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A day late but no money short.

17 Jun
My apologies to my devoted nightly readers – shout-out to Mary O. – as I let you down last night. *head hanging* I realize that you were probably on the edge of your seat. Did they raise enough money for a cow? Was the craft an absolute disaster or success? How many hot dogs does it take to serve a crowd of 65 children?
I promise I had a good excuse. My younger brother came into town! Ben, who was home in WI for only a matter of days after his month-long national park-hopping experience out west, decided to take a short Minnesota tour. He rolled into Dawson around 5, ate dinner (“Supper” in western MN – I’ve been corrected many times.) with the pastors and VBSers, and then took, oh, just a forty mile bike ride while I did the VBS thing for the last evening. He was a dear and helped us clean up from the chaos at church and then we hung out at my apartment. This morning we both slept in, ate oatmeal and drank coffee. We were going to play a round of golf (To which every one of my co-workers responded with, “You play golf?” No. I don’t but I was willing to hit a few balls and drive his cart.) but it was quite windy this morning so we 86’d that plan. He was Cities-bound by noon to make it to Minneapolis for an evening canoe derby with a few cousins of ours. Anyways, I had a visitor. Hence, no blog post. Apologies.
I feel a tiny bit empty inside. A little lost. My gears need to be changed to a post-VBS world. VBS is over. Last night was a great final evening. In crafts we donned our tie-dye t-shirts and decorated picture frames. (We’ll mail each camper a group picture next week to put in their frames!) We did our normal rotation and then ended with a program in the sanctuary with parents, grandparents, and friends in attendance.

As part of our closing program, we did our “show us a cow!” ditty. There were 26 cows on the screen as of earlier that evening; we were nine cows short of purchasing our dairy cow. (That’s $90 in non-VBS speak that had to have been put in the pool earlier that night. Our kitchen crew was wonderful to count the change so we’d have the results.) We put our chart up on the screen, explained the process to the new people present, and started yelling. And yelling. “Show us a cow! Show us a cow! Show us a cow!”
You should have heard the cheers when we saw our final cow on the screen! (My brother was in the church parking lot, returning from his bike ride, and he said he heard them outside!) The campers went crazy! Yelling, screaming, clapping! They were so excited that we had brought in enough coins to buy our dairy cow through Lutheran World Relief. It made me positively giddy to see how excited these kids were about giving their quarters away to help a family they don’t even know and will never meet. Easily the highlight of the week for me.

Lock-in #2

1 May
The list of fifth and sixth graders attending this lock-in kept growing – parents kept calling to sign their kids up. I would check the list in the main office every so often and by Friday, when we neared thirty, I grew terrified. Oh my. I wasn’t ready for the craziness; I wasn’t prepared mentally or physically for a night of little sleep, the running, the screaming … oh the screaming.

When the lock-in was in full swing, the total number was 37. We decorated flower pots, planted flowers, went on a scavenger hunt, ate snacks, and had free time. At this point, my coworker Tammy’s husband was a lifesaver. Jon took over the chaos of the free time and organized ridiculous relay races off the top of his head. It took a good hour and the kids loved it – perfect.
“Put the starburst between your knees and hop to the end of the hall.”
After Bible study, we let the kids run around a bit more before they were to be in their rooms watching movies. I taught them how to play sardines – the classic hide-in-the-church game. By 2:30am, it was pj/movies-in-your-sleeping-room time. Yeah … like that worked. I tried and some kids were asleep by 4:30 when I laid down on the floor. Others were not asleep and didn’t sleep a wink. Ugg. By the time I woke up at 6:15 to begin cooking pancakes, I could hear the non-sleepers getting anxious, running, screaming … and it started all over again.
Overall, it was a success. The kids had a blast. We completed a successful service project of delivering May Day baskets to our shut-ins. No trips to the emergency room. No lost children. The kids who attended left requesting another lock-in again soon. I told them they might need to find a new chaperone … I don’t think I’m cut out for lock-ins like this. (Small groups plus structured instruction, aka the first communion lock-in, are more my thing.) The lack of complete structure and the running/slamming of doors/screaming makes me go crazy. It was fun but I’m not always the most fun person with the above variables … lesson learned.

