Update

We are still getting to know the place we find ourselves in. We have been trying Denver on now for a couple months, but we are still getting used to city living. Our new surroundings couldn't be more different than where we came from in Ireland. Last week Ireland hit 65 degrees; we hit 100. Ireland has rain; we have none. Ireland has green grass...

You get the picture.

Although we are missing our friends and adopted home terribly, we are grateful for where we have been planted in Colorado. We feel we are just now beginning to bloom. Brenda has established herself in her new job and is doing a magnificent job of bringing organization to the non-profit agency she works for. She seems quite content in her work environment and seems to be getting to know her co-workers well.

I started teaching at a high school in Commerce City on July 21st. One week into it, and I am enjoying the career change as well as my students. Currently, I am teaching a five-hour, five day per week course called Discovery which helps equip our students with skills for life such as team building, anger management, conflict resolution, problem solving, assertiveness training, and communication. All of these skills are new to my students, so I am having a lot of fun walking them into new experiences.

Slowly, friendships are beginning to build. We look forward to the days ahead when we will have a house full of people again coming together as family to enjoy our common faith in Christ and mutual love. We miss Christian community, but we are grateful for those who have been brought into our lives in this place.

My [older] brother, Forest, recently moved from North Carolina to Denver. It's good to have family here, and I am grateful he chose to move near us. The Ray's have been transplanted to an unexpected place, and there is no one more eager to see what comes of it than us.