Blessings

I just want to thank God for:

~Providing through my friends/family for me for the month of September. I moved to DC on the money that I had saved and with a lot of help from my mom in what I bought while she was still here. My goal is $18000 for the year that I am here in DC, which would include special items like plane tickets home as well as monthly bills.
~FOTC. This is my small group called Freshmen of the City. We have been emailing since Tuesday and I am excited to get to know this group of people better. We each have interesting stories and bring a lot to the table. I will forever love Tuesdays because of this group.
~Storyline Church. My church back in Michigan... Denise sent me some pictures of the IMPACT Sunday, where they serve the community instead of having church service. I loved seeing familiar faces but also knowing that the Kingdom is being advanced by my friends and family in Christ.

God is good.

What a Weekend!

Life in DC is good.
There are certain things I miss from back home, but overall, I am happy to be here.

My boss spent the last week and a half in Berlin, so I was running shows by myself. When we have a concert at Ebenezers, it's basically the sound engineer and myself. I'm the host (greeting artists, giving them water and drinks from Ebz, taking ticket money at the door). I am putting my few months of being a Walmart greeter/cashier to good use! ha.

This weekend has been super busy. Even my day off was jam packed.

We had a great turnout for our Friday night concert. It was a talented husband/wife duo, August York. The main headliner was Andy Suzuki & The Method. Great music. Good vibe from the people there. Just an overall great night.

Saturday was my "day off" but I spent it at a four hour training event to work with the kids' ministry. They fed us breakfast and lunch (Chik-fil-A). They have such a great team of creative people. I am really looking forward to volunteering 2x/month with the kids.

After that, Barrack's Row Fall Festival was happening where our BR location is. We showed cartoons and offered free popcorn. It was a good hangout spot for families. I heard a lot of people say, "Wow. I want to go in and check this out... I've never seen inside before".

Tonight was the Derek Webb concert at the Theatre. I organized the volunteers to help run it. It went smoothly, so I am thankful and praising God. Have I mentioned how much I love what I am doing?

Conversations

I have been here for a little over three weeks. I feel like I am just getting to the point where I know my way around the city... or at least my little part of it.

I have had some really great conversations in the past few days.
~I met this man named John tonight at the concert I was hosting. He was an event supervisor and has seen some great shows (Chicago and Josh Groban included -- two I would LOVE to see).
~My landlords are awesome and go to NCC. Had a brief conversation with Jen about their housewarming party they had last weekend.
~I did laundry yesterday at the local laundromat. It was quite the experience. I met a lady who liked my laundry bag (and I was envious of her cart... I have a bag that makes me look like Santa lugging my laundry there). She was really friendly and told me that this laundromat was the cleanest and best in the area. She also told me about a few stores that might have carts like hers. It was just great to connect like that over laundry (of all things).
~We have a rental who uses Ebenezers weekly. I had my first conversation with the man in charge about something other than how they want it set up.
~My roommate and I went to H&Pizza yesterday. We chatted with the cashier (and enjoyed the best pizza I've had other than in Italy). The cashier was working two jobs in order to save up for a house.
~Monday night we had our first Alpha meeting. I met two women who go to NCC and were ready to connect in a small group. We find out our small groups on Monday.
~Freshmen of the City (FOTC). We had our second meeting on Tuesday and were placed in small groups. The people in my group were awesome! I am really excited to get to know more people in the DC area.

I have a feeling that God is just beginning with the conversations I will have at Ebenezers. I am so excited about what God is doing in my life, in this city, and the world.

Bike rides

Life has been great.

I am continuing to experience all DC has to offer.

Monday I took my first ever bike ride.

I just went from my house to Ebenezers.

I felt like I was 5 years old waiting about five minutes to have the courage to cross a busy road.

It was a major win for me!

That night I had Alpha class (more on that in the next post) and went for a night bike ride.

Adam, Nicole, Allie and I were biking around the city.

We met at the Capitol Building and went all the way to Lincoln Memorial.

It was beautiful and fun.

I did not fall or get injured at all!

Here's a pic of me with Lincoln (this is after I accidentally deleted the first one -- oops):

Protege Team 2013

I have loved getting to know the six other people who are in my protege class.

Allie, my roommate, is doing discipleship. She works with a great team of people who lead small groups and the leadership retreats for our staff.

Stephanie and Meredith are doing A1:8 local and international missions. They are working at the Southeast White House and getting ready for the opening of the Dream Center (modeled after the one that has been open in L.A.).

Ben and Carolina are doing worship. They led songs at the Alpha training last weekend. It was great to see them in their area.

Matt is doing campus pastor. I already see the way he leads by example.

This is a great group of people. The two guys are married, so that adds two women to our group. Their wives are awesome! Here's a picture of our group (minus Abby, Matt's wife) after our visit to the Ballston Campus:

After visiting the Gala Campus, we went to Z-Burger for burgers, fries, and milkshakes! YUM!

L to R: Steph, me, Carolina, Allie, Meredith, Ben, Erica, Matt, Abby, Heather (the woman in charge of us all!) We are only missing Heather's sidekick, Emily, who would complete our Protege family.

Blessed to be a part of this group of people.

September 16

Yesterday started out like any other day.

I was walking to work and as I was passing a park, I noticed a policeman on his motorcycle turn on his lights and speed away. Not an uncommon sight here.

I passed by a lady feeding her goldfish outside (one of the blessings on my walk to work is seeing this pond in her front yard).

As I continued walking, I realized the sirens were nonstop. For TWENTY MINUTES.

