Hemlock, Cedar, Lyndale Block Party

We just came back from our first neighbourhood block party that we have had since we first moved into the neighbourhood. It was exciting to meet several new families that have moved in to the area in the last few years that have kids close to Nate's age. They are the opposite direction from the way that I usually walk in the neibourhood. I think I will need to change my regular route. The skies cleared up at just the right time and the evening was beautiful. Ahhh... summer nights in Winnipeg.

Shonet

The First Week...

It seems that only when one starts to try to slow down that you realize how tired you are. Sometimes as long as you keep going, you don't have time to think about it.

It has been hard to try to slow down the pace with the big list of things to do before we leave. We had hoped to have more down time before we left in September. But as we look at the to do list, we are realizing that we will need more time to get stuff done so that we can leave with things in a good place. We will still spend some time away but it will not be as much as we had hoped. But we are okay with that given that we will have a lot of down time in Phoenix.

Shonet

Psalm 62:1-2

My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

I think the temptation on sabbatical will be to look in other places but God for rest. How do we find rest in God alone above the noise of everything around us? This needs more thought. How do I find a more monastic pace in the midst of being a mom to a toddler? As an extravert, I'm not very good at the monastic thing.
Shonet

A bumpy start...

I'm not sure how your holidays, or time away begins, but for us we've come to realize that the first couple days can be...not all that we expected them to be. I had hoped to begin sabbatical at 4pm...by 10:15pm I finally said 'ENOUGH' and closed down the computer, grabbed one last book from my bookshelf, looked around the office one last time, turned off the lights and closed the door. I suspect I will not cross that doorway for 5 months...unless I forgot something else, then I'll be back (I just realized I left my sweater there!). Plans for camping have been shelved by the loooong list of house projects to get done...so tomorrow I put on the ugly shirts Shonet doesn't like, I do not shave and I will be at the doors of Home Depot not long after 7am to buy many things. The question for tomorrow is: how many trips to Home Depot/Tim Hortons will I make: I bet on 3.
Ken

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17

This verse reminded me of the spirit that I need to go into Sabbatical with. I seem to always be working to get to a point where I am doing well and have life under control. But it seems that that is not what God desires. I sure have a lot to grow in yet.

Shonet

The Journey Starts

So tomorrow (August 6) at 4:00 the Sabbatical starts. I thought I would start by letting you know our plans and goals for the next five months so that when you read the rest of the entries you know how it fits in.

August - We will be enjoying the beauty of Manitoba and maybe NorthWestern Ontario through some camping and time at the cabin. We will also be getting our house ready for housesitters and visiting with family before we leave.

September 3 - Our voyage begins as we make the drive to Chicago. There we want to stop at Willowcreek Community Church (Schaumberg), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield) and the Christian Community Development Association Conference (Downtown Chicago). From here, we will go to Parkside Church in Cleveland and check out the area for a couple of days. Then it is off to Washington D.C. for a "Weekender" which is a pastor's conference and to see some of the museums and maybe the President if he has time.

After this, our schedule really opens up and we have nothing specifically booked. We will then slowly make our way across the continental US as our toddler allows us to and stop in Gilbert, Arizona which is close to Phoenix. Here we will settle in for about 3 1/2 months. We hope to make a trip to the Grand Canyon, Los Angelos & San Fransisco as money allows us to . We would also like to see World Impact and Cornerstone Church in Los Angelos. If possible, Ken may also take a course at Phoenix Seminary.

When we originally were thinking of what we are trying to accomplish with this sabbatical time, we came up with three goals:

1. Rest and play - this will hopefully allow us to connect in deeper ways in our relationships as a family.
2. Study - We want to grow in knowledge through conferences, books (that we have wanted to read for a while but haven't always found the time), meeting with people, and maybe a course.
3. Worldview - We want to be experience the broader church body and see what God is doing in other parts of the world. We want to be reminded of how small our part in this world really is and maybe experience some things that we wouldn't experience at home.

We hope for this blog to be a place where we are able to dialogue through some of the things that we are impacted by on our journey. We have felt confident in God's leading for us to do this at this time. Please pray for us on our journey.

We are very thankful for the community that we have supporting us in this journey. We recognize that many of you are carrying heavier burdens because we are not there. So to you, we are very appreciative that you are doing that so that we can have the gift of this time. We are truly blessed.

Shonet