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<\/a><\/p>\nDinner on Tim’s 62nd Birthday…<\/em><\/p>\n To be exact it has been about 11 months since we sent out our last update. That newsletter was actually our last “official” communication with you as Covenant missionaries. Still, we had hoped to stay in touch with you as our new situation here in Washington unfolded. Maybe that’s the problem. Things didn’t unfold as easily or quickly as we had hoped and so it became harder to know just what to write… but as the months have passed we have come to feel that God is leading us step by step on new paths and so here is an attempt to share those developments with you.<\/p>\n From Andrea…<\/strong><\/p>\n Thank you for being our friends and caring about us through the years! It’s been a treat to connect with a few of you and we hope to see more of you if your paths take you near Mt. Vernon just off of I-5, about an hour from the Canadian border on the north and Seattle on the south. I’m really enjoying staying put this summer in Skagit watching the rabbits and deer wander through the yard and collecting eggs (some torquoise, some brown) from our chickens when I’m not at work. The vegetable garden was a total fail, but my flowers are doing pretty good—butterfly bush, gladiola, geraniums, alyssum, poppy, lavender, succulents and a lot of other cool stuff I don’t know the name of. My sister Patrice is a gardening whizz.<\/p>\n Finishing my dissertation Praying about Forgiveness in Japanese, English, and Beyond Words: Bilingualism as an Underexplored Resource for Christian Spiritual Formation<\/strong><\/em><\/a> was a big deal. I’m SO grateful for my family and friends who believed in me and encouraged me that it was a significant topic, and that it was worth doing. There were many bleak days such as all pioneers are prone to experience, and I’m glad they are behind me.\u00a0 Now you can read it too! It’s available for download here<\/a>\u00a0 but unless you are really hard core, I suggest skimming the table of contents and then choosing just the parts that interest you.<\/p>\n God provides. Why do I sound surprised?!? Since the beginning of June I’ve been working at Hospice of the Northwest as a per diem Spiritual Counselor (what used to be called chaplain). Most of the first two months was full time–not exactly the usual per diem experience–but I’m very grateful because I needed the daily reinforcement on both the computer system and the content of the job. Oh, and the paycheck was quite helpful too after 9 months of no work(!) I find it to be a surprisingly good fit for me and hope to continue. I enjoy the patients and their families as well as my colleagues, and I’ve also enjoyed diving into a new genre of study. Here are a couple of good books in case you are interested: The other big news for us is OUR YOUNGEST (Sky) IS TAKING DRIVERS ED AND HAS A JOB! I wasn’t sure I’d live to see this day–it is a good one. Thanks for your prayers, warm thoughts, and many generous and kind words and actions. God is good!<\/p>\n If you’ve read this far…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n So you can see we’re doing well. Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and communications from so many of you. Sam and Lilla continue to do well and enjoy their time at the University of Washington. Sky will start his sophomore year at Mount Vernon High School in a few short weeks. Both Andrea and I serve on the leadership team of Crossroads Covenant Church in Burlington, WA – our “home” church when we’re not at the Japanese Congregational Church or doing chaplain work at hospice. We’re also able to stay in touch with Japanese friends and mission colleagues back in Japan which helps us to know what’s going on back there. We live in an amazing era for communication don’t we?<\/p>\n God’s richest blessings on each of you as well!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n P.S. Current contact info:<\/p>\n Please discard our “covchurch” email addresses. They are no longer active.<\/p>\n Our current email addresses:<\/strong> Report This Post<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dinner on Tim’s 62nd Birthday… It’s been awhile…. To be exact it has been about 11 months since we sent out our last update. That newsletter was actually our last “official” communication with you as Covenant missionaries. Still, we … Continue reading It’s been awhile….<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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\nBeing Mortal<\/a> <\/strong>by Atul Gawande, \u00a0Dying Well: Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life<\/a><\/strong> by Ira Byock, and Driving Miss Norma<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0 by Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle, the story of one family’s loving and surprising response to a terminal diagnosis. Oh, by the way, one of my coworkers even shows up in this book!<\/p>\n
\nTim: \u00a0tgj0528@gmail.com
\nAndrea: \u00a0andrea.johnson1@me.com
\nPostal Address:<\/strong>
\n834 Greenleaf Ave, Burlington, WA 98233<\/p>\n