Yetters On the Road

To our dear friends and family that we saw along the way,

We want to extend to all of you our warm and profound gratitude for being such a special part of a renewing sabbatical journey that we will never forget. I am writing this in the moments before we will take our final 2-3 hour drive back in to L.A. We are coming home with great joy and anticipation, with wonderful memories of blessed times reconnecting with all of you.

Many people gave us strange looks when we told them that we were taking a sabbatical trip in an RV to get away and be refreshed in the Lord. Yet God knew what we needed. Our times with all of you was so deeply refreshing. In fact, I have never so much been able to identify with Paul when he spoke of people refreshing him (II Timothy 1:16, Romans 15:32). You were all a very sweet and special part of this special time for our family, a part of refreshing our spirits in a way that we trust will help us with renewed vision and strength to be effective in our calling.

Our kids absolutely loved every visit – playing with kids in your families and reconnecting with dear friends and deeply enjoying those of you without kids. They would beg us to stay more days to be with each of you and often went through minor depressions when we left. For all of us, by inviting us into your worlds and lives you opened our eyes to a bigger picture of the beautiful places and cultures and churches in our nation.

Thank you for receiving us (too often last minute!), for making precious time for us, for smiling when our kids poured catsup all over your nice table cloth, for opening your homes, driving to meet us, working out places to park our rather large RV, and going way above and beyond in hosting us. It was difficult to receive so much from many of you when we had so little to offer in return. But we pray that somehow your spirits would be refreshed as well through our time together.

We are so grateful that we got to see our family we love so much, some of our dearest and most precious family friends, ten of our former Nehemiah House interns and several of their families. It gave us great joy to see our Nehemiah House family from the past 14 years, all over the country. Though there were more folks we were grieved not to be able to visit, especially the ones in the interior states, we were so overwhelmed by how very many dear friends we have around the country.

Thank you so very much for being such a special part of our lives and for making this sabbatical so blessed and rich. We are so thankful to have been able to reconnect and to deepen our friendship. We hope to see you all again soon. This time in L.A. ok? I know we are not on Facebook and are not the best long-distance communicators, but please know that you are dear to us and you have a home in L.A.

Overflowing with love and thanks,

Scott for Sarah, Sam, Tory and Caleb

Glorious California! No place like home.

1. Celebrating Scott’s birthday with Enoch and Priscilla Yeung. We met Enoch when he came to Mexico City as a student to serve with us at UNAM (think UCLA campus on steroids) WAY back in the day, haha. We love the work Enoch is doing with New Hope Community Development in Sacramento.

2. With John and Sarah Cassidy on Mother’s Day. They have brought groups of students from Arcade Church to work with us in Pico Union over several summers and share our heart for creativity and healing through the arts, fun, and good food!

3. Walking in Palo Alto with Kathy Henry. Kathy, one of the brave ones that helped us start the Nehemiah House in 2002, and long time health care provider in Pico Union/ Westlake and Skid Row. We enjoyed being at her sister’s beautiful house and being with her two children and niece and nephew!

4. Transplants from our neighborhood to San Francisco, Nehemiah and Joel are juniors at San Fran State, and love living in the hilly city. All except for the strict traffic enforcement and price of living. We are proud of them!

5. Our very last visit was with former intern and housemate Bethany, who now lives in the agricultural town of Kingsburg with her husband Daniel and baby girl! We loved hearing about the challenges of serving and church planting in a community that is very segregated between migrants and non migrants. Their pastor, Tom, has 5am Bible studies out in the fields during the week.

