and so it begins

this is the life we have chosen...it doesn' t look like i thought-- but isn't that the point--it's not about me...

celebrating

the cool breeze--the ac is off in asheville! we are a windows open only house and it is only sept! i haven't experienced this..it is so weird. it is a cool 66 as i blog. i have a light jacket and a great view of the mountains. i like the small feeling of living in the mountains. somehow it makes me not take myself so seriously. i must say being a little heavy these days anything that makes me feel small is PERFECT!

kindergarten hell

it seems the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach is worse the beginning of the week. he actually uttered the words "i like kindergarten" although he later said that isn't what he meant to say. we all know that feeling of wishing you could reel 'em back in sometimes. he didn't get out the rest of the sentence before we pounced on the "you LIKE kindergarten?" "we all heard it, harrison LIKES kindergarten", "call the grandparents, newspaper and all our friends, harrison LIKES kindergarten". he swears he just meant to say he likes going to the library at kindergarten, but he hates the rest of kindergarten. we explained you just can't take things as big as "LIKE kindergarten" back, sorry.

ministry begins

we have our babysitter and her two kids staying with us. we recognized the ministry opportunity just by giving her the work. 24 y/o single mother of two with only a part-time job at Brennan and Sasha's pre-school. we knew it might be messy but we are called to be different and not walk away because engaging might be "inconvenient". we saw the opportunity to provide her additional income in exchange for helping us with the little kids (they know her from the pre-school)as a win win. she is dependable and very loving with the kids.

after her second day with us her house was trashed by an ex, i took her to try to get her stuff back, he is all jacked up on something and he threatened her so they are with us for a few days (he doesn't know us or where we live). when all the kids are home we have a 1,2,3 two 5s and a 6 y/o. it is short term but i know god will use this to remind me that for all my complaining about 4 kids--i could have 6 to raise!

pray for her, for us and all the kids involved. this is not what we thought our ministry would look like but god didn't ask abraham what he wanted to do or moses or elijah- he just said serve. that is where we are, what we have chosen and what we will try to do.

we ran away (fast) from a suburban, upper middle-class ministry. we were clear we were called to something different. i am not convinced these needs aren't present in the burbs either, people are just better at hiding them.

i am volunteering in harrison's school and again- i had my mental picture--i would be reading stories in character, watching my son beam at his crazy mommy making the whole class laugh. i arrive on tuesday mornings and take a little boy out of class to the library to go over his alphabet and practice writing his name over and over and over again each week. when we return to the class the teacher thanks me as says she will see me next tuesday. it is not about what i want to do--just serve.

i keep thinking that we are told we can't be trusted with much until we master the little. i can't help but think all these are my little things to master before we can be entrusted to care for a larger flock.

festival-carnival-fair

there is something every weekend here. first the apple festival (350,000 in one weekend) then the lexington avenue arts festival (tatiana loved the hoola hooper my age with two going at all times) and this week is the western north carolina state fair. all you funnel cake fans would be in heaven! we are enjoying all the variety of things to do both with and without the kids. come one come all- there is always something!

patria 360

michael is at his first church planters coaching session in south carolina today. he will be with 12 other planters and some experienced coaches once per month. it will be a chance to review the ideas/plans he has with the group.

we are planning an informational meeting that we will advertise in the local weekly rag (like the dallas observer, the folio in jax, city paper in dc) for sometime probably in october. this will be a chance to share the unique ways michael sees god at work in asheville, the target group we have been given to reach out to and to invite people to join us and our new couple in weekly study and prayer. we are praying for those people who are looking for a way to partner with god for something a little different from "church" as most know it. we need workers to help us and in order to understand the vision they will need to know jesus and seek to live his counter-cultural life. pray for those that may be unaware of what god has for them.

we are excited that helena continues to pursue ways to join us in asheville. pray for wisdom and discernment for her and opportunities to open up for her interior design work here.