Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Livin' in a Swamp

You may think that the Jordan family has gone missing, but we have not. I've been preparing for VBS with an incredible team of people. This week all the months of planning and hard work come together. It is Crocodile Dock at the church and it's always great fun to see the rewards of our hard work. VBS is nothing that anyone can do on their own. We have over 300 preschoolers there in the morning along with 150 workers to make it all possible. We do it a second time in the evening with another 130 people. It makes for long days, but watching a preschooler sing and learn about God....well, there's just not anything better.

I'm so thankful for the great team God has put together. I want to give them a quick shout out in no particular order.

I'm thankful for...

Ashley C and her incredibly sweet and caring spirit. She is simply a joy to be around. Her love for younger preschoolers is contagious!

Amber and her patience with a team of people that put incredible demands on her. How she keeps it all straight, I'll never know. How she doesn't get frustrated with us...it's simply God's power and love shining bright in her life. She is the best preschool assistant in the world...hands down.

Leigh is a "get it done" girl and I love that about her. She takes a task, runs with it and completes it way ahead of time. She does not procrastinate. I do not know how she physically does all that she does. Maybe she should teach a class on time management. :-)

Christine is straight forward and willing to take on just about any challenge. She doesn't waste time; she just nips it in the bud. I love that about her!

Robyn, well I admire her for her spiritual maturity and her calming spirit. She is a great leader with a compassionate heart.

Teresa and her ability to recruit volunteers. She takes a task and sees it through to completion and I know that her area is always covered well. I love that I can completely trust her!

Kim and her sweet spirit and great smile. She also has a gift for recruiting volunteers. She spent many Sunday mornings walking the preschool hallways getting volunteers. Teresa and Kim partner together in an amazing way. They never give up and they have recruited more volunteers this year than ever! They do their job well!

Tracey and her attention to details. Tracey and I have worked together in VBS for years. We have learned a lot from each other. Tracey has the experience and the heart to make sure that all is running well. Tracey has a spirit of excellence in all that she does.

Ashley L and her heart to do things right. Ashley has a sweet and kind spirit. She is a joy to work with and I'm so thankful for her friendship. Kind words are always on her lips and she always knows when to offer words of encouragement.

Sumer and her willingness to go above and beyond. She's always willing to help. I love that I am learning to see straight to her heart. Oh, and she also bought some awesome snacks for her workers....some of which I sampled. :-)
Angela...she's the one responsible for all my long days and nights. I would've never even considered the job/ministry if she wasn't one of my dearest friends. She's not perfect and neither am I, but these two Michigan girls understand one another. She is a team leader that is fun to follow!

There are so many more to thank. The girls mentioned above are on the VBS leadership team. They have been the hands and feet for VBS. I am so thankful for the hours and hours of time that they have invested. We haven't been without conflict. We haven't been without drama. We haven't been without hurt feelings. We have thought about quitting and never doing VBS again, but iron sharpens iron and sometimes it hurts and sometimes it's hard.
God never said the job would be easy. He did however say, Be strong and do not lose courage for there is reward for your work!
God is working it all out for His glory!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Dreams


While on vacation, Derek and I made a list of things we'd like to do before we die. I'm not sure what prompted all the discussion, but I told him I was making a list, so he made a list too.


Alicia's List

Go to Hawaii

Go to Chicago and attend Harvest Bible Chapel. (I love James MacDonald's preaching!)

Run a 1/2 marathon (Derek said I better do that soon...I'm not getting any younger)

Zipline somewhere beautiful

Go on a cruise

Swim with dolphins

Study and learn biblical Greek

Go to Israel

Memorize large passages of Scripture (Psalm 34 and 139 for starters)

Learn to play golf...well


Derek's List

Go to the Grand Canyon

Zipline

Go whitewater rafting on the Colorado River

Go to Australia

Go to a Ryder Cup


Not sure how many will actually come true, but it's fun to dream!

Sometimes on the way to our dreams, we get lost and find an even better one.
Unknown Author



Saturday, June 27, 2009

Jaws, Not Really!

Waiting on daddy to get back




The exciting catch. Brandon (our nephew) hooked it, but they all worked for an hour to get it on the boat and even then it fought for another 30 minutes. Thankfully no one was bit by the shark!





Here's Creighton (Derek's brother), Derek and our nephew Brandon. What an exhausting day of fishing!



Stephen and Matthew were very excited to see the shark and all the fish. I just found the whole thing kind of disgusting. If you know me well, you know I have a very easy stomach. I had to walk away from the table especially as they talked about cleaning the fish.




Here's Florida Papa, Derek and the boys and Sharkie.



Thursday, June 25, 2009

Worth the Read



The Noticer is a great little read. "Sometimes all a person needs is a little perspective"



If you have boys, this is a must read. I have done so many things wrong. I'm almost done with the book and I'm going to reread it...it's that good. I'm not a boy, so I don't think like a boy and I can't understand the mind of a boy; therefore, I need a little help.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Silly Saturday



This was moving day....December 2004. We've been in this house the longest of any and I have the moving bug! :-)