Its been a minute...

Quick update on my current status. I finished my official internship with HomeBase but am continuing to work on their Street Outreach team, I LOVE it. Graduated in December (thank you for all of your love, prayers and support). Currently looking for the worlds most perfect job (aren't we all). Enjoying my current job. Going to Nashville in March to check out some possible Grad programs. And oh, I have a papercut on each of my thumbs which is really annoying.

I think that's it for now loves, I'll update when I've got more news.

College Prep

Hello Loves,

I hope everyone is doing famously on this lovely day. So...I've got some good stuff to update you on :)

A few weeks ago the other HB intern (Kim) and I were dreaming out loud. We really want to make sure our time at TLP is as beneficial as possible for the kids. We came up with the idea that the staff dubbed as the "College Prep" program. For right now it is specifically for the youth living at TLP. The idea is that we will help the kids walk thru the process of getting in to college. I know from my own experience it can be pretty overwhelming. You have to figure out what you want to do, where you want to go, how to pay for it, where to live, how to avoid the freshman 15, seriously, the list goes on and on and on and on... ; ) Many of the kids haven't even considered college as an option because they simply don't know where to start. Hopefully CP (yep, already has its own acronym and everything, that’s how official it is) will help the kids get pointed in the right direction. Everyone is really excited about the program. It’s an area the staff wish they could put more in to, but don't have the time to give it the proper attention. The idea is that Kim and I will be the "college girls" and every Tuesday (me) and Thursday (Kim) we will be available to help the kids with College "stuff".

So, on Tuesday night I got to do my most favorite thing ever, public speaking (yes that was sarcasm). I introduced the idea at TLP. Some of the kids loved the idea, and others reminded me that I had gone 2 minutes over my allotted 5 minute presentation time. Regardless, I had some takers that were really excited about it. All of them really want to go to school they just have some roadblocks to work through, and didn't know where to start. Some of the roadblocks were in regard to financial aid and others are concerned their "records" could make them ineligible. All of these issues are things we can try and work through, for the most part, so I can’t wait to see what happens.

All in all the response was way better than we could have hoped, and it confirmed the need for a program like this. We're all really excited to see what comes from it :)

"Funo" (fun-uno)

So I have to share this story because I'm pretty sure it will be one of my favorites from TLP.
Last Tuesday the staff took the youth to the Mercury game. Well, they took most of them anyway. Six of the guys had to stay back because they were either a) too cool, or b) they were on probation of some sort and not allowed to go. So basically, all the troublemakers were left back at the ranch. Since they were the only ones left on campus they were in Christmas vacation mode (aka, bouncing off the walls like spider monkeys all hopped up on Mt. Dew).

To give them something to do Leslie suggested they pull out some games, and they did. She had hoped they would take the games outside and leave us to get our work done, yeah...not so much the case. They "suckered" me in to playing Uno. I thought we could put a spin on things, so I taught them how to play fun-Uno (btw, if you've never played you should probably do that right after you're done reading this. Its fab....wait for it.......ulous). The boys loved the game. It's like they were 6 year olds again, teasing each other and trying to win. It was hilarious to see these big "thug" guys trying to get each other to giggle during "silent 7". It was awesome. I could see that they were just having a great time, and so was I. We must've played it for a couple of hours because before I knew it the sun was setting and it was time for me to leave. It was soooo much fun!

Ahh, the simple joys in life.

Art & Coffee Nite

Hey all, well I thought I'd catch you up on what has been going on at HB. I'm a little behind, so again, I'm sorry about that, but I promise I'll bring you up to speed! Ok, so last Friday night HB hosted "Off the Beaten Path, Art & Coffee Nite". We basically turned the day center into a little coffee shop/art gallery. The youth were able to showcase their art. It was a great turnout, lots of the youth showed up, and other supporters from the community as well. You could tell the youth really enjoyed it and were having a great time.

One of the TLP residents was brave enough to get on the mic and share her story with us. She shared how she had ended up at TLP. So many times I have heard people say that many Americans are only a few paychecks away from being on the streets. That is exactly what happened to this young woman. She wasn't a bad child with no goals and just floating thru life. She just landed in a rough patch and didn't have any family that could help her get back on her feet. Her story was absolutely inspiring. To hear how she has come back from ending up on the streets. She is now in school and working two jobs trying to get back on her feet. Its times like this I am reminded of what a great thing TLP does. I also have to add that this young lady is one of the most outgoing, friendly and happy young women at TLP right now. She always greets you with a smile. I say this because I have had the privilege of working one on one with her for several weeks and have always been amazed at how driven she is. So you can imagine the surprise when she was sharing her story at the art & coffee nite and she told us that her twin sister had recently died. My heart just broke for her. To be dealing with being homeless and having to mourn the loss of her twin sister and still keep a smile on her face takes strength that I cannot imagine. This young woman is truly an inspiration and I am so incredibly excited to see what God has in store for her.

