Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, it has been quite some time since we have updated our blog, so I thought what better time to give an update than on Christmas Day.  As I write this the girls are playing with their presents, a blessing that is not lost on me as I know that most children around the world will consider Christmas a good day if they get one meal.

2012 has been a year of many changes for us.  We began the year as a family on different sides of the world.  I (Matt) was ringing in the New Year in Nairobi, Kenya while my family was at home in Turlock, California.  

The first part of our year followed the script we would have expected.  We were immersed in ministry and friendships in Turlock.  At the same time, we were feeling a stirring to live a bit differently.  We began to pray about taking the girls out of the arts magnet school they loved in favor of home schooling.  Our thinking was that this would free up my day off (Friday) to explore getting more involved with great organizations like World Relief in our community.  We decided we would make that change as a family to coincide with the next school year beginning in August.

All the while, we did the things so many of us do.  We celebrated birthdays Jaida turned 9, Brooklin turned 6, and Matt and Lorna both got a year older.  Jaida began playing the cello and finding great joy in developing her musical talent.  Brooklin was in kindergarten and loved both the social interaction, and learning to read.

In the spring, the winds of change started to blow.  We had begun to wonder if God’s calling on us might include a change in location.  I (Matt) am in a global leadership program at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the more I was exposed to urban and global ministry, the more I felt a desire to be serving in a context that would give me more exposure to both.

In June, we decided to take a new ministry position clear across the country.  We would be moving from Turlock, California to Atlanta, Georgia where I would serve as the director of missions and outreach at North Avenue Presbyterian Church.  This was a tough decision to make.  We love our family and friends in Turlock, and I was rooted, established, and deeply loved in my ministry position at Monte Vista Chapel.  In many ways, I would have been lucky to remain at this ministry location for the rest of my career.  At the end of the day we felt like if we did not move we would always be left with the “what if” questions.  So, we made the decision, which made the summer a blur.

We packed up a house.

We rented out our house.

We found a house to rent.

We arranged for a truck.

We de-cluttered our life of a lot of stuff.  This was a painstaking process.  Do you want to know how much stuff you have that you don’t need, well just try to get ready to move across the country and you will find out.

In August we moved.

This fall has been a timely season for us.  As the world around us is in a state of flux and change, so is the world within us.

I began working in my new ministry position on September 1.  We really enjoy our new church family, and I (Matt) feel blessed by the co-workers and volunteers I get to work with each day.

Lorna began homeschooling the girls at the beginning of September as well.  After one semester all three of them are wondering why we didn’t make this decision a long time ago.

Jaida loves the connection we have to nature living in the Atlanta area.  There are a number of squirrels that live in our front yard.  Jaida has named each one of them and swears she can tell them all apart. She had a bit of time to look wistfully out the window as one week after moving here she promptly broke her foot in a scooter mishap. Brooklin has been busy making new friends and currently has a love affair with math.  We are not sure how this happened, as both Matt and Lorna are math deficient.

Four months into our transition and we are doing remarkably well.  Only one member of our family has had big issues.  This is a bit difficult to admit, but the issues became severe enough that one of us (DAKOTA–our dog) has had to begin taking some anxiety medication.  The vet says the move was tough on her, so her life right now includes medicine hidden in hot dogs and a giant cone of shame.

This fall we had the wonderful opportunity to join family in Hawaii to celebrate Troy and Susan Bunch’s 40th anniversary.  This was a wonderful time where all the cousins got to run and play and swim and shout for two whole weeks.  We also got to see a number of friends from home.  Jordan and Charlotte Burnam were in Atlanta when we arrived and helped us ready our house for move in, my brother Shane also helped us move in and hook up all mechanical items and then came back again to spend Thanksgiving with us, my lovely mother in-law spent a week with us making sure we were getting settled, Lanita Moen made a surprise visit in the middle of an ordinary work week, Nancy Rapp came and spent a wonderful week with us, and last week we scooted two hours up the road to Chattanooga to break bread with Jay and Carol Swanson.

This year looks to end much the way it began.  My family will be in one place (Atlanta) while I will be in another (St. Louis) at the Urbana conference.

To all who shared a slice of life with us this year we are praying that wherever this blog entry finds you, and whatever changes the year may have brought, that today will be a day that is different because unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.  May the reality of the incarnation of Jesus be the deepest blessing of your Christmas celebration.

