With more hope comes more intimacy with our Father. He is a giver, and as you press in and stop striving – the more you encounter His actual, tangible love.
It has been such a gift to get involved with the Charlotte Fellows program this year as the Program Coordinator. I loved my experience as a fellow and it’s been a different kind of gift to be on the other side of things and watch God work in the lives of this year’s class.
On Thursday nights, as part of our weekly schedule, we have roundtable. Roundtable is where we get to sit with different people and hear their stories; how God is working in, around, and through them. These individuals and couples often take us back to their childhood up to the present day and share highlights, struggles, themes, and lessons learned. These have truly been some of my favorite nights of the year. I am learning a lot about how we don’t know people until we have heard their stories and I am learning to never make assumptions of what someone's story is.
A big truth that is nestled into much of the content of the Charlotte Fellows program is that we get to honor God through our work and vocation - regardless of what that work is.
The wonderful thing about God is that he knows exactly what we need, not what we think we need. This is evident in my gracious host family, the Murchisons. Prior to moving to Charlotte, I was so excited to meet them, and I felt so hopeful about this family that I would be living with for the next 9 months. A little intro to my host family: Fred and Katy (parents), Ivy (14) and Ella (12). Rounding it out with 2 pets, we have their dog, Lolli (She and I are pals) and their cat, Raven. (We are… still warming up to each other).
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.
