Christmas Greetings And Lots Of Shopping

Katie and I would like to express our apologies since it has been about a month since our last post. I'm sure everyone was starved for entertainment without our regular updates. As you might have guessed December got a little too busy. We worked a few extra hours each week and I had a lot of projects and studying to do. You may also have guessed that we are happily on our winter break now. The last few weeks of school were intense but we got through them and were able to take a week long vacation for Christmas. The spring semester doesn't start until January 14th so we still have a little more time off of school.

School let out last Friday, the 19th .We squeezed some extra hours in at work at the end of the week because we were taking off for a week. We got off work at 2:00 on Saturday and left town immediately. We drove straight up to Baltimore with no stops which took just under six hours. We were tired when we arrived at mom's house, having worked a seven hour day and driven six hours but we were glad to see everyone. We made the most of the night, Katie wrapped presents with dad Freeman while mom and I sat at the kitchen table. Mom had to study her Sunday school lesson and I had to study for my sermon on Sunday night. By the time midnight crept around we were all ready for bed. Sunday morning service was great, we were welcomed by everyone at Grace Pointe. After church let out we drove to Aunt Candies for the Schmuff family get-together. We spent all afternoon there eating, talking and relaxing until it was time to leave for the evening service at Grace Pointe, during which I was able to preach.


I truly enjoyed preaching that night. Sometimes we get distracted down here and four years of school seems like a long time, but being able to open the Bible to friends and family reminds me of what I'm working for. We have the sermon recorded and I'll try to put it on here for everybody in our next post. We enjoyed Pizza Hut after the evening service with some friends and family. On Sunday night we had our Christmas with my mom.



Monday morning we went shopping! Beckley has deprived us of many good shopping opportunities, chiefly because there is no Target here (we love Target). We hit all the stores in the White Marsh area and dropped in our old Chick-Fil-A to say hi to our friends. After we'd walked through all the good stores we grabbed Chinese food (which Beckley is also lacking) and headed back to mom's. We spent the afternoon hanging around the house and preparing for mom's open house that night. Mom's living room was overwhelmed with visitors for most of the night, we had a lot of fun catching up with everyone and just having fun.


Tuesday was an opportunity for more shopping, this time in Harford County. We went to most of the stores up there and the mall then hung out at dad's house for a little bit. Tuesday night we went with dad to Toby's dinner theater in Columbia to see “Plaid Tidings” which turned out to be a very fun show. We spent Tuesday night at dads and had Christmas with them on Wednesday morning. After opening all our gifts we headed back to Middle River to see mom and the kids for a few hours before leaving. We headed out around 11:00 for Harrisonburg where Katie's parents live. After arriving we relaxed for a while until Christmas Eve service. On Christmas Eve night Katie and I exchanged our gifts in her parents basement by the fire. Then we spent some time with her family before passing out in bed (have you figured out that our week was kind of hectic?).

Thursday morning we spent about two hours opening presents, not because there was so many but because we were just having a lot of fun and taking our time. We spent the rest of Christmas day slumming around the house. By Christmas evening we were bored out of our minds from being in the house so we went out to look at Christmas lights.


On Friday and Saturday our week started to slow down. We spent a lot of time shopping and with Katie's family. We went to church on Sunday at Freedom Baptist in Harrisonburg and then drove home after eating lunch.

Here we are now, settled back into our cozy home chatting with you about all our adventures. On Saturday I got my report card and I'm happy to say that I was able to keep my 4.0 GPA for the semester. I may never have straight A's again but at least I did it once.

Time to go now, hope you've enjoyed reading from us again. Please keep us in your prayers during our winter break. We have several things to get fixed on our cars and a lot of preparation for next semester.

Jesus Is Watching You

Thanksgiving has come and gone, all that remains is a refrigerator of leftovers and an expanded waistline. Even though Katie and I had family in town we had to work early on black Friday morning. As you could imagine it was a crazy day but we got off early and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening.

It was fun having my little sister and brothers here. They are all developing into their own hyperactive and witty personalities. Timmy for example, when I was correcting him one time gave me a serious look and in a bold tone said "Jesus is watching you." To which I replied "you know, he's watching you too." At that point he looked suspiciously over his shoulder and quieted down.

On Thanksgiving night we all sat down in the living room and brainstormed on how to entertain ourselves since we didn't have a television. I decided to entertain the kids with some impromptu stories involving a fart maker. Here are some videos from that night, including Timmy's attempt at storytelling.

Sunday Katie and I decorated for Christmas. We are really looking forward to Christmas break this year. Only three more weeks of school until we can take a real break. I still love school, but my reservoir of creative energy has been run dry for this semester. The three and a half week vacation coming up should provide just enough relaxation to energize next semester, which is sure to be much more intense than the former.

Katie and I hope your thanksgiving was filled with good food and grateful hearts, and hopefully your Christmas is looking as appealing as ours.

Happy Thanksgiving

The day after our last post we got another two inches of snow. It made quite an impressive accumulation but is now melting away. There is hardly any left on the grass but our back porch is still blocked off. The forecast calls for even more this Wednesday. Perhaps when my family arrives on Wednesday night they will be greeted by a white layer on the ground.

Thanksgiving is upon us, we've bought up all the necessary ingredients for the first thanksgiving at our house. Everyone that hears it is Katie's first time cooking a turkey is overzealous to share their favorite tips and tricks. Very kind of them, but we'll have to keep it simple this year.

With school out for a whole week I've been doing some things around the house, relaxing mostly. We will be putting a few extra hours in at work for Christmas money. After the break is over we have only three more weeks of school before our real vacation. I'm looking forward to Christmas this year like never before.

