August: A Full Month

Is it just me or did the month of August come way too fast?! August, August, August when I think of what you will bring a couple things come to mind:

• The start of school, which means school supply shopping! :)
• VOLLEYBALL SEASON!

More like two things come to mind :)....School starts on August 24th and volleyball starts on August 9th. I am super excited for both. I think most of you know that Kate and I will be going to EMHS this year, but just wanted to make sure. This year I am extra excited because I get to play volleyball again, because of being home schooled last year I didn't have the chance to play on a team. But my favorite activity of the month of August is Back-to-School shopping!!! YAY! I am getting really excited about school, though I do have a tinge of nervousness about starting high-school. I'll hope for the best :)

Take Care,

The Gathering

On Friday the 16th of July, my family and I left to go to Camp Overlook which is only a few minutes away from home for a family reunion. It was my dad's side of the family who met together. Everyone except a few made it, some all the way from California and some like my family who only had to travel a couple minutes to meet at the camp. We all arrived Friday evening and enjoyed a meal together and then enjoyed reconnecting. The next morning we had the opportunity to go on a hike. So most of us did and were grateful we did, burned some calories and enjoyed fellowship together. To cool us off afterwords we went swimming in the pretty sweet pond at the camp. It had a zip-line that went into the water and also a water slide with a beach area. That evening my family prepared the meal. My dad grilled some pork loins (from a pig we got) and then sliced it into slices for sandwiches. We also had some coleslaw, carrots, chips, beans, and watermelon. Then Chad my cousin popped some popcorn in his kettle and we enjoyed hearing stories from some of the older folks in the family about their childhood. On Sunday morning we enjoyed having our own church service with singing. After lunch we parted ways with some of our family, but our closer family stayed at our place for a couple days.

It was a lot of fun to have our cousins here since they are all the way from Minnesota, my grandparents also stayed for a few days. We enjoyed playing games, going hiking on Skyline Drive, and just plain having fun with them. One of the cool things was that they were here while one of our cows Scarlett had her calf. Here is a picture of Sylvie:

We got to see her being born, quite an amazing experience. Anyways, they had fun being on the farm and playing with the animals. I am so grateful to have an amazing family like them!

Take Care,

Service Trip to Indianapolis

On Saturday, July 3rd me and my youth group from church left for what would be a week long trip in Indianapolis, Indiana to do service inner city. I have pictures and will try to explain as much as possible of how it went and what we did.

Saturday:

      On Saturday we left around 8AMish for what would be a 9 hour trip in Indy. We occupied ourselves with games, listening to music, talking, laughing,  and listened to Max for updates from the Argentina vs. Germany game. (Max's mom texted him the highlights from the game) We arrived at First Mennonite Church around 6:30PM where we would be staying the rest of the week. Rene (the associate pastor of the church and also a previous member of our church) gave us a tour of the church. We had supper and then played volleyball for a bit. By then we were all tired so we went to bed.

Sunday:

   The day started off with church @ First Mennonite where we were staying. It was a good service and I really enjoyed the sermon topic. It was about torture and terrorism and how God calls us to live in peace with one another no matter what the circumstances. After the church service we had pizza with some of FMC's youth and played four square afterwords. We then left for our first service project of the week--feeding and interacting with the homeless. The organization we worked with was called Meet Me Under the Bridge, an organization that serve food to the homeless and do other things to help out. But today our job was serving food.

   It was a very eye-opening experience for all of us. Some of the people that went through the line you would've never guessed to be homeless. It really changed my impression of homeless people, they aren't always the grubby and scraggly looking people that we seem to picture. They are people just like me and you but instead of having a home to go to they have nothing. After working at the soup kitchen we went downtown to watch fireworks and walked along the canal.

   I have never seen that amazing of fireworks before, they were awesome! The one thing I took away from Sunday was a clearer picture of hope. Even homeless people have hope in God even in the most dire of situations. And sometimes we think we have it really tough, imagine not even having a home.

Monday:

  Today was a fun day! We had our service project @ a homeless shelter. We transformed the courtyard. Before it started out as a jungle with weeds everywhere. After it was done we put mulch down and planted flowers.

Then after lunch we took the kids who were at the homeless shelter and walked to a local park and played with them. Here are Kate and I with our buddies:

It was a lot of fun to hang out with them and seeing their beautiful faces just brightened my day.

                        That evening we went to a Indianapolis Indians baseball game.

      It was a lot of fun because one of the players (Erik Kratz, the catcher) on the team played for EMU when he was in college here in Harrisonburg. We cheered so much for him and I even got his autograph! :)

Tuesday:

   Today was a tiring, hot, and draining day. The first place we worked at was an elderly women's house. We did things like weeding, cleaning the gutters, washing windows and floors, and mowing. At the beginning she was a little hard to work with just because of here particular attitude. But by the end of our time there we learned that the previous groups who had come to help out didn' t do very well. She didn't have much trust in us at the beginning but by the end she was very appreciative and even shed some tears. In the afternoon we worked at a deceased member of the church we were staying at house. We did some of the same things we did at Gail's house. It was a long and hard day but we all learned a lot. In the evening we went over to a couples house from First Mennonite and went on a boat ride. It was really nice.

