Reading, Getting Toys Thrown at You, and More Reading!

On a regular basis my day-to-day consist of class, reading, memorizing Greek vocab, reading, reading, class, and more reading! Over 1,000 pages read so far this semester and nearly 1,000 more to go!

If you have kids or have worked with kids then you probably guessed that the middle of that subject line has to do with Beth's nannying job. While she absolutely loves it, it presents challenges at times. As was the case last week when a screaming child ran through the house throwing toys and whatever else they could get their hands on to avoid going to swimming class. Oh the trials of being four.

We were blessed to have my older sister Esther and her husband Willis here over the weekend. We played games, put our fingertips in the ocean, walked around Boston, and relaxed! It was a blessing to have a little slice of family and home be here.

Praise:

Since my last email, my studies have definitely improved. I truly believe it was because of your prayers. I was also encouraged to talk with a current seminary student coming from the ministry world with a secular undergrad degree (my situation as well) and he could totally relate to my struggles transitioning into seminary studies. 

Prayer:

1. How can we pray for you?

2. Continued prayer for Beth at her job. Energy, consistency, and wisdom are the regular needs. She really is doing amazing though, I have never been prouder of her. 

3. Only three weeks left of fall semester...CRAZY! Discipline, comprehension, and focus are my biggest needs. 

We love you all and we thank God for you!

- Peter & Beth

Oh...and Edgar. :) ...who loves being contemplative in the car and doesn't like being chained up outside. 

Here's What's Happening!

Hey Everybody!

στο όνομα του Θεού, ο πατέρας του Ιησού, ο γιος και το Άγιο Πνεύμα Σας χαιρετώ

In the name of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit I greet you.

I just wanted to give you an update on life out here in Boston. 

Beth is continuing to love her nanny job! Praise God for His blessings! She is beginning to really feel comfortable and confident in her role. Everyday she pours out her heart to love and serve this family. We had the privilege two weeks ago to go with the family to watch the Boston Bruins play the Detroit Red Wings. Those are two hockey teams for the less 'sportual' (it's like spiritual only it has zero eternal purpose). They treated us to the game and lunch before hand.

 It was really neat for me to interact with the family and for Beth to interact with them outside of her normal duties.

As far as school goes, I have to be honest and say that it has been more challenging than I thought it would be. I really struggled transitioning back into the academic world for the first few weeks. I was hoping by my next update things would have improved, but it's still a challenge. I am re-learning how to study, read efficiently, and memorize greek vocab really fast - yes, there is an app for that! :)

Last week in particular was a rough week due to mid-terms. Because I struggled in the first few weeks, it's almost impossible to catch up by mid-terms. I know I am not alone due to the stories of my fellow classmates, but that doesn't make it any less challenging. I would be so thankful for any prayers you can offer up for me regarding my studies. 

Directly related to my study struggles is a huge thank you to all of you. Without your financial support that makes my scholarship possible, I don't know what the state of my sanity would be right now. If I was having to hold a job during this first semester, I would be toast. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. The investment you are making in my life is so appreciated I can't even begin to describe it. I also know that your intentional investment in the Kingdom brings joy to the Father's heart. One of my professors said this week, "We don't give because God likes it when we give him money. We give generously because our God is a generous giver and we desire to become more like Him."

I was blown away by that statement and wanted to pass it along to you. 

In other news, World Series fever is in full swing out here! Tickets for tomorrow nights game are going from $1,000 - $12,000. It would be the first time since 1918 that the Red Sox won the World Series while playing the winning game in Boston. We may head downtown with some people from school on Wednesday. You will see pictures if that happens!

Edgar had 'the surgery' a few weeks ago and has been in mourning ever since. 

Actually, it's turned out to be a huge blessing. We were having trouble leaving him in his crate while we were gone for only a few hours. But since the surgery he has LOVED his crate. He sleeps in there a lot of times without the door ever being closed. This was a major answer to prayer. Thank you, God!

Once again, thank you all so much for being such a blessing to Beth and I. We thank God for you and we hope to see you all soon!

Nicholas Sparks and Jesus

Living in New England during the fall feels like you're living in a Nicholas Sparks novel. The question you should be asking right now is, "Peter, have you read a Nicholas Sparks novel?" The answer is no, but I have seen many of his books covers and I took the giant leap to assume they're about romance, emotions, heartbreak, and somebody getting kissed on a half stone\half sand beach.

It is beautiful here(insert open invitation to come see us anytime). Now don't get me wrong, I would love to take a drive through Northern Michigan today. But, when this is what you see what you go for a run you can't help but feel blessed. 

Why does Nicholas Sparks choose settings like these for his novels? Because it is emotional, it's overwhelming, and you can't help but get lost in it. If you look out at the seemingly endless ocean, or drive past trees brilliantly designed in color patterns that leave you speechless, or simply walk through the woods and hear silence mixed in with chirping and don't feel something. It's time to assess where you are on the Nicholas Sparks Meter. 

10 = You cry when leaves fall because it's just feels so "fall-like"

1 = You're rushing around missing beauty because it and intimacy have been replaced with busy. 

Jesus created the beauty of nature. Jesus created emotions. Jesus desires for that beauty to stir our souls toward a response of awe and worship.

Before it's too late, take a walk or run and admire the beauty of fall. Allow yourself to get lost in it.

