NYC

Saturday I took a group of teens from our church to hang out in New York for the day and it was exciting. We just made our train from New Haven to Grand Central and same thing on the way back. That morning I told them that whenver I go to New York there is at least one train that I catch just before it leaves the station. I'm kind of used to this, but hopefully it wasn't too stressfull for them. In describing our trip I'll use the first three leters of the alphabet to tell the story...
A: A is for active. Even though I expect the amount of activity in New York it still surprises me. There is so much of everything and it is always in motion. This was the first time there for some of our teens and at points they were definitely overwhelmed. Asking one of the girls on the way home what she thought of it, she responded with uncertainty. Sometimes it is hard to know what to make of the relentlesness of the city. I can see how it could wear you down.
B: B is for beautiful. Above you see some of us standing in this little enclave just off 5th avenue where there are tables and chairs scattered under trees with this beautiful waterfall in the background. The water runs down over uneven stones so that is sounds just like water cascading down rocks in a hidden area of the woods. Everywhere we went there were subtle and overwhelming scenes of beauty, and we only saw a tiny portion of the city. One of the most important things to remember when I think about beauty and New Yor is the people. Everyone you rush by is an actual person with families, friends, joys, sorrows, and stories. When you put all these people together, you see something greater than this little waterfall. New York would be terrifying with no people.
C: C is for commerce. It was interesteing to see the line outside of FAO Schwartz, the iconic toystore, the was four people across and wrapped around to the back of the block. There was also the line outside of the UGG store, Holister, and maybe some other ones. This is somewhat to be expected when you go down 5th Avenue around Christmas time, but it is interesting to stop and think how many people come to New York just to buy things. There is this incredible ammount of commerce that is happening every single moment of every single day. This isn't inherently bad because economies involve buying and selling goods. What if all the people coming to New York to shop for a day or days, did something else? What if everyone came into New York to clean the city, improve the urban landscape, color with sidewalk chalk, partner with non-profits and other service agencies? This isn't to lament or denigrate shopping, because I bought my wife Christmas presents, but maybe another way of looking at things.

Falling behind and ridding the wave...

So, the past two weeks I've been putting off blogging, somewhat out of busyness and also because I'm not sure what to write. Here's the laundry list of what's been happening:

-Hillary and I took four people from church to a counseling conference (Nov 14-17) and we're working on further developing our counseling ministry team. This was an important trip to solidify what we've begun and it will be neat to see what happens as we move into the new year.

-We went away for a night to the Dorset inn (see pic by kidgrifter) where we celebrated five years of marriage. It was wonderful.

-I've turned thirty while spending time with family and friends over Thanksgiving break. It was great to have time with my parents and extended family. Wesley especially enjoyed himself.

-I've worked on plans and goals for ministry in the upcoming year. It has been good to prayerfully create specific objectives that I can work towards in my different areas of responsibility. The biggest challenge will be doing what I've committed to.

-I've finished a great book, Culture Making by Andy Crouch and am processing the thoughts.

-I've had significant conversations about the gospel with individuals who don't believe it yet. This is very exciting and I see some neat opportunities on the horizon.

-We've had lots of people in our home. Hillary threw a surprise party for me this Saturday and 3oish people came by. We continue to enjoy having neighbors, friends, and people from church in our home. Two Sunday's ago we had about eight teens over for lunch and discussion of 1 Timothy 5. It was a delight to be together and to be challenged by the truths of God's word.

-For the next few weeks, life at church is somewhat low key, but then there is a wave that will take me into the new year and we'll have to see where it goes. There is a ministry opportunity at a local college campus and it could be just a small ripple or something much bigger. In talking with the leaders at the church the thought is that I take the surfer approach and start paddling with the wave. If it is a big one, then it will take me and I'll ride it. If not, we'll see soon enough and turn around to paddle out to another wave.

When the Christmas music begins...

Hillary and I were talking about when you start playing the Christmas music and we both agreed that it begins after Thanksgiving. Then, as I was reading in my office today and was getting sleepy I put on some music through Pandora (an Internet radio service). I didn't like the music on the station I was on, so my hand drifted and before I knew it I had selected the Christmas station. When I told Hillary tonight, she said how she'd been wanting to listen to Christmas music as well, and it is on in the background right now. A close friend of mine actually starts listening in late October!
This is an exciting time of year and I'm looking forward to turning my focus towards the coming of the child/king Jesus Christ. I heard one author refer to the incarnation as the "glorious impossibility." It is mind blowing to think of God taking on flesh. There are readings that I go through each year at advent and it is good for my soul to walk that same path year in and out. Following God's story from the beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures through the prophets to the birth of Jesus and then beyond is a wonderful journey on which to participate.

The beautiful end of fall

On Monday, I was in New Haven meeting with one of our community group leaders over lunch and as I left the parking garage there was this stuffing view of blue skies and the profile of the city. Then yesterday Hillary was raking and Wesley was romping in the leaves. With the blue sky, the bright green grass, and the various yellows and browns of the leaves it made me glad for fall. This week has been a little nuts with different meetings and getting things sorted for a conference I'm headed to this weekend. Six of us from church are headed to a counseling Conference down in VA on marriage. It should be a great time of learning, refreshment, and hopefully direction for the counseling ministry at our church. My parents will have Wesley for a few days while we're gone, so it should be an exciting adventure for all.
For the past few months I've continued to think a lot about leadership. It is on my mind more and more, and I wish that I had more to say so far. The big conslusions, are that it is difficult and I can't avoid it. I will be a good leader or a bad leader, but regardless, I will lead. God is definitely refining me and I need to see what he wants me to see. I'm glad that my worth and identity are in Christ, not in my success, progress, or achievements.

back in Delaware

Twelve years ago as a Freshman in college I arrived at the university of Delaware and had no idea I would end up where I am. This weekend I was back in the area for a missions conference at the church I attended through college. It was both fun and a little strange to step back into that world, now that I'm at a totally different place in life. Thinking about my connection to E.P. (Evangelical Presbyterian - the name of the church) there are a few things that come to mind:
-a place of training and development: EP is the first church that I was really connected to as an adult and they took a lot of time to train and develop me. When I first attended there I had no idea what a Presbyterian church was and had a very slim understanding of theology. There were all sorts of people who taught me and then gave me opportunities to use what I had learned. In retrospect I see how important this investment was.
-a place of direction and support: Between my Jr. and Sr. years at college I had a summer internship working with the teenagers at E.P. It was through this time and subsequent conversations that I ended up heading to seminary and then into ministry. There were all sorts of precursors to this decision, but it was the experience of working for the church that helped bring it all together. Then when I went to seminary and eventually came to New England the church was there to help make it happen. Even being there this past weekend I feel like there was guidance that I was able to receive so that I can better serve here in CT.
-a place of friendship: Coming back, after twelve years of being connected it is great to run into people I've known and been loved by over the years. Those long term relationships mean a lot, and it is refreshing to be around people who knew me in my college years.

