Dual Blogging Liberties
Since I am dual-blogging, and don’t have enough time and ideas to share between two places, I will be taking major liberties in re-posting things that I write for Quest Church on our Global Village Blog
I came across this story today and absolutely LOVED the practical examples it provided of what family ministry actually looks like. As we enter our second year of officially being a “Children & Family Ministry”, we are always reflecting on what it means to be in ministry to children and families in the church and the larger community. This story comes from Family Ministry, by Diana R. Garland. I’ve taken a few liberties and modified wording to reflect the language and context of Quest Church:
JoAnn and her husband are active members of their congregation and have two young daughters. A compassion/justice team in their church was formed to sponsor a refugee family from Bosnia. JoAnn was so involved in other ministries that she did not volunteer to be part of the QJC team, but she followed its activities with great interest, and she and her husband wrote a check to help with the expenses of the refugee family.
The team was gathering furniture to furnish an apartment prior to the family’s arrival. One of JoAnn’s friends mentioned in Sunday School that they had everything they needed except a chest of drawers; the team had nothing in which the family could put clothes.
After the worship service, JoAnn walked toward the parking lot chatting with her friend Marta, her daughters running ahead of her. Her husband had to work that day and was not at church. As the two friends walked down the sidewalk, they passed a yard sale across the street, and a chest of drawers was prominently displayed. Turning to JoAnn, Marta said, “I’ll go half if you will put up the other half.” They talked to the owner, haggling a bit and explaining the reason they wanted the chest. Satisfied that the price was reasonable, Marta asked if JoAnn could cover the cost until Marta could go to the bank on Monday. But JoAnn had no cash either.
John, another church friend, was walking by, and JoAnn hailed him and asked if he could lend them the price of the chest. He happened to have his checkbook and pulled it out.
Next came the issue of how to transport the chest. JoAnn called over her daughters and handed them a drawer to carry between them. Several other children and teenagers walking toward the parking lot were pressed into service. JoAnn and John carried the chest itself. The chest of drawers became quite a parade, with laughing and kidding among the carriers. The chest was placed in a Sunday-school classroom, and the committee was informed it was there to be transported to the refugee family’s new apartment.
This event was family ministry on several levels. First, it addressed the concrete needs of the refugee family…relationships in the community of faith were strengthened…sharing work that contributes to goodness give purpose and meaning to relationships beyond simply the gratification of mutual affection…Christian education took place. JoAnn and Marta demonstrated a spirit of “willing readiness” for ministry to the children and youth they involved in the chest parade. [Ministry] takes place as the saints walk through life sensitive to need and ready to respond…each child and youth had the opportunity to experience the meaning of Christian faith. Moreover, each child and youth recognized their own significance in the project…By it’s very nature, an experience of family ministry, family-in-ministry, such as this cannot be programmed. Yet a program of the church- resettlement of a refugee family- laid the groundwork. And a spirit of “willing readiness” had been instilled.
What a beautiful example of what happens when we are ready to be God’s hands and feet, extending love to our neighbor, and inviting others to join us along the way. Lives are impacted in ways that may go deeper than we can fully understand.
2011 in review
So I have a family history of forgetfulness. It’s on my dad’s side. There is an inkling of a fear that I will become COMPLETELY forgetful before too long. As the people I live with and work with…without a list or a notebook, I am at a loss.
My long term memory is pretty great, but over this past year, as I have enjoyed many special moments with my kids, I keep thinking, I need to write this down! Thankfully, I have some great people in my life who take pictures, and share them with me. You will be able to clearly see which pictures I took (the blurry ones) and which pictures someone else took. But, these are the highlights of our year past.
My intent with blogging is 2-fold. 1) to keep track of the things I see, hear, and feel, 2) to share with others stories from my life and family, which is also a part of the ministry I feel called to.
january- 8 months pregnant
the great baby shower put on by our lovely community group and friends
the crazy night I led our 3rd to 5th grade overnighter (but didn’t stay overnight!)
one of the last walks in Discovery park before Selah was born
the men
Selah Katelyn Hage born on 3.8.11 @10 pm, 8lbs. 20 in.
Nana was there for a 3 kids!
Jo liked his sister right from the start, but he really loved the hospital bed (see below)
our precious gift!
first moments home!
Daddy’s first photo shoot with baby!
Ezra- probably the happiest kid ever to have a baby to dote on. He still ADORES her!
cousin photo shoot!
best buddies for life!
Happy Birthday Ezra!
Josiah on the “bobby bike”. His own personal motorcycle (more about that another time)
Easter Sunday! Unfortunately we didn’t manage to get a family picture…
Ezra broke his arm right before our community group came over one spring evening. We didn’t know it was broken until a day later. He really wasn’t phased however.
