Shut the front door! Here we are, Friday of welcome week - 4 more days to go!
With a little down time, thought i'd let you all in on the happs down here in Flag.
I moved down here on the 10th of August and was then joined by my parents for a couple days later that week to get me settled in. From there we started team meetings, outings and memories. Starting last week we had a Newman Center Staff Retreat which was by far the best day-long retreat i've ever been on. Every team builder was explained so well, each talk was very clear and the meals were delicious! We got to know each other (the missionaries, student interns, adult staff) so well and made this week way more enjoyable. The day after this retreat, we missionaries had a hard act to follow. We had a retreat with the student missionaries - those we are linking arms and battling for souls with this year - to cast vision and set goals for the year. We even went downtown Flagstaff and asked strangers about Pope Francis! I think I can speak for all of us by saying how impressed and excited watching the students in this activity made us. They have such joy and truly know the love of Christ, they want everyone to know the same. It is so exciting!
We got the last couple of days last week to hang out with students before freshmen move in. Which. Was. Awesome. A group of us went cliff jumping one day! It was so fun. The next day we decided to throw a party at our house. We met a handful of students at the very last freshmen orientation so we invited them over, along with the interns and student missionaries we had been hanging out with. We ended up with about 30+ students at our house, singing karaoke, smoking cigars and having a good time. Such a good time, in fact, that the police had to put an end to it. Holy rager 2013: Success!
Then welcome week really went into full throttle. We kicked it off with BBQs and Ice Cream after every mass - we met so many people! It was SO awesome to see so many students at each mass. Made me excited for the year! Met students from Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, California - even Lebanon and England! So fun. Monday we took about 70 students to hike the Lava Tube Caves (formed from flowing lava from mount Humphreys back in the day), it was beautiful, hilarious and amazing all at the same time. Helped me jump into the Flagstaff life, too! When we returned from the hike, we had a couple hours of chill time before we met back at the Newman for a rousing game of Fugitive...which 200 people showed up to! It was an incredible turn out, especially because it was pouring when we met at 10pm. Tuesday we had a Luau at the Newman, complete with the Hawaiian club doing some beautiful hula dancing, hawaiian bbq and limbo! People stayed and hung out until midnight, with a grand total of (we're thinking) 150 people coming and going throughout the night. Wednesday we continued the awesomeness with Exalt - an hour of adoration, confession and praise and worship before candlelit mass followed by root beer floats. Another successful night of meeting people and Adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Thursday we turned the excitement up again with the first Newman Night getting underway - complete with an 80 year old Priest who doubles as an EXTREMELY entertaining magician! He was hilarious, I couldn't handle it. This brings us to today, Friday, when we will be leaving for California on a bus tonight at midnight to hit up 6 flags magic mountain tomorrow before getting back on the bus tomorrow night! It's going to be exhausting but AWESOME. I'm so excited! When we get back, we get more BBQ's and ice cream after the masses on Sunday and then a choice between hiking Mt. Humphrey's (Flag's highest peak at about 13k ft) or going to the slide rocks of Sadona and enjoying some natural water slides! I think we know which one i'll be doing :)
Thank you for all your words of encouragement, prayers and love as I have started my job as a missionary with FOCUS down here in Arizona. They have meant the world to me and I am so grateful! Keep checking back, i'll add some pictures and write another blog introducing you to my team here in the next couple days. Love love!