Katie and I hope thankfulness has filled your heart in a special way during this time of year. Happy thanksgiving.

Second Snow

Early Sunday morning it started snowing for the second time here. We saw flurries for most of Sunday that didn't amount to much, then it stopped for most of Monday. Monday night is when the real snow came. We woke up this morning to about 1.5 inches of snow on the ground. By the time the snow stopped on Tuesday we had about 4 inches. Katie and I both love snow and weren't willing to pass up this opportunity so after school and work were all done for the day we threw on a few layers of clothes and headed outside. First on the agenda was a snowman. It didn't take long to figure out that the snow was too powdery to amass a snowman of a decent size. We built him as high as we could, then got bored and moved on to snow angels. Time flies when you're laying in the snow and it was dark before we knew it. We headed inside and cleaned up for a dinner at Burger King and an evening walking around Wal Mart.

A surprise after opening the front door

Digging out the car to drive Katie to work

Wish that were our house

There's our house!

I'm disappointed that our snowman has turned out like E.T.

His looks don't seem to bother Katie

They're so cute!

This seemed like an interesting picture at the time...

Suiting up for the Appalachian adventure

Right at this point a snow angel doesn't seem like such a good idea

Tuesday I finished my largest project yet which was also my last big assignment before thanksgiving break. With that out of the way I'm almost done for the week. I wish I could say thanksgiving week was going to be a vacation but for the most part it isn't. Katie and I decided to take the days off school and get a few extra hours at work in the beginning of the week. At least we have Thursday off and will be spending all day with family and friends.

Around Town

Friday we received our third care package, this time from my dad. It was a very nice surprise to dig into after we got off work at 8:00. They sent all sorts of holiday decorations, candy and nick-nacks.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas just down the road. We have one more week of classes and then a full week off. You may have guessed from our extended silence on the blog that times have been busy. Teachers are fitting in the final projects and exams before the break so schoolwork has been especially taxing on my time but still rewarding. With great anticipation Katie and I look to next Friday when we can finally rest for a few days. I look forward to having at least one day when there is no school or work, a day that has not occurred since the beginning of September. But more than looking forward to rest, we are eagerly awaiting a time of giving thanks with family and friends for what God has done with us this year. Of course a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and assorted deserts is an added bonus for this time of year.

Since our last post Katie has blown through two more books. We have spent some time getting to know new people at our church this week. The people of Appalachia are a little reserved at first, as most people are. But once they get comfortable, you are inducted into their family. We are blessed to see people we know all around town. That may be because “around town” is a small radius and there’s nowhere else for all these people to go, but oh well. Hope everyone is eagerly awaiting thanksgiving.

Cocaine, Communists and Conversions

Our missions conference this week was incredible. It was my first, obviously, so I had no idea what to expect. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we enjoyed several missions oriented messages in chapel. On Tuesday and Wednesday we also attended class sessions taught by visiting missionaries on a topic of their choice. On Tuesday I attended a session on discipling and one on Columbia entitled “cocaine, communists and conversions.” On Wednesday I attended a session taught by a missionary who is translating the bible for the remote village he ministers in and one by an older gentleman who broadcasts Bible messages to Muslims in North Africa.

I really could say so much about what I’ve learned from this missions conference but I don’t have time to type nor memory to recall it all. I will say that the greatest challenge God put on my heart was that I wasn’t fully open to the idea of being a missionary. I never have felt called to missions and I still don’t but I can say that at the beginning of the conference I wasn’t even open to the idea. Regardless of whether or not God wants to use Katie and I as missionaries, I do know he wants us to be open and willing to serve in any area he calls us. The second greatest challenge I received was to be willing to witness to anyone anywhere. One of the speakers presented the idea that “missions” and “evangelism” don’t begin when you arrive in a foreign country, nor do they cease when a missionary retires. It is our duty as followers of Christ to share the hope of salvation that is in us at any opportunity we receive. Overall this week has been a very helpful experience. Thursday we returned to our normal school schedule to do the same things we had done before the conference but this time with more zeal.

As I write this on Thursday night Katie is attending a cooking class with some friends at our church. I sit at home like a lonely bachelor in a large house, just tapping away at the keyboard. With Katie gone I had nobody to talk to so I settled for you…no offense.

By the way, we did manage to get the clean your room video from coffeehouse. Unfortunately we could not successfully upload it to the internet. After many failed attempts I decided to put it to rest for now.

I Has Coffeeee

Coffeehouse was a blast on Thursday night. The turnout was obviously much greater than even the hosts expected. It was held in the school’s dining hall, whose walls seemed to buckle due to the large crowd. The theme for this years coffeehouse was a triathlon, because it was composed of three main parts. The first part was the showing of a “clean your room” video. The deans wanted a way to illustrate how the dorm students should clean their room, so at the beginning of the year they encouraged the students to make their own instructional videos. Creativity ran wild and instructions were bare minimum but it sure was fun to watch. I wanted to have the video to show everyone but I haven’t had a chance to ask the producer yet.

The second part was an assortment of skits performed by our theatrically inclined classmates. We were able to captures a little bit of the skits and we now make them available for your viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately we don’t have a camcorder so we couldn’t do any hardcore videotaping, just what could be done on our digital camera. The third event was an artwork judging. Every table in the room was lined with paper when we arrived and it was our duty, before and during the ceremonies, to doodle, draw and create whatever we could with crayons. A picture of the winner is featured at the top of the post. Here is what Katie and I drew.


That was the highlight of the end of our week. Saturday afternoon begins our weekend because we always work on Saturday morning. We are looking forward to relaxing this weekend and the beginning of next week because there are no classes Monday, Tuesday of Wednesday.

Matt And Katie Can't Shop In Wal Mart Only

Since our last post on the rapidly declining local temperature we have actually seen snow. I have heard from people in other states that some have seen “flurries” but we actually had snow. On Monday morning we awoke to a light dusting on the grass and about 1/4 inch on the cars. It was very pleasant until I realized it was still October which seems to mean we are going to be in for a long winter.

These past few days have been excessively busy. At the beginning of this week I had four projects due which required much of my time over the weekend to be completed. Today I have finally taken a breath and can actually see some light at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard to believe that this semester is almost 3/4 over and we have been writing on this blog for over two months.

In this last week Katie and I have settled on plans to travel in December. We will be visiting the Baltimore and Harrisonburg areas and we eagerly await seeing everyone. We have been thinking of some important things to do while we are in Baltimore. Here is a sampling of our list, in no apparent order:
1. Shop at Target...a lot.
2. Eat at P.F. Changs (a restaurant that opened just before we left Baltimore but didn’t have a chance to eat at).
3. Eat at Little China (Beckley is sorely lacking in Chinese cuisine).
4. Buy some cheap clothes at Ross (a great clothing store with awesome prices).
5. See everyone at our old church on Sunday morning.
6. Visit our Chick-Fil-A and see our friends.
7. Go to White Marsh Mall (if malls were dogs then Crossroads Mall in Beckley would be a Chihuahua, White Marsh Mall would be a Tyrannosaurus Rex).

As you may have noticed we have been spoiled by the amenities of a big city. We enjoy the atmosphere and the charm of small town life but just as man cannot live on bread alone Matt and Katie can't shop in Wal Mart only. Also, it would be nice to drive on a road that goes faster than 35 miles per hour and doesn’t have a red light every mile. We are excited to see all our friends and family and take a vacation. But, for now we are staying focused and cracking down on the learning.

Sorry for leaving you without the juicy details of our lives for so long. We anticipate posting again on Friday with the details of our school coffeehouse on Thursday. Stay classy everyone, you’re in our hearts.

Scarfs And Earmuffs

Fall is upon us and cold is setting in. Mornings are best described with the word frost and evenings are characterized by a bright sun and chilly winds. Each week it seems that Katie and I add another layer of clothing to our outfit. It started as just a long sleeve shirt for me, then it became a long sleeve on top of an undershirt. The sweater was added on top of those two and now a jacket is added on top of that. Scarf and earmuff days are rapidly approaching as the “s” word (snow of course) is rumored around campus. I know it’s cold and the winter breeze demolishes my faces on the way to class every day but I can’t wait for snow. Judging by our visit to the campus last February and the testimony of seasoned residents we gather that the snowfalls here are usually beautiful. We don’t seem to get much of the wet slushy snow that collects dirt and lays on the side of the road for days. No no, here in Beckley the snow will either lay in increments large enough to go sledding on or it just blows away for future use. I realize this sounds very imaginative and that there will be many days that I dread trudging through the smushy white precipitation, but oh well, it never hurts to dream.

We received good news in my midterm grade report Thursday, I have a 4.0 GPA so far this semester. I say this not to brag because this is not typical for me by any means. This is the first time I’ve ever gotten straight A’s and I’m thankful God has provided all the means for that to be attained. Katie is rejoicing with me because she plays a large part in my schoolwork, encouraging me and sacrificing “us time” so that I can advance in my learning.

Don’t forget that Katie has a small handmade quilt listed on eBay. Go check it out soon, bidding ends on Sunday afternoon. Katie's quilt square.

De-Skunking

Recently there has been multiple sightings of the skunk who terrorized our nostrils back in back in August (A Fairy Tale Beginning And A Happily Ever After). He hasn’t sprayed for over a month so I guess that means we are friends now. Katie and her friend Jennifer are talking about “de-skunking” it and making it a pet. They think it’s cute to have a skunk living right by our house. I don’t mind having it around as long as it doesn’t spray during dinner.

Monday we were very surprised to receive a package from our Chick-Fil-A back in Baltimore. It was a hefty box that sounded a little squishy, it also had the word “perishable” stamped all over it. At first I thought “Oh no, they sent us some chicken.” Then I remembered that the owner, Steve, used to speak so reverently about a certain kind of pies. The box seemed pie-sized and weighed appropriately. But, when we tore it open we discovered much more than a pie--they sent us a whole box full of snacks and goodies. Now we have enough candy to last us through Christmas.

Tuesday I took my last of four midterm exams. So far I have gotten two of the grades back. The first was Bible Doctrine Overview with a 100%. The second was from hermeneutics which, if you recall, is the class that Katie and I take together, we both received 109%. I am looking forward to the return of my other two grades. We’ve spent a lot of time sweating over these exams in the last two weeks so it’s good to have them over with and to have good results.

Gangsta Matt From B-More

Thursday was represent your state day for spirit week. After thinking long and hard about what would best represent Maryland and specifically Baltimore we arranged a very “fitting” costume. This is gangster Matt from B-more, also featured below is a West Virginia native. See if you can pick out which one is which.




Friday was then twin day, a hectic midterm schedule and lack of planning erased my involvement for this day but I do have pictures of some other twins for you.


Friday night after work we went to a married student game night which turned out to be very fun. After feasting on pizza, cookies and pie we dug into some games. Katie played Settlers of Catan with about seven other people. She’d never played it before but apparently had much fun learning. I joined two friends in the gymnasium for a basketball game. We went head to head in “21” I lost miserably with only two points. By the end of the game I was begging to sit down (my lungs are very out of shape). For about five minutes after the game was over I had the feeling that I needed to vomit. The whole time that I was trying to calm my stomach I heard my parents saying “Don’t run on a full stomach.” I kept my food down and finally learned a valuable lesson.

This weekend was filled with work and study, more so than usual. I have taken three midterms so far and I have one more on Tuesday. When I get this out of the way I will be able to relax a little bit. Sunday we listed another one of Katie’s quilts on eBay. We would appreciate everyone checking it out.

Plaid Is Not A Color

Spirit week is going great. Katie and I were happy participants in Monday’s comb over/pigtail day. I gelled up my hair and slicked it all over to the side as far as I could. I’m in desperate need of a haircut so it actually turned out pretty good looking. It was almost like how my mom used to part my hair for those dorky school portraits.



Tuesday was layers day. I thought to myself on Monday night, “How fun could layers be? I don’t want to sweat during my classes with three shirts on.” Unfortunately I didn’t participate in layers day. I realized the folly of my thinking when, in my first class, I saw plenty of friends dressed in peculiar garb that weren’t sweating. Apparently layers day is synonymous with mismatch day.



Wednesday was wing color day. Each wing of the dormitories had to coordinate and pick a color that they would all dress in. Obviously I’m not in a dorm but I had thought of dressing to match the wing of one of my friends. I decided against it and thought to myself “How fun could it be to dress in the same color as a bunch of other people?” I didn’t even take my camera for this day because I thought so little of it, I was wrong again. One wing spiced of the theme of the day by choosing “chrome” as their color. As such they clothed themselves in tin foil and duct tape. O, how I yearned for a vest made of shiny aluminum foil! Another wing chose “plaid” as their color. Yes, I do realize the lack of intelligence involved in such a choice but they had fun regardless. They all looked like farmers up top but on the bottom they slid plaid shorts over top their school regulated pants.

Thursday is dress to represent your state day, I will not miss out on this one! I only need to figure out a way to accurately represent Maryland. I thought of having a blue crab shipped in but thought it might be a little dangerous to carry to class. In due time I will tell you what happened on Thursday.

Pipe-Snaking School

All around us the leaves are changing to their red and yellow colors, falling to the ground. The bursts of color make the season of fall a reality. It’s hard to believe how much of this year has passed and how much we have done already. Among many other things, Katie and I were blessed to celebrate out first anniversary back in April, we enjoyed many exciting vacations over the summer and more recently our lives were dramatically changed when we moved to West Virginia for college. We are now almost half way through the first semester at ABC. Last October I couldn’t have seen to this point in the future. We knew God wanted us to go to Bible college but didn’t know where. We didn’t even find out about ABC until January of this year. But what I haven’t been able to predict God has known since the beginning of the world. I’m very amazed by that fact and I find great confidence in it for the future.

There were no classes on Friday because of homecoming but there were seminars for us to attend. The word “seminar” may convey a lot of different ideas but basically we had a few visiting speakers teaching on subjects of their choice. We could choose two out of the four subjects to listen to. Katie and I picked “Reaching out to the homeless and addicted” and “Creative ways of effecting your community.” Both were interesting but the latter was especially interesting. A pastor from Abingdon, Virginia shared some ways that his church has used the resources God has given them (their building, property, etc.) to be a witness to the community in Abingdon. He left the impression on us that if God has given us possessions and talents we should use them in every way possible for his glory.
After the seminars we went to work and had no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary until…we walked in the back of the store and were greeted by a hair-raising stench. The drain under the main sink had become clogged and was barely letting any water down. Our handy-dandy operator brought in his shop-vac and “plunged” the drain of all it’s rotten contents. He removed buckets of a substance that should be sealed and thrown away in a radioactive landfill. Excited by his accomplishment and glad he had become immune to the stench, our operator proudly told one of his employees to let water out of the sink and test the revitalized drain. The clog had become worse and wouldn’t let any water down. At this point John, the operator, made the wise choice not to fool with it anymore but to call a professional plumber. Two guys barely older than me showed up to put their craft into practice. Even though it looked like they had just graduated from “pipe-snaking” school last week they did the job successfully and we all rejoiced together.

On Saturday evening after work we went to Wal Mart for some overdue grocery shopping. Now the void in my refrigerator’s life is filled with milk, eggs and lunch meat. Saturday night we went with our neighbors, Dan and Jennifer to check out Young Chow’s a Chinese restaurant on the other side of town. Afterwards we enjoyed frozen custard at a local stand and hung out together until midnight.

Sunday we took a relaxing walk around campus and snapped a bunch of pictures to show everyone what we have been surrounded by lately.

We are excited that it is now spirit week on campus, the schedule is as follows:
Monday we will have a Combover/Pigtail Day
Tuesday will be Layers Day. It is still class dress, but wear as many layers of clothing as you can.
Wednesday will be Wing Color Day. As a wing you need to choose a color and have everyone on your wing wear that same color.
Thursday will be Represent Your State/Country Day. Wear something that represents your State or Country. The idea is more the entire state than merely a particular sports team in the state, though that is allowed for the unimaginative. Class dress is still expected with the addition of these elements.
Friday will be Twin Day. Plan to dress the same way as someone else.
Saturday we will have a Warrior Day so wear your Warrior T-Shirts.

We will have pictures for you throughout the week.

He Had Been Around Heavy Machinery Too Much

Tuesday became an interesting day very early on. I only had one class and it passed quickly, after dismissal I made my way to the college post office to check for any graded class work. In my mailbox I found an assignment from hermeneutics, one that I was eagerly awaiting to be returned. My eagerness was met with disappointment when I looked at the paper and thought it said 7/10. I was almost devastated. I realize how pithy it may sound to be upset over a 70% but I work very hard on all my assignments. On this particular paper I spent at least an hour on and to be honest I enjoyed the study and felt I had a great grasp of the concepts. That Tuesday morning was very dreary for me and the walk home was more of a hopeless trudge. By the time I had reached my house I had already planned how I was going to contest the grade to my teacher the next time I saw him. I unlocked the door, stumbled in and plopped down on the couch. I was supposed to spend the next few hours studying for my Bible Doctrine Overview exam on Wednesday but the first hour was consumed by distraction and discouragement. As time went on I pushed the paper to the back of my mind and asked God to help me focus on studying. He indeed helped and I got some quality learning time in before I had to drop Katie‘s car off to be looked at by a mechanic at 1:00. I’ll tell you more about this paper in a moment but I want to tell this chronologically and it’s my story so that’s what I’ll do.

I left the car at the mechanic shop, gave the gentleman my keys and filled out the necessary paperwork. A friend had to drive me back home because Katie was at work. Back up one sentence and notice the phrase “gave the gentleman my keys.” Yeah, I gave him my keys, all of them. How bout that? I didn’t even realize what I’d done until I got home and began rummaging my pockets for the house key. This could have turned out much worse because I only had twenty minutes to get changed and get to my physical education class and I had no way of getting to Katie in time to borrow her keys. Luckily, the family who oversees the married community here lives only one house away and they had a master key to let me in. After a hearty thanks to my neighbor I closed the door from the inside and dashed upstairs to get changed. I grabbed my spare set of keys and headed off for physical education.

After P.E. I came home to focus on some more studying. I was only home a few moments before my phone rang. It was Jim, the mechanic who apparently has been around heavy machinery much too long, telling me the verdict on my car. After a few short attempts at basic communication I realized that I needed to speak significantly louder if Jim was going to hear me. I did and we conversed successfully. The problem with our car is that the ABS and traction light’s are staying on. I don’t consider it a big deal, the car drives great, but the state of West Virginia won’t let it pass inspection with these lights on. We paid Jim to tell us how to fix these lights and the associated problems. He informed me in a solemn tone that to even begin properly diagnosing our car they would have to replace the computer module (which would cost about $1000 between parts and labor). Jim then said that after that the repairs could bring us to a total of $2500. Just so you know Katie only paid $2375 for the car two years ago. The situation was really a no-brainer: there’s no means or reason for us to spend this much money on Katie’s car, it will be sold. I thanked Jimbo and told him I would be by to pick it up later.

By this time I figured it had been a pretty interesting day and I was looking forward to telling Katie about it. I hopped off the couch to pull out my horrible hermeneutics homework so that I could have a visual aid when I told her later. As I pulled it back out I realized there was a zero after the seven on my grade. Naturally, I deduced there is no way to have a 70/10 so what I thought was a 7 was actually a 1 with a slight hook because the teachers pen had run out of ink. Waves of relief rushed over me and for a few moments I was able to laugh at myself just as I’m sure you are laughing at me now.

The day turned out not to be so bad. What I had thought was a 70% was actually a 100%. I could have avoided much heartache if I wouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I got locked out of my house but I live right next to the landlord so that wasn’t bad at all. I even got some shocking news about one of our cars but that isn’t really bad. Katie and I have been talking about selling one of the cars but weren’t sure which. We like her car but it takes premium gas and is high on insurance because of the supercharged engine. All the problems were solved for us. We know which one needs to go and it didn’t require any hard thought. If the repairs had only been $300 we might have spent the money and still not have fixed the problem. But with repairs totaling up to $2500 there’s no question that we are getting rid of her car. This will save on insurance, gas and we shouldn’t have any trouble getting around this small town with just one car.

That was our Tuesday, I would love to tell you more but you know I resist abnormally long posts. If a post is long enough for the sun to set before you finish reading it then it’s too long and that’s why I’m cutting this one off right here by saying “goodbye everyone.”

Hot Hot Hot

Saturday evening was spent at the Beckley Chili festival which turned out to be a neat event. To start I must say I didn’t know that many people LIVED in Beckley.

The festival was held downtown where about 2 streets were sectioned off for the festivities. We paid $5 for 5 tickets and a voting token. Each ticket was worth a 5 ounce sample of chili and the token was to give to the stand which had your favorite. Right near the entrance the culinary arts institute was dishing out their samples. The table was very crowded, obviously no one is going to underestimate the culinary arts institute’s ability to make good chili. We spent over an hour navigating the tremendously crowded streets looking for the best chili. I’ll let the pictures speak for the rest of this event.

Katie digs into the first bite
The happy couple
Timmy gets a spider painted on his face. Good thing we got a picture right away because he wiped it off two minutes later.
No activity in West Virginia is complete without square dancing. Katie wanted to jump in until she remembered neither of us knows to square dance.
The fire department was serving "super hot chili" I'll say no more.

What an exciting week ahead: I have two exams on Wednesday that I’m psyched about, homecoming is Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and I have a few short school days this week because some teachers are away and others are involved in a masters module that is very time consuming. I’m using all the spare time to hulk up with exam knowledge.

Oh Look Smarties!

Another week has come and gone well. In my previous post I was cautious of a load of homework creeping up on me. My caution was justified on Wednesday when several of my teachers piled it on. Wednesday is my worst day of the week for homework because I have school, work and church and only 1 hour in between each. Fortunately I’ve kept up on everything and Katie and I are looking forward to seeing some more family this weekend. My mom and step-dad are traveling to North Carolina for a family reunion on Saturday and are using the opportunity to swing by here on the way back. We’re looking forward to seeing them and the kids.

Katie’s parents brought us some cool movies to watch in our spare time, ha ha. I tore through my homework on Thursday and set aside two hours that night to watch a movie with Katie. I have little interest in giving you a cinema review but I would like to share a pre-viewing dialogue Katie and I had. The movie was set and ready to go but we were missing snacks so we paused our feature presentation and got up to go scavenge the kitchen. Here is what was said while Katie was looking in our pantry. Notice Katie’s very spacey attention span, she gets distracted by anything with a shiny wrapper.

Katie: Do you think you can make s’mores out of chocolate brownies?
Matt: Noooo
Katie: Do you like vanilla pudding? Oh never mind this looks congealed. Wait we only got this for my birthday it doesn’t expire until January 2009 (Katie’s birthday was back in February)
Matt: I guess it’s ok then
Katie: Oooh look Smarties!
Matt: I have no idea where they came from.

We have been blessed this week to be able to hear two messages from the dean of student services, Dave Childs. Mr. Childs is an exceptional preacher that I really enjoy listening to and learning from. We heard from him at Maxwell Hill Baptist Church on Sunday because Pastor Ken was away on vacation. He spoke a riveting message on the nature of God’s grace and how it ought to stir us up. He also spoke at our chapel service on Wednesday about idolatry. The first few minutes of this sermon were very entertaining and the rest convicting. If you have a minute or two and a decent internet connection I encourage to listen to some of his message from chapel. Within the first minute and a half you will have a good laugh, if you listen to the whole thing you will have a good blessing. Dave Childs 10-1-08

My first exam is coming up next Wednesday. It is in my Bible Doctrine Overview class and covers all the material we have learned so far as well as about twelve Bible verses we have had to memorize. Pray for me as I study like crazy because I want a 100%. I’ll let you know the results as soon as I get them.

As Easy As A Pizza Box

It’s been good to see Katie’s family this week, we’ve actually had some spare time to spend with them. Last week and the weekend were very productive so I was able to catch up and get ahead in all my homework. This week I hardly have anything to do outside of class aside from regular studying. A light workload has been sort of nice because it gives spare time to spend with the family. On the other hand I feel it lulling me into a false sense of security so that next week…...BAM…...school can hit me like a lead glove. I’m being extra careful to stay caught up on everything. Monday night we went around shopping (more like looking) and I had this feeling of panic the whole time like I was missing my school work. I got home on Monday night and checked all my books and syllabi, but I was right on track. Homework is a sly creature to me, one minute there’s none and next thing I know I have three projects due the next week. I won’t fall for it this time though.

We got our first care package from my mom. She sent us cereal, brownies, cookies and pictures of Lily. The food was good and is half gone, Lily is growing by the minute and prettier than ever. If you know Lily then you understand what I mean. Mom was very creative and traced the kids hands onto the package with a message from each of them.

Tuesday night Katie, Tess and I bought Little Caesars pizza and played Skip Bo. We had a lot of fun, even with the pizza box. Tess couldn’t figure out how to close it properly and we weren’t going to settle for a mediocre pizza box so we coached her through it. Two and a half minutes later she successfully closed it and is now a better person for having weathered that storm.

This weekend we may be going to the Beckley chili cook off with some friends. Vendors and personal chefs set up stands and dispense bite size portions of their best chili. We then walk around like great connoisseurs and give our opinion of each. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Prayer Request
Monday we heard that someone who works in the mall committed suicide over the weekend. It was a bit odd for us to think that someone whose drink we were filling up last week was in such despair that he took his life. Also on Monday one of our managers called out for her night shift because her cousin died. It wasn’t until today that we found out that our fellow manager’s cousin was the man who committed suicide. It was a bit sobering to realize how many people are around us daily that need Jesus. All we see are the smiles and laughs, but you never know what’s going on in a person’s heart. Please pray for the family involved, that they would turn to Christ for comfort in all this.

A Trekkie Of Sorts

This is the Beckley sky at sunset, beautiful. The weather here amazes me, I love how the sun always shines when it rains.

Well today I finished a paper for my pastoral ministries class, it isn’t due until next Thursday which makes this the soonest I’ve finished any of my papers before a deadline. I plan on making this a habit since procrastination is bad for my beauty rest. Anyway, I had to write it on “Taking Back the Good Book” a book by Woodrow Kroll on Bible illiteracy in America. I was amazed when the school year started three weeks ago that we had to read an entire book right away. It doesn’t seem that big of a deal now that I’ve completed it. But you can imagine my reaction when I got a syllabus which prescribed reading one full book and writing three research papers in the first month. I really enjoyed the reading so it was no trouble to fly through it. Also it is for my favorite class, an added bonus. Foundations of pastoral ministries is my favorite class because it has my favorite teacher, Dr. Carfrey. He’s a stout man in his early sixties. I don’t think I’m the only one in the class that admires him this much. Dr. Carfrey is exceptionally knowledgeable and very able to preach. For example, last week someone started a discussion at the beginning of class about the charismatic movement. He pushed back the regular lesson for forty minutes while he pumped out a full sermon to us, never losing his place, stopping to think or lacking words. I admire a man who knows the Bible well enough that he can preach a sermon at a moments notice. I sat there taking in all I could and probably drooling all I could at the same time. Sometimes I feel like my pastors class is the Christian equivalent of a bunch of trekkies. We find preaching fascinating and talk about it any chance we get, we even have pastors jokes. If you’re wondering what a pastor’s joke sounds like, don’t, they are just odd. I appreciate Dr. Carfrey and having the opportunity to learn from him.

Katie’s parents are coming on Monday. We are looking forward to seeing some of our family. We miss everyone a lot but traveling is practically impossible with gas prices being so high and my amount of school work. Hopefully we can make the trip all the way up to Maryland within the next few months.

Judas And I

On Wednesday instead or our normal chapel service we had class meetings to elect student council. Just so you know, I’ve had an interest in being class president for a little while now. I assumed that the format would be those who were interested would nominate themselves, not so. The candidates for President, vice president, treasurer and secretary had to be nominated by a fellow classmate and that nomination had to be seconded for them to be in the running. I was a little disappointed with this set up because I am not well known in my class yet. I’m in the married housing on lower campus, the dorms are way on the opposite side of campus. I don’t eat in the cafeteria like dorm students do and I don’t get to participate in some of the events they do. Thus, I haven’t had as many social opportunities as the typical student. I was not nominated for president or vice president but don’t worry, a lack of socialization has not held me back completely. I was nominated for treasurer and about 12 people raised their hand to second it. Three other nominees and I then had to leave the room for the vote. Long story short, I won. This was much to my surprise but I suppose that even a significant socialization disadvantage as I have cannot hold me back. No, no, my presence supersedes the friendship barrier of a full campus length and secures relationships on it’s own. Being serious though, this has worked out good because I can see what is involved in the student council without too much obligation so when next year comes I know if I still want to be class president. The people voted into the other offices are friends of mine so student council looks like it will be fun for this year. If you are wondering about the title for this post “Judas and I” it came from my father-in-law who, when hearing of my election, said “well now you and Judas Iscariot have something in common.”

School is going incredible, I’m learning more than ever. My hermeneutics class is especially interesting. We are going through principles of Bible interpretation. I once thought of interpretive principles as complicated and official but in reality they teach you that the Bible was written to communicate a clear message to a specific audience. It isn’t supposed to be mystified or read into, we just need to read without our preconceived notions and let God’s word teach us. It doesn’t take a college professor to interpret the bible but apparently it helps to have one teach you how. The steps are as simple as 1) observation 2) interpretation 3) application but we need to be taught to discipline our minds in these. So often I try to read the Bible and make applications right away. But observations followed by a proper interpretation must come first. Well, that’s just me pawning some of my college knowledge off on you, hope you don’t mind.

Katie has suggested that we involve everyone in the college experience a little more. To do so, we are posting one of my recent papers. It will make this post seem a bit lengthy so if your not much of a reader you can tune out here. This paper didn’t flow from the pen of Charles Dickens but it represents a good effort on my part at this point in my learning. It also tells the interesting story of some missionaries that were kidnapped back in 1993. Ladies and gentlemen, for your reading pleasure I give you my paper:

