This January has brought cold weather (negatives, people!), progress on our home (flooring has started to go in - there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel), and the start of my new full time job. It also brings sadness as I say goodbye to one of my best friends - Jen - who leaves her Young Life Area Director post in nearby small town to start Young Life brand new in another town in a neighboring state. Jen was the senior leader of the team in said small town when I became a volunteer leader at a young age of 19. She mentored me. After a year or so of learning lots of hard lessons about what loving high school kids in the name of Jesus really means, we became best friends. We had lots of incredible adventures - developing epic running skits for weekly club (Mary J. Bling and Surfer Jen, and also Spirit Girl and J-Flo (a deodorant super hero)), weeklong summer camps, and fun trips to Portland and Seattle. She was my Maid of Honor, standing up with me on the most important day of my life. And she remains one of the most honest pictures of a strong woman, and most real illustrations of Christ's commitment and love. I will miss her so dearly but am thankful for a new adventure called Skype. I will visit her soon, and I know the Lord will work mightily in her new job and she will make a huge impression on those around her.
I am two days into my new job and already feeling the pressure of just how much lies ahead of me. I am overwhelmed and needing the Lord's strength, inspiration, and compassion as I am charged with brainstorming how to fix a lot of messes and lead those under my supervision. And life goes on...
