Four Months

I have officially been in Washington, DC for four months now. That's crazy to really think about. In some ways it feels so much longer than that; in others it seems like just yesterday that I loaded my Yaris and my iPod and headed South.

People are often asking me what I plan to do after the Protege Program ends in August. In some ways I feel like this is something that I should be worrying about more than I actually am. The truth is, I really have no idea. I know what I'd like to do, but in actuality have no real plan for September 2011. I know that should stress me out. I mean, it is nine months away. In the past it would have. But if I learned in anything in 2010 it was that sometimes having no plan is the best plan of all.

I have been thinking a lot about last year this week. A year ago, I was living in West Virginia and was feeling a bit frustrated. I had absolutely no idea of where I would be in a year. Actually living in DC wasn't even on the radar a year ago. I had sort-of given up on the idea and decided it was time to be responsible and truthfully as much as I loved DC and the ministry I knew was happening here, I was afraid. The idea of moving somewhere alone so far from anyone or anything I knew, was terrifying. Odd isn't it? Odd that God continually gets me to the exact place He wants me to be despite my fears and my own stubbornness.

So 2010 ended up being a crazy ride that felt more like a decade than 12 months. In the course of those 12 months, I lived in three states, worked four different jobs, and completed my masters degree. 2010 had some really great moments. It also had some really rough moments. I was thinking about doing a top ten of 2010 but I'm not really sure where to start, it may have to be a top 20. Maybe I will work on that in the next couple of days. Anyway, if in just a few short months I can go from deciding I am not even going to try to move somewhere to living there and loving every moment of it, I cannot imagine what this next year will hold.

While I am not really the resolution type I often pick a theme for the upcoming year to focus on in each area of my life. This year that theme is discipline, as I feel that self discipline is a principle that I can apply to many areas of my life, financially, spiritually, physically, etc.

There is another theme that seems to be emerging as well.

Hope. 2011 will be a year of hope. So next year at this time, who knows what I'll be doing but I am hopeful because I know God does have a plan in spite of my own stupidness and insecurities. He has proven that in the past and I know that will also be true for the future.

So here's to 2011 and to having no plan at all! :)

Christmas/ New Year Update

I’m not sure even where to begin with this entry. I just reread the letter I mailed to some of you before I moved to DC just a couple of months ago. It seems crazy because that seems like forever ago, not three months. So here I am curled up in a chair in the office at work. I feel like there is so much to tell you since my last letter, I cannot figure out where to begin.

I suppose I could start with what I have been doing for three months. Well, I hit the ground running. I arrived here at 4pm on a Wednesday and started my new position here at National Community Church at 9am the next morning, and its been a whirlwind ever since. My position is split between a few different areas. I work as a shift supervisor part time at Ebenezers (the coffeehouse the church owns). The rest of my time I work with the events that happen here at Ebenezers that range from concerts and poetry nights to luncheons with political figures. I’ve gotten to do some pretty incredible stuff. In October I had the opportunity to go to Atlanta with the NCC staff for a leadership conference and in November we all went up to Baltimore for a couple days to pray and plan for the next year.

I am living in a gorgeous row house with five other girls about two miles from work. They are great and I could not feel more blessed with my living arrangements. Seriously. I know at first that sounds like a lot of girls in one space but it has been such a blessing. They are really fantastic and each brings something really special to our house.

The people I have met here are also amazing. From the moment I arrived I have been blessed with nothing but hospitality and open arms. I knew people would be “nice” but I had no idea how welcoming and great everyone would be. These are people I would have chosen to be my friends and I get to work and do ministry with them. How amazing is that?

Over the next year I will be working on some projects for Ebenezers that really suit my passions. My direct supervisors have been great at allowing me to be a part of things that really interest me. Since my heart is really focused on the “coffee with a cause” side of Ebenezers, most of my projects will be focusing on how Ebenezers gives back to the community. This will involve not only finding ways to highlight those efforts but also finding new original ways to positively impact our neighbors, both locally and internationally.

I also want to let you know that it is not too late to help get involved. I will be in this position until the end of August, so additional support would be greatly appreciated. First, I would like to ask for your continued prayers. Thus far, your prayers have been felt and I appreciate that more than I can express. Also, I would like to invite you to help support me financially. Aside from my time working the floor of the coffeehouse, my position is unpaid. Would you please consider either supporting me over these next few months or with a one-time gift?

As a way to raise some additional funds, I have also begun selling Avon products. I chose Avon because people can make purchases from my website and have their items mailed directly to their homes. Avon also has a variety of products so there really is something for everyone. Please consider making a purchase from my website (www.youravon.com/hcorsi), to not only support me but to get a little something for yourself as well!

I know that God is doing some truly awesome things here in DC and I feel so blessed to be a part of this. Please consider being a part of this as well. If you aren’t already, you can also follow my experience on this blog and twitter to keep up to date on this adventure! Thank you for being a part of my life! I cannot wait to see where 2011 takes all of us!

With love,

Heather

Avon: www.youravon.com/hcorsi

Blog: http://randomthoughtshmc.blogspot.com

twitter: heathercorsi

email: hmcorsi@gmail.com

Bangs

So today was my first day back to work after the craziness of the holidays. I had several people stop and ask, "Is there something different about you?" "Did you cut your hair?" or "What's different?"

Bangs. That's what's different. I left with long misshapen sorry excuses for bangs and returned with properly formed bangs. But that answer didn't seem to satisfy the people asking. They assumed there was something else. I assured them that I only had a haircut no Christmas plastic surgery. As I thought about it though, I realized that there was something (besides my new bangs) different about me today. For the first time in awhile, I felt content.

It's not that I haven't felt content for quite awhile now but I think I've been too busy to notice. Today...I noticed. It started when I was driving back to DC last night. The past couple weeks have contained more hours of driving than I would have liked but last night my drive felt different. As I got closer to home I expected to feel a bit of the inevitable dread that usually comes when ending vacation and resuming real life. Instead, I felt excited and peaceful. I was home. And I was thoroughly looking forward to returning to work. It had been a really long time since I felt like that. That same excitement continued as I got ready for work and even as I walked to work. Weird.

I started to notice some of this just before I went home for the holidays. I was feeling a tad homesick. But as I thought about it, I realized that really I just missed my family and friends. Home no longer felt the same as it once did. I used to long for a particular place, but now the word "home" had a different definition to me. The song "I'll be home for Christmas" had a new meaning for me this year. "Home" is my family. Places are great but they are not what I long for when I've a had a rough day. While I believe that as I move around from place to place, I cannot help but leave a piece of my heart behind, I am suddenly aware that this is because my heart is left those I love that are still there.

Funny, I just reread that paragraph and it actually makes me sound like I don't like where I am, but its actually the opposite. I have fallen in love with DC. I have fallen in love with NCC and Ebenezers. But most of all, I have fallen in love with the people here. I was trying to explain to an old friend over the holidays that I don't mind working long hours because I get to work with the very same people I'd want to hang out with anyway. While I have no idea how long I will get to do this, I am just in the mode of trying to soak up as much and as many experiences as I can, while I can.

Next week, I am supposed to answer the question of what else I'd like to get out of my experience as a Protege. I honestly am not sure how I am going to answer that question. I already feel far more blessed than I deserve. I have already had so many amazing experiences that I cannot begin to ask for more.

So yes, there is something different about me. I have taken time to let some of my time here sink in and I could not be more thankful. I feel content and expectant at the same time. I cannot wait to see what could possibly be next. While it has not all been easy here in DC, it has already changed me for the better and I'm only a quarter of the way in.

So yes, yes there is something different.

Oh...and I have bangs.