(At Least) 8 more years!!!

Hello, friends! 

Depending on when you read this, today may or may not be Megan and my anniversary! 8 years ago today, roughly between 2 and 3pm, Megan and I tied the knot and life has been a blast since then. Here's what happened in the past 8 years. 

- A trip to Jamaica

- Our very first apartment (Shout out to Lucas Hunt Village!)

- A move to CoMO

- Working together at Mizzou ACF

- Leading students on a global trip to Cambodia

- Having Ezra

- Having Thaliea

- Sabbatical

- Moving to Omaha

- Having Jonah

Of course, in between those times have been all the normal parts of marriage. There have been great dates and moments of laughter. There have been fights and reconciliations. There have been pounds gained and lost. It's been a heck of a ride and I couldn't be happier. 

When we were dating and when we first got married, a question that I got a lot was, "what is it that attracts you to Megan?" Back then, my standard answer was that I loved how generous and hospitable she is (along with being gorgeous and a great cook). Since then, my attraction has only grown and expanded. I grateful for how she's taught me to get into my emotions more. She's an amazing mother, daughter, sister, and friend. Every day, I'm learning something new from here. 

So, as I always like to say, here's to (at least) 8 more years! If every year of marriage, we can work on doubling it, I think we'll be OK. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Racism and COVID-19 (Part 2): And a Child Shall Lead Them

 Hello, friends! 

A few months back, as the COVID-19 pandemic was just getting started, I wrote a post about how Asians Asian Americans living in the United States were being targeted as the "cause" of the pandemic. There are tons of videos and news articles with anecdotal evidence. I'd like to add one more piece of media that just came across my desk. 

The link below will take you to an audio link for Masked Kids, the podcast produced by Dragon Kids of P.S. 126 in Manhattan. It won NPR's Kid's Podcast Challenge in the Middle School division. I'm not saying listening to it made me almost tear up. I am saying that somehow this podcast activated my allergies... =0). 

Enjoy, and fight anti-Asian racism! 

https://soundcloud.com/karin-patterson-148776835/masked-kids

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Back to School (Part 6): Back in the Classroom?!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, while we were on a family walk, I got a text message from Omaha Pubic Schools (OPS) saying that I needed to check my email for an important announcement regarding a return to school for OPS students. We knew that the "all virtual" school was only guaranteed for the first quarter of school, so I figured that the email was about the decision for the second quarter. 

When I checked my email, I saw that OPS was going to be returning to the original "3/2" model that we were supposed to be doing for this year. Starting October 3, Ezra will be going to physically in school on Thursdays and Fridays, along with every other Wednesdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays, he'll have a check in with his class but then it'll be online assignments for the rest of the day. 

This decision has brought up a lot of different thoughts and emotions in me. 

- I'm glad that Ezra is going to be able to experience in person school and interact with other kids

- I'm a little nervous that Ezra is going to be interacting with other kids

- The days he is in school are going to free up Megan and me (especially Megan) because we won't also have to keep an ear out to make sure Ezra is paying attention in school

- The days he's NOT in school are going to be a little more chaotic (again, especially for Megan)

- We don't know how Thaliea is going to react to this either

So, as we take the next 2 weeks to prepare for a new transition, please continue to pray for us. We need wisdom, peace, and plenty of grace in the family. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Final Sprint Numbers!

Hello, friends! 

We're 2 months past June 30, when we finished our Region-wide MPD Sprint but now it's OFFICIALLY OVER. What changed? Well, during the month of June, we set out to make a lot of invitations to partnership, whether it be through Giving, Advocating, Partnering, or Serving. The truth is that oftentimes, folk need some time to make decisions, which we are totally cool with. Knowing that, the hope was that our staff team would spend the months of July and August "closing asks," which means getting a confirmation of a "yes" or "no" to the invitation to partner. 

Praise the LORD, we had ourselves quite a Sprint! Here are our final numbers:

- Asks: 875 (Goal 750)

- Yeses to partnership: 467

- New pledges: $260,000+

Praise the LORD for his provision! 

The piece of this that I'm most proud of is our Full Jars Initiative that we implemented for this Sprint. Our theme passage for the Sprint was out of 2Kings 4. When Elisha was helping a widow who's husband had just died, he told her to go ask her neighbors for all the jars they could spare. Then, God filled those jars with oil so she could sell them and make enough money to live. It's an amazing story that highlights our need for interdependence and God as provider. 

In response to this passage, we decided that every staff, regardless of how much was actually pledged to them, would get a minimum "Full Jar" amount. This was our way of trying to address some of the iniquities that come from our funding model. We had just about $260,000 in pledges for the 35 staff who participated in the Sprint, meaning that the average amount was $7500. For the Full Jars initiative, that means that every staff who received below $7500 in pledges will get a grant to make up the difference. Those who received more than $7500 in pledges will keep all their pledges. 

Friends, while this isn't perfect, I am really proud and excited about our Full Jars. The staff team worked so hard and we saw God come through in amazing ways during our Sprint. I'm proud to be a part of this team and honored to be in the role I am. 

Sprint complete, for real this time! 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Back to School (Part 5): A Parent's Perspective

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday, I took a 15 minute nap. It wasn't intentional. I was laying down next to Thaliea because she needed a nap and just kind of dozed off for a bit. Normally, Thaliea can take naps by herself but yesterday she was pretty emotional and needed someone with her. All through lunch, she was sobbing, yelling, "I MISS MY BROTHER!" Spoiler alert, she wasn't talking about Jonah, who was next to her. =0). 

Virtual school has been interesting these past few weeks. I'd say that our three kids have taken to our current arrangement at different levels. 

Jonah: Jonah's great. He has no idea what's going on and that's OK. All he knows is being home with us, so that works out fine for him. 

Ezra: Ezra is enjoying kindergarten, even if his focus isn't great at times. The harder thing has been for us than it has been for him. We know that he's missing out on the best possible kindergarten experience but he doesn't know that. We need to remind ourselves that he's growing and doing just fine because for him, this is normal. Of course, we'd like it if he paid attention a little bit more but he's also 5, so what can reasonably be expected? We also plan on buying something for his teacher because that woman is working HARD and we can see it. =0). 

Thaliea: This has been the hardest on Thaliea. There are some days when she's fine. There are other days when she's crying because she misses her brother. There are still other days when she's crying because, "I WANT TO BE IN KINDERGARTEN!!!" Her world has definitely changed the most. When Ezra is downstairs in school, she has to be upstairs. She's lost her number one playmate and sometimes it's just her and the sitter. It's been a rough go for her, for sure. 

For Megan and me, we're making it work. Of course, we'd love it if Ezra was on campus and we could put Thaliea and Jonah in daycare so they'd be getting some socialization and more focused learning too but that's just not possible right now. We understand that and want to keep our family healthy above all else. 

So, that'w where we are right now. Overall, I'd say we're doing well, or as well as can be. If you're the praying type, please pray for Thaliea and that she'll be able to cope and adjust well to this new normal.

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam