By Jessy Baugh, MBC Bethesda Future Leader

Well it’s now winter…and with the winter comes the cold…but with the cold comes Christmas cheer and the half way mark of the Future Leaders Program! It’s hard to believe that it’s been 6 months…it still feels like I just got here from California and trying to adjust to the East Coast and to my job as a Future Leader and here I am now having been here for 6 months…and let me tell you time flies here in this program that is for sure! At 6 months into this program we have taken a Future Leader retreat together, went on a mission trip to Lincoln Heights, helped at Turkey Outreach, spent a day of prayer at a monastery, have had bonfires, dinners together, have had many Wednesday morning Future Leader Trainings and all of us have now recited from memory Luke 15….yup the whole chapter!! Along with these things each of us Future Leaders have gotten more involved with our jobs and are all learning more about ministry while also growing in our ministry area. In looking over these past 6 months the word that comes to mind is: growth. Ha it’s funny to be talking about growth when everything around me outside right now is dead…due to winter…oh joy…but growth nonetheless is the word that comes to mind despite the winter winds that could possibly turn me into a frozen statue (OK so it’s not as bad as that but I’m from California…what can I say?).

Ok so back to growth from my rant on winter. For me personally I know that I have grown in my ministry area and not only in my ministry but in my leadership, organization skills, confidence, and in my personal walk with the Lord. Being a part of this program has really helped me to in a sense “grow up” because it has pushed me outside of my comfort zone in many, many, many ways. I took a big step in moving out on my own from California; from my friends and my family. I’m working in a ministry that I’ve never done before in my past ministry experiences, I’ve had to open up with the people here, break out of my “shy shell” to really make Virginia feel like home, and also lean on the Lord when I can’t in my own power do my job because it’s new to me and like nothing I’ve really done before in ministry, (I’m part of the launch team for a new MBC Campus). There have been great times and hard times but through both the Lord continues to stretch me and grow me into the woman of God he wants me to be in ministry and I can honestly say that being a part of this program has helped these things all to come about. Growth is a part of life, and growth is a part of the Future Leader Program.