Our Apartment is almost Finished

We spent some time this weekend choosing pictures to put up on our walls from our trip out to California. Another wall is done and we wait for a few weeks for our last picture to be framed. Here is a picture of our wall in the living room. These pictures are from Arches National Park during our hikes. So beautiful.

We are Thankful!

The Warnes' came to California for Thanksgiving this year. It was such a blessing to have them in town. It really made us feel like we were home with our family for the holiday. There is something about being around people who know you that brings comfort and peace.



We had a great feast and ate well the whole weekend. Lots of wonderful food, conversation, laughter, and tears.



We also had a fun time practicing our Spanish with Linds and Nathan. It was difficult saying goodbye because we are not sure when the next time will be when we are all together again.



Saturday was a hard day when we learned that Uncle Kirk had a massive heart attack on Friday night and was in the hospital. We have known for a long time that his heart is not good but we never expected to hear what had happened. Thankfully his defibrillator shocked his heart back into life and the Doctors claim there is no further permanent damage. Another reason to be Thankful this year. Please pray for him as he takes each day at a time. It is so hard for us to be away from family when things like this happen but we feel some peace and comfort in knowing that God is in charge. We love you Uncle Kirk!

Quick Update

A lot has been going on the past couple weeks that we would love to share with you. Justin shared about his schooling earlier this week so we will update you on other parts of our life. Dawn started her job and is now on her own doing hospice care with patients who are in our area. She doesn't have to drive far and is loving the diversity of patients and staff she is encountering. She is one of the only white staff on her team and most of her patients are of different color and background. This has been exciting and somewhat challenging for her as she learns more about different cultures. Working in West Michigan doesn't offer a wide variety of people and backgrounds and this has been something Dawn has been looking forward to for awhile. She also decided that in the upcoming months she needs to look into taking a Spanish class to refresh her abilities. Many of her patients speak only Spanish so this would be a valuable asset for her profession.



We were able to watch our friend, Caleb finish his first marathon last week Sunday. What a joy it was to see him at different spots and running so well. Justin was able to finish the last 3 miles with him. We have enjoyed working out and running around here. Between our gym at the park and running around the Rose Bowl, it has been fun running in such nice weather.



A couple of weeks ago we went up north to Ventura. We drove up the coast on the on highway 1 and it was beautiful. Justin's mom did remind us that one time his dad took her around Lake Superior on highway 2, which I am sure was just as beautiful and warm! We walked around quite a bit, saw the ocean, had a nice dinner, and went to an outlet mall the next day. It was just nice to be away. Here are a few pictures from our weekend away (just in case you forgot what we look like!)




Lastly, we have developed a new hobby. For Dawn's bday she took some of her gift money and bought a bread maker! We have been trying to eat more foods from scratch and being more aware of what we are eating. We have tried some new recipes and have made some excellent breads. It has been fun experimenting. Here is a picture of our first bread (it always looks better with wine).

Orange Sky

"My Salvation Lies in your Love"

Seminary

Over the past six weeks, I have been engaging in the study of Medieval through Reformation History, Pentateuch, and Film and Theology. The whole process of becoming a student again has been quite overwhelming. I am relearning how to study and write papers, it is funny how fast you loose those traits when you do not practice them for awhile. While the process of becoming a student again has been a little challenging, the reward of learning what I am learning is well worth the challenge. I have learned so much over the past six weeks that I am still trying to process much of what I have been taught. As I process what I have been learning I wanted to share a few of the highlights of my seminary experience thus far. First, the joy of being in class and learning from experts on the specific topics being taught. I am finally learning about things that make my heart beat faster. Church History has been a bit mundane and boring at times, but I still appreciate learning about the story of the Church. The many battles people fought and the faith it took to prevail in turbulent times. Also, experiencing a completely different culture than what I have been used to all of my life. I went from being a part of the majority to being a minority in our community. This has been a very humbling experience and giving me a new appreciation for those who are actually in the minority. One last highlight from the first six weeks has been my Film and Theology course. The professor has taught me much about what it means to engage the culture that surrounds us through film. He strongly believes film is the form of media that speaks to the masses and churches must be able to engage in conversations about film in order to engage the culture. I have developed a new appreciation for film and how it can speak to the hearts of people. The end of the first quarter is quickly approaching and I am so thankful for being able to be out in California at Seminary. Thanks to all of you who encouraged this next step and who continue to support us through this transition time.