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Happy Birthday, Baby Sister!

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year...what a whirlwind year it has been!! And what a joy getting to know our sweet Arwen! She is an incredible little person! Her smiles can light up a room and they come easily and often. She loves hanging out with her big brothers and is just now trying to say their names. Sometimes she just defaults to "browa", though. It is so delightful to hear the three of them laughing together! Of course, sometimes they are too rough and there are tears instead, but for the most part they are pretty, well sort of, careful.  But she is pretty tough so they usually get by just fine.

Zak was in Great Lakes, IL for three weeks playing Navy and missed Arwen's actual birthday by three days, so we decided not to celebrate until he returned. On the day of her birthday we just celebrated by watching the video from the day of her birth when the boys first got to meet her. That was so fun to see their reactions again and to see just how much they have changed in this year. When Zak returned we spent one evening celebrating as a family and opening gifts together (you can see her sweet little vintage rocking horse which she loves in the picture above!), then the next Sunday we invited friends to join us for Sunday Parkways immediately followed by her party at a playground. There were a few mishaps and disasters along the way, but it turned out to be a great party with friends both new and old from Sherwood and Portland! We enjoyed ice cream cones together and sang "Happy Birthday" as well as her favorite song, "Skinnamarinkado". She loved the coconut ice cream and had a ball playing on the playground. She even climbed up the slide and turned around and came back down all by herself for the first time! And she was delighted by it!

Afterward we all rode our bikes around the park a bit more (well, Arwen rode in the trailer) and then we went to our favorite wings place (Fire on the Mountain).  Usually Arwen loves chewing on the chicken bones, but on this occasion she was crashed out the entire time! I guess we wore her out!

You can see pictures of Arwen's first birthday in her photo album.

Wrapping Up 2010

Apparently I have taken to just writing quarterly posts.  Certainly it is to the chagrin of the grandmothers among us, but perhaps it is more efficient....?...maybe?  

This past quarter has certainly been one full of change for the Zumwalt Ohana.  We welcomed Zak home from Officer Development School and Chaplain School on August 8.  We welcomed Miss Arwen to the family on August 23.  Zak started back to classes on August 30.  On September 1 Zak was fired from his job/internship at Agape.  A couple of weeks later we found out that Tri-Care (our insurance) would pay nothing for my pregnancy and Arwen's birth (they had earlier agreed to cover over half of the bill for the entire pre-natal, birth and post partum care), and then we had a rather sizable snafu with our car and had to have it repaired.  To say the least, we had an eventful couple of weeks.  We have spent the next few months healing, recovering and learning from all of that.  While we wouldn't wish it on anybody, we are grateful for the growth that has come out of it. 

First and foremost, we have been so grateful for the peace that surpasses all understanding.  One of the phrases that Zak and I have used a lot since we moved here (most often in relation to finances) is "God did not bring us here to abandon us".  The impossible series of events that lead to us being here in the first place have given us much peace in knowing that we are not the ones orchestrating this crazy plan!  

I will give more details to the aforementioned big events starting with the separation from our church family at Agape.  Ron was unhappy specifically with the state of the Recovery Ministry while Zak was away for the summer at ODS and Chaplain School, and more generally, the poor communication between us and them leading up to the summer.  While we are disappointed with how he chose to handle the situation, we agree that we made some mistakes and could have done things better.

We thank God for everything we learned at Agape, all the experiences He has given us there, and all the people He brought into our lives who shaped us into who we are now.  We also thank God for how He’s been working in our lives these past months since this happened.  We are definitely better people and better prepared to serve in the military because of Ron and Lori, the Recovery Ministry, the Agape family, and now this trying experience.  While we were initially very sad to leave, and the process was very painful, we now recognize in hindsight that the separation was good for us, though we likely would not have been able or willing to initiate that separation ourselves.  We are very glad that God is now providing us with a chance to go learn and experience something else.

We were also grateful for God's encouragement in the midst of it all.  Zak was almost immediately offered a few different ministry opportunities--very enticing ones.  We were also well supported by people all around us.  One such person was another church planter who was totally un-related to the situation.  He provided some very wise counsel because he recognized right away that we had way too much going on as a family and that Zak really had too much on his plate.  Among other things he recommended was that we take some time off and prioritize things before we started again.  So, we did.  We took the entire semester to catch our breath.  We shed some excess responsibilities.  We visited different churches (13 different ones!).  Arwen and I got to take a seminary class.  We got to spend a lot of time hanging out as a family.  Zak was able to really help around the house as I was recovering from the delivery and we were all getting used to having another little mess-maker.  It was actually pretty telling to have something so significant as a job removed from our lives and see how busy we still were!  We are thankful for the opportunity to have seen that.

