Taiwaneers

After spending about three weeks living with my family in Sturgis Emily and I moved up to the Muffett home to spend some time in the Lansing area on Friday last week.

I was bummed that we weren’t able to finish the painting on my dad’s office building but I was glad to spend some time in the sun doing something productive.

Yesterday we began jobs at Michigan State University working for the manager of one of MSU’s several cafeteria’s who happens to be a close friend and also happened to need help over the summer! THANK YOU ROBBIA PIPPER!!!!!!! Its very fun for me to be in an office setting again and working to help her be successful. Emily and I were so blessed by God’s financial provision through her. So much so that I’m willing to use a word like blessed!

Another exciting thing that happened yesterday was our longtime friend from SSI, Jonathan Williams, came back to Michigan from Washington D.C. to be an evening speaker for SSI week 3. It was awesome to see and listen to the guy I knew at 18, fresh from high school, who is now in a leadership position at ALEC (google it, you’ll be impressed) share his life story to inspire our younger brothers and sisters currently attending SSI.

In other news: God’s really been challenging me lately. He’s been impressing on me His desire for me to be surrendered to Him and what that implies, what it looks like and how I get there. I’ve also been deeply questioning and searching for answers regarding the idea that I’ve adhered to that the Christianity I know holds exclusive rights to being the only way to God. While its scary on many levels for me to be honestly questioning something I’ve held as fundamental for so long I also feel God’s hand on me. Its almost like I hear Him saying “Good Michael. You have a personal relationship with me. I’m your teacher. Ask me what you want to know and I’ll show you.”

The other night we were also able to have coffee with our really good friends John & Nellie. It was incredible to be able to catch up with them. Nellie’s pregnant and it was so cool to see friends embarking on the parenting journey and asking them to describe what its like.

Well, I’ve got to work tomorrow so I’m out.

Well Emily and I have been here for several weeks now. The jet-lag is gone and its sort of interesting how easy it has been to settle into the familiar after 9 months away.

After a week at the Muffett house in Eaton Rapids we moved down to Sturgis with the Jefferies family. But before the move we were able to spend some quality time with the Pippers and my aunt, uncle, and adopted grandmother. Both were wonderful. Thats not even mentioning the qt spent with the Muffetts themselves. A complete bonus was helping SSI week 1 by being lobbyists the second day we were back!

Here in Sturgis has been great as well. We’ve been painting the exterior of the office building my dad owns. Its been rough doing manual labor and a lot slower going than I anticipated. Lets just say I haven’t grown any fonder of scraping and priming. Its nice to be working though and Emily is fun to try and keep up with.

While in Sturgis we got the chance to go spend a day at Lake Michigan on the beach and have a great time watching my nieces, Aberdeen and Isabelle, play in and around the water……along with the rest of the family. It was so much fun!

Last week my dad took me to a political meeting for a candidate and they actually asked for my advice on a few things…..I was flabbergasted as political advice, in my experience, is given often and requested rarely. It was a blast talking politics with my dad there and back in the car.

Emily and I also had two wonderful Sundays so far at Liberty. Its so nice to see the church family there. We also went to a July 4th party with many of them and got to see all my friends’ young children running around while the fathers, and myself, played hacky sack.

Yesterday we got the chance to go with my family to church here in Sturgis. It was, in a word, wonderful and was held at the home of my old boss from the coffee shop. Worshiping in English has been giving me chills.

I also discovered yesterday that my Calculus 2 teacher passed me even though she shouldn’t have. I was elated to say the least and couldn’t really focus on anything for a while due to my excitement. My sense of judgement was pricked but only mildly.

Oh I almost forgot. Saturday Emily and I, spur of the moment, drove up to Kalamazoo to spend some time with Dan, Evie, Aberdeen & Isabelle. It was fantastic and Dan even took us out for middle eastern where I ate my fill, that means a lot, of chicken schwarma and hummus along with some other things. It was a wonderful visit and fun to make the drive thats come to be so familiar over the years.

Today Emily and I rode bikes up to the coffee shop to read and hang out. I finished a Su Doku puzzle and Peter Kreefts Unaborted Socrates, which I have been in the middle of for over a year. It always makes me feel good to finish a book…..that probably means I should read more.

I’m sure I’m leaving some things out but suffice it to say Emily and I are thoroughly enjoying our time here in the states. Please feel free to give us a shout as we’ll be spending our time half and half between our families homes.