an arkansas update

I need to change my location on the sidebar to Currently writing from: Fayetteville, AR!  While I’m still pretty exhausted, overwhelmed, and still have a lot of lose ends, one thing is for sure… it is SOOO good to be here!

So, let’s start with what I do know.  :)

I have a place to live! I’m living with a family from the US Center named Steve and Carol Shadrach.  They have a large house near campus and often have college students living with them.  This year there are going to be two girls from the UofA, and then me and another staff girl.  While the introvert in me is a tiny bit aprehensive about all of the people, I’m looking forward to it. :)  I think it will be a good way to be thrown into the mix of both things going on at the campus and US Center life.

I had my first day in the office today! The new office building is incredible, and such a blessing.  There’s not a ton for me to do right now as I’m just settling in and most of us are heading to California for staff conference tomorrow, but it was good to just be here and a part of what’s happening.  I had a few conversations about some of the specific tasks I’ll be doing, and I’m really excited about it.  I’ll be sure to write about them in greater detail once I know a little more.

And so, just in case you didn’t think my life was crazy enough, driving two days from South Carolina to Wisconsin, packing up two houses, and then less than two weeks later driving two days from Wisconsin to Arkansas, tomorrow I leave for California!  Our US Center for World Mission national staff conference is next week, and we’re all flying out for it.  I’ll be out there from July 10-20.  As crazy as this much movement is, I’m really looking forward to being in California again.  And, it will be a wonderful chance to spend some time with all of the Every Ethne staff (our Iowa, Oregon, and Alabama teams) and have some great brainstorming and vision casting time.  The goal is to walk away with a pretty good understanding of what we can do in the Every Ethne  national office to aid our campus mobilizers and further the vision of connecting college students to strategic involvement in the Great Commission.  And, let’s be honest, I love watching the ocean.  Especially the Pacific in southern California.

I’ll have some photos soon of the office, staff, where I’m living, etc.  In the meantime, please be praying for me to transition well and form some deep relationships quickly. Also, when I get back from CA I’ll be looking for a part-time job, so please be praying for God to provide the right one (and, it would be really nice if it happened easily and without a lot of stress… :) )  And thank Him for what He has already provided!