Christmas in Colorado

Merry Christmas, friends! I'm writing this from my grandparents' house in Arvada, Colorado. It's been a wonderful Christmas celebration, and I thought about just writing about it myself. However, I happen to have a cousin who's a published author, so I recruited her to help me with this blog post. We had a lot of fun. Thanks, Alison!

What has this Christmas been like?
-We all got together to open presents and have fun.
-We ate really delicious food, and nothing got locked in the oven.
-Many people asked me questions about Florida.
-My mom and my cousin Alison accidentally coordinated their presents.
-We went to Christmas Eve service.
-During the candlelight singing of Silent Night, my aunt Valerie's hair caught on fire.
-It snowed!
-We played a lot of cards and board games (and I won at Life).
-We put together some towel packs of essentials for the homeless in Des Moines.
-We re-discovered the old miniature foosball table in my grandparent's basement.
-We also discovered an unopened box containing Windows 98.
-There was an exciting announcement, and much crying, screaming, and hugging commenced.

What will be different the next time we're all together?
-There will be more people in college: my cousins Haley, Shannon, Peyton, and Alison.
-My aunt Valerie and uncle Chris will be dealing with empty nest syndrome.
-My grandparents' dog Charlie will still be begging for food, and will probably be fatter.
-Grandma will be expert at using her iPad.
-The Broncos will have won the Super Bowl.
-My cousin Adrian will be even more ripped.
-My cousin Haley will have won seven swimming gold medals in the Olympics.
-My mom and my cousin Alison will coordinate their Christmas gifts on purpose.
-The Bruins will have won the Stanley Cup.
-My uncle Dave and aunt Keli will have traveled to all the continents.
-My cousin Alison and I will have won one foosball game (out of hundreds of attempts).
-My cousin Alison will have published another book.
-My aunt Keli will have created an award-winning world-renowned screenplay.
-My cousin Christian will excelling be in middle school.
-My aunt Laura will be enjoying not having empty nest syndrome yet.
-Grandpa will have read every book ever published.
-I will have a call to a church... somewhere.
-My brother Zach and sister-in-law Lindsey will be a lot more exhausted, because...
-our family will have grown by one!

That's right, the exciting announcement was that Zach and Lindsey are expecting a baby this July. The next time we're together, guess who will be getting all the attention?

Once I return home this Saturday, I will add another blog post just of pictures from Christmas!

The Party Has Arrived in the Midwest!

Hello, friends! I'm writing to you from my favorite chair in my living room in good ol' Urbandale, Iowa. It's wonderful to be back home. I arrived Monday afternoon and have been enjoying the cold and the company ever since. My parents were almost as happy to see me as my dogs.

Friday was actually pretty eventful. I had a coffee date with Michael in the morning - we went to Black Dog Cafe by Lake Ella. In the afternoon I volunteered at the food bank. When I returned, I was excited to find an e-mail from Laura Blank, one of the campus ministers from UCF. We've jumped into the planning process for Real Life College Faith, which you will hear more details about as it gets closer. After I gave a thorough reply to her e-mail, I ran some errands and then came back to church. Sarah came shortly after with her adorable puppy Ollie. He commandeered the plastic bottles from my recycling box and showed off how he can sit and beg.

On Saturday I mostly just lazed around. I slept in, watched a good amount of Castle, and packed for my trip home. Sunday I went to Bible study and worship, ate lunch at Voodoo Dog with Anna and Evan, hung out with the Winters in the afternoon, and finished my packing and preparation. Monday PJ kindly took me to the airport and in a few hours I was back in the Midwest eating my mother's pork roast and mashed potatoes.

It's going to be a rather busy vacation. Tomorrow I'm driving to see friends in Wisconsin (hence why I'm writing this post on Wednesday). I'll get back and spent about a week here before heading to Colorado for Christmas. We'll have our small family Christmas at my brother's place in Marion, IA over New Year's. And before I return to Tallahassee, PJ and I will attend the LCMS-U conference in St. Louis. It'll be busy, but fun and exciting!

I have two good pictures for you today. The first is of Ollie the adorable puppy, in the process of destroying a water bottle. The other is of me and my good friend Rachel from my home church, Messiah in Johnston. It was delightful to see everyone tonight at the Advent service!

It's December, What?

Hello, friends! I apologize for my two-week hiatus from my blog. I intended to write another blog the weekend after my November 20th post, but I was entirely too exhausted, in body and soul. Then, of course, came Thanksgiving. But now I am back and I have lots to say! I'll try not to make it a novel.

First, an update on the events of November 20th. I think the campus has recovered fairly well. The new university president wanted campus to return to normal as soon as possible after the shooting, so the library re-opened the morning of November 21st. The only difference I noticed on campus that day was that there were news vans hanging out around the library. One really cool thing that happened at University Lutheran was receiving "Where Is God Now?" booklets from LCMS Disaster Relief. I know some of our students greatly appreciated them.

We had our TrueLife Thanksgiving potluck that evening, and I think it was well-timed. We were able to get together, eat some very tasty food, and just enjoy being with our fellow Christians and having fun. It was a release for everyone from the senseless incident of the previous day. The main attraction of the potluck was Caroline's roommate's kitten, who is a complete spaz. Enough said!

After Friday, I was back to the normal routine for a few days. We had a tailgate, Bible study, worship. I wrote devotions and contacted students. Then, I (finally) cleaned my apartment and drove to Panama City to pick up my parents from the airport! We had a great time together over the holiday. We spent Thanksgiving at Gary and Jessica's apartment, where we enjoyed wonderful food and conversation. We spent Friday and Saturday in Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, Alabama, returned to Tallahassee for church on Sunday, and then spent the night in Panama City Beach before my parents departed on Monday. My favorite part of our travels is a tie between the white sand beaches and the dolphin tour we took! (Margaritaville was also a big hit!)

If you happen to see my dad anytime soon, make sure to ask him about the very nice park ranger. ;)

This week has been mostly normal. I volunteered at the Children's Home Society for the last time of the year. (Man, isn't that weird?) I wrote devotions, but in a new way, basing them on our new annual focus! I contacted and met with students. We had our weekly staff meeting. Yesterday evening was our German Christmas Service, which was really fun. Our choir was wonderful! (Also, I now have 2/3 of an apple pie if anyone would like some...) PJ, Matt and I had many laughs over PJ's sermon illustration. Today I went out to the community garden for the last time of the semester, and I got to jump in leaf piles. It was wonderful. After we returned, Elm and I went out to Food Truck Thursday!

You are now approximately up to speed on my life at this moment. The next time I write a blog, I'll be in Central time! :D

Here are some pictures. The first is me on Panama City Beach. I had accidentally arrived at the airport an hour early, and I thought, "Spend an hour in an airport, or spend an hour on the beach? Hmm..." The second is the light show we saw in Orange Beach. The third is the view from the private balcony off of our Sunday night hotel room. Awesome, right?

 

November 20th

Hello, friends. I think most of you have heard some details of what happened at Florida State University today. It's been a rather long and busy day for me, so I'm not going to tell you everything that happened or give you every little detail, but I wanted to give you the basic rundown so you know what you can pray for.

At about 12:30 AM, a gunman opened fire at Strozier Library. The students inside the library were absolutely terrified, as they had no idea what was going on. They were running, screaming, hiding behind bookshelves or desks, trying desperately to either escape or barricade themselves in somewhere. The gunman shot and injured three people, but by the grace of God, law enforcement arrived on the scene within minutes. They gunned the man down. Had they not arrived when they did, the situation would have been much worse. The library was on lockdown as the police cleared floors one by one; some students were not able to leave until 5 AM.

