As of yesterday, it has been two weeks since I’ve been a part of what they lovingly call “The Village”. In other words, I’ve been at Living Proof Ministries for an entire two weeks. I am certain that if I had a penny for every time I’ve heard the words “The Village”, whether referring to the LPM staff, or in the phrase “It takes a village!”, I’d be one wealthy girl.

But if I’ve learned one thing these past two weeks, I’ve learned that it certainly does take a village. And that The Village is very easy to love. I may not be wealthy in pennies, but I am certainly wealthy in sisters.

I jumped into what I like to refer to as sanguine land.

I myself am quite the sanguine, but have noticed the past two weeks that I’ve really toned it down a bit. I have been a top notch observer, just taking everything in moment by moment. Quite honestly, the other night I sat down to journal and I couldn’t think of one thing to write down. Not because I have a lack of words or thoughts, but because I didn’t know where to start.

Even as I started this post, I uploaded pictures then decided I had nothing to say. Thankfully, I regained consciousness and came back to this post shortly after my loss of words and this is what you’ve got. What is it I’ve got, you ask? A list of observations from a week of working with the village.

1. This may disappoint, but my first observation? The phones never stop ringing. Ever. LPM is a hopping ministry. Praise God!

2. These ladies are hilarious.

3. They know how to pray. And they do it often.

4. A lot of laughter is heard all day long.

5. LPM knows how to eat.  Let’s be honest, we like food around here. The workday pretty much revolves around lunch. I’m a-okay with that because I consider myself a food junkie. It might not be that endearing, but it’s true.

6. There is nothing you do alone at LPM. It really does take a village. For instance, it took four of us to connect my computer to another screen so I’d be double screening it. I don’t know the technical term for that since I’m not technical, but let me tell you, it is a blessing.

7. You won’t get to work or leave work without getting approximately ten hugs.

8. Personal? What is that? The village needs to know all personal matters. But at least you know they’ll keep it to themselves. At least that’s what I’m told.

9. Skype is a must. As is email. As is HeyTell. As is text messaging. Communication is flourishing.

10. They love Jesus. For real. I want to love Jesus more because of them.

11. With their forces combined, along with the prophetic dream Amanda had, I’m sure I’ll be married in six months. Except I’m totally kidding. Maybe.

12. You know your boss is legit when she sends you a picture text message of the yogurt you’d been discussing earlier. She wanted you to make sure you knew exactly what it was so you wouldn’t have to go on a wild goose chase. I’m thankful.

13. I need to get used to eating a bigger breakfast on Monday mornings. Instead of the workday revolving around lunch that day (see #5), it revolves around Bible study and prayer. We skip lunch and feast on the Word of God. He is good, y’all. And He does satisfy. Needless to say, however, I go home with quite the appetite.

14. The UPS man could probably drive to LPM with his eyes closed. From my office I see him pull up everyday and I watch in amazement at all the boxes he brings in. LPM might just be his second home.

15. We may or may not meet frequently at the reception area on the second floor for the most interesting conversations you’ve ever heard. And by interesting, I mean we discuss what we had for breakfast. It’s pretty epic, y’all. I have heard, but have yet to experience the 3:00 stretches. I’ll let y’all know how that goes.

In all seriousness, I’ve been there a week and I can say I sincerely love it already. I’m still slowly taking everything in, but really enjoying learning the ropes and getting to know everyone there. Yes, I’m tired and adjusting to a new job and bed time, but I feel beyond blessed to get to serve alongside these incredible ladies.

Here are some pictures from my first week.

My old boss JJ and his wife Anna sent me flowers my first day of work at the office. It was so sweet and they were beautiful. Thank you so much, JJ and Anna! It meant so much to me.

I have literally taken zero pictures with my real camera, but here are some of my office that I took with my phone. I share an office with Jenn, our Tuesday Night Bible study coordinator, but she is a mama of three youngins’, so you can imagine that her office hours are more flexible and different than mine. We’ve only shared the office for two hours! The desk on the left is hers. I can take zero credit for how adorable this office is. Everything was already done, I just simply moved in.

This is the view looking out to the balcony. Not too shabby, eh?

Just a cute corner of the office. Don’t you love those pillows? At 3:00 everyday I’m tempted to take a nap.

This is my side/desk of the office. So far, I love it.

This is what the double screen looks like. It has been such a tremendous help when you stare at a computer all day long!

We hosted our volunteers at the ministry for the simulcast. It was really fun getting to know them and also getting to be with my co-workers soaking up God’s Word. We had the best time! I am so glad I went. And boy did I get a Word! Amen.

Beth came up to work one day when she planned on not actually being there. That day she worked at the front desk with Kimberly and although we may not have gotten a ton of work done, we sure had a lot of fun. And yes, Beth is wearing a tiara. This is women’s ministry after all. We may or may not have a few of those around here.

Here is Kimberly, Sabrina and Susan. They are known as the three stooges. We meet at this very countertop for conversations throughout the day.

I got to experience my first LPM birthday celebration yesterday and it did not disappoint. I had heard they were quite the big deal and I have to say, LPM knows how to celebrate. Of all people, we got to celebrate sweet Nancy in the middle. We love her!

In case you were wondering, yes, I still pinch myself every morning. I don’t deserve to work here with these incredible ladies, but believe me when I tell you I thank the Lord (very often) for this sweet gift.

And that, sweet Siestas, is my first list of observations. I am sure there are plenty more to come. I can tell I’m going to really love it here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.