celebration series. [intervarsity staff.]

For the intro to this series, click here.

Celebrating the year.
That's what I'm doing in these recent posts.
Arms high in praise, eyes focused on Jesus, I am celebrating.

For those of you who don't know, I'm on staff with InterVarsity at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).  In basic terms, this means I'm a missionary to college students.  To tell my entire journey this year about coming on staff would entail me writing a novel, so I'll spare you the pain and keep it short.

I was a student in the Blue Ridge Region (The Carolinas & Virginia) but felt the Lord strongly calling me to staff in the NY/NJ Region about a year and a half ago.
*When it comes to InterVarsity, you apply to the region, and honestly switching regions when you come on staff is almost unheard of.

Joining a new region was hard.  Like really, really, really, really hard.  The cultures between the two regions were vastly different and while all regions have the same heart for students being transformed and leaders developed, I had to learn new methods and tools and even some new language.  I tried my very hardest to embrace the differences and engage myself fully in them, but as an ENTJ who needs tangible proof, I wasn't there yet at the cognitive level because I simply just needed more time to see the methods play out.

Not to mention I basically didn't know anyone.  I remember going to Basileia (the region's end of the year conference) last year and not being able to keep track of schools in Upstate New York that I had never heard of, let alone remember the names of all of the staff and students.  I felt lonely and confused and I wondered if I had heard Jesus correctly when he told me to go be staff at TCNJ.

Over this past year though, something shifted in me.  I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but about a month ago I could finally verbalize what I was feeling.

Wholeness.
Absolute, complete wholeness.

I realized that very quickly after stepping onto TCNJ's campus in the fall, I fell in love with those students.  Utterly, head-over-heels in love with them.  My heart broke over the lost on campus and rejoiced when I saw hearts transform and leaders develop before my very eyes.  Very quickly my co-workers at TCNJ became like family to me and very quickly my calling was confirmed that InterVarsity Staff was indeed what I am anointed to do.

That all?  That took place within the first few weeks on campus.  That was easy.
The switching regions was the hard part.

I can now say, with 100% honesty, that I am so glad the Lord brought me to NY/NJ.  Though it maybe took me a year to catch on, I'm in love with this region, too.  Every cell in my body jumps for joy about how well this region does mission, prayer, and multi-ethnicity.  As a person who was a student in another region, I feel like I can easily pinpoint that those are [some of] our region's strengths.  The students understand how to start new things and take ownership of mini mission fields on campus.  They seem so spiritually mature for their age and so in-tune with the Spirit.  And living in a diverse part of the county, we have students with so many different ethnic backgrounds and they all get the radical importance of that.  Also, I've grown so much as not only a staff worker by being in this region, but as a disciple of Jesus.  This region has equipped and stretched me and continues to do so and I count myself so very blessed to be hired here.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.  I am so proud to be able to wear the NY/NJ hat!
[Figuratively speaking; I look terrible in hats.]

And what's even more, I now feel like I know staff all over the region.  Like really know them.  And they know me.  Yes, there are still handfuls that I have yet to sit down and really chat with.  But I've made so many good friends who know deep things about me and who I talk to even when we are hours and hours apart during an average work week.  I have such very good friends and I am a better person because they are in my life because they are friends who consistently point me to Jesus.  My last celebration post was entitled "koinonia part I" because this is my koinonia part II.  There is nothing like having deep friendships with people on InterVarsity Staff.  There's nothing like being in the same room as fellow co-workers and having people who really and truly get and understand the work you do.  There's nothing like having people who share your giftings and passions and quirkiness.  I love that I can turn around and say a statement that involves a student, myers-briggs, and theology and I don't have to give any background information.  We get each other.

But above all, I feel wholeness because I am right in the center of God's will.  I was talking to my friend who is still in college and I said to her, "I cannot wait until you start working in your career because there is nothing like doing the work that God has prepared in advance for you to do."  It's exciting and peaceful all at the same time.  Whether I'm discipling a student, filling out a google doc, giving a talk, or at a staff training, I feel whole.  When I'm working on InterVarsity things, I feel like everything is right in the world.  Like I'm swinging, eyes closed in a hammock and I could just rest there forever.

I feel such wholeness when I'm doing the work that I am anointed to do.

So I'm celebrating working with college students:  The population of people that I feel called to.  The population of people that get my heart beating faster and that I find myself constantly dreaming about and for.  I'm celebrating working for an organization that I so greatly love and affirm.  I admire so much about InterVarsity--our vision and purpose statements, the time we spend developing world-changers, and the way that we are so eager to learn and grow (which is something that the Church at large historically does not have a good track record of).  I'm celebrating working in NY/NJ, with so many new life-long good friends and so many people mentors on the Regional Leadership Team that have strengths in all different arenas.  I'm celebrating having a clear calling that stretches me and grows me.  A calling that gives me a sense of excitement and peace and wholeness.  I'm celebrating that Jesus saw it fit to use me to impact these students' lives.  I was and am the most unworthy sinner to work in full-time ministry, but by His grace I am here.  By His grace I get to wake up each morning, excited to go into work.

I love my students and my staff team.  I love InterVarsity at large and having the opportunity to work with college students.  And I love all of my partners in this--all of you who pray for me and/or financially support me.  You guys make it possible for all of this to be a reality.  You guys have so tangibly played a role in letting these dreams of mine come true.  You've said yes to Jesus and being used by Him and He's said yes to redeeming and using me.

And that discussion will be continued in my next post...