bicycles and hitting the downhills

Wesley has hit Christmas a little early early this year since we got him (and us) a child's bicycle seat. We figured it'd be silly to wait until December when it is too cold and icy to ride, so we've been enjoying it the past few weeks. We keep the bikes and seat ready to go in our SUV since we have the space and our garage is occupied with materials for my climbing wally. So far Wesley seems to like the box most of all. It forms an awesome tunnel to craw through and a formidable tower to smash and knock over. Hillary and I have definitely enjoyed the times we've been able to take him out for rides, though it is a little different getting used to the weight distribution near the back of the bicycle. With him on the bike I cruise even faster on the downhills, but I need to be even more in control.
With ministry as of late I feel like it is an interesting mix of terrain. Sometime I'm peddling hard to make it up a long incline and am surprised to find that it evens out sooner than I thought. At other points I think I get to cruise and instead it is a long uphill push. At our prayer meeting last night one of the people praying was referring to Isaiah 6 where Isaiah says, "Here I am. Send me." She confessed that for a while she had been saying, "I'm here..." non-chalantly and had a growing sense that she must say, "Here I am!" I could identify with what she said and I think God has been teaching me to be more deliberate and purposeful in my work. I've been thinking more and more about leadership and have been asking God to lead me to be a leader. I think he is taking me along that path.

undoing prejudice

It is really easy to get frustrated when road work or similar public works projects take longer than expected. But as I think about my home projects, especially building this climbing wall in my garage, it makes perfect sense. I've had my second three hour set of construction (with others helping of course) and progress is painfully slow. I'm not handy and this is more complicated than I thought it would be - yikes!
This kinda relates to the idea of prejudice but not really. Some it has to do with looking down on others as inept or "less," when I am lenient with myself when the same things happen. The reason prejudice is on my mind, is the sermon our pastor preached yesterday. James 2:1-4 talks about favoring the rich over the poor and when you look more intently at your life you can see all this preferential treatment that you extend to others, based on what you value. It is one thing to identify prejudice in your life and a whole other to root it out. I've been thinking as to how Jesus undoes the prejudices within us all. While a lot of things came to mind, here are the two big ones.
First, he undoes our need for prejudice. We look down on others to lift ourselves up. When we know the love Jesus has for us, despite being undeserving, we don't need to make our way up in the world by stepping on others. Second, he gives us a common object of love. When we are loved by God we love him in return. One of things that unites people is a common love. Random people in a football stadium can experience a deep sense of unity and oneness as the cheer for the same team. and a few things come to mind. Instead of loving ourselves, our position, our power, reputation, or all other sorts of things we love God and this love will unite us with all sorts of other people who love the same God.

Babie and Apples

Last week, over the course of about 72 hours there were three babies born to families in our church. It was a fun and exciting time checking my email and seeing announcements of names, weights, lengths, and gender continue coming in. Since our Sr. Pastor is out of town teaching I got to do the visits with the families and it has been fun. In the midst of the various birthings we also ended up with the two year old son from one of the families. We were planning on going apple picking that day so we took him along, and he and Wesley had a blast. They both loved yanking the apples off the trees - we ended up picking ~30lbs. I started munching on one of the apples I picked and the boys both wanted some, so I bit off the skin and let them give it a try. They were both liked biting the apple and kept getting closer and closer to me as they wanted to eat more the apple. It was a great time. The rest of the week was pretty nuts, between a youth overnight, preaching on Sunday, and visiting mom's in the hospital. I'm glad that this week is going to be more low key.

NYC, Boston... Paris, Milan...

This was a week of city hopping for Hillary as she was in NY on Wednesday and Boston on Friday and Saturday. I was joking with her about where she would be next week and we agreed it should be Paris, Milan, and Barcelona. Hillary went to New York with my mom and sister to see wicked (her birthday present). Then the two of us were in Boston for a conference called, "From Embers to a Flame," which focused on church revitalization. So here's the summary of our experiences:
1. Hillary liked Boston more than New York (it was interesting to visit both in the same week) and we could see ourselves in Boston at some point in life. Who knows whether it will happen, but Saturday was an amazing fall day and the church hosting the conference was right on Boston Common.
2. Revitalizing churches is just as important as starting new ones. This seems kinda obvious, but I learned a lot about this concept of revitalization and it gave me a lot to think about.
3. Wesley generally behaves well when we leave him with others. This was our first time away together since we had Wesley and it went well. We need to do this again, except go away for vacation and not a conference.
4. There were about 20 of us at this conference from our church and it will be great to get together and process all the different things we were learning about. There were various points for reflection interspersed between the teaching sessions and I'm looking forward to hear what other people learned and how we can synthesize this into a coherent whole so we can move forward as a church.

a parade of children

We had a combined community group at our house and this is the procession of the ten children meandering down the road towards the playground at the end of our block. We had stragglers at the back and fast walkers at the front, so it took some work to keep everyone together, but it was good. Before they left and after they returned it was pretty nuts with all of them milling around the house. I wasn't watching Wesley at one point and he reached up on the table and grabbed some chili-lime cashews. They have quite a kick, so one of the other moms grabbed him, but that was after he had already downed a few. He just drank some milk and was okay, but it's probably a little early to be itroducing him to the pleasures of spicy foods. It was fun to have all the people in our home, and it is pushing me to do more thinking about the nature of community groups with families. At what point do we shift how we do things to include the children in the "spiritual" aspects of our meeting?

back and building

So we had a great time in the mid-west visiting supporters and friends in St. Louis and Nashville. We got back on Friday night and are still readjusting. On the way home Wesley was awakw for 9.5hours, which was totally nuts. He's getting back on schedule and both of us are resuming the things we normally do. It is great to get back into a routine.

There were a lot of great things about being away and I'll mention two. First, it was neat to encourage people about what God has been doing in having us here in CT. Second, as various people asked us about our life and what we see God doing, it was a great opporutnity to reflect. There's lots more I could say, but I'll leave it at that.

In addition to builing stuff back up at church, I'm also building a climbing wall in our garage. You can see some of the equipment that just came in the mail. I'm excited It should happen Saturday!

