New Beginnings...

Well, its time for an update!  Many things have taken place in the last couple of weeks and we can't believe we have already lived here for a month!

Lets begin with Allen:
At the end of this week, Allen will have heard about 600 students audition for the choral program at Luther.  No, that was not a typing error--600 college students!  Out of the approximately 2500 students that attend Luther, a fourth of them auditioned to be in choir!  Isn't that amazing?  Eventhough he has come home worn out the past couple of nights, he is really glad to be starting school.  He was getting a bit antsy.   The faculty here have been so welcoming, and he is impressed with how things work here.  In addition to Nordic Choir (the top choral ensemble at Luther), Allen will be teaching a conducting class and choral methods class.  He has been working hard on organizing his classes, planning repertoire, and thinking ahead to Christmas at Luther, which a huge event on campus this December.  Since we have been here, he has been offered two church positions--both of which he turned down.  No, that wasn't a typing error, either!  :)  He is really wanting to focus his efforts.   Even though first years are always hard, I believe it is going to be a very satisfying experience for him.  Since we have moved here, God has really been working in his life.  Allen is really seeking Him and depending upon Him like never before.

And now to Caroline:
Caroline started school August 19th.  The public school began a new Pre-K program this year and she is a member of the Pre-K class at Westside Early Childhood Center.  We were choosing between public school and the Montessori school.  In the end, we feel that the public school is going to suit her better.  God provided her a Christian teacher who is really great with the kids.  Caroline really loves it.  She comes out of that school each day with a huge smile on her face!  She was so ready to meet new kids and make friends. This whole process has shown us just how social she is.  She is like Allen in that way.  She has craved friendship and has begged for play-dates.  We were so used to a "play-date" lifestyle in Houston.  She really had a close network of friends at Holy Spirit and at Tallowood.  You wouldn't think a move like this would affect a 4 year old, but it does.   She has actually shed a few tears as she talks about the friends she misses in Houston.  To help her establish some new friendships, we have enrolled her in dance and Kindermusik classes.  We have also been attending a larger church up in Rochester, MN that has a well-developed preschool and children's ministry.  More on that later.    Decorah has so many activities for children.  It is really amazing!  We could easily over schedule her if we aren't careful!  Caroline loves the park nearby and the trips we make to the Whippy Dip for ice cream.  She also loves her new room and spends a lot of time in there playing princess.  Please keep praying that she will adjust to life here and make meaningful friendships.

Julianne is doing great.  She can stand on her own now and can walk while holding my hand.  I think she could probably do it all on her own--she just isn't sure about it yet.  She is talking up a storm and learning new words pretty rapidly.  She is so much fun.  Her smile will melt your heart.  Her sense of humor is contagious.  It is amazing the things she will do to get me to laugh.  She loves to make faces--on purpose!  Like her sister, she is a spitfire.  She's strong, and we love that about her.  Its funny the things she tries to get away with.  I simply tell her,  "Your sister has trained me well--you will not get away with that kind of behavior, so you might as well stop trying."  Of course, she doesn't understand a word I say, but I feel better having said them.   Her favorite animal in the whole wide world is the yellow duck.  She says the word with such verve and intensity:  "DUCK!"  After she says the word with over-articulated diction, she then lets out a "quack, quack!"  I still laugh when she says it.  For Halloween we were planning to put Julianne in the flower costume Caroline wore at 18 months old, but we decided that she just has to be a duck.  

McCoy is slowing getting back to normal.  Losing your best friend and having to move to a new place can really be shocking to a dog.  He's been depressed, but seems to be coming around.  I try to walk him everyday and he loves that.  We have a public sidewalk just a few feet from our house and it has been hard for him to keep quiet as he sees various people walking and biking so close to our windows.  We've talked about getting another dog, but I think we are going to wait until McCoy is completely settled and back to normal.  It may be next year before that happens.  He is really great with the girls.  Just today he trotted up to both of them, wagging his tail, and tried to kiss them.  Caroline knew to turn quickly but Julianne got a big fat kiss right on her nose.  She wrinkled her nose and immediately tried to wipe it with her hands.

And finally, my update.  It looks like I am going to be joining the voice faculty at Luther!  I am teaching on a part-time basis, since Julianne is still a baby.  I want to spend as much time with the girls as I can.  I'm really excited to meet the students though, and to be a part of a college music faculty again.  I really want to get a Bible study started and my hope is to begin one here at home next Spring.  But, I am keeping this semester in my heart and prayers if God has other plans.  I am also planning to take Hebrew.  I'm signing up for it tomorrow, in fact.  I'm really excited about this--I've always wanted to learn the Biblical languages.  There is also a women's Bible study that I am going to take part in each week.  I'm really excited to meet other women who love Jesus and are seeking Him.  It is an interdenominational study--so women from over 8 different churches are attending.  We are going through the Bible study co-authored by Beth Moore, Priscilla Shrier (sp), and Kay Arthur.  I think Tallowood offered this study the summer I had Julianne.  I had wanted to attend it, but couldn't.  I'm excited to see what God is going to do!  Life is going to be full, that is for sure!


I have asked for prayer about our church life, so I wanted to give an update on that, too.  We have visited two churches here in Decorah and a church about an hour north of here in Rochester.  Even though it is a commute (which we are used to, by the way!), every time we go we have really felt God's Spirit.  The trouble is, we want to be a part of a church that we can serve--not just fill a pew.  We have been visiting Autumn Ridge (in Rochester) on Saturday nights, and then attending a church in Decorah on Sunday.   The positives about a Decorah church is, we can really become involved and serve the body.  The drawback is that the 2 churches that believe what we believe have very small congregations and not much in the way of preschool/children's discipleship classes.  Autumn Ridge in Rochester has pretty much everything we have been used to at Tallowood.   We feel very comfortable there.  But, are we supposed to be comfortable?  Maybe God wants to use us in one of these smaller congregations, even though the experience for our girls (and us) will be very different.  Its been hard to know what to do.  We've thought about doing both--but can we sustain that?  We really want to follow God, even if that means going somewhere where we are stretched and a little out of our comfort zone.  Also, when its 20 below zero in January--I doubt we will be driving to Rochester!  Its easy to just find the church that seems to be the best for your family, but is what we think of as "best" really God's best?  So, we are really wanting wisdom and discernment.    In the meantime, we will keep visiting the two churches in Decorah, and driving to Rochester on Saturday nights.

This area of the country is definitely not the Bible belt, but God is here and He is at work.  People who believe that the Bible is inerrant and complete Truth are definitely the minority.   Speaking in terms of "religion", it is very pluralistic.  In other words, "Your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth, and  they can co-exist together."   We have been surprised to come in contact with people who believe as we do.  It looks as though God may be providing us with some friends that we can share and talk the deep things of God.  We really want to be salt and light here--to show the love of Christ.  I have become convinced of some things the last few weeks about faith and love.  I will share this on my other blog soon, so check back if you are interested.  In the meantime, please continue to pray that we will listen to God's voice and make Jesus Christ the center of of our lives.

We love you all!

In Him,

Kristin