We are starting this blog because it is a particularly difficult time in our lives and thought this would be a good way to keep everybody up to date with our new lives and how things are going.
About a month ago we left our jobs in Baltimore--Trip worked as a graphic designer at a nonprofit foundation and Rebecca was a manager at the large downtown Central library--to head west toward our destination of St. Paul, Minnesota and the illustrious Luther Seminary. Driving there took two days. We took both of our cars, alternating turns driving between the two of us and our wonderful friend Mike, who had been gracious enough to come with us. The rest of our stuff including all our furniture and clothes met us a few days after we arrived in a ABF U-Pack truck which we packed ourselves and had picked up and delivered to us.
We had decided to live on campus in a one bedroom apartment, a downsize from our Maryland apartment which had a main bedroom and a smaller guest bedroom/office. It made a lot of logistical sense: we could move in at any time, it was right on campus and so convenient for Rebecca and above all else it was CHEAP! Fitting in to our new apartment was challenging, and many things simply had to go in storage. Today we are mostly settled in and 99% of the boxes are unpacked and the place actually looks like a home! (We'll have some pictures up soon)
Getting here is really not telling the whole story though. So let's back up for a second. What led us here, and why we decided to go through all of this is because Rebecca decided she wanted to change careers, leaving the library behind to become a Lutheran pastor.
Of course, it was not quite that simple. In fact, it took about two years of discerning, careful thought and prayer to lead us to the decision to pursue Rebecca's call and to journey to the Midwest. There are other Lutheran seminaries after all, and one really close to Baltimore in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In fact, we knew other people who commuted from Baltimore to Gettysburg to attend seminary. But Luther is the largest of the ten ELCA seminaries, offers the most resources and happens to be in the neighborhood of where Rebecca's sister lives. For Trip's career it also made sense to relocate to a large metropolitan area like the Twin Cities (more on Trip's job search in a later post).
The process of becoming a Lutheran pastor, and in Rebecca's case, earning her Master of Divinity (M. Div) is a somewhat complex and intensive process. Typically, it can also mean a lot of moving and relocating. The first two years of seminary are regular classes on the campus of your choice (potential move #1). The third year is an internship, which can be anywhere in the country (potential move #2). The fourth year is back on campus (potential move #3) where you began, or another one if you desire. Finally, after you graduate the new pastor is ready for their first official call (read: job), which you guessed it, is potential move #4.
Our hope is with Trip's very focused career path and with so many Lutheran churches in Minnesota nearby, we may not have to move very much over the next five years. One big move, to avoid lots of smaller ones.
We'll see how it goes. As you know, we make plans...God laughs.
No comments:
Post a Comment