The beginning, a year late

Today is April 19, 2009, thirteen days short of our one year anniversary and how time has flown.

One year ago today Noah was honored to perform the marriage of Aaron and Carissa Mooney, a great couple from the youth group at Hope Covenant in Grand Forks. It was a surreal experience for the both of us, a glimpse into the future not simply from the bride and groom perspective but from the pastoral angle as well.

It gave us a view of life to come, of a calling into ministry that was impossible to ignore but still difficult to come to grips with. Of course we would have rather been in Minnesota with my family or in Oregon with Noah's, but here we are.

And on that first day in a 17 foot UHaul towing our ever-stylish 1993 Honda Accord behind us, merging at O'Hare into some of the most insane traffic I have ever seen I began to cry. Why did God bring us here? It smells bad in this city and the people honk at each other, it feels crowded and I'm not used to being closed in.

Then I looked over at my new husband, patiently and nervously trying to maneuver all our worldly possessions through the Edens Expressway and I remembered that this was not mine it was ours. He sacrificed his complete content in Oregon to be in the city, he sacrificed it again to be in Grand Forks and I remembered I would give anything to be by him, even in Chicago.

So even though merging at O'Hare still scares me, Chicago is our home for now, imperfect as it is. It serves as a daily reminder that this imperfect earth is only our home for now as well, His Kingdom is coming and we are empowered and humbled at such a great call for us, to bring that Kingdom into this world we live in every day. We are here to love each other and those around us, to help stop the bleeding of a dying world and be Christ to those who need someone 'with a little skin on them." (Thanks Aaron Espe)

To all of you who are Christ to us every day, we cannot rightly express our gratitude but it is eminent.

So I hope you come back, look at pictures, read the thoughts of two individuals who are one life and can't help but process externally. Most of all let us know how you are, how we can pray for you and what God is doing in your life.

- Ali