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Longenecker Update
September 2021
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Ryan (Our maintenance guy), Me, and Kevin (Summer Staff) working on the Chalet remodel.
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Quick update from me
I looked back on my last update; it's crazy how much changed in the last month. I was given the option to continue working full time through September, so I will be returning to support raising in October. It has been a very busy month with lots to do. I was on a staff training trip in Oregon at the beginning of the month, did a quick trip with Seattle Classical Christian School, and have been able to help out on a couple of other day trips. I have also continued to help with some of the substantial remodeling projects of the Chalet. The Chalet is our biggest retreat building, and we have put on a new roof and have begun to remodel the main floor. There will also be the decking and railing around the outside of the Chalet to replace.
Jena and I will get a couple of days away next week to celebrate our third anniversary before coming back to Stonewater to move to our new apartment.
We found a place in Leavenworth! We will be moving sometime at the beginning of October. It's about a 4-minute drive from Starbucks for Jena and about 25 minutes to Stonewater for me. It also puts us about 25 minutes closer to Grace City Church which will be very nice. Our mailing address will still be the Stonewater address located at the bottom of each of our updates.
From Jena
These past couple of months have been both an excellent combination of crazy and slow for me. I have enjoyed watching David step into many different roles throughout the summer. I wish I had fun stories and anecdotes to add on, but I have had my nose to the grindstone this summer, focusing on school and work.
I am looking forward to the opportunity of becoming a shift supervisor again at Starbucks. I have truly enjoyed working with my new co-workers and manager and am excited about having more responsibility at work. I am very excited to be able to walk to work! This will be the shortest commute time I have ever had.
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Seattle Classical Christian School
This was one of the shortest trips I have been a part of, but God can do some amazing works even in small amounts of time. I had a lot of fun leading this trip with our last two remaining summer staff Kevin and Taylor. We had sixteen 7th and 8th graders plus 4 leaders from Seattle Classical Christian School. The theme for the trip was "Identity in Christ." We only had them for 2 evenings and 2 mornings, so we were very intentional with the time we had with them.
The first evening we looked at "What is identity?" and then "How do we gain that identity in Christ?" I shared with them from Romans and talked about how just knowing about Christ is not enough. I shared from my personal story how even growing up in church my faith wasn't personal to me until I was 19. I then was able to share how we can personally gain that identity in Christ through the gospel of Jesus. I ended by sharing some truths with them of what our identity in Christ is once we believe and then giving an invitation to anyone that wanted that.
The second day we did an all day kayaking trip. Kevin shared in the morning about how when we begin to understand our identity in Christ we can more clearly see and care for others, loving others with the love that Christ has for us. In the evening Taylor did a really neat challenge. He lead them to our challenge course to attempt our wall obstacle. The obstacle is a 10 foot wall that they had to get everyone over. It was dark and was lit up by spotlights which added an additional challenge. It was really neat to see them come together, overcome some fear, and overcome difficulty trusting each other. There were some tears and some vulnerability, but everyone made it over! Taylor used it as an illustration that sometimes we build walls in our lives of what we want our identity to look like, and it keeps people from really knowing us. When the walls become too high they completely block people out. The students then had some time to identify what might be some of the things that they are constructing their walls with.
The last morning I just gave them some reflection questions and some time to think on them. We then gathered back together and a couple of them shared. It was awesome to hear them open up. I then sent them off with a benediction from Romans 15 and prayer. It was a trip where I saw God working through me, Kevin, and Taylor -- definitely Him working through us and not something we had done. Who knows how God will continue to use this small trip to impact lives.
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6th-grade students from Leavenworth trying to complete our wall obstacle. 9/23/21
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Prayer Requests
- Open ears and soft hearts for students on the upcoming trips.
- Perseverance returning to support raising in October.
- As I transition to the less busy season. This is the first time I'm doing this, so I don't know what to expect.
- For Jena transitioning back into a supervisor role at Starbucks and the stress that comes with it.
- As we continue to connect and get plugged in at Grace City Church.
- Praise! We found a place to rent! We will be moving to Leavenworth at the beginning of October. It's a great location, and our new landlords (Duane and Cori) are a very caring Christian couple. We are excited about the move.
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Thank you for your prayers! Feel free to send me your own prayer requests as well.
Sincerely,
David Longenecker
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