The New Routine

This past Sunday marked the first week of working at Lakeside Baptist Church. It's hard to say that it hasn't been what I expected, since I didn't fully know what to expect. That said, the first week (or half week) was slightly different then what I might have pictured. After dropping off my mom at the SLC airport on Tuesday, Siera and I had a chance to hang out with some of the youth later that night. Getting to know older kids isn't really an easy task for me, so a lot of the night was spent just walking around and listening. Lakeside actually hosts youth events for a few local churches, so their youth attendance is disproportionate to the size of the church body. While the church itself has probably around 40 or so core members, youth activities can often bring in 20 or more kids.

One really cool thing I got to see unfold was a girl who came for the first shared the tragic news of her dad needing a major surgery the next day. She was smothered with prayer on the spot and the group really took her pain as their own, which was just awesome. Shooting hoops later I had a chance to have a good conversation with the youth pastor George and got a feel for where his heart is in terms of ministry and his own life. His background is far different than mine, having been a Christian for little more than a year. I really valued his take on how to approach my future, and he challenged me to drop a lot of the assumptions I've formed about what I can do with it.

Beginning on Wednesday, the days started at 9 and end around 4 with lunch in between. Siera and I work separately; she was inside doing organization and planning, I was outside busy with maintenance and grounds-keeping. This weeks tasks were...painting doors and killing weeds! Incredibly glamorous jobs, I know. But with Derek and others busy, there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of on the property that they simply can't make a priority. God and Derek himself are pounding on my work ethic, and I've got a couple really nice redneck and sandal tan lines to show for it.

Something I hadn't accounted for was the down time at the end of the day and on the weekend. I was pretty bad this past week at not being productive when I have extra hours to myself, and that isn't a trend I want to see continue. I felt convicted going into this next week to continue trying not to make my days all about me, instead thinking of ways to serve my host family and church community when there's time to spare.

Also, adjusting to the vision and style of Lakeside has felt uncomfortable at times. College student centered Christian fellowship is what I've gotten used to these past couple years, and here it's anything but. Members of the Lakeside staff are all older than me and the church's focus is on services for families. Needless to say, the goals they have and the way things are done will take some getting used to. I felt reminded today that my role is to serve where help is needed, not to "fix" things that God's already been doing because it isn't the way I might do them.

There's a major prayer request I'll be passing on to yall very soon concerning the health of Matt Jones' unborn baby girl. (Matt is Derek's eldest son and the leader of worship). I wanted to let yall know ahead of time, and as soon as I have all the details clear I'll pass them on to you. It's an urgent situation and prayer couldn't be needed more than it is now.

Many of yall have been checking in on me and asking how things are going, which is so great. Love you guys and the support you give, so please keep it up!

Peace, grace, and mercy be with you in abundance.