In August of 2021, our family of six uprooted from Grand Rapids, MI after eight lovely years and moved to Illinois so that I could pursue a PhD in Old Testament at Wheaton College. The move was difficult for us because Grand Rapids had become our home in a way that Adriana and I never expected. We bought a house, earned degrees, made meaningful friendships, and had our four children in GR. We came to Illinois with a goal: to earn a PhD so that we could return to Peru, where Adriana and I grew up, to serve the Peruvian church through theological education.
When we arrived, I had the lofty (and unrealistic) goal of posting regular updates so that our friends and family could keep track of us. And, I ended up writing one… the first week of the PhD program. It was sort of a “goodbye” to GR and a “hello” to a new life. And that was it! I guess I underestimated the busyness and difficulty of settling in, starting a PhD program, finding our groove as a family, and everything else. One post in 2 years. Wow!
Well, I think it’s time to try again. This time, we are in a much better place. I am now in the dissertation phase of the program, which means that I no longer am taking classes and just need to write a dissertation (essentially a 300-page research paper). The family is settled; we have a rhythm and know what to expect, for the most past, out of each week.
So, I will begin posting on this site on a regular basis. By regular, I mean at least every 2-months. Depending on how things go, I may post more than that. Unless something unexpected happens, it is unlikely that posts will go up less frequently. A big part of the reason that it is time to start again is that once the PhD is behind us (the goal is about 2 years from now), we will be moving back to Lima, Peru. Over these next two years, we will be preparing intentionally for this move. One part of that preparation is making sure that we stay connected to friends and family in the US. This site will play a role in that.
So… here it goes!
Asi es la vida... 