Summer Fun

My summer technically starts in May when the college students return home, but it feels like it is just getting started due to all the traveling I've done for work. No complaints though! I love traveling, going to new places and meeting new people. Mixed in with all of the work trips have been a few trips just for fun as well. I thought I would share some of my adventures with you through picture.

 

Memorial Day Weekend - Everything needed for a great weekend with my sister Anna.

Campus Ministers Retreat - One of our student leaders, Allison, and I crashed the CMR one afternoon to spend some time with Impact's Development Team and UI/WSU Lead Campus Minister, Eric.

 Don't you think Impact's president, Bill, and vice-president, Jeff, look a lot like Lewis and Clark?

 

Meet my new very smart nephew, Jude! He was born the same day I went to Michigan for VBS.

 

While I was in Michigan for VBS, I got to introduce Gianna to several of my friends, supporters, and role models. I got lost in this conversation as Judy shared her stories of competitive gymnastics with Gianna who competes for Notre Dame's club team. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

 My friend, Marianne, and her children are on home assignment this summer from their work in the Philippines. I took a few days off to go visit friends in Kentucky. Yes, I did teach her kids how to climb inside trees at Cumberland Falls.

Over the Fourth of July, I traveled back to Anna's house to spend a few days with her.

I can't believe it is already July. Where has the summer gone?

Summer So Far - July Version

July kicked off with some thing our family doesn't do often, a trip to the beach We went to Tunnel Park in Holland and had a picnic, went swimming, build some sandcastles and of course played some Frisbee. It was a blast!

Somehow I managed to not take a single picture of High School week at RLCA. However I stole this from picture from my friend Caiti because she is awesome. This was one of the most interesting weeks I've ever been a part of at Rock Lake. I've never had a group of high school student be as honest and open as the students were during this week. They took huge steps and have huge dreams of building the kingdom.

A few days after camp, my brother's foster boys went back to their birth mother. I had already made plans to hang out with my friend, Chris, who was in town but he was gracious enough to make a surprise visit with me so I could to see them one last time. We played Apples to Apples and watch the kids ride bikes. I already miss these boys a ton. I pray if they remember nothing else from their time with our family, they remember how much God loves them. I probably told them that a hundred times that night.

Since I've been able to spend more time at home this month, it was time for a party. So the Impact gang came over to eat lots of sandwiches and play some games. Scum was the big game of the night and some how Nicole spent lots of time sitting on the king's throne and I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor in the scum of the earth spot. Oh well it was a very fun night with some amazing friends!

Since most of the time I've had with my family this summer has been tied to trips for Impact, I decided to take a weekend and spent it in Vestaburg with my parents. That weekend started with the annual Lugnuts baseball game with the church. I use to babysit for all the boys in this picture. I've seen them a few times this summer and it was exciting to hear some of their stories about what God is teaching them.

Part of that weekend at home included a day trip to Indy for the Boehm-Sheese Summer Party. It was VERY hot but it was great to see part of the family we only get to see once or twice a year.

July has been full of exciting conversations. Some over a picnic meal on ND's campus. Some in an empty Burger King restaurant. Some over a cup of coffee or a simple glass of water. I really enjoy just hanging out and talking with friends. Hearing the stories of how God is moving and leading His people never gets old.

Summer So Far - June Version

I know it is still July but if you are an educator or in student ministry you know that the school year is quickly approaching. Since I haven't blogged much this summer I thought I would share a few thoughts from the summer so far.

June started with a trip to my parent's house to do some work around the house with Anna and Ryan. We did some landscaping and assembled a swing set. After all that hard work we spent plenty of time eating and playing game. One of my new favorites, bocce ball!

A couple weeks later it was back to Vestaburg to lead worship for Vacation Bible School and share more about Impact's ministry. VBS week is always a bit crazy but I had the chance to have some really good conversations with my nieces and nephews about how much God loves them. And I get to tell all the students how awesome camp is!

Then it was off to MCSC for Deeper Life, a high school week of camp. This year was probably one of my favorite weeks I've done with this team. It was a powerful week of digging into what it means to BE. My highlight was watching my friend Jonathan (one of our Impact students) have the opportunity to baptize one of his campers.

