Back from Seattle

We were greeted with this party as we arrived back in La Mision

Happy New Year. Actually, New Decade!

Erin and I returned on Saturday from a long trip to Washington. As we sit and look back on the trip, there are many things that stand out. One is that we were there for a long time. We went to an amazing wedding of some close friends and it was great to be there. This was why we decided to be in Seattle for the whole month. Second, we went to work trying to raise money to support our mission. We both found out that we don't really like this part of our job, but it is necessary. The need for survival makes you bold. By the end of the trip, I was lining up dinners with people at Starbucks when I would run into them.

After a lot of meetings and odd jobs, we finally arrived at Christmas. It was a very wonderful time. We spent a lot of time together with the Cantini family. We always have incredible food with them.

All in all, it was so nice to be in Seattle with all of our friends and family. We were blessed by so many people who were so giving to us. But deep down inside, I was longing to be in La Mision. I literally felt pain from being away from our home. I would think of the people I would see when I would return to church, and it literally hurt. I was ready to get back home.

That is a good sign. We were confirmed that while being in Seattle surrounded by our great community, wonderful family, awesome food, and a huge TV, we missed our true home.

As we drove into La Mision on Saturday, we were greeted with a huge birthday party for Fred Imanuel. He turned one. He didn't know what was going on. But they threw a huge party for him with Pizza, a bouncy castle, facepainting, and of course a pinyata.

Church did not disappoint either. It was so good to be back in worship and with all of our friends that we missed so deeply.

As we were driving south on I-5 for a long, long time, we both began to feel the excitement of getting to work in the community and all of the wonderful ways that God is working in our lives this year. We are so grateful for all of the support that we continue to receive and we feel honored to be able to partner with you to live our lives fully for Christ!