lock-in #1

24 Apr
Reason: First Communion instruction
Attendees : five awesome fourth graders and two pretty cool pastors
The fourth graders came over after school on Friday and got settled in – unloading snacks, ditching sleeping bags, and generally running around. Our schedule for the night was pretty relaxed. We were working our way through the new Augsburg Fortress curriculum, Fed and Forgiven (which I give two thumbs up), along with baking communion bread, eating pizza, watching a few videos, and staying up a bit too late with HSM2.
While it was unfortunate that not all the fourth graders in the class could attend, the small group we had was great. They were a TON of fun as we discussed what Holy Communion means for us and as they got excited about joining the church at the table. Kendall did most of the teaching; I enjoyed my spot at the “school” table with the kids. I learned a lot through the instruction, whether a new way of thinking or many new resources that will serve me well in teaching and in a more practical way than some seminary classes.
Baking the bread was a cool thing for the fourth graders to do. At Grace, we’re wafer people; our body of Christ tastes a bit like cardboard. But next week, on first communion Sunday, we will use the bread that the fourth graders baked last night.

The other highlight of the lock-in for me was listening to the fourth graders recite their memory work. I’m not always a huge fan of memory work from an educational standpoint but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all five of them at once say the Words of Institution and I think they found value in doing it as they learned what the words mean :
[On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took break, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying “Take and eat. This is my body, given FOR YOU. Do this for remembrance of me.” Again after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it for all to drink, saying “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed FOR YOU and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.”]

Police recover Gnome.

22 Apr

would you rather –

5 Apr
Last week was a bit on a crazy side. Holy week brought a weekend of five worship services and with the addition of two funerals, time was short and stress was high. But now, as I write this on the Monday of a new week, it’s evident that I survived! woot! I’ll speak more of holy week services in a later post but first, some new “firsts” which led to the following question from my supervisor :
Would you rather eat a hamball or preach a funeral sermon?
My first hamball: In this region of Minnesota, if there is a visitation preceding a funeral the night before, it ends with a prayer service. As the intern, the prayer services are my gig. I led a prayer service this past Tuesday night and then the husband – the same man who has taken to calling me “Pastor Sweet Pea” – invited me over to his house to join his family for lunch. (It was 8pm … “lunch” could mean anything except the noon-day meal.) Unable to say no to pretty much anything, I accepted the offer.
I arrived at his house and immediately was shooed into the lunch line. I grabbed myself a sandwich and a cookie. My host gave up his chair at the dinner table for me, I sat down and then someone behind me grabbed my plate and returned it to the table with an addition – a hamball swimming in chunks of pineapple and a mysterious sauce.
Now, I’m not blaming the cook but rather am simply questioning the ethics of it all. Ground ham in ball form? I ate it but will admit – as I texted my supervisor following the incident – I was “mildly disgusted.” This was something new to me and I’m not so certain I was a fan. Apparently, upon further investigation, I understand that the meat market in town sells the ground ham. As more people find out my general distaste towards the ball of pig, I grow worried that it will show up on my plate more often. Sarcastic threats of hamballs have been many from coworkers since the hamballing episode …
My first funeral sermon: With the planning of holy week services and writing of Easter sermons in addition to two funerals, I had my first opportunity to write and preach a funeral sermon. My supervisor typically preaches at all funerals but with the schedule of this week, it seemed to be a good chance for me to have the experience.
So here is what Lindsay does – Lindsay accepts such challenges with an optimistic mindset and then freaks out days later when she realizes what she needs to do and feels in no way equipped to do it. I felt very ill-equipped to write a funeral sermon; the words came very difficult for me. I knew very little of the woman or her family and that, for me, made it more of a challenge.

