First days

Who knew that I'd move eleven hours north to find hotter weather than I'd encountered all summer in Atlanta?! Seriously, regional weather patterns, you need to do a better job of conforming to my expectations.

But I can't really complain because I'm not out in it much. Why, you ask? Because I've been at work!

Yesterday launched us into our full-time positions, and all ten of us have been busy learning the ropes of our respective roles. Our days have been crammed with meetings, trainings, reading, setups, and more, but I have to say, we are tremendously lucky to have such a supportive environment to ease the transition. The employees of Sojourners, many of whom are pretty new themselves, have welcomed us onto the team with open arms!

Our intern year was inaugurated by the words of Rev. Otis Moss, III, a pastor and social activist and friend of Sojourners who joined us for breakfast yesterday to tell us about his ministries in Chicago. That was quite the inspiring way to begin! Some of us were lucky enough to hear him speak two days in a row, since he'd preached the day prior at Howard University's Sunday chapel. He offered this wisdom, built upon hope and practicality, to all of us Cycle 30 interns: run your leg of the race excellently, then hand off the baton well to the ones who follow you and cheer them on with all your heart. His encouragement reminded me of a prayer of Oscar Romero, excerpted below:

We cannot do everything,

and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,

and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, 

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders;

ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future that is not our own

It's important to remember that, especially when engaging in the type of work that wants so badly to see the world change in big ways. Burnout is easy when you expect it all to happen quickly, but when you recognize that you're part of a much larger picture, a picture that spans centuries and continents and people of all stripes, it helps to keep the wave toward justice rolling, with momentum and dedication and undying hope.

And that recognition of the great cloud of witnesses has been crucial to getting us oriented to the work ahead of us this year.

While the flurry of transition has been a major focus in the office over the past couple of days, the real focus has been on Syria. For Sojourners's stance on the crisis in Syria, click here. And while it may be a last-minute reminder, don't forget to tune in for President Obama's statement on Syria tonight at 9.

Happy Tuesday, friends!