Closing one chapter...starting another

Yesterday was a bittersweet day for me as we had our last Sunday services at Don Callejon School before moving into our newly renovated facility. South Bay Church has been meeting at DCS for the past 3.5 years and there are so many wonderful memories and "God-stories" in that place.

Here are a few of my most memorable moments from our first 3.5 years as a church:

• November 16, 2008- Our first ever public service. So much work. So much prayer. So much publicity. So much nervous energy. We weren't sure if anyone would show up or if it would just be our staff holding hands in a circle singing Kum-Ba-Yah. But 125 people from our community showed up that day and a church was born. 
• May 3, 2009- Our first baptism service. 18 people, most of whose stories I personally knew, decided to get baptized that day. I watched with tears streaming down my face as those people came out of the water pumping their fists in the air as if to say, "I feel so ALIVE in Jesus!" I thought to myself, "You are the reason we moved to California. You are the reason we started South Bay Church. And you are so worth it!"
• We met outside under a tent on the school's blacktop during our first two summers because we weren't allowed to use the gym. Much to our surprise, we grew a lot each summer. 
• 3 years of Easter egg hunts 
• Loving our city by helping with all of the Santa Clara city events: 4th of July Festival, City Street Dance, Art & Wine Festival
• 4 years of Christmas Eve services
• Passing out thousands of door hangers
• Receiving hateful phone calls from the thousands of door hangers :-)
• Giving a young widow with 4 children a minivan
• August 29, 2010: Sammy's first day at South Bay
• Establishing our first international partnership with Ethiopia via Compassion International
• 2 years of Kids' Games
• Staff parties- oh, how I adore our staff
• Seeing our growing base of volunteers serve their hearts out: set up, tear down, first impressions team, BayKids leaders, production crew, life group leaders, office volunteers, special events, and on and on and on. It is a humbling and beautiful thing to see so many people give so many hours in efforts to show God's love to their community
• Having my kids tell me about what they're learning in BayKids and hear them quote their memory verse.
• Watching the culture of South Bay take root... our people serve sacrificially, give generously, invite their friends and family intentionally, and love without walls
• Hearing stories of lives that have been changed. Every single one is significant and just blows my mind at the goodness of God.
• Praying and fasting with Andy and/or our staff on behalf of our church and our city
• Celebrating 286 people who have made first time decisions to follow Christ and 152 people who have decided to be baptized since the beginning of South Bay Church

South Bay has grown from 3 families who didn't know anyone in the Silicon Valley to a 40 person Launch Team to having 919 people in attendance yesterday. So many lives have been changed through a local public school that was transformed into holy ground every Sunday. I realize that the "Church" is the people of God, not a building. But that particular building will forever be special to me. 

God did this. He gets all the credit and glory and honor for it. What a privilege and indescribably JOY to get to be a small part of this big thing that HE is doing. 

As we close this chapter and begin writing the next, we believe with every fiber in our beings that the best is yet to come! We will see you next Sunday at 1180 Murphy Avenue, San Jose, CA 95131.

One

There is ONE reason why we moved to California. ONE reason why we would pick up to move 3,000 miles away from family whom we love very deeply and miss very much. ONE reason we would take a risk and start over in a place (a very expensive place) where we knew no one.

That ONE reason is the hope of seeing lives changed by the love and power of God.

Every time we have a baptism celebration at South Bay, I am reminded of why we came. It feels so right and good and exhilarating to hear people's stories and to see them embrace the life changing message of Jesus. I stand in the crowd cheering them on, sometimes choking back tears, thinking to myself, "YOU are the reason that we moved. And you are so worth it."

Here's a story of ONE life that was changed. I hope it touches your heart the way it touched mine.

Way to go, Marian! We are so happy for you!!!

Pics of Our Apartment

Several people had asked to see some pics of our new apartment, so I thought I'd just upload a few. It's nothing fancy, but we were able to fit everything in and we love it! We really feel like God has placed us in an ideal location to launch this church.

If, by chance, you're thinking to yourself, "Wow, that looks really neat and orderly!"...you should come open my closets! These apartments have virtually no extra storage, so every closet is stacked floor to ceiling with Tupperware! But as long as we keep the closet doors closed, no one will ever know! Well, except for you, that is...

