what a week!

Hi Friends!

I have been thinking about you all so much over the past few days as things have slowed down a bit and I’ve had the opportunity to have some skype and phone dates with wonderful Lafayette friends.. yay! The past week has been so blessed in so many ways. Since we’ve made it through our first week of summer camp, I have been through everything that I’ll be doing in the office during a camp session at least once… which has been a huge gift. I finally feel like I know my way around the tasks and to do lists that the office at Covecrest entails. Yay! Also because I’ve made it through the first week, I’ve been able to work on the balance of living community life and working at the same time. I feel like I can now look at the time I have and see when it’s important that I work, when it’s important for me to hang out with the other summer staffers, and when it’s important to just be, and enjoy the time that I have to relax. It really has been amazing for me this past week.

Also this past week—day 2 of the barn! OH MAN, it was so much fun. I can already tell that Tuesdays at the barn will be crazy and hectic, and Fridays will be more chill and relaxed. I loved being there this past Friday, and I was even able to step away from the management/cashier side of things and teach a middle school boy and girl how to make rope rosaries. They were so precious when they finally got it. I can’t get their sweet smiles out of my head. I know that it’s moments like that that will really make this summer at the art barn successful… and maybe even allow for many more summers at the barn in years to come.

In other news, my second week here, an amazing priest named Fr. Tom from St. Anthony of Padua parish in The Woodlands came to help with our training week for the summer staffers. He was fantastic. Long story short, he found out that Molly and I were from Louisiana after he visited with us about good old Louisiana food. (oh, what I would do for a good rice and gravy meal right now.. seriously. Yum).  Anyway, he said that he would bring back some Cajun food when he came for week 2 (this week) of camp, but I didn’t really believe that it would actually happen. So, week 2 starts today and Fr. Tom and Deacon Mike (from St. Anthony of Padua, too) got here last night… When I walked in to give Fr. Tom a hug, he told me to go check out the fridge in the kitchen. Molly and I walked in to find a big bag of goodies from HEBERT’S. There were squeals and jumping up and down, for sure. Boudin, boudin balls, and crawfish etoufee.. all for us to warm, share and enjoy. Whoa. What a blessing. This Cajun girl had a little bit of heaven here at Covecrest tonight. So, don’t worry Mom… I’m being fed well!!

Pray for us this week! It’s the first session of Life Teen groups, which means high school teens will be here for a week of EPIC ADVENTURE. It’s making me miss everyone at St. Mary Life Teen in a big way. I can’t wait to see them for week 6 of camp!!! St. Mary peeps… YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT!!!! I’m praying for you so hard and I can’t wait to see your smiling faces soon soon.

Love to you all—

Em