We ran from winter, but winter still found us!

Top of Paris Mt. One of the most beautiful
places to watch the sunset here!

While another weekend has past and Greenville is officially an ice box, at least for the last three days! :) It was 18 degrees last night! There was a big winter storm that came through the region this past weekend and we got a lot of sleet, mixed with freezing rain and little bit of snow. At even the thought of snow down here everybody goes to the store and buys milk and bread, which is really funny to me! :) I do have to say that a little bit of snow can be really bad. For one, they don't have very many snow trucks or salt, so the roads get really bad really fast, and then on top of that you have people from the south that don't know how to drive! ;)

Some of the bushes that are covered in ice!

Late Friday night we lost power but it came back on before morning. Then again Saturday morning about 9, we lost power until sometime in the afternoon. With out power we have no heat so our rooms got pretty cold. I was also working on my commentary on Philippians when the power went off, so it was a race to get it done before my computer ran out of battery. I got it done and then tried to clean our two dorm rooms to stay warm, now that was fun! ;) Kenny was actually gone Friday night and Saturday morning at a Men's Retreat at Brushy Creek Baptist Church. It was kind of funny on Saturday, all the guys from school that want to the Men's Retreat on Friday night decided not to go because of the weather except Kenny who was the only one that went with Surresh (he is from India), when they got back I ask him how the roads were and he said "not a problem", yay! Good old northern driving!

We usually play volley ball when there is nothing to do,

but looking at the courts that wasn't an option!
We did fined a local church that was warm and had power
so we played for 3 hours on Sat. afternoon! :)

Silas and Brian making lunch out side since there is no electricity!
They're making hash browns, I think!

Next week we are going to have International week, I am so excited! Each international has a day in which they are going to cook dinner for us! It has been so good and challenging living in the midst of so many different cultures. It is truly a unique place and a blessing!


On a more serous note.....
God is teaching me so much about trusting Him this past month. I tend to be a worrier and realizing that when I worry I'm not trusting in my Heavenly Father. This verse in Philippians 4:6 " Do not be anxious (worry) about anything" is a verse that I have said to myself so many times. But you know what I realized, right before that verse Paul say "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" It hit me, if I am rejoicing in the Lord always, then I cannot be worrying, but if I'm worrying there is no room for me to be rejoicing in the Lord! I can't have both worry and rejoicing going on at the same time. Something that I've learned here is three things I need to do each and every day. "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thess. 5:16-18 If I am doing all three of these then there is no room for me to worry! It is so much easier said then done, but the Lord is giving me opportunities each and every day to try to get better at it and by His grace I will!