I suspected something was going on when I heard the emergency alert system go off, but I couldn't understand what was said, so my first thought was that there was severe weather headed our way. When I checked Facebook, I soon discovered that I was wrong. There were wild rumors flying around -- the worst of which being that there was a second shooter -- so there was panic and confusion everywhere. I stayed up until about 2:30 AM, when it was announced that the shooter had been killed and that he had been working alone. Then I went to bed, knowing that today would be a long day and I would need rest to get through it.

Pastor Jay and I spent our morning contacting every student we know. We checked in with each one, making sure that they were safe and offering our help -- whether it be prayer or a listening ear. We attended an impromptu prayer vigil on Landis Green, in front of the library. We spent time planning our own prayer service for this evening. I had a coffee date planned for this afternoon, so Corey and I went to Atomic Coffee and we both processed through what had happened.

We held our prayer service at University Lutheran at 6:30. We had about 12 people. It was simple but meaningful. We lit candles and prayed for our campus. Afterwards, some students and I stood together and talked about where we were and what we saw or heard or did. I'm hoping to share some of my students' stories at some point, but that will come another time. The important thing is that all of my students are safe and well.

After the service at University Lutheran, Pastor Jay and I headed over to Moore Auditorium in the Student Union, where an ecumenical prayer service was being held. We stood along the walls while students filled the seats; they were told that we would be willing to pray with them if they needed it. I think some students were a little intimidated, because there were media crews there with cameras, but after a few minutes there was prayer happening all over. I prayed with several students, but most significant for me was the first student I went up to. I asked, "Can I pray for you?" Instead, she prayed for me.

After about half an hour of prayer time, we had a message based on Romans 5:3-5, which reads, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." We sang three songs, including "Desert Song" and "In Christ Alone." After the event broke up, Pastor Jay and I walked back to church, discussing how abnormal of a day this has been.

I will give more details in another blog probably this weekend, but for now, here's what you need to know: I am perfectly safe. The threat is over. We need prayers for calm, peace, and comfort for our students, and guidance and discernment for all of the campus ministers as we minister through this difficult time. I have received so much support today from people all over the country, from Florida to California and many places in between. I thank all of you so much and I ask for your continued prayers as Florida State works through this crisis.

Bubbles!

Hello, friends! I hope you are all having an excellent week. My week has been pretty stellar. Let me tell you all about it!

Over the last week, I've met up with each of our four student leaders to ask them this question: "If you were to return to University Lutheran in ten years, what would you want it to look like?" Zoe, Evan, Caroline, and Austin gave me pretty unique answers, and I really enjoyed the conversations we were able to have. They all wanted our campus ministry to grow, but each of them had a different vision for how that might look. I'm hoping that I can take the information I gleaned and utilize it as we start planning for next semester/year.

I led Vespers last night, and we rounded out our discussion on the "Semi-Circle", or pendulum, which is a visual demonstration of the balance of work and rest in our lives. Every time I lead Vespers, I am reminded of the fact that while I have good ideas, the people I'm leading often have better ones. I particularly appreciated the way we were able to connect the three "Life Shapes" we've gone through thus far. It's strange to think that next week will be our last Vespers of the semester. Time is going by so quickly!

Recently, one of the highlights of my week has been our staff meetings. Pastor Jay, Matt and I get along so well that we spend half of our hour-long meetings laughing. Sometimes it might be good to spend less time laughing and more time being productive, but the relationship the three of us have is just delightful.

This morning, Pastor Jay and I went to the Interfaith Council meeting. It was a small group today, but that ended up being fun, because the atmosphere was more relaxed. We had a discussion that ranged from building projects to the Intervarsity problem in California. I enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know some of the other campus ministers more.

Last weekend I did many fun things with many fun people. I went to Waterworks and had some apple cider with Gary, hung out at our tailgate with Liz and Cricket, went to a skate rink with Anna and her friends, and witnessed the phenomenon of Bubble Soccer. Yes, this is a thing. It's hilarious. Also, if you want to hear a good story about what happens when your door is broken, give me a call. ;)

I'll leave you with this: my mother is a superhero. Who goes to set something up at church at the break of dawn, accidentally cuts their finger, goes to the hospital and gets stitches, and then goes back to church to continue helping? Only someone with true dedication. You rock, Mom!

One picture this week, of the hilarity of Bubble Soccer:

In No Particular Order

Hello, friends! Per the request of my dear redheaded sister-in-law, my blog post today will consist of pictures and captions. Enjoy the randomness! :)

Here is the cookie tin I got in the mail from my wonderful grandmother!

We got a certificate in the mail for completing the "Flood Bucket Challenge"!

Our annual focus has been "I Love You". Soon we'll be entering into a new focus!

This is one of the first gems of University Lutheran I discovered.

This is, quite possibly, my favorite sign ever.

My third picture in a row from the University Lutheran kitchen. Handed out so many of these!

If you send me mail, make sure it contains hope and love!

It just occurred to me today... there is definitely NOT a library to the left of this sign.

The FSU Marching Chiefs at their pre-game performance!

All of my college friends probably recognize this guy. He's still with me! :)

I look at this every day and laugh. If you're confused, you must not be a Castle fan. :P

And finally, the tiniest and most adorable fall decoration.

That's all, folks! I hope you enjoyed this assortment of random pictures in no particular order. If you would like to make a request for my blog at any point, feel free to let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate you!

Thursday is the new Wednesday

Hello, friends! As I'm sure you've noticed, it is not, in fact, Wednesday, and yet I am posting my blog. Wednesdays were perfect for blog-writing once upon a time, but recently they've become my busiest day of the week, so I'm moving my weekly blog to Thursday.

The most exciting part of my week was the Campus Leadership Retreat! Austin, Caroline and I went up to Valdosta Friday night and arrived back in Tallahassee Sunday afternoon. We greatly enjoyed our time away. Let me tell you what we did and learned!

First and foremost, we learned that I am absolutely terrible at trivia. The students who came to the retreat -- our group from FSU, a group from the University of Georgia, and a group from Valdosta -- are all pretty good at trivia. I'm awful. There's no way around that. But I hope I provided them with some amusement during "Hollywood Game Night". I was incredibly impressed when Austin figured out "Jason Alexander" from my clue of "Last name, had a very very bad day." (Get it? "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?") However, I did have one moment of glory. Austin said, "2000s, sitcom, Italians." Everyone else had blank stares. I said, "Everybody Loves Raymond?" I was correct. That's right, people.

Moving on, our weekend was focused around writing devotions. Our speaker was Rev. Tom Eggebrecht, who is currently serving a congregation in Casselberry, Florida. Before moving to the Sunshine State, he served at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was an adjunct professor at Concordia Wisconsin. I love our small Lutheran world! We had a few good conversations about our WI connections.

Tom gave us some good insights into devotion writing. He said it's important to focus on a single, specific objective in our devotions. He recommended that we form that objective into a sentence before we begin writing. For example, the devotion I wrote over the weekend had this sentence: "Every congregation member should be motivated to proclaim the Gospel because of the blessings they have received." It had a specific audience (congregation members), a purpose (to motivate), and a reasoning behind that purpose (the blessings). With those three things in mind - audience, purpose, reasoning - it was easier to structure my devotion.

Tom also talked to us about creativity. He believes that everyone is creative, because we were created by a creative God. He used an incredible speaker named Micah Bournes as an example. I would really recommend you look him up, especially the video "Ex Nihilo."

At the retreat, we played frisbee, ate ice cream, watched football games, and made Wal-Mart runs, and all of it was delightful time spent in the company of fellow Christians. I'm glad we were able to attend and learn and grow and have fun!

