November Highlights

One more final to go, and I am doing my best to put off studying for as long as possible... the life of a true seminarian. Seriously, I have noticed my lack of personal posts lately and so I think I will take some time to reflect on the last month and all (or what I find profitable to share) that it has entailed:

1) The International Student Conference went very well - about 100-200 students showed up, representing over 30 countries. It was also a great time to building relationships with some of our students from U of L. Everyone seemed to enjoy the music - we picked the theme song "Love Train," which the students enjoyed. We were also able to lead the music during the Sunday Christian worship service, and several students expressed enjoyment in being a part of that with us. Overall, a great experience - I think that there is a good chance that we'll be leading the music next year as well, Lord willing. :)

2) Got to see Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (one of my favorite bands - swing/big band group, incredible) at my home church on Nov. 19... it was great, and I got to meet Denver for the first time after seeing them three times in concert. I used to LIVE for meeting my favorite bands in high school, but now it's not so much having stars in my eyes but that I want to meet and encourage musicians that have impressed me. So anyway, I tried to play it cool, act natural, blah blah blah... and then I ended up walking up to him and blurting out, "Hi, my name is Donna and I've seen you three times in concert - can I get a picture with you??" *smacks forehead* Anyway, he tried to be gracious even though a blubbering 25 year old was having temporary diarrhea of the mouth (that one's for you, Lisa).


3) Thanksgiving with the folks was great this year. Jason joined my family for Thanksgiving and was immersed into the deluge of the Millard clan: my parents, my younger brother and his wife, The Shaw, and I all in one house... perty wild. To further complicate matters, my parents are Seventh Day Adventists and adhere to specific dietary laws (at least my mom does consistently as well as add some of her own rules - no animal products of any kind, no refined sugar, no bleached flour or rice, no canned foods, and some other things). Well, for years I have been in charge of cooking Thanksgiving, and this year I was going to do it vegan style and try to avoid any no-no's of Mom's. Jason was very proactive in this and together we came up with several dishes that were pretty tasty and didn't cause World War III to erupt.
Jason fit right in with everyone and it was suprisingly natural for him to be a part of our family. Thank all of you who prayed for us during this entire time and preparing for the holidays with my folks. The Lord is doing so much in our lives and with my family - He has broken down walls and has taught us to fully rest our hopes on Him, even when things seems hopelessly lost and discouraging. Oh, and if you ever want to try lentil sheperd's pie, let me know and I can send you the recipe. :)

All right, enough of that - hope everyone's finals are going well and the semester is wrapping up smoothly. Let's remember to thank the Lord today for all of His rich blessings toward us, and ask Him to continue to teach us that the greatest blessing of all is that we may know Him and His Son, Jesus, whom He sent (John 17:3). Have a great week!