Megs' Life

A day at the beach...

2009-08-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

What was supposed to be the hottest day of the year, quickly turned into a sandstorm with chilly winds and rain! But that didn't stop me!!! :) The ocean was calling my name and it was my first trip to the North Sea. As soon as Angella, the kids and I arrived at the beach, I took a few pictures and headed for the water with Gracie. She tolerated the waves for awhile but soon wanted to run back to the shore and play in the sand so I happily splashed through the water and spent the next hour and a half diving through the waves.

We were in a really cute town called Bleckenburg I think, and I couldn't get over the strange realization that I was in a very familiar feeling beach town but was surrounded by European architecture! It was crazy.

I'm not sure if I can really put how I felt into words but I felt exhilarated in the water and free. I felt like myself which was nice because it's been hard to 'feel like myself' in a place that is NOT like myself. I felt independent and intelligent, in a strange way! You see, I've grown up near the beach and to reconnect with the tide, to know how to avoid being crushed, to understand how the undertoe pulls was important to me. I know how to swim and feel completely at ease despite the fact that I'm being tossed by rough and intense waves. I haven't felt like that since I arrived in Europe, partly because everything is new to me here. I don't know how to speak the language, don't know how to drive my stick shift car, don't know my way around, don't understand the processes going on around me and certainly feel lost most of the time. While I was in the waves, I didn't feel any of those things and it was nice for a short time. Anyway, enough of my deep and yet insignificant ramblings! :) It was a great experience for me and I can't wait to go back!!!

Happy and busy!

2009-08-15T04:01:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! It's been a couple of weeks since I've updated my blog. What can I say? Life is full and busy! :) So let me catch you up!

My first event at SHAPE was the "Sweet Farewell" to the summer interns. Both Sarah and Kristina were awesome assets to Club and as a way of saying thank you and farewell, we had a fun and STICKY goodbye! Our theme was ice cream and toppings so...

1. A game of 'topping twister.' Each color on the board was a different topping (ie: chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup) and it led to a hysterical mess!

2. "Affirmation smash!" Each student that wanted to encourage or affirm one of the interns would make a fun and disgusting pie out of whipped cream and toppings. After they said their words of affirmation, they would smash the pie into the interns face. Sounds affirming eh? :) If the affirmation was especially awesome, we added some fun/secret ingredients such as sardines, split pea soup or tuna. It made for a very smelly and disgusting treat in the face!

3. We created a large 6 foot sundae and the students finished off the event by eating from the 'trough' with no silverware!

Although the event was smelly, sticky and messy, it was a great time and a sweet way to say farewell to our incredible interns!

Before Kristina and Sarah left, the girls had a chance to take me to downtown Mons. We had a great time exploring, eating amazing frites (French Fries- and did you know that French Fries were invented in Belgium? Not France???), window shopping, talking and laughing. We found this incredible park that overlooked the entire Grand Place of Mons. It was a beautiful park and incredibly serene. It was a fun day and made me really excited to do a little more exploring in the near future!!!

The next weekend we took 11 people to Germany for ECYC (European Catholic Youth Conference). It was incredible! The worship band and speaker were amazing and the times spent with the students were precious. We spent the weekend listening to amazing teaching, feeling the Holy Spirit's presence during our worship time and I personally learned a lot more about the Catholic faith through mass and the conversations I had with leaders and students. The experience is something I will hold on to for a long time and I believe the students were challenged and changed as well.

Our prayer walk The Arch Bishop of Military Services

visited us (he's the one on the right)

Well, I know this was a brief 'catch you up' but I wanted to make sure I got it done and sooner rather than later. I promise more details to come!

Please keep praying that I'll get my ID soon so I can look for housing and officially purchase a car as well as for continual healing of my sciatic nerve. It's felt a bit better the last couple of days! Praise Jesus!!!

Love always,

Megan

Week one in Belgium

2009-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

The Cole Family's Home

Today I decided to explore my surroundings a little bit and took off for a walk around the town of Neufville's which is where the Cole family lives. As I walked, I listened to some new songs I recently downloaded at Tim's suggestion. It was surreal and for some reason absolutely enthralling as lame as that sounds. Here I am, in a totally new place, listening to new music and breathing in new smells. It was a sensory overload as I took in all the new sights- the buildings, the roads, the houses, the fences, the cow pastures, they all look so new and different to me. The flowers are different, the trees look different and the fresh smell after the rain passes is intoxicating.

As I walked I spent a little time with my Abba Father expressing my thanks and gratitude to Him and as if to answer, the heavens opened up and poured down on me washing me clean and cooling me down. I looked up and laughed as I continued my walk in the rain which quickly tapered off and gave way to an absolutely beautiful sunny afternoon.

Towards the end of the walk, I looked down and saw a beautiful orange flower that seemed to stand out among the greenery and I picked it up. It reminded me of a sunrise, a new day, and I took it home with me to remind me that despite the uphill battles I may face, this is a new day, a new journey and God has many amazing things in store for me. I will stand firm on the positives despite a few disappointments.

Let's start with the good things from this week. As I mentioned before, I have a great office and I love the location of it on base. Tim and I had a good time talking about the calendar for the next 6 months and we have found that we are eerily similar in odd ways. Have you ever met anyone else that wishes that the world were one big musical??!?!?! I thought I was alone in that...but NOPE! Tim and I discovered that we both have thought up the same idea, we have similar tastes in music and we are both big pranksters. I have a feeling we are in for an interesting (and awesome!) year! :)

I had a great time with a couple girls on Thursday night and really began to connect with them. I found out later that one of them made a comment to Tim saying "she's perfect! Just what we needed." I cannot wait to get to know these teenagers better and I look forward to building relationships with them. I feel like a perfect fit here (a God ordained fit) and that's an incredible feeling. I KNOW that I'm where I'm supposed to be and that fills me with a sense of peace. I had many good conversations with Tim and Angella this week and have enjoyed having a family to live with. I'm incredibly blessed.

(Above right: Andrew, Above left: Cole Family (Angella, Gracie, Andrew and Tim)

Rough stuff for the week- well, I still don't have my id's which basically puts me on hold to do anything else. I can't really buy a car, find a place to live, visit the commissary, check my mail to see if my boxes have arrived or get into any of the facilities on base without those id's. Patience is definitely something I'm learning!

But for me, the hardest part is that I'm in pain and it's constant and at times excruciating. For a long time I thought I just had 'restless leg syndrome' or something stupid like that because the tops of my thighs would hurt after a long day of sitting. It only got worse through the process or packing and lifting heavy things during my move and it took on a whole new world of pain after sitting on the plane for 8 hours and then in a car for 13 hours. It's gone from annoyingly painful to searing pain when I sit for almost any length of time. I talked to a professional masseuse (wasn't actually treated by her, just spoke to her) who asked a few questions and concluded that my sciatic nerve is most likely pinched and thus the reason my neck, hip and right leg hurt. I've been taking ibuprofen and similar medicines but they've done nothing for the pain which makes sense since those are for muscle injuries, not nerve issues. I cannot see a chiropractor on base or get a referral until I get my military id's. See my problem??? So, bottom line is that I hurt and am feeling antsy to become settled into a new routine but I can't yet so I just need to be still and know that HE is God. Prayers though would be appreciated!

Oh yes, so let's do prayer requests :)

*For the pain I'm experiencing- just pray that it would go away and NOT hinder my ministry or the next week in anyway!

*Tomorrow I'm going to Catholic Mass and the Protestant Service to be introduced to the chapel. Please pray for a good introduction and fast relationships!

