I love hanging out with students. I really do. Some days more than others? Of course, but isn't that true of anything? Fall semester is in full swing now, and that means life is gaining back its rhythm and regularity that it lost during the summer. Or at least, as much rhythm and regularity as it can have.
Some things about the semester are fixed: weekly Large group, for example, or staff meeting, or numerous Bible studies, or Friday Night Dinners (um...where we go to dinner on Friday night with any students who want to hang out, in case the name isn't self-evident). Everything else (like hanging out with students individually and in groups, music rehearsal for large group, study program reading, and so on), fits in around these.
As much as I would like for there to be, I don't think there's any sort of "day in the life" - scheduling lunch and coffee dates with students who already have classes, studying, and innumerable extra-curricular activities to plan around, is understandably difficult and unpredictable. So much so, that I tend to spend collectively a couple hours a week emailing students (back and forth, back and forth), and working out a time to catch up. So much so, that I have to ask some students to hang out a week or two in advance. So some days, I wind up with 5 dates back to back, and other days, I'll have one or two. I'm trying to learn to be flexible. This is a lesson I probably need to learn.
But at the end of the day, (whether I was on campus from 9am-9pm, or whether I read my study program in my pajamas half the morning), I'm glad for the craziness of the new semester. This coming week I get to have coffee with a nominally Jewish girl who I'd gotten to know through some social outlets last year, but never dreamed would be comfortable sitting down and talking to me. This past week, I've gotten to hear from a couple of girls how they've seen God at work in their lives this summer, and rejoice with them over His faithfulness. Of course, I've also gotten to walk around Claire's and try on funny hats and jewelry with a student, but I like that too :-)
Thanks for listening, thanks for reading, thanks for encouraging, and thanks for supporting & participating in what's going on here.
Until next time...