Almost immediately after Arwen was born we started receiving meals from the parenting community/food buying club that we have been a part of for the past two years.  Caspian and I have very strong food sensitivities - we really have to avoid wheat and processed food.   Since a lot of the people in this group are careful about what they eat for different reasons they were able to provide really great food that we could eat without being concerned.  That was such an amazing blessing while I was recovering from the birth!

One of the obvious examples of God's plan for us continuing to unfold during this time concerns a Christian counseling organization called Portland Fellowship.  Our neighbor works for this non-profit group which helps people who struggle with unwanted same sex attraction (SSA).  They were just getting ready to start their annual leadership training when Zak was fired and, knowing our background with recovery, he invited Zak to come along.  So, for four weeks Zak did that...and then they invited him to be one of their group leaders!  And even though he hasn't struggled with SSA, he has found his group to be a great place of personal healing and learning.  We don't think it is any coincidence that just last month "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed and that military chaplains will be on the front lines in dealing with service-members struggling with SSA.  See how God let us learn about addiction and abuse for a while, and now He's letting us learn about homosexuality--all in preparation for chaplaincy?  What an amazing opportunity God has given us to learn how to empathize with, comfort, and counsel those men and women!  

In December Zak also had the opportunity to perform his first wedding ceremony!  Our neighbors who live across the street from us (and whom we became friends with at our last neighborhood block party) asked him to officiate their beautiful ceremony out at the McMenamins Edgefield.  Everyone sat is a big circle with the groom's family on one side and the bride's family on the other.  Zak, Josh, and Katherine stood in the middle, and Zak walked around and faced both sides as he spoke.  It was very unique and we felt very blessed to be a part of it.

Finally, in December we visited the Sherwood Community Church of Christ for the first time.  And after about four weeks we all started talking about the possibility of us working on their staff.  There will be more to come about that later...

And He's Off!

Zak left on Sunday bright and early with a shiny, clean-shaven face.  The boys aren't really sure who it was that left our house, but they sure do miss their daddy!  I thought I would resurrect the blog in order to keep track of what's going on especially during this time that we won't be able to communicate with him.  Heaven knows I won't be able to remember it all in order to recap for him once we do talk.  I'm sure Tutu will be happy that he's gone since this mean she, too, will get to see the updates.

The last several weeks before Zak left are still a bit of a blur, but we milked the time we had as best we could.  Zak finished his finals on a Friday and the next day we hosted a recovery workshop for Agape which made Zak's finals week even busier than it already was, but the workshop went great and we were happy to have the next two weeks to spend hanging out as a family, tying up loose ends and getting Zak ready to be shipped off to Officer Development School in Rhode Island.  We tried to fill every day with some sort of adventure like visiting the Portland Zoo, going to parks we had wanted to visit, going camping and a trip to Seattle.  While in Seattle we made a list of all the activities we most wanted to do and knocked off nearly every one of them including but not limited to...[bum, pum, pum]...the duck tour!  I'm a little embarrassed to say it since it is about the cheesiest thing I can imagine, but I think the cheesiness, the obnoxious tour guide and the ridiculous price might have been worth it for the look on Koa's face when we drove into the water!  His eyes were SO big and he said really quietly, "Are we gonna' sink?"  Once we reassured him, he was totally fine and hasn't stopped talking about it since we were there.

We got back from Seattle at 1:30 AM on Wed and set to work early that morning getting all of Zak's stuff together that he would need for ODS and chaplain school (which he goes to in South Carolina for five weeks as soon as ODS is finished).  We fit in a couple of dates and Zak and Koa had a daddy day and went for coffee which they have been planning to do for a while.  The plan was to ride bikes to the coffee shop, however, Zak's bike was recently stolen and it was pouring rain, so they drove.  I think they still had fun.

Koa and I both got some terrible cold right before the recovery workshop and couldn't seem to kick it which is very odd for both of us.  I'm sure the camping in 40 degree weather, being up way too late every night and silly stuff like that didn't help.  I finally called Dr. Jen and asked her if she had something I could take.  She asked me about my symptoms and then whipped up an herbal tincture for the occasion that worked amazingly well!  I also vowed to rest when things settled down a bit.

Our two week whirlwind came to an end last Sunday morning when Zak got on the plane, but I'm sure his was just beginning.  Wes came over to stay at the house so the boys could keep sleeping and Zak and I left for the airport at 4:30.  Before I got home, I had a text from him saying he had to pay a $100 fee for his bag being 8 lbs over weight.  Thanks United Airlines!

I will have to start the journaling tomorrow since I'm too pooped tonight.  I wrote this entire post yesterday catching us up to last night and the computer ate it when I went to post.  Arrg.  So, if it does the same thing tonight I'm afraid we are just out of luck.  I'm not doing this again!

