9.29.2008

Photo update

I know they're a little late to be posted, but here are some pictures from when our little group of friends went to Christian Summer Camp 2008; Idaho.

All the pictures here were contributed by our dear friend Carmen

http://s258.photobucket.com/albums/hh264/brontosaurous/CSC08/

9.27.2008

same place more adventure

Finally things are feeling a little more normal in Seattle. And by normal I mean, I feel like I'm back into the Seattle rhythm. Slowly but probably at the rate I can handle I'm reconnecting with old friends, and finding more and more why I loved this place in the first place. And adapting to a different mindset has been quite the learning experience to say the least.

I guess a good thing for me to talk about would be the community here. This is John Swanger's last week as head pastor of Scum of the Earth Church, Seattle, and although he, his son, and wife will be dearly missed I think we're all excited to see what the future has in store for this little grass roots church in the U-district.

As far as the house I'm living in right now, officially named Our House, is getting back into a rhythm as well. Although this last week has been a hard week for all of us, and learning how to support each other, as well as our visitors, we've begun the process of starting community dinners again. And the neighboring houses that have started this year have begun dialogue with us about how to gather as a larger community in the Wallingford neighborhood. It's exciting to see what having four houses full of brothers and sisters in the same neighborhood holds as possibilities. We're starting with maybe a rotating breakfast with each other, and might grow into even bigger things.

Our House is also involved in another circle of friends as well, where the conversation has been just as good. This community is sort of my bridge from my friends here from school, to the time I've spent as a part of the christian traveling community this last year. There's an apartment on capitol hill, a house in ballard, and our house, and gathering together to have talks about being a light in Seattle has been so encouraging. These houses have also been hosting a large number of the post Christian Summer Camp travelers. We're beginning to band together in order to learn what it may look like to shine the light of G-d in the midst of a potential chaos of an economic depression. And not only that, but we've been given the opportunity to help the Murder House in ballard become a more sustainable living environment. We've begun the process of converting the house to run on solar panels, windmills, a greenhouse, chicken coop, rabbit hutch, and compost. It's a blessing to have the opportunity to learn about these things by practicing them on a house that's been threatened with demolishing for the last three years.

And the process of preparing for my trip to Uganda is still in the works as well. I've begun the process of asking people for financial support, and have been accepted for a scholarship from First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs, CO.

After a few weeks in Seattle, and can't help but be thankful for G-d's placing me here in a community like this. May the L-rd be praised for the way he takes care of all of us.

Marcus just got to Pennsylvania to spend more time with our friends the Matheneys again. Gary and Seth made it to Minneapolis, last I've heard. And Bailey is in Chicago, spending some time with Nicky.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support, but please don't stop praying for us and the various things we've found G-d calling us to.

P.S.: I apologize if I've been bad at getting back to you as of late. I will do my best to be better about that, but until that day I ask for your mercy and understanding.

9.13.2008

Week one in Seattle Finished

Coming back to Seattle has been a rather different experience than I'd expected. I left Seattle the beginning of December, with every hour of my day planned out with staff meetings, Classwork, or get togethers with friends. And now back in Seattle, especially with a couple car loads of people from Christian Summer Camp her, my schedule has been anything but mapped out. And since many of the relationships between people here have had 9 months to change, I'm learning what role to play in this community again.

Had I thought about this more ahead of time I think it would have not been surprising to me that these first few weeks when many of the folks out here are preparing to make the transition from summer schedules to school schedules, would be rather lonely in a sense. I feel it would be overwhelming for me to be in a transition like this when a friend of mine showed up again after nine months of absence.

But the good reminder in the craziness of relocation, was to keep an outward focus in the sense of servitude. So this has made it good to spend time preparing for the trip to Uganda in October.

Which continues to excite me. I'm excited to be a part of a trip to another country in order to build familial ties (if you will) in the body of Christ, but with the attitude but with the mentality of each person bringing equal parts, not with the mentality of an American "Developed vs. Developing" Colonialist mentality.

When I was in Spokane, WA visiting with my friend Spencer, I had the opportunity to meet an exchange student from Nairobi, Kenya now at Whitworth, and he shared with me about some of the things he'd been telling me about the differences between his two homes. For instance, he shared with me his gratefulness for the simplicity of the faith his friends at home had. He told me how wonderful it was to just simply have your faith unriddled by theological debates about things like creation vs. evolution, and so forth. The connections this builds with me for with the desert fathers' conversations about simplicity, really excites me to be learning about.

Please continue to be praying for my preparations for this trip. Both for finances and preparations on my end of the trip.


Bailey and Marcus are on their way East on I-90 and Gary is still here in Seattle with me. Keep posted for more updates.

9.09.2008

A New Chapter of things

About forty people showed up to our little camp out in Idaho called Christian Summer Camp, and gathered together in fellowship for skill share sessions, worship, prayer, and good ol' horsin' around. And somehow Gary, Bailey, Marcus, Mando, Seth, Bear and I all made it out to Seattle so only Adam has separated from the group, but the day is coming upon us when a lot of us will split up.

Marcus and Bailey plan to go East and visit friends in Pennsylvania, Gary plans to spend some time with his lady friend, and so on and so on... And I will plan to stay here in Seattle for a "hot minute."

I've decided to come stay here in Seattle to spend some time with good friends who have been a part of my growing process for a number of years now, and maybe a mentor or two. Also I've decided to be committed to the Seattle branch of Scum of the Earth. I've felt a desire to be committed to a small local church in order to be of service there for a while and I really felt G-d pressing me to that. So that's where I am.

However, and wonderful opportunity has arisen for me to go with the International Bible Society to Uganda for a pastors conference with my mother, a pastor from Paris, IL, and one of the pastors from Scum of the Earth Denver. I've been asked to come along and help lead worship for this conference.

Had it been a "mission trip" I probably would not have joined the 10 day trip, but apparently some of the pastors and leaders of different ministries in that part of Africa have asked for young white people to come and hold conversation with people specifically on the topic of reconciliation. While I don't yet know how prepared I am for this, I am excited to learn from pastors who's congregations have a faith with beauty that comes from simplicity.

Josh Peebles (Scum of the Earth) and I will spend a few days after the conference with a number of people there and then fly back together.

Please pray for the finances involved in this trip, seeing as plane-flights to Africa are not the cheapest things in the world. In fact the budget for our two-and-a-half week trip is supposed to be about $2500. And the truth is I don't know very many people that ever live on that kind of budget.


As far as this blog goes, I think being in a more stable place than Marcus' I will be posting on this blog more than he, but I hope you may be able to look forward to updates from him as well.

Thank you for your continuous prayers.