The Summer of Exploration

The summer is just about over and I find myself back in Raleigh, working at Meredith College.

This summer has been one full of learning experiences, and as much as I hated being alone in the Mission Serve office, I learned much from it. Like that I really do need to be around people who talk. a lot.

The following is my post on The Road to Student Affairs, a blog run by a #sachat colleague.

This summer was one of exploration. As you’ll read in my about me post that will be next, I already knew that student affairs, specifically leadership development, was the next step I wanted to take with my life and I was 150% certain.

When I planned for this summer, I just wanted to find an off campus summer job that I could love, and found it. I’ve spent most of my summer working for Mission Serve, a religious non-profit in Cumming, GA. One of the reasons I selected this organization was due to their belief that through changing the world of the volunteer, the world itself will be changed. That, in a sense, is what I hope to accomplish through my work in Student Affairs. Being able to provide the resources needed for leadership development in student’s lives so that they may go forth and change the world.

In addition to my work with Mission Serve, I have been reading my college’s summer reading book, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. By attending a women’s college, I had become aware of injustices against women throughout the world, but not to the extent as described in Half the Sky. In one of the chapters, the authors encouraged readers, especially those in college to take a gap year and work or intern with one of the organizations mentioned in the book.

I had already been considering the different options for what I could do prior to starting grad school, and my work with Mission Serve and reading Half the Sky increased my options. There is so much to be learned from living abroad for a year or two.

While very little in my list of plans immediately after college screams “Student Affairs,” it is filled with things that would make me a wiser, more experienced professional and adds to what I can provide to students once I enter the field.

Some of the best times to do something new or different is when you are the most certain about what you want the end goal to be. That way whether I join the Peace Corps, do mission work, or go to grad school for student affairs, my perspective will be set on empowering women to be effective leaders

So I encourage other undergraduates to look at your options, even the ones that you may not initially think would help your future. There are things to be learned from every experience and some of the most unconventional opportunities provide the greatest chance to become the person you want to be.

Go ahead and start thinking about next summer and what you want to do. The summer is a great chance to try these unconventional things. Let next summer be your summer of exploration.

And in case you’re wondering, I’m considering applying for several short-term internships, study abroad in Ireland, working for Mission Serve  again, or anything else that might pop up between now and then.

This is where my summer journey draws to an end for now.  Thanks for following me as I Serve Mission Serve.

Love is His Movement

It’s hard to believe that my summer with Mission Serve is just a few days away from being over. We are in debriefing now, an opportunity to regroup after the long summer and discuss our experiences and begin to prepare for next summer.

As I reflect back over my time, there was a lot of ups and downs that I couldn’t control. I spent a lot of time working by myself, but that didn’t mean I was working alone. I was part of a team, every moment, every second, of every day whether I wanted to realize it or not. My work made their job possible and Their work made my job possible. And while I was not constantly out in the field doing paper work or having staff meetings or telling stupid kids not to jump off roofs, my work was just as important.

I have realized though that I need, at this stage in my life, to have a connection to those who I am impacting. It was very hard to know that lives were being changed at projects and I wasn’t able to experience it. I’ve been realizing the importance of space (see previous post here), and I’m working on it. But only having limited involvement in the first one or two days was a challenge like I couldn’t have imagined. While I am definitely hoping to one day advance high within student affairs, I know that I’ve got a lot of work to do (and a lot of time to do it in) before I’m ready to take the administrative position with limited contact with students.

After hearing the same sermon three times in a row presented by three different speakers, I’ve begun to focus on the idea that love is the greatest commandment. Everything that I do should be in love to God and in love to others. I had always heard the verse, sung the verse, memorized the verse, but I had never spent much time concentrating and studying the verse. Love defines who I am and who I am in the eyes of God and the eyes of others. Living love is now how I will display my faith. It’s the best way I can display my faith.

Love is His movement.

I can’t help but play a direct roll.

The World as I Know It.

The past two weeks have challenged me more than I could have imagined.