No pictures for you this week, but next week I plan to have a special blog post per the request of my sister-in-law Lindsey. Get excited!

Good Stories

Hello, friends! I apologize once again for my blog being a day late. I'm sure you were all so eager for my blog to be posted that you stayed up all night anxiously waiting. If that was the case, let me know and I'll buy you some coffee.

Anyway, let me tell you about my week! I picked out some good stories for you and they are in no particular order because that's too hard.

My good friend Matt the church administrator took me on a tour of the Tallahassee Community College last week. It was just a little easier to learn my way around that campus than it was for FSU... Anyway, it's a pretty neat campus, and my tour was a "scouting mission" of sorts. I was looking out for evidence of campus ministries at TCC. I didn't see too much, but I plan on continuing my scouting in the near future.

Something unfortunate happened last week. My student friend Corey was in the hospital with a collapsed lung, so I visited him Thursday and Friday. He got out of the hospital on Saturday in time for the game (that's what he was most worried about). I was glad to be able to visit him and give him a break from the boredom.

Someone else was in the hospital last week too... that's right, Pastor Jay and Liz had their baby girl early Saturday morning! Her name is Cricket Belle Winters, and although I haven't met her in person yet, I can attest to the fact that she is adorable. Cricket is doing well, but Liz is still recovering (thankfully at home now) so keep her in your prayers.

Last Thursday, I had a great time volunteering at the community center garden. Once again, I was weeding with my friend Elm. As Elm keeps teaching the center kids, it's important when weeding to get the whole root or the weed will just grow back. I was digging to find the end of a root. And digging... and digging... Eventually, some of the center kids became interested and came over to help. They chose just the right time, because we uncovered an orange tree root, which they found incredibly exciting.

On Sunday afternoon, my Huddle and I did our outreach. We made bag lunches -- with two sandwiches, an apple, cheese crackers, and a bottle of water -- and handed them out to the homeless. I was extremely impressed with my Huddle, who came up with this idea all on their own. They're already talking about doing it again. You rock, Freefalling Mongooses!

Those are the good stories from the last week. This weekend I'm excited to go to Valdosta with two of our student leaders, Austin and Caroline, for a leadership retreat! I'll give you the update on that next week. In the meantime, here are some pictures. The first is Caroline, carrying all of the bags of sandwich supplies; the second is the root Elm and I worked so hard to uncover; and the third and most important is Cricket!

Reflections

Hello, friends! I hope your week has been splendid. It's made me very happy the last couple of weeks to receive cards and packages from some of you! I love getting mail and hearing from you.

Usually I give you a play-by-play of my week, telling you all the little details of everything I do. But I know that can get a little old, so tonight I'm going to be less descriptive and more reflective. This week, PJ gave us a writing assignment. I haven't officially finished (read: started) it yet, but one of the questions is, "How have you grown in skills, spiritual maturity, and/or knowledge since your arrival in Tallahassee?" I think I'll reflect on that here tonight.

Part of growing in skills is practice, practice, practice. Since arriving in Tallahassee, I've definitely been using my ministry skills more often, and that's helped me grow. I've been writing devotions on at least a weekly basis, for example. This is something I've always enjoyed; however, I've never had the opportunity to write devotions regularly. Now that I do, I'm finding that it's both easier and harder than I thought. I don't have trouble writing them, but when I read them over, I find that I'm not always including some necessary components, like both Law and Gospel, or something tangible to take away from it. I suppose the devotional skill I'm developing is the ability to look at my devotions from a Law/Gospel/Sanctification perspective.

I'm also coming up with my own Bible study materials. Again, this is something I've always enjoyed, but rarely had the opportunity to do. I'm learning that it's not as much about the information as it is about the questions. Information can go in one ear and out the other, but if a question is asked and discussed, the information and its meaning will stick. In a Bible study, it's better for the leader to ask a question than to tell the answer. Sometimes, the people you're teaching will actually have a better answer anyway!

Another skill I'm developing is the ability to be coached. I like to think that since I have a Lay Ministry degree, I have it all. Yes, you can laugh, because that's definitely not true! Pastor Jay and I have weekly one-on-ones, and during these sessions, we have discussions about whatever's on my mind. Sometimes this is Vespers, sometimes it's a person, and sometimes, it's completely random. He takes great care not to tell me the answers, but to allow me to discover them through our conversation. It's humbling to observe that without these weekly sessions, I would be in a very different place. Sometimes I just want him to tell me the answer, but as I've been learning, it's not about the answer, it's about the question. As I'm learning to be a coach, I'm also learning to be coached.

The last skill that comes to mind is the ability to have normal conversations. This might sound strange, but let me explain before you start talking about how not-normal I am. Evangelism has always been hard for me. I tend to seclude myself in a little Lutheran bubble and not talk to anyone outside of it; or if I do, it's awkward and forced. Here, we put such a big emphasis on relationships that I have to talk to many people outside of my Lutheran bubble, and it's becoming more natural. I'm learning to build relationships and witness through those relationships.

That's all, folks. I hope you enjoyed my reflections, and that you'll let me know what your thoughts are. I'll leave you with this picture of an absolutely adorable puppy. (Oh, and me and Sarah.) This is why you should volunteer with Children's Home Society, people. Puppies.

Plethora of Pictures

Hello, friends! I apologize that my blog is a day late this week. Last night I was attacked by a shark and was unavailable.

...actually I don't have a good excuse, but that was more fun. Anyway, I'm here now! It's been a pretty good week. Let me tell you all about it.

• Thursday was a nice recovery day. I sat at a table near the Union and spent some time reflecting on the Convocation and planned for Vespers. I also ranted about the Castle season premiere to my friend Lindsey. We came up with some delightfully wild theories.
• On Friday, I volunteered at the Food Bank. I knew that America's Second Harvest Food Bank serves almost the entire panhandle, but for some reason, the sheer amount of food that entails didn't strike me until I was sorting sweet potatoes from six or seven boxes that were taller than me. So. Many. Sweet. Potatoes. After volunteering, I spent some time with Pastor Jay to plan for Vespers and then had a fun evening with Anna. First we went to Lofty Pursuits and had some delicious ice cream, and then we went to check out First Friday at Railroad Square.
• Saturday was GAME DAY! And for once, I actually went to the game! Ruth kindly took me and Katie to the President's House for some pre-game fun and then Ruth and I went to the game. It was entertaining to watch the Seminoles beat Wake Forest by such a large margin, and I got to see the retirement of the most recent Renegade horse. I would also be amiss if I failed to mention how cool the Marching Chiefs are!
• On Sunday, we had Bible study, then worship, and then we went out to Voodoo Dog for lunch. When we returned from lunch, I took my laptop, notebook, and several books onto the deck by Pastor's office and worked on Vespers for a few hours before our group meeting. It was so beautiful out that we had our meeting on the deck as well. I went to Wendy's for dinner (bacon and cheese baked potato... so tasty) and then wrapped up my evening by watching Once Upon a Time.
• Monday, my Sabbath day, was fairly laid-back. I slept in, went to the laundromat, volunteered at the Children's Home Society, picked up some books from the library, and watched an episode of Castle. 
• On Tuesday, I wrote two devotions to be put up on the ULC website and read further in our "Leadership Coaching" book. I also watched the third in a series of videos called "Resolving Everyday Conflict." These videos are make by Peacemaker Ministries and are incredibly practical and useful! After some afternoon rollerblading, I had an evening of television: NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans, and Forever. I practiced for Vespers and then went to bed.
• Wednesday wasn't too busy this week. Campus ministry prayer ended up being just PJ and me. We had a "group meeting" afterwards -- I have that in quotations because Katie left yesterday morning to go to a wedding, so our "group meeting" was just me and PJ. At 2:00 we had our staff meeting, and at 6:00 I went upstairs to get ready for Vespers. It was a good night with excellent discussion of Outreach! I hope each of our three Huddles is able to go out in the next two weeks for some intentional outreach.

