"Getting Started..."

Hey Everyone!

I miss you all so much and I was sad to leave, but I was ready to get started again! This semester I’m sure will fly by! Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to some of you, internet (and time) has been limited. Dad and I had a beautiful drive here with great weather and he got back safely and also had a good drive. Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled!

Wednesday I was able to just check in and get unpacked and orientation started Thursday morning at 8am. There was a lot of information all day long but it went really well and the facilities here are very nice and almost everything is connected (keeping me out of the cold!!!). The building here is huge because of all that goes on here at headquarters. Thursday evening we were able to just relax so I was able to hang out with some new friends and get to know them better. The building has a laundry room, a library, computer room, and student lounges throughout and the dinning hall is great (the food is amazing here!!!)!

Friday was the first day of this 6 day class and we were fed a lot of information and ideas and all of them were great! I have learned so much already!!! The meals were great once again and that evening we had a “Get To Know You” night with different activities and ice cream sundaes after we finished. Because of the small class size, it is a little easier to get to know people and all of them so different, some traveling all the way from India and Singapore and other from the States and Canada! The ministry that CEF does is huge and I don’t even know the half of it yet.

I hope all of you are well, and I am praying for you and I appreciate all of the prayers and encouraging words that you are sending me! I love you all and can’t wait to hear from you soon!

In Training,

Steph

Hey Everyone!

I miss you all so much and I was sad to leave, but I was ready to get started again! This semester I’m sure will fly by! Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to some of you, internet (and time) has been limited. Dad and I had a beautiful drive here with great weather and he got back safely and also had a good drive. Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled!

Wednesday I was able to just check in and get unpacked and orientation started Thursday morning at 8am. There was a lot of information all day long but it went really well and the facilities here are very nice and almost everything is connected (keeping me out of the cold!!!). The building here is huge because of all that goes on here at headquarters. Thursday evening we were able to just relax so I was able to hang out with some new friends and get to know them better. The building has a laundry room, a library, computer room, and student lounges throughout and the dinning hall is great (the food is amazing here!!!)!

Friday was the first day of this 6 day class and we were fed a lot of information and ideas and all of them were great! I have learned so much already!!! The meals were great once again and that evening we had a “Get To Know You” night with different activities and ice cream sundaes after we finished. Because of the small class size, it is a little easier to get to know people and all of them so different, some traveling all the way from India and Singapore and other from the States and Canada! The ministry that CEF does is huge and I don’t even know the half of it yet.

I hope all of you are well, and I am praying for you and I appreciate all of the prayers and encouraging words that you are sending me! I love you all and can’t wait to hear from you soon!

In Training,

Steph

Starting Something New...

Sorry it's been so long since the last blog! I will try to update this each week while I am away!

Christmas Break was fabulous, but I'm ready to get started again! Several were wondering why I was still home, so I am going to tell you and hopefully keep you updated through out this busy semester!

This semester I will be attending the Children's Ministry Institute in Missouri! This school is basically an internship and class time all in one. I will go to several classes through out a 12 week period and attend 1 to 2 week class sessions then move to the next level. My first class starts this coming Friday and will end the following Friday then I will begin the next course on Monday and so forth and so on. I will also being working in one of the local churches but I don't know much about that yet....

I am required to complete this training for my major and then I will go back to Liberty for another year. There I will be able to finish up all of my General Education classes and the rest of my Bible classes. I am excited for this opportunity, however, I am really missing Benj and all of my friends at Liberty. I am praying that I will have the right attitude and that I will have the strength to make the most out of these short 12 weeks! I am hoping that this will be a growing time of focus and quite time to myself!



A little About The School.....
I will have my own room with a community bathroom. The school has about 40 students at a time and is located on about 600 acres of rolling hills. There is a shopping center about 3 miles away and it is only 50 miles west of St. Louis! There are singles and families that attend this school and it should go very quickly because of the short class sessions from week to week!



I hope to hear from all of you and THANK YOU all for all of your love, support and especially your prayers!!! I love you and miss you already!

Praying for you,
Steph

Christmas is coming...

