Whoooh

Hey Gang! It's officially over!! (thankyouJesus) It was a good semester; though all the grades aren't in yet, I believe I pulled off a 3.0 overall. The last few days have given rise to reflection and refreshment. It has been a very streaching semester and time, but in a good way for the most part. There have been a few sleepless nights, but more over the transition into being a Coloraden and single here than over classes. I feel good about the work I did this semester and content in my progress with friends. I'm also profoudly grateful for my friends back in RI. Though I may not have gotten to talk to many of you as much as I would have liked, I have been happy and grateful for your friendship and support. I am between worlds and feel content in God's grip of grace.

I thought I'd share some nuggets I gleaned this semester, mostly though my Gospel and Acts, New Testament class with Dr. Craig Blomberg - you may know these, but they were (mostly) new to me!
- Paul wrote his Epistles before the Gospels were written
- The cursing of the Fig tree (When Jesus was entering Jerusalem) was an illustration by Jesus demonstrating the impending judgment and destruction of Israel
- Mark was written around 20 years after Jesus' death/ress.; which makes it one of the most reliable document history (most biographies about a famous person weren't recorded until hundreds of years after the fact)
- Luke and Acts were originally meant to be one continuous book/ presented together (and together they form a chiasm!)
- Paul was tri-lingual (Greek, aramaic, Hebrew) and wasn't afraid to contextualize the Gospel when necessary
- The feeding of the 5,000 was primarily to a Jewish audience; the feeding of the 4,000 was primarily to a Gentile audience (signifying Jesus' upcoming call to the nations)
- The healing of the deaf mute in MK 7:31-7 was meant to e a sign of the age to come where people would be healed by God and be able to hear and speak clearly

Well - hopefully that was fun! Over the break, I'll be doing odd jobs, resting and studying Greek to prepare for next semester. I'll be taking an interim class from Jan 9-20 and start the Spring the semester on the 23rd. I will be taking a more reasonable 14 credit course load. I'll be taking systematic Theology I (Jan 9th class), Sys. Theo. II, Greek 2, Epistles and Revelation, Mentored ministries (2 classes of this), and The Many Faces of Chaplaincy.

Praise God:
- For a successful semester academically
- New friends and community
- Old friends

Pray for:
- A restful break
- Good short jobs/projects
- Finances
- stregnth for the next semester

WOW!

Hey Gang - Thanks so much for all your prayers! It's been a SUPER EVENTFUL month! So much so, that I had to write early.
First of all, thanks for the prayer for midterms - it really did last for 4 weeks ending at Thanksgiving break. So far, everything I've gotten back I've done well on though am still waiting to get most grades back (Keep praying those miracle prayers!)

My first Thanskgiving in CO was a smashing success! My good friend Michele (old roommate from College) came out from RI (AND tutored me in Greek as she has recently finished seminary herself!), three people from my apartment came and two new friends (Sara Massy and her sister Jill - for those of you who know them) from back East came as well.
We had a great time getting to know each other and sharing what we're thankful for this year. It seemed like it was very meaningful for all of us in very different ways. Some folks didn't have anyplace else to go and no other offers, so this was a really blessing to them (and me too!) We had dinner at 1:30pm and I kicked the last guest out at 10pm; a good time was had by all.
Next piece of news! I am officially 2LT Chaplain King! I finally got my paperwork over the break and swore in officially this morning! My advisor in the school is a retired Air Force Lt Co., so she was allowed to swear me in - see pics! I will be scheduled to got to basic this summer! I'm really excited about this - I've been working on it for SO long and was wondering if the Lord was really going to let me do this after all! Thanks to all of you who keep me in prayer about this new calling!
















Prayer for December:
Praise God:
- For such success so for this semester!
- For surviving midterms
- For a new mentor! (We got 1 - a wonderful covenant pastor - Win Jackson-Houwen)
- For the EXCELLENT apologetic conversation I had with my neighbor Jeff - I was able to ask him to help me with my paper at the TG dinner and we talked last Saturady for 4 hours! I think trust was built with him and God is beginning to be revealed!

Pray:
- I still need to arrange 1 more mentor for next semester - pray that God would set the right MILITARY person for me (preferably Army!)
- For stregnth to finish well - two weeks after this one left!
- For wisdom about what to do with the Christmas break and good rest before tackling a January Term class (ystematic Theology I)
- Pray for Jeff - he's not super far from the Kingdom - pray he comes in!