*I have decided that my first choice is to live on base. It would give me incredible access to students and I would love to be able to walk to most of the places I need to go. Please pray that there are housing spots available and that I would be able to quickly get affordable housing.

* Belgium is a VERY expensive place to live. Please pray for me as I continue to figure out how to budget everything I need and please pray for that I will continually trust my finances to God.

* Pray that I find a reliable and relatively inexpensive car to drive as well as all the other things I need to purchase in the near future.

*Pray that my belongings arrive! It's been 3 weeks since I mailed my boxes- pray they arrive soon and NOT in pieces! :)

* Pray for the ministry here as I begin to meet students, parents and chapel staff. I just want to know how to love the people I encounter daily.

Thanks for your prayers and being a part of the great adventure!

Megs

Arrival in Europe

2009-07-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Yes! I am alive and well! :) I arrived in Germany but didn't have internet access for the past week therefore, I haven't been able to update my blog with my adventures; but I am here and am doing phenomenally!

I arrived on the 14th after probably the BEST flight ever! That's right...it was a great flight! I had an entire row to myself and actually slept for 3-4 hours. I arrived in Frankfurt and drove to Heidelberg and experienced miracle #2. NO JET LAG!!! Somehow, my body caught up immediately and I didn't experience jet lag. Pretty incredible!

I spent the first week in Germany at the MCYM-Club Beyond Welcome/Goodbye conference and it was wonderful. I think above all else the coolest part was connecting with people that share the same passions as I do; a love for Jesus Christ and a passion for loving teenagers. I met a lot of amazing people, laughed a ton and thoroughly enjoyed my first week in Europe.

Top 10:

1. Every evening I found someone new to hang out with and to connect with on some level. Sometimes it was in long and deep talks about life and other times it was playing silly games while having a glass of wine. Whatever I was doing, it was awesome!

2. Jessica Barlow organized a little surprise birthday celebration for me which was way special!

3. I made some incredibly awesome new friends.

(left:Jessica and me

Below and left: Me, Jess, Elizabeth and Stacie)

4. One afternoon we toured around a little German city called Calw and we sat at a really cute outdoor cafe and drank cappuccinos! AND, I bought some really cute earrings. A definite plus!

5. During my "welcome" I felt extremely special and blessed to be part of the Club Beyond family. Everyone was so encouraging about me 'finally' being in Europe and a part of the family. I felt loved instantly!

6. Pam Fulton's back rubs. Enough said.

7. These amazing bread things that you roast over an open fire!!!

8. Leading worship with Ron. For some reason, that was really special!

9. Being in an incredibly beautiful part of Germany, the Black Forest!

10. Seeing God's hands in EVERYTHING! He has constantly surprised me and met my every need so far. It was a very encouraging first week!

(Left: me and Dale- he's been an encouragement through this entire process!)

Last night we arrived in Belgium and today we began my in-processing. I think it's safe to say it didn't go exactly as hoped...but that's okay! We hit a few logistical snags in getting my id's which are pretty much necessary for EVERYTHING! But I got to hang out with Tim and get a feel for the area I'll be serving so let's focus on the good things!

Top 5 for the first day at SHAPE:

1. I got my first glance at my awesome new office! It's so cute and has a great view and the summer interns decorated it to make me feel welcomed and special. SO cool!

2. I was surprised by one of the high school girls I met in February when she called and offered me two wireless phones, a wireless internet modem and some rugs for my future home!

3. I ran into 3 high school girls that I met back in Feb. and they seemed genuinely excited that I was coming on staff. I cannot wait to connect more with the teenagers here!

4. I got my first international cell phone...and it's cute!!! (Navy blue!)

5. Again, just the cool ways God provides and reveals Himself. So special!

More as the journey unfolds. Thanks for being a part of my story!

Megs

Night before...

2009-07-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

It's the night before I leave for Europe and to be perfectly honest, I pretty much only feel excited! Not anxious, not nervous, not scared, not too sad...just excited! Tonight, my entire family came together for my birthday dinner (by entire, I mean me my sister, brother, mom and dad) and it was wonderful! My mom made an amazing salmon, we took pictures, opened a few presents, laughed about old memories and that was pretty much it. Simple, yet right.

I didn't have any amazing, incredible, earth shattering moments while I was home in VA for the past 6 days, instead I would describe the trip as 'just right.' I had great conversations with my family, played cards with my mom and dad, ran last minute errands and all in all I had what I would describe as great quality time. I can leave VA now feeling like I have closure, like all is well and that's a great feeling.

My bags are mostly packed and all I need to do is a few last minute things and then tomorrow at 2:33pm, I begin this next adventure!!!! Crazy and oh'so'exciting!

Big life changes...

2009-07-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

In exactly 5 days, I will board a plane with a one-way ticket in hand to Europe! I land in Frankfurt, Germany on the 14th and after two days of 'in-processing' I will join up with many other "MCYM'ers" to kick off my new chapter with an event called Welcome/Goodbye. The event is the start of another year; everyone says welcome to the newbies (me!) and goodbye to those returning to the states to pursue another avenue. I can only imagine that it's an experience that evokes plenty of varying emotions and for me, it's no different.

What am I doing? Well, I'm moving to SHAPE, Belgium to be the Associate Director of a military youth ministry program called Club Beyond and my assignment will last at least 3 years. That's right! In the past few weeks, I've sold almost everything I owned, packed what I wanted to take with me in 13 boxes and shipped those to Belgium, sold my car, ended one job, packed my clothes into two suitcases, moved out of my apartment, helped settle my cat Riley into his foster-home, enjoyed several incredible going away parties, was commissioned by my church and then boarded a plane to visit VA and my family one last time before I headed overseas. I have never been so exhausted in my entire life and yet I've also never felt so alive and at peace with a decision! The next big adventure that awaits me is full of unknowns and excitement and I'm completely ready despite the myriad of emotions!

Last week my best friend Joy and her hubby Andy flew to Denver to surprise me for my going away party. I cannot tell you how elated I was to see them and words cannot possible expressed how blessed I am to have the most incredible friends in the world! Friday night they organized a walk down memory lane to celebrate my life in Colorado.

It started with an email that essentially told me that at 4:30pm I needed to be ready with a camera, phone, tissue and car keys in hand. I would receive an email and I was supposed to decipher the clue and head to the destination it indicated. I was ecstatic because these kinds of games are right up my alley! The first location was Sweetwater Park, the place where many of my friends played UF together and the location I met Blakely at for the first time. I arrived and found Sarah and Blake- they stood up and we chit-chatted for a minute, took a picture and they handed me another clue.

The next clue led us to Peaberry Coffee and we found Nick and Kara Moseley waiting for us. It was then that I realized that this scavenger hunt created so that I would find all my dearest friends at places that were meaningful to us. Next, we found Sara Monroe at Ted's Montana Grill, then Bethany at that YFC office and finally Jon and Hannah at Grace Chapel! Jon handed me the final clue which I deciphered to mean we were going to my favorite restaurant in Castle Rock, the Rock Yard. On the drive there I thought to myself about how this picture didn't feel complete because Rock Yard was my restaurant and favorite haunt with Joy- oh how I wished she was there with me!

As I sat (with my back to the window as 'slyly' instructed by my friends) and looked at the menu, Joy and Andy walked into the restaurant! I couldn't help it...I screeched! I was so excited!!!! The night was amazing. Joy and Andy were there for the entire weekend and I just spent time laughing and feeling special and it was the most incredible night I've had in a long time. I felt so incredibly loved by my friends. They had been working on the plan for 3+ months and everything had been planned to make me feel special and to see how loved I was.

