What's Up at WillowBridge?

I told you last month that on the second Wednesday of the month, I would do a What's Up at WillowBridge post, so you could keep track of life here in our new job! Can you believe it's already the second Wednesday of September?? So here I am with an update!

What's Happening Around WillowBridge?

* Since the last post, we had the incredible blessing of the United Way team coming to do a work day here. That was so helpful!! We are grateful for the facelift it gave the building and grounds.

* We also have a Facebook page now! We haven't figured out a specific rhythm with posting yet, since it's all so new, but we do have the page, and we'll be adding to it regularly. If you're on Facebook and want to follow along that way, please feel free!

* Justine (who is part of our support couple) and I have been reading through the handbook for the building, seeing if there are ways we can clarify things or add to it so it's more complete. As we bring in new tenants in the coming months, we want to make sure it's the most up-to-date it can be! It's also been really helpful for me to learn more about the way things work as I read through the handbook.

* We've tried to spend a lot of time in conversation with our tenants, getting to know them better and helping them work toward the goals they've set for themselves. We've had some great conversations along the way and hope we've been able to plant some long-lasting seeds in their hearts. We're also learning that they're very FUNNY! We try to keep track of the hilarious things they say, because they are too good to forget.

* We had the privilege of seeing one of our tenants get baptized in the last month, and we have another one getting baptized soon. We've also enjoyed having some great conversations about faith with the tenants!

* One of our tenants made dinner for the team one night, and it was really delicious! It was a great way for her to hone her planning and cooking skills, and we appreciated her including us in her guest list!

* We hosted a community night (dinner and a movie) and co-hosted another community night (okay, DAY) with Tim and Justine. That second one was really fun; we went on a photo scavenger hunt around Grabill. I think they had fun, and I know I did!

* We've started to figure out a rhythm with office work/building work/transportation/meetings, etc. We're starting to get a little faster at some of the tasks, and we're beginning to understand better how to make the days flow smoothly. It's not perfect (and may never be) but it's getting better!

* We LOVE working with our support couple and are sad on the days when they're off and it's just us here. We don't begrudge them their days off, but we really enjoy working alongside them and look forward to the days when that happens! We've gotten a lot more comfortable in our teamwork in the last month, and that's been really wonderful.

How can you pray?

* We are working to bring a few more tenants into the building and are praying for God to bring the RIGHT ones to us. We are eager to help these young adults find their way into independence and know that God knows who needs to be here. We are praying for wisdom for all involved as we work to increase the number of people who live here!

* We would also love for you to pray for wisdom and direction for us as we seek to figure out how to best help them grow in Him. We have a lot of brainstorms running around right now about how to guide them in a way that fosters a hunger and thirst to study and learn on their own!

* We are praying for God to give us creative ideas across the board for connecting with our tenants and preparing them for independent life. We want to guide in such a way that they remember what they learn and feel confident and equipped for life!


Thanks for reading along!! :) Hope this helps you understand what's up at WillowBridge!