All of us had been looking forward to seeing my sister on this trip. Charis, four years my younger, former Marine musician, and mother of two awesome kids, welcomed us into her Spokane home. Apart from the joy of seeing my 16 year old niece Catherine in uniform at her first job, walking around downtown by the tremendous Spokane River, running around with my five year old nephew AJ, and rocking out at Star Wars night at the local indoor football team "the Empire", just being with my sister was the best. I have so many situations where I close my eyes and wish for stunt-double-Charis to enter magically and set things straight. Her quick sense of humor and willingness to jump in and try anything would be awesome for the many quirky situations we face in our line of work. It was hard to leave. She is involved with a really cool group called Rock to Recovery (and the Wounded Warriors project) that does music therapy with veterans. If you have time to watch and be inspired, she is the saxophone player in the background in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDnhyBdjvYc

Down, down from Washington we entered Idaho from the eastern Oregon side, and got to visit with dear friends from Idaho. Cara interned at the Nehemiah House in the early years when the kitchen was still in the living room and the current kitchen was a study. Through her we got to know the whole Clauson family, Bob and Jerilyn, and her six other sisters. God put it on Bob and Jerilyn’s heart to help us construct a new kitchen that would accommodate large groups. Little did we know then just how large those groups would get! Bob and a friend came out an put in a kitchen in three days. We saw first hand where Cara got her marvelous work ethic. Our friendship has continued over the years. I can’t think of two towns more different than Emmet, Idaho and Pico Union in Los Angeles. But we love how God works mysteriously to bring people together with united hearts. Cara and her husband Marcus have three boys now and the Clauson’s already large family now number about 23 when they all get together. Sam especially loved the green lawns and fields, the bank teller’s suction tubes, and the drive in diner that the Clauson’s run in town. He declared, "Idaho shouldn’t be known for potatoes, it should be known for the best lawns ever!". Tory and Caleb were thrilled to ride the Clauson’s horse and visit with their chickens too!

As we crossed the border into Nevada, two things happened: we crossed into Pacific Time and we were greeted by a major thunderstorm in the desert. Our stop in Reno was made very happy by lunch with my aunt and uncle Lou and Jerry! Lou and Jerry helped create so many memories in my mom’s big Irish side of the family by hosting holidays and also epic get togethers such as "the family pool Olympics" and the family "kite flying contest" days. Since they moved to Reno a decade ago I haven’t seen them, so it was a fun reunion.

Sam was counting down the minutes to crossing the border into California…

1. Charis and adoring children
2. At the Spokane Empire Football game
3. My niece Catherine and I in downtown Spokane
4. Flash back 2003! Second year of the Nehemiah House, Cara is in the hat.
5. Cara and family now
6. Tory riding Buttercup at the Clausons
7. With Aunt Lou and Uncle Jerry in Reno

No, you have to say it like a Minnesotan, "darnya!" not "darn you", and not the other stronger language that would be used in LA. I’m telling you, the Wisconsin and Minnesotan accents are really addictive. I’m seriously using that accent when I’m thinking at times. It’s a little scary. South Dakota, darnya, you just kept getting more cool!

From the Badlands, we headed to the westernmost part of the state to the Black Hills, home of Custer State Park (think miles and miles of wildlife viewing), Mt. Rushmore (four presidents looking pretty awesome carved into granite– the General, Teddy, Jefferson the inventor, and the one and only ABE), and CRAZY HORSE. Guys, this one you have to see. It’s massive and it’s such an audaciously impossible undertaking that it just makes you want to root for it to get done. Right now it’s just Crazy’s Horse’s head and arm but eventually it will be his whole bust and the head of his horse. Some fellow Lakota believe that the Black Hills should not be carved up at all because they are sacred yet it was a Lakota elder who requested the work to be done. So it’s not without controversy, but let’s put it this way, all four heads of the presidents at Mt. Rushmore would fit under Crazy Horse’s arm. Sam hopes to see it completed in his lifetime!

Seeing bison for the first time was inspiring. They were very close to the RV, but didn’t ram us thankfully, even though Caleb was rooting for a ramming. "Ram us! Ram us!" he chanted as the rest of us took pictures in awed reverence. Prairie dogs, mountain goats, and wild turkeys were out in abundance as well.

