I'm back in the office tocday after vacationing at Young State Park in Boyne City, Michigan. Our time off went pretty quickly and yet it is good to get back to work. Our lives are super busy at the moment.

We have Hannah, our four month old daughter who is presently sick with her first cough. Being new parents is awesome and it is better and better every day. I am excited to see how she develops. I want her to learn how to love her neighbors, be a good steward of the environment, and to love Jesus with all her heart. She will have a unique experience growing up living communally with our friends and fellow ministry cohorts in a densly populated neighborhood in the heart of one of the nation's most impoverished and broken cities. I look to the Booth's (Sal Army founders) who raised their children to have a heart for the broken cities and for the underserved communities.

We are rehabing our house room by room and hoping to have most of the work done before the Ignite Co-Op/Gap Pear program starts this Fall. We'll be hosting up to four ignite team members, possibly a City Vision intern, and Andy, who is already living with us. I've been so tired that I haven't done much work over the last month. It doesn't help that we just got a new TV (birthday present) and so I have been vegging on the couch after work each night.

We're working hard to line up applicants for the Ignite Co-Op/Gap Year which will be not only be part of our jobs, but will be part of our home life for a year.

On July 1 I became neighborhood president which has kept me busy. It isn't a bad job at all to have though. It mainly requires a lot of listening and work to make sure that the neighborhood continues to develop via housing, community development/social activities, and other areas.

Once we get the Ignite team in, the load will lighten (I hope) and we can begin to expand our influence and work in the neighborhood.