Above, David and I earlier today laying on the beach and sand crabs the girls had fun catching tonight on the beach! Our first day of our trip has been a success!

Misty Edwards - Soul Cry 

On our last shift, when we took our girls to youth group at our amazing church we get to go to, the youth pastor there played several beautiful songs during worship. He has introduced me to a whole load of artists I had never heard of who have captivated my worshipping heart! Misty Edwards, pictured here…

is a beautiful young songstress whose worship-leading birthed from her experiences at IHOP - International House of Prayer, where intercessory prayer has been ongoing 24/7/365 since 9/19/1999. I recently found out about all this worship goodness, and it’s been life-changing.

Our 1st full day on our last shift we went rafting! A donor paid for a rafting and adventure company to come pick up all the Crossnore kids in their buses and take us all to the Watauga River for a 3-ish mile rafting trip. The girls had so much fun. I was on a raft with several of my girls who did not particularly enjoy the water gun fights that went down between all the rafts. So we were known as the “party pooper” or “pansy” group. But who cares? We had fun focussing on our paddling and being in rhythm and enjoying the views. The picture above is not of us or any of the rafts from Crossnore, but it is a picture of a raft going down the Watauga River. And the fog you see, it was like that on the day we went. It happens because water is actually dammed up most of the time, and when it is released, it comes from a huge lake, which releases the bottom (the coldest) water. When that mixes with the river water, it creates the fog, which was captivatingly beautiful. One of my girls mentioned that she felt like she was in the Lord of the Rings movies. It was her first time ever rafting. That’s priceless. 

So I’m off shift again. We go back on Monday, actually, but I’m just now getting to update my blog. I’m going to try to give you an idea of what we did on our last shift (in the following posts). First of all, it’s summer (!!!) and this past shift was our first shift with the girls out of school. It’s definitely a different dynamic in the cottage with all the girls there pretty much all of the time. (No free time for David and I, really) but all the more time to keep developing relationships with our girls and make an impact in their lives…

Here’s a shot of the front of the chapel on campus where I work now. I promise to take and post more pics of Crossnore soon. However, I was recently informed that I am not allowed to post pictures of the girls in my cottage. Anyway, the chapel is quaint and beautiful, isn’t it? 

One of my favorite things to do with my girls in my cottage: work out together! I’m really enjoying teaching them how to make healthy choices (as I still learn myself) and put exercise into their weekly routine.

Crossnore has a fitness center complete with workout machines, weights, exercise balls, and the like. It’s really great what they offer to the students right on campus. And they’ve also given each of our girls a bike to ride this summer! Not to mention the track and field and tennis courts and skate park on campus, too. How much fun is this job!?

After the girls went to school this morning, I had the time to just mess around our cottage. I always find new things I didn’t know we had in the closets and drawers. I was also feeling a little under the weather, but I always have the knowledge that God wants me to be whole and fully prepared for my undertakings here. I decided against working out this morning, but just resting, especially because, after having peaked around in the drawers under the television, I found a Rebecca St James DVD (aLIVE in Florida) circa 2007. I remember growing up in youth group with Rebecca St James music in our youth room. I went to a concert with my mom once, and I loved her Christmas album. I had the cassette tape. So, I welcomed the idea of sitting on the big couch, wrapped in my cozy blanket, tissue box next to me with the DVD running in the background while I typed on my laptop whatever ramblings might come out. The second song hadn’t even come on, and I felt this incredible warmth wrap all around me – the warmth of God’s peace. Healing. Love. I broke forth in a cry that became brief groan-like sobs. No words could express to God what I was feeling…

The happy burden I’ve taken on, being a house parent, has stretched me, brought out a deep love, already (and actually even as we were hired), for these particular teen girls. The choices they make bring forth my own emotional responses. Individually, they affect me, even though it is I who is praying my presence in their lives will affect them. Perhaps I wasn’t prepared for this effect they have on me. Yet I am realizing that I am glad of its power. How would I know that I was loving, healing, helping if I did not feel and respond to what it is they are giving out. They give out their pain, their joys, their anxiety, their insecurity, their love. It is one of the most beautiful forms of ministry, this exchange of life, that I have experienced.

And perhaps the most tiring. The constant releasing of my gifts extracts all that I have. But that is exactly the picture that David had in his mind when we took this job – a poured out drink offering. It is just incredible that God gives to you what he asks you to pour out. When I am willing to give it all, he will give it all to me. 

Yesterday, as I alluded to in my last post, I spent some time with a few of my middle school girls who I have missed tremendously. First, I signed in as a visitor and had lunch with half a dozen girls at their school. Then I picked up, from another school, the girl above (I’ve featured her before), and we went to the park. She’s so much fun, because she’s just as child-like as me, i.e. it’s not “totally uncool” to go play at the park!

When our ministry as formal youth ministers ended last November, we continued to work at out day jobs as insurance representatives. We kept in touch with several of the kids in our former ministry, and as you may have read, I was still making plans for girls ministry in the same location but just not under any church umbrella.

Just over a month ago, however, we got the opportunity to take life and ministry (combining the two) and step it up a little. We now work as Resident Counselor’s at a group home for misguided children and youth! Every other week, we work seven day shifts living 24 hours a day with 8 to 9 teenage girls! Sounds crazy? It was at first. Now that I’m getting used to it, though, I’m finding that we fit perfectly for this kind of work. David is more the administrator. I’m more the nurturer. We aren’t these kids’ parents, we’re just overseeing them and guiding them toward a more healthy future while they’re in the middle of family crisis. So, although, we get to model what a relationship between a woman and man should be, we have to remember that their choices are still their choices, and we can’t control everything they do. Besides, the goal, if possible, is to see the girls reunite with their families.

All my girls in the “cottage,” as the houses on campus are called, are between the ages 14 and 17. It’s been interesting for me, because the girls I minister to back home are mostly middle school girls. The new job has validated that I do have the gift to relate with older teen girls as well. (I had started to believe it just wasn’t working for me!) Speaking of my girls back home, what’s been cool is having 7 days off every other week as well to use as I please. Of course David and I are enjoying those days for other goals we want to accomplish or just fun things (like sleeping in a bit!), but we will have the chance to substitute in the local schools, or do like I did yesterday, go eat lunch with them when they’re at school. Certainly, during summer break, I can have day events for the girls in Brevard on my weeks off. (Still working on this project:

No word from the owner yet.)

I’m excited for what’s ahead. And blessed beyond what I would have imagined as far as a job goes! I just feel like I’m doing what I love which makes it not even seem like a job. I read recently, when we were seriously considering applying for this new job, an article by Napoleon Hill called “When a Man Loves His Work,” in which he talks about how much more productive a person can be when they are doing what they love. That fulfillment gives them even more energy! And it’s true. Even though the new job is considerably emotionally draining, I’m not feeling that horrid dread I had awaken to several times while working at my dead-end desk job. All I can say is blessing and favor from the Lord are upon me!