As we pushed on for a short stint in Wyoming, Scott, exhausted from driving, suggested a stop at the Star Plunge, a pool and rec centered heated by the natural hot springs. Apart from the sulfur smell, the pool was wonderfully hearted to about 94 degrees. We had dinner and stopped there for a night swim. Locals enjoyed seeing tourists like us try out the various pools and a very tall water slide. I excitedly waited at the foot the slide to film Sam completing his first ride, and ended up filming a 20 something year old man. Accidentally. He looked very confused. How do you not look like a stalker middle-aged woman after that? Mumbling about erasing the video, I did manage to capture Sam’s elation minutes later. Tory tried the slide only once but screamed like she was being murdered the whole way down, alarming the whole place.

All of those wonderful things being said, there’s not one place that we go that we don’t think of Nemesis, our cousin Cindy whose RV we drive, or one of the kids or staff from SAY Yes! enjoying it too, imagining what they would say or do. We are really missing everyone. Bad.

Our heart continues to be that kids from the city would gain access to all of these wonderful places around the nation and even travel the world. Some of the pioneering spirit of these places is needed in the city. We needs kids who will pioneer new paths for their families– paths out of poverty, paths to writing and expressing the stories they have to share with the world, paths to education, paths to fulfilling impossible dreams. Similar to the daunting landscape of the west, there are daunting challenges to be faced. Even with all the remarkable places we’ve been, our passion is to be good neighbors in Pico Union and live life in the example of Jesus with those in the margins who have so much to offer to our city, our nation.

Having finally arrived at Yellowstone, I will sign out for now. "The mountains are calling and I must go" –John Muir. Trying to convince Scott to write next…

1. Tory and I at Mt. Rushmore
2. View from the base of Mt. Rushmore
3. Mountain goats!
4. Crazy Horse, what’s been completed so far
5. The bison. Not cuddly and cute, but pretty awesome
6. The Star Plunge! Can we talk about how cool it is that they have a Zoltar (see the movie, BIG) and a four-player PAC MAN in the arcade?

When you are in the northlands and you cross the Missouri River, heading west, you are not only following the path of Lewis and Clark (pretty awesome), you are also in the middle of SOUTH DAKOTA. Talk about contrast! We stayed one night at a Walmart in the hood in Minneapolis and the next night we were at the Sioux River Walmart, surrounded by fields and pick up trucks.

South Dakota: all rolling plains and farms, then you cross the Missouri and more rugged terrain follows with lots and lots of ranches and a whole lot of nothing. We pass a sign for the home of Laura Ingall Wilder and I get a little giddy. Then shapes, mountains on the horizons tell you that you are approaching the Badlands. The Badlands! Just say the name again and you feel pretty cool. They are not actually mountains but very high plains that eroded over a long period of time. It’s a whole lot of dirt and sediment, piled so high with distinctive lines showing you each and every layer that eroded over time. It’s home to the Lakota Sioux Indians. It’s very remote. Very quiet except for strong winds and birds.

These are places where my solitude-loving husband comes alive. Sam declared he would stay there while the rest of us went on. We got snow the first day, rain the second, then glorious sunshine the last. It was hard to leave!

One highlight, besides the hiking, was meeting the young pastor and his wife who serve at a community church in the town of Interior, whose population is 67 and whose City Jail is literally one room building with some bars. They welcomed us on a snowy Sunday and we had a great time meeting them and the local ranchers.

1. Hiking and getting dirty in the rain. The locals call the slick mud "gumbo".
2. Bundled up! I’m thinking about using this look for my first album cover entitled "Greatest Hits Volume 1"
3. View from outside the RV on the first morning there
4. Scott and I with Pastor Nathan and wife Ann
5. Sam, literally at the end of the trail. Beyond the trail is where he likes to be, but in this case that would be dropping off a cliff.
6. There it is guys, the city jail. When Tory asked me to describe the jail in downtown LA, I said, it’s a little bit bigger. And that’s not a good thing.

