a month later...

ok, i promise i will sit here and not get up until i have posted a full message!

To say the least, missoula is treating me SO well! everyday that i am here i am more excited, more comfortable, and more eager about God's work here. Even after a month, I walk out of the Liberal Arts building everyday and look straight on to Mt. Sentinel and think "Oh my gosh! Look! The mountains!" Every time it snows, I squeal like a little kid. I'm told I will tire of it, but I have a very hard time believing that. I can see the stars nearly every night. By the time I have driven up on the hill to the house, I am above the fog and can see perfectly clearly. Almost every morning, I look out my window and can only see mountains sitting on top of a thick sheet of clouds; then I drive down the hill underneath those clouds to the city. The little girl from Tennessee just can't get enough. Every sunset is unique and worth paying attention to. About 3 weeks ago, we drove 2 hours to Fairmont Hot Springs for a college retreat. It was just a little drive on a Friday afternoon, but there were audible oos and ahs all the way there. I wish that ride had lasted days, just so I could take it all in. Photographs will never be able to do the beauty and the majesty of Montana any justice.

In less beautiful news, I spend the majority of my time just reading textbooks. Chapter after chapter.... after chapter... after chapter! I am enjoying school, though. My classes are all very interesting and pertinent to my interests. Graduation in December is still looking very probable!!!! It is difficult to meet new friends in class, but I have been able to do that through my internship (which I'll explain later.) I must say, my favorite class is Montana Politics. It's an evening class that meets once a week. The professor was a former gubernatorial candidate, and has years of state legislature experience under his belt. The first class, I learned the entire history of MT. Let's just say: I have no idea how MT got the reputation of being a boring place!  Every week we have different politicians from the state come in-- one democrat and one republican-- to give us advice, tell stories of their terms, and give their opinions on current issues. Montana is so neat in that the government is actually close to the people they represent. In one month, I have met more politicians face-to-face than most people will meet in their lifetime. And every one of them has been genuine in their speech, not just seeking good publicity, but intentionally addressing our questions and desiring to be a part of our learning experience.

I've taken on an internship with MontPIRG- Montana Public Interest Research Group. It's a student-led grassroots organization that conducts research, organizes support, and hires advocates to work with us from our campus to DC for issues that have been expressed by students at the U. There are more than 120 PIRGs across the nation in 26 states. Currently, we're pushing a massive petition drive to gain funding on campus to make our efforts more effective. Other things we're focusing on is bringing attention to the lack of government funding for higher education (MT ranks 44th in the country), the Clean Water Restoration Act (following up on the Clean Water Act from the 70s), and bringing the Amtrak line through southern MT (it currently only runs thru the northern part of the state; flying out of Missoula is painfully expensive, so it will provide more affordable travel). It has been an AWESOME place to meet people... people from different parts of the country who hold different interests-- majors from wildlife preservation to political science to communications are represented. Tuesday night, we had the mayor, a state representative, and vp of the U come meet with us. I've already been challenged, but along with that comes a ton of fun and rewarding work.

The remainder of my time is spent hanging out with the college group at the Woodards, hanging in coffee shops, or sleeping! I have a feeling the Woodards will never ever know just how much they mean to all of us. We meet at their house for our college community group on Monday nights, but their doors are open to us every other night (and day) of the week. I know it cracks Katie up when we say this, but their house is a place of sanity and rest for all of us. And their children are SO much fun!! The college group is small, but close-knit. My time with my friends here is filled with relaxed laughter. We are starting a program called Life's Healing Choices in 2 weeks. We'll be going through it as a church and also community groups. The church has spent alot of time in prayer because we feel this is an awesome way to (a) grow together in the faith and (b) attract others with something that is relevant to everyone's life. Rick Warren wrote the curriculum... and we just sent 9 people from e3 to a conference at his home church, Saddleback, in Cali for a week. We're super excited to get the ball rolling! Pray the God will ultimately lead the program and that we would be good stewards of His love and His word. Pray that the core group of our church will be strengthened and that we would be open and waiting for others to join in the journey with us.


Peace and love,
Holl