The Fellows are Loved

By Caroline Coleman

During Valentine’s week, I can’t help but reflect on how loved each and every one of us 14 Fellows are by our Capital Fellows community. From the day we each showed interest in the Fellows Program, we have been loved so well by those on the Fellows committee, former Fellows, mentors, host families, employers, and the welcoming McLean Presbyterian community. As such, it only seems fitting to reflect upon that blessing after celebrating the 75th Anniversary of McLean Presbyterian Church this past weekend and Valentine’s Day!

To The Fellows Committees (Steering Committee, Admissions, Work Placement, Host Families, Hospitality, etc): Thank you for interviewing us and making us feel more accepted and cared for than I, at least, ever imagined during the admissions process. Thank you for valuing our stories and praising the Lord for how He has worked in each of our lives.

To Our Mentors: Thank you for guiding us through these crazy 9 months. Thank you for treating us to fantastic dinners and coffees, and thank you for encouraging us when we are overwhelmed. Thank you for introducing us to your friends and families and consistently pursuing us (even when we are slow to reply and bad at figuring out our schedules).

To Our Host Families: You show us everyday what true Biblical Hospitality is. Thank you for bringing us into your homes for 9 months despite our messiness. Thank you for opening your homes to our other Fellow friends for movie nights, hot tub times (shoutout to the Whittles and Clarks), and sleepovers. Thank you for cooking amazing meals for us and welcoming us into your families, crazy schedule and all. Thank you for loving us when we are homesick (or college sick) and simply need some warm homemade hot chocolate (shoutout to Nancy Ruiz!!).

To Our Internship Companies, Colleagues, and Coordinators: Thank you for welcoming us into your offices and classrooms for 9 months. Thank you for teaching us new skills and being patient as we ask many questions. Thank you for teaching us how to find joy in our work and serve those we work with and for.

To the McLean Presbyterian Congregation: Thank you for making MPC feel like home on the first day we arrived. Thank you for loving fellows and inviting us in the church’s community. Thank you for letting us work with your children and celebrate 75 years with you! You set a wonderful example for welcoming strangers and proclaiming that you are a broken church with broken people but a really, really good God.

To each and every one of these people involved in the Fellows program, those who have prayed for us over the last 9 months, and those who support and encourage us every day, thank you. Thank you for showing us the love of Christ! Thank you for demonstrating the Lord’s love that is welcoming, forgiving, communing, overflowing, patient, and full of joy.

We will feast in the house of Zion. We will sing with our hearts restored

He has done great things, we will say together, we will feast and weep no more.

-- We Will Feast in the House of Zion

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

-- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Pictures from the Week

On February 8th, we got to celebrate Julia’s 23rd and Jay’s 24th birthdays! We started off with donuts courtesy of Jay’s Host Family (Shoutout to the Taylors) and ended the day celebrating in Arlington with Julia’s twin sister, Courtney! Also if you know Christina Lewis, ask her why we call her “the MVP” after Friday!

Russell and Sean enjoyed a rare day of sunshine and no snow to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail! ¡¡Buen camino hermanos!!

When you volunteer at an elementary school but are 6’3”... you make it work

If you ever venture to Northside Social, chances are you’ll see 1 (or 5) Capital Fellows! Photo creds to Joe!!!

Over the weekend, we got to celebrate 75 years of McLean Presbyterian Church’s ministry to the DC area! It was so moving to hear about how the Lord has worked through this church from former pastors and Senior Saints who have attended our church since the beginning!