Friday, October 26, 2012

Recap...Rejoice

Hey Yall,

It has been awhile since I have last posted. When you see my pics, you will see why. We have had a fun last month and a half with guests visiting, making friends, loving this Philly weather, classes, job searching.... etc. Let me fill you in with a little of our life via pictures!



Been busy with several DIY projects, pics of house coming soon I promise!

Mary taught me how to make donuts...the easy way!

Our newest addition to the family...the foosball table!

We have so enjoyed spending time at a beautiful park (Wissahickon Valley Park) close to our house.





"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice"~ John Calvin~ this quote has been on the front of my journal for a long time. I love how creation shows us the beauty of our Creator!






Buddies watching the falcons game








Apple picking with friends!
Mary Appleseed

The fall has been lovely here. Have so enjoyed drinking tea and coffee and pumpkin spice lattes!

We had a blast when Caroline Royal (pictured above) and Kelly and Caroline Jackson (pictured below) came to visit us for a whooole weekend!
This is what I got when I asked them to pose!


The Dawgs at Independence Hall

the boys wanted their own pic
They love each other... and taking ridiculous pictures


Kelly jumped Jonathan. Impressive.


We had a Dawgs watching party with a Chick-fil-A party tray and more friends. It was fun, except we lost...badly.

The foosball table providing more entertainment.

We also went to a U.Penn game. Quite different than a UGA game to say the least.
CLOSE seats


We went to the U Penn game with all Dawg fans (minus one). It was a fun experience!



Glimpse of fall here. We have loved the pretty colors!






Austin is enjoying seminary and his classes. He is reading a lot and studying hard. I am very proud of my seminary student. I have had the joy of auditing a class he is in called Dynamics of Biblical Change taught by Dr. David Powlison. It is the beginning course for the counseling tract he is doing along with his Master of Divinity. This class has been a great challenge and encouragement for both of us. Check out more about the counseling program here done through CCEF (Christian Counseling and Education Foundation).  They are amazing and has some great resources! We are getting more settled into life here and trying to gear up (mentally and literally) for the Winter here. Last winter was very mild; the word on the street is that this winter is suppose to be "harsh". (ahhhh!!).

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to adjust! Pray for Austin to read/study diligently and for me as I have a job interview next week!

Grace and Peace!





Thursday, September 6, 2012

Provision

Our first month and a half here has been a whirlwind. We have experienced highs and lows during this transition period. One over-arching theme has been "The Lord will provide". One of the churches we visited sang a version of this song. A couple of verses (ok more than a couple) really encouraged and challenged me. The Lord has continually brought this song to mind.

"The birds without barn or storehouse are fed,
From them let us learn to trust for our bread:
His saints, what is fitting, shall ne'er be denied,
So long as it's written, the Lord will provide

We may, like the ships, by tempest be tossed
On perilous deeps, but cannot be lost.
Though Satan enrages the wind and the tide,
The promise engages, the Lord will provide.

His call we obey, like Abram of old,
Not knowing our way, but faith makes us bold;
For though we are strangers we have a good Guide,
And trust in all dangers, the Lord will provide
 
When Satan appears to stop up our path,
And fill us with fears, we triumph by faith;
He cannot take from us, though oft he has tried,
This heart-cheering promise, the Lord will provide...

When life sinks apace and death is in view,
This word of his grace shall comfort us through:
No fearing or doubting with Christ on our side,
We hope to die shouting the Lord will provide"

It has been good to be reminded of how the Lord takes care of us, like the lilies of the field and the birds of the air. That He is our faithful provider and our hearts can be cheered by the promise that He will provide. We have been so encouraged in the big and little ways he has provided for us- like house sitting jobs, babysitting, etc but even bigger than that... friends. Westminster has warmly welcomed us through new student events. They have made it easy for us to connect to other students- which is a hard task in big city. The event that particularly was encouraging to me was the Wives Dessert Night. It was so fun to meet new wives and wives who have been here awhile. There was also 2 speakers that greatly encouraged me! After meeting a good handful of new wives, we decided to have a get together, with our husbands this time. Last night, we had 6 other couples over for a potluck dinner. The Lord is providing for us! We are excited to build relationships with these new friends over the next several years. It will be neat to see how God uses these relationships for his glory for years to come. 

In other news, Austin starts class tonight. I will have the opportunity to audit one of his classes. So very excited about that!! I am still job searching. I really will post some pics of our house soon- now that it is actually a little cozy. I have not been good about taking pictures recently, will work on that.

best "city" story from the last month:
Jonathan, our buddy from UGA, had a birthday last week. So Jonathan and his wife Mary and Austin and I decided to go into the city to celebrate. We rode the train in from our house and enjoyed our time in the city. We cut our time a liiittle close in returning to the train station- meaning we literally sprinted pretty much the whole way. We made it with 15 seconds to spare. If we had missed that train, we would've had to wait an hour. Needless to say, we learned our lesson.

Much love to all- especially our new little nephew, Baby Jack, who was born this past weekend. We love him and can't wait to hold him!!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Southern Living... in the mail that is

It was a very interesting experience to open my mailbox and find my Southern Living waiting for me to read. I always look forward to getting that magazine and looking at all the pretty places and yummy recipes. My Grandmother is so sweet to give me a subscription for Christmas each year. Receiving it this time was a little different. It made me realize again I am not in the South anymore and am learning a new city with new people and a new unique culture to it.

Although we are not in the south, Philadelphia has its own sense of friendliness to it. There is a reason this northern city is called "The City of Brotherly Love". Strangers have noticed a "lost" expression on our face and offered to help. Our apartment neighbors have been quick to introduce themselves and offer any assistance (we hope to become good friends with all of them!)...People have been friendly.

Now on the roads of Philly, that is a different story!! People are so very very quick to honk. It's pretty comical. Another thing people are quick to do is call you out on using "y'all". Here is a good scenario for you: Today I was at a coffee shop and politely asked a question about their coffee selection. My question was something like this, "Do y'all have a dark roast brew today?". The nice coffee man swiftly jerked his head up and said "where are you from?"with a look that meant he probably  thought I was from mars! We then had a nice conversation in which he agreed that y'all should be more widely accepted as the plural word for you. I told him we could start the movement together!

Seriously, we are enjoying Philadelphia. The weather has been nice. We really enjoy the part of Philly that we live in. We have detoxed from central air conditioning and are enjoying our window unit, but really use our fans the majority of the time. We are enjoying meeting new people in our search for a church home. We are beginning to get settled here.

Austin starts class September 6. I am looking for a job (you can pray for that!). Other than that, I think that's the update, y'all!

Here are a few pictures from our first few weeks in Philly!

Us in NYC with our dear friends, Andrew and Olivie who are gearing up to go serve in Spain with MTW!

One of the highlights of our NYC trip...eating at a crazy Indian restaurant who thought filling their very small restaurant with lights was the greatest idea!


Austin happy about our window unit!

Austin unsure about his leather school satchel, wearing it like a man!

Excited faces post window unit arrival

Before image of dresser that I painted

After image! very pleased with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

We have loved frequenting our Saturday's Farmer's Market

Trying my hand at rainbow swiss chard

Fun night at a street festival close to our house!

Enjoyed the night market with our buddies! Jonathan and Mary (on right) arrived this week. They are our dear friends from UGA. On left, Jena, our new friend here!

Silly boys!
Updates on our house coming soon!

-Anna Caroline-