Overwhelmed by God's goodness!

I am moving to Michigan next week for summer camp! To help you feel the excitement I made a summer camp slide show!!!

So many things have happened over the past few weeks that I am officially behind in telling you about it. I will try to be concise .....

2 weekends ago we had Purity Retreat at camp. Campers must have an adult chaperone to come to the weekend. Kids between the ages of 10 and 19, parents, grandparents, uncles and mentors came - this year we hosted 90 participants and had 3 levels of curriculum.

The purpose of the weekend is to teach kids the biblical perspective on relationships and sex. We unashamedly teach abstinence as God's desire for the life of anyone unmarried.

The adults who come as mentors attend sessions with the kids. It is our prayer that the weekend extends in the lives of kids (and adults) as they make decisions - and that it gives parents a platform to speak with their child about sex.

One adult who attended said, "I wish someone had told me this years ago. I need to make changes. I plan to keep my purity ring on and return to my church to repent."

The weekend includes a couple of great activities .... but Glow-In-The-Dark-Volleyball was my favorite. All the kids got glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. And then we put glow bracelets on the nets and inside clear beach balls..... Mom - you could do this!

The weekend had 2 big events: a banquet and commitment ceremony. Everyone dressed up and we decorated the chapel formally. (I am using the word "we" very liberaly. I did what I was told, but don't actually have skill in this area! Wow.) We think purity is important enough to make a big deal about it!

This is me and Ms. Parker - a long time Beechpoint advocate and volunteer. The longer I work here the more every event becomes a chance to spend time with my friends!

"Because of Purity Retreat I feel more mature and will be able to make wise decisions." girl, age 11

"Purity Retreat helped me because people at my school treat girls wrong and if I tell them what I learned they might listen. This really helped me a lot." boy, age 12

"My eyes were opened and I realized how wonderful it is to save my virginity for my wife. A lot of people my age need to hear this. I thought this would be lame and awkward, but I really enjoyed it." boy, age 14

Last weekend we had Beechpoint's 5th Annual Steak Fry and Auction. About 300 people atteneded and $42,000 was raised! Praise God for his provision for the ministry! Because of matching grants we will receive another $30,000. The most poignant moment of the evening was when we "sold" camper scholarships. A few people sponsored an entire cabin - $3,000! In less than 10 minutes, $22,000 was given toward camper scholarships! To give you an idea of Beechpoint's financial needs .... each summer we give approximately $120,000 in camper scholarships, and need around $300,000 to finish our new dining hall. Many contributors invest in eternity through Beechpoint.

My Daddy Came To Chicago!

After a few weeks of uncertainty due to Idaho's spring weather, my Dad was able at the (very) last minute to fly out for 3 1/2 busy days with me in Chicago! He's going to need to come back because we weren't able to see it all - but we sure made the rounds.

I made him take about 30 pictures with me so we could be sure we got a good one, even though he thought the first one was just fine. But he did it any way ..... cuz he LOVES me!

Megan and Wayne, April 18 2009

This is an anti-climactic view from the top of the Sears Tower, it has 103 stories. It was a little overcast the day we went, but nice just the same. We walked through downtown - a new experience for both of us, really. My job doesn't have me downtown much .... and 3 blisters later I can't say that I am sad about that.

This is the entryway to the Sears Tower. Chicago is a bid-city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, along with Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro. I don't know when they decide, but this is a big topic here right now. It mostly comes down to an economic question (will this help Chicago or create a new/big debt for Chicago?), a social justice issue (the buildings that will be built have the potential to displace people, and it won't be weathly people moving), and a practicality issue (is Chicago safe enough to host an international event?).

We went to the Field Museum for a day. These are the man-eating lions from the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness". They would have been bigger in real life because the person who killed them made them into rugs. Then when they were sold to the Field Museum and stuffed the rugs wouldn't cover them at their original sizes.

