Updates

Quick updates on the Stravitzs in Chicago:

Andrew is hard at work for school. He has lots of papers to be completed by the end of the semester, so he will be quite busy. He signed up for classes next semester, and is trying to figure out how many credit hours will be the right amount. He is looking forward to some of the classes he will be taking in the Spring.

I will be starting my first night shift tomorrow night. The orientation so far has been great, very detailed and plenty of time for me to settle in at the hospital. My first preceptor was awesome!

We will be heading to both Albuquerque and Phoenix during Christmas! We will be in Abq from the 23rd to the 26th, and I will be in AZ from the 26th to the 30th. Andrew will be staying longer for a wedding, and we're not sure when he will be coming back to Il.

Kingdom thinking

As I have been reading through the Bible looking at the Missio Dei, it has encouraged me greatly to be thinking about the kingdom of God. As the Lord works in the books of Genesis and Exodus, He gathers His people, establishes them, and forms them into a nation. From one family, to a few families, to the growing people of Israel, God brings them together to rule them and show Himself through them. He gives them His law to establish obedience and faith, which defeat sin. These people are poor, they are weak, and they are faithless often. But the Lord graciously gives of Himself, heals them, leads them, and uses them to display His power.

I am weak, and faithless. Starting a new job was novel for about a day. Going into the city, to work at a large hospital made me feel small. Like I am just another body in the crowded city, daily getting up, going to work, and then going home. What about what I am doing makes it all worth while? Why do I want to go into the city? Why do I want to work well, at a difficult job? What am I doing?

God sends out His people, His ambassadors of His kingdom, into a broken and fallen world. And He is moving in the world, establishing His power over sin and death. His kingdom is on the move. In the days when Israel was a nation, it was easy for the people to see the kingdom, the nation to which they belonged, and how the Lord was leading that nation. In the world now, His kingdom is all over, but it is a more subtle community. The subjects of that kingdom are sent into the kingdoms of the world with a mission, to represent and establish the reign of the Lord. To know that even in a big city like Chicago, my steps, my interactions, my comings and my goings are directed by my King. I belong to something greater than myself, and I am subject to my gracious Lord, who has given me more that I could ever have asked.

I am eager to see how the Lord will use me as his sent one for His kingdom. And it is exciting to venture into the city at the leading of my Lord to see what He will do there.

Where the Wild Things Are

Andrew and I went to see the Wild Things movie this weekend. I had been really excited to see it since it came out. I had heard that it was not a kids movie a while ago, but still had high expectations.

The movie dealt with some intense questions. I can only really explain it by summing up the plot:

Max, the kid, gets mad at his sister and his mother, and runs away to where the Wild Things are. The wild things want a king who can keep them together, and keep the loneliness away, which Max says he can do. He tries, but the wild things end up disagreeing, angry, and back where they started. Max then sails home and his mom gives him dinner, and falls asleep.

The movie has lots of intense emotional conflict, with anger, fear, and sadness. Kids, as well as adults, have to deal with the issues of separation, loneliness, change, and even death. The wild things want a king who will deal with those things. One of the characters eventually says "I don't think there's really a king who can do all that stuff anyway."

At that point, I thought, "but there is!" A King did come to deal with the root of all of those problems, and He has given His people true hope. Praise God He has not left men to deal with sin on their own.

The movie was really honest about the seriousness and intensity of these questions. And it made me grateful to know the One True King, who saves His people from their wildness and destruction. While I'm not sure I would recommend this movie, it sharply portrayed the human condition apart from the Lord, and how little men can do to fix themselves.

Work Update

I started my job at Children's Memorial Hospital last week with lost of orientation classes. So far, the hospital seems to be great, and have a really comprehensive orientation. My preceptor, Monica, is very sweet, very helpful, and really easy for me to work with. Praise God! I have spent a lot of time down at the hospital, which may have been frustrating, but so far it has been really good. The Lord has been gracious to give me the eagerness to learn and to become a better nurse at this hospital. And the environment at the hospital seems to promote those very things. So, I am looking forward to becoming a part of this hospital and its community!