So I've learned a new term over the last two weeks. A tailgater is not someone that eats b-b-q in a parking lot before a football game, it is someone that lingers outside a dorm waiting for a student to use their id to open the door so that they can sneak in behind the student. This is illegal according to campus security and I am waiting to get in trouble!
I stand outside, sometimes pretending to be on my cellphone and scan the quad for students walking up to their dorms so I can sneakily follow them inside. I don't do this often because it is ideal to know students inside the dorm that will come down and let you in but we are at a place in our ministry where we are investigating the campus and being around the students on their turf is one of the best ways to find out what they love and how they spend their time.
Going into the dorms to meet freshman is only a small part of my job. I am asked to be in one of the 28 dorms at least an hour a day. It is one of my favorite things to do. Students love having random visitors. I know I am usually being used as a new form of procrastination for these school-lovers but at least they talk to me!
Today was my first time eating in the cafeteria. Ashley and I sat down with a girl from Charlotte who was not very interested in getting to know us. Thankfully there was a table full of girls next to us. We started asking them about the food around campus and they gave us a ton of info! We laughed together and talked about their experience as freshman. They shared with us about walking the big hills to get to class, fears over deciding a major, the pressures they face in pledging sororities, and how they stay connected to one another during such a busy phase in life.
Tonight I'm going to do 3 different things to try to meet students!
1. Stopping by a Spike Lee movie and discussion called When the Levee's Broke, a documentary on hurricane Katrina
2. Checking out a meet and greet with TIME Magazine photographer Steve Liss for broadcast journalism majors
3. Going to a new dormitory to visit my new friend Lauren I met at lunch today. I won't have to be sketchy and sneak in :)
Everyday our amazing God reminds me of the ways that He is opening doors for the Gospel to be known at this campus even if it's in unexpected ways.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
First Week in Chapel Hill
Hello! I hope you are doing very, VERY well!
I am loving life these days. Living in NC has been very different, hard, yet a sweet time of life.
God is gentle and gracious in showing me Himself here.
Our house is wonderful! Last minute the home we expected fell through; however, we are now renting a home even closer to campus! We moved in on Monday and have been getting adjusted (i.e. I am attempting to hang things in my room and it is all crooked). I was SO blessed to have dear friends lend me their furniture so I did not have to buy any, I am quite the fan of not buying things with this new budget I am on!
Here are some of the things that happened this week...
1. We are allowed to go on campus! This is a big deal. When you start an organization particularly a ministry at a new school there is some red tape to get through. You are not allowed to simply walk on campus and start meeting students. You have to be approved by the Student Activities office and sometimes this can take many months. We are thankful that UNC is glad to have us here. In the next couple weeks we will get i.d. cards that will allow us to go to the dining hall and the gym, two places students go to a lot. The boys on our team are anxious to get out on the basketball court and start meeting guys that way.
2. On Sunday we went to the Church of the Good Shepherd. The first girl I went up to to talk to was from Naperville! She went to Waubonsie high school and lives near my parents. She is a freshman here at UNC and just pledged the sorority ADPi. We are having lunch tomorrow!
3. Our staff meetings have been wonderful. This morning we listened to a talk by pastor Tim Keller. It was about how the gospel is intended to consume our lives with love and worship for Jesus. He spoke about how the Bible is not about us and what we should do, it is not a self-help manual. Rather it is all about Jesus. Everything in the Bible points to Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation it is the story of His redeeming sacrifice. Sometimes we tend to hear teachings and decide we want to do things and attempt to change our selves. But apart from Christ, we can do no good thing. It is His grace and mercy alone that saves us! Talking about the gospel reminds me what I want to share with students. I do not want to teach them that they need to live a better life in order to walk with God but rather to receive the forgiveness and joy that Jesus extends.
4. We are spending a lot of time helping each other move in and not get lost so much! I get lost everywhere I go and still haven't found the grocery store which is a sad story for my roommates because I live off of their cereal (and the chocolate cake our friends brought us). Thankfully, our staff team lives within a mile of each other. Three married couples live in an apartment complex up the road and our studly single men live in a home down the road.
