Danville, KY sight-seeing

I had the opportunity to take in some of the sites between the two events I worked in Kentucky. On my Sunday drive I went to Shaker Village and spent several hours just walking around the beautiful grounds. It was a gorgeous fall day! When the rest of the crew came on Monday we went on a hike in the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge and then headed to the Civil War battlefields in Perryville.

A stroll through Shaker Village.

Looking towards one of the buildings on the property...so much history here.

I had to prop the camera up on a ledge in order to get proof I was there...I was by myself.

The group hiking through the woods.

Looking at one of the battlefields in Perryville, KY

Richmond, KY sight-seeing

While in Kentucky we were able to see some sights. For our first afternoon off we went to a small artist community called Berea. We got to meet the artists and watch them work all which we were shopping in their stores. On our full day off we started by going to a local winery and tasted some good wine. We were also able to spend some time in the beautiful fall weather at Natural Bridge State Park. I think we all felt lucky to be able to enjoy the beauty we were surrounded by.

The Welcome sign in Berea, KY

I wish I could live in a house like this...except not in the middle of the town.

A small snapshot of the vineyards of Acres of Land Winery...yum!

Beautiful fall foliage!

A small little waterfall that Debi spotted on one of our drives.

Sarah and I on the lift up the hill.

Me and the natural bridge...it was so beautiful up there I could have stayed all day!

Kentucky...the events

I spent the last two weeks of October in Kentucky for two different events. The first was in Richmond and it was a blast. The church that was hosting was so generous as was the furniture warehouse where the event was held. The volunteers were so excited about the event and they are already starting to talk about next year!! The second event, in Lexington KY, was the largest event that FMSC has done...36 cells. Our largest shift had close to 850 volunteers and packed over 160,000 meals. Wow! But it was a ton of fun! High energy and incredible volunteers. I am very tired after being gone for two weeks...but it was well worth it.

The cutest volunteer in Richmond.

Our Richmond packing room.

The packing room in Lexington without all of our stuff...it looks so big!

A full room...but my camera couldn't capture it all in one picture.

One of our partners, Convoy of Hope, came to pick up food straight from the event!

a great fall weekend...day 2

today my family and i went to the minnesota zoo. it was a gorgeous day to enjoy all of the outdoor exhibits!

a puma overlooking the habitat.

peeking through the bamboo.

my brother made friends with the tiger.

me and my brother.

dad interacting with a prairie dog.

a great fall weekend...day 1

on saturday i got together with some of the girls and we carved pumpkins! we had a lot of fun, although it was kinda cold outside and we started loosing feeling in them. but it was well worth it!

ready to start carving those pumpkins!

gotta get rid of the innards.

all done...what do you think?

Beautiful Connecticut

Just got back from an event out in the beautiful state of Connecticut. I have never been there before and it was pretty, although I wish we could have seen more of the state...we really only saw it when we drove from the airport to the event, but it was enough to tell that it was a beautiful state. The event was awesome! We packed 228,096 meals with the help of volunteers from all over the community. There were over 20 different churches and schools involved in fundraising, publicity and volunteering...incredible! I got the pleasure of working with Claire and Katie whom I love. We always have fun together and this event was no exception. None of us were 100% this weekend; from my hurt finger, to Claire getting a cold, to Katie and her knee and back injuries, we were quite the crew! But with the help of some wonderful volunteers everything went off without a hitch. There was a lot of talk about the next event they would host and that is always exciting! There was a lot of press surrounding the event: newspapers, TV, and online news sources. All in all it was another weekend well spent. Below are pictures of the packing room, Katie and Claire taking care of a cardboard situation, and Claire teaching the wrappers and strappers.

iowa and ice cream

I just got back from an event in Rock Valley, IA; we saw some beautiful fall colors in the drive down.  The event went very well!  It was the second year they have hosted an event, and they packed over 125,000 meals!  We had a little bit of a bug problem, there were lots of flies.  We also got the opportunity to drive to the ice cream capital of the world...Le Mars, IA!  Yum.  The ice cream tasted better there too.  I got to work with Ryan and Sarah, and we had so much fun together.  One of the cool things that happened took place before the event started.  Someone donated $200 to the school and the 8th graders were each given $10 of that money to either donate right away or make grow.  They made it grow from $200 to $5,000!  Holy cow!  That is definitely they spirit of a community coming together to make a difference in the world.

