It's that time again to update you on our lives over this past year, with our Christmas Letter! Which is a good thing, since we were pretty awful at blogging this year. Here goes the update.
Sam is 2.5 years into seminary, and we are still confirmed that this is where we need to be. He took Intro to Counseling this semester and "found out" that he is a perfectionist, and lives with a major perfectionist -- oh the clarity it brought! This year has by far been the craziest year in seminary. We have been so blessed by his new job at Apple, especially because he loves it so much... but it has added a whole new craziness to our schedules. During the holidays, he's been working 35+ hours a week in the midst of finals! Yikes! He made it through finals though, and is finally enjoying a little time to himself, as well as doing lots of laundry for me! Love it! He will be taking one J-term class in January, and the second semester will resume the last week of January.
I have been so blessed this year with a wonderful class at South City Community School. I enjoy my students' more everyday and they have brought so much joy to my life. The school itself has been a huge blessing. I have felt loved, nurtured, stretched, and challenged -- a good balance of all of those things makes for a fantastic first trimester to the school year. Nannying has also started looking up, after a rocky start this past August. The kids are beginning to respect me more, which has allowed for us to get along a lot better. Grayson, when talking to a friend about me, even said I was "legit" (yay!). They are in a major time of transition for their family, and could use our prayers. Its also been very exhausting having two jobs. That being said, most days I am just so incredibly thankful that I am doing what I love, that I feel like the energizer bunny!
Sam is still playing drums in the worship band at church, and I continue
to teach Children's Worship once a month. We love our church, and we
are so thankful for feeling loved and cared for by our church family. We
are excited to move into our own building on January 13th! A lot of
praying, fundraising and work days have gone into owning our building,
but it will all be worth it. Our prayer is that we will see the Kingdom
of God growing through our outreach and worship in the neighborhood we
are moving into. Sam will start his internship at South City this May. As you all know, our little dog has been through the ringer this year. She is a champion! In fact, for the first time since July, she drank water this morning (she has been getting it from her food). Sam and I smiled at each other and Sam made the perfect comment, "Its funny how ordinary things that all dogs do, have seemed so unordinary with Ethel. Do you think she feels okay (because her water drinking what such a shock)?" Something as simple as drinking water is GREAT news, for it will help rinse her teeth that have started decaying like crazy. YAY for the small blessings! If there is one word to sum up Ethel's year, it is thankful. Thankful for a living (adorable) dog, thankful for outstanding doctors in Indiana and St. Louis, thankful for parents that have footed doctors bills that we wouldn't be able to, and overall thankfulness for a God that delights in our little dogs!!!!
Being in seminary, we (too) often hear "what are your plans after seminary?" That's a good question! We have no idea. Our plan right now is to move out to South City in May (2013). This is the part of St. Louis where our church and the school I teach at are and we spend about 10+ hours a week going to and from South City (about 30min from our apartment now). It makes the most sense for us to live in South City for convenience (especially with Sam starting his internship) and it will also give us more opportunity to be involved in church ministries. Our apartment at Gulf Drive has been wonderful, but it has also felt very isolated and is not in a very nice/convenient part of STL. We look forward to apartment hunting in the next few months (NOT the packing part) and finding a new place by Tower Grove Park, which is our favorite park in St. Louis! That being said, right now the "plan" is committing to stay in St. Louis for at least a year after we graduate. My job is wonderful and will eventually be really wonderful with offering part-time teaching and free on sight childcare provided by the mothers of students (amazing!!). We are also hoping staying in St. Louis will be a good time for Sam to pick up more hours at Apple after graduation and a rich time of connection making and gaining more pastoral/church ministry experience.
One word to sum up our year is blessed. We are blessed by each other and our marriage. We are blessed by our sweet pup. We are blessed with parents and in-laws that love us unconditionally, support us, and desire to see us flourish. As well as the overwhelming support of our wonderful extended families, and the great love of our grandmas and grandpas. We are blessed to have wonderful friends in St. Louis, during such a transition phase of life. We are blessed by a seminary that nurtures and teaches Sam and blessed by a school that cares for Katelyn so well. We are blessed to live in a city that gives us opportunity to love others, outside of our comfort zone. We are immensely blessed by our church family and the way they loves us and point us to Jesus. I could go on forever. Thank you Lord for blessing us, even though we are so undeserving of all of these blessings!
And as we come in to Christmas, we are blessed to worship our King! "Hark the Herald Angels Sing, GLORY to the NEWBORN KING!" Hoping that you have a blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
We love you.
Love,
Sam, Katelyn & Ethel
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