Friendship Bracelet Club love in Romania

Last Spring I was asked to help with a project. Molly, the older sister of one of my old students, was going on a mission trip to Romania and Hungary. She asked if the Friendship Bracelet Club would be able to make bracelets to take on this trip to give to kids she would meet at an orphanage there.

The FBC gathered a large number of kids the next week and we cranked out over 100 bracelets. I passed them along to Molly and hoped that some kids would end up loving these bright, colorful bracelets.

A few weeks ago I got a letter from Molly telling the adventures of her trip and she sent pictures to show where so many of the bracelets ended up.

Hi Miss Wright,

I want you to know how much I appreciate all the work that went into making all of those friendship bracelets. The fact that you and FBC took the time to make those for me to take on the trip was such a blessing. The children in the orphanages were so excited to get a bracelet and they also loved getting to pick their own out.

The Caminul Felix Orphanage is a private orphanage and the children are supported by sponsors and never able to be adopted. We also gave bracelets to the children at a state-run orphanage but we were unable to take pictures there because those children were up for adoption.

We also took a trip to a Gypsie camp. These people long ago were immigrants from Italy but because of their dark skin they are discriminated against and not allowed to own property, receive an education or hold any type of job whatsoever. We took them groceries but we also gave them some of your bracelets. They were so excited to get food and a fun bracelet.

These people were the poorest people I had ever seen but they were very welcoming and showed off the things that they did have. With your help my mission team was able to give the children and adults something to smile about.

Thank you FBC from the bottom of my heart for your help in making the world just a little bit brighter for one person. Those friendship bracelets that we left with them will be kept and treasured forever. I cannot thank you enough for the wonderful impact you have left on those children.

Thank you again,
Molly Martin

 

"My parents are just happy I actually have friends."

I was pumped to finally get to wear a Jesse G frocket this Friday. (A frocket is a tshirt with a front pocket... frocket.) Jesse G is an awesome organization that my friends KCraig, Hannah and Riley are all a part of. I got to share the story of this company with my students today and challenged them to get involved in some way.

 

I'll have a whole post in a couple days about Jesse G and the new stuff they've been up to lately. Get pumped- you'll want to be part of it too.

Friday afternoon I went and picked up Molly, a session 2 CILT visiting from Tennessee. We drove to Zionsville where other CILT girls were waiting to meet her for dinner. Molly had planned it out so they wouldn't know I was coming and I got to surprise them when I walked in. The looks on people's faces when they get that excited are the best. Anna, Kiley and Mackenzie wer with us until they had to leave for cheer and soccer. Molly, Tay Hof, Tay Fisch, Claire and I hung out for a long time and then went to hang out at Orange Leaf too before going to the football game.

We made it to the football game by half time and immediately ran into more camp friends. I was attacked by Emily Peterson, session 1, and was so excited to see her. I got to see Julia Plant, the most joyful Pathfinder girl you've ever met, up in the stands and saw more random camp friends like Sophie Wagner, Courtney, Lauren Cross, Maggie, Will Zigert, sisters Collen and Annie, Justin and Blake.

All the CILT girls sat on the bleachers together and though we weren't too invested in the game it was still just fun to be there together. I'm so thankful that this reunion happened tonight.

Saturday morning I went to breakfast at Mama Bear's with Haley and Jenna. I'd never been there before but it definitely won't be my last visit. Emma Stoj was working behind the counter and I was so happy to get to see her. It was fun to get to hang out with the girls and catch up for awhile.

We had a YL leader meeting in the afternoon at Ryan's house. There were at least twelve of us there at one point which might be the most leaders we've ever had gathered at once. We had time for devouring Lauren's awesome snacks, devotion, fellowship and planning out dates of YL and Wyld Life Clubs for the rest of the semester. I get so excited about the potential of what we can do together. I want kids to be excited about all of this, to be hungry for more of a relationship with Christ, to be passionate about his love changing their life.

Friday night Rach and I drove out to Plainfield to meet the Depauw girls for dinner. Colleen, Chrissy, Molly and Mary are all Tecumseh counselors and I love getting to spend time with them. We're just over an hour away from each other while they're at school but I'm glad that we can carve out time to see each other.

