A rainy day in St. Louis

It's a rainy day here in St. Louis, which makes it a perfect day to catch up on things like online postings, and reading, and being lazy around the house.

It seems to be a good time for change on my blog, since this has been a time of so much change in my life! It is hard to believe that just two months ago I was living 4 states away from here. It's only been 5 weeks that I've been here, but it seems like much longer than that.

I knew life would be busy once I got to STL... and it has been. I find myself making lists of people who leave me voicemail so I can call them all back "when I have time." Then I realize there will never be enough time unless I make it. At the end of every workday there are 5 more emails to reply to, and a few more projects to plan, and some phone calls I didn't get returned. I have been trying to discipline myself to remember that there will always be tomorrow and it's not the end of the world to walk away from my desk without everything being neatly packaged up and finished.

I am still so excited to be here. In my free time I drive around the city trying to figure out which roads lead where and what fun places might be along the way. I feel a personal victory each time I remember where something is, or when I know I can get there without using mapquest (even if I already printed the directions out-just in case). I'm also making lists in my head of restaurants, stores, parks, and more that I find and want to check out on my off-days.

This week will begin the real chaos. It is time for Spring Break for millions of students around the country, and we are expecting 5 groups from Kansas, Illinois, and Texas to join us for their vacations. A lot of planning and preparation preceed their arrivals, and when they come the work is just beginning. We pack their days full of activity- which means our days are full, too. But I look forward to meeting students interested in urban ministry and I hope it will be an enlightening and fun-filled time for us all.

I hope I can get back to updating regularly on here, but in case I don't, it would be great to hear from each of you by email or phone... leave a voicemail- I'll make time to call you back, promise.