Christmas greetings from Fort Wayne! Even though the weather is mild, the calendar says that the Advent season is upon us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord! Indeed, we have been busy preparing for a number of Christmas programs at church that are coming up too soon! We wish for all of you the joy and peace of this season and a blessed 1999!
Each year brings its own unique joys and challenges and 1998 has been no exception for the Leichty family. Some of you may remember that last year at this time, we were facing plenty of uncertainties brought about by leaving our church where I (Paul) served for five years as pastor. While some uncertainties have continued or re-emerged, we have much to be thankful for. God has provided a new church, plenty of work, supportive friends old and new, and the strength and health to come through another year.
We have had some wonderful blessings this year. In April, Nancy and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Our island getaway had to wait, however, and since Puerto Rico wasn't in the budget this year, we settled for a May weekend on Mackinac Island between Michigan's two peninsulas and before the main rush of tourists.
Summer brought travel for the whole family. This year's theme seems to have been mountains. My mother's side of the family, the Ewert relatives, got together over July 4th weekend in Grand Lake, Colorado near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a wonderful reunion bringing together three generations for reminiscing, sharing, music-making, hiking, worship, and just being together, enjoying the scenery.
Later in July, we headed south and east for two weeks. We attended the 6th International Fragile X Conference in Asheville, North Carolina in another beautiful mountain setting and were inspired and informed again in the daily realities with which we live. From Asheville, we headed north for a few days of visiting friends in Southeastern Pennsylvania where we lived for almost ten years, ending in 1992. From there, we went to western Pennsylvania, where we helped lead and participated in a retreat for families with a member with disabilities in yet another "mountain" setting. (The mountains get progressively smaller, you understand!) Nancy and I shared morning input with family members while Renita served as a counselor with the children and the adults with disabilities. All of us enjoyed afternoons in the pool and evening family activities.
As far as individual activities, here are some notes from the four of us:
Paul -- Last year at this time, I was starting a full-time job as computer technical support operator. That lasted about seven (miserable) weeks. After taking a faith step of getting out of that work, I was offered flexible part-time office work for a mechanical contractor through a mutual friend. I continue to spend 8-20 hours a week at that work.
Another event last year at this time led to other work. The North Leo Mennonite Church asked me to lead a choir for the Christmas season last year. That proved to be a mutually beneficial relationship that led to their calling me in April to become Interim Minister of Music for at least a year. I continue to direct a choir, help with some children's music, coordinate musical activities in worship, and fill in on piano, organ, or leading congregational singing as called for. We have been blessed to be a part of the North Leo congregation, which has made us feel very much a part of their church family.
In the spring, I was asked to coordinate some retreats for families who face the challenge of a member with mental illness or disability. One of the retreats was the one that we were going to anyway as input leaders. I work with two committees who meet every month or two via telephone conference call. It is a very interesting process and I am learning much more about ministry to families.
I continue to work as Director of User Services for MennoLink, a Mennonite computer network and am developing other services for a broader Christian community through a business called Companion Resources. The focus of my work with MennoLink has changed to the point where I am doing much more marketing. Again, I am learning quite a bit, even though many days I think is a stretch beyond my greatest enjoyment and gifts.
I am exploring various avenues for the future. I continue to feel called to ministry, perhaps congregational ministry again, perhaps in another setting. I generally like what I do now, and appreciate the flexibility I have to continue to serve the church in various ways, while taking care of family responsibilities. However, I find myself going in too many different directions, playing catch-up all the time, and that is frustrating. I am searching for what my focus should be for the future.
