Okay I officially have the video tour of the Sonseed Estate on Wildemere!
Update:Actually, some people apparently didn't want the video online. I apologize if I offended anyone. I should have asked before I posted it, and wish that you would only give me grace because I am a human being.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Photo and brief job bios
So it just occurred to me that this is two months into the program, and you still have no idea who each of us are. So here is a picture of us....
From left to right, your interns are: Cari, Jessy (me!), Erin, Josh, Dan, and finally Jeremy in front.
Cari is a sophomore at Albion college from Clarkston, MI. She is working at St. Timothy's UMC with the Outpost teaching Spanish. She also works with the Brightmoor Community Center doing a sidewalk Sunday school program for kids.
Jessy (yours truly) is a nearly graduated super senior at Central Michigan University, originally from Brighton, MI. I'm doing my student teaching in the fall, and graduate in December. I am also working at the Outpost at St. Tim's along with Cari.
Erin is a junior at Eastern Michigan University from Canton, MI. She currently works for the Mercy Education project through University of Detroit Mercy.
Josh is a senior at Wayne State University, also from Canton, MI. He is working at the Joy-Southfield clinic this summer, as well as helping out with the Motown Mission Experience.
Dan, a Washtenaw Community College student from Brighton, MI also has two placements this summer. He works with the NOAH project out of Central United Methodist Church, which gives lunches out to homeless people, and also works with Josh and the Motown Mission.
Lastly, Jeremy is a junior at Western Illinois University. He currently lives in Macomb, IL, and works at the Outpost with Cari and myself.
So there you have it....these are your 2009 Transforming Leaders interns. We really cannot thank you enough how much you constantly send prayers our way. We love you all and cannot wait to meet up with you again once our summer comes to a close!
From left to right, your interns are: Cari, Jessy (me!), Erin, Josh, Dan, and finally Jeremy in front.
Cari is a sophomore at Albion college from Clarkston, MI. She is working at St. Timothy's UMC with the Outpost teaching Spanish. She also works with the Brightmoor Community Center doing a sidewalk Sunday school program for kids.
Jessy (yours truly) is a nearly graduated super senior at Central Michigan University, originally from Brighton, MI. I'm doing my student teaching in the fall, and graduate in December. I am also working at the Outpost at St. Tim's along with Cari.
Erin is a junior at Eastern Michigan University from Canton, MI. She currently works for the Mercy Education project through University of Detroit Mercy.
Josh is a senior at Wayne State University, also from Canton, MI. He is working at the Joy-Southfield clinic this summer, as well as helping out with the Motown Mission Experience.
Dan, a Washtenaw Community College student from Brighton, MI also has two placements this summer. He works with the NOAH project out of Central United Methodist Church, which gives lunches out to homeless people, and also works with Josh and the Motown Mission.
Lastly, Jeremy is a junior at Western Illinois University. He currently lives in Macomb, IL, and works at the Outpost with Cari and myself.
So there you have it....these are your 2009 Transforming Leaders interns. We really cannot thank you enough how much you constantly send prayers our way. We love you all and cannot wait to meet up with you again once our summer comes to a close!
Art and cleaning!
The house is clean and the world is at peace. Hahaha!
But really, we had our Kingdom Assignment party this weekend, where we invited all Mission Interns and Young Leaders Initiative interns to our house to share stories of what we have done this summer and how we saw God move. The first thing that happened when I found out up to 25 people could show up, was a minor panic attack in my head. I immediately thought of all the dishes we had to do, the laundry that was neglected for far too long, and the rooms that needed to be taken care of. So on Friday and Saturday afternoon, all of the Transforming Leaders interns cleaned out our summer abode and prepared for everyone to come. It was definitely a bit hectic in the mere minutes before people arrived, but we pulled it together and the house looked quite presentable.
If anyone has ever told you that a clean home is a happy home, they weren't lying. Now that everything is picked up around the house, I have so much less stress in my life!
Overall, the party went rather well. We were able to see some great friends that we met back in May, and catch up on how things were going in our life.
Before the party, erin and Josh and I went down to Redford to their iArt, and interactive art festival they were having. I grew up in Redford when I was younger, so one of my neighborhood friends was actually in charge of it and invited me to com. They had tents with different vendors, performing groups, and different workshops for everyone. It was really a great time. One thing that we participated in was a didgeridoo workshop. For those of you that don't know what that is, its an instrument made by the ancient Aboriginees. You hear it played a lot in the Survivor theme song, Crocodile Dundee, etc. In the workshop, we learned to make one, and then received free lessons. It was great, and I think I got a really great start on the playing technique. Josh and I have been practicing a lot, so I think some of the roommates are getting a bit annoyed. I'm working on how to circular breathe, which is a bit of an advanced technique, but its coming along rather well. I'll make sure to keep you updated on all my didgeridoo adventures.
Thats all for now. Tomorrow two of my classes are starting to learn about symmetrical shapes, and then eventually making tessellations. Should be a fun week at the Outpost!
But really, we had our Kingdom Assignment party this weekend, where we invited all Mission Interns and Young Leaders Initiative interns to our house to share stories of what we have done this summer and how we saw God move. The first thing that happened when I found out up to 25 people could show up, was a minor panic attack in my head. I immediately thought of all the dishes we had to do, the laundry that was neglected for far too long, and the rooms that needed to be taken care of. So on Friday and Saturday afternoon, all of the Transforming Leaders interns cleaned out our summer abode and prepared for everyone to come. It was definitely a bit hectic in the mere minutes before people arrived, but we pulled it together and the house looked quite presentable.
If anyone has ever told you that a clean home is a happy home, they weren't lying. Now that everything is picked up around the house, I have so much less stress in my life!
Overall, the party went rather well. We were able to see some great friends that we met back in May, and catch up on how things were going in our life.
Before the party, erin and Josh and I went down to Redford to their iArt, and interactive art festival they were having. I grew up in Redford when I was younger, so one of my neighborhood friends was actually in charge of it and invited me to com. They had tents with different vendors, performing groups, and different workshops for everyone. It was really a great time. One thing that we participated in was a didgeridoo workshop. For those of you that don't know what that is, its an instrument made by the ancient Aboriginees. You hear it played a lot in the Survivor theme song, Crocodile Dundee, etc. In the workshop, we learned to make one, and then received free lessons. It was great, and I think I got a really great start on the playing technique. Josh and I have been practicing a lot, so I think some of the roommates are getting a bit annoyed. I'm working on how to circular breathe, which is a bit of an advanced technique, but its coming along rather well. I'll make sure to keep you updated on all my didgeridoo adventures.
Thats all for now. Tomorrow two of my classes are starting to learn about symmetrical shapes, and then eventually making tessellations. Should be a fun week at the Outpost!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Good friends and fellowship!
Hello all! Hope your late Thursday or early Friday is treating you well. I just got back from an amazing night and new friends all around. I went with Erin to her school, Eastern Michigan University. While we were there, we had many adventures: we went to a Bible study, visited a yummy bakery, and finished the night with her roommates.
We started the evening by attending a Bible study at His House Christian Fellowship. I'm lucky enough to call this fellowship my church home, but only at Central Michigan University, and not EMU. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by some familiar faces and welcoming smiles. Last week, Erin brought a few of her friends over to the house, and so I had met some of them before which was nice. One of them is Marc. He is about to go to the Dominican Republic to serve God's people over there for 4 weeks, so be praying for him! I've had the pleasure of meeting him 2 or 3 times prior. I'm really encouraged by him. Through conversations I've had with him, I can tell he is really trusting in the Lord to lead him where he needs to be. Scott was there too. I like Scott. When I first met him a few weeks ago, I learned he writes his prayers down as a form of poetry. It's really cool. And really deep. I've spent the most amount of time with Scott and Marc, and I am really encouraged by them both. I forget to tell people how much they mean to me, so I did that tonight.I think I caught them off guard, but I'm glad I did it nonetheless.
Tonight we talked about the story in Genesis, where Joseph is to take after Portiphat's property while he is away. Portiphat's wife tries really hard to sleep with Joseph, but still he resists. Once her husband (and Joseph's slave master, by the way) return's, his wife blames Joseph for sleeping with her, when they really did nothing at all. Portiphat outs Joseph in jail, and the Lord found favor in Joseph and all was well. It was really good to see that the Lord will remain faithful when you do. Not that I ever had any doubt that He wouldn't, but it is definitely reassuring! But it also opened my eyes as to how we may be Portiphat's wife in some situations. I was really challenged with how in my past or even now, I may try to get away with something just because of who I am associated with or because I have any sense of entitlement. Think of any time someone is trying to get out of a ticket by playing the pastor card, for instance. Or even taking advantage of our family and friends (whether it be borrowing money for lunch, asking them to help when you know it just adds stress in their life, etc) I'm realizing it is really not in accordance with the Spirit BY ANY MEANS, and has challenged me to find specific areas in my life that need revamping.
