3 Summer Highlights

At Middle School summer camp - my niece (on the right)attended her first camp and this is a moment after Scot shared the salvation message when the students went outside with leaders to discuss their decisions. Patti, (in the middle) had the girls, lay down to observe God's majesty in the stars and talk about their step. Patti was once here, over 5 years ago, when she attended a winter camp and made that move towards the cross, and now she leads. Can I just say how proud I am of both of them! Love you girls, LOTS!!!!!


It was great to hang with my sister(2nd on right) when she came down for our niece's wedding. Cool thing about this, our niece Diana, (the bride) and niece Megan (1st on right) are our 2 stepsister's daughters. My father was only married to their mother for 6 years and she didn't care too much for my sister and I, but out of the journey God was able to give us relationships with our stepsister's daughters. My sister actually raised Megan until she was 8 years old. Megan considers her Aunt Wendy like a mom. Sometimes marriages may end, but the journey and who we meet on the way, can be intentionally set up by God to test our ability to forgive and love our enemies. A lot of forgiveness had to come out of those 6 years, but what an opportunity I would have missed if I had chosen not to forgive, thank God He gives me the strength and example to do this.




Amber turned 17!!!! I am very proud of her! She is a Senior, Class of '09! And I am hoping this year goes by slow...yeah, right! Like I have told her, she is going to one day be one of my best friends!!!

Room Reveal

Words can't even express how excited we all were on Saturday night...we locked the doors and the students were not allowed in until service began. I felt like it was Christmas morning and the kids were about to open "the gift"! The students ran in ohhing and ahhing with excitement. The WOW factor had taken affect! We had shown them through our hard work, how special they are to Jesus, how much He loves them! We were His hands and feet, His heart with our gift of a REALLY cool new room (Thank you Pastor Scot for your vision and for stirring creativity among the team) This past weekend we hit 500, we had 43 first time guests, 30 students accepted Christ, and 5 or 6 that were baptized. Today, I had a volunteer call all the others, inviting them to take the plunge at our next Beach Baptism, September 28. Here are the after photos, pics really don't do it justice...



A close-up of the walls: the design and skateboard walls. To the left of this is our new 1st time guest room/decision room.

Remember that baptistry wall, here it is complete with the skateboards...
From the back of the room, the columns even got a facelift
The entire stage, from the back of the room, how many TV do you see?
Front of the stage - metal and top of skateboards

Besides the room makeover, the energy in each service is off the charts, students are not sure which way to look, but as Pastor Scot says, We do all this to earn the respect to speak into their lives. I once had a thought how cool it would be to do camp style services each weekend, instead of waiting for that one week in the summer, we are the church, let's make it cool to come to the church, not just the camp, and now God has created and sent the visionary to lead this! Try and come by and check it out and if you are a parent - get your kids here, seriously!!!!

Busy Summer ended with a Bang!

The last 10 days have been spent renovating the Student Ministry Building, having a Grand Opening Weekend, and celebrating God's gift to us for hard work, briefly as we began again getting ready for this coming weekend! Summer will officially end this coming weekend and what a summer it has been for me personally and professionally. There have been highs and lows, but God has got the glory and this past weekend, words and pictures can not even do it justice. The next few entries will be some of the highlights! I will try and tell the story with more photos, less words (so you will stay engaged!) I want to get them all in before September 1, so I can begin the Fall looking ahead and not feeling like I missed sharing an exciting God moment in my life. Below are pics of BEFORE and DURING the renovation. We had over 15-20 volunteers come up each day last week and help out, despite Tropical Storm Fay potentially hitting us. No students were allowed to help or see the room! Thank you to everyone who prayed, gave, painted, taped, lost sleep, etc!

The walls were primed and designed with stencil art! The top will be designs inspired by a pair of Quiksilver boardshorts and the bottom is metal paint (cheaper than real metal)!