It's been too long

It has been far too long since I've been to the beach. In fact I can't really remember the last time I went to a beach. I forgot how much fun you can have there. Today I met part of my family at Tunnel Park in Holland, MI. A picnic, swimming, sand castles, Frisbee and lots of laughs make for a great day!

Time Flies

I was going to post some pictures and share a little bit about everything that has happened over the last month but then I started feeling a little old.

I was looking at this picture of my youngest niece, Cora, who turned a year old is January. I was going to write about my trip to see her and how she can now say Aunt Sarah.And then it hit me, a year from now, I'll be blogging about how my oldest niece, Heather, is graduating from high school. She went to prom this year! That's just weird.May be some day you'll get that post about what has happened over the last month, but until then I'll be trying to figure out how my nieces and nephews are growing up so fast.

Impatient Dreams

February is my least favorite month. It is during this month that I wrestle the most with my lack of patience. Winter has been here forever and spring is too far away. The blanket of snow out my back window is beautiful but it has over stayed its welcome, at least in my book.

In recent years I've tried to do less complaining about the cold weather and start dreaming more of what spring and summer will hold. I can't say I've been all to successful but at least I'm trying. Today I've done lots of dreaming and praying about some of the things I'm looking forward to this summer. Things like...

Vacation Bible School - As much as I'm not a fan of little kids songs, I love serving alongside my family and helping young students learn what it means to worship God.





Family - Coming from a family of educators, there is always more time to be together once school is out for the summer.






Chicago - This will be the first year I haven't been able to go with our GSM students to serve in Chicago. I'm pretty disappointed but I can't wait to hear what God does on their trip.









Golf - Since my brother finally taught me how to play last year, I've decided this is the summer to demolish him in the game! As a sidenote: provided there are no ankle injuries in May, I'll be back on the softball field as well!!!









CAMP!!!!!! - I'm very excited about Deeper Life and Rock Lake's High School week. I really wish I could add Camp Adventure to the schedule but unfortunately that isn't going to work out this summer.





Dear summer, PLEASE come quickly!!!

Birthday Reflections

I know I've said it before but birthdays are a big deal in our family. We have a tradition of making sure we always call each other on our birthdays. It is the one day out of the year I know I'll get to talk to everyone in my family. However, this year my phone is broke. For the first time, I didn't get to talk to anyone in my family. It was weird and a bit sad but despite that it was a great day.

I spent my day working on gifts for our core students. I LOVE GIVING GIFTS! I really couldn't care less about receiving them. In fact I'm not a huge fan but I get so excited to watch people get them.

I was able to have coffee with my amazing friend, Honey. Our conversation was full of stories of what God is teaching us. It was an incredibly encouraging time. I'm so thankful to have a friend like her. According to her, I'll be writing a few more posts because of that conversation. We'll see how that goes.

This evening we had a little Christmas party for our core group. It was a blast. We laughed so hard we cried. We ate tons of food, including an ice cream cake they bought me for my birthday. We took a ton of pictures. It has become our favorite past time as a group. You can see all of them on Facebook.

This year has been a great one. God continues to blow me away. I find myself loving Him more and more each day. This next year is going to be another incredible one!

Life is Good!

There is really no point to this post other than to blog and share a great picture DC took at GSM yesterday. And since this is my blog, I can ramble all I want...in list form of course.

- God is doing some amazing things on South Bend campuses. We've started our Core Group Bible study. We have an incredible group of students who are passionate about following Christ and anxious to share with their fellow students.

- GSM is in full swing and the school year is off to an incredible start. John taught during middle school on evil this week. Check out this awesome picture DC took during his message. Hilarious!!!
- I'm trying to find a way to take a mini-personal retreat in Kentucky. I've been waiting so long to go and visit my friends there and learn more from them. It actually looks like it could happen now. This is very exciting to me.

- I am in Michigan connecting with some students I've coached and mentored, as well as catch up with some friends and family. I made a surprise stop at the St. John's Speedway to visit my camp buddies, Jeff and Mitch. I love making quick surprise stops like that.

- I had the privilege to catch up with a good friend, Matt Schantz. I've posted before about how much I've learned from him. He has been doing campus ministry at Central Michigan for many years. He had some great advice and was incredibly encouraging. I'm very thankful we were able to connect today.

- I had a date with my Daddy tonight. He took me to my favorite restaurant back home, La Senorita's. And to make it even better was the fact that Mom got to join us since she didn't have to go in for jury duty!!! It was so much fun to just sit and hang out.