A Culmination

On Monday of this week (April 20th) I took the Oath of Commissioning and became a US Naval Officer!  I did it while I was sick as a dog and in a medicinal haze, so I have no idea what I said while taking the oath!  Fortunately it's written somewhere in my COMDOCS (Commissioning Documents) for me to pull out and read in the future!  I'm an Ensign (O-1) for as long as I'm going through grad school, and then when I supersede to active duty (I'm in the Navy Reserves right now) after graduation the Navy will automatically advance me to either Lieutenant (O-3) or to within about 6 months of becoming one.  One of the perks of being a Chaplain (actually any of the "professional" military jobs - Jags, Doctors, Dentists, Chaplains, etc.), I guess!  I'm told that's because we're the only ones in the military required to have Master's degrees, so we're treated more like professional contractors rather than Sailors/Soldiers.  That's just what I'm told.  My official title is either Ensign Zumwalt or Chaplain Candidate Zumwalt.  I'm not an actual Chaplain until I finish my M-Div.

Usually if a person is in the regular Navy Reserves he has to drill 1 weekend a month and 2 weeks a year.  In my case (all the "professional's" case), we drill for about 5 weeks each summer while school is out.  This is so our Master's programs aren't interrupted.  I won't be drilling this summer but the next 2 summers I probably will be, and that will be in Rhode Island and South Carolina.  The only time I get paid by the Navy is during those 5 or so weeks of drilling during each summer, so I'm not getting anything from the Navy right now.  I don't even have a military ID or a uniform, and I don't have to shave!!!  One last thing, my time as a Chaplain Candidate these next couple years does not count towards my Navy retirement (20 years), but it does count towards my pay scale.  Thus, I was active duty for 9 years before I got out, but when I go back in after graduation, I'll start getting paid as an O-2 or O-3 with around 12 years of Naval service.  It makes a little bit of difference in pay.

Anyhow, Kathy and I were talking on our way home from my commissioning about how much time had passed since we began the process that culminated in Monday's little ceremony.  It's been over a year and a month!  Hard to imagine.  So many things had to happen just right, so many people had to help by writing recommendations, giving interviews, sending financial help, pulling strings, and certainly by praying.  I'm very comfortable in saying that my commissioning was a God thing - there are just WAY too many variables for it not to be.

So, thanks to all of you!  No kidding, my commissioning on Monday was a culmination of a ton of work by a whole lot of people.  It's funny that only one person gets a certificate when there are many, many of you out there who did just as much work to make this happen as I did.  And above all, thanks God!

So Far, So Good...

Friday was kind of a big day for me (Zak).  As you may recall, the whole reason I earned by BA while in the Navy, then got out of the Navy early, then moved our family away from Hawaii (and the sunshine), then started here at Seminary, was so eventually I would go back into the Navy as a Chaplain.  This has no doubt been a rather long-term goal (around 4 years since I started my BA)!  However, yesterday I feel like I took one giant step forward down the path to eventual active duty chaplaincy.

I have been working with my Officer Recruiter for the past 7 months or so getting my application package ready to submit.  This package includes transcripts, resumes, a security background check, interviews, letters of recommendations, evaluations from back when I was in the Navy, and a Letter of Endorsement from the Churches of Christ (many, many thanks to all of you who helped me complete some of these things in one way or another!).  The last part of my application package is a physical fitness report, which cannot be done by a recruiter but by military medical personnel at a local MEPS office.  Anyone who has ever served in any branch of the military, officer or enlisted, active or reserves, even National Guard, has to go through MEPS.  I went through it the first time almost 10 years ago in Richmond, VA.  At MEPS I (along with about 40 other people [high schoolers!]) did an audio screening, a visual screening, I had blood drawn, I peed in a cup, I had a medical history review, and I had a physical fitness exam which included a bunch of balance and range-of-motion maneuvers (like the duck walk), and then they got my height and weight and body fat percentage.

It was my weight that had me concerned - I was way overweight when I got out of the Navy and I had to lose a bunch before the Navy would let me back in (they're not so strict if you're already in!).  So, as you know if you've been following my Twitters, I began eating healthier and exercising under the close supervision of my wife/personal trainer on December 17th of last year - just a little over 2 months ago.  I set a goal for myself of 200lbs by 15May09 which is the last day of this semester.  On Thursday the 19th, I hit 200lbs (200.4 to be exact).  And in just 2 months - less than half the time I gave myself!  The graph at the beginning of this post is the actual Excel Spreadsheet that I used to chart my progress - the blue line being my actual daily weight, the green line being an Excel calculated Trendline, and the red line being an Excel calculated weight-loss average.

Before I go any further, let me give all the credit and glory to God.  I, like I'm sure most of you, have struggled for years with losing weight, and have tried many different ways to get rid of it.  I honestly didn't do anything different or new this time around - based on historical evidence I should have lost interest and given up a long time ago.  However, only through a power greater than my own, I was able to maintain interest and drive and get to where I am now.  There's no way I could have given up drinking anything other than water for 2 whole months on my own.  There's no way I could have worked out around 6 nights a week every week for the past 2 months on my own.  There's no way I could have completely stopped eating outside our house for close to a month straight.  There's no way I could have taken as much coconut oil a day as I have since December 17th on my own.  I truly, truly believe that God has helped me lose these 20lbs as I slowly work my way towards becoming a Navy Chaplain.  So I give Him all the credit for my success.

So that's the good news - I lost enough weight by MEPS on Friday that I passed my physical and completed my officer application package.  Now we wait...  My recruiter says it may take a couple weeks to hear if the Navy Chaplain Corps (to whom my package was sent) accepts my application and will let me go in the Navy.  If they do, I'll become a Chaplain in the Navy Reserves for the next couple years until graduation of Seminary when I can apply to become active duty.  We'll keep praying that that wicket will also be passed through.

Oh, and my new weight goal is 180lbs by 15May09!  We'll see...

M'Boys

What an interesting holiday season we had!  We had lots of fun hanging out together as a family and there are many things to update. 

Zak finished up his semester December 12 with three A's and two B's.  That seems like a very successful semester considering how incredibly busy he was.  He finished a big project (an Expositional Commentary on Ephesians 3:1-13) for his most difficult class (Principles of Inductive Bible Study) which was worth 50% of his grade with a 95%.  Not only did he finish with great evaluation of the work he did, I think he also grew significantly in his knowledge of the Bible and his relationship with God.  I certainly can't speak for him in this regard, but I have seen evidence of this as he grows in his compassion for people and becomes increasingly more generous with his blessings.  

It's been different being completely separated from the college for almost a whole month.  We've only seen his classmates on two occasions.  We had dinner at the home of one of his classmates and his family before Christmas which was a wonderful treat.  Then we had several Multnomah students to our house for a worship service one Sunday when most churches had canceled services due to weather.  We had 11 Multnomah students who walked here and 10 people from Agape who actually braved the weather enough to drive here!  We served chili and rice and bread for lunch and it was a wonderful time of fellowship!  We were very grateful for the meat my parents brought when they came!  There is no way I would have been able to make enough chili to feed that many people otherwise!

Zak's latest challenge has been in regards to weight loss.  He has put on a few pounds over the past few years (and past couple civilian months!) so he needs to get back within the Navy's weight requirements.  To this end, he has been working out every day with a work out I got to design for him.  And, of course, I get to feed him the nourishing food to help him meet this goal.  So far he is doing very well and has moved from 220 to 211 in only 4 weeks.  His goal is to be at 210 by January 12th and at 200 by May 15.  I'm sure we will keep The People updated on his progress with this goal. 

Since we have had lots of time to spend at home due to inclement weather and holiday free time, we took the time to finish some of the decorating of our house that was still incomplete.  This has been a bigger deal to Zak than it has to me as I am admittedly more interested in function than form.  However I have to admit that our house is more "homey" now that we have finished up some of the decorating.  You can find pictures of this in the Mult-Home-Ah photo album.  The cheesy palm tree was my idea.  I grew fond of it during our Christmas season and wasn't willing to put it away!

One of the updates we made to the house and its decorations was a new big boy bed for Koa.  I have been looking for the perfect bed for long term use that will work in his room.  I wanted to do a bunk-bed-type so we could consolidate the beds when Caspian got big enough to need a big boy bed, but their ceiling is too low.  So, I needed a "junior loft" bed in order to fit the bill.  Of course, I also didn't want to buy it new since that just seems wasteful.  We finally found what we had been looking for on Craig's list and made a short trip up to Vancouver, WA to pick it up.  The crazy weather made it a bit of an adventure, but everything worked out really well.  This was Stimple and Tutu's Christmas gift to Koa and we got to pick it up just a couple of days after Christmas.  Now he and Caspian are roommates.  It's nice to have them in there together and they make good roommates.  They don't even seem to wake each other up very often.  Their room is my favorite room in the house now.  I think it is partially because that room stays clean most of the time and is easy to clean when it does get messy. 

Koa is definitely two years old, and sometimes I hope that will be over soon.  He protests anything that he thinks is not his idea--even if it was his idea!  We spend a lot of time working on having a good attitude.  That means that some days he spends a lot of time in the corner.  This has been a great tool of discipline until recently.  All of the sudden one day he decided that he LIKES the corner, in fact he LOVES the corner.  So, when I would give him permission to come out because his attitude was better, he would say he would rather stay there.  Back to the drawing board.