She pretty much melts our heartsevery day.
Uncle Val helped find the boys their very own motorcycle helmets. Probably the best gift they will EVER get (according to them anyway)
about 4 months and finally okay with tummy time…it took her a long while to get here!
Four generations: Grandma Char (great-grandma) , Kathy (Nana), Katey, Selah
The boys and their beloved cousins in Portland
Ezra’s first bee sting. He was out on a walk and some ducks flew up from the ground, starting a little bee on a flower that zipped over Ez’s head and stung his forehead unexpectedly.
Ezra’s first day of Preschool!
Spider Man!
Cat in the Hat and a cute baby “x-ray”
This summarizes Christmas in the Nedelisky home, all 17 of us together in one room. It was a beautiful mess.
It was a full and wonderful year. A few missing pictures, like the trip to the Mountain Cabin, and many summer afternoons spent in the back yard wading pool, but I am so thankful for each of these memories.
the end of the decade
It’s my last day in my 20′s, so of course some decade reflection is normal right? I just wish I had more time…So much has happened in the last 10 years. Graduating college, getting married, first job out of college (which amazingly enough I still have), first home, husband’s first self-employed company, husband’s second self-employed company, first baby, second baby, third baby…looking back I feel like we’ve keyed in on the things that are important to our family, but are also no where near where I thought we’d be at this time, and yet I am still hopeful for where we are going.
I’ve been searching for a milestone to mark this moment in time. Something small and trivial, like a piercing or tattoo, or extreme haircut, you know, that sort of thing. I want something that is palpable and concrete to represent this crossroads, this turn in my path. Too dramatic? Whatever.
But I was reading this passage that deeply moved me this morning, that I feel might be my life verse for this next stage of living. It’s from Job 28, the whole chapter is great, but here’s the highlight for me:
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.
22 Destruction[b] and Death say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone knows where it dwells,
24 for he views the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a path for the thunderstorm,
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.”
Goose bumps. The Holy Spirit kind. This passage makes me wish I was adventurous. It makes me imagine packing up the family and heading into the jungle, on a search for a mysterious place, a Holy of Holies, if you will. I imagine a place with a waterfall, that when we drink, we taste the Goodness of God. I imagine a place that sounds just as beautiful as it looks. I imagine a place where God’s presence is thick. And I want to be there. And I want to take people with me. Lots of people. But there is a command. To fear the Lord and to shun evil. That to me is the rough terrain of the journey. To look to Him with reverence and awe, to obey His call on my life, and to turn away from evil- the temptations of submitting to fear (the other kind!) complacency, covetousness, selfishness, all things that are very really in my life. Probably not going to be easy, but will definitely be worth it.
Still searching for a milestone to mark my 20′s, but I think I know what’s going to mark my 30′s.
Selah’s Birth
I have written down the story of each child’s birth. Here is the third and final installment! Let me begin by saying the months before Selah’s birth flew by in some ways and dragged along slowly in others. I was busy working preparing for three months of maternity leave from work, but I finished Selah’s room at least 2 months before she was born. I even had the diaper bag packed for the hospital a month early, then finally took it apart because I didn’t want things to get “dusty”. Oh yes, my reasoning was bizarre- but I am just telling like it is!
Because we had so much drama with awaiting Josiah’s arrival (2 weeks of thinking “today’s the day!”), I kept telling myself, I do not know the time or the hour, hey that’s just like Jesus’ return! Nevertheless, a month before she was born the braxton hicks contractions were coming regularly, and I was convinced yet again of an early arriving newborn. Alas, I was wrong- AGAIN.
My last day of work was February 28, which drug on to March 3 since there was no child, but I refused to work on March 4, because I didn’t want to deal with anymore looks of pity from all the people I had told- “any day now!”, plus it was my due date… so I went into hiding. By the weekend before her birth, we were walking Discovery Park daily. We invited my parents up for the weekend in case she was born, and so my dad could drop mom off for the week. I only had her until Sunday so we desperately hoped our baby girl would arrive soon so we could maximize Nana’s help!
No weekend baby. But finally, on the morning of Tuesday March 8, I was convinced that this was the day. The contractions seemed to change a bit and though they weren’t strong, I was certain that by mid-day our baby would be born. But by noon, contractions were not doing anything. I kept saying, “I just want to feel pain” (oh, how naive of me!). At 2:30, I sat down in front of a napping Corey (I made him stay home because I hadn’t been feeling well that morning), and asked him what I should do. I didn’t have an appointment scheduled until thursday. He said- “just call”. It was the absolute perfect thing to say. My midwife just happen to be wrapping up things for the day and was going home. She told me to come on over. By 3:30 I was getting checked and discovered that indeed I was dilated to 4, but I didn’t have any contractions to show for it. As we sat a redlight infront of Ballard Highschool I got hit with a strong contraction and my back felt like it was lit on fire the pain was so strong. Yep this is it I thought. I am finally going to have this baby!
