Hear From A Volunteer, Abby Easley

By: Taylor Mooney

I’ve had the immense pleasure of knowing Abby Easley for several years through being her Bible Study leader. She is currently in 10th grade at Lutheran High School and is beautifully tuned in to serving others for God’s glory. During our camp weeks, whether it’s our Summer Camp or Spring Break Camp, she comes several days each week and works all day for us – without pay. She truly rocks. I got to interview her and get her take on being a #bpmlocal.

Taylor: How did you first hear about Blueprint?
Abby: (laughing) From you, of course.

What interested you about Blueprint and really pulled you into serving here?
Your mission statement and the way you truly love the homeowners—that it goes beyond just fixing their house. You keep up with them afterwards. I also really like organizing things.

What are some things that you’ve done for us here at Blueprint?
Haha, what haven’t I done? I’ve alphabetized forms, made phone calls, got Christmas gift requests from homeowners, baked, delivered popsicles, replaced toilet paper and paper towels, refilled water jugs, wrapped presents, put away food deliveries, swept and mopped, prayed for homeowners….

What’s your favorite thing to do?
Deliver popsicles. I like to talk to the campers and seeing all the work being done to the house. Just getting that personal connection to the campers and homeowners. I also like riding in the car with you [excuse me while my heart melts].

If you had to recruit homeowners, how would you do it?
Talk about how much Blueprint does for the homeowners—the way we express Christ’s love for them all. Investing time here is really investing time for God’s kingdom.

How is Blueprint different than other organizations?
It feels more like a family. Not like you’re working for them, but with them. I would love to work on Summer Staff here.

What’s your favorite story/memory from volunteering here?
When we were driving on the highway and the ice chest in the bed of your truck tipped over and the popsicles spilled everywhere in the bed. We had to get off the highway and pull over on the side of this access road to pick up all the popsicles. We were scrambling to get the ice and popsicles back into the ice chest before it all melted in the hot summer heat.

One thing I love about our Blueprint volunteers is that they don't just come and go; they get invested and become a part of what we're doing. Blueprint Ministries wouldn't function without dedicated volunteers.  I say this a lot because I truly mean it.  I am forever thankful for the people that show up to do whatever needs to be done so that BPM can love God and love people. Abby Easley loves God and loves people alongside us and we love her for that.

(From left to right) Abby, Janae, Taylor, Abby, and Hope serve a St. Patrick's Day treat to our spring break campers.

Meet our Intern, Jeff Glitz

If you've been to Blueprint during the last few summers, you might recognize Jeff, a.k.a. "Papa Hen."  [The nickname comes from campers following him around because they love him so much.]  After sitting down with him, I can totally see why those campers love him.  Jeff will be joining our team this year as our year long intern.  Help us welcome Jeff Glitz to our growing Blueprint family! 

Where are you from? Where did you go to college? and what was your major?
I am from Grand Blanc, MI a city right outside of Flint, MI. I attended Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL about 45 min south of Chicago. While I was there I was on the football team (offensive lineman) and became an assistant coach for the offensive line. I graduated in December 2015 with a double major in Business Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit and Intercultural Studies.

A Northerner! Do you have a favorite great lake?
If I had to pick one lake I would say Lake Michigan. Since it’s on the west side of the states it’s really awesome throughout the year. Also the Sleeping Bear Dunes are nearby and it's one of my favorite places. 

Well welcome to Texas. You've lived here for almost a week now.  Is it what you expected?
So far it's been what I expected.  In Michigan during this time of year, I’m normally knee deep in snow with sub zero weather.  In Texas I'm able to wear shorts and t-shirts all day long, which has been really awesome.

Do you play in the snow in Michigan?  If so, what are some fun snow activities?
Yes I do play in the snow, and my favorite snow activity would be snowboarding. 

Tell us about your history with Blueprint.
Blueprint has been part of my life for the last 4 years. I have spent my summers here on summer staff since 2013. The year before my first summer I came down to visit my sister-in-law parents, who live in San Antonio, and my brother wanted me to see what Blueprint was about. That's when I fell in love with this organization and planned on interning with them for as long as I could.

What drew you to the Blueprint internship?
The thing that drew me to Blueprint was their willingness to build relationships with those they serve and those that come to serve with them. Over the past few years I have built so many meaningful relationships with volunteers and homeowners.  They are people who I don’t necessarily see a lot, but can pick up our relationship right where we left off.

What are you most looking forward to as an intern?
The thing I am looking forward the most is the experience that I will get while working here. I think that through this year, I’m going to learn a lot that will help me in the future with any future job I have. 

Tell us your funniest Blueprint story.
My second summer at Blueprint my host family’s youngest son, Jase Kirksey, was graduating from high school. During his graduation party we were playing ultimate Frisbee. Reed Kirksey [another Blueprint Legend] threw the Frisbee to me and as I was running to catch it, Darrel Kirksey was shouting "Run, big guy, run!" As I was running full speed ahead, I noticed that there fence was right in front of me. In a split second I had to decide whether to jump the fence or just run into it.  Knowing I don't have the greatest hops, I choose to run into it, breaking it. In the process, one of the pieces of fence broke the water spigot right by me and a steam of water gushed out, making it look like a fountain as I made the best catch in history of ultimate Frisbee. 

Tell us your favorite moment with a camper/volunteer/homeowner.
One morning last summer, I had one camper come to pick up supplies for the day.  Being the happy person I am I just talked to her, trying to get to know her and see how her day was going. Later that day the same camper came up to me before chapel to thank me for talking and making her morning better.  It turns out she was having a really bad day and I had really cheered her up. 

What are some of your interests and hobbies?
I really like playing sports.  They have been part of my life forever so playing pick up games of football, soccer or basketball are always fun. Along with that I like to be active and be outside.  When I just want to relax, I like to either watch a good movie or something on Netflix. 

What are some of your favorite movies?
Some of my favorite movies are Anchor Man, the Batman movies, Kung Fu Panda, and the James Bond movies

Favorite food?
Mexican food or anything spicy 

Are you a Spurs fan?
I would say that I'm a Spurs fan.  Over the last few years, I have learned to love the Spurs and enjoy watching them.

Welcome aboard, Jeff.  We are so glad we get you for a whole year!