I've been in Vermont for a month now. Yeah, really. It's been pretty much amazing. I'll have pictures soon. And I'm working on putting some of the thoughts on what I've been learning today in words. But just so that you know a bit of what I've been up to, here is the latest of the updates I've sent to people:
When is the last time you climbed a mountain? Or jumped off a cliff? What would it take for you to spend your day asking everyone you met what they thought about Jesus?
I still can't believe the cliff one myself. When did I become the type of person to jump off of 40 ft of perfectly good rock? (Which I totally did, and it was awesome.) But then, when did I become the type of person who was excited to walk into a strange building, knock on a strange door, and ask the person standing there if they wanted to hang out and talk about Jesus? A month ago, I would have said both were equally frightening. Now, I'm not so sure. Neither seems that bad at all. Perspectives change when we start talking about the long term. What is my temporary uneasiness compared to eternity?
So here I am in Vermont (finally) with my whole team and we are spending every possible moment on campus at the University of Vermont. We've been getting to know the campus, the culture, and the students. It has been challenging. I've learned just how hard it is for me to be the spontaneous hang-out type and I've been learning how to listen; to go beyond what people are saying to what they are really trying to express.
I've also learned that there is a difference between meeting people and knowing them. I've been meeting a lot of students and, miraculously, have even been managing to remember most of their names. But I've been having to work hard at actually connecting. Not that I really hope to make a deep connection with everyone I encounter, but I am hoping to have one or two people that I can really start an investing in. Actually, that is what everybody on my team is looking for. Real impact is seen one person at a time....