Of lasts and firsts and "continuings"

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?/ The LORD is the
everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint
or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable." Isaiah 40:28

Dear Friends,

Yep, I'm sittin' right there,
right where that bear is.
Can't you see me?

I'm sitting on my bed in a home in Kinston, North Carolina. It's the last evening here, the last load of clothes is drying, the last suitcase has been packed and the last of my energy for the day is leaking into my pillows. 

I know, it sounds sad. Don't be sad. Because each last is the beginning of another first and it is good to move on when you're meant to, to finish the laundry, to get it all packed away...to rest. 

And tomorrow, there will be firsts and continuations and some more lasts. It's how life goes. Mostly.

There are some things that never have lasts. For example, there will never be a last time that I am amazed by God's goodness. He brought me here and He is taking me toward Louisville, KY tomorrow and Longview, TX after that and more after that. I know I will see evidence of His goodness, forgiveness, mercy, and grace in each place. 

This prayer card from a kid just wowed
me. He saw his need to forgive and
admitted fear...that's a rare thing in
adults and in children. 

There will be hurting, bitter people that, by grace, find the power to forgive. 

There will be addictions that are confessed and given over to God. 


There will be marriages that humility and forgiveness, grace and brokenness will bring back from the brink of divorce. 

There will be renewed faith and the beginning of faith. 

There will be praise and worship and joy...

I know, because I have seen it in every church and in our team. Some churches are "better" than others, but, truly, if just one person allows God to renew them in each place - if God uses us to start the process in just one person - then it's all worth it and I count our mission as a success. All we have to do is be obedient. We may not see what He is doing, but we can trust that He is working. 

He is working in the good, the ugly, the painful, the confused, the easy....there will never be a "last" moment of His love, patience and purpose.

So, I sit and I yawn and I marvel at all the things that have gone "wrong" and all the things that have gone "right" as hoped in the last few weeks.

And I am content; I will continue to give Him my lasts and my firsts and my "continuings."

Prayer requests:
1. We are jumping from one conference straight into another without a day off. Pray for our attitudes and our energy and for us to remain focused on the people, not ourselves.

This is the concussion culprit.
I - ahem - was heading toward
the sink, and, well...that shelf
looks like the same color as
the wall... That was a first.

2. We've had a laughable number of injuries in the last three weeks. (it's either laugh or cry. I choose laugh.) There's been a minor concussion, a knee cap deeply bruised and swollen, a sprained ankle, a wrenched back, a fractured foot, some not-so-deep bruising of various body parts, and an ER visit that hasn't given results yet, but it's another knee problem and probably requires surgery. We're a mess!
3. Pray for the churches in Louisville and Longview. We want to be reflections of Christ to them and be open and ready to serve them as they seek to be renewed and refreshed. 

i built a random block
tower and made my 2 students
write instructions for them-
selves and then had them rebuild it. I
 love being their teacher!

As always, I am deeply grateful for your prayers and encouragement. 

Love much,
Anna

All about Beginnings, Cows, Day-to-Day, and Engouragement

First day of travel: we were all laughing because
Matt, the guy on the right, had just fallen in the aisle
while trying to get in the picture.

Hi all!

Last I wrote, our team was getting ready to roll out for Greenville, Texas. Since then, we have completed the REFUEL conference in Greenville and a Summit conference in Van Buren, Arkansas. Currently, I am sitting on the bus as we head toward Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

So, Greenville:

This beautiful home is where the 8 of us
stayed. The family was so welcoming
and were calling us their kids by
the 3rd day we were there. It was
sad to leave them!

I hear people say "everything is bigger in Texas" and it's crazy hot all the time. Growing up a Georgian, the heat didn't scare me, but it didn't matter anyway because it was rainy and "cool" most of our time there. It didn't really seem like anything was "bigger" either, except maybe the crickets. There were a lot of those.

Another team member and I got to stay with a woman named Kelli who is the Children's Minister of that church and is actually around my age so we basically felt like we were roomies. It was fun, but it was alos just good for my sou.. We would sit around and chat about whatever: hard things some of her students were going through, hard things from our pasts, silly things...it was just good.

The church members
provide vehicles for us
and we wash them before
giving them back. We only
had 2 water fights...

On the 2nd Sunday of each conference, our speaker usually talks about assurance of salvation. He tells people that some of the team members are in the prayer room if anyone wants to pray with them. I got to speak to two women who were seeking God's work in their marriages and boy, did I feel unqualified (you know, me not being married and all) but I honestly felt God guiding my words, which is pretty incredible. I don't know where their hearts are now but I have hope that they are continually seeking God's will in these hard times and that I was able to give them some encouragement.

Emily and I stayed together in Greenville.
When the team went to Top Golf, we
went and got visors so we could look the part.