On the road again

We're more than half way through our trip visiting ministry supporters and friends in the mid-west. It is somewhat of a flash back to three years ago when we started this adventure. We have had a lot of coffees and lunches then gave a brief report at our former church in St. Louis. Today we're in Nashville, getting our bearings and then meeting with a group of supporters tomorrow night. It has been a lot of fun to see people and places from different points in life, but it is also wearying. We haven' t had a normal day for since last Tuesday and it is catching up. I'm noticing the meagreness of my patience when I don't get regular time with God and when my schedule is all over the place. As we've been able to reflect on this trip we're continuing to gain perspective on our role in CT and refining our thoughts on how to best connect with supporters. We are glad that we have this opportunity to thank those who have partnered with us in ministry and to encourage them that God is at work in New England.

Time away and then again

We went down to my parents house for a long weekend and got back Sunday night. It was relaxing. Thursday, while Hillary was with college friends and my parents were working I took two naps (one in the morning and one after lunch with my grand pop). It was amazing. I can't remember the last time I've had two naps in one day. Besides the luxury of napping, it was good to have time with my family and they enjoyed having us (especially Wesley) there. He went on wagon rides, played in the pool, ran through the sprinkler, jumped on a trampoline, was pushed in the swing, ate ice cream, and had all sorts of extra attention. Sometimes when I go away it is hard to leave work behind and even when I do, I don't necessarily relax. This time I was able to do both. I worked on a few things, but wasn't preoccupied. The only thing I would have liked to play out differently was more time with God. There were some great lulls in the activity where I could read or pray, but there were many points where I was disconnected from that reality.
This week we're heading to St. Louis and Nashville to follow up with supporters from the past three years. We're looking forward to the trip, but a little apprehensive as we think about Wesley's schedule and how that will be affected by travel and a time zone change. Another aspect that is a little strange is that we'll be missing church for the second Sunday in a row. With so much of our focus directed towards our away it is easy to feel disconnected from life in West Hartford. Teens started school last week and it will be another two weeks till I see many of them and hear how it has gone. I wonder how it is for God who sees all these different places and times happening, yet it is all integrated into one whole. My life can be so disjointed at points yet his is seamless, fully integrated, into one masterful picture. It is hard, as a created being, to think of the ways of creator.

two weeks off...

...but it wasn't all vacation. I've been derelict in writing on our blog so here's a brief update on the past two weeks. August 16th-21st we were on vacation. We left Monday morning for the RI beaches and came back early Friday morning (more about that later). We stayed at a bed & breakfast in North Kingston for three nights then camped out one evening at a State Park further south. There are fun pictures of Wesley playing on the beach, learning how to jump, and enjoying the tent, but we haven't uploaded those yet. It was nice to get away and Wesley definitely enjoyed himself. There were aspects of it which were fun and relaxing for us, but at certain points it was hard having Wesley there. It worked out well with the bed and breakfast we stayed at, as they had a small farm with chickens, goats, and a friendly dog. The primary challenge was the attention Wesley required and secondary part was the disappointment we experienced over some of the things we would have liked to have done as a couple, but couldn't do as a family.
The reason we returned so early Friday morning is that Wesley got up at 5am when we were camping. The sun hadn't risen, but we needed to take him somewhere where he wouldn't wake up others in the campground. In the twilight I took him over to the playground and as we were playing he looked to the east and started pointing. The sun was rising a brilliant red and as it came over the horizon a front end loader was silhouetted against it. I wasn't sure if he was pointing to the rising sun or the construction equipment, but either way he was happy.
After getting back and working a few days, Hillary and I went to the Pilot Penn Tennis Tournament at Yale. It is one of the tournaments that helps players warm up for the US Open. Hillary has been to many tournaments, but this was my first one and was lots of fun. It was a grey chilly day and up in the stands we needed coffee to stay warm (even with our jackets on). These two trips were a nice end to the summer, but we're not exactly ready for everything that comes with the fall.

God cares about me and my cell phone

When I can't find my cell phone charger I go through the various rooms of our house flipping the lights on and looking at all of the outlets to see where I most recently plugged it in. After I've looked at the outlet behind the couch, under the living room chair, and the few other odd places it might be and still can't find it, I start to pray. Monday night I was on my knees peering under our coffee table looking for the charger and when I couldn't find it I figured that I would ask God for help while I was on my knees. I got up afterwards and as I was headed to look elsewhere I remembered a CD that I wanted to grab from the stereo. As I looked for it, I found my charger sitting on top of the CD player and thanked God. This may seem coincidental but this process of searching, praying, and finding regularly repeats itself with my cell phone charger and other objects that I misplace (Mp3 player, watch, blue-tooth etc). It amazes me that Jesus came to this earth and suffered so that I could be in relationship with God and come to him about these things I keep misplacing. Wow.

Time outside

The past few days it has been cooler and it has been wonderful to be outside. We had family friends in town and visited Elizabeth Park (beautiful gardens) and Hillstead (a house/museum with sprawling grounds). We had a wonderful time together and being out and about inspired me to spend more time outside this week. So today I went by Hillstead after a meeting and was able to read, write, and pray while sitting under the shade of an old tree. In the midst of the summer heat I can forget the enjoyment, creativity, and energized thinking I experience when I work outside. Even listening to NPR this morning as I drove to work there was a report about companies incorporating gardens into the landscapes of their campuses and the beneficial effect on workers. This is something good to think about.

Wesley is continuing to grow up and is looking more and more like a little boy. He is no longer a baby. This is somewhat sad at points, but I like kids more than babies and it is all part of the process. We are having lots of fun together and look forward to my mom coming up this weekend. We continue to have fuller weekends and slower weeks and this is a nice change for the summer.

teaching prayer and an amazing sandwich

I've been reading this book the past month or two and just finished it yesterday. Hughes Oliphant Old, which is quite a name, opens up a wealth of information on leading in prayer. You can tell that he has read and thought deeply about public prayer. This books is historical, theological, and highly practical. He looks at the different ways we pray in church and provides a deep analysis of each and then prayers that he has written based off of his studies. What strikes me is both the depth and simplicity with which he composes these prayers. His prayers are not particularly long or drawn out but in their sum cover so much of human life as seen through the lens of the scriptures. This book has shown the path to a deeper practice of prayer and encouraged me to walk down it.
Yesterday i went to Nardelli's a well known deli in CT to meet with a college student who was in our youth group. They asked if I wanted the foot long or the half sandwich, and being a hungry guy, I ordered the foot long without hesitation. I'm not sure the picture to the right does the sandwich justice. It is about four inches wide, four inches tall and a foot long. It is a serious undertaking to try and eat one of these! I was pleasantly full after eating half, so I had the other half for dinner.

moving fast

This past Thursday through Saturday I was hiking with teens in the White Mountains of NH and it was awesome. You can see us on the summit of Mt. Madison. I love being above the tree line. The views are amazing, the wind is always blowing, and it is much cooler. It's fun to have a hat and long sleeve shirt and be just warm enough when at first your sweating like crazy as you hike through the woods for the first few miles. We were able to get up to the summit and back down before the weather got nasty. A neat aspect of this year's trip was our focus on Psalm 19. It starts out, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands..." We read this a few times during the trip and had a great time talking about the reality of God's beauty and power streaming through what he has made. There were no major injuries, we all ate well, and got back there and back in a reasonable amount of time. It was an energizing trip.

