The Calm After the Storm

I thought I'd share my most recent support letter with you. I know this isn't riveting material but it will give you a little taste of my life and ministry! Let me know what you think, and if any of you would like to receive my support letter, please let me know.

It’s hard to believe that over one month ago, the 2005-2006 Dare 2 Share tour came to a close. It is so amazing to partner with other Christian youth organizations, like D2S, and see the world impacted with the glory of God--one high schooler and junior higher at a time. We not only experience changed lives right before our eyes, but we also have the assurance that the message of Jesus that almost 50,000 students heard this year at Dare 2 Share alone, continues to make an impact long after the conferences have ended. It’s amazing to watch high school and junior high students catch the vision and allow God to use them to lead the way in revolutionizing this world for Christ. I love it!

I finished our year with a couple crazy months of travel. I found myself experiencing many of those not-so-joyous days spent trapped in the airport as a “frequent flier” instead of in the air where I wanted to be. It has been a whirlwind, but I’m happy to be home now for another month or so before our next event. In this period of time spent back on the home-front, a few major events take place: I turn 27 years old (yikes!), my baby sister graduates high school with honors (and I get to be there to cheer her on), and I become a homeowner (I bought a condo in Frankfort, IL and close on May 25th). By the time you’re reading this, all of these things will already be true…I can hardly believe it. But I am very excited…and nervous, if I’m honest. I’m coming to a place where I don’t know how all the bills will get paid or whether or not I’m going to starve or just gorge myself on junk food, where my old age is making its mark through the gray in my hair and the blur in my eyesight, and where I can no longer promise my dad that no boys will hurt my baby sister (because of a fear of the wrath of her older brothers who know where they live—hehe). However, I do know that I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for me just around the corner. I covet your prayers.

Work is wonderful! I really believe that the work that we do is so extremely important and I absolutely love doing it. I can’t tell you enough how much your love and support (both through prayer and pocketbook) is so appreciated. You truly are members of our team! And though your name isn’t on the side of our new letterhead, you are on our team, and you are impacting the lives of thousands of teenagers as a result of your ministry with and to us. I hope that each of you will do your best to meet us on the road somewhere and get a taste of how we see God move on a daily basis through our events. If you ever want to come and catch up with me, or want to bring students, or want to volunteer with us, please let me know. I would love to see you and to have you physically experience the ministry that you’re so very much a part of.

Besides all of my onsite responsibilities this year which have included being a stage manager for Dare 2 Share, creating and managing all visual graphics for Stuck in the Middle (an all junior high event held this year in Kansas City), being a one-man production team at all of the Dare 2 Share preview events, etc., I’ve also been working on a lot of behind-the-scenes work for Outside the Box (OtB). One of the roles I fall into is a support raiser for our organization. Along with Rolly, my boss, I get the privilege of raising support on behalf of a non-profit organization that I believe in so strongly. We are currently in the process of making these support letters e-friendly. So, for those of you who live on email and might want to get this letter in email form (and help us save money in postage), please email me and let me know. Don’t worry, if you prefer the traditional method of getting this in the mail and putting it on your fridge as a prayer reminder for those of us at Outside the Box, I will happily continue to send you a hard copy. I just want to extend you the option in attempt to stay current and hip (something we will always face, as we keep getting older, and our primary audience, teenagers, always seem to stay the same age). :) So let me know which you prefer.

We have a couple other wonderful opportunities to be part of this summer. We are working on both DCLA, a Youth Specialties evangelism-training event for high schoolers, and New Awakening, a collegiate growth conference sponsored by JAMA. These two events, which happen on the same dates and in the same cities this summer, will force us to be flexible and trust God in order to make it through. While we might, at times, be a little unsure how we’re going to survive these two grueling weeks, we are all anxiously anticipating the struggle and watching how God will show up in amazing ways. Pray for us over the weeks of July 1-4 in Washington, D.C. and August 8-11 in Anaheim, California. God continues to grow us as we work for his glory, and we continue to see the lives of teenagers impacted with the message of the gospel. Thank you for your partnership in this important ministry. Remember, you are a valuable part of our team! There is absolutely no way that we could complete the work God has given us without you! Thank you so much!

Teaming with you for His glory!

BJ
Event Production Assistant
Outside the Box Ministries
www.otbm.org

What do you think?

I know, I know...I haven't written in forever. I don't know why I'm even bothering to act like someone else is reading this. I don't know how that would happen due to my severely unkept blog. (Down with the author!) Anyway, I have been thinking about this and just want to get it out. If anyone's reading, let me know what you think.

I went to Wheaton College and during that time I had one guy who was really my best friend. He was a freshman on my floor when I was a sophomore. He again was on my floor when I was an RA as a junior, and our senior year we lived together in an apartment with two other guys. When I graduated, he took a year off of school to work and catch his breath and again we lived together. We did everything together! He was truly my best friend. Not all of our endeavors were smart...we screwed up our fair share of times, but we were together--there for each other to the very end. After his year break, he decided to move back home and so did I, due to my lack of a roommate. Fast forward to today....

It is now 4 years later. Since my friend moved home, I've probably called him 100 times and left over 50 messages. (I honestly have no idea of the exact numbers, but they feel astronomical.) I've never heard from him. Never. Not, "Hey I'm busy." Not, "Please don't contact me." Not, "Leave me alone." NOTHING! And so the question that is burning inside me...WHY????

I honestly cannot describe to you how this whole scenario makes me feel. Over the past four years, there have been irreversible events that I don't understand: my uncle dying of cancer, my brother's best friend dying in a motorcycle accident, a good friend of mine, an expecting father and husband, dying in a tragic motorcycle accident--horrible things that I don't understand. However, I trust that God is in control of those things and I can learn to accept them. My current status with my best friend, however, I just cannot accept. This statement is not a statement about God (I don't think), but rather an absolute cry for an answer to why things are the way they are with my buddy.

So I ask you: what do you think? I'm hurt so badly by this broken relationship that I'm even surprised by it. I feel like there is a part of my life that has a gaping hole in it, and I search desperately for an answer. I've been hurt and angry and upset over all of this, but now...after YEARS...when I think about it yet again, I just plain miss my friend.

I don't know how else to say it.