it's been an overwhelming week.
last friday, our leadership selection meeting was brought a halt when we learned that one of our students, Jason Ray, had been struck by a vehicle and was in critical condition. Jason, a small group leader in our fellowship, was also the mascot for UNC and was up in NJ for the sweet sixteen game. he was walking back to his hotel after grabbing some food before the game and was hit by an SUV. we received updates all weekend on his condition...some reports of brain activity...some reports of positive responses...and then on monday, at 8:38 a.m., Jason passed away.
needless to say, it's been overwhelming. it feels surreal. the students are coping as best they can. some are trying to be strong because they feel like it's the only way they can manage...while others openly grieve the loss of their friend and brother.
today is his wake. tomorrow is his funeral. last night, we celebrated his life at Large Group with testimonies of who he was and the light that he brought onto this campus and into people's lives.
pray for our community, friends. pray for strength...for the ability to grieve when we need to let go and break down for a bit...and for the peace that Jason fulfilled God's will for his life here on earth.
may angels lead you in...
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
the news.
the following is an email i sent out yesterday to friends/family...i realize i missed a few loved ones in that exchange...so here goes:
_______________________
Hello, friends.
I hope and pray you are doing well today as you read this email. I want to apologize for being MIA over the past few weeks. I know that I need to return several phone calls/emails. I ask for continued grace as I am now dealing with some difficult news/decisions.
As you know, this year is my intern year at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I have been spending this year training to become a full-fledged staff worker at my own campus next year. Around the middle of February, all of the interns for the region (VA, NC, SC) gathered in Chapel Hill for our placement meeting. We learned which campuses were open for new staff workers next year. We then gave our area directors and regional director information that they would need in regards to our circumstances for placement.
I, along with the other interns, waited for about 2 weeks to receive our "placement" phone calls. I received mine on Friday, March 2. I was offered a part-time position at a small private college in western North Carolina. I was offered part-time because of my estimated funding for next year and because of the limited funds at the college waiting for me.
After a week of extreme confusion/confliction, I was challenged to face the realities of my situation...especially financially. As of June of this year, I will no longer be on staff with InterVarsity. There are many factors that have played into this decision to say no. I was given an estimated budget for my part-time work next year, and I took a step back to realize that I will already be losing support as I enter next fall. I suppose I always knew this -- placement made me face this fact that I realistically do not have the resources to remain on staff. Do I believe God can provide for me again like He did last summer? Absolutely...but I don't feel released to enter into that enormous task again. I also want to say that the actual placement in and of itself is not entirely why I said no...afterall, I did tell my bosses that I would be willing to go anywhere....but even if I had been offered a full-time position at the "perfect" location, I would have eventually have had to face this reality about my support.
While the funding aspect of placement is certainly a large factor in my decision, it is not the only reason I am leaving. It's extremely hard to explain (especially in an email), but I did not have a peace in my spirit about working part-time/struggling to raise support over the next few years in hopes of becoming full-time. I also feel a strong pull in my spirit to seek a community of my own and I am looking forward to becoming strongly connected to a church family. As much as I desire to remain on staff, I know the Lord is leading me away for something else.
God has been faithful to me over this past week to affirm me and my giftings...especially in the area of staff work. I've spoken with several people over this past week -- people who have a strong, spiritual voice in my life. No one convinced me one way or the other...and I never heard some big, booming voice from Heaven telling me what to do. When it came down to it, I had to pay attention to my heart/spirit...even if I am still confused and hurting.
I pray that you trust my decision. I pray that you understand that this decision was not made out of fear or doubt. I pray that, no matter what you think of me leaving, you will continue to stand beside me. I cannot fully explain how difficult this decision has been for me. I am grieving...and anxious about where God is calling me for next year. I have enormous love for InterVarsity and its work on the college campus. I don't have a back-up plan. I have no idea what I am going to do or how I will continue ministry...
...but I do know that He is faithful. I do know that this year has been incredible in more ways than I can outline...and no one can take away the miracle God gave me to get me here for the year. I know this whole year and process is not a mistake...and I thank Jesus for giving me you all to stand beside me in this process.
