sometimes you just have to JUMP

Sometimes, when life gets rough & you question what is going on, you just have to JUMP...

We have become very close to the youth pastors at our church, Ryan & Sarah, since we have moved here & began working under them.  Their 2 boys are best friends of Sean's.  There are 2 other married couples who help out with Pulse, and all 4 of our families are great friends, as are our kids.

The first week of January we received some devastating news that the church was doing very bad financially.  Because it was so bad, they had to take drastic measures, and so they laid off Ryan & Sarah (who lead a youth family of over 200 students & an internship program with about 15 college kids in it).

When we were called into the meeting & the situation was explained to us, tears just streamed down our faces (well, the girls... the guys didn't cry ;)).  It wasn't just our hearts breaking for the youth who are losing their youth pastor, but it was for ourselves, who were losing our good friends, and our kids, who are losing their best friends.

We were so upset the next day we got together and had a mommy & kids playdate.  We jokingly called it the "mommies are depressed" party.  The kids all wore their pj's and we played ALL DAY.  I would say 90% of the time (not exaggerating) the kids were on the trampoline.

To hear their carefree laughter and silly giggles while they had the time of their lives helped to ease some of the hurt that we were feeling.  It is a shame that finances have to come in the way of a movement of God.  But we trust & respect our spiritual authorities & know that they made the decision that they believed was what God wanted.

The last Sunday in January was PR's last night.  We honored him & Sarah (I sat with a box of tissues in my lap & cried almost the whole time... I blame the pregnancy hormones)

They are so anointed & have such big hearts that we know God will lead them to an amazing place.  If you think about it, please pray for them and their new journey they are now on, with 3 small children.

And please pray for Pulse Student Ministries, as we transition into our new normal.  If you have not grown up in church, you may not understand how devastating it is when a youth pastor you love has to leave.  If you have gone through that, you know how rough it is. 

We know God is still God & He is always good, no matter what our circumstances look like.  He sees the bigger picture & knows so much more than we do.  I am SO thankful for our time under Ryan & Sarah, and know that they are friends that will stick with us regardless of time or distance.