The SPEC kitchen has always reminded me of working in the Camp Luther kitchen, but this weekend this was particularly true.
Kris and I volunteered to help wash dishes for a self-catering outside group using SPEC facilities this weekend. It was some Christian organization full of college aged students with real maternal English women as the kitchen staff. There are a slew of different stereotypical English people that often come to mind for Americans. Kris and I agreed these women were Julie Andrews English… So we were entertained.
While being reminded of my kitchen prowess while scrubbing dirty pots and pans, I couldn’t help but reminisce of my weeks in the Camp Luther kitchen. Luther kitchen weeks are challenging, undoubtedly some of the hardest hours I’ve ever worked. They’ve been some of most fun hours I’ve ever worked, too. Above all, I think those weeks bent over the sinks in the July heat taught me a lot about work ethic, hospitality, unselfish servanthood, and attitude.
While there are a lot of things I don’t control this year, one thing I can control is my attitude. This was true for 4 summers as a Luther Staff member, too. You might not like how someone talks to you. You might be frustrated. You might not think you are being appreciated enough. You might not agree with decisions made around you. You might not want to look at another pot in need of a steel wool scrub ever again. But as simple as it sounds, attitude is everything. I am thankful for instances that remind me of this.
This post is in honor of all those faithful servants of the Camp Luther kitchen- past, present, and future! (In particular two of the finest masters of the kitchen I know- Stefan Diehm and Matt Plank.) Many your steel wool always be plentiful, your sprayer always powerful, your music always rocking, and your attitude always ready to roll!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Bit of an Update
Hello Blog Readers!
Happy March! Thus begins my 7th full month here. Incredible! All 28 days of February came and went fairly quickly- and as far as SPEC time goes- it was abnormally abrupt due in part to our week long half-term break the 3rd week of the month.
That week I could be find tooling around the great country of Denmark with my cousin Katie and fellow YAGM Becca. With limited luggage, a Tom-Tom, and a dream in our heart (I'm still trying to figure out what that dream was exactly...) we took to the open Danish road. I am happy to report we did meet along the way the man we had originally come to see, Matt Plank. We spent 24 hours in Hamburg, Germany escaping Danish prices and giving Matt a change in scenery from his Watermark Denmark tour schedule. That and because Germany is sweet. If I'm to spend a good chunk of my life explaining my name and my parents' unusual choice in naming their children names from a heritage they know little about- well then golly- I'm going to experience that heritage fully! I achieved this by eating plenty of pastry, Haribo, finding a statue of Martin Luther, walking up the "sex district" known as the the Reeperbahn and trying in vain to find a touristy trinket with my name on it.
More on our Denmark/Germany experience in my March newsletter- which I hope hits inboxes within the next couple of weeks.
All in all--- we're truckin' right along through the year here- Plenty of retreats and happenings to keep the community spirit alive and its members busy!
If you happen to stumble upon this blog but do not currently receive a free subscription to my newsletter, "Marta in the UK Monthly"- leave your email in the comment section and I'll add you to the list!
Shining my light,
Marta
Happy March! Thus begins my 7th full month here. Incredible! All 28 days of February came and went fairly quickly- and as far as SPEC time goes- it was abnormally abrupt due in part to our week long half-term break the 3rd week of the month.
That week I could be find tooling around the great country of Denmark with my cousin Katie and fellow YAGM Becca. With limited luggage, a Tom-Tom, and a dream in our heart (I'm still trying to figure out what that dream was exactly...) we took to the open Danish road. I am happy to report we did meet along the way the man we had originally come to see, Matt Plank. We spent 24 hours in Hamburg, Germany escaping Danish prices and giving Matt a change in scenery from his Watermark Denmark tour schedule. That and because Germany is sweet. If I'm to spend a good chunk of my life explaining my name and my parents' unusual choice in naming their children names from a heritage they know little about- well then golly- I'm going to experience that heritage fully! I achieved this by eating plenty of pastry, Haribo, finding a statue of Martin Luther, walking up the "sex district" known as the the Reeperbahn and trying in vain to find a touristy trinket with my name on it.
More on our Denmark/Germany experience in my March newsletter- which I hope hits inboxes within the next couple of weeks.
All in all--- we're truckin' right along through the year here- Plenty of retreats and happenings to keep the community spirit alive and its members busy!
If you happen to stumble upon this blog but do not currently receive a free subscription to my newsletter, "Marta in the UK Monthly"- leave your email in the comment section and I'll add you to the list!
Shining my light,
Marta
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
