10 Foot Truck

This is kind of fun... in a few hours, I'll be driving a 10-foot cargo truck up to Alton Bay, NH. The worship team for our winter youth retreat is apparently big enough to require a tour truck to transport all the gear. I'll be leading nine juniors and seniors as they lead 150 fellow teenagers in singing worship. There's lots of talent, which makes this a particularly fun job.

This will be my seventh Winter Teen Conference as a counselor; it will be my 14th youth retreat with BCEC youths. That means I've been to 22 total Teen Conferences if you include my time as a youth. I'm not sure when this happened, but I guess that makes me a veteran.

Anyhow, please pray for us this weekend as we hope students will come away with a greater sense of the grace of Jesus and his call on their lives.

Wedding planning is coming along... need to get invitations printed this week to stay on schedule.

Planning for PDAS

PDAS-- Project Destiny After School.

We've had an after-school program at our church for a few years now. The idea was that we could provide a few resources, program a few activities, and share the gospel with the kids who came. Over the past few months, while directing Project Destiny Summer Camp, I've been thinking a lot about the year-round After-School component. There's no official title yet, especially since the former paid-staff position was eliminated from the church budget this year, but I'm planning on coordinating and directing PDAS this school year on a part-time basis while attending seminary part-time.

There are several changes I'm excited about implementing:
1. We've reduced the cost by 100%. This seems more radical than it should-- churches have giving free services to their neighbors for millennia; but economic times are tough. I'm excited for a chance for our church to be generous with its time and finances.

2. We've moved to a drop-in model. There are a lot of negative associations with the term "drop-in" in after-school care; but drop-in is a great way to meet the individual needs of families and students. They can come when they have nothing else to do or when they need help with a particular assignment. This just means we're going to have to really amp up quality of care to keep kids coming.

3. We're open to high-schoolers. We used to only take middle-school to correspond to our summer camp, but older teenagers are more likely to come to a drop-in program and invite their friends to come hang out. More than that, being open to high-schoolers means having a chance for our church to build a longer-term relationship with teenagers.

We're starting next Monday. There are about 30 students registered. It's all so new and I'm not sure what to expect. I'm sure there will be challenges and mistakes along the way. We'll have less control and so many more variables to anticipate. Please join me in praying for God to provide the right staff and wisdom for the planning team. Pray also for me as I take on this new ministry role in Chinatown while continuing my studies.

Summer Teen Conference

In a few hours, I'll be driving up to Alfred, ME with a car full of music equipment and a worship team. Our church's annual Summer Teen Conference is this weekend. We'll be taking a total of 130 kids for 4 days and 3 nights to hear God's word and play in the clean air of Maine. I'm excited particularly for the 43 Project Destiny campers who will be joining us and the many students who wrote down that they are not Christians. My prayer for them is that they'd get to know our church family better and know the love of Christ. Again, I'll be leading the worship team. It's such a privilege to play and worship with these guys. Please pray that the word of God would penetrate hearts and change lives.

Open...Shut... Open...

I'm sure it's frustrating for parents that we are open and shut and open again, but for the time being, camp is open again! We passed all three inspections: building, fire, and health; and we got our camp permit yesterday-- praise God!

So we opened camp yesterday in the Josiah Quincy Upper School. Students gathered into the cafeteria and we had a re-cap trivia quiz for chapel time. The kids had fun with it. Then we got on buses and shipped off to Providence, RI to visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo. It was nice to see counselors hanging out with the kids again, reading signs to them and admiring God's creatures together.

For the present, we are open and will be open on Monday. We still need to secure a long term solution for camp site-- either by repairing the church quickly or staying longer at a temporary site. JQUS is a costly facility for us to rent, and it may not be sustainable to remain there for more than a few days. Please pray for God to provide a solution.

Shut Down Again

We got shut down this morning by the city, 30 minutes before we were going to open up camp again. I was so ready with a sermon for chapel and with plans to move all operations into the Quincy Upper School. We had gotten a verbal understanding and ok from the city and the Boston Public Schools. Then I took the phone call from Inspection Services which gave the order to shut down. After the discouraging call, I entered the sanctuary to deliver the news to the team, which had been praying about the phone call. I could sense a lot of disappointment and frustration. The staff spent the morning welcoming campers into a room and keeping them there until we could contact their parents to send them home. 

I spent the day at 1010 Mass. Ave. with Emily shuttling from office to office, trying to get camp opened up again. They would like us to start over again, as if we were planning a brand new day camp-- a process that took us a month or so to do for our original site. 

