If you were to come visit Ellerslie one of the first things you would notice are how the men treat the women, and therefore the women treat the men. I'm not even sure how to put it into words, but I will try. The very first night we all got here, May 31, we had a student banquet. All of us girls gathered outside the church (where the banquet was being held) and were told we couldn't go in just yet. As we were talking, Eric came out and welcomed all of us. He told us that we could start to make our way in. As we did, all the men of Ellerslie came to escort each girl to their table. Hudson, Eric and Leslie's oldest son who is 5, was handing each girl baby roses as we entered the sanctuary. It was so neat, and that was only the start of it. We are just about to finish the 6 week here, and the men are still just as much gentlemen now as they were the first night. The men always hold the doors open for us and allow us to walk before them. They are constantly serving us. Whether that's allowing us to go through the line to get our meals first, to filling up our glasses when we run out of water, to disappearing with our plates as soon we finish eating. And don't even think about clearing your plate from the table, they'll stop you immediately and look at you with a frown like you committed some kind of crime and they'll ask you, "what do you think your donig?". So I decided to ask one of them several weeks ago, "If you guys are always serving us girls, how can we ever serve you guys?" His response, "By allowing us to serve you." So this is only practical ways they have been serving us. I haven' even gotten into the way they serve us spiritually. One day we were all in class and after we had communion with each other all the men circled around the ladies and prayed for us. They are such servants, protectors and would do anything for us. They fight in prayer for us- and I really mean fight! "It is our pleasure", is always their response. These men don't just serve us because Eric encourages it, but because they know that it's just part of the calling of a Christian man. I personally, and I know I can speak for the other girls when I say this, have felt so loved by Christ through them. You know what's crazy? Is that when men be real godly men, women automatically become the godly women, He has intended us to be.
Don't forget that there are 45 girls and 12 guys here. ;) And they do such a great job of serving all of us and making us feel loved in Christ. And truly, that is all that it is; brotherly and sisterly love- nothing else. It is the way that the body of Christ is suppose to work.
Some of us girls were talking at breakfast yesterday morning and said that the guys were totally spoiling us and that we have a lot of training to do with our brothers back at home!! ;) So brothers- get ready!!!
Okay, that's all for now! I gotta get going! Hopefully it won't be too long before I post again!
