The blog went on hold. It had to. We haven't had time to share a whole lot about what has been happening in our life. It is complicated. And it is why we have so aptly named our blog "The Crazy Life". It is our life. I'm sure much of it is self-inflicted. I always wonder what parts are God-orchestrated in it all as well. Then again, sometimes His fingerprints are obvious
August was a wild month. Well, the middle of the month was the beginning of crazy. We spent five days at a cabin on a lake near Edmonton, Alberta. During those five days, we were candidating. Well, more than "dating". More candi-courting. Sure. That's a word. Faith and I were making a huge decision that had been months in the making.
In fact, we didn't really talk much at all until May. I sent a resume in February (I think, I sent out so many I don't really remember). Then we had an interview over the phone at either the end of May. I wasn't really sure how it went. I had already interviewed with a number of other churches and pastors and camps and was being seriously considered for a few positions. While we were on vacation in June, I stopped in to for an "informal visit" to which all the pastors and the board were invited for about two hours. We got a phone call toward the end of July asking if we would come and candidate. At that point, I started letting other potential ministry opportunities know that I was seriously considering a specific church. By mid-August we were sitting next Hubbles Lake Resort at Beach Corner Evangelical Free Church near Stony Plain, Alberta.
They asked about our kids, they made sure we had babysitters, they made us feel at home, and they took care of us. The youth group included us right away and tried to initiate me by spreading icing through my thinning hair. I threw the culprits in a grossly muddy lake. I also had several meetings with people: parents, staff, elders, the prayer team, the youth leaders, the former youth pastor who is actually the son of the senior pastor, and more. It was a very tiring time and we were glad to go home afterwards - but we certainly felt something special about Beach Corner E-Free.
So, the next Sunday the congregation voted unanimously to call us (just as the elders had while we were present) and we accepted. Of course, we were expecting to be told immediately following the vote that Sunday afternoon - the chairman thought it would be better on a business day after 5 PM. We thought there was something wrong and thoughts of doubt and worry began to circle around us. We had already been through something like this earlier, something that didn't make a whole lot of sense to us at the time when we were told "No". In the end, it just delayed my driving up to Parkland County and looking for a place to live.
I drove the 7 1/2 hours to just beyond Edmonton the next morning and started hunting for homes. Faith and I had gone out looking on two occasions while we were up candidating to see what was there, but hadn't been entirely satisfied with any of the options. We were told it was a buyers market when we arrived, and in the end our realtor changed her tune on the matter. I stayed the first night at a youth leaders' house while looking for land to purchase. There was none in our price range. The next day I phoned up our realtor and we went on the hunt. I even got to drive her Beamer the one day I tired her out so much. I apologized, but she told us later that it was the most fun she'd had in a while looking for the right home. We looked at acreages, duplexes, and single family dwellings all over the county and in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. Two of the places I liked had pending offers on them, and while I was there I prepared three offers for three different homes. When the house I was most excited about sold, I dropped the other one that was pending (and needed a lot of work but was a 1/2 million dollar property on a wooded acreage on a hillside next to a quiet lake with three bedrooms and a three-car garage and cobblestone everything), and went for a home that was move-in ready and suited our family better.
Two weeks later (joking aside) we now live at 18 Greenwood Place in Spruce Grove, Alberta. It is a four-level split on a quiet cul-de-sac with a view to the Alliance Church from our backyard. We have 5 bedrooms, 1 3/4 bathrooms, 2 living areas, and a modest kitchen / dining area. It hasn't been all fun and games though. It was a wrestling match to get the financing (God bless mortgage brokers) and the amount of personal information that I've never had to produce before for a financial transaction was astounding. The lawyer delayed things for us, DHL lost our paperwork for days, and we only got possession of the house because of a leaky faucet (there's a story of prayer!). We bought from a Christian couple of whom the wife acted as her own realtor. She was pretty emotionally attached to the whole deal which felt like it could have gone sideways any second.
Fortunately for us, when we told the trucking company who was moving our stuff that we weren't entirely sure of the possession date, they came anyway at 5 AM the day before. One of the church elders owns part of Duckering Transport, and he came out personally with a friend and a brand new truck which they took off the beaten path in Saskatchewan and quickly thought twice about short-cuts in unknown territory. I had taken the same road two weeks previous when my route was blocked and the bridge was out heading home from looking at houses and I needed to see my family before heading to worship practice at the Moose Jaw Alliance Church. Crazy. But they arrived safely, learned their lesson, and drove until 1 AM to get back to Spruce Grove within the same 24 hour period. We weren't far behind - we grabbed cheeseburgers in Edmonton at 2 AM before finding the Grove Motor Inn in Spruce Grove at 2:30.
That morning we all slept in a bit, I called my realtor, then the lawyer, and got the keys by 12:30 PM on Friday, September 17. Faith's parents met us almost as soon as we arrived, and Joy and Brian showed up with their kids the next day. Friday we went on a painting frenzy and tried to make the place our own. Saturday after lunch we unloaded the truck trailer with some help from some church folk. We had no phones until Sunday morning, and no internet until Tuesday. Saturday night the pilot light on the hot water tank went out and I had to replace the thermocouple at 9 PM so we wouldn't have cold showers in the morning. Crazy. And we've been assembling, unpacking, and settling ever since.
Less than a month ago I was independently wealthy living in a trailer in Caronport among friends. Today I sit with a MacBook Pro on my lap from the church office on my Kijiji-acquired couch in the silence of my freshly painted living room after midnight pondering about last time I posted anything on the blog.
So, FYI - our contact information is as follows:
18 Greenwood Place
Spruce Grove, AB
T7X 1W9
(780) 960-1513
We hope to talk to you all soon (give us a chance to clean up a little before deciding to just drop by though).
- Mark
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