Aunts and Uncles

I had to make sure I got pictures of all my siblings with their spouses. Edith has a lot of aunts and uncles to keep track of...

Here they are in the right birth order (I'm the oldest). First my sisters Carina and Mikaela with their bearded husbands Martin and Patrik. Don't get any bright ideas, dear - if you want any smooches when I get back! Next my four brothers with their wife's: Daniel and Sofie, Patrik and Martina, Joel and Janina, and finally my baby brother Paul with Johanna, who are also her baptismal sponsors.

Sorry

Vi ber om ursäkt för att vi inte har uppdaterat bloggen på länge. De två senaste veckorna har varit vansinnigt stressiga. Den 19:e juni, på vår andra bröllopsdag, åkte vi från Finland. Det var nog den längsta bröllopsdagen i historien. Vi steg upp kl 4.20 på morgonen och landade i Ft Wayne kl 18 (kl 01 finsk tid). Det skulle nog ha varit lite lättare att komma över tidsskillnaden den här gången, om inte Edith och jag blivit sjuka några dagar efter att vi kom hem. Samtidigt var vi tvungna att packa huset, lasta allt i långtradaren och städa huset på fem dagar. Jättestressigt! Fammo och Weslies moster Cecelia kom till Fort Wayne för att hjälpa oss att köra till Texas. Måndagen den 25 lämnade vi Fort Wayne och körde nästan 1000 km till Kansas City, Missouri, för att besöka några av Weslies vänner från college. Vi stannade där två nätter, innan vi fortsatte ner till vårt nya hem i Burkburnett. Vi kom fram på onsdag kväll, bodde hos några församlingsmedlemmar två nätter, innan vi fick våra saker på fredagen. Så vi städade på torsdagen och lastade ur trailern på fredagen, innan vi åkte till Austin på lördagen (en fem timmars resa). Efter den här resan tror jag inte vi kommer att åka någonstans på jääättelänge!! Söndagen var Weslies 30 årsdag (jag har en gammal gubbe, jag vet). Vi har på gudstjänst till Weslies (och min faktiskt) hemförsamling, åkte sedan ut och åt på en mexikansk restaurang, och till sist firade hemlagad glass och kaka hos Weslies moster Cecelia.. Nu njuter vi av en lugn vecka hos Cecelia, Weslie visar mig Austin och jag får träffa hans släktingar och vänner här. På söndagen åker vi tillbaka till Burkburnett. Edith hostar fortfarande en del, men mår annars bättre. Hon har också börjat sova lite bättre (är vaken 4-6 gånger per natt istället för 10-15 gånger när det var som värst i Finland). Hon fick också sin första tand förra veckan, och jobbar hårt på att lära sig att krypa. 

We apologize for the lack of updates lately. The last two weeks have been crazy busy. On Tuesday June 19th, our 2nd anniversary for the wedding celebration, we traveled back from Finland. It was the longest anniversary day ever. The trip took about 22 hours. We woke up at 4.20am in Finland and got back into Ft Wayne at 6pm. The trip went pretty well, but Edith was totally exhausted by the time we got home. Adjusting from the jetlag would have been a bit easier than going over there, but Edith got sick two days after we got back, and I (Kristina) a day later. Not fun. All the while we had to finish packing up the house, load the trailer on Saturday, and clean the house before we left for Texas on Monday the 25th. I think that's the most stressed out I've ever been!  Fammo and Cecilia came up to help us drive down to TX. On Monday we drove 600 miles to Kansas City, MO, to stay with Weslies friends from college, Graham and Meghan. The trip went surprisingly well, even though Edith was still pretty sick. We stayed in KC for two nights and had nice, lazy Tuesday there. And we got to try the best ribs and bbq I've ever had. On Wednesday we drove down to our new hometown in Burkburnett, TX, and we stayed with a very nice couple from the congregation for two nights, before our stuff showed up on Friday. After working on cleaning the house and unloading the trailer on Thursday and Friday, we left the chaos behind us on Saturday to drive down to Austin. Yes, I know, we are insane. I don't think we'll ever travel again with Edith until she is at least 15 years old (well, maybe a little before that). On Sunday, I finally got to visit Trinity Lutheran Church for the first time. It's been my home congregation in the LCMS ever since we got married, but I haven't been there before or even met the pastor. Sunday was also Weslie's 30th birthday (old man - I think he'll need a cane now). We celebrated by going out to one of his favorite restaurants here in Austin, El Chile, for some delicious Mexican food. Afterwards we had dessert at Cecelia's house; Fammo's poundcake and Cecelia's homemade peach and strawberry icecream. Now we are just relaxing here in at Cecilia's house, checking out Austin and eating good food, until Sunday, when we go back to Burk to get ready for the ordination on the 15th. On a side note: Edith is still coughing a bit, but otherwise feeling much better. And she is slowly starting to sleep better (usually waking up 4-6 times per night instead of 10-15 times as she didn in Finland). We are not quite as exhausted anymore - although we wouldn't mind a bit more sleep still. And if anybody wonders - we will not attempt to do anything like this again. It's been great to visit family and friends, but pretty stressful too. And oh, Edith got her first tooth last week! And she is learning to crawl. 

Graduation night

LCMS First Vice President, Rev. Herb Mueller gave the graduation address:

Standing at attention:

That's me there waiting to be "hooded":

Some countries that have sent students to study at CTS:

Me and Dr. Ziegler:

Me with Dr. Chris Barnekov, proprietor of the Scandinavia House:

The Odoms and Dr. Masaki (Edith wasn't cooperating):

No diplomas!

