The Halfway Point

As usual, the summer is flying by! We have completed four of the eight weeks, and each week has a specific theme with all elements intentionally designed around it. So far the themes have included:

*Week One: Intimacy with Christ
*Week Two: The Word of God
*Week Three: Relationships
*Week Four: Identity and Position in Christ
*Week Five: Prayer, Faith, and the Promises of God

Elisabeth has really enjoyed living in a dorm with other students, staff, and KIDS! There have been five other staff kids to play with so far, and last Friday a new staff family joined us with two more girls. This coming week more kids will arrive, and in a few weeks there will be a dozen kids running around the dorm. Fun times! She has taken up coloring, and I even caught her coloring on one of the walls one morning (notice the blue to the left). I was able to clean the crayon off the wall, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of her in action!



We still enjoy our morning walks and seeing the geese around campus. We even discovered their secret afternoon hangout: the pond outside Elisabeth's window. This is the view from her dorm room:




We have students who watch the children at various times throughout the week, and they have been great at organizing fun activities for them. Last week some of the boys wanted to dress up as ninjas, so they made toilet paper belts and headbands. Elisabeth wanted in on the action:



With Miss Skye and Miss Emmie (Emily):



I'm always amazed at how little time we actually spend at the beach when we're down here, considering we're so close to the ocean, but we always have to fight to make it there. Elisabeth's first trip this year was a quick one on a Friday evening to take our annual program group picture. It was actually past Elisabeth's bedtime so she and I were there just long enough to snap the photo and then head back to the dorm. She was having a blast giving sand to the girls in the first row:



We have taken one family excursion to the beach, and it was actually on Elisabeth's half birthday, June 9. She had an absolute blast splashing in the water, digging in the sand, and helping her daddy make a sand castle!















We love any opportunity to celebrate life's little joys and milestones, so we continued her half birthday celebration later in the day with cupcakes from a darling little cupcake boutique called Cami Cakes. We took them to the campus dining hall for dinner, and Elisabeth polished hers off like a champ.









This has somewhat backfired, however, because she has learned the word "cupcake", and the dining hall on campus happens to make amazing cupcakes (along with everything else--their food is incredible!) Whenever she sees a cupcake, which is almost daily, she starts demanding one with a strong sense of urgency in her little voice, and I actually have to ask people to hide them so she can focus on eating what's in front of her.

A few weeks ago we took a one-day trip to St. Augustine, 45 minutes south of Jax, and the oldest city in the U.S. Every year this is a favorite road trip destination for students and staff. Naturally rich in history, there is so much to do and see. Our excursion began with a visit to the new Pirate and Treasure Museum, which actually kept Elisabeth enthralled the entire time. I wasn't sure how she would do in a museum, but we took a chance and ended up having a lot of fun.




After that we walked over to the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, the oldest remaining European fort in the continental U.S. Elisabeth was less than thrilled to be detained for a picture after just getting out of her stroller from the pirate museum!




Our final stop was Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth, but we didn't have time to actually go through the park. Rather, we spent a few minutes gazing at the beautiful peacocks roaming the grounds. Magnificent!



We will be in Jax through the end of this month, and then we'll head back to Kansas to regroup before taking a house-hunting trip to San Antonio.

We hope you are having a wonderful summer!

On the move!

May was a big month for our family. We said goodbye to our Lawrence friends and the KU Navigators, moved out of our condo, moved our things into storage in Wichita, and then packed our car as full as possible to move to Jacksonville for 10 weeks to lead the Summer Training Program. It has been a whirlwind!
We really loved living in Lawrence and will miss the ministry and our friends dearly. We are thankful for the opportunity to start our marriage and ministry together there, and it still hasn't sunk in that we won't be returning after the summer like we normally do. At the last Nav night of the year Jason and I wore t-shirts that were made for us by our fellow staff. Jason's says, "I miss Lawrence", and mine says, "Someone in Kansas loves me". We will certainly miss Lawrence and know that there's still a lot of love in Kansas as we transition to Texas!

We arrived in Jax last week, and just yesterday all the students finally arrived. We are thankful for their safe arrival and are praying this is a life-changing summer for them. Below are some pics of our summer adventures so far. Elisabeth has been doing well despite all the life-change she's experienced.
We drove to Florida in three days, stopping in St. Louis and Atlanta. We packed picnic lunches and this was a great way for Elisabeth to get out and run around at parks.


Our Summer Training Program is housed on the campus of the University of North Florida, which is situated on a nature preserve. It's a beautiful campus, and there are geese roaming everywhere. Elisabeth and I go for a walk every morning, and these geese were literally on the doorstep of the dorm as we walked out our first morning. It's like going to the zoo every day!

This goose has been around for the past four years we've been here. His name is Daffy, and though he looks a little scary, he is super-sweet and even wags his tail like a puppy. Elisabeth got aquainted with him on our walk this morning--she wasn't quite sure what to think of him!

We live in the dorm with the students, and staff with kids each have two rooms. Elisabeth has been having a good time settling in, and is of course charming the students right and left.



Every summer I'm reminded at what a unique experience it is to invest in this generation of college students, our country's future leaders, in such a real and personal way. Today was the last official day of orientation, and Jason gave a talk on the Navigators calling statement to set the stage for the summer. We're excited to grow alongside these students this summer. What a privilege!



We are grateful for your love and support!

