whew

-Passing my examination! It was a very challenging hour-and-a-half, but knowing that Marie was behind me (literally and figuratively) praying the whole time made all the difference. Marie is one of the pastors at my church and chair of the CPM, and she has been overwhelmingly supportive of me during this whole journey to ordination. She later told me that when they would throw me a really tough question or not really hear what I was trying to say, she would just pray harder. It worked, and I'm now cleared to preach before Presbytery and (hopefully) get approved there and then get ordained as a Mission Worker August 31.

-As soon as my exam was over in Houston, I drove to Mo Ranch to meet up with my family. We always get together at the end of July and enjoy a few days of soaking in the river, eating entirely too much food (much of it being the grilled variety), sharing stories of past experiences together and shuffling in one by one in the morning and getting a cup of delicious coffee. This time, when I arrived, I was pretty exhausted from a long drive and a grueling examination and it was all made better when I said hello to Natalie and she beamed at me with a smile of recognition.
-Moss-covered trees, looking like hairy monsters or underwater creatures. I know that the moss isn't great for the trees, but I like how it looks anyway.

-Light coming through the skylight in the living room. Where we stay at Mo has a wonderful common meeting room with incredibly high ceilings and comfy sofas.

-Sitting out on the dogrun and enjoying the evening breeze and talking with my cousins all about our future dreams of travel and adventure.