Snowed in

Wow, so, it has been a long time since I posted anything substantial on this blog...I know that...I'm trying to decide if I should apologize for business or not. I think I'm just trying to figure out how to keep in touch with people that mean so much to me - people who I've never had to keep in touch with before because they were always just THERE. Plus, this semester is taking a lot of adjusting - just getting used to new schedules and figuring out when to do what homework and what priority to put on certain things. This probably sounds very rambly. I should stick to something more concrete...like class schedules!

M/W/F - I have
OT Survey II
1 Corinthians (which is a class I'm sort of auditing - long story)
Intro to TESOL
T/TH - I have
NT Survey
Bible Geography
Intro to Phil/Christian Worldview
T night I have
Ministry of Women

My classes are excellent, again, although this semester they are more strictly "academic" than last semester (including a lot of history and geography). It's all good, but I'm trying to adjust to the differences, which include a substantial amount more of reading. I have an hour between OT and Chapel on M/W/F, so a friend, Naomi, and I are committing to spend that hour together in the gym. She works out and I read. I should probably work out, too, but at that time of day getting my homework done is doubtless more important. I'm thankful for the arrangement, as it keeps us both accountable and keeps me from wasting that very useful hour.

Lord willing, over spring break, about a dozen of us students are planning to go to Peru to visit Micah and Amy Tuttle, who are missionaries there. There is a lot of prayer and preparation going on concerning that trip, as you can well imagine. At times it scares me and I think "WHAT am I doing?" but other times I get super excited about what the Lord is going to do with this trip. I'm learning a ton already about working with other believers and about trusting the Lord. We are waiting on His guidance and direction. We desire to be willing to accept a "no" answer if He shuts the doors for us, but we are eagerly planning and pressing ahead with plans. He will provide and He will guide us if that is His direction. Please pray with us!

In November, I started meeting with a different assembly of believers at a church called The Great Adventure Church. In some ways their methods for meeting and gathering tend to be a little "unconventional," but I decided to meet with these believers because of the overwhelming love and welcome I felt there. As I've continued there, I have felt more and more at home. I went to a women's brunch on Saturday, we went out to eat as a church on Wednesday night, and this evening one of the families from church had a birthday party for their three-year-old, Allie, and I joined them, along with a number of people from church, for the party. It reminds me so much of growing up in Florida when our family met at home with the Rigsbys and when we would have birthday parties and holidays with Grandma and Grandpa and Danny, Debbie, and A. Jen and even Nelson - and how we all just had so much fun being family in Christ. That's the same way I feel here at GAC. I appreciate that so much. I'm learning SO MUCH about what the body of Christ is supposed to look like. I am blessed so much to see a large body of believers functioning like a true family, giving to and supporting each other, taking care of each others' needs and reaching out in consistent ways to the community around them. What a blessing! I am so thankful for this local church.

Oh, I thought you might all like to know that I am now the (sort of) owner of a fish. That is, I am fish-sitting for two friends who are out of the country at the moment. My two across-the-hall mates, Lisa and Rachel, are doing their Intercultural Studies internships in Yemen and Taiwan, respectively, and I am taking care of their goldfish, Jim, for them while they are gone. I have to change his water every couple of days, and feed him twice a day and such and such. He is a cutie, I must say, but I'm hoping against hope that I won't end up killing him. I'm calling him Jimnasium for short.

It has been in the teens, both above and below zero, here in Iowa for the past two weeks. BRR!!! It keeps snowing, and I don't think the snow is going anywhere any time soon.

Soooooooo....there's a bit of the scoop of what's going on in my life. I could write a lot more, but it would probably fill a book and you are probably already bored. I am sorry I haven't done a better job keeping in touch. Thanks for all your love and prayers.

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also..."