Broken

Anxiety.  Worry.  Stress.  Fear. 

I know them well.  I've struggled with these unwelcome emotions my entire life. 

In Chapter 2 of his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan says:

 "Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

"Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control." 

"Both worry and stress reek of arrogance.  They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed."

Reading that chapter last week could not have been timelier, as I am currently in the throes of an anxiety cycle.  It was one of those "was this chapter written specifically for me?" moments.  Hard to process.  But, very necessary.   

I'm learning that my anxiety is often linked to my desire to "fix things."  When I see a problem, I have a hard time letting it go.  In my own strength, I try to come up with solutions to fix a problem and when the solutions don't come easily, I tighten my grip of control and try harder.  It's rather exhausting and completely ineffective, not to mention arrogant.  In the end, I usually experience some sort of physical, bodily manifestation of the stress, such as a migraine or a few weeks of vertigo, as well as a broken relationship that needs mending.  Sounds fun, doesn't it?

I don't always get it wrong.  There are times when I do trust God and in His strength, we are able to make some fantastic changes together.  Having a "problem solver" type personality can have its up-sides, too!

But right now, I've definitely got it all wrong.  I'm anxious about a whole laundry list of things that I can't seem to fix. 

Slowly and gently, God is breaking me.  He is using people and circumstances and books and His Word to remind me that He is in control and He is worthy of my trust.  I'm slowing peeling open my fingers and letting my palms be open and upward.   

As I begin to see Him and His goodness more clearly, I simultaneously see my failings more clearly - my difficulty loving those who are different from me, my pride, my need to control, my harsh words, my desire for comfort. 

Broken is a hard place to be.  But, I'm once again reminded that it's a good place - because broken is where God's love and grace abound.    

During this last week of Lent, may I continue to be broken that I might fully celebrate Easter this coming Sunday.  

May I give up fear, anxiety, worry, and stress and instead, put God in His rightful place.

May I trust that God has me and my family right where we are, in this place and time, for a specific purpose and that He will protect us. 

And, may I have the courage to stay where He's called us (and not run) - even when it seems so very hard.

Spring Days in the Neighborhood

Spring brought with it a handful of opportunities for us to be out and about in our neighborhood:

Pitching wiffle balls to a line of neighbor kids.

It's great to have friends back on our front lawn in the evenings!  We've missed them this winter.

Celebrating a double birthday at the fire station just down the street from our house.

Thanks firefighter Matt for the awesome tour of the station and RIDE on the fire engine.  Thanks Sarah for hooking us up with your firefighter brother.  And thanks Adriane for loaning us the super cute firefighter costumes.

And t-ball practice at our local school where we're meeting many new friends

and enjoying the diversity of Jonah's team immensely.

What sort of spring fun are you having in your neighborhood?

Two Turn Three!

Happy 3rd Birthday Nicolas and Riley!

(Nico and Ri being goofy at Jonah's t-ball practice yesterday)

We've come a long way!

 (two days old - Nico on left, Riley on right)

Thank you for teaching me patience and love like I've never known them before.  I love you so much my little bug and bear cub. 

Our Summer Adventure

This summer, Steve will be working one block from here:

as an intern for a federal district court judge in Washington DC.

We are very excited about this opportunity for him and our entire family!

There are many things that make it seem a little crazy and unconventional: the internship is not paid; we'll have a mortgage in Sacramento and rent in DC to pay at the same time; traveling and getting around with three very energetic little boys will be quite a challenge; we have no idea who is going to rent a furnished apartment to a family with small children; and the list goes on and on.  But, in spite of all of that, we both feel an incredible peace about this opportunity.  And sometimes, the things that seem a little crazy are exactly the things that we are supposed to do! 

So, Steve will head-out sometime around the first week of June.  The boys and I will fly out a bit later (after The GreenHouse's "Kids at Heart" fundraiser and once the Summer Day Camp staff is settled).  Altogether, Steve will be there for 10 weeks and the boys and I will be with him for around 8 weeks. 

Some of the things I'm looking forward to the most about our summer adventure in DC:

1.  Having the opportunity to spend extended, uninterrupted time with my sons (without dashing off to a meeting or work or Bible Study or whatever else fills my time) is a precious gift that I will treasure.  And the fact that this is the summer before Jonah starts kindergarten and the twins start preschool makes it even more special for me.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to pour extra love into them before sending them off to the next stage of their lives. 

2. I can't wait for all of the learning opportunities that will be available in DC! Everything from the Smithsonian to the Holocaust Memorial Museum to all the monuments...what a fantastic place for us to learn about history and government.  Not to mention all of the non-profit orgs doing fantastic work in DC that I will hopefully have the chance to visit and glean wisdom from. 
3.  I'm looking forward to living a more simple life for two months: fewer toys, fewer clothes, less clutter.  Just the stuff we need.  No car.  Getting around on the metro.    

4.  Removing myself from the day-to-day functions of The GreenHouse will allow me to step back and do some "big-picture" visioning and planning.  I'm planning to spend a little bit of time working on a project that I normally can't get to because of daily distractions.  Not sure what that will be just yet, but I'm excited for the possibilities. 

