Not Missing!

Dear friends!  I'm sorry I have been MIA for a spell.  I thought this January Term would be slow and relaxing; boy, have I been wrong!

I've been taking a class taught by an entertaining and very knowledgeable professor on the Gospel of John. It's been an 8:30 am everyday sort of class full of lectures, group work and presentations, papers, political jokes, and lots of reading of John.  It has been wonderful experience and makes me wish I had some Greek in me so I better understood some of our texts!  (Some of my peers say this class is good preparation for Greek...mainly the 8:30am class everyday sort of thing).  If one does need to be in class by 8:30 am, this class is at least entertaining and 100% worth waking up for.

The other cool thing about this class is how large it is (was supposed to be 20 yet there are close to 50!!!) and the breadth of experience within this class.  I find myself at times in awe of my peers who are amazing scholars.  They impress me with not only their knowledge, but with their passion for the Word to be at work in their lives'. I feel very much like a sponge in this class, trying to soak it all in and at some point process it all. Dr. Bartlett is such a talented teacher, theologian, and over all fun guy to study with.  I'm so sad he's retiring this spring, but know he'll be around at least to say hello.

In addition to class, I've been blessed to nanny my favorite 2 yr old boy and a sweet little baby girl. It's nice to spend an afternoon at the park blowing bubbles or taking walks and just decompressing from an intense morning of learning.  I have a post in mind for all the things I've learned with this dude, so stay tuned!

I had a lovely visit with my aunt and uncle from Grosse Pointe, MI, who made a visit here on their way to Florida.  We visited the MLK, Jr site and it was fascinating to go again with my aunt who experienced much of the segregation and race riots in Detroit and to hear her perspective.  She taught government and economics ( I think...) in Detroit and to hear her story made it a very memorable time.  My uncle is also very entertaining and we all had a grand time.  I think one of my favorite parts of their visit was just sitting in their hotel room, drinking tea and watching Home and Garden shows.  *sigh* Wouldn't that be nice to do every day?  I'm escaping the city this weekend to go and visit them in Florida and am looking forward to it!

So this has nothing to do with how I study,
 but I do like cats and do have
many books...so....it works!

The last thing (ok, well, one of the last things) I've been working on is preparing for the Bible Content Ordination exam which I will be taking February 3rd.  I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I work towards this goal.  It's basically a 100 question test involving all aspects of the bible and you need to get at least 70 out of 100 right to pass.  I find myself wishing I'd grown up Baptist (mainly because all my friends that are Baptist know the Bible the best...) or at least taken more Bible classes in my undergrad years.  There is one tool that is the BEST help ever, but it still takes mucho time to sit and go through it all. The good news is I can
totally use my kindle fire to take practice tests.  Yee haw.


Finally, I upgraded my phone!  (About time, I know!) Sadly it didn't sync with the old one so I need some numbers.  My number is the same, so just shoot me a text saying who you are so we can keep in touch!

Thanks to you all for your love and prayers!  I'll try to be better about sharing my story as I continue with Spring semester. ~Katy

"Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet especially your family. Be holy – let us pray." 

- Mother Teresa