The Great Adventure!!

Well, in the fall of 2010, something bothered me. I saw the teens in my family's new community having nothing to do and no place to go, locally. I saw them bored and walking aimlessly around town. By January of 2011, I could almost not stop thinking about it!

I kept thinking, "We need a place for them."
I kept seeing buildings around town- empty, abandoned and I kept thinking- "Wouldn't it be nice to have a place for them?"

It became VERY apparent to me last fall when I was at church and the preacher said something about "God has put something on the hearts of some of you that seems too big for you." I started crying! "YES! He has- and YES! How on earth can I do something like this?" I went to the cross, got down on my knees, prayed and cried and felt so humbled and then felt so reassured that God was in this. I knew that if He was in it- it would work!

I knew that I knew that I knew I was to be an instrument in making this thought more than a thought- but a REALITY. Thus, began the journey of trusting and relying on Him more than I ever have before and feeling simply humbled as I know I am really nothing special at all. I have so many flaws and I know so little about so much- and yet over the past several months, He has provided people who DO know. People who SEE the vision and get excited and want to offer help!

I have a huge passion for teens. I didn't have the best years of my life as a teen- and I really hope that the teens whose lives I get to be in- for whatever amount of time- can have a better life somehow thru the time we have together. I have coached basketball and taught some fitness classes to teens and I also am a small group leader for our youth group at church. Not to mention I am the mother now to 3 teenaged girls and one tween! I am surrounded- and I LOVE it!!

So, this GREAT ADVENTURE is beginning as we begin a new year. We have people working on Articles of Incorporation and will become "The G56 Corp"- which stands for Galatians 5:6- my favorite scripture coming to life in my life- "The only thing that counts is Faith, expressing itself thru Love." and we will apply for a 501c3 to become a non-profit organization. We are currently working on a 1st year -3rd year budget and will begin to raise funds shortly for a place called "That Place".

Our mission- "THAT PLACE is THE place tri-town teens will find THEIR place in our community and in our world."

This is how that will happen-
"That Place" is the place for tri-town teens to unite in community. A place they can be inspired by the Arts. A place they will understand their own and other's value thru mentoring, homework help and community outreach and service. A place teens will respect themselves and others as they engage in fitness and activities that promote health and wellness."

This is a huge vision- there is so much to be excited about and those people I have shared this vision with seem just as excited as I am!

We will be the place for teens after school, and on Friday nights after High School games, and we will team up with other non-profit organizations to sevre our community.We will be there in the summer doing field trips and planting a community garden and we will open our building to the community for meetings, receptions and the like, when we are not holding teen functions there.

This is The Great Adventure I am on right now. Some of you have already joined this adventure with me! Some of you have heard just a bit about it- and now you know more! For some of you, this is the first you have heard of it! This is your invitation to join me on this adventure!