Now we're up to today, when I'm writing my blog. I have a plethora of pictures for you! The first is the delicious ice cream Anna and I had on Friday. The second is my favorite picture from the President's House. We were attempting to take a picture by some Seminole balloons, but there was a lot of wind, and they kept attacking us! The third is the President's House. The fourth is of Doak Stadium; it was so packed! The fifth is Osceola riding Renegade and holding a flaming spear. Finally, the sixth is the old Renegade with his retirement blanket, being honored by the Marching Chiefs.

Renewal From the Inside Out

Hello, friends! I hope your week has been just as delightful but not quite as tiring as mine. Monday through today Katie, Pastor Jay and I were in Orlando for the FL-GA District Presidential Convocation. But before I get into that, a brief summary of last week:

• Thursday: I did a lot of reading, had lunch with Ana and coffee with Corey, and volunteered at the community garden. Our task of the day was tearing down an old garden fence and weeding, weeding, weeding. I really enjoyed working in the dirt with my friend Elm and some of the kids from the community center.
• Friday: I didn't sleep at all well Thursday night, so I ended up being too physically exhausted to do very much. I did some more reading and had my one-on-one meeting with Pastor Jay.
• Saturday: It rained, sadly, so we did not go to the beach. However, I did get to hang out with a Bear, witness a Quidditch match, and rollerblade at Lake Ella, so it worked out.
• Sunday: Bible study and worship began the day, with my new student friend Zane in attendance for the first time, which was exciting. We went to Moe's Grill after church and then I spent the afternoon doing last-minute preparation for our trip. (I also watched the Once Upon a Time premiere with Liz, PJ and Bear.)

 That brings us to Monday. We left Tallahassee around 8 AM and arrived in Orlando at about 12:30. The conference began at 1 o'clock. The Presidential Convocation is an annual gathering of all kinds of church workers from the FL-GA district. This year, the theme was "Renewal From the Inside Out." Rather than giving you the play-by-play, which would probably take days and thousands of words, I'll try to stick with the highlights.

• LCMS-U had a table at the "Renewal Mall," otherwise known as the exhibitor hall with tons of different booths. We got to man it during breaks and discuss campus ministry with a variety of different people.
• The first person I met was Joshua Brown, who just so happened to graduate from Urbandale High School and attend Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in West Des Moines and whose younger sister Bethany is one of my brother's good friends. I love our small Lutheran world!
• I attended several informational and inspirational sessions led by people such as Dr. John Eckrich (the President and CEO of Grace Place ministries), Dr. Lynn and Michael Wilder (from Ex-Mormon Christians United for Jesus), Rhonda Betteridge (the Director of Family Life Ministry from St. Luke's Oviedo), and Sanya Parson (Director of Rebecca's Garden of Hope). All of these people have a wealth of life and ministry experience that they shared with us; it was such a blessing to learn from them!
• Monday night, I got to go on stage and introduce myself to the entire convocation, along with all the other new members to the district. They also honored those celebrating ministry anniversaries, from 10 years all the way up to 55 years.
• On Tuesday, Katie and I were privileged to have lunch with the Youth and Family Ministry Association. It was wonderful to have fellowship with people who are in the positions we would like to be in someday! I especially enjoyed meeting fellow lay minister Joe Guagliardo.
• Monday and Tuesday night it was a joy to be able to just hang out and get to know my fellow church workers. Unsurprisingly, Josh beat me at foosball, but I've challenged him to ping-pong the next time we meet.
• Tuesday morning I did NOT run a 5k. However, many awesome people did, including Katie. Way to represent!
• This morning, we ended our time together with worship. I was glad to have the opportunity to worship with such a great cloud of witnesses a la Hebrews 12:1. 

Although my body is tired, I am renewed in mind and spirit. This convocation was a reminder to me of why I do what I do. The stories I heard, the information I gathered, the people I met... it all brought me back to my purpose and my place in the body of Christ.

Speaking of bringing back, after having lunch at Fudrucker's, Katie, PJ and I drove back to Tallahassee just in time for Vespers. I led tonight, and I think we had some really great discussion. Our task was to look throughout the book of Luke and find examples of relationship with God and with fellow believers. My table family really enjoyed finding those stories that we have read before but had forgotten about. It was great just to dive into the Word and find what it had to share with us.

After giving Caroline a ride home, I finished my dinner and took a break to breathe before starting up on my blog. Before I stop writing in order to watch the season premiere of Castle, I should mention that PJ and Liz are going to have their baby... sometime soon. She had been in a breech position, hence the C-section, but last week she decided to turn around. It's driving her schedule-oriented father crazy. Speaking of her father, I decided we should have made a drinking game out of how many times PJ got asked about his baby during the convocation. I stood with him for five minutes on Monday afternoon and he got that question three times.

I wish I had taken more pictures this week, but sadly I have none for you. (If at some point I find the picture Josh took of us, I'll add it!) Go and be renewed, friends! :)

News and Prayers

Hello, friends! I hope you have all had a great week. Since my post last week was so long, I'll try to give you a break this time. (Please note I said "try.") Rather than go through my week day-by-day as I usually do, I'll focus on a few things that are new/interesting.

First, an update many of you have been curious about: I have stopped looking for a part-time job. This is for a few reasons. Number one, finding a part-time job has proved very difficult for me. I don't know for sure what the reason is, but I suspect my somewhat inflexible schedule is part of it. Number two, I saw two goals for the part-time job -- to make some extra money and to connect with students outside of church. After nearly three months of searching for a job, I decided that since I'm not short on money at the moment, there might be another way I could connect with students outside of church.

And I have found one! There's an organization on campus called the Center for Leadership and Social Change, and they have a community outreach program. Every week there are various volunteer opportunities you can sign up for. They don't seem to mind that I'm not a student, so I've been signing up for a few each week. This week I will be helping at a community center garden, the Red Cross, and America's Second Harvest Food Bank.

Second, next Friday, October 3rd (also significant for another reason) is the end of the "First Forty." The first 40 days of school are when students figure out their routines and decide what they're going to be involved in. If we haven't gotten in touch with them already, it's much less likely that we will after the First Forty. So I'm excited that I have been able to get together with a lot of students -- and definitely a variety of students, as well.

Third, as I mentioned, October 3rd is a rather significant date. That's Baby Winters' due date! Yay, baby! It's significant not only for Pastor Jay and Liz but also because it will change things around University Lutheran. Katie, Matt and I will be taking on more and different responsibilities while Pastor Jay is otherwise occupied.

Fourth, there are some exciting things coming up. PJ, Katie and I will be going down to Orlando next week for the FL-GA District Presidential Convocation. That should be great fun and a good time to network and meet people. The students are also having a Beach Day this Saturday, which will be my first visit to a beach since moving to Florida!

Lastly, the weather is finally cooling down. Tonight I walked outside for almost two hours because it was actually chilly. Normally this wouldn't be so exciting, but I can't remember it being cold outside since I moved here, so I just had to experience it for as long as possible.

There, that wasn't terribly long, was it? Unfortunately I have no pictures for you this week, although I really wish I had pictures of the cats I just saw in the ULC parking lot. Adorable! I miss my cat! Anyway, good night, friends. This Iowa girl is going to bed.