 

Highland, IL

This past weekend I made a trip with 3 other staff members to Highland, IL.  Working with NiCE Foundation volunteers we were able to pack 106,920 meals.  They were an awesome group of volunteers to work with.  Included is a picture of the packing space we used and the team on the back of the truck.  We had fun, but we were definitely tired by the time we all got home.  We were able to get to know some of the volunteers pretty well as there were a lot that stayed and packed every session!  We had volunteers come from Michigan to help out with the event...that's dedication!  The only trouble we had was before the event even started....something happened that cause the truck driver to slam on the brakes causing our rice to tip and tow ropes were used in order to get the rice out of the truck.  It wasn't fun, but if that is the only thing that goes wrong on an event, we are in pretty good shape!  There is a picture of the tipped rice too. 

sorry.

Uh oh...it has been awhile.  so sorry.  i will try to be better, although i don't know that my life is that interesting, lots of travel though.  maybe you will find my travels interesting.  my most recent trip was to Portland, OR to visit some friends.  they are my teammates from my year with Youth Encounter, and in the recent years have become friends.  this trip brought us to a delicious cuban restaurant, an art festival in downtown portland, cupcakes, rei, hiking, waterfalls, mini golf, guinea pigs, and rain!  so much fun.  i can't wait to go back.

Arizona, 1 million meals and Facebook free February

Arizona is my home away from home.  I love traveling down there, working the events and spending time with those beloved friends I have made there.  The event went very well; the goal was met, hearts were changed, and children were fed.  The presence of God was moving, the Word of God was active, and the Love of God was abundant.  

The latest event that I got to be a part of took place in Burnsville at Prince of Peace, and their goal was 1 million meals!  Wow!  What an incredible thing to be a part of...so many volunteers coming together to make an effort to give value to children's lives that they may never meet or know the names of.  It fills my heart to see volunteers moved by what they accomplish and know that their hearts have been changed.  And when their hearts are changed the world can change.  

One other event that I am taking part in is Facebook Free February.  I think I can do it, although what I use as a great connection tool will now be gone for a month, but hopefully I will not lose those connections but rather use other means.  We'll see what happens.  Although as I am typing this I don't quite know why I am doing this, I don't think i spend too much time on there...maybe it is just for solidarity with my friends who are needing a break from it. 

Brandon, South Dakota

I just got back from an event in Brandon, South Dakota.  We were at a public high school, which is pretty cool for us to be able to bring our ministry in.  They packed 106,000 meals in three shifts!  In our first shift of the day we had a ridiculous amount of volunteers, and we thought for sure that production would be down (usually when volunteer numbers get beyond a certain point, production goes down), but they blew me away and packed the most of any of the shifts!  One cell had 24 people at it (usually peak efficiency is between 13 and 16 volunteers) and they packed 29 boxes during their shift!  There was also a man that packed who does mission work in Haiti and actually receives the food.  It is neat to see the full circle for him, packing the food and then giving the food to people who need it!  There was a lot of family at this event too; we had parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins of our staff members coming to help...it was great!  

We drove down to the event...thus we had to drive back.  And the weather wasn't so great last night, so the roads were pretty slick and it was a slow drive home...but I laughed so much.  It was a fun staff to be stuck in a car with for 5 hours!  Now I have a couple days to recuperate until I head down to Phoenix!  

