So there is truly so much on my mind right now. So much that I have been taking in and trying to get a hold on and really what I wanted to write more about was Georgia in and of itself and some of the things that have already made quite an impact on me already. Below is a pictures of the house and my room that I share with my awesome roomate Ali! The house is awesome(I have some more pics you can check out under the photos section). This is the first time I’ve been “out on my own” and that alone has already been a big deal to me. I live in Georgia now. This is my new home. I am responsible for myself, going to get the things I need for my room and house that I may have forgotten, and even silly things like learning my new address!
So far so good though. I am enjoying Georgia. It’s cooler in the nights and mornings than Florida! AND, there’s ELEVATION! Yay mountains and hills! Let me tell you, it’s been funny driving around with my roomates who are mostly from northern areas and me recognizing the inclines and hilly/curvy roads as we drive. I’m just not use to it in Florida you know? But it’s been a nice change. I’m already ready for the fall colors and winter time. Familiarty has been good too though, it’s nice seeing places from home and meeting the people I’ve been meeting latley. They each have their own unique personalities but some remind me of folks from home and it’s nice.
Our days have consisted of meetings and team building activites to get our group to know each other better. It’s been cool to do that and see how we all interact with one another. I love my roomate(have I said that enough?) we have alot in common and are around the same age so it’s been very fun! We are all in the same place I think, just waiting to see what is going to happen next. We find out about where we will be working this week! We’ll talk with the people who head up the different areas. There’s Short term: trips that are from 7 to 10 days, real life: trips from 1 to 3 months, first year missionary: 9 months and world race: 11 months. And of course there’s admissions/adminstration. I can’t wait to dive into it and see what each is going to entail for a day to day kind of job.
I’d like to share a really cool thing that we got to take part in this week. Our team, which by the way right now is 7 of is, Ali, me, Rosie, Maggie, Amanda, Jess and Bart, was introduced to Angelo. He is head of a ministry called torch ministries. They do outreach to the hispanic community in Gainseville, Georgia. It was great. We walked around with him and Jonathan at Gainseville Middle School, and got to look at the kids in their enviornment as well as get some good info on Gainseville. Gainseville, aside from being the poultry capital of the world(it really is!) is a very rich and affluent area. Along with that it has a very strong and growing hispanic populations, 80,000 to be exact. What torch ministries does is reach out to this population’s youth. They mentor, hang out with and role model to these kids. It was really awesome to see Angelo’s heart for this community and talk with Jonathan who was a youth in this area involved in the gang life and trouble that often follows these youth. After, he took us to his house where we had dinner and fellowship. We got to meet his wife and girls and spend time getting to know them. They have an AMAZING house. and I think that may be an understatment. so many rooms, game room, movie room, craft room, pool, hammock, everything. The cool thing is to see how they use it for retreats with the kids and as a safe place for youth to come. We will probably be partnering with them and their ministry once or twice a week. I’m really praying that God opens my eyes to the need around me and takes away any fear/reservations I have in regards to language barriers or just unfamiliar territory. I LOVE students and really it seems that it may be right up my ally….I just don’t want my analyzing and ideas of what may be, get in the way of just being and doing!
Overall it has all been really cool. All of it, Angelo, the house, AIM, all of it. It’s been hard to really put into words what I’ve been feeling and it’s really because I think I’m starting to see the things I’ve always thought about/envisioned being realized. And it’s surreal, scary and exciting all at the same time. It makes me wonder just what all of the things that God is gonna have for me and what this year is going to hold for me this year! Thanks for your prayers and checking in on me during this time and for staying along for the ride!