Also, would you pray about helping me out with book money this semester? If you were thinking of giving me a gift for Christmas, that would be what I need most - thanks! - Ter

I think I can...I think I can...

Hi y'all! Sorry its been so long - midterms spread out for three weeks, and I'm still shoveling out! (I'm just down to one Greek exam and a 13 page paper due next week.) So much has been happening, and yet so little's really new since our last 'chat.' I've settled into a fairly good routine of daily study and spending time with new/growing friendships. It has become increasingly difficult to balance the hefty load I've taken on at school with spending time with people to develop truly quality relationships. So far God has been very gracious to me in balancing my time. I'm mentally fatigued, but emotionally pretty good (a nice change of pace from my former life). There are some things that I'm in great need for the Lord's intervention - please pray with me this month for:

- I really need 2 mentors starting next semester. Part of my degree requires I have 2 mentors, one in my field and one in my denomination. My pastor here is praying about taking on the role, but it looks like he's going to be too busy with other DenSemers who've already asked him - please pray for wisdom for him as he prays to decide if he can mentor me as well. Baring that, please pray God gives me a good other option in my denomination (I think it has to be locally). So far, it also looks like both my mentors will in all likelihood be men. While this is not inherently bad, I would appreciate prayer that God would somehow contrive for one of them to be a wise woman - I will be working with these folks for the next 3 years, it'd be nice to have one wise woman's voice as well!

- Please pray for continued good health and strong will to finish the semester well. Though I am though the most difficult part of the semester (finals doesn't look as bad as what I've just done), there are still lots of details to be cleaned up - I still can blow it - please pray God's strength for me.

- I will be having an apologetic discussion with someone in my building this month (probably this guy named Jeff). This is for my apologetics class, but please pray it would be a good and right conversation with the right person. That God would give me skill, grace and courage as I take this up in the next few weeks. Pray the Jesus would be spoken, heard and received!

- Please pray for me especially these next 2 weeks as I take this Greek exam and write this paper - I'm very nervous about them both and they count significantly towards my overall grades in both classes.

- I live in a relatively poor apartment complex in a working class neighborhood. For Thanksgiving I've invited my building to get together to share the holiday. So far there are few takers, but pray that Jesus would call the stragglers (like me) together and that no one would feel shame at having no where else to be. Pray that it would be an opportunity to share the love of Christ in each other's fellowship here.

Thanks Gang - your notes and prayer are truely a blessing on my life - Love, Ter

It's Getting Hotter...

Hey Gang - well, I sit down tonight to write you in week 6 (of 14) - almost halfway there! Boy, is it getting hot in here or is it me? I see why folks were worried about me taking 17 credits this semester...don't think I'll do that again...Classes are going well so far, though I am heading into the heart of the semester in the upcoming weeks. I am nervous about it all, but so far am holding it together. I met with my advisor today and she seemed to think I was on the right track, so that was encouraging.

In the meantime (i.e. the rest of my life...yes, there is a little), Church has become much more friendly - I think people are more sensitive to new folks now that it's the fall. I've joined a short term small group that meets Tuesday nights (it has folks who are new or haven't been in a small group before) and I'm checking out a Sunday night group that meets every other week. My pastor is in this one and I think I want to ask him if he'll be one of my mentors for the next few years, so this is a chance to get to know him better in the context of community as well as get to know others in the church. This group only meets 2x a month, so it's a little easier on my academic life.

On the job front, I've picked up a little sideline gig cleaning a house twice a month and I just started teaching guitar to a guy in my church. These are fun, don't eat up a ton of time and pay well. This is helpful, as I think Fred (my truck) is about to have some more problems...

On the life front, I've found myself thinking a lot this past month (what's new...). I've been re-opening some issues of singleness that I thought I'd put behind me. This has been somewhat disorienting and anxiety producing, but I think it's something I've put off for a long time. In RI (no offence guys!), there just wasn't anyone in my circles or place in life available to date. Out here, both in the seminary and in my church, there are (Spiritually) attractive and available guys...I'm really not used to this...So, unfortunately, I see some of my old defense mechanisms coming out (to fend off guys I know/knew I shouldn't have dated), but now there's no good reason for it, I'm just nervous.

This readily ties into a 'Theology of Suffering' I've been thinking about/ God has been developing in me for the past few years. Part of the argument goes like this: The Gospel was never designed to make us physically safe (read any NT book - the church was under constant persecution from within and without) - it was desined to give us the truth and show us the way out of our sin - in fact, a large part (quite probably the main way)of how the Gospel was spread was due to the persecutions driving Christians to the 'ends of the earth' (great commission anyone?) and the witness they gave as they stood under unjustified persecution. There's more theologically I could add to this, but I do actually want you to read this so, I'll be brief(er). (And don't worry, I'm not out of touch with the Joy of the Gospel, either.)

When you ask an American what to do about a problem, they will almost always say, "Solve it." When you ask a Canadian, they will almost always say, "Cope." The early church was powerless to solve the problem of their suffering; they had to cope - involving prayer, hope in God and the resurrection. I guess, as the singleness thing hits me, I'm struck by two things: one, I feel aware that there are things that I am free to do because I do not have a family whose wellbeing I must (and would want to) put ahead the mission I'm involved in. On the one hand that's appealing, but on the other, it can be very lonely at times. I do know that I am built to work best in partnership, and marriage, it seems to me (you married folks can chime in!) that even if you and your spouse aren't in the same line of work, having a 'home base' with each other can be a pretty great thing. Thus comes the suffering part. Which is better? (I don't buy that 'better' is the right qualifier...) Is it merely a matter of what you can stand (ie cope with, or perhaps even just be content with)? That feel like a negative argument for both singleness and marriage...I don't like that... A friend gave me the book 'Sacred marriage' before I left RI, and while I haven't read it yet, I did read the back (lame, I know). It posed a great question - what if marriage is more about making us Holy than it is about making us happy? I've been thinking about that one the last few months as well. (Don't worry, I don't think life is all suffering, just trying to figure out (solve? humm) what is a Biblical life that must, necessarily (Christian or not, even!) include suffering.

Well, that's it for now, my brain is fried. Do feel free to comment on this and PLEASE pray for me. Sorry about the heaviness of this one guys!


October Prayer Requests:
- 2 major papers due this month; please pray that I would have time and spirit to do the necessary research and that I would truly be changed by what I'm doing. Pray that I would be able to keep up with the workload.

- social life - God is developing one for me. Please pray that I would be wise in how I engage it.

- Singleness stuff...

- Please pray for my truck - I can't afford to have it seriously break down right now.

- Please pray for my Dad (Leo) and his new French wife, Christianne - they are becoming involved in the Mormon church and are going through the joys of the first year of marriage - pray especially for Christianne as she is going through culture shock on top of it all (they live in FL).

-Please pray for my 'soundness of being' - sorry, don't have a better way to ask this.

Thanks guys - love y'all- Ter

Wicked Smaat

I can spell and understand the Greek Alphabet. I now understand the progression of time between the second captivity (Persian rule) in the Bible (Jeremiah) and Jesus' preaching. I can now leap tall buildings.... no, wait, that's next week...

Hi! It's been an enlightening two weeks and, not to mention comprehensively exhausting! I have literally spent ALMOST (not quite, due to re-developing the discipline of 'all consuming work' - that's a virtue, right?) every moment not in class, reading. I've read about the History of Biblical Interpretation, History of the Jews, Greek Grammar (!), Apologetics (in SPADES!), the crisis in the N. American church in Mission, and (thankfully brief due to everything else) Learning Styles. For the most part, I'm having a great time! (Bonnie - you would LOVE my apologetics class - it's scaring the socks off of me! The professor is very opinionated, but also very rational and direct.) I am quickly becoming a coffee drinker (still just decaf, but I know...it's a gateway drug...but tea takes too long now in my little bubble)

In the social scene (yes, there is a mild one still able to function), I've started running with Jessica, a USAF Chaplain candidate and I'll be studying with Sarah this Saturday for Greek. I'm still getting together with Jennifer (my next door neighbor) occasionally and am considering taking on a 4hr a week cleaning job with her to save some $ for books next semester. My world is a lot smaller here and I am still in the phase where I appreciate that, though my tendency to network and include people is making this a difficult lifestyle to maintain! I am finding though, that I will need to read/study/write during most of my waking hours. I am aware that I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Despite that, I still feel that I should continue (at least for this semester) and see what comes of it.

Times with God have been very encouraging. I've felt very disoriented especially these past two weeks as I've been adjusting to the workload, but I have felt the Lord encouraging me in this endeavor and giving me great patience and grace with myself and others. It has been of great encouragement to me as well to get various ems and letters of encouragement from you all - I have counted them among the ways the Lord is caring for and encouraging me here. Please, do stay in touch! (Though it may take me longer to get back to you now - but please don't give up on me!)

