Hello friends and family,
October has been a busy month. School is in full swing for both of us. Mikaela has settled into a routine in her classroom, and is no longer planning day-by-day, but has planned well ahead so that she actually has time to relax. Since the last post, I have gone from just barely starting school to being almost done with my first quarter. My classes are going well, and I am keeping very busy between homework and work in the campus mailroom and general labor crew. On top of that, I have had the opportunity to help out a lot at church. The last two Sundays I have been up in front of the church, leading the liturgy, reading the Bible passages, and helping to serve communion. It has been very nice to finally be up in front of the church, getting a taste of what has been my goal for years.
In our free time we have also been taking a class together. The seminary offers Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University for free to all students. So over the last two months we have been getting lessons in money management. It has been great for us to be in control of what we do with our money. In fact, today we sat down for several hours and budgeted for the next month. Because of this, we are able to both start paying off our debts and pay for groceries.
Our month has been very busy. We had the opportunity to participate in two big celebrations. Mikaela's school, Our Savior Lutheran, celebrated its 50th anniversary this month, and we were happy to be a part of the festivities. We also got to celebrate the seminary's 175th birthday on the same weekend. That was a lot of fun, even though the outdoor portion of the event was pushed inside due to inclement weather. The final anniversary this month is still to come. Mikaela will turn 23 on this coming Thursday. Of course, she won't be happy about me adding this since she claims she is getting old, but it's only fair you should know.
Not only have we been busy with school and celebratory events, but God has been very active in our lives. This month, twice, we have had unexpected expenses that have somewhat blindsided us. The first was a medical bill that we were not expecting, and the second was the oil change on the car, which we expected, but the cost was triple the amount we had in our budget. Both situations threw our budget into turmoil. We had an emergency fund that would help cover it, but we were still reeling from the shock. And both times, after we cut our budget and pulled from savings to pay the expense--the medical bill and the oil change-- we were unexpectedly given enough money to cover the cost. While stressful, we saw God proving to us, multiple times, that He was taking care of us. It is just amazing to us how He has stepped in on our behalf and makes it possible for us to continue following His call.
We appreciate all of your prayers, and we are praying for you.
In the name of Christ our Savior,
The Duerrs