- I'm looking forward to connecting with some former students tomorrow and some other Lansing friends. These Road trips are always so refreshing.

Summer Flashback, Part 1

Since I never really blogged much about my summer, I decided I'm going to spend the next few days sharing some highlights. These posts will lead up to the big news I've been anxiously waiting to share.

Road Trip #1 - Quincy, IL and St. Louis, MO
I spent the first week after school ended with my younger sisters. While on that trip I asked God to use this summer to prepare me for the next school year. I didn't know what that meant exactly I just wanted to give him the next two months to do whatever he needed to do in me. He should have made the buckle your seat belt sign a little bigger!

VBS 2009 - Vestaburg, MI
It has become a bit of a tradition to travel home and help my home church with their VBS each summer. This year it was held at Rock Lake Christian Assembly, where I grew up going to church camp. During this week I had the opportunity to reconnect with several of the students from our church. Some of those students were in the Sunday School class I taught in high school. Others were students I use to baby sit for. Little did I know some connections and conversations that week would come into play later in the summer. (Sorry have to wait until part 2 for the rest of that story!)

Deeper Life 2009 - Michiana Christian Service Camp, Niles, MI
I can't hardly make sense out of anything I wrote during this week. It is so scattered and random! And truth be told, I'm still processing this idea of covenant. But there are a few things that caught my attention. There is a continuous theme of belonging to Christ and letting him completely reign in my life. It all started with two simple phrases God spoke very clearly to me on Day 1.

Sarah, I will fulfill my purpose for you.
Sarah, I am worthy of your trust.

When I first wrestled with them it became clear that it wouldn't play a huge rule in the week but that God needed to keep them in my heart and mind all summer. Much like the notes in my journal I left this week a little confused. I felt God confirming my call to minister to students but more uncertain of what that looks like than I ever have before.

Chicag09 - Chicago, IL
If you really want to know what happened on this trip and more of my thoughts, go check out the team blog. There are stories, pictures, and reactions galore there. I learned much more about myself than I would have ever expected. I discovered new things about how I process, lead and communicate with others. I learned more about how present the Holy Spirit really is in my life. At one point in the trip I journaled at length about this weird tension that seemed to be rising up in me. I was beginning to feel pulled in a couple different direction and I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't articulate any of it. I simply wrote, "Abba you are doing some thing deep inside me that I just don't understand. The awkward, uncomfortable feeling of being stuck between an impostor and the beloved."


So that was the month of June and July got even better. Come back tomorrow for that part of the story! Until then I've got to get some sleep. I'm not even proof-reading this. Don't judge me!

A Week in Vestaburg

I was fortunate enough to spend the first week of this month in Vestaburg with my family. I helped with Vacation Bible School at the camp and watched a lot of ball. Here are some pictures of the crazy week.

Vacation Pictures

Here are some pictures. I'm hoping to do some more blogging next week. Until then enjoy the pictures.

Tulip Time

Golden Apple Award

You may recall my previous post about how my dad was awarded the Golden Apple Award. Here is a link to the article and clip from the news. Look at how red is little face is. GO DADDY!!!!

Little Things

Little things make or break your day.

Getting messages from my dad's students about how much they appreciated having him as a teacher.
Laughing with my 8th graders.
Celebrating the passing of math finals with friends.
Worshiping with friends.
Thumbs up and high fives from friends as I make the lonely walk across the room to take wheat-free communion.
A quick hug and hello from a good friend a rarely get to talk to.
Laughing with friends after service about how to get the best sound out of a cymbal.

Yup! These things made my day.

Happy Teacher Day!

Today in National Teacher Appreciation Day, at least that is what the calendar in my classroom says. Typically that means absolutely nothing but not this year. Our family of educators has much to celebrate today.

After fighting the state of Michigan in court, the people of Vestaburg were given the chance to vote on a bond proposal today. This proposal will give the school the funds to improve the facilities for safety and energy efficiency reasons. Part of that proposal is to build a new media center, which is desperately needed. This means my mom will have the capacity to better server her students in a better facility. She has been waiting a long time for this opportunity.