Prayer Requests:
- I've been hearing from some of my former students at RIC and it sounds like they're doing GREAT; as such, they're under some moderate Spiritual attack, so please pray with me this month for them as they get back into the swing on campus and meet new people (including their new staff worker Kathy Cooper!)

- Please pray that God with continue to 'terraform' my mind so as to be able to process/integrate complex material quickly - pray this especially for my Apologetics class - there's a lot to catch up on here in terms of learning about formal Logic and Philosophy.

- Pray that I would acquit myself well on papers that are beginning to come due starting this week and as I learn a new paper formatting style. Pray that God would give me favor, inspite and wisdom as I write.

- Pray that God would continue to show me a proper balance of work and play here - that I would have enough of both.

- Please send me any prayer requests you have as well - we do pray at the beginning of each class and it is not uncommon for us to bring our personal requests in as well.

**Please note, that due to the increased work load, I'm going to have to start writing monthly now - though I will still be checking this site daily to see what y'all have to say!***

Bureaucracy and the Mundane

A slice of the mundane...

(Early July)
Me thinking: I need to close my RI checking accounts, I will call and find out what I need to do to cancel them...

Me calling the bank: *a million 'self-serve' menus later* Hi! I need to close my accounts, I'm moving and you aren't in my new area.

The Bank: You can't close these accounts this way.

Me: Oh. Ok, how does it work?

Bank: You must submit written notification.

Me: oh. ok. Thanks...

Bank: Have a nice day.

Me: ok.

(Letter sent early August; Mid August - reply from the bank sent: We cannot accept this letter dated 8/14/05 (copy enclosed, lest I forgot). It is not notarized. Ok...)

Me (at my new bank, freshly printed notice of cancellation in hand): Hi! I need you to notarize this so I can close my accounts in RI.

Them: I can't notarize this. It doest have an Acknowledgement of Certification form at the bottom for me to sign.

Me(beginning to loose it): Ok - where do I get that?

Them: I don't really know, they always come to me this way - try Kinkos or Office Depot.

Me: ok. i'll be back.

(off to Kinkos)

Me: Do you have a Acknowledgement of Certification form or stamp or something?

Kinkos Guy: No, I don't know what that is even - try Office Max.

Me: ok.

(off to office Depot)

Me: *Normal Spchele*

Sales Guy: Try isle 36, though I'm not sure if we have it.

Me: *in isle 36* There are lots of forms here, but none of them are the one I need.

New Sales Guy: I don't think we have that - try a lawyer.

Me: *sigh*



(I went home and found it on the internet, downloaded it, printed it and brought it back to the bank where the mission was finally accomplished. Now we have to see what my RI bank has to say. I'll probably have to submit DNA next.)
_________________________________________________________________________________

The End of the Mundane!

Well, I've finally begun classes! Hooray! I had my first class today: Ministry in inter-Cultural Contexts. (Mission 501) I like my first professor and am looking forward to the 3 papers I'll be writing for her. It seems like a lighter class (in comparison to Defending the Christian Faith). I met up with some folks from Orientation and am looking forward to working with them

The other event today was that I sat down with my new pastor, Steve Thulson for 'get to know you' chat. I'm more convinced than ever that this is going to be my spiritual home for the next 3 years and so wanted to go the next step of seeing if there's 'room' for me. It was a wonderful meeting of sharing ideas and getting to know each other. I was also able to meet the worship pastor David and let him know I'd like to serve with him if he'd like. It sounded possible. I love what the Lord is doing in this church; it sounds like He is calling them to more central time in prayer and calling them to a ministry of healing. I feel like I've come at the right time for me and for them. I'm feeling more and more at home here. Thanks for remembering me in prayer - it sure matters.

Prayer requests for this week:
- Please pray that I would find a small group that I can belong to in Centennial Cov.
- " for God to build my 'reading endurance' as I will need to read hundreds of pages a week for classes.
- " for God to continue to build my relationships here, especially with Kaila and Jennifer and the not-yet-Christians at my Gym that I'm getting to know.
- " for my health and safety as I continue to adjust to life here and a new schedule
- " for my professors: that they would have wisdom and love as they lead the students this semester.
- " for God's ongoing healing and redemption in my life.

Friends...