We went home and prepared to go to the hospital. Called the auntie/babysitter (who arrived so quick thankfully!), fed the kids an early dinner, and timed contractions. 10 minutes turned to 9, 8, 7 6, 5, but up and down. The back labor was intense but between contractions was like a breath of fresh air so I would get up and move around, talk to the kids and laugh with the family.
Ezra was curious about what was happening so he sat in Selah’s room with me through one contraction. That was where I labored. The house would be noisy and full of life, then I would run into her room for a contraction and the house would go quiet, then roar back to life when I looked up and walked out of the room. It was kind of comical.
We probably got to the hospital around 7/7:30 thinking that Selah would arrive any second. I was so ready for a lightening fast delivery that the next 2 hours drug by so slowly. Finally, she came out so fast that she just barely made it into the midwife’s arms and then fell onto the bed. We were expecting another big baby (like Jo), so it was a surprise to feel a “lightweight” in my arms. She felt so tiny! She was 8 pounds even (not small for many of you I know) 20 inches born at exactly 10pm…even all the way around. I wonder if this is a foreshadow of precision and type A-ness? definitely a mother’s gene.
Even after having three, I was still in shock that she was actually there in my arms after I had been waiting for “so long” (we all say that don’t we?). I kept saying, “I can’t believe she’s here!” over and over, until my mom interrupted me and said, “tell us her name already!”
“Selah Katelynn” we said proudly. Katelynn was our compromise for me being from a long line of Kathryns. Lynn is my mother’s middle name. Though she hated waiting to find out the name of our child…I think it was worth the wait 
We love our new addition. She is the perfect fit.
Here’s the link to a time-lapse video Corey did of her birth: http://video214.com/play/t9d6zsCznDKOSqtdXJPfDQ/s/dark
how one parent can overcome anger…
studying the book of James…this stood out for me today.
everyone [I] should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ~ James 1:19,22
a blogging hiatus- refocusing efforts
I was never one for clever post titles. Lame I know.
I’ve been unable to blog lately for several reasons. However I am now officially announcing- for those who occasionally stop by this blog- that I am focusing my blogging efforts on the new Quest Children’s Ministry Blog that I have been mulling over for a year now, and will finally launch on monday. It’s not a huge deal, but I am very proud of our new work-in-progress. So for now, you will find my writing is mostly about children’s ministry- to be found at www.seattlequest.org/cm You can check it out. I’ll be back here eventually. Thanks for reading.
explaining seattle rain
compliments of Hage CreativeI love this explanation of our rainy weather in Seattle. Having little ones around now, I definitely cherish the sun more because it’s our chance to explore the world outside the confines of our little home. Without the sun I dread taking the boys out- however I have experienced the Woodland Park Zoo in a downpour- that was an experience! Quoted from Go Northwest:
Seattle has a well-deserved wet and rainy reputation, perpetuated not least by the self-depreciating humor of its citizens. It is a pertinent point that the 36 inches of annual rainfall received by Seattle each year is less than the annual rainfall of places like New York. It is just that the rain comes down over a longer period–often precipitating as a slow drizzle, begrudgingly deposited by low lying clouds that seem to hang around far longer than necessary to get the job done.
The waters throughout the Puget landscape can but reflect the gray skies, resulting in somewhat monochromatic views. Mysterious, if that’s your cup of latte, depressing if it’s not. Yet these mists and rain keep Seattle cleaner and greener than most cities of a similar size. It takes only a day of sunshine to shake the winter blues. The city sparkles, the land lies green and beckoning across the bays, rivers and waterways as the landscape is transformed from gray monotones into the glittering hues that earn the “Emerald City” its nickname.
Perhaps those winter months have fostered the production of artifacts by which Seattle has made its presence felt. On the face of it, the cultural icons of grunge-rock, espresso coffee and software may seem an odd combination. Could it be, however that one is the expression of the winter blues, one the antidote to the winter blues, and one the productive use of short, rainy days?
So for all those times, my mom told me to move back to Portland- here’s why I stay…I live in the Emerald City! Still love you mom.
what is worship?
we’ve sang this song together at least 100 times since E sang this song (once) at church 2 weeks ago. I was shocked at how quickly he picked it up, but more importantly it is a reminder to me of how intentional and careful we need to be with what we let him watch and listen to, because…anything can be an influence on a child’s life. What do I want to be his influences?
