Good News and Bad News

It has been an eventful week for us! Bad news first - the powers that be at my school have decided that they must fill an open Spanish position two weeks before finals. As I have the certification necessary, I have been elected to move departments into the position. I will no longer have a classroom, as the open position is for a floater who moves throughout the four story school. Also, I will be teaching the "comprehensive" aka behavior issue classes. This will not be pleasant.

Now for the much more pleasant good news: Ben has been asked to be a Garrett Fellow to Dr. Nettles! This is an honor for Ben and I am very proud of him. He has worked very diligently this semester and God has blessed his efforts with new friends, new knowledge of several areas, and now, the opportunity to be a Garrett Fellow.

A Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Mississippi. It was especially good to see our friends at New Home again. Ben preached on Wednesday night and we were able to share a meal with them.
It was also really nice to spend some leisure time with family. Ben's Meemaw was visiting Clinton, so we were able to see her more than usual.
I hope that everyone had as much fun as we did. Only 3 more weeks until Christmas!

Happy Birthday to Ben

Monday is Ben's birthday! We had some other seminary students and their spouses come over on Friday night. We all ate red velvet cake (Ben's favorite) and chips. Ben wants to thank everyone for his great gifts which include a new watch and gift card to Lifeway from Mama Brown, some much-desired CD's and student loan payments from his parents, and some gift cards for eating out from Jeff and Matt. I got him a new TV. We have been watching on a tiny little one for a long time. No longer. It took some saving, but Ben is now the proud parent of a 42 inch HD TV.
It has been a pretty good birthday weekend for Ben!

A busy week...

The second week of school is really busy with new students and getting started activities. I am teaching all Freshmen this year, and they have no clue. They don't know where the bathroom is, how to open a locker, when to eat lunch, etc. They are wearing me out!

I am working until my eyes are blurry every night and getting up at 5:30. (Ben doesn't like that part.) Tonight, I am cheering myself up by posting some previously unseen pictures of our trip to Philadelphia and New York.

How long until summer break comes again?

Broadway and Times Square

While in NYC, we went to a Broadway show. All six of us saw Mamma Mia! on Thursday evening. It was packed...I really expected more flashy sets and costumes, but it was a pretty simple story. After the show we walked around Times Square where Ben took these pictures.

World Trade Center

I couldn't go to NYC and not go to the World Trade Center site. My sister would have been livid! So, we visited Ground Zero and the WTC Museum. Although it is very small, I recommend the museum. Inside you watch two short videos and hear personal stories. There are also several artifacts including an airplane window, firefighters' jackets, and personal items belonging to victims. Seeing these things, as well as the wall of pictures of the victims, really made this event more real to me than ever. If you visit, be aware that you cannot actually get onto the WTC site and there is a large fence around it. Also, a visit to St. Paul's at the south end of the site is worth a stop. This is where many of the rescue workers and volunteers took shelter during the days and weeks following the events. They offer a wonderful timeline of events spanning from 9-11 through late 2002.

Natural History Museum and More...

There is a ton of walking involved in a visit to NYC. Our maps were our best friends! We enjoyed the Natural History Museum, but I actually preferred the Creation Museum. I tired quickly of the emphasis on evolution. I can't understand why I can't just look at the stuffed bison without hearing how he is my distant relative. Anyway, on the same day we toured St. John the Divine and had dinner at the "Seinfeld" restaurant. Then, Ben made us trek all the way to Grant's tomb just to get a picture that he could use to tease Jason McCoy.

NYC - Liberty Day

On our first full day in NYC, we took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty. The ride over was a lot of fun and we were excited to get such great views of the statue. Ben's Dad was able to get us into the SOLD OUT museum and pedastal of Lady Liberty.

The All-Star games were in town and Ben took a picture with this miniature lady all decked-out with team emblems.

Amish Country

The visit to the Amish Country of Pennsylvania was very interesting. We learned about their roots and lifestyle and did some shopping. It wasn't until we passed Dutch Wonderland that I realized that we were near the home of my favorite TV stars - Jon and Kate plus 8. I kept my eyes peeled for sextuplets, but I never had a sighting. We did, however, see and shop with lots of really nice Amish people. This place as a tourist attraction leaves you with the strange feeling that the commercial heart of the area is in conflict with the beliefs of the Amish. They didn't seem to mind too much and we had a lot of fun.

Ben is as strong as an ox.

We had lunch at this restaurant. It was served family-style and we got to eat and talk with people from all over the country. The food was good (and plenty).

Learning the secrets of the Amish and Mennonites at the Museum and Visitor's Center. Here, we toured a full-size replica of the Biblical Tabernacle.


These Crocs made awesome travel shoes.

Gettysburg

Summer Trip 2008

Hello everyone! Right now, we are in NYC. I would have liked to upload some photos, but the WiFi in these hotels is not very reliable. I am going to try again tomorrow to put the photos on the blog.
So far, we have visited Gettysburg, Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Lancaster County (Amish Country), and New York City. We will be in NY until Saturday when we will return to Louisville.
Today we visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We also walked around Manhattan and across the Brooklyn Bridge. Ben took some beautiful pictures as the sun was setting over the bridge. Hopefully, I will be able to post them soon.
My favorite parts of our trip so far have been Gettysburg and Valley Forge. There was so much historical information and impressive exhibits at these places. Tomorrow we are planning to take a slower pace (we might have overdone it today) and visit Trinity Church and the World Trade Center site.

