It has been months since I have posted to this blog! Getting adjusted to our new life has taken longer than I expected and adjusting to changes at our age has been challenging, yet exciting.
Gus finished his first semester of seminary the first week in December. It went by so fast and Gus is amazed that he has lived through Hebrew. There were many times during the semester when he thought it would drive him out of his mind. Over break he will continue to study it so he doesn't forget anything when Hebrew starts again next semester. His full time job as a paralegal is going well and he is enjoying the people he is working with at the firm. There are many Christians there, a few of them very passionate Catholics, so Gus is having some invigorating discussions with them. One of the name partners really likes Gus and has given us his great tickets to a few University of Louisville basketball games with VIP lounge access - very fun! Gus has also gotten on the nursing home preaching rotation with our church and is really enjoying preaching there on Sunday afternoons. One of the residents there is Catholic and she calls all the guys that come to preach "Father". Zachary got a big chuckle out of that! Zachary and I go with Gus when he preaches and we enjoy helping him with the residents and last week we sang Christmas carols with them. Zachary wouldn't sing, but he loved helping the ladies back to their rooms.
Our home in Newport News finally sold - PRAISE THE LORD! It took almost two weeks past the original date to close, but as of Friday it is done! I can't begin to describe the feeling of having that burden lifted. Paying that house payment every month for the past six months has wiped away everything we had left. We had to sell the house at such a reduced amount that we are making very little off the house. But it will help pay Gus' tuition and we are so grateful to the Lord for that. He is truly humbling us to rely on His provision as we have not done since Gus was in law school - we have been totally relying on ourselves for far too long. It has been challenging and at times difficult, so we covet your prayers that we will continue to rely totally and completely on Him.
I completed my first class at the Seminary Wives Institute on Spiritual Disciplines. It was an insightful, challenging, and motivating class. We used the book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Don Whitney for the class and the author's wife, Caffe Whitney, was the teacher of the large group and my small group leader was Jodi Ware, Bruce Ware's wife. Dr. Ware is one of the foremost theologians in the country and his wife is a wonderful example.. I was wonderful to be in a group with these two women. I had an accountability partner that I met with every week and we encouraged each other in prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, Scripture memorization, fasting, worship, service and many other areas. Can't wait for my next class to start and I'll be taking Baptist Beliefs with Dr. Al Mohler, the president of the seminary, and Dr. Russell Moore, vice president of the seminary and Dean of the School of Theology. Gus is so jealous that I will take a class taught by these two men before he does!
Zachary's adjustment to all our changes has been an amazing gift from God. Outside of the difficulties of homeschooling a 13 year old, middle schooler, with the same controlling personality as his mother, he is doing great. He loved his travel soccer club this fall and is now playing on an indoor soccer league. We are so pleased with the leadership of his youth group at our new church and he is making lots of new friends there. His Sunday School class actually teaches their lessons right from the Bible - imagine that! No books, no pamphlets, just Scripture and its application to their lives. There are also several kids close to his age in our apartment complex and he loves being able to go to the gym and the recreation center and hang out. One of the kids from his Sunday School class spent the night last night and he was so happy!
Well this is long enough for now. I hope to post more frequently now that we have adjusted to things better and maybe even upload some pictures of activities since we have been in Kentucky. Here is how you can pray for us:
* pray that we continue to deal with the challenges of living in this very old campus apartment with grace and thankfulness;
* pray that I don't pull out all my hair homeschooling my very smart and sweet, yet challenging child;
* pray that Gus will continue to have the physical and mental strength to work a full-time job, be a student, husband to a challenging and difficult wife, and father to a teenager, a grown son, and a future daughter-in-law (phew! when I say all that I realize how easy my job is compared to his!).
"In every situation, in every problem, in every location, in every relationship, every moment in time, God is at work." Paul Tripp
