Coffee With Maddie




Last spring my middle son came home from a youth meeting at our church with a flyer announcing a missions trip to Thunder Bay, Ontario. I asked him if he was interested in going. He said he was interested if I would consider going along as a chaperone. I discussed the details with my husband and we decided it could work out for me to go. This was a first for me. I’d helped out with youth events before but had never volunteered to go on an extended trip.

Well . . . we just got back this past weekend. I was one of six adults who chaperoned 17 jr. high kids (5 boys and 12 girls). There were also three high school girls who came along to help the other female adult and me with the girls. Since I have three boys, being around young girls is not something I’m used to. I was a bit apprehensive about the prospect of spending a week with them. I can honestly say, “It was great.” I’d sign up to do it again in a heartbeat!

While this past week was great as far as being with the kids, it was also a week that challenged me in ways I hadn’t expected. After dinner on the evening we arrived, we had a leaders meeting with the director of the organization who was hosting the trip - Youth Works. The director explained the different sites we might be assigned to in the coming week. She said she would later be meeting with the youth pastors to assign the leaders and kids to the different sites.

When our meeting was finished I mentioned to our youth pastor that there was one site in particular that I’d rather not be assigned to. It was called Haven House. Haven House is a home for teens between the ages of 16 to 21 that have nowhere else to stay. Some of the kids staying there have left or been kicked out of their homes and have been living on the streets. The house provides a safe haven for them while they look for work and get on their feet a bit. To be honest . . . I was scared to be assigned there.

I had also mentioned to our youth pastor that I wanted to go somewhere where I could work physically hard. Guess which site required a great deal of work? You got it - Haven House. My youth pastor had remembered I wanted to work hard - he just didn’t remember where I didn’t want to go. When I got up in the morning and saw my assignments, my stomach did a bit of a flip-flop. I was assigned to Haven House in the mornings and a nursing home in the afternoons. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum! I had a decision to make. I could be excited and confident to go these places, or I could be upset. I chose to be excited.

I was assigned to Crew #5. It consisted of one high school girl, three jr. high kids and myself as the leader. I didn’t let my kids know I was nervous about our assignments - I just went in with a good attitude that rubbed off on them. The first morning at Haven House was spent totally cleaning their family room and rearranging it so we could fit in more donated furniture. The next three mornings were spent out in the backyard clearing away overgrown bushes, trees, etc., and painting the deck. It was exciting us to see the progress we made each day. It was also rewarding for us to see how thankful the ladies who ran the home were with the improvements we made. Crew #5 ROCKED!

My trip to Canada will have to be spread out over two weeks. Next week I’ll let you in on our activities at the nursing home in the afternoons.

Until next week . . . God bless you and yours! -Maddie

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Coffee With Maddie: Archive;
Blessings
Magazine Junkie!
Maddie Goes to College
Changes
Let the season begin!
Getting Older!
I'm Getting Fat!
I Love a good book!
Family Games
Manners!
Someone to Love
A Special Anniversary
New Year Goals
My Spinal Tap!
The Book Store
I Salute Our Men in Uniform
Valentine's Day
My Birthday Choices
Current Events and Politics
Cabin Fever
We Can Choose the Words We Use
Let's Get Organized!
Support Our Troops
Acts of Kindness
Find Something to Do!
Yippee, Spring!
Yo Dude
Mother's Day
Flylady
My Favorite Things!
Going Camping
Safety Tips for Women
Summer
Camping Part 1

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About the Author;
Maddie is a dear friend from the Midwest who will touch your heart with her gentle stories of home of family. You can just picture yourself at the kitchen table any early morning with Maddie, a fresh cup of coffee, maybe the smell of bacon in the air, and a log on the fire to take out the chill.

Talk to Maddie at ...
Maddie@boomerjournals.com