I went through many different emotions throughout this day. I was really psyched to get back to serving campers and having counselors work with kids, as well as delivering my sermon. Then I felt frustrated and stung by my unfulfilled expectations and the inconsistency of the authorities I had spoken to. After that, I was energized by the task of getting campers safely home. At some point, when I was at the ISD, I was hopeful we could have camp tomorrow. Then as the hours passed and inspectors started ending the work day, I was deflated to know that we'd have no camp the next day.

I'm still confident that God is in control and that my disappointments are only because I don't see things the way that God sees them in the grand scheme of eternity. But right now, I'm pretty tired out by the roller coaster ride. We've been a camp without campers for almost a week. I covet and appreciate your prayers. 

Camp Shut Down! Please pray!

Camp is closed! Saturday afternoon, as I was in the emergency room investigating a possible contagious disease (I’m ok and not sick), I got the call from our operations manager that the church had flooded! We spent that night moving furniture, sucking up water, sanitizing toys, and washing out contaminants from the basement. The basement is now dry, but because of hazardous health conditions, we had to call all the campers and close for at least today (Monday).

Currently, I’m investigating ways to open camp as soon as possible. Since we are licensed by the city, our responsibilities are numerous and we need to be approved by Boston’s health and building inspectional services before opening up. A demolition crew is slated to come in and take apart the basement within the next few days; but this would leave us without the most important floor in our camp. One possibility is that we move to a new site, which is slightly disappointing because we love getting campers comfortable enough so that attending youth group won’t be such a stretch for them. Another possibility is that we remain closed for an extended period of time. It is possible that the city will just shut us down for good; but we are hoping and praying. 

If you can, would you pray that God would be glorified during this time—that we would learn to trust him in new ways and that we would see his provision. Also, pray for all the families that will not have a place for their kids to go during this time. Finally, pray for the Gospel to be preached and shared no matter what the circumstances. I’m reminded again of Romans, where Paul writes that “for those who love God all things work together for those who are called according to his purpose.” We have a purpose this summer from the Lord and we are clinging to him. We are looking forward to him working all things out as He promised.

Winter Teen Conference: More or Less?

I'll be heading up to Alton, NH on Friday with a little under 200 teenagers and over 30 youth workers for a winter retreat. I'll be leading the worship team and caring for 5 middle-school boys. 

It's that last part that I'm least prepared for. I've been thinking about songs, set lists, arrangements, and kids on the worship team; but I must admit that I have not begun to pray for those 5 boys or for myself as I lead them. In the world of ministry, it is tempting to think big-- especially when you're part of a thriving program that does lots of events. You tend to equate success with slick programming or numbers. But at its most fundamental level, every ministry is about individuals. The Holy Spirit may work in large-scale movements; but it begins with the opening of individual eyes and softening of individual hearts.

In the gospels, Jesus ministers to the crowds; but often appears to shun the crowd, too. There's a tension about his public, large-scale works of healing and exorcism: the more public he becomes, the more he tries to spend time alone with his disciples. Maybe its because he knows miraculous works and mass-teaching are necessary, but only insofar as they support the work of making disciples. So he tries to spend whatever time he can teaching his small group. Then, when all has been accomplished on the cross, he leaves his disciples with the imperative to "go make disciples of all nations."

For one who is called to minister, that call is to make disciples-- to care for individuals and feed them with God's means. But when some of us think about what it means to "do ministry" we think of planning games, having meetings, factoring logistics, designing worship, lesson or sermon planning, etc. Especially for pastors and lay-workers who have been involved for a long time, ministry begins to take on the veneer of a large enterprise that we have to keep afloat. There are advantages and disadvantages to the large model, but God forbid that "doing ministry" would distract us from Jesus' call to make disciples. 

May the fewer outweigh the grosser during this weekend so that our work would not be in vain.

Mid-Camp Update

July 25, 2008

Dear Friends,

I hope you are well and making the most of the summer. Already we’re at the half-way point of our camp here at Project Destiny. Thanks for your prayers and financial support. I have a few updates to tell you about:

1. One of the things I was most concerned about was the numbers of campers vs. the numbers of counselors—young counselors at that! To put it in perspective, there is one senior counselor who is 28, which is my age. The next oldest is 24, then 22, 19, 18, 18, and 17. That makes 7 senior counselors, most under 20 years old, most with very little experience working with middle-schoolers. Praise God, though: While our staff struggles to apply the love of Christ consistently, God has been equipping us so that the 50 campers we have don’t seem so many. It is a challenge, but God is teaching us to work together with the entire staff to cover and help each other.
   
