Internship/Oxford Update

My internship has been fantastic. I don't like research and writing all that much, so it has stretched me to sit and research for 8 hours a day. My writing ability has improved through the process and I could not be more excited about my judge. She is FANTASTIC. She is a Christian and I have really enjoyed seeing how her faith plays itself out subtly in her decisions. She is really hands on and has an open door policy and wants the interns to learn something from our experience. It has been fantastic. I spent my first four weeks on one decision. It was quite in depth and specific. I turned it in on Friday and my judge spoke with me on improvements I could make on the first half of it yesterday. She said it was well written and she was impressed with my clarity. I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED about this. Some of you know that writing is where I feel most insufficient, so to have such strong encouragement was a huge blessing. She is going to talk to me about improvements on my second half today. I pray that it is also encouraging feedback! :) :)

I leave next Tuesday for England. CRAZY. I have not even started packing. I don't know what I am thinking. I know I am going to be running around like a crazy person on Monday trying to get everything in order. It is all part of the fun though. :) I get to spend the first five days in London seeing the sights before I go to Oxford. I could not be more excited. I have never been to Europe and I am looking forward to seeing all the buildings. There is so much history! I can't wait to stand in a building that people stood in centuries ago. :) I am going to take hundreds of pictures, I can already tell. :) I am taking 3 classes once I get to Oxford. I will be taking Family Law, Alternate Dispute Resolution, and a class on the English Legal System. It is 6 hours all together and it should be fun. My grade does not transfer to U of H, so I don't have to worry about pressuring myself to do well. That being said, you all know me... I am going to try my hardest none the less. :) My classes are going to be fun though and they are all three areas I am interested in, so it should make class for 6 hours a day bearable. I only have class on Monday- Thursday, so I doubt I will be in Oxford much on the weekends. I am planning some day trips and some weekend trips. My friend Melissa is coming in town one week and we are going to go see Bath! And for the rest of the theoretical trips, I hope to meet some people in the program with me that want to go places. We will see. :) When my classes are over, I have five more days in Europe. I am planning on going to Paris. I want to ride the chunnel and say I was underwater. I think it is going to be cool! Hehe. Then I come back to Dallas on the 9th of August and will be here for a little while. So if you want to hang out with me in D-town, give me a call on the 9th or 10th. And then, I will be back in Houston on the 13th! :) :) I am excited to start school again and get back into the swing of things. I miss you all already and can't wait to come back and see you all again.

Alright, I think I made my update long enough. :) I am so excited about this summer. It has been amazing so far and going to Oxford is going to broaden my view of the world. I can't wait to come back home and tell you all about it. Email me back if you get time and let me know how you are doing! ~Jen

Update

Hello All,
I know it has been a while since I sent out an email update. Sorry. I am still alive and kicking in law school. I have been in five classes this semester and I just turned in my final projects in one of them today. Yea! I finished another one a few weeks ago, so I have three finals to go. They are next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Please be praying for me and my classmates for the next few weeks. Everyone gets so stressed out during finals and it is a really good time to stand out for the Lord. Please pray that I would be visibly different than my classmates and they would see Christ through me! Thanks.

I am done with school on the 12th. Praise God! This year has been really good though. God has been so faithful to me this semester and His provision for me continues to astound me. I am so at peace with law school because I know that He has me here for a reason. School is definitely difficult, but it is good to know that I am where I am supposed to be.

As for my summer plans, at the end of May, I will be moving back to Dallas and clerking for Judge Boyle (a federal judge for the northern district of Texas) for five weeks. My job will consist of researching and writing briefs for the judge. Some of my briefs may actually get published as case decisions... If this happens, I will send one, just to show you what I do with my free time. :) At the end of June I go to Oxford, England to study abroad for five weeks. I am going with Oklahoma University and am taking a class on family law and alternate dispute resolution. I am very excited to see Europe, as I have never been. Then in August I will be back in Houston to start year number two of law school! :)

Thank you all for your prayers for me through the school year! It means more to me than you know.

