Seattle

Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with joy and sadness that we are writing to you today. As some of you already know, we are embarking on a "journey" which will change our life in almost every way. We wish we could have told every one of you in person, but it just hasn't been possible, and as such, we regret sending this news via email to you.

In any case, this week will be our last week living in Arizona. Cristin's grandparents (Clyde and Helen) have increasingly been experiencing some difficulties with their health over the past years, and most recently have begun considering professional care, due to the struggles of many daily tasks for them. The possibilities of selling their home and moving into assisted living or incurring the high costs of in-home care were a heartbreaking thought to our family, and certainly to Clyde and Helen.

Upon hearing this, we began discussing and praying about the possibility of helping however we can. The thought came to us to offer our help by moving to their home in Poulsbo, WA (near Seattle) to care for them. Matt could work during the day while Cristin attends to their daily necessities and we would work together, seeing to it that they experience the best of life in every way possible.

We considered the pros and the cons, the benefits and the sacrifices, the blessings and the difficulties. Although the challenges seemed to outweigh the advantages for us, it was undeniably clear that this would be an incomparable act; ultimately providing all of us with deeper, more meaningful and valuable joy than all the difficulties could ever contend with. We decided to make the offer and, after some consideration of their own, Clyde and Helen gladly accepted. We have committed ourselves to moving next week and we don't know how long we will be gone, or what new directions and changes will take place in our life once our assistance to Helen and Clyde is no longer adequate to meet their needs.

This is going to be a big change for us and certainly a considerable challenge, however, we are absolutely confident that God has put this in our hearts as a step of faith in the blessings and wonders He has in store for all of us. We are excited about and welcome this opportunity, but at the same time, there is much we will dearly miss.

The time we have been so blessed to have with all of you has been incredible and has made an indefinable impact on our life. We will miss the precious moments of fellowship with you, our family and friends. You have granted us comfort in our pain, wisdom in our uncertainty, laughter in our despair, hope in our fears and ultimately, have inspired us to be our very best in all we do.

It has been amazing to connect with so many great people in so many ways over the past 2+ years. We can't say enough about our family, our church family at The Life, our good friends from the past, and certainly our new friends at Mountain Park. We cherish every moment we've spent with you all and are truly sad to say goodbye.

We will deeply miss our family and friends at The Life. You have truly been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement for us both. It is with you that we've discovered a better life in the mysteries of God. You have inspired us through your giant hearts and open minds. It was with you that we found each other and began our new life together. We've gone through heartache together and laughed really hard together. You are the best friends we've ever known and we truly consider you our family. We can only hope to be so lucky as to meet people in Seattle that are even a fraction as wonderful as you are.

We will especially miss the get-togethers, special occasions and hanging out with our family that is so joyous, fun and meaningful in so many ways. It is you, our family, who gives us a glimpse into ourselves and shows us the vital meaning of true love. We have you to thank for everything we are and will become. You are our foundation of love and support and we treasure each one of you immensely.

Our ultimate strength is in God, who has made us who we are and continues to shape and direct us in our faith and desire to be closer to Him. You have all blessed us in so many ways and it is so apparent that God has blessed us with you... He is in each one of you.

As we mentioned before, we don't know how long we will be gone, or what new directions and changes will take place in our life. With that, it is entirely possible we could be moving back at some point, but we don't yet have any plans in that respect.

It is our intent to stay in contact in every way possible. We will be updating our website with "news" and arbitrary ramblings (blogging), connecting with you via video chat and instant messaging, sending mail and emails, calling and, most infrequently, flying out to visit... (you'll find our various points of contact at the bottom of this page). We wish you all the best and ask for your thoughts and prayers in this time of transition and unfamiliarity for us. You will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers as we look forward to discovering what God has in store for us all.

We love you so very much!

Matt and Cristin