Power Groups 2 hours

Recently I began leading a power group at church. This is every Tuesday night from 5-7. We go over some set curriculum with the girls. In my group there is seven girls from Sumner Middle School and Lakeridge. A lot of the girls are from the Middle School Camp we attended last weekend. Its cool that I already know the girls on a deeper level. This next month we will be talking about relationships and what they should look like. It is fun to talk to younger girls about what this looks like because I can give them my morals on dating and abstinence. I am excited to further my relationship with them and learn more as the year progresses.

Community Dinner 4 hours

Over the holiday season I volunteered at the annual community dinner we host at the high school. I helped decorate the gym. I have to say everyone did an amazing job, it was the best it had looked in years. I helped to paint backdrops and organize food for the food pantry. It was very fulfilling to know that your helping someone feed their family. It is sad to think that there is 800 homeless families in our city. I learned that it is much easier to do things as a team rather than on your own. When I began the tedious project by myself, I was a little overwhelmed, until I asked for help, then the job went by really fast. I think it is very special that our school does that for the community, because I know of a lot of high schools that aren't very involved in the community.

Middle School Ministry Retreat 1/14-1/17 20 hours service

Over the weekend I attended a Middle School Ministry Retreat for Calvary Community Church. I served as a Middle School Camp Counselor and I was paired with 12 girls. Some go to Sumner Middle School, Mountain View, and Lakeridge. All of the girls were really fun to hangout with. This is the first time I had lead a Middle School group, but it wont be the last. I had so much fun going to chapel with them. When we got back to the cabin we had "cabin time" and we got to discuss what we had just learned. The theme was "belonging to Christ" and we got to talk about some idolatry the girls might have in their life and how they could let it go and start building a relationship with Jesus. Some of the girls shared a lot of things I didn't even know middle schoolers struggled with. It seems like the drug and alcohol scene is begining to start younger and younger. I am just excited to be able to mentor to these girls and help them grow so I can share some of my wisdom with them. We did a lot of other fun things at camp, for example, all of the leaders did skits on "Sunday Night Live." One of the skits I did was really funny, I pretended to be one of my friends legs so it looked like she was really flexible. Overall it was an amazing, new experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I learned more about Jesus than I had at camps I have attended as a camper. The girls taught me patience and not to be so quick to get angry. Out of this I have made many great bonds with the girls and I am excited to maintain the friendships.

Cello Lessons 10 hours to date

I have been continuing with cello lessons. I have advanced to playing on the G and C strings as well as A and D strings. I have really enjoyed the improvement I am making since I can now play a wide range of pieces. I am learning how to play songs in different keys, and surprisingly it is much easier than I thought it would be. Before I had taped the finger board to mark where my fingers should be so I could play in tune. Currently I have taken the tapes off and am training myself to play by ear. I have began playing with my second finger (the middle finger) when the key is C#. In this case the second finger occasionally takes place of the third finger since the second finger on the A string is a C. So this makes the range from a low C to a high C. I am learning to play more recognized classical songs like Allegro in D by Vivaldi. I am also playing Pachebels Canon which is very well know, but also painfully slow to play on the cello. Soon I will finish with the Suzuki Cello Book #1 and move to play book #2. I am really excited to get new and more difficult songs. It will be a challenge, but I love the cello so much that I am willing to stick to it for a long time.