~Following Him!!!~

The following is our annual Christmas letter.

If I were to summarize the year of 2009 in one word, I would have to say the word “peace” best describes it. For those of you who know our story, you might be really shocked by that word. Surely, after all of the events of this past year, “peace” would not be a word typically used. Honestly, though, it truly was God’s peace that brought us from a point of loss to gaining abundant blessings.

January was quite a month for us. After the holidays were over, we were left with a lot of emotions. We were certain that God’s calling was still on Todd’s life and certain that the time was drawing near for his return to youth ministry. Our biggest concern was where and when. That is, until the day Todd had to be laid off of work. I remember that week very clearly. Two days prior, I was at choir practice and a woman from our church handed me an envelope. She told me she didn’t know whom it was from. When I got home, to our surprise we found a $100 gift card for Kroger inside. Our first reaction was, “We don’t deserve this! There are so many people in the church who have lost jobs. They need it more than us.” Two days later, Todd came home with the news that after almost 15 years, his dad had to lay him off. We both knew God had provided even before we had a need. Shortly after that week, Todd and I were asked to travel down to Texas to interview at a church. Thinking this was God’s plan, we hopped on a plane and set off for College Station, Texas home of Texas A&M University. We loved the town and even more the pastor of the church. We returned to Michigan ready to pack up and head down. God had other plans though as the job was offered to another candidate.

As we struggled to grasp God’s path for us, we had to rely on trusting Him on a weekly basis. We received random cards in the mail from families in the church (some who didn’t even know us) with checks inside. God also provided a temporary job for Todd to help with on the side. He took up doing water restoration. The hours were very long at times, but the extra money helped us keep up with most of the bills and put food on the table. Overall, we had a sense of peace that God was going to continue to take care of us even when we didn’t know what form the help would come in.

After struggling for several months to get together enough money to pay our mortgage, we decided that it was time to put our home of almost 8 years on the market. It came, as no surprise to us that our home was now worth half of the value it was when we bought it. This meant we had to list it as a “short sale” and get bank approval for any offer that came in under the amount we owed. Shortly after it was listed, we had five offers to show the bank. We were excited and so thankful. Then came May.

In May, The River Church located near Cincinnati, Ohio called and asked us to come down for an interview. We were not sure what to expect and surprisingly came away from the interview with a lot of questions more than answers. We had been through that process so many times in the last 4 years and we were beginning to feel run down. We asked a lot of our close friends to pray with us, and a week later, we got encouraging news. Todd was the front-runner and the elders wanted to get a chance to meet our family. This was the first time our kids would be involved in an interview. It was exciting to watch our kids connect with other teens and children at the church and the process, though exhausting, left us feeling at ease and hopeful. Finally, in July, while on vacation in Manistee, Todd got the call asking him to take the youth pastor position.

We made plans to move at the beginning of August in hopes that our home sale would be finalized by then and also because the schools in Ohio would be starting up on the 25th of that month. The entire house was packed up and ready to go. Two weeks before we were scheduled to move, we got a call from our real estate office. They had just found out that the last of the five offers on our home had been withdrawn. We were devastated. The bank had taken so long to get the process in gear; all five potential buyers had decided to look elsewhere. With boxes everywhere, we began to once more show our home. It was frustrating, but again, within a very short period of time, we got another offer.

Our moving plans continued, and on August 10th we packed up everything we owned into our friend, Jim’s moving truck and headed down to Liberty Township, Ohio. The weather was crazy! Not only was it the hottest day we had had all summer, but we also lost power the night before and into the next morning. Then when we got near Dayton, we experienced torrential rainfall so hard that we could barely see the brake lights in front of us. At one point, lightning even stuck near us in the median! When we arrived at our rental home, we were greeted by a group of people from our new church. They were ready to pitch in and help us get the truck unloaded. Before we began taking anything out, Todd and I got our first tour of the home. You see we had never even seen the house in person. Some friends of ours who lived in the area looked it at and we confirmed the fact that they had very good taste as soon as we walked through it. Everything was emptied out of the truck, and Jim & Jeff (who also came down from Michigan to help us) headed back home.

