March 2009

So we haven’t posted any updates here for a while; we’ve been trying to stay in touch with folks via Facebook (find me by searching for admclain@gmail.com; find Sue in my Friends list). But updates on this blog are helpful as well; I always admire my daughter’s faithfulness in writing her newsletters. Apologies for the silence.

So what’s going on? Here’s the short version:

• Corrie is still in Germany (sigh), is learning lots (yay), and is dating a young German man named Daniel (mixed emotions here, but I think “yay!”).
• Josiah is still in college, of course.
• TJ is still at home. She divides her time between her craftwork (very cool), volunteering at the Library (cool), looking for work (yay) and being bored (yay). We really enjoy living with her.
• Sue is still working ¾ time for the Department of Revenue (yay). She has applied for a full-time and permanent position, and then they hit the latest hiring freeze.
• I (David) am still working at CCI (yay), where we’re working extra hard because of our lovely economy; I’m teaching more (love it) at Revival Town.
• We have a wonderful new cat named Mia who rules us with grace and humor.

We’ve been fighting a flu bug this winter, far more than any other year; all of us have missed work with it, Sue & I more than the kids. We really aren’t pleased with this! Sue, TJ & I are working our way out of the most recent round.

We inherited a car from Sue’s brother-in-law a year and a half ago; we think we might be able to actually take possession of it in the next few months. Talk about a lesson in patience.

Speaking of patience, we’re finding ourselves in a season of Proverbs 3:5&6 (outlined here), focusing on the phrase, “Do not lean on your own understanding.” I’m being confronted with how much I have trusted my experience and knowledge of how God does stuff (eg “my own understanding”), and how different that is from actually trusting Him. Quite the adventure.

Along those lines, Sue & I are finding ourselves more challenged in our “moving forward” this year. I’m hoping that Sue’s leading of a “worship and testimony” night at church recently (which was wonderful!) will prove to be the start of a new trend; she has a real gift in leading worship. I mentioned I’m teaching more, and that will no doubt continue while our church’s team leader is on sabbatical.

In addition, I’m planning a “home group training workshop” for later this spring. It will be for leaders, proto-leaders, hopeful leaders, and non-leaders, and I’m looking forward to it with some trembling. Talk about “leaning not on my own understanding!

Sue’s mom is still going strong. She’s still 93, she’s still living at home, mostly on her own (I helped her interview a new once-a-week caregiver this weekend.), and she still has strong opinions. Her world is getting smaller, but I expect her to hit 100 years old, which is another “yay!”

Blessings y’all!