He really is a lot of fun to be around when he's not trying to be difficult.  He loves to play pretend (maybe that's why the corner is fun) and will play with anything!  He likes to make families out of any random objects he can find.  In fact, his first family was a toothbrush, toothpaste and a bottle of grape seed oil.  Then there were the dish brushes, pencil eraser, cups, silverware.  His most favorite little guy is a gold-colored furniture bolt.  He calls it his "treasure guy" and that is the first "toy" he looks for in the morning.  I also have to be on guard or every cup/bowl shaped container will make it into his toy cabinet (or the living room floor) as a hat for somebody!  Fortunately he is getting better and better about picking up toys and books and adhering to the "one toy at a time" rule most of the time.  His mom is just a little bit crazy and likes the toys to be put away in an organized fashion (ie. balls and stuffed animals in the top drawer; cars in the middle drawer etc.) and he is pretty good at getting things put away in their proper place, as well. 

He likes to play "introduction" with his toys.  He'll say, "Hi, I'm Koa, what's your name?  I come from Waikiki with Wes and Jessi."  Then he proceeds to tell about the zoo in Waikiki because Wes and Jessi and Tracie took him to the zoo once.  It is amazing to see the details he recalls from that long-ago trip to the zoo.  He also likes to try to introduce himself to people he doesn't know (as long as I don't ask him to...) and he will tell them his name means "warrior" and he gets his curly hair from his dad.

He's also getting better at memorizing books so he can "read" them to Caspian.  We still haven't gotten a good video of that, but I hope we can soon.  He also has a knack for categorizing books.  He recognizes when the artwork or story is the same or similar.  For instance, he will know that it is a P.D. Eastman or Laura Numeroffe book even if it is the first time to read it.  He also has pointed out other artwork when it looks similar.  We saw a calendar one day with cartoon drawings on it and he said, "It's a Sandra Boynton book." and it did look very similar to her illustrations.

I don't think we have ever mentioned Koa's total fascination with Veggie Tales!  He adores Bob and Larry, but Larry is definitely his favorite.  He loves to look at the picture of Zak when he was Larry Boy for Halloween.  He knows most of the songs on any Veggie Tale video he has seen and he asks daily to watch them!  We've gotten pretty bad about agreeing to it and now he watches a lot more TV than we wish he did.  We never got cable when we moved into this house, and it has been great.  We don't miss regular TV.  So, I suppose it's not the worst thing in the world if the only thing we ever watch is Veggie Tales and Signing Time.  At least both of them are teaching him something.  However, I don't want him to get in the habit of just vegging out (pun intended) in front of the TV all the time.

And then there's Capian...  He is such a sweet baby, and very calm and content when his tummy is feeling well....which is hardly ever!  Fortunately he is really good at soothing himself.  He's a thumb sucker and he's good at it!  He can find that thing almost instantly, and he will sooth himself right to sleep.  He also usually just wants to lay on his tummy and sleep when he is feeling bad.  So, that is a good thing, too, unless we are out somewhere that he can't really just lay around.  Then it is really bad. 

You'd never know by lookin' at him, but occasionally he will go 8-12 hours without eating for some odd reason.  We thought there was some consistency to it, but now I am beginning to believe it is totally random.  Like maybe he just eats like normal every three hours until he gets full and then he just hibernates for a while.  He sleeps pretty consistently 7 hours at night but one night he went 12!  I tried waking him up to feed him, but he would just get angry and go back to sleep.  (Needless to say, I was up at three in the morning pumping!)  Sometimes his strikes are in the middle of the day.  He will wake up at regular intervals, but will just REFUSE to eat.  Then he will be ready to go back to sleep in just a little while.  Doctor Jen is baffled by it.  He rarely ever acts like his tummy is upset when he does this.  He will just be very content unless I try to feed him.

He has started becoming a little more regular with pooping which has helped with the upset tummy issue.  For a while he was having solid poops most of the time, but I think that has resolved itself.  Poor Caspian, all we talk about is his digestive issues when we give updates about him.  He really is very sweet and mellow.  He still has very tiny smiles and sometimes he will give us a little laugh which makes them especially cute!

We have used a Babywise-esque routine with both boys and they both have responded very well to that.  Caspian doesn't need quite as much structure as Koa did.  With Koa if we strayed from his normal routine very much we would have to detox for several days and get him back into his comfort zone or he would be a pretty fussy baby.  Caspian will roll with the punches for the most part, but if we expect him to do that for too many days we get a fussy baby.  That is what happened this past week when we went to Astoria.  For the days leading up to it we were coming and going a little too often for him to get a regular nap and we paid for it part of the time in Astoria.  So, we have been staying home and "detoxing" since then.

Right now, both boys are sick with a cold!  So, we stayed home from church today.  As you can see, that has given me time to catch up on posts that are way over-due!  Hopefully my little boys will be back to health soon and we can continue with life as usual--as usual as it gets around here! :) 

A Weekend...In The Middle Of A Week

One of the requirements for Zak to be accepted into the chaplain candidacy program is an interview with a real, live Navy chaplain.  The closest Navy chaplain in our area is on a Coast Guard base in Astoria, Oregon.  Since Zak has some time off from school and we were wanting to explore the state a bit more anyway, we took this opportunity to escape for a night along with our friends, the Cousers. 

