Merry Christmas!
Viel Grüße von Pasadena!
Greetings from Pasadena!
Dear Family and Friends,
Seasonal Salutations! 2007 has been a year of acclimation and adjustment to life in the Pasadena. It has been full of change and unexpected opportunity. It also marks the first full year in our marriage of being situated in one place. Overall it has been a fulfilling year that we can celebrate in the fullness of faith of God’s work in our lives. (Check out our web album of pictures from 2007.)
Since we moved to California in September 2006, Rebekka has pieced together jobs to supplement our income. She has worked as an afterschool programs staffer, child care provider, nanny, hairstylist, and a Fuller tele-relations fundraiser. After a discouraging run at trying to find meaningful work, an unexpected opportunity presented itself for Rebekka this summer. Much to our great joy, a youth pastor position opened at ICF Maranatha, an Indonesian Mennonite Church. Within a week of our initial inquiry Maranatha decided to invite Rebekka to be in charge of the youth ministry for the congregation. It immediately presented Rebekka with opportunities to use her energy, creativity and passion for youth work. The church has embraced Rebekka and is immensely pleased with the increased activity and engagement of the youth in the life of the church. As we reflect on Rebekka’s expedition through various jobs, we can see how it clearly prepared her for ministry in a church setting and cross-cultural context.
Rebekka has also discovered the wonders and frustrations of academics. This past fall she enrolled in two urban ministry courses offered by the Center for Anabaptist Leadership. Suddenly my role as the designated household student was being contested. Strangely, my books and computer were not the only ones occupying the vacant flat surfaces in our apartment. Oddly, I was now not the only one experiencing late night anxiety and bouts of inadequacy. Rebekka’s urban ministry classes have proven to be extremely rewarding and energizing, particurly as she considers future interests in ministry in cross-cultural and urban contexts. More importantly however, she better understands my seminary student behavior of the past year!
This year has brought a significant change for me as well. I went from a full-time student at Fuller Theological Seminary, to working full-time in the Fuller Office of Development as an administrative assistant. The move was brought on by a sudden and unexpected opportunity to work full-time and was also motivated by financial reasons to secure more income for the super expensive cost of living in Pasadena. As a full-time employee, I enjoy a tuition reimbursement and will continue working on my degree in Intercultural Studies as a part-time student.
Working at Fuller has presented plenty of new opportunities to learn and to grow. At the end of this past summer I accepted a position as an academic advisor for the Masters of Arts in Global Leadership. I get to work with prospective students, advise current students on their academics and participate in the “classroom” as a teacher’s assistant. A unique element to this work is that the MAGL is the only online degree offered at Fuller (as of yet). I get to be part of an exciting program as it forges ahead into uncharted pedagogical territories of seminary education.
This Christmas was a special occasion. We celebrated the holidays with my family in Virginia and were privileged to have in attendance Megan Ramer, my brother’s fiancé. We had a lot of fun as a family spending time together eating, sharing gifts, laughing, eating, refraining from throttling each other playing board games , watching Planet Earth and eating.
We want to extend to you a special greeting from California and we hope your Christmas was like totally awesome and like super chill! God's blessings to you in the New Year!
Grace and Peace,
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