Why you should never attempt to smell BENGAY... September 5, 2008

Yesterday Andy strained a muscle in his back while helping Filipe unload their trailor. Being the ever-compassionate wife that I am, I volunteered to give him a back rub last night. After rubbing his back for a few minutes I remembered that I had some BENGAY muscle relaxer. As I went to get it Andy protested saying, "NO, that stuff stinks!" Trying to reassure him I replied, "It's not too bad. Kinda smells like wintergreen." To prove my point I opened the top of the tube and took a big whiff just in time for a huge blob to squirt up my nose and in my eye! Have you ever had BENGAY in your eye? You know that hot/cold sensation it's supposed to create? Doesn't feel so great in your eye. And, well, for that fresh wintergreen smell that I was talking about...I got to enjoy it all night!

How we turned a 12 hour trip into a 30 hour trip! September 4, 2008

Oh, the joys of traveling with a 2 year old! This is my first post since we've been here in CA. It's been all unpacking for us these days. But I couldn't NOT tell you about our trip out here...maybe the very worst traveling experience I've ever had. I would have never made it if it hadn't been for my mom. She's amazing.

The plan was to drive to Charlotte, fly to Atlanta, fly to San Jose, and drive to our apartment only 5 miles away. Simple enough, right? We all knew it was going to be a long day, but we never anticipated how long!

Everything was going just as planned as we arrived at our gate in Charlotte. Caedmon did great going through security and was playing so sweetly right up to the point it was time to board. That's when the delays started. Not sure if you saw this on the news, but last Tuesday (the day we were traveling) the FAA's computer system in Atlanta crashed so they had to manually enter about 3,000 flights! That meant Atlanta was completely gridlocked. Hardly anything was getting into or out of Atlanta. So we waited, and waited, and Caedmon started melting down, and we waited some more. We finally boarded the plane 2 hours after our scheduled time of departure, and then sat on the runway for 2 more hours! By the time we got to Atlanta, we had missed all outgoing flights to CA and needed to spend the night in Atlanta.

So you have to picture this in your head. I have a 30 pound duffel bag strapped to my back, I'm pulling the carseat on a roller thing, and I'm carrying 30 pound Caedmon because he's too tired to walk. My mom is also weighted down and we have no idea where we're supposed to go or what we need to do. An airline employee finally tells us to walk "this way" and we will see all the hotel shuttles and they told us which hotel to go to for a discounted rate. So we walk (I'm not exaggerated) somewhere between 1/2 mile and 1 mile winding around the Atlanta airport. My arms are shaking from being so fatigued by carrying Caedmon.

We get to the hotel shuttles and it is absolute chaos. There are people everywhere and there is no organized system for where the shuttles park. There are about 50 parking slots that are first come, first serve so you just have to walk up and down the sidewalk (with all your stuff) looking for the right hotel. I saw our hotel's shuttle driving by, so my mom turned to go chase it down! She tripped over someone's luggage and fell, tore her pants, and skint her knee! I was so relieved that she didn't also break her arm!!!

Here's how the rest of the night unfolded:

10:30p check into hotel, quick bath for Caedmon

11:00p lights out, Caedmon is in bed with me because there's no pack-n-play available

11:45p Caedmon finally stops talking and falls asleep

1:30a phone rings for our wake up call that we DID NOT ask for

3:00a Caedmon falls out of bed

5:00a Caedmon suddenly sits up and jumps on top of me like a WWE wrestler. He clings to my neck like a monkey until he falls back asleep.

7:00a Caedmon is up for good. Quick shower. No need to change clothes or do my hair and makeup because I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO THAT WITH! So much for looking nice for Andy when he picks us up!

9:00a Back through security...this time with Caedmon laying on the ground kicking his feet.

We finally made it to San Francisco later that day. We were supposed to fly to San Jose, but, whatever, that's close enough. Caedmon slept a total of 8 hours in a time span when he normally would have slept 18 hours! Needless to say, he was on the verge of a meltdown at any moment for the next 3 days. But we made it and things are starting to settle down!

