The Kick-Off

Well, we’ve been here in Missouri for two weeks and we’re finally getting settled in and just in time for classes. Orientation is coming to an end and we’re kicking off the semester. The apartment we moved into (while not spacious at all) is very adequate and has an efficient layout. It’s probably about ⅔ the size of our apartment in Millersburg, but we love it.

Here's a view from the outside.

It took us a while to get things organized the first week looked a lot like this.

But once we got settled in we felt really good about our place.

Here's one of the kitchen.

The living room is in the same room as the kitchen, but it's cozy.

Our bedroom is tight but we managed to get a queen size bed in there.

In this apartment we also have an office which is a huge blessing. I feel like I need to have some space to work if I'm going to focus well. (I was able to swap out that desk for a huge roll top that I found in the shared furniture store room.)

So that's what home is going to look like for a while.

I can tell from the orientation that we are going to love it here. One of the main emphases that really stuck out to me is that the training center is focused on the learning not the grade, but, even more importantly, they are focusing on our walk with the Lord. Our chapel speaker, who is a missionary in Papua New Guinea, kept emphasizing that no matter how motivated you are, no matter how hard-working, no matter how Biblically knowledgeable, the only thing that will keep you on the field when the going gets rough is a close relationship with Jesus. Just like the branches in John 15 we are not going to last very long if we are not abiding in the vine. Jesus must be the source for our strength or we will fail on our own.

I heard a pastor say on Sunday that Jesus is the good shepherd and we are the sheep. He said something that really resonated with me. A sheep doesn't need to prepare to fight the wolf or the bear. It doesn't matter how much the sheep works out it won't be able to defeat the enemy on its own. The way to defeat the wolf is to stay close to the shepherd. I'm SO thankful that our shepherd, the good shepherd, is there for us to rely on.