2013 Year In Review

This is my last post for the year, so I think it should be a reflective post.   This year began, as most years do, in January.  In January, I was sort of a lost person looking for something to do with my life.  I had it narrowed down to two things.  The first was to become a teacher, while the second was to go to seminary and become a pastor.  So I started being a substitute teacher. 

In February, a friend sent me a link to look into becoming a missionary.  With the knowledge that I had no control in a middle school classroom, I applied for the missionary position, a program of Generation Transformation.  A few days after sending in my application, I started substituting in an elementary school, I was good at that. 

In March I was called for an interview, and I packed my bags and went to Oklahoma City.  For the rest of the month, I spent as much time as I could with my nephews as well as with my Grandma who was recovering from a stroke. 

In April my Grandmother’s health took a turn for the worse and we laid her to rest beside my grandfather who had died just months before I was born.  I also received the news that I had been accepted to the US-2 missionary program.  I spent many days doing recess duty and implementing already written lesson plans.  I enjoyed those days, especially the when evenings were full of me playing cars with my nephews.

During May school ended and the swimming pool opened.  While waiting to find out where I would be placed as a missionary, I watched soccer, and swam with my nephews at the local public pool. 

In June I was finally informed that my placement would be in Davis, California.  I found this out just hours before attending the Missouri Annual Conference.  At that event I heard Bishop Thomas Bickerton talk about his own calling, and decided that my calling was to be a clergy member in the United Methodist Church.  During vacation bible school that month I thought about how much would miss my church family but that I would be going where God had called me to go. 

In July I went on a mission trip as a youth leader to Oklahoma.  After that trip I will never be able to hear the song, “Awesome God” without memories of dancing in the parking lot on a hot morning while a van load of teenagers watched.  I then traveled to New York City to begin missionary training.  At the God Box and then Stony Point, New York, I learned what it would take to be in ministry with. 

On August 12, two amazing events happened.  Flint Isaac, the fourth son of my friend, was born and I was commissioned as a missionary of the United Methodist Church.  I packed up my life in and in a few short days my Dad and I were off driving to Davis, California.  After the two and a half day drive my dad took a plane back to Missouri, and then I found myself in Davis trying to be a missionary with the campus ministry of the Cal Aggie Christian Association. 

In September, school at the University of California, Davis started, and the staff of the CA House rallied for success of the ministry.  I officially joined the US Masters Swimming program through Davis Aquatic Masters.   This required me to learn how to swim properly.

In October I turned 27, learned to swim the fly, backstroke, and breast stroke in addition to the freestyle crawl.  I was also a participant and worker in our fundraiser. 

November began my search for a seminary with an event called Exploration 2013.  In Denver, Colorado, I visited Iliff Theological Seminary.  I pretty much fell in love with it that day. 

In December I learned to make my own biscuits and gravy, since no one out here eats this for breakfast.  I watched as “MLS Cup dreams came true in Sporting Blue.”  I spent most of the rest of the time counting down the days until I can visit home, which is tomorrow, so have a merry Christmas, I will post more next year.  

Ministry Is Like Soccer

I remember the exact minute I became a Sporting Kansas City fan.  It was the 89^th minute of the New England Revolution at Sporting Kansas City game on July 30^th, 2011.  Teal Bunbury used his left foot to put a strike in the back of the net, and the crowd at Sporting Park erupted with celebration. 

Why would ministry be like soccer?  For starters soccer is a low scoring game, and a low scoring game requires patience, lots of patience.  However, you can’t just sit back and wait, you also have to have lots of perseverance.

When a play starts in the back line and includes a few passes and a cross and maybe even a header in there, and finishes with a goal kick from the other teams goalie, (because the shot did not find the net) you don’t have time to hang your head, you have to get the ball back and make start a new run of play. It is the same as when you are trying to build a ministry, a campus ministry in my case.  When I do advertising and outreach and still only a few people show up for worship, I don’t have time to feel defeated, it is time to do outreach and advertising and hopefully more people will show up next time.  Just like when you defend a goal kick, make a run, then shoot, and maybe one time in the whole game that shot will end up in the back of the net.

Congratulations to Sporting Kansas City on being the 2013 MLS Cup Champions.  

Advent

I think that it is time for an update on the life of Cindy.  I am sitting in my room after a successful holiday party.  We had good food, entertainment and did lots of holiday stuff.

Remember that time back in October I wanted to slow down and remember that I was God's beloved.  Well tonight during our holiday party, there was a moment when we all just slowed down.  The room was full of about 40-50 people and we were listening to someone share the gift of music.  They were playing on the piano, only the piano was not in the room.  No one was watching the performance, and everyone in the room was just listening.  That was cool, and it was a good time to just remember who we where and what we were doing there.  

I needed to fix punch for this event.  So not really knowing about how to fix punch, I called my Mom.  She took time out of her busy schedule to explain to me how to make the punch.  It turns out that the punch was really good.  I always know that I can count on my Mom, because I know that when they day is done, my Mom is still my biggest fan.

When a Toddler Hands You a Carrot

In this post I want to talk about 3 things; my thanksgiving in Davis, my high school English teacher, and what else besides soccer.

On my first Thanksgiving away from my family, I was invited to my mentor, Clay, and his families house for an afternoon of Thanksgiving fun.  While I was there I did something I have never done before, I picked an orange off a tree and ate it!  The noteworthy thing was not that I picked something directly off the tree were it grew, I do that often, this was an orange.  That orange was so good and so juicy.