P.S. The FSU campus could use some prayer this week -- there's a lot of controversy and division surrounding the star quarterback and also the new university presidential appointment.

Iowan and Alligator Sightings

Hello, dear friends! Much has happened since my birthday last week, but Thursday through Sunday, very little work got done because my best friend JESSIE was visiting! However, before I get into that wonderful event, I should tell you about the Interfaith Council meeting Thursday morning.

The Interfaith Council consists of all campus ministries at FSU, although of course not all of them were represented at the meeting. The leader is a delightful woman named Melanie from Hillel, the Jewish ministry. (I was curious, so I looked it up: Hillel was apparently a famous Jewish religious leader, one of the most important figures in Jewish history.) I met many other ministry leaders whose names mostly escape me, but I got to sit next to Rhea, the Chi Alpha International leader who happens to be from Iowa. That's what matters! :) Iowa connections aside, I really enjoyed the council meeting. Since it was September 11th, Melanie began by reading a letter written by a former student who was in class on 9/11. It was chilling, but an appropriate remembrance of that day.

We then moved on to hear from some student government leaders, who told us about a perfectly awful website called FSU ACB. I won't give you the details, but they showed us some screenshots that were... disturbing, to say the least. This website allows you to post anything you want completely anonymously. There are death threats, rape threats -- all specific, naming certain people -- and the police can do nothing, because the website deletes the poster's IP address a few seconds after the post goes up. Apparently most universities have similar websites. The student government leaders asked for our support to help pass a law requiring websites to retain IP addresses.

I bet you're wondering, "Why did you enjoy this meeting? That sounds awful!" The enjoyable part came after that discussion, when our speaker, Michelle, began telling us about Greek life on campus. She described it in detail, which was very beneficial for me, given that Greek life at Concordia consisted of frantic pre-seminary students studying for exams. I was fascinated to hear all about this campus culture, and Michelle was an engaging speaker.

After the Interfaith Council meeting ended, I went downstairs, sent a few last-minute e-mails, and then headed off to the airport to pick up my dear friend Jessie. When we got out of the airport, she made an observation: "It is HOT in Florida!" It was wonderful to have someone who understands my longing for Midwestern fall sweatshirt weather!

We had a wonderful weekend in Tallahassee. Thursday, we mostly just hung out at my apartment, watching Once Upon a Time and eating the last of my mother's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I also gave her a tour of campus, and we spent time playing the game she got me for my birthday: "Castle: the Detective Card Game." So much fun!

Friday, we slept in, took a trip to the Capitol building, and then went to Wakulla Springs, where I had my first Florida alligator sighting. We also enjoyed what we called "statue birds." I can't remember their actual name, but these birds have to dry out their wings after swimming before they can fly. They just sit there on rocks or logs with their wings extended for as long as 45 minutes. When we first saw them, we were convinced they were statues, they were so still!

We also went to the Melting Pot (they were donating $5 to the Children's Home Society for everyone who ordered their 35th Anniversary meal). Oh my goodness, the Melting Pot. I'm officially obsessed. Cheese fondue, salads, hotpot-style main course, and yin-yang (white and dark chocolate) fondue for dessert... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

On Saturday, we slept in once again, and then went out to explore the beautiful canopy roads. We intended to go to one of the state parks, but after venturing outside, we mutually decided it was far too hot for such excursions. We stopped by Target for old time's sake and may have also spent several hours watching the show "Too Cute" on Animal Planet. If you like cute animals, don't start watching that show... you may never stop.

Sunday morning, I sadly took Jessie back to the airport. It was so great to be able to reconnect with my best friend and show her around my home for the year, but I won't deny that I am a bit homesick now, both for my friend and for the Midwest. I'm told back home it's beginning to get that autumn chill in the air, and I miss it. Fall has always been my favorite season, and here it's just not the same.

I got back to church for worship with just minutes to spare, and then went out to lunch with Evan, Justin, and Anna, which was delightful (even if we did have to cut it short). Sunday afternoon, Katie and the students returned from their service retreat in Mobile, Alabama. I'm told it was a great weekend, with much worship, service, and friendship! They did service projects at Camp Dixie and were able to have Bible study on the beach.

After Katie's return, we met up with Pastor Jay to debrief the week. It was a relief to be able to meet with all three of us! On Monday, my day off, I slept in, went grocery shopping, volunteered at CHS, and attended TrueLife. Caroline led this week, talking about time management in college. Definitely a worthwhile topic, and she did an admirable job! This was my last week of attending TrueLife, given that Mondays are my day off, but I'm not at all worried about them managing without me. They don't need me! ;)

On Tuesday, I spent some time being present on campus in the morning, and then met up with grad student Danielle for lunch. She's a fellow Midwesterner, so we found much to talk about! After walking back from Chili's, I went to pick up Pastor Jay from the airport. I'm so glad he now has a break from traveling! I'm sure he's exhausted, and we are blessed to have him around. After bringing him back to church, I watched a lot of Castle on DVD before going to bed.

Today, we began with campus ministry prayer at 9:30 and then had a brief staff meeting. I went out to lunch with student Noelle at Mr. Roboto, where she had sushi and I tried not to cringe. :P At 2:00 we had our weekly staff meeting. Much of our time was spent discussing Matt's unfortunate experience on Monday, when our church computer died a sad death. Luckily, PJ and Matt were able to go out and get a new computer this afternoon.

After our meeting, I met up with Zoe and we went to Brooklyn Water Bagels for an afternoon snack of muffins and milk. It was very enjoyable! When we got back to church, I spent some time with Matt admiring the new computer and then relaxed a bit before Vespers. Katie was our leader tonight, teaching us about "Kairos moments" -- what some people might call "God moments" or, in Katie's terms, "God lightbulbs." These are moments that cause us to take a step back and reflect on what this means in our life in God's terms. We talked about how this relates to confession and absolution and then confessed to our brothers and sisters (at my table, I only had brothers) and they absolved us.

After Vespers, we had some great bonding time discussing those valuable topics such as "Orange is the New Black" and "Gilmore Girls." When everyone headed out, I came downstairs and started to write this blog, and NOW we are to the present moment! Isn't it great?

You get the picture jackpot today! (Get excited, Melissa!) All of these pictures are from my adventures with Jessie this weekend. The first is in front of the Capitol; the next four are various wildlife we saw at Wakulla Springs; and the last is of me in front of the University Lutheran sign.

Fireworks, Icebreakers, and Propitiation - Oh My!

Hello, friends! I hope your day has been as fantastic as mine, because let me tell you, my day has been quite fantastic. BUT you'll have to wait for that information until the end of the blog. (I'm such a heartbreaker. I'm terribly sorry. Really.)

This past week was so busy, the time log I normally write on one sheet of paper took up one and a half. On Thursday, we began the day with prayer and devo. Then I had my one-on-one meeting with Pastor Jay. Until I didn't have that time for a couple of weeks, I didn't realize quite how much I value it. If you've never had pastoral counseling, I would recommend it. Your pastor, well, he knows his stuff. Take advantage of it!

After my one-on-one, I did some preparation for my Vespers study and organized the list of Lutheran students we received from the university. Then I had coffee with a student and really enjoyed the conversation we were able to have. After that, I met up with my friend Mel at Paint-a-Pot, which (as you can probably guess) is a paint-your-own-pottery place on campus. We intended to stay just for an hour or so, but it turned into a four-hour excursion ending with dinner at Chili's. Yum!

