Dear Friend

Dear friend,

I thank you for your honesty, vulnerability, and willingness to put pen to paper. I wish sometimes I had your bravery and your positivity to live life to it's fullest - to take risks, jump straight into the deep end, and laugh the whole way there. I am forever inspired by you and I don't tell you enough. I feel lame writing this in my blog rather than to you in person but it feels more raw to share this with whoever is listening. May I continued not to be stuck in my past but rejoice in my present.

I miss you and I love you.

Reasons Why I Love My Job

• My typical work attire is jeans, t-shirt, and converse. 
• I get to have late conversations in the middle of a parking lot outside of Boba Loca
• I get the opportunity to bake for my students without fear of allergies, health restrictions, and school policies 
• I am called Monte again. No more of this Ms. Montecuollo. 
• I get to see students stretched out of their comfort zones and take risks. 
• I get to see Jesus and the Holy Spirit move on campus. 
• I get to be at the forefront of change and transition (the good kind). 
• I wake up at 8 am. Believe me, this is a blessing when my previous job had me up at 5:30 am. 
• I get to ride a scooter onto campus. 
• Did I mention the part about the scooter, oh yes - it's awesome. 

Love

My love for Northridge, for CSUN, and even for ministry is growing exponentially. All the difficult things that can seem overwhelming just melt when I remember how much I actually love my job. I never thought I would say that. After a year of pain, struggle, frustration, and exhaustion I never thought I would come to a place where I actually love what I do. After a year of feeling unseen, unheard, forgotten, left out, alone, betrayed, a failure - now I feel that no matter what I feel, Jesus actually is in the hardship with me. Because let's face it, I still feel those things sometimes but they no longer over take me.

In short, I just love my job, my city, and my students.

I love that the people I work with have a passion for Jesus. 

I love that the students want to be bold and take risks, even when it makes them feel uncomfortable. 

I love that my students are no longer satisfied with a "cardboard Jesus" faith, and want more. 

I love that my students engage with the Holy Spirit. And even when they don't, they ask themselves "why not" and they sit in the tension of that. 

I love that my students care for the needs of their friends around, even putting others before themselves. 

I love that my students listen - not just to me, but to each other, to their friends, to the Holy Spirit. 

I love that my students speak out against injustice and it breaks their hearts to see others in pain. 

I must be eating my words when I said I would never do InterVarsity Staff. I won't say I will never do stuff again, because it can be just the thing that is the most life giving. 

Separate

One of the disadvantages of our globalized community is that your best friend may life almost 300 miles away.

Why Jesus would you draw us so closely to cities that are so far apart?