One day down.......and ready to jump in!

Greetings and Salutations! Well day one is finished and I am sitting on my couch partaking in my first day off. That's right. The day after my first I have a day off. I’m already going shopping with one of the students this afternoon for an event called "The Office Reinvented" on Friday. I'm excited! Day one went well. I am happy to be working with an intern that will be here for an entire year. She just arrived yesterday and it’s nice to be going through this new stuff with someone. This other intern just so happens to be Lauren Darr, and I am very excited to be working with such an enthusiastic servant. Yesterday was a day that really energized me about being in this ministry. As we looked at the summer schedule and the different trips and events we will be doing I was able to see what was at the heart of the Youth Ministry here at Knox. It was encouraging to see an innovative and centered emphasis on equipping students to live a responsible life dedicated to growth and service in Christ. I know that sounds like what every youth ministry is about but in the description of events and trips, there was a repeated sense of purpose and focus that really showed the heart of Christ. I know these are all really surface level observations based on one day in the ministry, but I’ll just say that after day one I am extremely grateful to be here and excited to start day two! If you could please keep me in your prayers as continue to get situated. Please pray for my relationships with the kids and with the Knox staff, that the LORD will grow these relationships and myself as we begin ministry together. Thank you all so much for your prayer and support! grace and peace, _joel

The night before

as i now have finished setting up a blog it seems fitting i write my first blog post ever. So here it goes. I leave for Ann Arbor tomorrow afternoon. I'm really excited to get started but a little nervous that once things get started they won't stop. I guess that's to be expected so i guess i'm anxious to see how the beginning pans out.

As for tomorrow I leave in the afternoon to move in with my host family Scott and Marilyn McFerren. Probably the most exciting part about my host family is Rusty, their beagle! I've never had a dog before and I've always wanted a beagle! SCORE! The McFerren's seem like amazing people and i'm excited to get to know them.

I start in the office at 9am Wednesday! Weird! It's going to be fun and a little nerveracking being "initiated" into a church staff.

Well i don't know how this is as a first post but i hope it was informative for you. if you ever have any questions always feel free to e-mail me at joelreichenbach@gmail.com!

grace and peace,

_joel