I'm kicking it off

I am kicking it off here. The first introduction to my groomsmen begins today over at our other blog: Koinonia.

You can read about our engagement story, Cassie's bridesmaids and look forward to more updates on our wedding planning. 

I won't say too much as Andy does a pretty good job talking about our friendship thus far in life. If you have a couple extra minutes in your day take a gander at it and stay tuned for more groomsmen shortly.

The Koinonia Blog

It's finally time for an update

Well, Cassie and I have moved to Missouri. It's official and real. As real as the sweat on my forehead on a 85 degree day with 85% humidity. However, it hasn't been a very difficult transition.

We packed the Uhaul and my truck all on Saturday the 3rd of August. We mostly had boxes, which made the packing easier. We had the help of my brother, his girlfriend, my dad, mom, Emilee and Xander from the youth group. Those hands meant that we were fully packed in 90 minutes from picking up the box truck from the Uhaul supplier!

After a quick lunch, we were on the road to Phoenix to stuff a few extra items into the back of the truck from Cassie's parent's house and to have a small get together to say good bye with our Valley friends. 

Just leaving Amarillo.

We were on the road at 6:30am on Sunday, ready for a long haul of a day. After hours on the road, a couple cups of coffee and a number of pee breaks, we made it to Amarillo, TX. It was already 9pm when we rolled into town because of crossing two time zones throughout the day. Luckily, there were no issues and despite the long day, we made it safe.

Amarillo Sunrise.

Monday was just as easy. We had the goal of making it to Cassie's grandparents house in Havana, AR that night. We hit some construction in Oklahoma City but, again, no delays and just a long day of driving. It was this day that it hit me that we were moving into unknown territory. After living in the Ponderosa Pine forests my whole life, Oklahoma was an alien world. This move became real.

Somewheresville, OK

We saw Cassie's grandpa and grandma, and her aunt and uncle in Arkansas and spent a quick night there. Her grandma drove us up the highest mountain in Arkansas, Magazine Mountain, which is right outside their front door. I have the intention of going back and riding my bike up that road someday. 

After another $100 fill of the uhaul gas tank, we were off for our final push into Columbia. The only hiccup we had the whole trip was this day when we hit a road closure and had to take a 20 minute detour. It was painful because of how close we were and how done we both felt driving all that way. We rolled into town, took a quick wrong turn, got corrected and were at our new home by 2:30pm Tuesday afternoon. We made it!

We decided to just get everything unloaded into the garage and we will then begin the process of sorting through things over the next couple of days. 

That's just the space emptied from our 7 bikes.

Slowly our house began to take shape. We were missing a lot of furniture pieces, but our kitchen, bedroom and office eventually became functional. We now have a couch that we found on Craigslist, Cassie has a desk that we found the same way and our bank accounts are a little lighter because of the whole moving process.

Cassie has started her classes and meetings with her department this week. She is generally gone most of the day during the week. I am spending my time searching and applying for jobs, going on bike rides to get a feel for the area better and keeping the chores at the house taken care of. 

We both went on a group ride on Tuesday night and met a number of other, really fast, cyclists. We are joining a fun volleyball league with a number of people from her department at school this fall. We have visited and decided on a wedding venue for ourselves for next Summer (stay tuned for an official announcement). 

Our new home.

Overall, we are loving Columbia and all that it has offered so far. The weather, until this week, has been amazing. The bugs haven't been nearly as bad as I was expecting and we have found a church that we are going to continue to explore and get to know.

We thank you for all the prayers and support that everyone has shown us in this transitional time of our lives and we want to offer up our guest room as a thank you to anyone wanting to come visit.

Volunteer Hearts (Part 6)

 Thank you to Elyssa Lorenz, we are back on for another week. Elyssa hails from Chicago and was part of Team Alamo during the Gathering. Take a read of her experience at the NYG 2013.



What made you decide to apply to be a YAV?

I decided to become a YAV when I went to the New Orleans gathering and saw how much fun the YAVs were having. I wanted to be a YAV from the minute I came home and knew I couldn't go back as a participant again because of my age. I wanted to experience the gathering in a different light.

What were you expecting being a YAV would be like?

Like a lot of people said before I thought it was going to be a lot of work. Not a lot of down time. I was on Team Alamo and we lead all the dances during the mass events and so we had to practice every morning but it was so much fun. I met so many new people and experienced an awesome week from a different point of view.

What was the most overwhelming moment you experienced at the Gathering?

The most overwhelming part of the gathering would be the first night. Seeing all the participants coming in and knowing I will be dancing in front of them all in minutes. But I enjoyed every minute of the mass events.

Where did you see God's love the most during your week at the Gathering?

I saw God's love when the participants wanted to learn the dances that we were doing during the mass events, and got excited to dance while doing them. Another time I saw God's love was actually after the gathering when I was in the airport back in Chicago. A guy that attended the gathering with his youth group saw my orange backpack and thanked me for my hard work and offered to carry my suit cases.

What would you tell someone to convince them to apply to be a YAV in the future?

I would say that if you enjoyed the gathering as a participant, you should apply to be a YAV because you will enjoy it even more. You get to work with people from all over the United States. You make friends that will last forever, and the YAV family is awesome. We are all still communicating a month and a half later, via prayer requests and prayers of praise.  I hope to see old and new faces in 2016!!!!

