Richmond Recap

I feel there is still a need to summarize just where life has led me these last few years. As we've begun the packing process at home, so many memories come to the surface as items and photos are discovered and sorted into boxes. Since memory can be tricky the older we get, I feel a recap would be a great way to catalog for myself where the road in Richmond has taken me. Perhaps you, the reader, will find enlightenment and enjoyment as well. The immediate future holds encounters, experiences and insights which will be described and shared in the upcoming lifeintents "issues" of the "Camp Chronicles" and the "Luther Low Down" - but now, take it easy as I proudly present to you, the Richmond Recap:

It all goes back to 2003 when we first arrived in Richmond around the first of October. Through apartment searching a couple months prior, I had decided on a gem of a place in the West End - where I was told "was the place to live in Richmond." Memories and stories come to mind of apartment shopping with Sheffi, my good friend from NC State, and the vast array of choices that presented themselves before landing at the Wilde Lake apartments. Having left our jobs and income in Minnesota, we relied on our faith and savings to carry us for the remainder of the year as we bonded and found odd jobs around the city. I worked across the street at Video 2000 as a clerk and Rebecca settled on JCPenney a few miles away at the Regency Square Mall. We also got lucky with becoming "Christmas Casuals" at the Post Office for the busy holiday season - making good money and having even better times behind the scenes sorting mail. We also decided on where to worship on Sunday mornings after visiting different congregations around the area, doing what most refer to as "church shopping." Most places were of Lutheran tradition, but we took a shot at one Methodist church a block away from our apartment. We lasted through the service, but the live Bengal Tiger on display for the children's message was a bit much for our tastes. Eventually, the Spirit guided us to St. Luke Lutheran church off of Chippenham Parkway - our first church south of the James River. Their friendliness, inviting worship and over all Christian warmth "sold" us immediately and we looked no further. By Thanksgiving 2003, we became members.

It was shortly after joining St. Luke in November 2003 that we began meeting and building friendships through the "Big Picture" young adult sunday school class. This proved to be a highlight for both of us and we looked forward to our interaction and bible study every sunday. Soon we were getting together for "game nights" on the weekends and deepening our relationships on a more consistent basis. By January 2004, Rebecca had landed a full-time job at Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) in downtown Richmond. I on the other hand, was still trying to find my place in the working world, and floated between the Video store, substitute teaching and my one-day-a-week "internship" at the Virginia Film Office. I continued to peruse the job listings daily for something I could really sink my teeth into. By March, I came across just the place - Challenge Discovery, an outdoor high ropes course and teambuilding facility. I was soon full throttle excited for this job, unleashing my passion for the outdoors, people and experiential learning. It was a powerful place of employment to say the least and I had no difficulty fitting in and excelling.

Throughout 2004 we continued our involvement at St. Luke with the Youth Ministry and had become regulars in the church choir. We continued building relationships at Game Night with our friends as well as getting out to explore Virginia together. Ever since we arrived and until now, we've really enjoyed taking time to be tourists and see what Richmond and Virginia had to offer: Maymont (pictured), Belle Isle, Monticello, Williamsburg, the beach, Shenandoah National Park, Bottoms Up Pizza, Carytown, Civil War history, Deep Run park, the spy museum and DC, Water Country USA, the Braves games, fishing in the Chesapeake, Natural Bridge, Swift Creek Theatre, outdoor malls, Pocahontas State Park, Jamestown, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Crabtree Falls - there really is alot to do here and I'm sure I left things out. And I still think the concept behind Virginia as a Commonwealth is somewhat elusive and hard to understand let alone explain to others. On the film scene I had also become a regular "Production Assistant" (aka PA), getting some experience doing behind the camera work on commercials for Geico insurance (the Gecko ads) and several other gigs around the area with "Dreams Factory" a local TV and Film company. Eventually all of my coffee making, errand running and boom microphone holding landed me a coveted spot with Lionheart Productions and Virginia local legend Director Kevin Hershberger on his civil war pic "No Retreat from Destiny." I traveled to Maryland and spent a week outdoors with the crew. I was still relegated to much of the same PA junk jobs, but was given a little excitement suiting up in Civil War (I think I was a Yankee) garb and getting in the middle of the action as I followed the camera around during the war re-enactments. I met some solid people that week and was able to have a lot of fun in my film pursuits.

