The sun does shine in Portland

Well our time in Portland is coming to a close.  We spent the morning finishing up the trip with 2 youth groups.  The last service project they did today was canvassing apartment complexes with flyers advertising an Easter egg hunt Bridgetown will be doing next weekend.  Oh man- today was not the day to be walking around with paper flyers.  It was raining the entire time and it seemed to get progressively harder and colder as we went along.  Once everything was handed out we all congregated at the rental office to wrap up.  The funny part was that when we came out of the rental office- it had stopped raining! go figure.

After that the rest of the day was ours to explore Portland.  Josh had found a local brewery- Widmer Beer- and we were able to get in on a brewery tour.  It was interesting- more so for Josh than myself, but at the end we all got a free glass- sweet!  

Before we headed downtown we needed to fill up with gas.  Fun fact for you all- did you know that in the whole state of Oregon you DO NOT pump your own gas.  At every gas station their is an attendant who comes to the window, gets your card, asks what type and how much you would like your tank filled.  Crazy huh?

Once downtown we checked out the Portland Saturday Market that was full of art, crafts and food.  Josh and I shared a delicious gyro- seriously...YUM.  We also got some vanilla kettle corn- also very yummy.  We stepped in to see what the Kells Irish Pub was like here in Portland- there is a Kells in downtown Seattle which became our favorite from past times.  We also stopped by Powell's Books.  This place is like Half Price Books but literally 20 times bigger- it is said to be one of the biggest bookstore in the world.  For realz- this place had a MAP when you walked in- woah.

OH OH OH and when we were walking around downtown- the SUN came out!  it was warm and beautiful and we got to see the city in a whole different light!  we were very grateful for finally being outside and not being cold and wet!

Another fun fact: if you carry an umbrella in Portland you are automatically known by all as a tourist.  No one in Portland carries an umbrella, just get a good rain coat with a hood (which is our mission tomorrow for Josh)

We made our way back to the Snider's home and had a delicious home cooked meal with Marshal and Lesley.  It was nice to have a low key evening with them and to chat around a meal.  We then watched the movie "The Big Year"- which sadly I would not recommend.  It had so much potential with a cast of Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson- but was not very funny- way more sentimental.  oh well.

tomorrow we are going with the Bridgetown team who are going to be speaking at a church then we will slowly make our way back to Renton.  I have to admit I am ready to go back "home" to Washington!  

Please pray for our travels back and that we can get back into the mindset of job/house searching!  Also pray for all we have learned these past few days.  We have heard and seen A LOT and we need the Holy Spirit to remind us of all the good that we need to carry with us.

so good night one last time for now Portland!  oh and its raining again :)

Real life, prayer walks and walkabouts

Guess what it finally stopped raining around noon today!  It is possible all the rainfall broke a record of 6.8 inches (but I have not heard the final word!).  Don't get me wrong- those who know me know I LOVE the rain, but when you are suppose to be walking the city for the day- being cold and wet doesn't sound like much fun.

Josh and I spent the day with two youth groups from small towns in Oregon.  Both the groups were doing the 3 day Transformation Trip through Bridgetown.  Today we joined up with them at a museum type display called "Real. Life."

This exhibit is put on by Medical Teams International.  This organization goes in an provides relief in devastating situations.  We learned about Katrina, the tsunamis, child soliders/Kony, mexican dump, burn victims in Moldova, AIDS and more.  It was a very sobering exhibit that reminded you of the struggles and terror people have faced all around the world.

We continued our day with the teams and did a prayer walk through downtown Portland.  This is something that Bridgetown does on a regular basis.  They have the city divided into sections (one group goes out per section) and specific things to pray for as you walk each block.  Josh and I really enjoyed this time because we got to get more familiar with the city, see it in a new light and speak life into troubled areas.  Prayer walks are something we definitely want to bring back with us to our Twin Cities.

After the prayer walk we went back to get supplies to do a "walkabout".  A walkabout is simply going out into the city with sandwiches, coffee and this time new socks to hand out to anyone who wants them.  We used these items as tools in hopes of starting conversations that would lead to developing a relationship.  Our group talked with a handful of homeless men all at very different stages of life.  Our favorite was Prophet Powell who was overjoyed to see us.  He "knew who we were" and came over to us wanting prayer and a chance to share with us how good God is.  He made us smile and laugh.  He said he thinks Josh has a twin walking around Portland because he thought he had seen him before!

We ended the night having dinner and debriefing with the youth groups.  We really enjoyed hanging out with the leaders and the students.  They have some students with pretty awesome hearts and of course it was just plain fun to watch a youth group of teens!

Tomorrow we will join them again for there last little bit of their trip- then I believe Josh and I will have time on our own to explore the city and hopefully check out one of their famous food carts.

well Josh is already asleep so I think its time I say good night! oh and it started raining again- ha!

Night Strike

It has been raining non-stop here since last night.  Sheets of rain have been coming down- they say it is suppose to total around 2 inches- thats a lot of rain!

We had a chill morning hanging out at the Snider house- more chatting and some internet time.  In the afternoon we headed downtown briefly to see more of the ministry in action with a group of students coming in to serve during the day.  We then headed to another location- not in downtown to help prep the clothes that would given out at the Night Strike.  We then headed back to the Snider house for a little more down time before going to Night Strike.

We did however make a dinner stop at Chipotle- YUM.  We have been craving mexican since we got here (to Seattle) so it was about time we had a delicious burrito!

taken from underneath the Burnside Bridge

Night Strike starts out in a rented church building where all the volunteers gather for a brief time of worship and then orientation for the evening.  The place was PACKED out with volunteers tonight!  I would say at least 150-200 volunteers.  Josh and I were on the host/hostess team- meaning our job was mainly to walk around and talk with people.

I have to say I was intimidated by the large number of volunteer and guests.  There was so much going on- but it was most encouraging to see the men sitting in the barber chairs getting their haircut.  You could tell they really enjoyed be "pampered".  It was good to experience, but I think to really appreciate and fully embrace this event I would have to go many more times!

again if you haven't already to best understand Night Strike go to the link and watch the video:
http://bridgetowninc.org/environments/nightstrike/

well we are tired and ready to fall asleep to the sound of rain!  good night MN- I miss you!

Keep it Weird Portland

Hello from Oregon!  Josh and I left WA this morning and headed south to Portland Oregon.  Once we got here we met up with the Founder of Bridge Town- Marshall.  He and his wife Leslie took our out for a Thai lunch.  Josh and I were both surprised at how yummy it was! (we don't eat Thai food often).  Basically once we got here M & L talked non stop about the Bridge Town ministry.  They have a lot of good insight, thoughts, encouragement and advice.

After further chatting at their house we headed for downtown Portland.  We walked 23rd Ave that is known for its fun shops and then had dinner at Deschutes Brewery and Public House.  Before heading back to their house we stopped at a Portland favorite- Voodoo Donuts http://voodoodoughnut.com/index.php

So it was a pretty chill day but full of great information once again!

Tomorrow we do the Night Strike- to learn more about it check out the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BridgeTownInc

Pray for our time tomorrow at the Night Strike-  we will need lots of courage, humility and energy!

a slight sense of defeat

Our Portland trip was pushed back a day- so we thought we would use today to really scope out the area for possible housing and jobs.  Once we got out the door we first headed to a newly developed area in Renton that has a Target.  AHHHHHHH!!!!!! WE LOVE TARGET!!!!! As crazy as it sounds- I really enjoyed doing a quick lap around Target...it felt like home.

our beloved Target back home...sigh.....

We drove down 2 main roads in the Rainier Valley area- Rainier Valley Ave S and Martin Luther King Jr Way (aka Milky Way).  There are a lot of apartments- but we were quickly reminded of the fact that getting an apartment depends on having a job- and having a job helps determine where you live.  Man- the things we need being dependent on the other makes it much more difficult.

We drove around for a long time.  We did find a cool few blocks on Rainier Ave that kind of reminded us of Grand Ave. (St. Paul)- but not sure if there is available housing.

Feeling defeated we made our way back to the house and spend the time up until dinner looking on the internet and might have found some possible leads.

So to say the least not the most encouraging day- but we know this all won't happen in an instant...nevertheless your prayers are still MUCH appreciated!

Portland bound tomorrow!

the DeVitos

here is a pic I forgot to add to the list.  I always think it is nice to put names with faces so here is a pic with us and our friends Mike and Kristi

new adventures and a preview of what's yet to come.

So today turned out to be different than I thought.  Josh and I slept in a little and spend the first part of the day "working".  Josh was working on reading a section in a community building book, and I was working on hunting for jobs.