5.  Celebrating the Fourth of July in Washington DC will be amazing.  Anyone want to visit? 

And of course, while there are many things to be excited about, there are also things that I will fret over in the coming months.  The following are some of those concerns (and the ways that you can help us out if you'd like):
1.  Housing - Do you know anyone that might want to rent our house in Sacramento for 2 months (mid June to mid Aug)?  Or, do you know of anyone in DC that might have a place for us to rent this summer?  Even better, do you know of anyone in DC that would want to "house swap" with us?  Ask everyone you know!  And let us know if you find any leads. 

2.  Short-term Help - Since Steve has to fly out before me, there will be a week or more where I am home alone with the kids.  Unfortunately, that will coincide with THE busiest time of the entire year at The GreenHouse.  It's the time of year when we wrap up our school-year programs with an end-of-the year celebration/volunteer appreciation...and then a few days later hold our annual fundraiser dinner/auction...and then we turn around and kick-off our summer programs with new staff and volunteers and youth.  Yikes...those weeks are a whirlwind and exhausting just by themselves!  Add to the mix: packing for 8 weeks, potentially getting my house ready for renters (i.e: deep cleaning and packing stuff into boxes), caring for 3 kids by myself, getting all of us to the airport on time, etc, etc, etc.  It's a little bit dizzying to think about.  So, I'm calling on my peeps - to help me out!  If you'd like to entertain my children for a hour or two during that time period so I can pack or clean or take a deep breath, please let me know.   

GreenHouse News

(Below is the latest GreenHouse e-newsletter which went out to our mailing list last week.  I've already written posts on some of these stories, but some of them are new.) 

Hello, friend of The GreenHouse! Please take a moment to read about the latest happenings at The GreenHouse including a community-led effort to help Haiti, a successful Parent Night, and the many extra-curricular activities our kids and teens participated in this winter.

Community Led Project Raises $1100 for Haiti!
After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we asked our youth a simple question, "What can we do to help?" One fifth grader named Perla replied, “We could sell tamales.” It was a brilliant idea.

The next week, Perla began knocking on doors, asking women from the neighborhood if they’d be willing to make tamales for the project. The women were eager to donate their time and talent to help out. Before long, several of them had signed-on to make over 300 homemade tamales.

Around that same time, Community Presbyterian Church gave one of its members $100 and an assignment: to multiple the money and then give it to a worthy cause. The timing was just right. That $100 became the "seed" money that purchased the ingredients for the tamales.

On February 28, Perla and a friend helped gather the nearly 300 fresh, warm tamales and transport them to Sanctuary Covenant Church where they were sold for $2.00 each. Around $600 was raised on the tamales alone. Others from Community Presbyterian Church caught wind of the project and began to make cash donations. In the end, the Tamales for Haiti project raised $1100 for Heartline Ministries in Haiti! We are so proud of Perla and all of the GreenHouse kids who helped with the project. And, we are grateful to all of the women from our neighborhood who sacrificially gave of their time, talent, and resources to make the tamales. This project was a demonstration of asset-based community development at its best. An idea from the community, relevant to the community, using the gifts of the community can make a powerful impact!

Engaging Parents and Strengthening Relationships
On February 23rd, The GreenHouse hosted a Parent Night for all of the parents who have a child or teen enrolled in one of our programs. It was a terrific opportunity for our staff to cast vision, share important dates and details, and deepen relationships with the parents. We even played a fun ice-breaker/game together!

At the end of the evening, every parent who attended the meeting was entered into a raffle to win one of two gently-used, donated computers. The two families who won were thrilled to receive a computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Upon receiving her computer the next day, one mother said with a huge grin, “Soy muy contento!” It was her family’s first computer and she was so very grateful. Thank you to the Fred Jordan Mission for passing the used computers on to The GreenHouse. And, a very special "thank you" to volunteer Dave Young who translated the entire meeting into Spanish.

"and the winner is....."

Out and About this Winter
The children and teens of The GreenHouse have been busy this winter, participating in a variety of fun and enriching activities.

The R4 teens toured Folsom Lake College, making it the 4th college they have visited this school year.

The third-graders went ice-skating.

The teens had a blast at a Super Bowl Party.

The youth have attended countless Kings games (thank you Maloof Sports and Entertainment)

Our Leaders in Training team has become a "Youth Action Team" with the Youth Development Network.

The fifth and sixth graders went sledding and felt snow for the first time.

Save the Date
Kids at Heart 2010 will be held on Sunday, June 6th at 5:30 at Sofia Restaurant. Tickets are $50 and will be available next month. We hope you'll join us!

Thank You for your continued support!
For more information or to make a donation, contact us at:
The GreenHouse
P.O. Box 348138
Sacramento, CA 95834
(916)402-7978
http://www.thegreenhousecenter.org/

"Tamales for Haiti" at The GreenHouse

It all started with a question: "How can we help Haiti?"  A fifth grader replied, "We could sell tamales."

Soon after, the vision spread throughout the community.  Six moms signed-on to make almost 300 homemade tamales.

The outpouring of generosity and participation was humbling.  

The delicious tamales were sold at Sanctuary Covenant Church for $2 each.  Community Presbyterian Church in Danville donated cash towards the effort.   

In the end, the Tamales for Haiti project raised just over $1000 for Heartline Ministries in Haiti!!

Wow.  It's one thing to learn about Asset Based Community Development and Christian Community Development principles such as Empowerment.  It's quite another to see them in action. 

An idea from the community, relevant to the community, using the gifts of the community - what a powerful impact it makes!