JHSP 2013, the end.

Well, this morning we put all the students and staff on airplanes and waved goodbye to Jackson Hole Summer Project 2013. There was both a sigh of relief and a tear of sadness on my face. This month was so very sweet for our family... the students and staff were so dear. But when it's time to go home, it's just time to go home.

I have to brag on my husband for a minute. This was his first state-side project to lead. (We led the East Asia one together our first summer married and YIKES we did not know what we were doing.) He did so well shepherding our staff and students and leading us all to the good, green fields of the gospel... amidst the stress of watching over 40 wandering sheep.




I was just looking over the students' evaluations of the project and thought I'd close up this blog series with their words. They are why we came, after all. Here are some of the ways they said they've grown over the past month:

"I matured in my faith, gained a deeper understanding of the depth of the gospel and how it applies to situations in my life."



"I grew in understanding how much the Lord loves me despite me."



"God taught me that being a Christian is not about works, but about the relationship with him. I truly learned why Jesus died on the cross for our sins."


"God is asking me to leave all idols and things behind so that I can fully depend on him."



"I am confident and excited about sharing the gospel and better equipped to do so."



"I grew in my walk with the Lord in so many ways. I have grown in my desire to study the Bible and pray consistently, build a community, and grasp unconditional love."



"I've grown in my awareness of how big the cross is and how Jesus covers all my sins, not just the small ones. Also, I'm learning more and more to be content in all kinds of circumstances, not just the ones I see as 'good'."




"I really learned foundations in reading the Bible, praying, and starting a small group! Very pivotal in my growth."



"I really grew in my understanding of the gospel. I learned what it really means to trust in the Lord and walk with him."



"I have fallen more in love with the gospel and put a stamp of 'worth it' on it."




"I have really grown in my faith and really developed a personal and intimate relationship with the Lord." 

It's always so hard to say goodbye (cue Boyz II Men) to our students from summer projects, but I love knowing that we are sending them out well equipped to pursue Jesus at home and share Him with others. And we know that ultimately this equipping is not our doing, but that of our good Father... because:

"seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence." 2 Peter 1:3

We are praising God tonight that these 28 students are not in our hands... but the hands of a Father who loves His children so well. 

Two years & Nine (and ten!) Months

This Little Man is a seasoned traveler and I'm sure he we always have a place in his heart for the west. He has lived out west for a total of almost four months of his life (five if you count pre-natal). And I couldn't love a boy in boots more.

Let me just get real with everyone. This has been the hardest two months with him I've ever had. Wilson, if you really do read these later in life (or if your wife makes you read them some day), I couldn't adore you any more and I will never love you any less... but life is hard for us right now. I think we are in an ugly combination of the (seriously) terrible twos and being in a new place with a non-consistent schedule. Not to mention sugar. There is just way too much sugar floating around summer projects. I make a vow every morning to not let this guy near sugar and some how it ALWAYS happens. It's almost always my fault, too.

He is still cute and smart and can be sweet, but man does he have STRONG opinions and they are always opposite of my opinion (after he waits to see what my opinion is). We went out for Father's Day lunch and he spilled his Sprite (see... sugar! I did it as a bribe, too...double whammy), told (screamed at) the waitress to take back his food, demanded to have my plate instead, screamed at me for putting ketchup on my plate, tried to make my ketchup disappear with his hands, high-pitched screamed at the sight of ketchup on his hands, made every one turn around to their horror to see a toddler screaming at his (bloody?) hand, demanded to have my burger, no... not a bite... he wanted to HOLD the burger, I said no, he swiped the burger, I said "Swiper, no swiping!", he did not laugh at my joke, MELT.DOWN., he said he had to go potty, in the bathroom he peed on his shorts and my shoes... on purpose (Yes, Gigi, it WAS on purpose).

And y'all... that's an hour in the life. Mothers of two year olds... you.are.not.alone. 

 

Okay, now that I've been real, I want to talk about how precious my Little Man is aside from just being two and figuring out these things called emotions.

He is still Mr. Sociable and so I'm sure you can imagine how he feels about being around 28 college students. IN HEAVEN.

If he doesn't know your name, you are called "friend" and isn't that sweet? "Hey friend, did you see that airplane?" His two favorites here are a girl from home named Mckenzie that he calls "Kenzie" and a girl named Liz that he calls "Wiz." I kind of love that all his L's are W's.

He still loves trains, cars, airplanes, and animals... but a new favorite thing is bugs. I mean is he the stereotypical boy or what? I didn't even have to introduce them to him. One day he just started noticing ants and now we can hardly go anywhere without him squatting and squinting at some six legged creature on the ground. We found a bug dictionary at a consignment shop here and we will find him on his bed studying like he is about to take an entomology exam. 

One of my favorite things about him is that he can't stand to not be in a conversation. If he is around a bunch of grown-ups that are not talking to him he will all of the sudden start spitting out phrases like "Yeah... I don't know... if we do it... I'm not sure I think... so..." all the while scrunching up his nose and crossing his arms and it is absolutely hysterical. 

He loves being with his Daddy and during the times that Andrew has him and I am working, their favorite thing to do is go on moose hunts. We have seen so many moose here, a beaver, lots of deer, and Wyoming ground squirrels (his favorite... they are kind of like prairie dogs).

Although stubborn, he is tender hearted and when I was down with the stomach bug he kept asking me in the sweetest voice, "Mommy do you feel better?"

 His sleeping is terrible right now, but I said I was only going to talk about how precious he is... so let's just say we are all TIRED.

I really hope he remembers this time in Wyoming, because we are making some really sweet memories. He has gotten to see Yellowstone (He saw some steam coming out of a building this morning and said "Mommy, I think I see Ol-Fafe-ful!"), he ran the very end of a half marathon with his daddy, he's been on a hike, rode a tram to the top of a mountain, been to a horse farm, saw a rodeo (He said his favorite were the bulls... and that they told the cowboys "Get off of me!") and has just lived life with a bunch of college students. 

When I get sad about him not having a little brother or sister yet, I just think about how much precious one on one time I'm getting with this sweet little boy and then it makes me never want to give him up as an only child. Although we are mostly at odds right now, my bond with him is sweet and strong. A love that many waters can not quench. Not even the waters of the terrible twos. I love you, Little Man.

"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away."

Song of Solomon 8:7a

Yellowstone

This Tuesday we took our group out on the most Americana family vacation destination: Yellowstone. It was a fun day of just being tourists and enjoying time with the students. 

Our first stop was a picnic at Old Faithful. Being third time veterans, Andrew and I have realized that the best spot to watch and eat is from the observation deck at the Old Faithful Inn.

Wilson reenacting the geyser. He LOVED it this time.

Mckenzie (student from Southern Miss who is acting as a staff on the project), Katie (intern from Ole Miss), and I hanging out on the observation deck

Old Faithful Inn is my favorite part about Yellowstone.

Then we just did some cruising around (the South Loop) the park and admiring God's grand designs.

Grand Prismatic... a huge hot spring. The colors!!

A sweet new friend, Carolyn. She rode in our car and helped me so much with Wilson!

Some of the girls on project

Artist's Point

My girls, Liz & Elisabeth

It was such a fun day full of good memories. Never mind the fact that I started symptoms of a stomach bug on the way back home and was sick all night. Ack! It's not fun to be sick on project (especially for Andrew who had to juggle both taking care of Wilson and leading the project for a day and a half.) We seem to all be doing well now but would appreciate you praying along with us that I didn't pass this along to anyone else (especially Wilson!!)

Jackson Hole Update

After 1,800 miles, we arrived in Jackson, Wyoming last Friday. Wilson did well on the drive if well means awake, talkative, and needy. :) 

We made stops in Kentucky to see my family, St. Louis to see some dear friends (Robert & Katherine), and then a boring two days of Nebraska and nowhere, Wyoming. We were all ready to get to Jackson Hole by the end.

Pulling into JH was so sweet because it felt like another home. (I feel like we have a lot of homes.) I'm a lover of consistency so it was nice to walk into a summer project and place that feels familiar to us.

The first few days were just us as a staff team (there are 13 of us) getting acclimated and preparing for the students to come. Andrew is directing the project with a staff girl from Georgia, Whitney. Our staff team is awesome and we are so thankful that each of them are here. 

It was clear from the beginning that Wilson would acclimate just fine.

On Tuesday the students arrived and OH are they precious. I helped with the girl's applications and briefings, so it was so fun to be able to put faces with names that I had been praying for for so long. I know Andrew felt the same. We have 20 girls and 8 guys from mostly the southeast but also a few from other states like Virginia and Iowa. 

 They come from all different backgrounds and all different places in their walks with the Lord. Some are already leading small groups and discipling others back home at their colleges. Some are just understanding what it means to follow Jesus for the first time. I said this last year, but when we told our stories in our small groups the first night, I couldn't help but think that this is how the disciples must have felt when they started to hear stories that Jesus had risen from His grave. He is REAL. I have seen Him! He has tangibly entered into my life and made sense of the chaos.

 

One of the many blessings of our job is being up close and personal with college students' life stories and how the gospel turns their life upside down. It is so refreshing.

We do all meals together in the most stereotypically Western kitchen you have ever seen.

I love this aspect of the JH project, because it really adds to the feel that we are a family for the summer.

In the mornings, the students enter a classroom like setting and hear from one of the staff as they share a talk on things like "The Gospel Story" or "How to share your story" or "How to study the Bible." This is a discipleship project, so our hope is to train students in how to walk well with the Lord and create gospel-centered communities when they return home to their campuses.

After lunch we do a fun activity, normally a hike. (Because we are in the most gorgeous spot in the United States, after all.)

W slept the whole way up this hike and sang the whole way down.

On Monday nights we have Small Groups (We are going through a study called Gospel Growth). Amy (who is on staff with us at Southern Miss) and I are leading a group together. On Thursday nights we have Men's and Women's time. The boys are going through Thoughts for Young Men and the girls are going through Calm My Anxious Heart. Throughout the week we meet with students we have been assigned to disciple to make sure they are tracking with the incredible amount of information they are being given and to just check on their hearts.


I'm pretty much in love with my girls, Liz & Elisabeth. Yes, we are the Eliz(s)abeths and isn't that great?



Overall, we are loving ministry here and we could not be more thankful for those of you who sent us here with prayers, finances, and love. We hope you know that you really are making an eternal difference on these students' lives and ultimately the world as they walk what they believe when they return home. Much love to all of you from the Harwells!