On Friday, I spent a few hours in the morning contacting students from the Lutheran student list. I was able to find most of them on Facebook. I did more Vespers preparation, went to Yogurt Mountain with a student, and intended to do some more work afterwards... but I was full-out exhausted. I hadn't been sleeping well all week, so instead of trying to work more, I decided I needed a night off. Unfortunately, my night of relaxation became a little stressful when I realized there was no good place on campus to park my car during the game the next day, because I am not a student, faculty/staff member, or Booster. Those are the only people with parking options on campus on game days. In the end, I parked my car in the grass next to the church parking lot.

Speaking of, Saturday was Game Day! I got up in the morning to help set up for the tailgate, and then got my relaxation in before the tailgate started at 3:30. On game days, University Lutheran opens its doors for people to come in, use the restroom, eat some good food, and enjoy the air conditioning (and protection from the rain). I had tasty lasagna for dinner and was able to play some ping-pong, Clue, and Sorry. It was really fun! Once the game started, we closed the doors and cleaned up before everyone headed home. "Home" for me, of course, is downstairs. I discovered that we are close enough to the stadium that I can just walk outside and hear the announcer and the marching band. I could also hear the fireworks at the end of the game -- the first "boom" scared me half to death!

On Sunday, of course, we had Bible study and worship. (Gary and his new wife Jessica were there! Yay!) After worship, we had a student leadership meeting, which as usual ended at a local restaurant for lunch. Since Pastor Jay was going to be at a conference all week, the three of us met in the afternoon to plan out the week in advance. I finished up my prayer cards and spent some time contacting students before calling it an early night.

Monday, being my day off, started out by sleeping in. I desperately needed it. After I finally got going around noon, I did my laundry and went over to CHS for my weekly volunteer time. Instead of calling people to take surveys, I ended up stuffing folders, which fit my mood because it required much less thought! I got groceries and stopped by the library on the way home, and then attended the very first TrueLife Bible study. This is a study led by a few of the student leaders from University Lutheran. We played some icebreaker games and then spent time in discussion about how to make good friends on a secular campus. I was really impressed by the leadership skills of Austin, Caroline, and Evan. Great job, guys!

Tuesday started out a little strangely. I'm used to being up and ready to go by 9:30, because that's when Pastor Jay, Katie, and I normally meet for devotions. However, PJ was in Orlando and Katie was at work, so there was no one to meet with. I met up with a student for coffee in the morning, and then another student in the afternoon. Before I explain how the second coffee meeting went, I should explain that normally, this meet-ups right now are just to get to know the students. I'm not normally having deep spiritual discussions with them. But Tuesday afternoon, I had the most spiritual discussion I've had yet with a student who describes himself as "not religious." I really enjoyed our conversation, and I hope we are able to have another one sometime.

After that meet-up, I went out to be present on campus and accidentally came across a huge poster sale. It was interesting to observe which posters were popular. I think I heard "Game of Thrones" mentioned most often! I took a break in the afternoon and evening to read a book (yes, a whole book... that's kind of what I do), and then went upstairs to "rehearse" for Vespers. I had written out what I wanted to say, and I wanted to make sure it sounded normal when said out loud. I made some adjustments, and then went back downstairs to meet up with Katie and find out how her day had gone. We read a devotion together and had some great bonding time culminating in a spontaneous pre-birthday trip to Chik fil A for a cookie sundae. Delicious.

Now we're up to today... my 23rd birthday! When I first got up this morning, I opened my door and discovered that Katie had decorated for me. What a great roommate! She went off to work and I went upstairs for campus ministry prayer. After prayer, I went to visit Mel at Market Wednesday, which is SO much bigger than it was during the summer. It took me 5 minutes to find the booth she works at. We visited for awhile, and then I walked back to church while talking to my mom on the phone. I went to Firehouse Subs and got a free lunch, and then to Yogurt Mountain, which had coincidentally sent me a discount for today.

After delicious fro-yo I headed back to church and spent time contacting the remainder of the students on the Lutheran student list. (I had some major help with this -- Evan took the initiative and looked up the e-mails of everyone I couldn't find on Facebook!) I met up with Matt, our church administrator, and he showed me how to utilize the church databases. Then I went to do laundry to prepare for my best friend Jessie Hoepker coming tomorrow! I also picked up some donuts and fruit for the Interfaith Council meeting tomorrow. Around 5:30, I went upstairs and listened to the choir practice for awhile before my brother called to wish me a happy birthday. At 6, we wrapped up our conversation and students started arriving for Vespers.

We had pizza for dinner, and I was enjoying talking to Arlen, Larry, and Julie when I heard "Happy Birthday" being sung from behind me. I turned around and there was Katie, bringing me a giant cake with "23" candles! I blew out the candles and we enjoyed some delicious cake and brownies. Apparently, both PJ & Liz and Katie had decided to bring me birthday treats, and that's how we ended up with birthday cake AND birthday brownies. Best problem ever.

When we finished up eating, I led the group in discussion about the twin concepts of "covenant" and "kingdom." "Covenant" refers to our relationship with God, and "kingdom" refers to our responsibility from God. We were divvied up into three tables, and I had each table study one passage twice to demonstrate that these concepts are twins -- they're inseparable in God's Word. There's rarely a mention of what God's done for us without what he expects of us, and vice versa. I really enjoyed prepping and leading this study, and I was so glad to see such great discussion. Favorite moments: overhearing an enthusiastic "That's a brilliant idea!" from one table, accompanied by high fives; another table using the word "propitiation" correctly (and often); and one table being so engaged in discussion that I had to cut it short after 8 minutes.

(Also, "How's it going?" "It's going.")

We ended on a high note with more brownies and cake, and then Katie and I set up for the Interfaith Council meeting tomorrow and headed back downstairs. I was checking my e-mail, about ready to begin this blog, and then I got a call from my lovely grandparents. I talked to them for awhile and then was ready to start my blog again, only to see that my dad had called. I called him back and talked to him, and once we wrapped up our conversation, I finally began this blog. It's taken me an hour to write because so much has happened this week, and especially today! I am so blessed to have received 2 birthday packages (with food!) and numerous birthday cards and well-wishes. My friends and family are wonderful! Thank you to everyone who has helped me celebrate!

Two pictures again today. The first is the cup I painted at Paint-a-Pot with Mel and the second is my beautiful birthday cake!

All Heaven Breaks Loose

Hello, friends! Since last week's blog was so long, I'll give you a break this week and write something short and sweet. (But take that with a grain of salt, since the last time I said that, my blog was still long.) Awhile ago I blogged about a day in the life of a campus missionary. I gave you the caveat that it described what it would be like until the fall semester started and all hell broke loose. Well... all hell has broken loose, so here's what a day in my life is like now!

Morning:

• Wake up, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.
• Meet with Pastor Jay and Katie for our morning devotion
• (If Wednesday, meet with other campus ministers for some prayer time!)
• Discuss ministry matters with PJ and Katie
• (If Thursday, have my one-on-one meeting with PJ)
• Do ministry
• Sometimes, this is still desk work, like I described the last time I explained my day. For example, planning for the Vespers study I'm leading next week, reading "Building a Discipling Culture" or contacting students via Facebook or e-mail.
• However, the difference recently is that students are here and available now, and one of my main purposes is to build relationships with them. Therefore, a lot of "doing ministry" these days is meeting up with students for coffee or lunch and just spending time getting to know them on a personal level. I met with one student on Monday and have three more dates set up for the next two days!
• Eat lunch (with a student if at all possible!)

