Mietzke's POST Holden Adventure

My family left today and it is strange to be here without them. It is not often that I am the one left behind. This afternoon I went out into the woods with Ben, one of the Mavericks to collect some aspen branches to weave into a triptych for the winter season. The decorations part of my worship assistant job is so much fun! I love creating large scale scenes that set the mood for the season. We collected branches from fallen trees and I am excited about creating a barren woodsy scene for the worship space, a reflection of this time of year where we are turning inward and hopefully have time for introspection. There is a group up at Holden right now that does homeless outreach and as a part of their outreach brings people from their Seattle programs up to Holden for some respite and relaxation. The group has been an absolute joy to have around and tonight they did a forum that they called homelessness 101 and talked about their ministry and we got to hear some stories from some of their lives and work. I was amazed at the amount of people they serve and the way that they reach out and support and love without judgment. I have been really impressed with the staff and the people who are up hear from the program and their willingness to talk about the issues that surround homelessness and their passion for compassionate change. After the talk Mark and Nancy RB invited me over for the evening and we hung out and talked for a couple of hours. It was a really good evening.
I’m home now and it is cold in here. We had sputtering of snow all evening and the temperature is dropping. I miss my family, but I know they are having fun, and with so many kind people around time will pass quickly.