Seizing the Season
- Mar 10, 2020
- 5 min read
I am so sorry for the silence.
While this summer we faced a season of waiting (for David's visa to process, for an apartment, looking for work, etc.), our current season is one of very active doing, and this blog has unfortunately gotten lost in the shuffle of things. I will do my best to summarize some highlights from this past fall as well as mention a few things we look forward to as spring approaches.
Elise: I found a wonderful job this summer working with a skilled home care company. We meet patients in their homes to perform wound care, complete assessments of complex patients, manage infusion therapy, assist with surgical recovery, etc. etc. It has been a WONDERFUL job with flexible hours that has allowed me to come home earlier in the afternoon and relieve David, who spent every day in the fall with Jude. I have learned a lot, I have many Christian coworkers (including the company owners, Nurse Manager, and Human Resources director), and I love being able to help patients recover in the familiarity of their own homes. I try to look each day for opportunities to share the love of Christ with my patients, and I do my best to pray for them to know God, because physical well-being is worth nothing if the soul is not healed.
David: passed his first semester at Century College with flying colors, getting simply wonderful feedback from professors and classmates alike. David has had nothing but positive comments on his assignments, work ethic, and interpersonal skills, and he has done it all in his third language while also providing full-time childcare to a very energetic toddler and organizing a RescueNet training course and participating in the RN European leadership team meetings and being an attentive husband... ! Uffda ! To say I'm a proud wife does not even express how impressed I am with David, and I am so happy to see that he loves what he is doing, even when it exhausts him.
Jude: Celebrated his second birthday in October and has really grown into his "big boy" shoes (although he is very much still a toddler with all of the limit-testing that comes with his age). He impresses us every day with his intelligence, speaking both French and English and even being able to translate from one to the other ! He enjoys spending two hours every day at the YMCA childcare center, where the staff love him and are blessed by the kisses and hugs he often leaves behind at the end of the day. He is extremely active, never stops moving, loves to sing (and does so quite well), and is a fan of everything Paw Patrol and Mario. We are delighted to have a little man in the house with whom we have more and more pleasure to spend quality time with.
Family: As mentioned in the previous blog post, we have added a new member to our family ! Little Giovanni is a true gift to us, and we are excited to be moving out of the "newborn" phase and start seeing him respond to us with cooing and toothless grins. Life is busy with two little ones, but we are adjusting as best we can and trust that we will someday recover from the sleep deprivation.
We found a wonderful faith home in Emmanuel Covenant Church just 15 minutes away, and have been able to join an associated small group that meets right in our neighborhood. I have just recently been able to start serving on the worship team, and we both are looking for ways to get more connected and actively participate in the ministry that our church is doing.
Presently: I (Elise) was able to take some time off from work after Gio's birth, but it has been unpaid leave, which is difficult when that is the family's primary source of income. I will say here that we have been extremely grateful for those who have continued to support us financially through this time -- your gifts have been an enormous blessing that have allowed me to stay at home with my baby this long ! Out of necessity, I have returned to work part-time and will be working my way back to a full-time engagement over the next 1.5 months.
David is extremely busy with school, family and RescueNet, and is somehow managing to juggle it all. He continues to receive great feedback regarding his studies, and was recently offered a job by the head of a major Emergency Medical Services group in the state (Allina Health, for those of you who might know it). In spite of the fact that this is only his second semester studying anything related to healthcare, he has impressed his superiors with his grasp of the content and his ability to apply what he learns in a broader, more comprehensive way.
The RescueNet introductory course that David is leading takes place in June, and plans are starting to come together piece by piece. He will be responsible for the organization of the course, as well as teaching various aspects of the course content.
Phew ! I think that will suffice for now.
Overall, we are busy and happy. Our goal and prayer is to seize the season that we are in, making the most of each opportunity God provides and keeping Christ and his Kingdom at the heart of all we do. I will be honest and say that I feel we failed to do so in the blur of activity this fall, and I am more than grateful for a God who forgives and allows us many second chances. As our church is walking through this Lent season together, it has given us the opportunity to pause and recenter ourselves, remembering who Jesus is, what He means to us, and what is at the heart of the gospel. May He come and shake our worlds enough to get our attention and remind us of what truly matters.
Please pray with us for:
1. Grace as I start working again. Among other things, it means less time for David to study as he will be taking care of the boys during the day.
2. Continued perseverance for David, who has long clinical hours and lots of work on his shoulders.
3. Open doors in work, school, neighborhood, daily life to share the hope we have in Jesus with those around us.
4. Continued health for Gio, who is doing amazingly well up to this point !
We love you all and will try to stay more on top of these updates so there isn't as much to read at once :-) Blessings to you in this Lent season, and may we all refocus our hearts and minds on Christ with each and every new day.
Enjoy the many pictures below. I apologize for the lack of order !
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