I also ask that you pray for all of the other interns in our region who are dealing with their own placement decisions/news. This is an intense time of year for us on staff (finishing out the semester, preparing for our Chapter Camp in May and looking ahead to next year). I am faithful that you all will continue to pray for us and our campuses.
If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to email or call and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Again, I apologize for being hard to reach recently.
For those of you who are currently supporting me financially, I will send out a letter explaining how to continue giving until the end of the fiscal year (June) and other information you may need as I finish this year on staff. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Thank you for loving me...for praying for me...and for encouraging me. I am incredibly blessed by you all and I will be praying for you in the weeks to come.
In His Grace,
Laura
_______________________
Hello, friends.
I hope and pray you are doing well today as you read this email. I want to apologize for being MIA over the past few weeks. I know that I need to return several phone calls/emails. I ask for continued grace as I am now dealing with some difficult news/decisions.
As you know, this year is my intern year at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I have been spending this year training to become a full-fledged staff worker at my own campus next year. Around the middle of February, all of the interns for the region (VA, NC, SC) gathered in Chapel Hill for our placement meeting. We learned which campuses were open for new staff workers next year. We then gave our area directors and regional director information that they would need in regards to our circumstances for placement.
I, along with the other interns, waited for about 2 weeks to receive our "placement" phone calls. I received mine on Friday, March 2. I was offered a part-time position at a small private college in western North Carolina. I was offered part-time because of my estimated funding for next year and because of the limited funds at the college waiting for me.
After a week of extreme confusion/confliction, I was challenged to face the realities of my situation...especially financially. As of June of this year, I will no longer be on staff with InterVarsity. There are many factors that have played into this decision to say no. I was given an estimated budget for my part-time work next year, and I took a step back to realize that I will already be losing support as I enter next fall. I suppose I always knew this -- placement made me face this fact that I realistically do not have the resources to remain on staff. Do I believe God can provide for me again like He did last summer? Absolutely...but I don't feel released to enter into that enormous task again. I also want to say that the actual placement in and of itself is not entirely why I said no...afterall, I did tell my bosses that I would be willing to go anywhere....but even if I had been offered a full-time position at the "perfect" location, I would have eventually have had to face this reality about my support.
While the funding aspect of placement is certainly a large factor in my decision, it is not the only reason I am leaving. It's extremely hard to explain (especially in an email), but I did not have a peace in my spirit about working part-time/struggling to raise support over the next few years in hopes of becoming full-time. I also feel a strong pull in my spirit to seek a community of my own and I am looking forward to becoming strongly connected to a church family. As much as I desire to remain on staff, I know the Lord is leading me away for something else.
God has been faithful to me over this past week to affirm me and my giftings...especially in the area of staff work. I've spoken with several people over this past week -- people who have a strong, spiritual voice in my life. No one convinced me one way or the other...and I never heard some big, booming voice from Heaven telling me what to do. When it came down to it, I had to pay attention to my heart/spirit...even if I am still confused and hurting.
I pray that you trust my decision. I pray that you understand that this decision was not made out of fear or doubt. I pray that, no matter what you think of me leaving, you will continue to stand beside me. I cannot fully explain how difficult this decision has been for me. I am grieving...and anxious about where God is calling me for next year. I have enormous love for InterVarsity and its work on the college campus. I don't have a back-up plan. I have no idea what I am going to do or how I will continue ministry...
...but I do know that He is faithful. I do know that this year has been incredible in more ways than I can outline...and no one can take away the miracle God gave me to get me here for the year. I know this whole year and process is not a mistake...and I thank Jesus for giving me you all to stand beside me in this process.
I also ask that you pray for all of the other interns in our region who are dealing with their own placement decisions/news. This is an intense time of year for us on staff (finishing out the semester, preparing for our Chapter Camp in May and looking ahead to next year). I am faithful that you all will continue to pray for us and our campuses.
If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to email or call and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Again, I apologize for being hard to reach recently.
