And so it BEGINS!

I've MOVED! Because of YOUR prayers and support, I was able to move up to Raleigh last Saturday!  My dad and I made the trek up to Raleigh and unpacked all of my stuff into my apartment before he flew back home that evening.  I spent last week getting settled into my apartment, finding my way around Raleigh, getting lost, finding my way again, and hanging out with (a few) new friends.  Just for the record: I LOVE RALEIGH.  This city is the perfect size and I'm looking forward to finding all the hot spots and hidden treasures!  I've enjoyed going to church at Christ the King these past 2 Sundays and have met some great people there.  I'd really appreciate your prayers for finding a church, settling in there, and finding community through that here in Raleigh!

My dad and I after the day of moving!

I have felt SO welcomed since I got here, especially by Ian and Chuck('s family)... and also by some of my own family who is thankfully only about 15 mins away.  It has definitely been hard to be away from my family back home, including my 2 beautiful nieces (see below), but the Lord has surrounded me with some great people already who have helped this transition to go smoothly so far!

I couldn't resist sharing their cuteness.

What has been going on with RUF so far?
-We helped with Freshman Move-In this past Saturday.  We took lots of stuff up lots of stairs and met lots of freshmen and their families.  They were so thankful for the help and it was encouraging to get the chance to serve them in this way!
-Yesterday and today we had a Ministry Team retreat.  Chuck, Ian, and I along with 12-15 current students met to discuss, plan, prepare, and pray for the upcoming semester.  It was great to meet and get to know these students.  They are such a fun group and I am looking forward to hanging out with them more!

Bowling with the ministry team

Me, Sarah, and Meredith

Some upcoming dates you can be praying for:
-Wednesday (tomorrow): Campus Crawl. This is a time where clubs and organizations set up tables on campus and the freshmen can walk around and check things out! Then we are having a cookout at Chuck's house that evening where returning students will be able to hang out and catch up before the semester begins!
-Thursday: Classes start!
-Tuesday (Aug 21), and every Tuesday from now on: FIRST RUF LARGE GROUP MEETING!  We will get together on campus at 7:30pm to worship and hear a message from Chuck.  The theme for this semester is relationships (dating, siblings, parents, friendships, etc), so he will be preaching on that topic all semester long.
-Saturday (Aug 25): Kickball Cookout. We will get together for some fellowship around kickball, games, hamburgers, and hotdogs!


Financial Update:
I am currently at 93% of my total $28,470 for this year! THANK YOU SO MUCH for your contributions and partnership! I have been so incredibly overwhelmed by the way that the Lord has provided.  If you would like to still give, you surely can do so!  Once I hit 100% for this year, the donations will roll over to start filling next year's budget.  Just go to www.ruf.org/donate and find my name under "staff member".  THANK YOU!

I am so excited that this journey is beginning and am thrilled to get the chance to be here serving these students at NC State! Thanks for keeping up with what God is doing on this campus and I'm excited to update you all throughout the semester about what He is doing in the hearts of students here!

I'm so thankful for your support and prayers and want you to know that this would not be possible without YOU.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; 

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; 

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be all over the earth.

Psalm 57:9-11