Well, dear friends, I last wrote you a little over a week ago. Time has passed and some events, both small and large have occurred! First - thanks again to those of you who have sent books this week - its been great to get packages every couple of days! (Thanks Seun, I got the compass back JUST before going on a hike - it came in VERY handy!) In some ways, life is settling in here. I go on walks or bike rides with my new friend Jennifer (next door neighbor) a couple of times a week; I've started a Tae Kwon Do class in my gym Monday and Wednesday evenings; I go to the gym most mornings, do e-mail in the afternoon, watch TV a while, check e-mail, and be available to whatever comes up. Sounds boring, I know, but it's nice to have any routine right now.

My pool of people is beginning to expand. I went back to Centennial Covenant Church this week and loved it again, so I'm thinking I may not do as much 'shopping' as I thought I'd have to do. Folks are beginning to talk to me a little more and I'm feeling a little more comfortable there. I went to a 'Jazz, Arts and Sunset' event at the church this past Sunday evening with Jennifer and got to talk to a few more people. Each day a little more comes together, usually when I'm not looking.


This was a special week for me as I had my first guest out from RI. Julie McMurry came out after a conference she was attending in 'the area' (she was in Wyoming - which around here is fairly close by, by CO standards!) and had to fly out of the Denver Airport. We had about 3 days together of hiking (Garden of the Gods (above is a pic from the park - it's called the Kissing Camel! we also went to Red Rocks and Bear Creek), vegging, and exploring. It was good to have a friend nearby. Julie took me horseback riding for my B-day, but it was her first time on a horse; I had the best of all my worlds - someone to worry over, nature and a horse!

Prayer requests for this week:
-For a good time connecting with Amanda, a 3rd yr Denver Seminary (DenSem) student I will be meeting for lunch this week - she's a rare female MDiv student, so I'm looking forward to gleaning from her experience what I can about being in the minority in our program.
-For my school Orientation - this Friday 8/26
-For the school picnic on Saturday 8/27 (I really don't enjoy smooze fests, so pray that I have a great time and that it can be a time of use/ joy for all of us and not a time of awkward survival) (pray for my attitude about this...)

Thanks guys - you all bless me SO MUCH. Thank you for praying for me and staying in touch - I am truly blessed.

Happy Birthday...

I had a TERRIFIC birthday. Thanks so much for praying for me; it could have been a miserable experience. I woke to the sound of the ringing telephone- Ken Lundberg was calling wish me well for the day and to say they were NOT going to sing the H.B. song (in the meantime, Ruth (his wife) started singing in the background - CLASSIC!). I felt adventuresome and downright frisky (an unusual occurrence since my move), so I got my boots on, dug up my hiking hat and filled my camel back (water/backpack). I took a look at my map, remembered a place called Red Rocks from my earlier trip here in April and set off. I had a great time hiking in what's called the foothills. After that, I went home, and had dinner with Sara Massy and her sister Jill (fellow N.Englanders who came out from VT - Sara was a former IV student at Roger Williams, introduced to me by my good friend Bonnie). We went to this great little Thai place near downtown and I ordered the HOTTEST thing I think I've ever eaten - it was a wonderful curry dish (it made Sara cry when she tried it!). After that, we went back to their place and hung out for a while and had ice cream. It was a lovely day.


I think I'm beginning to feel more at home here. I think my birthday was a turning point. I wasn't afraid to go out and wasn't worried I'd get lost or my apartment would get ripped off while I was away. Do keep praying for me in this area, I know I'm not 'out of the woods,' yet.


This past weekend I went up to Bear Trap Ranch (an IV camp here in Colorado Springs - about 2hrs South of me) to visit a friend and one of my former students at RIC. Becca is a wonderful, wise and intelligent young woman who has been doing summer staff work at the ranch and will continue into the fall, returning to school in the Spring. Do pray for her transitions and return to school and home. I had a great time catching up with her, commiserating on culture shock and bopping around the camp some.


(I couldn't resist passing this one on - it's a gate door, but no attached fence - the sign says 'Keep gate Closed.')

Life Begins Again...

Greetings from Sunny Colorado! Well, it's been about a week since I wrote last and I must say, it's been a good but exhausting week. I got out a bit and got to know the area some - found a mall this week and got a great area map book. This was utterly exhausting, though not impossible. As most of you know, when learning your way around RI you go by landmarks (usually from Dunkin' Donuts to Dunkin' Donuts) - currently existing or no longer existing (you know, where that bank used to be...). Here it's all about the compass. 'We are located on the NE corner of the plaza.' Now, I've spent essentially my entire life in RI which is to say my sense of direction is completely corrupt - I have to think really hard to tell you which way is North. And if it's nighttime, I'm really in trouble. Here it is very helpful that the Mountain are to the West. The only down side to that is that you cannot always see the mountains (I get a little panicky when that happens). Needless to say, it still sets my blood pressure up a few points every time I go out the door.


