Winning the community for God

Last weekend I was inspired by attending Madison campus's block party. They had a lot of booths that showcased the church's different ministries and schools including Madison campus elementary and academy. They also had games, free food, and a lot of items to help parents and children to prepare to go back to school. I saw a lot of visitors from the community. My heart was moved with the love that the church had for the community. There were stories that came from the event. Some people expressed interest in taking their children to the church's Sabbath school classes. There was a homeless lady that did her school shopping for her children. Lastly, there were two young men who went to Madison academy's booth. They do not attend a good high school. They expressed interest in attending the academy. The Holy Spirit worked on their hearts and they toured the school a day or two later. They are now making plans to do what they can to attend the school this year! They recruited a friend to join them. That is awesome!

In reflecting on this event, it makes us as a church realize that we have a lot to offer our community and world. People are craving for what we have. and in the case of the young men they want good Christian education.

The block party at the church was a bridge for many people to experience what we as Adventists have.  We need to do more of this to spread our good news of hope with the world.

Reflection on the last five years

It is hard to believe it has already been five years since I graduated from college. I remember being so nervous moving to Collegedale and starting college. I had wonderful experiences at Southern and I made my best friends there. I also appreciated the spiritual environment at Southern.

These are the highlights of the last five years:

1. I had the special opportunity to serve for two years on GYC Southeast as their Secretary. If I had not stayed on do my Master's, I would have missed the wonderful year I had with the GYC Southeast team. We truly became family that year - and will always be!

We took GYC Southeast to a different level that year by partnering with ARME during the Spring.

2. I graduated with my Master's degree in December 2013. A very intense year and half - with classes on the weekends, working as a graduate assistant during the week, and doing an internship at a skilled nursing facility. I am glad that I stayed on to finish my Master's after I graduated. I have that done and behind me and will always have it.

3. following my Master's degree, I had to do some post graduate work to become a licensed social worker. The test I took was challenging and difficult. I spent several hours a day for weeks and months. I am now a licensed social worker. God is faithful!

4. Nashville is a great place to be. I have meet some very nice people in the communities of Nashville in my work. One of the blessings that I have received from living in this area is my church family.
It is nice to have like minded friends in Sabbath school, who care about spiritual things and getting closer to Jesus.

I also enjoy being a part of a choir. Singing is one of my favorite hobbies - and singing songs for Jesus is a blessing.

5. being close to family is the best. I am grateful I can be as close to most of my immediate family right now. I have been able to spend more time with my Mom, uncles, and brother's family and nieces.

working in Nashville

I love living and working in the Nashville area. I work for a home health agency that provides home care services to adults in the middle TN area. I really enjoy my job. I am going to share more about what I am doing in my job.

I work as a care manager, social worker. When my agency receives new referrals for clients to receive services, I do home assessments on clients and set them up our services. one of the first things I do prior to going to homes is to read about their home situations/support systems, medical histories, and the doctors and nurses recommendations for the care that they need. The services that we provide are important for their health. The goal that the medical providers have in referring their patients to our agency is to prevent institutionalization. I have read this on referrals - so I see how important this is! Once older adults leave their homes to go to nursing facilities they lose a lot of their skills and depend on others.

I love developing relationships with the clients and families that I meet with and providing support for the care that they need. In the home assessments I assess their medical situations, home environments, and the skill of care that they need. I also do home safety assessments to make sure they live in safe environments and have access to important needs. At the end of the home assessments the clients sign service agreements to start services.

Another part of my job is doing monthly supervisor visits with the clients that we service. I ask questions about their services. I also assess and monitor their health. if there is any significant changes happening with their health, or if they need more skilled care it is my job to address that.

The Nashville area is a very diverse area. We cover the Sumner, Robertson, Wilson, Davidson, and Rutherford counties. I have enjoyed driving throughout middle TN to see clients. It is beautiful.

It has been a blessing to use my Social work skills to reach out to people who need support and assistance in their homes. and most importantly to make people feel cared for.

Choir

Last weekend I had the privilege of singing with the Madison Campus choir and orchestra for church we sang, "Revive Us Again," "Psalm 23", and "Crown Him with Many Crowns."

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, nothing shall I want
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside still waters, He refreshes my soul,
guides me along the path of righteousness, for the love of His name

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