5. Last night Kellie, Megan, and I went into the dorms together to meet some girls. I was terrified. The dorms here are enormous and there are so many of them. It is hard not to be overwhelmed. Before we went I prayed that God would remind me that every one of the thousands of freshman in the dorms was created by Him and He loves each one of them and desires each of them to know Himself. We went and hung out in our friend Hannah's room. I am learning to dodge people's questions about why I am hanging out in the dorms if I have already graduated! I wear my back-pack everywhere and try to look like I am 18.
I am loving life these days. Living in NC has been very different, hard, yet a sweet time of life.
God is gentle and gracious in showing me Himself here.
Our house is wonderful! Last minute the home we expected fell through; however, we are now renting a home even closer to campus! We moved in on Monday and have been getting adjusted (i.e. I am attempting to hang things in my room and it is all crooked). I was SO blessed to have dear friends lend me their furniture so I did not have to buy any, I am quite the fan of not buying things with this new budget I am on!
Here are some of the things that happened this week...
1. We are allowed to go on campus! This is a big deal. When you start an organization particularly a ministry at a new school there is some red tape to get through. You are not allowed to simply walk on campus and start meeting students. You have to be approved by the Student Activities office and sometimes this can take many months. We are thankful that UNC is glad to have us here. In the next couple weeks we will get i.d. cards that will allow us to go to the dining hall and the gym, two places students go to a lot. The boys on our team are anxious to get out on the basketball court and start meeting guys that way.
2. On Sunday we went to the Church of the Good Shepherd. The first girl I went up to to talk to was from Naperville! She went to Waubonsie high school and lives near my parents. She is a freshman here at UNC and just pledged the sorority ADPi. We are having lunch tomorrow!
3. Our staff meetings have been wonderful. This morning we listened to a talk by pastor Tim Keller. It was about how the gospel is intended to consume our lives with love and worship for Jesus. He spoke about how the Bible is not about us and what we should do, it is not a self-help manual. Rather it is all about Jesus. Everything in the Bible points to Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation it is the story of His redeeming sacrifice. Sometimes we tend to hear teachings and decide we want to do things and attempt to change our selves. But apart from Christ, we can do no good thing. It is His grace and mercy alone that saves us! Talking about the gospel reminds me what I want to share with students. I do not want to teach them that they need to live a better life in order to walk with God but rather to receive the forgiveness and joy that Jesus extends.
4. We are spending a lot of time helping each other move in and not get lost so much! I get lost everywhere I go and still haven't found the grocery store which is a sad story for my roommates because I live off of their cereal (and the chocolate cake our friends brought us). Thankfully, our staff team lives within a mile of each other. Three married couples live in an apartment complex up the road and our studly single men live in a home down the road.
5. Last night Kellie, Megan, and I went into the dorms together to meet some girls. I was terrified. The dorms here are enormous and there are so many of them. It is hard not to be overwhelmed. Before we went I prayed that God would remind me that every one of the thousands of freshman in the dorms was created by Him and He loves each one of them and desires each of them to know Himself. We went and hung out in our friend Hannah's room. I am learning to dodge people's questions about why I am hanging out in the dorms if I have already graduated! I wear my back-pack everywhere and try to look like I am 18.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
St. Francis of Assisi
This is a favorite prayer of mine; I found it in a book about Mother Teresa. Her and the nuns of Missionaries of Charity would pray it every morning.
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen."
-St. Francis of Assisi, Prayer of Peace
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen."
-St. Francis of Assisi, Prayer of Peace
Monday, September 3, 2007
Going to the Chapel...
Hello! I hope that you had a wonderful labor day weekend. Chicago has been more beautiful than usual and I have loved being here the last few weeks.
Tomorrow I am moving to Chapel Hill! It is certainly time. Our ministry maintains a policy that staff cannot come to campus unless we are at our full financial support. God has been so faithful to provide for me so that I can give all of my time to helping students find their way to Him.