Van Buren:
Van Buren was a different experience. Not as many people were coming to services as we had hoped, a lot of technical issues with equipment and a couple situations that led to a sense of discouragement for a lot of us...just a few hard days as the team worked extra hours to iron out the issues. In the end, though, I think God was able to work more through our struggles than through our ease. Maybe we were just so dependent on Him and crying out to Him more that we were easier able to see what He was doing around us. 

After lunch, we sometimes
play Uno Dare. Jared's dare card
made him hold a funny expression
until his next turn. Our guys are
big goofs. I love it.

2nd Sunday in Van Buren, I had the opportunity to pray with a teenage girl who came in the prayer room and said, "I'm lost, I'm broken, I want to be saved. I want Jesus back." It was such a beautiful thing to see her hunger to be made right with God. What made it even more amazing was that her parents and sister had also come to the prayer room and I believe God is doing a mighty work in their lives. I look forward to the changes that they will see as they put renewed trust in God: even if I, myself, never see or hear about those changes, I know God is calling and they are listening.

I did have a "blind moment" in Van Buren that I thought y'all would appreciate. 8 of us were staying together in a safe neighborhood, so we would go on walks most mornings. The first morning, we passed a field of cows and would call out, 'hey cows" to see how many would look our way. Silly, but fun.

Well, the next day we were driving back from church and I saw the cows out my window so I called "hey cows!" Tara, one of the girls staying at the house, started laughing:

"Anna, those aren't cows. They're bears, and they're not alive."

Sure enough, there were cows in a field on the other side of the van and I had just yelled at some lawn ornaments.

I still laugh about it whenever I think of it, and so does one of the boys I teach. He thought it was hilarious when I told him. I'm so glad God has given me joy and laughter in something many would see as a burden.

Teaching is going well. I sincerely love it. It's not all unicorns and rainbows, but I wouldn't expect it to be. Math is hard and reading takes a while and life doesn't go as planned, but God is always faithful and I am growing closer to Him as I see more and more of my need.

So yes, it is good.

A group of us played
Sardines at one of the
churches. Jalen was the
first one to hide and sent
us this pic. We never
found him.

Prayer Requests:
1. For our team as we begin this Summit in Rocky Mount. It's a bigger church so it's going to be all hands on deck. We are going to be worn out by the time it's over, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from the challenge; it just means we will have to rely on God's strength instead of our own. God has called us to it and we will go! Also, pray for us as we get used to how things work. There are 15 "newbies" this year and our way of life can be pretty overwhelming.
2. Pray for the congregation at Englewood Baptist in Rocky Mount. I don't know what their needs are, but I know God is taking us there for a reason. Pray that God will be able to use us -issues and all- to point these people to refreshment in His love, grace, forgiveness and purpose.

I love traveling and just
looking uut the window.
We see lots of strange things
and lots of beautiful lthings.

3. Pray for me. I'm learning to be a morning person. I've been naturally waking up between 5:00 and 6:30 and this is definitely new for me! I'm still figuring out how to manage my time with the extra hours. I'm exercising more and having more time for prayer and devotions, but I often don't plan well and feel like I have wasted time; then I mentally beat myself up about it for the rest of the day. I need wisdom and determination to do as God leads each morning and not get caught up in a list of "works" to feel like I'm loved by Him.

As always, I am so grateful for your prayers and texts and comments and...everything.

Love,
Anna

Things I know...and things I don't

I don't really know what all the colors are in this
photo, but I do know it looks really cool and that
my God is amazing and creative and beautiful.
"The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky
above proclaims His handiwork..." Ps 19:1

Hello All!!
I know it has been more than a month, but last week was our ministry's "Seek Week" in which we all gather for concentrated time seeking God. I figured it would bring about things I would want to share with you, so I decided to wait.

I'm glad I did. :) So here are some things I know, and some I don't.

1. I know that God delights in me. I often don't know why because I give Him plenty of reason not to, but He does and I am abundantly grateful.

2. I don't know what the future holds, but I know He has a good plan.

3. I know that I am in desperate need of learning to pray fervently. On Tuesday, our meeting that was supposed to last from 9:30am to 12:30pm ended up running til 3:00pm with the last three hours simply being prayer and praise through song and more prayer and more praise...I have never experienced such a strong and recognizable outpouring of the Spirit on an entire group of people and it was incredible. God used this time to break down some of my walls and show me how persistently He has been calling me to pray. I don't know what it will be like, but this week taught me that I have been called to have a passion for prayer. I'm working on it, and I know God is even more committed to this than I am.

4. I know God is committed to this because He has been waking me up in the middle of the night or early morning to meet with Him in prayer for the last four years (and probably more.) To my shame, I usually ignored Him. I would turn over or just pray through my list of people not because I was so "spiritual" but because I knew that was the fastest way to make myself go back to sleep. It humbles me to no end to know that He still continued to love me and long for me to spend time with Him (even if it is only for a few moments) for years of me ignoring Him in that way. God is good! And I am learning.