   
2. Sicknesses have come, depleting our numbers, especially during the 3^rd week, when we were missing at least one counselor every day. It was encouraging to see everyone covering for one another, even when some of those covering for others weren’t feeling 100% either. I’m also thankful that our counselors happened to get sick on days when their responsibilities were fewer, making it easier to cover their roles.
   
   
3. I’m more than half way through with all my preaching and teaching for the summer. Over the past few weeks, I’ve preached 6 lessons and prepared 20 devotionals for the staff. I’ve never spent so much time thinking about God’s word and how to apply it to the circumstances of people around me. The Lord has been growing my confidence in this area greatly with each passing day.
   
   
4. The kids are really enjoying camp. With every shared experience, they are opening up more to their counselors and one another. They’ve been bonding over field trips, like a cruise to George’s Island, a visit to Old Sturbridge Village, and massive multi-player action-flex sword melee battles. Many of the new-comers to PD have visited our regular Jr. High English ministry, TWR.

Alright, that’s all I will write for now. I’d love to tell you more, but perhaps I can tell some of it in person. I can’t believe there’s only 2 more weeks of camp until it ends. Sometimes it feels like we’ve been here for ages. Sometimes it feels like it’s been so fast and I’m afraid it will slip by before I really get to appreciate all that God is showing me and giving me the opportunity to do. ..

• Please pray for diligence, energy, and passion for our staff as they approach the final stretch. It is easy to get complacent now that the end is in sight.
• Please pray for me as I give two more sermons. I want to be able to connect the gospel to the lives of the campers. I’ll be preaching on Thursday and next Tuesday.

Thanks!
Steve

Project Destiny 2009 First Week

Hi Friends. I'm back in Project Destiny once again. Today was actually the first day of camp (we're still in it as I write). We've got 48 campers who arrived and learned how to find references in a Bible today, some kids who have never looked into a Bible before, and most of whom have not looked at one within the month (counting by a show of hands). As you may recall, this is my major project during the bulk of the year and especially during the summer.

This is my second year directing the program here in Chinatown, and I'm having a blast. My favorite part of all this is the way God has been bringing our team together over the past 2 weeks of training. They come from all over the place and are from different age groups, but God is molding us into a team that shows the unity of Christ's Body. I've been giving devotionals every day (I'm running out of creativity!) and soon I'll be preaching our evangelistic messages during our chapel times

I'm actually writing to send a quick request out for prayer. Thanks to those of you who asked how I've been. Due to some logistical licensing stuff, I didn't get much sleep last night (the night before camp started) and I'm very tired. Please pray that I'd get rest and also that the Lord would keep me from letting self-serving and grace-less motives take over my interactions with others in my tiredness this week. I love being here, and helping others to be Christ's ambassadors in the city-- pray that I would continue to serve with joy and love.

Thanks!

(picture: the busy street and building at Emerson College on Boyleston St. where I'm living this summer with the PD Counselor Staff)

MCI Shirley Visit

I just returned from a visit to MCI Shirley-- one of the Massachusetts prisons-- where I got to worship and preach at the medium security evening worship service. It was awesome! The men there were hospitable (one of the guys kept bringing me water) and introduced themselves. The chapel was packed-- I'd say we had 80 or more guys there from all over the demographic scale. Blacks, Whites, Hispanic, at least one Asian guy, elderly gentlemen, middle-aged men, and some fiery younger guys, about my age. There were new believers and folks who had been in church forever.

Perhaps where it was different, though, was a the real sense of joy and thankfulness that was there the whole night. It wasn't a fake emotional high, either-- they were themselves for the most part; but they were grateful to be in church, to worship the Lord and have fellowship with one another. It was so different from my experiences at some larger, big-scale churches I've been to. It reminded me a lot of what drew me towards ministry at the Dorchester church where I used to serve-- the warmth and gratitude that didn't lose sight of reality, but praised God in spite of it. I love visiting and being at churches like that. I wish I could get to know those folks better-- I bet some of them have some amazing stories of God's work in their lives.

My sermon went well. The sermon from Jonah 1 was entitled "Mercy That Won't Let Go" and it was about how we hate to ask for mercy, but the God who chases us down with storms is the same God who runs after us with arms wide open, literally dying to show us mercy if we turn around and ask him for it. Their liveliness and encouragement made them the easiest bunch I ever had to preach in front of. I pray that the word would take root and bear fruit in their lives. This was probably the best part of this first semester for me. Thanks for praying =)

Preaching again this Friday... Jonah 2 this time. I'm still working on the hermeneutical idea... it hasn't appeared yet. If you'll lift up a prayer for me, I'd be grateful.

