A Sweet Farewell

"She's at it again." Uh oh. Kelsey's creative side came out and she decided to compose another poem. 

"Hey everybody, do the Kelsey pose!"

I realized that the three poems I've written most recently have all been dealing with saying goodbye to either a person, place or thing: first, the epic lost brown fleece, second, a poem in Spanish for Mamá as I left Santiago and now a third as the summer in Fargo draws to an end. Truthfully, each day I am more surprised how much I love this city, especially when I get directions somewhere and know that it just takes a couple of right hand turns on a grid street pattern and I can arrive at my destination without a hitch. In fact, the other night Jenne and I just got in the car and drove for an hour and a half and made less than eight necessary turns to get all the way out and around the boondocks and back. I've never experienced such straight and flat roads before! It's kind of a fun change...for a while. 

Itasca State Park

On Sunday my friend Lindsey and I drove to Itasca State Park in Minnesota and it looked just like Wisconsin! I did not realize how much I missed all the green forests, bodies of water and hills until I actually came face to face with them and had forgotten that such amazing topography exists!

Jenne, myself and Katie (UND missinoary) at The Forks!

In other exciting news, I am officially leading three Bible studies: one on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Do you realize how much baking I can do now?! I'm so excited. I'm also in a free class being taught by Msgr. Goering on Johannine Literature (a.k.a. John's Gospel and writings in the New Testament) on Tuesday nights and currently Lucas and I are trying to get the FOCUS missions department to let NDSU have a campus-specific trip--whereas currently anybody from anywhere can apply for a mission and if selected for a trip you don't choose with whom and to where. You could say I'm really getting thrown into the mix of things and am totally okay with that. As long as the Lord's Will be done in all that I do, I certainly could never complain about such an awesome opportunity to serve Him on campus. 

And now if you'll bear with my attempt at being somewhat artistic:

A sweet farewell to thee, dear friend, must I bid,

for the sunny days and warm nights 

were the last things from which I hid.

A farewell most strange defines this good-bye,

for it not be intended for a person

but rather a season, warm and dry.

Yes, "pathetic," you may well think,

but listen closely, hear me out;

the only thing I won't miss is the stink.

The landfill in Fargo is a center-of-the-city mess,

and each time the wind blows just right or we drive ‘round town

our ability to breathe becomes less and less.

Sweet summer in Fargo may have been just a dream,

but to enjoy each day’s sunshine to its fullest

was for some more than others, extreme.

Define extreme, the reader may well demand,

the beach in Detroit Lakes with Student Leaders,

pizza at Zorbaz and burying our friends in the sand. 

Certainly other ways to enjoy such a fine season

in recent weeks have occurred, for example

take Jenne and I—off to Canada we were allured. 

Lovely Winnipeg we saw in merely a day,

bringing up the gifts at the Cathedral’s Sunday’s Mass,

visiting a near-Saint’s shrine and “The Forks” marketplace ‘eh?

It wasn't before long that we returned to the grind,

myself still meeting new students, heading up three Bible studies,

and attempting to fix my planner like clockwork so it's all perfectly timed.

From day one as a missionary at NDSU

I have mentioned it more than once, however

the students keep impressing us anew.

The students we work with lead more than Bible studies,

they are chairs of campus organizations, work multiple jobs

and in all their classes continuously seek new buddies.

I genuinely enjoy spending time at our office

where the team casually jokes, pokes fun at the girls

and Lucas becomes all of ours' accomplice.

An example of this was a most clever and delightful prank

played on Tim, our one-of-a-kind team director, 

who upon seeing his desk we had hoped for a big “thanks.”  

We used our creativity for the extra “Free Buckluck” tickets we had 

and as we were cleaning out the office, what a better way 

to get rid of them than to cover Tim’s desk, computer and mouse pad. 

I’m still not positive that he knew it was us,

but here’s to being bad at pranks, a first-year missionary,
and hopefully not losing all of Tim’s trust.

My first month in Fargo has been a summery breeze,
as the first frost lies just beyond the horizon
I can begin to imagine the upcoming half-year freeze.

Sorry, Tim.

Guilty as charged.

Please keep me in your prayers and know of mine for all of you! 

In Him,

Kelsey Marie