We had Team Competition last
night. We are Blue and we were
up against Silver and Red. We
came in 2nd and it was a blast!

5. I don't know what God wants to do with this crazy group of people, but I know it's going to be awesome. I already have found so much joy in them and I'm actually feeling impatient to get on the road! We leave in ten days for Greenville, Texas and I can't wait! Two of our team are missing from this picture - Caity and Ethan - but I look forward to the time when they will join us: Caity when we get to TX and Ethan in January. We will leave here on Wednesday, Sept 5th and be in TX by the 7th. Set up will be Saturday, and services will start on the 9th. We will be done there the 16th and be in Van Buren, Arkansas on the 21st with services starting the 23rd...and so it will continue until Thanksgiving.

6. I don't know how in the world I thought this pile of logs was a trashcan and then a mailbox, but I did. If you saw my Facebook post, you know I was just as flabbergasted and tickled as you probably are right now.

I went to my desk one day and
found a thank you note from Cameron
and Bradley with this giant deck
of cards. Totally made my day!!

7. I know that I am going to enjoy being the home school teacher quite a lot. In fact, I already do. We've been up to the full schedule of subjects for a couple of weeks now and I like it. A friend of mine gave me a book before I left called Teaching From Rest and it has been a huge help in reminding me the purpose of teaching and the goals I should be looking toward. The boys I teach, Cameron (15) and Bradley (13) are such fun to be around. We've had hard days and sickness and we've had to change our school room location three times, but we always try to start with prayer and end with our good attitudes in tact, me included. These two young men have hearts of gold and they work to make sure they are glorifying God in what they do. That's all I can really ask.

8. I know that stepping in a mud puddle is not always fun and bending down to wipe the mud off your feet is only wise if you have closed the water bottle in the bag on your back.

9. I don't know how many people I have reintroduced myself to in the last few days, but I know it's an embarrassingly large number.

10. I know that I will continue to do embarrassing things my entire life and it's okay. Dan Cathy (CEO of Chick-Fil-A) spoke during one of our sessions this week and he reminded us not to take ourselves too seriously. We all have an inner goofy kid, and we should not be too serious to let it out. So, when we were in service at a nearby church today and the pastor was talking about the upcoming men's "only meat" meal, I didn't even blush when I accidentally blurted (rather loudly), "I want meat!" I just laughed.

just the same bunch of
crazies

11. I don't know where it will come from, but I know God will provide all of the support each team member needs for this year. For me, I know I have to have $850 more before December and I'm positive that God will make it happen. If you have wanted to support me and didn't know how because I kind of dropped the support letter ball this year, then you can just click here and select my name from the drop down menu.

Well, there are more things that I know and even more that I don't, but I will end it here. Thank you for all the prayers and texts and calls sent my way. I love y'all!

It really is a beautiful place to live and I live
on the opposite side of camp from the place
we eat, so I get lots of exercise.
(Those buildings in the distance are not
where we eat, they are at about the halfway
point between where I live and the Lodge.
I had already been walking a few minutes
before I stopped for this picture. LOTS of
exercise. I love it... though I do tend to
eat breakfast in my cabin.)

 Love,
Anna

P. S. Check out some other pictures from the last few weeks!

This is our band. I love them!

One day, I helped pack these bags up for returns. This was one of several days that the people working on team clothing had to do returns. Some days, they had more than 100 bags of stuff to return. 

Leaping with a Limp

The view from a swing at the of "the hill"

Hello All!,

If you have been following Facebook, then you know that I made it to Michigan! Well, not only am I here but I jumped right into work (which is a good thing.) Here's a general schedule for me. 

-Somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 I wake up and eat breakfast that I keep in my cabin. 

-10:00 I arrive at the home of Jimmy and Lori Herdklotz which is a three minute walk from the house in which I am living. Jimmy and Lori have two boys, Cameron (10th grade) and Bradley (8th grade), and they are two really good kids...guys...people. I've known the Herdklotz family for many years and am so glad I get to work with them. This week, I have been reviewing curriculum resources, familiarizing myself with the family's general way of life and cleaning out last year's school tubs. We start officially doing school on Monday, though the boys have been doing science with Jimmy since before I got here. I'll start them with Math this week and then add on subjects week by week until we actually hit the road where it becomes full steam ahead! 

my work space this week:
tea is a daily must and Lori
has a lot of options on hand!

12:00- Walk down to the Lodge for lunch (it's about half a mile) and then back up to Jimmy and Lori's around 1:00.

1:00-5:00 - finish up any school work not done in the morning and grade things for the day while planning for the next day. 

5:00 - dinner at the Lodge

Rest of the evening free. 

You can tell, I'm suffering really hard here. Ha! 

