Getting Settled
I’ve been here in Minneapolis for only about two and a half days. I can’t believe it — it seems like at least a week must have gone by so far. Before I get too long winded, I should mention that Tony is back in Ames right now getting our house ready to sell, both with some improvement projects and with general cleaning. So, if you have any time Friday or Saturday and would like to lend a hand, give Tony a call on his cell phone and let him know. He’s especially hoping for a big “cleaning day” on Saturday to get things finished up, starting at 8am and going until it’s over. You can really feel free to stop by any time on Saturday and Tony will put you to work!
Tony got here to our new house Monday around 5pm with the rental truck and all our stuff. Michael Riley followed in his truck, to come help on this end. We had amazing help loading the truck in Ames, and nearly as much help on this end to unload! We knew some of my family would be able to help, but there was also help from Urban Refuge (one of Stonebrook’s sister churches here in the Twin Cities). Meanwhile, I stayed behind in Ames to pack up/organize all the little junk left behind and to start the cleaning process. I arrived here mid-afternoon on Tuesday.
We’re starting to get some things organized and put away. The house is in a fairly livable state, so I am not feeling horribly rushed to get it all finished. The whole packing process was such a rush that I have no desire to have a repeat performance on this end. There’s also so many other challenges to deal with, like learning my way around the area, adjusting to city driving, trying to make new friends, and helping Madeline feel loved and secure through this time of transition.
The transition has been a little rough on Madeline. It would have been hard anyway, but the fact that she was sick with the flu for the four days or so before we left just made things worse. I think she is starting to adjust to the idea that this place is “home” now…but sometimes she still acts like she is just sad or stressed out. I’m sure it’s all hard for her to understand. I made sure to get her room as finished as possible first, so that she has a relatively-familiar seeming place to sleep and play.
Overall, the people we’ve met from Urban Refuge are amazing. This transition would be a lot harder for me without all that they have done for us. After we had lunch at Faithwalkers with Andy Gray (the pastor of Urban Refuge) and told him when we were coming, he mobilized a small army of people to help us out. Between the people who helped unload the truck, people who have brought us meals, and women who have offered to come over and keep me company and help me unpack while Tony is gone (one came today, two are coming tomorrow)…I already feel incredibly loved by a church where I haven’t even yet gotten to attend a service. I’ve seen a lot of times where people from Stonebrook have served in incredible ways, but I guess this particularly impresses me because we are just coming to town and don’t really have prior relationships with these people (other than the common bond of Christ and the fact we are coming from a sister church). They just got an email saying there was a need and were willing to call us and see what they could do!
We still haven’t made a final decision on whether to get involved with Urban Refuge or the Rock as our church home. Though after experiencing all this love and service from Urban Refuge, it would be hard not to land there! We want to keep exploring both options and getting a feel for where God really wants to use us. I think it’s just a little harder meet people and get a feel for what’s going on with the Rock, since it is such as large church (375-ish), while Urban Refuge still has a church-plant feel and is much smaller at 150-ish. We’ll see how God leads in the coming weeks.
Please keep praying for all three of us and this big transition in our lives. Also, please pray that our house in Ames would sell quickly…it’s a huge strain to be paying both rent in Minneapolis and our mortgage in Ames. Thanks! 