Praise be to Jesus Christ!
As we finished up this school year we pondered what the Lord would call us to next. Matt graduated with the Licentiate in Philosophy (Ph.L.) and completed the coursework for the doctorate. We had decided we would take a break from school at this juncture as we had finished what we came to DC for- the licentiate. We applied for a few positions in the DC area and in Texas, but nothing was working out. The Lord continued to work on our virtue of patience...as He never fails in generosity and in knowing what is best.
So we waited...until July 18th.
With that said, we have moved to Houston, TX to take on a position, together as a couple, as the Coordinators of High School Youth Ministry at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church. We are very excited to be working together and serving the Lord in this capacity. You may remember that we worked with St. Anthony's parish up in DC in youth ministry
and loved it.
We have enjoyed our first 3 weeks on the job, we have wonderful people to work with, and the teens are a joy to serve. Please keep this ministry in your prayers- these teens are amazing.
John-Matthew is ten months old today! He has 6 teeth, is a super fast crawler, walks with the help of the sofa, eats anything you put in front of him and still smiles about 95% of his waking hours. He loves the water- the bath, the pool, the beach, - as long as it is wet, he is happy. This week Grammy (Lucy's mom) took him diving under water and he has taken to that quite well. On our latest trip to the beach he crawled straight into the waves, slowing down only to taste the newest shell he'd found. He is such a joy and has transitioned pretty smoothly into life as a southerner.
Matt is doing very well. Through prayers and trust in the Lord, he has great energy, feels good, and he has a nice tan:). He is continuing the all natural regimen he began in February. He eats kefir, flax oil, raw veggies, raw nuts, steamed veggies, cheeses, dried beans of all sorts, brown rice, and plenty of sauerkraut. The Houston climate provides lots of sun which has also been very good for the natural treatment. He has occasional soreness on his right side where his surgery was 2 years ago, especially after doing a lot of lifting or carrying of the cute little boy on that side of his body, but overall the cancer has been stable. We are thankful for the life given each day, and we continue to ask for your prayers. We truly cannot serve without the constant strength given by our Lord through your intercession.
Right now we are living in Nassau Bay, a suburb of Houston on the southeast side. We live about a block away from the water, in a 2/2 apartment. We hope to eventually buy a house, but at the moment we enjoy our location and the luxury of having a pool at the apartments to swim in daily (for those of you in DC, the water is pretty much lukewarm and perfect for swimming!)
We have only been here 3 weeks, but we have managed to see almost every member of our immediate family...what a blessing! This was one of the main reasons we came down to Texas and we are so thankful that our families have been so eager to visit. We have loved seeing them so much.
We definitely miss our friends in DC but praise the Lord for being able to know each of them. Though I never thought I would say we miss the north...it is true, it was a wonderful place to begin our life as a family. We have been surrounded by amazing friends, doctors, religious, priests, and family.
We have posted a few new pictures on our website http://familycoles.googlepages.com of our return to Texas and the lil tike growing up!
Though we will definitely be very busy as we begin this new journey, we would love to hear from you and if you have any prayer requests, we would love to offer them for you. Please pray for us!
Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us!
Matt, Lucy and John-Matthew
No comments:
Post a Comment