The next day was my going away party and friends stopped by and played Baggo, enjoyed a drink and ate good food. Again, I felt so special and loved by my friends! What a special weekend.

Now, it's July 8th and I'm spending my final few days in the US with my family. Mom and I stayed up late last night talking and playing cards, dad and I went shopping today and it's been a great first day. I can hardly believe that the past year, my journey, has come full circle and I'm getting ready for the next adventure. Life in full time youth ministry...in BELGIUM!!!!

Sit back- the adventure is going to be exciting!

Going to China again!

2008-06-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

I think I'm supposed to say it was a hard decision to make but it really wasn't. I had been planning on going to S. Africa for the YFC General Assembly in September and I was really stoked! But then a good friend called me and asked me if I would consider returning to China. The dates were at the absolute WORST time for me to be away from the office- right in the middle of Candidate Orientation. I didn't even pursue getting permission to go. Then the earthquake hit in Chengdu and my heart literally began to ache. I wanted to go back so bad... After speaking at the first China meeting to the crew preparing to go, I knew that with every word I spoke about why people would return from Luxian changed, I was being pulled even harder and harder to go. I spent the next three nights tossing and turning in my bed and waking up with a heavy heart. It wasn't anxiety exactly, instead it was a feeling like I was making a mistake. I couldn't ignore the urge any longer. I called Steve that morning and told him I had to go and I didn't know how it was going to work but I needed him to pray. Steve said they were purchasing the tickets that very night!! Well...I'll spare you the long details but I approached my boss and told him that I needed to go to China. He was amazing and through the course of the next 2 hours, he and my other 2 bosses agreed to let me go!!! So the decision was made- I'm going to China rather than to S. Africa this fall!

Now I'm in the preparation stages of heading back to Luxian, China. This time, I'm going to with the understanding that it's going to be hot as hades there and it's going to be exhausting and it's going to once again stretch me to the impossible and I CANNOT WAIT!!!

A team of 12 of us will embark on the adventure (and the approximate 21 hours of travel!) on July 25th and will return on August 10th. It's gonna be a wild adventure and I've learned to expect the unexpected when God's involved. CHINA HERE WE COME!!

Almost a full year later!

2008-05-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Good grief! I stink at keeping this bad boy updated!!!! So, the last time I wrote was Sept. 07- how exactly am I supposed to do a speedy update on 8 months??? Let's try! :-D Here are just the highlights for now...

November 2007

My best friends got married and I was the MOH! It was probably the most fun wedding I've ever been part of. I love Mr. and Mrs. Andy Getz!

January 2008
Good friend comes home!

Sara's back from Samoa!

Candidate Orientation- More missionaries to the field!

February 2008
MidWinter in California and then a visit with Joy and Andy

DD & Me in San Diego

Joy and I spent a lot of time on the beach.

Jr. High Winter retreat

April 2008- Candidate Orientation

More crazy times in youth group!

May 2008
I sang in the wedding of LeeAnn and Preston McBrayer- two close friends and YFC missionaries to New Zealand

Crazy but good life!

LOVE! Megs

Life...it happens so fast!

2007-09-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

I've heard it said before, "life happens when you aren't looking." I hope that NEVER happens to me. Fortunately I've been awake for all that has happened in the past 5 months but it has still FLOWN by!!!

I think the easiest way to catch up on the last few months is to do it chronologically. So here we go... :-D

March: Joy & Andy get engaged!!!

Shortly after my last post, my best friend Joy, whom I moved to Colorado with, became engaged and I became what we lovingly refer to as the MOH (Maid of Honor.) It's been an exciting whirlwind of dress shopping, bridal shower and bachelorette party planning, flower and music talk etc. I am more than thrilled to stand beside my best friend as she marries Andy Getz, the first friend we made when we came to Colorado.

I get to wear a VERY pretty dress and I just love being the "MOH!"

April/May: Candidate Orientation
I finally got the hang of Candidate Orientation this time around and felt so at ease with this crew! The Orientation class once again bonded and I can honestly say this class kept me on my feet more than any other has in the past. The very first day this group was kicked out of 3 stores as they waited for their counseling appointments. LOL. Not for bad reasons though...just for very funny reasons! They made me laugh & we created some awesome memories!

June: It was off to Summer Institute, 10 days to learn more about the YFC Ministries as well as to get to know the Missionaries serving with World Outreach. It was incredible!

The girls at Summer Institute!

The whole World Outreach crew.

June 11th was a hard day for me. My mom called while I was at Summer Institute with news that my golden retriever, (whom I got for my 15th birthday,) Shea was dying and it was time to put her to sleep. We'd never imagined that this day would come and I'd be right in the middle of all my travel. I had to say goodbye to her on the phone and cried myself to sleep that night. It was hard to keep a smile on my face for the rest of Summer Institute but I had some amazing friends by my side while I was away from home.

June 16th: I got on the plane sick. That's right, SICK, and flew to Monterrey, Mexico for my very first Project Serve Mission experience. I had one day to get over the fact that I couldn't hear anything (thanks to the descent in the airplane and to my clogged sinus') and that I felt horrible, because this team depended greatly on myself and the other leader who was also sick! It was one of the most challenging trips I've ever been on but man was it amazing! I learned heaps on the first trip I've ever co-led. Every morning we worked on service projects around the area; mixing cement, digging trenches, painting, using a machete on 5 foot weeds and did I mention mixing cement? It was NOT an easy job! In the afternoon we spent time with the local children doing vbs' or just playing with them. God taught me a lot about what it means to be a good leader and communicator with everyone around you. It was hard communicating with the local pastors and the ladies that were serving us and I quickly learned that the common connection in regards to language is love. The people in Monterrey, Mexico loved us and I made some amazing bonds as we served alongside our brothers & sisters.

Diana and her cousins- they followed me around a lot and even though we couldn't talk much, we really enjoyed each other's company.

The kids praying at a VBS- God is good!

Tons of kids running around everywhere. Can you imagine the response I got when I said "Lights out!"?

Mixing cement is HARD work. Thank goodness for the shade...

My team were slightly 'different.' :) This was the team pose.

July: First it was off the family reunion in Montana. I drove with my aunt Peggy and her friend Bennie and we stopped in Jackson Hole, WY (check out the amazing picture of the Grand Tetons!) We had an awesome time on the drive and seeing my parents and my brother in Montana was perfect. I got some really great quality time with my lil bro and got to see a lot of family I hadn't in awhile. It was a very special weekend.

Chris O visited me on his way to the West Coast. Chris serves with the Military Youth Ministry and became a good friend of mine at Summer Institute. Getting to have dinner with him and talk about life in YFC was awesome!

I turned 26 and it was easier than turning 25 believe it or not! A few of my closest friends took me to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was a blast...except for a few disappointments...

This face cannot begin to describe how I felt when I learned they no longer served my favorite Cheese Cake at the restaurant. No more heath!!! :(

Rebecca arrived in July to assist me in World Outreach! Rebecca and I have been friends for several years and went to college together so it was a nice reunion when she arrived. She adds so much to the office as well as to my life and I don't know what I would do without her?! She's a huge blessing.

