We are now in the month of April so it feels like a good time to reflect on March. Let me begin completely off topic by discussing something extremely important to me. Today, April 1st, is the first day of Wrestlemania, the greatest two day event in all of sports entertainment. Will Cody Rhodes defeat the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE universal champion and head of the table, Roman Reigns? Will the tag team of old friends Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens defeat Jey and Jimmy Uso for the undisputed tag team championship belts? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. This is a great segue *wink* *wink* into what the Lord taught me (and is still teaching me) in the month of March.
Some of my favorite fellows-y events in March included but were not limited to: tutoring time at Neighbor to Neighbor with Amare, working at Compass Surgical Partners, and the silent retreat at the end of the month. Tutoring at Neighbor to Neighbor is always a highlight of my week. Amare is such a good student and spending time with him brings me joy. He is learning about addition and subtraction, and I fear he might be better than me. He goes on the funniest tangents about WWE and Spiderman. Sometimes it’s hard for both of us to stay on task (haha). Amare’s joy is infectious! Working at Compass was another highlight of March. I am really thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to work there and for all of the people that I’ve gotten to meet. As I transition from Compass to a position on Young Life staff I will certainly take some of the lessons I have learned about how to communicate in the workplace, stay organized, be on-task, and productive. A big shout-out and THANK YOU to Jestine Nordstrom for all of the wisdom she has shared with me this year at Compass about how to thrive in the workplace. Now, we get to the silent retreat. I truly loved the silent retreat. Similar to how we will have to wait and see what happens at Wrestlemania, I believe that this is a time where God is calling me to seek him out, listen to him, and wait and see what he has in store over the next three years. The silent retreat was a special time where I simply received what God had to offer me. He offered me rest, hope, and joy. I rested physically in a way that I haven’t in a long time. I believe that great physical rest was from God. Additionally, God offered me hope in him. As I change scenery and find myself in Asheville with a laundry list of new experiences awaiting me, God offered me a charge to hope in him and in his goodness. I also experienced joy on the retreat as I sifted through the trails and spent time in so many of the beautiful spaces that the retreat center had to offer.
Well… unfortunately we are getting close to the end of a fellows year rich with laughter, learning, and growth. Here’s to the final months of what has been a great ride so far!
Matt