At noon Chris, Josh and I headed out for the day.  We started by getting more familiar with Renton area.  Then we headed for lunch at a park by Washington Lake.  So Josh and I have never been fans of seafood- but moving to the west coast we knew that would be challenged.  Chris has been giving us a "hard time" about trying some fish and he wanted to give us a good taste today.  The park had 2 restaurants- Kidd Valley (a hamburger place) and Ivar's (a popular seafood place).

http://kiddvalley.com/

http://www.ivars.com/

We first stopped at Kidd and ordered a bacon burger as a buffer for Josh and I trying seafood.  We then went to Ivar's and settled on trying the classic fish and chips (deep fried alaskan cod with fries).  Chris ordered salmon and red clam chowder.  We sat down to eat and we were going to try the clam chowder first.  As I brought the spoon to my mouth Chris puts his hand out and says to wait.  He pulls out his camera and says this is a moment that needs to be captured.  It wasn't too bad- but I am not sure if I had much clam in my bite!  We also tried Chris's salmon and liked that more than our cod.  It wasn't our first time trying fish- but it was the most we had ever eaten!  The burger on the other hand was great!  It reminded us of one of our favorite burger places in Chicago- Portillos....yum  

oh and I almost forgot- Josh and I got library cards for the Renton Library, just another step closer to being more authentic Seattl-ites! :)

We cruised around Rainier Valley- the area we hope to be living in.  We got a tour of the Rainier Health and Fitness center located next Emerald City Church/Urban Impact.  We stopped into Seattle Union Gospel Mission and saw what was happening there.  Both of these places are organizations we will be working with down the road.  Our day of running around ended with meeting with Steve- the director of Urban Impact.  We sat out on his patio- in the sun mind you- and heard his background/journey and talked about ours.  A cool little thing we learned in this meeting was that he has family that lives in Apple Valley, MN- no way huh?!?!   This time with Steve was encouraging and he emphasized to us the importance of LIVING in the community where you do ministry.

Urban Impact:
http://www.urbanimpactseattle.org/#!

Seattle Union Gospel Mission:
http://www.ugm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=default

By the time we got back to the house for dinner I was exhausted.  We left home one week ago today and I could not have predicted how draining it would be- I really would like a day to sleep in and not think about everything that needs to be done/figured out.  There is a lot running through my mind of realizing how challenging this adventure will be that we have been called to.  It is not (at the moment) the challenge of being far from home but of seeing all that is within myself that is going to be and should be challenged so I can become more like Christ.

Our trip to Portland has been set back a day.  We now will be in Portland Wed.-Sun.

Please be in prayer for us on a few things:
- job and house hunting
- our trip and time in Portland
- and that we would find time for the Lord with devotions.  We have not had a consistent schedule since we finished our jobs.  We have significant needs in our life right now and desperately need to be seeking the Lord to provide these things.
-pray our hearts are challenged and changed!

another sunny day in Seattle- we shall see what tomorrow brings :)

 

a few pictures from our travels

2 years

Delicious Chocolate & Caramel Covered Apples

Scenic Viewing Point in WA 

the start of the mountains in MT

Riverfront Park in Spokane- I am in the wagon!

Spokane Falls

Cascade Mountains

Cascade Mountains WA

a chill sunday

This morning we said goodbye to our new CA friends and headed out to Emerald City Bible Fellowship Church.  We were warmly welcomed into the building and told that the sanctuary was just up the stairs and that service would start 10:15 ish!  ha.  The church was a laid back diverse community/family.  They started with worship and could not get the PPT to work correctly- so we went without words!  At the front there was an endless basket of tambourines...just go up and grab one and tambourine away!  Worship lead into a time of prayer where you got to see the tightness of this church.  Those in need of prayer made their way to the front and without being told those who regularly attend the church went up to pray for each person- very cool.  It then lead into a time of testimony where anyone could get up and share.  Wow- we got to hear some of the hearts of these people, along with their triumphs and their struggles.  The service continued with an awareness announcement to stop human trafficking and the pastor spoke on Ephesian 2. By the end the service lasted just over 2 hours- but was so well put together you really would not have known.  

After church we grabbed some lunch and headed home to chill out and skype with family.  It was sweet to chat with both of our families and to SEE them!  

We had a few hours to ourselves and decided it was time to head downtown and SEE Seattle.  We walked Pikes Market, saw the gum wall (for the first time, Josh thought it was sweet, I on the other hand thought it was disgusting).  We, OF COURSE, do as the romans do and got some Starbucks and drove by the needle.  It was nice to see some familiar places.

