Hello again to our friends, family, and ministry partners!
| Greg, Sam, and Mel cut the cake at the gender reveal baby shower - find out the gender at the end of this post! |
Here at Southern Seminary we have had many on-campus events and activities recently to tell you about, but the following photos and captions may need to suffice for explanation since we could go on forever about them if we tried :).
Greg's two weekly seminary classes (New Testament and Systematic Theology) have hit the midterm exam point. One was this past week and the other will be a take home exam that he will receive soon. We are very proud of his grade on the New Testament final, which he got back this past week - he scored a 96% after feeling like he had less time than he needed to study among the other pressing responsibilities of church, work, and home. Even so, he is learning so much and trying to temper his schooling with not just making it about good grades, but about growing as a minister as well.
Mel's Seminary Wives Institute terms switched recently so her Biblical Parenting class finished up last week and her Spiritual Health for the Minister's Wife class has begun. We both really learned a lot through discussing the material in the Biblical Parenting class and have started to be more intentional about our parenting choices. This new course on spiritual health is focusing on the spiritual disciplines of praying through scripture, meditating on scripture, and journaling so it is offering a great outlet for Mel to learn how better to draw closer to the Lord in her quiet times.
Please pray that we each not only do well in our courses, but seek out intentional ways to apply what we learn to our lives each day.
On the church front, while waiting prayerfully for a new pastor at our First Southern, Greg preached four consecutive Spirit-led sermons before the church brought on an interim preacher - SBTS professor and mentor of Greg's, Michael Wilder. We also have started having Youth Lead Team meetings in order to determine a purpose and focus for the group as well as to plan upcoming events. As a result, Mel is going to start leading the preteen (5th-6th grades) Sunday school class and ministry as the Lord leads - starting at the end of this month.
Please pray that our church would seek the Lord for direction in how to operate in the absence of a pastor as well as that the pastor search committee would continue to have wisdom and Biblically-sound judgement in seeking a new pastor.
As for our family, the gender reveal baby shower was at the beginning of this month and we loved having the opportunity to join in a fun, relaxing time with our church and immediate families to celebrate this new baby. Sam (now 20 months old) continues to seem oblivious to Momma's growing tummy, though he is already showing small signs of needy jealousy in ways that make us wonder how bringing home a baby will work.
Sam has actually offered up a name choice for the new baby though. As he held a recent ultrasound picture and Mel told him about the new baby, he pointed at the picture, looked up at Mel, and said "bubble?" (one of his recent favorite words). Mel told him that although we will not be naming the baby "Bubble," we could settle for letting Sam call him "Bubby." Since then, Sam has been wandering the house here and there saying "Bub-by, Bub-by" in a sing-songy voice while bopping his head from side to side. We're not sure if this is an indication that he understands to whom he is referring or if it has just become another new favorite word ;).
Please pray that this pregnancy continues to go smoothly and "Bubby" and Mel continue to progress well through the birth in June.
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| Snow play with Sam and Dada just outside our on-campus apartment |
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| During Great Commission Week on campus, Mel joined the Koinonia women's program in making Valentines Day gift bags for and later distributing them to the ladies of Scarlet Hope, a ministry to women in the adult entertainment industry in Louisville, KY |
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| Also during Great Commission Week, Mel and Sam joined The Refuge in prayer walking Louisville and talking with area internationals about the programs that Refuge offers |
 We took Sam to a bouncy house day in the gym on campus in late February and he had loads of fun playing in the toddler house with some little friends :) |
 In Mel's Spiritual Health for the Ministry Wife class, this is an example of meditation mapping as taught by faculty wife Caffy Whitney during notes over the first chapter of her husband Don Whitney's book Ten Questions to Diagnose your Spiritual Health  Greg's on-campus job through Event Media completed a wooden wall backdrop in the SBTS Alumni Chapel for the Renown youth conference in Mid-March - his boss put him in charge of the tear down as well, after Greg only having had the job a little over a month :) |
Mel's Seminary Wives Institute terms switched recently so her Biblical Parenting class finished up last week and her Spiritual Health for the Minister's Wife class has begun. We both really learned a lot through discussing the material in the Biblical Parenting class and have started to be more intentional about our parenting choices. This new course on spiritual health is focusing on the spiritual disciplines of praying through scripture, meditating on scripture, and journaling so it is offering a great outlet for Mel to learn how better to draw closer to the Lord in her quiet times.
