Out of Hibernation...

It’s been a long, long time since my last post, but rather than deleting it I decided to give it a second try. I think I’m just not good at this blogging thing, but here I am with an update anyway!

Spring has been restorative at Ole Miss. After a rainy fall and a cold winter (yep, even in Mississippi), we are welcoming the seemingly constant sunshine, 70-80 degree whether, the green of the leaves and grass and all the other colors popping up. I am constantly thankful for the Grove; that grassy center of campus has provided the perfect gathering spot for students coming out of hibernation. More days than not I end up spending large chunks of time with groups of students outside, either sharing a meal, throwing a Frisbee, or just basking in the sunlight. The Grove is the perfect breeding grounds of a growing community that feels biblical and right.

While I thought Spring would be a little more restful and unscheduled, the lack of football has only given room for a slew of other activities and events that have sufficiently filled up our time and made us busy, once again. In March we hosted what was in my opinion a hugely successful party with MS State. We joined together in Tupelo for a night of music and dancing, and I’ve had students tell me it was their favorite night of the year.

For Spring Break, we hosted 2 trips: one to Romania with an ESL focus, and another to New York City to learn about the Church in the city. Hammond and I followed Les to NYC with a group of 14 for a week of insightful conversations, meaningful service opportunities, and of course a little exploring.

Recently, it is hard to find a free moment on the weekends with all the engagement parties and music festivals going on; it seems a time of celebration, as I think the end of the school year always is.

While speaking of celebrating, now’s a good time to mention that I am loving the freshman class. We still have a weekly attendance of around 50 to the Freshman Bible Study taught by Les. It has been incredible to see the transformation of these students: from the kids fresh out of high school stumbling across this study, to the now tightly knit friendships and growing community. Just last Sunday while walking through campus I came across a group of about 25 of our Freshman Bible Study students all hanging out in the Grove with one another, just enjoying the sunny afternoon. This is such blessing; while Ole Miss is of course driven by a whole lot of social pressure, it is just as hard as at any school to find a comfortable family of friends, which I believe our RUF students are finding. It is what Les, Lauren, Hammond and I have been “working” towards and praying for all year, and it is amazing to see the Lord answering prayers. Encouraging and actually heart-warming. I am excited for the next 3 years for these students.

I loved Oxford for its charm, beauty, and reputation in the fall; now I am loving it for its people.

Down to the Delta

A couple weeks ago, the RUF staff (and Kyle) piled into Les's minivan early Sunday morning, and made our way down to the booming metropolis of Greenwood, MS. It was my first experience in the Delta, and a great one.

For those of you who don't hail from the area, the Delta is basically a geographical anomaly - hundreds of miles of land flattened by an ancient glacier, thus making it in some ways America's breadbasket. As we drove down the road, Les pointed out the last of the hills on the right (east) and the beginning of the hundreds of miles of plateau to the west.

Les preached at Westminster Presbyterian Church, a beautiful church and home to a number of our beloved RUF freshmen. After church and meeting much of the congregation, one of the sweet ladies in the church took us and some students to lunch, Delta style - we ate at the Crystal Grille, and I'm pretty sure the food could have carried me over to Wednesday at least. It was delicious, maybe not so nutritious, and came in mass quantities.

Overall we had a great Greenwood/Delta experience, and I hope to make it back sometime. We stopped at a cottonfield on the way back, which makes for some fun pictures...

Settling In

First of all, I apologize for not having updated sooner. Lack of internet on my computer and an increasingly busy schedule have made this more difficult, but here we go.

Yesterday was my second Grove experience. I have not updated since the first, so here are some noteworthy features of the Grove:

- Tents, back to back, covering the entire field and surrounding areas. Many with slogans or locations printed on them. Tents are organized by zipcode. When walking around the Grove, you inform your friends: I'm starting in Jackson, then heading to Greenwood for a while. I might stop by Birmingham before the game. Oh and definitely see you at Clarksdale afterwards. It's confusing at first, but you get the hang of it.

- Many opt for the heels, even on days where the Grove is a mud pit and each step causes you to sink down 3 inches. The first game, dresswatching was an enjoyable activity. Last night, however, chilly weather brought out the skinny jeans (which I'm glad to know are acceptable) and boots, as well as dresses with turtlenecks and tights.

- Tents are often adorned with chandeliers. And very large arrangements: flowers, pumpkins, you name it. Tent hosts spare no inconvenience, but it comes together to look very nice and non-tentish.

- I've never seen so many people crammed together in my life; I've also never seen so much gourmet food in the same place in my life. I'm pretty sure I'll never buy food from a game again.