I hope this email finds you well! Please write back and let me know how you are doing when you get a chance! :)
With joy,
Jen Lewis

P.S. Praise the Lord, I am about to have a brand new baby second cousin! By the time you read this my cousin, Jacki, will have had her first baby. If you get a chance, please pray for her, her baby, and her husband. :) Thanks.

Guatemala

I just returned from my first international mission trip.  It is all to fresh and vivid to know what to post about.  I do know two things though:  1) I was blessed more than I could have possibly blessed anyone and 2) We are so blessed to live in America.  

Pastor Gregg talked about Americans being born with such privilege.  Just by being a United States citizen, I am one of the wealthiest people on the planet.  I have food, clothing, a car, shelter...  Anything I could ever imagine and I take it all for granted.  It is a shocking reality for me because  we are held accountable for how we steward what we are given.  This is a scary thought for everyone, but I had always taken solace in the fact that I was young, in school, and did not really have an income.  But even still the Lord has blessed me more abundantly than the majority of the world.  I need to seriously re-evaluate my spending and my thoughts on stewardship.  

The most shocking part of the trip, that will stay with me forever was the AIDs orphanage, San Jose.  The Mayan culture believes that if you are diseased and you have sex with a virgin, you will be cleansed of your disease (a similar belief is prevalent in Africa).  One of the precious little girls in the orphanage was 5 years old when she was raped by her father.  He transmitted his disease to his poor, pure and helpless daughter and then took her to San Jose.  I was so enraged and saddened.  How different than the relationship our Lord wants to have with us as our heavenly father.  I can't even describe my grief for this poor, precious little girl.  I pray that our Father wraps her so tightly in His love as she lives out her life in an AIDs orphanage.  

I learned so much more and would LOVE to talk to you about it anytime!  My web-album is below.  My encouragement to you  is if you feel the call of our Lord, Go!  You will be changed forever and you will not regret it.  

Guatemala Mission Trip

Summer Plans

Ok, So here is the final update on my summer plans. First of all, thanks so much for your prayers! God totally made my decision for me. I decided that if the Houston judge had called me back by the time I got home from school today I would accept the Houston clerkship. Otherwise, I decided I would call Judge Lynn in Dallas and accept the position.

Well, when I got home I had no call from the Houston judge so I decided to call Judge Lynn back and see if she was going to offer me a position or if she had more questions for me. The clerk for Lynn was not in her office, so I left a message for her to call me back. Five minutes later I got a call from another judge in Dallas, Judge Boyle offering me a clerkship, which I accepted (it took me a while to realize that it was not the same judge, it could have been bad. Thank the Lord I didn't say anything stupid on the phone and it all worked out). So I will be working for Judge Jane Boyle in Dallas for the first half of the summer. She was appointed in 2004 by George W. and sounded really nice on the phone. So to all my Dallas friends, I am coming home! And to all my Houston friends, I will come and visit you all on the weekends. :) I am just glad that the Lord made the decision for me.

I feel at peace about this summer and the crazy way it all worked out I know that it all happened for a reason. As soon as I got off the phone with Judge Boyle, Judge Lynn's clerk called me to offer me the position, which I had to decline because I am working for Boyle. Crazy huh? If judge Boyle had called even five minutes later I would be working for Judge Lynn this summer.

I then called the Houston judge and informed him of my offer and thanked him for the honor of being considered to work in his chambers. I also received two other offers for interviews today that I had to decline. One of them is Judge Lake, who is doing the Enron trial... weird huh? I think he would have been cool to work for, and the other was another Dallas judge. It is really cool to feel wanted. I have to say that God is funny though and I am glad things worked out the way they did.

