An open letter to ROC

Rochester, you have been so good to me.

Never in a million years would I have ever thought that Rochester would have made such an important impact on my life. I remember being in the car with a friend discussing potential post grad opportunities and I started doubting going to grad school all together. I thought it was silly and made no sense to go halfway across the country to study voice when I had such an incredible teacher in Oklahoma whom I had so much more to learn from still. I thought it was ludicrous to move to a place where I didn’t know a single soul and had no job prospects. Even though the move made no sense, I came to the conclusion that God would somehow make sense of it for me and I decided to chance it and take a leap of faith. In Matthew 17, Jesus’ disciples are trying to cast out a demon in an epileptic boy. They fail to do so and ask Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out. In verse 20, “He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you”” (ESV). When I came back to Oklahoma for a holiday, the pastor showed a picture of a mustard seed and then a picture of what mustard seeds produce. They technically produce bushes, but because of their massive size of 8 feet tall, they are often called mustard tress. Have you ever seen one? I haven’t, but the picture looks like they are ginormous! A teeny tiny seed can produce this massive beautiful tree. That’s how I can best describe my time in Rochester. It started as a tiny leap of faith and grew into the most fruitful time of my life.

I am so thankful to Nan Dudley and her family who was so willing to share their life with me. Many thanks to the Woodall’s who opened up their home to a summer community group where I found some lifelong friends. Thanks Sarah and Ally for being such an encouragement and light in my life. From coffee dates, to hikes, to walks on the canal, you two have been some peculiar treasures always pointing me to Christ. Thanks Matt, Karen, Zeke, and Caleb for being the sweetest family to invite me in on dinners and game nights (I think Spot it will forever be my favorite now, haha). Thanks, Northridge, for being a church who challenged me in my walk with the Lord every day – I have been made better for Christ because of the leadership and community that you consistently cultivate. Thanks for letting me serve the church in ways that best suited the gifts God gave me. To my lovely ladies and community group – you all became such a safe place to land on Sundays and I will hold you all in my heart forever. To the NAZ community, I learned time management and some key organizational skills. Mario, thanks for teaching me all the things about the voice, for challenging me in my lessons and constantly reminding me of the pedagogical concepts. Bernadette and Pam, you are the MVPs. Always ready to chat and encourage and be there for the students. Truly an inspiration. Kenneth, we had one short year together before you up and moved away :( , but you are a pure treasure. Thanks for all the movie nights, walks (even though you made me eat dirt), workouts, and music conversations. Morgan, Brooklyn, and Erin – thanks for hanging out with me and reading through some of the Psalms with me. That was such a sweet and precious time that I will forever treasure. Brenna, we done did it. From opera rehearsals, to unloading costumes, to ped. study sessions, music research nonsense, vocal lit presentations, movie nights, Frozen 2 watching and Pittsford Dairy treats, we got our Master’s Degree. It’s been an honor to get to go through it with you. To my roommates, who were complete strangers to me upon moving in together – thanks for putting up with my crazy hours and nonstop schedule. You two were a much-needed constant.

I was recently asked what some of the snapshots of Rochester I have, that will be forever ingrained in my memory. I am so thankful for George Eastman and his development of the Kodak camera which allowed me to have actual snapshots of my time in Rochester – not just a distant memory, but a visible picture to remind me of this sweet season of my life.

As I look back through journals and reflect on the past two years, there are three take aways I learned through my time in Rochester

1. The power of prayer.

2. The importance of community.

3. The ability to choose contentment and the Lord's strength daily. (still growing in this, but I gained a new understanding)

My prayer is that Rochester was just the beginning and that I will be back for a continuing story. And so, I end for now with the words of Paul to the Philippians,

“I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3-8 CSB)

Catch ya on the flippity flip.