That's right, it has been almost a month since I have posted.  Life has been a little crazy this month.  I was in class for two weeks from 8am-5pm and I think every ounce of my energy was zapped from that.  The week post class I spent holed away in the library working on class assignments.  If you need me this week I will be there again.  Life has been hard and challenging this summer as the Lord continues to stretch and refine me.  There have still been more goodbyes to fill the summer which is always saddening.

This weekend though was a whirlwind with most of the family here for a visit.  We ate our way through STL.  Now, I need a week or two of serious working out.  We hit three donut shops, Anheuser-Busch and Schlafly tours, Crown Candy Kitchen, hung out with my STL family, walked the Botanical Gardens and made our way around town.  Now back to the real world.  So thankful to rest today!

sweetness

These girls know the way to my heart.  What a fun and sweet way to end a day.  All four of us are currently in different cities for work and vacation and yet because of technology we  are all able to share a few laughs and stories with each other.  Thank you to these wonderful ladies for being such a blessing in my life!  Last night was a technology victory for all four of us!

Moving!

Today is my final day on campus.  I am washing my sheets now and will pack up all that remains to move over to the new house tonight! I'm halfway unpacked at the new house but still have lots left to do.  I forgot how many shoes I own!  Looking forward to settling in this next week.

oldie but a goody

Yesterday I spent some quality time with Nana.  We went out to lunch and then back to her house to look at pictures.  We went through 8 reels of slides.  We found some really great pictures from mom's childhood.  Here are a couple for enjoyment.

Wrestling or Rasslin'

This past weekend I spent a few days in Lawrenceville, GA (not to be confused with Atlanta).  MTW had a Vision Retreat for three days that I attended to learn more about short and long term options.  The weekend at MTW headquarters was wonderful.  I had the opportunity to interact with many of the staff members and recruiters from the organization.  Different departments shared what they do, their interactions with missionaries, and why so many of them have been there 10+ years.  I think what I loved most about this experience was seeing how much the MTW staff cares for, loves, and prays for their missionaries.  While there I also got to hear from five different missionary families.  I had some really valuable time learning about the missionaries, sharing my story with them and getting really great feedback. We also spent time in prayer with each other which was wonderful.  I met missionaries from Australia,  Australia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Peru.  All of them in different stages of time in the field. I appreciated the honesty of the missionaries as they shared their experiences, their struggles and God's faithfulness through it all.  They talked about God's sovereignty, his perfect plan, and our own pride.
I think my favorite part of the trip was that I had time for great one on one conversations with many of the missionaries to learn more about them and their experiences.  They were interested in hearing about me and my call.  Dr. Kooistra, the head of MTW talked with us about support raising and what it means to be called. 

My prayer is that the Lord would continue to make my next steps clear.  That he would continue to give me clarity as I move forward in my final year at CTS.  That he would give me a burden for a people group whether it is stateside or abroad and that my heart would be open to his direction and call on my life. 


To those that are considering the Vision Retreat (you know who you are), I highly recommend it.  Even if the area of the world you are interested in serving is not present MTW will arrange a time for you to speak with someone from the Resource Team to learn more about opportunities.  The time with staff and missionaries was very encouraging.  They were able to answer questions and concerns.  I still do not know what my next steps will be but feel at peace and encouraged knowing that I can't make a wrong decision about it. 

Another pictureless one

Sorry folks. Not too much to capture around here.  Life has been slow lately with no class, not much work and a lot of hanging out.  I am trying to enjoy the slowness as it is all about to change in a few weeks!
I leave town tomorrow for my vacation in Huntsville.  I will be around town from Tuesday until Monday.  After my stint at home I will hit the ground running here in STL with internship! I will start seeing clients soon after I get back.  I have 2 already!
My goal now is to have as much packed as possible for my move at the end of the month so it won't be too terrible come the final days.

Officially...

It feels like summer.  The Browns were kind enough to include me in the family pool package this summer.  Now, I have access to the pool any time I want!  After my first trip to the pool this week it really does feel like summer.  Oh how I have missed the pool.  STL pools are not your average, run of the mill community pool.  These things have big slides, lazy rivers and zero entry play areas.  It is like your own small water park for the community.  It sure beats the heck out of the swim team pool.
Now, all I need is some shaved ice to seal the deal that summer is here!