June 2012 Update Letter

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  Isaiah 43:18-19

Dear friends and family,

For months I have wanted to sit down and write an update letter on the many GOOD, but crazy changes that our family has had since our last Christmas letter in December of 2010.  Now I find myself in June 2012 and still in the midst of a long transition, but eagerly wanting to update friends and family about all that God has done, especially in the last 4 months.  

For the last 1 and 1/2 to 2 years, God has been gently and slowly guiding and now moving us from our church, youth ministry and home in Brainerd to a different city and ministry focus...which begins with seminary this fall.  Today, looking back on many difficult, yet pivotal moments since the summer of 2010, it is easy to see God leading through circumstances, His Word, and the wise and godly council of others.  We are grateful for God’s faithfulness to us through trying times as well as His clear direction concerning our future.      

Much of winter/early spring of 2011 was filled with game nights, visits with family and friends, soccer (for Brad) and scrapbooking (for me).  I also continued to be at home full time with Sammy, Caleb, and Hannah and was involved in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and Tapestry (a women’s mentoring ministry).  Brad continued working with our youth group as the interim youth pastor at Lakewood Evangelical Free Church.  Over the course of those months, however, we were wrestling with knowing what God wanted us to do concerning vocational ministry.  Lakewood was currently looking for another full time youth pastor, and due to budgetary reasons, Brad’s youth director position was going to be cut.  We were committed to serving at Lakewood until a new youth pastor was hired, but were unsure of what to do next.  Brad applied to several churches that spring, but we seemed to keep running into dead ends.  In early May our senior pastor and elder chairman proposed a pastoral internship for Brad which would run from August-December 2011.  At that point we had no other leads on jobs, and were both very interested in this position, since Brad would be working directly with our senior pastor with pastoral responsibilities that he had never yet been exposed.  

The summer months were full of graduation parties, gymnastics (for Sammy), swim lessons (for Caleb and Sammy), a trip to River Falls, WI to see Brad’s brother, Brian and his family, a 2 week visit from Brad’s mom, trips to the library, and my first garage sale (those are SO much work!).  Brad finished up his youth ministry responsibilities in July and passed the baton to our new youth pastor and moved into a different position at Lakewood August 1st.  

After a very long year of adjusting to 3 children, keeping up with (too many) commitments, and a very busy ministry schedule, Brad and I dropped our kids with my parents in mid-August and made the long trek from Bismarck, ND to Banff, British Columbia for a much needed vacation.  We had been there once before with Brian and Sarah in 2003, and had been wanting to go back. It was an extremely restful time, hiking and being in God’s beautiful creation.  Shortly after we returned, Sammy, our sweet 5 year old, spent 2 days at Kinder-camp preparing for kindergarten.  How did she grow up so fast? It is true what they say...”the days are long, but the years fly by.”  

Just a few short days into September, we learned that our senior pastor was resigning and leaving in October.  This was a shock to us and many in our congregation, yet we all agreed that this was a part of God’s greater plan for Pastor Dan and his family.  Our hearts were heavy, wondering what God had planned for Lakewood and also wondering how this would affect Brad’s internship, which was directly under Dan.  It was at that point Brad’s internship changed slightly.  Instead of preaching once or twice, he would be in the pulpit much more than that.  Over a period of about 7 months, from June until December 2011, Brad preached 10 times at Lakewood and Lakewood’s church plant in Crosby, MN.  During those months, we were (well, mostly I was) overwhelmed at Brad’s increased work load and the time and study it took to prep a weekly sermon.  Yet back in May, when this internship was first spoken of, we were curious to see if adult ministries was the direction God was leading us.  We had LOVED, loved, LOVED doing youth ministry the last 12 years or so, but several people, whom we trusted and who knew us well, began asking if Brad had considered going to seminary.  Seminary?  It had never really crossed our mind!  And how could we do it with 3 young children?  But as Brad continued to work with Pastor Dan and as he became more comfortable prepping and preaching through a book of the Bible, we began to consider it more and more.  We began researching seminaries all over the country and weighing the pros and cons of each.  We decided to visit Bethlehem Seminary, which is located in downtown Minneapolis and is connected to Pastor John Piper’s church, Bethlehem Baptist, in mid-October.  After visiting, we were much more confident that this was the direction God was leading.  We had NO IDEA how we were going to do it, but we began trusting in God to provide all we would need.  Brad spent most of November completing a long application and paper for seminary.  Bethlehem Seminary only accepted 15 students per year, so as we emailed the last of Brad’s application documents, we prayed that God would make it clear if we were to proceed in this direction.  And then began the wait.  