On top of my responsibilities with Mission Serve, I have been reading through Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. This book address the oppression of women globally and how to turn that oppression into opportunity. I am now considering possibly doing mission work or joining the Peace Corps for a year or two prior to starting grad school as a chance to gain an international perspective and add a new dimension to my passion to empower women to be effective leaders.

In a conversation I had earlier this week I was challenged for the first time by someone regarding religious leadership and women. I for a while have believed that women can be pastors just like men. This person shared the perspective that women cannot be pastors not only because scripture forbids it, but because women need more mentoring and are too social for the job. It was okay for women to sunday school teachers, and to “rule over” children, youth, and other women. But not pastors. It’s not scripturally correct

I was blown away and didn’t know how to respond. There is still culture in the United States that does not view women as equals because they believe God says so.

While they are entitled to believe what they want, It makes me examine what I believe about religious leadership.

I believe that my God created me and loves me just as I am and created me to be a leader and to empower other women to be leaders. By not utilizing half of Christians as ministers, the whole world will loose. Women pastors need more mentoring usually because they hold all of their household responsibilities of being a mom and being a minority in the field, not due to their gender. I view the scripture many cling to as the reason women can not lead in churches as advice on limiting the rights when members are abusing their rights. (which is still wrong in my mind, but a look more at the culture of the early church so that we may learn from their mistakes).

The world as I know it is not the world as I knew it. There is much work to be done at home and abroad. I guess you can consider me a feminist now.

I know this departs from the usual, but I felt this needed to be shared.

Great Expectations

I came into this summer with many expectations of what would happen. I would grow as a person. I would get a paycheck. I would get a chance to meet some amazing people. In a sense I had great expectations of what this summer would be for me. I hadn’t left room for the expectation of what God was going to do in my life.

I entered this summer with a plan for my future. I knew for certain what i was being called to do; The calling has not changed. The way to achieve the calling has shifted slightly.

Instead of going straight into Grad School, which I had planned on doing, I’m looking into taking a year or two break in the middle to do Mission Work or joining the Peace Corps. I want to gain an international perspective on my work and my faith.

This summer I have been reading Meredith College’s summer reading book, Half the Sky. It looks at the oppression of women throughout the world and how it can be turned into opportunity. There is such need in the world and I want to have a chance to empower someone to change.

In addition , this summer has reminded me of my passion for Missions and my desire to do international missions, despite my fears and expectations. I can’t wait to see what God has in store.

I have great expectations.

Space: A New Perspective on Student Affairs

Recently my slogan has been “Make a Difference.” You know. The Story with the girl and the starfish.

Well, I always try my hardest to make a difference. It’s a part of who I am. I feel like it’s engraved on my brain that if there’s an impact or a difference to be made, it is my responsibility to make it happen.

Well, sometimes the most difference and growth occurs with no direct involvement at all at that time.

I noticed about a month ago that an email I had sent to one of mentors hadn’t been responded to. What needed to happen happened, but there was no physical email response to me asking me how I was doing. At first I was a little taken aback and honestly upset. I was looking forward to the response.

A few weeks later it clicked what was happening.

She was giving me space to grow, space to take what she had taught me, and develop it into my own thought and use it in my life. I didn’t need to be in constant contact to insure continued development, the difference had already been made and now, with space, it was blooming. It was the pure essence of Student Affairs.

And I loved it.

That will be something that I will definitely need to work on as I grow and develop as a professional and as a person. My desire to be involved kicks into overdrive more times that not. I need to okay with starting a project or advising a person, and then leaving and giving them their own room to grow.

My passion in life is growth. Of myself, of other people. Academic, personal, spiritual. I want to encourage it; I want to enhance it; I want to experience it. This is why I chose Student Affairs as a career. But sometimes, all it takes is a little space.

Walkin’ in Memphis

It’s been a few days since I’ve returned from Memphis, but I felt like I needed to reflect on the time before I made a post.

Memphis was the first project that I had an opportunity to work at this summer. After being cooped up in this office for a week, I was glad to finally hit the road.

