The One with our Full Year Here

I just can't believe it, but it is most definitely true. Today marks our one year anniversary since moving to Western New York! With tears we said goodbye to our teens and our friends in Michigan, and with the help of those same people as well as our family we loaded a UHaul and drove 7 hours east to a part of New York State that is closer to the Midwest than it is to the city. 

All those days ago sometimes feel like a lifetime--mostly because we've been warmly embraced here, settled comfortably and intimately into our little village, connecting to more people (in and out of the church) than we can count. We've been taken care of in so many ways by our friends here, and we are eternally grateful for the love they've poured on us and that they opened their lives so willingly to us. God is so good. 

And most of the time we forget we got here because of Seminary. It's pretty awesome to see the steps God used to pull us to this place, when we thought the whole point was an MDiv. If it were up to us, we'd had lived near campus and found who knows what jobs. But God is so much cooler than that. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. 

Kevin's grad school is a very important reason we're in New York, of course. He's loving his classes, his professors, his shelves and shelves of rich literature. But our lives are centered around our church, the people, in this little town--his studies in action, really. His responsibilities go well beyond the confines of the youth room, but a passion working with teenagers is one of those things we can't seem to shake. And now, a year later, we feel confident that we're getting somewhere (somewhere good) with these students. It takes a while to build a strong foundation of a relationship, but it's worth it. 

Who would've guessed what the past 365 days would bring for me? 

playing in the high school musical's pit orchestra. 

building a strong piano studio (that has provided income, relationships, and community connections).

leading music at VBS.

traveling to Seattle with a wonderful group of Bible Quizzers. 

hosting my first studio piano recital. 

running my first race. 

blowing my personal best race time out of the water with my second race. 

developing the deepest kind of friendship with a girl named Sheryl. 

going on a family vacation with Sheryl and her siblings and their kids.

And now we look ahead, with eager expectation, knowing that God will continue to do more than we can ask or imagine. Amen.

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The One with the Pastors' Conference

The month of April was a complete blur for me. The first week led up to Easter Sunday, and we started our long drive to Florida immediately after that service. We were in Florida for the next Sunday of church, and the following weekend, I took a drive to Ohio and then Michigan with my parents to visit an ailing relative. That weekend was a great time with all of my family (both mine and Kevin's) but Kevin wasn't there. It was sad. And like something was missing for all of us. At this point I've missed two Sundays in a row of church. Two days later, Kevin and I get in the car again; this time for a 6 hour drive Pennsylvania with Pastor Randy, Sheryl and the kids. 

*whew* I'm tired just thinking about it. Lots of car time, lots of eating out, but lots of wonderful time with friends and family. 

The trip to PA was for the long-anticipated Ministers' conference for a few hundred local Free Methodist Pastors and their families. Sheryl had been eagerly talking about attending this event since we first arrived in New York--and for good reason. We had a wonderful time!

The food was indulgent, the speaker was riveting for all four of us, the hotel was fancy and our room was luxurious (can you say, Jacuzzi suite?) We met lots of new friends and had great conversation with Randy & Sheryl on our long drives. We had fun playing with the kids in the pool and soaking in the hot tub during our free time. 

And then it was back to real life. (Which, for Kevin, meant jumping out of the van with our luggage and taking his bookbag with him into our car to head to his 6 hour evening of seminary class. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the second half of my Subway sub, caught up on finances, and watched some Grey's.)

We are so thankful for the opportunity the church gave us to attend the conference and to the leaders of the event for planning every detail to make it a success. 

The One with the Fancy Schmany Date

{My Memories Digital Scrapbook Giveaway going on through Wednesday!}  

Sometimes I just need carefree time with my husband. Outside our predictable, routine life that I love so much. (I really do.) But when he says, "I think we need a date night," I fall a little more in love with him. (AND when he shows me a buy one entree get one free coupon for Ruby Tuesday, I am all for it. This man knows the way to my heart. Good food. for cheap.Oh! and did I mention we were using an anonymous gift someone had sneaked into Kevin's pen cup who knows when and who knows how long ago. THANK mysterious gift-giver!)  

