First things first...
1. I went to Mexico. It was a lot of firsts - first overseas mission trip, first time out of the country, first time on an airplane - and it was wonderful. It amazes me how God lets you think one thing, and then after everything is over, switches it up on you. Nine of us went thinking that we were going to show love to the people of Los Mochis, when in actuality they showed us how to show love once we got back. I left my heart there...
(Our team with the youth group of Agape Baptist, Los Mochis.)
(Our team with the youth group of Agape Baptist, Los Mochis.)2. Sweeney and I went to the Billy Joel/Elton John concert on March 2nd. We pinky swore that we would see Billy Joel one day...and we did :)
3. Sarah moved in with us. She emailed me one day to let me know that her father abandoned her. I'm so glad I have the parents that refuse to let someone go unloved. She's truly our sister now.
4. Grace United Methodist did something crazy today. We called it Faith In Action. Everyone met at 9am in the sanctuary for a 30 minute worship service. Then, the entire church dispersed to different parts of Gainesville to do service projects. Visiting nursing homes, construction, homeless ministry...anything. Dan and I went to help with a block party near the Porter's Community center in downtown Gainesville. We picked up broken glass in a nearby lot and then walked around, inviting people to come get free food, play games, and just hang with us. We also offered free health screenings. Some people think we're crazy for cancelling church...I disagree. I think this is exactly what a church should be.
(Dan and I working the Sno-Cone station)
4. RA banquet was today. It hasn't been the easiest semester. I won't go into all the details, but there have been a few times that I seriously considered not returning next year, and even resigning on the spot. And then there was the banquet. Ryan gave out the awards. I was voted Best Doortags, and "Don't you have a room?" (always in the office). I was also nominated for Lady of the Murph, and Golden RA. But what floored me was hearing that I was nominated for the Scott Francis award. This award goes to the RA that truly goes above and beyond in every aspect of the job - creating a community, staff support, approachability, etc. To nominate someone you have to write a description justifying why they deserve it. Five of us were nominated - Lisa, Johnny, Erika, Leighanne, and me. And even though I didn't get it (Lisa won), it felt good just to be considered, almost like all the bad stuff from the semester is now okay. And finally, Murph North won the Murph Cup (highest resident involvement)! I know I've said it before, but I truly love my staff this year. I honestly don't think I could have been on a better team, or with a group of people who could have meshed (and laughed) as much as we did. I don't think any group will ever compare in my mind.
(Muprh North: L to R, Weedley, Leighanne, Luis, Sarah, Kevin, me, Mike.
Best Staff Ever!)
And there you have it. My semester (well, the tail end and a few highlights) in a nutshell. I wonder if any of you reading this will be in an uproar at the fact that I haven't given you an instant replay over the course of the semester. But I don't care. On January 23rd I told you that I wasn't going to let this semester pass by...and I didn't.
There are two weeks left. In two weeks, many of my friends will have graduated, two of my friends will be married, a lot of things will be different.
3. Sarah moved in with us. She emailed me one day to let me know that her father abandoned her. I'm so glad I have the parents that refuse to let someone go unloved. She's truly our sister now.
4. Grace United Methodist did something crazy today. We called it Faith In Action. Everyone met at 9am in the sanctuary for a 30 minute worship service. Then, the entire church dispersed to different parts of Gainesville to do service projects. Visiting nursing homes, construction, homeless ministry...anything. Dan and I went to help with a block party near the Porter's Community center in downtown Gainesville. We picked up broken glass in a nearby lot and then walked around, inviting people to come get free food, play games, and just hang with us. We also offered free health screenings. Some people think we're crazy for cancelling church...I disagree. I think this is exactly what a church should be.
(Dan and I working the Sno-Cone station)4. RA banquet was today. It hasn't been the easiest semester. I won't go into all the details, but there have been a few times that I seriously considered not returning next year, and even resigning on the spot. And then there was the banquet. Ryan gave out the awards. I was voted Best Doortags, and "Don't you have a room?" (always in the office). I was also nominated for Lady of the Murph, and Golden RA. But what floored me was hearing that I was nominated for the Scott Francis award. This award goes to the RA that truly goes above and beyond in every aspect of the job - creating a community, staff support, approachability, etc. To nominate someone you have to write a description justifying why they deserve it. Five of us were nominated - Lisa, Johnny, Erika, Leighanne, and me. And even though I didn't get it (Lisa won), it felt good just to be considered, almost like all the bad stuff from the semester is now okay. And finally, Murph North won the Murph Cup (highest resident involvement)! I know I've said it before, but I truly love my staff this year. I honestly don't think I could have been on a better team, or with a group of people who could have meshed (and laughed) as much as we did. I don't think any group will ever compare in my mind.
(Muprh North: L to R, Weedley, Leighanne, Luis, Sarah, Kevin, me, Mike.Best Staff Ever!)
And there you have it. My semester (well, the tail end and a few highlights) in a nutshell. I wonder if any of you reading this will be in an uproar at the fact that I haven't given you an instant replay over the course of the semester. But I don't care. On January 23rd I told you that I wasn't going to let this semester pass by...and I didn't.
There are two weeks left. In two weeks, many of my friends will have graduated, two of my friends will be married, a lot of things will be different.
