Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.

So this first week of work has been a introduction.

On Monday I was given a tour of the mission and my job description.

My job (as I understood it)

Senior program – Mondays and Wednesdays are senior lunches. Esther, my roommate, will cook the lunches and I will coordinate activities. At lest four big activities a year, Tuesday, Oct 27, we will go on a Fall Foliage trip. And maybe a special lunch each month. For example, in February everyone wheres red one day. I will talk with the seniors and have them tell me what they want.

Heath Resource Center - This is a new program that I will be building however I want, with these guide lines: Two educational activities a month. These activities can be anything form a diabetes seminar to eye examinations. I have to make phone calls and see what types of programs health offices offer and if they would be willing to come to the mission and provide a free class. I have my own building to manage, which means clean and organize.

I am excited to get started and see what will come of these programs.

Also everyone has there own area of focus but if one person needs something we are all expected to chip in and help.

On Tuesday I spent some time visiting with each of the staff to grasp a better understanding of the programs offered.

Some things include:

Recycle Rebound - We make door mats out of tires.

Layettes - Bags for new mothers

Day Care - For local children

God's Handiwork - Embroidery and Screen printing

Check out the website for more information. (music starts when you enter the site) http://www.cooksonhillscenter.com/

On Wednesday I went out with Meri, the mission director, to hear her speak. Part of her job is to go to different places, mostly to church to speak to the UMW chapters, and tell the story of the mission. I went with her for a few different reasons. First to see another part of Oklahoma, the tall grass planes. Second, to get to know her better and for her to get to know more about me. Third, so that I could learn more about the mission. Forth, to see what it means to speak about the mission, I have a talk sometime in January. We were out from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm. She spoke at two different churches, which in true Methodist fashion fed us with a Pot Luck. I know one of the reasons God has put me in Cookson is to learn how to tell a story and express my faith from Mari. She is a wonderful story teller. And will be an excellent teacher. I just pray that I can keep my heart and mined open to leaning.

On Thursday I meet with the two women who will be doing drug and alcohol counseling in the resource center. After lunch I then went on an adventure. The ladies want two comfortable chairs for counseling. Meri saw some in a thrift store, so I was tasked to get them. I got lost and ended up going 30 miles out of the way but on the plus side I saw more of the area. I did eventually pick up the chars and make it back to the mission.

Friday- No work. We are open from 9-4 Mon- Turs.

Thanks Be to God: I can go into almost any store and hear country music. I can put it on in the car and not have to apologises for my country!! lol

The power of words

Written while at Orientation in Stony Point, NY

We have been taking time each day to quite ourselves either at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day. At this time we are to let the Holly Spirit bring us to a word on which to focus. I have never put much consideration towards how much power everyday words hold.

As part of our training we were taught how to write a working credo. So going with the spirit of things I used words to create my credo. All the words are centered around my name to reminded me these are words I believe in and wish to demonstrate in my life. They are in no particular order, so not to elevate one value over another, with the exception of Joy, Unconditional Love, and Grace. Joy reminds me of something my mom said: Joy is an acronym for Jesus, Others, and Yourself. So I put it firsts, not just because it was one of the few J words, but because it reminds me of my mothers definition of faith. Also it is a short word that demonstrates seeking pleasure in simple things that come from Jesus, others and yourself. Unconditional love is in the center, the beginning of my middle name, because every word surrounds it and I believe all actions should revolve around and grow with love. All actions are rooted in grace and my credo is supported by the word grace therefore it is on the bottom like an anchor.

My Credo

Joy

storiEs

geNerosity

reflectioN

faIth

Family

laughtEr

tRust

unconDitional love

flexIbility

indulge A little

sileNce

understaNding

forgivenEss

Charity

Hope

servIce

Community

Kind words

justicE

Respect

God's chIldren

patieNce

Grace

My Credo can be summed up in one sentience: Life begins with joy, grows with love, and is rooted in grace.

What a great way to start my first full day in Ok.

(I just got internet in my home, so sorry of the lack of posting)

Written on Sat 10-16-09

I went to my first (that I can remember) rodeo. And it was not just any rodeo, it was a United Methodist rodeo, complete with clogging and 20 year old hoses named Old Fred. Down the road, past Tenkilles Lake, over the dam, we came to a UM Boys Ranch. That ranch, at one point, had been a fully functioning ranch but has expanded to include many different programs. From what I could gather, the rodeo was a fund razor for the ranches ministries.

After the rodeo, Ester, my housemate, and I went to Meri's home to visit and have dinner. Meri is the director of the Cookson Mission. At Meri's, which we literately needed to go over the river and though the woods to get to, I was immediately welcomed into the Cookson family. I even helped to fed the horses.

I feel that I am on the edge of something God has in store; that will just broaden my horizons and take me out of my confront zone. I will admit I am nervous and excited at the same time.