We enjoyed some leftovers for dinner, did some laundry and uploaded pictures we have taken.  We plan to further relax with a movie and popcorn- ahhhhhh! :)

tomorrow we will be scoping out more of the area we hope to live in- Rainer Valley- and packing for Portland.

I hope you all have had a restful week...now its movie time!

encouraging chats

Well today was another FULL conference day of learning valuable information, connecting and reconnecting with great people.  To put in very brief terms we attended a session about using story telling and two on how to care about your community.  It was such an enriching conference- I am surprised I have never heard of it before.  While it was so significant on our journey- we were glad to come "home" to a delicious dinner.

It was the first time since we got here that all 6 of us were able to sit down together for a meal.  Rebecca had made a delicious tortellini soup and apple crisp for dessert.  We all sat and chatted for the rest of the evening- enjoying the last night we all would have together.  We talked about our families, relationships, and ministry.  We all answered the question, "If I were to give you a plane ticket, where would you go".  My answer of course- Ireland.   At the end of the night Mike and Chris prayed for all of us in the room and what the next few weeks would bring.  A word to our parents- we are in GREAT hands!  These men and women have showed us such great love and are taking good care of us!

Josh and I are SO thankful for Chris, Rebecca, Mike and Kristi.  God truly blessed us with a great start to a crazy adventure by putting these people in our lives.

Tomorrow we will be attending Emerald City church- located near the area we hope to live!
http://www.emeraldcitybible.org/#/welcome

Like I mentioned before we will be leaving for Portland tuesday-saturday.  Here is the ministry we will be working with:
http://bridgetowninc.org/

Please continue to pray that we would find an affordable place to live and that God would continue to be preparing our hearts to view Seattle as home!

thanks for all those who are reading back in MN- we miss you and love you!

SOOOOOO much knowledge

Wow- today was a jam packed day of learning for us!  The conference has been amazing because we have a focus on what we are trying to learn and great sessions that teach us.  We made some great connections today with genuine people who are doing urban ministry.  The biggest take away- make relationships- genuine connections, commit to an area/community- no matter how hard, make sure the community is at the table expressing the actual needs- not us projecting what we think the need is.

Today I realized what a blessing the BBQ was last night because we had FAMILIAR faces today!  We also have developed a great friendship with Mike and Kristi- the couple also from CA also currently staying with the Renzelman's for the conference.  They have been so kind and warm to us it will be sad to see them leave.  I once again find myself in awe of the body of Christ and how people can feel like family even though you just met a few days ago.

After the conference and a quick dinner at Wendy's- we all attended the evening comedy show featuring Tim Hawkins, Bob Smiley, and John Branyan.  Hilarious- it was so fun to laugh A LOT with so many people.

Walked into the Renzelman's to the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.  delightful.

Long days- but has been so great to realize how many amazing people we are meeting.  Last day of conference tomorrow- then we will begin to focus on our time in Portland approaching the following week.

Please pray for our time in Portland as I feel it is going to be very stretching and eye opening.

Alright it is my turn to hand off the laptop to Josh while I get ready for bed- good night Washington and thanks for the sunny day....again! :)

unfamiliar faces and unfamiliar places

Today was the first day of the NW Ministry Conference.  Josh and I attended 2 different sessions- each 2 hours long.  It was a "pre-conference" day so there were only a small number of attendees.  Tomorrow the real deal happens of the 3000+ people there for the conference- woah.

So I have been in WA state 2 times before and know the roads and getting around is crazy, but seriously the roads are CRAZY!  I don't think there was any rhyme or reasons when they created the roadways...just whatever looked good at the time.

We shook a lot of hands today and attended a BBQ tonight with a handful of nationally known youth ministry workers from the conference.  Josh and I kept saying to each other how such and such looked familiar...I finally came to the conclusion that it was because we are starving for a familiar face.  Each time I am in a large group setting of new people I remember how my shyness creeps in.  It is strange- put me in front of a group of elementary or middle school students and I am fine- but once the crowd is my age or older I began to hide in my shell.  So readers I (and Josh) would greatly appreciate prayers for meeting SO MANY new people- because it won't stop for awhile.

BUT in light of all that as I was getting ready for bed I had this feeling of really valuing the fact that I am on the west coast right now shaking hands of many people I have never met- when will we ever get this opportunity again to form relationships with people on the other side of the country?

a few randoms:
-the sun was out and shinning today...for those of you who don't know that is rare!
-the house the BBQ was at was amazing- the guy designed and built it himself
-we have yet to actually see Seattle..but it should be soon :)

We have ARRIVED!

