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A lot has happened over the past few days. It's hard to keep a blog and stay as busy as we are, but I know many of you are praying for us, and excited with the news of what is happening here in Hammond.
After the Fremont teens left, we were exhausted. After a few days of recovery, we went to visit my parents in Michigan. It was great to worship there on Sunday, and we got to bring our dog home! We were unable to have her in our last home, and she is adjusting pretty well to life in Hammond.
Living in the parsonage means I get quite a few unexpected guests throughout the day, and it's nice to have her around. Despite not having services yet, people show up quite often. The culture here is quite a bit different than the one we left. I discover all the time that it seems the Holy Spirit is moving, we just have to pay attention and reveal where He's working.
Our dog also loves the church. She goes over with me, while I sort through things, or set up for various groups. It's even nicer having here there. Being in a large old building alone can be a bit intimidating, especially since we discovered this week that we have no idea who has church keys. (We will have to get the locks changed).
We also celebrated Mac's 30th birthday! He deserved more than the small get together we threw together, but it was a great time. Just another reminder that it's nice to live so close to family. He's sacrificed a lot the past few weeks so we can start this church, and so we are taken care of. He works long days, and then comes home to work on projects around the parsonage and the church. I know it's exhausting, and I know it is hard financially since I'm not working this summer. I'm very blessed to have such a partner in ministry and life.
When people ask what he wants for his birthday, I know his response is always "Nothing", and I know he means it. He values spending time with his loved ones, getting a card or a phone call so much more than anything. However, I also know how financially straining the past few months have been. We are close to exhausting all our alabaster funds for the house (they'll be used up with the purchase of a new furnace and air conditioning unit), and we still have work to do. A plumber is coming on Friday to fix an issue with our outdoor drain, an electrician is coming by to check everything in the house and make sure things are up to code, and those are just the issues we are aware of. That's just the house. That doesn't include the a/c needing to be fixed at the church, paying for utilities, trash pick up, cleaning supplies, paying for student loans, a car payment, and train tickets. We have been really blessed (which is why we don't bring this stuff up a lot). We're blessed to have a house and a church building, we are blessed to have city connexx groups that have paid for church projects thus far, and we are so blessed that we had alabaster funds. So, if you are looking for a way to celebrate Mac's 30th year, consider financially supporting our ministry. There's more information under the tab titled "Support our Ministry". Even more important than financially supporting us, say a prayer as you think of us. Pray for our neighbors, for the teens that are still coming this summer, and even for all of our interactions with service people doing work on our house.
We are grateful for your prayers, financial support, but ultimately your love. It's interesting being a missionary here in Hammond, but that is truly what we are doing. Planting seeds, building relationships, and hoping through our lives, we can share Jesus with those around us.