That's all for now about the Grove.


Life as an intern has continued to get busy: again, I wish I had more time in the day and more energy to be able to hang out with girls. Since Rush ended, it's been great to hang out in the sororities houses and help with costumes for swaps and things. The recent Seattle-like weather has limited activities to coffee dates and meals, but sunny weather this week - I can't wait to throw walks and picnics back into the shuffle.

We've started Tuesday night Freshman Game Night, which has been more of a success than I could have guessed. Big crowds every week, and Signs has been a big hit, as well as last week's "Murder" with Phantom of the Opera playing from the iPod and the lights turned out.

Tomorrow begins another normal week, with the Arkansas game on Saturday. Sunday the interns leave for training in Atlanta, then come back a few days before Halloween!

Overall things are going well, though sometimes I miss the satisfying feeling of busy days of college: oh the idol of a busy schedule. I have to remind myself frequently that just because my work is now of a different nature, it does not mean that I am slacking. I love the students here, and am continuing to explore new great things about Oxford.

More pictures to come soon.

Packed Pews and Waiting for the Grove

As of tomorrow, I will officially have been in Oxford for one month. We’ve had…
three (heavily attended) large groups
one table-clearing freshman cookout
two weeks of Bible Studies
one weekend retreat with Monday Night Group at beautiful Pickwick
one Saturday Seminar
a day trip to Jackson to meet with the Committee at First Presbyterian Church
and many many picnics on the Grove,
walks,
and cups of hot tea. (I am not a coffee drinker).
Oh and an icecream social on the Grove with the local PCA churches. Yum.

Needless to say, I’m staying busy!

I’ve been warned so many times that the first semester of the internship would be really difficult, so in some ways I came into this semester expecting the worst, but if you can’t tell I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve felt so warmly welcomed by the community here – the other RUF staff, the families in the churches, and the older students involved in RUF, as well as pre-existing friends from Camp DeSoto. And there are so many freshmen girls that have attended RUF events that at the beginning of each week, my problem is not finding things to do, but instead deciding what I have to narrow down to. I just can’t meet with them all, which is overwhelming, but obviously a good problem to have. Next week is Rush, which will be an emotional week for many girls. If you have time for Ole Miss in your prayers right now, add a little plug for the girls in sororities and wanting join sororities in the next week. And for Lauren and me to know how to best support them.

More Things I’ve learned about Mississippi:

-“The Hospitality State” lives up to its name. No matter the event – Bible Study, Saturday Seminar, After Hours – there is food involved. Not just slice and bake cookies, but some version of gooey chocolatey homemade deliciousness or full icecream sundae bar or sausage balls or beignets. To name a few. I did not expect my first month of the internship to teach me so much about self restraint…

-The chant I learned as a small child on how to spell Mississippi is not unique to my family. When I brought it up to a car full of freshmen because I couldn’t quite remember all of it, my ears were quickly met with a full chorus of “M I squiggle letter squiggle letter I squiggle letter squiggle letter I humpback humpback I”. Who knew?

- Don't ask what "Are you ready?" comes from. You will be publicly shamed. (for you non-Mississippi folk, it's the beginning of the Hotty Toddy cheer. I just saved you from a little humiliation sometime in life.)

-When you’re situated in a small town, you find things to do. While I have yet to experience most of these things, I look forward to visiting Graceland 2 (the home of an old man with an Elvis obsession, which you must only visit late at night with large groups of people), and the Doorknob of the Universe (still not quite sure about this one… people who’ve been come back mysteriously vague about exactly what it is).

-Football is life. Or at least Tailgating is life. The Grove is already being physically prepared for Saturday, and there’s already not much else to talk about. Forget Rush in a week; it’s Grove time. More to come on the first home game this Saturday.

So that’s where I am right now. Loving meeting and getting to know more girls, enjoying getting more settled here, and getting ready for home football games and Rush. Thanks y’all for your support and prayers!

Welcome to Oxford

From my bench at Square Books

Well, it's been a busy week, but a great one! I moved to Oxford a week ago today, though it seems like it’s been about a decade. A weekend of meeting people and moving in, two days of orientation with RUF staff, and three days of freshmen move-in later, I’m loving Oxford and feeling like a weathered resident. Right now as I sit on my porch it is a beautiful sunny and cool Saturday morning, which started with a trip to the Farmer’s Market and will soon continue with a bike trip to Taylor, MS for lunch.