On the westward journey, Minneapolis has been a delightful stop. Three former N House interns make it their home, and we got to visit with all three.
Marie and Jake are new home owners in northern St. Paul. Marie, native to this city, reminded me how much she endured being made fun of for her Midwestern ways. Los Angeles was a different world! It was neat to see their home and wedding pictures. Our kids are impressed with her mad Apple 2 Apples skills.

Jesika is an “auntie” of the kids baby years. She says she got her start cooking for large groups at the N House and now shares her talent at a downtown hotel. A fellow lover of libraries, we explored the big library in the city as well as the Mississippi River, the historic granaries, and bridges which surround the city center. The sun and breeze (yay!) seemed to have everyone out biking and jogging and generally rejoicing.

Thoughtful and artistic “Auntie” Miriam, also an intern from the house’s earlier days, loves life in her southern Minneapolis neighborhood. We explored the Mall of America with her. Can you imagine a mall where prominent stores come in pairs? Like, two American Eagle stores instead of one? This is the overkill and the magic that is Mall of America. Yes, that’s a roller coaster behind us.

The headquarters of our church denomination, Evangelical Free, is also in the city. We stopped in and got a little tour from the lovely Mrs. Lisa. I found someone from our church on that history wall behind us!

Caleb celebrated his 6th birthday at N House intern Hannah’s house in central Wisconsin. Her parents, Russ and Kim let us stay at their lakeside house, showed us the families’ farms, and took us out to eat! While Caleb didn’t get his wish to wield an ax and sign the Declaration of Independence among other random things, he did get to see some cows and eat pizza! Go Wisconsin!

Many of you know that Caleb was very ill with GBS meningitis as a newborn. Every year we celebrate and humbly thank the Lord for our exuberant, affectionate boy!

What we are reading:
Scott- Attributes of God by Tozer, the gospel of John
Sarah- 1776 (courtesy Tom Norris), Matthew 10-12 in the Bible
Sam- the Story of Abraham Lincoln (courtesy gramma), to Kill a Mockingbird (in Spanish– thanks Pastor Carlos) Tory- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in Spanish (courtesy Janet Tang)

Ps- I got my first automated call from Sam’s new junior high, Eagle Rock, today. A reminder to me that his primary school and home school days with us are quickly drawing to a close!

We got to see the Hernandez family! We were able to park overnight at a nearby Walmart and walk about a mile to their place. So, so good to see all seven of them AND Akemy’s two month old baby.

We began our friendship with the Hernandez family back in 2001 when we were just starting the youth center and they were new to the country. They introduced us to so many amazing foods and we had the girls and finally Adriel at the SAY Yes center over the last 14 years. We peacefully marched together downtown protesting HR 4437 (anti immigration bill) in 2006. Then last spring, they moved to Chicago pursuing stable work and a new start.

We have walked together through many ups and downs of life. We have cried and disagreed. We have seen our kids grow up together, sharing tons of memories at First Ev. Free Church. We have passed out Thanksgiving Boxes of Love and Easter bags to needy neighbors with Manuel and Fran’s knowledge of who is struggling. Why? Because they were the local tamale vendors who saw every day life in front of the 99 store. By the way, if looking at the picture below doesn’t make your mouth water, you have not eaten some of the incredibly good food in our Pico Union neighborhood.

The weather: so cold! We hurried home from the Hernandez’s to brave a night of snow in the Walmart parking lot.

Akemy’s baby!

Chicago pizza with Mike, who served on a spring break project with us last year. Mike gave us the run down on the different hoods in Chicago. Caleb would like to move to Chicago so he can see Mike every day, he said!

Hannah!!! Hannah with the golden hair as Caleb calls her, lived at the Nehemiah House as an intern a few years ago. We loved attending church with her today and hearing about how she is serving in rough areas of Milwaukee PLUS driving a school bus. We are proud of this n house alum!

PS- Milwaukee is very cold and windy too! What happened to spring? Wow. And beer is a very big deal here.