Our first few weeks in Ohio were tiring for sure. I was determined to get the boxes unpacked and Todd wanted to get right into his new position. We were so blessed by the people at The River. They brought us meals, offered to help in anyway they could and some of the ladies even invited me out to coffee! Hannah made several friends almost immediately since she was now of youth group age. We even have a family from church living two doors down who has a daughter the same age! Caleb probably had the hardest time adjusting. He didn’t have any interest in meeting other kids, which was very unusual for him. He stayed inside and told us he would make friends when school started. Well, school started two weeks after we got here and both kids had the opportunity to go to separate schools for the first time.

Hannah now attends Liberty Junior School, and is in the 7th grade. She is still in band and plays the flute. She has really blossomed this year and I think junior high has been a great experience for her so far. Caleb attends Woodland Elementary and is in the 5th grade so he now gets to experience being one of the older kids in his school. He has a great teacher named Mr. Caulfield. He also has a teacher that assists him in reading, which has really made a big difference for him so far this year.

In addition to school, the kids both have new activities they have never experienced before. Hannah found a stable not too far away where she has horseback riding lessons. To help pay for the lessons, she also has been working at the stable cleaning out the stalls. She absolutely LOVES working with the horses and seems to really have a knack for it. Hannah also got FREE braces in November! I was checking out a website for a local Orthodontist because they were hiring office staff and I came across the contest on their home page. I decided to enter because Hannah was actually supposed to get braces back in April but was unable to because we couldn’t afford it. It was such a wonderful surprise when I got the call that Hannah had won!!!

Caleb is now an official Cub Scout and hopes to move up to Boy Scouts in the coming year. He has been on a few outings and is preparing to make his first pinewood derby car. He is hoping his grandpa in Michigan can give him some help. Caleb has also made several really good friends. They play together almost everyday and usually are upstairs playing some sort of video game. I think he is finally feeling at home now.

Todd has settled nicely into youth ministry down here and I have also embraced several ministries. I have been serving with Todd as a small group leader with the teens and youth band coordinator; as well as being involved with the music ministry and even getting several opportunities to lead worship. On top of that I am also working at The Children’s Place part time. We have all grown to love southern Ohio.

Though we still have obstacles in front of us, one being our home in MI that is now in the process of foreclosure unless another buyer comes forward, we are certain that God’s peace will get us through them. We are so excited as God’s plan continues to unfold and really can’t wait to see what 2010 holds for us!

Merry Christmas!
Todd, Kim, Hannah and Caleb Porter

Wow! I can’t believe that it has been almost a month since we moved down here to Cincy. We came down here to a house full of new friends ready to help us unpack. We quickly got everything unloaded from the truck and then was able to enjoy some delicious food made by a family at our new church. Even the next day we had another meal that a family from our church provided for us. It really helped us to feel very welcomed into our new community and home.

The week that we moved down here our new church was doing vacation Bible school. That gave us a great opportunity to meet some people at the church and to see people in action. It was neat to see people helping one another out and serving.

The church found me a great place to have for my office. I found a nice desk at Ikea as well. And despite the fact that we have gone there quite a bit since we moved down I insist that I am not addicted. However, I must admit that I was thrilled when I saw that there was an Ikea only 15 minutes from our new house.

Speaking of our new house, I am still in awe of how amazing it is that we have found such a great home in a very nice neighborhood. We are only 5 minutes from the church’s building and close to the kid’s schools. My daughter has a friend in her grade that also goes to our church only 2 doors down from us. My son has slowly began to make friends, which is a good thing because he really misses all of his buddies from our old neighborhood. It is nice to have a house where people can come visit and we can also have a group of about 20 parents come over. Our landlord is very nice as well.