Today has just been a great day of cleaning. Not only have I cleaned out things in my spiritual life, but we scrubbed the house from top to bottom today. It smells so good, and looks as though we just moved in, too!
Continue to pray for us as we end out our internships. The last few weeks can tend to be a bit crazy, and the unity in our house definitely needs strengthening. Your prayers and support truly mean the world to me, and I'm glad that you are able to join us for our summer journey! This is by no means the end of this blog, but it felt appropriate to add it. So thank you!
We started the evening by attending a Bible study at His House Christian Fellowship. I'm lucky enough to call this fellowship my church home, but only at Central Michigan University, and not EMU. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by some familiar faces and welcoming smiles. Last week, Erin brought a few of her friends over to the house, and so I had met some of them before which was nice. One of them is Marc. He is about to go to the Dominican Republic to serve God's people over there for 4 weeks, so be praying for him! I've had the pleasure of meeting him 2 or 3 times prior. I'm really encouraged by him. Through conversations I've had with him, I can tell he is really trusting in the Lord to lead him where he needs to be. Scott was there too. I like Scott. When I first met him a few weeks ago, I learned he writes his prayers down as a form of poetry. It's really cool. And really deep. I've spent the most amount of time with Scott and Marc, and I am really encouraged by them both. I forget to tell people how much they mean to me, so I did that tonight.I think I caught them off guard, but I'm glad I did it nonetheless.
Tonight we talked about the story in Genesis, where Joseph is to take after Portiphat's property while he is away. Portiphat's wife tries really hard to sleep with Joseph, but still he resists. Once her husband (and Joseph's slave master, by the way) return's, his wife blames Joseph for sleeping with her, when they really did nothing at all. Portiphat outs Joseph in jail, and the Lord found favor in Joseph and all was well. It was really good to see that the Lord will remain faithful when you do. Not that I ever had any doubt that He wouldn't, but it is definitely reassuring! But it also opened my eyes as to how we may be Portiphat's wife in some situations. I was really challenged with how in my past or even now, I may try to get away with something just because of who I am associated with or because I have any sense of entitlement. Think of any time someone is trying to get out of a ticket by playing the pastor card, for instance. Or even taking advantage of our family and friends (whether it be borrowing money for lunch, asking them to help when you know it just adds stress in their life, etc) I'm realizing it is really not in accordance with the Spirit BY ANY MEANS, and has challenged me to find specific areas in my life that need revamping.
Today has just been a great day of cleaning. Not only have I cleaned out things in my spiritual life, but we scrubbed the house from top to bottom today. It smells so good, and looks as though we just moved in, too!
Continue to pray for us as we end out our internships. The last few weeks can tend to be a bit crazy, and the unity in our house definitely needs strengthening. Your prayers and support truly mean the world to me, and I'm glad that you are able to join us for our summer journey! This is by no means the end of this blog, but it felt appropriate to add it. So thank you!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Jessy here. I have a real quick post before I go off to the Outpost today.
One of our roommates, Erin, is really sick today and is staying home to get some rest. Please pray for her as she continues to get healthy. Pray that God's healing hand will come down upon her and rejuvenate her.
And lastly, whatever she has, it is going around the house. I gave it to her, and she is giving it to Cari as we speak, so please pray for health in this house!
Thanks, much love!
One of our roommates, Erin, is really sick today and is staying home to get some rest. Please pray for her as she continues to get healthy. Pray that God's healing hand will come down upon her and rejuvenate her.
And lastly, whatever she has, it is going around the house. I gave it to her, and she is giving it to Cari as we speak, so please pray for health in this house!
Thanks, much love!
Monday, July 20, 2009
A good sermon from the other week...
Greetings again and Happy Monday!
I've been meaning to blog about this sermon for a while now, but I've never really gotten around to it. It was from West Outer Drive United Methodist Church. Pastor Albert Rush really seemed to get me fired up at service. Well, really it was the Holy Spirit (sorry pastor!), but it was THROUGH Pastor Rush....
Sermon Title: Where Are You?
Scripture: Psalm 48
"1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 It is beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon [a] is Mount Zion,
the [b] city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.
8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure forever.
Selah
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end."
So the main idea that I cought was that the Lord is always with you. You will always be in Zion, one of the Lord's holiest places, but we just need to remember that. We shouldn't change from that particular perspective!
For instance: when we are in the church, its the House of God. Would you agree? Amen! But when you leave the church and you go out to your car in the parking lot, you are no longer in the House of God. Amen? NO!!!! Even when you go out to your car, you are STILL in the House of God. He still created the outside. The trees, the people who built the roads, the sky, the sun, everything! It's just all about the perspective you have.