I survived my 4th Candidate Orientation and I was on a role! We accepted 4 new missionaries to serve with us and by this time I felt like a pro. Get ready...we're going to change things up again though! Never get too comfortable :-P

Praying over the Candidates:

August:
1. First up was planning days for the World Outreach staff. It was a lot of fun as everyone came together from all over the US to begin to plan for the next year. We started off our time at the Willow Creek Leadership Conference at a satellite center- then we went to a Rockies game and had a 'favorite decades' themed picnic party. I think it got a bit out of hand but no one can say it wasn't a blast! Who know we had such good karaoke singers?!?

Rockies game:

Take me to a ball game and give me a brat, I'm a happy girl!

The World Outreach Picnic at Royals house:
Can you tell that I planned the picnic? It wouldn't have been complete without costumes and karaoke!
Hot team!!!

Men singing!

Woah there tiger...

2. LeeAnn arrives! LeeAnn is one of our missionaries who is planning to serve in New Zealand starting July 08 but she's also become an awesome friend of mine! She visited me for 6 days in August and we hiked in the Garden of the god's, laughed until our sides hurt, watched countless episodes of "Lost" while we ate mozzarella sticks, talked about everything imaginable and just had an amazing time bonding!

Garden of the Gods

LeeAnn and me at my favorite restaurant, Rock Yard

August 18: Joy's Bridal Shower
We had such a good time!!! I think Joy enjoyed all her presents...well at least A will :) And we had a great time celebrating the approaching day with her!

The Bride's Maids (well, two of them!)

Our flowers! I wish I had my eyes open!!!!!!!!

Kara really liked the game where you got to model the gift...
In this case it was a rolling pin!!!! :-D
Joy's about to open my gift...can you tell I'm excited and she's a bit scared??? It was AWESOME!!!!

August/September: Last minute I decided to fly out to Arizona to visit my parents! I got there on a night when there was an amazing sunset and got some good pictures :) We had a blast playing cards, talking, going to movies, and just relaxing together. I read a book for pleasure for the first time in about a year!!!!

Me and mom in front of the "perfect two armed cactus" my dad found for me!

Amazing...absolutely gorgeous! Who can look at this and not agree that God is amazing?

Right before a big storm moved in, I caught this shot. I think it's awesome!

Well, that's it! That's a snap shot at the past 5 months of my life. Feel caught up? I know I feel tired just looking at it!

Fun facts for the summer:
1. Traveled to Indiana, Mexico, Wyoming, Montana & Arizona.
2. 4 missionaries visited me (one from Germany, one on her way to Benin, West Africa, one going to New Zealand and one who's served in 4 countries with MCYM)
3. 3 guests not with YFC have visited this summer
4. I became a MOH for both Joy and my younger sister Helena (she's getting married next May!)
5. I've planned 6 parties this summer
6. I moved into my apartment 3 months ago and have never spent more than two weeks a month in the apartment.
7. I have yet to use the pool...
8. Riley, my cat, has had 4 people other than me take care of him this summer!
9. I've seen my parents 4 times in 3 months- a record for us!
10. I celebrated living in Colorado for 3 years in August and 1 year at YFC on August 28th.
11. I watched 2 seasons of Lost in two weeks (hey...I wasn't sure if I would actually get it done if I didn't!)
12. In the last year, I've flown 10 separate times (the only month I did not fly was July...but I did drive to Montana in July!)

It's been a busy and VERY fun summer! God continually blesses me abundantly. I'm a lucky girl!

Spring's just around the corner!

2007-03-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

I'm not going to start this post off with my normal statement, "I stink at keeping my blog updated!" Instead, I'm just going to move forward and start off by saying, "I CAN FINALLY SEE THE GROUND!!!!" That's right...the snow has finally melted and spring is in the air. With that said...it'll probably snow next week! :-P

Phew- the last few weeks have been awesome, exciting and exhausting all at the same time! It's been hard to catch my breath at times...I went to MidWinter in Dallas back in February and had an amazing time of worship and learning alongside over 500 other fellow YFC'ers from around the country. When I wasn't in the general sessions of worship and teachings or in the break out sessions, I was manning the recruitment table telling people about ministry opportunities in World Outreach.

Above: Worship at MidWinter-AMAZING!

I returned to the office rejuvenated and went full steam ahead! It's been a fruitful season as I'm very busy with potential missionaries coming in the door as well as serving missionaries departing to the field! I've been blessed to meet and serve alongside some amazing followers of Christ and be part of their journey.

Sara in Cape Town, S. Africa

Youth camp in Geneva

My job has kept me very busy and I am falling more in love with it everyday as I learn more and more! I can honestly say that my relationship with Christ grows daily as I am surrounded by His Majesty.

I traveled to Siloam Springs, Arkansas at the beginning of March to recruit at John Brown University and had a kick butt time flying into OK, renting a car by myself, staying in my own hotel room with a KING SIZED BED, and recruiting at the college. It's true that I've technically been an adult for years now but I have to admit, I feel even more grown up now after taking my first official business trip alone! The trip was fun and yet challenging- I spent a lot of time by myself (an adventure is always more fun when it's shared!) and I was disappointed that I didn't get to talk to more people. I probably wouldn't have been entirely satisfied even if I'd talked to the entire student body though- that's JUST HOW MUCH I LOVE TALKING ABOUT SERVING OTHERS!! However, the people I did get a chance to interact with were awesome and I hope that more than a couple of the potential recruits will serve with YFC/World Outreach in the near future!

What else is new in the life of Megan? Well...I will be traveling a lot in the next few months! I start off by vacationing in Arizona with Bethany at the beginning of April and I cannot wait! I am going to do NOTHING- and I mean NOTHING!!! We are staying at B's grandmother's condo, using her car, her golf cart, her pool etc! We are already dreaming up fun ideas of how to indulge- pedicures, massages, eating yummy food, drinking good wine, and getting a tan!!! I am going to leave my PDA, my lap top, my day planner etc at home as I REFUSE to check email or do anything unless I feel like it!!! I'm going to get some good books, listen to my new IPOD and enjoy the warm sun on my face!

May: I'm moving!!!!! That's right! I'm moving into my own place with my little man, Riley. At this point, it looks like we'll literally move right across the parking lot to a really cute one bedroom apartment where Riley will have plenty of sun to bask in as we will face south! I'm really looking forward to decorating and having my own safe haven to escape the traffic of life! This is the building I'll be living in...minus the snow...I HOPE!

Camping Trip: The first 07 camping trip for Grace Chapel young adults will be the weekend after I move...and of course I'm helping plan for the adventure! We reserved my favorite campsite at...WELLINGTON LAKE!!!! I'll post pictures for sure... :-D

June: Oh man...I will have barely moved into my new place before the traveling REALLY begins! I leave for Summer Institute with my fellow YFC'ers the beginning of June for 10 days of training/orientation in Indiana. I'm uber excited because I'll get to spend some quality time with some of the missionaries I've gotten to know in the past year. Lauren and I are going to room together so I'm excited to see what kind of trouble we can get in to :-D She has become a dear friend to me and I'm looking forward to some quality Lauren time!

LAUREN!!!!

I return to the office for a week before it's off to MONTERREY, MEXICO with Bill Springston and the MCYM project serve trip! I am not sure of all the details yet but I do know that I'm going to learn under Bill as a co-leader and we' hope to have around 50 Military youth with us. I cannot wait and I know that I will learn and grow in awesome ways!

July: I return from Mexico and leave the next day for Yellowstone Natl. Park to join my family for our family reunion!!! It'll be an awesome time to see some supporters and family members that I haven't seen in awhile...not to mention I get some time with my mom, dad, Judy and Dick!!!

