Regional Staff Training: 3 reasons why I'm going to miss it

In case you didn't know, I graduated...again.  

Instead of a degree, though, I got an InterVarsity branded laundry bag.  Maybe it sounds lame, but for someone whose job inevitably gets her massive amounts of t-shirts, it's actually very practical.  And practical gifts are great!

Anyway, Regional Staff Training is NY/NJ's training for new staff.  It's a 4 day training that happens twice a year, for 3 years.  I've really enjoyed this aspect of my job, so here are 3 reasons why I'm going to miss Regional Staff Training:

1. It was a reminder that my colleagues are just like me.  At the beginning of every training module, our cohort shared a significant incident (whether negative or positive) with the group and our reflections on it.  It was such a valuable practice that reminded us that we were not alone.  We struggle with similar struggles.  We understand each other's hardships of this ministry.  We experience the grace God pours out to us.  It helps dismantle any form competition or comparison that may build up when we're not together.

2. We learned side-by-side and from each other.  One of my favorite and most helpful parts of RST has been the workshopping element.  There were segments of training where we would share with each other some aspects of ministry and leadership that we were struggling with, and then helped by sharing some ideas of what to do or some best practices we had.  Sometimes you just need someone who's not your supervisor to give you feedback and ideas. 

3. It was really fun!  The NY/NJ staff are pretty fun people.  We like playing games, talking, eating, reading, having adventures, and spending time with each other.  We respect each others' need for alone time and encourage the value of play and rest.  What a great way to develop camaraderie and build relationships in a non-work context.  

We celebrated together, mourned together, learned together, and laughed together as peers and colleagues at Regional Staff Training.  Why wouldn't I miss it?

Filling up empty wells.

I hadn't realized I stored up quite a bit of anxiety about my RIT students during the summer - until about a week before their classes began.  I felt like things were not getting done, communication between me and the executive student leaders was like pulling teeth, and it was tempting for me to micromanage them.  It was like an empty well during a drought when you realize how thirsty you've become.

When I finally saw my students face to face, it was like the empty well was filling up again and the rain clouds were rolling in.  It was wonderful to see their smiling faces in person and not on a computer screen, and discuss things thoroughly without sound glitches or background distractions.

At my first RIT New Student Outreach (NSO) event, it was invigorating to see InterVarsity students in action.  It made me realize how much I just want and need to spend time with my students.  I don't just get to know them by talking to them, but by observing them - seeing how they interact with others, how they carry themselves, how they work under pressure.  What they do and how they do it allows me to learn just as much about them as what they tell me and how they say it.  It's totally one thing for someone else to tell you how much leadership potential a student has - it a whole other thing when you see it for yourself.          

A new chapter

Whenever I think about the craziness of this past year, I realize I've had to muster up a lot of faith and courage to say, "Yes," to Jesus time and time again.  I didn't know where I was going to end up, and I still don't.  But here I am, in the city of Rochester, in a new apartment with a new husband and a whole new chapter of life from which I've started to turn the pages.

I guess saying yes to Jesus can sometimes feel like you're Rip Van Winkle waking up from a 20-year-long nap that felt like 20 minutes, only to find that you've moved, you're married, and your job re-located to some place you know absolutely nothing about.  You're disoriented.  You think it's a little crazy to be in this position at this age, but the dizziness from sitting up too fast has worn off and the facts just haven't changed.  You rub your eyes but you're still where you are even though you've begun to regain balance.  That's what it sort of feels like right now.

At the same time, there's been this undeniable peace with me the whole time.  I'm happy, too.  I know happiness doesn't last that long, but I try to embrace it (though lightly) when that particular wind blows my way.

Besides a new chapter in life, there's also this new InterVarsity chapter to embrace.  Honestly, it's very difficult for me to make plans for a chapter I know very little about.  But it forces me to pray and trust in Jesus.  And while I keep asking Jesus, "I want to know more," He keeps saying, "I want you to trust more," in return.

This year's NY/NJ Regional Staff Conference theme was called, "Abiding, Bearing Fruit, and the Art of Self-Leadership."  And while I'm still processing some things, one thing that has stuck is the importance of abiding in Jesus.  Honestly, I still don't know what that looks like for me...or what it looks like to have a husband alongside of me in this journey.  But as I seek knowledge, hope, direction and the comforts of structures and routines, Jesus seems to keep reminding me, "You'll find all that you really need in me."