I've been here five weeks now.

So I find that I've not been very good at writing in this thing for the last few weeks.  I will try to write more often than I have for those of you who are following this blog.  If you have been reading this though, feel free to make your presence known.  Depending on the subject of the post, we may even start a discussion on the topic.  There have been a lot of things that I'm thinking about.  Hopefully a few of those things will make it into this blog.

First I should tell of this past week.  A week ago, I did something new (for me) in ministry.  I sat in on a meeting between a grieving family and a funeral director.  I took notes on the meeting and this helped with creating a funeral service for a member of the congregation who had passed away.  So I assisted in making the arrangements and the funeral was held this past Saturday.  I did not actually help officiate at the funeral itself, but I did some work behind the scenes.  Including visiting with the family in the hospital not long before this woman died.  Reflecting on this experience, I think that I learned a bit about what families need from pastors when death is imminent.  Mostly, when a family is holding vigil, they need someone there to talk to them.  Many times it helps. 

That is not the only thing that happened this past week either.  I was invited to dinner in a couple homes this past week as well.  I spent the fourth of July with an older gentleman and a couple others and we had dinner together.  There was grilled chicken, cheesy potatoes, potato salad, regular salad, watermelon, and a wonderful dessert that had strawberries.  After dinner, we talked and had good conversation.  Much the same happened the next night at a retired couple's home, only with brats, fruit, pudding, and raw veggies.  At both places, I ate a lot of good food, talked with good people, and went home with a full stomach.  So I'm starting to get people inviting me to dinner.  Pastor Tim and I had put a sign up sheet out at the beginning of the summer, but mostly people have just been calling and asking when I'm available.  That works too.  I've enjoyed the welcome of the people here.  

This summer hasn't been all fun and games though.  Death seems to be a theme that has come up a lot this summer.  First, my family lost my Uncle Kenny, which resulted in me flying home for a week.  Soon after I got back on a Friday afternoon, we found out that a lady in Baldwin was in the hospital and it wasn't looking good.  So Pastor Tim and I visited the hospital that Saturday and then the next day I visited after church.  Not a half hour after I left, she passed away.  Which resulted in me sitting in on this meeting last Monday morning.  I took down notes and helped with making the arrangements for the service.  This was actually quite helpful for me.  Death is not an easy thing and something that we often think about that often, especially at twenty-five.  So one of the things about being a pastor that gave me some pause was in dealing with funerals.  I've had to become acquainted with that the last few weeks.  I think that this experience has helped me and it will make it easier when I actually have to go through the process of walking with a family as they are grieving the loss of a loved one.  That may happen sooner than I think, for Pastor Tim is leaving for Africa in a couple days and won't be back until the 26th.  He'll then be gone again for a week in August.  So in that time, should someone in the congregation pass, I may be walking with that family.  I hope that the last few weeks have prepared me for that should it happen.  I think that they have though.  I find that I have less anxiety on the subject of death and grief than I did a month ago.  I can't complain either, after all, I did ask the Lord what he had in store for me this summer.  The Lord may have another surprise or time up his sleeve as well.  I've still got six weeks left here in Baldwin.  So it will be interesting to see what is just around the corner.