Highlights from the past month!

• Halloween- a few of us went trick-or-treating with the Josephs and the Creasmans. You can sort of see, but the kids were adorable- a lion, a dragon, and Elmo. It was so much fun! Our adult to child ratio was about 3:1, so we switched off the kids so that everyone could get some candy J

• We also had a Halloween party at our house for Furman students to come to. There were some great costumes- Juno, mail order brides, jazzercisers, a cow, and a polar bear, to name a few! My roommates and I dressed as a pumpkin patch:

• I painted my room! Maybe it wouldn’t be a highlight to some, but I am all about decorating and making things feel homey, so I’ve been dying to paint my room since I moved in. Definitely not a professional job, but with the help of a couple of my roommates we finished it pretty quickly!

• We had a staff women’s retreat for 2 days last week. Once a month, our entire regional staff team comes together in Greenville for an all-day meeting. I love these meetings because we get to see all the staff, but by the end of the day everyone is pretty exhausted. The staff women had the privilege of getting a 2 day retreat after our staff meeting this month! One of the families at the church has a beautiful lake house on Lake Keowee, and we went for 2 nights and had some time to rest and hang out with each other. It was huge for me- not only to get some time away and spend extended time with the Lord and with friends, but also to get to know some of the staff women better.

• The office team has been busy planning for our annual conference over the New Year holiday. Each year, we plan a 4 day conference for students to come to to get great teaching, connect with students from other campuses, and grow in their relationship with Jesus. I went to this conference all four years as a student and LOVED it. Not only did I always walk away having learned a ton, it is also one of the most fun weeks ever. Last year, we moved the conference from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., and we will be returning to DC this year! The theme of the conference is “Paradox,” taken from 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” If you are interested in learning more about the conference, the website is www.paradox2009.com.

• This weekend Jacqueline and I are driving up to Western Carolina to help with a women's retreat for one night. The retreat will focus on Jesus being ENOUGH for us- enough to satisfy all of our needs and desires, and how that influences all of our relationships and friendships. I am excited to get to spend some time around Western girls and experience their retreat with them!