He was gone for the large part of the day--8am to 4:30pm--at an introductory spiritual retreat for his new Seminary program. You know how I spent the day. It was nice to have some alone time, but I loved having thoughts of our date floating around in the back of my mind. Yes, it's always nice when it comes dinner time and don't know what to make and he suggests a date. But having this night out planned in advance, complete with an email invitation? I mean, seriously. That's romance to me. 

When he arrived home, I quickly changed into the cute dress he bought me on our anniversary. This necessitated a outfit change for him, which he wasn't totally stoke about, but he seemed to think it was it to have me in that dress. *grin*  

And we were off. Coupon in hand, maps drawn up (we're new to the area, give us a break!), me hoping I wasn't going to freeze in the restaurant. (Freezing temperatures really put a damper on my enjoyment.) 

Thankfully, Ruby Tuesday had chosen an appropriate temperature and we both ordered the perfect meals. Steak, cheesy mashed potatoes, and onion rings for him. Chicken, steamed broccoli and balsamic tomatoes for me. 

For dessert? We took a stop off at Sam's Club (where I felt WAY overdressed), did a bit of wandering and bit of shopping, and shared a $0.97 ice cream cup. Yeah. We're those people. And we like it that way.

Through all of this, there was gloriously deep conversation and amazingly rich laughter. My favorite combination. 

A seriously perfect night. 

And now, in thinking over this summation of our evening I've come to the following conclusions--I like coupons. food. advanced planning. and talking and laughing with my husband. 

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The One with the Reactions to THE Letter

Sunday was a day of encouragement for us. We had no idea how the congregation would react to the letter* Pastor Dale sent out to them during the week informing them of our impending departure for seminary. Happy? Sad? Angry? Frustrated? Excited? Indifferent?  

*if you're interesting in reading said letter, it can be found at the bottom of this post.

Last Sunday evening at youth group Kevin made the dreaded announcement to our beloved teens. As he transitioned from his poignant message about Abram leaving his homeland for the land God was calling him to, the tears began rolling down Kevin's cheeks. My husband is a sensitive man--much more so than he lets on. But he's not much for crying. He simply couldn't speak, and as the anxious silence filled the room and the clocked tick-ticked in the background. I went to him quickly, and held his hand, willing him composure.

At least five minutes went by, and finally the words came out. God is calling us to seminary, to New York, away from you. We are so sorry. You are our lives. You're all we do, all we talk about. We've poured everything into each of you. But we must go out of obedience to the God we serve, just as you've taught us to do.

Tears. Tears. Tears. They were streaming down many faces, and others sat dumbfounded, unsure of how to process this life-changing announcement. We passed tissues, shared shoulders, hugged sobbing girls, willed our eyes to speak the depth of our love for them. 

And I truly believe they understand. They're not happy about it, but they're cautiously optimistic. God wouldn't call us to something great and leave them high and dry, right? They are clinging to the teaching of the Parable of the Seeds, believing that Kevin and Melanie have obediently planted seeds of the Gospel in their hearts and watered them faithfully, but only God can make it grow. They are rooted in Christ alone, not in their youth leaders. Our job was to show them to way to passion for Jesus, for making Him life, purpose, eternity. And with or without us, their roots can go deep and remain firm and established, continuing to make disciples who make disciples. 

The adults had such an encouraging response to our announcement. There was message after message of sadness to see us go, but excitement over what God has in store for us. What a blessing! Thank you, Jesus, for continued affirmation as we've walked in obedience to the best of our ability. 

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April 29, 2010 

To the people of M----- FMC,

It is with mixed emotions of regret and joy that I must announce to you that our youth pastors, Kevin and Melanie, will be following the leading of God for their lives, a leading which will be taking Kevin to Northeastern Seminary in New York in order to pursue a Masters of Divinity degree in preparation for full-time ministry.   