Some victory points for me this week are as follows:
- Found where to buy milk and rent a movie!!
- Got a cheap couch!
- Went on a walk with my new next door neighbor Jennifer on a local trail (above picture is from there)
- Got back into my gym routine (my lungs could only take 10 minutes my first day at 5.5MPH - really sad compared to my 30 minutes at 5.6-6.0MPH in RI. But today was better - 25mins at 5.5/5.6MPH)
- Went to my new Campus and got my book list!
- The Army found me and got me papers, I'm a little closer to being commissioned!
- Went to Centennial Covenant Church this week! (Very cool, I'll be surprised if I've found a church on my first visit, but I am seriously thinking I may have.)
- I'm note sure if this is a Victory Point or not, but I'd appreciate your prayers as I consider being an International Student buddy from the local college.

Some final thoughts:
It is really funny to me that after 4 domestic missions projects and 4 overseas (three of which I trained students to be on)I am still experiencing culture shock. I know from my training that it doesn't ever go away, you just get better at recognizing it and praying though it, but I think a part of me thought it wouldn't be so bad because of all my travels (additionally 30+ moves throughout my whole life). I am praying. I know Jesus is here and he is working out his plan for me here. He is establishing my life. I am reading Jeremiah and finding comfort and strength. Thanks for all your prayers for me as I begin this new life - I've especially appreciated all the e-mails, note cards and phone calls - I feel well loved and supported! Please continue to remember me in you prayers!

Some of you asked to help out with my book list for the Fall, so here's a list of my classes and the books I will be needing. If you'd like to buy me a book and send it to me (or if you have it and are willing to part with it) or send $ for books, I'd really appreciate it - just let me know ASAP so I can coordinate the effort! I should have my books accounted for by August 29th (first day of classes). You can send books/$ to Terri King, 3445 S. Downing St. #211 Englewood, CO 80113. (See lt. blue block at the top of this page, too for address/phone.)

Oh, yeah - FYI, it's my birthday Friday (12th)- so this would be a great present!! (Cards are also really great to get!)

BI 501 - Effective Biblical Interpretation
- Introduction to Biblical Interpretation; 2ed ed. - Kline, et al
- Slaves, Women and Homosexuals - Webb
- NIV Dictionary of New Testament Theology -Verbrugge

NT 511 - Understanding the Gospels and Acts
- Synopsis of the four Gospels - Aland
- Hammond Atlas of Biblical Lands - Frank
- Jesus Creed - McKnight
- Jesus and the Gospels - Blomberg

PR 501 - Defending the Christian Faith
- No Doubt About It- Corduan
- Truth Decay - Groothuis
- On Jesus -Groothuis
- On Pascal - Groothuis
- Jesus in an Age of Controversy -Groothuis
- Without a Doubt -Samples
- Scaling the Secular City - Moreland
- Complete Guide to Apologetics and Philosophy of Religion - Evans
- Rule Book for Arguments -Weston

IM 501 - Intro. To Ministry in Intercultural Contexts
- Introducing World Missions - Moreau
- Missional Church - Vangelda

T/M 500 - Intro. Spiritual Formation and Theological Education
- Soul Keeping -Baker
- -OR-
- True Faced -Thrall

EM 501 - Foundations of Teaching and Learning
- Introducing Christian Education -Anthony

NT 501 - Learning NT Greek I
No book list yet...

The Journey...

Greetings from Englewood Colorado! So, here's the story:

Friday, July 29:
Greg and Sarah Johnson, Cheri Markward, Stuart and Andrew McCoy, Jenn Traficanti, Scott King, Christina Milner and Karen Pasquale (I hope I didn't forget anyone!!) are my personal HEROS. These guys got all my stuff out of the apartment and loaded into a 5x8 trailer and my little 4x2 Pick up truck in a record 3 hours. Stuart and Andrew got the whole loan 'battened down' for the haul with an amazing display of bungi-chord prowess and I was road ready by 5pm.



