A New Chapter (Recap of Life since March)

Well loosen my suspenders and let me go!

When Jesus moves He moves big. And fast. And in ways that boggle the human comprehension.

Our last update in March was written in the midst of great expectation, knowing that Jesus had designed an amazing plan for our family, and we as yet had not been invited to know more than that. Four months later and here we are, still in wonder at all the Lord has done.

Below is the breakdown of our life since y'all last heard from us, but the Cliffs Notes are that we've officially moved, our van keeps breaking down, Jason graduated, Jesus takes care of us, and we have a lovely home. :)

March 3 : Final conversations and confirmations that Jesus was leading us away from church planting.

March 5 : Jason was invited to candidate at Grace Baptist Church in Eureka (my childhood church four hours North in Humboldt County), where he was already scheduled to fill the pulpit later that month.

March 16 : First sermon at GBC Eureka, reconnecting with friends and family, staying with dear family friends who have loved us SO well.

March 26-30 : Official candidating meetings, Q&As, sermons, and gathering at GBC, hosted by new precious friends.

April 6 : Representatives from GBC visit our church in Benicia to see Jason preach in his home context.

April 13 : GBC votes to bring Jason on as their new Senior Pastor, starting in May.

May 2-4 : Our family went to Eureka for Jason's first sermon and for a day of rental walk-throughs. The fourth home we checked out was beyond perfect, and we submitted our application.

May : Treks to Eureka each weekend (that's a LOT of driving with a baby!) while also packing up our Benicia home, meeting with friends to say goodbye, making use of our access to a pool, wrapping up school and work and ministries and life, and trusting that Jesus would care for all our needs.

May 16-17 : Jason and Auna headed up to Eureka to collect the new house key, but my van broke down 2 hours into the roadtrip (the gears' teeth had been mostly stripped), leaving me the 3 other kids stranded on the roadside. Jason borrowed a friend's brand-new vehicle to come fetch us from the mechanic's in Ukiah, leaving the bulk of my kitchen gear in the broken van. We returned to St. Helena in a borrowed "blessing mobile."

Mar 24 : Loading party, with 8 Benicia friends helping us squeeze all our belongings into a truck and trailer... and three of those friends decided to follow us to Eureka at great personal cost. Additional friends take a roadtrip from Grass Valley to pick up my sick van from Ukiah. It died on them less than a block from the shop. (It had been misdiagnosed, as the gears had caught on the three remaining teeth and ran perfectly during the test drive.) They meet up with us at the new house, after transferring much of my kitchen gear into their car. We hosted three friends overnight and had a party of 11 for breakfast the next morning before church.

May 25 : After church we were followed home by THIRTY SIX people who helped unload our U-Haul and joined us for a pizza lunch.

May 26 : We traveled back to St. Helena for last minute house cleaning, Jason's final in-person seminary classes, orthodontia appointments, and a WEDDING!

June 2-3 : Back to Eureka, and a fun surprise visit from the new bride and groom as they were passing through town on their honeymoon.

June 16 : A friend graciously drove Jason the 3 hours to fetch our van... which broke down again 40 miles North of the shop (the transfer case had been replaced, but this time the transmission went out and we lost all the gears), and was re-committed to the mechanic (who is a trustworthy guy, and super accommodating and gracious).

June 21-23 : We took the blessing mobile to Benicia for Jason's seminary graduation, where he earned his Masters of Divinity, Summa cum Laude. 34 people came to celebrate Jason's achievement, many from the Benicia church, and some folks traveling from Grass Valley, Eureka, and southern California. We got back home in time to pack for...

June 26-28 : Camping! We met up with my folks and my sister's family for a few days in the sun.

June 29 : Dr. Ryan Rippee and his sweet wife Jen (Trinity Church Benicia) traveled up to Eureka for an installation service, commending Jason to Grace Baptist Church, and we had a sweet visit with them. We also had the opportunity to lead music for the church, which was SO much fun!

June 30 : At the time of this being typed, the girls are tossing last minute items into their duffle bags, and they are headed off on an Oregon trip with grandparents for a week. Other than that, we currently have NO plans to leave town for at least a month, though we will have several out of town guests come visit us over the next weeks.

Looking forward, we'll be picking up our (fixed????) van, with the cost of its resurrection covered by our dear friends who love to be used by Jesus to care for His people.

We also have our first home group this Thursday evening, and a number of other opportunities to engage with our church, including beach days and our monthly church hike. The congregation has loved us well, and we are thrilled to be here.

The house is slowing getting unpacked, and we are having fun visiting the zoo, enjoying the redwoods, buying groceries at non Bay Area prices, and building new routines and schedules.

You are welcome to come visit us! Our home is built for hospitality and we would LOVE to host you! Just drop us a line and we'll get the menu plan ready and the beds prepped.

Thank you for your continued love and prayers and support as we watch Jesus do His amazing work around and through us. This is an exciting time and we are THRILLED to have front-row seats to what the Lord is doing in Eureka!