Of course, this means that Kevin and Melanie must leave their ministry here at M------- FMC, and will be moving to New York in August.  I am joyful, because they are pursuing their calling from God and will be receiving invaluable training and teaching in order to be more effective ministers.  However, I am also filled with regret, as Kevin and Melanie have done an outstanding job at our church, and have been an integral part of our church body for the last two years.  They have taken a small group of five to ten teens, and have grown a ministry triple in size, as well as being instrumental in leading teens to Jesus, and in discipling them towards spiritual maturity.  They have formed a strong and loving bond with the SpiritFire teens, and have ministered to them in powerful and life-changing ways!  They have also lent their talents and energies to bettering the worship ministries of our church, have developed an award-winning Bible Quiz program, and have been leading a weekly Young Adult study group.  In addition, Kevin has assisted with the financial ministries of our church, and this year was elected to the new position of Financial Secretary.  Their enthusiasm, love of Jesus, love for our teens, organizational skills, and spiritual vitality will be greatly missed. 

I would like to invite you to attend a special Society Meeting of our church on May 22, at 6 p.m.  During the meeting, we will be hearing a resolution adopted by the Leadership Team and Pastor’s Cabinet of our church as to the future direction of the youth ministries of the church, and you will have opportunity to take part in the discussion.  If you are a full adult member of the church, you will also be eligible to cast your vote in regard to the resolution we will be discussing.  I hope that you will be able to join us as we seek God’s direction at this exciting crossroads of our church!

Please join me in prayer for Kevin and Melanie as they follow God’s direction for their lives.  As the process of their transition to New York unfolds, we will stay in communication with you, and I trust that you will take opportunity over the next couple of months to express your appreciation to Kevin and Melanie for their ministry among us.

If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call, or send me an email.

Thank you, and may God richly bless you and your family!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Dale 

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The One with the Bittersweet Announcement

[originally written April 30th, 2011 @ 7:30pm]

Tonight my heart is aching, anxious with anticipation. 

Twenty-four hours from now, our teens will have received the news that will likely devastate them--Kevin and Melanie are leaving. There is much more to the story than our departure from this town, this home, this church, but I know that is all these students are going to hear. I'm breaking at the thought of being the cause of their pain. Some of them may feel abandoned, forsaken, or rejected. Others may be overwhelmed with anger or filled with sadness. The rest may not know how to feel. 

And knowing the ache our decision will cause goes against my deepest instinct to remove pain. When someone is hurt, something is wrong. That's all there is to it in my black-and-white emotional reality. 

But God has spoken a different message into the depths of my being. Just as He commanded Abram, the Lord God has said to my husband and me, 

Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

This portion of Genesis 12 is so poignant, overflowing with man's obedience and God's faithfulness. It must have been anything BUT comfortable to pick up and leave the only land he'd ever known, but Abram "left as the Lord had told him." 

We have little comprehension of the Almighty's plan in all of this. But we are doing our best to follow him. How can we teach our students to be eager followers of Christ if we ourselves are unwilling to GO? How can we sing the words of Starfield's song "I Will Go" alongside them and sit here in comfortable disobedience? Is it possible to read the words of Isaiah the prophet when he himself answered the call and not be convicted to do the same? 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here I am. Send me!" 

This transition will not be easy. In fact it may be painful. But Jesus did not call us to a life of ease. He called us to follow Him. And THAT is what we're doing. 

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My outstanding husband, who becomes more and more faithful to the voice of Christ each day, has been called by God into full time ministry. We have been leading the youth group here at MFMC since September 2008, and we shared with the world Kevin's call to ministry back in November 2009. But since then, there has been more leading and a beckoning to go a step further. 

Seminary. 

Beginning this August, Kevin will be starting the 4 year Master of Divinity degree at Northeastern Seminary. He is intensely passionate about furthering his knowledge of Scripture and of the doctrines of the Christian faith. He wants to learn Greek and Hebrew and experience the interpretation of the Holy Text. He desires to know Irenaeus and Augustine and Jerome--the fathers of our faith (patristics).   

I am eager to learn alongside him, discuss with him, challenge him, grow with him, support him. And while we are there, we will pursue a lifestyle of ministry--for without an eternal purpose, what are we? 

We are excited for the journey ahead. 

And brokenhearted to leave all of this behind. Our friends. This home. My glorious kitchen. A church family. Librarians who know our names.
The 25plus teenagers who have wedged their way so deeply into our hearts that they will forever be a part of us. 

O, God, grant us mercy.

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