Our New Apartment; August 27, 2008

Here's the website for our new apartments. There's a photo gallery if you're interested in seeing pictures. We are so excited about this place! Here are my top ten reasons:

10- We were able to get a 3-bedroom (and a little extra space goes a long way in keeping my sanity in tact).

9- There are 3,000 units to this complex which means that there are over 7,000 people living here. It's like a small town. Great way to meet people.

8- There are multiple pools and, very important, they are all heated year-round! (The reason that is important is because I'm from South Carolina so I don't swim in water that cooler than 80 degrees. I know, I know, I'm a wimp.)

7- There are 3 work out facilities that residents can use for free and a 1/2 mile walking track outside.

6- There is a "Moms' Club" that I can join to meet other young moms.

5- There are multiple playgrounds in the complex for Caedmon to enjoy.

4- The apartments are less than a mile and a half away from Rivermark, which is the centerpoint that we're trying to target as we launch South Bay Church.

3- Andy has already seen people playing pick-up games of soccer, so I might get to bust out my old soccer cleats.

2- There is a Starbucks less than 100 yards from our apartment! (I mean, really, what more could you ask for?!)

AND, THE NUMBER ONE REASON WE LOVE OUR NEW HOME IS...

1- Mandy, Filipe, Lily, and Cailyn live less than 100 yards away from us! Talk about doing ministry and living life as a team! Ah, I'm so excited!

Tomorrow is the Big Day! August 25, 2008

Caedmon, my mom, and I will be traveling all day tomorrow and will arrive "home" in California late tomorrow night. Here's the plan...we will leave Columbia, SC about 1:30p to drive to Charlotte, NC to catch a 4:30p flight. We will fly to Atlanta, GA where we have a quick layover before the long leg of the trip to San Jose. We will arrive in San Jose at 12:30a South Carolina time (9:30p CA time), get our bags, and head to our apartment which is less than 5 miles from the airport.

Hmmm...I wonder how Caedmon will do. If you read this blog in time, please take a minute to pray for him...that he will be calm and have peace and be cooperative throughout the day. It's going to be a tough day for him as he will be missing his nap (1:00-3:30) and his bedtime (7:30). Which means it has the potential to be a tough day for ME (and all of the other very blessed passengers who get to sit near me)! Pray that God would allow us to have bulkhead seating (the row where no one sits in front of you). The last time we tried to put Caedmon's car seat on the airplane, he kicked the row in front of him the whole flight which meant I had to restrain his legs with my arms the whole flight. That could make for a very long 6 hour flight! If we don't get bulkhead (which we won't know until we get to the gate) we just won't take his car seat on board and then his feet won't reach the row in front of him. But, if we don't have the car seat, I doubt he'll fall asleep. So, just pray we get the bulkhead!

It is amazing to me how a child can be so adorable and sweet one minute and the next minute act like something you'd see in "The Exorcist". Caedmon is one of those kids. People remark all the time about what a mild-mannered, sweet-tempered, charming little boy he is. And, most of the time, he is just that. What those same people don't see is when he's screaming at the dinner table because he doesn't like what I offer him, or when he just sits down (in the middle of a parking lot) and simply refuses to stand up and walk another step, or when I tell him it's time to come inside and he tries to slap me! I could go on, but I don't want to make my child look like some out of control wild man that should be on "Super-Nanny."

I'm just trying to build my case that I really do need you to pray for us tomorrow as we travel. With Caedmon, it can be hit or miss. Tomorrow, I'm praying for a home-run hit!

Why I would follow my husband to the ends of the earth...and enjoy doing it! August 18, 2008

It's no secret that church planting can be grueling, at least among church planters and their wives. Take a starry eyed, visionary couple with great dreams of reaching their city and look at them again one year into the church plant...you'll often find two people exhausted, disillusioned, disconnected from each other, and frustrated with the progress that's (not) been made. I've been to many church planting events and I hear the same emotions over and over again from wives who have carried a burden far too heavy and made enormous sacrifices for the sake of the church. Their husbands may be feeling the same way, but more often I find that their husbands are excited, motivated, and have no idea that their wife is dying on the inside and beginning to wonder if she is on the verge of losing her mind!