And now, for the first time since the incipient two months of my life, I’m a Mississippi girl once again. For the past week, I’ve been finding signs that I am no longer in Nashville or Winston-Salem anymore. Here are some things I’ve found about living in Mississippi, particularly, Oxford:

- “Come on” is not said properly until the “on” sounds like “own”. “Come own, y’all!” I learned this from Kevin Teasley, but my suspicion has been confirmed here in Oxford.

- Chicken, unless otherwise specified on the menu (which it rarely is), is not grilled, baked, or blackened. It is fried. Deep fried. With the grease dripping off of it. It is SO good.

- Gas stations are not just gas stations. Maybe it’s just in Oxford, but every gas station seems to have its specialty. After many driving tours of Oxford given by friends, I’ve learned which one is the chicken salad gas station, which one is the barbeque gas station, which one is the frozen yogurt gas station, the warm cookie gas station, the chicken-on-a-stick gas station, the original chicken-on-a-stick gas station, and I think that’s just the beginning. More to come as I discover new gas station specialties.

- Nike shorts are a must.

- Everybody knows everybody. Who’s dated everybody. Whose mothers’ were sorority sisters. Whose grandparents were across the street neighbors. Etc., etc. I believe my birth in Jackson (technically, Flowood), gives me some legitimacy here that I otherwise might lack. Because now, my grandparents know their grandparents who swam at the club together whose dogs went on walks together whose nephews were best friends, etc.

These discoveries are just the beginning.

This week, RUF really kicks off. We have the first large group on Wednesday, and I think this week I’ll get to hang out with a lot of students. Right now I am so excited – a little overwhelmed, because it seems like there’s so much to do and so many people to see, but I know I just have to take it one day at a time. A recurring lesson in my life is that many things are out of my control. Over the summer, this really struck me as I learned that I could not raise support through my own strength. No matter how I worked out the numbers in my head, it never added up. Getting through the summer took some surrendering to the Lord, trusting that He would get me to where I needed to be: and here I am in Oxford!

Now I’m realizing that starting at Ole Miss is also going to be a lesson in trusting His plan. After meeting so many people over the last few days, I’m fighting being overwhelmed; there’s just so much to do! I wish I could hang out with all of those girls today, and drive them all to church tomorrow, but I have neither the hours in my day nor the space in my car to be able to do that. So, today, I’ll do what I can and what I feel I should do, and trust that God will take me at the pace He wants to the places He wants. I find so much rest in that belief. Here we go, Ole Miss.

The Calm Before the Storm

I've now had a few days to recover from the second week of RUF Staff Training in Atlanta, and it was great. This time around, all the campus ministers and all the interns were there, and between meetings all day and some one I just HAD to talk to every time I turned around, it a was a busy and fun week. The four of us with Ole Miss RUF cooked out at Hammond's house one night, and I think that it's gonna be a good year with this group.

Earlier this week I got a call from the RUF office that I have officially been cleared to move (thus I am past 75% of my support), and I can't tell you the relief and thanks that comes with this. I am humbled and encouraged to have so many people behind me in this endeavor.

Throughout the summer I've been occasionally meeting students and gathering names, but in a couple weeks, the whole meeting people thing will explode. I can't wait for it. I really am so excited to get started! I think the anxiety will set in soon, but I'm still just looking the experience, hoping I can do my job, learn a lot, and have some fun along the way.

On Sunday I'm going to be commissioned by my home church, which is really a blessing but a little scary. There are A LOT of people at Christ Pres. Then next week will consist of packing up my things and spending some time with Nashville people, before I make the move on Saturday the 15th!

But for now I have one more day at the beach with my family, where my grandmother and I tried to catch fish with our hands yesterday and where my niece just learned to say my name, and where I see a game of cards, a book, and a nap in my future. After that some good time home in Nashville.

And then... Oxford!

Mission Partially Accomplished

I can now announce, with much gratitude, that I have reached the 75% point in my support raising! Which means that I can officially move to Oxford in a little under 3 weeks, as hoped. Which means God is SO faithful, and has carried me through this first step of the internship with RUF.

If you have helped me along the way (given financially, or prayed for my progress), then I am so thankful to you. I'm still not to my final goal, bu I'm much closer. This has been a humbling process, in an awesome way. I am always amazed at how the Lord uses his instruments for his purposes; it's never in the way you expect.

The gift that pushed me over the edge was an especially meaningful one; thank you, Muz & Buddy, for your legacy and for your support.

Again, I am so humbled, and a little scared to be held accountable by so many people. I'm not going to take the money and run (even if I could). Instead, I'm going to do the best I can in what is called of me at Ole Miss.

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth."
1 John 3:18