Here, There, and Everywhere

Wow, November 8th was a long time. Lots has taken place since then. Kent and I have finished our first semester at NTBI. We will now start on our Sophomore semester when we return in a week. During our first semester we completed Biblical Foundations, Evangelism, Pentateuch, and Old Testament History. Kent also completed Biology,  Hermeneutics, and Proverbs. These studies have grown our understanding about God's sovereignty and his faithfulness. We need to always be seeking a relationship with him.

In Old Testament History (OTH) we were required to do write ups. In these we would take a story of the Old Testament, graph it's story plot and then write about how it applies to our lives. These were very eye opening. I wrote about Luke, our foster son, a lot, about how walking with The Lord will never be an easy walk, how church is so much more than just what makes me feel good, and trusting God when we're uncertain about the steps of faith he's asking us to take. The write ups were a love-hate relationship! Yet in there end we did learn a lot from them.

 The write up that hit me the most was that God was asking me to move on from Luke, our foster son. In 1 Saumel, God asks Saumel how long he would mourn over King Saul. God told him to go and annoint David as king. November 27 was a turning point for me. I realized that I had to move on from my grief about Luke. He was gone and wasn't coming back. It was a huge relief for me. I was free from a burden that had enslaved me for eight months. Now do I still miss him? Sometimes. However, I can think about him in a rational, healthy manner without crying all over the place!

Since school has been out we've been in Bluffton, IN. We're blessed enough to stay at House of Hope while the boys were on Christmas break. Kent helped with the chores and opened and closed the store each day. We were able to have Christmas morning to ourselves, which was a special to me.

Kent has been working at Fairway Flooring since December 23. We knew that he would have a job until January 1 but we didn't think it would go past that. However, Kent proved himself to be a really hard worker and they offered him job for the entire time we were home. God totally took care of this need. Kent's working hard, and I'm so proud of him and how he's caring for our family.

On December 31, we moved all our things over to the Lockwoods. Grady was so excited to be with their daughter, Emry. This was the family that we stayed with this summer. They are such a blessing to us. They received us and all our stuff with open arms. It's always a little crazy with 5 kids and 4 adults in one house but it always seems to work out well!

I'm so thankful for the time we've had herein Bluffton. We've been visiting with friends and family. Kent and I joke that we need to go back to NTBI just to be able to rest. We've also had more down time here than in Jackson, so I found a new hobby. Arm knitting! It's a lot of fun. I've made many scarves, and would love to make a blanket. I wishing could figure something else to make but that's about all I know how to make.

We'll be headed back to NTBI next Monday. That will give us two days to get settled in before we start classes in the 15th. We're thankful for all our time here in Bluffton and look forward to catching up with all our friends in Jackson.