#Failbetter

Found this gem in Vail :)

I'm Back!

After spending a solid 3 days asleep (jetlag), I'm back in good ol' Geordie Land, and have hit the ground running!
Back to leadership training days, meetings in preparation for the arrival of the students (which is just around the corner!), catching up with friends, and of course back to Sunday mornings at Jesmond Methodist Church. All this activity and excitement makes me so thankful for my time back home in the Mountains to relax and play.

As blessed I have been here in Newcastle, it did not take long to be reminded of the amazing support and blessings I have back in the states. I was reminded of the beauty in Colorado that I got to call my backyard growing up: hiking, biking, paddle boarding, off-roading, and even just looking at it all! I spent time with my amazing family and life-long friends that prove, it did "take a village" to raise this kid. And what a village I am lucky enough to call home :)

Left: Took my dad's Jeep up the mountain to hike around Piney Lake

Right: Some of my childhood friends that I got to catch up with while I was home.



Left: I was able to make it up to Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp for a week, which was such an amazing time as always :)

Right: I had time to relax and just be (my parent's home)








Left: More of my friends supporting me at my "Very British Evening" fundraising night.


Right: Hiked up Pitkin Lake Trail behind my friend's house.





Although I will always be a mountain girl at heart, it was time to get back to Newcastle and the home I've found here for one more year.

So looking at all that lies ahead this year and all the plans being devised and set in motion, one quote has sprung up to the forefront of my thoughts.

While in Dublin with a fellow YAGM last year, exploring the Trinity College campus, we came across the hashtag "#Failbetter." The quote preceding the hastag read, "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."


Looking forward to this year, I hope to take on this mantra fully and give my all to JMC for one last year. We will be doing a lot of the same, and even more new things here at the church and in the surrounding community. I want to approach each situation with such enthusiasm and hope that we blow people away, or fail more epically. It may seem a bit mad, but isn't that what faith is sometimes? A bit mad?


So, here we go. Round two. Faith is fully in God's hands. And JMC is gonna #Failbetter!





Cheers for Now!
-Elie