The Weight of Voting

I believe it was eight years ago, my second year in college, that I was huddled in Xenia house in Middlebury, along with a friend nervously awaiting the results of the presidential election. You may remember that it was the year of the Hanging Chad and Florida Recounts. I didn't know much back then... earlier in the day, I had gone down to the town gym to cast my ballot for George W. Bush because he was a conservative who agreed with my stance on abortion and other litmus test issues. Over the next few years, I always felt the responsibility of having elected him. When Mr. Bush soared and inspired the country in 2001, I felt that. When we saw the mistakes that came after-- Iraq, No Child Left Behind, etc., I felt that, too.

I don't know if I know much more now than I did then. I may still be blinded by qualities that I admire or positions that I believe are sacred which may turn out to be non-factors after all. But I do want to be more intentional about weighing my vote. In the end, God will elect the leader that he has in his plan-- whether for our temporal good or for our temporal evil-- but I'd hope to choose the one for our temporal good.

In an election year like this, it is harder than ever to know how to vote. The issues that have defined the evangelical platform are no longer so agreed upon. There is much dissatisfaction with the American church's tie to the conservative agenda and with the Republican party's candidate. The policies of small government are frankly un-biblical as the government is ordained to hold up the downtrodden against poverty.

The Democratic Party, however, continues to be a tough swallow for most evangelicals because of its acceptance of the abortion practice (I won't quote numbers, but astronomically more preborn kids lose their lives every year than total casualties of war in Iraq-- including civilians.) It is this one issue that prevents me from registering as a Democrat. Other unbiblical areas of the liberal social platform are less egregious to me (same sex marriage, school prayer).

Who is a candidate who can set an example of integrity, justice, compassion, responsibility, wisdom, humility, and faith while always choosing the right? There probably is none. But I'll vote for one that looks close enough.

Pray, Christians. Conscience demands it. Pray.


Update on Jonah sermon-- it went well considering it was my first time back. I had fun listening to the distracted comments of 6th grade boys that punctuated my talk. It might have been a little abstract for them-- the idea being that God chases down runaways to show them mercy.

I'll be preaching again next Wednesday, at a state penitentiary-- same Jonah text-- and next Friday to the youth.

Week 3

I find myself settling into a groove. That's nice in that I've figured out how to take the work load and where I am needed or not needed at a given moment. The team feels smoother, more like a bike's pedaling hum after you oil the chains. The danger, though, is that I don't feel like I need to pray as much. There's still more than half of the camp left to go, though, and I've got at least 2 more talks as well as numerous devotionals left to go. While the staff team seems to be doing well, there are still many huddle appointments and opportunities to have good conversations as well as bring the Gospel to bear in many life situations.

Please pray that I'd remember the centrality of prayer in Project Destiny as I try to serve campers and counselors alike.

Need Prayer-- "Charting"

Please pray for me as I set time to plan the "Charting" talk for this Thursday. "Charting" is the spiritual development component of Project Destiny-- a morning chapel time for our campers. It consists of well-produced dramas that illustrate Biblical narrative sections and short sermons that draw out the Gospel from these narratives.

I will be preaching from the life of Moses this year and it is the greatest source of uncertainty for me. I'm afraid that I won't be relevant, or that I'll make the Bible boring, or that I'll be unclear. I'm sort of comparing my work against previous years' work as well, though I know I shouldn't. Please pray that God would use these talks to reveal himself to our campers.

Please also pray that I will have time to plan the talk for this week. I've kept running into things here and there that prevent me from working on the sermon. They are important staff-team related things, but I need find a chunk of uninterrupted time to study and prepare.

Thanks!

PD Staff Overnighter

pd staff doing their best impression of me

Our PD Staff Team returned yesterday from our overnighter. It was the first time that all 27 staff were present! Over the weekend, we worshiped together (we've got some strong voices on the team!), prayed together, prepared meals, ate meals, faced team-building challenges, and received devotions together. It takes time and the Holy Spirit's work to bring such a diverse and large team together as one. Please pray for our unity and love for one another.

I enjoyed teaching Bible devotions this past week. They not as bad as I imagined they could be! So praise God for that encouragement and his enabling me to serve in this way so far. One theme we've latched onto is the mandate we have to be servants to God, our team, and others without ego, judgmentalism, or desire for recognition; but rather with love, honor, truth, and grace.

