We moved to Mankato in mid-February, in the middle of snow storms and the school year. I could talk about all the changes I see. For example, now I am on the Red Jacket Trail (RJT) instead of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) and instead of shipping reports, we listen to farm reports. Instead of everything being “lakeview” or “Superior” it is not “Riverview” or “Kato”. I could talk about how I have prayed for all 3 kids to be invited to birthday parties by the end of the school year and God answering that prayer two weeks early. Instead I am going to talk about myself.
June 1 is the official start of our church planting adventure. We will be going through a 6-month residency with our sending church, Crossview. We have been attending this spring and I have worked part-time with the Sunday morning, Guest Connections ministry. We signed the papers on Wednesday and will start officially this weekend.
Tomorrow is the start of so many new things; I am frankly having tons of emotions and … well, I am really a poodle. I like to be chill on the outside, self-regulated and calm. But on the inside, I am a poodle. (And I have the right hair so why not…)
I will be working full time for the first time in 12 years. I will be trying to manage my house, health, husband and children with a full time job. Brian and I are super excited to be working together again, but yes, it will be a stretch particularly with family life that includes budding soccer and baseball stars.
Basically, we like baseball.
I keep thinking: How do people do it? Eat healthy. Keep a clean house. Sleep. Exercise. Listen to the kid tell about that project at school that took them forever and they forgot their water bottle at school again (are you bored yet? Well, as I am trying to type this Brian is trying to tell me a story and I am getting bored…)
Well how do people do it? Maybe the blog from here on will be “Confessions of a Full-time Church Planter, Mom, Chef and Marathon-trainer” (yes I have a race in October I am training for). And I’ll tell you how we are doing it (or what we are NOT doing).
How do we keep the Marie Kondo effect, submit to “Getting Things Done” (current read on our staff team) and eat non-processed meals? How will I get my workouts in to stave off the crazy, sleep enough, keep up with the Twins and practice self-care? How will I be able to spend quality time with community leaders and listen about their hearts for Mankato and get home in time for baseball? Will the boys hate the Y camp they are signed up for? Will I have the right clothes to meet with that CEO? What will we name the new church? Will Brian and I work 24/7 and listen to the kids complain about it?
But let’s be honest, this is how I feel most days.
So what does a poodle do the day before her life is about to change? I biked 18 miles on the Red Jacket Trail. It starts at the Y here and goes through a town called Rapidan, ends “The Dam Store” which is next to a, you guessed it, a dam.
why isn’t it Rapidam?
I enjoyed my favorite IHeartRadio station (24 hour Cardio), tried to count the wildflowers (my mom’s habit when she walks), tried not to run over squirrels and goldfinches, learned how to use the gears on Brian’s bike and rode 18 miles on a new (to me) trail.
Nope, it wasn’t the SHT. And I didn’t have my best running friends with me. I wanted to go ask Matt to tune up the bike after a few miles. And see familiar faces as I walked back into the Y for a shower.
But I did have kind men who gave me chilled water from the fridge at the Dam Store (around here it is perfectly acceptable to talk about the Dam Store. Like up north we know what SHT is… it’s just different. Roll with it). I would have used tap water but the man said something like “the county said something about it being contaminated” (should I be worried about that?). They talked up their pies. “Better than Betty’s Pies! Better than Rustic Inn!” I will have to test them. (Another day: I thought riding home with a pie might be tricky.)
And I did calm down. Or just exhausted myself out so I can’t feel anxious anymore. And I maybe my legs will be jelly tomorrow and sitting down will be a challenge (or standing up). But I will be walking as a newly appointed church planter. Stay tuned…
