so the story goes...

A Genealogy
1 Johann was the father of Peter,
Peter the father of Peter,
Peter the father of Jacob and his brothers,
2 Jacob the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Oscar,
Oscar the father of Hubert,
3 Hubert the father of Lewis,
Lewis the father of Amanda and Abigail,
whose mother was Vicki

Hello world.

Family reunions can be very interesting, especially when they are all-inclusive for an ancestor way back when. So here's a piece out of the Stern Genealogy

Johann (1726-1795) (both are approximate) and his family lived in Bern, Switzerland but felt persecuted on all sides for being part of an Anabaptism movement. Moving to the New World took about 2 years, traveling the european continent till he landed in Philadelphia, moving to Lancaster county. Johann (John) was one of the founders of the Brethren in Christ Church. He had four sons, 1 daughter. He died when he was about 69.

When Johann was about 47, he has his fourth child named Peter S. (1773-1846). Peter S. had 11 children and was 73 when he died.

When Peter S. was 29, he had his second child named Peter M. (1802-1874). Peter M. had 9 children and was 72 when he died.

When Peter M. was 28, he had his second child named Jacob (1830-1908). Jacob had 5 children and was 78 when he died.

At age 23, Jacob had his first child named Isaac (1853-1925). Isaac had 8 children and was 72 when he died.

When Isaac was 49, he had his seventh child named Oscar (1902-1980). Oscar had 7 children and was 78 when he died.

At age 29, Oscar had his third child named Hubert (1931). Hubert has 4 children and lives in PA.

When Hubert was 26, he had his second child name Lewis (1957). Lewis has 2 children and lives in PA.

At age 30, Lewis had his second child named Abigail (1988).

9th generation of the New World and I still live in PA :)

Johann-Peter-Peter-Jacob-Isaac-Oscar-Hubert-Lewis-Abigail

One on Joy

Joyful.

Several of my friends have recently had things to rejoice about and I can't help but be so joyful! It's exciting to see life develop in front of my eyes. There are definitely slow parts of life (like wintertime!) but things haven't been slow lately! I am so blessed to have friends to celebrate with, especially in these good times!

Last but not least::
Welcome Home Kelsey Smith, I've missed you!
To all the lady PULSErs= our house dinners will be truly missed. Thanks for a great year!

pursuing pittsburgh- for reals now

When I first moved to Pittsburgh about a year ago now, I decided to create a blog about encounters, endeavors, and discoveries (sorry, not an "e" word) I made while here. Therefore, being in a new place, this blog got named "pursuing pittsburgh". Some really great blogs came out of this year, there is no question in my mind that I did a great job learning from the PULSE experience. The problem is... I didn't do a good job actually pursuing pittsburgh. This year at PULSE, I had this unconscious (sometimes conscious) assumption that I would move on after my year. So I made little attachment to things, left my options open, and didn't allow myself to dive in, to pursue where I was living.

But let me say something else-- it is hard to move. Though moving is an adventure and it's exciting to be in a new place, "owning" where you are is tough. It doesn't matter who you know, it doesn't matter how great the place is, it takes time to adjust.

Recently Chris, the director of the PULSE program, ran a session to some mennonites about owning where you are. Through the course of the material, we were challenged to dive deep and truly live wholeheartedly. I think I thought (this past year) I was giving a "right amount" of myself. "It's ok to not dive deep when you don't plan to stick around." "It's ok to not make those relationships because you're just going to end up leaving soon and you don't want to hurt them." "It's ok ..."

These rationals hurt myself more than anyone else. If you aren't willing to dive in, then you are only (here comes the pool analogy) going to be sitting on the side as everyone else has fun. God made us for community, and community is more than a network. Community is where you are. Community is investing for the long haul, even if you don't know how long you'll be around.

So it has taken me a while to adjust to Pittsburgh, but sometimes you need time to do just that. I don't regret this past year. I've had a year to learn the functions of the city, now I can start pursuing my investment into it. One thing I know now: I am sticking around.

Hey- if you haven't heard yet- I got a job! Praise the Lord! It has been a tough month, but God is faithful. Please pray as I begin working in August as a social worker at Health Care for the Homeless in Pittsburgh. I am very excited to continue working with this population here in Pitt!

And as always, thanks for reading.

decision made

I like it when I can look back and see God at work in a situation. Take PULSE, for example. I found out I was in the program a week before I found out I had a solid job offer. Of course I had already accepted PULSE, since they had a deadline in responding yes/no. So my final decision was easy= I had already accepted PULSE. Would life have been different if I heard back from both the same day? I think so. I would have wrestled with voluntary service and a real job. I would have tormented and felt I let someone down in the end. I would have wondered if I made the right decision.