A few of you may be wondering what "camp" is. Well, if you want lots of detail, you can go to lifeactioncamp.com but the short answer is that the ministry I am traveling with (Life Action) has 175 acres on which they run a family summer camp for 14ish weeks every year. They also do father-son retreats and other weekend events. 

The picture at the top of the page is of the lakefront where most families hang out in the afternoons. I got to go canoeing in the early morning my second day here and it was so incredibly peaceful and lovely. 

Since I am not working camp, but rather serving one of the families preparing to "go on the road", I don't really get involved with all of the camp goings on. My world right now pretty much consists of the Herdklotz home and the people I see coming in and out all day. There are four girls I get to see pretty much all day, every day working for Lori as she is in charge of getting all the team members the clothes they need for services during the coming travel year. 

Me and several girls got to go to DQ and Putt Putt on
Saturday night and it was a blast. (Btw, that Jurassic Chomp
Blizzard is quite tasty: if you like Peanut Butter) 

of course, we had to
do a silly picture.

I get to hang out with the "clothing team" a lot and I am very glad. I know a couple of them from before and the two I have just gotten to know are shaping up to be good friends. Tara (above pic: all the way left) and Trysta (above pic: all the way right) are two girls I get to travel with this year!! God is definitely taking care of me. :)

It hasn't been absolutely miserable being away from home (which is good because that would mean I am bucking against God bringing me back here) but I am missing people a lot. I will think of something that one of you would appreciate and turn around and you aren't there, or I'll hear a cell phone tone that one of you has and think you're nearby....you get the picture. We don't get a ton of reception here, but calls and texts and whatnot are very appreciated. You can also mail me stuff at 

Life Action Blue Team

ATT: Anna Schaffner

P.O. Box 31 

Buchanan, MI 49107

I like stuff. ;)

Some prayer requests going forward:

1. Jimmy is teaching for this week's family camp and their whole family gets involved in this, so things will be extra busy around the Herdklotz house. Please pray for Jimmy as he prepares and speaks and for all of them as they juggle all of their responsibilities. And for the families who will be hearing God's word and being challenged to live out their roles as husbands, wives, and children in a godly way. 

2. All of the new team members are arriving this coming weekend (the 21st) and thus Staff Training for all road team members will officially begin. I came a couple weeks early, so my schedule will be changing once all the meetings and whatnot begin. Please pray that all of the people in charge of planning and scheduling and teaching these new team members will have peace and encouragement. There are a lot of team members and a lot of details that need to be squeezed into 6 weeks of training. 

3. Pray for me, please, as I get all of these subjects started. The Rosetta Stone discs i have are being a booger and won't let me run the program. There's a guy here who has the skillz to help me figure it out, but he's also one of those teachers of team members I mentioned above, so I hate to add another thing to his plate.

Overall, I just want to keep a right mind and teach these two boys well. I want to recognize how I can best help them and help their parents in the process. 

4. As I mentioned, there's a lot of walking that goes on around here and, wouldn't you know it, I twisted my ankle about an hour ago. It's not super bad (just a little swollen and sore) but it kind of puts a damper on walking down to meals. I need to stop looking at my phone while I'm walking. (Yeah, totally wish I could blame this one on the blindness, but no-can-do.)

Thank you all for the encouraging texts, hugs, and videos I've gotten in the past few weeks. Y'all are a big bright spot in my life. :) Keep 'em coming!

Feel free to email me or comment with any questions or comments. :) 

Much love,

Lady-Limps-A-Lot

Ponderings and Preparations

Good morning, all!

I'm sitting here on my bed, enjoying the luxury of a "day off" and just "doing my own thing." It's a lazy morning and I could be reading a book or watching a movie. I could've also slept longer than I did. Somehow, though, whenever I can sleep longer and do whatever I want...well, those are the days that I don't want to go back to sleep and I want to get things done. Whereas, the days that I have planned to be productive and have to get up "early" to be somewhere...those are the days that it feels like pulling teeth to get anything done.

I'm sure there is some kind of psycho-explanation for this, but I think it's basically human nature to be contrary. Ah well, I'll take advantage of my contrariness and spend the next five days "off" actually getting things crossed off my to-do list. Go figure.

One of the "to-dos" I've so expertly been pushing off is to write a support letter. I don't know why I dislike writing support letters. I believe what I am doing is good and for the glory of God, so why should I be reluctant to ask others to support it? If someone doesn't want to give, they can simply say "no", so I have nothing to get worked up about. Right? Right.

In case you have no idea what I am talking about: I have been accepted to travel (again) with Life Action Ministries. This go-round, I will be home schooling two teenage boys. Their parents travel as family revivalist/team pastor/mentors to the team members and so much more. I get to help them out by making sure the boys are on track with school. I will be creating daily schedules and grading all work and doing lesson plans... well, everything a teacher does. I have not filled this role to this extent before and I'm a wee bit nervous/excited. I love teaching and I enjoy learning. It's just all new...