Afternoon:

• Do more ministry (make more connections)
• (If Wednesday, meet with PJ, Katie, and church administrator Matt for a staff meeting; currently we are going through some questions about University Lutheran's upcoming annual focus)
• Be "present" on campus; yesterday, I sat in Oglesby Union and counted how many people walked by for half an hour. I counted 427, but given the huge crowds that went by at certain points, I'm guessing I saw at least 500. It really gives me perspective on the sheer number of students I have the opportunity to witness to.
• Complete assigned tasks; last week I finished up my flood relief bucket project, and Pastor Jay and I delivered said buckets to John Elliot

Evening:

• Eat dinner; or, if it's Wednesday, attend Vespers! Tonight we had spaghetti and meatballs and discussed what it means to be in a discipleship huddle. I will expand on that more next week.
• Relax; or if it's Wednesday, blog about my week!
• Do something fun -- recently, that involves watching Full House and Friends on Nic @ Night and working on a puzzle
• Read and reflect on the Bible for my evening devotions
• Go to bed and (hopefully) wake up refreshed for another day!

And there you have it. Writing this reminds me of a Church Basement Ladies musical in which they performed a song called "All Heaven Breaks Loose." That's a better way to phrase what has happened since the students returned. Is it chaos? Yes. Is it crazy? Of course. Is it an opportunity for witness the likes of which I've never seen before? Absolutely, and I am so glad that God has put me here to "break heaven loose" on this campus.

(Also, am I a church basement lady now? Why yes, yes I am. They should write a musical about me.)

Only two pictures this week. The first is one that was featured on the Florida-Georgia District Facebook page; PJ and I are quite famous, as you know. The second is a picture I took my first week here of a small lizard very similar to the one I spent nearly 12 hours trying to remove from my apartment on Saturday. I admit that I am pathetic, you are allowed to make fun of me.

40,000 People Just Arrived...

That's right, friends... the school year has officially begun, and there are 40,000 some more people on campus than there were last week. You can tell from little things, like hearing the marching band from some unseen location playing the song "Happy," or you can tell from big things, like having to really focus on driving so you don't hit any of the thousands of college students who all decided to walk across the street in front of you at once. But before I get into this week, let me tell you all about last week! There is a LOT to tell!

First, I'll set the scene. Go Week is an event in which 12 different campus ministries team up to help students move in and host different events on campus. This year, there were about 250 student volunteers and quite a few stressed out but happy staff. From Wednesday-Friday, these students and staff were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, doing everything from carrying heavy boxes into dorms to playing spikeball on Landis Green to handing out free sno cones to speed-friending and bowling to making and serving literally thousands of late-night pancakes.

Pastor Jay and University Lutheran had the task of feeding these students and staff breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days, and that's where my Go Week story begins. I was up bright and early Wednesday morning to lead the volunteers from University Lutheran to the Baptist Collegiate Ministry center, where the food was being cooked and served. After breakfast and devotions, Katie and I headed out with the two wonderful University Lutheran students, Caroline and Evan, and the students from the Reformed University Fellowship. We walked over to DeGraff hall, where we helped students move in. I really enjoyed working with the students from both ULC and RUF. We had a great partnership!

I left DeGraff a little early to run back to ULC and lead over some more volunteers. After lunch, most of our morning group went over to Jennie Murphree hall, while some split off to help with Games on the Green and student mailboxes. We helped more students move in and had a free sno cone, which I promptly accidentally spilled on a new student's pillow. Oops! (No worries, she wasn't upset, but it was certainly embarrassing.) At 4, we had our break. I led some more volunteers over to BCM and then took a shower, because after being in the hot sun all day, I was incredibly sweaty. I also had my first Florida sunburn. (On Friday, I officially finished off my first bottle of sunscreen since being in Florida. It was quite the milestone.)

After dinner and some worship/reflection time, I headed out with Evan to Seminole Sensation Week. There were a bunch of different activities. Evan and I did some blacklight sidewalk chalking and I got my face painted like a pineapple. (Yes, there are pictures below. I chose a pineapple because that's the Go Week logo.) We managed to meet a few new people before heading back to BCM. We hung out for awhile, since there were already plenty of people making pancakes, and then we helped carry things over to the Student Life Center. There was a huge crowd waiting to consume massive amounts of pancakes. We believe we made about 3,500 pancakes, and they were completely gone in half an hour. Or so we thought, until someone discovered a stray cooler full of pancakes under one of the tables. They didn't take long to disappear either, but we had fun joking about how they appeared just when we needed them, like the feeding of the 5,000. I helped dry a lot of dishes, and then I went home and collapsed into bed. Can you believe that was only one day?

I was up again Thursday morning to guide volunteers, and then I promptly went back to bed, since the ULC/RUF group ("Team W") had the morning off. I was up again by 11, when I led yet more volunteers over to BCM. (I did this a lot.) After lunch and devotions, Team W went out to (I believe?) Cawthon hall. We moved some students in, and also really enjoyed getting to know the two campus police officers stationed at the dorm. They told us about their experiences on campus, particularly relating to some buildings they're convinced are haunted. After our afternoon shower break, we assembled again for dinner. We had some worship and reflection time and then went to the Union for Seminole Sensation Week.

I was on my own Thursday evening, because Evan had opted to stay at BCM and help with pancakes. At first I was a little uncertain; I'm not the most outgoing person, so I wasn't sure how to go about meeting people. But I remembered that Wednesday night, Evan and I were able to make connections while standing in line. So I decided a henna tattoo sounded fun and got into that line, and Jesus used that! I met a really cool girl named Mel and we ended up hanging out the rest of the night. We got henna tattoos (mine was just a pretty design, while hers was her boyfriend's name in Russian), a bomb pop (or two...), airbrush tattoos (mine was a flamingo!), and paint-a-pot cups to paint later. We eventually ended up over at late-night pancakes. After exchanging numbers, Mel went home and I went back to BCM, where I washed a large amount of dishes. Then I went home and once again collapsed into bed. Day two, complete.

Friday morning, I was up and at the BCM early as normal. After breakfast and devotion time, Team W went out to Smith hall, where we helped a total of two students move in. (And they really only count as one, because they were cousins living in the same room.) But the slow morning was okay, because 1) we were all exhausted, and 2) it gave us time to bond. I left a little early because my good friend Ruth from ULC had invited me to the Seminole Kick-Off Luncheon. I got to see all the football players and cheerleaders and band and meet some of Ruth's Rotary Club friends! It was a great time. I will say it got me more psyched up for Seminole football!

After I returned, I had a break, since Team W had the afternoon off. Then, after guiding the last of the volunteers over to BCM, we had our last dinner together and headed out to set up for the FSU Luau! The FSU Luau is the pinnacle of Go Week. It's the main event, the biggest free party on campus all year, and it is a blast. There's a band, food trucks, inflatables, lazer tag, a rock wall... It all culminated in a huge glow-in-the-dark Zumba party with a cameo from the Garnet and Gold Guys. Each campus ministry participating in Go Week had a table set up. At ours, we were handing out magnets with the football schedule and our information on them. We handed out many, many magnets, and we were able to connect a good number of people with ULC. The RUF table, across the sidewalk from us, had giant Jenga blocks, and I enjoyed watching people play. I also sat at the waiver table for awhile and helped people sign up to do inflatables and the rock wall.

When the FSU Luau ended, it felt like everyone wearing a blue or green Luau shirt stopped and took a deep breath. It was over. Everything we'd worked for all week was done, and it had gone incredibly smoothly. I am so grateful to the Go Week leaders who made this all possible. This has been in the works since last November, and so much time and energy and effort went into planning each and every event that took place. It was truly amazing how well everything went, from the move-ins to the meals (thanks, PJ!) to the different activities to the Luau itself. We cleaned up the area around the Union, had a final large group prayer, and then we all trickled away, going our separate ways. I was so impressed by this amount of cooperation between the campus ministries. Although I have never attended a public university, I would not have expected to find this level of collaboration and unity. It is amazing, and it is only possible by the grace of God.

