"As Foreigners"

This past week The Greensboro Fellows, as well as our honorary members Elspeth Glasgow and Chris and Jessie Meriwether, traveled to Baltimore Maryland. I have been looking forward to this trip since before I joined the program because we were going to see Ravi Zacharias.  Ravi (we are on a first-name basis...check the picture), is a Christian speaker I have queued up on my podcast app quite regularly.  However, my big take away from the trip was not anything Ravi said, but the opportunities seized in transit.

Our taste of nomadic lifestyle had me resonating with a biblical verse in a new way. 1 Peter 2:11a: "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners..."  By design we are not meant to be stagnant in any sense of the word.  I think it is easy in the hustle and bustle of routine to hinder God's "little" blessings, or at least not notice them.  This adventure to Maryland was not weighed down with such monotony. We made memories with former strangers, had opportunities to pray for previously unknown siblings in the kingdom and had doors open by opening doors with no expectation of repayment.  All these beautiful interactions happened in transition as we were making our way to another location. If we would have been consumed about reaching our destination with efficiency as the highest priority, I would say this trip would have been one big missed opportunity after the next.  In such an isolated incident as a road trip, it could be enticing to believe this type of intentionality is not intended to be a daily practice.  In fact, I believe it would be advantageous to our faith if we, as a body of believers, made it habitual to be more concerned with people than our agendas.

I’ll end with just one story of how this willingness to communicate rather than being blinded with the need to do what’s next played out in Baltimore on John Hopkins’ campus.  Before I do, I want to acknowledge I was pretty vague in my description of blessings we encountered, but it was purposeful.  I do not want to box in what this perspective change will bring you, or even worse, the belief you are entitled to a like experience when you encounter a masterpiece of God's you have not met before. With that said, it's good to share small ways you have been encouraged.

We were rushing to the building where Ravi was speaking, and a woman asked if we were heading that way and if she could follow us.  Waving her and her two companions on, we continued forward as a group.  Fighting the urge to rush to the front of the group to get to the building a split second sooner than the others, I started talking to the most recent members of our entourage.  It turns out that they work for Ravi and two of them were going to be on stage with him to address the Q&A portion of the talk.  Ruth, the woman who first inquired about our destination, handed Andrew and me a business card, telling us to contact her and she will try to send us a book or something.  To be clear, this is not a “treat everyone nice because there is a chance they are a connection to someone famous” plea. The other somewhat similar stories I alluded to on the trip involved average Joes in the world’s eyes, but we got a glimpse into the masterpiece God has for them through our interaction.  This is encouragement to be a people that truly believe we have the same Father and big brother in Christ, and to value all others in light of this knowledge.

Thanks for sharing some of your special moments with us, Kevin!

(back, right)

Grit

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• This past May, when I was preparing to participate in my college commencement, I remember having a conversation with my pastor about the future. He told me that a lot of young people from my generation are very ambitious and we tend to think that we can change the world. As millennials, we carry the stigma of acting entitled to accessing our dreams… And maybe it’s true.

  While I was at my Christian liberal arts college, I used to attend these “Dream Room” gatherings, which were fashioned in the spirit of Parisian saloons. There, I listened to many of my peers share their vision for impacting the Kingdom of God through various disciplines and trades, such as entrepreneurship, fine arts, business, and theology. It was literally a think tank that epitomized the dreamer’s fold. It was the place where we were developing and exchanging our passions and ideas.

  So I think my pastor is right; a lot of us want to make a positive impact in our community and we have the audacity to think we can. Yet the most impressionable part of that conversation was not the analysis of millennial go-getters. The most valuable wisdom that he imparted upon me were the challenges: to face the test of actually living out my convictions, to put into reality the principles of love and mercy that I continually rave about, and to have integrity in the workplace by matching my actions with my words. If only it was all so easy.

  All of this also reminds me of something another local pastor from my previous community said: “I’ve noticed that college students these days are very idealistic, with big dreams to change the world. But I’ve also noticed that they lack something very important—grit: the discipline to do those hard, little things that may not seem very glamorous or important.”

  When I decided to become a Greensboro Fellow, I was most compelled by the vision of the program, which is to develop young people to be disciples and Kingdom builders in every aspect of life. As previous fellow bloggers have conveyed in their posts, there are so many dynamics to this program: internship, discipleship, volunteer involvement, further academic study, leadership development, and the list goes on. The program is obviously set up in a way that would draw someone like me, who enjoys being a jack of all trades (master of nothing).

  But the rhythm of life can be grinding as we go back and forth each week. As I face the day, I find myself phasing in and out of the dreamer mindset and into reality. Yes, I come from a generation that is passionate, but passions fluctuate. This program is equipping me to be committed to my responsibilities and resilient against the wear of the every day. I have to admit that I sometimes make mistakes at work and I’m not always peppy at 7AM discipleship and I occasionally run late to class. Nevertheless, I appreciate that this is a learning experience filled with grace.

  Along with my peers, I find myself developing grit for the road. In the little things that are seemingly far from glamorous or important, I am learning to persevere and serve my bosses and co-workers well. When my fickle heart does not see purpose or passion, I realize the necessity of faithfulness. The Greensboro Fellows program has provided the structural parameters and patterns necessary for me to develop endurance and integrity in my callings and my responsibilities. My character is refined everyday as I seek Jesus with this community.