To be honest,I am nervous about moving, I do not know what this year holds for me. But I have hope in my heart that something wonderful will happen.
Here are some recent answers to prayers...
-The single staff guys (Erik, Will, and Jim) have found a great house to rent near campus
-Campus Outreach has been well received by the other campus ministries at UNC; they're excited to have us there and to partner with us in reaching out to students!
-2 couples on our staff team have returned from their honeymoons (Claire and Tony and Ashley and Bowe) and are getting settled in their new apartments and enjoying married life
-one student that is connected to our team shared the gospel with an exchange student from Australia and has been getting to know her better!
Tomorrow I am moving to Chapel Hill! It is certainly time. Our ministry maintains a policy that staff cannot come to campus unless we are at our full financial support. God has been so faithful to provide for me so that I can give all of my time to helping students find their way to Him.
To be honest,I am nervous about moving, I do not know what this year holds for me. But I have hope in my heart that something wonderful will happen.
Here are some recent answers to prayers...
-The single staff guys (Erik, Will, and Jim) have found a great house to rent near campus
-Campus Outreach has been well received by the other campus ministries at UNC; they're excited to have us there and to partner with us in reaching out to students!
-2 couples on our staff team have returned from their honeymoons (Claire and Tony and Ashley and Bowe) and are getting settled in their new apartments and enjoying married life
-one student that is connected to our team shared the gospel with an exchange student from Australia and has been getting to know her better!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Commissioned
What an amazing week! I am done with support raising, am currently in Columbia, SC, and am driving to Raleigh tomorrow! I will be getting the rest of my stuff from Chicago as well as wrapping up a few things and then start on campus next week.
Here are some pictures of this weekend. Our team met for the day and shared about our summers and what God is teaching us. We were commissioned by First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, they shared what we're doing with their church and laid hands over us and prayed. We ate a lot and talked and laughed of course. I can't wait to work beside these amazing people.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill team:
North Carolina State team:
Here are some pictures of this weekend. Our team met for the day and shared about our summers and what God is teaching us. We were commissioned by First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, they shared what we're doing with their church and laid hands over us and prayed. We ate a lot and talked and laughed of course. I can't wait to work beside these amazing people.
The whole Raleigh team:
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill team:
North Carolina State team:
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Vision to Give Your Life To
I have always been a pretty passionate person and when I find something I love, I give all my attention to it. When I find a song I enjoy, I listen to it non-stop. I learned how to cook one vegetable in college- green beans! People that I've cooked for throughout the years know to expect them as a never-fail-side-dish. The only t.v. show I watch is the Office (season premier is Sept. 21st), I can quote almost all the lines! And if I'm in the middle of a good book (i.e. the latest Harry Potter) I will most certainly ignore your phone call until I've finished every page.
I always hoped I would find a job that I love, a job that I couldn't wait to wake up to every day. As a religion and psychology major in college, I thought that I would go overseas after graduation and help women who were in despair, perhaps those emotionally crippled by the sex trade in Thailand or train missionaries to meet the needs of HIV sufferers in Africa.
But God called me to share Him with college students, often priviledged young people who have financial means and great possibility laid before their lives. God has reminded me that even if we have all of our physical needs met, without Him as our savior, all that can be counted as a "gain" in this world will be lost. And that great possibility does not always equal great hope, we can be physically rich but in our hearts, very poor.
A couple weeks ago, we had a staff meeting in which a leader said: "The vision of Campus Outreach is worth your life." That really stuck with me and I haven't been able to shake it out of my mind.
How often do we find something that is really worth giving our one life to? Maybe I'll be connected to this ministry for just a few years but it is definitely worth all of me. If it wasn't for the women that shared their faith with me, I would be navigating through this world without Jesus and I do not think that that would be a life worth giving to anything at all.
I always hoped I would find a job that I love, a job that I couldn't wait to wake up to every day. As a religion and psychology major in college, I thought that I would go overseas after graduation and help women who were in despair, perhaps those emotionally crippled by the sex trade in Thailand or train missionaries to meet the needs of HIV sufferers in Africa.