On Saturday, I slept in. I was tired for some reason. I did my best to spend most of the day relaxing and recovering. I contacted the students who gave us their information at the Luau. For dinner, I attended the Taste of Tallahassee event with my new student friends Mel, Elisabeth, Dominic, and Pepsi. I discovered there is a restaurant entirely centered on fondue. I don't know how I've survived this long without the Melting Pot in my life. Mel and I also went through the ice cream line three times. What can I say? It was really good ice cream.

Sunday, of course, I went to Bible study and worship. There were a lot of students there, which made me quite excited. After worship, Sarah, Chris and I organized all of the items for the flood relief buckets and figured out what we still needed to get. Some people gave me monetary donations to buy the rest of the items. I then joined in with the student leadership meeting, where we discussed the new freshman group that it starting up, TrueLife. We went out to lunch, and then I spent more time organizing the flood relief buckets and hanging out with Liz.

On Monday, I had lunch with Lyla, a cool student I met. I volunteered at the Children's Home Society. I also spent some time reading "Building a Discipleship Culture," which is an excellent book about intentional discipleship. Yesterday, Tuesday, Pastor Jay, Katie and I met in the morning for prayer and devotion, a morning ritual I missed last week. We had a group meeting to discuss what's coming up. I spent time contacting student visitors from this Sunday, and I was also present on campus. Non-work-related, I went to the Regal Governor's Square theater and saw "The Giver." I highly enjoyed the movie, I would recommend it.

Finally, we're to the present day. This morning, we again met for prayer and devotion and a group meeting. I read further in "Building a Disciple Culture." We had an all-staff meeting this afternoon, with Matt the church administrator joined in. I enjoyed learning about the annual focus for this upcoming year. Matt and I went out to Dollar Tree/General to purchase the rest of the items for the flood relief buckets. I also went to Walgreens and picked up my prayer cards, which will be going out with my newsletter soon. After my shopping trips, I packed each bucket full of cleaning supplies and closed them, which I discovered requires a lot of brute strength. (Thanks for helping me with that, Liz... I might never have figured it out!) I'm excited to hand off the buckets to John Elliot from the Florida-Georgia district tomorrow.

Then, we had our first Vespers of the school year! There were about 15 people present, mostly students, with a few adults from the congregation mixed in. We enjoyed tasty BBQ prepared by PJ and Liz and had some really delightful conversation. More than anything else, Vespers has gotten me extremely excited for this school year. I can tell already that these students are awesome and I cannot wait to get to know them more.

Now, I am here, writing this incredibly lengthy blog. If you've gotten to this point, thank you very much for not giving up. There was just so much to tell, and I didn't want to leave out a single detail. Here are some pictures as a reward! First, Evan next to his beautiful sidewalk chalk Yoshi; second, me as a pineapple; third, Ruth and I at the Seminole Kick-Off Luncheon; fourth, me with the completed flood relief buckets! Thanks for reading, everybody!

Go, Go, Go Week!

Hello, dear friends. It's another Tuesday and another blog but definitely NOT just another week here in Tallahassee. It's GO WEEK! Therefore, this blog will be short and sweet because I need to get to bed before chaos breaks out on campus tomorrow morning.

Last Wednesday, Katie and I drove to Orlando to meet up with the campus ministers from the University of Central Florida. We got there around 4:30 PM and they immediately took us out on a tour of their campus, which is basically a city in itself. UCF has 60,000 students, and the Lutheran campus ministry there (LiveUCF, unless you're an official university employee, in which case it's referred to as "Live@UCF") just had some great news. They're officially a recognized student organization and they even have their own room on campus to hold their events! Woohoo! We really enjoyed getting to know the ministry leaders there (Billy, Laura, Megan, Tyler) and sharing some ideas with them. UCF is unique in that there are no churches within walking distance, so LiveUCF is going to hold church services on campus on Wednesday nights, complete with communion, which is a somewhat controversial practice due to the use of alcohol. They had to get special permission from the school to serve communion.

Although it was a work trip, they decided to let us have some fun as well... so they surprised us with a trip to Disney World! It was quite delightful. Thanks, everyone, for that wonderful surprise!

Friday I managed to get into a very minor car accident in Orlando. No worries, no one was hurt and my car is fine, but it was a little stressful. After we drove back to Tallahassee, it was time to relax for the weekend. I did my best to avoid work because I know Go Week is going to wear me out like nothing else ever has. I made some smoothies, read some books, went for a few walks, went to Liz's super fun baby shower, and generally just chilled. I did do a few work-y things, like writing my newsletter and reading the first part of the newest book we're going through, but other than that, I purposely did nothing.

On Monday, I went to the Children's Home Society again. This time, I was calling parents whose children have received services through the center to take a survey on those services. This is important because it can help improve the services offered to families through the center. Per the usual of calling people, as I have discovered previously with the cold calls to churches, I got a lot of voicemails and a few disconnected numbers. However, I did have the opportunity to conduct three surveys, and I hope that what I discovered will help CHS in the long run.

I also got to Skype with my best friend Jessie from back home in good ol' Iowa. I will admit I've been feeling a little homesick recently, but talking to her made me feel better. She's pretty good at that.

From the moment I got up today, there was no relaxing to be had. It started off with devotions with Pastor Jay and a meeting to discuss the craziness of this week. I then made edits to my newsletter and wrote out a list of people to send the newsletter to. Pastor Jay and I went to Sam's Club and got an obnoxious amount of food. University Lutheran is in charge of food for Go Week, and we expect to feed at least 250 people each meal for the next 3 days. As PJ says, it really gives you a perspective on the feeding of the 5,000. If we need two full flatbed carts at Sam's to feed 250, how much would you need for 5,000, plus women and children?

I had a short break after we unloaded Pastor Jay's truck bed full of food supplies, and then we headed out for the kick-off to Go Week at First Baptist Church downtown. First on the agenda was a leaders' meeting. Katie and I enjoyed meeting the other campus ministry leaders; I particularly enjoyed meeting Ria, a Chi Alpha International leader who happens to hail from Perry, Iowa. We bonded. Enough said.

We then had a catered meal from Chik Fil A as students volunteering for Go Week filed in. I was the "guardian of the salads" because they were only for those with food allergies or who are vegetarian, so we wanted to make sure no one else took them. After dinner, we had an inspiring worship service that really got us pepped up and ready to go. It was emphasized, as it should be, that Go Week is not about us. We're not on campus just to hang out. We're there to share the love of Christ and to be His hands and feet. We'll do that in many different ways -- helping students move in, showing them around the school, feeding them, playing games with them, partying with them at the FSU Luau Friday night -- but those ways all lead to the same goal: Jesus. It's important that we don't lose sight of our goal when we're weeping inside because it's 137 degrees out and we're carrying a bean bag chair up 3 flights of stairs. There is no complaining allowed, because this is not about us, it's about Him. (Although if it's 137 degrees outside, please drink some water before you die.)

After the worship service, we filed up to the front for a group picture, and then we went our separate ways, eager to see each other bright and early tomorrow morning to start spreading the love of Jesus. And this is where I'm going to go my separate way from you so I can get some sleep before that happens! (Looking at this post, I'm thinking I have a strange idea of "short and sweet." Hm.)

Here is the jackpot of pictures from the last 7 days. Disney, baby shower, flatbed cart and truck bed full of food. See you all later! Don't have high hopes if you need to contact me in the next few days!