Baby Shower
My dear friends Jason& Nancy are expecting a new little girl any day now (literally... she is due within the week and Nan is quite eager for her to make a debut soon). So our friends got together last month to celebrate and shower Nancy and baby with love and gifts! I have never seen so much pink in my life- this is going to be one well-dressed little girl!More Baby News
Our friend Olivia, pictured above, second the from left, had her new baby girl early this month, too! We went to see her in the hospital and Nancy had a chance to practice her infant-holding skills. Gabrielle is a cute baby. She will coordinate well with Jason & Nancy's little girl since both of them seem to now own all the pink onesies ever made.Greenville College
Even though it's only October it is already time for college students to begin making plans for summer. Jason & I traveled out to Greenville College (a small Christian college about an hour from us in Greenville, IL) a few weeks ago to share with students there about internship opportunities with us here! This past summer one of our interns was a student from Greenville and we loved her! While at the school we spoke in two classes and screened a 20/20 special on Poverty in America to emphasize the needs of our inner cities. Several students talked with us and expressed a desire to work in urban ministry, possibly with World Impact. They could definitely use our prayers as they decide where the Lord is leading!
Jury Duty
I have officially done my civic duty as I spent one day this month at jury duty. It was a great learning experience... but not the most fun I've ever had in my life. Everyone told me to prepare myself to sit and wait A LOT. So I went with plenty of reading material, but... lucky me... my number was called with the first batch of jurors and about 50 of us headed off to court to endure the jury selection process. It was a criminal case and the attorneys probed very carefully and with lots of personal questions to determine who they wanted to determine the defendant's fate. I was actually really glad I was not chosen as one of the 12. And after that experience, I hope I never need to rely on a panel of my "peers" to determine my destiny.
CCDA
St. Louis seems to be the place to host a convention lately! Last week the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) held their annual conference here. I volunteered for a few days so I could attend the conference. The workshops were encouraging and some gave me new ideas for ministering in my community. But the best part was just being around so many others who are passionate about urban ministry, working with the poor, and seeing communities changed through the power of Christ.Open House
World Impact St. Louis held our 2nd annual Open House this past weekend. It was a special event as we dedicated the Family Life Center, a very recently finished banquet-type room which we hope to use to serve our neighborhood in a variety of ways. The project was nearly 10 years in the making and it was exciting to see it come to completion when the carpet finally went down last Monday. WI's president and founder, Dr. Keith Phillips, was also in town and it was a special treat to have him here for our big event!
Football Mania
Perhaps the most exciting part of the past few weeks has been college football. My Hokies are currently ranked #11 in the BCS... I have been able to catch a few games here as our local alumni association gets together at a sports bar to cheer our team on together. This is a good thing since this will be the first time in 8 seasons that I will not make it to an actual game in person. It is such fun to put on my orange & maroon and sit with other Hokies to watch the games! Have I ever mentioned how much I love Virginia Tech Football?Go Hokies!
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