It's always kind of fun to sit with a good cup of tea (or coffee) in December and think about the year and what is the plan for the next year. I know last year I didn't know if I would ever get back to the States.

Below is my Christmas pondering. Thanks for taking the time to read it:

Frauke

Merry Christmas to you!

I hope you have an incredible Christmas and a wonderful year 2010!

This week I took some time to remember all the things God has done this year... You were part of this! Have a look:

January: Still in Berlin, waiting for the green card! This month was busy preparing for the European Leadership Forum that was being held at YWAM Berlin.

February: I got news that my green card HAD to move and had to move FAST. But I also had to help with the European Leadership Forum. So for the last 2 weeks of February I got everything to do with the green card done and got the official word that I was allowed to return to the States 1 week before I was flying out of Berlin.

March: I am back in the States and am getting used to the new YWAM building that I am supposed to manage. Many, many meetings to get the community resource center part even more up and running.

April: The Pier (the community resource center) is different from anything else I have ever done. it's hard to realise that many people don't want our help or just want free hand outs. But even though it's not going to be easy, it's time to thank our volunteers that have faithfully led and worked the grocery assistance ministry and the clothes donations. We have a big thank you dinner with more than 20 of our volunteers showing up!

May: Summer is starting soon. The non-Pier part of YWAM Las Vegas is getting ready for a major Mission Adventures summer with hundreds of students coming to learn about God and missions during the summer. Very exciting!

June: To get better equipped about working in the community resource center (which works a bit more like a church and less like a missions organizations) I asked if I could volunteer in my church. I scored and was able to meet regularly with a youth pastor from my church who very patiently answered many of my questions and helped me come up with some basic structures, including information about how to recognise child abuse and the likes... My least favorite, but most needed topic.

July: With the ministry of the Pier finally getting busier, it's time to start on some structure. Keys for volunteers, name tags, room usage plans and the likes all have to be created from scratch while the building is full of High School students during the Mission Adventures summer.

August: 3 weeks of Fun in the Summer; a program for kids from the neighborhood. One the first day we were able to tell 7 kids about God... on the last more than 30 had heard the good news.

September: The STARS youth leadership development program has started to meet in our building and I love hanging out with the students. The new season for junior High at church is starting and I am very happy to co-lead a small group of 8th grade girls again.

October: This year I got to help out with the Go Conference again and flew out to Colorado to help more than 200 YWAMers get excited about world mission again. In the process I got very excited too... like every year!

November: Our official grand opening is happening and more than 150 people come out to help us celebrate. It's a good time with the neighbors! :)

December: Looking forward to new beginning in 2010. I really want to see the youth programs grow with the help of college student interns. That means cold calling colleges nation wide, making new relationships in the city and meeting some principals and teachers in schools in our neighborhood.


Check this out to read about hopes, dreams and necessities for 2010

Disneyland with friends

I got to go to Disneyland in December...

And apart from seeing Mickey, Goofy, Donald and the others, I also saw a couple friends that were in England when I staffed the DTS there... SOOOOO fun to see them again and to catch up! We never even made it out of the hotel room, but just stayed there, hung out and talked! Good times!

Thank you Nicole and Sharla!!! And yes, we are posing like good little Mousketeers!

The next day my friends and me went to Disney, got completely rained out, but had so much fun!!!

What I was up to last night with about 50 Junior High Students....

You might know that I am part of the Junior High Ministry at my church here in Vegas. But it's time you knew a couple more details about what that really means and how much fun it can be!

Apparently many people would rather poke themselves in the eye, than be involved with Junior High Kids. A fact I never quite understand... But then again, I kind of feel very similar when you'd ask me to babysit someone under the age of 12... (I've been told I have an unnatural fear of diapers... not true! it's completely natural!!!)

Back to last night: What you need to know is that I am part of a mega church and thus the Junior High Ministry might be slightly larger than your usual youth group. On the weekends we offer 3 services geared completely for Junior High. They have their own worship band (with JH kids in the band), their own speakers (so glad that they are often hardly more than 10 years older than the kids and we have our own games.... (yeah, that's right... There's games, why else do you think I'd be there... LOL)

And then during the week we meet in house for small groups. I'm a small group leader at the 8th grade house and we have I think 6 groups in one house and if every single kid shows up on a Wednesday I think the house might have up to 80 kids present! Scary!

So we usually hang out in the big group, eat, laugh, talk, do a game or two and then we split up into our individual groups. I co lead a group of about 10+ girls together with one of the best leaders ever! And, not to be bias or something, but we also have some of the best girls ever...

A couple of weeks ago the pastor had found out that there were kids of homeless families in one of the Junior High Schools in the valley... A school where some of our kids go to as well. And so he and the school counselor person came up with this plan: The counselor would find families in need and the Junior High Ministry would adopt those families (without ever knowing their names) and buy Christmas presents for them with their own money.

We encouraged the kids to EARN at least $10 for this and many of them gave above and beyond. As a house we raised around $700 and last night we all met at a walmart (50+ JH kids!!!) and went shopping for 3 different families.

Wishlists in hand my group of 8 girls had to buy presents for the Mum of the family and it was so much fun picking out things that this Mum really needed. A bed spreads, a couple scented candles, a sweater etc...

We had $110 to spend and wanted to splurge a little on the bedspread... buy one that's nice and feels soft and all. But with tax we were going to be over. As we were discussing this in the aisle one of the girls very quietly slipped 5 bucks into my hand and just smiled!

So the good thing is we were able to buy everything that we wanted to buy... And then in the end it turned out that one of the items was actually much cheaper and we didn't even need the extra $5. It was one of those really cool examples of being obedient to God and then God totally giving back to you. (I gave the money back to her!)

So these kids learned generousity is fun. Giving is fun and buying for others and doing it together is fun! Nobody knew how much each person had given and nobody ever cared to find out.

And in the process we might have disturbed a couple of walmart shoppers in a positive way... Who doesn't want to come across 10 girls and one shopping cart (that could be used as a weapon) and lots of laughing, some screaming and some definite yelling when the desired item was found!

Good times, good times. On Saturday, while I will be having fun at Disneyland, many of the JH kids from my house will wrap all presents and then some time later they will be delivered to the families!

All day yesterday I was excited and yet dreaded the logistical nightmare of having a bunch of JH kids at walmart! But it was so so good!

Thanks God!