as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade all went to the pool. Wednesday the younger ones went and Thursday the older ones went. This threw our camp schedule way off, but our staff and volunteers are amazing and able to keep up as we continually have wrenches thrown in our plans. The kids all had a blast and we now know who can swim and who can't (valuable information before next week!).
Friday was our talent show. Our kids have been working towards this day all summer. It's always a delight to watch them strut their stuff and show off what they can do in front of their friends and family. This year was better than ever as the extremely talented Sarah and her squad of awesome volunteers hosted a great show. Sarah worked with each of the kids on their acts including some large group performances by the elementary grades. There was food from around the world, crafts for sale that our campers made, and the opportunity to share about our program with some people who came just for the show. It's so much fun to be able to share how great the kids we work with are with our friends and families as staff. Thank you to everyone who came out and made it so great. It was the perfect way to close out camp at the Clarkston Community Center.
*Sorry no pictures this week...I was sick and not on my picture taking game. Please pray that my sinus infection clears up quickly so that I can enjoy the last week of camp with the kiddos. 

Spirit Week!

Having McKendree come as a short term team is always a nice treat for me. I love being able to see how the group grown and changes over the years. This year was especially exciting as I had the experience to share with some of the newer youth how their group got to be involved in Friends of Refugees 6 years or so ago. It all started with a few of us in the then tiny Jolly Avenue Community Garden. Our first time visiting there were only a handful of plats that were just piles of dirt. We worked hard pulling weeds, spreading some worms, and getting dirty and sweaty. We also had a chance to do some home visits where we were going to see if any tenants needed help filling out work orders for their homes. I was a part of an especially lucky group that was invited inside a home for a feast where we met an entire family and got to learn about their story and how they came to America over some delicious food. As we debriefed as a group, the leader told us there was a summer camp and that they were always looking for groups to come a serve a week to help out. This was right up our ally and we gladly signed up for a week...we told our youth pastor about it later (whoops!). As we stood in the garden now, with almost 100 plots all bursting with green, it was surreal to look back on that first experience. Because of that one short day 6 years ago, I'm on staff, 2 more are interns, 20-25 youth come each summer to serve at camp, and even more come in the evenings of McKendree's camp week to help host a 3 night VBS at Clarkston UMC. What a blessing to get to now facilitate opportunities like the one I had that brought me here.

This is where it all began. You must stop but if you're in town!

This week was also Spirit Week. The first day, every Monday actually, we wear our awesome camp shirts (designed by our very own Jess Bullock). Tuesday was twin day. Wednesday was whacky sock day. Thursday was grade color day (each grade has a specific color they have been assigned and a chant they created, the two were combined to see which grade had the most spirit). Friday was a group favorite of Super Hero Day. It was so much fun to get kids, interns, and McKendree alike all excited for the day with this special week.

1st grade interns rocking twin day.

This intern/high school helper combo stole the show. 

This intern and her 1st grade twin might have been the cutest.

The week was also special because it was Cow Appreciation Day at Chickfila. At camp, we love little more than free food so we packed into our local Chickfila off of Memorial Drive with as many kids as we had cow shirts to all eat together. Like one big party, we all ate together, played together, and enjoyed some extra time with the kiddos. Don't they make cute cows?

So much free food, so little space to sit. 

Though this particular week was especially busy with camp and VBS, it was a great busy. At the end of each day I feel the kind of tired that means you accomplished something that day. I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to work hard for something I believe in and that makes a difference. 

Harvest Week

This week we were blessed with some time off from camp. We weren't just sitting around though. There was a lot to catch up on!

Our group outside of Chickfila headquarters.

Monday we deep cleaned the community center where we hold most of camp. Tuesday was filled with meetings and research one of our interns is conducting to see how we can improve parent involvement in our program (my nerdy side is really excited about this project!). Wednesday we took the High Schoolers for a tour at the Chickfila headquarters (it was really legit and the kids loved it). Thursday was more meetings about what the youth programs will look like when school starts back. Throughout the whole week we got to do one of my favorite parts of the summer...Mid-Summer Evaluations!!! The MSE consists of nothing more than about 12 questions Josh and I go through with small groups of interns. I love this time so much because on a day to day basis we don't get to check in too much with each other individually. It's so great to have an hour and half to sit down and talk about the summer, life, and how truly good God is. There is so much growth that happens in this precious time.

Mr. Josh in Mr. Cathy's office.

Friday was we took completely off. I took some time with my sister and mom to get lunch, find a wedding dress for me, bridesmaid dresses for my girls, resize my engagement ring (turns out it was a size and a half too big!), and then dinner with the family. What a productive day and great way to end a restful week. I'm feeling rested and ready to finish out the rest of the summer strong. I can't wait for my McKendree people to get here in a few days and I'm looking forward to the shenanigans we have planned for the coming week.

Spirit week, here we come!

Week 3 and 4

This past week I noticed a change as we all got better at our individual roles. Overall camp went more smoothly and there were generally less bumps and kinks than the past two weeks. We seem to have fallen into our groove. It's so nice to step back and watch camp.

Though the Lord has taught me many lessons this summer already, there are two things I've learned that stand out among the rest. 

1. The Lord always provides. 

2. The body of Christ is made of many different parts for good reason. 

Provision

I can't count how many times this summer our staff has doubted, worried, and paced over fear of not having what we need. "We need transportation." "We need hot, running water." "We need rest."  "We need to know what to do." "We need (fill in the blank)." Each and every one while we were busy worrying the Lord was at work solving the problems before they ever arose. My roommate Carrie and I have had to remind each other over and over again that the Lord's arm is not too short. I've learned to stand in amazement and simply look forward to the incredible ways the Lord provides for us. God is so good. 

Goofy kid making me smile on a tough day. 

The Body 

We hear about the how the eyes should not be jealous of the ears because each plays an important role. But sometimes when you're the pinky toe it's hard to see yourself as important as the thumb. At camp there are a lot of moving parts. It's easy to compare your role to others' and see yourself as less important. The truth is though, everyone is important. Whether you're a supporter, intern, staff member, camper, family member, or friend...each and every single person is important and plays a key role in the Kingdom coming to Clarkston. I'm thankful for all of the people that play a part in encouraging, working hands on, donating supplies, and managing the chaos. THANK YOU! 

Campers teaching Mr. Josh some new jokes. 

Update

It's been a long two weeks, but they just keep getting better and better. I love getting to spend so much time with these awesome kiddos. We've fallen into a good routine at camp and enjoy having a houseful of people over for cookie baking and movie watching after camp as well. I feel so lucky and so blessed that I get to have a job where I get to know some of the coolest kids in the world. In the past two weeks, I got to go to the pool with some 5th graders, had three groups of people over to my house to bake cookies, one group stopped by to watch a movie, and several who stopped by for dinner. There have been countless hugs and smiles, a few tears, and one sentence that I never thought I would ever have to say, "Hey, let's just stick to walking on our hands, okay."

The kid who was walking on his hands instead of his feet...and really good at it. 

I LOVE MY JOB!!!