Pastor Rush also talked about how no matter what, God will see us through our hard times and good times. Emmanuel! (Emmanuel means God with us, if you weren't aware) Like when the devil comes creeping into our lives, he just wants to take control. And sometimes we let him! Many of you might be able to attest that when we sink into temptation, whether it be drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, pornography, etc., we may not be ourselves. I know I'm not! I feel like I am a separate person who isn't in control. You know why? It's because we AREN'T in control!!!!! We let Satan get in control of our lives, and that is part, not all, of the reason why we sin. I know we have free will as well, but part of it is because the devil is in control of us at that moment. So what owns your should right now? God? Or is it food? Music? Nintendo DSi? Weight loss programs? Work? A significant other? Really take the time right now and think about it.
The pastor made a great analogy at church the other week. He said that if we are a porsche, then sin is a lamborghini. If we race sin, its eventually going to catch up with us and knock us on our face. But here is the cool part: If sin is a lamborghini, then God is a space shuttle! He wins! Hands down, no competition. So the next thing to think about when you are in a race, rather than saying "I" in that race, say "Lord" or "We". I promise the answer to the request will be very rewarding!
Okay, here's my last thought that has really challenged me EVERYDAY since I have heard this sermon: Is your city of Detroit a poor, desolated place, or do you see beauty? Do you see your struggles as failures, or as opportunities? It's all about perspective!
I would really love to hear what you think about the sermon. Feel free to post your comment here for others to read, or if you have some private thoughts to share, please e-mail at jessy.stark@gmail.com I would love to hear what the Lord is putting on your heart.
In other sermon news.....
I feel very blessed that everytime I hear a new sermon, I feel so filled up by the Spirit afterwards. I am very grateful for that, because I can remember a time last year when I just felt empty. Thank you Jesus!
I've been meaning to blog about this sermon for a while now, but I've never really gotten around to it. It was from West Outer Drive United Methodist Church. Pastor Albert Rush really seemed to get me fired up at service. Well, really it was the Holy Spirit (sorry pastor!), but it was THROUGH Pastor Rush....
Sermon Title: Where Are You?
Scripture: Psalm 48
"1 Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
2 It is beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon [a] is Mount Zion,
the [b] city of the Great King.
3 God is in her citadels;
he has shown himself to be her fortress.
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.
6 Trembling seized them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish
shattered by an east wind.
8 As we have heard,
so have we seen
in the city of the LORD Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure forever.
Selah
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate on your unfailing love.
10 Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
view her citadels,
that you may tell of them to the next generation.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end."
So the main idea that I cought was that the Lord is always with you. You will always be in Zion, one of the Lord's holiest places, but we just need to remember that. We shouldn't change from that particular perspective!
For instance: when we are in the church, its the House of God. Would you agree? Amen! But when you leave the church and you go out to your car in the parking lot, you are no longer in the House of God. Amen? NO!!!! Even when you go out to your car, you are STILL in the House of God. He still created the outside. The trees, the people who built the roads, the sky, the sun, everything! It's just all about the perspective you have.
Pastor Rush also talked about how no matter what, God will see us through our hard times and good times. Emmanuel! (Emmanuel means God with us, if you weren't aware) Like when the devil comes creeping into our lives, he just wants to take control. And sometimes we let him! Many of you might be able to attest that when we sink into temptation, whether it be drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, pornography, etc., we may not be ourselves. I know I'm not! I feel like I am a separate person who isn't in control. You know why? It's because we AREN'T in control!!!!! We let Satan get in control of our lives, and that is part, not all, of the reason why we sin. I know we have free will as well, but part of it is because the devil is in control of us at that moment. So what owns your should right now? God? Or is it food? Music? Nintendo DSi? Weight loss programs? Work? A significant other? Really take the time right now and think about it.
The pastor made a great analogy at church the other week. He said that if we are a porsche, then sin is a lamborghini. If we race sin, its eventually going to catch up with us and knock us on our face. But here is the cool part: If sin is a lamborghini, then God is a space shuttle! He wins! Hands down, no competition. So the next thing to think about when you are in a race, rather than saying "I" in that race, say "Lord" or "We". I promise the answer to the request will be very rewarding!
Okay, here's my last thought that has really challenged me EVERYDAY since I have heard this sermon: Is your city of Detroit a poor, desolated place, or do you see beauty? Do you see your struggles as failures, or as opportunities? It's all about perspective!
I would really love to hear what you think about the sermon. Feel free to post your comment here for others to read, or if you have some private thoughts to share, please e-mail at jessy.stark@gmail.com I would love to hear what the Lord is putting on your heart.
In other sermon news.....
I feel very blessed that everytime I hear a new sermon, I feel so filled up by the Spirit afterwards. I am very grateful for that, because I can remember a time last year when I just felt empty. Thank you Jesus!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Rough Day... In need of prayers
Hello everybody!
Let me start off by apologizing for not updating until just now. Things at the Outpost have been really crazy lately, and I come home just about ready for bed!
Speaking of the Outpost, I definitely need a lot of prayers of patience sent my way. Today was definitely one of the toughest days that I have had…and it’s only 11:35am as I am writing this! But this all didn’t go down only today. It probably started at the beginning of the week.
Here’s what happened:
So starting either last week or the week before, the Outpost had a new boy come. His name was Caleb, is 9 years old and is a very sweet boy. He also has Downs Syndrome. Before I go any further, let me take this time to recognize all people who work with Special Needs children (or adults) Thank you for your love, patience, kind-heartedness, and straight up awesomeness. I cannot thank you enough. On the days that Caleb acts out, he is very difficult to deal with, and Tuesday was one of those days. He wanted to go outside and play, but he was not allowed to at that time, so he was kicking and scratching, screaming and spitting! Boy, did he give me a work out! He also tends to take off, so I got him to settle down, but not after a few battle wounds. I ended up drawing blood in a few different places, had a fat lip for a day, and a few bruises here and there. Needless to say, Caleb is strong willed! So since Tuesday I became very tired...
Every Thursday is game day because I like for the kids to have fun. (I mean, it is summer afterall!) Today my 9-11 yr old class was playing Fraction Hangman. This game is played just like any other game of hangman, except they have to guess the numbers instead of the letters. To spice things up, I added a bonus round where they actually solved the problem afterwards. Kids soon started complaining that this wasn’t fun, and they wanted to play regular hangman instead. Naturally, I became frustrated. I told them that fraction hangman was the only option, and if there was enough time at the end, we could play hangman. That didn't quite fly with the kids, so they boycotted the game by drawing on paper, talking to their friends, etc. The frustration kept building, and my tiredness from the week all collapsed into one giant ball. I was quickly becoming upset, so I needed someone to take over for a minute while I composed myself. I called in a fellow intern to watch the class. The kids knew I was upset from that moment.
If you could send prayers of patience my way, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you for your constant prayers and thoughts. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
Let me start off by apologizing for not updating until just now. Things at the Outpost have been really crazy lately, and I come home just about ready for bed!
Speaking of the Outpost, I definitely need a lot of prayers of patience sent my way. Today was definitely one of the toughest days that I have had…and it’s only 11:35am as I am writing this! But this all didn’t go down only today. It probably started at the beginning of the week.
Here’s what happened:
So starting either last week or the week before, the Outpost had a new boy come. His name was Caleb, is 9 years old and is a very sweet boy. He also has Downs Syndrome. Before I go any further, let me take this time to recognize all people who work with Special Needs children (or adults) Thank you for your love, patience, kind-heartedness, and straight up awesomeness. I cannot thank you enough. On the days that Caleb acts out, he is very difficult to deal with, and Tuesday was one of those days. He wanted to go outside and play, but he was not allowed to at that time, so he was kicking and scratching, screaming and spitting! Boy, did he give me a work out! He also tends to take off, so I got him to settle down, but not after a few battle wounds. I ended up drawing blood in a few different places, had a fat lip for a day, and a few bruises here and there. Needless to say, Caleb is strong willed! So since Tuesday I became very tired...
Every Thursday is game day because I like for the kids to have fun. (I mean, it is summer afterall!) Today my 9-11 yr old class was playing Fraction Hangman. This game is played just like any other game of hangman, except they have to guess the numbers instead of the letters. To spice things up, I added a bonus round where they actually solved the problem afterwards. Kids soon started complaining that this wasn’t fun, and they wanted to play regular hangman instead. Naturally, I became frustrated. I told them that fraction hangman was the only option, and if there was enough time at the end, we could play hangman. That didn't quite fly with the kids, so they boycotted the game by drawing on paper, talking to their friends, etc. The frustration kept building, and my tiredness from the week all collapsed into one giant ball. I was quickly becoming upset, so I needed someone to take over for a minute while I composed myself. I called in a fellow intern to watch the class. The kids knew I was upset from that moment.
If you could send prayers of patience my way, I would really appreciate it!
Thank you for your constant prayers and thoughts. I love you all from the bottom of my heart.
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