Please pray that we each not only do well in our courses, but seek out intentional ways to apply what we learn to our lives each day.
On the church front, while waiting prayerfully for a new pastor at our First Southern, Greg preached four consecutive Spirit-led sermons before the church brought on an interim preacher - SBTS professor and mentor of Greg's, Michael Wilder. We also have started having Youth Lead Team meetings in order to determine a purpose and focus for the group as well as to plan upcoming events. As a result, Mel is going to start leading the preteen (5th-6th grades) Sunday school class and ministry as the Lord leads - starting at the end of this month.
Please pray that our church would seek the Lord for direction in how to operate in the absence of a pastor as well as that the pastor search committee would continue to have wisdom and Biblically-sound judgement in seeking a new pastor.
As for our family, the gender reveal baby shower was at the beginning of this month and we loved having the opportunity to join in a fun, relaxing time with our church and immediate families to celebrate this new baby. Sam (now 20 months old) continues to seem oblivious to Momma's growing tummy, though he is already showing small signs of needy jealousy in ways that make us wonder how bringing home a baby will work.
Sam has actually offered up a name choice for the new baby though. As he held a recent ultrasound picture and Mel told him about the new baby, he pointed at the picture, looked up at Mel, and said "bubble?" (one of his recent favorite words). Mel told him that although we will not be naming the baby "Bubble," we could settle for letting Sam call him "Bubby." Since then, Sam has been wandering the house here and there saying "Bub-by, Bub-by" in a sing-songy voice while bopping his head from side to side. We're not sure if this is an indication that he understands to whom he is referring or if it has just become another new favorite word ;).
Please pray that this pregnancy continues to go smoothly and "Bubby" and Mel continue to progress well through the birth in June.
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| We had such a great time with our family and our church friends at our gender reveal baby shower. As you can see, Sam will be getting the early birthday present of a baby BROTHER :). |
PRAISES:
- Kentucky finally put us through for insurance and it has been back dated to January now so all the maternity bills can be paid.
- Greg was able to get another part-time job as an Event Media Tech on campus, preparing for events by prepping the space and the technology needed for media use in each venue. He has been building rapport with his boss and coworkers and getting rather predictable hours each week, which greatly helps our budget.
- Mel got a job tutoring English, Essay Writing (for high school and college), and Career Help online through Tutor.com so once those monthly checks start coming in, this will help our budget as well. Online tutoring provides a way for Mel to work from home and create her own schedule week-to-week while also allowing her to be available for involvement in home, church, and campus pursuits.
- The past 2-3 short reprieves from wintery weather have been lovely and brought on the opportunity for Mel and Sam to get out and meet more of our neighbors. Mel has loved getting to know and befriending the moms and Sam has loved interacting and playing with the others boys and girls around our apartments.
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| A lovely day to come out to the green and enjoy the pretty spring weather... and some Cheerios ;) |
- The Spring semester for Greg's seminary classes and Mel's Seminary Wives Institute course ends by early May.
- Our church is still seeking a pastor and discussing options of how to reorganize church leadership until then.
- Our little "Bubby" is due June 7th and so far it is smooth sailing - continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and delivery.
- A church member has offered for us to stay at her family home rent-free in order to be closer to the church and live more within our means, as well as for us to use the property for special youth gatherings. However, a move to Indiana presents an equal amount of promises and challenges it seems(not the least of which would be changing Medicaid from KY over to IN and then having to find a new ObGyn doc), and so we are continuing to seek the Lord in whether or not we should move - and if we should move, whether that move should take place before or after Bubby comes in June.
- Mel has chosen to forsake social media and sweets for Lent in order to re-frame her priorities and learn how to put Christ first in both the way she spends her time and the way she views food.
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| Greg swings Sam around on the green in the lovely springy weather :) |
Thank you again for following our ministry journey and for your support :)! If you are interested in financially supporting us, please see the instructions at the end of our support letter.
Blessings,
The Ivey family
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