Amerilife.

Hey guys!

Slept in today which felt great, woke up and went on a nice run. I'm getting over being a little sick so I haven't been able to run much, but I think I'm feeling good enough to start running again. I was fairly certain I would get sick at some point because of being in such close quarters with all of these people and everyone bringing their own little germs from all over the country. I lost my voice yesterday, which wasn't too bad until I tried to sing with our jam session we had last night.

I'm so glad I brought my guitar. I would have regretted leaving it behind so much. It's a great way to hang out with people and also a good way to learn. We usually play about twice a week in Brian's room and his roommate sings with us. We just play and leave the door open. Last night we had a group come and join us for the singing, one with another guitar who was really good and taught me some techniques... and I was really worried I would get back next year and be a stranger to music. It's funny some of my most comfortable feelings so far this journey have been while playing music.
Music is such a universal language. I love it!

Speaking of music...

I have been learning ways to find time for God in a place where time is very scheduled out for me. It's been a learning experience in and of itself to find God in the ordinary and also those rare alone moment I get here. I'm so thankful for this computer that I am fortunate enough to have here because it allows me to keep up with Hopevale sermons, and also always have a new worship song running through my head. Well today I have been listening to a Hillsong////song and really thinking about it.

This part...

" as i look upon Your name,
circumstances fade away
and now Your glory steals my heart "

It really spoke to me exactly where I was. I've been just down on myself a bit because I feel almost stuck in this place unable to move forward... always able to move back. I guess I just realized like I've been content just not sinning and calling it good. Don't get me wrong... I sin just like the best of 'em, but I guess I'm just re-realizing that the Christian faith isn't about what you don't do... it's about what you do!
That verse James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
Sooo convicting when you realize that even when you feel like you have your act cleaned up, there's this whole other element.

Now I'm at the point of trying to figure out the good I ought to do.

The christian life isn't about inactivity, but activity.

alright now speaking of activity. This weekend being Halloween there has been much activity. We got to go rock climbing/bouldering yesterday for our PT. This is a picture of me bouldering. It's basically like mini rock climbing without being strapped in. You swing from rock to rock. I wasn't too good at it, but it was fun!

















Last night was a Halloween dance here on campus. It was actually really, really cool! You could hear the music right when you opening the door. When you walked down, there was sweet techno music playing, lights flashing everywhere and fog machines. We danced the night away in our ridiculous costumes.
Tonight- trick or treating followed by a large pillow fight in downtown denver.


























much love to all of you,

Abigail- in process

Snow Day!

Today is an AmeriCorps NCCC Snow Day.

ha ha!

I didn't think I would ever get the privilege or excitement of getting a snow day ever again after leaving high school, but here it is.
So two days ago I was playing kickball in short and a tee shirt, and the next day I was all bundled up. Now there is about 14 inches of snow on the ground because it literally snowed all day yesterday.

I've been enjoying the day by reading, listening to music and catching up with people.
This week flewwwwwwwww by. It's crazy. We are about to get placed on our permanant teams soon. I can't believe it. This year is going to go by so fast. I need to soak it all up.

Abigail- In Process

Refreshing Weekend.

Hello!
This weekend was, as my title says, very refreshing.

-Friday night i stuck around campus and played music with some friends, and then came back and caught up with some people (possibly you?) Anyway I stayed up late because the next day was the first day I could actually sleep in!
Brian and I were in our Saginaw News, so for those of you who don't live in Saginaw-

News Article

-Saturday... some sleep in.... I couldn't sleep longer than 9:30. It was terrible to see what getting up early enough does to your ability to sleep in like a teenager. After I woke up, me and roomie went on a run around the campus. Breathing here is difficult. I can still feel it after 2 weeks. It just takes a lot of extra effort to draw a breath. I've been told when I get back though that I will be able to run nonstop.
We hung out during the afternoon and at night we went out to the 16th street mall with a group of us. It was ZOMBIE night on the 16th street mall. It was so creepily cool! Basically people were either zombies or victims. The victims wore a duct tape X on their shirts and that meant the zombie could attack you and pretend to eat you as this lady is pretending on the right. It was pretty ridic.
We had some Jimmy Johns, which was my first since leaving home,and it tasted mighty fine! We definitely enjoyed it!

Sunday- Went with a group of people downtown to go visit some museums. We found the Colorado History one. It was a lot about the native americans etc. which is i suppose the main part of Colorado's history. I think I'm just sick of learning about that because we got it every year in school for about half the year in history. After this cultural experiance, we had another one. Noodle & Co. Now, I hear this is a must. I tried it, it was alright. Jimmy Johns was better :]

Tonight Brian and I tried out a church that we've been looking at. Bloom Church in Denver. It's a newly founded church, the worship leader is Michael Gungor, which was awesome to find out. It was literally maybe 30 people. It was just starting but it was amazing. The speaker was powerful, and I was so touched by his message. It was about being useful to God, especially focusing on David's availability to God and how much God used him. It was such a good feeling to be worshiping God with these few people in a town 1000+ miles away from home. It was the reminder that I needed today that I am here for a reason. I don't even need to know why, I just need to be willing, available, and ready.

