At Catalyst last May, the SLU leadership team met to set goals for new student outreach. We were excited about the new regional fall conference (www.ivfallconference.com) and the opportunity it'd provide to invite new students to a great weekend off campus (road trips are great bonding experiences!). In particular, we really wanted to see 8-10 freshmen attending FC07 with us. To off-set the barrier of conference costs, we set a goal of raising $750 in scholarship money for freshmen to attend FC. That would subsidize 1/2 the conference cost for at least 11 freshmen. To some of us, raising $750 felt like a daunting task, to others, it felt like a piece of cake. Despite the variance of our comfort levels towards raising this money, each of us agreed that helping freshmen to attend FC was worth it! With that in mind, we set off for the summer.
(Fade Out...)
Time: Sunday, August 19th 1pm
Setting: The Sinclair Station at Hanley & Delmar
Cast: Lee, Morgan, Maria, and Tammy
(Fade In...)
Our prayers for the predicted scattered showers to be kept at bay were holding up. Car wash signs were prepared and the stations for rinsing, washing, and drying were set up, waiting for dirty cars to fill their empty spaces. We'd been praying for this fundraiser all week; a couple of folks had things come up at the last minute that prevented them from being able to help out, but fortunately 2 of our recent grads were more than willing to lend a hand. Announcements about the car wash had been made, our extra helpers were on their way, there was just one problem... there was no water!
What??!?
Someone at the gas station had forgotten to keep the water turned on for us. The station was closed and we had no way of contacting anyone.
We racked our brains. Could we connect 2 hoses and use water from the gas station across the street? A couple of folks went to investigate the possibility, but the weekend manager wasn't on duty so they hit a dead end. Could we "borrow" the water from the business next door and stop by Monday morning to explain the situation and offer to pay for the water we used? That would be risky... The business owner could be a nice and understanding person who would sympathize with our situation OR she could be merciless and threaten to press charges and I might be writing my next blog from behind bars! -- Tammy Chi, guilty of stealing water -- Gasp, a campus minister with a criminal record. Could I be fired for this!?!?
It was decided that we'd try to reschedule. Amazingly, there seemed to be another date that would work for everyone -- well, everyone but me. "Sorry guys, I'll be out of town that day." I informed my students. "Are you still willing to do it w/o me?" Their heads nodded with a "yes".
As we packed everything back into my car, Lee said with a grin on his face, "Well guys, thanks for showing up for today's drill. You did great! Now we'll all be totally prepared for the car wash." I couldn't help but smile, thankful for his ability to bring laughter into what had been a frustrating situation. What will this upcoming car wash hold? Given today's experience, just about anything. All we can do is be prepared and pray for the best!
BTW, for you locals, here is the time/date/and tentative location for our car wash:
Sunday, Sept 2nd
2-5pm
Sinclair Station at Hanley & Delmar in U. City
We'd love to have you stop by if you are able!!
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