One Krafty Family & a Pug

Over a year ago our friends Tim and Jodi suggested us to their pastor search committee. Not long after that we had a family reunion in Virginia and Aaron had a chance to go speak to some of the leadership team--it was a great meeting, but we weren't available for a year so surely we'd be the first ones crossed off their short list. Instead the church hired an interim pastor and kept communicating throughout the year. Just when we were about convinced that we were headed to missions within Guatemala immediately after graduation, we got another email letting us know that the search committee wanted to fly us out to Virginia to candidate. They had seen 250+ resumes and interviewed three more this summer . . . yet they chose us based on a year ago. Doesn't that just seem like a uniquely shaped peg in a God-shaped hole?

The best part of our trip to VA, hands down, was our friends who showed up to support Aaron's first time in the pulpit. Afterwards, the congregation unanimously voted to extend our family a call.

L to R: Deb, Charlie & Micah. DJ (front), Bill (back), us, Scott & Vanitha, Rich & Heather

Our church!
The 3-story education wing houses a 100+ child preschool program on the first floor for Jonathan to attend 3 days a week. There are two Korean pastors, an Ethiopian church, and a supported social services program with office space.

View from the pulpit. You can see us meeting people in the aisle. There is quite a bit of seating in the balcony and a nice glassed in crying room so Jackie can stay with me when she first comes home.

Since they tore down the parsonage a few years back, the church will rent us a house a few blocks away. Many parishioners knew the woman who lived in the house, but recently passed. The daughter has updated the home with paint, flooring, bathrooms, appliances, counters....AND negotiated a generous rental agreement with the church. We are blessed!