Praise: Life is so fun! And it's because God is bodaciously excellent (spoken in surfer accent).
Prayer: Jesus Birthday party - inviting some friends who need to be loved on
Friends and Family,
This November has been one of the fullest in my short time on earth! I'm sure all of us could write about ourselves until either ink or paper were used up, so I'll share just a few of the
highlights:
Narrow Gate Experience: near Nashville, TN
Dan Leverenz and I made a daring 4 day journey, through vicous storms that almost blew us off I-40 and through valleys/over hills of God's wonderous hardwoods while they showed off their colorful sides, all the way to the hills south of Nashville to visit a friend from our small
group, Alex Eagle, who had joined a discipleship training school.
The school was part of a wilderness ministry, called Narrow Gate, that young men could enter to find direction and Jesus in life. WOW! My words will really not give the 6 month program and beautiful encampment justice. Not only were the young men in the program being changed, but my short visit impacted me greatly. I would recomend it to anyone with the slightest desire to
fall in love with and experience Jesus.
Besides wondering about in the Tennessee hills, we played a lot of sweet music (I even had the privalage to play my harmonica with Alex while he led Junior High worship at a church!)
One sweet lesson learned here, from a pastor's words in Franklin,
has stuck with me; "Do not fear". Let's just say that I am often timid about living life as I believe I should because of fear about supposed consequences, but these simple words and scripture passage from Revelation 2:8-11 have encouraged me. I am still putting this into effect, and would love your prayers over a Christmas party my small group is having Dec. 12th. We want it to be a time to celebrate who Jesus is, and also to
share Him with others.
East Lancaster: a homeless endeavor
Two clubs at school coordinated a hygienic education and supply handout at the homeless hangout locale near downtown. It was actually a friend's idea, but I had the pleasure of putting it together. What a joy to bring my fellow med students and the homeless together! The experience blessed both groups and was way fun, although we all had ice-sickles for feet afterwards.
Sheffield England: good bye to a friend
Our small group sent off a friend and a former co-leader to a church
in England where she will work as children's minister. A sad event, yet joyful because it has been
a calling she had longed to fulfill. For this special occasion I decided to dust off the crochete skills and mold a beanie to wrap her head in warmth and memories of Fort Worth.
Hematology and Cranial Manipulation: medical business
Yes! I am still studying for all you who thought that I had quit school in lue of all the sweet happenings of November. Hematology (the study of blood) was an interesting course with a lot of diagnostic aspects.... after takes a blood sample or bone biopsy or other physical evaluation, one can analyse the data from laboratory tests and the patient's story, then come up with a diagnosis. One of the craziest classes we have taken in medical school so fare is Cranial. This is because it is all about feeling how the skull moves and then manipulating it to correct any problems. We were all thinking, "does the skull have any movement?" However, the "crazy" became a little less so after our Osteopathic faculty showed us the research behind the the art. Few if any of us have acquired a proficient ability with this aspect of Osteopathy, but it certainly is interested and I would like to, especially because of its potential to help young kids.
Thanksgiving: the drive to Houston
Lydia, a friend from small group, and I carpooled down to Houston for Thanksgiving. The whole way we sang gospel songs and danced with Kirk Franklin... apparently a giant in that scene.
Good times!
OK peeps, I'm off to la la land.
love,
Drewpy
