Monday, December 15, 2008

Time for some rest and reflection

The semester is over.  And what a semester it was.  Classes officially ended on Thursday (with four tests.  whew!!), we celebrated with a dorm Christmas party at our dorm parents' that evening, Friday we cleaned the dorm from top to bottom and packed for Christmas break (Rochelle and I managed to do a cleaning job for our dorm parents that afternoon as well), Saturday was graduation, good-byes, tears, and hugs, and then Rochelle, Hanna and I loaded up the car and turned our sights to New York state.  In spite of the ice storm that hit the New England states, the roads were very dry and we had perfectly clear weather.  It was a fun road trip, but BOY was I glad to pull into that snowy driveway and be rescued by Mr. Seth.  (My poor little car couldn't quite make it up their long, hilly driveway.)  We crashed into bed around 4:30 Sunday morning.

We managed to grab a few hours of sleep before church, then yesterday afternoon we again piled into the car and wound our way through mountain roads and charming Vermont villages that were all decked out for Christmas following the map as best we could before arriving at our final destination in New Hampshire.  And now we're with FAMILY!  I have been longing to spend time with Rochelle's family.  It is interesting how someone can be such an encouragement when you've never actually met them.  Rochelle's family has been missionaries with NTM for the past 20+ years, and I have been so encouraged and challenged by her parents' testimony and example of following the Lord in His work.

And now we have three glorious days stretching out before us before I fly home.  Ah, friends.  Family.  I am blessed.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Meet the little man




I'm an auntie! 



Proud daddy, happy mommy, and little Jacob Lee. 

I can't wait to see him at Christmas!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

It's that time of year




Yesterday it suddenly occurred to me that stores are probably carrying eggnog by now. 

Yum.  :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

November

How did it get to be November?  How did it get to be almost the middle of November??  Ah, well.

Greetings from a cold Michigan!  There have been snow flakes flurrying around in the air the last few days.  Saturday I landed a raking job with my good friend Rochelle.  The job stretched into five hours, and the rain and snow held off until just as we were finishing.  It was quite the job, but it felt good to be doing something more physical.  But oh, my achin' back the next day!  Whew!  They were a dear old couple, and we really enjoyed the day in spite of the cold.  (It stayed in the low 40's.)  We warmed up by sharing a pumpkin spice latte on the way home.

The lady would like us to come back this Saturday too, which is an answer to prayer.  I have not been able to find a job yet, and I am really going to need one for next semester.  Money has never been a concern for me, and it has been another area in which "exercise my faith muscles" and trust God to provide.  I would appreciate your prayers in this matter.  As you are praying, please keep Rochelle in mind as well.  She is a "missionary kid" from Guinea, W. Africa and has become a very close friend.  She too has been unable to find a job, and she is just barely making it financially.  God has been faithful to bring in just what she needs when she needs it, which has been a very encouraging lesson in faith for the both of us.  It is going to take a miracle for her to make the initial payment in January, but we serve a big God.  Thank you for praying with us.  It means so much to me whenever someone tells me that they are praying for me.  If you would like to help financially in any way, please feel free to message me for more information.  (For those who might not know, New Tribes Bible Institute is the first phase of training for New Tribes Mission.)

As a little side note, I filled up my gas tank yesterday for an amazing $1.96/gal.  Who would have thought!  I don't know what gas prices are like in the rest of the country, but they have been simply plummeting here.  Hopefully it will keep up this trend through Thanksgiving.  I am planning to drive down to IN to spend the holiday with my uncle and his family.  My friend Hanna (another MK from Guinea) will be going down with me.  Should be fun!

Classes are going very well.  It is hard to believe that my brain can actually hold anything more.  The phrase "drinking out of a fire hydrant" can definitely apply to my studies here at NTBI.  I am currently taking Ephesians, 1 & 2 Peter, Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation), Christian Apologetics, and Covenant/Reformed Theology.  It has been neat to see how much Ephesians and Peter overlaps.  A few weeks ago I sat down to read Ephesians (I needed a break from Romans), and I was completely overwhelmed by what God has done for me.  Read the first three chapters and make note of how many times the phrases "in Christ," "in Him" is used.  And it was all according to the kind intention of God's will.  It was His pleasure!  Amazing.  Part of our homework for this class has been to read through the book each night.  That is a good way to get familiar with it.  And each time I read it, I notice something new.  God is continually and faithfully changing and conforming my thinking to His.  It is a beautiful thing.

"The word of God is living and active..."

















Hanna, Rochelle, and me.  Dear friends.

Monday, September 22, 2008


Splashes of red and gold have been spotted in some of the tree tops here in Michigan.  Lovely!