Thanksgiving...

This thanksgiving weekend, I had the opportunity to travel a bit. On thursday I headed up towards Ithaca to be with the Perez family. It was really nice to be able to see some family from home and share a meal with them.  Did quite a lot of driving as I went from Ithaca to Buffalo, a 3 hour drive, to pick up part of the family, back to Ithaca and then back home.  I had some nice entertainment for the long ride though, as my friend Jen and I were able to catch up on life since I had left. The scenery was amazing as we passed through small towns and open fields, no time for pictures though, running a bit late. Dinner was great, Pam created a masterpiece as usual. Overall it was a very enjoyable time.
Friday morning, Ken and I made our way to Jamestown.  A cool, breezy morning greeted us as we got ready for our small adventure.  The drive was smooth and relaxing, no crazy miami traffic to deal with.

Once we got there, I dropped off my things at Kirks house and we made our way to Frewsburg where the Stewards live.  We enjoyed a nice lunch there and attempted to do some assignments, not the most productive afternoon but managed to get something done.

We did some walking around, took a look at some music stores in Jamestown, and an antique store in Frewsburg.  Some things were ridiculously old, even got to see my first anvil there and some other interesting things. Saturday morning, took an unexpected trip to Ulysses.  A very nice small town. We headed down to drop off some wood to Ps. Miller. We then made our way to Penn York camp, as this was were Ps. Miller had his trailer. We then had lunch at the corner cafe, a small yet delightful restaurant.  Some friends from school, Hanna and Karen, and Hanna's dad joined us as well. We all had a good time.

Sunday morning came, and it was time to say good bye to Ps. Justin Steward (on the left). He was headed for Erie and I will probably not see him before he heads off to Africa again.  This weekend, we found out Chris (on the right) will be joining him, which is exciting, and good for both of them. We then headed off to the Zion church in Jamestown, pastored by Dan Caram Jr. It was such a beautiful church, very antique looking, both inside and out. A very lovely place. Got to meet a lot of new people and catch up a little with Ps. Kinem, who has been in Miami before, teaching in ZCU. That morning we were in charge of worship, a special, testimonies and the message.  Everything went well, and there was a special presence of the Lord throughout the service. I was a little nervous at first to speak in front everyone whom most I had never met, but thank God everything went smoothly!

Ps. Kinem & Ps. Caram

Finally, we headed back to ZMI. The trip was smooth, with a quick stop at Walmart.  Once back, the celebrations continued as we sat around for story time.  Title of the story: the beginning of Bob-eh and Carla.  It was a fun time hearing the "behind the scenes" moments and see the masterpiece that God has been developing up until this point, individually in their lives. Congrats!

Gideon

It has been a pretty stressful couple of days, trying to finish all my assignments and duties, but thank God for the grace to finish it all.  The teaching has been so great and there's so much to take in, but it was all a blessing.  Ps. Tucker taught on Christian Ethics and it was great to learn new things that will surely come in handy in any ministry.  It is also good to see how Zion has not compromised God's standards, how they have remained true to what God has established.  To many this may seem out-dated or "legalistic," but honestly, unless things are in God's order, there is no real freedom, no real blessing.
So far this weekend has been relaxing as I am caught up with my work.  Friday I enjoyed a nice night of games and brownies at my friend Laura's house with some of the other students.  It felt good to be somewhere different for a change and be around Laura's wonderful family.  I made a new best friend as well, Esther.  She's 1 and 1/2, and an M&M addict like me, it was the highlight of my friday. Today, got some fresh air and headed to Elmira for some shopping.  It was lots of fun and even picked up another friend.  His name is Gideon, a betta fish. So far he seems to be enjoying his new home.

Tender words...

There are moments in life where screaming is required. Perhaps a sports match, or to get someone's attention who is far away.  Then there are moments where a simple whisper, just below our "inside voice" level, is required.  At times God is so close, He just whispers. As far as humans go, we are usually marveled by spectacular things and signs.  Children and adult alike are drawn to the colorful dance of fireworks despite them having no real purpose but to entertain. We like when God speaks in loud, obvious ways such as through miracles and prophecy.  Yet, in His sovereignty and wisdom, sometimes says absolutely nothing, a whisper at best.  This especially becomes difficult when needing direction, wondering what step to take next.  Today, Ps. Paul Webb gave an example of one time, when he was young, that a prophet came to his church and he felt left out because nothing "special" was said, and felt like reaching and grabbing the man to say something; I've been there plenty. Felt that way today, ironically, as Ps. Stewart walked by me a couple times during a special moment in our chapel time. Nevertheless, God's presence was undeniable.  Some words that have brought comfort to me, and Ps Webb mentioned them during his example, is that, I am where I need to be.  No need for direction right now, just continue en route, until the time comes for future directions.

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