Anyone have a game buzzer I can borrow?

Hi friends -

For my upcoming staff retreat, I need a buzzer for a trivia game.  Does anyone own Taboo or similar game with a buzzer I can borrow for a couple days?

Thanks!

Steph

HG tonight: Sarah sharing things learned at CCDA conference

Hey everyone,

I wanted to remind you all that I’ll be leading at HG tonight sharing thoughts/ideas/questions/things I learned at the CCDA (Christian Community Development Conference) that I went to in Chicago, the first week of Septmeber.

Please come with an open mind to hear about the amazing things that God is doing through His kingdom workers throughout the nation.

Also, please come with any questions that you have for John and I, related to our experience as community development workers in Chirilagua. We’d love to share about the things happening in our neighborhood here in VA, as well as open the floor to discussion and hear about what others think about how churches are changing and taking on social causes.

Hope to see you tonight!
Sarah

Sunday Night Sept. 19th

Hi HGers.  Who’s leading Sunday night?  I’m happy to lead if no one has signed up. 

Dinner & Game Night Tonight!

Hi friends!  Jen Gillett has friends in town this weekend and wants to introduce them to her typical life in DC – which means we’re going to Guapos followed by game night at my place.  Guapos at 6 pm…let me know if you’re coming and I’ll go early to get us a table.   Otherwise, feel free to meet us afterwards for game night at my place! 

Steph

Opportunity to serve – Providing food for conference – Sept. 25th

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine that is part of Mujeres de Virtud, a women’s ministry in Chirilagua (and national wide) is hosting a conference for Latina Christian women, Sept. 25th in Fairfax, VA (I think, I’ll have to confirm the location).

In the morning they will have speakers on the following topics:  Immigration Reform and what the law in AZ means for our ladies here in VA, Domestic Abuse, Financial planning, Physical and Spiritual Health, along with maybe one or two more.  They are brining in experts from the community on these topics.

They’ve organized the conference because of felt-needs from different congregations and ministries in the area. The group is looking for someone to donate a lasagna and salad lunch, as they’re organizing this event on a volunteer basis and don’t have a budget for anything. They’re expecting around 100 women and will need the following:

- plates, cups, napkins, plasticware
- enough lasagna for 100
- ingredients for salad
- a few iced tea and lemonade mixes

Please let me know if you can donate all or part of this lunch or would like to help in any way. It would be a wonderful way to reach out to our immigrant friends and neighbors and show them our fellow Christian love.

Thanks!
Sarah

sarahedale (at) gmail.com

PS-To learn more about Chirilagua, visit www.casachirilagua.org

Cool Opportunities Coming Up:

- You too can mentor Fairlington Presbyterian kids from reading a Bible story to 2-3 year olds to teaching a class of slightly older kids occasionally.  We have a class called “Spark” for 4-7 year olds and a group called Kids’ Club for 8-11 year olds.  About 10:30 – 12 on occasional Sundays.  You must love kids and want to know them and help mentor their faith.  Contact me: jan@fpcusa.org

- Immigration Awareness Event  – including info on the Alexandria Detention Center where undocumented workers are held – is scheduled for 7-9 pm Tuesday, September 21 at The Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 323 South Fairfax Street  Alexandria, VA 22314.

Let me know if you have questions.  Have a great week.

Birthday Dinner for Jon

Hi all!  So it was Jon’s birthday last week and since I was out of town and couldn’t celebrate properly, I thought the only appropriate way to remedy the situation was chicken quesadillas at Guapos (did you really have any doubt that’s where we’d go?)  I would like to invite you all to join us for an early dinner THIS Sunday (Sept 12) prior to HG.  The plan is to meet at Guapos around 5 pm…email or text me if you’d like to come so I can go early and get us a table!  Thanks all!

Steph

Encouragement for Brian

Jan and I are at a conference in Durham where Brian is speaking (not using his last name so this doesn’t show up in searches). Apparently things have been hard recently with the new book and everyone angry about what he’s been saying.

I know many of us have been deeply transformed by his thinking. If this is the case for you, would you send me a message of encouragement about how you’ve been impacted by his work that I can forward along to him? I know it would mean a lot to him right now.

Can’t wait to see you guys on Sunday!

Sept. 11 – Giant Yard Sale and Chicken BBQ

Hey All,

Are friend Dave Moore asked me to pass this on for all who are interested. I help cook last year and can at least testify the chicken was good.

So here are the stats:

8am – 2pm – Fairlington United Methodist Church – Outreach Committee hosts a giant yard sale on Saturday, September 11, 2010 in the Fellowship Hall. A roomful of household items and children’s clothing! SAME DAY – Fairlington United Methodist Men’s group Chicken BBQ from 10:30am until 4pm. Complete Chicken Dinner $8.00 (1/2 chicken, baked beans, slaw, roll & drink). 1/2 chicken only $6.00. ALSO vendors can rent a space for $10 to set up their own yard sale in the parking lot. Bring your own tables and pay the BBQ cashier. Vendor sale can be open from 8am-4pm.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/gms/1941049216.html

Need a car Sunday & Monday

Would anyone be willing to let me (Matt Pritchard) borrow their car Sunday and/or Monday? Looking forward to being at Holy Grounds and burgers. Let me know if you’d like to meet up while I’m in town.

