Remember

I'm a strong believer in the importance of remembering the past and expressing thanksgiving, both in prayer and in public. In this Thanksgiving month, I'm devoting this post to remembering a few things from my past and sharing a few words of gratefulness for them.

I'm grateful for my parents. They love Jesus and have been willing to go to great lengths to follow and serve him. They've been supportive of me through the various turns and adventures of life (though my dad was initially a bit critical of my decision to go to Africa the first time) and a stabilizing force. They haven't been perfect, but I feel they've responded to their imperfections well, setting a good example of that for me.

I'm grateful for the city of Portland (the Oregon one). It's where I spent important growing up years, providing many permanent fixtures in my memory. I learned a lot about friendship, music, work, city life, outdoor adventures, church life, and so many more things there. I've always felt it is an underrated city in an incredible location. When the sun is out, it can feel like paradise.

I'm grateful for the two months I spent in Swaziland in the mid-1990s. I fell in love with sub-Saharan Africa. I was pushed out of my comfort zone with public speaking and other activities while living with a rural pastor. I experienced a different pace of life and prioritization of spending time with people as compared to the norms of my own culture.

I'm grateful for my undergraduate years at Oregon State. Go Beavs! The learning curve was steep but incredibly rewarding. Extracurricular activities made those years especially interesting and memorable. Some of the teaching and advising inspired me towards things I never would have imagined doing.

I'm grateful for the four months of training I had in the UK before moving to Tanzania 15ish years ago. Though living in a small dorm room as a newlywed had its tough moments, it was an incredible opportunity to receive focused training while many times functioning as a minority in terms of nationality, often being the only person from the United States. Exploring London and Oxford was fun too.

I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to live and work in Tanzania for a few years, with Zarya experiencing a year of life there. I miss the fresh fruit and sunsets over Lake Victoria. I miss riding a motorcycle to visit tiny villages. I miss the many freedoms I experienced there. I appreciate the real and sometimes raw experiences from working with cross-cultural teams. I learned so much about people, culture, money, leadership, and myself.

I'm grateful for my experiences in agriculture. I wasn't raised on a farm, but I've been privileged to work extensively in animal agriculture. I've been on a lot of different farms and worked with many farmers, developing a tremendous respect for the difficult, multi-faceted work they do that provides amazing food for our tables, including the cheeses and other dairy products I eat almost every day. I'm glad I know first-hand where a lot of my food comes from and can at least make sure my kids know some of it too.

I'm grateful for Jerod's good health. In November of 2018, what we thought was just an upset stomach turned out to be a ruptured appendix. It was a rough week at the children's hospital in Pittsburgh, but things turned out okay. To date, that event was probably our family's most serious health event. It was a phase of Jerod's life when he was getting sick often, but that seems to be a thing of the past. He's very active and healthy these days.

I'm grateful for our church in Pennsylvania - Saving Grace Church - where we attended for nine years. The church family there had a huge impact on our children and was incredibly supportive during the years of foster care with Devin. Now we are far from Pennsylvania, but the relationships and support continue. Our whole family is grateful for SGC, including great models for living out faith.

I'm grateful for Misha (AKA Michelle). On the things that are most important to us, we tend to agree. For entertainment preferences, work styles, and social dynamics we are significantly different from each other, but that doesn't slow us down. We adventure through life together, enjoying food, embracing travel opportunities, getting involved in educational and cross-cultural things, trying to be good parents as a team, committing to church involvement and ministry things, and so much more. I'm sure glad I found her in Olympia back in 2008.

I have lots to be thankful for!