Please Meet... McKenzie Swan!

McKenzie Swan

1L

Portland, Oregon

Married to Kevin for 1.5 years  (7/11/2010)

No kiddos (well sort of my pup her name is ROO!)

Graduated from Oregon State University (GO BEAVERS!) in Human Development and Family Science with an emphasis in Human Services & Child Development

Currently working for property management

To begin, I would like everyone to know, that without the support of Law Wives, I would not be able to survive this adventure with my husband gone so often. The community that we have together is of incredible value and has helped me grow in the Lord and in my marriage.  Moving across the country can be a time of vulnerability and fear of the unknown. From the time that I arrived in Virginia Beach, I felt welcomed into the Law Wives family as if I had been a member all along. The confidence and reassurance this provided me, allowed me to support my husband and encourage him to do his very best in school, without reservation.

            My involvement in Law Wives includes…well…almost every event! But most of all, weekly bible studies, the progressive dinner, many girls nights and the NightLight event. I feel that each of these opportunities has provided me with the ability to plant roots and has given me a strong sense of community. The Night Light event particularly stood out to me. Although we are all poor “law-student-families”, the Night Light event showed me just how lucky we all are, and also showed me just how much of God’s love is needed in the world.  In addition to the Night Light event, I really enjoyed the girls nights, where I was able to leave any stress from work or home behind, and fellowship with an incredible group of women. Kevin likes it too because I am able to talk your guys’ ears, so when I get home I don’t have any more of my words left for the day to use J

            Much of my vision for this coming year with Law Wives comes from two things; the Night Light event and girls nights. First, I feel that because we as a group are the hands and feet of God, we need to act out our faith in a manner that continues to express God’s love to those in need. The Night Light event opened my eyes as to how impactful such an incredible group of women could be to a community. I see Law Wives holding simple, yet impactful events like volunteering at a food bank or homeless shelter, or volunteering with an organization that helps children in need. Whatever the event, I see a great power that could be harnessed if we all regularly come together to serve in our busy lives.

Second, I see a continuation of the ever-important girls nights. Lets be real, we all need a break, a time to laugh, a time to cry (if need be), and a time to let our hair down and just be there for each other…if your not careful Ashley and I will do our famous stand up comedy J In general, I want to continue regular get togethers! I feel this is important because it helps me keep a balance of time with my husband but also allows me to encourage him to invest as much time as needed in his school. The more events I have to go to, the less pressure my husband has to extra time with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with Kevin, but without Law Wives, he would feel bad when always leaving me at home alone!

            Throughout undergrad, I was disciple by several women within the Navigator Ministry. I feel that their guidance and personal attention to the growth and strengthening of my faith has equipped me to be light to other incoming Law Wives. During college I also lead small “women’s group” Bible studies and mentored younger women within my sorority. I feel that I can apply this experience to be impactful for the Law Wives in whatever capacity is needed and to support incoming Law Wives. I also was greatly involved with Greek Life where I held many positions such as, risk management, Chapter Development and was on the board in the house, which had 80 woman members. It taught me how to organize, plan and execute big events effectively and managed to create a sense of community with in a large organization and of course HAD FUN DOING IT!

            I want to be on the board because I value relationships and fellowship more than anything. Being very apprehensive to move across the country, I know what it feels like to be scared out of your mind and have so much unknown that you don’t even know where to start. I want to be there relationally for the next generation of Law Wives. In addition, I want to continue to help grow the relational environment through the continuation of current activities and by adding some others that are described above. I feel that I can help our organization preserve the foundation that has been set before us as well as be of impact to my friends and future members.