Anyone Interested in The Walk to Stop Human Slavery?

Check it out here.

Tonight’s Holy Grounds canceled

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the late notice, but we realized last week that many of us aren’t around this weekend or have other plans, so we decided to cancel. There was supposed to be a picnic, but no good hosts were available.

Happy Labor Day!

-Hari

Ok Sports Fans & Non-Sports Fans Alike!

It’s a holiday weekend (something about Labor Day, I think) and that can only mean one thing…… Monday night Burgers is at noon; per our standard operating procedures for holidays.  So sleep in, eat a lite breakfast and bring your appetite to Crystal City Sports Pud for good company and grub.  If you want to skip breakfast maybe they’ll throw a fried egg on your burger and you can call it brunch!

August Update

First, I want to say sorry all of you at Holy Grounds because I sent this out a couple of weeks ago and didn’t post it.  I will try to be more faithful at posting my update on the website for those of you who don’t get my email update.  I also wanted to say particularly to you, my sending church, that I thank God for each and every one of you.  Sometimes I think about you all and my heart really longs to be there with you and partake of life with you.  I’ve had a taste of what I consider “church done well.”  Then everything else kind of tastes like bran muffins.  Not terrible but not amazing either.  I’ve been very encouraged by you and want you to know that I miss you deeply but also know that God has blessed me with you so that I could do what I do here and that it would be harder with out you all behind me supporting me.  You have enabled me past what you probably know.

The following is what I sent out in August:

Greetings!

I apologize for not having sent out an update sooner.  When you start getting into the routine of things it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have nothing to share.  I have in recent months wondered what I could write as an update.  I usually look for the heartwarming stories that everyone loves.  Those stories are what you cling to when life is less heartwarming and more struggle.  Unfortunately, the last four months have been less heartwarming and more of a dichotomy of events.  It has been dramatic shifts of opposing stances.  There have been shifts of happiness and times when the weight of ministry hangs heavily.  There have been times of health and prolonged times of sickness.  There have been times of extreme loneliness and times of community.  This up and down has become somewhat of a routine here for these past four months since I’ve last written.

So, since May, what has happened?  After the kids went back to school things seemed to go back to normal.  Things got hard and good in turn.  Mid-June I developed a full body rash that I struggled with intensely for about a month.  I spent a lot of time with doctors and hospital to find out nothing conclusive about what caused the rash.  I didn’t sleep a whole lot that month which caused me to, essentially, lose the plot entirely.  After about a month, I was able to get my sleep back although even to this day I still have itching episodes that are vaguely reminiscent of the rash.  However, the ability to sleep again makes life a lot easier.  My Thai lessons continue to go well.  I really am enjoying the language and finding little victories in Thai.  Every now and again, when I am able to have a conversation with a shop keeper or tell a story in Thai, I am so encouraged.

I believe I’ve always being an idealist.  I look at the world as how I hope it would be rather then what it currently is.  However, my idealist glasses don’t start and stop at how the world is, I look at myself and missions through these glasses as well.  I think ideally, missions would be hard at times but incredibly fulfilling.  I always thought that I’d always have passion and that fulfillment to carry me through the rough patches.  The fact of the matter is that being in missions isn’t always a passionate experience.  Being in missions is a different kind of hard that I haven’t experienced and things get dry and baron here too.  Living in a different context isn’t always as exciting as you would hope.  Those you minister aren’t always excited about you being here.  God has had to teach me how to let him carry me through and not depend on community, passion or emotions to carry me through.

When things get hard it is difficult to know what to say.  I think a year ago when I was preparing to take this trip, I had all these expectations.  When things get hard it’s easy to lose passion and perspective.  When you’ve been gone from home it’s natural to feel disconnected and after feeling disconnected, it’s normal to feel lonely.  The key thing is it’s all by design.  I really feel like God has been stripping me down layer by layer.  In doing so, there have been many low valleys and desert places.  I’ve had to take my expectations to him and lay them down.  I’ve had to mourn and even face the times when tears wouldn’t come.  Through it all though, God has always provided the manna I’ve needed.  He’s given me strength and grace to persevere.  It hasn’t been easy but God is molding me and that is exciting!  He has taught me so many amazing things that although things have been dry He’s never left me thirsty.

These months have been difficult, but, God has given me such a great friends and family to support me.  I just really want to say thank you so much for all of the encouragement that you all have provided in the past months.  Thank you for all of the finances you continue to send.  Thank you for your prayers and how you have really gotten behind and championed me through.  I am constantly blown away by all your support.

I pray you are all blessed!

Joanna