You could go the this museum every day for a month and still not see/read everything. This was a display on the country of Benin, Africa. My friend Laura Ziulkowski is a missionary in Benin with Mercy Ships and she writes an incredible blog. We grew up together, did ministry together, went to camp together, and dreamed of being missionaries together. Well, we never really saw ourselves together in the same place, just together in ministry. I was commissioned by Paul Baptist Church on the same Sunday as Laura and for me, it was "picture perfect" to start full time ministry the same moment as my childhood friend!

p.s. Did you know that a thirsty camel can drink 30 gallons of water in 6 minutes?! Seems like he would have to hold his breath. Or that his tongue would get tired.

This was from a display showing various mammals. It is funny to me that they felt they needed to label this doll as "model: not life-size". In case what? A jelly fish reading the display assumes people are 4 inches tall?

Last night I was driving back to Chicago from camp in a torrential downpour. I have decided I don't love driving in rain because even with my wipers on high I can still only half see. There are these electronic signs on the expressway that typically tell you how many minutes to downtown, etc. But last night, through the blur of the water on my windshield, I read "Caution: Wet Pavement". Hmm.

Perhaps the guy who labels exhibits at the museum also works nights for the department of transportation?

While my Dad was here we walked around my neighborhood and drove around various neighborhoods that I do ministry in. My mom would have loved it because there are lots of old buildings, but she wasn't able to come because she's teaching classes at CSI. This picture is from Sunshine Gospel - we helped out with their after school program for part of an afternoon. I can send home all the pictures I want but it's still not the same as being here and getting to see places in the city. He didn't make me fly home with him (although I suspect part of him wanted to), so I guess that means it get to stay. ;-)

The highlight of the trip for me was that my Dad got to meet my Jabri and Jabari. These children are beautiful and sweet and I love them! God always gives me people, and living here is no exception!

We also went to a coin dealer - dad's new hobby is coin collecting. It was .... interesting. Some really little coins sure do cost a lot. The dealer had a penny for $4000. Imagine putting that in your pocket and then accidentally spending it to make tax for a hamburger. Probably not the hobby for me, eh?

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for coming to see me! Thank you for finding a way to make it work, even at the last minute! Thanks for being a good sport about taking so many pictures. Thank you for giving me a reason to have ice cream at the house. :-) And remember - St. Joseph, MI is right down the street and Money Magazine called it one of the 6 best places to retire.

Love you, Megan

My new church in Chicagoland!

A couple of weekends ago I attended a conference for urban ministry leaders called RELOAD. It was nice to be with people who love what I love - and to attend sessions specifically geared toward what I am doing and want to do. The conference also highlighted the violence in Chicago. Last school year, 26 Chicago Public School students died violently. A slide show commemorating the now 32 Chicago Public School students who have been killed this school year - with 3 months to go until summer break - was shown at the conference. This video cuts out part way through, but you can read the article as well. More than 500 students have been shot in the last 18 months, and this number does not include teens who have dropped out from school. This article is about a month old, but definitely makes you stop and think. It is jarring to see how extreme the violence in this city is. Please pray for the families, neighborhoods, and schools affected by violence.

This is my shirt from the conference. I love it! And I wore it to my new church home in Chicagoland! (Sidenote: Chicago and it's suburbs is referred to as 'Chicagoland'. Someone told me this is because people who live actually in the city scoff at people who live in the suburbs but try to say they are from Chicago. Funny to me, since there is no Boiseland. Or Rupertland.)

I have been praying, really even before I moved, that God would lead me to a church in Chicago. I've never really had the experience of looking for a church before. I grew up at Paul Baptist, and I think St. Paul Baptist was the second church I visited in Boise. So the past 7 months have been, well - long. I am both excited and overwhelmed to begin to develop relationships within my new church home.

I've been praying that God would make it clear where I am supposed to fellowship. Specifically, that I would walk in and feel like it was my church, like this was where I was supposed to be. On Sunday I went to Christian Life Center in Tinley Park, Illinois (this is a suburb of Chicago - hence my new church is in 'Chicagoland'). I've been there before and I have visited about 4 times.... because I like it! But it is 34 miles from my house! 34 miles in Chicago ain't no punk - especially in traffic. I can make it there in 45 minutes on a Sunday and in about 2 hours on a weekday evening. The distance had been my big concern - but last Sunday God was like "Really, you don't think you can drive to hear the Word? Really?" My preacher in Michigan taught me that when God talks to you like that He's not really looking for a reply. The good news: once I move in the fall I will be potentially 18 miles closer to church!

