Moving & Midterms

The last week and a half has been rough. Smooth sailing is a thing of the past, and the almost settled transition has ceded to new challenges

Last week our landlord told us our rental property was not properly zoned. As such, the city is requiring them to vacate the property. So for us, it means finding a new place (that is Jeremiah friendly) and moving before Thanksgiving. The challenge is finding anything affordable (grad student) and dog friendly.

And so we search...

This week also marks the mid point of my first semester here - which also brings forth the first season of exams! So this last week has been filled with study groups and reading, coursing over notes and then starting over again. It is likely that I have spent more time in the library this semester than in all of my undergrad experience.

But for all the complaining, I am loving school. I have enjoyed diving into a subject I don't understand, but value highly. Lectures are a joy, and I relish this time of learning - as it will not last forever.

As for the housing search, that is more difficult. Searching mid semester is a challenge we face with faint hearts, and it is difficult to remain encouraged. We know in our heads that God has a place for us - that as we seek, he will provide - the difficulty is trusting that, and letting go of our anxieties. We look forward to moments of settling that must exist just beyond the horizon - we just hope to arrive sooner than later!

This weekend should be a joyful time of encouragement as we visit with friends from Visalia - what a joy to experience fellowship when you are hungry for it!

So maybe this is a weekend of rest from those worries, as we prepare for the adventure of midterms and moving that approach. It is easy to forgot, but important to remember, that God is for us!

Transitions...first two months in so-cal

After a splendid retreat in early August, Janay and I settled in to a new adventure in Southern California. We moved into a "cozy cottage" with a large living room and a loft bedroom. Jeremiah immediately tested the pool and has done so daily since.

We finally did it, the anticipated move has come to be. A great friend is now owns my business, and we are diving headlong into this adventure of grad school. I am enrolled at Talbot Seminary, working toward an M.A. in Philosophy of Ethics and Religion. And Janay has been a huge encouragement and support as we begin this adventure together!

I began classes with fear and trepidation but things have settled a bit since. The "fog" that sets in when starting the program should lift sometime before Christmas, but even now I am becoming comfortable in not understanding everything - knowing it will come together sooner than later.

Janay counsels elementary school students at a high need Anaheim school. Her work is difficult, and the grant which hired her has lofty objectives without much direction for reaching them. She has embraced the task of developing a program and is running with it.

The attractions of Los Angeles have kept us busy & we love being close to the beach again, but we desperately miss our friends in v-town. Trying to build new friendships has been a tiring challenge in the midst of this transition. But we know these things take time.

We are excited for the adventures God has for us here - because we know He guided us to this place.