April 2

If you look very closely at the envelope Isaac is holding, you will see the name of the college he's decided to attend.

After visiting LA over the weekend and going over the pros and cons of Azusa Pacific and Biola and recalling his impressions of Wheaton, he casually revealed his decision to me while we waited to board our flight home yesterday morning.

So after much consideration, he will... be following in his sister's footsteps and attending Wheaton. He told the whole family--including Abby, who was present via video call-- last night after dinner. (Abby grinned and immediately shook her pom poms, which was kind of hilarious.)

Honestly, I'm happy, but I was a little bit surprised. When we first headed down to LA, it kind of felt like he would be confirming a decision to attend Biola. He's always been a warm weather guy and I could see him enjoying life in Southern California, but the campus just didn't appeal to him. 

But, he mused, Wheaton is beautiful. And the academics there are great. And he had a lot of fun during his overnight visit last Fall. (In fact, the guy who served as his host has actually followed up with Abby to ask if he'd be attending the school or not.) And despite earlier thoughts and opinions and concerns about cold weather and snow, Wheaton felt like the right decision to him.

So today I've been thinking about what a blessing it is to have two children who have wanted to continue to live out their faith in tangible ways in college. And my big prayer is that Isaac will enjoy his time there just as much as I know Abby has enjoyed hers.