We drove from Kennedy, AL to Portland in 6 days. We drove through 11 beautiful states. Our kids traveled AMAZINGLY! Luke (8 months) was a dream; he loved it. He slept a lot and played with lots of toys. We can't be more thankful for how easy our kids made the 2500 mile journey.
When we started seeing signs for Portland, it was truly surreal. Such a long time in the coming and we were almost there. The drive through Oregon was my favorite. So incredibly beautiful, and our new home.
Our rental home in NoPo (North Portland) was waiting for us. It is just what we need, and we were happy to explore it for the first time...the girls especially.
It wasn't long before we HAD to try one of Portland's famous food trucks. We started with chicken pot pie from Paiku. Delicious!
We can't stop oohing and ahhing over the scenery. New types of trees and never ending flowers are everywhere. Mountains and rivers, bridges and landscapes are just beautiful here.
In the first two weeks we've been getting to know our neighborhood and establishing a schedule with school drop off and pick up. We've worked hard to unpack and hang pictures on the walls of our house. We had a scare with Luke that caused us to call 911 for the first time with any child. After a few hours in the children's emergency room, he checked out ok and is doing fine now. It was not the best way to learn where the hospital is located...
The girls love their new school and teachers. Their classmates are being super kind to them and helping them adjust to this new culture. Madelyn told us that her friends asked her what "yes ma'am" meant and when she explained it to them they thought it was so cute and wanted to say it too. One of our first days in Portland, Madelyn was asked by a little girl if she believed in Jesus and when she said she did, the girl told her that Jesus was a loser. Madelyn was crushed, but it was a really great way to help her understand that not everyone believes in Jesus! We share openly but the Holy Spirit changes hearts, not us.
God is so faithful. We are just thankful to be here and thankful for you who pray for us and support us. The cards that were waiting in our mailbox were treasure to us. The emails and calls were such encouragements. We really are thankful for all of you and how you help us in this mission to plant a church in Portland. We are excited to see what God will do in this great city.
-Chandra
Our new address is:
7920 N Courtenay Ave
Portland, OR 97203
New Phone Numbers (Call or send a text!):
Justin 503-740-2468
Chandra 503-740-7169
