Hey, everybody! If you know me well, you know that I often wait until the last possible minute to do nearly everything. I am going to do my best to keep up with a monthly update on life and maybe a few blogs about things I am learning strewn in between. So without further procrastination, here is an update on the last couple months of my life here in the mountains of North Carolina.

September

The month brought with it a new Institute class that is described with a big fancy word: Hermeneutics. This just means that I spent the month reading about and learning how to interpret the Bible better in its original contexts and literary styles. I am a really big nerd, so I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and it helped to shape the way I study my Bible each morning.

Each week/weekend was packed with groups of people who came to hear bold exposition of Scripture and to play hard in the beautiful mountains, two things you can always count on at SWO. We celebrated Labor Day and Day 40 (if you know, you know), and enjoyed the winding down of scorching Summer weather. Oh, and I got to watch some good friends get married in a beautiful ceremony centered around the gospel that saved their souls.

Not much out of the ordinary happened in my life. The Lord remained steadfast, and I continued to be more conformed to the image of Christ through His faithfulness, not my own.

October

October will forever be one of my favorite months at Snowbird for endless reasons… The excitement and craziness of Fall Retreats, the yummy food and fun after-work shenanigans that accompany Marriage Retreats, more nerdy classes about the Bible, beautiful yellow and red leaves spanning the mountain ranges that surround the valley I call home, crisp nights on the aerial park, and so much more.

The focus of our Fall Retreat season was a study through the book of Acts, and I was more than challenged to be faithful to the call placed on all believers: “be my witnesses… to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Go is the command, and I want to be faithful to it all the days of my life. I have recently been looking into where I am going to finish college and what degree that will leave me with, but I haven’t totally figured it all out yet. Currently, my goal is to finish my degree, leaving open the option for a 2 year term with the IMB… more on this in later newsletters.

October ended with a quick spur of the moment trip to visit my Nonni in Myrtle Beach with a pretty okay friend. We enjoyed a different kind of beauty than in the mountains, watching the sunrise over the dark ocean. We played Nonni’s version of dodgeball, which I am positive was actually nothing like dodgeball at all and left no way to be victor over anyone. And we ate lots of popsicles because what Nonni says must go. The drive home was nothing less than eventful, but nevertheless, we made it safely home.

The month was beautiful, fun, and a sweet reminder of the Lord’s grace and mercy in my life.