Tuesday, February 1, 2011

A Little About Me....

Hey CIRCLE peeps!

Sorry it has taken me a while to post a blog. To be honest with you being consistent in updating a blog is going to be a challenge for me. But I am up for the challenge. With that being said here is a little about myself...

My name is Adrienne Monje and I am 24 years old. I have lived in Orange County my whole life, (but don’t worry I am not your typical “OC” person). I actually hate the term OC. Growing up I loved playing sports and being outdoors. My favorite sport is soccer. Growing up I lived and breathed this sport. I stopped playing when I went to college and now I have the opportunity to coach a team. I am a very active person that loves meeting new people and trying new things. I have 1 sister and 1 brother. Family is the most important thing to me! I love being an aunt to my 2 nieces and nephew. I couldn’t ask for more amazing parents, they have truly made me the person I am today. I hope to one day live up to be half the people they are. I admire them so much.


I grew up in a pastor’s home, so leaving up to the “PK” standard was very difficult and at times hindered my relationship with Christ. I saw my relationship with Christ as something that I needed to have in order to please the expectations of the people in the church. It wasn’t until high school that I truly began to see my relationship with Christ as an intimate relationship versus another religious duty. In the last ten years I have seen my relationship with Christ grow in amazing ways that I could never imagine. He has taken me on a journey that has broken me and formed me into the woman that He has designed me to be.

I am very passionate about children and community outreach. I graduated from Vanguard University in 2008 with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and minor in Cultural Anthropology and Religion. I went back to school and got my teaching credential and start on my master’s degree in 2009. I took a break from school, which was a huge stretch for me because I love school, but I knew that I needed to really focus on what God wanted for my life without being consumed with school. Last year I was blessed with teaching 2nd grade. It was truly a blessing because there weren’t a lot of openings in the public schools in Orange County. I learned so much from my 2nd graders and couldn’t have imagined a better first year of teaching. Due to the education budget cuts there was not an opportunity for me to come back into that district. This past summer was tough because I didn’t know what I was going to do for work. But once again God provided in incredible ways. I currently work for a non-profit called THINK Together as a Director of Shalimar Learning Center. I absolutely love my job because I have the opportunity to work in a community that consists of immigrant families of very low-socio economic status. I have the great privilege of working with their children after school. I have 120 students that come through the center everyday for homework help. I thank God everyday for this job because not only am I able to help these student’s with their school work, but I get to be invested in a community of people that I am passionate about.


I love to travel! When I look back on my life all I can do is thank God for all the experiences he has blessed me with and the places I have been to. My most recent trip was this summer to Haiti with 4 of my friends, where we got to put on a VBS for over 400 kids. I am itching to go back and continuing to build the relationships that were established. But we will see what God has in store, right not I am learning to live in the now and present.


I am really excited for the community of CIRCLES and can’t wait to see how God is going to work in the midst of our relationships. I have been attending Rock Harbor for 7 years and have been longing for a community like CIRCLES. I love the idea of being so raw with each other and knowing that we will always have each other’s back. I can’t wait to grow with each one of you!

Much Love,
Adrienne

7 comments:

  1. Woah! Our backgrounds and the way we were raised are ridiculously similar! Everything from being a PK, sports, amazing parents, etc. I am looking forward to chatting with you and hearing some of your stories =)

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  2. I went to Haiti last summer too! Where did you go and when? I went in May for 10 days and taught VBS to kids in Jacmel.

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  3. So glad you are a part of this group! Thanks for sharing and we will conquer this blog thing together.

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  4. Adrienne,

    Great job with this first post. So glad that you're part of the CIRCLE.

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  5. It's so wonderful to learn a little bit about you!  It's wonderful that God provided you with a teaching opportunity that you love!  And it sounds like a very unique and beneficial way to use your teaching skills.  Also I love that you minored in cultural anthropology and religion!  Anthropology is currently my major and religious studies is my minor and I have no idea what I want to do with it!  I'm glad we have that common interest, I would love to hear about the program at Vanguard!

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  6. your job sounds fantastic. :) nice to meet ya.

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  7. My mom is a second grade teacher as well! I know how you feel about uncertainty when it comes to work, and how God provides exactly what you are needing each and every time

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