As I was thinking about hiking up mountains and trying to keep people moving, it reminded me of this photo of Wesley. There is a special setting on my camera to take pictures of "fast moving children" and as you can see, it isn't very effective! He is on the go al ot and we enjoy it. He loves playing in the pool, throwing balls, and is just starting to sit down with books by himself. He especially likes the ones with pictures of household objects and the corresponding words. He'll point at forks, spoons, bread, tables, bathtubs and we'll tell him what he's pointing at. It is lots of fun.

Off to the mountains

This week is one of my favorites for the summer because I'll take some of our teens hiking in the White Mountains of NH. I'm not sure what it is, but there is something wonderfully freeing and sometimes almost intoxicating about being in wild places. The summit of Mt. Washington is pretty busy and built up because you can drive there or take a rail car up the mountain. Otherwise, there are miles of trails to wander. You'll pass other groups of hikers now and then but often it's just us and the trees. I'll put up some pictures next week and tell a story or two.

Singing at the Old State House

Can you imagine 80 teenagers in purple shirts swaying, clapping, and singing gospel music on the steps of Connecticut's Old State House? This is the scene from last Thursday as we concluded the Hartford Project in the center of the city. It was a beautiful day as the other 200 of us watched, gave out free water, and chatted with passersby. Starting Sunday night 18 churches partnered to display the free love of Jesus through words and deeds in the city of Hartford. There were nine from our church and it was an amazing time. We all stayed at South Church, a big old church on Main Street. We would spend the days partnering with different churches and service organizations throughout the city. We'd also have times of worship, teaching, and had the luxury of showering once during the trip. It was powerful to see God working in and through so many teenagers and it gives me great hope of what he will accomplish long term in the city of Hartford. Each year we encourage teens to ask God if one day he would have him be a part of his work in this city.

If only ten percent say yes each year, that could have a profound impact over time. Here are a few of my favorite points during the week: Watching our teens hand out bibles during the street fair we ran brought me such joy. They enjoyed passing God's word onto others and interacted with those who came to the booth in a meaningful way. We took a long and a brief prayer walk and had good times of prayer through the week. The first prayer walk was challenging due to it's length, but all of our times in prayer were rewarding. One of our teens spoke one evening of how God was teaching him through the week. It was a wonderful testimony to God's free love. We played tag at a beautiful rose garden in the city on our final night. It was so much fun and I think we saw God's beauty, not only in creation, but also as we enjoyed each other. There is so much more to tell, but God worked in wonderful ways.

unAnchored

Two weekends ago my sister stayed with us to help me care for Wesley while Hillary was with family. We visited Celebrate West Hartford, which like a town fair. There was face painting and since there was now way Wesley would sit still for that he got an anchor tattoo. Looking back, this has been a month where we've felt as if we're moving all over the place. Family has been in town, Hillary has gone on vacation and visited family. I'm gearing up for our annual missions trip with our teens and then we're off to the Poconos for a few days of vacation. It has hard to imagine it slowing down, though I know that time will come.
While all this is happening there have been times where we are deeply anchored despite the activity. I've been reading through 1st John and in there I keep running into the theme of "abiding:" abiding in Jesus, his love, his commandments, and the opposite, abiding in death, the ways of the devil, indifference, and hatred. Even amidst busyness and stress there are times when we have been abiding, in a right way, and it has made all the difference. I want to grow in abiding, not just because it helps me deal with life, but because I love God and it is what he deserves. That is a huge idea to unpack, because often we think of what we deserve and are owed. Thinking about what God is owed helps me all the unanchored times in perspective. This isn't some wooden legal sort of things but the dynamics of a real relationship. Maybe I'll write more in the future.

diverse scolding

Our church has community groups where people who live in a local area get together on a Sunday night to spend time together, talk about the sermon, and pray for each other. This Sunday night we had people from two groups at our home and Hillary related this neat interaction. Fabi, from Nicaragua, and her son (7yrs old) were there early and he was exploring and playing with different toys. Another woman who is Ukranian arrived a little later with her son (2yrs old). Both of these boys were getting into things they shouldn't have and one mother was scolding in Spanish while the other mom was scolding her son in Ukranian. It was a neat picture of life in the body of Christ. We come from different places but have similar difficulties and are working towards the same ends.

The splash park - part of Wesley's daily regimen

Wesley's usual day: sleep, eat, play, eat, splash park, sleep eat, play, eat sleep. In the past week and a half that it has been open we've gone pretty much every day and Wesley enjoys it more each time. At first he would only stick his hand into the smallest jet of water shooting out of he ground. Now he goes in face first, mouth open, as he dashes around the area, running right into the jets of water and even braving the purple tunnel which sprays you from all directions. This park is about a block and a half from our house so it is super convenient and we've had so much fun taking him there. We usually get pretty wet when we go because he'll want to be picked up every now and then or he'll get knocked over by another child running around and need to be held. This past week was my (Jarrett's) first night on my own with Wesley as Hillary traveled with a friend to Newport, RI to get a little break. It was good for Hillary to be away and I enjoyed my time with Wesley. This week I'll have another two nights on my own with Wesley. Fortunately my sister will be in town, so that will help. I'm looking forward to the time spent together, but a little cautious as to how it will all work out. We are heading into a busy few weeks as school winds down and summer begins. This is an exciting, but stressful time for teens as they transition from the challenging finals season to the relaxation of summer. I need to do my best to care for them well.

