The Beginning

Hi everyone!

So I know I have been MIA from communicating with everyone for a little while now, and I am truly sorry about that. So, to be able to tell everyone what I am doing, I decided to start this blog to keep everyone updated! This is also an outlet where I can share my funny stories, my woes and the journey I am on with finding more of myself and continuing to develop my relationship with God. You are more than welcome to read what you like out of it, I just hope to keep all my friends and family informed on what I am doing and if you have any questions about what I am doing, PLEASE contact me! I would love to chat 1) about my service experience and 2) about your life as well!

I am currently serving with Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) in their Camp program. So this means I am serving at camp shawnee over the summer, which is what I did this past summer, and during the other seasons I am serving in the schools! I, along with another volunteer Savannah, go into schools with Jordan, the community educator, and Caitlin, the camp coordinator! We are currently learning how to manage a classroom while teaching a wide range of topics for different grades. We teach curriculums for grades 4-8, and I am also a teachers Aid in an elementary school helping from K-4th grade. This is way out of the realm of what I went to school for. I am a fish in a completely new ocean. But this is the excitement with my year of service, I am in a realm of unknown things and will come out with a handful of new skills and better understanding of so much. I have seen some campers from the summer in schools, which is always so much fun because they take a second to remember who I am and then get REALLY excited! These kids in schools, and the teens in our teen leadership program, truly make this place feel like home. The people in CAP, so nice, so welcoming and are all really making this year so fun. Oh, also, I live in a house with 6 other people! My community is my biggest challenge of the year and I hope to get a better grasp on it as time goes on, but Rome wasn't built in a day!

Now, onto today! The classes we saw today were in 6th grade and they have been learning coping strategies. Jordan asked the students today how many of them have used the coping skills we taught them, the guided meditations, etc... and a good majority of all classes said they have used guided meditation, take a break from fortnite & social media, and are learning to utilize their coping strategies. To hear that is such a heart warming feeling, and I couldn't be more proud of students at such a young age to begin using these skills to help themselves. I also was told that in a recent presentation, the 6th grade class was asked about coping strategies and every student in 6th grade could rattle off every coping strategy we taught them. There are times I have wondered if they are listening and taking this stuff serious, and this is proof that they are. These things are the motivators to continue to gain more knowledge to share with the students, to help the students cope with the struggles they have, and to give them the best me I can put forward.

Thank you everyone for your support, and I hope you enjoy trying on my CAP!
Until next time, Peace, Love and Blessings! (PS This is a photo of the hike we all took on Sunday!)