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Celebrations and Debriefs

 SHANNON’S CORNER

This month I have had the sweet pleasure and joy of celebrating Rylie in her milestone of graduating from high school.  A dear friend shared with me a number of years ago about a special gift she gives to her grandchildren when they graduate from high school.  I loved the idea, and it gave me a lovely way even though I was many, many years behind to sojourn with my niece, Rylie in sharing with her my life, stories, and the things God has been teaching me throughout her childhood and teen years.  I’m sure it is not quite the gift a senior graduating from high school would want to receive from her aunt nor am I sure if she will be able to read my handwriting.  But it has been enjoyable, rewarding, and at times sad and teary to go back through my years of journals and to remember, reflect, and share with Rylie some significant milestones in my life…personally, professionally, ministry, and spiritually.


Three different settings.  Three different weeks.  Three different groups of people.  Three different states.  Yet all for the same purpose, to debrief.  The hopes from the shores of Jersey to the farmlands of Pennsylvania to the wireless connections in Minnesota.  An amazing and delightful group of five team members serving high school students in NYC wanted not just a time to retreat one last time together but also to debrief their time together.  Bethann and I had the privilege of facilitating this debrief with them as they shared their pain and their joys.  The losses and the gains.  We realized this would be one of the team’s last times together so we helped to facilitate a time where they could encourage one another, share any unresolved things with one another, any issues with their organization and the joys of serving together.  How beautiful and precious and loving this time was.  A pastor and his wife didn’t know quite to expect except what another pastor friend had shared about their debrief experience with Safe Place.  The couple are in transition and want to finish well at the church where they are at before moving to the church God has assigned them to serve later this year.  Reflecting on their years of ministry and the hurt and pain along with the joys and resolutions as they processed and seeing God’s kindness was encouraging and a healing balm to their souls.  A missionary who just finished her term of service overseas.  She wanted to process her time, four years of teaching overseas shortly after arriving back to the states and starting life here once again.

Debriefing is good and exhausting work.  Processing the significant events that have happened in our lives and the emotions and thoughts that encapsulate the event can help in normalizing the experience, validating the emotions, and to see where there may need to be more work done.  Are there losses that still need to be named and grieved?  Are there lies we are believing where truth needs to be spoken?  Are there things that need resolving?  Where do we see God’s kindness?  How do we perceive God-Self-Others?  Therefore, debriefing is exhausting and hard work.  Yet by going through the process-journey it is good and joyful work.  Taking time to see where you have come from and where you are going—what is the next right step.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue learning through books and online classes I am taking.  But I am thankful for the coaching that I am receiving from Bethann to improve my communication skills when facilitating and training groups.  As I have looked back on my journey with public speaking, I know that God has brought me a long way and I still have a way to go.  Bethann is coaching me how to keep the group engaged and connected to me so two of the skills I am working on is my eye contact and questions.  I look up when I am thinking of the next thing to say as well as when I am processing something that has been said.  Keeping my eyes on my audience so that I stay connected to them.  After asking the group a question and someone answers to ask other questions to engage the rest of the group.





PRAYER REQUESTS

Praise the Lord for the beauty in serving the Cru High School team!

Praise the Lord for Rylie’s graduation and party!

Praise the Lord for being able to see Ryan & Haylie’s swim meet!

Praise the Lord for Bethann coaching me in how to engage groups of people!

Praise the Lord for debriefing a couple who are pastors in transition!

Pray for wisdom as I meet with people either one-on-one or debriefs.

Pray for family debrief, 4 teens, July 11th-13th in Kempton, PA.

Pray for Cherry Run Camp, July 30th – August 7th.

Pray for God to continue chipping away my Pharisee mindset and tendencies.

Pray for understanding and implementing what I have learned to my daily life and ministry.

Pray for travels and sweet fellowship in visiting friends in Virginia July 21st-23rd.

Pray for my nephew, Theo he broke his arm. Cast for at least 4 weeks.


                                                    Contact Information:


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Shannon Eaton

5055 Stacey Drive Apt. 1604

Harrisburg, PA  17111

(724)967-1437

 

Email:  shannon.eaton76@gmail.com

Facebook:  Shannon R. Eaton


 





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