The Month of November in Review

1. My Best Friend's Wedding. At the beginning of the month I traveled to South Dakota for Brandi and Casey's wedding. It was such an honor to stand next to my friend Brandi in a beautiful white dress as she married a wonderful man. This was the first "friend" wedding that I have ever been in and it was truly a blessing to be the Maid of Honor in this wedding. A lot of pastors talk about how they like funerals more than weddings, but at this point in my vocational journey I am almost positive that I will like weddings more than funerals.

2. Time At Home. Over the years I have learned to adjust to new places to call "home." Yet, it still isn't the same as being in a place that is really my home-home. It was absolutely wonderful to sleep in my bed, to shower in my shower, and drive in my town, to look out my window, to shop in my favorite stores, and to be in the same place as my family. Even though it was a very busy time...it was still wonderful to be HOME.

3. My First Sinus Infection. After I came home from South Dakota I started to get sick. I had never had a sinus infection, so I didn't even consider that the symptoms I was having were related to a sinus infection. So after letting myself continue to get even sicker, I decided to go to a doctor. The first doctor, yes I ended up at more than one, though I had pneumonia. She sent me to an urgent care. The second doctor took one look at me and said that I had a sinus infection. The medicine seems to be helping and I am starting to feel much better. Once again I am reminded how hard it is to be so far away from the people who will take care of you when you are sick.

4. My First Time Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner. On Thanksgiving I was blessed by the presence of Diane, Andrew, and Katie. I managed to prepare a turkey breast, stuffing, squash, cheesy potatoes, and a caramel apple cheesecake without burning the house down or even setting off the fire alarm. It was so great to surrounded by friends on a day filled with much Thanksgiving!

5. Visits With Friends. Diane spent the night and on Friday morning we had a pizza lunch at Pete's, which was incredible, and went to the movie Tangled in 3-D. I learned that 3-D movies freak me out a bit...I tend to duck at flying objects. Then Diane headed back to Alabama. On Saturday Matt stopped by for a quick visit on his way back to Virginia, too. It was so great to spend time with friends!

6. A New Year. Yes, one church year has ended and today another one began. Today is the First Sunday of Advent and we begin preparing for the coming of Jesus, both a babe born in Bethlehem and the Savior of the World. As we prepare our homes for this holiday season may we also prepare our hearts for the unexpected promise of Jesus Christ the Hope of the Nations and the Light of the World. If you would like to read my sermon for the First Sunday in Advent click here. Blessings to you this Advent season!

Hospitality

For the past week I hosted a pastor from Namibia. She was visiting different churches in our synod. I generally think of myself as a pretty hospitable person. I think hospitality is very important. However, I had never hosted someone in my own space for this length of time. I learned this week how difficult and draining hospitality can be. Hospitality requires that you are constantly on and are always chipper, cheery, and happy. It also requires that you are always ready to listen and answer questions.

I have been hosted by many wonderful people in my life and I wonder how they did it. I especially remember the wonderful couple that allowed me to live in their basement for 12 weeks while I completed my Clinical Pastoral Education unit. I know that I was not as thankful or as pleasant as I should or could have been. Yet, they continued to be my hosts.

I am sure that I did not do the best job possible being a host this week. I know I still have many things to learn when it comes to hospitality. And I came away from this week with a huge amount of gratitude for all the hosts I have had in my life. Thanks be to God for these wonderful blessings!

A Tourist

Today I was a tourist in the city I live in. I went to the Museum of Natural History. I am not much a museum fan, but I figured that while living in DC it is important to see the Smithsonian Museums. So, I spent about two hours looking at natural history. I didn't read every word, because that would have taken me days to do. I saw a huge elephant, dinosaur bones, lots of animals and insects, and minerals. I was surprised that I didn't see any stink bugs. They need to work on getting a special exhibit of them. I am even willing to help them out with a donation. The highlight of the adventure was probably the Hope Diamond. It was just as beautiful as I expected.
However, there were two other great parts of my adventure. Number one. I saw a really diverse group of people. I heard people talking in many different languages. I saw inspired and awe-filled children learning. I saw parent's interpreting the displays for their children in the language they would best understand. This is a perk of living in Washington, DC. There is diversity. Number two. I achieved a goal today. I went to a museum alone. I really like doing things with other people. However, the reality of life is that sometimes we have to do things alone. I am not going to say it was a ton of fun to be alone, but I did have a good time at the museum. Today I stepped out...alone. And I am sure it will not be the last time.

