As I write this, I’m sitting in the Starbucks on Roosevelt Island, with the view of the Queens Bridge on one side, and Manhattan on the other. One thing I’ve remembered about myself is that I need little adventures to stay sane and the great thing about NYC is that there is SO MUCH to explore! Last week, I went to Greenwich Village/West Village to adventure, and today I find myself here – drinking an iced vanilla latte in a new environment.
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! I traveled to Indiana at the beginning of the month for my sweet friend’s wedding, where I got to see several more wonderful humans that I love more than I could put into words. Getting to said wedding did NOT go as planned and I ended up driving down with my brother, Jordan. But we made it eventually. When I walked in for the wedding and saw everyone’s faces, I was almost in tears, I was that excited to be surrounded by my Reed sisters – people I have w
orked with, cried with, laughed with, and lived life alongside. Aren’t they the cutest??
After the wedding, I made a quick trip up to Marion to see a few friends there, where I was reminded of the love and support I have from miles away. It was a much needed getaway from the city to refocus and refresh my heart and mind.
This week has been weird for me. This is the week ResLife training started at school, and for the first time in three years, I didn’t move into Reed Hall. Lots of my friends moved back in, and the reality that I’m not going back is starting to set in. Thank goodness for a diploma and being done with school, but it’s weird not being surrounded by my friends again. The reality that my summer is not just a break, but the start of my new adult life, is a weird reality to begin accepting and understanding. It’s not bad, and it’s not always challenging, but it’s definitely weird.
SOMETHING NEW:
THANK YOU to everyone who has been praying with me through the apartment searching season. I’m excited to announce that my roommates (Stephanie and Lois) and I found an apartment and have begun moving in! We are living in East Harlem in a super cute little apartment. After a really sad experience with an apartment that we didn’t get, I was pretty discouraged and very sad. The place seemed perfect, but the door slammed in our face right when we thought we had it. In the 10 days since that experience, we found a different apartment, got approved, signed a lease, and started moving in! To say these it’s been crazy is a major understatement. NYC real estate moves fast and I am so grateful for my housemates keeping me grounded in the process. If you want our address to send any snail mail, I’d be happy to send it your way.
Each week, new things pop up in my internship and I am loving it! I love getting to dabble in administrative tasks and curriculum writing and youth group prep and event planning. Something new for me coming up is the opportunity to co-lead youth group with Ivan! We are in the midst of planning and dreaming about what youth group will look like this year! I forget how much I love brainstorming until I’m in the midst of it again. We are going to have so much fun working alongside middle and high school students this school year!
SOMETHINGS LEARNED:
This is the hardest category for me to come up with because I am learning so much at the same time about ministry, being an adult, and the city itself. So this week, I’m going to write about a few things I’m learning. If you ever have questions about what I’m learning or want to hear more, call/text/message me because I’d love to share in more detail what’s going on here.
This week, I learned that the 4 train runs local late at night/early in the morning so I don’t actually have to get off at 86th street to transfer to the 6. (Yes, I learned that the hard way and it took me twenty extra minutes to get home.) I also have gone the wrong direction for several blocks when I felt really confident that I was going the right direction, so that’s been humbling.
Another lesson I’ve learned is that writing is really important for me in this season. Writing is one way that I can clearly process and make connections. It’s also a good stress-relieving outlet for me to put pen to paper. I don’t know how to make this a more frequent part of my rhythm, but I’m going to be more intentional about it.
This week, I went on a walk around the theatre district before work. As I was walking and praying and observing, my heart broke for my work community. There’s so much passion and hard-work and talent around me, and people who are seeking success and reputation and acceptance. The Lord is reminding me of my heart for my theatre community from high school – I loved cheering for them and supporting them and listening to their heart for the arts. I never thought those experiences and joys would follow me past then, but here I find myself in the heart of Broadway working with aspiring actors/actresses/musicians/etc. I want to be known as someone who loves people well and cheers for and encourages them in the good and the challenging. I want to challenge people to be who God has created them to be, using the gifts and talents He has gifted them. I don’t know what this will look like moving forward, but I know that I’m exactly where I need to be in this season.
SOMETHING CHALLENGING:
It’s been challenging coming back to the city after my weekend in Indiana where I was surrounded by close community. As much as I love the city and know without a doubt this is where I should be right now, I miss having friends across the hall and around campus. In the midst of the feelings of loneliness, the Lord has been reminding me of His great love for me. We’ve been going through the book of 1 John in church, and I am constantly being reminded of that love. Because the love of my closest friends and support are further away and not as accessible, I’ve really been challenged to focus in on the way our Heavenly Father loves and satisfies that need in me. I love how The Message says this:
“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” – Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG)
This passage continues to speak to my heart in the midst of the challenges of transition. Sometimes the Lord sends people to be His love and mercy and grace tangibly, and that’s definitely been true of my past few weeks, but I’m also challenged to be content when the Holy Spirit chooses to show me those things in the Word and in my quit time. He will provide, hallelujah.
SOMETHINGS TO PRAY FOR:
- for Resurrection Life NYC as we prepare for the fall: for wisdom and discernment and strength
- for Juniors and the theatre district: that light would break through the darkness
- for fundraising: that the Lord would continue to provide in miraculous ways for my year here
- for moments of quiet
- for authentic community and strength in the waiting
Your prayers mean more than you know. Thank you for supporting me and loving me from a distance.