Back in the Windy City

I find myself traveling to Chicago a lot...which is fine by me!  I love seeing the familiar faces that I get to work with in Chicago, and the volunteers are always great.  This weekend I was in Burr Ridge at a church that hosted an event last year...so this was a second go-around.  We had 4 cells packing 100,000 meals in 6 shifts!  We had snow both days of the event, which postponed the loading of the truck until this morning, but that snow was beautiful!  Most of the day Saturday was a calm, big flake snow that had me in awe (can you tell I love winter?)!  During our last shift we had an incredible volunteer that deemed herself 'shift cheerleader.'  She spent the shift traveling throughout the room and encouraging everybody to pack faster to hit the 100,000 meal goal, it was so fun to watch!  She was always asking for updates, and she stayed after until we were all packed and cleaned up; she had such a servant heart, and an inspiration to me.  We also had a couple guys that came to 4 of the 6 shifts and they boxed every single time, didn't want variety, just to 'perfect their boxing technique.'  Funny!  

Next weekend...South Dakota!  

Chicago

In Chicago again.  I love coming here for events!  This particular event is at a church that had an event this summer which I worked, and now I am back.  It always warms my heart to see familiar faces, and it is nice knowing what to expect when to arrive at an event.  This event is unique in that we are working this weekend and next weekend, and I get to work both.  I guess that is a perk to being full-time!  

At each shift they have a volunteer shift leader who introduces our orientation and also walks around during the packing shift to make sure everything is going smoothly.  It is really nice to have that extra person who knows what to do.  It makes our job easier!  Some of these shift leaders were volunteers at the summer event and now have stepped into a leadership role at this event; I think that is a really cool aspect of this church, their desire to connect people with their passions and plug them in!  

It is good to be here.

Nashville, TN

I just finished the Nashville event, and the first word that comes to mind to describe it is wow! This event was insane.  We were having 450 volunteers at a time pack at 40 funnels!  In one 2 hour packing shift we packed 645 boxes with approximately 139,000 meals!  Those numbers to happen at every event (nor should they), but it was incredible to be a part of something this large.  It wasn't just about the numbers though, the volunteers that helped were incredible.  The planning committee and people who stayed for the whole day were encouraging and amazing.  Since the event was put together by three christian record companies we had artists, producers, songwriters, and managers come and pack food.  There was a concert over lunch.  And I trained Jeremy Camp on my warehouse crew and watched him haul boxes and scoop rice.  It was very surreal, but cool to see the industry people reach beyond themselves to stand against starvation.  It was a very spiritual event for me as well...God challenging and tugging at my heart strings.  I am exhausted though.  We packed 428,000ish meals in one day!  I love my job.  I still have a hard time believing that I get to be a part of this...to be a vessel of God's love in this way is incredible.  And now I get to fly home and fly back out the same day for an event in Chicago!  What an adventure my life is right now.

So busy

I have been so busy lately!  So many events have gone by without my comments regarding them.  Lets see...last week I was in Amery, WI.  It was fun because I worked at camp right outside of Amery for three summers, it was good to go back...many things have changed.  Most of all I miss Grandma Bonnie's.  The event was jam-packed with school kids, most of the day shifts were filled with them.  The evenings were families.  There was a great and supportive volunteer crew to help us out.  My favorite story from the event was when a two year old girl asked her mom why they were feeding kids; the mom replied that they were feeding kids because they were nice and the little girl said 'i'm not nice, i'm naughty.'  I laughed so hard!  Before Amery was Phoenix.  This event was a great one also.  We got to spend a lot of time with an incredible family that is doing a lot of work for Feed My Starving Children in the area.  They have beautiful hearts and I felt blessed to be able to call them friends.  We also got to spend time with another friend, who warms my heart and makes me laugh.  We saw God working a lot through this event...we were sure we wouldn't hit the meal goal.  So we prayed hard and trusted that if we provided the space, God would provide the volunteers.  And of course He did and we made the goal!  

Up next...Nashville tuesday through thursday, and Chicago thursday through sunday.  They will both be great events, so stay tuned for more details.  