Sunday morning I met my friends Jordan, Sarah and Abby at Common Ground. I love that as soon as I walked in to the sanctuary Kylie Houghton ran over to give me a hug, I turned around and saw my friend Audrey and then I got to sit next to Jon and Annie. I'm always thankful for familiar faces.

This morning they were speaking about being sent and instead of a sermon we heard from different people in the congregation who shared their stories. We heard from a man and woman who run the Invisible Girl Project that is fighting to save the lives of little girls in India who are murdered because of mass gendercide. They were actually just invited to testify in front of Congress this week. We got to pray for a team that's about to go on a vision trip to Africa. Then we heard from a husband and wife who will be going to Ireland soon to minister to the people there--not as preachers but people who will share Christ on days other than Sunday.

I went to lunch with Sarah, Abby and their new friend Katie after church. Sar and Abby were CILTs of mine a couple years ago and just finished their second year on Day Camp. Now they're both freshmen at Butler. I was happy to get to hear about school and all the things they're getting involved with on campus.

Tonight I hosted Chick Flick Sunday and had this beautiful mob of freshmen girls show up. Molly, Kate, Chloe, Genna, Kaitlyn, Julia, Anne and Maddy are each so awesome. I don't see them as often any more so this time with them is extra special.

We watched Uptown Girls but these nights are so much more about hanging out together than watching the movie. We filmed clips for our compliment cam, devoured bowls of popcorn, told homecoming stories and wrote top 10 lists.

 

Sitting in a circle like this and talking about things that really matter is the best part of what I get to do. I could do this every single day and never get tired of it. Tonight we wrote lists of 10 people we love and a compliment about each one. What if you texted 10 people and told them something you think they're really great at?

 

"We're leaders for this religious-bible-study-youth-group-fun-thing."

Cross country is my favorite sport. I might have had seasons of hating it while I was a runner, but I hope that someday my kids will choose to be runners. The people who think this sport is boring have got it all wrong. Cross country kids are stereotypically the best, it's low cost, you can practice anywhere at any time, it's a mental as well as physical sport, there are no cuts, everyone gets equal "playing time" whether they're the best or the worst and everyone is so supportive of one another. Today I cheered on the Junior High team as they competed right behind our school. I was so excited when I got attacked by Grace and Rach who came to cheer on their little sisters Audrey and Rylee.  Seriously, these girls are the best.

 

Next on the itinerary was the Junior High volleyball matches. This was the first time I've gotten to see the girls play this year. Both the 7th and 8th graders dominated in their games against Noblesville. They're all awesome kids and I love getting to be there to support Liz, Hignight and Maddie.

We're in year two of HSE Young Life which is bringing a foundation of kids and knowledge of what worked well in the past and where we can improve. Tonight KCraig, Lori, Ryan and I met with the Juniors and Seniors that are going to serve as Wyld Life leaders this year. Chad, Brannt, Maddy, Natty B, Hannah, Maggie and Cefali are rock stars and I'm so excited to have them on board. They are already consistent YL kids and I'm sure that as they take on this new role they will be growing so much themselves. Tonight we talked about what it looks like to help with Wyld Life and brainstormed ideas of club themes. They're all ready to jump right in.

Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Random Facts About My Day
1. Multiple people joined me in No Pants Wednesday (including Jesse G when he ran around in just his diaper at the soccer game)
2. Five of my students were wearing wolf shirts today #ahhoooooo
3. Talking to the 8th grade boys during lunch was one of my favorite parts of the day
4. The best part of watching my YL girls play soccer is getting to talk them afterwards
5. I loved getting to see so many of our YL guys at their tennis match
6. My Jesse G frocket finally came in the mail and I can't wait to wear it on #frocketfriday
7. There were two instances today where kids were saved, I won't go into details but I'm so thankful for adults that care about kids enough to step in when they should
8. I ate an avocado with my dinner and it reminded me of my hobo dinner with Chrissy Crowe and Smooncat at the end of the summer
9. An Alaskan Zebra, action figure Jesus, and the song "The Cave" all made bible study great today
10. I made myself go to bed early and it was one of the best decisions of my day