In that family I felt welcome, and I enjoyed it.  Even the 1 year old toddler enjoyed me being there. I know this because we played several rounds of peek-a-boo, cuddled with her when she was tired, and when she was getting ready to leave, her mother was packing a bag of fresh produce, the toddler then dove into the bag and dug around until she emerged with a large carrot, and a huge smile on her face.  Still smiling she presented me with the carrot, and that is an honor.

On a not so happy note, my high school English teacher, Susan Gheens-Magnus, passed away this week.  She had been fighting cancer for a long time.   She had been a long time teacher and coach in Audrain County, and I know that she touched many lives.  One afternoon during my senior year she was teaching about how characters are not only good or only bad.  To illustrate her point she asked the class if they knew anyone who was only good.  A girl in the class who I never really paid much attention to said, "Cindy."  I thought that was nice that someone I didn't even really know would think of me as a good person.  However, Ms. Gheens response was even more humbling.  She responded, "Ok, well, yeah that is probably true"  So, thank you Ms. Gheens for being awesome, I'll see you in heaven.

Finally, an announcement....Sporting Kansas City is going to the MLS Cup as the Eastern conference champion!!!!!  That is my team, and I am so excited to watch the MLS Cup.  I haven't been a fan of that team as long as some people have, but I still feel like they are my team.

You may not know it now

This weekend was a weekend of discernment.  The weekend of Exploration 2013.  This event was for young adult United Methodist who are considering ordained ministry.  It was a great time to see so many of my friends.  I was even able to quote my favorite gospel rapper.  Before this weekend I had been intimidated by seminary because of the academic side, money and time.  But this weekend  I can say that the take away from this weekend was "An angel came and was like 'Breath life, you got this man." (That is from On Jordan's Stormy Banks, part II, from my favorite rapper, Praiz.  Not sure if that is the exact interpretation, but its the way I interpret it.)

Now lets move from one of my favorite genres of music to another, country.  Yes I do like them both.  I drove to do some shopping for a big event we are having on Wednesday, in my car I was listening to country music and I heard Trace Adkins singing "You're Gonna Miss This"  After I parked and was walking through the parking lot I continued the lyric in my head thinking, "You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this, gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast."

I thought to myself am I really going to miss this?  Will I miss the virtual absence of fall, the lack of omnivores, the strange arrangement of traffic signals, and my room?  I thought about my count down till I visit home.  Then I thought, will I really wish these days that I can't wait to be done hadn't gone by so fast?

I guess I will, well I can't wait until I can hug my nephews Landen, Ethan and Owen again.  But I know that the day will come when my hand written letters are addressed to families in the Davis UMC congregation (Instead of Mexicoans), I know a day will come when Briaghia texts me to tell me that it took 8 adults to replace me when I left.  (At least I hope that I can do that for this Church.)

So one day I will wish that my days as a US-2 did not go by so fast, but for now, I can't wait until I can start seminary and finish seminary, and get ordained and give the world my gifts of service and love.

InterFaith

This is a very Cindy blog, and as many of you know, my nephews are super important to me.  I will start with a story about them.  One cold dark evening in Missouri, I was working in my "homework"  while my nephews played in the cupboard under the stairs next to my room.  Then I heard Ethan's scream of pain, and he continued to cry, so I left my "homework" ran to him and ask him what was wrong.  Through sobs he replied, "Landen said he wasn't going to be my friend anymore!"  My worry subsided and I announced to the boys that you can't ever stop being friends with your brother.  A little shocked by this proclamation, they began playing in the cupboard again just like the friends they will always be with each other and with their brother, Owen.

A Jewish Rabbi, a Christian Missionary, and a Muslim woman sat down for a peaceful dinner.  Yes, they were at the same table.  This table was a meeting of the celebration of Abraham.  It is during these times that we seek to find a cultural understanding that I am reminded of the rule I enforce with my nephews, you cannot stop being friends with your brother.  You don't have to be your brother, you just can't not be his friend.

A Ministry of Presence

    I remember the late October night, not too many years ago, when the pastor told me that during the baptismal covenant a United Methodist promises to give the church prayers, presence, service, gifts, and witness.   At that time I thought how are your presents and gifts different. It only took my brain a few seconds to come up with the difference between presence and  presents, but still it is funny.

When I applied for the US-2 program, one of the essay questions was "What does ministry with mean to you?"  That was the only question I had left, and I spent two to three days thinking about a good answer.  Luckily enough I had taken Mr. Pascoe's exposition class, so I was able to write a good essay answer.  However, also in said exposition class I learned that works of writing may never be fully finished, works can and should continually be revised.  So today I have a revised answer for what ministry with means to me.

Ministry with is a ministry of presence.  I have continuously been passionate about ministry with children and youth.  So outside of my actual job, I have continued my ministry with children and youth, by being present.  I like to say hi to as many children as I can when I see them in worship on Sunday mornings, and I am an assistant to Sunday school teachers about once a month.  Today I went to children's choir practice.  (With my joy for singing and lack of tonal awareness, children's choir is the place to start right?)  I had fun singing with the children.  Notice I did not sing to the children or for the children, I sang with them.  By participating in choir I bonded with those children in a way that I could not have done any other way.  

That afternoon as I was leaving the church, one of the boys from choir who was busy playing with other boys, stopped and waved shouting, "Bye Cindy!"  Right then I knew I had been in ministry with the children, and that ministry had a far greater impact on the children than a ministry to or for.