The moment that really confirmed it for me this past Sunday was the baptism service. The preacher preached on water baptism and then said (this is a definite paraphrase) 'If you heard the Word today and want to walk in obedience in response to God - then you can be baptized today! Some of you are thinking that you didn't come prepared. But we are prepared for you. We have dark colored shirts and dark colored shorts and flip flops and private changing rooms and make up remover and make up and blow driers and curling irons and boxers for the men and underwear and sports bras for the women and the children's ministry will keep your child after service. Maybe you are thinking that you want your family to see you be baptized. We are going to take a picture of everyone who is baptized today and next week we will give it to you and you can give it to your family. So, you could be baptized today!"

About 12 people left to be baptized. Now, presumably some of those were already planning to be baptized this Sunday. But as the baptism service continued more people decided to be baptized. One man didn't even change clothes - just got in the baptismal with his church clothes on. It was a beautiful half hour of praise and worship as people were baptized. Now, not everyone's hair gets wet easily. And to see people abandon appearance in favor of obedience made me want to be home at this church. I love that they thought ahead to create an atmosphere of instant response!

So, when YOU come to visit me in Chicago ...... you can come to my church!

Hawaii: Are you brave enough?!

I spent last week in Hawaii with my family. Thanks to the generosity of my parents we were all able to fly to Hawaii and spend the week together. Here are some pics from the trip!
This is the view from where we were staying - let's all move!

Okay. Um. Yeah. This is me snorkeling :-) If you smile you break the seal on the mask and water comes in, so no smiling! (p.s. the ocean tastes terrible)

One of the few things we all like to do: playing Settlers of Catan. Okay, Sarah doesn't like it - but I think she's coming around. This is the best game ever - you should play it!




This video is from snorkeling with manta rays. Mom, Sarah, and I went on a boat at night to somewhere in the ocean. I'm pretty sure we were fairly close to shore though, the water was only like 50 feet deep. They have put weighted lights on the ocean floor and everyone had a flashlight. Manta rays are just like sting rays - except without the stinger. They eat plankton, which were attracted to our flashlights. We had 11 manta rays, from size 6 feet to 15 feet! The biggest one was bigger than my living room! And weighed 1500 pounds!

Some people were screaming through their snorkels and one lady kept saying "I want to go back to the boat". It was hilarious, but remember- if you smile while snorkeling you get water in your mask and if you laugh then you choke. Miss LaVerna - I don't think this event would work out for you! :-) They were definitely close enough to touch, but we weren't allowed to touch them. So.... what do you think? Are you brave enough?

Jabri said "You would take a picture of that" - Hawaii is flip flop heaven! Mr. Rick - let's make Beechpoint a franchise and work the Hawaii branch.

We brought our own pack mule.

Family picture. Matt (22), Wayne, Alice, Me (26), Sarah (20)

You can mail a coconut as a postcard! It comes in the mail just like that - no box necessary. Ever since Daniel got a boxless beach ball in the mail at camp I've been mailing odd items. So far I've mailed beach balls, a cookie sheet, a bedpan, a rubber duck, a coconut, and a plunger. It would take too long to tell why for each of those, but if it won't come apart then you can just write on it and the post office will stick the stamp to it. Try it!

I got a sno-cone bigger than my head! The pink side tasted like perfume, but otherwise it was great. At least the 1/5 of it I ate.

These are the golf carts we need at Camp Beechpoint!!! If anyone has one of these in their backyard just looking for a home we would be willing to utilize it at camp! ;-)

You know you're from the city when .....

Welcome to February Winter Blast! I'll try to do short captions so that I can include more PICTURES! Ah, this reminds me - I'm mailing out a newsletter to all (maybe the endish of this month?). For those of you who read my blog there are some repeat pictures in the newsletter. Like this first picture - definitely deserves to be seen by all.

You know you're from the city when you would rather take your purse sledding in the blowing snow than set it down somewhere! This is 13-year-old Shawneesha and she's crackin me up with this picture!!!

Okay, turns out this picture is in the newsletter too. But I love it because I diddn't tell these boys to snuggle. But look at the 2 sweet boys in the back! I again spent most of the winter blast weekend with boy campers, and LOVED it!