Speaking of family responsibilities, let me (Paul) fill you in a little on Nathan…
Nathan -- It took almost a year after his June 1997 graduation, but Nathan finally got a job! We are all very pleased, and you should have seen Nathan's self-esteem skyrocket! Nathan is working at our local Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen in the morning hours before the restaurant opens. The management has been tremendously helpful in adjusting the job to his needs. He rolls silverware into linen napkins, takes chairs off of the tables, wipes the tables, and prepares things for the lunch crowd to descend upon the place at 11:00. Normally, he has a job coach, but has been known to work entirely on his own when his coach couldn't make it. Eventually, he will be on his own, with a trainer checking in on him occasionally. Nathan's latest accomplishment in the last few weeks has been to ride the bus on his own after many weeks of being accompanied by his coach. The one downside is that during off-peak seasons, Nathan only works two mornings a week. We are hoping that will change as Christmas traffic picks up. In the meantime, we have arranged for some piecework that Nathan can do at home on the mornings he doesn't work at Don Pablo's.
Nathan also enjoyed a second year of performing with the Jesters, a local drama troupe for young people with disabilities. In February and March, he once again did sound effects in the show, including one performance on the grand stage at the Embassy Theater. This year, he is actually cast with an acting part, a big accomplishment for Nathan! Nathan also enjoys our new church and is helping with the children's Christmas musical by playing his drum. In his free time, Nathan watches TV, plays computer games, and listens to his growing collection of CD's.
Now we'll let the other two speak for themselves. We turn first to our high school senior, Renita…
Renita - My top 10 things to do during 1998: 10. Fiddle around with my web page (http://www.geocities.com/mouseroni/) 9. Goof around on AOL while IMing with 4 different people and reading e-mail. 8. Hang out with my MYF (youth group) from North Leo Mennonite. 7. Work in the dining room at Chuck E. Cheese, which involves everything from singing and dancing to serving pizza to the masses and trying to find seats for a group of 20 when you only have room for 4. 6. Go to the movies, or the coffeehouse, or just sit and listen to CDs/the radio with a friend/friends/my boyfriend. 5. Sleep. (When available.) 4. Try to get my (always-cold) hands warm. 3. Get frustrated -- in Photography when my film gets messed up, or my pictures won't print right, or there's no mat board left; or in Journalism when somebody misses their deadline; or in the Guidance Office when I'm answering the phone and somebody extraordinarily dumb calls. 2. Attempt to think up things for this list that I want to share with dozens of people across the country! 1. Wish you all a very merry Christmas and extra specially happy New Year!
Hi from the senior! I'm doing well, school isn't too hard at the moment, and life is pretty good. Some answers to all your burning questions:
Anything else you wanna know? E-mail me at RenitaLL@aol.com or mouseroni@yahoo.com.
Ciao! ~renita~*
Now, from the stable breadwinner of the household...
Nancy -- My one-year mark with AWS happened in October. At this time last year my work as a group home manager was new enough that, aside from being overwhelmed, I hardly knew what to report. Now I have enough to write a book-but where to begin?
To say the least, managing staff persons coming and going to serve a household of eight adolescents has been consuming! With a lot of turnover, immaturity, and training issues, staff management has definitely been challenging! But without the staff, caring for the distinctly unique needs of each person living at Aboite Group Home would be impossible for me. So this year I am learning to value and empower my staff in a genuine, affirming way.
Learning never stops for me in my role. I am finding out more about persons with developmental disabilities, mental retardation, and fragile medical conditions (what a package!) than I ever imagined. I wish you could know the individual persons at "my home." They are Keesha, Melissa, Shawna, Ray, Dean, JB, Mark, and Steve. They are ages 12-19 and all attend school during the school year. They teach me many lessons of life and give more love than one can contain.
When all the myriad of meetings, paperwork, and details overwhelm me, my kids there and family here at home keep me grounded. Times spent with Renita, Nathan, and Paul are more special than ever as I realize how soon our college-bound daughter will leave us. I have a feeling more new learnings will begin for me in that time of saying good-bye.
There is life for me in the encouragement and support of our new church family. It has helped to work at healing wounds as caring hugs are shared there.
The uncertainty of 1999 is a reminder that all of my days in 1998 have been without certainty and yet here I am-a survivor!
I give thanks for you, friends and family, especially now as we celebrate the reason for our joy and peace!
And finally…as the editor of this publication, I, Paul, get the last word. We wish all of you a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year!