After we heard the Word and were fed at the Table, Christ touched us once more through hands of Blessing. And then, a celebration! With a cake that read:
Via con Dios, Au Revoir, Ta Ta, Ciao, Until We Meet Again.
Our hearts are full! Thank you for your love and blessing! We’re off!
GRATITUDE! That is the word that continues to fall from my lips every time I think about, talk about, or dream about this sabbatical. How grateful I am, we are, for this remarkable GIFT! When Erik and I were dating I said to him, “I need you to know that I want to have a family, and someday I plan to take my children overseas to live for a while.” (Just wanted him to know what he was getting into, should this relationship continue!) Now, seventeen years later, here we are, our family poised on the threshold of this magnificent adventure! God has blessed us so richly, and we are grateful!!!
When I was a child I lived in Nigeria and Ethiopia for five years. That experience shaped my life in profound and lasting ways. I have always been grateful to my parents for giving me this remarkable gift! On our final journey home to the States our family took three months and traveled through the Far East. How excited and thankful I am that now my own two children, Kai and Naomi, will get to have a similar experience of traveling abroad for several months of their childhood, experiencing different cultures and taking in all that awaits us on this journey!
My dear friend Neil, life-long family friend and experienced world traveler, in response to my query about what were the most essential things to take on this trip, said, first and foremost, “curiosity and a sense of humor.” He then added a number of other very important things, including “patience by the boat load — not a row boat or a ship but an aircraft carrier full,” and “respect and admiration for the people we will meet along the way.” Thank you, Neil, for your words of wisdom! We know they will serve us well as we begin this journey of a lifetime!
So with these things added to our “Sabbatical Toolkit,” we set off, hearts full, hands open, and spirits ready to encounter all that God has in store for us! Blessings and love to all of you, dear friends and family! Thank you for all you have done to support us along the way, and all you continue to give by being present in our lives!
Our journey begins with a flight to Boston on March 4. Our base for the month of March is the home of Erik’s sister and husband, Randi and Albert Siu, in the town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, where we will mark Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our sabbatical journey at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sudbury. This is a time of decompression, disengagement, and recreation as we establish our new sabbatical rhythm. Visits to friends, exploration of early American historical sites, faith communities, and other activities will be the focus of these days.
I can’t believe we’re actually going! I’m very excited for the trip and I can’t wait to see the Eiffel Tower–at night!–not to mention all the ancient castles. I’m going to try picking up Italian, and I’m looking forward to eating the original pizza! I’m really going to have fun biking, especially in the Loire Valley in France. I’ll have my own camera along and so you can check back in now and then for new photos and comments. If I manage to spot Nessie (AKA the Loch Ness Monster) on our way through northern Scotland, I’ll be sure to post the picture right here!
Ciao for now!
Hi, I’m Naomi. We’re going on sabbatical and I’m really excited because it will be fun to speak all kinds of different languages. I’m really looking forward to finding out if we can see any caves and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Eiffel Tower of Paris. We’ll be traveling on planes, trains, gondolas, ferries, trolleys, busses, bicycles, and cars—oh yeah, and feet, too. If you want to, you can follow this blog and I’ll write more along the way.
Hi to all my friends at Pathfinder Elementary and my teacher Jennifer!
It started, innocently enough, as a seemingly random conversation about shoes. But it didn’t stay there. We were at REI in June, picking up a few items for summer travels when Chris fell into a conversation with the woman in the checkout line next to her (Mary by name) about the sturdy shoes the woman was wearing. By degrees that conversation between Chris and Mary about shoes became a conversation about our hoped for Sabbatical, and when that happened, it moved onto holy ground.
Mary: WHERE MIGHT YOU GO FOR SABBATICAL?
Chris: Europe.
Mary: WHERE IN EUROPE?
Chris: Among other places, Scotland.
Mary: AND WHERE IN SCOTLAND?
Chris: A small island off the West Coast called Iona.
Mary: I JUST RETURNED FROM IONA. I LEAD PILGRIMAGES THERE, AND HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE SPIRITUALLY FOR A TRIP TO IONA…
Chris: [Jaw drops]
A few days later we received an email from Mary, affirming our serendipitous meeting:
“I truly delight in these sorts of exchanges and, since you have already engaged the pilgrim’s path, you now walk in a way that no encounter is happen-chance or without deep import! Even when simply asking a stranger in line at REI about her shoes!!”
Oh, how thin is the veil between the mundane and the sacred! In days that followed we came to see our encounter with Mary as providential and a great affirmation of what we were hoping to do. In fact, that encounter with Mary led us to conclude that even if Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) turned down our Lilly grant application, we would somehow summon the resources necessary to continue with the portion of the sabbatical vision that included Iona.
Fast forward to August 15…We knew CTS would be communicating its decision during the final weeks of August, but we didn’t know how it would come—via mail, phone, or email. After losing sleep over it, I finally contacted CTS via email to ask how their decision would be disseminated. Five minutes after hitting SEND, the reply came to my INBOX:
“Letters went out by USPS yesterday and will arrive at your congregation’s mailing address any day now!”
That reply guaranteed more sleepless nights as we waited for the letter to arrive. Then, finally, on Saturday the 17th, while working with a crew on the Little Free Library project at Peace, I spied the approaching mailman and intercepted him as he headed our way. Among that handful of mail I spotted the return address of Christian Theological Seminary on two letters—and my heart skipped a beat. I immediately went inside to let Chris know it had arrived. She ran up the stairs and we both took refuge in my office. Sitting at my desk, I stared at the envelope with my name on it, my hands shaking. I wanted to say something, to utter a prayer, but could not. The power of the long journey leading to this moment, the investment on the part of so many, and my own deeply held dreams all combined and I was overwhelmed.
As Chris held me, I gestured for her to pray, and from her mouth came the most beautiful and eloquent prayer of thanksgiving and release—affirming that whatever the outcome, we knew our lives would continue to rest in God’s hands. Then, reaching for the scissors, I slit open the envelope, opened the letter, and read:
“Dear Pastor Kindem, It is a pleasure to inform you…” Oh! Those sublime and long awaited words! THE ANSWER WAS YES!!!
Our plans and those of the congregation would be fully funded. Gathering our kids and holding each other in a circle, we shared the news. Hugs and joy and dances all around…
The gift is so astounding; we are humbled as well as energized. We know that many other letters bore news of a different outcome, and so our elation is coupled with a heightened sense of responsibility to steward this marvelous opportunity in fullest measure.