The Transition Team Announces: Change.Wetzel

Ducks are in rows. Wheels are in motion. Proposals have been accepted. Tiny adolescent hearts have been broken. And the transition team of Change.Wetzel wishes to announce:

Aaron will be starting studies at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, in fall 2009.

Your first reaction to this news probably depends greatly on where you live. For our friends and family in Michigan, there is much rejoicing. Here in Oregon, well . . . there is great support, great understanding, and great love, but there is also great sadness at the thought of parting from the place and the people which have very much become home and family. (So no gloating, please, Michigan folk.)

Aaron has been accepted to WTS to study for his M.Div degree and become an ordained pastor. It’s a three-year program. This is something he’s always thought about doing someday, and over the last couple years he’s had more opportunities to preach and lead in different ways and received more encouragement that made him more able to see himself doing it. He’s just ready.

And I’m pleased to be able to fulfill the prophecy laid out by my best friend back in high school, that I will be a pastor’s wife. (I also recall something about the organ and a “pastor’s wife’s butt,” whatever that means, but let’s let that part go.)

I should have declared a moratorium on mascara last week, because it was terribly emotional. A few people—basically the church elders—knew our plans but we wanted to tell a few more in person before the whole congregation found out. But we didn’t want it to get out to the kids; we needed to tell them ourselves, all at once, so they didn’t hear any misinformation or feel slighted that some were told and some weren’t. Sunday morning the church was told (not gonna lie, I cried through church and then avoided talking to people) and Sunday night Aaron told the kids at Frontline. The girls, the grownups, and Aaron bawled.

We’ll be here and Aaron will keep working for the church through the school year. We hope we can help the church and our friend from the Foursquare church who has been partnering with Aaron on Frontline this year be able to keep a ministry to kids going strong into the future. We really hope our church has a pastor by summer too. It’s such a strange and difficult time to be breaking this news and bringing more change upon our church, but we hope the long notice will actually help smooth the transition.

Besides, we couldn't wait any longer to tell—do you know how much stuff we have to figure out before summer? We have to get our house ready to sell, try to sell our house in this lovely market, look for a job in the lovely Michigan job market, find health insurance on the open not-for-sick-people market, figure out finances and financial aid, figure out what to do with our pets (boo hoo), figure out how to move across the country, get rid of everything we don’t want to move . . . and oh yeah, do it all while proceeding through our regularly scheduled life with a toddler underfoot.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Help! Will you be my transition team?

I hope to step up my blogging since I have a thousand rampant thoughts clamoring to finally get out of my head. Let me know if you have questions I can answer.

A Genius Is Born

Congratulations are in order for my Too-Smart Brother Guru and Brilliant Sister-in-Law Piscis who are brand new parents! They welcomed Samuel to the world early Saturday, a couple weeks early. They are all home and doing great (except probably annoyed that they are half-buried in the random baby items I mailed them. Hey, I had to do something with all that grandma overkill.).

My mother can now turn her energies from worrying that he wouldn't be born by the time they visited to distress that three and a half whole weeks of his life will pass before she can plant her grandma smooches all over him. Alas who knows when I'll get to show him my auntie love. Why does this country have to be so big?

I must say he's quite a handsome little boy. And takes after his parents.


Just kidding. That obviously isn't him. He's smaller and prefers the classics.

But it runs in the family. His cousin finished the seventh Harry Potter by the time she was half its size.

Changes Come

Changes are coming to our little church, our family here in SmallPort: Pastor J. is leaving in just a few weeks. He told us a couple weeks before Christmas. He has taken a position at a church in Northern California.

Aaron is a youth pastor; he's employed by our church. So this change means even more in our lives than it would if J. were "just" our pastor and not also Aaron's boss, a friend, and in a sense the reason we came out here to Oregon. And it means a lot of unstability and uncertainty in the church for a while, and therefore a bit of anxiety about budgets and jobs and all those sorts of things. You know, the things that keep our lives on the path they're on and our checkbook in near the black.

I think a lot of us in the church have a lot of mixed feelings about this. On the one hand we are obviously sad to say goodbye to someone who's been a teacher, a friend, a part of so much of our lives for so long. On the other hand I think a lot of us felt it coming and honestly were relieved that if there was going to be a parting, it's happening this way, where we can be genuinely happy for him because he's excited about the new place he's being called to (as opposed to, say, "I can't take you people any more!"). The last couple years have had some rough times for our little church. We've lost people, we've lost tempers, and sometimes we've darn near lost hope. We've always been able to pull together enough to carry on, but sometimes it's just time for a change.

Although, as I said, we are starting a very uncertain time, I think in the long run the change will be good for us. It will force us to rearticulate and affirm who we are and who we want to be. It will require us to pull together and put old differences behind us. It asks us to go all in, and so far the congregation seems willing to stand together for their church family.