  I am thankful for the accountability of our internship supervisors, mentors, supporters, friends, and family in this program. This journey is beautiful because I’m not doing it alone and it’s challenging because it stretches me beyond my preferred approaches to life.
• We invest in a lot of different activities (including spiritual disciplines and even yoga at CCL), while simultaneously being exposed to new experiences (such as our upcoming trip to Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday to attend the Veritas Forum and to listen to Ravi Zacharias speak). I intern at a wedding and corporate events planning business. I volunteer with a non-profit that serves at-risk girls with high academic and leadership potential. For a Greensboro Fellow, the breadth of these experiences and the passions that they stir are amazing!
• Emily Dao
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What a great post from Emily, front left!

Fellows, Friends, Family...Bonfires!

I would love to start just by giving a HUGE thanks to every person who supports the Greensboro Fellows in any way. I know being here would not be possible without your help and for that I am forever grateful.

When asked to write this blog I was told to include an experience that I have had in the Fellows Program this year. This question is overwhelming because in the past 8 weeks (& it feels like SO much longer) we have experienced and done so many thing together. Between concerts, morning discipleship, family dinners, training runs, and class I can say without a doubt that I have made ten lifetime friends! There has never been a time in my life where I have experienced such close knit community and intentional community.  So I decided to tell y’all about one way the Fellows have built this community…

Bonfires! Bonfires have always had a special place in my heart. I grew up going to summer camp and have countless memories sitting around a fire roasting s’mores and having such great conversation. Bonfires have become one of the Fellows favorite things to do together. We had a fire for Tripp’s Birthday, another for Molly’s and plenty more for no other reason just to hang out and be together. Sitting around the fire we have laughed hard, had awesome talks and most importantly built an unbreakable bond and community. There is something about sitting around those warm flames with great friends that can’t be explained. It’s my happy place. Its where I most visibly understand what community as God intended it to be is like. 

God is teaching me so much through the Greensboro Fellows – one way being that we are made to do life together. I am learning what it looks like to fully trust a group of people. Being ‘fully known, yet fully loved’ has always been a difficult concept for me but walls have started to crumble down and it’s such a great feeling! I am so excited to continue this year with the Greensboro Fellows. Thanks again to all our supporters!

Thank you, Emma (bottom row), for your words!

Greater Things

When I first moved to Greensboro four years ago to attend school at UNC-Greensboro, I was unsure of a lot of things. I was unsure of this city that I just moved to. I was unsure if I would find any friends. I was unsure of what God had in store for me. I was unsure if I could make an impact on this city. Four years later, we have come to Greensboro as the Greensboro Fellows to make an impact on this city.

The other day, I had my iTunes on shuffle, when Chris Tomlin’s “God of this City” came on. The chorus struck me: “Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city.” We are here for this reason. We are here to help nourish this city so greater things can happen. We are doing this through our volunteer time and service.

Six of us fellows are volunteering with Greensboro Young Life. This is an awesome ministry that ministers to high scholars and college students, and helps create Christian leaders. A few weeks ago, Greensboro Young Life took five hundred high schoolers from Greensboro to a camp in Virginia called Rockbridge. There the high schoolers heard about and experienced Christ’s love, some for the first time in their life. Tripp and Kevin led a cabin full of guys from Western Guilford High School; Michelle, Molly, Skylar, and Emma girl cabins from Paige High School; Libby and Ginny (the awesome Fellows intern) were on the work crew, serving the campers meals and cleaning up; and I ran sound tech and other behind the scenes work. It was incredible to see five hundred high schoolers in one room, worshiping and hearing about Christ. On the last day, as I saw the large number of kids accepting Christ for the first time, I knew that we were making an impact on this city.

The other Fellows are making an impact on the city in other ways. Emily is working with the Queens Foundation, a phenomenal program that helps and teaches under -served young girls with leadership potential to reach their greatest potential. Matt is serving with Grace Community Church during their Wednesday Community Dinners that is helping to feed families in Greensboro that are in need. He is also working with Hope Academy where Skylar is working, which helps bring education to students in the Glenwood Neighborhood that desperately need it.

We also have a great way to impact Greensboro on a large level together. The Fellows are hosting an event on Nov. 23 called the Pay-It-Forward Thanksgiving Dinner, where we will gather together, young and old, rich and poor, and have a Thanksgiving lunch together in Downtown Greensboro. We urge everyone to buy a ticket, and then buy another ticket that will be given to someone who desperately needs a meal. We are partnering with Hope Academy and the New Arrivals Institute. You can find out more information and buy tickets here http://www.greensborofellows.com/#!payitforward/c1aq2

We look forward to creating a greater impact on the City of Greensboro, and seeing God perform Greater Things in this city. Thank you all for your support and prayers.

In His Name,

Andrew Edscorn

Andrew, back row, second from right, with the Fellows at Rockbridge Young Life Camp.

Andrew also included a link to "God of This City". Take a listen and be encouraged!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk