The Decision

Yes, THE Decision. Most of my other real-life-adult decisions until now (basically: attend Texas A&M and marry Travis) were sort of no-brainers. However, as I have expressed before, my seminary decision has not been so easy. (Read a more detailed post about that here, if you're interested.)

I detailed my trip to Candler here and here. Exactly two weeks after that trip, I hopped on another airplane, this time to Durham to visit Duke Divinity (love all that alliteration, right?). My flight got in a little later than the one to Atlanta, so unfortunately I wasn't able to see much of the town. However, I was able to have dinner with a friend who attends the school and ask her some questions, which was very helpful. (Hi, Brandi!)

The next morning, I headed up to the (duh) beautiful campus for my visit day! It was an interesting mix of people from different backgrounds, places, and denominations. We started off with a whirlwind tour of the Divinity School, then heard from the Admissions Office. Next, we got to choose one of five classes to attend, so I went to the first-year New Testament class (two of my friends were in it, and I'd also heard that the professor was pretty awesome).

After we heard from the Financial Aid Office (talk about an awesome staff), we got paired up with a current student for lunch. It was a really nice day, so my person (not sure what to call her?) and I sat outside and ate. She was able to answer a lot of my questions about the school and the surrounding area. Lastly, we heard from the Field Education department representative, who also addressed a lot of the questions I'd had going into the visit.

Unlike last time, I did take a few pictures of the campus...

Pretty hallway in the Divinity School.

Duke Chapel.

GIANT organ. 

Ceiling and stained glass.

Duke Divinity.

Overall, the visit to Durham was exactly what I'd been praying for. All I'd wanted from God was to be able to feel which place was right for me and for Travis. Duke was beautiful, it's a wonderful school with great programs, and my visit was enjoyable, but I could tell in my heart that it wasn't where I belonged.

So, since most of you already knew anyway...Atlanta it is! :) Wow, we're really moving, aren't we? Crazy. Travis and I both feel confident with this decision, and we're very excited for what's to come.