When I landed in Memphis, I stepped off the plane with nothing but my Summer Staff Notebook and Cell Phone compared to the trailer full of supplies the staffers have when they drive in. This was going to be fun. I had never truly been to Memphis before; I had a layover there when I went to San Antonio freshmen year. I worked at a pace which felt like non-stop between getting participant names in the master database, printing signs, creating the first newsletter, and correcting the mail wall (which a lady in the church had so wonderfully already created). The first day I was on the ground I got an opportunity to cross the river into West Memphis, AR which is where all of the worksites were located. I had never been to Arkansas before, so now I can official say I’ve been to every state in the southeastern United States. Boo Yah.

Sarah and Michael, the summer staff who I had gone ahead of arrived on Saturday, along with the volunteer staff, and lightened my load a ton. There was still a lot of work to do, but spreading it between 9 people opposed to 2 made things go a lot smoother. As my departure date from Memphis grew closer, my work load gradually decreased as Sarah took things over, giving me the chance to reflect on Sunday night and Monday morning while participants were there.

These participants are part of the reason I do the job that I do. Without them I wouldn’t have a job. Seeing them worship, seeing them do work for Jesus, reminds me of why I initially applied for this job in the first place.

I make missions happen (with God’s permission, of course)

Just when I was beginning to question why I’m serving mission serve this summer, this new perspective has increased my motivation to do the task God has laid before me. It also helps that there were other summer staff in the office for their office week.

God is good.

Random Side Note: Pandora limits each account to 40 hours of music a week. I ran out of music at 10am this morning. But don’t worry, for $0.99 I got unlimited music for the rest of the month.

Impossible is not a Word

I don’t know how I didn’t see this connection earlier, and if I did see it, why I didn’t remember making the connection.

Background: Last summer I went to The LeaderShape Institute, a 6-day leadership program hosted by Meredith College (It’s an international program. You can read more about it here and here) It’s two main principles are Leading with Integrity and a Healthy Disregard for the Impossible. My week at LeaderShape had an unfathomable impact on my life and is one of the many reasons I am in Georgia “Serving Mission Serve” right now.

While I could bore you with that novel right now, I’ll hold off for a later date, and focus on one of LeaderShape’s principles: A Healthy Disregard for the Impossible

I had forgotten how much of the Christian walk is about a healthy disregard for the impossible. Everything about Christianity deals with impossibilities and improbabilities. Faith deals so much with recognizing that everything uncertain is certainly a possibility.

On the way back from Wal-Mart tonight I heard a new song by Kutless called “What Faith Can Do” and it reminded me of the role of belief despite impossibility in not only Christian life but life in general. Here’s a snippet of the lyrics:

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
I’ll tell you that you can!

Thanks God for reminding me that all things are possible with you. (Matthew 19:26)

I fly to Memphis tomorrow for a couple of days to help that project get set up. This is my first time out on the road so I’m anxious excited and anxious nervous at the same time. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!

One Penny At A Time

Sorry for the lack of posts. Training the past two weeks was practically non-stop and very intense to say the least.

These reflections are from church this morning at Creekside UMC in Cumming, GA.

Many times when Christians discuss giving everything to God, they see it as one single action. Kind of like handing God a $100 bill saying, “here’s my everything, take it I’m yours.” This is how I envisioned the Christian sacrifice to God and I always felt guilty because I could never fully commit myself in the way that I felt was expected.

The Pastor this morning discussed how, yes Jesus want’s our all and our everything, however, we need to give our lives to Christ each day. It’s like taking that $100 bill and cashing it in for 10,000 pennies. Every action should be one where we give a “penny” to Jesus until at the end of the day you have given your everything.

Yes, a Christian’s life belongs to Jesus, and he or she should dedicate the whole of it to Jesus. However, it may seem intimidating to give all of it in one final swoop. By thinking of each action as giving over a little piece of themselves, dedication in daily life is a lot easier.

That will be my meditation for this week. Pennies a day. He deserves my everything, and I’m going to give it him, penny by penny.

