hey y’all ! 🤠

training camp has officially come to an end!! it has been both a challenge that has grown me and been a blessing in so many ways. Even though my adventure has barely even started i feel like i’ve made so memories this past month that i’ll remember for a long time, and i’m grateful for all the ways the Lord has moved in me and the people around me. I know this is just the kickstart for so many more adventures to come!

At the end of training camp, (last Sunday) me and my team got the opportunity to serve for a week in Harlem Heights Florida.  It was definitely a great opportunity of preparation for leaving the country in less than a week (this upcoming Saturday!) and getting time to bond with our team while doing ministry. We got the chance to serve in a neighborhood that was heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian last year. We had teams serving in different spots around the community where needed, putting up drywall, painting, and just helping prep some of the homes so they can be lived in!

My team worked on one of the homes in the neighborhood the whole week, screwing in nails, putting up dry wall, and mudding.

fun fact if your not a super big home depot gal, you actually have to push the driller into the nail if you want it to go in the wall. like pretty hard. if not your nails will fall to the ground and you’ll have to climb down from your ladder like seventy times to grab them.

also not speaking from experience.

I have some photos included above from our this past week and of the house we got to work on! I am really grateful for the time i got to spend there

i have learned a lot of things from this past month of training camp about my faith, and one thing the Lord has been teaching me is how we steward our personal time with him well, or if we make it a priority at all. Sometimes the way i process things is through journaling, and i wanted to share something i wrote that helped me kinda describe how the Lord constantly burns to spend time with us!

If you’d like to read i have it below and i hope it’s encouraging!

Thank you again for the love and support!

I would love prayer for peace and safe travels this weekend as i take this next step into my journey! love you all! have a great rest of your week!

lots of love! - maddie :))

It’s like this

Jesus has this room

a safe space

and in this room there’s a table

and a stack of chairs

and every day,

just like the one before,

He pulls two chairs out from under the stack and slides them under the table

one on each end

a table for two

and the empty one sits there

and He does too

and the table! The table is so beautiful. It has your name in cursive stamped seven times all along your plate, the cups filled to the brim

and if your hot the liquid is cold and dances with the ice underneath your fingertips

but if your cold it radiates a gentle heat on your palms.

the bowls of his love within reach

the silver spoons reflecting the lessons he’ll teach.

the countertops of the table etched with the scripture He carved so carefully for our eyes to see

oh yes the table.

the dining table.

the one with the empty chair.

and here’s the thing about that empty chair, and why it’s so significant

because a lot of time we pass it by like it’s nothing,

we don’t even remember it

and yet still

every day like all the others

he’ll pull it out to your spot

whether he knows you’ll be joining him for some time, or if that day your not

and i wonder how many times i have passed by that empty chair and it’s watched me walk it by

and everything that’s there for me on the table is untouched

yes, i think that empty chair should mean a lot more to us