Chrismas Letter 2008

Happy New Year!
Fröhliches Neues Jahr!
Viel Grüße von Pasadena! Greetings from Pasadena!


Dear Family and Friends,

Seasonal Salutations! 2008 has been a year of unexpected transition and enrichment. Life in California has become both settled, despite the significant changes. Overall it has been a fulfilling year, one that we can celebrate God’s continued presence and faithfulness. (Check out our web album slide show from 2008.)

By living in an international crossroads like Los Angeles, it means that we are well positioned to be called upon for hosting travelers and tourists. 2008 has seen an abundance of visitors coming through Los Angeles and has led us to consider starting a hostel in Pasadena. At one point we calculated that we averaged at least 2 guests a month for the year. Despite the volume, it has been a great joy to host so many people in our small one bedroom apartment; it has allowed us to hone our hosting skills and to practice hospitality as a way of life and part of our ministry.

Life has been full this year. For Rebekka, she has mainly balanced ONLY three things. Her role as youth Pastor at Maranatha Indonesian Christian Fellowship has continued to be a great source of fulfillment and to be a place where she can use her creativity. Now that we have been at the church longer than a year we have developed closer relationships with parents and youth, and feel very much part of the life of the church. Her work in youth ministry has opened up several opportunities to participate in conferences and events in the broader Mennonite context. She flew to Columbus Ohio in the spring to attend the Youth Ministry Council and in the fall flew to Dallas, Texas, to help on the planning committee for the First Immigrant Church conference. Locally she was part of the team that launched the first ever youth event, HYPE 08 (Hip Young People Excited for Jesus), of the Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference. It brought over 70 youth together from the diverse churches of the LA area for worship, activities and fun. This fall Rebekka engaged in half-time study at Pasadena City College in her pursuit of getting credits together for an eventual application to the Master of Arts in Global Leadership program in the School of Intercultural studies at Fuller. On top of these commitments, Rebekka has also continued her work at Coffee by the Books, the Fuller coffee shop, and has become an accomplished barista and coffee artist. A highlight for the year was her visit to Germany in middle January, which primarily instigated by a short-notice discovery of a round trip ticket for $380. Rebekka was able to surprise her mother for her Birthday.

It has been a year of transitions for Dave. His work with the MAGL program finished up in July. Fuller Seminary had made the strategic decision to move the program to Colorado Springs which implicated those who decided not to move. Despite this change, Dave was able to pick up a half-time position in the Academic Advising Office for the School of Intercultural studies and return to full-time study, which means that a completed degree is not some distant figment of the imagination. He still has a little less than one year of full-time study in the Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies program. At the end of the summer, Dave was asked also to help out at church with the youth ministry and teaching Sunday school. This has been affirmation of his abilities and a great way to join Rebekka in her work with the youth. So Dave went from looking at a fall of half-time study and work to full-time study, half-time work and weekends at the church. It has kept him busy, but has been a great overall experience. A highlight for Dave this year was helping to organize the Association for Anabaptist Missiologists conference with his close friend Matthew Krabill. The conference addressed the dynamics of what is going on in the Mennonite Church in southern California, through the stories and presentations of numerous gifted local Anabaptist leaders and practitioners.

Christmas has been a time of relaxing and reconnection with family. Here at the Stutzhaus in Virginia we have had ample time to eat, laugh, eat, argue, eat, and spend time together with Jon and his wife, Megan, and Mom and Dad. Additionally, Rebekka has been able to get her Skype on with family and friends back in Germany. It has been a needed to time to get away and reflect on the upcoming year and to consider what future opportunities we have as a couple interested in mission. This year will be one of discernment and prayer for what our future holds.

We want to extend to you a special greeting from California and if you are ever in the LA neighborhood, the StutzApartment is always a welcoming place for the weary traveler.

Grace and Peace,

Rebekka and David Stutzman