When I got into my office and locked myself in (most people have Mondays as their day off), I was shocked to hear what had happened at Navy Yard. We were told to "shelter in place". Because I was already safely in my office at the beginning of the workday, I just hunkered down while watching live feed with my boss throughout the day on our computers. It was sobering. Please be in prayer for the victims' families. It is so tough to think how one day can change your life. Thirteen people were not able to go home to their families.

DC needs the Good News and hope found in Jesus. I know that I am where I need to be. Please be praying that I can shine light the city so they can find their way to Jesus.

busy weekend

This weekend we had Alpha training. It was at a retreat center in Virginia. It was beautiful. We had a bonfire and could see the stars. It was just a great weekend to meet with the other leaders and learn more about what Alpha is.

For those who do not know, Alpha is a group that meets for dinner and then has a short talk and discussion. It is on the basics of the Christian faith, but it is not just for new Christians. It is for people who are new to the Church, people who have doubts, or just anyone interested in discussion. I am really excited for this part of our time here. I had heard about Alpha and feel that it will be a great learning experience helping lead a group.

Sunday we went to the following locations: Barracks Row, Ballston, and Gala. We successfully used the metro (although last weekend I used it to visit my good friend, Emily).

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to babysit for a family with two boys (1st and 4th grade). It was so great to meet a family from NCC and hear their story. Their boys are so sweet and fun. The 1st grader would sing some really cool songs that I had never heard before, which was fun! Looking forward to getting to know them better.

First Office Day

Today I spent some time in the office with my boss, Juliet. She is awesome and I am so excited to learn more from her. She served a couple years with YWAM in Greece, Australia, and New Zealand.

The thing that excites me the most about what I am doing in DC at NCC is that it is marketplace ministry. Providing artists a place in DC to perform but also have a great experience themselves. My favorite retail job was at GFS, which felt like a family (shout out to all the awesome GFS people!) and really allowed me to see and appreciate small business owners. I love networking and that was a really great experience for that.

I have visited two of the six campuses. I went to Barrack's Row Saturday night and Kingstowne on Sunday morning. We visited Firehouse Subs right next door -- so good!

Last night I was undecided if I wanted to go to their Launch Meeting for Lincoln Theatre. I am so glad I went! It is a beautiful space with a great history. Dave led the meeting and was great at transferring ownership to others. Leaders recruited for their ministries. It was an awesome time to see how God has gifted people.

It is an exciting time to become a part of what God is doing at NCC. But the great thing about this Church is that they have a Kingdom mindset.

Side note...
ikea furniture is great... until you have to put it together. ha. Allie and I assembled our bed yesterday. Feeling accomplished (picture is of bed in process):

Got to visit my good friend, Emily. We haven't lived in the same city since high school, so it's nice to be within a reasonable distance from her again! This is a great view from her building.

Tonight on my walk to dinner at Union Pub, I noticed these beautiful purple flowers. If you know me at all, you know my favorite color is purple. What you may not know is that purple flowers are my reminder that God is good, faithful, and that He loves me.

Psalm 145.10: All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful flowers will praise you.

Staff Lunch

I forgot to mention in day one that they had a staff lunch for us at Ebenezer's. It was downstairs in the performance space and really felt like getting off a bus at Young Life camp. Music pumping, people clapping and smiling... Lots of different faces greeting you. A little overwhelming. We had District Taco and were seated around tables. I met Jennifer, Mark's assistant. She was really nice and guided me over to a table to sit with Mark and Lora. I also met Dave.

It is so clear that this church cares for the poor and missions.

I am so excited to see all that God has planned for me this year.

Our protege class is the 6th class they have had at NCC. Next Tuesday when we are all together again, I will try to get a group picture. I am blessed to serve alongside six other amazing people from across the country.

I am feeling so incredibly blessed and I would not be able to be here without the love and support of my community of friends and family. Thank you for your financial support and prayer support. It means so much to me.

Did you know...
~Capitol Hill was built on a swamp? I learned this yesterday when one of the staff members was telling a story of how she fell into a hole in the sidewalk... and it's also clear by the mosquito invasion. 
~Albert Einstein was in the 20th season of Seseme Street? Apparently this dude was in Sesame Street's opening scene. I found this out in our photo scavenger hunt around the National Mall.
~NCC plans to take 28 short term mission trips next year? I hope to go on one of them. My boss Juliet is going to Berlin in a couple of weeks to work on finishing touches for the coffeehouse NCC is opening there. So pumped that NCC has a Kingdom mindset.

DC Life

Now that I have time, I will update you on the past week.

Tuesday at 3 am, I left Michigan. Yep, 3 am. My mom is a morning person and drove for a good chunk of the trip. We also had my brother's girlfriend, Shay, in the car with us. I packed so much stuff in that car!

Great traveling companion.

You may not be able to tell, but my mom, Shay and I are in this picture in front of the Capitol building.

Right around the corner from Union Station is Ebenezer's Coffeehouse. This is where I will be spending most of my time. I will have two offices... one here and one at the main office. Part of me loves it for the nerdy reason that I will have two places to bring office supplies. ha. I also have three sets of keys for work and I already feel like a janitor jangling my keys.

My roommate Allie and me on our first day! We did not get lost!

On our way to the church office, I noticed this library and had to take a picture. I am hoping to visit there a bit.

Our first day we were greeted with homemade poptarts from Ted's Bulletin. One of the choices was peanut butter and bacon. I was the first brave soul who chowed down on one... it was actually really good.

That night we went to dinner at one of the pastor's houses. They fried cookie dough and mint oreos. 

I am so in the right place (and not just because the church staff's love language is food!).