I have such compassion for these wives. One, because I've been there. Andy and I went through some indescribably difficult times with Breakthrough. (Starting the church 6 months into marriage at the age of 22 with no money were contributing factors to those hard times!) The other reason I have such compassion for these brave church planters' wives is because much of what they are going through is the result of decisions that their husbands have made and they feel helpless in their ability to change anything about their circumstances. They are just holding on for dear life to a rope connected to a car going 100 miles an hour. The drivers of these cars (their husbands) seem to have no rear-view mirror in which to see their poor wives flopping along behind them as they drive valiantly onward to change the world. The emotional damage that this can cause a wife (and, no doubt, a marriage) takes a long time and a lot of intentionality to repair.

Andy and I often talk about the fact that, in years to come, we will likely have the opportunity to share our story of church planting with other church planting families that are getting started. Andy sometimes asks me what I would want to say to the wives and I always reply, "To the wives, I will just listen compassionately. But to the husbands, I've got an ear-full to say to them!"
That brings me to my explanation of the title for this post: why I would follow my husband to the ends of the earth...and enjoy doing it! The process for starting South Bay Church has felt enormously different than our first church and quite different than most of the stories I'm hearing from other church planting wives. I attribute much of this to the diligent and wise planning on behalf of my husband. Most church planters, my husband included, are activists...meaning that they feel most connected to God when traveling at mock 10. Planning is not on their lists of "Most Fun Things I Like to Do". But, Andy took note of how difficult the launch of Breakthrough was on both of us, applied wisdom to his heart, and did the hard work of advanced planning to make things run much smoother.

During this 18 month preparation phase:

1- We sold our house in Texas. No moving to CA with a double mortgage.

2- Andy raised our full salary AND the full operating budget for South Bay Church for the first three years. I could stopped the list right here and that would be amazing.

3- Andy & I made two trips to CA so I could be familiar with the area. (Andy made an additional two trips without me.)

4- We have a South Bay Church post office box, bank account, and giving website.

5- We have a logo already designed and a website in process.

6- We've been able to spend extended time with family and say healthy goodbyes. We feel emotionally refreshed and energized to hit the field.

7- Andy has been watching Craig's List like a hawk all summer to find us somewhere to live. I haven't had to worry about it at all.

8- AND, this is incredible, right now my husband is somewhere in Arizona driving the largest Penske truck you can drive without having your CDL. He drove back to Texas, loaded all of our stuff into a truck, and is single-handedly driving to CA to set up our house. All the while, Caedmon and I have been on "vacation" with my mom & dad...going to the zoo, the lake, the park. Caedmon and I will fly to CA, be picked up by my husband and driven to a house where the furniture is already set up! AMAZING!!

Andy has done everything he can think of to eliminate as much stress as possible. Don't get me wrong, this church plant will have stressful times and there will be sacrifice that is required, but so much of that stress can be relieved with wise planning. God has been so good to us and I don't want to give any glory to Andy that is only due to the Lord, but I just want the world to know how thankful I am to have a husband that values my sanity and emotional well-being enough to do the hard work of strategic planning!

It's Worth It; August 13, 2008

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'" Isaiah 41:13

Today's entry is a little heavier than what I typically write, but this is what has been going on in my heart this week... Andy left Columbia yesterday and began the cross-country trek to California. Caedmon and I will fly to meet him out there in just under 2 weeks and the reality of the move felt so final as I watched him pull away from my parents' house. We will likely never drive our own car back into my parents' driveway because every trip we make from here on out will be on a plane. To me that makes the distance feel much further.

I don't think I have had to sacrifice much for the sake of Christ or the cause of the gospel. Maybe a few friendships along the way or certain activities, but certainly nothing compared to the sacrifices the Apostle Paul made or that persecuted Christians all over the world are making even as I write these words. By most accounts, the road I've walked has been easy, even convenient, as I have followed Christ.

But the greatest sacrifice I feel like the Lord has led me to make is giving up being geographically close to my family. It is that sacrifice that is heavy on my heart today. Most days I get along just fine. After the initial shock of moving away from home five years ago, I got adjusted to living far away and most days are not hard. But today I feel like I'm moving to another country and life will look very different now.