Demons, and I'm not strange

It was my sophomore year of college and I was taking a history class focusing on the time of the protestant reformation (just fulfilling gen. ed. requirements). At the beginning of the class the professor asked the class what we believed in, or some question like that. It was a broad question designed to reveal the way we looked at life and then help compare our worldview with a person living in the 1500's. There were various respones from the class and one of the guys said, "angels and demons." I recognized him from a Christian orginzation on campus and though I agreed with him theoretically, I couldn't help but smile to think that someone really believes in angels and demons. Saying it outloud in the class room setting almost seemed ridiculous and my response revealed my own unbelief in something the bible clearly teaches. Even as you read this, you may think I'm a little wierd. I probably would have to, at certain points in life.

Now, fastforward nine years and the reality of the demonic is something I can't get away from. I'm still working on a very practical belief in angels and how they fit into the story of God and his people, but I'm convinced about the demonic. This has been a process, that has been solidified through learning, faith, and experience. As I've continued growing in Christ and serving him I'm seeing more and more of the dark side of the spiritual world. While this came up some in seminary, it has been my time in New England and my three weeks in Africa, where I've run into this the most.

When people talk about the demonic we can tend to think of wierd supernatural stuff like we see in the movies. This is a part of it, but there is also the subtle deception, accusation, and slander that come from the devil and his minions. What I'm trying to do is fit these different pieces together. Right now I'm reading a book (see picture) on the demonic and it has been very interesting. Though I don't agree with the author on everything he is helping me pull together things that I have observed, but not realized, and then connect this to what we see in the bible.

hungry?

This weekend teens from our church participated in a 30 hour famine event, where they fasted for 30 hours and spend the last 15 of those hours together. We hung out, cooked a meal for a local rescue mission, talked about poverty, memorized a bible verse, had times of teaching, prayer, and singing, then broke our fast with pancakes and sausages Sunday morning before church. The time of bible study and prayer Saturday evening was really neat as God met us. The picture to the right is a white board covered with 14,000 dots. The teens were wondering why we did this, and then found out as I played a clip about global hunger from World Vision. 14,000 children die every day from hunger and this visual representation helped connect the somewhat abstract statistic to reality. I'm so glad that we did this event and look forward to fasting together in the future.

Whenever one of the teens was feeling hungry, they were supposed to say so out loud and the rest of us would respond with Jesus' words from Matthew 4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." This was a neat way to connect their present experience of hunger to the bigger reality that we are completely dependant upon God.

A Towering Figure

I just finished this biography of Edwards by George Marsden and I agree with the Wall Street Journal that it is "magesterial." Marsden is very even handed in how he handles Edwards, helping the reader unerstand his excellencies and weaknesses by bringing us into his 18th Century context. This books is wonderfully written and rarely dry. You get a feel for Edwards, his family, and his times. There were a couple things I got out of this book: First, Edwards was incredibly disciplined. It is amazing to read of all the ways he ordered his life to pursue Godliness. Such discipline is worth striving for. I need to continue growing self-discipline and cutting the unnecessary out of my life. Second, for Edwards it was all about the glory and beauty of God as seen in the face of Jesus Christ. This was a man who, above all else, was captivated with a vision of the ineffible pleasures of Jesus Christ and allowed this compulsion to steer his life. The exciting thing, is that though such a life can seem far off, the same God who filled Edwards' life with light can do so in mine. Third, there was much conflict surrounding Edwards. Some of this was related to his own sin and weakness, but much arose because he was a man of principle and passion. I know that both my strenghts and weaknesses will cause difficulty as I follow Christ. I need to be aware of my failings and sinful tendancies because they will drag me and others down. I also need to understand that conflict will come when I am doing the right thing. Fourth, when God moves in a powerful way it is impossible to know what will happen. During the revival in North Hampton where he was a pastor and through the time of the First Great Awakening the gospel broke loose upon society and truly shook things up. When I pray that God would do the same here and now, I need to realize what I am asking for. Do I truly want my life shaken up? There is so much in this book and in the life of Edwards that we can learn from. I'm so glad I read it.

birthday fun

Last week we celebrated birthdays: Hillarys (Fri) and Wesley's (Thurs. with a Sat. party). It was a lot of fun as I was able to take Saturday off for the party and have some time Friday afternoon to take Hillary out to lunch and spend around the the home. Family came into town Saturday for Wesley's party and had a lot of fun with him. As you can see Wesley enjoyed the birtday cupcake. Prior to this he was playing in the dirt, then the water, and then he combined the two until he was a complete mess. We stripped him down and hosed him off in our driveway and then the fun continued. His cousin Lindsay, who is normally pretty clean, was caught up in the fun as Wesley was throwing dirt around and got her. Most of the family were able to have some time with him and he did really well. When it came to opening presents, he liked tearing the paper but was distracted by all that was going on. As Hillary and I were looking back on on last year, it seems like so long ago. It has been an amazing and kinda crazy year. Asking Hillary what she thinks of the year, she said that she is beginning to feel more settled. When I asked her what she meant, she mentioned being here almost three years now, getting used to being a mom, and more tied into life here. As we talked about it, I have a similar feeling as to our experience here. Though it seems like there is something we're always figuring out or adjusting for, there is a greater sense of stability and it is nice.
Yesterday we, also had some birthday fun as we traveled up to Bridgewater, MA to visit an art gallery. Hillary found out about this guy and his studio on Craig's list when she was looking for a sandbox for Wesley. To make a long story short she bought me one of his paintings for my birthday. I turn 30 this November and we thought it would be a neat way to celebrate. John Deihl, is the artist and he has a grand opening tomorrow. Since his works are reasonably priced we wanted to get there before the opening so we took Wesley up yestarday. It was a fun excursion and somewhat of a test case for bigger trips to Boston or NYC. I'm not sure where I'll hang this yet, but I've got some ideas.

