Hello dear family and friends,
The Fellows program is running its course with only a little over two months left. It is such an interesting time for us fellows, we are getting anxious and excited about the transitions of what is to follow the program while also trying to deal with the heartbreak of knowing that most of us will spilt up at the end of the program. If I am to leave the fellows program with anything it would have to be the absolute importance of community. Living life together. The absolute importance of life together is more than necessary for a healthy spiritual life. I am constantly amazed at how I am always learning from those around me, especially those specific ten who are scheduled into my days. I fear that at the end of the program we will have difficulty trying to spend a normal day without each other. I truly believe that God designed us to be communal for so many reasons.
One of my favorites parts about the fellows community is the opportunity we are blessed with on thursday afternoons to sit and listen to a business man or woman who is living out their faith in their workplace. There is something so special about hearing from individuals of different generations sharing their lives with us. A couple of weeks ago Jim Van Eerden came to speak to us, his advice to us was to reach forward and reach back, meaning that there is value in hanging out on the "front porch". By this he meant that we can gain so much by having conversations with individuals from all generations, we can learn so much from those who have come before us as well as those who are pressing towards what the future holds for us now. I loved Andrew's blog post on here last week because I believe in what he had to say about our generation. There is a rumble in young adult christians who seem to be searching for something similar to the fellows program, that there are some of us who hunger for community, fellowship, discipleship, growth, and love. It is an exciting time for us, and I look forward to seeing the different paths we take in which the Lord leads us.
I also would love to share what I got to do this past saturday in Winston-Salem with a couple of kids from my internship. My internship is at Hope Academy, which is essentially a private Christian middle school in a lower income area. Part of my internship is being helpful during the extended day program, and on mondays that happens to be enrichment day. The enrichment class I chose to offer this semester was running club, and to be honest I was a bit nervous about how many kids would actually be interested. I ended up with five kids, and that is basically the limit for each class so I was ecstatic. I showed the five fifth graders a video of the color run and they decided that they had to run it! I was able to get sponsors and we got the kids registered for the race! I started training with them eight weeks ago and they were able to run their first 5k this past saturday! I was surprised at how much fun running can be when you promise a little bit of color. The kids that joined seemed to have a blast....I mean you be the judge...check out the picture below. This would not have been possible without a community, who is supportive, loving, and excited to see where the Lord is taking us. The community that surrounds Hope Academy is absolutely heart changing, and I feel beyond blessed that I get the chance to spend hours with these people every single week. I really wish I could go into all the details about everything that has gone into building up this school and community.
Another community the Lord has blessed me with this year is Greensboro Young Life, specifically Page High School Young Life. I get the awesome opportunity to hang out with sophomore girls who want nothing more than to ditch me...just kidding...but not really. Even though ditching comes with the territory there are so many more positives that come with being part of this community. These people have taught me so much about discipleship and how to love kids well. As leaders we are constantly pouring ourselves out for high school students because we believe that every single minute we are loving on these kids is another minute that they are getting a chance to find out who Jesus is. I love watching other fellows like Michelle, who go above and beyond the call of Young Life because that is such a testament to their heart and how they passionately want high school friends to know Jesus. This inspires me every single week. A couple weekends ago some high school girls wanted to go hiking and they actually invited me! We went to Hanging Rock which was such a blast and beautiful. The conversations I had while hiking were amazing and they showed me how God is everywhere and in every conversation. I would ask that you all continue to pray for the community here in Greensboro, that the connections can continue to be made, and that the Lord is glorified through it.
Incredibly blessed by all of you,
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in YOU; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
Peace and Blessings!
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