Top 10 Things I Think We Need To Be Reminded Of Sometimes
1. People are the most important thing you can invest in
2. Praying really does change things
3. Rule #4 Take Opportunities makes life a whole lot better
4. People never get tired of hearing that you care about them and believe in them
5. Worrying has never made anything better
6. Getting more sleep tonight can make tomorrow a whole lot better
7. Joy is a choice, it doesn't usually just happen
8. Show up. Just being there can make a world of difference
9. Leading by example is powerful
10. Living with integrity may not be the most popular thing but it's always the right choice

Kid President just said, "I want to live in a world with more parades, high-fives and hugs," in his most recent video...

Top 10 Things I Want the World To Have More Of
1. pizza parties
2. spontaneous dancing
3. laughter
4. cartwheels
5. spirit days
6. murals
7. love bombs
8. reunions
9. balloons
10. hugs

Top 10 Things I Miss About Tecumseh Today
1. Coming up with plans with Ellyn
2. Finishing a Parent Letter and feeling like I really did the kid justice so their parent might get to see what I saw in them during CILTs
3. Singing the Choctaw song all the way back from the lake with weird new verses
4. Sitting on the Trading Post steps with Nina, Abby, Erin and Paige before lunch
5. Hugs from Liz Koch
6. The giant CILT picnic in the Party Room on the last day
7. Watching Molly Henry be so fun with her Catawba girls
8. Singing all four of the CILT cheers with the CILT counselors
9. Coming back to the Longhouse early from a night off and hearing about the girls' days before devotions
10. Jack McGee playing all the chapel songs on the piano in the Party Room

35. stopping in Main Field to look up at the stars

On this #awesometuesday we watched Jessica's Daily Affirmations and then wrote our own lists of things we think are awesome. I wrote along with my students each class period and got my list to 201 awesome things. It was my friend Fitzie from Tecumseh that first got me hooked on making lists of things I love. This practice always reminds me that I have so many things to be thankful for.

 

 

I posted the picture of my lists on Instagram and was excited to read comments and get texts from people who said they were going to make their own list today.

 

This afternoon I went to the Hamilton Country cross country meet. I'm a huge fun of cross country but this meet is the best because HSE and Carmel both run here. As soon as I arrived Grace Andritsch spotted me and attacked me. She is easily one of the greatest people I've ever known. Grace was in my class, ate lunch with me every week of 8th grade, invited me to races with her family and continually shows me how to live life overflowing with joy. Her greeting made my day.

 

The Carmel soccer girls come to support the runners so I saw my friend Darian right away and then ran into Olivia Benz. Both are Camp Tecumseh kids but I often see them in Indy through Carmel YL too. I didn't expect to see either of them today but was so glad they were here.

Next I ran into Kacy Gorin, a 2012 CILT, and got so excited. Then by the finish line Kennice, a 2013 CILT, was cheering on all the Carmel runners. One of the best parts of living in Indy is getting to run into camp kids all the time. It was so fun to see these camp girls on #tecumsehtuesday.

Later tonight I stopped in at the first counselor meeting for the Tecumseh field trip. My school will go to camp in a month for our yearly trip. 550 kids go Monday-Wednesday and the other 550 go Wednesday-Friday. I'm lucky enough to get to go the whole week. We bring specially selected high school kids as the counselors and many of them are YL kids. Getting to hang out with them is one of the best parts of the whole trip. Last year Natty B, Sabrina and Peyton were all there and I can't wait to hang out with them and more great kids this year.

"I already had lots of ice cream at work so just bring yourself and it will be good."

There is no joy like the joy you feel when you walk out of school on a Friday afternoon. You've got the whole weekend ahead, and this weekend we've got three whole days of freedom. I started it off by going to the HSE v Fishers football game. Kriger, another teacher, and I went to work the Junior High section. Basically we were paid to walk around, monitor and hang out with all the kids from our school.

We got to see our new students, the 8th graders that we know well at this point and the High School kids as the passed through from the bleachers to the concession stand. It kind of blows my mind how many people I know here these days. I'm lucky to be part of this community.

Saturday morning I got to sleep in and then go to get coffee and keep reading my book. Though I love weekends when I can travel and see friends, I'm thankful for days like this when I can just be here.

I got to meet Bailee, Brookie, Alana and Kaylee for lunch. Goodness I just love these girls-- they're the best and so much fun. They're so busy with sports and school during the week but today we got to hang out for a long time. Alana couldn't believe that we sat and talked for almost two hours before we looked at what time it was. Life is good when you can do that.

Saturday night I went to meet Taylor Fischl and Rachel at the movies to see Lee Daniel's the Butler. I'd been wanting to hang out with these girls and going to the movies is one of my favorite things.  Fischl pulled out a bag of carrots when the movie started which was almost too precious.

This movie was phenomenal. Ceasal grew up as a slave in the fields but through a series of events and hard work later became a butler in the White House. There he served through eight presidencies as the country changed in front of his eyes. I totally recommend that you see this movie.

I went to church Sunday morning, one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I'm still driving down to Common Ground in Broad Ripple even though it's far away. Those seats feel like home after all the mornings I've spent there. He spoke that morning about authenticity. 

We invite God, and others, into all areas of our lives knowing that God's grace is really for us.

I care about what's going on inside. Let's drop the facade and look at the whole picture. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted. The goal is to live more fully into who God created us to be. 

I try to live an authentic life. I want to be honest and real with the people around me. I hope that I give others the grace and acceptance to be authentic with me too.

On Friday I had gone to the library and checked out a couple new books. This weekend I figured I'd have time to start reading again and I started with Variant by Robison Wells. I'm always up for a good dystopian society book that has to do with teenagers rebelling and going against the status quo. This book certainly fits that description. About half way through when the robots showed up I almost quit but had to see it through. Oh goodness. It's just too much for me. I don't think I'll be able to read the sequel to this one.

Sunday afternoon I had a typical lazy summer afternoon-- bike ride, sitting by the pool, writing a letter, watching TV and checking Instagram. Truth: I don't know how people do that all summer long. It was just one afternoon and I was already bored. Thank goodness for summer camp.

I haven't made a friendship bracelet since my stockpile before summer camp. Today I got started again. I made two and a half this weekend-- looks like I'm back in the swing of things. Now I've just got to figure out who I'm going to give them too.

While most of the Young Life family was busy with Labor Day festivities, a couple girls still came over for Chick Flick Sunday. Kaelyn, Pidgeon and Alex came over and picked out "Win A Date With Tad Hamilton." It's an older movie now but has so many great parts that made us laugh and then wish that we could each have our own Pete. 

Katlyn started sending me songs I should listen to and these three have become my new obsessions. I've been listening to them in my car all weekend and can't get them out of my head. You should do yourself a favor and check them out.

Boomerang by The Summer Set and Wake Me Up by Avicii and Safe and Sound by Capital Cities

On this glorious Labor Day Monday morning I got to sleep in and then go meet CILT girls for breakfast. I drove over to the East side to meet Amanda, Courtney, Anna and Sophie at Einstein Bagels. These four all go to school together, represent session 1 and 2, and are great friends. I hadn't seen Courtney or Anna since camp and was so excited for all of us to be together for a little bit. Later I was telling my friend about breakfast and she said, "I think it's cool how all of you miss and love camp so much. Your reunions are great because everyone is so excited to be together." She's got it figured out.

Later this afternoon Emily Westcott showed up at my apartment to visit. She walked through the door with these canvases that I'm obsessed with. We crafted, talked about life, shared music, watched a funny video of T Swift dancing at the CMAs and laughed. I love getting to hang out with this girl. I'm lucky to get to be on the list of people she visits when she comes back home.

The day of overlapping continued when I drove to see Allison Stamer and Matt for a little bit. The visit was quick but really great. Al was one of my first friends in Indy back when I first moved here and she has always made me feel so loved and valued. She makes my life better. Can't wait till we get to play at Summit in a couple weeks.

Then for the grand finale of seeing friends, I got to have dinner with Mike and Mel Lang. They came for town for the Mumford and Sons concert and I got to snag some time with them first. It's rare that I get to be with just the two of them. It was really great to be able to talk about camp and school and friends and life with this pair.