In preparing for Children's Chapel for today (which I actually didn't make it to...) I found out that St. Patrick wasn't Irish. There were some other things in there, like the fact that he was enslaved, but I didn't have enough patience after a 17+ hour day to read the rest.
Sunday morning my grandfather had a mini-stroke, and so after flying back through Tampa in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, I was heading to Ft. Myers to get back on a plane to Atlanta to see him. I was home for about 56 hours before getting back on a plane in the wee hours of the morning yesterday to come back. It has been quite a long week!! The good news is that he is doing fine and will be released from the hospital tomorrow. The bad news is that I am exhausted and will probably get an earful tomorrow about missing Children's Chapel this morning. I really wish that wasn't part of my "responsibilities" but at this point it doesn't really matter because I only have to do it one more time before I leave.
Which, by the way, is in a little over three weeks. I am excited, especially after being home and spending time with the posse and the peeps and the gang, but I am also totally stressed because there is still a lot to do before then.
Sunday night I am leading a worship service for the youth that walks us through the last week of Jesus' life. I finally broke through the writers block and got a lot of the liturgy written tonight before our three hour session meeting, but still have to put all the rambling thoughts for my sermon into something cohesive. And round out the rest of the service, put together the bulletin and meet with the person who is "allowed" to preside over the communion and convince him to do things my way!
Next week is Holy Week, which, when you work at a church, is really the most hectic week in your life. Sunday morning I have to organize the children for the palm processional (Palm Sunday, people... Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem...) and make sure that I have some palms left over for my evening worship service. Thursday we are having a Maundy Thursday service, Friday we are having a Good Friday service (which I still don't know if I'm expected to prepare a sermon for, based on the seven last words of Christ- don't ask me what they are, look them up yourself), the Easter Egg Hunt is Saturday which is mainly on my shoulders- I have to make sure we order enough supplies for the pancake breakfast, get the youth to show up to serve the breakfast, plan an Easter story presentation for the many "unchurched" people that usually attend the Easter Egg Hunt, worry about stuffing the eggs with candy (don't have to worry about hiding them because I have an excellent, reliable person in charge of that part), and pull together all the crafts. And then there's Easter morning, where we're having three services (who knows how many of them I will be expected to participate in) and then I AM CRASHING!!! It may not seem like a lot but amid the rest of the staff scurrying about preparing for everything, I will feel like I've just finished a decathlon!
I think once I make it through this week I might be able to make it. That is, of course, if Jack really is willing to put in a lot of time to pull off the "youth emphasis" Sunday that will be my last Sunday at VPC. Oh yeah, I have to prepare a sermon for that Sunday as well. And if we pull this youth thing off that Sunday, I have a lot more work to do for that besides just write a sermon.
And on top of all that, I have to pack up my apartment! Will someone PLEASE commit to coming down here and helping me?!?!?! I just need someone with strong arms...
Well, that is all the pleading, whining and complaining for now (oh yeah, there was some hoorah-ing in there too). I should go to bed to try to stop the vicious cycle of late nights, early mornings and days of crashing due to lack of sleep and over-exertion. Hope you have a wonderful Friday!
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