Over Your Head

But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
the One who got you started, Israel:
“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That’s how much you mean to me!
That’s how much I love you!
I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,
trade the creation just for you.

-Isaiah 43:1-4

Greetings from Knoxville, TN!!! The Summer Staff have finally all gathered together, and we are in Day 4 of Summer Staff Training. There is a lot of information to digest, from back to the office notebooks, crisis management, time management, project check in, and the master database.

Even though things are getting overwhelming and right now all I want to do is lay down and go back to sleep, I keep pushing on with the knowledge that my work may change a life and that my work may bring someone to Christ or to a closer relationship with Christ. My missions experiences in middle and high school helped define who I was then and who I have become today.

Also, when I’m overwhelmed, I am reminder numerous times in scripture of the presence of God on our everyday lives. The Isaiah verses above were the scripture focus of my devotion this morning. One of my favorite Bible verses (Psalm 139:7-10) discuses how we can never escape the presence of God and that His hand is constantly leading and guiding us.

I pray today that I will be reminded of his presence in my daily life and that you will be reminded as well.

Now for more of an update on life itself:

Staff training has been going great. As I mentioned above, we’ve been covering tons of stuff and much more is still to come. Yesterday we had driver’s training which is when everyone learns how to drive the trucks with the trailer and, more importantly, how to back up with the trailers. There were no casualties, but a box of ink cartridges got ran over in an attempt to park the trailers after training.

This morning, TPSs will be looking at getting stuff done and setting up for worship while the APSs (that’s the position closest to what I do) will be looking more in depth at squad assignments and registration. Later today we will spend a lot of time looking at worship and what we can do as staff to enhance it. We will conclude the day with website training.

And I’m coming up with cool titles for myself (actually, other staffers did some, but I like them.)

I am the:
Office Manager
Administrative Transition Specialist
Emotional Support Counselor
and Social Media Specialist
among many, many other things.

<3

A Sweet Simplicity

I’ve been a Religion/Religious and Ethical Studies major for a little over a year.

I became a religion major because studying religion is what I love to do.

The one thing I hadn’t thought of was how my academic study of religion would affect my theological study of my own religion. It’s hard for me to read a passage now without thinking of who it was that wrote it, the historical and literary context, and the other things that are crammed in my head after taking so many religion classes.

I realized after typing up the “General Orders” (the squad (small group) devotions for each day at the projects), how much I missed pure, simple faith. I miss the simplicity of faith from my childhood and my youth. A song by Nichole Nordeman, one of my favorite Christian artists, sums up my emotions at this point in time. A video of the song is below:

Take me back to the time

when I was maybe eight of nine

and I believed

when Jesus walked on waters blue

and if he helped me I could to

If I believed

Before rational analysis and systematic thinking

Robbed me of a sweet simplicity

When wonders and when mysteries

Were far less often silly dreams

and Childhood fantasies




Help me believe

'cause I don't want to miss any miracles

Maybe I'll see much better by closing my eyes.

and I would shed this grown up skin I'm in

To touch an Angel's wing

And I would be free

Help me believe

 

When mustard seeds made mountians move

A burning bush that spoke for you

Was good enough

When manna fell from heavens high

Just because you told the sky to open up




Am I to wise to recognize that everything uncertain

is certainly a possibility

When logic fails my reasoning

And science crushes underneath

The weight of all that is unseen

Help me believe

'cause I don't want to miss any miracles

Maybe I'll see much better by closing my eyes.

and I would shed this grown up skin I'm in

To touch an Angel's wing

And I would be free

Help me believe

When someone elses education

plays upon my reservation

I'm the first to cave

I'm the first to bleed

If I abandon all I seek

To make my faith informed and chic

Could you?

Would you?

Show yourself to me?

Help me believe

'cause I don't want to miss any miracles

Maybe I'll see much better by closing my eyes.

and I would shed this grown up skin I'm in

To touch an Angel's wing

And I would be free

Help me believe