For those of you who are currently supporting me financially, I will send out a letter explaining how to continue giving until the end of the fiscal year (June) and other information you may need as I finish this year on staff. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Thank you for loving me...for praying for me...and for encouraging me. I am incredibly blessed by you all and I will be praying for you in the weeks to come.
In His Grace,
Laura
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
talks, turkeys and the future.
it's been a few days. whoops. my bad.
this past weekend marked the first women's retreat for our chapter here at carolina. about 30+ women gathered at a local church for an evening of fun activities/community outreach/movies...and then they were locked into the sanctuary for the evening. i say "they" because i returned home for the evening to finish some work/get some proper sleep before i led two seminars the next day. yes, i am a wimp. i like my own bed. what can i say?
and so i returned the next morning and had breakfast before leading two seminars on body image/food control/exercise obsession. i shared my testimony and some of the revelation i believe the Lord has given me on this topic over the past few years...it is, afterall, the reason i am on staff. i will say, however, that it is incredibly tough to cover such a broad topic in only 45 minutes...and i will admit that i left the first seminar feeling somewhat overwhelmed, scatter-brained and praying that the women were able to glean something from up above. the second seminar (smaller in number) was much more successful, i do believe. i guess what they say is true...practice makes perfect...or...at least a little better.
on the whole, the retreat was incredible. it was amazing to hear wisdom from other women, to worship together and to try to understand what it means to be beautifully bold in our design as women. i was very privileged to be a part of it all.
sunday = thanksgiving. say what? yes, well...i have had a frozen turkey in my freezer since last november courtesy of interVarsity's leftovers from an outreach event we had on campus...and it was TIME to get rid of that sucker. so...i roasted my very first turkey on sunday...and we had 15 people come over for our thanksgiving potluck to watch carolina beat the tar out of duke. a 20-lb. turkey generates a lot of meat, my friends...and while it did take 6.5 hours to roast, it was mighty tasty, if i do say so myself. i love having people over. i love playing hostess. it's my favorite. kim and i got to stand back and enjoy the ecclectic mix of people filling our apartment...and even if tyler hansbrough did suffer a punch to the nose, it was a great day in the Cave.
and now? now i am recovering from a 24-hour stomach flu. booooooo. getting some work done. yay! and gearing up for spring break in greensboro with 20+ fabulous students.
and for all of my faithful readers out there in the abyss of the internet...please pray for yours truly as i am praying/trying to trust God with the next chapter of my life on staff. more details to come...when i myself get some from above. thanks!
this past weekend marked the first women's retreat for our chapter here at carolina. about 30+ women gathered at a local church for an evening of fun activities/community outreach/movies...and then they were locked into the sanctuary for the evening. i say "they" because i returned home for the evening to finish some work/get some proper sleep before i led two seminars the next day. yes, i am a wimp. i like my own bed. what can i say?
and so i returned the next morning and had breakfast before leading two seminars on body image/food control/exercise obsession. i shared my testimony and some of the revelation i believe the Lord has given me on this topic over the past few years...it is, afterall, the reason i am on staff. i will say, however, that it is incredibly tough to cover such a broad topic in only 45 minutes...and i will admit that i left the first seminar feeling somewhat overwhelmed, scatter-brained and praying that the women were able to glean something from up above. the second seminar (smaller in number) was much more successful, i do believe. i guess what they say is true...practice makes perfect...or...at least a little better.
on the whole, the retreat was incredible. it was amazing to hear wisdom from other women, to worship together and to try to understand what it means to be beautifully bold in our design as women. i was very privileged to be a part of it all.
sunday = thanksgiving. say what? yes, well...i have had a frozen turkey in my freezer since last november courtesy of interVarsity's leftovers from an outreach event we had on campus...and it was TIME to get rid of that sucker. so...i roasted my very first turkey on sunday...and we had 15 people come over for our thanksgiving potluck to watch carolina beat the tar out of duke. a 20-lb. turkey generates a lot of meat, my friends...and while it did take 6.5 hours to roast, it was mighty tasty, if i do say so myself. i love having people over. i love playing hostess. it's my favorite. kim and i got to stand back and enjoy the ecclectic mix of people filling our apartment...and even if tyler hansbrough did suffer a punch to the nose, it was a great day in the Cave.