Birthday week

This week is action packed as Wesley turns one on Thursday, Hillary has her birthday on Friday, and family comes in town on Saturday for a little party. I'll put up pictures of all three next week. It has been a fast year. Hillary and I were talking over lunch today and she was looking back through her journal to last year when Wesley was born. It is amazing to think of this helpless little person, who is now roaming around the house and getting in to all sorts of things. Wesley loves to open the bottom draw in our kitchen where we keep all our dish towels. He pulls them out and throws them into the air behind him until the drawer is empty. We've started stocking it with tupperware, measuring cups, spatulas, and a whisk - all of which he loves to pull out, examine and then toss. It is lots of fun. As you think of us this week, please pray for us as there is a lot happening in our family life and with my work. I'm doing a lot of teaching this week and have a bunch of other things to work on. Yet, in all this there is joy.

choosing when it is gray

My job with the church touches many different areas and there is this continual overlap of responsibilities and priorities. I love the variety, but sometimes it is hard to know what to do. Last Wednesday there was the possibility of attending a funeral for someone one step removed from our church, climbing with two teenage guys, or having coffee with a guys in his late twenties who comes to church occasionally. All three of these are good and important things to do and there was no simple answer. I'm reading a biography about Johnathan Edwards and when he was a pastor in North Hampton, MA he spent the majority of his 13 hour day in his study (preparing for preaching three massive sermons each week, seeking God in prayer, studying, writing, and some counseling). I can see how this fit his gifts and temperament, but I also wonder about other motives. I find that with the freedom I have in setting my schedule and prioritizing certain tasks over others, that there is the temptation to do only the things I enjoy and am good at. While this describes the majority of my job responsibilities, there are points when I know I am putting off administrative work, making a hard phone call, or making a difficult decision. I need God's help to know what best to do with my day. Sometimes it is very clear and at others I see many shades of gray.

upgrading the office and fun with teens

As you can see, I have furniture in my office. Well, I've had bookshelves and a desk for a while, but until last week I was getting by with chairs I found by the side of the road. They were both workable and fine, but not necessarliy inviting or cosy. I'm enjoying working in my new chair and putting my feet up on the couch as I read. We've had the offices six months now and it has been great for our church. Not only do we have a place for Al and I to come and work during the week, but we're using the space for all sorts of other gatherings. God has given us a wonderful space.
Picture number two is from Friday night when we had teens over after serving at the Hartford Rescue Mission. We go there about every other month and serve meals to folks in need. Our church has a neat relationship with the director and it is great to have the teens invovled. Most of our group that evening were Jr. High students and without the influence of the older teens, they can tend to be a little wacky. They were having fun fighting over the giant blue ball, playing with plungers (unused ones), and just being silly together.

thinking about the end

In March and April I've had the opportunity to do a good amount of reading and thinking about the End. One of the neat things about the bible is that the story has an end. We aren't caught in some endless cycle or wandering through some a random serries of events with no conclusion to the drama. God's story has an endpoint. As I've been studying the book of Revelation and thinking about Jesus resurrection, it has been shaping me and helping me connect the "now" of life to the "then" of eternity. I've been teaching a four part serries on Revelation and a ten part series on the ressurection to teenagers, both of which are opening my eyes to the practical implications of the "the end." First, a neat fact - Revelation has inspired some amazing art work. Check out the woodcut to the right. It is based on images from Revelation chapter one.
Second, I've learned that how we see wealth and material possessions presently has much to dow with eternity. Through the bible, God's people are commanded to live lives of incredible generosity. But as you look at the theme of wealth in the scriptures you see a promise of eternal wealth for God's faithful people. In the new heaven and earther (the final state of ressurected followers of Jesus) there is a city who's streets are paved with gold and who's walls are encrusted with precious stones. This is a picture of incredible wealth. It points to the richness of eternal life with God himself. The cure for materialism and greed isn't to down play the significance of money (because it is significant for this life). However, if we seriously think through the concept of eternal wealth and eternal poverty, this will help. If there is a God, who in himself is infinitely rich and plans to eternally welcome his followers as heirs of his wealth, then following him and forsaking wealth takes on a different tone. Third, in Daniel chapter twelve it is talking about the ressurection and says that some will rise to "shame and everlasting contempt." The idea of hell isn't popular and is easily poked fun at, as we imagine a little red guy with a pitch fork and horns. But if hell is a place of unending shame and contempt, it is a lot more realistic. As I talked with teens about a shame that is completely accurate and never fades, the reality of hell and it's horror hit me in a new way. If there is a God and we blow him off every single day... Imagine facing that reality. There would be complete shame for not loving and thanking him. The deepest embarassement for always ignoring what is true and there would be nothing we could do to hide. Yikes

back on the horse

If you've been checking my blog with any consistency you will have realized that I've been behind the game in writing about Uganda and updating on life. I haven't had time and when I get overwhelmed I can tend to push things off so I don't have to deal with the challenging reality. Well, I'm trying to deal with reality and get back to writing weakly. So, that means I'm not going to type up all my journal entries - I think it would take about 4-6hours to do all this and I'm not sure when I'll have that time.

So, in terms of what has been happening with us, the most exciting thing is following up from the youth retreat we had in early March. There have been some neat connections that have developed from that weekend and we are working to pull in some additional youth volunteers and some teenagers who have been more on the fringes. There have been extra opportunities to teach and preach, which has been exciting but somewhat exhausting.

Outside of work Wesley is a wonderful challenge to both Hillary and I. He is so much fun, but he doesn't stop moving. He loves to be on the go and spend time outside running around, playing in the dirt, and pushing the stroller.

Uganda again

Well, I am still working through my journal typing it up and it's been two months since I've been back. This is much more labor intensive than I thought it would be. Anyway, we are all doing well and getting ready for a full weekend with family in town, people over, preaching on Sunday, and Hillary leading a counseling team meeting.

1/23
Early start to Mbale. Alarms didn’t go off for Al or I so Henry came in at 4:15 with a torch (flashlight) and roused us. The electricity had gone off sometime that evening. This happens intermittently. It took us till ~9am till we arrived at Mbale. I missed seeing Kampal and a big forest because it was still dark, but as the sun came up it was really neat to see Uganda. We had good conversation about universal principles and redemptive historical preaching which I need to think through. It was a good and challenging conversation to think through.
Outside of the ride here, it was an amazing and crazy day. We spent time with former Muslims who had converted to Christianity as they told us about their faith and persecution. There was an amazing sense of joy and life among them. When these former Muslims converted they changed their names, taking Christian names and are generally ostracized from their families. Here are some of their stories:
Rachel had a dream in which smoke formed the name of Jesus three times. She tells the man she is living with, and her family but they all dissuade her and tell her not to think of it. She tries to put it out of her mind over the next two months but is increasingly troubled. One day she passes by a church, goes insides, hears the gospel, and is converted. In response her brothers come to her home and burn all of her possessions. Her home has mud walls, a tin roof, dirt floors and three small rooms. You can still see some of the scorch marks from when her brothers burned her things. Despite her poverty and persecution she is full of joy and continues to speak about Christ to her Muslim neighbors.

