July 2009

So, it's been four months since I wrote an update. Would you believe I've been busy? Trust me... I've been busy.

The short version:

1. Got a job

2. Graduated from RTS

3. Started said job

4. Vacation in MN & NY

5. A crazy summer this way comes

And the long...

1. In March I was asked to if I wanted to interview for the position of Assistant Pastor at our church (University Presbyterian), to run the youth ministry. Hana and I felt like it was too good to be true. We've dreamed of staying at UPC for years. But for the last year (or so), it hasn't looked like UPC was going to have it in the budget to hire me. Turns out, they did! I interviewed for the position on April 19th, and was informed that they were going to offer me the position just two weeks later. It was bittersweet news. Clay, my partner in youth ministry at UPC, also interviewed for the position. We were thrilled to have been offered the job; but we were sad to see Clay and his wife go. The good news is Clay got a job up in North Carolina. God is good.

2. On May 22, I graduated from RTS. It feels like yesterday I was sitting in the hot classroom listening to Dr. W. Buswell McNut (that's really his name), parse masculine, nominative, singular verbs. It was fairly surreal. The graduation ceremony, by the way, was outstanding. The best part of graduation was the realization that I was done with Seminary. The hard part was that two of my best friends at RTS postponed graduation for certain reasons. It almost didn't feel right graduating without them. God has blessed me with some tremendous friendships over the last few years. Still, although I actually have a couple online courses to finish up, and ordination to prepare for... I'm pretty happy about graduating! Whoo hoo!

3. I was hired to run the youth ministry at our church. That includes the high school ministry (which I've been running for the last three years, part time), and the middle school ministry (which Clay had been running for the last three years, part time). My "official" start date was to be July 1. However, I ended up starting on June 1. June was crazy. We had to get the whole summer planned for both ministries as fast as possible and get volunteers to staff each event. By God's grace, we did it. Then we took a nice vacation. Then on June 28, they had "Welcome Matt" Sunday at church. It was really nice. We really felt loved.

4. In mid-June, we had the chance to fly up to Minnesota to spend a few days with my family. We got to see Hana's aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents too! It was fun to introduce Noah to his great grandparents from North Dakota! We also attended a graduation party for my cousin's son's graduation party (high school). We saw a lot of people on my mom's side of the family. It was really fun. My cousin, Dan, looked at me as I held Noah and he said, "tomorrow he'll be graduating from high school." He was referring to Noah, and how fast time goes. I laid Noah down in his crib and sang to him a bit before he fell asleep tonight. He reached up and grabbed my pinky. It brought tears to my eyes because I know how fast he'll grow up. Also, my cousin-in-law (who is a fellow theologian) gave me a three volume set of the works of Edward Payson (a Puritan). I haven't had the chance to read much of the set yet, but I will. I'm looking forward to it!! Thanks, Stacy!

5. Here's what we've got coming up this summer. We're headed to Lookout Mountain, GA for a week of high school camp - then we get home and rest for a few days and then we head to Camp Kulaqua for a week with the middle school students - then we get home and rest a few days before we leave for Cherokee, NC for a high school missions trip. It's going to be fun! Crazy, but fun! We welcome your prayers.

Well, I apologize for being so delinquent with my updates. I'd promise to be more consistent, but you know me. And I know me. So, I'll just say I hope to be more consistent. Noah is smiling a lot these days. He's such a good baby. We love him more than we can express. We're trying to find a better way to get pictures to people. We'll let you all know when we get that figured out.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph. 3:20-21).

God bless,

MJR