Thanks again for all your prayers,
Jen

Summer Plans

Hey All,
I just wanted to ask you to pray for me tomorrow. I have an interview with a federal district judge tomorrow at 5:30P.M. It is for a clerkship this summer. They are kinda a big deal... I guess. Pray that the Lord's will would be done. I want to be where He wants me. If I am offered the clerkship, I have to take it (That is the way it works with judges). So pray that the judge would have discernment as to whether I am supposed to be in his office this summer or not...
Thanks guys!
Jen

Law School Update

I could not be more excited about my grades. I have never felt like writing was my strong suit and to have four essay tests in which I was being compared to people who have been writing for years, I was extremely intimidated. But the Lord is good. I put my faith in Him and He provided. I never expected to get an A in the entire time I was in law school, so to get one in my first semester truly blew me away. I pray that I can continue to depend on the Lord and not on myself for the next five semesters. I think that the biggest blessing bestowed on me through my grades is the knowledge that I can handle law school. I came to school not knowing exactly what specialty I wanted to do and in some ways not know what I was doing at all. I trust that the Lord will show me what he wants me to do with my degree, but surviving the first semester and doing well shows me that He does have a purpose for me being in law school and it is exciting. I still have no clue what I am going to do when I graduate, but I have complete faith that He will show me... In His timing. :)

My classes this semester seem like they are going to be interesting. My teachers seem nice so far... but we will see. I do not think any of them are going to be as inappropriate as one of mine was last semester so that is a blessing. I will have to update you more later on my teachers since I haven't really felt them out yet. My criminal law class is going to be very reading intensive. I have already had to read 148 pages and it is day 3... My other classes seem about like my classes from last semester. The only difference is this semester I have one more class than I had last semester so I may be bussier if that is even possible. My goal this semester as it was last semester is to keep my priorities in order and keep the Lord first in my life.

In case you didn't know, I am going overseas to Oxford this summer. I have always wanted to study abroad but have never actually done it for one reason or another. This summer is the last time that I will have the option to go overseas so I decided to stop coming up with excuses not to go and to actually do it. I am going with a program through OU so I will not know anyone before I go. Hopefully I will be able to make some friends on the trip though and I will be able to travel a little while I am in Europe. I have never been before so I want to see EVERYTHING. I know that I won't get to everything in one summer, but it is a start. :) I am taking 6 hours so my workload will be lighter once I get back. :)

Also, I am applying to go overseas during my spring break. My Church is hosting a trip to Guatemala and I am applying for it. Please pray that the Lord's will would be done. If I get accepted to the trip I will have to raise support in a very short amount of time, which is scary... You can be praying for that also. I am really excited about potentially going on this trip! :) I have never been on a mission trip before and I hope this is in the Lord\'s timing. I will let you know more later. :)

Anyway, thanks again for all of your prayer and encouragement. Please email me and let me know how you are doing!
Yours Truly,
Jennifer Lewis

Two Finals Down, One to Go

Hey all.
I am taking a quick study break and thought I would let you all know that I have my last final on Thursday from 9-1... I cannot wait to be over. Please be praying for me if you think about it for the next few days. These finals have been rather brutal and I am not quite prepared for the last one. I can use all the prayer I can get. I had my contracts final today and it went ok. I was writing for 4 hours and 25 minutes straight. My first final was last Tuesday it was only 3 hours and 10 minutes long and I would have paid money to have more time. I did not get everything done that I wanted to, but oh well.

I am really praying that the Lord will get the glory for my law school experience. I do not want to freak out about my grades. Everyone around me seems to and I just want to rest in the Lord and be content with what I get. Everyone is so smart, I honestly would be content with straight C's. I know you all do not think that that is in my personality, but believe it or not, these people are more driven than I am! I am one of the most laid back and least over prepared. I know it is hard to imagine, but 90 type A personalities is not pretty! But with C's, at least I would be done with all of these courses and would not have to retake them! :)

But FYI, law school is insane and I am really looking forward to my break. They say the first semester is the hardest. I hope that is true, because I do not want to endure this for six whole semesters. It has to get easier. Anyway, I am tired and I hold all of my stress in my back so it is getting really really sore. Just pray I would make it through the next few days and finish well. Pray that I would continue to be an encouragement to those in law school and those who are generally around me. I feel like I have been to preoccupied lately.