The Party Planning Vicar

I love parties! I love people! I love hosting people! In DC I have a beautiful home and a wonderful basement/youth room (pool table included), so I knew immediately after arriving here that I would be hosting many parties. For the past three Sundays I have hosted parties/gatherings. SPY - the high school youth group was invited over for spaghetti and games. The young adult group came over for socializing and a potluck with the main dish being sloppy joes. SPY Jr. - the middle school youth group rounded out the social events with a pizza party and game night. This has been so much fun! There has been so much laughter, energy, fellowship, and food in my house in the past few weeks. I can confidently say that these are the people that I know in DC and at the congregation I am serving. This is why small group ministry is so important. It is not only important for me, a new vicar in a strange environment. It is important for these people. It is important to know other people and for other people to know you. It is important to be in fellowship and in community. It is important to gather around a table for food and drink. To me this is just another element of Eucharistic fellowship. As the party planner I am the host of the meal, graciously giving of what I have. The guests are the receivers, thankful for the gift given. That was the surprising part. My guests were so thankful. I expected some of them to say thank you -- but they were overwhelmingly thankful. To me this shows the importance of party planning -- the importance of fellowship -- the importance of hospitality. Thanks be to God for modeling the ultimate hospitality -- the ultimate fellowship -- the ultimate party planning!

Camp

I have always loved camp. If you know me at all you know this tidbit of information. I loved camp so much as a camper that I worked there for four summers. This past summer I even got to spend some time at the camps that I so dearly love. Naturally, when I found out there was a young adult retreat being held at a nearby camp I jumped at the opportunity. It was an incredible 30 hours at Mar-Lu-Ridge in God's beautiful creation. I, along with about 35 other young adults from the Metro DC area, spent time together thinking about what it means to be a young adult, Christian in Washington, DC. As we pondered that we got to know one another. We worshiped, prayed, hugged, shared in communion, and sang tons of camp songs around the campfire. It was a place filled with much love and lots of joy! Not only was this a really great weekend, it reaffirmed something for me. I was reminded of how important camp is. A majority of the people that attended this retreat had worked at camp. Most people who work at camp have been campers before. It is those same people that are making up the young adult age group in many churches today. The moral of the story: don't ever underestimate the power of camp or the impact of camp counselors. Camps are a place where lives are transformed and the love of God is shared. Thanks be to God for this amazing gift!

Funerals

Today was my first funeral as a Vicar. Before the funeral began my supervisor asked if I had been to many funerals. I said, "yes," and then I began to reflect on all the funerals I have been to in my short 24 years of life. There are a lot of really important people in my life that have died. I have been to the funeral of my paternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, paternal great-grandpa, paternal great-grandma, friends from high school, and most recently, two of my cousins this past summer. Not to say that I was not thinking about my loved ones that are now part of the communion of saint as I went to this funeral, but this question from my supervisor had really made me think about these people. This is the first funeral I have been to where I have been so removed from the family and the deceased person. Yet, as the grandson-in-law spoke about his grandfather-in-law, the deceased, I got a little choked up. He spoke so highly of this loved one that I felt like I knew the deceased man, even though I had never met him before in my life. It was a small, but beautiful funeral filled with reminders of God's love and salvation for all of God's children. Thanks be to God!

Identity Theft

On Thursday I was reminded that I am living in Washington, DC. Not to say that this could not happen anywhere...but it happened to me in this city. I am a victim of identity theft, according to the DC Police. On Thursday my credit card was stolen from my office at the church. The thief spent over $1,000 on my credit card. When my credit card company called me to verify a purchase I thought someone had just gotten my number from the Internet or some piece of paper. Then I checked my wallet, only to find that the card was missing. It was an absolutely gross feeling to realize that someone else had put their hands into my purse. I had no idea what to do, so I cried. Then I gathered myself back together and called the rest of the church staff to let them know so they could check their possessions. After that I realized I needed to call the police and file a report. A very nice police officer arrived and we filed a report. That night I could not sleep well, because I just felt violated. I had trust in people and now I know that I cannot put my guard down at all. I am not sure this is what I needed to learn today, but it happened anyway. Thanks be to God for identity theft protection on credit cards!