Photo of the families of the seminary visiting the Austin Zoo
Things continue to go great for the Allen-Pickett family here in Austin!
My classes and professors this semester are phenomenal on the whole. Systematic Theology 2 has been great as we have wrestled with theologians Schleiermacher, and Barth as well as Liberation Theology and Process Theology. My Intro to Worship professor, Jen Lord, has so much energy and excitement for worship that it is contagious. In New Testament, after spending a few weeks on the gospels and studying the Historical Jesus, we are making our way through the Pauline Letters. Our New Testament professor asks provocative questions and then sits back and smiles as we wrestle with them. Hebrew has been a little bit of a struggle, but I think I am starting to turn the corner. I have exam next week that I am hard at work studying for.
Outside of my classes, we are very active in the life of the seminary. I am participating in an immigration/prison ministry group where I go and visit detained immigrants who are awaitng their hearings for asylum or deportation. Jessica and I are playing on the Austin Seminary kickball team and we made the playoffs! Jessica has revived the Spouses group on campus and they are meeting regularly and planning to build a community garden. She is also a member of the Campus Care Committee. Esther is growing up so fast too! She is 16 months old and loves being on campus. She comes to lunch in the cafeteria and wanders around socializing with everyone. (I can't imagine where she got that from.) There are six other toddlers on campus under the age of 3, so she has some great playmates.
Outside of the seminary I am helping out at a small bi-lingual Presbyterian church called El Buen Pastor. I help lead worship there 1-2 times per month as the liturgist and prayer leader and I am preaching there quarterly when the Pastor takes his days off. I get to keep up with my Spanish skills as all of my prayers, scripture readings and sermons are done in English and Spanish. It is a small church with Sunday attendance around 50-60, but there are always at least 10-15 kids in each service and Esther fits right in as she wanders up and down the aisles greeting people with a hearty "hola."
We are really enjoying the city of Austin as well! We went to the Rodeo last month and had a great time. It is fun to wander down on 6th street and hear all of the live music. And if any of you come to visit us during the warmer months, we can't wait to take you to Barton Springs, a natural "cool springs" that is a great place to take a swim. Jessica and Esther also have a playgroup that they participate in twice a week outside of campus. It has been great for Esther to socialize with other babies and it is great for Jessica to build community with other like-minded moms. Once a quarter they have a family play-date where they invite all the dads too, so we are building some great community there.
We are really loving our lives here in Austin, but we continue to miss our family and friends in Denver. We will be back in Denver May 23-31 and hope to visit a lot of you then. Thank you again for your support of our family and all of your thoughts and prayers. We are loving our journey and the opportunity to prepare ourselves to serve God's church!
Much Love,
Greg, Jessica and Esther
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