Mackenzie Standing

Dear Columbia Grove Covenant Church , Happy birthday! Can you believe it? You're officially ten years old. I always get nostalgic on birthdays, and yours makes me feel exponentially so. I couldn't help but reflect on all that you've been through over the last ten years, and how much I've enjoyed being part of the ride.  It's been ten years in a beautiful valley-- ten years of being next to the Columbia river and ten years being surrounded by a Grove of orchard trees. It's been ten years of walking out of worship and getting the privilege of seeing one of the most breathtaking views God ever made. It's been ten years of the port-a-church lifestyle. Ten years of dedicated, servant-hearted volunteers generously showing up early to set up each week and patiently staying late to tear down. It's been ten years of learning how to make people feel warm, welcome, and comfortable inside a cafeteria. It's been ten years of intentional layout--t...

Lately, I've caught myself humming show-tunes: At the end of the day you're another day colder, and the shirt on your back doesn't keep out the chill.  Personally, I don't think it's a good thing when a song from Les Misérables seems to describe your life, but so it goes.  In some ways, at the end of the day I'm literally another day colder. The weather here has been absolutely freezing lately. Yesterday, Bri and I headed to our 8am class when it was -29ºF outside-- without  factoring in the windchill. Our professor told us that if we took it into account, it was probably about -44º, and that, by the way, the heating in one of the buildings was malfunctioning. Thank goodness they got it working before I had class in there, because there was no way MSU would cancel.   The weather has been an interesting experiment in both breathing and seeing. When I walk outside, it takes me a minute or two to catch my breath. By that time, though, the inside of my nose has f...