Growin’ Up Fast

It’s a little late…alright, almost a week late, but Rome celebrated his 3rd birthday on September 11th. We had nice party for him at home and as you can see, it was a Cars theme. Both he and Jack (a.k.a. li’l Tubby) are growing by leaps and bounds and Rome’s vocabulary and comprehension of things never ceases to amaze us. A family from our church gifted us with a membership to the Minnesota Zoo, so Kris took the boys there today for a fun outing on what was a nice, warm day after a string of some cooler weather. We’re finally starting to feel settled in here though I don’t think it will really sink in until we’ve been here over a year. God is good to us and overall things are going really well. In fact, we even had a garage sale this past weekend and people showed up even though it was raining. I wish there was more exciting news to report on, but that’s about all I’ve got for now. I’ve uploaded some photos from their trip to the zoo today and I’ll be uploading some from Rome’s birthday as well so be sure to check out the photos page for those.

Long overdue

Not that I’ve had a ton of time on my hands lately, but I figured it was about time I uploaded some new photos of the boys and my Ordination and Installation, so be sure to check out the photos page. I also thought I’d give a brief update on how our lives are going. Slowly but surely we’re getting settled in to our house and one by one the boxes are getting unpacked. Thanks to all the help from my dad, our living room and basement are finally put back together, save for a coat of paint in the basement – but that’s not really a priority right now. Dad and I repainted our entire living room, put up new base boards, and dad did a lot of work in our basement and around the house too. Kris is staying plenty busy with taking care of Rome and Jack and we’re finally determined to get Rome potty trained. He’s certainly smart enough, we just haven’t been encouraging it that much. I’ve been getting settled into my office and things at the church and I preach my first sermon as a pastor this weekend. All in all, in spite of the “hiccups” we’ve had with the house and everything else, it’s starting to feel like this is home and we’re very thankful to be part of such a wonderful church family. Now all we have to do is be re-initiated into Minnesota winters and we’ll officially be Minnesotans…even if we’re not Vikings’ fans.

The Dark Horse Candidate

Silver Linings

The last 9 days have been an emotional roller coaster for our family and though we’re finally in our new house, it hasn’t been without it’s share of frustrations. It all started with Rome getting car sick 30 minutes outside of St. Louis on our move up to Minnesota. 2 hours and a new car seat later, we were finally under way. We made it to our hotel in Iowa City around 11:30pm on Thursday night after battling a wicked thunderstorm. We couldn’t see our hotel at first because the power was out, but literally seconds before we pulled in the parking lot, the power came back on.

The next day we hit delays in Iowa due to flooding – and let me just say that anything we’ve been through pales in comparison to what those poor folks in Iowa are dealing with – whole buildings under water. Please do keep them in your prayers. Finally, we made it to Minnesota on Friday afternoon and after 12+ hours total in the car with a 2.5 year old and 3 month old baby, I’ve decided we aren’t traveling again until our kids are teenagers.

We thought things were finally beginning to settle down a bit when closing on our house went off without a hitch but that changed on Tuesday. As I was driving to church to pick Rome up from VBS, a Semi threw up a golf ball sized rock which put a nice half moon crack in the windshield. Needless to say that needs to be replaced.

Wednesday we got a call from our moving company and found out that instead of getting our stuff sometime between Tuesday-Friday (June 17-20), we found out it won’t be here until next Tuesday, June 24th. Thankfully we already bought a bed and we brought enough stuff with us to get by. But, the icing on the cake was today. I had finished cleaning out the gutters on the back of our house and I was using the hose to spray them out. All was going well until I came around the front of the house and heard the sound of spraying water and Rome yelling from the living room “there’s water all over!” Apparently the “frost valve” on the outside spicket burst open inside the house carving a 1 inch hole in the drywall and soaking our carpet in the living room and possibly damaging some of the other walls as well.

As Kris and I were reflecting on this, we just found it amazing that twice we had seemingly bad things happen to us – but they really turned out for our good. 1) Had Rome not gotten sick, we would have been in the hotel when the power was out. 2) Had out stuff gotten here on time from the movers, our belongings would have been damaged from the water leak. I know the devil has been using these events to try to break our spirits and to make us doubt whether or not we really belong here. But then it occurred to me…there was another major event where all seemed bleak and where the devil thought he’d won. Where it looked like all was lost. That’s when Jesus was nailed to the cross and left there to die. It looked like there was no hope but then 3 days later when Jesus rose from the dead, the cross took on a whole new perspective. What seemed like a terrible event turned out to be the best for all humanity as Christ’s death and resurrection mean forgiveness and eternal life for all who believe in Him. While there may not always be a silver lining on the clouds we face in our daily lives, Christ’s death and resurrection is always cause for rejoicing.

Lord God, Heavenly Father, I praise and thank you for this day. I ask that you be with our family as we go through these minor setbacks and ask that you be with us and give us your strength. Send your holy angels to watch over us and protect us from the evil one. Give comfort and peace to all those afflicted by trouble in body, home, spirit, or mind. May your Holy Spirit give us hope knowing that no matter what happens in this life…no matter what troubles we experience…we have the assurance that our sins are forgiven because Jesus died and rose again for us. Thank you, Father, for loving us. Thank you for turning negative events into positive outcomes for us. Keep us in your tender arms now and forever. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

That’s a wrap!

Years of school – 3
Years on Vicarage – 1
Pages read – 35,826
Exams Taken – 43
Exams Passed – 42.5 (just kidding)
Papers Written – I lost count
Taking a picture wearing your academic hood as a literal hood – priceless…and a little silly.