Reality Sets In

My family left the Wednesday after we moved out to Gloucester and shockingly enough so did we...for a wedding. 

I officiated a wedding ceremony back in Michigan for a former student that I had the privilege of discipling during his time in high school and beyond. It was an honor to be a part their special day. Beth and I were very thankful to them and his parents for making it possible. 

When the wedding weekend was over Beth, myself, and our dog Edgar set out for our second cross country drive in a week. It's an even longer drive when you stop every couple hours to let your dog out! But we made it and Edgar loves his new home! 

We are still working on 'come.' 

We arrived back in Gloucester and reality began to hit. Beth still needed a job. I needed to adjust to being back in school. The house had(has) a few projects left. Oh...and we just moved 1,000(998 to be exact) miles away from our friends and family. 

God provides. 

Beth has been looking at jobs for months. Hours and hours of submitting resumes, searching jobs websites, and corresponding with different connections people gave us. Nothing. We would have been more frustrated but we realized that there are millions of people in need of jobs and we had only been looking for a few months. 

As I mentioned before two of our good friends Bryce and Elyse moved out to Boston as well to attend a different seminary (traitors). Elyse looked into getting a nanny job and was blessed with one right away. In talking to her, Beth became excited about the possibility of a nanny job...it all depended on finding the right family. 

Well two families responded to Beth quickly after she posted her profile on Care.com. The first family turned out to be a little creepy. The second family has turned out to be God's incredible provision in our lives. All three of their kids are potty trained (yes, that was priority #1 for both of us...not #2), they are well parented, and the oldest is a girl which was something Beth was hoping for. 

Beth went through a phone interview, an in-person interview, and a job shadowing. It came down to her and one other person (who had ten years of nanny experience) and they picked Beth! They said her personality was a 10x better fit for their family. Beth and I are very humbled by and thankful for the blessing of this job. 

Oh yeah, seminary!

Orientation week was a good time of getting familiar with buildings, a few classmates, and the routine of academic life (or so I thought). The first week of classes was a doozy. My class load this semester is Greek I, Spiritual Formation, Church History to the Reformation, and Old Testament Survey. The first week I spent 8-10 hours doing homework for the latter three classes and about 25 hours doing homework for Greek! But, I love it! It is a fascinating language and I have already begun translating little sections of scripture. I know I will write more about that experience in updates to come. 

I know I've written a lot here and maybe you've just skipped down to this paragraph. But overall, God is good. He has provided time and time again. He is so faithful and wonderful to us. 

Beth and I would also like to thank all of you for your amazing support. We are blown away by your generosity and your obvious love for us and the Kingdom of God. Keep praying for us...we will be praying for you. 

To God be the glory

ps...here's how I took my student ID photo http://instagram.com/p/d4ol-0tBQ4/

The Move and a Little Exploring

On Aug. 23, 2013, Beth, my parents, two of my siblings Caleb and Lydia, Brandon Lundberg and his cousin Caleb, Reina Wicklund, and two of our friends who are headed to another seminary in Boston left Kalamazoo on a 2-day trek out east. 

The trip out was more encouraging and life giving than we ever could have hoped. Brandon had equipped each vehicle with walkie-talkie's and call signs. Needless to say, the conversations that ensued passed the time quickly and were frequently filled with laughter. 

We arrived at 353 Concord St. Gloucester, MA (our address) the following day and the fun of unpacking, hanging curtains, and figuring out which way the couch fit best ensued! 

We often refer to this home as our Sanctuary in the woods. Our goal heading off to seminary was not just to come back with more knowledge about God, but to develop and deeper love for Him and His Word. This peaceful home, we believe, will be a pivotal aspect of that journey. Once again, God has provided! (ps...if you or your family would ever like to visit New England, we have a place you crash!)

Our family and friends were able to stay in Boston for a few days before they headed back home and we used that time to explore the city along with some of the local beaches. 

The beauty of God's creation, the rich history, and the energy of the city combined together forms an atmosphere of awe and wonder that can only be traced back to an amazing God. 

Since We've Been Gone

Χαιρετίσματα από τη Βοστώνη!

Greetings from Boston!

Δόξα στον Κύριο και Σωτήρα μας Ιησού Χριστού!

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Ok...so I used Google translate for that one. I am loving my Greek class so far though! Let me step back and give you an update on our lives over the past few months. 

Our goodbye party at gracespring was the last time we saw many of you. We miss you dearly and we thank God for you. After our goodbye party, packing and anxiety kicked into high gear. We moved out of our house on Brook Dr. on August 9 to allow our renters to move in the following weekend. Where did we put all of our stuff you ask? Brandon Lundberg (student formally from gracespring) and his family offered to store our belonging in their trailer as well as drive it out to Boston for us. Beth and I are so thankful for the Lundberg's generosity and for Brandon's mad driving skills. This not only saved us a lot of money, but it allowed us to spend quality time with Brandon and his cousin Caleb who made the drive too. Thank you Father for Your blessing and provision! 

Beth's mother, Betty, graciously allowed us(Edgar included!) to live with her until we left for Boston. As the days counted down and the time grew nearer for us to leave, Beth and I were both filled with a lot of emotions. The sadness of leaving our families, friends, and community was more overwhelming than we had anticipated. What was strange though was the excitement for our pending adventure was equally surprising in a positive direction. God knew we needed to experience both to have closure leaving Kalamazoo. 

Then, the day came, August 23, 2013.