Someone once shared with me that the only constant in life is change. It is amazing how true this seems the more time passes. I came out to RVA to teach Chemistry, and have been loving every second of it! My mom said I should write more stories about the classroom, but the truth is, that part of my life feels much the same as it did when I taught chem in Michigan! We do fun labs, learn some fancy sounding things like “Chemical Equilibrium” and “Reaction Kinetics,” but that’s not where I’ve felt God shaping me. I love every second spent in the walls of the chem lab, pushing students critical thinking skills and revealing our creator through his microscopic world, but I find myself being challenged more through life outside the confines of the classroom.

In my extra-curricular roles I’ve learned how to coach, how to mentor and how discipleship in the midst of living life together can be subtly transformative. One snippet of this I noticed last week as I closed the door on Teddy’s for the last time. Teddy’s is the senior class milkshake shop on campus I’ve been running with these two lovelies:

I’ve watched them thrive as they’ve taken complete ownership of this endeavor. The first half-term the three of us worked every single shift. Then, two of us, finally, just one. By the last Teddy’s, I was not needed AT ALL, actually, being an extra body in the way. Watching myself become unnecessary reminded me that the goal of mentoring is not dependence on me, but learning practical life skills while also learning how to depend on God. The greatest success of Teddy’s wasn’t that the store ran well- It was that these students no longer needed me to run it, having learned so much through the process themselves.

At one of our senior stores in this same program, I was flipping burgers next to a student who turned and asked, “Have you always been really great at leading things? Or is that like a skill you’ve worked on over time?”

I was floored. He had no idea the magnitude of a compliment he’d paid me in asking this question. Definitely the latter! His comment has been rolling around in my head as I’ve been thinking about some of the strengths that have been cultivated as I’ve been thrust into different roles here at RVA. I’ve learned to delegate while trusting a team. I’ve learned to release control to the capable hands I work with. I’ve learned when to ask questions, and when to keep my mouth shut and watch the students take control. I’ve seen the weight of carrying a leadership role, and in doing so have learned to pray regularly for the leaders I have the privilege of sitting under. Looking back, a lot of these skills started in a one-year leadership development program I participated in during the 2022-2023 school year.

Shortly after grilling with this student, the grains of sand started to move as I was asked if I would lead a session for the 2026-2027 cohort of this same program I’d participated in years before. Intimidated and feeling underqualified, I agreed since the group was small. I walked away uncertain, but proud of myself for having done something outside my comfort zone. Then I was asked if I could lead a second session, then a third.

Adult education, and leadership of adults is not something I have been seeking to move into. Students? You betcha! When M asked if I’d add her AP Bio class to my roster this term when she left for five months of Home Assignment, it was a no brainer. Adding AP Bio felt comfortably familiar. What surprised me was the second responsibility she asked me to take on, her role as Sponsor Coordinator -acting behind the scenes as support for the corresponding teams in the younger grades of the same program that Teddy’s & Senior Store fall under. I’ve always known I love mentoring and discipling teens, but I’ve been discovering I love encouraging and equipping my colleagues almost as much.

The sands are moving like an hourglass that someone tipped upside down, piling to build a foundation of something new. I’ve found I enjoy sitting in a position of empowerment with all these new roles. I love being intentional in my interactions with my colleagues, providing them context, background information, and showing them the boundaries put in place to try to keep tasks manageable. I’ve found joy in building into those around me by doing life alongside them too, not just alongside the teens we are here to love.

Slowly I began noticing a pattern. The opportunities that have kept appearing aren’t centered on teaching students, but on equipping and encouraging adults. It would seem this has all come together leading to a new role RVA has been looking to fill: The program director for their new intern program.

For five years I’ve heard rumors of an intern program, dreamed up in part as a way to recruit more staff: BRING IN THE YOUNGLINGS! The energy of early 20-somethings is palpable. The assets they bring to RVA are clear as students love connecting with younger staff. What would it look like to mentor early 20-somethings, preparing them for long term missions? Could their presence help meet critical staffing needs, or even provide relief for current staff if the interns share in some of the regular RVA responsibilities? That would require someone to help facilitate sessions about missions, language, discipleship and mentorship. That would require someone to encourage them as they move into a new world as young adults, helping lead and guide them in how to move into an independent life as a young adult while learning to depend on God. This sounds familiar to what I’ve been doing all along… maybe God has been preparing me for this very thing! I’ve been in conversations for a few weeks now, and this is looking more and more likely, only a few details still hanging in the unknown ready to be firmed up. It’s exciting, thinking about yet another shift, but it seems like God has been taking the sand, mixing it with a little water, and building it into something new. Something of a sand-castle expert myself from my days at summer camp, I’m excited to see what sculpture the master creator has in mind.

Prayer Points

-I’d love prayers for peace as the details of this new role are worked out, how it will fit with my current responsibilities, which ones I’d give up to step into this role, etc.

-Praise God for his faithfulness in showing his hand moving and working, leading, directing and shaping. It is always a joy to see Him at work, and I look forward to seeing what He has in store in this next year!