Recent Accomplishments

Well, we are going into our third week here at Columbia and still hanging in there. Greek School is tough, but I am finding ways to understand ancient language and all its patterns, forms, and new vocabulary. So far we have had three quizes and I am making good grades, which I am thankful for. I am discovering I am quite competitive with myself! So I am trying to focus on learning this language the best I can as well as being present with my family. It is a challenge, but God continues to give me the endurance and strength to tackle this task...especially on the difficult days.

Monday night, July 14, the Greek students were invited to the home of Dr. Laura Mendenhall, President of CTS. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with her and her husband, Chuck Mendenhall. They are wonderful people and so down to earth. The evening was great to talk with my fellow students too. A few of the single and married young women without children decided last night to treat all the married with children students to an evening of free babysitting after our midterm exams July 28! They certainly don't have to twist our arms!!! I believe there are 4 students here in the Village (including myself) who are parents. The student community here is amazing and relationships continue to build in support of this intense time of study.

Doug and I were able to have a date night this past weekend. Our wonderful neighbors, Richard and Shay, had the girls over for dinner with their family of five. So while they were all eating Chik-Fil-A, Doug and I walked down the streets of Oakhurst (a cute little neighborhood in Decatur) and had dinner at a great little Italian / Mediterranean restaurant. I had my first entree of Ratatouille, which was very comforting. I couldn't help but think about the rat who made it in the movie! Doug had his favorite dish, lasagna...it is always a good indicator of a quality restaurant. It was a nice evening.....

The girls had their first day of VBS at Clairmont Presbyterian Church, a church we have been visiting the past two Sundays. The VBS theme is Power Lab, which is science related. Richard and Shay's children are going with Devon and Ashley so that they already have a buddy in their classes. Clairmont is a little like Sardis, as they have a small group ministry and are geared to local and international outreach and missions. We had the opportunity to have Sunday lunch with Clairmont's female pastor, who oversees small group ministry, evangelism, and women's ministry. Megan ans her family were so easy to connect with, it seemed like we had known them for a while!!! I am looking forward to getting to know her and her family and gleaning more about the roles of a mother and pastor.

The biggest accomplishments these past few weeks have been that Devon learned how to ride her new bike without training wheels AND Ashley is now learning to ride her big girl bike without training wheels. The past few weeks Ashley has been riding her Razer scooter as fast as she could make it go, which is nearly the speed of light. And to give her extra kudos, she has only wiped out twice!!! So she was beaming as she rode her bike on her own and was even more happy when Doug told her she needed to ride FAST to keep her balance! It was very funny and Devon was ecstatic for her sister.

In closing, we have begun to finally experience some homesickness the past few days. We miss being a part of Sardis Presbyterian's VBS, as it is this week. And sweet Ashley woke up in tears Monday morning because she had had a dream about Boyd. She just stood at the top of the stairs, all sleepy eyed, with crocodile tears streaming down and saying, "I miss Boyd!!!". So we had a tough day yesterday, but something must have been in the air because many students told me they were really homesick too. I think everything is just sinking in for all of us here.

Thank you for all your support and prayers. Please do keep in touch. We are glad you are sharing this journey with us!!!