Greetings from Georgia!
It’s been a little over a month now since I moved to Gainesville. Yes, we did get hit with the snowpocalypse (that’s what everyone jokingly calls 2 inches of snow in the South) and we’re all fine. To put it quite simply, I am loving it here.
If you forgot why I decided to move to Georgia in the first place, I’ll give you a little re-cap. I am currently serving with Adventures in Missions through their Center for Global Action (CGA) program, which is a launching pad dedicated to holistic development through community, discipleship, and apprenticeship. On a daily basis, I have the opportunity to be invested in by leadership here at AIM which I consider a true gift.
During the first week here, everyone in CGA applied for a position with one of the departments at AIM and I was placed in my first choice: Admissions! Four days a week I sit at a desk wearing a headset and help out as an Admissions Representative with the Adventures Passport program which sends out individuals age 18-22 on 1-9 month trips all over the world. I talk on the phone to potential participants and will interview them for a particular trip, answer their questions, pray for them, and help them through the entire application process. I consider this job to be very rewarding and a great fit for me.
I spend the second half of my day at one of the CGA houses along with 16 other apprentices who all have a heart for worship. We are learning how to cultivate a lifestyle of worship that goes far beyond your Sunday morning praise time. The time spent with this group has been incredibly life-giving for me and I cherish every minute of it. We sing, dance, pray, cry, laugh, and when I leave to go home, my heart is full and happy.
Some highlights from the past month:
-Adjusting to my new living space. There are 8 girls total, our house mentors, and their precious 2 month old son. Every Monday night we have family dinner together and we hang out quite a bit throughout the week. Life here is fun.
-Attending a SoulCare conference with the Adventures community which was lead by an incredibly gifted teacher/pastor/compassionate man of God named Rob Reimer, who traveled all the way from Massachusetts to invest in us as an organization. We braved the crazy weather and received solid teachings on various topics that I am still taking time to process.
-Working out with Triumph Fitness! TF is lead by fellow AIM employee/trainer,Colby Gardner, and every morning we come together to do a WOD (workout of the day), pray, encourage one another, and reflect on what scripture says about how to honor God with our bodies. I absolutely LOVE it.
-Serving breakfast to a group of homeless men and women on a Saturday morning. I enjoyed simple conversation with those that came. I told one guy that I am originally from Sugar Land, TX and his response was, “Oh! Like the Sugar Land Express?!” I later found out that he was talking about a movie made in the 1970’s. Haha!
(photo cred:Justin Marshall)
In my next blog, I will reveal where God may be sending me next…! Stay tuned.
