Family reunion

The Doubletree Hotel in Orange, CA is fast becoming a home away from home away from home. In April of 2008, I spent a weekend there to go through CCC's intern kickoff/training. In October 2009, I spent another weekend doing Winter Conference planning with the program team. The next month, I spent a week there with Winter Conference planning, Fall Staff Conference, and Crossroads Conference. And this year, from 11/17-11/22, I was once again checked in for this year's Winter Conference planning and Crossroads Conference. So it's becoming a home away from home away from home in the sense the classic sense of spending a TON of time there. But there's more to it- when you're home, you're usually with family. And let me tell you- any time I'm at the Doubletree, it's a family reunion.

The Winter Conference programming team feels like family. WC is an annual highlight for many, and getting to do so much of the behind-the-scenes work, planning the programming that we've seen God use to transform lives year after year, is not only a fulfilling experience- it's also a huge bonding experience. We definitely come away from these times feeling like a family unit.

Doodles, sketches, notes, computers, spread all over the table... And ideas, schedule drafts, conference "storyboards" all over the walls. It's so much work that it can definitely be an "Are we there yet??" situation... :D

Coming up with great ideas and being super excited about it! haha

The occasional creative exercise helped get our innovative juices flowing. Justin's prouder of his creation than Jake is of his. Sibling rivalry.

Honestly, it was really hard work- having meetings from 930am-9pm. Sometimes we just needed a break. If only there was a TV in front of this couch. It would be like movie night!

Our fearless leader (dad?), Bob Fuhs.

And then the rest of the staff from the Pacific Southwest Region started showing up to prepare for the students who would be arriving for Crossroads Conference in a few hours. Seriously, any time the PSW gets together, it's a big family reunion. The term "staff family" gets thrown around a lot that it almost becomes cliche, but it's true! Getting to see and spend time with people who are doing the same work as you, people with whom you went through summer projects or new staff training classes, people with whom you previously worked on other campus, etc, is just SO refreshing! They all have a passion for serving the Lord and it's definitely contagious.

Everyone in this picture, except the one in the green, was at one time part of the USC family. L to R: Matt, staff Fall 07-Fall 09. Jon Whitmore, staff Fall 03-Spring 07. Kristen Whitmore- staff Fall 06-Spring 07. Laura Reynolds, staff Fall 07-Spring 09. Christina Eads, Class of 2007.

I've always referred to Laura as being my "big sis" on the USC staff team. And Casey Hogue (USC class of 09 and now USC staff) and I have always treated each other like competing siblings, pulling rank on each other all the time, but definitely loving each other too! :)

Cayla (Hatter, staff in the regional office working with our overseas partnerships) has played a big part in my heart for Japan- she helped brief and debrief the first Project I went on back in 07, and was the one who challenged me to direct the Project in 09. Heather (Brainerd, USC class of 09, now USC intern) is one of my best friends- we've been to Japan together three times, directed a summer project together, and served on the USC staff team as interns together.

The four newest members of the UC Berkeley staff family

The family is always growing, too, with additions like cute little Lucy Joy Whitmore.

I am so blessed with family. My biological family is amazing, my staff family in Hawaii is awesome, and the PSW staff family is really the coolest group of co-workers you could ever ask for! But what makes it even better is that we're also part of God's family, because He, the Creator of the universe, came to our planet to live as a person, to walk in perfection, and to die a most brutal and gruesome death, for the sake of reconciling us rebellious human beings to Himself as our Father and adopting us forever as His dear children. SO AMAZING! That's what we're celebrating this Christmas season. :) If you're not part of this family yet, you definitely should be- God is extending the invitation to you right now!