Friday July 2, 2010 - Portland, Oregon

Today I officially accepted a Call to Emanuel Lutheran Church, Santa Barbara (and yes, a new web site will be a first priority!). It's been an ongoing discussion process for the last three months. They sent the Call paperwork to Gena's aunt/uncle/grandmother's place in Baltimore - which was eons ago, it seems. We've been so far, in so many ways - physically, emotionally, spiritually since then. We believe that the Holy Spirit has been at work through all of this, and we're excited to start this next stage of our family adventure.

Of course, this has sort of preoccupied our thoughts. Today, we got little done after making the phone call to the congregational president of Emanuel, and then notifying our friends & family by phone, Facebook, and e-mail. Gena and I spent a good portion of the day reviewing potential houses to rent in the Santa Barbara area on Craigslist, and lamenting the high real estate prices. We know the right thing will turn up - we just want to know what it is right now ;-)

The tentative plan is to arrive in Santa Barbara in early August - hopefully to get moved in and settled before an installation service likely on 8/15. If we don't find anything suitable in terms of rentals right away, we have friends in Camarillo that we could probably convince to let us stay with them - for the right price.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and concerns, your open doors & hearts over the last four months. As we begin to prepare for the final leg of our wanderings, we have so many good times to look back on. Thanks for making that possible and being a part of it all.

The other important event for the day was the completion of the freezer jam project. It was mostly raspberries today, with a little more strawberry as well. The kids were more or less willing and exuberant assistants - more willing and exuberant at least about sampling things as the process moved along. Can't wait to taste it!