I return from Yellowstone and my birthday is the following weekend...so are we going camping??? I'm not sure if I'll be up to it but I'm thinking YES!!!!! Either way, my mom will most likely be coming for a visit sometime in July as well!

So, life is great! The Lord continues to bless me immensely; New relationships, a car I love, my lawsuit is coming to an end hopefully in the next month, a new home, a new IPOD, a job that I love going to everyday, friends that I adore and who love me, and a family who I remain close to despite the physical distance that separates us. Spring is around the corner and a new chapter in my life has begun!!! Oh- and I actually have hit my goal in fundraising two months in a row!!!!!!

I'll update ya'll as things in my life unfold! For now, thank you for your friendship and love.

A busy month...

2007-02-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

January has been a VERY busy month...hence the reason why I haven't written on my blog in ages! Starting December 20th, Denver has yet to see less than 2 feet of snow on the ground! Believe me, the piles of white (now black'ish) stuff is no longer a welcomed sight. We haven't had a weekend yet in over a month, that didn't bring with it, HEAPS and HEAPS of snow! At first, I REALLY enjoyed all of the white stuff, but now...I'm hoping it will all melt by my birthday...in JULY!! With all the snow, the mail slowed down and the YFC office faced some challenges. It seemed like every one went into over drive mode in order to get things ready for our Candidates who were coming in January for Candidate Orientation. But, overall, I've been very grateful for the beautiful, serene atmosphere that the blankets of snow provide.

Yes! There really are cars under there!!!

The missionary candidates arrived on January 14th and we were ready for 'em! Well...kinda :-D
We had a smaller group this time which was nice since it was my first time flying solo! I quickly found myself running all over the place trying to keep all of the balls in the air. I was THOROUGHLY exhausted by the end of the week but also feel very encouraged, blessed and excited about the caliber of our candidates! We had a young couple and their baby, the Gamradts who will serve in Ireland, a young guy named Joey who will be working in the World Outreach Office on video production (and will hopefully bring some more youth onto our team!) and a young woman named Elizabeth who will be serving with MCYM (military camp youth ministry) somewhere in Germany. Joey and Elizabeth are close to my age so we had a good time chatting and then came over to my apartment one night for movies!

January 2007 Missionary Candidates

Another awesome blessing this month is that the first three missionaries that I recruited, served and walked through the process, left to serve for 6 months in Bolivia!!! This crew of peops are amazing! It has been such a privilege getting to know these people who have such a heart to serve God! The day before they departed they all came into the office to meet me and each other. A couple of them, I had already met because they live in the Denver area, but I met Julianna for the first time when they arrived. You could feel the excitement in the room!!! I answered their last minute questions, we went to lunch together and then our entire World Outreach staff prayed over them! I actually felt pretty emotional...almost as if my kids were leaving the nest!

Lara, Niko, me and Julianna!

For me personally, the month has been challenging yet rewarding. I am still in the middle of a brutally emotional lawsuit for my car accident and I've gone through lots of tumultuous times related to that. My pain has diminished significantly but not completely- but hey! I'll take that!!!! I'm learning a lot about myself through relationships with others and I'm realizing that I am a very strong person! To GOD be the glory for that one! :) I served on the leadership for our singles retreat at church and helped to pull of the 3rd annual talent show! Our church has gone through a lot of pain as our senior pastor resigned on December 10th via a videotape. He admitted to struggling and falling in homosexual infidelity and it was heart breaking. While our church (both as a whole and as members individually) have struggled to grapple with the repercussions of his admission, we are becoming a stronger body of believers and I know that God will be glorified through even the toughest of circumstances.

One other bit of info! I auditioned for GREASE at a local community theatre company. I wasn't really anticipating getting the part I wanted and I stated I wouldn't accept anything other than the part (too much work and time if you aren't REALLY excited to play the role!) and I didn't get the part I wanted- but I had a BLAST auditioning!!!!! It was so good to be on stage again and I definitely aim to make that a part of my life again soon.

Check out my headshot...

Well, that's all for now! More to come soon as I start traveling for YFC this month. MUCH LOVE!!!!

Weekend in Breck!!!

2006-12-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

I spent last weekend with 9 close friends in a cabin in Brecken-
ridge! What an absolutely gorgeous location! We left Friday afternoon and I drove Bethany, Jon and myself in my new car. I'm proud to say that "Alex" did an amazing job and he was WAY fun to drive! We met up with Joy, Andy, Sarah and Blakely at a brewery/pub for lunch. I have to be honest- my Caesar salad left me wanting- but Bethany had some yummy quesadilla's that she shared! After lunch we met Tyson at Breckenridge where he'd spent the afternoon skiing. Then we headed to up the cabin to get ready to go out to dinner! We went to the Breckenridge brewery and had an awesome dinner!

After an awesome dinner we went back to the cabin and spent the rest of the night goofing off and playing games. I think we were all pretty tired and we ended up going to bed fairly early! I shared a bed with Sarah and Bethany and we laughed ourselves to sleep. I have NO idea who- but someone was making some obscene (yet funny!) noises and keep making up cheers that went something like "Give me a J...J!!! You got your J, you got your J! Give me an O...O!!! You got your O, you got your O!!!" Well, whoever it was, it was funny and soon we were exhaused and dfrifted off to sleep. The next morning I woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes! I even got a mickey mouse pancake! Thanks Tyson!!!!
A few of our crew went skiing Saturday while the rest of us chilled in the cabin! At one point, there was 5 of us on the couch reading and it was a picture perfect setting! Who can beat a good
book, hot chocolate and friends?

We spent the afternoon reading, playing games and enjoying each other's company! When the rest of the gang got back, we enjoyed an amazing candlelight dinner, followed by an AWESOME Christmas gift exchange and then everyone's favorite movie "DUMB AND DUMBER!!!"

Me and Joy

Sarah and Nicole

Me and Bethany posing for a picture while making dinner!

Our spread! Aww- don't we look like one big happy family?

Before we knew it, our weekend at the cabin came to an end and we headed home. It was a really relaxing weekend and I wouldn't have chosen to spend it with anyone other than these people. I'm a lucky girl to have friends like these!

Weekend gettaway!!!

2006-12-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

What could be better than spending a weekend with 9 of your closest friends in the Rockies? Not much!

About 2+ months ago, Sarah, Bethany, Jon and I ventured up to Breckenridge to check out a cabin Bethany found on the internet. The place seemed to be too good to be true so being the 'responsible' adults that we are (that's really funny!) we planned an outing to check it out! Truth is, who really needs an excuse to take a road trip into the Rockies eh? Despite a few minor setbacks (sorry Sarah!!!) we had a great day and the cabin was AMAZING!!!!! You could tell that we were all extremely excited at the idea of spending a weekend in this cabin with friends surrounded by God's creation. Bethany took all of the pictures in this post so that we could convince our friends it was a good idea. It didn't take a whole lot of convincing though!!!

The driveway was steep and there was over 6 inches of snow in September!!!

So this weekend 9 of us (Bethany, Jon, Andy, Joy, Sarah, Blake, Nicole, Sarah, Tyson and me) are spending the weekend at the cabin and I'm excited to see what lies ahead! Am I ready??? Of course not!!!!!!

Could this seriously be any more gorgeous?!?!?