Wes and Jessi came over Wednesday night after our home community meeting and stayed the night and we got up relatively early on Thursday and began our day.  We were slowed down a bit by the need to fetch our car from the dealership where we had to have the entire transmission replaced this last week (praise God for extended warranties!)  Once we had our car, we all piled in and headed for the coast.  Due to the recent snow fall and heavy rains there was some flooding that threatened detours along the way, but we made it without incedent.  Please pray for the people whose homes and crops have been effected by the flooding.

We got into Astoria on Thursday afternoon and Zak, Wes and Koa visited the Columbia River Maritime Museum for a couple of hours.  Jessi, Caz and I went and found a nice, warm coffee shop/tanning salon (interesting combo, huh?) in which to hang out.  While I fed Caspian we watched part of the movie "Bubble Boy" without sound.  I think the fact that there was no sound actually made the movie more interesting.  After our relaxing afternoon we visited a local winery and then went to a nice dinner together at the Silver Salmon with a coupon we were given. 

We rented a suite with two beds and split the cost with the Cousers which made the trip more cost effective.  It happened to be in a hotel with an indoor, heated pool!  We were excited to have a pool at our hotel because I knew Koa would love that, but when we got in that night he was so tired that he just went straight to bed.  Zak stayed in the room with the boys and worked out while Wes, Jessi and I went to the pool together.  I didn't realize how much I missed swimming!  It was WONDERFUL to be in the water again--especially without the extra pregnancy weight!  I was really surprised by how much I really enjoyed it.  I guess it's the first time I've been in a pool without a child to tend or in my belly in 3.5 years!

The next morning Zak had to go to his interview, so Koa and I got up and headed down to the pool at that time.  I think Koa enjoyed it as much as I thought he would.  We left just long enough to grab some breakfast at the small buffet provided and then headed back to the pool.  By that time Caz and the Cousers had joined us.  I intended to take Caspian in the water, too, but he was ready to go to sleep before he even made it in the water!  So, he just took a nap on the blanket by the pool...ahh, the life!

Zak had his interview with the chaplain on the Coast Guard base but didn't get to say a whole lot since the guy talked almost non-stop. It was less of an interview and more of an infomative conversation about the reality of being a chaplain.  Zak thought it was really valuable and enlightening because it was another perspective of the corps that he hadn't heard about yet.  He would have liked to ask a few more questions but didn't even get to do that.  Hopefully the guy got enough information to recommend Zak for the chaplain candidacy program. 

When he got back we all packed up and headed out for some more exploration of the area.  There is a lot of history in this area since Astoria was the first permanent settlement west of the Rockies and the last place Lewis and Clark visited before making the trek back to St. Louis.  We made a few more stops at museums and forts and the like.  We enjoyed a bit more seafood at Dooger's, along the way, as well. :)

It was a wonderful little get-away and a fun time with friends (we have photos to prove it and there should be more to come)!  Even though we moved out here with the Cousers we don't get to see them nearly often enough since both our families are involved in ministries at different churches.  We've all agreed that we need to make these get-aways a regular occurance.  I hope it works out that we can!

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As you may know, I (Zak) embarked on a long term goal of becoming a US Navy Chaplain after I heard God’s call to make military ministry my career in order to serve where there is an immense spiritual void.  After I completed my bachelor’s degree in Religion in March of 2008 I separated from the Navy 9 months early (in July of 2008) in order to attend Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where I began a 3-year Master of Divinity program on August 25^th, 2008.  Kathy and I feel like we have made a huge step in faith by following God's call - we left our home, our friends, our church family, a steady pay-check, and a relatively certain future to move here to Portland and start completely over.  While we have no idea what tomorrow may bring, we have comfort that we are here because this is where God wants us.

Kathy and I have been given an incredible opportunity to serve with the Agape Church of Christ - a church plant (Kairos Church Planting Ministries) that meets in a high school cafeteria in inner-city Portland.  I have been asked to be Agape's "Recovery Groups Minister" and begin a ministry of small groups designed to assist people scarred by spousal or child abuse, divorce or infidelity, or addictions to alcohol, pornography or drugs.  Not only does this ministry allow Kathy and I to grow spiritually while serving others, it will help me meet the requirements of the Navy to become a Chaplain.  In order to be a Chaplain I am required to have two years of full-time, paid ministry experience.  We are convinced the skills I will learn with the Agape Church of Christ in the Recovery Groups Ministry perfectly prepare me to serve the men and women of the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard as they deal with some of the very same social issues Agape does.  We strongly believe God has placed us in this job.

 

Since Agape is such a young church (started on Easter of 2007), they are not able to pay us.  For this reason Kathy and I, in conjunction with Ron and Lori Clark (Agape's church planters), are seeking support from other congregations and individuals to raise the amount I would need for a salary from the Fall of 2008 to the Spring of 2011.  This will be our only source of income!  Can you help Kathy, Koa, BZ2, and me with this need?