Today was also the day a local TV station announced the winners of the Golden Apple Award my Daddy was nominated for last month. A couple reporters and camera men walked into Dad's classroom today to present him with his award!!!!! TV cameras in Vestaburg all because my Dad is an amazing teacher! There are only three awards given in the state and my Dad has one of them!!!! Mom said she has never seen my dad's so speechless before. He was completely surprised. He even made the evening news! He deserves this more than you can even imagine. I wish I could be just half the educator he is!

I never thought I would say this but Vestaburg was the place to be today. I can't explain to you how much excitement there has been in our family today. Praise God!!! Wish I could have been there to celebrate with my parents.

Congratulations Mom and Dad! Happy Teacher Day!

My Little Man

My sister-in-law, Nicole, took this picture for me today when we were at my grandma's for lunch. When Logan walked into the house he was still dressed up for church, complete with his new tie. He came running to give Cora and me a hug. I leaned over to hug him and whispered in his ear, "Hey there my little man. You are one handsome looking fellow. I love you!" He rolled his eyes and ran off.

I don't know if he was looking at these pictures with his mom tonight or what but this is what he told his mommy. I'm not going to lie; I teared up a little when I read it.

"I love aunt Sarah very much! I am glad your in my family!"

Spring Break 09 - Take 3

My plans to take over the world while I was on spring break started out very well. Unfortunately those plans hit several bumps later in the week. Guess I'll try again next break, which is SUMMER!!!

As you can tell from my previous posts I had a great time visiting my family. I even got to chat with Anna on the phone this weekend. You won't be surprised to find out I took lots of pictures just for you to enjoy.

Just for Jeff

After posting the picture of Cora and I playing the piano my friend, Jeff, demanded I start teaching her the drums. Well we’ve tried that a few times and it didn’t work out so well. She has cried every time. Even thrown a couple sticks and maraca. I was able to get a picture though.


However, it appears her favorite instrument, at least right now, is the organ, but only certain settings. She gets very upset if you change it. Look how intense she is when she plays.

Just for Jon

When we were younger my brother loved going out back and hitting golf balls into the field. My job was to chase the balls after he ran out. One day while he was practicing his swing he promised to teach me how to golf when I was older. I'm still waiting.

Then someone came up with this great invention called the Wii. I've become a far better Wii bowler than I'll ever be in real life. I was hoping the same would be true in golf. The first time I played those dreams were shattered but I thought I would give it another shot this weekend. Here's what happened.
I'm so nervous about this game. My nephew just shot one over par on the first hole. (Actually my practice swings were so bad, Logan said I need to get a nerf club to help me.)

Please let me hit the ball right. Please let me hit the ball right.

FAIL! I wanted to break that Nerf club. It didn't help me at all. I was 5 over on the first hole. I quit not long after that.


Rumor has it that my friend Jon is going to start a side business of giving wii golf lessons. I also know he is really good. So good I might now be able to afford him. I'm hoping after reading this he'll feel so sorry for me, he'll donate part of his time.

Family of Educators

I come from a family of genius educators, which most days makes me feel inadequate as an educator. My parents are teachers. I have aunts and uncles who teach at the college level. Several of my cousins have gone into education. They are all very good too.

Uncle Ron is one of those. He is a professor of psychology at York University. He was recently featured in an online magazine for his use of technology in his courses. For those of you outside the education world, making use of technology in teaching is a HUGE deal. You can read the article here.

Recently my dad was nominated by his student council to receive a Golden Apple Award. My understanding is there are only three handed out in the state. Here is what one of his students wrote about him.

Larry Koutz - Math Teacher
Vestaburg High School
Mr. Koutz is a very hard worker. He knows how to get through to any student. He is a no-nonsense teacher and truly cares about the education of our youth. He has been a teacher at Vestaburg High School for 37 yrs. He is the student council adviser, quiz bowl coach, and he keeps score for every boys and girls basketball game, boys football game, and girls volleyball game including both middle school and high school games. He also teaches many college and dual enrollment mathematics courses and many times does so without the benefit of a prepatory period. In addition, he is a very active member of the community and participates in many community activities. He is truly an amazing teacher and person and is greatly respected by the entire community.

He was my favorite teacher of all time. He'll do whatever he can to help students understand the material. Even answering math questions over the phone late at night! Voting is currently taking place and the winners of this reward will be announced in May. You can read more about the award or vote for him here.

I'm proud of my daddy and Uncle Ron. I've learned a lot from both of them. Hopefully it helps me become a better teacher.