and now? now i am recovering from a 24-hour stomach flu. booooooo. getting some work done. yay! and gearing up for spring break in greensboro with 20+ fabulous students.
and for all of my faithful readers out there in the abyss of the internet...please pray for yours truly as i am praying/trying to trust God with the next chapter of my life on staff. more details to come...when i myself get some from above. thanks!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
a stroll through years past...
well, it's official. i am 25 years old. mmmhmmm. it's been a fantastic day...full of flowers, facebook messages, phone calls (even an international call!), and fooooood.
i am blessed. beyond words.
to honor this day of my birth...and the interruption of my brother's mcdonald's happy meal one sunday afternoon a quarter of a century ago (long, laborious story...pun most DEFINITELY intended), i have decided to embarass the heck out of myself and present...*drumroll*...
laura...through the ages...
i'm working with limited resources down south away from the family albums. but here we go. (feel free to click on the images to make them a little bigger for your viewing pleasure. and don't be afraid to chuckle at LD. i do. i think God does sometimes, too.)
check me out. i am one...loving me some pastels while my brother rocks the vest. get it, james.
ok, so i am still sportin' the pastels at the tender age of two...while the bro has moved to a more conservative pattern...and look! i have hair! it's blond! yeah, didn't see that coming, did you...
yessssssss. i am five. and that furry thing next to me? that's my brother. no. scratch that. that's misty, our new puppy. loved her. miss her.
i am seven. with a bird on my head. say hello to mae. she was sassy...just like me. that's why i liked her...
clearly the most embarassing of 'em all....lawd, have mercy...i am thirteen...which makes jj sixteen...totally appropriate facial expression for both of us: james = bad attitude & la = awkward. golden memories. oh, and that's still misty. still miss her.
here we have homecoming part deux of senior year. i am seventeen. like the magazine. yes, we had to have TWO homecomings because of rampant bomb threats. but nonetheless, here i stand with alyssa. (love you, b!) like my dress? mama made it. boo-yah.
and ya know...this wouldn't be complete without a little present-day loving. this is the most recent decent photo i have of myself. (shout-out to the beautiful hanna sitting beside me!) wooo! so yup. ta-da.
thanks to everyone who made today incredible. love you.
God is good. ALL THE TIME.
i am blessed. beyond words.
to honor this day of my birth...and the interruption of my brother's mcdonald's happy meal one sunday afternoon a quarter of a century ago (long, laborious story...pun most DEFINITELY intended), i have decided to embarass the heck out of myself and present...*drumroll*...
laura...through the ages...
i'm working with limited resources down south away from the family albums. but here we go. (feel free to click on the images to make them a little bigger for your viewing pleasure. and don't be afraid to chuckle at LD. i do. i think God does sometimes, too.)
check me out. i am one...loving me some pastels while my brother rocks the vest. get it, james.
ok, so i am still sportin' the pastels at the tender age of two...while the bro has moved to a more conservative pattern...and look! i have hair! it's blond! yeah, didn't see that coming, did you...
yessssssss. i am five. and that furry thing next to me? that's my brother. no. scratch that. that's misty, our new puppy. loved her. miss her.
i am seven. with a bird on my head. say hello to mae. she was sassy...just like me. that's why i liked her...
clearly the most embarassing of 'em all....lawd, have mercy...i am thirteen...which makes jj sixteen...totally appropriate facial expression for both of us: james = bad attitude & la = awkward. golden memories. oh, and that's still misty. still miss her.
here we have homecoming part deux of senior year. i am seventeen. like the magazine. yes, we had to have TWO homecomings because of rampant bomb threats. but nonetheless, here i stand with alyssa. (love you, b!) like my dress? mama made it. boo-yah.
and ya know...this wouldn't be complete without a little present-day loving. this is the most recent decent photo i have of myself. (shout-out to the beautiful hanna sitting beside me!) wooo! so yup. ta-da.
thanks to everyone who made today incredible. love you.
God is good. ALL THE TIME.
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