 

I have two scholarships from MBS as well as the Montgomery GI-Bill from the Navy, which will pay for the entirety of my tuition, books and fees.  We are seeking to raise $36,000 a year for each of the next 3 years ($3,000 a month income for a family of four) and an additional $300 a month for ministry expenses, most of which are necessary because Agape doesn't have its own church building (training, resources, travel expenses, mileage, meeting in coffee shops, use of our own cell phones, printing with our own ink and paper, and so forth).  There are also some big cost items which total around $5,000.  These lump sum costs are needed for our family’s insurance policy which is extremely high because of Kathy’s "pre-existing condition" (pregnancy!) and needs to be paid in a lump sum, and the security deposit for our house here in Portland.

As of 2002 (according to The Barna Group), only 3% of this country gives a tithe (10% of income) to a church ministry.  Instead, the average Christian American household gives only 2.2% of its earnings to a religious organization!  According to the US Census Bureau, in 2004 the average income for an American household was around $44,000, making an annual 2.2% donation worth about $968 ($81/month).  We have sent out around 40 letters to both individuals and congregations asking for support.  If each of our 40 recipients commit to $87 a month, we'd exceed our monthly income goal!  And obviously the more people who donate, the less each will have to give.  As of December 15th we've raised $1,400 a month...so we're on our way!

 

Donations to us are tax deductible (you will receive receipts for everything that you give), so please don't send money directly to us or even put our names on any checks - send your financial support to the Agape Church of Christ and mention somewhere on it the "Recovery Groups Ministry." 

Please send any physical donations (checks, cash) to:

Agape Church of Christ

c/o Recovery Ministry

11124 NE Halsey #635

Portland, OR 97220

We also offer you the ability to donate automatically and electronically!  Simply click on the treasure chest (below or in the sidebar) and you'll be routed to Kairos' online donation system.  You'll need to register first.  After logging in, select "Zachary Zumwalt - Agape Church of Christ, Portland, OR" as the fund you're donating to.  The rest should be self-explanatory.

 

 

Kathy and I have been blessed to see God so active in our lives and to have Him show us a glimpse of His plan for us.  We are certain we have been brought to Portland and placed under these circumstances for a reason.  It is not really a matter of "if" we are finanically supported, but "how" and "when!"  We ask for your prayers during this time, and your willingness to come along side us and experience the exciting work God has in store.  Together we can serve His kingdom!

Holy Moly (Part 4)

This has been an especially exciting (and humbling) last couple days filled with all sorts of big news items.  First of all, on August 29th we sold our house in Hawaii!

Aloha Halekohana.

We've been in escrow for the past month, which is always an anxious couple weeks, but we made it all the way through and closed on Friday, the 29th.  It was a bit of a pain constantly being emailed paperwork to sign, printing it out, signing it, scanning it, then emailing it back, but that's what we get for doing it long distance I guess!  A couple things to praise God for: Zak read somewhere that the average length of time a house is on the market in Hawaii is 163.7 days (about 5.5 months).  Ours was on the market for around 60 days (and 30 of that was in escrow!).  We sold it at full asking price ($295,000) which is pretty amazing in today's buyer's market.  We sold it at literally the perfect time - if we closed less than a month earlier we would have been charged a $3000 pre-payment penalty, and if we closed 2 weeks later our ARM would have adjusted and increased our mortgage by $400 a month (from $1550 to $1950)!  Finally, we actually made money on the house (a whopping $580)!  This is significant because we were only trying to break even considering how far home prices have fallen nationally.  The fact that we bought a house 3 years ago when prices were crazy high and sold it last week after values have plummeted but still came out in the black is a miracle!  Right up until the last minute we thought we were going to have to write a $1000 check to make up the difference in escrow.  Praise God that we don't have to make those mortgage payments anymore.  This is just one of many examples of the signs we've seen over the past month or two that God wants us to be here in the Northwest.

The next big news is that Zak has finally started seminary.  He had orientation on August 22nd where he registered for his classes, bought his textbooks, got his ID and intranet access, and took a pre-seminary Bible exam to be compared to another exam he takes 3 years from now to see how much he learned while at Multnomah.  Last Tuesday (August 26th) was his first day of classes.  Zak is taking 5 classes (totaling 16 credit hours) this semester.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays he has "Genesis through Song of Solomon" and "Acts & the Pauline Epistles."  On Wednesdays and Fridays he has "Christian Theology 1," "Principles of Spiritual Formation," and "Principles of Inductive Bible Study."  Yikes!  He didn't do much in class the first week other than introductions and going over all the syllabi, but he says after seeing all his assignments he's going to be very busy for the next couple months (and probably years).  Fortunately all of his professors stressed the importance not of getting straight A's, but of growing spiritually and deepening relationships with God and each other.  To that end, we've already been to a professor's house 3 times and to 5 different student functions - just in the first 2 weeks!  We find it comforting to know that grades are Multnomah's #2 priority after our spiritual well-being.