Beatrice didn’t speak of how she came to Christ, but focused on the trials which have come because of her faith. She was a business women until her brothers came and stole the money she had recently borrowed from the bank for her business’ use. They said that since she is no longer a Muslim she should not have any money from Muslims (or something like that – we heard this all through an interpreter). They took her money, and all of her possessions. She was unable to make payments on her loan so the bank came and foreclosed her home. For about a year she would sleep in the church and cry out to God for his mercy. She prayed that the bank would be unable to sell her home and that he would provide her, somehow, with the money to payback the loan. There was no buyer for her home during the year the bank possessed it and a Christian who heard of her situation gave the money so she could payback the bank. As she is telling us this story she is praising God and speaking of her continued commitment to tell her Muslim neighbors of God’s provision for her.

Tom used to work at a Mosque in a position similar to a janitor. He spoke of the selfishness he observed among some of the leaders who had received some sort of gift for the Mosque (I think it was food), but used it for themselves instead of sharing. He didn’t say how he became a Christian, but spoke primarily of what happened afterward. Some men from the Mosque assaulted him, stripping him naked and beating him. In Uganda, many people only have one set of clothing, so after he was stripped naked he ran to the home of a church member who was able to give him some clothes. Those who beat Tom up also destroyed his crops, and continue to do so when he plants for the next season. He has nine children and struggles to provide for them.

The stories went on and many spoke of their love for Christ despite the difficulties they experience. Not all Christians converting from Islam experience persecution, but in this community that seemed to be the regular experience. One man, who was a sheik even talked about his life being threatened and his need to watch his back as he walks to church. It was an amazing experience to hear these stories and to encourage these fellow Christians in their endurance. Their joy and willingness to suffer – wow. Trying to process the time at the church today: God, keep me from unbelief. You are real and you are the one who has done this. Seeing individuals, then their families, then their extended families converted to Christianity, serving, evangelizing – it puts me to shame.

As we rode into this mountain village to this church service, there were eleven of us in this SUV: two in the front, four in the back seat, and five on these fold down seats in the trunk. There was a vine with about 60 bananas in the back with the five people! There are few people who own cars in Uganda, so transportation is prized. Whenever someone can catch a ride, instead of walking, they do it.

While we were in the mountains we also saw a wedding procession and hung out at the church before the wedding. There was a group of people singing and dancing as they processed about a mile to the church. Many were dressed in traditional garb, and the singing was beautiful. I don’t even know if the wedding had an official start time. Things happen in Uganda when everyone gets there. We joke about things running on Ugandan time which can mean almost anything.

Tonight we’re staying at the Anglican guest house in Mbale. We have our own rooms and there is a shower, which is pretty awesome. My room, and the guest house.

another Uganda post

please see the previous post for info on how I'm writing and for the different characters...

1/21 (again? I think this is when I changed from writing in the morning about my previous day to to writing in the evening about the events of that day)

Dinner tonight was an amazing experience. Bishop Daniel from North Mbali and his wife were there as were a member of the president’s cabinet and the secretary of transportation. These are people Henry has known throughout the years and are currently in positions of power and influence. It was an interesting evening spending time with these Christians in very influential positions within the country. I was impressed by their deep faith in Christ and their desire to see honor God in the position he has placed them in. Before we began dinner the man from the President’s cabinet and the Bishop of North Mbali led us in a song and the lyrics go something like this:
We’re here together again, just praising the Lord.
We’re here together again, in one accord.
Something good is going to happen.
The Lord has something great in store.
We’re here together again, just praising the Lord.

(the Bishop of North Mbale, his wife Perpetua, & the Honorable Dr. Suruma enjoying dinner at Henry's)

It was a wonderful time singing together around the dinner table and after dinner many spoke of what God was teaching them and their hopes and burden for God’s work in their country. As I sat there with these influential people of sincere and powerful faith, I was asking myself, “What am I doing at this table?” I felt out of place but very welcomed. One of the Americans who was dinning with us (he is here planning for a construction project that his church will be conducting later in the year) said that one day he hopes to give Uganda more than he receives. He said, with tears in his eyes, that every time he comes to serve in Uganda he ends up coming home with much more than he has given. Thinking back on this evening Lord, I see that I am too recreational in my Christianity. Forgive and restore me.

This afternoon we had a neat conversation about God working through dreams because one of the guys we were talking with brought up this dream he had had. Henry was saying that one of the ways he has seen God work is to use dreams to bring up unfinished business that God has with us. You can definitely go way to far in putting emphasis on dreams and ending up in all sorts of weird places, but as we talked about the dream this man spoke of as well as some other situations I’ve got a new category to think within.

1/22
Oddly enough the night after our conversation about God using dreams I have a weird dream about two guys trying to jump me in the bathroom while I’m at an art exhibit with Hillary. I wake up during an intense part of the dream and think for a while how I would get out of the situation. It was so vivid I could remember the belt buckle of one of the guys trying to get me. Through most of my time in Uganda I had crazy dreams from the Malaria.
Today was pretty low key as we had morning appointments but it was all thrown off by the rain. This is normally the dry season but there was a thunderstorm in the morning and the roads, which are already messy, get even worse. A woman from our church is from Uganda and her sister was supposed to come by that morning and we waited and waited, and then a guy from a local college/seminary that our church supports was supposed to pick us up and we waited and waited. Finally the women arrived and we had tea and then we heard the our ride to the seminary was at the bottom of the hill, but couldn’t make it up (even in his four wheel drive SUV). We had a slippery and exciting walk down the hill (see pictures) and eventually made it to the seminary. It was a really quick trip so we didn’t get to interact with the students but we got a quick tour of the campus (check out the kitchen below) and then hung with a couple that our church helps support financially. We had grilled cheese back at their house and I had a neat time getting to know this couple. The husband was a pastor for many years in San Diego and they retired and moved to Africa to help run this seminary and college. It was neat to hear their story and connect briefly. At dinner tonight there was one of the ministers of state who came over with his wife and we had a wonderful time together. They are both faithful followers of Jesus Christ and are seeking to make an impact on their culture. Lord, make them strong.

My first few days in Uganda

During my time in Uganda I kept a daily journal and I'm putting excerpts of it with pictures to help you get an idea of what my trip is like. Here's a few things to keep in mind. Some of this is stream of consciousness writting and isn't all clearly laid out (logically and gramatically, though I do my best). At some point I went from journaling in the morning to journaling in the evening so the dates might fluctuate but it's all here. Also, my journal is a mix of my memories of the day, an evaluation of the things I saw, and talking with God about it. So you'll notice a bit of all of these in my writings. Also, I've interspersed a few pictures.

