Where I Am Now

     I've been home for just over two weeks now, and I realized that I have not even updated this blog to let you all know that I am back in Canada safe and sound!
     It seems crazy that it has only been two weeks. Seriously. I feel like I have been home for forever. I feel like Madison was eons ago, yet at the same time, it feels like I just left (and really, I did). Kenzie and I were talking and saying how that first weeks just dragged on and on and on.
     While it is great being home, and seeing my family and friends here, I really really miss Madison. I miss my YWAM Madison community. I miss my roommate. I miss my children. I miss preschool. I miss America.
     My time is now occupied by working at the greenhouse. I work six days a week, which makes for a busy life, yet at the same time, I am still growing in my relationship with God. That won't ever stop! One thing I really love about working at the greenhouse is the conversations that I am able to have with people. Some of my good friends work with me, and I have had some really great conversations about God with them over these past few weeks. Since I'm so used to being in a Christian community, and talking about God, it is awesome to have these people who I can continue that with. :)
     So that's my next step- returning to the greenhouse, working there for the summer. I know what God has asked of me, and I know that it will take a lot of trust and constant communication with Him to do it, but if there is one thing that I have learned over my eight months on staff with YWAM Madison, it is that God is completely, utterly, and absolutely trustworthy, and He is always faithful.
     Tonight, during my quiet time, I pulled out a letter that I wrote at the beginning of my time on staff. I had forgotten about it until now, and so I read it and spent time with God, just reflecting over the seven months of preschool. A few of the questions I had written to ask God included "How were lives changed?", "How and where did I see God's faithfulness?", and "What have I learned in my time on staff with YWAM Madison, and through the preschool?"
     It was really great to reflect on these questions and see that God indeed answered them. The lives of those children were changed. MY life was changed. I saw God's faithfulness in SO many ways, just one being the provision for preschool and the continuation of it. And I learned to much about trusting God -this really was a whole season for that lesson!- not to mention I learned even more about His love for me, and His trust in ME (crazy thought!), and much, much, much more!
     So now here I am, away from all my life was for the past eight-nine months. I'm away from YWAM Madison, away from my seven wonderfully amazing preschoolers, away from my hilarious roommate (and one of my closest friends), away from all that. Yet God is still with me, and He is still teaching me things, and He is still showing Himself to be faithful, to be trustworthy, and to be good.
     I can't wait to take my next steps with God (no matter how scary they are!)
     Blessings,
          Katie

This. Just this. It's SO TRUE!!

One upside of starting work at 7am is that when I leave the house, the sun is just rising. And it is BEAUTIFUL!

My preschooler's parents went together and bought me a travel mug with pictures of my kids on it :) It came in the mail last week!

My last Madison sunset. I miss those :(

Oh Kenzie. She snuck a note into my bag when I left. So I got home and was unpacking when I found this envelop. I was like "Awwww Kenz is so sweet!" Then I opened it X) I MISS my dear, dear roomie! Thankfully we can -and definitely do- text! :)

Goodbye

     On September 15, 2015, I walked into the freshly prepared preschool room, nervous but (kind of) ready to greet the seven students I would be spending the next several months with. Over the time since then, I have had the honour of teaching these kids, praying with them, laughing with them, and getting to know each one. These seven kids are each so special and I know that God is going to take them to some amazing places as they continue their lives. I'm blessed to have spent the past several months with them, and I thank God for entrusting this job to me. I love them, and today I said goodbye to them as we had our final preschool class. I miss them already!

     On Wednesday, at staff meeting, the leaders prayed for me as I depart, but my kid's parents also surprised me with the CUTEST video of the kids, and they are giving me a travel mug with photos from our class on it. However, since I'm the one who has taken all the pictures, they decided to send PD's wife, Amy into our class yesterday so that we could get some photos with me in it. That made for the perfect opportunity for a class photo! It was the perfect day, since it was Judah's day to be there, and all the kids were there :) So these are my goofballs! I love them! I can't stand goodbyes, but today, I had to say so many, to some pretty precious people! :(

     Tomorrow, I pack up and then on Sunday, I head back home.