This was right on time for me, as I had hoped to be spending the evening just hanging out with folks and saying good-byes. It was a borderline magical night for me, as I saw some folks I haven't seen in months. I am so grateful to all of you who were able to come out (or send your thoughts/wishes) and help me bid a fond farewell to RI. Special props to my end of the night crew - you know who you are.

Saturday July 30th:
The long drive began at a very reasonable 7:30am. I pulled out fully loaded with the love and prayers of my friends very close to my heart. This was a long day to drive, as I had gone to bed late the night before, so I knocked off at 6:30pm. Follow the loving advice of Phil and Jonna Axelson, I stopped over in a small hotel at the edge of the Pennsylvania border. It sort of felt/smelled like an old beach house, but it had cable and A/C. I was sound asleep by 9:30. The drive itself was relatively uneventful, but it was an AWESOME day to begin catching up with folks. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you who called me on the road - I really felt like I was road tripping with a whole gang and not alone.

Sunday July 31:

Got on the road again by 6:30, had a good breakfast at a Dutch Inn (I think it's a chain from the 50s) - they had the cutest baskets there (I almost bought you one Ruth, but I couldn't think of where to put it!!) and began to think and pray about the upcoming day/s. More driving and phone calls today; pushed all the way to the edge of Illinois. Following the loving advice of Karen Pasquale, I stopped at this really cool, obscure camp ground and pitched my tent. I've been wanting to camp FOREVER, so it was nice to be able to a little. The camp was on the edge of a little pond and there were crickets chirping all night (I like that sound, so it was soothing, not annoying!) I tried to journal some each day, but it really wasn't coming to me. Jenn T. gave me a cute little travel journal thing with crayons, so I mostly just did that at night. It was hard to think beyond the road trip really. I knew big changes were coming, but wasn't able to put any real face on them. I was asleep by 9:30 again!

Monday August 1st

I was on the road by 6:30; breakfast was a non-descript PowerBar. I was really hoping to make it the rest of the way. The road had smoothed out considerably the previous day, which had made it much easier on my truck. But it was not to be; the road got really hilly again, which kept my average speed a decrepit 55. It was really boring going though Indiana and Illinois - you've seen one corn field, you've seen 'em all.


It got better in Missouri - more rocks, different crops, more contour to the land. Pushed all the way to the edge of Colorado this day - I decided to knock off at 10pm and not drive through the night (though I was SORELY tempted). Against everyone's loving advice, I picked a rest stop, pitched my tent on the lawn beside my truck and went to sleep under the stars. I've always wanted to do that, so it was cool for that, but it was also very loud. It was also very windy there, so it was hard to tell what was someone sneaking up you or was the wind pushing the grass against the tarp bottomed tent. So, I didn't sleep super soundly, but it was ok.

Tuesday August 2ed
I pushed on at 4:30am from the rest stop and arrived right in the middle of rush hour traffic in Denver. I finally made it to my apartment around 9am. God must have really been with me because, after all that, I was able to off-load all my stuff except 4 pieces of furniture by 3pm (I took at break 12-2) - and I didn't even mind, it was just fine - I actually enjoyed it! The Lord really blessed me that evening too, because Sara Massy (a former IV student from Roger Williams Univ.), her sister Jill and their mom came over and helped me with the last few pieces and also unpacked a bunch of boxes for me. We then went to dinner at a local sub shop.


(home!)
It was so nice to see people I even vaguely knew. When I took my break from 12-2, I had gone next door to a local Thai place for lunch. I got the food to go, as no one else was in the place and it's just weird to eat alone in a public place no one else is in. I got home, had lunch, read for a little while and decided to take a nap. That's when it hit me. I was laying on my bed, but not in my room, my apartment or even my state. I suddenly felt like crying - and boy did I ever! I'm still pretty fragile; the reality of what I've done has begun to sink in. I really miss everyone and everything about my life in RI. I'm in the full-blown grip of culture shock; knowing that doesn't make it easier. I was grieving the fact that I didn't know where to buy milk or rent a video last night. Every box I unpacked set off a cacophony of protest in my soul - something like, 'AH! Don't unpack that! Don't throw that box away! We aren't staying that long!' I talked with/ cried on/ prayed with a couple of friends, ferociously fought off the urge to get back in the truck and drive home and sang some worship songs. The Lord sent Sara and her family along at just the right time - the evening of the first day of my new life in Colorado.

There were (emotionally) good things about the day too. My next door neighbor is Jennifer. She's super cool and nice - has a very friendly cat named Dutchess. One of the downstairs neighbors is Debbie - also super nice. The building manager I've been dealing with was here and she greeted me by name and showed me the ropes of the place; she was both professional and kind.