This is the funniest winter blast dessert ever! My friend Jess took this picture and takes a lot of great pictures for Beechpoint. You can check out her pictures at her website.

I know 5 of the girls in this picture from years past. It's great to continue relationships with kids - pray for creative opportunities to get together with kids in the city.

This is my friend LeTaraJoy. She goes by Tara but I love her name, so I saved it in my cell phone as the whole thing and then I can never find it to call her cuz I'm always looking for Tara. She goes to my Michigan church and volunteers at camp, so I get to see her often. I love her heart, her son Micah, her amazing ability to braid her own hair!, and her friendship. I always look forward to seeing her... and I got to spend a whole winter blast near her!

Sometimes kids at camp come across as hard. But there's a sweetness inside of them just waiting for an excuse to come through. When I saw these 2 pictures it was like seeing a visual of that experience - that you can't react to a kid based on the facade they put up. 8 children made spiritual decisions between the 2 winter blast weekends. Praise God with us! You can read quotes from campers thank you letters at www.beechpoint.com

More sledding pictures! One perk of my new job is that I have access to more Beechpoint photos to use to communicate the ministry of camp. I didn't get to go sledding at all, so this is not my photo, but look how much fun it is! This picture was taken my friend Jess (a different Jess, it gets confusing here too :-) who is an amazing photographer, check out her pictures!

This camper needs your prayers. His name is JayShawn. Pray for a soft heart and that he will realize his potential.

The oldest boys doing a team building task during the Great Klondike Derby. They have to get the tire off the pole (it stops pretty much where the picture cuts it off at the top) without the tire touching the pole. Then they have to get it back on without touching the pole. It teaches communication, patience, and team work. And it's tricky.

Going home.

Going home.

Heat Wave

It was 58 degrees here today! We are having a heat wave! In celebration I found this flip flop background for my blog, put on a pair of flip flops, and walked (strolled) myself to the library. Fall is my favorite, but I could agree to some spring right now. :-) Some of these pictures are old, but I was busy at Christmas so I didn't get to post them.

These are "my" babies. We had a whole photo shoot as our Christmas gift to their mother. They are SO beautiful - and sweet, affectionate, secure, confident. . . I love this family (and I'm so thankful they love me!) We're a good fit too, because the kids are almost as excited to have their pictures taken as I am to take their picture. The other day when I was leaving after Bible study Jabri stopped me at the door and was like, "wait, we didn't take any pictures tonight!"

This is how grandpa came to the house on Christmas morning! The roads were bad so he didn't want to get stuck, and he helped pull some people out off the ditch on the way down. People read my blog from my home in Idaho and from my new home in Chicago (and other places) - so some things that would be common in one place are odd in another, and vice versa.

Like this picture. In my neighborhood many people park on the street. In the winter that can be tricky, because the snowplow doesn't do side streets. Not that I really know how he would, since people are always parked there. So, when there's snow it helps to shovel out a parking spot so you won't get stuck. Not everyone has a caring landlord like me who will help you get unstuck - thanks Nathan! You can mark your spot by putting chairs (or a couch, or pieces of wood, or trash cans, or whatever) in the street. Then when you get back you put them on the side of the road and park in the spot. So if you live here and this is old hat to you, just keep in mind it's new to me - and that tractor is old hat. :-)

This is my family at Christmas. My dad and mom - Wayne and Alice, and brother and sister - Matt and Sarah. Matt just graduated from college with a degree in film/ graphic arts/photography/communications/ish. He drives a gondola in L.A. right now. Sarah is working on a horse ranch in northern California training horses. Which sounds terrible to me because I feel like you'd have to touch a horse and they are, well, dirty. But to each his own, none of them are tryin to move to the city!

This is my attempt at making Jireh tall enough for me to braid her hair without hurting my back. A little ghetto to be sure, but as long as she sits still it's fine. So far, so good. I won't be posting any picture if she tips over, though. . .