Anyway, feel free to pray in the next few days. I would greatly appreciate it. I really want to seek the Lord's will for my life and to fulfill His purpose. It is eases to get distracted during finals. Pray that I would be resting in the Lord despite the craziness. It is only through Him that we can accomplish ANYTHING. I want to know that I depended on Him and got through law school on His strength. That is my goal! :) Thanks for your wonderful friendship and encouragement to me! See you all soon hopefully. Please call me after Thursday at 1 if you have some free time. I would LOVE to catch up with you. Or send me an email. I promise I will respond! I really want to know how you all are doing and actually have time to do so now! (Well, in two days). Alright, back to studying the night away. Tomorrow is the last night that I have to do that until next semester... PRAISE GOD!

Thanks,
~Jen

Almost Done :)

Hello All,
I hope you all are having a great week. Happy late Thanksgiving. :) I hope you all had fun with your families. I just wanted to send a quick email and let you all know that my first semester of law school is almost over. It went insanely fast.

I have one last week of school and then my finals are on the 6th (torts), the 13th(contracts), and the 15th (civil procedure). I am trying really hard not to freak out about them. I am not used to only having finals and it is kind of intimidating. I am praying that I would not get stressed out and I would be an encouragement to the girls that I study with. I pray God gets the glory for this semester and I pray I don't stop short of the goal. If you think about it, please pray that I would prepare well and not procrastinate. I don't want to freak out and worry about my grade. I want to be content in the Lords will and provision so pray that I will not worry about grades at all but instead about learning the material for my ultimate goal of being a good lawyer.

Anyway, I will pretty much be studying every day from now until the15th so your prayers would be welcomed any time, any day from now until the 15th. :) Thanks again for all your support and for your wonderful friendship. Time to get back to studying.
Have a great day!
~Jen
Pleas email me and let me know how you are doing when you have time!

Back in Houston After Rita

Hello Friends,
I hope this email is finding you well. I just made it back to Houston and unpacked and re-set up my computer. I am happy to report there was no damage to my apartment and all my stuff is intact. However, the car port outside my apartment was not so lucky. It fell half way down and they will be repairing it this week. All and all though, we were extremely lucky.

I was fortunate enough to stay with some wonderful friends in College Station that made it feel more like a vacation than an evacuation. Thank again for being wonderful hosts and hostesses. :) You are great friends and I am lucky to have you. The traffic back today was surprisingly light. I made it back to Houston in an hour and a half. It was nice.

I do not start school until Thursday, which is crazy. I pray that I am diligent to study for the next two days and get caught up by Thursday. Law school is getting a little easier. I am still swamped all the time, but I see the end in sight. I know that the first year is the hardest, so I am clinging to the hope that next year is easier. If not, though, I will make it through. :) I am still confident that the Lord has me here for a reason. I am getting more and more used to being called on and feeling unintelligent (I have found that the feeling passes after the class and on the whole I know I am still a smart person). I know that everyone feels the same way when they are called on, which makes it bearable. Really, it is not horrible. I feel so bad about these emails I send because I sound so down, but know that I am really enjoying Houston and school, it is just harder than I am used to. It is good though because I am being stretched. :) On a very bright note, I am plugged into a great church and two bible studies so I am being fed by the Word and I am resting in the Lord. So life is good!
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will send another email soon.
Yours Truly,
~Jen

Week 3 of Law School

So this week I refrained from publishing my weekly novel over email and just wanted to write you all a quick note letting you know I survived this week. I actually did not have class on Monday because of Labor day and I did not have class on Thursday or Friday either because one of my teachers was on a trip. So, I had a moderate social life this week. It was beautiful! :) I went out to dinner with some people on Tuesday night and dancing on Thursday night... (Crazy, huh?) I felt like a normal person again. I think I am finally getting the hang of school though and think that my life will be a little easier from now on.

I have accepted the work load at least and am getting it done. Basically, I am still bracing for the long haul, but I am feeling better about it.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello and let you know this week wasn't bad at all. Next week I return to my full schedule so hopefully I will keep my positive attitude then too. :) Email me back if you get a chance and say hi.
Yours Truly,
~Jen