The End/ Beginning

This was the last day of my teaching career at JQUS. I'm still processing and am not sure how I feel about it. I'm glad I got to share the gospel and have conversations about faith with three friends and colleagues before I left.

A poignant moment: sitting down with a student I had taught four years ago, who had moved away and wanted to transfer back, and who was now telling me his desire to be a trial lawyer. It reminded me of what successful young men and women some of them will grow to be. But then I thought of the ones that had withered under my watch... some to jail, some to pregnancy, some to drugs and gangs... What will become of them? When you look at the people your students will become, some of the things you stressed them out about during class seem so pointless. And in the light of eternity, some things are even more meaningless

Then I was done. I shook many hands. As I rode my bike down the street for the last time, students waved goodbye and I waved back. And that was it.

Meanwhile, today was the start of PD training. The directors got up at 5AM to get ready. This was, though, a relatively laid back day with lighter training. Praise God for him starting to integrate the team into one, as relationships are forming and tightening.

One mistake: I forgot to a save a meal for one counselor who was out for a while. How sad to come back and not have a meal waiting for you! I made him a grilled turkey sandwich instead.

Please pray for me... I clearly can't direct this camp; but God doesn't call the equipped, he equips those he calls. So I have faith that he'll do the same to me so that I can serve him better.

Ministry Position

One thing further-- I've been tentatively offered a part-time ministry position at a church in Boston! It is not my first ministry position offer ever, but it is exciting. I am prayerfully considering the implications of this and would appreciate you praying for me as well. I don't know how God is leading. A few concerns I have are: busy schedule, study time, proximity to friends, and money. These all play into my decision making in one way or another. I'd be happy to talk about it if you want to know more...

PD Starting!

We are alive! We got back from camping safely and I, for one, am grateful for the relaxing time of hanging out with the middle-schoolers. I'm also grateful that the Lord chose to provide rain-free weather for the whole time we were there. The whole thing went smoothly and I'm reminded again of what dedicated and competent youth workers I have the honor of serving with.

Just shooting out a quick prayer request-- Project Destiny's Training Week is beginning tomorrow (6/23) -- actually, today. If you get to read this, would you please shoot a quick prayer for me and for the rest of the planning team? The assistant directors and I got to pray tonight-- a much needed time of confessing our inadequacy and asking the Lord to make us wiser than we are with his wisdom.

• Please pray for good use of time as I try to wrap up school grades and try to run training at the same time.
• Pray for God to be preparing our staff members well with skill, love, grace, and unity.
• Pray for unity and the building of a relationship between the assistant directors and myself.
• Pray for sensitivity and wisdom for the directors to care for other staff-members.
• Pray for my devotionals this week as I lead the staff team in meeting God every morning.
• Pray for my own time with God-- that it would not be neglected.

Thanks-- I'm reminded now, more than usual, how much I am in need of Christ.

Moving Out and Camping Tonight

I moved out of my apartment in Chinatown last week... I was grateful that I was able to move everything I owned except furniture in one round. But I'm still there, for at least the next five days. How do I feel about moving out? It doesn't really register yet, since this week has been a whirlwind and will continue to be so up until PD starts. On one level, I know I can always come back here and crash on the couch, but the familiar space of my room is no longer in existence. All the pictures, books, and other possessions are gone. I guess I had already mentally prepared myself to not be here over the past few months. As I reflected on my last laundry load, which had been sitting in the dryer for a long time, I realized I had not sat down in my apartment for more than 2 hours at a time since last month, aside from sleeping. So, there are things I will miss-- like the kids in the courtyard who have been asking me if I'm really moving away and what seminary is for. But I don't think that leaving will hit me until Project Destiny ends this summer.

On another note, I'm going camping tonight with 20 middle schoolers and a handful of adults as an end-of-the-year event for TWR, our youth group. Weather might be bad, but pray for relationships to be strengthened and for the Gospel to hit home as I give a devotional in the morning.

Vacation, Executive Directorship, Scholarship

April Vacation is just about over-- and it was a pretty good one. I visited good friends in Vermont, hung out with my girlfriend, saw a Sox game, fished, skied in 70 degree weather, and had a $200 dinner date at a fancy French restaurant called Aujourd'hui (I didn't pay-- she had a gift-certificate from work!) During these last days of rest, I'm mentally preparing for the storm that will be May, June, July, and August. My series at VAC got postponed, but I still have 2 sermons to prep over this next week.

