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An open letter to my congregation:<\/p>\n
My dearest friends…..no strike that, my dearest family.\u00a0 I missed you all very much this Christmas.\u00a0 This is the first time in several years that I have not spent my Christmas Eve service at Trinity and you were all missed.\u00a0 Although I went to a service out in Galena where I attend, it just was not the same.\u00a0 There is something very special about my family at Trinity.<\/p>\n
It has been now a full year since moving to Wartburg.\u00a0 There has been some great things that have happened under the watchful eyes of God.\u00a0 Below is a list of things that have happened out here:<\/p>\n
Went on a January term to Milwaukee for Urban Ministry.<\/p>\n
House in Elburn sold on a short sale.<\/p>\n
Kris moved on campus in March.<\/p>\n
Passed all my classes in Spring 2012 term…including Exegetical Greek.<\/p>\n
Travis started working at Best Buy.<\/p>\n
Successfully completed CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) in Chicago.<\/p>\n
Our dog Tank passed away.<\/p>\n
Becky was able to volunteer for part of the Summer at Lincoln Park Zoo.<\/p>\n
Becky made it through a summer without getting seriously injured, again.<\/p>\n
Kris transferred from one department to another at work.<\/p>\n
Had a wonderful fund-raiser by my family at Trinity.<\/p>\n
I was officially endorsed to continue Seminary. (YEA!!!!)<\/p>\n
Kris started to lead a Bible Study for Seminar spouses.<\/p>\n
The kids and I had a great Thanksgiving at my sister’s house in Glen Ellyn.<\/p>\n
I passed another term of Seminary, no Hebrew needed for me.<\/p>\n
We applied for internship, with a restriction to stay on campus.<\/p>\n
(We find out about internship site, March 2013)<\/p>\n
Becky was awarded a Letter for academics, for a GPA 3.5 or higher in a year.<\/p>\n
Kris received a small bonus, named employee of the month.<\/p>\n
Kris wins iPad at work.<\/p>\n
Becky gets iPad for Christmas.<\/p>\n
The kids and I drive through a blizzard to see my great aunt in Georgia.<\/p>\n
The kids and I sat on I-74 for 7 hours stuck on the road in the blizzard.<\/p>\n
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What is coming up?<\/p>\n
What we know for sure is that I am headed on January 1, to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for a 10 day cross cultural class.\u00a0 Myself and two others leave via my car at 6 AM on the 1st.\u00a0 We are all excited to go and learn.\u00a0 We each had to read two books before going.\u00a0 I really enjoyed “Neither Wolf Nor Dog”. <\/i>\u00a0This a fictional book about a couple of old Indian men who live on the Pine Ridge reservation.\u00a0 Even though this is fiction, it is based upon facts as presented by an old Indian man that wanted His story told.\u00a0 It is a\u00a0 great read and I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n
On February 16th at 2 PM and 7 PM, I will be performing in “The Living Last Supper”\u00a0 <\/i>at Turner Hall, Galena Illinois.\u00a0 I will be playing the part of James and will be opening up the play.\u00a0 There is no charge for the event and it is on a first come first serve seating.\u00a0 In the past, there have been over 200 in attendance.\u00a0 Having never been on stage before, nor acted, other than acting up, I am a little nervous.\u00a0 However, practice has been going well.\u00a0 I know that God is pushing me again.\u00a0 This time I did not wait for the two by four upside the head.<\/p>\n
As the next semester starts, I look forward to my next preaching class.\u00a0 The last professor I had, is on sabbatical right now so I get to have the perspective of another professor and from a female perspective too.<\/p>\n
The last big event that we will, as a family be awaiting, is the selection by Wartburg of our internship site.\u00a0 We have some input on this and have put in a request with documentation of reasons for a restricted internship that will allow us to stay living on campus.\u00a0 This does not mean this will happen.\u00a0 The school does try to honor most requests on the other hand.\u00a0 There are potential downsides to restricting on internship.\u00a0 The biggest being financial.\u00a0 Normally housing and insurance is covered for me on internship.\u00a0 Additionally a stipend of around $1,000 a month is also paid.\u00a0 Any and all of these may or may not be covered by staying locally.\u00a0 The financial end is covered by the internship church.\u00a0 Since some local churches are being asked to do internship, there may not be funds to cover my expenses, so we will have to take out more school loans.\u00a0 We always manage to get by financially.\u00a0 God has our backs.<\/p>\n
We as a family have learned many things while being out here.\u00a0 God always has our backs and everything somehow works out.\u00a0 Being in community we have learned to depend upon friends.\u00a0 By becoming less able to be “self reliant” has been a humbling experience for us.<\/p>\n
God bless each and everyone of you in this next year.<\/p>\n
Check out the Dill blogs:<\/p>\n
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