Salyers in St. Louis

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davidanddawn@gmail.com

Dear Friends and Family,

We have been in St. Louis for nearly two weeks now. The move went well. When we pulled up to our new apartment we were swarmed by about a dozen seminary students who helped us move in and brought us food and toilet paper. The apartments we live in are kind of a community within a community. Everyone here attends the seminary, which is about 20 minutes to the west. Even in this short time we have already made some friendships with other couples here. Last Saturday we ate with three other couples and played some impromptu Frisbee golf around the neighborhood. At UNK, we were in the minority because of our age and being married. Here, the single people are the minority and the average age of students is 28. We are still a bit odd though as we are younger than many students but have been married longer than most.
We moved down on Monday and I had my first Intensive Greek class on Thursday. It is as easy as it sounds. I am used to writing and reading and this has been almost entirely memorization. I have a huge stack of flashcards already. I am in a study group with two other guys from the apartments so that has helped. I am certainly being challenged but it is such a blessing to think that I will be translating the word of God in the original language by the end of the summer.
My Greek professor shares a devotion with us every class. These have been particularly timely and helpful. One text was John 1:20. John the Baptist is asked, “Who are you?” and he replies, “I am not the Christ.” The professor makes us repeat John’s answer until he is satisfied that we are saying it like we believe it. He shared that we must remember these words as seminary students who tend to be very afraid of not being perfect. Our failures and weaknesses prove to us that we are not the Christ and they must also make us grateful that a Christ has been provided for us and that he is perfect. Our inadequacies serve to glorify him all the more.
Between studying and trying to settle in to our new place, we have found time to take advantage of the city. The first Sunday we were here, we visited Grace Community Chapel where a former pastor of ours now preaches. That night he and his wife invited us to “Shakespeare in the Park” where Much Ado About Nothing was being performed with an Old West setting. It was great. On Wednesday we went to the Botanical Gardens for a free Jazz concert. On Tuesday, one of my favorite bands is coming to town so we have tickets for that. There are a lot of free events this summer so I hope we can take advantage of more of them. We’ve also been finding some great restaurants and have already had Ted Drewes frozen custard twice.
Dawn has been looking for a job. She’s interviewing at Bed, Bath, & Beyond today. Please pray that she finds something that will compensate her well for the hard work ethic that she is known for. She really likes the city so far. She’s registered for two classes in the fall, one of which we will be taking together.
So things are going well thus far. We are adapting well but we really miss our good friends and family in Nebraska. You have been in our thoughts often. Stay in touch.
Hebrews 13:20

David and Dawn