transitions

 

Relationships are full of rapid and unexpected changes and transitions. You live and go about your life (and before you know it) your child is making the transition from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, high school...and then college. Our little girl is growing up. Mollie will be a 6th grader next year.

Yesterday, her weepy mother, grabbed the camera to snap this last photo as a keepsake of the wonderful elementary school years we've experienced seeing our little girl learn and grow. Man how time flies. (I know that is cliche...but it really seems to.)

 

Mollie finished the year with straight "A's." She is being placed in seventh grade math next year. Mom and I were excited and humbled. Mollie also came home from her last day of school with a stack of certificates.

Two of them were wicked cool.

One was the President's Award for Education Excellence. The other was a form letter from President Obama. (You can double click any of the images for a better view.) Fenn Elementary is a great school. We consider ourselves blessed to have been part of the Fenn Family, and we definitely plan on having a Fenntastic summer! We'll miss Fenn, but certainly look forward to Claggett Middle School.

Transitions are filled with joy and sadness. Graduating and moving forward is exciting and full of celebration. It's full of newness and anticipation; a fresh and new start. But moving forward also means a change in schedule, commitments, and relationships. The memories and friendships and consistency will be missed. And that can be sad...but it is a good sad. It's a good cry not a bad cry.

The Medina Cafe 41:11 is going through this same type of transition. It's growing up. It's about to "graduate" and enter into the world as a young adult. As you are probably aware, the Medina cafe is forming its own non-profit organization. It will be changing its name and logo, but the ministry, staff, and volunteers will remain the same. It's a good cry not a bad cry.

We're really close to finishing the process. We covet your patience, support, and prayers through this transition. You have been so patient and we thank you. Sometimes when transitions occur it's good to have a taste of the future; a glimpse of what's to come. Many parents visit college with their kids to learn about their child's new environment. Claggett Middle School held something similar to help parents make the mental and physical transition necessary.

I'm going to be kind and give you a taste of the transition happening at the cafe to help prepare you for what's to come. The new cafe will be called: Cups Cafe.

Why Cups Cafe?

We almost literally serve everything in cups. We serve cups of soup, cups of coffee, tea and hot chocolate, glass cups of ice cream sundae's (thank you Jeff and Janis!). And we serve cups of Hope. The volunteers and supporters love and give and serve and share God's love in small doses; one cup at a time; one heart at a time. Which leads to our new vision statement.

It is: Serving Hope one cup at a time.

There are also many passages in Scripture that use the word "cup" or "cups." Someone once said, "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward" (NIV, Matthew 10:42). That verse really fits what the cafe is about. I won't list all the verses for the sake of time and space in this blog.

Please keep us in your prayers through this transition. And if your going through personal, family, or professional transitions, know that I'm praying for you. Our Father is worth trusting during times of change. He is big and strong and loving and compassionate. He knows the things that keep you up at night. He knows the circumstances that cause you anxiety. Tell Him about your worries and concerns.

Remember...He watched His Son take on the sin of the world and die for you and for me. He can relate to the difficulties attached to transitions. My hope and prayer for you is that you make the transition from saying you believe in Him to actually believing Him. Moving from daily moments of unbelief to believing in Him more and more is a difficult transition. It's a battle, but it is so worth the fight!

May God kindly guide you through life,

Tim Van Arsdale