Volunteer Hearts (Part 5)

After a one week hiatus away from Team Durango, we are back! This week, we here from Rachel Schildwachter (only makes sense that she is Lutheran with a last name like that). Rachel is originally from Maryland but currently makes her home in Orlando, Florida and works for Disney World! Awesome. 

Here is her story.

What made you decide to apply to be a YAV?

I had attended both the 2004 and 2007 gatherings in Orlando and it was some of the best experiences of my life. I truly believe that NYG is a wonderful thing for our youth, and knew that I wanted to be a part of it again. In addition, being from an event world, I wanted to see what the other side of the gathering would be like.

What were you expecting being a YAV would be like?

I was expecting long hours, and more work than play. However, for me working the mass events was like not working at all. I had so much fun and was still able to grow in my faith. I knew that I would meet people from all over the country, but the Orange Nation team allowed time for us to bond and just hang out together. I met some incredible people, and now I have some amazing friends all over the country.

What was the most overwhelming moment you experienced at the Gathering?

The very first night was emotionally overwhelming for me. I remember being at past gatherings and seeing God working in the thousands of people that were there. However this year I was in the Alamodome before the participants arrived. I saw them flood into the room to find their seats. And as the music began, and the thousands in the room started singing, I couldn't help but be moved. It was hard to hold back the tears. 

Where did you see God's love the most during your week at the Gathering?

God's love overwhelmed the city of San Antonio that week. For me, I think that where I saw God's love the most was just on the streets. Since we all had similar backpacks, it was obvious to tell who was with the gathering. Walking around the city, our team would give high fives and chant whenever we saw a youth group. It was incredible to know that all of these random people would respond willingly back to us. This just showed that none of us were afraid to proclaim our love for God and His love for us!

What would you tell someone to convince them to apply to be a YAV in the future?

This was one of the best weeks of my life. To be a part of a gathering of 25000 other Lutherans is an experience that is hard to put into words. In addition, we were able to walk around and ensure that those 25000 people that were there, were having a good time. And even though we were only together a week, the bonds that you make are incredible. I would not trade my experience for the world!

Volunteer Hearts (Part 4)

This week, we break out of the mold of Team Durango and welcome our first post by another team. We hear from Bob Etheridge from Team Longhorn. Bob is from Indianapolis, Indiana and currently attends Concordia St. Paul.

Take it away:

What made you decide to apply to be a YAV?

I decided to be a YAV because the gathering in New Orleans three years ago had changed my life to be a more loving person to the people I met. This has wanted me to be able to show the love of Christ to everyone including the youth at the gathering. It made me want to bring the light of Christ to everywhere I go. My DCE at my home congregation had told me that he and his wife had been YAVs before and really encouraged me and others from my congregation to volunteer. They said that you would build relationships with those in the synod. Since I am going into ministry I believed it would be a great way to develop new relationships with other Lutherans that I may one day be working with in congregations if they continue to be active in their churches.  I also liked the part of serving the youth, so that they could see God in their lives.

What were you expecting being a YAV would be like?

I had heard stories from my DCE that you would work the whole time down there. I would get no breaks, and would barely be able to make time to eat meals during the week. I believed I would get very little sleep because I would be working all day and night. I expected to bond with my teammates, and those were the only people I would meet at the gathering, since I would spend the majority of my time with them. I believed I meet brothers and sisters that I could still communicate with after the Gathering to continue the relationships that had been made. I also expected to grow in my relationship with God, knowing that he is the reason why I live, and why I chose to be a YAV. In this I could come out of the gathering to live loved to the people I interact with the rest of my life.

What was the most overwhelming moment you experienced at the Gathering?
 
The most overwhelming moment was being able to commune with 25,000 people who all believe the same thing I believe. That was awesome. It reminds me of all the saints who celebrate the victory of the Lamb in heaven.  I loved when we sang This is the Feast of Victory for Our God. The power of knowing that Jesus lives forever and comes to us through the word and the bread and wine, allows me to be able to live loved knowing that there are over 25,000 Lutherans who care for me. That was truly amazing, and I look forward to the feast that is to come with all my brothers and sisters through all ages with Jesus.

Where did you see God’s love the most during your week at the Gathering?

Everywhere! God’s love surrounded the whole Gathering. He got all the YAV’s to the Hotel nice and safely on Saturday. He got all the participants to San Antonio in a timely gathering. The city offered nice accommodation with lodging and food for the whole week at its hotels and restaurant. God’s love was seen in the YAV’s enthusiasm for the youth, to get them excited, or giving them a high five, or even a free hug here and there. It’s in that physical touch of a hug or a high five, they feel the touch of Christ, knowing that Christ is in us. So when we give a hug or a high five or a pat on the back it is Christ working through us to give them that hug allowing him to remind them of his love through the whole Christian community at the gathering. God’s love was seen on that Thursday morning worship when we celebrated the resurrection. How he wants each and every one of us to come to him and be a part of him in his kingdom forever. How out of his love for us he sent Jesus to die for us, so that we might be saved.

What would you tell someone to convince them to apply to be a YAV in the future?

Being a YAV allows you to get to bond and build great relationships that will last for eternity with people who believe the same thing you do. You have the opportunity to work with the bands in concerts, working with the community at the service events, or helping out at the mass events. You get the opportunity to change someone life by being the love of Jesus to them. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of hard work, but a lot of love that you can share to the youth at the gathering. Everyone should apply to be a YAV who is applicable so that they can continue to grow in their relationship with God at the gathering, as well as meet new Lutherans, and to be able to show Christ love to the youth.