The Beginning.....

It's late at night and I'm finally getting around to doing this.

Things here have been crazy. Wonderful, but crazy.

Let me tell you about it.

Julie and I arrived safe and sound (but very tired) in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. We were met at the train station by Heidi and we loaded up our things and drove to the house. We dropped off our stuff, met Matt and JJ (Matt I had met before... he took some of my things down with him on his way in his car - incredibly sweet!) and all went to grab dinner before dropping me at my Uncle and Aunt's house. Dinner was great - eating subs on the end of a dock in the bay, looking out over a marina. I caught up with my Aunt and Uncle (Sally and Frank, respectively, my mother's brother and sister-in-law), had a fantastic shower (after twenty hours on the train, it was wonderful) and got some much needed sleep.

After a late breakfast out on Wednesday, Frank and Sally dropped me back off at the house (the Wesley House... where we live) and we waited for Julie and Heidi to arrive so we could all go to the airport to pick up Elizabeth and Rachael.

After we picked them up, we went to the famous Scotty's Landing for lunch. Delicious food abounded, as did discussions of the best way to steal coconuts, movies about zombies and other fun things. It was quite fun.

The Wesley House is one of two houses that the DOOR program uses here in Miami. The other house (the South House) is not being used this year as there are six of us. So guess what happened to all the furniture from the other house? It ended up in our living room.

Much of our week was putting away the furniture, painting a bedroom (a rather large task), unpacking, cleaning, driving around to everyone's sites so we could meet everyone's work placements and bosses and such, doing paperwork and reading rules, writing a covenant, making a chore chart, praying together and such. This all had to be done before Sunday at 4pm, in which our house was going to be taken over by many guests in an open house so that the bosses, board members, former DOOR volunteers and many other people could see what we're doing, how we're living, and get to know everyone.

Needless to say, I've been very, very busy. I feel quite guilty about only having called my parents once in the whole time I've been here, and never being able to call any of my friends, let alone my best friend Mattie. Time has been crazy here. So for those of you who may feel neglected... I love you! I didn't forget about you! Now that things here are settling into routines as we are all getting into work and such, things should calm down and I should have a set schedule.

Speaking of work.... it started today! I, unlike the rest of the DOOR people here this year, have a very different work placement. Most of them go to work 4 days a week (M-Th) at the same hours each day. Some work morning to afternoon like at and office or school, or some work late morning to early evening, for afterschool type things.

I, however, have none of that luxury. :)

Let me tell you about my job.

I am now, officially, the Director of the Community Music School of Miami. I also am on the worship team for Lighthouse Christian Fellowship and one of the key staff of Miami Music Ministries (which runs all of this stuff).

I am responsible for finding curriculum, writing curriculum, finding teachers and students, fundraising, grant writing, scheduling classes, private lessons, bible studies and more, networking, investigating and connecting people. And all of this is done with my mind completely on what God wants me to do. Heavy stuff.

I also will be teaching/leading drama classes: history/theory of theatre and acting classes that will evolve into rehearsals when nearing a performance of any kind.

I get to travel with the youth band (one of the many amazing ministries of the school and church and such) and help lead worship on Saturday nights. I'm already signed up to preach in October.

Most of our classes and things take place on Saturday, so Saturdays will be big, crazy busy days for me. I will work from very early in the morning to very early the next morning. Sundays, if the band is travelling, will be busy too. And most likely Mondays, I'll be heading South to a particularly poverty-stricken area of Florida to teach in and direct a satellite part of the Music School in Florida City.

So this means that Tuesdays are my day off. :)

Wednesdays and Thursdays are for phone calls, emails, grant writing, scheduling, fundraising, networking and organising.

Friday is the community day here at the house when all of us don't work and we do things together - a lot of volunteer work, a lot of fun, a lot of bonding.

Speaking of my community....

IT ROCKS! I am so happy and so blessed to be with such a wonderful group of people. I really have such huge appreciation for each of them. Rachael, Julie, Elizabeth, Matt and JJ are incredible Christians and wonderful young people and we have all really hit it off. We're all having fun and getting along well. We joke that we will have to see how things are going in six months, but I don't think I could have asked for a better group. We're all so different and yet have so much in common and so much to talk about.

So in a nutshell.... I'm pretty happy. My job will be a blast (though very difficult so please please pray for me!)

I want to really thank all of you who have been supporting me in so many ways these last few weeks. It means a ton. And of course, all the glory to God our Redeemer. For it is for GOD that I am doing all of this!

And don't worry... Ike left town. :)