The rest of the night was very entertaining, filled with paintings, drawings, poetry readings, narratives, and even a stand up comedy routine. The night closed out with "Ms. Beats" (as she is well known) singing "I praise you for who you are". It was absolutely beautiful, and a brave if you ask me. Remember, HB is not a Christian organization. She unashamedly shared a brief version of her testimony before she sang her solo. I'm not gonna lie, I totally teared up. It was beautiful. Time and time again these kids are a reminder of what unwavering faith looks like.

Well, I think those are most of the highlights from art & coffee nite. If you're in Phoenix you should really do yourself a favor and come out to the next one. It will be in November, I'll let you know when we've confirmed the date :)

The ever classic Jeremiah 29:11 plug

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
                                          - Jeremiah 29:11

With my recent realization of how amazingly perfect Gods timing is (I know, I'm a little slow sometimes!) I am feeling prompted to share these words....

It is a given that life does not always go the way we had hoped. There will be times we may even find ourselves questioning God about a season we are going through. As humans we want to be in control. When we cannot control a situation or circumstance we usually don't handle it very well.

There will be a moment when you choose to accept your circumstance. Whether you chose to love it or hate it, you will learn to embrace it and run with it. The Father has a plan for you and a purpose for bringing you through this particular trial. You can own it and fall in love with it and make the absolute best of it. Smiling all the while and learning all that God has planned to teach you through the experience. You can have hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel and when you look back you will see God's beautiful fingerprints all over it.

OR you can be miserable, rejecting the less than ideal reality you've found yourself in. You can kick and scream and pout because your life isn't where you thought it would be according to your plan. You can throw your fist in the air and have an adult tantrum directed towards God, in some sad attempt to get Him to see why your way is a better plan. All the while, completely missing the point. You could potentially miss the purpose for this time of your life, and the blessing He has planned for you during this season.

Either way this is your reality and you are going to go thru it. This season of your life will play out. It is up to you how you will wade through it. Will you trust God and cling to him? Will you rejoice in the blessings he has in store for you knowing that he is preparing you for something great? Will you embrace the uncomfortable and allow yourself to be stretched?

OR will you stick your lower lip out, sit in the corner and pout, and let the opportunity to grow pass you by?

Comments

***By the way...I changed the settings so anyone should be able to comment now! Sorry about that!

Week 3

My apologies for not getting this out last week! Please forgive me, I was at the mercy of my dentist (2 root canals, how's that for a good time, ick!).

Anyway, I was only at the Day Center for a few hours last week, (because of my dental dilemma) but I took part in a conversation that I will probably remember for the rest of my life. I was sitting in my office and one of the youth was in line to use the shower. He looked through my window and asked me how I was doing and I did the standard "I'm doing great, how about you?" His answer is what caught me, "I'm doing alright, but I'm really tired, it's hard to get a good night sleep when you're sleeping on rocks". I told him I was sorry and asked if he was able to catch some sleep in the meditation room (this is the "spirituality room" at the Day Center; they let youth catch some extra sleep in there for reasons just like this). He said he wasn't able to, but was hoping he could find a blanket for the night. Not a blanket to cover up with, but to lie on top of the rocks so he could at least get a good nights sleep.

The conversation continued on for a minute and I put him in touch with the right person so he could get a blanket to sleep on. He was over the top grateful for this saying it wasn't a big deal and we didn't need to go out of our way. I was blown away at how polite and how sweet natured this boy was, especially in light of his circumstances! I was also forced to think about his reality, he sleeps outside. Not only does he sleep outside, but he sleeps on top of rocks. Wherever it is that he has found to lay his head down at night is on top of rocks!! No wonder he isn't getting a lot of sleep.

Lets play a little game....imagine a night when you have gotten next to no sleep because you've been super stressed or worried and you wake up every few minutes. This is his (and countless others) reality, every day. Now imagine that you aren't waking up in a safe snuggly bed under your safe snuggly roof. You are outside, and not only are you exhausted, but you're hungry. So you, in your half awake/sleep state have to go find food. You also have some other things on your agenda, like finding a place to take a shower, hopefully a shelter to sleep in, and if it is a really good day you may have time to look for a job....

All too often I have heard negative comments about our homeless neighbors like; "Why don't they just get a job", or "They're just lazy". I think sometimes we forget that essentials (food, taking a shower and getting a good nights sleep) are not easily accessible for someone who has no home. A large part of their day could be spent just trying to find these things, and all after a night of sleeping on rocks.