Good and Busy

written by Hannah Boning

People keep asking me about the Fellows Program. How is it, they say, how's it going? I usually respond by saying, “good," and then follow it up with, “busy." Because I really have no idea how to describe how exactly it's been.

It's been a lot - early mornings dragging yourself out of bed, classes and papers and reading late into the night because of course we’re all procrastinators, so many weekend trips that you’re left feeling like you’re never actually in Greensboro, jobs and feeling our way into the grown-up world, Bible verses to memorize and to-do lists to keep track of.

But it’s also been morning prayer before the sun is up and heartfelt talks on road trips and dinner table conversations that we never want to end. It’s sitting around a bonfire making s’mores and it’s wandering around a used bookstore and piling books into each other's arms. It’s texting each other quotes from the church history reading and it’s cups of coffee together. It’s asking questions, the real and deep and hard questions that people sometimes shy away from. It’s ice cream on a perfect Friday afternoon. It’s nicknames and inside jokes and hashtags. It’s knowing that you have a family to sit with on Sunday morning. It’s praying for each other and sharing our stories. It’s holding hands as we pray the Lord’s Prayer before we separate. It’s Sunday afternoons spent playing soccer - or, watching others play soccer. It’s asking each other for help on the homework. It’s words of encouragement texted in the middle of a rough work day.

And everywhere, in all of it - it’s Jesus. 

These Fellows - this rag-tag bunch of people that has somehow transformed into a fast and true family - they are teaching me to throw my arms open wide and invite Jesus in. They are reminding me, daily, that wherever two or three are gathered, God is there.

He’s there because He loves us, because He claimed us as His, and so He will not leave us alone.

This thread is weaving through every aspect, every part of this journey - His presence. The Fellows are teaching to me to remember that God is always there, teaching me to look for Him, to seek in the every day.

And so He is there. He’s there at morning prayer and at family dinner. He’s there in the cups of the coffee and the afternoons on the soccer field. He’s there and I’m starting to see, starting to see God surrounding me. 

It’s beautiful, and it’s a blessing, and this Fellows family - they are loving me towards God. They are teaching me to remember, to see, to recognize, to give thanks, in all of it.

So it’s busy. But oh, it is good.