Thanks be to God: I managed to drive 23 hours to Cookson, Oklahoma from Stony Point, NY without any major compilations. I did get a little turned around once I got of 44 (which, by the way, the speed limit is 75mph). I found each hotel with out any trouble and managed to get 30 miles to the gallon at one point. I was very amused to read all the billboards on the way, because in MA there are hardly any on the highways.

Charity vs Justice

So we have been throwing these two words around for the past week (and for longer than that) but what do they really mean.

Today we dived into their definitions. Charity and Justice.

My first 1 min definitions are below:

Charity - the act of assisting at the minimal level without addressing the core problem
Justice - seeing the core problem and working/striving for a solution

Boy was I off...

We divided in to these definitions much further. My small group talked charity. We drew a definition smiler to that of the one I came up with. When presenting we discovered how far off our view of charity had become.


You all probably noticed that my definition of charity sends a very negative tone. Well so did our group leader. She very clearly pointed out the positive and beautiful aspects of charity and how it is not a negative thing at all.

Therefore my new definition of Charity is as follows:

Charity- a way of living out discipleship by seeing a need and immediately addressing it with gifts from God, spontaneous acts of Grace, and unconditional Love. In some versions of the bible the word love is used instead of charity.


Justice now is something that I am still grasping, but that too has changed (after this conversation). as I understand it now ...

Justice - the standard of measurement used to create and provide a just life where we recognize one another as the body of Christ and live in community with each other.

Ok so if that was not a lot of learning for a day I came to another conclusion.

My Daddy has always used the scripture passage "feed my sheep." I knew what it meant but not really completely in his sense of the verse. And to be honest I kind of rolled my eyes when I knew it was coming.

After today, however, I can see how this verse puts the concepts of justice and charity in the most simple command. We are feeding his sheep because it is an immediate need that demonstrates our discipleship and unconditional love. Now if we link this to to the separation of the goats and the sheep we see that Jesus lives inside each of us and when we do to the least of these we do to him, which should set our standered for treating each other and living in community with each other.

One more insight (shred by Beth):

Micah 6:8 (New International Version)

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

We walk with two feet. One foot Justice and One foot Charity (mercy). Just like it is very difficulty to walk with just one foot, so it to have Charity without Justice and vice a versa. Also when we walk it is to be humbly. It can be easy to think with superior attitude by thinking if you are doing one you are better than the other.


God sighting: The other day I woke up turned to my roommate and said I am really craving donuts. Today she was out and they drove by a Dunkn' and she picked me up one. I know this is not much, but it demonstrates the joy which comes from the simple act of giving and being the receiver of a small gift. Life is made up of many small tidbits, How can you influence a little moment in someone's life?

day 2 of this blog thing

I can not belive it has been only two days since was have met each other. I fell like we have know eachother for much longer.


so today we went to NYC. In the morning we learned all about our heath insurance. Talk about felling like an adult. They were using words like copay and deductible. My head was swimming with all these facts and I thought that I was just going to ask dad to look it over and explain it to me, but then I was sadden when I realized that I am going to Oklahoma and not home to have all this decoded. This now means I have to look though the packet all by myself, like a big girl :).

But I am a US-2 which means that I am serving in the United States, therefore I am not going across the ocean and visiting another country. Consequently, I am "special" and most of the packet does not apply to me and I need understand what is mine and not. Ohh the joys of paperwork.

The rest of the day was ours to enjoy the Big Apple. I met my grandfather for lunch. We went to a nice Fench Coffie shop on W85th and Brodway. We then went to a Cooper-hewitt, National Desigh museum. It was a great little find.

After departing from my granddaddy I joind the rest of my fellow missionaries. And went to Times Square where I had the joy of my lovely cousian's company at dinner.

I don't know if I am suposed to use the blog as a naritive of my day or as a diffrent tool but thats what I worte today.



God Sighiting: Having the joy and privlage of my grandfathers company at lunch. I have not seen him since May, and never had many one-on-one moments with him. So to see how much I am loved by him and to listen to his stories is something I will hold with me in my heat.

Just seeing how all this works

Hey all,

Manny people have asked me to keep them updated on what I will be doing, therefor I thought I would start a blog.

Just as a disclaimer I am not the best at spelling and grammar so this will be a very informal blog. If you are expecting a master peace of thought or anything like that, I hope I do not disappoint.

I am not making any promises that I will post something everyday but I will give it a try to keep you updated.

Right now I am in Stony Point N.Y. for tanning and orientation. Stony Point is a beautiful community center run by the Presbyterian Church. It has been here for 60 years and has open its doors to many Christan organizations for tanning and retreats. I have meet the other US-2 and Mission Interns. My new friends will be serving all around the world from Cambodiato South Africa and Washington, DC to San Francisco. I am excited to get to all my fellow US-2 and Mission Interns and learn and grow together.

I think that's about all I have to say right now.