Happy End of the Year!

Hello, friends! 

Happy end of 2020 to you all! In case we didn't have your address on file, here's our end of the year letter! If you would like to receive letters in the future (often with gifts!), please click on the link here and we'll make sure you're on the mailing list. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Virtual Staff Conference

Hello, friends! 

2020 has claimed yet another in person gathering. This time, it's our Regional Staff Conference (RSC). 

Honestly, RSC is one of my favorite times of the year. It is one of only 2 opportunities that we have as an entire staff team (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska) to come together for fellowship and community. It's also one of the few opportunities that we have as staff to be a part of something that is made for us, instead of us making things for others (usually students). This year, we were going to be joined by the Graduate Faculty Ministry (GFM) staff team that also works in our same 4 states. 

But, alas, instead of 3 days connecting with folk, eating decent hotel food, and trying to find time to get to the indoor water park, Megan and I will be spending Friday and Saturday parked in front of our computer screens, connecting virtually. 

Of course, a virtual conference is not without its benefits. Travel costs are considerably lower and driving long distances around this time of year is never fun, so that's nice. Also, since we're being allowed a food allowance to cover meals, the food will be better.

As I've been praying throughout this year, one thing that God has reminded me is that just because things are different, and even inferior in some ways because of the pandemic, it doesn't mean that God can't still move. RSC will be different. There will be technical difficulties and a lack of connection. But God will still move. 

If you'd like to pray for us this weekend, here are a few specifics:

- Technology: Anytime you have 40-50 staff on a single call, there are opportunities for things to go wrong.  

- Family: Our babysitting situation fell through so we'll be working double duty, trying to be fully present while also making sure the kids stay well fed and alive.

- Movement: Pray that God will do something great and that we'll be surprised by His work. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Quarantine Thanksgiving

Hello, friends!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, however you celebrated. After much deliberation and consternation, we decided to stay home and have our Thanksgiving in Omaha. It was a bummer to not be able to see family but we felt like it was the right thing for us to do.

So, what did we do? I'm glad you asked!

Despite it just being the 5 of us, we still wanted to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. So, preparations actually started the day before when Megan started banking rolls. I love bread and I actually enjoy baking bread, but I can't figure out yeast for the life of me. As you can see, that wasn't a problem for her. She also started making the green bean casserole so we could do a side swap with some friends of ours. We would send over some rolls and green bean casserole and they offered baked mac and cheese and cheesecake.

Thanksgiving day itself was actually a lot of fun. The kids weren't up too early so we were able to sleep in a bit. We spent most of the morning watching the Thanksgiving Day parade and the kids helped me make cranberry sauce while Megan continued to cook up a storm. 

We had a light lunch and after resting time for the kids, Ezra and I went for a Turkey Trot. The boy did 1.5 miles in about 20 minutes, which isn't too bad for a 5 year old!

At 3, we had a Zoom Birthday Party for Jonah since Thursday was also his first birthday, complete with smash cake and songs. He was a fan. =0).

Dinner was an absolute feast. Megan made turkey, rolls, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. I added stuffing and cranberry sauce. Our friends pitched in the mac and cheese, completing the plate. For dessert, there was homemade pumpkin pie, the rest of the smash cake, and some cheesecake. It was pretty great.

Our night ended with both versions of the Peanuts Thanksgiving. There's the traditional version, which is great, but my favorite version is actually the one where the Peanuts gang are kids on the Mayflower and you learn all about their voyage. Isn't learning the best?!

All in all, it was a total success of a day. Of course, seeing family would have been great but given the circumstances, I'd say that we did ok. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam