I’m trying out video blogging for the first time. With going to Ohio for the National Youth Ministry Conference I’m planning on blogging each night and figured making videos might be easier and quicker than typing everything out. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not so sure I like putting myself on video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsyHHc2-btA

This has been a full and wonderful week. Sunday started off with a great time with my 4th grade girl’s Sunday school class, then a nice lunch with our Sr. Pastor and wife along with our new conference camp director and family. And we have started Gospel Journey Maui by Dare2Share, and it’s awesome! We had our biggest turn out last year when doing the Gospel Journey, and again it has happened this year. Last night for Jr. High Journey I had a fabulous time with my 9th grade girl’s small group. It really is the highlight of my week when I get to spend time with these girls and learn about God together. This year we’ve been studying the Old Testament, we did the New last year.

Substitute teaching has kept me busy today also. God totally has blessed me with the opportunity to sub as much as possible. I was worried about getting as many jobs this week as possible with not being able to work tomorrow because we are flying to Ohio for the National Youth Ministry Conference and next week is Spring Break, so I figured not too many jobs would be there. But God totally came through for me and I subbed Monday-Wednesday at an elementary school teaching a Kingergarten/1st grade combined class which was just so much fun, and then today I taught in a special ed class at the highschool for the morning.

I was already planning on having the afternoon off today, but am extra happy I planned on it because we are in the middle of a big snow storm that started while getting ready for work and will stop around when I go to sleep. School should’ve been canceled, but we’ve already had to extend the school year ’cause we’ve had too many snow days already. They did decide to close early, but after lunch so the district doesn’t have to make up the day. Now I will spend the afternoon cleaning up the house, doing laundry and packing for tomorrow. Tim and I are leaving our church tomorrow morning with 6 of our youth leaders to go to National Youth Ministry Conference. I am really excited to go to a different youth training and see how it goes and get to connect with hundreds of others that have a passion for Christ and teens. I will be trying to blog each night we are there, tomorrow-Monday. And having my own macbook this time should make that a lot easier because I wont have to wait for Tim to be finished with his blog before I can get online.

Tim and I leave in 9 days along with a handful of youth workers in our church to go to Columbus, OH for the National Youth Ministry Conference. This is the first time for us to attend NYMC, Tim and I up until this point had been attending the National Youth Workers Convention, but felt like we needed more experienced training since NYWC stopped being as challenging, and figured we’d see what kind of challenges we can learn from by going to NYMC.

For the last 2 days I have been going through the conference handbook trying to figure out which ministry learning track/s I want to sit in on. There are quite a few and I can’t make up my mind. This is what sounds interesting to me…

Deeper Learning Tracks: Thinking Theologically in Youth Ministry by Chap Clark or Partnering with Parents by Jim Burns & Barry St. Clair –  I would love to go and listen to Greg Stier speak, but I think I’ve already learned quite a bit from Tim with D2S’s Deep and Wide Youth Ministry and being in a youth ministry that implements this. I was also considering the Married to a Youth Pastor track with Cathy Fields and Amanda Maguire, but I went to one of these at NYWC and it seemed more like a support system of women venting about experiences they have had in their churches, and what I would really want to learn is how my transition is going to go this next Fall when Baby Schmoyer is around, and wanting to know how my role in ministry will change with a little one around. I already have faith that it will be a smooth transition because Tim and I are so blessed to be in the church we are in, so healthy and supportive. There will be change, but I don’t think it’ll be a pain.

Workshops: Bridging the Gap: Transitioning Kids from Children’s Ministry into Youth Ministry by Ricky Chromey; Helping Kids Experience God, Not Just Talk About Him by Jeff Berger or Using Service to Create a Servant’s Heart by Toby Rowe & Jeff Thompson

Brown Bags: Bridging the Gap: Transitioning Kids from Children’s Ministry Into Youth Ministry; Marriage Matters: Thriving as a Couple in Youth Ministry or Make the Most of Your Short-Term Mission Trip

Affinity Group: Married to a Youth Pastor

Here’s the deal though, Deeper Learning Tracks are made to go to just that track the whole time (you can come and go to which ones you want, but they’re designed to build upon each other) and the workshops are at the same time as the Deeper Learning Tracks. I’m kind of leaning towards the DLT of Partnering with Parents, but I would also like to attend the workshops I listed. The Brown Bag options I like are all during the same time, so if I had to choose I’d probably pick Make the Most of Your Short-Term Mission Trip. It’s also a bummer that these Brown Bags I like are at the same time as Tim speaking at one.

I haven’t decided if I’ll join an Affinity Group, ’cause I could use that time to take a break in the day, but I’m curious to know how they go, so I guess I could try it once and then make up my mind.

I’m not gonna stress over any of this, just wait until next week when I have to make a decision and also know what the other volunteers in our church are thinking about going, ’cause we can split up and tell each other about the tracks.

I think I have found my new favorite thing to do on Valentine’s Day. Last year one of the girls in the small group came up wtih the idea to make Valentine’s Day cards for people in our church that are in nursing or assisted living homes. To make it a little more special we made book markers and included a picture of our small group. Then on Valentines Day last year I got to go around with my co-teacher to deliver them. It was the sweetest thing ever to see people’s days brightened up with an unexpected visit with a gift from a group of teenagers in the church.

I was so excited that Valentine’s Day was on a Saturday this year, ’cause that meant the girls could help deliver! 5 of our 8 girls were able to go around and brighten up people’s days. We spent a while at one lady’s apartment who is blind and her husband was an Evangelical Covenant pastor in our town when the church started with 10 people meeting in their home. We got to sit with her and listen to her story of how everything started. What a blessing! The other part of the day I wont forget was when we got to visit the only man on our list and he truly lit up when he got his Valentine and knew that it was made with love just for him. All he could say over and over was “Thank you” and “God bless you.” He was so surprised and happy with the gift God was able to give him through our 9th grade girl’s small group.

In the evening Tim and I celebrated V-Day together with a romantic dinner at home that we cooked together. Tim grilled steaks to perfection, probably the best I have ever had. And we also boiled crab legs, baked potatoes and tossed a salad. I’m sure we would’ve paid a pretty penny for all of that if we went out to eat. To top off the night we rented Fireproof to watch for the first time. It was a great movie that everyone had talked about and we just hadn’t gotten around to seeing it.

I started substitute teaching last week. It really wore me out with bring pregnant, but I was reminded of my passion and heart for kids. While working at the public high school I knew I was not working in the area I am gifted in, but I trusted that God had me where he wanted me at the time. My eyes were opened to what high school is like these days, and it’s not an enjoyable place, for the most part. I connected with very few kids, the ones that are quieter and act sincere, not using sarcasm with everything they said. I did have some great conversations with students who I didn’t expect to talk with. I learned a lot about how parenting has changed over the years, and my heart really broke. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to work with these students, but I still was not in my element.

Last week with subbing in the elementary school I forgot how much I love little kids. I forgot how much love they have and how accepting they are. Who else would give you a hug the first day they meet you? And even though you have to be strict, they still enjoy that you put time into their life. They look to you for your approval and want to please you. I think all of us have that want and need inside of us for someone to accept and approve of us. The people we look to for that acceptance usually changes as the years go on. Working in the elementary school has really reminded me of my relationship with Christ and the love Christ has for us.

God has always wanted to have a relationship with us, everyone! There is nothing we can do to earn this love. God is perfect, and we are not. No matter how hard we try, we still mess up, do something wrong to hurt ourself, others or God, which keeps us separated from our creator. God knows this, and still wants a relationship with us! So God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to earth to mend this relationship. Christ lived a perfect life without any wrongs (being God and man) and loves us so much that he died on a cross so that we may be reconnected with God. We should’ve suffered this death, but Christ did it for us! And that’s not the end. Christ said that after 3 days he would raise from the dead, defeating death, and making a way for us to live eternally in heaven with him. So 3 days later, Christ came back and defeated death! Christ is alive, and we know we can trust in him and live a perfect life after this one we have now! If we confess that we do wrong, believe that Christ is God, that Christ lived a perfect life, that he died on the cross for our wrongs, he rose from the dead – defeating death, and we turn away from our selfish life and start living a life following God’s will, letting God be the one in control of our lives, we can live eternally with God in heaven.

The love that Christ has for us is amazing! There is no one we will come across on this earth who can love us as much as Christ. With being married, Christ’s love means so much more to me. To know that Christ loves me so much more than my husband, and knowing that is just exciting, ’cause that is a TON of love! All the love that a whole entire elementary class can give even in the first day of meeting and being excited about you does not even come close to the love Christ has for us. Amazing!

It has become a popular idea for a lot of people that any faith in any God can lead to a life in heaven, but that is not true. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. Just living a good life cannot get you there, just going to church on Sundays cannot get you there. You must make a decision to believe in and follow Christ.

How is your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you have one, do you need to improve your relationship, is it great?

What do you think about Jesus Christ?

If you are living a life following Christ, can others see that in you?

My life is not perfect, but I pray that my actions and words reflect the love of Christ. There is nothing better than having the love of Christ in your life.