“Is it possible to get a roommate?” I asked my coach, over two and a half years ago as I prepared to move to RVA. “They don’t really do that…” was the response I got. Apprehensively, I resigned myself to living alone, and yet, anyone who knows me knows I love being around people!

And so, over the past few months, I’ve slowly been increasing my hosting in an attempt to fill my spare room with life.

Last year, it started with hosting a parent over Banquet weekend so she could be on campus helping do hair, make-up nails and more for her daughter and friends as they got ready for their annual “prom” equivalent. At grad, it was grandparents of one of my students who needed a place near the middle of campus to enable short walks and afternoon naps!

This term, the door as not stopped moving as almost every other week I’ve had different guests!

Aug 25th -Sept 2nd: C & A

This lovely couple were co-workers last year, on campus just for the year! They stayed with me for a while at the beginning of the term to help get their son all moved in and settled in the dorm. I loved my late night chats with C, and that A would randomly take out the trash. I loved C raving about my food and A doing dishes since the ladies had cooked! I loved coming home to friends sitting on my front porch, working on a project on their computer, or running off campus all together for a quick bite at our local coffee shop during lunch. I loved that they knew campus, and even though I was hosting them, I didn’t need to ‘host’ them <3. As you can see below, C and I enjoyed embracing the silly side of teaching together!

Sept 14th -Sept 20th: E

This love has been in my life since Detroit as her family and I share a home church! Her parents were out of town for a week and she and each of her siblings stayed at different homes. We had lots of learning moments together as I learned pieces about ‘parenting’ teens and she learned it is different being a house-guest than it is being in the dorm. We laughed, we worked hard on schoolwork, and ate lots of yummy food since baking seems to be her number one love language!

Sept 26th-Oct 15th: S

A filling-in-for-now educator on campus, S is similar in age to me. With no additional housing available for her at this time, she jumped in with me for three weeks! “Is it okay if I…” or “I’m so sorry, did it bother you when…” S was the epitome of kindness. Not only that, she is a deep person who loves Jesus! It was such a joy sitting on separate couches as we worked, or talking into the evenings together.

Oct 21st-Oct 24th: A

“An Alumni will be on campus for a few days and is looking for housing for a the long weekend.” Recognizing the last name as being the same as a sibling set I’ve been teaching I inquired if they were related. Cousins! With what I knew about cousins I’ve been teaching, I figured A would be a delight! Spoiler: She was. A jumped right in, bopped around campus easily, and was fun to host. We chatted for a few hours, her sharing stories from when she was here a few years ago as a student, or about her “vision trip” as she explores possible ministry locations to move to in the coming months, me sharing my experiences as a staff member on her beloved campus and how the Lord brought me here.

Nov 3rd- Nov 6th: B & Family!

Planned for a long time, my dear friend B came for the weekend with her parents and brother! After spending some time exploring with me Kijabe, Hells Gate, and our local Volcano Mt. Logonot, they headed off to their dream safari in Tanzania, ending in Uganda. The greatest joy? The timing of their trip brought them to my doorstep for my birthday. My friend had the kindest idea and brought me birthday cards from many of my Metro-Detroit friends from back home! I may or may not have cried big crocodile tears, loving every hug I got with her while she was here.

While since they left my house has been empty but for the pups, I’m excitedly looking forward to the arrival of my next house-guests…

Nov 28th: Mom and Dad ❤

With them will come two long time family friends, and on the heels of their trip, my sister Corrine! I’m looking forward to having family here for the holidays and catching up on some long awaited hugs! December 27th will be a sad day as that will be when my house goes down to just me and the dogs… Dogs! I can’t forget one of my longest standing house-guests, Scout! A stubborn little cuddle nugget, she has been keeping my pup (Ginger) and me company since July. Not too many days after my sister heads home, Scout will too as her family returns from the states to once again join the RVA staff.

December 28th: S#2

Come December 28th, my house fills once more as a new face moves in! I started this post sharing my desire for a roommate, the Lord has provided! S comes for just a term to student teach as she finished up her college degree, and gets to set up camp in what I lovingly refer to as “Spare Oom.” It’ll be fun sharing my home with her. I’m looking forward to this new friend and seeing how we both learn and grow together!

Prayer Points

-Praise God for S! Please pray for her as she is getting ready for a big change coming here!

-Please pray for my family that they would have safe travels all the way! My dad hasn’t ever flown overseas, and mom doesn’t always handle stress well, so they could use some major prayers for travel mercies 😉

-Please pray for me as I continue to navigate living on my own- some days are easier than others.