New Chapter {Ezra @ Job Corps}

Working overtime, Ezra's guidance counselor convinced Ezra not to let his opportunity at Job Corps pass him by.  With her help, and a free bus ride sponsored by Job Corps, Ezra departed for a new beginning yesterday.  She stayed with him at the depot until his bus arrived, and personally asked the driver to assist Ezra with the transfer in Mt. Vernon.  He got on the bus holding his soccer ball like a teddy bear.

I met with Ezra briefly in the counselor's office at school before his departure encouraging him to put his best foot forward, and reminding him that he would be welcome to come visit us any time.  I told him that we have missed him these past few weeks and gave him a hug and a blessing. 

Ezra is now in the company of Keziah and Boaz, his Liberian cousin/siblings, who were anxiously awaiting his arrival and looking forward to helping him learn the ropes of the Job Corps way of life.

Your prayers for Ezra are greatly appreciated... keep storming heaven for him, will you?

Waiting and Preparing {7 Quick Takes}

Another letter of acceptance (plus another presidential scholarship offer) arrived in the mail for Zachary from our alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, in Tacoma, WA.  With a few more letters of acceptance (or denial) still 'in the mail' Zachary will wait for the dust to settle before entering into final decision making mode.  The suspense is thick!


After more than a week out on his own, Ezra stopped by the shop to collect a few belongings, and let us know he's staying with a 'friend' from school.  Automated school attendance alert phone calls come more frequently now, announcing Ezra's sporadic absences.  His Job Corps departure date (March 20) still stands, but only time will tell if the opportunity will be actualized by the now independent Ezra.  We continue to pray, and ask your prayers, too.

Nesting boxes inhabited, Joseph and Peter continue to apply the final touches on their new pigeon loft.   Enoch helped apply a coat of paint on the exposed parts before this weekend predicted to be filled with rain.  Joseph and Peter also painted each others' exposed parts.  Go figure. 

Zachary with SHS varsity swim coach Don at the end-of-season awards ceremony

His final varsity swim season behind him, Zachary continues to train almost daily with the local club team, a great way to stay fit and connected with the guys.  The hot tubbing time after practice nearly doubles the time spent at the pool, and includes extraordinary challenges like, "I wonder if your reflexes are fast enough to stop this ball if I throw it at your face (from 3 feet away)."  Not so much; ouch.

With Ezra's departure comes the opportunity to re-vamp the downstairs disaster family room, and the dreams and possible re-designs are flowing.  From projector-assisted multi-computer gaming stations, to an indoor racquet sports facility, the ideas are... extremely creative.  Tim started with a systematic purge of the out-dated and rarely visited lower bookshelves, and in only moments filled several boxes for taking to a donation station.

Celebration dinner for Apollo's successful heart surgery

We hosted dinners for ten under seventeen (first seating) plus two over forty (second seating) in celebration of Apollo's successful heart surgery.  What a great joy to have been able to offer some tiny bit of support for his family during his hospitalization and recovery.

Our traditional lenten observances coupled with awesome liturgical events has made this solemn time of preparation for celebrating Christ's Resurrection at Easter especially meaningful.  Extraordinary Form High Mass in Seattle at North American Martyrs with Archbishop Sartain, an evangelically charged mission given by Brendan Case at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Everett, weekly Stations of the Cross, daily Mass, adoration and frequent confession make for a powerfully re-charging spiritual renewal. 

Visit Jen @ Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes Friday.

New Plan for Ezra

The possibility of this particular chain of events had been (repeatedly and plainly) explained to Ezra.  We have openly discussed his freedom (free will) to do whatever he wanted and so chose independence; and reiterated his obligation to be obedient and respectful to us should he wish to remain in our home. 

We spelled out exactly what would happen if he chose to willfully disobey.  We hoped he would choose obedience and live within our guidelines for another month or two until his acceptance into Job Corps was finalized.  On Monday, Ezra's Job Corps acceptance letter arrived. At nearly 20 years old, yet in some ways still a child intellectually and emotionally, he stepped out and boldly began this new phase of his journey with the clothes on his back, a bus pass, and a small day pack.  Ezra continues to attend public high school and vocational training classes, and we have remained in close contact with his counselors and teachers.  We let him know through his counselor, that should he wish to be reconciled and obedient, he would be welcome to return home for these next few weeks leading up to his Job Corps beginning.


In some respects this outcome was predictable, but we hoped against hope it could somehow be avoided. Ezra had openly scoffed at the idea that he would end up sleeping on the floor of a homeless shelter, asserting that his 'friend' would house him.  Perhaps so, but as of today, he's been on his own, at least in the physical sense.  We have him covered celestially, with the fervent prayers of cloistered nuns in Kentucky, holy monks in Canada, our Archbishop in Seattle, our priest, and many dear friends and family.  We remain hopeful that this may be an opportunity for him to grow in virtue and learn better decision making skills for a successful future.

Please join in our prayers for Ezra: 

• may Ezra draw close to God in this time of need
• may Ezra allow God's endless mercy and perfect love to transform and heal him
• may Ezra seek to be reconciled with those whom he has hurt
• may Ezra be protected physically and spiritually 
• may God's will be done in and through Ezra's life 

Jesus, I trust in you.

Zachary and Ezra, October 2008