But you know what? I did it. I wrote it. I preached it. I received critique and feedback from my supervisor in the days preceding and after preaching, felt fairly confident about the message. Because the funeral took place on the Saturday before Easter, I spoke of Easter lilies and the symbol of hope in the resurrection that they convey. The sanctuary at Grace was decorated with lilies for the next morning and, it turns out, a lily was the flower that the family gave for the funeral. God was at work.
Which would I rather do? As a facebook friend wrote to me – the best of both worlds – “Convince the family to include hamballs in the funeral lunch to eat after preaching the sermon.” Jackpot.

wooden people.

24 Mar

Pastor Lori was ordained last Saturday – ordained as a legit pastor.  Woot!  She can now “legally” wear a stole and preside over communion.  It was a wonderful service and a great honor that Lori asked me to assist at the service.  Lori’s ordaination called for gifts and we at Grace put much time and much effort into these gifts.  The time and effort included Kendall and I shopping at Dueber’s (classic downtown Dawson everything-you-can-imagine store) for theological and ministry-related gifts.   (An angel puzzle, law enforcement kit, bug spray, nail polish for the liturgical season, you know.  The like.)  The time and effort went to the extreme with the making of a mission: impossible-themed video, telling Lori that she would need to come to Grace to receive her gifts and save the Christian church.  Right.  (But if she or any of her IM forces should be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow knowledge of her existence.  Naturally.)

Lori came for lunch today to claim her gifts.  One of the gifts were these wooden people – colored to be the staff at Grace, so that when Lori needed to practice a sermon or bounce ideas off of someone, we would always be there for her in her ministry (and for another reason that would take too long to explain here).
Here we are with Lori and our wooden look-a-likes.  From left to right: Keith, custodian; Chris, choir director/organist; Lori (holding the wooden Jesus and cow); Emily, membership care; Pastor Kendall; Tammy, youth; Pastor Lindsay; Karen, administrative extraordinaire.

skiing part two.

28 Feb

Cross-country style.  
It was family fun ski day for Grace this afternoon.  I woke up super excited about the outing this morning.  A group of over fifty of us caravanned an hour and a half northeast to Andes Tower Hills.  Most of the participants, adults and children alike, opted for the downhill version of skiing, while four of us decided to hit the cross-country trails.  It was the perfect afternoon for skiing … sunny, warm, and delightful.
Two of my coworkers, Karen and Tammy, along with Julie, a congregation member, and I made our way to the trails.  It was a great adventure.  We all fell down a few times and had many good laughs.  We stuck to the easy trails but still found one hill we couldn’t conquer while traveling forward on our skis.  Sideways we went.
Alongside the hour and a half on the trails, other highlights of the day included:
… Two giant bananas, Chiquita and Dole, skiing and handing out oranges, pleading with people to eat oranges, not bananas.  Seriously.  Two grown men in banana suits over their winter clothes with sombreros.  Classic.  
… A confirmand approached me while in the ski lodge.  “Hey, Lindsay, remember that sermon you preached?  Uh, you know, I think it was Lent.  Uh, last week.  Yeah.  Last week.”  He hands me a dime.  “You know how we’re supposed to share our gifts?  Here.”  Even if it was a complete joke, it shows he was listening.  best. sermon. feedback. ever.
… caramel cashew trail mix from Target that Tammy brought along for snacking.  nummy.  

small town.

14 Dec
two things –
1. I received a postcard in the mail addressed to 1277 Chestnut. My supervisor lives there; I do not. But mr. postmaster seems to know me, knows my name, and knows where I actually live because I received the postcard in my mailbox at my apartment building with no sort of forwarding stamp or wrong address. It just came here. Small town.
2. When people stop at the gas station or run into the grocery store, no sense in shutting off the car and locking the doors, right? Nope. Just leave the car running and run in to grab coffee or milk. At first it made me feel uneasy but I admit, I did it this morning. I ran into the gas station to grab coffee before work and left Sprocket on and unlocked. After living in St.Paul, it felt unnatural but hey, small town.

church ladies’ eating habits.

