#Thank you midst roundtable for that fun fact

[acaptainbyanyothername]

We’ve seen Weepe IN an elevator now we know he IS the elevator

[capitalfellows]

As I write this, most of the fellows are probably lying on their parents’ couches or en route to the destination they’ll spend the majority of our little thanksgiving break. I say this with a sigh of relief - we’ve made it to a well deserved and well needed yet bittersweet break. We’re almost THREE months through fellows! Nuts.

Something challenging about fellows, which I think they did a fairly great job of prepping us with, is the fact that we are essentially always busy. We have to be “on” 98% of the time. From church responsibilities and round table to cornerstone and the time spent in our internships, host families, mentors, classes and the occasional Friday night concert or Wizards game, it is clear that we are in the midst of something far from a “gap year”.

Personally, I am so thankful for the hustle and bustle we experience each week. About a month ago when we finally felt a sense of cadence and got a real sense of what this year entails, we could all tell that we were in for a challenge.

Another challenge that comes with a busy schedule is intentionally seeing God’s work in all aspects of our lives. It could be so easy to go through the week mindlessly going through the motions and just trying to make it to the weekend yet, our leaders and mentors through this program push us to be more than that. Doing good and purposeful work is why God invented work in the first place.

A book we’re currently reading is Hugh Whelchel’s “How Then Shall We Work”. Whelchel says, “Humanity was created by God to cultivate and keep God’s creation which included developing it and protecting it. Work is not a curse but a gift from God”. Regardless of what fellows activity is on our plate that day, we must see it as a gift from God and try our hardest to do good in all aspects.

As we head into thanksgiving, I have to reflect on my thankfulness for this program. It is incredible how many people in both the MPC and NOVA/DC communities that devote time and effort to making fellows successful. From host families and teachers to mentors and volunteers, thank you for doing good work! To our families at home, thank you for sharing us with this wonderful community. We, the fellows, are so grateful for all of you!

As we approach the halfway point of this program, I’m eager to see what God has in store for the next 6 months. Godspeed, Fellows!

-- Kelly

Pictures from the week

Fellows look out at our beautiful city!

Perks of having fellows that work on the hill - hey speaker’s balcony!

A time of worship during roundtable dinner

Middle school youth group fun!

‘Fellowsgiving’ at the Perry’s house!