Two years ago today we were in Seattle for our honeymoon.  Today we are not in Seattle, but in Renton, WA- who would of thought we would be back here.

We had a MUCH better drive today from Spokane to Renton.  We slept in and explored the amazing falls of Spokane and then hit the road for our 4.5 hour drive.  I now understand why WA is called the evergreen state- because we drove through/saw millions of evergreen trees clustered together along the snow covered mountain sides.  I took pictures- but I know it will not convey the expanse of what we saw!

We made it to Chris and Rebecca's house and were warmly welcomed!  The body of Christ is a beautiful thing.  We drove over 1600 miles and were given a place to stay, a warm meal to eat and good company to chat with- and we all met in person for the first time today.

Currently we are watching American Idol because another couple in for the conference from CA- also staying here- are big fans...it is nice to sit in a living room with others watching something together...makes it feel more like home!  oh and there are girl scout cookies and tea- yum

Northwest Ministry Conference starts tomorrow- which means full days! so sleep well MN...since it is already 11pm your time...we shall hit the hay once Idol is done :)

2 years & a drive to remember

Two years ago today, Josh and I were wed in Lakeville, MN.  Today we spent the day driving through the rest of the state of MT and a small portion of ID.  Even though the travel time was shorter today- the terrane made it feel just as long.  We are so grateful to be in Spokane, WA because it was a tough, scary drive through the mountains.  When we started our drive in Billings- the mountains were beautiful- but when we quickly realized that is all we were going to see on our drive for the next 8.5 hours- they became overwhelming and daunting.

Our first not so fun encounter were strong wind gusts which tipped over a semi- we were grateful for all our stuff to help weigh us down.  Our second encounter was snow through the twisting steep hills of the mountains. We soon realized it was only semi-trucks and ourselves on the snow covered roads, and we literally began fearing for our lives.    It was one of the scariest 45 minutes I have been through.

We were happily surprised when we got to our hotel for a few reasons:

1. we were selected to be "The Guest of the Day" at our hotel- meaning we got an upgrade to a suite and a small gift bag full of treats
2. our suite room number is 302 (same as our former apt. in AV)
3. when we got in our room there was a banner that read "happy anniversary", a vase of roses, a small balloon, 2 huge chocolate/caramel covered apples that looked like a bride and groom, a box of chocolates and a wickedly huge tub.  (the chocolate treats were from Chris and Rebecca- the couple we will be staying with and the ones who have been helping us set this whole adventure up!)

we went to dinner to celebrate 2 wonderful years and that we were alive! (only by the Grace of God).

oh a few things I learned on our long journey today:

1. the state of MT has about 63 different styles of license plates....why MT why?
2. driving on 90 West you will cross "Clark Fork" river about 72 times
3. oh yeah and NEVER DRIVE THROUGH MT...find another way.

alright all time for bed- this girl is tired!

A Long Day One.

At 7:30 am this morning, Josh and I began our journey to Seattle, WA.  I feel that through this whole process I have been pretty brave and ready to make the move- though when my alarm went off this morning I didn't feel so brave anymore.  Hugging each one of your family members- knowing it will be awhile until you get another one is way too hard.  It causes the type of crying that makes your body jerk and high pitched squeaks to come out of your mouth instead of actual words.  But we know we are called and while it is not easy, obedience is necessary!

We drove through a good chunk of MN, the whole state of ND and are currently in Billings, MT.  Through our 14 hours of travel there are a few things I learned:

1. Surprisingly, a Koosh ball is highly entertaining and helps with keeping one alert when driving.
2. There is NOTHING to see in ND, I would be okay to never "visit" again.
3. ND, MT, and WA all have fun symbols for their Highway names.  ND = Native Head, MT = Spear Head, WA = George Washington's Head....MN has squares.  
4. There are drastic changes in scenery- flat plains to hilly almost mountains- crazy.
5. When driving through MT when you see a gas station- STOP and get gas, even if you think you have enough to get to the next gas station, you don't so fill up.

It is crazy to think we have begun this journey but I am SO GRATEFUL for ALL the support from family and friends.  It is so encouraging to have people standing behind us, praying for us saying they believe in what God has called us to do- so Thank You!

okay that is all for now- watching Iron Man and waiting for our pizza to be delivered- yum.