Hello Again...

I have discovered a pattern.  Once a year (at approximately the same moment in time)  I stumble upon a forgotten desire to be a blogger.  Remembrances of the forgotten.....here's how it began.

I planted myself in front of my computer, something that is a frequent occurrence these days.  Coffee in hand/lap and a to do list a page long.  Send volunteer update, plan lessons for Rooted on Sunday, find games for Fuse kids......get sidetracked by pinterest.....work on volunteer schedules and contact lists, dream about family ministry ideas for next year, google "family ministry ideas",  get sucked in to a mom's blog about the chaos of having 6 children.  STOP...maybe I should be a blogger.  And so it begins again.  Beauty from Ashes.

A year ago I posted about a new journey.  Not one that I ever foresaw myself taking, not one that I had any formal training in, not one that I had competence in or even the slightest idea of where to begin.  Start from scratch was the direction I received.  So that is where I began.

Last summer- I played with kids.  "Am I really getting paid for this?" It was fun, but I felt like I should be doing more.  I talked to Bob (the boss!) haha.  He assured me that playing with kids would pay off and that if I ever wondered what to do next, find someone to spend time with.  So I did.  I swam, ate gallons of ice cream, went fishing, hung out with moms, played kickball, jumped on trampolines, had sleep overs, campfires, and made up game after game after game (I should have been writing them all down!).   Lesson of the summer-  BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

When fall/winter came and the kids went back to school, I wondered what to do next.  So again, I talked to Bob.  "Get to know the volunteers.   Spend time with them."  So I did.  I drank coffee, had lunch, invited them to do things with me,  did crafts, went to dinner, went to ball games, visited the teachers at work and reminesed about my days in a classroom with them.  I made friends.  "Am I really getting paid for this?"  Lesson of the Fall- BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

So a reflection of the past year- I have built a lot of relationships!  AND in the process discovered a lot about myself.  

To be honest, before Wellspring I was sort of a hermit.  In fact, I would tell my best friend Kylee "I don't want to, need to, or have any desire to meet new people."  Little did I know when God told me to start from scratch, He wasn't talking about children's ministry, He was talking about ME!  He was trying to get my attention all along, but he needed me to be in a place of utter dependency to do so.   Dependency on Him and on the leadership of others.  For the first time, my pride and self sufficiency were questioned and my brokenness was revealed over and over again.  

I don't know why I am surprised when God provides exactly what I need.  In the midst of my broken heart, secluded life, bad attitude, and selfish ambition, God new I needed people to challenge me. I needed people asking me hard questions and listening for honest answers.  

Beauty from Ashes- The story of God using a broken girl to do His will in ways she could  never fathom or deserve.