Merry Christmas,

The Seadore4

Legally Georgian.

Lorna and I had a lunch date at Arepa Mia. The food was great.

Seadore4 enjoy a 3D show at the Georgia Aquarium.

Flat broke

Many of you have been asking about what happened to Jaida’s foot and how she is doing now. On Friday evening of last week she discovered that our driveway is on an incline that she can ride down it hang a sharp left and continue down the street which also goes downhill. This was a lot of fun for about 15 minutes or so. Then, on what looked like a normal ride, Jaida lost her balance and put down her foot to steady herself. That was all it took. She came hobbling up the hill saying that her foot hurt. About 30 minutes later Grandma said we needed to look at what was happening to her foot. It was swelling, with gusto! The next morning we took her to urgent care, she had x-rays, and the fact that she had a fractured foot was confirmed. On Monday we saw an orthopedist. It turns out she fractured a bone that has a growth plate. The solution: a boot. We are grateful that she will just need to be in a boot for a month to heal. She was happy to give up the crutches, and has adjusted well to the use of the boot. I am not including a picture becasue Jaida is not a big fan of having her picture spotlighted on social media. Thanks for the prayers on her behalf.

Jaida’s 2 new best friends

1week in Georgia and Jaida has a fractured foot

The disorienting nature of a move

“Where is my_______?”  I have said this phrase and heard it umpteen times over the past week.  Let’s face it, there is something disorienting about uprooting your life and replanting in a new community.  Last night I said to my wife, “this is the first time in the last week that I don’t feel disoriented.”  A number of things have helped in this process.

My wife is incredible at providing a sense of stability- She has been methodically unpacking boxes for the past couple of days.  She tackles one room at a time and works until it is put together.  Yesterday’s project area was the homeschool room.  It looks great.

The people of NAPC have been welcoming, concerned and kind- Moving puts one in the vulnerable place of need. This is amplified by the fact that the community that you have available to you doesn’t really know you at all.  In the past the spiritual practice of being needy was a difficult one for me to understand.  I have learned this past week what it means to have need and receive.  

-We were trying to get the living room and bedrooms painted before our stuff got here.  Time was ticking away, and I had a phone number of an NAPC member by the name of Adam (we had never met before).  He was unable to come over and paint, but on Friday morning while I was rolling paint onto the walls, he called.  He offered to send over a handy man to help us.  An hour later Michael arrived.  He was a master painter.  I learned a thing or two from his skills.  The rooms all got painted about 5 minutes before the movers started unloading the truck.  

-Kim and Martha came over on Saturday morning and helped Lorna unpack the kitchen.  This was a big deal because it meant we could start eating at home. (We were all tired of eating out).

-On Sunday I walked into my new office and had a gift basket awaiting from my new co-workers.  I was blown away.

-Last night our new friend Paul came over and helped us get things hung on the walls.  Those of you who know me well know that my mechanical aptitude hovers somewhere around -10 out of a possibe score of 100.

-None of these things in and of themselves may seem all that significant, but they are.  When you are displaced from your sense of community, and people come alongside to help with very practical issues it provides entry points and invitations into a new community.  (I’m sure there is a spiritual lesson in there somewhere).

Having some sense of family nearby is important-  My brother Shane lives just over 2 hours away.  He came down for the weekend to help us put beds together and get adjusted.  It was great to have a sibling alongside me as we worked through tearing down boxes, putting away moving blankets, and making endless runs to the Home Depot.

Hearing from your sending community is important-  At key moments through the last number of days we have received encouraging cards, texts and emails from friends and family in Turlock.  It has helped to remind us that even when we may feel alone we have friends (some 2400 miles away) who still love us and pray for us.

Take one day at a time- Critical thinking demands that one be well informed before reaching conclusions, and even then leaving space for one’s mind to be changed.  The truth is we are going to have days where we feel like we make tremendous gains in transition, and we are going to have other days when we lose traction.  Taking each day as it comes allows the moment to be just that, a moment.

All these things in combination have helped us begin to feel like we have a sense of place (both internally and externally) in our new location.

Now I need to let the next moment be, because it includes going to Ikea to get needed (well more wanted actually) items for the house that all of us near and far are helping to feel like home.

 

Gift from my new ministry work team. Go Braves and thanks to the staff team at NAPC!

Starting to get settled