Wednesday:

  Today was our fun day. We went to King's Island which is an amusement park. It is pretty much like King's Dominion. Since I L-O-V-E roller coasters this was a highlight of my week. My favorite ride called Firehawk, a ride where you are lying down the whole ride. It was SOOO much fun! We spent pretty much the whole day there. It was a lot of fun, and we were all really tired after a long and hot day. 

              

This picture is of the roller coaster the Diamondback. The drop you see here was amazing!

Thursday:

   Today we worked with an organization called Rebuilding the Wall. What they do is build houses for low-income families in the community. We did different things like cleaning out the space between the joists, getting the mortar of the bricks so that they could be reused, hauling wood, and digging holes. Breanna and I worked with Jeffery on cleaning out between the joists. We got SOOOOO dirty it wasn't even funny! :) Black soot EVERYWHERE!! We ate lunch with Chris the leader of the organization who shared his testimony and what Rebuilding the Wall is and what it does. His talk was incredibly powerful and a highlight for all of us. After lunch we finished up what we were doing and then went to a homeless shelter and helped there. In the evening we had fun going to arcade place where they had Go-Karts and other games. It was fun!

Friday:

   Today we were working at Wheeler's Mission Center for Women and Children. It was a homeless shelter where homeless women and children can come and stay. Kailyn, me, Rene, and Breanna cleaned one of the bathrooms. We got to use some awesome sucker uppers and sprayers. It was a dirty but fun job. After lunch we went back to the center and sorted clothes and disinfected toys. Friday evening we went over the Rene's apartment and swam in the pool and ate food. When we got back to the church we played sardines. I was tired!

Saturday:

  And finally Saturday came.....The trip back was long but to make it a little funner we stopped at this castle that one guy made all by himself. It was pretty impressive.

We arrived home around 10:30PM.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    It was an amazing trip with so many highlights. I grew a lot in my faith and will really cherish the memories that were made. I learned a lot to, and am challenged to now see what I can do to help the homeless here in Harrisonburg. Hope you enjoyed hearing about my week!

Take Care,

    

Goin' on a Trip

Tomorrow morning Kate and I are leaving for what will be a week long trip in Indianapolis. We will be doing service projects inner city with our youth group. So I just wanted to let you know I will not be posting for a while because of the trip. But no need to worry, I will definitely let you know how it goes and what all we did when we return. Prayers would be appreciated. Thanks.

Take Care,

A Cool and Peaceful Morning

I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and corn stalks rustling. To the calm breeze that cooled my body, and the warmness of my blanket that I wrapped myself in because of the cool breeze. To the sight of the breaking of dawn that greeted me with its faint darkness. To the smell of a fresh and peaceful morning.

I sleep with my window open at night for a reason. Because of the sounds at night that help me fall asleep and the sounds in the morning that help wake me calmly. I know for me a good nights rest makes a big difference in how my day goes, so I have a feeling today is going to be a good day :) Hope your day goes well too.

Take Care,   

Catching Up

Last time I posted was awhile ago. So I thought I would just catch you up on what I have been up to these past few days. It's been hot and dry here in Harrisonburg. We are hoping we will get a lot of  rain here soon, because everything is so dry. My dad especially, is hoping it will rain soon or he will have to start buying hay for our cows and goats, because the pasture is so parched.
It feels as if this summer is going to slip right past me, we are almost in July already. Crazy! Right now I am in the process of making a scrapbook, so I am getting the pictures around. I have never done this before, but have always wanted to. We-shall-see how it turns out. If you have any advice for me let me know...
In about a week Kate, my youth group, and me are heading up to Indy (Indianapolis) for a week. We will be working in a soup kitchen, playing with little kids, helping the elderly, and so much more. I am grateful I have this opportunity to help shed Christ's love. As Christians I believe we are called to help one another with love, not to worry about ourselves so much but to help and care for others who need the love and compassion.  Your prayers would be greatly appreciated as we work and for safety as we travel. Thank You!
Well, bye bye for now. You have just been listening to 'Catching Up' with Emily Kauffman :) O Boy!
Take Care,


 

Helping Out

On Tuesday, my Mom, Kate, and I went to Ohio to help my grandparents move. They are moving into a smaller house because their old house was beginning to get too much for them. We helped them move their kitchen and most of their bedroom into their new house. It was good to be able to help them out and help them arrange their new house. They are transitioning from living out in the country surrounded by Amish, into a neighborhood surrounded by their friends. I am happy for them, and I think it will be a good fit for them. So many good memories were made at their old place. Fishing at the pond, playing ball in the yard, sitting around the campfire, sleeping in the camper, playing in the loft, riding bike up and down the driveway, seeing the goats, going snowmobiling on the big field, tractor rides, playing in the sprinkler, and so many more. But I am sure so many more good memories will be made at the new house, despite the differences. Grandma and Grandpa, if you are reading this I want you to know I love you very much! Thanks for all you do!

Take Care,