     Blessings,

          Katie

The Last Week

     Wow. I'm writing my next blog post, which I always do on Wednesdays at Cool Beans. Since I'm now writing it, that means one thing: This is my last time doing this. This is my final time sitting in Cool Beans, drinking a Mocha Slide while I update you all on what is happening here in Madison. This afternoon, it will be my last time going over to the GMC for Worship and Warfare, and then it will be my final staff meeting with YWAM Madison. On Sunday, I'm going home.
     It's crazy how fast time passes. It really feels like it was just a month or two ago that I first arrived in Madison, after that craziness of trying to cross the border, and ate ice cream on Kenzie's cloud bed. Yet that was 8 months ago already! When I first arrived back in Madison, I knew that my time on staff would go by fast, but I still don't understand how it is already at the end!
     This week is bitter-sweet for me. I'm glad to be going home; I know that God only called me to Madison for a short time, and that I am supposed to go home now. I miss all of you back in Canada, and I'm so excited to see you all again (for more than just a short visit)! At the same time, just the thought of leaving Madison and my 'family' here makes my heart hurt. I love my people! I don't want to say goodbye!
     Yesterday, at preschool, one of the children was talking about me leaving. "Miss Katie," he said, "You're leaving, but you won't forget us. And we can think about you and what we learned at school!"
     Man, I love them!
     Yesterday, for the first time in awhile, I ran preschool all by myself; ever since he took over for the couple days while I was home for Opa's funeral, PD has joined us at preschool. And for the past two weeks, he has been the one to teach the Bible lessons. It's kind of like I have a placement student, which is kind of strange but also really nice (the extra help, I mean). Anyway, it was really great yesterday, leading circle -I mean Oval- again. I didn't realize how much I missed doing that! We talked about how Jesus told Peter to take care of his people, and how we also need to do the same. And then the kids listed off ways that we can take care of people.
     Later in the day, we made some clay dough, and the kids were playing with it. One child didn't have a roller stick thing, so I went to get him one when he asked. Meanwhile, another child gave the first child his roller. When the other children and I realized, one of the other children piped up "Justin was taking care of him!"
     It was cute :)
     Now, we only have two days of preschool left. Two days. That's it. Two. Days. HOW are there only two days left?! How do I only have two days remaining with these terrific, adorable, sweet, funny kids?! Seriously... I don't understand how time passes so fast!
     So Friday -April 8- is our final day of preschool for the year. After I leave, a lot of YWAM Madison's staff are going down to Missouri for the DNA conference, which is about the heart/history of YWAM with some of the speakers being Darlene and Loren Cunningham, the founders of YWAM. PD is one of those going to the conference, so while he considered keeping preschool running for a few weeks longer after I left, that is not going to be happening. Once I leave, it will be finished for the year.
     However, just because I am leaving does not mean that preschool is over for good! In September, it is looking like there will be a FULL TIME kindergarten (which PD will be running) as well as a part time preschool like we had this year. God is faithful, but even if this preschool was just for this one year, it would have been worth it. We talked about that in our last intercession time. Greg, the one who had this vision for YWAM Madison in the first place, and the father of one of my preschoolers, was saying that even for one year, the preschool was worth it, because you can see a difference in the children.
     And it's true. Looking back to September, when the children first entered the cheery blue classroom, they were different. Of course they knew Jesus and were good kids, but I can see how they have grown in their faith and knowledge since then. Just in the way they interact with each other and treat each other has changed. Yes, they are still four and five year old kids, so they have their arguments and struggles, but in general, they share more, they are more compassionate towards each other, and they welcome everyone. And that's just a tiny bit of how they have grown!
     My heart hurts so much knowing that I have to leave, but I know that God brought me here for a reason, and I know that God will be faithful to continue to be with me and show me what He has for me.
     And when I'm home, I'm still going to be working alongside YWAM Madison for a short while -in the evenings, I suppose, since I'll be working all day at Zomers again. I have been helping work on the database, since they are completely re-vamping it. All this is done independently, on a computer, and since it is just Kenzie and I helping out the main person (who is also a full-time mom of two young children) on this, I offered to continue to do so after I go home.
     So here I am, sitting at Cool Beans for the last time, only days from my departure from Madison, Wisconsin. I'll miss this place (Madison, not just Cool Beans!) and these people, but I know that I will see them again. I've already got a visit scheduled! :)
     See you all in a few days!
     Blessings,
          Katie

Kenzie texted this to me the other day. Thus sums up our relationship :P Also, ignore her name on there, I promise it is a joke, because her mom called her a Lardo while we were visiting, and she is completely NOT. Kenz thinks its hilarious that when people see her name, they will think that I'm a horrible person. :P

The couple that Kenzie and I are living with are currently in the process of being licensed for foster care (the home study was on Monday, so they're almost done!). So they now have my old bedroom set up as a nursery, with a crib, change table, and toys! It is so cute and happy! The other night, I sat upstairs talking to Kelly for like 2 1/2 hours while we built towers. Such fun!

On Instagram, I follow YWAM memes. They're pretty great and when you are in YWAM, you definitely completely relate to most- if not all- of them! I really like this one, cause its so true!