September: Scary, Slay, Sweet, Surprising, Spontaneous, Spoiled, Spectacular
Heyyyyy Blog, Girl Hunter (some call me Lizzy???) entering the chat!🫡
I cannot believe it has already almost been a month since I started this thing called Raleigh Fellows and man has so much happened since the first day, September 6th.
Deciding to do Fellows was exciting but also a little scary for me. The idea of entering into a completely new and unknown community and putting off what I had for years decided was the next step for me, OT school, seemed a little daunting. I think it has already been evident that surrendering the decision to do Fellows to God and trusting Him with it was and will continue to be one of the best decisions I could have made for myself.
When thinking of a word to describe time with my 10 new besties (Ashley included, of course), the first word that comes to mind is “slay”. Meeting a new group of people can be intimidating and it was that at first, but I think that feeling quickly faded as I was able to have super sweet conversations with everyone early on. I have loved seeing the similarities and differences among our group and how these bring us together. It was honestly a little surprising how fast we all seemed to click and mesh, but this has made me really excited for the next 8 months (and hopefully more) of doing life together!!🫶🏼
Something that fills my cup is spontaneous adventures and spontaneity is absolutely a word I would use to describe the past month in this program. From swimming with the water mat out to main lake at orientation retreat (sooo random but was totally here for it), cookout runs, late-night hangs, and coffee shops, the fun hasn’t stopped!
I have also felt so spoiled this past month. From the INSTANT (like fr) fame that you get as a Fellow at church and in the community, but also from my host family (shout-out the Vincent’s), my buddy (shout-out Mallory Larson), and my mentor (shout-out Rebecca Sipe). I have felt beyond loved and cared for by these people and have already learned so much from each of them. This has definitely been a highlight for me so far and I have been overflowing with a sense of gratitude for the impact I know they will have in my life!
I am working at Refugee Hope Partners and this was a little hard at first, learning the rhythms and being thrown in, but after finishing my third week and growing more into a routine there I can confidently say that God is growing a desire in my heart for this population and the injustices that are present there!
God has already taught me so much about myself (turns out I am more of an extrovert than I thought I was and saying no to fun things is hard for me???). I am also learning to balance my time and my relationships outside of Fellows and the new ones I have made from Fellows.
With this being said, September was spectacular and I cannot wait to see how God continues to reveal things to me and prune me during this program!!!
Key Moments: Orientation Retreat, Church Intros, FALL CAMP, pickleball, 1st YAM hang at Bowstring, testimonies, starting work at RHP, 1st roundtable chef experience with my cooking partner (shout-out Simas), 1st and 2nd girls’ night (MMGPN), and of course LOTS of coffee ☕️
Peace and Love,
Girl Hunter 💕🤠✨🪩