Brad finished his internship at Lakewood the end of December.  We had gone to ND for Thanksgiving, so after a long December of dance recitals and music programs (for Sammy) and countless hours of Brad being under our house replacing 90% of our outgoing plumbing (I didn’t have a working kitchen sink for over 8 weeks...not that I was counting or anything!), we headed to River Falls, WI to spend a week with Brad’s family.  Even though several of the 15 of us got a 24 hour bug, we had a wonderful time!  

Because of Brad’s heavy load at church and the countless chores around the house that had been put on the back burner because of his preaching schedule and seminary application, he was only able to line up a few interviews for a short-term job in Brainerd for early January.  We hoped that one of the prospective jobs would pan out, but as mid-January and then February approached, we realized how hard it was to find a job, especially since Brainerd had the highest unemployment rate in MN in towns with more than 10,000 people.  He spent hours searching for jobs and applying and interviewing with 3 different temp agencies.  Near the end of February, he began working evenings at a local manufacturing plant.  Then just 4 weeks later, he began working a 3 month temp job at a local company called Ascensus and has been there since March.  

Looking back now, it’s so much easier to see God’s goodness.  We began to be very grateful for the time Brad had at home with our family and began to see his unemployment as an “unpaid sabbatical.”  We spent a great deal of time as a family finishing projects that we just never seemed to have time for.  We also saw God’s provision in the midst of those hard months.  Even though we had no means of income (Brad couldn’t collect unemployment since he previously worked for a non-profit organization.) for almost 2 months, we learned so much as a couple about what it meant to truly trust God for our daily bread.  God provided for us in ways that often brought us to tears and made us very humble.  It was so difficult, but we really started to put our full dependence on God instead of on ourselves.  

On February 21, just before Brad began at the manufacturing plant, we received a phone call from Bethlehem Seminary.  Brad had been accepted!  We praised God for His leading and confirmation!  We then began the crazy task of getting our house ready to sell.  In early March, Brad’s brother Brian and his family came up for several days.  They were SO HELPFUL in helping us de-clutter and stage our house.  After finishing some final projects and meeting with a few realtors, we officially got our house on the market March 27.  After just 4 days and 3 showings, we had 2 really great offers!  We officially accepted an offer on April 2 with a May 7 closing day.  All of a sudden, everything began happening very quickly!  We spent the next months packing, cleaning, and enjoying our sweet home.  My parents were able to visit twice, and that was a blessing to have them share in Hannah’s 2 year birthday party as well as take back a trailer load of our stuff to be moved at a later date.  We had a packing party on May 5, and slept for the last time in our house in sleeping bags on May 6.  It was very bittersweet, saying good-bye to our home of almost 8 years, but we were so thankful for a quick sale.  

We are currently living with some friends on their farm just south of Brainerd.  Our kids have been SO BLESSED by farm life!  They feed the chickens, collect eggs, help Mr. Paul bring in the cows, paint silos (for REAL), ride their bikes down long gravel roads, ride on the tire swing, and play in the river just behind their house.  We are so grateful for the kindness of our friends!  

We have been so thankful for Brad’s current job, its hours, and flexibility.  He’s been able to attend end of the year programs for Sammy and take longer lunch breaks for our home closing and other appointments.  He will finish his 3 month position the end of this month.  

Since we sold our house and moved out to the farm, we spent many hours looking for a good school district for Sammy.  (She was accepted into Brainerd’s Gifted and Talented AGATE Academy for the fall, so we have been looking for a similar program for her in the Twin Cities.)  We’ve also been looking at housing and considering the pros and cons to renting versus buying and also in living closer to downtown or further out in the northern suburbs where several of our friends currently live.  Even though I am overwhelmed with all that needs to happen in the next 2 months, we are trusting that God will provide just the right housing for our family over the next 4 years.  

Even as I have written this letter, I am again struck by the goodness of God.  Even though there were many days and nights that we were discouraged or heartbroken by our circumstances, we see that God worked so much of it for our good and His glory.  

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28

We know that not one hardship was wasted as each trial and event taught us to trust our Lord more and more and have provided experiences that we hope to use someday to minister to others.  

As you think of us, would you pray for housing for our family, for a part time job for Brad (and probably me) and for a smooth transition to the Twin Cities?  We covet your prayers as we, again, do not know how everything will fall into place financially for us over the course of these next 4 years.  But we do serve a Mighty God, and His arm is not too short to provide all we need.

We think and pray often for you all, our dear friends and family!  Many of you have been a sweet encouragement to us over the last 2 years, and we are so grateful!  We are praying for God to personally meet with each of you as you look to Him to provide all that you and your families needs.  

With much love, Brad, Jenny, Samantha, Caleb and Hannah Aust