Last night I lead a Doxasoma class on being present. (www.doxasoma.com - Look up what Doxasoma is. I have gotten certified over the last year and love leading it!!) Kirk and I have struggled with that lately. We both feel like we are waiting for God to move us. We have hopes and dreams of moving to Trinidad to an underesourced neighborhood to move in and begin our Christian Community Development, but God has not called us to move yet. So we remain in Roger's Park, waiting.

Our friends who we walked with as they resettled here from Burma as refugees have moved on to Texas. We miss them greatly, but are so glad they are doing well. Since they have left, this feeling of lost purpose has grown.

I GOT THE JOB!! So now I work at the Sauganash Wellness Center, a small Chiropractor's office in Chicago, IL, just five miles from when I live :). www.sauganashwellness.com. I currently massage on Thursday and Fridays from 2-7pm, and work front desk before that. There may be an opportunity for me to work on Tuesdays later this Fall. God is so good. This really is a fabulous first job for massage and I am so grateful. Thank you all for your prayers and keep lifting us up for our ministries here in Roger's Park. We'd love to hear from you!

Blessings, Sarah

So ya know those prayers for patience I asked for at the end of June? They've been much needed and God has given me lots of space to grow patience. So here I am at the end of August, two months ago I said I'd have my massage certification and license by now...which I do! Yay! That all happened quite quickly in July. So all of August I have been in between. The best soil to grow patience, 300 miles from where I was and 300 miles from where I want to be. Yet this week God has proven to be faithful once again...he's good at that, why do we always have disbelief in God's faithfulness?? I have had three job interviews over the last two weeks, one I didn't get, one they don't have enough business until later this year (God Willing) and one looks very promising! I am thinking right now about not finishing this until next week when I know for sure about the job, but in faith I am going to post it anyway.

Meanwhile, I have been growing business ideas with a friend to begin our own business someday. I have spent a good amount of time with our friends from Burma, tried to take time significant times to listen to God in prayer, still enjoying Ten Thousand Villages and working on my certification in Doxasoma <www.doxasoma.com>.

Here’s my crazy class - yep in the middle of the street!

We have been so blessed the last few months as we have moved and settled in to our new home. Thank you all who came to visit us on June 22nd to our home blessing and thank you to all of you who have blessed our home with cards, emails and visits as well! Having a home means a lot to us. Over this year, I have learned the importance of grounding in massage, being sure your rooted and centered, focused and connected to the energy of God before you begin to give of yourself to the client. I see the importance of grounding for our lives by having a home - a place to put down roots and center ourselves, a place where we connect to the energy of God, our foundation, a place where we gain energy to give of ourselves to others. We have much enjoyed decorating our space, and continue to put our finishing touches on our home. Meanwhile, we have met a lot of neighbors! We feel so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors in our condo building. We have a variety of ages, ethnicities and personalities. It is a beautiful mix of people in unintentional community. But we have already started to watch out for one another, as a neighbor, who was up with her baby, woke us up at 3:30am one night to alert us some one was in our car! Unfortunately we had left one door unlocked accidentally, fortunately all they took was $3-$4 change,our change tray and a couple of hours of sleep! We are so thankful for such great neighbors.

Greetings Friends and Family!

It has been way too long since you've last heard from us. Life has been a whirlwind of family, friends, a new condo, massage school, Kirk's work and lots of God.

So wow, since last October we've been downstate and up to Milwaukee to visit family for the holidays. We've been to Trinidad to visit Kirk's mom, family and friends. We had a great trip, unexpected because we were able to use our miles and God directed us to go and be with Kirk's mom. Our time was worthwhile and we showed Kirk's mom how much we really do love her and received love in return. Amen. You can see photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/klashley/Trinidad2008

P.S. Our friends' baby – Celeste - pictured in the album, won cutest baby of the year award in Trinidad!

At the beginning of February, when we returned from the trip we began our condo search unsure we were even going to end up living in the country. We fasted and prayed for a week after our realtor had found the nearly perfect condo for us. During this time, God put a call upon our hearts to be neighborhood missionaries here in Rogers Park. I felt a call to use my massage to help heal victims of trauma. We have a center for victims of torture here in our neighborhood that I have already volunteered at. God truly revealed we are where He has called us – we're even assured that our church is where we're suppose to be as well.

It's been mostly dismal living in this system for the last couple years. But I must say like millions of others in this country, I'm becoming hopeful of what the future might bring.

Probably my best way to return to the world of blogging is to let a song speak for itself.  I don't think I can say this better than Mark of Christafari...

HYPOCRITICAL SYSTEM
Written & Arranged by Mark Mohr
Scriptural Inspiration: Isaiah 29:13, Colossians 2:2, 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 & Matthew 23

So never let them criticize you my brothers for your individuality
And never let them disrespect you my sisters for your originality
I'm telling you God's children, they'll try to change you, they want conformity
But we celebrate His kingdom and His creation with diversity.

CHORUS:
We ago fight this hypocritical system
Refuse to live as the victim
We have to fight this hypocritical system yeah!
No longer will I be the victim
We have to fight this hypocritical system
Refuse to live as the victim
We have to fight this hypocritical system yeah!
So mind the Father ago lick them

Kirk and I have our two year anniversary approaching next week so we are almost not newly weds, though some say three years is the mark. But according to the US government, we aren't really married until we have been married for over two years, so we will be soon filling more paper work so Kirk will no longer be a conditional permanent resident...he will just be permanent...but not really because none of us are permanent residents of this world. What does the US government know anyway?

I am writing this on the heels of returning from our first Christian Community Development Association Conference (CCDA). God has blessed us greatly with this resource of networking, encouragement and learning. Attending CCDA Institute classes and these annual conferences is how God is fulfilling my seminary desires. And wow - I am full! I spent five days (Kirk came for two.) in St. Louis soaking in the words of John Perkins, Coach Gordon and many others who are all discerning their place in God's will for the world to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger in the land. This year's theme was Beyond the Walls of Poverty, Programs, Politics and Paternalism. So here are a few reflections.

Most of you know we have been back from Trinidad for a while now. In that time I have begun massage school. I really love learning about our amazing bodies - God's creative artwork! I also am so excited about all the possibilities to help people through this health related field. I feel God has truly prepared me for this career in so many ways. I have explored meditation and contemplation through different vehicles of yoga, doxasoma and Taizé. I come to find out that these types of self-care for the body, mind and spirit are essential to have a long career of massage therapy. My childhood background of gymnastics has given my body a strong core (leg, lower back and abdominal muscles), in which, all massage therapist move from in order to give massage without injuring their hands, wrists and arms. Even my percussion training in high school adds to the technique of tapotement. I am challenged by the varied of people in my larger than expected class of 30 students, many of whom are just barely out of high school. God has much work to do on me yet, but I am so amazed at the peace I have as I continue to follow his steps.