I have already started making friends with some of the local youth pastors and they are a greta group of guys. They had organized the Unight Event before I came down, which was an amazing time for the teens to sing songs to God, listen to an amazing speaker named E.J. Swanson and then walk around Lakota East High School so that they could pray for their school and friends. How cool is that? I look forward to getting to know these guys better and seeing the amazing things that God can do.

We are also blessed to have an amazing group of elders at our church who are helping steer the ship while our church looks for a new senior pastor. Yes, you read that right. Our senior pastor resigned last week. I have been assured that my job is safe and that the elders believe that I am the man for the job. So during this time of transition the elders are going to be sharing the load and making sure that the church keeps moving forward. It is so peaceful to us knowing that God has entrusted this church with these five very competent men. The ship may be rocking in this storm, but knowing that Jesus is there in the boat is bringing us peace.

I am also in shock over how good the Michigan Wolverines did this past Saturday. They played a very good Western Michigan University football team and beat them soundly. I am looking forward to seeing what they can do when the Irish come to visit on Saturday. It is always a good rivalry game.

Last year, Michigan lost to all 3 of their biggest rivals for the first time ever and I don’t see that happening again this year. It was nice to see them win their opening game for the first time in 2 years and I hope that this year we can maybe also win our last game of the season for the first time in a long time. My prediction is that they will go 8-4 this season. GO BLUE!!!

I am still shocked that my little girl is 12. It seems like just yesterday I was holding her for the first time and now she is becoming a young lady. Yesterday, for he birthday we went and saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince then we went to Pizza Rustica for dinner.

I love being able to take my daughter out on dates and we don’t do it as often as I would like. However, I take advantage of every opportunity to do it when I can.

It is fun to think about how our relationship has changed over the years. When she was a baby I told people that I couldn’t wait until she was a teenager and most people looked at me like I was nuts. (I am!) What most people don’t understand is that I know how to relate to teenagers, because that is what I do for a living. I enjoy spending time with them and investing in their lives. I don’t get children but I love people who work with children, because I know how hard it is. So for me I am enjoying seeing her become a teenager and I am loving being able to talk with her about life.

It is neat to think about the possibility of getting back into my career as a youth pastor at the same time that my daughter will be moving into the youth group. I know it won’t be easy for either one of us, but I am excited for it to happen and see where God takes it.

I am so proud of my daughter and I know that she will grow up to be an amazing women just like her mom. But boys be warned, because she is my pride and joy.

I have two kids and I love them both with my whole heart. It is funny how two kids can come from the same parents and yet be so vastly different from one another. My cousin took them to Chuck E. Cheese a few months ago and got their pictures taken and it perfectly captures their personalities, so I posted here for you to see.

Obviously that is my son on the left and my daughter is on the right. My son is full of energy and my daughter has more of a quiet grace about her. So while my son keeps us entertained with his antics my daughter is just going about her business. My wife even at one time said that our son was the funniest person she knows and she does have a point, because he keeps us in stitches.

It is crazy to think that my daughter will soon be entering the realm of junior high, and it freaks me out at times when I look at her and I can occasionally see that look of becoming a teenager. She will always be daddy’s little girl but it is good to see her growing up, especially since she likes to act grown up a lot of times anyway.

When we redid our bathroom my wife bought these little plaques to hang over the kids towel hangers and they couldn’t be more appropriate for the two of them.

My daughter is filled with faith and is such a faithful person even at the age of 11. If you ask her to do something she is more than likely going to follow through with it. Now she is only 11 years old, so it isn’t always the case but generally it is the case. She is, I believe, a picture of faith and I am very proud to have her as my daughter.

My son is full of joy! And that is an understatement. There is very few times in his life when he doesn’t have fun and enjoy life. As it says on the plaque, he does find joy in the everyday. About the only times when he doesn’t is when his mom and dad “ruin his fun”, but isn’t that what parents are supposed to do anyway? I believe that my son is the picture of what joy should be, because I think sometimes we can take life way too seriously and we need to find joy in the moments that we have. I am so proud to be his dad.