Anywho, Life Action employees are all volunteers, so we have to raise support like any other missionary. Our mission field is the United States and our focus is the church. We travel in a bus, a semi, and various other vehicles from church to church and do conferences. We are invited for either a 4, 8, 11, or 15 day conference and all we single team members stay in host homes of people from the church. The families stay in trailers they park in the church parking lots. While we are there, our team provides music and teaching for all ages (except nursery) and we basically give the church a set apart time to refocus and renew. Our ministry goal is to "ignite movements of authentic Christianity" throughout America.

It is a good ministry and it is very needed. I traveled four years, previously, and God just keeps leading me back. I wasn't expecting to go back and this time seems a little different to me. I don't know for sure, obviously, but this time feels more permanent. I'm not putting words in God's mouth or anything, I just feel...I don't know...more decided? It's hard to put into words.

I am also having a harder time with the thought of leaving home than I seem to recall from before. (Likely due to that sense of permanency I was just stumbling over.) There are so many people here that I just want to be around. I ache at the thought of missing out on the day-to-day of their lives: like seeing my young family members grow and the kids I teach at church and the joy of friendship with my church family and being at home with Mama and Daddy and Will (though he's getting close to graduation) and my bed and consistent shower water pressure and always knowing what the food is going to taste like and...well, there's a lot I'll miss. I've always been one to settle into a routine and be generally content and happy. I hope that this is the case this time, as well. Prayers would be appreciated.

In fact, prayers would be appreciated for all of this. I'm having dreams about forgetting to pack or getting on the road and completely messing up. I don't want to be a worry-wart. I also want to use my time at home wisely and I want to prepare wisely. Please pray that I will do all of these with a grateful and joyful heart: a heart at peace. And pray I won't be a weeny about writing my support letter. :)

Ooooooo, Mama just brought me a smoothie! (I'll miss that, too)

On to the next thing! (Slurp)

'Til next time (when I'll hopefully have pictures to add),
Anna

Look Around You

Good morning! So, I thought I would share with y'all something I wrote several years ago that God has been bringing to mind as I struggle to keep my focus here on the road. I hope you enjoy and that maybe God will use it in your heart as He is in mine. 

Look Around You

He stepped onto the park’s path and felt the cares of the world draining away. He’d had enough of work and responsibility and caring without return. He needed something different…new…fresh…away from people…He needed peace.

As he looked around, he began to smile for the first time in weeks. This was what he needed.

 Sure, there was a drunk stretched out on one bench and a sullen teen with earbuds on another. A mother and daughter ignoring each other on the path ahead, an old woman sitting alone by the pond, and a child sitting listless on a swing as his parents argued by the monkey bars…but the man could ignore all of those things.

And he did.

(I got to enjoy some beauty, too, in Kernersville, NC)

He instead admired the beauty of the trees stretching toward the sun as they lay down their offerings of red and gold. He saw the peaceful ripples left by the mother duck as she led her family across the water. There was a joyful breeze singing “rest” to his ears and the soft grass danced with his feet.

This was good. This was a place he could go to get away and not have to care. He paused and thanked God for bringing him to the park.

Yet, there was something missing… Was there a better park somewhere? Should he come every day and eventually he would find contentment? He wanted simply to forget the world and bask in God’s creation, what was wrong? What else did he need?

Then, as though the wind paused its song to whisper in his ear, he heard “Look around you.”

“Yes, Lord,” he thought, “it is beautiful. You made a good thing.”

Then, again, “Look around you.”

What else was there? The trees, the pond, the path, the grass, the ducks, the sun…it was all marvelous and he was grateful.

“Look around you; look what I have made.”

The man looked again and, this time, he saw the people. He didn’t want to see them. People were why he wanted to get away.

“Look what I have made.”

So he looked and began to understand.

He saw the skill and strength still there in the hand of the drunk as he tossed his bottle straight into the trash 15 feet away.

He admired the smile of the old woman as the now-active teen rushed to pick up her dropped cane, then accepted her invitation to sit next to her on the bench.

He heard the mother and daughter share a giggle at the antics of two squirrels who ran across their path.

And he saw the child now skipping ahead of his parents as they walked behind him holding hands.

The man rose to go home as he felt wonder soak in to his very soul.

God made the park. The trees - He clothed. The ducks, He made to glide and the wind, He taught to sing. The grass - He coaxed to dance. But the people…

The people - He loved. 

Let's try this again

The Painter of the skies loves me and is so very patient. I am grateful and humbled to be called His own.

Hello all! 

So, I am going to follow tradition and apologize for not writing in so long. I'm not sure, but it feels like it's been about five hundred years since I wrote during Family camp. Okay, five hundred may be a slight exaggeration...

