Oh my oh my...

I don't really know how to describe this past week, but I'll do my best to fill you in (whoever you are)...

Started w/7 flatbeds...combined to 5!

Last Friday began our real set-up of our site since the Head Start program didn't have school and could get out of our way! So we began setting up bright and early, leaning, making signs, cleaning dishes, etc. My boss, Rhonda, flew in on Friday night and was able to help us set things up. We worked for 14 hours straight and were exhausted! Along with setting up, we had to do our first shopping trip. We spent over 3 hours in Sams Club and Walmart and spent over $1,200 just on food alone! That's how Youthworks summers go, feeding teenagers is expensive!

Longest.receipt.ever.

Saturday we kept working and by Sunday we were pretty well set-up for groups to come. We were all so excited when they arrived! And they all arrived on time to boot! The night went really well and our club service was great. The meeting that I am in charge of with the Adult Leaders went well and it was nice to have my boss there to help for the first one since there is so much information to get from them and to give them. Monday went well up until the evening....

Dinner fell apart because one of my staff couldn't cook noodles and his crew (group of teenagers with an adult leader) was so small that it was hard to put dinner on the table on time. In the midst of all that chaos and trying to help him manage the kitchen to feed 52 people, a girl came up to me freaking out, telling me that the toilet in the girls bathroom was flooding and going into the sanctuary.

Awesome.

So I run over to the church to see the bathroom floor flooded and poop is everywhere. Lovely. I passed off my apron and grabbed one of my staff and we went to work trying to stop the flood and clean up the mess. Dinner was running late, meaning the rest of the evening schedule would be late...yadah yadah. My staff were falling apart under the pressure and everyone was getting agitated. It was a rough night to say the least.

Tuesday was alright until I got a call that one of the youth was acting up at a service site and the leaders were thinking about flying him home. Trying to fenaggle that mess was fun. Wednesday was fine until the evening when I started experiencing severe abdominal pain. I was doubled over in pain for the night and on Thursday I went to a clinic to get checked out. The doctor there told me that I had an abdominal mass on my lower left side and I needed to go to the ER right away. I was in a lot of pain and hearing that news definitely didn't help. I called my family and they were praying for me. Luckily my boss was with me the entire time or I would have really lost it.

We spent a good 6 and a half hours in the ER and they did some tests. Long story short, it's an intestinal issue that if it doesn't get better or it gets drastically worse in 24-48 hours, then I need to go back to the ER and order a CT scan. So right now, I'm on a strictly liquid diet until Sunday morning to try to rest my intestines. I'm still in a lot of pain and it doesn't seem like the motrin or tylenol is helping much. Yesterday the groups left in the morning and it was a work day for the rest of us. All I had to do was paperwork and it was difficult to keep the pain at bay enough to complete it.

Anyway, thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for us and the youth that we have coming this Sunday. This coming week is another "low" numbers week and we will only have another 41 people on site. My boss left this morning to head back to Denver so we won't have her to help us this week :-( Please be praying for this medical issue that I've been dealing with. I'm not sure how to handle it and it is hard without my family or friends here.

Here are a couple "bonus" pictures for your viewing pleasure...

City lights at night, this is the best pic I could get.

Memorial at Point Loma

Foggy city view.

Quick post

I need to post some pictures, but that will have to come later. It's late here and our first real day of programming and running the show is tomorrow. Our youth arrive between 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. pacific time so please be praying!

We have had a TON to do over the last 2 days since the Head Start program has moved out of our space, FINALLY! My boss flew in on Friday night and we have been setting up everything for our site. Shopping on Friday was pretty intense, I forgot what it was like since I did my last summer w/YW in '09. Craziness. Pictures of that to come later.

Anyway, please be praying for...

• my team as we're already exhausted and have to be "on" all week this week.
• the youth and adult leaders that are coming
• ministry partners and sites that we will be working with this week
• safety!
• rest (whenever we can find it)

Will write more later....

Draggin'...

