May 2011 Update

It’s been another busy but great few months for the Redden family since our last update. As we think back over the last few months there are so many great things that have happened that it reminds us just how blessed we are and how grateful we are for God’s goodness. Here’s a few highlights from the last few months.

Ethan is almost a first grader! Next week is his last week of school, and we have to say that overall it has been a great first year. His teachers were wonderful, he made some great new friends, and we’ve really seen his learning and creativity progress through the year. We also just wrapped up soccer season and are gearing up for baseball. Ethan is especially excited about baseball, because he moves from t-ball to coach pitch. He’s often said, “I finally get to play real baseball!” Yet another milestone for Ethan came just last weekend while visiting Kate’s family in Wyoming. With a little peer pressure from his cousin Lily, Ethan finally got up the courage to tackle riding a bike, and he did a great job. Check out the video:

Andrew had a milestone event in April – celebrating his fourth birthday. We celebrated in grand style (well, grand style for a 4-year old) with a trip to Chuck E Cheese! One of the highlights of the party was the ticket blaster just for the birthday boy. Check out the video:

Andrew tells us that he is now a “big boy” and we have to admit that he is getting there. He’s slowly adapted to school and is pretty much tantrum free at drop off time. While he didn’t play any spring sports Andrew is looking forward to t-ball again this summer and hopefully the chance to head up to the ranch for more horseback riding, which he loves.

Kate continues to stay busy, and as usual a lot of that involves travel! Since our last update she spent a week with the boys in North Carolina and Virginia visiting her aunt and grandmother. The next week Stephen met them all in Nashville for a few days with his parents. But the big trip came in early May when Kate had the opportunity to take a week-long cruise to Alaska with her mom. Kate’s mom is a big fan of Dr. Barry Sears and his “Zone Diet” books, and Dr. Sears put on this cruise and did a number of presentations. They had a great week, and Kate is excited to share all that she learned about healthy eating though Stephen is still unwilling to part with his deep fryer!

Stephen has been busy as well with travel and lots of exciting things at New Denver Church. In addition to the trip to Tennessee with the family, Stephen traveled to Guatemala in March to visit New Denver’s international partner Pastor Antonio Moxnay and his church in San Pablo la Laguna. It was a great trip that helped pave the way for New Denver to bring teams down in July 2011 and January 2012. Stephen also had a milestone birthday this year – the big 4-0! Thanks to his boyish good looks and childish personality, he’s taking this entry into his forties in stride! Kate planned a fun low-key night of dinner and bowling (that’s what old people do, right?) with our good friends the Borgens and Gilmores. His work at New Denver also continues to keep Stephen busy. The church continues to grow slowly but surely, and there continue to be great stories of people growing in their faith. On top of his work with small groups Stephen continues a regular preaching schedule and even had the opportunity to preach through Easter this year which was a great experience for him.

One more significant update for our family is about our friend Nicole. You may remember in our last update that we had been praying for Nicole to get a spot in a local transitional housing program here called Joshua Station. After nearly seven months of living with us in our basement, Nicole was finally accepted into Joshua Station in April! She is settling into her new home well and is looking forward to being reunited full time with her boys Aidan (6) and Christopher (4) who have been living with her dad. We’re excited for this new phase of her life and to seeing how God continues working in her life.

Thanks for continuing to keep up with our journey. We hope this helps all of you – our friends and family around the world – feel a little more connected to what God is doing in our lives.