Definitely in process,

Abigail

friday, track, dinner, roses

We're in full swing now. I feel very well adjusted and I feel in the groove of things. This week 1/2 have been meetings, trainings, and meeting people. It's been fun, but we're all getting kind of restless wanting to do something more.

Today, however, we got to try our hand at our first service project! It was incredible. A sight to behold. Our whole class went to the Hamilton Middle School which is around 200 + people. We were all in uniform and piled out of our 15-passenger vans. Our job was mainly to help build a track and plant trees and some plants for the school. As if this sight wasn't cool enough, 300 eighth graders come out of the school ready to help. We all greeted a few and took them to join our team. I had 3 girls who reminded me of 8th grade a little too much, but it was still fun to get to know them a bit.

I got the chills when I looked out and saw a school's grounds filled with Americorps members and younger kids, everyone working toward the same purpose. The parents and teachers were ecstatic about us being there. It was the feeling that we all knew and loved enough to be here for 10 months. I love being in this program.
you can read more about what we actually did on the middle school's website Hamiltonschool






After this awesome service project, I came back to my room to these beautiful things. secret admirer?? ; ]
ha ha, no but really. the person i date is a sweet heart.

















so yesterday my family and i may have done one of the craziest things in the history of technology/children leaving home... I had skype dinner with my family! Seriously, I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I had to take proof. They had delicious fettuccine alfredo... well at least from what I saw. Anyway, they put my at my spot at dinner and we had a "normal family dinner"

love you all,

abigail- in process

a week!

It's hard to believe I've been here a week already. This week has been going by so fast already. We all agree here that it's simply going to fly by. Today was a really fun day. We learned some healthy habits both emotionally and physically. I made a resolution... I am going to try my darndest to not drink pop. It's hard because there's a fountain pop machine in our cafe. After learning this, we played some fun bonding games and then we were supposed to have our baseline testing today, the running push ups and sit ups... but it was snowing and has been snowing alllllll day here.

We were pretty excited and put on our sweet AmeriCorps parkas!

Also we had a pretty sweet dance party tonight on the Earth/Fire unit floors. This kid named Donald who reminds me of all of the Rene brothers combined made his room a VIP Club. In order to get in you have to be "family" or bring some kool-aid. thankfully i was family : ]

anyway me and roomie are having a bonding night. gonna watch a tv show etc. I love her. we have fun



love,

Abigail- in process

Today is the Day

Haley's Comet tonight at 4 AM!!! early but so worth it.

Hi everyone!
It feels like a while since I've updated last. It's almost been an entire week since I've been here. It feels like longer, but not in a bad way. I think I'm almost all adjusted. The altitude adjustment was difficult and I'm sure I'm not completly acclimated... but I was tired and thirsty a lot more than normal.

So on Sunday I went with Brian and his older sister Sarah (she lives near in Fort Collins) came and picked us up. She took us to a dinner theater that she works/acts at, and we were able to watch and eat some real food for the first time in a while! She is the sweetest and one of the nicest people. It was so kind of her to do that for us. After this I got to explore the 16th street mall a while which is rocking. Downtown Denver has so much to do and to see. Also Fort Collins appears to be the best place to live, ever. I've heard it was voted 1st best place to live for 3 years in a row.
After all of this, we went to Hard Rock Cafe which was a lovely way to end our evening. It was nice to get off campus out of our uniforms which by the way, I am starting to appreciate.
Do you know what time you need to roll out of bed when your clothes are picked out for you and you don't shower? Really late, I tell ya!
Don't be grossed out- I shower at night.

Today we did community mapping which was basically driving to a new area/town and getting to know it. We drove to a city right out of Denver and it was not very nice to say the least. We broke apart to ask locals about the area ie: needs, strengths, problems
It felt so good when people stopped us on the street so excited that AmeriCorp was there actually caring about them. I felt so proud to be wearing that plain gray shirt today.
i saw this little guy right by me as i was walking. It's a prairie dog, and the ironic thing is these are in our Saginaw Zoo, and here they are just as common as squirrels!


After this our whole unit (about 60) went hiking to a state park. It was beautiful to say the least. It smelled like the fall. We didn't see any cool animals, but I'm guessing they didn't like the whole 60 people thing.








anyway I have my address so you all can write me letters and send me Hungry Howies Pizza!

Abigail DeHart
AmeriCorps NCCC- Room 136
3001 South Federal Blvd.
Denver, CO 80236-2711


love,
Abigail- in process.

definitely not michigan anymore.