Seems like this week took FOREVER! I'm not joking. It's hard for me to believe that we've only been here for 2 weeks, feels like it's been SO much longer than that. The days pass by so slowly, it's starting to get to me. I've already started a countdown until I get home...59 days. To some it seems short, to me it feels like it's an eternity away.

A few people have told me that this summer will fly by and be gone before I know it. Maybe true. Easier to say when you're not IN it. And for as much as I want to wish it away and pray that it goes by in the blink of an eye...part of me feels guilty for thinking that way. I'm not sure what part, but it's there. The excitement has definitely worn off (about 3 days into getting here) and the pressure is building. As we get closer to having youth come the more anxious I get and the pressure feels more intense. My boss will be flying in next weekend for an entire week which will be our first week of programming and running the mission trip (the youth arrive on the 17th). We have 50 youth coming with their adult leaders and although that is not our sites maximum capacity number (72 is), it's going to be PACKED. Our site is rather small (to give you a better idea: we have to build our sink outside this week because the kitchen is too small) so it will be interesting to pack everyone in here. They will definitely bring some life into this place!

Watching the sunset = my most favorite thing

All that being said, I have gotten to see some pretty cool places. Once the "June gloom" goes away it will be nice to go back to some of those places when it's sunny and warm. Recently, it's been cloudy and pretty chilly (most days have been in lower-mid 60s). Here are a couple of pictures from La Jolla Cove. It was a chilly night but at least the sky was clear for the sunset...

La Jolla Cove

Kickin' back

Chillin' (literally!)

Getting some air at Coronado Beach!

I don't really know where to begin with this post to be honest. Seems like SO much has happened in the last week or so! Last week was our first "prep week" and we had a lot to accomplish. Everything from setting up the places where the youth will serve, to making signs for our site, to building maintenance, to driving directions all around the city, to practicing worship, skits and games, to cleaning...we did it all!

My service coordinators (Jimmy and Murphy) have been working hard to meet with all of our service partners to coordinate scheduling and specific needs of the ministries that we can cater to with the youth that will be coming to our site. Josh, my program staff, has been working diligently to plan our evening activities and "club" services. We have had a fun time practicing our "clubs" and making sure that things line up so we don't look dumb in front of the youth when they come. My fingers are officially calloused from playing the guitar which is a good sign!

I'm realizing the my role is much more behind-the-scenes and administrative. It's not a terrible thing, but I know I will miss interacting with the youth and getting to serve hands-on this summer. I've also realized that I'm the "main man" that is running the show. Kinda scary. My staff looks to me for every ounce of leadership I've got and I'm not gonna lie...I'm feeling the pressure! It's all on my shoulders and I can feel it! I'm sure I'll be able to feel it even more when the youth and adult leaders come and they are all looking to me to have the answers to all of their questions, to be able to solve the problems and to alleviate any and all issues that might come up. Yikes! Not sure I was ready for this, but hey...here I am!

The "solid six" intern team reunited!

Aside from Youthworks stuff...I got to go up North this past weekend to the ranch (CEM) to watch my kids graduate. What a HUGE blessing! It was really great to be back at the ranch and see people that I know, love and care about. It felt like I was going home, and really, it's probably the closest thing to home for me. My heart was so full, hearing my kids' speeches and seeing them so happy and feeling accomplished. For them, it was a huge feat to get their high school diploma and I can't explain to you the excitement that was felt by all who were there. I was sad to come back on Sunday. I flew stand-by and didn't make the first flight that I was supposed to be on. So my good friend Emily and I got to travel together because she missed her flight too! That was a fun surprise to see her in the airport in Sacramento after she was supposed to be back in Georgia!

Travel buddies!

Anyway, I will have another update soon. This week (meaning June 4 - now) has been a little more relaxed since I was a "slave driver" last week. And yes, my staff did allude to me being a slave driver last week, I worked 'em hard! At any rate, we've carved out some time to hit up some really cool sights that I'll have to post about later! Until next time...