When 2005 rolled around, Rebecca and I were truly invested in Richmond, Virginia. We had begun to give alot of thought to sticking around long-term, as we really loved life here. When we initially moved, we told ourselves, "it will be a nice change of pace for us when we eventually move back to Minnesota." By 2005, we were definitely saying "if" instead of "when" - we simply were having the time of our lives here. I was still unsure where I belonged career wise - I had many part-time jobs and the film career wasn't taking off or feeling worth it to keep pursuing for the long-haul. I had caught a big break with "Blue Tip TV" as a PA on the set of "Spad Johnson, Private Eye" a film noir made-for-TV movie about a Bogart-esque private eye in 1950. I even landed a job as "Head Writer" for the company and developed a few screenplays for future productions. It seemed like the perfect job and a dream come true for me, but I slowly began to grow disenchanted with the plans of a future in the film business. I loved writing no doubt, but the long hours and pace of the industry didn't seem as "glamorous" as I once thought it would be. Rebecca had become burnt out with the leadership and politics at her employment with RBHA and we both knew that our health demanded some positive change to keep us going strong. By the end of 2005, Rebecca got the job of her dreams at Chesterfield County Mental Health, a mere 5 miles from home (our first house!) I decided to pursue a full-time job and end my pursuit of a career in film, once and for all.

January 2006 I began as the Student Organization Coordinator at VCU - the first full-time job since leaving Rochester, MN 3 years prior. I had used my experience at Challenge Discovery to really nail down what I was passionate about and transfer it into building strong teams and leadership within the student orgs of VCU. It didn't take long to become excited and thankful for the opportunity at VCU, as I became invested in my new found purpose with the students and staff in the university community. Rebecca had also become rooted in her new and improved place of employment and found herself feeling better and better each day there. We were also busy with the Youth Ministry at church and were truly fulfilled in our service. We had also added a few new friends to our group and were pleased to have such a fun and supportive gang to hang out with. Relationships at church also deepened and our many interactions and circles of involvement kept us in good spiritual and social health.

2007 and 2008 have been like a blur - I can't believe my time is actually up in just a few days. We were really busy throughout 2007 - lots of camping, trips out of state (and country) and over all enjoyment of our places of employment, worship and recreational lives. *Before continuing, it is worth mentioning that our 5 years have not been all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows - we have definitely been refined by fire and experienced several hardships and challenges over the course of our time here. Further details of those things take a lot of extra thought and time to delve into, so as this is more of a textbook sampling of what we've done and where we've been, I will not "go there" for this entry.* My sense of calling has definitely been a constant over these 5 years as I tried out many different things for possible career moves. The Lord's call was strongest towards the end of 2005 when I realized that film wasn't where I felt led anymore. By the beginning of 2006 I had met with Pastor Dottie and the Assistant to the Bishop, Chip Gunsten, and had openly expressed my interest in the seminary discernment process. This coincided with my recent full-time job with VCU, and although I was committed to VCU, I was also allowing the Spirit an "all-access pass" to guiding me where He wanted me to go. In 2007 we continued in dialogue, bible study, prayer and I took many a walk through nearby Hollywood Cemetery over lunch trying to discern the best "career" for me long-term. With my sense of call increasing in volume week after week throughout '06 and '07, I decided I couldn't put off my calling to the ministry any longer. With peace within both of our hearts, I finally applied to Luther Seminary and began the Candidacy process for ministry.

As you know, 2008 is just about half over now, and by the time our 5 year anniversary hits since we moved here (this October), we will both be back in the icy tundra of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. It has been an amazing journey here in Richmond - I have grown in just about every possible way, (except for my waist line, which has decreased actually...) Rebecca and I have grown together immensely as husband and wife and the lives we've encountered, befriended and loved have affected us significantly - much more than even a writer like myself can adequately describe! As my quote of the month states - many a world began for us here, and we are changed and improved a hundred times over. Praise God!