Wednesday August 3rd:
Today's been ok so far. I got up at 7:30, had breakfast and began the task of assembling my life here. First order of business was to get back on line - so here I am! Next was to drop off the trailer (which is really great, because I didn't feel comfortable whipping around town with it on which only made me feel trapped here.) and hit Wal-Mart - I have an answering machine now!! Which reminds me: I had a landline! Please do use it - 303-781-3375 - I will be trying to rely on this more now and cut back on my cell phone. My cell number will still be good for the next few weeks, but it will be changing soon! (I'll let you know the change!)

The other fun thing I did today was to visit my Seminary and get a copy of my schedule! I found all my classes and said hi to a couple of folks I'd met back in April. It was a weird, but nice experience. The campus is gorgeous. (I'll send pics)

Thanks for all your prayers and love for me - I don't know how I could be here without them. Please do keep me in prayer; this is something I've been waiting for, but it's a hard change. I love you; know you are in my thoughts today.

Here I Go!

Well, here we are - the last week!!! Omygosh, I'm freaking out right now; I'm in the middle of a largely dismantled mess (formerly known as my living room). The pie sale went great - folks were really generous with me. I feel good about my finances right now over all. I've GOT to work out my driving route in the next few days...ahh, the joys of a schizophrenic mind...Oh! The other big news - I PASSED MY ARMY PHYSICAL last week!! I've been getting more paperwork from them this week - it looks like the next step is to have my file go before a review board in September and once that's approved, I'll just need to be sworn in - CRAZY. I'm 31 years old and I just joined the Army. I can't believe this is where the Lord is taking me...

Don't forget!!
This Friday - July 29th from 12p-12a will be my last hurrah party - come say good-bye - my house is 35 Whittier Rd #2 Pawtucket, RI 02861 (so you can mapquest it)- I need some help loading the truck, but after that, it's just burgers and dogs for everyone!

Prayer Requests for this week:
-Good packing/junking of stuff time
-That I'd get it together and get my route planed
-For the impending paperwork I need to do for the Army this week (that I'd do it)
-For my mom, who feels like she is loosing her best friend in this move
-For Ken and Ruth, my 'grandparents' who feel like they're loosing a 'grand daughter' this week
-For my diet (that I'd continue to maintain one this week)
-Please keep Friday in prayer - I think it'll be the day I bawl my head off...

New Address:
3445 South Downing St. #211
Englewood, CO 80113

18 Days...

The Lord has graciously provided an apartment for me! It looks like my new address is going to be 3445 South Downing Street #211, Englewood, CO 80113. It's a neat little 1 bedroom. So far, I have the housing, trailer rental, packing and road trip plans all underway. The details that I can work on now are mounting and I'm finding myself getting more anxious - I woke up at 5 this morning, made myself stay in bed until 6, then got up and did touch up work on the deck to my apartment (I've been refinishing it for my landlord in exchange for some off the rent). After that, I showered/breakfasted and finished my 30 page application for the Army...It's been a productive morning! I'm really starting to feel that I won't be here much longer - feeling more sad about that. I'm working on my last project here - I've decided for a final school/move fundraiser to sell pies. I've been working with this absolutely wonderful elderly couple in my church and the wife, Ruth, has recently given me lessons in fruit pie making. The pies are exquisite (and most people in my church know it), so I don't anticipate this being a waste of time. Please pray for my next few weeks - whatever comes to mind will be greatly appreciated!

Also - I'm going to have a Moving Party on July 29th - I need help loading up my truck and would love to spend my last night in RI with all you friends and family. I'm going to have burgers and dogs available - so do come right after work! I'll have the truck from around 12pm on - I hope to be done by 6 or 7 (not anticipating lots of help during the day), so we can all just hang out in the evening (no specified ending time, so come late if you want!).

One Month to Go!

Well, I'm just setting this up, but today is July 1st, 2005. In 29 days I will hit the road headed for Englewood, Coloardo (a suburb of Denver). I'm excited, anxious, and curious as I look to the future. At this point, I've decided to join the US Army, if they'll have me, and pursue some time learing about the work of Chaplaincy. I wrestled a long time with whether or not this is a calling and have decided it's an invitation. The Lord has presented me with this idea and an opportunity to persue a long term dream of serving my country in the armed services (though I won't get to be armed...). More later, let me get more aquainted with this system... :>