Images of October

Beloved

My baby brother and new partner in ministry just finished his first Citi Serve support letter! I know it's long, but please give it a skim and see what you think. Personally, I love being reminded of the strategic way God has drawn me and my family to this ministry! Seeing His presence year after year reassures me that He's brought me to this point for a purpose, and there's so much work still to be done!

Dear friends and family,

I would like to share with you my current ministry in Brooklyn, New York.

But first, I will give you a quick overview of how exactly I got here.

September 11, 2001, changed the world forever. The events of that day took many lives, shattered many dreams, and spread panic and devastation across the country and beyond. It left people asking why this happened, which in turn opened many doors. People began to reflect on not only their physical safety, but their eternal safety as well.

FEFC of St Louis, Missouri, quickly dispensed mission teams to New York to aid in this time of turmoil. Among those sent were my mother, Paula, and sister, Rachel. The work of those teams sparked a five year partnership agreement between my home church and SEFC in Brooklyn, New York, along with the passion of my family. In the following years, my mother and Rachel participated in every one of the summer teams my home church sent, eventually encouraging my other sister, Sara, and my dad to join in the ministry as well. In June, 2008, Rachel was called to stay at Second Free, where she has since become an active member and the Sunday school superintendent.

I bet you’re wondering where I come into all of this. For eight years I watched my family grow through their involvement at Second Free. Every single member of my household had gone, yet I didn’t feel the calling.

That all changed this February 2009, when Sara and I spent a month visiting Rachel in Brooklyn. For four weeks I got to work at the church’s elementary after-school program, S.A.Y. Yes, and with the two Sunday schools - one for the English service and the other for the Chinese congregation. My time flew by, and as I returned to my regular schedule in St Louis, I realized I was no longer content with my life there. Ministry at Second Free had changed me, as it had my family members before me, and I felt an intense call to join in the fellowship there. After a lot of prayer, I decided to return in July to work at the church’s summer school, and see where the Lord might lead me.

Starting July 2009, I spent six weeks in Brooklyn teaching second grade from 8am-5pm Monday-Friday. During that time I continued to fall in love with the ministry at SEFC. I connected with the kids and the community, and more and more I knew this was where God wanted me to be. As I worked and prayed, the Lord opened numerous doors for me. I began to meet with the pastor of SEFC, and he asked me if I would consider partnering with Citi Serve as a missionary. Citi Serve (formerly U.T.O.P.I.A.) is a ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of America that assists young adults in serving urban churches across the United States. After meeting with the director of Citi Serve, I prayed about the opportunity and felt led to accept.

That brings us to now. I’m currently working as a teacher with the S.A.Y. Yes after-school program, Sunday school (which includes services for both our English and Chinese congregations), and various other ministries. I’ve made a minimum commitment of one year, and during that time I know I will need continuous support in my endeavors. First and foremost, I need constant prayer for my daily interactions. Please pray for spiritual strength and integrity, as well as good communication, since English is not the first language here.

Secondly, because my position is not compensated, I also need monthly financial support. If you would like to partner with me in the ministry here, then thanks be to the Lord for He has helped me in my time of need. With this letter I’ve included a form that tells how you can contribute.

I’m looking forward to growing in the forthcoming year, emotionally, physically and most of all spiritually. Though my time here may prove to be a challenge, I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me.

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”

Revelation 22:1-5

May the Lord be with you in the coming months.

God bless,

Luke

P.S. Luke's started a blog! You can keep up with his side of the ministry at BelovedUntilSleep.blogspot.com

Pete's birthday!

My package arrived in St Louis safely! :) The full spread:

Totoro gift (flowers, engraved acorn in artificial leaf)
Black Black energy gum
Mini Pete & Rachels (Hasboro gummy bears)
Fruit Drops from Grave of the Fireflies
Japanese candy I can't name
Stamped tea card
Haw flakes
Hawthorne "memups" (or wine rollups, as Luke calls them)
Mr Poop, plus optional glasses.

Betsy-Tacy Day!

Today celebrates my favorite book series in the entire world!

The city of Mankato declared Betsy-Tacy Day on October 7, 1961

Meeting Baby W!

I met CGW! He looked like this:Sar and I happened to leave for school at the exact time the Ws were driving home from the hospital! The whole family seemed exhausted but very happy, and Sara was thrilled to get to meet their little guy before she leaves for CA tomorrow. Doesn't he look tiny and adorable??

Dubb(s)ed

Meet Dubbs.
For three years he's been Janet W's baby. Chris, on the other hand, is hardly a cat person, and so the couple agreed that they'd find Dubbs a new home once their human baby was born. Which, as you may recall, was yesterday. Three weeks early. Which is great for the Ws and not so much for their poor newly-bumped cat. My generous brother offered to foster Dubbs till a new home can be found. Nice, right? Um, sort of. I'm allergic. Emily had a cat when I moved in last year, and she ended up getting rid of him in part because of that fun little reality. But Luke's been pining for his own cats (Cloverfield, Monster, and multiplying offspring) since he left home last June, and he jumped at the chance to not only help a friend but a feline too. It's temporary, he keeps telling me. All right. We'll see how this goes.

We've nicknamed Dubbs "Muta," after the fat, cantankerous cat in Whisper of the Heart (one of my favorite movies!) / The Cat Returns. There's definitely a resemblance.

He was pretty hideous at first, attacking anybody who came near him. We had to wear pants and shoes in the living room, because otherwise he'd assault our legs! We were terrified of him! He's settled down a lot since Sunday, but we still keep him in the basement when the kids come over. I think he's scared, mostly, and hopefully he'll get used to us and our apartment. Um, and hopefully SOON he'll have a permanent home some nice place without small children or allergic asthmatics.

Baby W birth update!

Chris just came over! He seemed ready to pass out, and apparently Janet's worse. Poor things. But CGW is healthy and normal and already greatly beloved, so it's worth it. They're coming home tomorrow afternoon. Luke and I got to hear all sorts of birthing details: how Janet started having contractions around 2am Sunday, yet they didn't go to the hospital til around 4. By 5 Janet was in the room, and by 6 Charles was born. It was all super fast - Chris managed to call both of sets of parents before they were admitted, and he texted, "the baby's being born right now!" to their best friends one-handed while holding onto Janet during the birth, but that was it. The quick, painless birth we've all been praying for after a difficult pregnancy.

The whole exchange was incredibly endearing. Chris seemed exhausted but so excited, too! After the birthing story we joked about new babies and his responses were slow but genuine. Every time he laughed he sounded relieved somehow. As we said goodbye, Chris hesitated a little, glancing awkwardly at our arms and then his own; it seemed as if he kind of thought we were all going to hug or something. Um, cute? But, yeah, odd. I'm terrible with touch (as in, I'd rather not be), and it's infinitely weirder when it's someone you see every single day. I guess this would have been an event for it, though, huh?

Honestly, I'm SO excited these two incredible people finally have their baby. I keep thinking of the comment Chris left on his own facebook status: baby facts, then, "wow! my son!" Last night I honestly fell asleep with this HUGE, stupid smile, thinking of that. "My son!" Oh man. It makes me feel overwhelmed in the best possible way. Like this is right and it's finally happening for them! Because it is! It feels like an end to all this waiting and anxiety - the months of bedrest and midnight rushes to the ER. Even before that, the years they spent hoping to start a family. It goes so far back, way farther than that! I love that it's all been orchastrated to bring them to this point, this little baby Charlie. Isn't that incredible? I'm rambling, but it is. It really, really is.