October was full of getting to explore more parts of the city, jamming out to Taylor Swift’s new album, and having lots of high-quality girls’ nights (aka GG time)! My favorite moment this month though was getting to go to the NC State Fair!
Personally, I’ve never been to the fair. I’ve driven by the Georgia fairgrounds, but I was a part of a family that would go to an amusement park where the rides are permanently there over a 2-week fair. My dad would often explain the structure of even the permanent rides to me since he was a mechanical engineer, so I truly had NO idea what to expect from the fair. Well, now I can say I’ve been to the state fair not once, BUT TWICE!! First with the fellows, and then the next day I went with coworkers during our lunch break!
Going to the fair during my lunch break with people I work with was never something I expected, but it was one of my favorite moments this month because of how I can see myself as part of the community in my workplace! Starting a new job as a 3-day intern who recently graduated is tough because there is this constant voice in my head telling me to prove to others and myself that I can do the work, and that what I’m doing is worth it; I am a good hire. (I’m learning from our enneagram class that I am a 3-the achiever which may make sense from these internal thoughts.) Going into work, I want to do well, but I also get so energized by being around people that I want to befriend people at work. How do you do that when you have different life experiences, think you are seen as just young, or when you also have work to do? I’ve been learning a lot of answers to these questions and getting over little fears by simply saying yes to the taco Tuesday outings, or helping on a project with new people, or going on a field trip to pick out ice cream for a meeting because it helps people. In the moments I’ve said yes, I’ve gotten to meet new people in my company. One week, I said yes and learned how to design a parking lot for storage units and RVs/ boats which was exciting and helped us gameplan. I’ve also learned how to connect with others like their kids play soccer and I played, so BOOM conversation!
I’ve gone on walks with a coworker to break up sitting in the office and seen how valuable those conversations are in furthering the kingdom. Some of my coworkers are believers, and we’ve had conversations about values and work, as well as, what they’ve learned from the Lord in their many jobs. This has helped my hands be open more to where the Lord may lead me next vocation wise. There’s a lot of pressure right now to figure out what is next with my age, but I’ve received a lot of advice that helps me be grateful and present rather than worrying about the next season. We also don’t need to have our dream job carved in stone by the time we finish Fellows. From every person that has come to teach our classes or speak to us, I’ve seen it’s been an ongoing journey as the Lord has revealed new gifts, passions, and resources to them.
From working and being a fellow, I’ve been very thankful that the church is at the center of the connections I have. A lot of times when you move somewhere new, you may have a job lined up and that starts as your community foundation, and then you try to find a church. I’m thankful that our foundation is at Apostles. A few people at where I work also go there which makes Sundays fun, but also, others in the office are friends with people who go there, or they grew up in the city and know someone else I’ve met through class. It has just been really energizing to see the different aspects of fellows grow into something bigger than just us in the program.
With only being in the office for 3 days, it may feel hard to feel a part of it all but going to the fair with everyone allowed me to see that I’m growing into my role! That role changes every week, but it is one I can use for this season to share what I’m learning and the Lord’s love. So, what you may be wondering… at the fair, I rode “the sizzler”- this ride was 3 feet off the ground, so I felt confident with it. I went on a hunt for hot dogs, fries, and fried pickles with my sizzler riding friends. Then, we ran into everyone else and got ice cream from the Howling Cow! 10/10 recommend this lunch break next time the fair returns!!
-xoxo, Mal