,
These past two days have been fairly busy. A lot of preperation and meetings and training. Today specifically we went through a driving course so people could be assessed to drive the big 15 passenger vans safely. Those of us who didn't want to drive sat and became these passengers. It was actually a really cool day minus the beginning of it because we had to watch videos about it. it was like driver's training alllll over again.

But then after this, we got to drive all over Denver. It was a little nerve wracking at first knowing that someone else had your life in their hands, but you forgot about it really quick and enjoyed looking around. It is such a great city. I'm falling in love with this area of the country. I wish I could pick up all of you guys from your homes and move them and you right here. You guys would love it too, I know.

Anyway we drove up some high altitude places today, including Red Rock Canyon. These places were so neat to look at. We were very high up. We also saw the ampitheator where a

lot of shows are played. I want to make it to one before we head out. It would be unreal to listen to music amongst the canyons and mountains.

Anyway, it's a Saturday night, and a lot of people are out "living it up" as for me, I decided to stick around here for the evening to catch up with some people and read.



I found my favorite spot here. It's this grassy hill on the outskirts of campus. It has one street light and a big rock underneath. From this spot, You overlook the entire city of Denver all lit up. It's a sight to behold.
I was reading in my spot, and I came across a few lines that really spoke to me. It was a check on me for sure as I read it.
"Being a Christian is not about being one who dedicates his own work to God. Rather it is about God Himself doing the work through a person totally yielded to Him."

It just reminds me what apart from Him, I can do nothing.


________________________________________

here's a snap shot of brian!! This is when we were walking to pick up some necessary room supplies. such as: a pillow for brian and laundry detergent for me! He is also being a model Corps member by drinking water. Water is like all I crave.















love,
Abigail- In Process

I am officially an Americorps NCCC member

Today was the first full day. I woke up, and honestly at first it was very weird. Something that you have been anxiously awaiting for months, and here you are. I got butterflies.
This is my view out of the front window of the cafe. It's a big glass wall perfect for marveling at the mountains. I promise you it looks even better in person. I am inspired by these surroundings.








This is my bed. It's fairly simple. You pull it out from the wall. I think it's pretty nice although there has been some complaining that I've heard. I also love that there is a sink directly in our room.

Me and my roommate Tana went to the dollar store directly across from our campus to get some things to make our room more homie. Now it smells nice and looks cool!
That is her right over there. She's awesome and so cute. I already feel completely comfortable

around her. It's her first time away from home as well.






















Also.... Today was uniform day. Woo! You can't tell me I'm not working those khaki pants and gray tee. So these are uniforms. We got soooo many issued articles of clothing today. It's nice because you can mix and match and not feel like you're wearing the same thing every day. It does make everyone look "uniform" and therefore, the only way to get noticed is to have a noticeable personality.









Anyway, today was so tiring between all of the meetings and people and jetlag. I had such a blast though. The evening ended perfectly. Brian and I took our guitars out to a big hill with a light by it, and it over looks the city of Denver. It's a sea of lights. It's perfect. We drew in another girl who played as well, so we sat out playing and talking for a while.

I miss you guys!

Abigail- in process

Travel Day

Today was amazing, exhausting, and fun!
We had two flights. One out of MBS, which was the hardest part of the day... I said goodbye to my friends and family.

Aren't they so sweet?

It was so nice to have Brian Ledtke with me. It's like a bit of home with me. We're both loving it.


Anyway, after that flight we flew from Detroit to Denver. On that flight, I was upgraded to first class due to knowing someone at the airport. it was awesome! let me tell you, I felt glamorous (flossy, flossy?) They give you a free meal while you are sitting on practically a couch! It tasted pretty bad but I ate everything because, I'm Dutch...it was free!















We were on the flight with 7 other corps members, and only knew of one that we had both seen on facebook. It was fun to all get off the plane and just have this mutual understanding.
Upon arriving, we got directed to a charter bus which took us to the campus. Campus is absolutely beautiful. It's an university that they let Americorps use. We were all pretty speechless when we pulled up. It is a gorgeous old brick building, and rolling hills and fally colored trees.

My dorm room is decent. I am completely happy with it. My roommate is awesome. I promise more pictures soon.

This is going to be one of the most amazing things I ever get to go through, but i'm going to sleep now. jetlagggggggggggggg

Abigail- one who's in process

Denver or bust!

-Abs

Tmrw!

I leave tomorrow.
absolutely can't imagine it. it doesn't seem real! i'm so excited and that's overriding everything right now.

It will be a hard day saying my goodbyes, i realize.

this weekend my amazing friends threw me a surprise going away party. it was perfect because i got to be in the same room with people that i love a lot at the same time. i am going to miss my friendships, and am excited to form new ones.

God has blessed me richly through friendships and family. They support me every step of my way.

I love you all & here begins my adventure! I'll try to update this as soon as possible when i arrive in Denver : ]


one who's in process,

abigail