Friends for four years (and more to come we hope!):

Kristina and Weslie:

Oh boy...

Prof. Pless and Weslie:

Daniel Brandt and the Odoms:

Weslie and Don Welmer:

Call Night

I think we're just now starting to recover from the anticipation and stress of this past week! I'm humbled and overjoyed to have been called to be pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Burkburnett, TX. If you'd like to read a bit more about the area, the Wiki article is pretty good and has a neat story about the naming of the city. 

Edith got very dressed up for the occasion, and chose a dress that Fammo (Sylvia/Gran/etc.) brought from Alabama. She's pretty dang cute:

The happy family just minutes before the service:

Auntillia took a turn holding her before the service:

And Fammo. LOOK AT THOSE ROLLS ON EDITH'S KNEES!

The processional:

You can sort of see me to the left there:

The front of Kramer Chapel:

This is after my name was called and before they announced where I was being sent:

Shaking hands with President Matt Harrison:

We're so thrilled to be going to Grace, and will post more information and pictures of the church as soon as we can!

Candidate Call Service

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm finally near the end of my four years of seminary training. It's been quite an interesting, amazing, and surprising experience that will culminate next week even as my education will finally be finished a few weeks later. Next Wednesday, May 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. (EST) is the Candidate Call Service. This is when I will find out where in the country and to which congregation my church body, the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, is sending me. It will be a very exciting night to find out where we'll be moving this summer, and start to get a better picture of what our future will look like. 

If you're interested in viewing the service, my school will be live-streaming it at the address below. There will be a live link the evening of the service. Again, the start time is 7 p.m. EST next Wednesday, May 2nd. The service will last approximately an hour since it is a whole prayer office:

http://www.ctsfw.edu

I thank all of you for your support, prayers, and encouragement the last several years, and hope you'll be able to join in the fun next Wednesday! Please let me know if you have any questions, and keep a look out for graduation announcements coming soon. 

Födelsedag

I tordags var det min födelsedag (igen). Åren går så fort numera! Det var en fin dag med mina två kära. Edith hade den bästa natten hittills i sitt korta liv och Weslie gav mig en spa-behandlig, samt gjorde en god middag (grillad t-bensstek och zucchini, samt rostad blomkål). Året som gott har varit ett mycket välsignat år, mest naturligtvis för att jag har fått bli mamma för första gången. Vår lilla Edith är en underbar Guds gåva! Men Gud har också välsignat mig på andra sätt under året. Vi fick tillbringa hela sommaren i Finland. Weslies praktikår gick bra och vi hade en fin tid i Butler, Pennsylvania. Vi har fått ett år till i Fort Wayne bland kära vänner. Vi fick fira jul i Alabama. Livet är gott och Gud är god!

 

Familjebild

Här är en av de få familjebilderna vi har:

 

Library photos for Ed Riojas

At the seminary, it's traditional for the graduating class to give a gift for future students, faculty, and staff to enjoy. My class has voted to commission artwork for the new library expansion. For this, we're honored and humbled to be working with Ed Riojas, one of the preeminate artists in America. Ed produces theologically solid, rich, engaging paintings, mosaics, etc. I'm posting this here so he can see the ~14' X 8' wall that he has to work with. If you'd like to see some of his work, you can "like" his Facebook page here.

This is at the bottom of the stairs looking toward the pond. The wall is on the other side of the orange wall on the right:

Middle of room in above photo looking down at the wall, which is on the right. It runs from that column to the wood frame you see. The window there looks onto the old library.

A different view. Note, again, the column and window:

Here's the wall! It's white. The window there looks into what is now the biblical languages room:

Chair and trashcan for size reference:

Standing in front of the wall looking towards the pond. On the left and right here are study rooms:

Standing in front of the wall looking to the left:

In front of the wall looking immediately left into what will hold periodicals and, eventually, the final phase of the library (that is the dark section):

Advent Preaching Seminar

Igår och idag har Weslie hållit föredrag om Bo Giertz och hans predikningar på ett predikoseminarium på CTS för pastorer och studenter. Han har jobbat hårt och förberett sig väl ända sedan sommaren (bl a översatt fyra predikningar till engelska), och gjorde (förstås) ett jättebra jobb. Jag är så stolt över honom! Här är han tillsammans med ett par av deltagarna, våra goda vänner från Pittsburgh, Eric och Hans Andrae, som båda har översatt mycket av Giertz till engelska.

Yesterday and today it was finally time for the Advent Preaching Seminar (a seminar here on campus for pastors and students), where Weslie had a big presentation on the late Swedish theologian and bishop Bo Giertz. He has been working hard on this presentation for months, including translating sermons from Swedish, and did a great job - just as I knew he would. I'm so proud of my husband! Here he is with two of the participants, our good friends from Pittsburgh, Eric and Hans Andrae, who also have translated a lot of Giertz's works to English.

Babyshower

I söndags ordnade några av våra vänner här i Fort Wayne en babyshower for enligt amerikansk tradition med lite gott att äta och presenter för Edith. Vi fick massor med blöjor, lite kläder, en fin bärsjal och mycket annat smått och gott. Vi är tacksamma för att Gud har gett oss goda vänner här!

On Sunday, some of our friends threw a baby shower for me. A very nice surprise! We got a lot of goodies for Edith; diapers, wipes, clothers, lotions and soaps, a very pretty ring sling and other things. We are so thankful for the good friends that God has given us here.