A Christian is a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ. The story of Rick Tenenoff, Dave Mankins and Mark Rich seems to truly embody this definition. The teaching of Christ to take up our crosses daily and follow him is exemplified both by the men as missionaries and their wives as faithful women.
Rick Tenenoff was born September 23, 1956 in Los Angeles, California. He and his wife first visited Panama in 1986. Then one and a half years later they returned to begin a ministry to the Kuna people. Rick spent his early years there studying the language, a rare dialect which less than 1,000 people know in that region. He also used his time to compile a dictionary which he had completed up to the letter “T” before his abduction. Dave Mankins, born March 16, 1949 in Susanville, California moved to Pucuro (the team’s specific town of ministry) in 1986 with New Tribes Missionaries. He translated Bible lessons into the Kuna language, Dulegaya. Mark Rich was born September 5, 1969 in Mollendo, Peru. Rich arrived in Pucuro in August of 1992 to begin studying the language and culture.
Tenenoff, Mankins and Rich had been ministering with their families in this town of Pucuro, comprised of about 300 people. Pucuro is a small part of Kuna, a town located in the Darien jungles of Panama. The area in itself is not a violent place. In fact, the people of Kuna are part of an undisturbed culture in Panama which has not succumbed to modernization and technological advances. While the town itself is peaceful it lies only 10 miles from the Columbian border, a country that is at least 40% controlled by guerillas.
Sunday September 31, 1993 began with success for the missions group as they conducted a Bible meeting which 28 indigenous people attended. No doubt their day was filled with praises to God for a fruitful morning. They couldn’t know that their lives would be changed within a few hours and their faith would be tested beyond the limits of their imagination. On a warm Sunday night Dave Mankins, the missionary who had inhabited the area longest, stretched out in a hammock next to his front door listening to the news on a radio. His wife Nancy settled in for the evening with a good book. As the story goes, three men wearing camouflage suddenly busted through the screen door with machine guns in hand. Dave, clearly surprised by the entrance, sprung up only to be knocked down with the blow of a machine gun butt to the head. As the assailants held their guns to Dave’s head they began making demands of Nancy. She recalled her New Tribes training to remain calm and compliant so she followed their orders to gather three changes of clothes and some other items for Dave. As she stuffed his belongings into a bag the men tied Dave’s hands behind his back. After securing Mr. Mankins as well as some choice items from the home they marched outside and fired one shot into the air. The sound of two guns in the distance echoed the signal which told Nancy that her husband was not the only one in danger.
The two accompanying shots belonged to the houses of Rick Tenenoff and Mark Rich. Rick Tenenoff had also been relaxing in a hammock while his wife, Patti, was putting their two youngest children to bed. After hearing a scuffle, Patti peered down the hallway to see her husband being bound by similar men. In Spanish, they ordered her to pack some of Rick’s belongings which she did immediately, including a Bible and family photo. In like manner more men crashed into the Rich’s home to extract Mark right after his wife Tania had laid their two young girls to bed.
At the time of the crime Dave Mankins was only 43, Rick Tenenoff 36 and Mark Rich 23. The overwhelmed wives met at the Tenenoff’s house with the image of their husbands being drug off, hands bound, into the jungle fresh in their mind. They struggled to focus their minds and make sense of the evening’s events. Nancy had suggested that they travel from the remote village to a nearby town for help. However, the trip (by boat) was dangerous at night and they learned from some of the neighbors that the insurgents pronounced a death threat upon anyone attempting to leave Pucuro that night. The ladies were convinced of this danger when they were informed that over 100 men had surrounded the village that night to aid in the kidnapping. What terror and feelings of helplessness must have barraged their minds that night as they had nothing to do but wait for morning and wonder what was happening. We do not know for certain but can imagine that they stayed awake all night with tears in their eyes and prayers on their hearts.
When the morning sun emerged they gathered the children and headed by canoe to the closest town with an airport, approximately 7 hours away. From that town the New Tribes Mission agency had them flow back to the U.S. for safety and debriefing. One of the kidnappers had assured Patti Tenenoff she would see her husband soon. They also made the assumption that “soon” would be in three day because they only had to pack three outfits. The weary ladies waited for word from the captors under the assumption that they may be returned soon, none came.
Time passed by with new leads popping up as New Tribes and the local governments investigated the abduction but all came to dead ends. The women waited for years to hear some good news, hopeful with every ring of the telephone. Unfortunately the story does not have the happy ending one would hope for. The three young missionaries were never found, dead or alive, and no solid word was given of their demise. The New Tribes mission board and each of the wives came to the realization at different times that the men would never return. Throughout the investigation the authorities extracted several vague details from various ex-guerillas and prisoners. Putting all of the details together they deduced that the men had been killed in mid 1996. We don’t know much of anything about the men during their captivity except that they were kept in decent conditions and spent much time together fellowshipping and reading the Bible. It is believed that they were executed near Acandi (a village in Northwest Columbia) only 15 miles from Pucuro. When Columbian troops closed in on the insurgents it is said that they executed the men so they wouldn’t have to flee with additional baggage. However, the bodies were never found in the dense jungle.
Since we cannot know the specifics of the struggles these men endured we turn to their wives to see faith in action. For almost 8 years the brave women kept their hope that they would once again be united with their husbands. We can find the testimony of an enormous amount of faith in this fact. The amount of trust it must take to hold on to that hope. True, they may have had no other choice than waiting, but to face discouragement every day and still trust God at night is incredible. It is hard to even fathom how hard they must have clung to Christ for comfort because they knew only he could provide both for them and for their husbands.
In time the ladies learned that life would go on if they would permit it. Thankfully all three of them did and they continue to serve Christ to this day through New Tribes Missions. Mankins and Tenenoff are speakers for NTM, encouraging others with their faith. Rich is a schoolteacher for NTM children. Mankins has even written a book detailing these events called “Hostage: The Incredible True Story of the Kidnapping of Three American Missionaries.” What an encouragement that these women could have the most precious people on earth taken from them while doing work for God and still know that He is sovereign.
Mrs. Rich has said "This whole ordeal brought me to the realization that I had to believe in the truth of the Bible or else deny God. I don't believe God wastes pain." A storm came through the life of Tania Rich, waves and wind crashed against her but she was rooted in the firm foundation of God’s word so she stood strong. The same can be said of the other women because if they had not built their lives on Christ the rock they surely would not have endured such great tragedy.
This story has great implications for present day believers. We never know what terrors might attack our lives but building them on the same foundation as these women will enable us to withstand whatever attacks may overcome us. Our hearts, minds and daily lives must be staked in God’s Word, all other ground is shifting sand. We can also see the encouragement to remain faithful. When trials test our patience and we think the world will end, we must only think upon their example and trust God to carry us through. Finally, not only do we see that God will carry us through but that we can flourish afterward and even be used for his glory. It is an amazing testimony that these women not only kept their private faith in Christ but serve him in full time ministry. Only God can do such things with humans and only if we let him.

Dinner And A Movie

Tuesday evening we finally found rest. It had gone hiding somewhere and we hadn’t seen it for over a week. What I mean to say is the past week has been particularly busy. Especially the weekend. Katie and I worked on Friday from 1-7 then went to the married student movie night. It was very nice but unfortunately it pushed all of my homework into Saturday. On Saturday we had to work 8-4 then I spent most of the evening on school. Sunday was the same, we went to the church services and in between was filled with homework for Monday as well as two projects due at the beginning of the week. On Monday I had school, then work from 1-6, then 4 hours of homework that night. I don’t say all this so you will feel sorry for me, I say it because it gives context to Tuesday evening.
We hardly had any free time this past weekend and Monday night was completely booked so, on Tuesday since I had no work and Katie worked until 4:00 I exploited the opportunity to do all my school work and get ahead for the week. I accomplished all this and even had time to clean up the house before Katie got home. When she finally arrived I had a bag of Reese’s Pieces as a present for her and the good news that the rest of the night was ours to spend together. We went to Outback Steakhouse and feasted on a bloomin’ onion and soup. Afterward we wandered about Wal Mart, the premier shopping center in Beckley. We finished the night with an episode of Gilmore Girls.
We’ve had considerable trouble getting Katie’s car inspected here. The mechanic we took it to wasn’t even able to diagnose the problem it has. He recommended we take it to a dealer, we plan to but our appointment isn't until October 7th. We still need to get my car inspected and I’m in desperate need of an eye exam but the soonest anyone in the area can see me is October 3rd. Please pray for us in these things specifically if you have the time. Katie and I are thankful for God’s grace on my recent tests and papers, most have been very good grades and the rare few that aren’t serve to encourage better studying.


Matt, after a four hour study session