There and Back Again

Today we made it back to Louisville after a long visit to Mississippi. It was hard to say goodbye to our friends, but it is good to be back with all of our own belongings. I am so glad to get to sleep in my own bed tonight!

Tomorrow, Ben's parents will leave Clinton and make the trip to Louisville. They will spend one night here, and then we will all leave for the Amish Country. From there, we will go to Philadelphia and New York. We will be traveling in the Previa. This van has a few miles on it, however it seems to be the best option. We have our fingers crossed and Ben's Mom has branded this vacation, "Death of a Previa." It should be an adventure and we are planning to post lots of pics.

Home is where the hot is...

This month, we are back in Mississippi and enjoying (enduring?) the 90+ degree weather. It has been great seeing family and being at New Home Baptist Church again. On Wednesday evening, we began a study of the abridged version of Calvin's Institutes. It went really well and we had several visitors. I think this will be a fruitful study.
This weekend, we are off to Monroe, LA to take part in a wedding celebration. Ben's cousin, Andrea, will be married Saturday evening and Ben is officiating. We are both looking forward to seeing the Monroe branch of the family and to eating some wedding cake!

Easter Cuties

Here are some Easter pics of the cutest kids in Cajun Country. These are Ben's little cousins.

Congratulations Andrea!!!

Ben's cousin got engaged! We are soooo happy for you, Andy!

Andrea and Wesley

We are also very excited that Andy has asked Ben to perform part of the ceremony. It will be so nice to see everyone again and not have to wait until Christmas. I love weddings! Yay!

Hey! I Am Blogging Today!

I have found myself with some free time today and decided to put some updates on my poor, neglected blog.

As it turns out, we will not be going to Louisville again before the move. I can hardly believe that it is only 3 weeks away! We are both still praying about what work to do, which church to join, and for a smooth transition into our new city.

The Christmas season will feel more real for us in about a week when Ben's sisters will come home. We have not seen them in a while and everyone is excited to spend this holiday with them.

Please remember these people in your prayers:

Bob and Peggy Ostenson - Rev. Ostenson is a dear, elderly man who is declining in health. His family is under a lot of stress because the home health nurse that they hired stole money from them. They need prayer for health and strength.

The mother of Laurie Price, one of our church members, was recently diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Laurie and her husband have six children and all of them need strength and peace for the road ahead.

Mrs. Ellen Crosby, a member of my mother's church, is in poor health and was recently admitted to the hospital.

Wednesday

Last night, my aunt came up to visit and brought us some gifts. She gave me some yummy smelling bath products and Ben got some fire-hot habanero salsa. He was awake all night with a burning sensation in his chest!

Tonight, Ben is teaching Hebrew and preaching in Exodus.

I found out yesterday that we will need to go to Louisville once more and do an interview. In Spanish. I have never had to do that before, and interviews are always nervous anyway, so I hope that I do well.

We also got news that our housing is ready Louisville, so we can move in anytime. That is really good news for us and we are happy that we got the place that we wanted. It has two bedrooms and study making it very convenient for Ben's work and research. We are planning to move in the week after Christmas because the teaching semester begins for me on January 7th.

In exciting family news, we found out this week that Ben's cousin and his wife are expecting their second child next summer. This is a wonderful blessing for their family, and with a daughter that is sooo cute, we are sure that the new addition will be adorable.

This is their little Madelyn:

Video of Ben's Ordination

Thanks to Ben's Uncle Butch and Aunt Judy for sending this video and the pictures of Ben's ordination. We are so happy that they got some pictures because our camera would not work!

This clip features Butch and Pappy praying for Ben. All of the ordained men in the church participated in the charge by laying hands on Ben at the end of the service.

Pics of Ben's Ordination

Ben and P.J.

Ben's parents, Ryan and Mary, playing the "Ordination Medley."

Sanctuary at FBC Clinton

Ben and his Meemaw

News

Ben has been accepted into the doctoral program at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary! The application process has been long (we started in April!) and the exam process (long story) was very stressful for Ben, so we are very excited to have this outcome. Ben has felt that he is called to preach and teach and this degree will help him to do both. Please pray for us as we seek God's will for our future and for our precious friends at New Home Baptist Church.
This opportunity could mean a move to Louisville, KY in January. This is an exciting prospect for us, and it could mean some Kentucky Wildcats basketball games in the near future. They have always been a favorite of mine! In other news, we are hoping to have our car repaired after having a minor collision just a few weeks ago. The insurance reps say that as soon as they can confirm that the other motorist was uninsured, then we can pay our deductible and have the rest of the repairs covered.

Ben is working on sermons and digging in to complete his directed study on John Bunyan. He thinks that he may have a draft of the paper by the end of the month. If you are a Bunyan fan, and interested in his influences and pastoral theology, you may enjoy reading it when he is done.

Every blog that I have looked at lately has been covered with pictures of babies. So, I am posting some pictures of the youngest members of the Rogers/Joiner families. Below are our cousins Dylan & Colin and Madelyn & Keegan. Enjoy!