A new look, a new season!

Hi friends! Just thought I'd freshen up the look of this blog. Though I won't be seeing green rolling hills and beautiful clear skies often in Berkeley I consider it completely worth it and I know that I am no fool to give these things up as I seek to see God's name lifted high in the place He has called me to. And wow, what a place this is! Honestly, I am really enjoying the city thus far. There's so much at my fingertips - such as more than 400 restaurants in Berkeley alone, crazy! I am also enjoying taking walks in my neighborhood and going on bike-rides out to the bay (had some great time with the Lord on a bench facing the Golden Gate Bridge this morning) and elsewhere. Of course there is still so much more to discover - good thing I'm going to be here for a while!

Friday's all-day staff meeting was awesome! Though it was long it was very energizing for me to participate in discussions about our vision for reaching Cal and then hash out the logistics to see this come about. We also certainly spent time in the Word and in prayer, as well as simply connecting with each other and having a good time together. Staff meetings are held down the sidewalk from my apartment - so great!

Saturday and Sunday were spent in Santa Cruz with the Movement Team, the head student leadership team of Campus Crusade at Cal. What an awesome time - my words will not do justice to what the Lord did in and through us as we got to know each other, sought the Lord's direction in our lives and at Cal together, discussed small groups and discipleship, and as we planned the Week of Welcome Outreach and the Operation Jumpstart overnighter for CalJourney (what they call Campus Crusade here) students this Wednesday and Thursday. Phew, our two days together flew by but were also very energizing for me. It was so neat to start getting to know the students I will be working very closely with this year. It was also so cool to see how much they love the Lord, love Berkeley, and want to proclaim Christ on their campus.

All in all I am SO THANKFUL that I am here and could not imagine myself anywhere else right now. I'm still working on settling in and getting organized in my little apartment. My roommate Leslie is fun and I'm enjoying getting to know her. We don't have good plumbing (the tub and sinks don't drain very quickly) and our wall colors could use some help BUT we are so thankful for this place that the Lord has provided! Okay, so much more I could write as usual but I'm going to leave it here for now - thanks for reading!