These are my friend's girls - Analise and Aniyah. Their parents come out to camp in the summer for a week to volunteer and their mom disciple's children in camp's follow-up program. Their family has really made me feel welcome in the city and in their home. God's provided a lot of people who love and support me. Their dad wants to come check out where I'm trying to live when I move in the fall - his protectiveness probably encourages more people reading this than just my dad! :-) It's nice to have people here that I feel connected to and who love and accept me! God is good!

This is my new car seat! I got it on sale and it even half matches my car. This will be a great tool for ministry because I can take small children with me. The focus of my ministry is on campers (ages 8-14) but I am priveleged to get to know their families as well. I'm sure I will have abundant opportunity to use my new car seat.

By the way - note my clean car! Those of you who have been talking about me and the disaster I call a car can stop now. I have been cured! Mostly cuz I'm not tryin to have 5000 things sitting in the car so that my car is the obvious target when Ms. I'ma-Steal-A-Car-Today is walking down the street trying to choose one. There's a car was in my neighborhood that will hand wash and vacuum and dust and clean the inside of my windows. All this for only 8 dollars if I make it in time for the early bird special - before 11 am. Since I grew up with the "Idaho farmer early bird" job of moving wheel lines at 5:30 (shudder), I can most definitely make it in before 11. Last time I was there they dried my car with 2 leaf blowers, but that's hardly the point.

To Multi-task or Not To Multi-task?

It's been a minute since I've last updated my blog . . . Christmas was great! I was able to spend 3 weeks in Idaho seeing family, friends, and connecting with supporters. It was encouraging to see everyone and talk with people about the ministry of Beechpoint. I cried leaving, but after one day of being back in Chicago I remembered that I like it here! We had our first Winter Blast for this season last weekend and are preparing for our second winter camp in Feb. Pray for the kids who will attend - that their hearts will be open. Kids come Friday night - Sunday lunch and participate in outdoor and team building activities and attend 4 Bible lessons.

These girls are MaKaylah and MaKylah. They are super cute, affectionate, and competative!!!
These twins are Devin and Damien. (Okay, to tell the truth I am still not sure which is which.) They attend my church in Michigan - Christian Life Center - and so I get to see them once a month during the year and also throughout the summer. These boys are so affectionate to me and always innitiate hugging me and saying hi when they see me. They are great! They are 14 and are transitioning into the camp's teen leadership program. Hopefully they'll be a part of camp forever!

We do a big race through the woods called the Klondike Derby where kids pull a dog sled through a trail and do team building activities along the way. Apparently the kids aren't real familiar with dog sleds - cuz they'd having something to say about being used as dogs for the sled if they knew! Anyway... we give them hot chocolate after to try to pacify them about being so cold. I told these boys to "look over there and pose like you are in a magazine". Hahahahahaha!

Me and my friend Javier. And yes, that is me in the purple/pink/black get up. It was too cold to be worried about lookin' cute! I spent most of the weekend loving the littlest boys. The theme for the weekend was "Marks of a Hero" with lessons from the lives of Ruth, Caleb and Joshua, Daniel, and Esther. I love love love teaching Bible lessons! This weekend 3 campers accepted Christ and their Savior! 3 more campers made decisions to follow Christ more closely. Praise God with us for these young lives!

Late night sledding! If you live in the city there aren't really places to do this. The hill is a beast to climb up - but the kids LOVE sledding! Okay, maybe not the girl in the middle! :-)

Alejandra and me. Jala is in camp's Partners in Discipleship program. She completes a Bible study and memorizes a couple verses during the week and then meets weekly with a mentor to discuss what she is learning. Jala is EAGER to learn and loves Jesus and others. She receives opposition from her older sister for being nice to people and talking about God. Praise God for her faith and sweet spirit!

To multi-task or not to multi-task? Apparently that IS the question! This picture is HILARIOUS to me! I'm sure the first problem is that our friend here was tryin to wear his snow pants half way down in the first place. But really, this is a little much in the name of "style". I kept my camera ready in case he tried to walk and fell over. No such luck.

My new friend Thaddeus.

Tatyanna - Jala - JaKaila

* I've also updated my playlist with a couple of new songs like I am loving.

"Be Blessed" - my favorite line is "I see you in the future....and you look better!" and another praise and worship song called "Rescue". You can click on the playlist at the bottom of the page to pick songs...