Shickel Family

All Things New "And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." Rev 21:5   Small children begin to line up near the gate, each holding a plastic cup and bowl and their own metal utensils. Not far from the gate, twenty high school “gringos” stand, sweating in the Nicaraguan heat listening to a pastor share about his community and how it has grown and changed over the last few years since starting a feeding center. The church feeds a nutritious lunch to fifty children daily with donations from international hunger relief agencies. The pastor credits the relief agencies but praises God for how he has brought revival to the refugee families through this program. Listing a few of the changes like improved public education, decreased teen pregnancy rates, lightened burdens on families, fewer orphans, and a higher church attendance, it hits me that the p

  This past week, Ike and I both finished working. Ike had been working as a project manager with Shickel Corporation over the last three years and I was at the hospital for two and a half years, first as an inpatient clinical dietitian and then the last 7 months as an outpatient dietitian and clinical nutrition manager.    Transitions are hard!    Saying goodbye to really good things is difficult but freeing, it is sad but sweet to feel so loved in our work places, and scary but really exciting as we look toward next year. The last few days were spent away - first with friends at a cabin outside Harrisonburg and then Ike and I went to Asheville to explore a new place together and celebrate the end of work and beginning of a different pace. We anticipate the next month to be slower without the stress of working 40+ hour weeks but also packed with making time to see family and friends, a few Christmas parties, Christmas in VB, and then packing and moving out of our house.