Okay, so the MasterCard thing is rather dated, but I’m fresh out of creativity at this point. Yesterday I received both my Theological Diploma and my Master of Divinity degree after 4 years of study. So now that one chapter of life is done, another exciting one is about to begin as I prepare for my Ordination and Installation. I’ve posted photos from yesterday’s events on our photos page so take a look!

Like father, like son

The picture on the left was taken when I was about 2 years old and my dad was on vicarage in Woodbury, MN and we thought this would make for a “cute” picture (I put “cute” in parentheses because even though I’m a father with young children, it’s still un-manly of me to use that word without putting it in quotes). Actually, it seems fitting that on the eve of our return to Minnesota, Rome would be dressed the same as his father. You know, I’m not sure if it’s an indication of anything or not, but Rome sure looks a lot happier than I did when I had my picture taken. Perhaps the serious look on my face was my deep understanding for the significance of that moment. Or…maybe I was just bitter about my mop-top hairdo. Who knows. At any rate, my time at the Seminary is quickly drawing to a close. I’ve only got one major test left on Thursday then it’s graduation on Friday. The experience here at the seminary these past four years has been incredible…from the classroom with extremely gifted professors to the friends I’ve made to the ways I’ve grown in my Christian faith. God has indeed been good to us and we’re looking forward to all that He has in store for us in the weeks, months, and years ahead!

Rock On!

As you can see, Jack is really excited about all the changes coming up in the next several weeks. It’s hard to believe that I’ve only got a little over a week left of classes! All in all things are going pretty well here. Jack is slowly developing a more regular schedule which is nice (especially for Kris). He’s a little over 11 pounds now and starting to become a little more interactive. The other day Rome really had him smiling and cooing. Rome continues to make us laugh as well and is actually getting back to a normal sleep schedule. I am flying up to the Twin Cities the week after graduation to meet my dad and look for homes. Now I’m off to sign up for HGTV’s “My First Place” so maybe we can end up with a sweet new LCD TV or living room set. Hey, it could happen!

Our New Church

Buildings aren’t as exciting as people, but I found this picture of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington where I’ll serve as Assistant Pastor starting in just a couple short months. As for the physical building itself, it’s very nice and I actually visited once for a technology conference when I was on vicarage in Minnesota. In fact, I told the youth director from my vicarage congregation “wouldn’t it be neat to serve here some day?” Amazing how the Lord works. Things are still going well here at home. Rome is finally back on a more regular napping schedule which makes life just a little less hectic. Kris and Jack are doing well and thankfully I’ve got a pretty light load to finish up classes so it’s not too bad. Graduation is only three weeks away and I’m scheduled to be ordained and installed on July 12th at St. Michael’s. We’ve already started looking at some houses online and I’ll probably be making a trip up in May with my dad to try to find something. Though in some ways it’s very overwhelming, this is a very exciting time for us and we can’t wait to get up to Bloomington. Please keep us in your prayers as we finish up school, look for a home, and make moving plans.

Mall of America, here we come!

(for those without Superman vision, the packet I’m holding says “Russel Troester, Minnesota South District, Assistant Pastor, St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, Bloomington, MN)

As some of you may know by now, we had our Call Placement Service tonight and I have received my first call into the Office of the Holy Ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and we’re going back to Minnesota where I’ll serve as an Assistant Pastor at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington, MN (home of the Mall of America and Kris’ favorite, IKEA). We’re really excited to get to know the people there and serve God in this place. A lot will be changing for us in the next few months so keep your eyes peeled for more to come!

Crazy Days

Jack turned one month old today so I thought I’d take this opportunity to provide some updates. It feels like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and now he’s almost walking and talking. Okay, time isn’t moving that fast, but this last month sure does feel like a blur. Jack is doing well though we can’t seem to convince him that he should sleep through the night. He had a doctor’s appointment today and he weighs 9lbs, 12oz – up 2lbs 9oz from when he was born! Rome seems to be adjusting well to his new role as a big brother. He is very gentle with Jack and really hasn’t been acting jealous but lately he’s decided he doesn’t need to take naps which we think may be his way of acting out. The reality, though, is that he really does need his naps because he too ends up waking up at night, sometimes coming out of his room. We’ve also been giving a run at potty training him, but so far that’s not much of a success. Probably just too much going on right now. As for Kris and me, life is pretty much a blur…wait, didn’t I say that already? Kris is just plain and simple an awesome woman. It amazes me how she can take care of 2 kids on little sleep. She has more patience in her little finger than I could ever hope for and she even manages to keep me in line too! I really don’t know what I’d do without her. I’m pretty fortunate to have a relatively light load this quarter which is good because it’s been hard to concentrate with everything going on. I can hardly believe in only a little over 3 days we’ll be finding out where I’ll serve for my first call! There is a lot of buzz on campus from guys in my class about where everyone is headed…some know, some (like myself) have really no clue. It’s all in the Lord’s hands and I trust wherever He sends me, I’ll be able to use the gifts He’s given me to serve the people well. Then, 4 weeks after Call Day I’ll be graduating from the Seminary and before we know it…we’ll be moving again (Lord willing we’ll stay put for a while this time!) All in all, things are going well but it’s been a crazy ride these past few weeks. I wonder what I’ll think when I actually have some time to process this! Did I mention life is pretty much a blur right now?

Oh yeah – if you’re interested, the info for the Call Placement service (including a live stream) can be found on the Seminary’s website. Here’s the link: http://www.csl.edu/Resources_CallDay2008.aspx