Since that time, I have finished those four weeks at Family Camp, survived (and enjoyed) four-ish weeks of Staff Training, completed one 15-day Summit in Knoxcille, TN and most of a 15-day here in Princeton, IN. All of that from July, 11th to October 10th. 

3 months.

When I put it that way it doesn't seem like so much, but if I am brutally honest, it feels like years and then - when I think about the year ahead - it seems as though I will never get to go home. I've been homesick before but this seems to take the cake. I'm not doubting that this is where I'm supposed to be right now, but I am struggling to focus and find my heart - God's heart - for these people. I've been a little better this last week, though, and I think it's because I finally asked God to help me be focused and to look at the "now" and stop fretting about what's ahead. 

Why do I wait to call on God? He's always here, He's always waiting and loving and patient and powerful. Why do I wait until I've tried to do it my way and then call on Him as a last resort? It seems so foolish and self-destructive, yet I do it continually. God is gracious, though, and I'm learning. 

Actually, I feel as though I'm always re-learning that same lesson, and many others. I'm so glad God gently catches my attention and says, "okay, let's try this again." I want to learn to extend that same grace to those around me.

So, I asked for His help and He gave it. The last week I have been encouraged directly and indirectly with the many ways God is using my team to bring Him glory. 

~A 7 1/2 year old boy was too scared to come into Base Camp (where I teach) and hid in the corner the first day. Eventually, he had to be taken to his mom. The next day, they tried again. When he came to sign in, his parents returned a filled-in prayer card for him. Usually, the parents fill out prayer requests but this time the Base Camper had told them what he needed. He said "pray that I won't be afraid to come to Base Camp" and several other requests. We've been praying and he's come nearly every day. He comes to the sign-in table smiling and then runs up the stairs to Base Camp. He sits on the front row, participates, memorizes verses and says them to a teacher and has no more fear. 

~Another Base Camp kid (10 year old girl) came to me with a radiant smile on her face and told me that she had finally cleared her conscience about something that had happened over two years ago. 

~4 church members admitted they were lost and finally, truly, professed Christ as their Savior and Lord.

I could go on, and I'm sure there are many stories from these wonderful people that I have not heard. The point is: God is working. I can either sit back and bemoan my homesick heart and be useless- or I can dive right in and humbly ask God to work in me and through me. 

So that's where I am. Please continue to pray for me and for my team. There is a lot of sickness going around and our schedule is very full. We need energy and continued focus and passion. 

Thank you all for your love and encouragement! I come home November 23rd and I look forward to seeing many of you the Sunday after Thanksgiving (also known as the day after my birthday!) if not before. 

Love much,
Anna

Craziness, Clinginess, Crying and Cacophony

Front Row - 2nd from the left. I"m not wearing my sunglasses, are you proud?

So, this is my "family" right now. It's a vast group of many different personalities (really, it's amazing how creative God is) and I know and enjoy...most of them.

I see them when they come into the Snack Shop where we converse while I dish up their ice cream or ring up their CREW discount on a Life Action t-shirt. 

Many of them I see with the families they are assisting as they drop off or pick up a toddler from Sonshine club. 

I am in charge of Sonshine, so I stand at the door and assure parents that we will make keep their child from eating gluten or getting lost or kissing all the girls. 

Two hours later, I stand at the door and wave at suddenly angelically smiling children while I try to apologize to one parent for the fact that their child is wearing no clothing because she pooped through the other ones while I simultaneously attempt to politely inform another parent that his/her child will not stop hitting the others. 

I go through this song and dance in the morning and then work Snack Shop all afternoon and then repeat the song and dance again after supper.  

I miss home. A lot. I called twice today because I've been sick all week and I just needed to hear their voices and have them sympathize over my seventeen Sonshine kids.

Now, you may read all this and think I'm complaining and I'm not trying to, I just wanted you to see the reality of my life right now. 

Is it easy? NO!

Is it fun? Sometimes.

Is it where I want to be? Sometimes.

Is it where I need to be? Yes.

Is it worth it? ALWAYS!

I may go through moments of intense grumpiness and simply want to hide in my room with a tub of sour cream, lots of things to dip in it, and a good movie, but I know I would go through those moments no matter where I am. 

I just keep reminding myself that I am helping these parents by giving them four hours every day in which they can pause and reconnect with God. Every parent needs a break sometimes, and every parent needs God at all times. Many of them are in dire need of a refocus and if I can allow them that by dealing with craziness, clinginess, crying and cacophony, then I will do it with purpose and joy.

Please pray for me that I can maintain this point of view. 

I hope and pray all of you are well and pursuing Christ with everything that you are. 

Love much,

Anna

Pillows are Important

Hello again!

Today, I would like to tell you about pillows, because they are important. 

If you were ever to peek inside a Schaffner vehicle packed (to the gills) for vacation, all you would really see is pillows everywhere. Each seat will have a pillow and most will have more than one. There will also be blankets. 