24 Sep
I love the church ladies. Hands down, love them. They are wonderful and fun and full of energy … and desserts. I have helped them assemble the newsletter, tied quilts for Lutheran World Relief, drank coffee after worship, been invited to join for dessert after Bible study, and generally been with them a fair bit in the last four weeks. Man, do they know how to “lunch” and do their coffee breaks up right.
Example one: The ladies make quilts in the fellowship hall every fourth Monday of the month. The calendar says they start at nine so I showed up around 9:10. The calendar is false. These ladies were in full quilting swing by the time I walked through the door! I visited with the ladies who were pinning and sewing, ironing, cutting, and then the women who were tying handed me a needle and thread. I had no sooner made my first tie in the quilt when they announced, “Coffee’s ready!” They demanded I put my needle down and join them at the table. I hadn’t been there for but ten minutes and we were drinking coffee and eating deliciously warm coffee cake.
Example two: I was invited to a quilting group on Tuesday night by a member of Grace. I wasn’t completely sure I wanted to go but figured it would be a good adventure. I was picked up at 7 pm and after two hours of sitting around a table and looking at extremely elaborate quilts which I will never be capable of making, they started handing out plates and napkins. Nine o’clock at night and they announce it’s time for lunch. Lunch, what? Apparently, this lunch, three hours before my bedtime, is tradition for these parts and consisted of bars, peanuts, and coffee/juice.
Example three: Wednesday night was Women of Grace, an event for women to come to church and hear a speaker. We listened to the Southern speaker – with whom I bonded afterwards over suckering tobacco – and then, guess what, time for dessert and coffee. Any event at church is seriously followed with or includes dessert and coffee. Lunch, if you will.
Example four: There was a women’s Bible study group that met this afternoon at church. Lori and I had no part in the Bible study; they lead it themselves except for one study every couple months when a pastor steps in. We may not have had a part in the Bible study but there was dessert afterwards and so the women found Lori and I and invited us to angel-food-cake-and-raspberry- dessert time.
So how do they stay so thin? Ideas? Email me or comment here with your conclusion for their ability to maintain weight while eating pastries day in and day out, and I’ll include the responses in a future blog entry!

Population : 1600

9 Sep

Welcome to Dawson, folks.
Dawson is a small town in western Minnesota, located off of Hwy. 212. If you come into town on 212, turn to the south between the Casey’s and the Dairy Queen, drive for seven blocks and that’s pretty much it. We’ve got numerical streets running north/south, trees running east west (Chesnut, Linden, Walnut, etc.), but really not too many of either of them. Main Street (also known as 6th Street) consists of a few “for cute” shops, a hardware store, post office, grocery store, couple banks, dress shops, and a family restaurant. It’s hard to blink and miss them because the speed limit is 20 mph. “Downtown” is the happening place in Dawson until 6 pm when everything closes.
Railroad tracks run straight through the middle of town, through the grain elevator and AGP, or “the bean plant,” one of the businesses which employs many people in the area. They process soybeans. (More information on AGP) It is a bit strange to drive a few blocks through a residential area and then suddenly be surrounded by railroad tracks, grain elevators on one side, a soybean processing plant on the other, and downtown just ahead.

Here’s a fun Grace Lutheran Church fact I learned today: Local farmers can give their offering to the church in grain as opposed to in an envelope on Sunday mornings. When they take their grain to the elevator, they can specify that a portion of it be given to Grace and then when sold, the money comes to the church. For neat.
There is a milk processing plant just outside of town (AMPI) which employs many people in Dawson and also a Cenex fertilizer plant. Lots of the people in Dawson work at one of these three agriculturally-based plants, farm, or are employed by the school district or hospital in town. Because many to most of the jobs at these places are shift based, this affects how and when we do worship, conscious that people may be working every other weekend or nights. I believe the location of the three plants in Dawson is also to credit for drawing a diverse population into this rural area.
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