Howdy! First post! How exciting... not really, anyway...



This weekend has been quite eventful. Starting with a wedding in Peoria Saturday and then Family time with most of the whole Esselman clan Sunday. It was pretty much AWESOME!!



Saturday at 2pm a couple dear friends of mine committed to spend the rest of their lives together. Mr. David Best and Miss Rebekah Kret... pardon me... Mrs. Rebekah Best were wed at Christ Lutheran Church in Peoria June 13. It was a beautiful wedding and it was really, really nice to be able to be there and be a witness of their very special day. I'll be honest; I got a little teary eyed a couple times... thinking about the two of them and college and all of us growing up... oh gosh! Here it comes again! Just Kidding




The reception was super nice over in the Bradley University Student Union... oh yeah, and by the way to those of you who were scoring their student union against ours, I finished adding up the score and they won by a lot... but let's be honest, who didn't see that coming? Anyway, reception... so much FUN!! It was so awesome to see everyone and get to catch up a bit. I had the simply wonderful opportunity to sit at a table with some very incredible people I am happy to call my friends... oh yeah, and my ex-roommates (just kidding guys). It was a lot of fun reminiscing on old times and admiring how much bigger our present was then everyone else's on the gift table. The night was filled with much laughter, dancing, karaoke, and just good ole times.


That night, after the festivities, I left for Quincy and found that Illinois Rt. 24 is EXTREMELY DARK in the middle of the night! I could not see AT ALL! I did however see a dear staring at me from the side of the road as I drove past and several raccoons running across the road right in front of me, all of which scared me to death!! In any case, by the grace of God I arrived safely to Quincy a little after midnight. Thank you, Lord. The next morning my sister and I went over to the Esselman's house for Mass and brunch with almost the whole Esselman clan. It was really nice to see everyone and find out what everyone is up to these days... not to mention, being floored by how much some of the little ones have grown... IT'S CRAZY!! THEY'RE SO BIG!!! Most of them will probably be taller than me soon... not that that's saying much, but anyway... Grandma makes the best breakfast casserole ever, I'm going to have to try making it sometime on internship. Even though it makes a lot, the nice thing about casseroles is that they reheat so well... I think there's a metaphor for our Christian lives in there somewhere, but it's been a long weekend and I'm not really sure, I guess I'll have to get back to you.


In any case, this has been a great weekend and I truly have to count my blessings! I had the opportunity, about 2 and a half weeks ago, to visit Coopersville, MI and my soon to be new home and church... I know, I know; this is an internship blog and he's finally getting to it... get over it! Since visiting I having been thinking about and praying for my new youth group to be a lot. During this past weekend I was reminded of how blessed I have been with my family and my group of friends... God has really used them to shape me into the man I am today and I can't imagine what I would be like, where I'd be, who I'd be... without even one of them. Today, I pray that the members of my new youth group are blessed by our Lord with friends and family that nurture them as they grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and especially spiritually... not necessarily in the same way that I was, but in the way that God sees best for each of them.



Hey Lord,
Internship is fast approaching and it is an exciting time for everyone involved! I pray today that even as a new chapter of my life is beginning that you always remind me of where I have come from and who I am because of the people you have used to touch my life. Lord, I pray for my new youth group, that you would bless them similarly with solid role models and peers that could be used by you to shape them into Christian adults desiring to make more, and better disciples by sharing Jesus' love. Thank you Father.
Amen