Some of you are laughing because you know how very true it is!

Why do we like pillows? Well, most people do, but it would seem we are somewhat in the extreme. I look at it this way: If I have a pillow that bunches in just the right way and is familiar and is comfortable and is mostly made of air so it can be squished to fit in small places when not being used and is extremely light...why wouldn't I bring it with me? Why leave to "fate" the state of an unknown pillow at my next stop? Why arrive at vacation only to find I don't sleep exactly well the whole time simply because my pillow (and don't neglect the pillow case, either, but that's another rant) doesn't have the right sort of squishitude? Twould be silly, would it not? Yes, twould. (I knew you would agree with me, you are very nice.)

With my pillow on hand, I can sleep pretty much anywhere.

Now, I do admit that I take this common sense a step further and I typically carry TWO pillows wherever I go. I have good reason: I'm in a different place every three weeks (or more frequently) and it's good to have something that stays the same everywhere I go. The second pillow is just the right squishitude that my neck is used to under the perfect squishitude of the first. It's not quite as crucial, but it is desirable and makes my nomadic life less "foreign." I know some people may find this excessive, so I usually arrive at a host home with only one pillow and then I retrieve the second one from my closet on the truck if it seems I won't be able to sleep well without it. 

I also carry a blanket...

and a small bean pillow to curl around when I sleep... 

Little bits of home and goodness. 

I am not ashamed. = )

So, with this family habit and personal background in mind, I would like to tell you of my recent adventures through the airports as I traveled home from Wisconsin.

First, I would have you know that I was using forethought and knew I could not walk through an airport with two regular pillows, a small pillow and a blanket, so I left the second pillow behind and decided to carry one regular pillow and another pillowcase with the blanket and small pillow in it. I thought this was reasonable: I was going home for a month and a half and I wanted all the familiar, good, things about me.

Sadly, none of this could fit in my suitcases. 

Nothing wrong with carrying pillows on a plane. 

Or so I thought. 

Did I get in trouble? No. 

Was I slightly embarrassed? Very slightly.

You see, it seemed my pillows were conspicuous. I was traveling with Steven and Christy Canfield (she is a.k.a. the "Female 1 + 1") and they may have laughed at me, but at least they were used to my pillowy ways. But the people at the airport were different. I got lots of strange looks, according to Christy, and several comments. 

The looks are easy to ignore: 

I can't see them. 

But the comments...

The first couple commented on them while standing in line to get on the plane. Something along the lines of "well, you look comfy"... I also got a few "why didn't we think of that" type comments. These all seemed complimentary, and perhaps they were, but they also seemed to be saying "well, you stand out and I'm glad I don't"

Then there was the kicker: Christy and I had just gotten off the plane and were waiting about 20 feet back from the door for Steven (who had kindly taken my seat next to two big guys way in the back.) to disembark. So, we're standing outside the gate in Savannah, - Christy with her 1+1-ness and me with my pillows - and I'm completely zoned out due to foggy naps when I foggily hear (over the intercom, mind you) a very official voice saying "...and I will count pillows as carry-on..." I didn't quite catch it at first, so the Female 1+1 nudged me while the official voice repeated "...I repeat, pillows will be counted...yes, I'm talking to you ma'am." This is the part where the fog cleared and I realized the woman at the desk near the door had decided to point out my pillows too. 

This is also the part where I was infinitely glad that I couldn't actually SEE all those people I could FEEL staring at me. 

So. I smiled at the official voice and ignored them and thought "silly lady, we're not flying any more today so your pointing me out was unnecessary." 

Then Steven came and we went home and I was happy to have my pillows that night.

Though I do still miss the second one. 

All this silliness aside, I really do enjoy having the constancy of the same pillow(s) and whatnot wherever I go. Life on the road is always changing and never quite what you expect. It's exciting to meet new people and see new places, but it is also good to have those things that never change. 

Far more important than my pillows: God never changes. 

If ever I caved to self-consciousness and left the familiar things at home, I would still have the ever-present, never-changing, awe-inspiring, mind-blowing, familiar-yet-incomprehensible love of God in my life. This knowledge is what keeps me going and is what led me to sign up for another year on the road. This Goodness is what fuels my desire to see this country on its knees in worship of Him. I want people to see me and comment on God in my life. I want people to see HIM and know that it is good to need and allow Him wherever they go and whatever they do. God is good and He is faithful and He loves us beyond all imagination. And we need Him oh so desperately.

That's definitely more important than pillows. 

Love,

Anna

Still not ashamed

Machine Falls in Tullahoma, Tennessee

Two weeks left

I have been traveling with this team since September 7^th and all we have left together is two weeks. It seems surreal and sad, but there is always something to look forward to and I am SO excited to be seeing my family on the 21^st!

So, where have I been and what have I been doing?

You ask excellent questins.

