Jer & Er Times November

(This is a copy of what we mail out to friends interested in what we are doing. 

Posting here for all our online friends who maybe don't know what we are up to or want to know more. Regular blog post will come soon!)

JER & ER TIMES

(Along with Shannon, Forest & Heidi)

Making Washington Home

October 2017 

Thank you for all your prayers as we settle in here, in Washington.  It’s been a good three months- filled with unpacking, finding our way around, and learning so many new things.  To re-cap . . .

July- We were able to spend time at the Church of God family camp (the church denomination that Double K is part of), and were able to make some good connections with people who have been invested here at DK for a lot of years.  Our kids enjoyed being part of the children’s program during the week and are already counting down until next year! Jeremiah was able to get to know the summer staff and build relationships with them, that will carry on to the following summer.  Mentoring these college student staff is a really important part of our summer, and we are looking forward to leading them next year.

August- Jeremiah started the month with getting his “Swiftwater Rescue Technician” certification.  Thank you so much for all the prayers during these days- it was very challenging but he was able to complete it and learn so much.  A new family member joined us as well- Elsa, our Siberian Husky Puppy.

September- Our summer camp season wound down and the year-round staff prepared for a trip to Canada.  The staff was able to be together for a week, in challenging (read: freezing) conditions and to learn how to best work together.  Jeremiah was able to get some great experience on the river and came back feeling a lot more confident in his river skills.  The kids and I (Erika) had a good week at home, working on getting our school routine more in order.  We also were able to start attending Awana at the church we’ve been attending (Christian and Missionary Alliance).  We are getting to know some great people and feeling more at home on Sundays.  Heidi turned four on the 20^th and we had a fun “Rainbow Birthday” with all her friends . . . our fellow staff members.

The month ended with DK hosting the women’s retreat for the Church of God.  Our directors were out of town, so Jeremiah and I were able to lead the retreat and enjoy hearing how God is working in the lives of the women here in the PNW.  While fighting periods of intense grieving for our friends and family in Florida, we also started finding our way around more and meeting new people.  Thank you for standing with us during these hard days.

October-   The weather is cooling off and the leaves are changing!  We are enjoying our first fall since we lived in Syracuse, back in 2000.  The kids are enjoying their first fall and trying to figure out why I keep suggesting they put more clothing on.  We are looking forward to my parents coming to visit and meeting my new sisters!  Lots of weekend retreats coming up, as well as planning for the next year.

Thankful in Grief

Everyone in our family has gone through different phases of grief during the last three months.  We miss friends, our familiar routine, familiar grocery stores and our church family.  One thing is clear- we are reminded how lucky we are to have so much to grieve!  We are thankful for such amazing friends and co-workers who loved us so dearly.  Thankful for friends for our kids and an amazing church family that we are so sad to be away from, and for years of being able to work with children and families.  What an honor to have had our lives filled with so many amazing people and thankful for technology to keep in contact!  Please text, call or email anytime!