The truth is we have felt a ton of warmth in this very cooooold state. I know, I know, Californians have like zero cold resistance. But we have really hit winter like weather here. By contrast, we have been glowing in the friendship and company of friends!

Cody’s mom, Andi, hosted us for a couple of days and it was great! We watched her favorite movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, ate ice cream while it was snowing, and drove with her to give hay to the cows. She is a remarkable lady.

Caleb took so much to their big dog, Dakota, it got me thinking that we could all do with the kind of affirmation Caleb was pouring out. “He’s my best friend”, “He’s a good dog”, “He’s the best dog”, etc.

Sam left the Tangs with a new goal of saving up to visit Ann Arbor, Tory left Maple Valley dreaming about driving a tractor herself in a few years, and Caleb left with a new best friend.

> Playing chess!
>
>
>
> Super hero time!
>

>
> Ann Arbor Library
>

>
> Craft station at the library, another amazing feature!
>

>
> Duc explaining to Scott how he designed and built his kitchen. Scott and Duc met on a summer internship with Cru back in their college years and have been great friends ever since. It was their first experience serving in inner city LA, and they went on to be house mates after college, both teaching at Belmont High. >

>
> Downtown Ann Arbor going to the restaurant!
>
> Notes from the the kids about being at our good friends’ house, the Tang Family: >
> Caleb: We play super heroes. We eat beef. I like the house! >
> Tory: Our first day in Michigan was in Ann Arbor with Uncle Duc and Auntie Janet. They have five kids that we played games with and played with. We saw the University of Michigan. Last of all, we ate at Uncle Duc’s fancy, yummy restaurant! >
> Sam: at Uncle Duc and Auntie Janet’s house it was pretty fun. We had a nerf gun war and ambushed my dad, for the first time teaching him a lesson! I also got to go to a Lego robotics class and a video game strategy class. We got to go to a restaurant called Pacific Rim and eat dumplings, lettuce wraps and rib eye. >
> PS– Ann Arbor has the best library we have visited so far, complete with a huge chess set, check out section for tools and musical instruments, and librarians who celebrate books in a very cool way! Sarah

In Boston, we treasured our visit with Steve and Teresa, who were part of our church family for years in the early days of the SAY Yes Center. We navigated the mighty RV into a narrow ally behind their house on a rainy night. We have mostly avoided parking in urban centers but we really wanted to be close to them. Their two kids are a little younger than ours. We were happy to share delicious meals, a trip to the Science Center, legos, wrestling times, and looking at old pictures. We spent an entire day on the Freedom Trail, which takes you right though downtown Boston to historical places of the Revolutionary War, including the church tower where Paul Revere hung his lantern to warn of the British attack.

In the reality of trips like these, a couple of set backs were: an electrical glitch that lost us heat on a very cold night in the RV, and also crossing a street without Caleb in Boston and his tears and our panic that ensued for about 100 seconds all told. We also got cussed out by a driver in Boston when we were crossing the street on a pedestrian crosswalk, but apparently this completes the Boston experience. So no complaints. We left Boston as a snow storm was coming. Literally we drove away with a storm on our heels to reach Ann Arbor, Michigan. We sensed God’s protection in some harsher weather like sleet, snow, and rain.

PS- we saw Niagra Falls! That is no joke, guys, no joke. It’s massive.

1. Harvard. Yeah, it’s pretty impressive.
2. Dinner with the Pregizer’s
3. Here’s a picture Steve and Teresa have of some young hooligans back in the day at youth group with Mark. You know who you are… I love this one!
4. Tory in bliss at with Mike’s Bakery treat right outside Paul Revere’s home
5. Caleb, contemplating the meaning of life at Niagra Falls. Or is he thinking about cliff diving?
6. Niagra Falls. I’m not going to lie. It’s a little scary being around that much pounding water! Kids really wanted to walk into Canada. But we didn’t bring passports.