The big news is that school has started. Lindsay is teaching 4th graders and she is loving it! It is a much better age group for her than the 6th graders she had in Richmond for two years. She will write more on that soon to fill you in. The other big news is that Joe is no longer working at the church. It was a good run, but in the end everyone knew that it wasn't a fit for the long haul. When Joe accepted the job, it was with the belief that he would come in and build a student ministry and then move on. We thought that would mean three to five years, but it turns out that meant less than one. Jesus was very good to the ministry and turned a handful of uninspired kids into a thriving group of over thirty in a matter of months. We were able to expose the children to a greater calling and a deeper desire to live life on purpose in pursuit of the Kingdom. One of the highlights was a trip where we had almost 50 students and adults in Austin for a week in July - serving the homeless, the downtrodden, and the weak. We could go on and on, but our ministry at Faith Presbyterian Church of Baytown was blessed and we love the kids we were able to pour into there.
This is actually a very wonderful turn of events. Through the sovereign grace of our Lord, Joe was able to give the sermon at the Baccalaureate service for all the seniors who graduated in Baytown this past May. Through planning for that, he met a pastor in town who shares our theology and heart for people. Through meetings with that pastor, he was connected with the administration of Baytown Christian Academy(www.gobca.org). After spending hours sharing his heart with the leaders of the school and hearing from theirs, they began to discuss a partnership. At first it was decided to use Joe as an assistant football and baseball coach, just to get him around the male athletes in the high school. That grew into an opportunity for Joe to be the director of Biblical studies at BCA, which eventually became a full-time opportunity once it was decided Joe would leave the church. So, now Joe is spending every day at the Christian high school teaching his 175 or so students the Bible all day long! He is loving it! He is also going to be back in the dugout, on the mound throwing batting practice, and swinging a fungo bat year-round once again. He is delighted to be coaching in Texas again, where baseball is twelve months a year. Nothing against Indiana baseball, but there is only so much you can do there during the long and cold winters!
So there you have it, we are both teaching and very happy. We are going to be able to go back to Richmond a couple of times this fall - for Lindsay's 10-year HS reunion and then again for her baby brother's wedding. We are also able to do some weekend travel now that Joe is not locked down every Sunday. We are visiting, and most likely joining, a wonderful church full of other young and authentic believers, and we most likely will be serving in some ministerial capacity there in the near future. For now, we are blessed to be able to pour into students all day long and we are excited about the opportunity our classes provide for ministering to our students.
More to come soon, but for now please know that, if you are reading this, we love you!!!
