Adventures with Mary Kellye

I have spent the last five weeks living out of a suitcase, sleeping on someone else’s couch, working 40 hours a week for no pay, and spending 2 ½ hours a day on public transportation. And I have loved every minute of it! I met the Lees three years ago when they moved to Tuscaloosa to do college ministry. I had the privilege of working with Lindsey in the college office for the past two years. Needless to say, I was sad to hear they were moving to San Francisco but excited for their new adventure with Epic Church! Several months ago, Lindsey casually mentioned that if I wanted to come to San Francisco for my internship I would have a place to stay. If you have ever met Lindsey you know that she wouldn’t have made an offer like this it wasn’t genuine. So I accepted her offer, which I think surprised the Lees as much as it surprised myself.

Fast-forward to six weeks ago. The Lees arrived in San Francisco with their moving van on a Monday. I arrived Wednesday. Since the moment I got off the plane they have been helping me fall in love with this city. Some of my favorite experiences include:

• Celebrating my birthday with the whole Epic gang (Ben Lee was kind enough to bake a cake)
• Saturday mornings at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
• Exploring neighborhoods in the city on Saturday afternoons with a rotating cast: our gracious friend Josh, varying members of the Epic team, and our friend Hannah, also from Tuscaloosa
• Experiencing the beginning of Epic Church as we met for dinner on Sundays
• Girl’s Night at the Orpheum Theatre to see Wicked
• The Musee D’Orsay Imressionism exhibit at the De Young Museum
• Celebrating my last night in the city with tapas in the Mission and gelato in Inner Sunset

Needless to say, this has been an incredible summer. I had a great learning experience working at the San Francisco VA for my nutrition internship. I also got to join some dear friends as they navigated their way through their first few weeks in San Francisco. I am so grateful for their generosity and unrelenting desire to share their home with me. I will return to Tuscaloosa with countless wonderful memories and a heart for San Francisco! God is truly at work in this city and I can’t wait to see how he chooses to use the Lees and Epic Church.

- Mary Kellye