And so it begins...

Sorry for not updating you all yet. I have been without Internet in my apartment and will continue to be for the next few days. The important thing is that we made it. After packing a preparing all week my parents and I left for Pennsylvania last Thursday. We spent the night somewhere in Ohio and finished our journey Friday just before dinner. I got a chance to meet Jason and Meredith, the people who I am staying with. They have an apartment attached to the back of their house that I am staying in. They invited me and my parents to join them for dinner and also invited Brian and Mark, the youth pastors I will be working with. It was a great chance to not only meet the two of them, but their families as well. After dinner we began the process of unpacking and organizing. We spent the remainder of Friday night and most of Saturday doing this.

After we finished most of the unpacking we decided to spend the end of the day in Gettysburg since it is only about 30 minutes away. It was a neat experience to see the battlefields and really gave me a better appreciation for what happened there. We went out for dinner and after a long day finally called it a night.

Sunday morning we were able to go to church together at King Street. Dr. Beukema, the pastor at King Street spoke on Godly wisdom. I found what he had to say both interesting and challenging at the same time. His point was that we will and do all face conflict in relationships and that the conflict that we face stems from our own selfish desires. I really enjoyed what he had to say and look forward to hearing what else he has to say over the coming months. After church we did a few more things to finalize getting me situated and just before dinner my parents began the trip home.

But yesterday was the big day, my first day. It began at nine. I got to meet quite a few people before heading off to the staff meeting. There I got to meet yet more members of the church staff. Most of my day was spent getting to know my way around the church, meeting people, and starting a few tasks. Overall I have to say that it was a good start to this journey. I can already tell that the people I will be working with are ready to help me learn and will make this the best experience possible for me. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me during my time here in Chambersburg. Hope all is well with you all back home. Take care and God bless!

John