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.