Nashville

I am in Nashville, TN!  This is my first time here, and it has been great.  So you may be wondering what I am doing here?  Well, I was asked by one of my supervisors to come here and help present FMSC to the record labels that are coming together for an offsite packing event in December.  Wow, huh?  I am honored to have this opportunity.  So today we did two of the presentations and then visited the site of the event.  Tomorrow morning I give the final presentation and then fly home.  I go straight from the airport to another event in MN.  I am a busy bee this week!  But I wouldn't trade my job for the world.  God is working some incredible things in my life; growing and challenging my heart to be focused on His mission always because He has plans for me that are bigger than my wildest dreams!!  I am trying to be fully in each moment, and chase after Him as passionately as I know how.  And I am excited to live those dreams out.

Today I was at an event all day in Richfield, and it was awesome.  It was an incredibly long day, but so full of laughs!  I don't know why it is so hard for me to get through my brain that God provides what is needed.  He is consistent and faithful, and I am forgetful and doubtful.   When it is a long day that I think I am just going to drag through, he provides laughter and encouragement.  When i doubt about meeting or exceeding a goal, he takes care of it so I don't have to worry too much.   It seems like I compartmentalize God sometimes; trusting in his providence in some areas of my life, and thinking I need to control other areas.  It is silly.  So tomorrow I will try harder.

On Friday and Saturday I was had the privilege of working at one of the permanent sites for FMSC.  When I first starting working at FMSC two years ago it was at the Eagan site, and even though we are in a different part of the building, it still feels like coming home to family when I get to work there.  There is so much I love about working at sites, and it was great for me to revisit those things.  Also, I got to work with some people I haven't worked with in awhile, and that was refreshing!  I was a little disappointed when no one came dressed up on Halloween, I thought for sure at least one person would.  And in the spirit of Halloween I put a sticker on the floor of the washroom that made it look like there were rats coming out of a sewer grate, but again disappointment followed as it scared no one; I am pretty sure no one even looked twice at it.  Oh well, it made me laugh!  

The next event is the end of this week, so until then I will be working hard to get that CD finished.  I will also be relaxing as I have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me. 

okay, okay

well, here is hoping that someone might still be reading this?  i have been wracking my brain as to what I should use this blog for; i am not away from home anymore and i don't think my life is all too crazy.  But I thought I might try blogging about work.  Now before you stop reading, hear me out.  My work is pretty darn cool.  I work for Feed My Starving Children (www.fmsc.org), and I am a full-time teamleader with the offsite packing division.  That means I get travel around the country, facilitating packing events!  I think it is pretty awesome.  So, if you think that is awesome too, keep checking this blog out.

right now i just finished my chunk of time at an event in Crystal Lake, IL.  It has been a great event.  I really enjoy flying out to the Chicagoland area so often.  There are so many great people out here.  We had 8 cells (16 funnels) packing food yesterday and today.  Tonight was a crazy shift, so many people packing so fast!!  We couldn't keep up with the wrapping and strapping of the pallets!  I am heading back to MN tomorrow, and won't have an event until next weekend.  It will be good to have some time at the permanent sites, and to catch my breath (not to mention finish that CD I am releasing on the 16th!).  

Change is good (most of the time)

Wow, it has been awhile! I don't know if that is such a big deal because I don't know who is even checking this after such a prolonged absence. For those of you who are still interested in what's going on in my life (or what has happened these past few months) here is an update:

1. I left my job out in Colorado and came back to Minnesota. I am currently working with Feed My Starving Children as a Mobile Packing teamleader. That means that I get to work the events that are held offsite from our permanent packing facilities (i.e. churches, schools, businesses, etc.).
2. I am recording a CD. I bought some equipment along with a new computer and am actually taking the steps to record my music, rather than just talking about it.
3. A second shipment of food from Feed My Starving Children has gone out to my friends in Swaziland. It has been such a blessing to stay connected with the missionaries over there, and to be able to be connected with a partner of Feed My Starving Children (hopefully I can go back sometime soon!).
4. I accomplished my 2007 New Year's Resolution goal to read 50 books (I actually read 52, let me know if you want the list, I kept track!). This year I am focusing on the classics. I know I won't get 50 of them done, because they take a little longer to read, but I am going to try and read as often as possible.

I miss the friends I made in Colorado terribly and think of them often, but I know that God has called me back to Minnesota and it feels good to be home.