Hey everyone,

I figured I would finally write to you all before Christmas breaks comes! I was just taking a break from studying as it is finally FINALS WEEK! Please be praying..... :)

To update you from the last blog, Thanksgiving Break was great and it was so good to see most of you at home, although some were missed, (I.E. Darcy, Austin, and the boys!). The youth weekend in North Carolina went really well!!! We made some new friends and were able to experience and help with a really cool "All Night of Worship" with their youth group! God moved in some mighty ways and we were all really excited to be able to be a part of it! The week home was fun and very restful and I can't wait to see everyone again at the end of this week!!! I have finals until about Thursday and then Benj and I will get to make the drive home!!!

In the mean time, I am studying for three finals for the week and trying to finalize my internship plans! Things are going really well with that though there are always a few frustrations. I am just praying that I can get everything in on time! If everything goes as planned I will be able to go to school in Missouri for one semester and will start at the end of January!!! Hopefully I will have more good news about all this when I come home!

I love and miss you all and I will see you all soon!!!
~Steph


(The pictures are of Benj and I at "Open Dorm" night, My Roommate and I making the best breakfast ever, a Ginger Bread House that we made for Open Dorm night and My Prayer Group and I!!! ) We've had a lot of Christmas parties around here and lots of decorations and good food but I am ready to come home!!!

Nothing Too Exciting...

Hey Friends and Family!!!

Time is just flying by here at Liberty! Not much has happened since I got back from Fall Break! I hope ya'll enjoyed the pictures and I can't wait to come home and show you more! I would love to say that a bunch of exciting things are happening but it's just classes, work, and friends for now! I have been so busy with tests and papers since I last posted a blog and I've got a few more coming up before Thanksgiving Break!!!

I will finally be coming home on the 18th and I can't wait to see everyone!!! Benj and I get out for break the 16th and will be playing at a friend's church down in North Carolina. His home church is having a "youth weekend" and we will go down to lead worship and help him and his church...then we will be able to drive home on Sunday!!! Please be praying that God goes before us and the rest of the people helping for that weekend!!! I miss ya'll and I hope to talk to you and see you soon! Sorry again that not much is going on here....

Love and Prayers,
~Steph

Fall Break....New York City!

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for being patient...Benj and I are recovering from Fall Break and the busy week that came right after.
We went to New Jersey to stay with Darcy and Austin and the boys and had a GREAT time!!! We were able to get there late Wednesday night and stayed till Monday night. It was a lot of driving but we had so much fun! Thursday we were able to just spend time at the house with Darcy and the boys and then Friday we were able to work on the NYC Relief Bus with them.
Friday we woke up early to go to the Hope Center (Doug Butts met us there, he was in the area on business and was able to spend the day with us on the bus!). We went out into Manhattan, and the ministry they have with NYC Relief is great! You all should check it out sometime!!!! I believe we were more blessed than the ones we were blessing because of what we were able to see and hear!
Around 2pm we were able to go into the city and Benj and I had a great time! Exploring with no real direction (except a hand written map someone made for us), was so exciting!!! An adventure to say the least! Sunday we went to church with the Bonds, and Austin did a wonderful job at speaking briefly before the congregation. We were also able to ride the Staten Island Ferry with everyone and had a great time!
Monday was a lot of fun also! We were able to do some more sight seeing and then that evening we went to the Iridium Jazz Club to see Les Paul and his Trio play!!! It was amazing!!! Well, here are a few pictures and I have added some links on the left hand side of the page labeled "my favorites"!

Love and Miss you all!
~steph

Fall Break!!!

Happy Thursday!

I just finished my last class of the day and figured I would write about our upcoming week! I probably won't have time to write next week because its our fall break!

Benj and I are going to New York for our break to see Darcy and Austin!!! We are so excited to visit them!!! Neither of us have been to the city, so we are anxiously awaiting next Wednesday when we can start driving! It's probably a 7 hour drive so please be praying that we get there safely and quickly! While there, we will have the opportunity to work with Austin and Darcy on the Relief Bus and we will also get to visit the city and all the sites! I am especially excited to visit, because I was so used to seeing them every week when we all lived in Indiana. So this will be a treat for me to be able to see them and the boys finally!!!! We will be leaving Wednesday afternoon (the 3rd), after classes, and will get back Tuesday Morning!

These pictures are from last week at a friend's birthday party at BWW's and this past Tuesday we had a "See You At The Pole" event on campus! So I hope you enjoy the pictures and feel free to leave your comments to let me know how things are going at home or wherever you might be! I love and miss you all!

~Steph