Hey everyone! I know I’ve been MIA, so I wanted to cover a lot of the things I’ve missed all at once. The last quarter of 2021 was rough for me. and it made it hard to get motivated to write about myself and what was going on. I lost a family member to Covid around thanksgiving. And with us not having a building I really only got out of house on Sunday mornings and for meetings during the week. So I’ve just spent a lot of time cooped up by myself and trying to work in an environment that I struggle to be productive in. It’s fair to say I’ve really been learning just how much I need community and the importance or relationships. When I’m not doing well I tend to withdraw and think I’ll get better once I’ve taken some time to get back on my feet, but I only seem to get back on my feet when I’m pulled into community whether or not I feel like it.
And that’s what’s happening right now! Our building is basically finished and plans are being made for the near future! Having a building might not be super exciting for you to read about, but trust me it is making a big positive impact on my mental health already. It’s also nice because it lets me make plans for some of the ministries I’m working in without needing to worry about finding a place and time that works for us.
I’m still trying to figure out what people are most interested in reading in these updates, I know typically I just cover a lot of events and things I’ve done, but I’m just going to mention some of them here. If you want more details let me know, I want to write about what you want to read about.
- In October we had our neighborhood Trunk or Treat which had hundreds (maybe even above 1200) of people turn out for. I was stationed at a carnival game and was busy the entire time.
- In December we had our Christmas parade around the neighborhood. We had a lot of families show up in decorated golf carts, which was super fun! I raced around to get pictures and videos as the parade passed by.
- We also had a Christmas party with a Secret Santa gift exchange which is always a blast.
What I’m excited about for this coming year is working with the youth! I’ve been connecting well with them, but we’ve not been able to do much to date. But my co-lead and I have finally got a rhythm and renewed excitement as we have a new building with a teen room that we’re planning how we’re going to utilize. Using that room we will have the freedom to do midweek youth nights and other activities once we’re up and running. By the time I’m posting my February, as long as things go to plan, we will already have had our first activity with a lot more solid plans on what’s to come!
Also for this first quarter I’ll be working a lot in our Love avenue, which is the ministry pathway that focuses on outreach and loving our community. Right now I’m getting ready for our Ton of Love food drive that will be launching next month. I helped out with it last year, and will be leading it this year. I’m both excited and nervous, but I’ve already seen it done once before, so I don’t feel like I’ve been thrown in the deep end.
To close out I just really wanted to thank everyone who is supporting me, as I was able to exceed the yearly fundraising goal for 2021! That helps make this year’s goal easier to achieve and I am so thankful to everyone for making that possible! Your support is what makes it possible for me to make an impact in the lives of those I’m ministering to in my community. I literally couldn’t do it without you. Thank you so much, I love each and every one of you!
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