Ned Erickson: UPDATE Week of August 26

They came!

AND WE'RE OFF!!!!

We are off and running with our fourth cohort of Winston-Salem Fellows! At 11am, these for the most part strangers pulled into our driveway and met each other for the first time.

We went around the circle introducing ourselves to each other. I asked them to also share one word that described how they were feeling at the moment as well as a piece of trivia.

Words like: "Uncertain, Apprehensive, Excited, Ready" came off their lips. To be honest, I felt all the same words!

From there, we went down town to the 500 W. 5th Building for a Welcome Lunch.

Mattie Weldon and Sophie-Earle McCraw at the luncheon (all my other pictures caught people with their mouth's full!)

We reintroduced ourselves and were welcomed by Board Members and Steve Lineberger of Winston-Starts.

From top Left to Bottom:
Mattie, Reiley, Jessica
Haley, Hannah, Brianne, Jackson
Greg, Sophie-Earle, Jacob, and Joseph (J.M.)

Here is the whole gang with Hef Turner top left and Ned bottom right

After lunch, we changed clothes and drove about an hour down the road to Lake Norman for our Orientation Advance.

Checking out our home for the next three days

Shannon with Hannah and Jessica

Evening activity

Sunset Watching

Jacob teaches Reiley to cast a fly rod

Hiking at Lake Norman State Park

Over the course of the next few days, we got to know each other, we worshipped, prayed, studied, discussed our summer reading, went over every word of the Handbook...

as well as played, swam, worked on the hardest puzzle ever, and cried because we were laughing so hard...

Here we are

It is always amazing to me to watch community happen.

On Friday we climbed Stone Mountain

Tiny us

Slightly larger us

Jacob, Greg and JM

Haley and Greg

Jessica, Jackson and Hannah

Reiley, Haley, and Brianne

Saturday, we finished up at the lake and heading back to Winston-Salem. The temperature dropped over twenty degrees! Thank you to Flow - we were given the opportunity to attend the finals of the Winsotn-Salem Open.

runner-up Benoit Paire serves

Champion Hubert serves

The girls give Winston a thumbs up

Hannah, Jacob and JM

Haley and Brianne were in shorts the day before!

Jackson, Reiley, Jessica and Mattie

On Sunday, the Fellows went to churches and were introduced to folks around the city. This morning, they are heading to their first days at work!

Talk about a whole lot of new things all at once!

A SUPER FUN INTRODUCTION

Meet Brianne Schapira, our newest Fellow

This is the third year in a row that we have been blessed with a last minute addition. Brianne to many of you is not a stranger. She is the daughter of Eddie and Michelle of River Birch Lodge fame.

Brianne is coming off a year of working in the Czech Republic with Campus Crusade and when her future plans shifted, she fell right where I believe she is supposed to be.

We met Friday. We interviewed her Tuesday. We offered her a spot that same day. She came to Orientation on Wednesday. And we are interviewing for a job tomorrow!

Even though she is a Winston native, we still will like to land her a Host Family. Let me know if you are interested. She is a gem!

ANOTHER SUPER FUN INTRODUCTION

Meet our new Assistant Director!

Heather "Hef" Turner

Heather “Hef” Turner grew up in southwestern Virginia. She attended Gardner-Webb University, outside of Shelby, North Carolina. In the fall after graduation, she accepted a position on Young Life staff in Shelby where she served in several positions over the next six years.

In 2015, Hef and her husband, CT, as well as their new daughter, Reese, moved to CT’s hometown of Winston-Salem. During this time, Hef stepped away from the workforce to be at home with Reese and their second daughter, Miller Jane, who was born in 2016. In the fall of 2017, she began to work virtually with a branding and web design agency based out of Nashville, TN. Since her time in Winston-Salem, Hef has enjoyed participating in the Imago Dei Ministries and has recently joined the leadership team.

When not playing “princesses” with her daughters, Hef enjoys being physically active as well as a strong cup of coffee! She is honored and humbled to be a part of the Winston-Salem Fellows.

Welcome Hef! You are an answer to my prayers!

GIVE!

We are going to need your support this year! If you have given in the past, please consider continuing or increasing your investment this year. If you have not, this is the time!

We are taking this thing to the next level, but we can't do it without your generosity.

Send checks to

Winston-Salem Fellows

PO Box 20514

Winston-Salem, NC 27120

Or give online

wsfellows.com/give

consider clicking on the give monthly option.

As always, thank you! Part of taking this thing to the next level is celebrating our donors - we want to bless you this year! So come on! Join the team!

THIS WEEK

JM is looking forward to this week

Monday: UPDATE writing, a heap of administrative work, meeting with my mentor, and a good old fashioned cook out at the Ericksons for Round Table

Tuesday: GOYBADS, Rotary, and Employer Drop In Day

Wednesday: Leadership Winston-Salem Meeting, Leader Lunch with NIGEL ALSTON. Why not start off with a BANG! First Field Hockey Game! and a Mentor Planning Session

Thursday: Planning Day

Friday: Excursion to Hanging Rock, Priddy's General Store and the Wake Football Game!

OTHER NEWS

Our program starts earlier than the other programs across the country. So keep the others in your prayers as they start up in the next couple weeks.

We are still landing a few planes like Brianne's job and host family.

We are also still trying to sell our 381 Dover Dr. House. If you know of a family moving into the area - do we have a deal for you!

Thanks y'all. Keep sharing the story and spreading the love!