But God called me to share Him with college students, often priviledged young people who have financial means and great possibility laid before their lives. God has reminded me that even if we have all of our physical needs met, without Him as our savior, all that can be counted as a "gain" in this world will be lost. And that great possibility does not always equal great hope, we can be physically rich but in our hearts, very poor.
A couple weeks ago, we had a staff meeting in which a leader said: "The vision of Campus Outreach is worth your life." That really stuck with me and I haven't been able to shake it out of my mind.
How often do we find something that is really worth giving our one life to? Maybe I'll be connected to this ministry for just a few years but it is definitely worth all of me. If it wasn't for the women that shared their faith with me, I would be navigating through this world without Jesus and I do not think that that would be a life worth giving to anything at all.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Charleston, SC
Hello friends! I hope that you're doing wonderful! I have not written for a long time on this, exactly a month! I often wonder what events in my life merit a post that is worth your time to read and it's almost always... nothing! I hope you simply enjoy hearing about a very small part of what God is doing to redeem others back to Himself!
I am currently in Charleston, South Carolina sitting at my most favorite Starbucks, it earns this glorious title because of the giant tree that sits outside the large window I always choose to face. I have been here for many hours
with my stationary box, taking note of my car and how its contents are melting in this 105 degree heat!
I had a wonderful drive to South Carolina last week, my first time making the 14 hour trek alone and had a successful trip which was definitely a result of many prayers! I guess people don't trust my driving very much and the idea of me making a cross-country trip alone prompted a great deal of concerned phone calls. But thanks to Harry Potter on cd and the beautiful scenery as I drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the day flew by.
This past weekend I had the honor of standing up in one of my dearest friend's weddings. Ashley played a BIG role in telling me the story of God's love for us. As a freshman at college I felt lost
and did not know what my purpose in this big world was. She took me under her wing and shared her faith and life with me. A big part of this life was her adoration of a handsome football player- Bowe Butler. But a problem with Ashley's feelings for Bowe was that she lived with them for four
(the picture is of me and fellow bridesmaids and future roomies Kellie and Katie!) years, never knowing whether or not the affection was reciprocated. After 4 1/2 years and lots of
prayer, Bowe felt like it was the right time to let Ashley know that he loved her. They began dating last October, were engaged in January, and married this past weekend. It was so amazing to watch these people that waited so long for God's timing to stand before Him and declare their promise to love each other forever... and ever! They are now on their honeymoon in Mexico. Both Ashley and Bowe will be serving the Lord along side of me at UNC this fall.
I am currently in Charleston, South Carolina sitting at my most favorite Starbucks, it earns this glorious title because of the giant tree that sits outside the large window I always choose to face. I have been here for many hours
with my stationary box, taking note of my car and how its contents are melting in this 105 degree heat!I had a wonderful drive to South Carolina last week, my first time making the 14 hour trek alone and had a successful trip which was definitely a result of many prayers! I guess people don't trust my driving very much and the idea of me making a cross-country trip alone prompted a great deal of concerned phone calls. But thanks to Harry Potter on cd and the beautiful scenery as I drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains, the day flew by.
This past weekend I had the honor of standing up in one of my dearest friend's weddings. Ashley played a BIG role in telling me the story of God's love for us. As a freshman at college I felt lost
and did not know what my purpose in this big world was. She took me under her wing and shared her faith and life with me. A big part of this life was her adoration of a handsome football player- Bowe Butler. But a problem with Ashley's feelings for Bowe was that she lived with them for four(the picture is of me and fellow bridesmaids and future roomies Kellie and Katie!) years, never knowing whether or not the affection was reciprocated. After 4 1/2 years and lots of
prayer, Bowe felt like it was the right time to let Ashley know that he loved her. They began dating last October, were engaged in January, and married this past weekend. It was so amazing to watch these people that waited so long for God's timing to stand before Him and declare their promise to love each other forever... and ever! They are now on their honeymoon in Mexico. Both Ashley and Bowe will be serving the Lord along side of me at UNC this fall.
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