Megan's to do list before she leaves:
*Buy a winter jacket (I found this really cute Columbia one that I've been eying for 3 days now!!)
*Get through a day and 1/2 of work
*Finish laundry
*Pack my stuff
*Get food organized and packed into my car
*Go to a Christmas party tonight
*Clean my bedroom/bathroom for company arriving Sunday night
*Prepare Riley for 2 days without me!
*Get extra blankets packed
*Purifying ritual!!!!
*Get directions for all the places we are going
*Pack my car
* Get in the car and LEAVE!!!!

Stick around for an update on our weekend!!!

POWER OF XANGO!

2006-12-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

What is XANGO!?!?!? It's an incredible, all natural juice that comes from the Mangosteen fruit in Thailand. The fruit contains something called XANTHONES which act as an antioxident and fights all kinds of 'bad stuff' in the body.

True story: I'm a skeptic and my mom has ALWAYS been into natural products that she believes are 'miraculous.' To be honest, I started drinking XANGO to quiet her persistence but also figured, if this juice could help me with some of my ailments (asthma, migraines and other more personal pains) then it was worth a shot right? HONESTLY- I've noticed a huge difference! My headaches are less frequent and less intense, my asthma is in general under control and as soon as other pains occur, after a couple shots of Xango, I can honestly say that I feel better!!! Last summer when I was home in VA I got a weird rash on my arm (darn allergies!) and I rubbed some Xango on my arm at my mom's insistence. In an hour tops, I wasn't itching and the rash had all but disappeared. Not to mention it tastes REALLY GOOD!!! Anyway, don't just take my word for it...check out my mom's website below and if YOU ARE READY TO START FEELING BETTER, start drinking XANGO! Contact my mom, she'll give you the info!

www.donnalake.com

A word from Donna:

Name: Donna Lake
Phone Number: 434-249-6366
Email: donnalake@adelphia.net

I am blessed to have discovered this wonderful company and incredible juice! I think I may be one of the few distributors who actually got to taste the mangosteen fruit in Thailand before becoming a distributor! I was invited to be the guest of my dear friend Betty Q who won the trip Premier and she actually took me with her just for the FUN of it! I actually signed up on the internet while at the Mangosteen Spa and Resort in Phuket! It was the best decision I have ever made in terms of health wealth and seeing dreams come true. Join me on this adventure and see YOUR life change!

Christmas spirit

2006-12-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love everything about it; the houses decorated in lights reflecting off the white snow, the smell of smoke as it rises off a chimney, the corny Christmas advertisements on T.V. (what happened to the coca cola commercials with the polar bears?) the smell of cinnamon, cloves and ginger candles, the Christmas carols that play on the radio 24-7 as soon as Thanksgiving has passed, favorite Christmas movies (Home Alone and Elf!!!) The smell of Christmas cookies as they leave the oven fresh and hot! Christmas carols, the smell of the pines on a Christmas tree, the bustling rush of every mall and store for the entire month of December, Christmas musicals like A Christmas Carol and a Tuna Christmas. Cute scarves and matching mittens, hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps and weekends in the Rocky Mountains with friends. Icy roads and nights spent at home listening to Josh groban by candlelight. The song "Carol of the Bells" and "All I want for Christmas," the cheerful greetings of people you pass by on the sreets and the stores. Reading books like "The Worst Christmas Pagent Ever," roaring fires and popcorn; Tran siberian orchestra rocking it out, warm sweaters, and cute jackets. Christmas trees and ornaments, the Nutcracker and cheesy Hallmark movies. Playing canasta with family, drinking egg nog every chance you get and singing Les Mis followed by Amy Grant's Christmas while you decorate the tree, watching every movie you've missed for the past year with your family and sitting in a hot tub looking at the stars in good ole' VA.

Most of all I love those moments spent with loved ones, smiling and laughing, remembering the good times and hoping for the future. I love how the holiday's remind you of who's important and WHAT's important. Sometimes I wish it were Christmas all the time...but then it probably wouldn't be as special!

Christmas is the best time of year; a time when even though things are challenging this year, I'm reminded of how lucky I am. It's an awesome time to tell your friends I LOVE YOU- you've made a difference in my life. Hold your friends close and tell your family you love them even if you have told them a million times.

Most importantly, remember the little Baby who came to this earth to give you hope for a future.

Christmas 2006- it's gonna rock!!!!!!!

Reflecting...

2006-11-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

Less than a month until Christmas!!!! And the craziness ensues! Today I was updating my planner to make sure that I don't forget anything and I was reminded once again how amazingly blessed I am to be so busy!

What is Megan doing this month?

December 7: YFC Christmas party #1
December 8-10: Weekend up at the cabin!
December 10-11: YFC missionary, Sharon is staying with me
December 13: Going to see "A Christmas Carol" with Bethany downtown!!!!
December 14: YFC Christmas program...I'm singing! :-O
December 16: I go home for 10 days!!!!

I decided to create a post about the last year of my life. I'd like to call it "REFLECTING ON THE BLESSINGS" Enjoy!!!!

I'm thankful for new friendships:

Fun drives and goofy adventures:

To chapters ending...

and to new beginnings.....
(This is "Alexander the Great" aka "Alex")

For roomies...

And for oldest and dearest friends:

For friends far away:

And friends nearby:

For celebrations:

AND FOR FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For New Jobs:

For "Blah Moments"

And for laughter:

And most importantly I'm thankful for the CROSS:

Seeing God's hand is amazing!

2006-11-08T14:47:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks have been extremely difficult for me. I’m in a slump and it has been hard to pull myself out. It seems like my shoulder/rib pain overshadows everything else and quite frankly I've had a bad attitude. I’m frustrated, emotional and tired of dealing with entire ordeal. And yet, despite my attitude it seems like when I reach a low point, my Heavenly Father reaches down and offers me something sweet to remind me of finding my joy in Him.

Amazing blessing of the week (there have been more than one!):

My house in Ruckersville, VA

This last summer I had the opportunity to go to China on a two week mission trip with China Partner and Grace Chapel. When I realized that the Lord wanted me to go to China (a place I really DID NOT WANT TO GO) I told God that I would go if He opened up all of the doors I needed Him to in 30 minutes!!! HA! Never try to bargain with God!! He met and exceeded my 'criteria!'

My job not only gave me the two weeks off of work but paid me for two of the days as a community service project instead of using my vacation time. In addition I was able to raise the money I needed in a little over a month! And the final answer to my prayers was when my mom gave me her blessing to go to China. You see...by my taking the trip to China, I was deciding that I wouldn't go home for Christmas. It’s always extremely important to both my mom and me that I am home for Christmas but this year it’s more important because my parents are moving in February and we have no idea where we’ll be next year for the holidays! The decision was emotionally hard but there was no doubt in either of our minds that I HAD to go to China!

The fam- my mom, dad, little sister and little bro!

As the holiday season has begun to creep up on us, I think I can speak for both my mom and me (and my entire family...)when I say the disappointment of my not coming home for Christmas had began to sink it and it was hard for both of us. Since I've switched jobs, the reason for my not coming home was more about money being tight than it was about not having the vacation. It's complicated...but trust me; we were both torn for several reasons! Anyway, last week I was going through a pile of mail which has been accumulating on my desk for weeks threatening to overrun my desk! I came across an envelope from Pulte (my old company) and opened it up. In it was a check for $300- enough to get me home!!!!!!!!!!!

My mom booked my flight for me today and I'm going home for 10 days! I'll be home a week before Christmas to help decorate and spend time with my family and I feel incredibly blessed!!! I will also have time to visit friends and those who support my ministry and cannot wait to catch up with them and hear about their lives! It's exciting because this will be the longest I've been home since I moved to Colorado and it couldn't be at a more perfect time.
The 'kids' and my baby girl, Shea.

So- December 16-26th I'll be home! God is good and He is our ultimate provider.

Prayer request

2006-10-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the specialist my lawyer wanted me to see for my shoulder injury (from my car accident a year ago.) The verdict??? My doctor viewed the x-rays taken the day of my accident and thought he saw a fracture in my #2 rib. He said that if he was correct, then a bone growth/calcification would be evident on new x-rays. After the consultation (which included MORE poking and prodding) he concluded that he believed that my pain was due to a broken rib. SOO…I had more x-rays done and then he showed me what they revealed. Sure enough, it looks like there is a blurry white bulge on my rib which the doctor believes is due to my rib healing incorrectly. He has ordered a bone scan- which includes an injection of a radioactive fluid that will identify any factures and once we know what we are facing, we’ll talk solutions!

How does this make me feel? Well- to be honest, I have a lot of mixed emotions! I feel relieved that MAYBE we finally know what is wrong with my shoulder and I am anxious to fix the problem. I am scared about HOW we fix the problem…and I’m angry that if I do have a broken rib, that no one realized it sooner. I’ve seen many specialists, endured weeks of physical therapy and I’ve been on numerous medications for many possible injuries and if this is simply a broken rib, then it could have been fixed EASILY a year ago. Once a bone heals incorrectly, it can be harder to fix! Of course, ideas are flooding my head that they’ll have to break my rib again, re-set it and then let it heal. The fear of months of recuperation looms ominously in my mind. So, I’m anxious, READY for a fix, scared, bitter, and frustrated but most importantly I CHOOSE to remain patient and trusting.

I know that the Lord of the universe had His hand on my body the day of the accident, today and tomorrow and will continue to protect me. I pray for wisdom for my doctors and I pray for my own attitude and ask for your prayers as well!

One step closer to the end of this…

(see my car above which was totaled due to being hit by another car head on. At first glance, it doesn't look too bad does it?)

Mom's visit

2006-10-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

This last week my mom visited me in Den-vah!

Not many 25 year old women can say that their mom is their best friend and always has been- but I can! It was wonderful having her here and as I dropped her off at the airport this morning, a single tear slid down my face. It's probably the first tear I've allowed to fall in months! I can't quite explain it, but when mom is around, everything seems complete- like she (and the rest of my family too!) is the missing link. Saying goodbye gets easier but it's never ideal- and anyone who knows me at all, knows that I truly SUCK at goodbyes! :)

While she was here we spent a lot of time talking, enjoying movies and each other's company. We spent time with my friends (mom dominated at Texas Hold'em poker until I turned on the heat and won at the very end...) and she did a fabulous job of spending my money!!!!! HA! Actually, she simply encouraged me to allow myself some luxuries and I purchased my very first bed (queen size, doctor's choice and VERY comfortable!) and a really cute coffee table and matching side table. Well worth the money spent!! My mom also spent a lot of the week encouraging me and restoring a bit of the energy I've been lacking lately. She built me up and reminded me of all the amazing blessings I have in my life!

Lately, my shoulder has been hurting...a lot. For those of you who don't know, I was in an accident last October and I sustained a shoulder injury. Short end of the story is that I've had about 12 weeks of physical therapy and have seen several specialists and no one knows exactly what's wrong! I've been on numerous medications for muscle pain, nerve damage, you name it and nothing has worked. I've hired a lawyer to deal with the logistics of things and I'm seeing another specialist on Oct. 30th. In an effort to be able to identify clearly where my pain is, I'm not on any pain medicationother than ibuprofen and that doesn't always cut it! The day before mom arrived, I was literally nauseous from the pain but somehow just having my mama around, made things better! :)

Once again God has reminded me how lucky I am. I cannot control my circumstances and I cannot control many aspects of my life- but I can control my attitude and my reactions. GOD, the creator of this world has me in His hand and that's pretty amazing!

On the ministry front- I am extremely honored to be speaking at my church, Grace Chapel this Sunday at all of our services. In the morning services I will be interviewed about my mission experience in China (I asked if I could demonstrate the 'running man' dance which was a HUGE hit in China! :-P ) as well as commissioned as a missionary in those services! I was also interviewed on video and that will be shown at the morning services. On Sunday night at the 'GenX' service, I am co-leading worship and will be comissioned there as well! It's very exciting (I LOVE public speaking- especially about things I'm passionate about) and I feel honored to be able to share my heart with my church family!

Life isn't always easy, but God blesses my socks off!!!

How it all began...

2006-10-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today it hit me. I've been in CO for over 2 years now!! If you'd told me three years ago I'd be living in CO, 15,000 miles from my family in a place where I knew practically no one, I would have laughed and said "whatever!" But here I am two years later in a place surrounded by new friends, mountains and a family of sorts that I wouldn't trade for the world.

Sunset over the Rockies

Two years ago, my best friend Joy and I moved to CO. Basically the short explaination for doing so is "why not???" It makes me laugh to remember how many times we took turns sharing our story to new aquaintances and friends in the past couple of years. It became a common phrase for one of us to pass the story off to the other by saying "bump Joy!" or "Bump Megan!" We told our story many, MANY times and each time we told it we became more and more confident in our decision as we watched a look of admiration cross the faces of our friends. But in all seriousness, the reason for our moving here for me can be explained simply as "we just knew." Joy is spontaneous while I am more methodical in my decision making process. The perfect balance in many ways- Joy often runs ahead full speed and I tend to be more cautious- together we go at a pretty decent speed! So when we both realized that Colorado was where we were supposed to be, we made the decision then and there. Six weeks later we had sold everything that wouldn't fit into our cars, quit our jobs and were on our way to COLORADO- to our great adventure.

Girls night out!!!! AND our Stylin' Colorado hairdo's!

Now two years later we are still here. A temporary change has taken on a more permanent feel...at least until BOSTON calls my name for real! ;) I won't pretend that there haven't been many ups and downs in the past couple of years. I've experienced heart break, disappointment, a car accident, two minor broken bones, homesickness and tears. But I've also made incredible friends, found a family away from family, found my little man Riley (my cat!,) created life long bonds, bought my first car on my own, found my dream job, and hopefully somewhere along the lines I've impacted HALF as many lives as those that have touched mine.

As I look ahead to the last few months in 2006, I can see some tough times ahead as I deal with a lawsuit (surrounding my car accident,) some frustrations as I deal with some physical pain, some disappointment as I say goodbye to some relationships- but the future is BRIGHT. Why? Because the Lord is covering my life with His hand and through all the difficult trials ahead, I see the shinning light of His promise. I see many more moments of joy- more smiles than tears, more laughter than hurt and I am continually blessed by the many, many friends I have.

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.

The new job begins!

2006-10-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

The handover has officially taken place and I've moved into my new office!

The first month of my life at YFC has flown by and I've learned so much I feel like my brain is bursting! I'm LOVING IT!!!!!!!!!!

I've been training for the past month with Sharron Wilen (see our cute picture?) and she has been an incredible blessing! She's patiently shown me the ropes and has provided me guidance and support! Working in a non-profit Christian organization in a ministry position is VERY different than working in corporate America and there have been moments when I wasn't sure if I had bitten off more than I could chew!! (HA HA!) But Sharron was there to answer questions and reassured me on numerous occassions that I was exactly who they'd been looking and praying for to fill the position.

So why was I feeling the heat so intensely?

