The first few days in Mt Airy have been refreshing; wonderful. We may still have half-filled boxes along the floor and no curtains, but that doesn't matter... I love it.

Each day, we have enjoyed a long walk through the neighborhoods and nearby Carpenter's Woods. Flowers and pane windowed porches everywhere.

We still go to Hunting Park every day, sometimes multiple times in a day, and I've had one recurring thought each time:

I am so glad I did not leave this place because I simply don't like it here or that I can't stand the so-called "inner city." Each morning that we have driven in, I admire the people and places that I know well.

Being in these two different spots leads to some striking comparisons. One place currently has the highest crime rate in the city, and the other has the lowest. In one, you're more likely to see the one sign over the other:

The average street corners look pretty different from each other:

In one, kids roar down the busy road on their scooters and throw basketballs over oncoming traffic. In the other, a man holds a glass of red wine and walks his poodle down a tree-lined path. The differences are ... well, laughable! Such unique, wildly divergent places.

Did I mention that one is only 5 miles from the other?!

It's been a fairly mild week for us, settling in. We've rearranged furniture, dusted here and there, but mostly enjoyed these beautiful, new surroundings. We truly thank God for this space and this peace. 

Carpenter's Woods, a 5-minute walk from our new home

Moving day

Why was moving day so much fun?

Was it the endless sweeping, or the running back and forth with boxes?
No.

Was it the early morning Dunkin' run, or putting chairs in the street to find the perfect parking spot for our u-haul?
No. Though each of these things were kind of fun, in their own way.

What made moving day so great were the people who came to help.

Our neighbor, Ramon, was preparing for days to help us. At 8:30am, he was the first to join the effort in assisting Ted. Then his son, Jose. By 9am, who else shows up but our landlord Andres, Tim P, another neighbor Luke, and Chino. The men tackled the jobs at hand, leaving me to dust, sweep, and steal a couple more donuts when no one was looking... ;)

On the other end, I marveled at how quick the work was with so many helping hands. Like a well-oiled machine,  one friend commented. Everyone was flying up and down the stairs at the entrance to our new place with furniture and area rugs, not skipping a single beat. Sure, they had the lure of a 70-degree weather day and presumably better afternoon plans to motivate them to finish, but they also made the choice to be here with us today, and that meant so much.

Oh, boxes!

The donut snatcher!

In our kitchen window ;)

Change is afoot: your prayers

Early this month, Ted and I started to look for a new place to live. Back in February, we decided that it would be good for us to move out of Hunting Park, at least for this next season of our lives. It felt big for us to make this decision, so then we started searching and awaiting what God would provide. This past Sunday, we found our new place, an apartment just about 3 miles away :) Praise God!

This decision was a long one in the making. I have been contemplating it for some time. After some good conversations following the Christmas break, we both decided that living in a lower-stress environment would be good for both of us for now. It's a good decision for us, one that will challenge us not to find our value or justification in the things of this world (in this case, how challenging our neighborhood living environment is for us.)

We are going to miss it here. There is sadness in leaving, as in any big transition. Thankfully, we will still be here almost every day, but internally, I know this will feel like an entirely new phase for us. We will now be coming in to Hunting Park from the outside. Some good friends and ministry partners are here. Please pray for our transition, for our new apartment in a tranquil, tree-lined block in Mt. Airy (Philadelphia), and for our rootedness to ever be in Christ!

To commemorate the years we spent in our 4225 home, we made a riveting video "tour" of our space this past Sunday, where so many memories have been made. (And by riveting, I mean kinda boring! hehe.) I've spared you the link and just posted a few pictures from it here. In the bottom photo, Ted is explaining how his love of coffee developed in this home, lol. So you see, you're not missing much by my not posting the video :)  Love you all.

Prayer update

Family and Friends:

A lot has changed since our update 2 months ago, not the least of which is the weather! Today, I (Katharine) am writing you from a cool café in the Fishtown section of North Philly (very "hip," for being overrun by "hipsters" and their cool cafes and eateries!) The sun is streaming in from the glass-front café, and I am loving it.

 

We also have some personal transitions afoot, as Ted and I are looking for a new place to live.Yes, back in February, we decided that it would be good for us to move out of Hunting Park, at least for this next season of our lives (which we see as the next, final year of Ted's fellowship at Christian Legal Clinics.)

 

This decision was a long one in the making. I have been contemplating it for some time (some of you may remember, that a shooting incident on our block last April caused me to question and reassess - in a healthy way - my current reasons for living here.) After some good conversations following the Christmas break, we both decided that living in a lower-stress environment would be good for both of us for now.

 

That being said, our housing/apartment search began 1.5 weeks ago, and there's nothing to show for it quite yet! We told our landlord that we'd like to be out by May 1st, so we have a deadline for our search, but it's not so inflexible that we'll be in a total lurch by then :) Our current housemate would like to continue living in 4225 N. Franklin, so we may stay on another month, by her good graces :) It's a funny situation we find ourselves in!