Elisabeth's Second Easter

Celebrating Resurrection Sunday with a toddler is just delightful! The three of us had colds, so when we went to church that morning we kept Elisabeth with us for the service rather than taking her to her nursery classroom. It was a special day at church as it was the first time Jason and I attended in the new sanctuary that was recently built. Our church, Grace EPC, has been such a blessing to us over the past four years, and we will miss it dearly!

Elisabeth enjoyed the singing but I took her out in the foyer just before she was about to interrupt a baptism with her talking! I chased her all over the church for the next hour, and when we left I was exhausted! The girl can move...fast!

Before leaving, we took pictures in the sanctuary in front of the Easter lillies, just like we did on Elisabeth's first Easter:
2010:


2011:



We think the shoes really made her outfit!


She also read "My First Easter" with Dad, to learn about Jesus, his death and resurrection, and why we celebrate Easter. This was also photographed last year:
2010:

2011:


After her nap we joined some friends for an Easter egg hunt and a delicious dinner. Elisabeth had a blast searching for eggs with her ducky basket! She found her eggs, and had fun eating the treasures inside (Cheerios and goldfish!) Everyone with kids has assured me that this is probably the last year we can get away without candy!





I continue to marvel at this little, beautiful person God has entrusted to two imperfect people to raise and shepherd. What a extreme privilege and extreme responsibility!

Texans Again!

Jason and I have a history with Texas. We just can't seem to stay away. Both of us have flip-flopped between Kansas and Texas for many years, and after starting our married life in Lawrence, we are now returning to Texas, together, for the first time!

We knew that our assignment with the Navigators at KU would be 3 or 4 years, and this will be the end of our 4th year. Last year we began to pray, seek counsel, and explore where our next assignment would be. A few years ago we learned of an opportunity to serve on a more ethnically diverse campus in San Antonio, and last year it was still a need and a national high priority. The more we learned of the opportunity, the more our excitement grew. In December of last year, after many discussions and a visit before Thanksgiving, we felt confident that this is where we should go.

I lived in San Antonio for four years before Jason and I were married, and during my last year there I lived literally across the street from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), the campus where we will be serving. We are excited about this new phase of life and ministry together! We recently sent out a newsletter with more details (click to enlarge):


We will head to Florida to lead our Summer Training Program mid-May and will return to Kansas in the beginning of August. Our plans are flexible, but we would like to buy a house in San Antonio near the campus and then move in the fall.

We have a lot of transition and family shuffles this year, but I'm thankful that we get to be together for all of them. Elisabeth really enjoys new people, and she tends to have fun wherever we're at. We're thankful for her spirited and adventurous personality!

She is approaching 16 months, and is running around our apartment and starting to mimic what we say. Just tonight I was getting her ready for bed and putting on her sleepsack (a wearable blanket with feet for toddlers). I call it her "sleepy", and for the first time she said "see-pee" back to me. She saw how excited I was, so she kept saying "see-pee" and smiling. I love how every day is a new day of discovery and adventure with her. She has such a zest for life and learning that inspires me!

Below is a picture of her first sleepsack (without feet for infants), and this was in our dorm room at the Jacksonville Summer Training Program last summer. This picture is funny to us because you'll notice that she has only one arm in her pajamas. We thought it was quite comical that she weasled one arm out of her pajamas yet still had it through the sleepsack.



I'm beginning to feel "see-pee" myself, so I will say good night and sign off for now, but as always, we are thankful for your love and support of our family, and especially in the coming months as we walk through many transitions!

With love,
The Rosses

Fast and Flying February!

We knew this month would be a busy one, but it has truly flown by! We began with our KU Navigators annual Jerry Bridges Conference, with the theme,"Why Holiness Still Matters". Jerry is perhaps most famous for his book, The Pursuit of Holiness, in which he writes these challenging words: "Many Christians have what we might call a 'cultural holiness'. They adapt to the character and behavior pattern of Christians around them. As the Christian culture around them is more or less holy, so these Christians are more or less holy. But God has not called us to be like those around us. He has called us to be like himself. Holiness is nothing less than conformity to the character of God." Challenging words indeed, and the conference gave me a lot to reflect on.

February 14th was Elisabeth's second Valentine's Day, and her cute dad bought her an "I love you" frog balloon (frogs are a favorite of hers). She is still enjoying him!




A few days later we left for Orange County California as I was a bridesmaid in a dear college friend's wedding. A broken starter out of Kansas City meant we missed our connection in Denver, so once we arrived there we were re-routed through Reno/Tahoe and finally on to LAX (just in time for L.A. rush hour!) Three flights and many hours later we arrived at our hotel with an absolutely exhausted baby. (I think we're now sold on direct flights whenever possible!) She really was amazing throughout the day and made lots of new friends by waving and flirting. Reno was a particular adventure as there is gambling inside the airports (I've never been to a casino so this was quite a culture shock!) Elisabeth enjoyed the slots, the bear, and the carry-on bag check! Who knew an airport could be so entertaining?!





The wedding was wonderful and we were able to see many dear friends in the area as well, so it was a special and memorable trip. This was our attempt at a family picture in the midst of wedding excitement:


The month is ending with another conference for students in our region, and we are hosting it here in Lawrence. Following the conference we are having a staff retreat for all staff who will join us in Jacksonville, FL this summer for our summer training program. Our sweet baby has come down with her first real cold so she and I are hanging out at home for now. We're thankful she's been so healthy and definitely don't want to take that for granted!

Happy February!


With love,
The Rosses