Those are my kids and I am so happy to be their dad. I am excited to see them grow up and become teens, then young adults, and then parent’s themselves. I hope they never lose the distinctive that makes them who the are and that they become all that God wants them to become.

Christmas flew by last year and this year we decided to not let that happen. So our family participated in an Advent of our own. So we bought the book A Family Advent and picked up an Advent wreath. It was a great way to focus on the meaning of the season and to not let it just let it pass us by.

Not only that, but I believe that we as a family grew stronger in our faith and closer together. It was really neat to see the kids share in reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke before they opened up their gifts. It was also great to see their excitement each night as we lit the candle and would do our reading from the Family Advent book. And the book had some great activities to do and some extra fun facts as well. I highly recommend that book as well as doing Advent at your home next year for Christmas. Below is a picture of our wreath on Christmas Eve with the Christ candle lit.

Today, my family and I went to a Salvation Army Camp near us and helped them serve their annual Breakfast with Santa. Every year my extended family tries to do something that is our gift to Jesus for Christmas to celebrate his birthday. This year our kids are old enough for us to do something where we can all do something like this.

At first our kids were kind of shy about doing this, and then they just took off and really enjoyed themselves. They were even somewhat competing to see who could get to the person who needed something first. Of course they were told not to run and act crazy, which they did a good job of not doing. I was really proud of them and it warmed my heart to see them so willing to serve people like that.

We also have given some canned goods and other items at our church that will be passed out to needy people in our area. We have some other ideas of ways that we as a family can help people that we plan on doing as well. Between doing those things and celebrating Advent this year in our house I do not feel that Christmas is just passing us by like last year, but that the richness and joy of the season is grabbing a hold of me and my family.

So what are you doing to make Christmas special to you this year?

The family and I will be heading up north tomorrow (Monday, 30 June 2008), and I do not know how often I will get to blog. But you can always follow me on Twitter, because I will be updating that regularly.

This video is from Hillside Christian Church in Texas. You might want to grab some tissues for this one.

HT to Adam McLane.

My sister, Shari, is wanting to get into photography for a career and so she has been taking online courses. They have her talking all sorts of photos with different settings. One of her recent projects was to take self portraits and you can see one of the ones she took on the left here.

Isn’t she beautiful? I know I am biased, but I think the photo proves my point. I LOVE YOU, SIS!

Those of you that know me, know that I LOVE Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. I love the lights, the music, the tree, the decorations, the cheer and everything else that goes with the holiday.

But for whatever reason this year was just kind of a blah year. Christmas came and went without much fanfare or anything. It was really disappointing to me. We had the lights and decorations up, we listened to Christmas music, but it just didn’t seem the same this year. I just felt like we went through the motions and did Christmas.

I don’t like that feeling. I feel like we missed out on what Christmas is supposed to be about. I was talking with Kimmy about it this afternoon as we were taking down the decorations, which is something I never want done until after New Year’s Day, and we were both expressing how it seems like we skipped Christmas even though we didn’t want to. We talked about some of the things that made it feel that way. I said that it felt like there was no build up or anticipation for Christmas Day. That is something that I am envious of in the liturgical churches, because they celebrate Advent. Whereas the more evangelical churches don’t do the whole advent thing. Other than at our Christmas Eve service there really wasn’t much about Christmas at my church. We didn’t really sing any traditional Christmas songs until Christmas Eve, except for one or two the Sunday before. I am sure that some of that is because the service the week before was canceled because of the heavy snow and they just moved what was supposed to be done at that service to the following week, but it was sad none the less.

So next year Kimmy and I decided that we as a family are going to get an Advent wreath and do Advent with our family even if our church isn’t doing it. Because we want to make sure that we don’t miss the anticipation and excitement of what we celebrate this season for. And next year we are going to be participating in the Advent Conspiracy, because we want to make sure we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the best way possible.

Next year I have a feeling that Christmas could be our best Christmas together since our first year together as husband and wife. And I am excited. For now I leave you with one of my favorite Christmas commercials.