Still on the topic of Multnomah Biblical Seminary, on Thursday (September 4th) Zak became his graduate class' Student Body President!  What a shock that was to all of us!  During orientation a sign-up sheet was posted where students could volunteer for any of the 10 positions on this year's Student Body Cabinet.  Zak eventually signed up to be considered for the position of Married Students Representative since no one else had volunteered for it after a couple days.  Imagine his (and then my) surprise when a couple days later one of his professors came up to him before class and asked that he consider and pray about being this year's President, even though others had actually signed up for it!  So we took some time, prayed about it, talked it over with some people, tried to figure out why God would bring this opportunity along, and in the end decided that any chance to grow through serving others is a good one (it certainly won't hurt his resume and Commissioning Application either!).  So, all day last Saturday (September 6th) he and the rest of the cabinet went on a retreat (that Zak had to put together) to build relationships and to create goals, a mission statement, and a verse for the class.  One of Zak's "relationship building exercises" was the game Lap Stack.  I guess there's no better way to get to know a stranger than by sitting on his/her lap for a while!  Zak's secondary duties as President will be to facilitate weekly cabinet meetings, meet weekly with the Dean of Students (the same professor who asked him to be on the cabinet), ensure the rest of the cabinet members are doing their jobs, and represent his class when all the class Presidents from the college and seminary get together to organize Multnomah University activities.  However, Zak's primary responsibility will be to serve and care for the other members of the cabinet as they serve and care for the class.  It's another Small Group ministry!  Our minds are boggled by how every little experience seems to prepare us for the next step in God's plan!  Who would have thought it!

But the story of God's provision in our lives these past couple months doesn't end there!  Three days ago during our Sunday morning worship services Zak (and family) were brought to the front and blessed as the new Recovery Groups Minister for the Agape Church of Christ.  Yep, Agape hired Zak to be a part-time minister while we're here attending MBS!  He will be responsible for (get this!) overseeing all of Agape's forthcoming Recovery Groups.  Isn't it amazing how God prepares us with past experiences for future ministry!?  Our church is going to launch groups which provide safe places for people to support each other as they experience problems with different kinds of abuse, addiction, depression, and infidelity.  From now until January leaders will be trained to facilitate each of the different kinds of Recovery Groups, and then next year the ministry will launch.  Please thank God for giving Zak a job with a church family that we love, and ask Him to bless our future endeavors in Agape's Recovery Groups Ministry.

Bog Tak Harosh--Sigda!

This is the phrase that has been going through my head for, well for several years now, but especially the last few days.  In Russian it means "God is good--always!"

Zak finally got an answer on Tuesday that GOD IS SENDING US TO PORTLAND!  It has been a whirlwind every since!  We spent the rest of the week getting the house ready to sell mostly.  On Tuesday afternoon I called our real estate agent that we used when we moved into Halekohana and got the ball rolling for selling our house.  She advised us to talk to a financial counselor about the benefits of having an investment property and start interviewing property managers since there is a good chance we won't be able to sell in less than a month.  There are other properties the same size as ours, in our same complex, that have been on the market for more than 70 days.  The prices are right about where we bought so we don't have a lot of wiggle room.  We assured her that we are fine with the circumstances either way because we are confident that God is sending us in this direction and He will certainly take care of us whether the house sells or not.

She took pictures and got our MLS listing posted and literally within five minutes had a call asking to see it.  She told them that we would not be ready to show it until Monday, but they begged because the lady was going out of town soon.  So she called me and I said, "OK, but let them know it won't be ready for "show" until Monday."  She said they were fine with that.  Apparently you have to make your house look like no one lives in it in order to show it! 

So, Friday we scrambled until 1:45 to get the house looking like no one lived here (of course that facade might have been foiled by the little boy sleeping in his bed!).  That afternoon our agent called to say our house is one of two that the folks who looked at it were interested in and they want to come back to look at it when the husband is back on the island.  Then she called back a few minutes later to let us know there is another request to show it on Sunday.  I told Zak it would be another one of God's miracles along this crazy path if we ended up in the middle of a bidding war in a market like this!  By Monday when we're "officially" on the market, we'll have already had 3 showings!

There have been many miracles to witness--the biggest being that Zak's request actually got approved.  The number of unlikely events that had to fall into place in order to make that happen are almost too many to count!  Zak plans on recording the entire story from beginning to end sometime in the future so the rest of us can appreciate just how involved God has been in our lives over the past couple months.  We are excited to see what God has in store for us in this particular journey.  We don't expect it to be easy, and we have no idea at all how things are going to work, but we do expect it to be exciting and we know that Bog tak harosh sigda!