We will use pulpit supply (substitute teacher preachers) for a few months while we look for an interim pastor. Those hoping Aaron will start preaching a lot . . . better get over it. He does such a good job, but he puts so much time into it to do so that is too busy with the kids to do it too often. The interim pastor will not only preach but provide some leadership to help guide us in our search for a new pastor. Unfortunately, there's apparently a shortage of interim pastors in Oregon . . . oh dear, this whole thing could take a while . . . sigh.

Changes come
Turn my world around

I have my father's hand
I have my mother's tongue
I look for redemption in everyone

Changes come
Turn my world around
Changes come
Bring the whole thing down
Jesus come
Turn the world around
Lay my burden down

Over the Rhine

Visitors and Future Arrivals

September 9 was a momentous day, seeing as it was not only opening day of football season but also the day we were graced with a visit from an old friend (and our new friend her new fiance)! Yep, 500 bonus points to Amber "Klumpie" for being the first Michigan friend (non-relative) to come out and meet Anna! She her studly ice-carver (is there a cooler job title anywhere?) man were forced to watch football at our house while Anna napped before we went out and played on the coast. Starfish were elusive, but I daresay a good time was had by all. Anna was rockin' it in her sunglasses and my new better-fitting sling and all of us enjoyed the extra warm weather.













Klumpie (Rhymes with Bumpy) is one awesome young woman, and not just because she still addresses me at all times by my little-known full and legal name WendyWetzelRhymesWithPretzel, she loves pink even more than Anna, I can't eat broccoli without hearing her say in my mind what it does to you, and now that she's all grown up and volunteering in youth ministry herself she recently uttered the sweet words, "We [girls who used to be in your small group] got together and we all agreed that we pretty much treated you like crap." Ah, if only we could convince a local restaurant that they need ice carvings so we could keep these two here instead of in Bend.

But wait, there's more excitement!

Later in the week came the news so shocking my mother wasn't sure she dared believe it: my Too-Smart Brother Guru and Brilliant Sister-in-Law Piscis are expecting a baby! In March I will finally get to be an aunt. It's just not right on some level that I became a mom first, but it is nice to know I have last bats at revenge if Guru starts giving Anna all the obnoxiously noisy toys he's threated. Be aware, my brother, and choose wisely. They will be great parents and Anna is excited to have a cousin with whom to share the spoiling and her grown-out-of stuff (yes, yes you are, Anna).

This week we have our post-placement review visit with our agency's social worker. Considering how overblown the preparations for the actual home study proved to be, I was considering not even bothering to sweep the kitchen, until I realized he might think the flying hairballs are additional pets. Since Anna keep scootching onto the wood, I may just wrap her in double-sided tape. Baby Lint Brush, patent pending.

GO for Travel!

Addis, we are GO for travel!

This morning I called Aaron's surgeon's assistant (who is, as she would say, FAN-tas-tic) and explained that our agency had an embassy date for us and although I wanted to be so excited as she suggested, I really wanted the big doc's A-OK before I bought airplane tickets. She checked with the doctor and called back in an hour and said "Buy your tickets!" YES!*

We are looking at leaving on July 13 and returning on the 21st. Can you say holy cow that's only 2 1/2 weeks from now!? And #&^!@* the tickets cost how much?

Baby girl is coming home!


* I would like to revoke the love I spontaneously pledged to a certain surgeon, although I will let my professed love for the assistant stand.

The Only Way Out Is Through

God is good, all the time.

What a long, strange trip these past couple of weeks have been.

We had our garage sale, and we got closer to (paying for) bringing Anna home.
We had Mother's Day, and strangely enough I was validly wished a happy one.
We had a court date set and high hopes of seeing family and friends on our way to Ethiopia in just a few short weeks.
And then . . .
And then . . .
Why can't we just be happy and excited for one week? Why does something always have to go wrong? Seriously, God . . . what the heck?

Aaron went in to his cardiologist for a routine visit to get his meds updated. The doctor read his charts and a test from last summer and went to check something. When he came back, he recommended surgery. As the kids say . . . WTF?

We waited through the week to get set up with an appointment and go up to Portland for more tests and consultation with a surgeon experienced with Marfan Syndrome. When three doctors (or are they lawyers?) walk in the room, you know they mean business. They determined that Aaron's aortic root (where the main artery, the aorta, comes out of the heart) has expanded right to the point where the risk increases so much that they recommend surgery.

Thanks for noticing that, you know, last summer.

Then again, thanks for not noticing, or we wouldn't have Anna.

The surgeon said he should get it taken care of and there's no reason to wait. Uhh, that you know of. I got one, how 'bout this: We're adopting a baby. In about 6 weeks. In Ethiopia.

Long doctoral pause.

Oh.
Wow.
Hmmm.
"First let me say I think it's wonderful you're doing that." Yeah, you're just stalling now, doc.

We talked about how the adoption process works, how we wanted to travel in six weeks and how little control we have over the process. Could Aaron travel first and have the surgery late July? He said wasn't his first choice but didn't think it was crazy to consider; he wasn't ruling it out. But . . . it adds risk. How much risk? Unfunny thing about Marfan Syndrome: no one really has any idea. We talked about surgery late July, but we needed to think about it and he wanted to show the tests to more people and think about it. We'd talk Monday. Fair enough.

So, that'll kinda put a damper on your big baby party weekend.

Some people seemed to think this was a no-brainer decision, but trust me, it was pure agony. We wanted to get Anna home as soon as possible, as everything had seemed to be lined up perfectly for, and to share the incredible experience of traveling to Ethiopia for our first week together as a family. And most importantly, we were terrified that doing surgery before court or even just the agency finding out about this before court would jeopardize our ability to bring her home at all. Then there were all the other summer plans so long anticipated and worked for and prayed for: for Aaron to lead the teenagers he's been growing so close to all year at Young Life camp, for him to be in his friend of 20 years' wedding, to see our distant family members and friends . . .

I had a brief conversation with the doctor Monday, we kept thinking and talking with a few wise friends, and our pendulum began to swing from we'll wait to we won't wait. But the doctor still hadn't looked over the tests again, so I stayed by the phone the rest of the week. Or rather the phone stayed by me. Seriously, I took it to the mailbox and the bathroom. That kind of companionship will make you crazy.

Last Friday we finally had a real conversation with the surgeon and decided to do the surgery Wednesday, June 6. They will replace a section of Aaron's aorta with a plastic section. They will also either repair his damaged valves at that spot or replace it with a mechanical one, in which case he'll be on blood thinners, so we are now hoping for a repair job. He will be in the hospital about a week.

The doctor said the soonest he could possibly travel would be 4 weeks, but they say 6-8 weeks for full recovery. People keep saying their 80-year-old grannies were out riding motorcycles after 60 days or whatever, so we'll see. When we heard our court date was successful, I told the agency about our situation and they were extremely supportive--big relief. I am sure they will work with us on travel dates but we haven't gotten that far yet.

I don't think I have ever been as stressed as I was that week of waiting on the doctor and deciding. Even my body was revolting, and I don't just mean how I looked. Aaron has been having trouble sleeping, and although part of the load is lifted with court done, this is still an anxious time. We trust--somehow inside us we know--God will bring us to the other side. But that doesn't make it easy. It's a rough road ahead, but the only way out is through.

All the time, God is good.

“You can’t conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God.”

—Graham Greene

The Judge Finds . . .

In the case of the Wetzels and the country of Ethiopia vs. stupid delays, the court finds in favor of . . . the Wetzels! We are officially Mom and Dad to Anna Jubilee!

And just as icing on the cake, we got three new pictures from a recently-returned traveler (thank you, E.W.!). Our daughter just keeps getting cuter, doesn't she?

















Tomorrow has enough worries of its own . . . today, we rejoice!

IT'S A GIRL!

Today we received an amazing phone call. We are thrilled to introduce . . . OUR DAUGHTER!!!!

She is 4 1/2 months old. Her name is Yegetanesh, which means “You belong to God.”

We are giving her the full name Anna Jubilee Yegetanesh.

In Hebrew Anna means grace. In the New Testament Anna was a prophetess who recognized Jesus as Messiah. Grace is a gift you don’t deserve. The most beautiful gift ever given. “Grace...it’s a name for a girl / It’s also a thought that changed the world...”

Jubilee means joy, but also so much more: it calls to mind freedom, rest, redemption, justice, forgiveness. The biblical concept of jubilee stems from Leviticus 25, where God instructed the Israelites to make every seventh year a sabbath and consecrate the fiftieth year—year after seven sets of seven—as a Jubilee year: a time of rest from harvesting the land, relief of debts, freeing of slaves, redemption of land. The jubilee freed the poor from the burden of debt. In the Christian tradition jubilee also calls us to rejoice in our freedom from the burden of our spiritual debts—to find joy in the gift of forgiveness through God’s grace. “Lift your voice / It’s the year of Jubilee . . .”

Yegetanesh means “You belong to God.” By grace you are ours to care for here on earth; with joy we offer you back to God.

Anna Jubilee Yegetanesh Wetzel.

Born December 7.

Born...at the right time.

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement as we've waited for this day. Watch for more updates soon--after we spent a weekend away with the youth group!