Imagine being asked to solve a physics equation. That’s likely what learning how to round numbers feels like for a third grader.
Every Monday, the Charlotte Fellows serve at Brookstone School’s after school program, and I’ve paired up with the third grade class. In all honesty, sometimes I struggle articulating why we round up or down when I’m helping third graders with their homework. Most of the time, I’m trying to get them to lower their voices or focus on their homework. However, the hecticness doesn’t mean sweet moments don’t happen.
Already in just six short weeks, it seems I have learned more about myself and what it means to be a man of God than I did in four years of college. It’s not that college was a waste of time, it’s just that the unique blend of community, discipleship, service, and time for personal reflection provided through the Fellows has been the ultimate answered prayer for me.
To start a journey, one must first be willing to leave. To leave the comfort and safety of home and risk the unknown of what is beyond. To leave friends and family, and move to a new city and into a house of strangers. To leave college, a place of independence and fun, to be replaced by a job and learning what “adulting” really means.
We are excited and expectant for this year's wonderful class of Fellows. Get to know each of the Queen City's newest residents!
Throughout Scripture, God often reminds his people to remember; to look back and remember His faithfulness. Otherwise, it’s far too easy to forget his goodness and forget where he’s taken us. To put this into practice, fellows were asked to reflect on their 9 months in the program and to put into words how they’ve grown and where they’ve seen and experienced the Lord’s faithfulness. Below are snippets from the Charlotte Fellows Class of 2024. I hope you enjoy…it was most definitely a rich year!
Happy September and happy beginning of a new Fellows year! This is always an exciting time for our Fellows and everyone involved in the program, but it also a time that requires a lot of prayer. We want to cover every aspect of this program in prayer as it would not exist if not for God’s provision and grace.
Growing up, I watched cartoons every Saturday morning. My favorite was The Jetsons. With a flying car and a robot to do everything, it seemed like they had the good life on demand. At the time, 2018 was a lifetime away, and yet, here we are with more robots than we realize and our needs met at the touch of a button.
From The Jetsons to the twenty-first century, our lives and professions have advanced at an alarming rate. Yet one aspect of our daily lives remains unchanged.
Another Fellows’ year completed...our 7th year. I look back to when we first started in the fall of 2010, and I'm overwhelmed at all the wonderful memories of God’s provision and the hard and beautiful ways He has worked in our Fellows’ lives.
It reminds me of the quote from A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." There were probably times this year that I’m sure the Fellows were thinking the same thing.
But isn’t that how all of life is? Wonderful things happening alongside painful and hard things. But it’s walking through both that grows and strengthens us.
Do you have questions about what life looks like as a fellow? Contact us by filling out the form below, and learn more about the Charlotte Fellows!