I have been to Tennessee ( a lot) and to Illinois and North Carolina. Now I am headed to Minnesota and then Wisconsin.

I like cheese.

I wonder if people from Wisconsin get tired of being associated with cheese.

When we were in North Carolina we were actually kind of on break. The team spent four days at a beautiful place called The Barn at Buladean.

While we were there:

I did not have cell service.

I did not have television.

I did not have to teach.

I did not have to dress up.

I did not have to eat breakfast.

I did not have a way to leave unless I wanted to hike.

However:

I did have movies to watch with friends.

I did have lots of good food.

I did play games.

I did sleep in.

I did have a lot of good talks.

I did refill the water jug.

I did try to go hiking (didn’t work so well: getting over bronchitis (maybe) + altitude + sunlight + thorns + starting out on a really steep hill = wimpy blind girl coughing her way back down the mountain ten minutes in. I am not ashamed.)

I did sit around a fire.

I did laugh until I cried (and had to make a mad dash to the 

restroom. Still not ashamed)

I did a lot of thinking.

I did find peace for my restless mind. I had been wrestling with God about how He made me. He made me to be quiet and introverted and bookish and I want to be spunky and vibrant. He made me to be emotional and sensitive and I think I should be strong and independent all the time. He made me to be kinda goofy and I wanted to be elegant…. Do you see the self-contradiction going on here? I wanted to be everything. Short story: I guess I had got caught up in disappointment in how I thought I should be in order to be more loved by everyone. So, I was doing (or trying to be) so many things and I became physically and emotionally drained and, consequently, ineffectual.

God showed me that I was walking in a constant desire for man’s approval. He showed me this is wrong and an insult to Him and how He lovingly created me. So I’m working on seeing the person He made me to be and re-learning to like myself just as me, not as who I think I should be. I feel like I go through this process every couple of years. Is that normal?

Katheryn Trout and me at the Falls. She's such a joy to my life!

I did feel physically refreshed.

Then, we went to Asheville for the HeartCry for Revival conference. If Buladean was physically refreshing, then HeartCry was spiritually refreshing. We were working, (I actually got to use a cash register and all that jazz. It was fun! I’m a nerd…still not ashamed.) 

We were also learning. There were so many good messages that I really can’t remember all of what God showed me, but I have notes so it’s all good. I do remember two big things.

1. PRAY!! We need to be praying. About everything, really.

2. Better to be sleep-deprived than God-deprived. True statement. I didn’t like it. I like to sleep, but God convicted me of laziness and general irresponsibility. It took me a couple of weeks, but last week and so far this week I got up at 7:00 every work day and 8:00 every day off. It helped that I had some projects to work on. Next week is going to be more difficult. Please pray for me! I do like it, though, because I have more energy and I am getting so much done!! = )

(This is the part where I can hear Daddy rolling his I-told-you-so eyes and others saying “congratulations, Anna, you’re an adult. It takes a while, but I’m learning. Still not ashamed…well, maybe a little.) Is God worth all this? Absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, always.

After HeartCry, we had another full summit (15-day) in Tullahoma, TN and now we have a Thirst Conference (4-day) in Prior Lake, Minnesota and then a Thirst in Monroe, Wisconsin.

I’ve met some amazing people and had to leave behind some kids that I really just wanted to take with me. God, through the grace and power of His Spirit, is working in my heart and I am able to see Him working in so many others. I really wish I could remember it all and tell you. Now that I have all this time on my hands ; ) I’ll hopefully post again before we leave in two weeks and I’ll have some of the kids’ testimonies for you to read!

I do remember this: mustard is sneaky. Sometimes, it gets its little rebellious self into a bowl (instead of the traditional bottle) and pretends to be cheese dip right up until you scoop up a ton of it on your favorite kind of chip and pop it in your mouth. 

Shudder. 

Bleh.

Still not ashamed...I just laugh. 

I used to kind of like mustard...

I just cannot get over how restful
and beautiful this place is. God's
creativity is astounding.

Also, good news! I only have $850 dollars left for this year’s ministry fee! God has been so good to provide for me through various sources this year and I know He will do the same for next year. I really dislike asking for financial help (I think it’s a pride issue: working on that) and I know He’ll provide for next year’s fee, too. If you would like to help me with a one-time donation or become a mothly supporter for next year then I would appreciate that so much! Thank you all of you who have already been supporting me. y'all are a blessing to my heart and a constant reminder of God's love for me.

Here’s the link, https://www.lifeaction.org/donate/support-a-staff-member/ or you can send a check to Life Action Ministries with a note saying the amount is to go toward my ministry fee.

I’m going into this next summit with hope and purpose and a lot of anticipation, praise the Lord!! Please pray with me that the people in Minnesota and Wisconsin will be refreshed and that we, as a team, will invest in them with selflessness and joy.

Thank you for sticking with me, I’ll see y’all soon!!

Love much,

Anna