Only 1 Month Before Christmas...

I didn't even realize that I forgot to post for two weeks until I received my weekly letter from grandma. It said: "Angie: Checked your blog, but nothing was added." How's that for a reminder! :) It made both of us laugh, and, apparently, it worked.

The last two weeks, work went very well for both of us. Kayle's job has been interesting lately and it seems like he is being productive. I have been transitioning to working more hours at EA2 and volunteering fewer hours at Eastside Academy. This is mostly because I have two students that now meet in the morning, breaking my day into smaller sections and making it harder to go back and forth. I still manage to volunteer in person at the school about 10 hours/week, but I've been doing more behind-the-scenes work like making food for the Thanksgiving meal, getting books donated, arranging a talk on science/faith, and writing letters to students on leave. The most exciting news is that one of the students at Eastside Academy became a Christian this month. It's amazing to see how much his life and attitude have changed in such a short time! Another cool moment was when the health class focused on what kind of legacy they wanted to leave and presented about their imagined future life in a mock obituary. It's always special to see students dream about their future and share what is most important to them.

Last Saturday, I went to a meeting about doing graduate school for teaching at Northwest University (a smaller Christian college nearby). I am looking into doing their year-long Masters in Teaching program. There are still a lot of variables affecting whether this is a good option, not the least of which are questions about whether my certification would transfer to Michigan should we move back. We are also saving for a home right now and should probably wait until after we make a down payment so that I would be eligible for some financial aid. Right now, I have an excellent job and am content to continue there while we figure things out.

This past week was also a pretty normal week. On Tuesday, we had community group as usual and made pinwheels for appetizer night. They were a big hit and both pans were completely eaten. (Pinwheels are ham and cheese in crescent roll dough.) We also had a new couple visit our group. Two of the women (Marilee and Rachel) are past their due date, so we should have a couple more babies in our CG soon. We were all saddened too by the news that two other women in our church recently lost their babies when they were nearly 9 months pregnant. Many are praying for them in their heart-breaking loss.

On Wednesday, we had the monthly regional vision meeting instead of regular youth group. We discussed how we can better represent Christ in the places God has already put us. Instead of worrying about adding more events and projects to our busy lives, we focused on how we can best love people in the relationships and opportunities to connect that we already have. It was cool to hear how God is working in and through the daily lives of other church members who live near us.

This weekend, we are mostly resting. Kayle and I watched a Netflix movie together last night. We were planning to babysit for some friends, but, since the baby now has a cold, her parents opted to go out next weekend instead. So, I guess we'll do our regular chores (grocery shopping, laundry, etc.) and maybe go out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow, we have church and a training meeting for children's ministry teachers and room leads. I'll also be cooking a lot for Thanksgiving at Eastside Academy and at Caleb and Laura's house.

We miss you all...only one month until Christmas!
Angie and Kayle