Some of the guys enclosing the old baptistry (My son was baptized there, ahhh!)Nestor and Josh putting metal on the front of the stagePastor Scot spackling the enclosure that will become black and hold lots of cool skateboards!!
Next post - AFTER PICS!!

Lead where you are

Many times in my life I find myself so focused that it seems frustrating to stop and re-focus. But after the last 2 days, I am so glad that I did. My heart is full, my brain is overflowing with tips, stories and knowledge, and my bum is sore from sitting so long. I have learned over my life that when it seems hard or it is something that takes the extra effort to accomplish, it will probably be really worth it. Attending and serving at the Leadership Summit was definitely worth it and not a waste of my time. It was great to see those invited, attend. It was great to meet new friends and share with them the ups and downs of leadership, but also how God always provides. My favorite speakers at the summit: Craig Groeschel, Gary Haugen, and Catherine Rohr.

With so much information received at an event like this, I always ask the Lord for one truth to walk away with and apply to my life - Being willing to try, even when I fail, means that I succeed, because I do not give up. So many of the leaders that spoke shared this one truth in some way or another - they never gave up!!! Shake it off!

Another spiritual truth I sensed God speaking: That I, as part of the American church, am being challenged to sacrifice for the sake of the cross and it's message. Am I willing? What am I willing to give up to help another life?

Check out potentialblog.com to get re-caps from each speaker.

Transition

This past summer has been one of transition for every one in my family. The transition began back in February when my son called me and asked what I thought if he were to come home and finish his last 2 years of college back in SFLA. He had been trying to get a job in the midwest and having a hard time as a student who leaves each summer. My husband and I also saw how the college bills were climbing, but knew he was in God's hand. My advice, take the steps and see what doors God opens or closes. When Corey arrived home for the summer, his acceptance letter to FIU was in the mailbox. He will only miss one aspect, not dressing out for football in a week or so, but he knows God has him right where He wants him. Next, my husband is starting a new job this week. It has been a summer of trust and faith as he was out of work for a couple months, but God is good and Tim will continue to do what he loves teaching and coaching teenagers at the same time attending night school for college credits. Amber will begin Cooper City High after being in private school for the past 3 years. This is her Senior year and this is her decision to move schools. She made this decision before Tim knew for sure he would change schools. She knows the friends she left in middle school will be different after 3 years, but she hopes to begin a girl mentoring group and try in her last year of high school to make a positive difference in the life of teenage girls. I love her heart and passion for this. And for me, my office looks totally different, not just the color or furniture, but the peeps also. God has changed things and allowed change, now we must all be obedient as we enter this next chapter. I am very excited to be on this team that God has assembled, both at home and at work. And just the fact that it is Amber's senior year is a little overwhelming and unbelieveable. God has proved His Word again...Luke12:24, Romans 8:28, I Peter 5:6-11. Thank you! I am grateful!

PreSeason

Came in tonight after running errands and visiting family and the sounds of football were coming out of my TV! The sounds of the commentators is really a soothing sound to my ears. It means school is about to start, a new fall season will begin not just on the field, the holidays are around the corner, tailgating, family, friends, jerseys, win, lose, life lessons, FUN!

Jumprope=Endurance

June, 2008 - Journal Entry during High School Camp

Never did I imagine spending hours on end watching students jump rope would be the highlight of summer camp for me and for the students:
First day they decided to end it early, giving up their free time the next day, but not their dinner
Second day they jumped again, did not reach their goal, Soooo, we adults
jumped to help motivate and show if we can do it, they can do. It was so much fun!!!
Third day they pushed, cheered and encouraged and they DID IT! I am sure they heard us celebrating from miles away.

Lesson learned - to pull together as a team and never give up to reach the goal, no matter how long it takes, sometimes it may seem like a lifetime.
Along the way - the enemy will try and trip you up For example: On the third day, some psychic fools tried to hypnotize some of our students...

Little did I know at this time that Endurance would be the theme of my summer!