Backpacks for the Kingdom

Over the past few months of getting settled into a new church and new city, I have been praying for our church to find meaningful ways to live the gospel in Olympia.  Shortly into my time here, I started getting to know an organization called the YC (Youth Connection) which is only a few blocks east of our location.

They are a "non-religious, non-profit" organization which serves the teenage/high school students of Olympia by providing community center care- food, tutoring, and a safe environment to hang out (pool tables, wi-fi, and lots of video games).  Oh, and it just so happens that everyone that works there is a Christian...

A few weeks ago, one of the staff who comes to Reality often, shared their desire to provide school supplies and backpacks to the growing number of homeless teens they work with.  They want to do whatever they can to help encourage these young men and women in the pursuit of school and education.  So- hoping the best- I jumped on board and committed to 15-20 backpacks by the end of September.

This past Sunday marked the last church service of the month and the pile has now grown!  I'm so thrilled with the response that we have had and look forward to bringing our 43 backpacks jammed with school supplies over to the YC.  I pray that this is just one of the first steps Reality can have toward working with and loving those students... and the first step of many more to live the gospel in our city.

Home, Sweet, Home

Finally, finally, finally - after 2 1/2 months, 6 houses, and a thorough tour of the Olympia area, we moved in to our new house this past Friday night.  We had plenty of help from Reality people and knocked out the storage unit in a few hours.  We have spent a lot of the weekend unpacking all the boxes and there still is plenty more to go- but... it's home.

It's amazing how a few months of not having a permanent residence makes you appreciate the simple things of life- knowing what cupboard/drawer the silverware and plates are in, having your clothes without wrinkles and hanging up, and best of all- really being able to exhale when getting home at the end of the day.

Thanks to all who help house or find housing for us.

For those of you "out of towners" - here's our new address:

 

1714 Pear St. NE Olympia, WA 98506

We are keeping just our cell phones without a home phone.

Oh- and did I mention that there's a spare bedroom open and waiting for whoever wants to come and visit!