Tear down the walls! :)

Today I had the opportunity to grab coffee with Camille and Chloe- two friends that I made essentially day one of freshman year. Chloe was one of my RA's as I rolled up to Dorm 3, an 18 year-old freshman in every aspect of the word. Camille and I would later become best friends in the coming months, despite the rocky beginning we joke about all the time. I also was Camille’s Prayer Leader, which is hilarious to think about from way back when. But God knew what He was doing in orchestrating our friendship.

I became a Prayer Leader almost day one at Liberty--where I was given the responsibility to lead, mentor and minister to five girls. I had no idea what it meant, and boy would I learn.

Two weeks ago I walked with Hannah, my Resident Director and friend, to the Circle because in the campus transformation of Liberty Dorm 3 was in the process of being torn down to build these awesome new dorms.

Despite the fact that Dorm 3 was so old and needed to be replaced, I am very sentimental and nostalgic. I mean, I've lived several places, but a bulldozer straight tearing down a building is an extreme way to say goodbye. 

I arrived at the Circle and despite my knowledge that Dorm 3 was gone, seeing only dirt and a bulldozer in the distance and my old home looking like an advertisement for a disaster relief commercial, I was still traumatized. I walked closer and talked the nice construction worker into letting me get a closer look. While Hannah stays back and takes pictures of me look at the destruction I see something that I will never forget. 

Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at Liberty the RAs go around and do cleanliness checks while the students are in convo--something I do all the time as an RA now. As a freshman my roommates and I took this opportunity as an invitation to write notes to our RAs--sometimes it would be a witty comment, inside joke, note of encouragement etc. I mean, they were coming in our room already, why not write a note?

So every room check they got a note from us and they’d write a response back. We hung each of the notes they gave us by the mirror and sink along the wall. These notes filled up the wall in our room and something I'd re-read often and look forward to weekly that year.

So in the inevitable destruction of Dorm 3, I had the unique blessing to see this wall and remember where I came from and how special the influence they had on my life. Over coffee today I shared this story with Camille and Chloe and we looked back to that year and reflected on the memories and how much the Lord showed up that year--how much He showed up in teaching us what it meant to love each other, receive love, and live life together despite our imperfections.

How His hand was faithful in bringing me there, preparing me as a senior in high school to be a Prayer Leader on a hall who was planning their leadership team in the early stages. 

I think about the lessons I learned that year and how it set the tone and examples of how I would be an SLD and RA. How I learned how to be a Prayer Leader and the failures and successes I share in showing people the position and what God does. 

Living with people is messy business. But the beauty of it all is that God brings us people to teach us more about who He is in every interaction. My years on Dorm 3 were ones that have shaped me because of the conversations that took place in our humble abode.

Me, Camille, Jillian (my roomie) and Chloe, April 2010

In a cheesy metaphor--seeing the walls torn down and Dorm 3 stripped away, reminded me of how those years taught me to tear down walls and barriers with people and get to the core of relationships so that all is standing is the words from a dear friends who genuinely care to get work past our own insecurities, perceptions, backgrounds and quirks.

At the end of our conversation today we said in 5 years from now, we'll grab coffee again and catch up. We'll revisit the Dorm 3 days and think about the conversation today and how silly we sounded with a few more years of maturity and life experience under our belt, just like we did today looking back. And we'll rejoice in the Lord's faithfulness, sense of humor and lessons he taught us and continues to teach us to this day. 

The 3 of us today :)

Chloe said these words today which I love--"It's not about the glory days. It's about finding glory in each day." And those words ring in my ears.