It has brought me such deep joy and pleasure this summer as I've watched Caedmon develop relationships and attachments to each of our family members. He knows each person by name and has special games that he plays with different people. I'm incredibly grateful for this season that we've had, but it has been a bitter-sweet experience knowing that our time together will soon end. For me the pain is knowing that Caedmon will not remember this summer and these precious people who love him so deeply will not be apart of his daily life.

It may not seem like some great sacrifice. There are millions of people who don't live close to family for various reasons and it may or may not be painful to them. But, for me, this is my sacrifice and my heart is aching today. Yet in the same breath I want to acknowledge that it is worth it. The cause is worth the sacrifice. Seeing hundreds and thousands of people who are currently far from God become fully devoted followers of Christ is worth everything I can give during my 80 years on earth. I should not be pitied. Someone should only be pitied if the dividends do not outweigh the investment. But I know that I live with the truth of the gospel and the reality that awaits us in heaven is more vivid and tangible than this very keyboard upon which I type. My life, my sacrifice, is not in vain.

So as Andy drives even now toward our new life, I am so thankful to have a Father in heaven who is holding my hand (see the verse above). And he tells me not to fear because he's going to help me. He's going to help me on the days that I am desperately missing my family. He's going to help me when I need my mom to watch my kids for the weekend, when Caedmon graduates from kindergarten and his grandparents aren't there to take him out for ice cream, when my whole family is together for a special event and I can't be there. He will help me. And he will hold my hand. And he will remind me that the sacrifice is worth it because the gospel is truth and the dividends will far outweigh every sacrificial investment I've made.

On the Road Again...and again...and again! June 24, 08

Can I just say that I am SICK of traveling?! Andy, Caedmon, and I have put over SIX THOUSAND miles on our little green '98 Chevy Malibu in just over TWO MONTHS! That is a lot of miles and a lot of time spent in a car. And, just to make all of those miles and all of that time a little more enjoyable, the air conditioning in the car only works about 60% of the time! Pack and unpack and repack. Toys, booster seat, pack-n-play, a crate full of toiletries, clean clothes, dirty clothes, wet swimsuits, computers, books, sippy cups...we're like a small apartment on wheels. It's really insane. Earlier this week we spent one night in Clermont, FL the next night in Melbourne, FL, the next night in Gainesville, FL, and the next night in Columbia, SC! It's one thing to do that when you're newly weds and life is all just one big adventurous vacation (Andy & I traveled like this our first summer married), but it is quite a different story with a 22 month old child in tow. Caedmon has been forced to become the most flexible baby I know. He can take a two hour nap in his carseat almost as well as he can in his bed. It seems like we're constantly saying to him, "Caedmon, guess who you get to see today!" b/c it's always someone different!He has been such a trooper!

The end is now in sight as Andy is about three weeks away from getting to CA and Caedmon and I will meet him there soon after. Even though we're so excited to get there and ready to be settled, we cannot deny that this summer has been such a gift from God. We've been able to spend extended time with family and so much undistracted time raising support, which is really uncommon for church planters to have. We're thankful for that.

Caedmon and I have a few more trips before this Road to South Bay reaches its final destination. We will be making a trip to Hilton Head, then Myrtle Beach, back to Columbia, quick trip to Gainesville, back to Columbia, and then on to the Bay! By the time I get there, I will not be sad if I do not see a suitcase for a very long time!!!

Moving Day, April 29, 2008

Today is moving day and, surprisingly enough, I find myself cool, calm, and collected. Very different than the other four moves Andy and I have been through. It probably has something to do with the fact that we just moved in December (4 months ago) and I never unpacked about 50% of our stuff! Our friends are coming over this afternoon to help us load the truck and almost everything in our house is already in the garage. The thing I find myself most stressed out about is that I will be losing internet connection after today! Funny how dependent you can become on something that the generation before us never new they were missing! The new place that we'll be temporarily staying does not have internet, so I'm not too sure how I'll pay my bills, respond to emails, etc... So if I don't get a post up for a while, that's why. Okay, back to packing and cleaning my house!