 

Please pray for peace, for God's provision of a new home - He knows just what we need - and for God's loving Spirit to fill us from the inside out.

 

We encourage you to check/follow Katharine's blog for some more updates/photos. There are many events to report on including: Pro Deo 2013, Drexel Spring Break, and a Winter Trip to Orlando.

 

Our boss, Pete, has his surgery scheduled for April 30th, a one-week hospital stay in Pittsburgh (about 5 hours from here), and an expected 6-8 week recovery time. Thank you for your prayers for Pete and his wife Wendy as well.

 

More stories from the legal clinic to be coming soon!

With all our love,
Katharine + Ted

Pro Deo: 'new friendships springing up right before our eyes'

I had to share this brief reflection from Pete Hileman on our second annual Pro Deo Conference. It was such a rich time. Thank you for holding us in prayer throughout the busy month of March. Indeed, God did wonderful things!

"The Work of God is Happening Everywhere, and Cannot be Contained!" 

Reflections from the Pro Deo Conference (March 22-23rd at Arch Street United Methodist Church downtown)

 By Pete Hileman, Executive Director
(Quotations from conference attendees)

The Pro Deo Conference was wonderful. We had over 40 lawyers, paralegals, law students, and friends in attendance over Friday night and Saturday. We worked hard to pull it off and as Ted, Katharine and I arrived at our offices and unpacked afterward, we were exhausted. But it was that good kind of exhaustion where you are spent, knowing you've served the Lord.

 

“I have a refreshed sense of God’s will in my career.” 

We caught a glimpse of how God is using us. We Christian legal professionals are being salt and light throughout the city, in the District Attorney’s office, working for the City Solicitor, in powerful Center City law firms, small firms, solo practices, and public interest legal organizations. We are all races, ages, and church backgrounds.

 

“I was hoping to be encouraged after a long week, and my expectations were exceeded!"

The highlights were many. Elizabeth Hernandez from Place of Refuge spoke of the heart of an advocate and described her love and compassion for the individuals she counsels in North Philadelphia, our neighborhood.  Kesha James, a staff attorney at Legal Aid Services of Southeastern PA, taught us how to help clients going through foreclosures and gave us practical resources we will use at our clinic sites for years to come. Timothy Welbeck, known by his stage name the Red Baron, performed his own Christian rap music with lyrics about pursuing Christ, lamenting the violence in our streets, and even surviving law school. New friendships and communities were springing up right before our eyes.

 

“I have a new mind toward the sensitivities of hurt individuals and my own brokenness.”

 

Throughout, the emphasis was on spiritual formation, how our devotional life leads us and prepares us to advocate. Each speaker shared how they express their faith in their work, and how hard it is. Ted and I shared a segment on the Spirituality of an Advocate and led out in repentance over our self-righteousness (Ted) and arrogance (me), professing the need to be sanctified every morning for our work to be of any benefit. One lawyer friend came up to me after the conference was over and said: “Pete, I expected to receive helpful information for my practice; I didn’t come expecting to be moved to tears.”

Indeed, the work of God is happening everywhere--including in the hearts of Philadelphia's lawyers--and it cannot be contained!

 

 

See our Pro Deo photo album here:

Pro Deo 2013!

 

Birthday

Birthdays are GREAT! Especially when you have a moment to breathe and truly enjoy them. That happened for me on Monday. Thank you Ted Oswald and many friends for making my day so special.

(click for a full view)

Top row, left to right: Friends at Han Dynasty for dinner; the amazing apple-raspberry pie they brought me;  beautiful stationary and candle holder I bought with giftcards from friends! Plus, amazing chocolate from my housemate Janira; church in Chestnut Hill, the neighborhood where Ted and I spent the day;
Bottom row, left to right: Valley Green Inn, a special lunch spot in the woods!; french pastries for breakfast; Bible study love on Wednesday, with games and a strawberry pie made by Wendy!; Chestnut Hill library, where Ted & I found some good reads; inside Valley Green Inn, right by the fireplace, with some mulled apple cider to boot! An amazing 19th c. spot! 

Drexel Law's spring break project

A few pictures from CLCP's week with the Drexel Law's alternative spring break group:

A slideshow design by Smilebox

Also, take a few minutes to skim the blog they produced that week, to hear about what they did. Reading their posts seriously gave me chills, as they describe what some of their interactions from the week meant to them.

Yet again, please be in prayer for this week's BIG EVENTS: the Pro Deo Conference '13. This is CLCP's 2nd Annual conference designed to gather Christian law students and lawyers to discuss the possibilities of working in the legal field to advance God's Kingdom. This is another one of Ted's projects he has been very enthusiastic about. Check out the details for it here.