List'ning every moment to the Spirit's call
Resting in my Savior as my All in All,
Standing on the promises of God.
Beautiful words, huh? That pretty much sums up the whole of my first few weeks in St. Louis. I'm just waiting, trusting, and taking comfort in knowing He holds the ultimate plan. As long as I'm constantly seeking His face, I'll find my way.
Anyway, life in the 'Lou is great. I spend my time listening, learning, reading, writing, and sharing. In case I've skipped a step and haven't told you what I'm doing, here's a brief summary:
Because of my Meme's influence, I've always looked up to and admired the work of Phyllis Schlafly--one of the most incredible, devout, conservative activists of the last few decades. She has an organization called Eagle Forum (www.eagleforum.org), and I have the opportunity to serve as an intern. My desk is right outside her office in the "Education Center," located in downtown Clayton.
This is a super-old picture of the building. Now there are high rises all around it as Clayton is a very industrialized area.
I'm loving every minute of my internship. Half the time, I don't even feel like an intern as I've written book reviews, done some graphic design, written blog posts, and have brainstormed ways to expand the "Collegians" part of the organization. I'm really working on keeping the Collegians blog up-to-date. (www.efcollegians.org) Click on the "blog" tab at the top.
One of my first out-of-the-office experiences came with a trip to Missouri's capital, Jefferson City. The Executive Director at the Education Center allowed me to accompany her and the Collegians Director, Blake, to a "State Sovereignty" rally that was to promote a healthcare bill proposed in the Missouri legislature. It was an INCREDIBLE experience. There were about 5 or 600 Missourians there in support of their state's rights.
Some of the attendees:
My living situation is PHENOMENAL. For those of you in Snyder, you know the Cox family. If you don't, they're a sweet family from my hometown. Anyway, Elliot's sister lives up here, and she is an absolute gem! Not only has she offered me her home, but she is a constant encouragement and spiritual leader in the midst of a very challenging and confusing time in my life. She is definitely a God-send, and I'm so thankful the Lord is blessing me through getting to know her.
Emily's cute house that she's sharing with me:
I've been attending church with her at First Evangelical Free Church. It's HUGE, but I never leave the doors of the church without having experienced true worship in the midst of a very intentional congregation.
One of the GREATEST parts of being in the STL is how much time I'm getting to spend with my Kanakuk families. They bless me so much. The past couple of weeks, I've been meeting one of my faves, Julie, at the athletic club her family belongs to so that we could practice her free throws. Her work paid off as she got THIRD in a free throw shooting contest at her brother's JV basketball game. This is Jules stepping up to the free throw line during the contest.
I've also been able to spend time with some of my kampers that I counseled two years in a row--the Moore and Stipanovich families. GREAT kids and SUCH sweet families!!
That's about all I've got for now, besides the fact that I'm CRAVING Texas. Literally--craving. It's SO cold here. And,I just can't get past the random snows. Ugh. Oh well, this too shall pass. :)
But, the moral of the story is: The Lord is blessing me in more ways than I could ever imagine.
Blessings on each of you!!
Oh--and, no word on law school yet. Been rejected from Baylor and Univeristy of Houston, so at least we know I won't be either of those places. ;)
Continue to pray for Craig, Maggie, Brynne, and Koda--still no answers for Brynne. On that note, I'd like to take a minute and share what an incredible cousin I have. In the midst of such hurt and confusion, Maggie's been such an inspiration and a genuine testimony of the strength and faith only found in Jesus. She handles everything with such grace and brings such glory to the Lord's name. So many lives have been touched and blessed by this sweet woman, when in reality, we should be the ones blessing her. All that to say--pray for this sweet family: for strength, patience, endurance, and that the Lord would, in His time, provide answers!
Look at these two beautiful faces. Brynne's 1st birthday:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21
