From: David Jones [david.jones@lbfc.org]
Sent: Sat 7/12/2003 10:17 PM
Subject: Re: Keeping Up...

July 12, 2003

[Dave's section]

Wow! Much has happened since we wrote to you last week. We were on our way to church after we sent last week's letter and we told you we would let you know how things went. We found the church family to be just that, a church family. They seem to be a group of people who truly love each other and Jesus. We definitely missed the youth worship band and would like to remind you not to take that for granted; keep striving for excellence worship team!! One of the things that made us feel at home was their greeting time. Like LBFC, they actually move around when they greet one another. We found out later that they had to cut back on greeting time because they were taking 15 minutes every Sunday; a good problem to have, I think.

On Monday, the pastor called us and asked if he and another member of the church could come over in the evening. We agreed and what was supposed to be a 20 minute conversation turned into over an hour. They told us about themselves and asked us a lot of questions about ourselves. In short, they made us feel really welcome and they gave us a clear representation, both verbally and in writing (they had a couple of informational handouts), about what the church is all about. From the standpoint of a newcomer, their efforts to reach out to us made us feel wanted and valued; a reflection of how Christ sees us. It was the first time that I have ever received a home visit from a pastor. Perhaps, as you are seeking to reach the community, you might want to think about creating a brochure about the church that includes the times of services, Sunday school, small group meetings, sporting events, other bible studies, youth group meetings, etc. You might also think about organizing a team of people who would be willing to make phone calls to visitors and even ask if they would like a visit. If you do something like this, I would recommend doing it in pairs. Or you might do something totally different to fit the context. However, I do know that there is power in the pursuit of people, and Emily and I have felt that in our first two weeks as newcomers to this area. Whatever we do, may we pursue others with the passion that Jesus pursues us!

Today, the pastor of the church rang our doorbell at about 3 p.m. to remind us of a dinner that the college/career Sunday school class was having today. We decided to go and ended up having a great time getting to know some of the younger people in the church. Most of them have little kids (our parents will be glad we're hanging out with people who have kids) and they are in their 20s and 30s. We still haven't met many of the youth because they are only getting back tonight from a mission trip to Canada. We are looking forward to seeing them in church tomorrow and meeting them. At this point, we are serving God and giving Him glory in the new relationships He is bringing into our lives. I also think that God wants to unleash His power in the men in this church and I ask for your prayers in how I can be part of that, starting with my own reckless abandon for the sake of Christ! For those of you who went the UYWI, let's not be civilized in our Christianity!

I have other news that you might care to hear. On Thursday, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools offered me a teaching position at F.L. Schlagle high school! For sports fans, this is the high school Maurice Green attended. It is an inner-city school with a vision, and I am excited to be part of what is happening there. The principal is a man of faith who enjoys taking risks and looks for people who will live on the cutting edge for the sake of their students. The school is about 55% black, 30% Hispanic, 10% white, and a small % Asian. I definitely felt like I was at home when I drove into the neighborhood!!!. God is to be praised for this job because it is the job I was hoping for in a time when job openings here are virtually nonexistent. Emily has a friend whose wife spent over a month looking for jobs and finally found one that is a one-hour commute each way. I spent only about four days looking for a job before being offered a contract! God surely is providing as He said He would. Why should we be surprised? The way in which it happened is a story in itself: Last Monday, after being told time after time, day after day, "I'm sorry, we don't have any positions for this fall." I dialed the number to Schlagle high school. A man answered and I told him who I was and what I wanted. He said, "Well, I'm the principal of the school. I just happened to be picking some things up from my desk when you called. I'm actually on vacation. How can I help you?" I told him that I would like to come and talk to him, show him my portfolio, etc. He told me I would have to go through the district office first and then they would be able to schedule an interview. I persisted that I just needed a little bit of his time, and he finally said, "Okay. Why don't you meet me at the high school at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow?" I enthusiastically accepted his offer and worked the rest of the day filling out paperwork for the school district and preparing myself for our meeting. The next day I arrived at the school early and met the principal, Mr. Bolden, in his office. Two hours later, after an excellent conversation and a guided tour of the school, Mr. Bolden expressed that he would like to hire me, but he didn't know if things would work out at the district level. That was Tuesday. On Thursday, an administrator from the district called and told me that Mr. Bolden had requested to have me as an English teacher for the fall. "Would you like to accept our offer?" It took about a nanosecond to say that I would and the rest is paperwork and thanksgiving. Thanks for your prayers!

[Emily's section]

Hi! First off, sorry I haven't been as much a part of filling you in on our Kansas happenings as Dave has; he writes while I read, and let me tell you, I'd much rather have his job! I have probably read more in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last 4 years put together. And though most of it is pretty interesting stuff, it's sometimes not so fun to get out of class at 5:00 and know that I have over 200 pages of reading to do by the next day. So, if ever you wonder what Emily's life looks like in Kansas, imagine me at various spots in our house, reading, always reading!

On the bright side, the reading isn't all that bad, and I am already starting to acclimate pretty well into student life again. (After years of office attire, I love wearing tshirts, shorts, flip-flops, and a backpack!) And this week has been better in terms of getting to know the other students in the MPA program. Last week I was feeling rather lonely and left out, because they had already been in class together for a month before I arrived. However, this last week afforded some times for me to get to know different people, and I hope those times continue. Pray for me as I continue to seek what God will have me do and be in this group of graduate students.

Other random, fun Kansas details that you might enjoy:

Well, my fun facts are over, and I'm off to bed. Much love to you all!