Move-in day ... busy, tiring ... and blessed!

It was 'college dorm move-in day' for us here at the University of Oklahoma, as Younger Son takes that next big step ... which is why we spent the day with thousands of others just like us - students, parents, siblings, whatever - converging upon the campus, filling the streets and the parking lots, the elevator lobbies and the hallways, helping youngsters move-in.

And while we may be relatively new to all this, the university has been doing this for a loooong time, and has used that time well to identify what works and what doesn't work, and what steps they can take to make the process smoother and easier. Sure it was busy and tiring ... but, really, it went very, VERY well.

The university's efforts were well-complemented by the efforts of local campus ministries ... teams of young adults in identifying tee-shirts, some with carts perfectly suited to dormitory elevators and hallways and some without, greeting people in the parking lots and guiding them to their dorms, and carting all the luggage/the bedding/the toiletries/the electronics/you-name-it. It's a wonderful perk for the visitors, but it's also a good opportunity for the ministries ... for service, for fellowship and outreach.

Here's one of the move-in crews from St. Thomas More University Parish and Student Center ...

Still other groups were busy on the roads leading to the dormitories, going car-to-car in the slow-sometimes-stopped traffic and offering free apples and bottled water. Thanks to them, and to young adults from other student ministries around campus, move in day was busy, it was tiring ... BUT it was also blessed!