School
Blessings:
- Finished all my papers and exams
- Graduated Seminary
- Had many bittersweet goodbyes
Prayer Requests:
- Continue studying and being diligent
Can't believe that my school year is finally over. This last month has been pretty hectic, but so many new milestones have been hit. The month of April was pretty much spent fine tuning the final papers that were due and finishing up my last two exams at seminary. In terms of academics, there wasn't too much on my plate in regards to school work. My exegesis paper for my Poetical Books class ended up being 40 pages long, and my Statement of faith paper was finished with over 270+ references to different scriptural texts. Needless to say, these were both great classes to finish off my seminary career. Besides the exams, April into May has been a time to say goodbye/see you next time. There were many "lasts" that I had before leaving Gordon Conwell. Whether it be my last time eating dinner with friends, meeting up for soul care, attending class, playing ping pong, etc. it was all enjoyable and yet bittersweet. Special shout out to my soul care group for all the ways we have encouraged one another throughout these last 3 years. We would try to meet every other week to share how things are going in our lives and pray for/encourage each other. As I move on to the next phase in my life, finally away from schooling, please keep me in your prayers. I want to continue reading, studying and learning even past seminary... even though I know that that is the last thing on my mind usually. But, I don't want to forget all that I have learned at Gordon Conwell and will need lots of prayer to keep being diligent.
Church
Blessings:
- CHARIS Retreat was a good time of rest and encouragement to reach out to those around us
- Basketball Tournament went really well!
Prayer Requests:
- Continued discernment for the pastoral search committee
- New leadership to step up in CHARIS fellowship
Things at Cross Bridge have also started winding down. As I prepared to move back to NYC, there were different "lasts" that happened here as well. Whether it be last time attending fellowship, last meetings, last basketball, etc. These were all bittersweet as well. Two events to note is the basketball tournament and the CHARIS Fellowship Retreat. The Basketball tournament was meant to be an outreach opportunity for Cross Bridge to get to know the community of Lexington. Honestly, God worked so much throughout the planning process and the event itself. The first thing was the weather. The forecast predicted rain a week in advance, and ever since, we had been praying for decent weather to play in. After much prayers, and hands down, God's providence, that Saturday was a cloudy/sometimes sunny/windy day, and rain, there was not!! Second thing to give thanks for were all the volunteers that came out to help. Especially those who helped to plan this whole thing, because let's be real, I showed interest and shared the idea, but they were the ones that made it happen. Everyone pulled together and we all served humbly and joyfully! The third and last thing to give thanks for is the turnout of the event. We had started registration a little later than we had hoped, and within the first 2 weeks, only one team had signed up. All we could do was continue praying and encouraging others to sign up, so that's what we did. Another shout-out to the leaders who really stepped up to the task and did all that they could to spread the word and encourage people around Lexington to sign up. Before we knew it, in the last week before the tournament, teams started signing up, and on the night before the tournament, exactly 16 teams were signed up (which is how many we planned for). God showed providence through our faithfulness and the tournament ended up being a really good time to get to know those in our community. The second thing is CHARIS retreat. This retreat was a good time of rest, as well as being motivated and encouraged to reach out to those in our communities. Whether it be our coworker, friends or family members; we learned how to reach out to them and what the core values were behind living out a Christian life with them.
Family/NYC
Blessings:
- Continued support from friends and family
- Many friends from 3 stone were baptized
Prayer Requests:
- Unity in 3 stone
There was no reading week break during the months of April and May, so I didn't have the opportunity to take a break and head home. However, as most of you might know already, on April 20th, with the help of a few close friends, I proposed to Visalia and she said "Yes!" Thank you for all those who have kept us in your prayers and please keep us in your prayers as we take next steps in our lives together. For more information on how I did it or things like that, feel free to hit me up and ask me.
Final Comments
Blessings:
- After 3 long but short years, seminary is over and I'm back in NYC
- All that God has taught me
Prayer Requests:
- Interviews at churches
- Discerning God's will for my future
This last month of seminary has been pretty crazy. Even though, in terms of workload, it was not very heavy; but it was more emotionally heavy. Saying all those goodbyes were hard, all the while trying to figure out what will happen in the future job wise and relationship wise. However, without a doubt, God has taught me so much through my time here and, even more so, during these last few weeks, He has shown me that He will continue to provide for me daily. Please continue to pray for me, and stay tuned for my next update on my reflections for Seminary as a whole!