After two weeks of training, Sharron and I started preparing for Candidate School. CS as it's affectionately called is primarily my responsibility to plan and organize. It's a week long orientation/training for all of our missionary candidates. Anyone who wants to serve overseas for more than 6 months comes to Candidate School so that they can get a feel for YFC and so that YFC can get to know the candidate. During the intense 7 day orientation, the staff rarely sits down!!!!! So- I was WAY excited to dive into the preparation for CS but this didn't turn out to be a normal CS. We had not one, but FOUR last minute candidates register. Normally, you work on processing someone to come to CS for several months before they actually arrive and it's normal to have one person register last minute- but NOT 4!!!! So imagine if you will...trying to train in a new position (that's sort of a foreign career to you...) while DOING the new position, planning for your first 7 day orientation and then in the meantime, having four people join in at the last minute. Do not get me wrong, PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!! But OHMYGOSH!!! Sharron and I barely sat down the week before and my head was overflowing with new responsibilities and even the lingo in the office was foreign!

On one particular day, I felt like I was going to either burst into tears or maniacal laughter at the amount of pressure I was feeling. So in true-Megan-like-fashion I brought my hand to my head and pretended to faint in front of my team as they were discussing what still needed to be done. It was a complete joke and everyone burst into laughter as I lay on the floor pretending to hyperventilate while proclaiming that they were going to kill me with all this craziness!!! My supervisor began laughing even harder than the rest of the team and finally said "Megan, I'd like to introduce you to the president of Youth for Christ International." I was lying face down on the floor at this point still putting on a scene and I felt my heart stop at this point. I barely looked up-I couldn't! I was mortified. Iinstead I stuck my hand up in the air and said into the floor "Nice to meet you. I'm Megan." He took my hand and burst into laughter exclaiming "what are you doing to this girl?" We all laughed and I pulled myself together grateful that it seemed like this group was going to be more than okay with the dramatic theatrics that I sometimes like to pull out for sheer laughs.

Candidate School went off like a charm- not without a lot of minor blunders- but it was awesome! I had an absolute blast with the missionaries and got to spend a lot of time one on one with them. We dove into deep conversations about life, faith and our pursuit of God's desire for our lives. I went to dinner with them several nights, participated in their devotions and even led one of my own! I co-led worship with one of the girls who wanted to lead music in Botswana, Africa and swapped stories with Lauren who is leaving for Benin in less than a year! She was the first candidate I processed through and it's obvious that we have an awesome connection!

I can tell that CS is going to be one of my absolute favorite parts of this job!!!! I loved laughing, connecting and sharing with these people and hearing their stories was inspiring. So although this CS was crazy (and I vow that preparations for the next one will be smoother) it was amazing! I left CS two days early to travel to VA with a heavy heart since I had to say goodbye. Each one of these candidates touched my heart in a very special way! I've attached the picture of my very first CANDIDATE SCHOOL CLASS!!!!!!!!! Enjoy :)

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Keeping ya in the loop!

2006-10-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

I vow to get better at keeping my blog updated!!!

I've been working for YFC for a month now and what an incredible season of growth and excitement it has been! There have been some ups and downs during moments where I've felt like I bit off more than I could chew but I can truly see growth during those times as well.

Let me back up and tell you how I found this position- or how God found me. I've always had a passion for people and relationships and I know that I'm gifted in organization, planning and thanks to my dad, I have a knack for managing people. Six months ago I gave a final speech in my Dale Carnegie class that revealed my desire to eventually to work full time in missions. My ideal job? To eventually run a non-profit missions organization that planned and sent missionaries overseas to serve. In my picture perfect world, my future husband and I would manage the organization from the states during the year and then each year we would embark upon short term mission trips with our children giving them the opportunity to have all the blessings of growing up in the US while being exposed to other cultures and experiences. I've known since I was a young child, that my heavenly Father had called me to serve in missions but have never known how exactly...until now!

A month after expressing this desire (in a corporate America leadership class) I met Bethany through a women's Bible study I had helped to start. She and I became fast friends and I found myself sharing my dreams of working in ministry. She mentioned that her dad, David Schultz worked for YFC/USA in Project Serve and that I should get together with them for dinner just to share my heart. I did and when I left there house I had a name and a phone number for Benjamin Royal with World Outreach. Only by God's timing and maneuvering I was offered the position of Missionary Candidate Processor the night before I left for a short term mission to China. Royal called to pray with me before I left for my trip and I got off the phone with him and flooded with emotions. I couldn't believe this was happening to me!!!

Upon my life changing experience in China, I knew that there was no other choice but to accept the position with World Outreach! I couldn't imagine myself doing anything other than sharing God's good news and supporting missionaries as they go overseas. If I could help encourage and support others to participate in trips similar to my experience in China, I was ready and willing! I put in my two weeks notice at Pulte Mortgage the day after I returned from China and was met by an overwhelming amount of support from my co-workers! The Lord affirmed me over and beyond what I could have expected by emails from co-workers, flowers, balloons, tears, hugs and words of kindness. Tom, the man I shared a wall with in the cube farm, wrote me an email that said he couldn't imagine anyone more perfect for my new job and that I made him want to be a better person. He told me he was proud of me and I was brought to tears. No matter how often I had complained about my circumstances in the past year (I was injured in a car accident and am involved in a lawsuit) or how often I had had a bad attitude, the Lord somehow penetrated through my selfishness and had used me to touch my co-workers. I was humbled and so grateful! The day I left Pulte was bittersweet as I said goodbye to seeing people who had become dear to my heart. But I looked ahead with great anticipation and excitement!

The Lord was going to rock my world...and I could feel it!

Dream job

2006-08-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

This week I began my dream job!!!

I'm working for Youth For Christ/USA (World Outreach division) and I cannot even tell you what a blessing it is. I never thought that at the age of 25, that I would have a job that combined not only my gifts but my passions. I am the Missionary Candidate Recruiter/Processor. Basically I walk missionaries through the process of becoming a missionary from the beginning to the end. I answer their initial inquiries and then as they continue the process, I am their support, their encouragement. As Royal, my manager summed it up, I am "a missionary to the missionaries." In addition, I will eventually be a credentialed full time missionary and I am going to be trained to lead short term mission trips as often as every year! I know that I'm not called at this time to full time overseas missions, but it has been on my heart to use my administrative talents to do the organizing and the planning side of missions full time, and then lead short term missions. I had no idea that such a position existed! Now here I am...in that very position (full story at a another time.)

It's been an emotional week- because I'm so overwhelmed, but in a GREAT way! It's obvious that people at YFC want to KNOW me and not just on the surface. They desire to know my heart, my soul and my mind. That can be intimidating as I tend to open up a bit more slowly and they tend to dive right in to the personal matters. There have been moments where my natural inclination is to shrink back but somehow my manager, supervisor and the woman training me have been able to coax me to relax and express myself. I think it's because they honestly CARE and desire to have a relationship with me. What a difference between corporate America and working for a Non-profit Christian organization. Here, the focus isn't on money and getting ahead but instead on how to love people and how to spread the good news of our Lord and Savior.

It is my desisre to share my life on this blog. Not only what the Lord is doing in my ministry/job but what He is doing in my life. It is my desire to know YOU, and to walk with YOU on this journey. I'm excited for the Lord has in store and I'm excited to be able to share with you, my family and friends.

After only 3 days, I'm tired and have so much to do but I cannot even begin to tell you how excited, humbled and honred I am to be used in the ministry to tell the world of Jesus' love for each of us! I hope you enjoy :) Stay tuned...