By now, most of you who read this know that Project Destiny (a summer urban youth camp ministry) is a big part of what I pray for, think about, and do. Over the past few years, I've been helping to run it as a part of a director board. During our last meeting, we finalized a decision to name me Executive Director over Project Destiny. I've been involved in the camp for more than 10 years and I my heart still flutters when I think of what good God will do in and through the staff team that he assembles. It will be a challenging summer. My pastor recently asked me how I felt about this. My answer: "I trust God." In the end, that's all I can say-- I have no real reason to believe that I am the perfect candidate or that I won't fail miserably. If I say, "I can do it," it is a lie because that's honestly not how I feel. But I can trust God to lead me to glorify him in success or in failure... "as it is my earnest expectation and hope that I will not at all be ashamed, but that now, as always, Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or death." As before, I will try to post updates here throughout the summer and I appreciate your prayers.

On the seminary front, I am indeed going to Gordon-Conwell next year. On top of that, I am receiving a significant scholarship that will cover a third of my projected costs for next year. I am exceedingly grateful to see how God is encouraging me by removing obstacles and opening doors. This scholarship, called the Partnership Program requires me to build a support team and to fund raise. I will, at some point, post more about the program; but if you would like to be a support partner for me to attend seminary, please contact me by comment or the usual channels. Thanks!

Winter Teen Conference and March

March promises an imminent end to winter. It has been a relatively milder one in Boston, with some days like today, when it has felt more like spring than winter. This past month has been eventful on different fronts

1) I am still awaiting word from Gordon-Conwell, though I have finished filing for scholarships. I will begin writing letters requesting prayer and assistance once I find out if I've been accepted. Also, there is the real possibility of taking on a structured apprenticeship a church I'm connected with, which would help both in terms of experience and finances-- I'm pretty excited about that possibility.

2) During Presidents' Day Weekend, I led a small group for 8 ninth grade boys during Winter Teen Conference, our church's youth retreat. I got to live in a cabin, hold discussions, have one-on-one talks, and hang out with them all weekend long. The speaker sessions, by Pastor Joseph Tsang from Vision Church in NYC, focused on lessons from Jonah-- God using broken people to bring about repentance and reconciliation for his glory, the misguided human obsession with "justice," the lengths God goes through to chase people down, and the need to descend when the world tells us to go up on the ladders of status and comfort. Most memorable for me were the one-on-one talks I had with my boys this weekend. It is humbling to try to see ninth graders through God's eyes as opposed to your own-- it reminded me how far apart my heart is from that of Jesus.

3) I had conversations with folks from Vietnamese Alliance Church this past weekend. It is hard for me to convey to people how much I miss serving there and being caught up in the lives of friends in that small church. If the same thing remains on your heart for a long time, does it mean God is nudging you there? There are still imprints on me left over after 2 years, like the places on rugs where old furniture used to be. I'm praying about whether or not-- or when-- to renew some sort of involvement-- whether it be preaching on Sundays, leading a small group, mentoring individuals, or just visiting more often. I wonder if Apostle Paul's experiences were personally conflicting and torn like this-- wanting to be in more than one place at once. Pray for VAC, as they continue to search for an English pastoral staff-person.

4) Vacation was very restful, although I was sick for most of it. At least half of our entire Winter Teen Conference staff came down with flu-like symptoms after the retreat. We canceled youth groups the following Friday, but if we had gone ahead, more than half of the youth workers would have been sick! Thank God for the snow=).

5) At school, this has been a much more difficult year than years past. One big reason is not having as many opportunities to build relationships with my students. We haven't had many field trips, and I only see them during the mornings (I teach in another site in the afternoons). At recent meetings, we decided to have more field trips in the months of March and April. I'm looking forward to those. Now if only we could skip the MCAS at the end of this month...

6) The Chinatown Library Advisory Council concluded its work in February. We've been working for around a year to design a Boston Public Library branch in Chinatown. During those meetings, I've gotten to learn more about how different agencies and groups compete for land in a dense city neighborhood and the issues involved in community action efforts. I've consistently attempted to represent the needs of schools, community youths, and reluctant students in Chinatown in our discussions. We've narrowed the possibilities down to three more likely sites: 1) Parcel P12 next to the DoubleTree, 2) BCEC's current site, 3) and a site adjacent to the Chinatown Gateway. There will be a public presentation on our work, along with models of what each site's library might look like and what the next steps forward are on March 18, 6-8PM, at the Quincy School cafeteria. Come, you are invited!