I feel blessed. I think this was an intentional-God-moment. He simply gave me PULSE, first and by itself. Nothing else on the table. And then He went ahead and showed me what else He could give me if He wanted. But it wasn't meant for me yet, just a promise for the future. A promise to provide more than enough.

So while I waited for the future, the present voluntary service gave me this understanding:

a. The beauty of taking abandoned space and creatively turning it into something worthwhile. (A great metaphor for what God can do in people’s lives.) Imagine what would happen if the city of Pittsburgh only allowed developers to use existing space, since there is so much abandoned space…What does the kingdom of God look like in Pittsburgh?

b. The persistence in understanding city driving, parallel parking, public transportation and navigation.

c. Courage to stand alone on an important project and take leadership/ownership of it.

d. The effectiveness of hearing others’ thoughts. The impact of one persons' story. The strength it takes to keep getting back on your feet when life doesn't give you any hope.

e. The rollercoaster of non-profits – and finding stability where the ‘coaster is currently at.

f. Contentment in living simply

How have you been shaped lately? It doesn’t matter where you are at in life, things are constantly changing and God is constantly moving.
Do you know that?
Do you recognize it?
Did you expect something but didn't receive it till later on? Or are you still waiting?
Reflect on who you are right now.
Know God is bigger.

if grace is an ocean, then we're all sinking

I am convinced the heart of God resides on earth in community.

It was wonderful to take time off and go to a family reunion and the mennonite convention (not one in the same ;) ). My dad's side of the family is pretty sweet because there are so many cousins and everyone wants to stay connected. It has become a gathering that happens every 2yrs now. This year (after my cousins' wedding!) only 60 were able to attend-- and yes, i did say "only". Each and every person has their own story to tell, which is amazing- I love hearing these! The most intriguing conversations were with relatives that do work abroad. It is so enlightening to hear about foreign cultures and how they fit into them. The best was understanding The Word better by hearing about the culture that fits with it. (feel free to message me with more on this)

During the course of the weekend, the annual silent auction happen, volleyball tournments, scrabble, board games, card games, puzzles and mind twisters. There was the talent show (yes, my family has immense talent, no lie), swimming, hiking, and eating. My cousins and I had a wonderful time returning to a waterfall we creek-walked last reunion. Unfortunately there has been a lack of rainfall so the waterfall was unbearably easy to walk up. In other words, there wasn't a waterfall, just a trickle...

Moment to moment:
It was children's time at family worship on the Lost Coin and the adult asks the kids if the coins they are holding are valuable. Kids agree. Adult asks kids whats most valuable to God. One kid exclaims with every enthusiastic bone of their body-- "Money!"

photos to be uploaded on facebook... stay tuned.

The Mennonite Convention was like a reunion in many aspects. As I gathered up materials to represent PULSE and walk through the first door, a movie scene suddenly becomes my life. You know those scenes where one person looks through the crowd and discovers another and they run and embrace? Guys roll their eyes, girls gush. Such a movie. Well, as it turns out I walked in through the first convention doors, turn my head and my eyes fall on my wonderful boyfriend. We caught eyes but there was no running involved. Hm the contentment found after missing seeing someone for a long time...

As the first evening went on, I continued to run into old friends. Church friends, camp friends, college friends, parents of friends, ... It was such a blessing. Being known and having a form of connection is a human desire. we all desire to be understood and known. I even connected with people I didnt know simply by knowing where they were from. "You're from Wooster, Oh? I've been there! I have friends from .. do you know the ... ?" Many people know this as "the Mennonite Game". I think it's because right off the bat, Mennonites intentionally go out of their way to connect. I like this a lot.

The key speaker who brought the message of reconcilliation said the following; most people in the church become polarized because they are either focused on justice or purity. One pursue justice for others at all costs, declaring the Name of Jesus for the victims. The other pursues purity in Christ at all costs, claiming we're straying from what we stand for and lovingly calling out brothers and sisters. Both are needed in the church, but when they collide, it is a brutal thing. the umbrella that most reside above these innate passions must be reconciliation. find a bridge, build a bridge, cross the bridge to the cross.

Moment to moment:
It's like everyone who is a follower of Christ has a string hanging down from heaven that attaches them to God. When they sin, the string is cut. When they ask for forgiveness and healing, God knots the string back together, which makes it just a little bit shorter than it was before. Therefore, sinners are closer to him than saints.

Moment to moment:
As mennonites we do a lot, but don't say a lot. We need to be more bold with our words.


And finally I am reminded of song lyrics. As i struggle with what is the next step in my life, since PULSE ends in three weeks, I am finding myself overwhelmed at times. And then the beautiful song lyrics dance by my sinking spirit:
If grace is an ocean, then we're all sinking.

grace and peace, my friends