1/18 En Route to Uganda – Wow.
It was sad and hard saying goodbye to Wesley and Hillary. It is strange to imagine three weeks gone – especially seeing him grow, helping Hillary out, sharing life with her and getting her feedback and encouragement. Flying out of Boston and looking at the city I am reminded of how big it is. And this is just Boston. We’re crossing oceans, flying over millions of lives and so many perish apart from you God. Wow – Lord, then to consider your immensity as the giver and sustainer of all life. Reading about knowing you intimately, it is stunning, almost hard to believe. Lord, draw me to you… can’t sleep – yikes… stayed up too long? Watching an action movie = bad idea. Negative 74 degrees outside the plane, is that with wind chill? Hahaha. Lord, even if I can’t sleep, I rest myself in thee.

*Schipol Airport, Amsterdam - below. There was this neat European feel that came out in the design, furnishings, stores etcetera, but there is still the ubiquitious McDonalds.

1/20 (lost time in travel)
It is Wednesday morning in Uganda and we are at Henry’s compound. (Henry is Dr. Henry Krabendam a close friend and mentor to my Sr. Pastor Al Baker. Henry has been involved in Uganda for at least 25 years and has a home there since he is there frequently. Dr. K or Dr. Henry as he is called by many Ugandans was a pastor for a while and then a professor at a Christian college teaching in areas like theology, bible, evangelism, apologetics and others.) It is beautiful here. I went to bed about 11 and slept till 8am. I was able to sleep about an hour or hour and a half on the first flight and about two on the second and then stayed awake until evening. On our second flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe Uganda, I woke up as we flew over the Alps. There were these majestic snowy peaks and tracts of cultivated land and concentrated towns deep in these valleys which crisscross the mountains. This was such a pleasant surprise. Then we flew of the Italian coast and the Mediterranean with amazing beaches. Finally we passed over the Libyan/Saharan deserts. This took hours. There were these wrinkles and pockmarks in the sand which reminded me of an old man’s face. I could also see various oases, it was all so vast. At the airport we met Rasheed, who is one of Henry’s business partners and manages his compound. We rode up to the compound in this land rover and it was necessary. The dirt road was full of ruts and we were bouncing all over the places. I wake up rested with birds calling and the sun gently pushing through the shades and there are a million shades of green dancing outside.

*Below is Henry's compound and the room Al and I slept in. The whole time we were there we slept under mosquito nets. One morning I found a mosquito had been under my net though the night - yikes!

1/21 It was a neat day yesterday. We (Henry, Al, and myself) had an afternoon of prayer with three Anglican Bishops, 2 archdeacons, a local Presbyterian pastor and a few other folks. The bishops have so many Christians in their dioceses, one has 400,000 people under his care – Wow. It wasa a privilege to spend tim with them, first talking and hearing about their burden for God’s work in their country and then praying together for your work in this world. This encouraged me. All of these men were saved from different backgrounds. One grew up in a pagan environment where his dad was a polygamist (polygamy used to be very common in Uganda, but is waning). Another of the bishops grew up in a Muslim family and was converted through his uncle who was a Christian. These are men who have had years of faithful ministry in difficult envirnments and I want to glean from them, but I’m not sure what to ask – or even if asking questions is the way that happens. We spend about 2½ in prayer after lunch and maybe 1½ hours after dinner. As we prayed I saw my unbelief and scoffing that God hears and acts. I need faith, conviction, new desires, the power of the Holy Spirit, and spirituality doesn’t come merely by association. God grow my faith, teach me to pray, lift me up, keep me from evil, help me to see your love in Christ and bless me with more of your Spirit. Fill me, or even just make me hungry. Protect me from the world, the flesh, and the devil, for you are worthy.
*Bishop Daniel from North Mbale Diocese on the left, then Al Baker, then Henry.

Many things don’t run on time here. Part of it is cultural (a focus on the event happening vs. the time it is supposed to happen) and some of it is technological (roads are bad, cars and taxis break down etc). Our time of prayer started late and through our time in Uganda we would joke around about things running on “Ugandan time” which could mean a half hour late to a few hours. One day we were supposed to be somewhere for lunch at 2pm (which we didn’t know), and we didn’t arrive until 4. But when we got there the food was on the table, and everyone was hanging out waiting for us. So there are some frustrating points when you’re trying to run a conference or get somewhere, but it is also really sweet when people aren’t as rushed and value down time together.

back...

It has been a just over a week now that I've been back in the US, and it has been wonderful to be home. Seeing my family was the best, telling people about the trip was number two, and after that there are so many little things: hot showers, sleeping in my bed, mexican food, not being sweatty, drinking tap water, having communion at church, reconnecting with friends. It was an amazing trip and here's what I'm going to do to tell you about it. I kept a daily journal, so I'm going to type it up, insert some photos and put it on my blog. Above is video of Christians in Soroti worshipping. We were training Christians in sharing their faith with others there would be times of singing and dancing between the times of teaching.

packing

When we were kids and our family was going on a trip my mom would set out a table somewhere in the house so we could lay out everything we needed to bring. While I am much less organized than my mom, I've got my own little table (first time ever) and am getting stuff ready for my tripe to Uganda. I'm leaving a week from yesterday (1/18) and will get back on Feb 6th. There is definitely a mix of excitement and nervousness. I'm nervous because I don't know what to expect and I'm excited for many, many reasons. As I was talking to people at church, they were encouraging me that you never know what to expect when you go to serve God. When you serve in less developed countries plans regularly change and you need to trust God that he will orchestrate things. I'm looking forward to how God will work in me throug trip and how he will use me in Uganda. Since I'm traveling next Monday (the day I normally blog), I won't be posting for the next three weeks, but when I get back I'll put as much as I can on the blog.

Christmas Extravaganza

Wesley loves tearing wrapping paper, as you can probably see. We've included a few shots of our vacation and a recent photo of him eating blueberries, which he loves. Coming home for Christmas is full of expectations. In some ways it was a great time at home, but it got off to a rough start. Wesley took about two days to adjust and his schedule threw off our plans for various fun outings, but eventually things got sorted out. Wesley had a great time with Nana and Pop (grandparents) and various other relatives. While we were away his teeth finally broke through, he became more vocal (lots of grunting), and more mobile (walking while you hold his hands). It was great to be away from work, but challenging to find a sense of balance and regularity over the holidays. I didn't check my email for a week which was so fun, but I missed doing the parts of my job that I love, and being at our church for our Christmas Eve service. We enjoyed being with folks at home and appreciated the help with Wesley but were glad to return to "normal" life. We've been back in CT almost a week and are getting into a rhythm, but that is going to be thrown off when I head to Uganda in less than two weeks - Wow. There is a lot happening between now and then and hopefully I don't forget anything major.