Pulling Through

Good news! We found a vehicle for Jenn to drive. Our 1996 Cherokee has done so well for us (even with the lift, tires, and endless trail beatings in the mountains of CA and CO) that we decided to buy a 1997 Cherokee for Jennifer. It looks like it will be a good vehicle for her and I've logged enough hours under the hood of this type of Jeep to be able to anticipate or fix the majority of problems that come up.

This week also marks the forming of the first small group of CTK Durango. Heidi has put together a group of professional women she has met over the last few weeks. Jenn (my wife) and Daena (who just moved here from Salinas as well) will be joining Heidi and four or five other women every Wednesday night for dinner. It is so exciting to hear the stories of how each of these women, in their own way, has expressed to Heidi that they have yet to find a place in "church" or have not felt comfortable in churches. These same women are now becoming part of CTK Durango!

Please pray for Heidi and the girls as they befriend women in Durango. Pray that God would give them insight and passion for these new friendships and that these women would come to know a relationship with God.

Another piece of good news--Steve (my partner and our small groups pastor) arrives some time this afternoon. He just finished teaching summer school in Salinas and now we're ready to get started here! We need to find him a place to live and some part-time work.

Ever step of the way, so far, proves to be more exhilirating than the last. I am really looking forward to building some momentum with this church. September 8th will be our information meeting where we invite anyone from the community to join our project in Durango--I am anxious to see who God brings to that meeting, especially in light of all that is happenning already without being advertised or promoted publicly.

The Road Gets Bumpy

This past week was a tough one. We're still trying to flesh out the details of our finances which is working, but an arduous process for an extreme non-detail person like myself. To add to the financial melee, Jenn's Suburban threw a rod on Thursday requiring a new motor (the one I sold for $200 before we left Salinas because I didn't want to haul it to CO would have worked fine). Friday night, since we were down to one car, I thought I would do a little work on the Jeep so it would be easier for Jenn to drive and I broke more parts trying to fix it--barely getting it together in time to drive to work the next morning. We're trying to keep our composure, but these events have been frustrating to say the least. Church last night was good for me as we are talking about provision and the reality that God's provision does not depend on my capacity to make the right choices so much as it relies on my faith in the God who has put us here and promised to care for his children and his church.

For those of you praying for us, we are trying to figure out how to replace Jenn's car for the moment balancing price and reliability. Mostly, I would appreciate your prayer for our perspective...for grace...for wisdom...for faith.

Ready to Go!

Well, I'm back in Durango! The time has come to actually do what we came here to do. My first good news is that I got a part time job driving tourists through the mountains in a Hummer. I can't think of a better way to earn money than off-roading in someone else's $100k vehicle! I'm looking forward to learning all the trails around here and getting to know the guys I work with.

Last night CTK Durango met at our house-it was the Daniels, us, and my parents who were visiting (considering a move to Durango). It was the first time I tried to include a teaching and worship element into our meeting (we've been having dinner together and just hanging out so far). It was good. I think we are all feeling a sort of "worship vaccuum" even though we've been visiting churches in the mornings. I enjoyed the time to reflect on God's Word and share with each other.

Back from Mexico

I just got back from Mexico. It was a great trip! We finished the house we set out to build and the kids did great. My favorite part of the trip was when I was able to have the students commission Silver (Joe and Heidi's daughter who has been one of my high school students) to our mission in Durango. It was a precious moment to have kids pray for their friend who was moving away to be part of this church. I can't help but wonder what this is all going to look like to Silver and her brothers (and my kids, for that matter) years from now. Church, to them, will be something very different than what I grew up with. I'm so excited to have these young people with us to see what they eventually do with what we are only beginning to build now.
On Wednesday, Silver and I fly out to Durango. I really miss Jenn and the kids who I will not have seen for two weeks and I know Silver is looking forward to seeing her family who she hasn't seen for almost six weeks.