Summer of 2006, pt. 3

As I write this, I am in Phoenix, Arizona for the Blackstone Fellowship. I got in on Sunday, flying from Cleveland, and getting to the hotel around noon. Some dispatches about the experience so far:

1) In a nutshell, it has been fantastic, and everything that I had hoped it would be. Each day, we have about 2-3 speakers on various topics, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Today, we had a professor come in and speak on America's Christian history, and the beliefs the Founding Fathers had about the Constitution, religion, and all the issues we deal with today. It was incredibly insightful-I learned things today that had not been revealed in 17 years of school, and I minored in history in college.

2) Phoenix is hot. Right now, it is about 9:10 P.M. here, and it is still probably over 90 degrees outside. The humidity is extremely low, less than 10% usually, so it is hot and dry. I guess I'm just not used to it yet, since I've only been here since Sunday. There is a shopping center across the street from the hotel, and even walking a block or so gives you some exercise and makes you sweaty from the heat. Tomorrow, the high is expected to be 113, and sunny.

3) It is truly amazing how God has brought all of us together for this internship. So far, I have only met 2-3 people from Ohio; we are from all over the country here. My roommate is from Maine, and my smaller group (we are divided into teams of about 10 interns each) has people from Hawaii, Georgia, Iowa, and other places. It is really a testament to God that He made this happen, and He made us get here safe so we could participate in what we are doing here.

4) I have not felt closer to God since high school in the time I have been here. It is a challenge at night to set aside a time for prayer and Bible study, since I am usually exhausted by 10:00 or so (we have to get up at 5:30 AM), but I try to at least read the Bible a little bit each night. Last night, I started on Acts, and then I will read Romans.

That's all I have for now. I will try and post some more as time (and Internet access) allows.