As you will remember, Ryan Ardrey left us back in December to study at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He wanted to update the North Street Community as to how things are going for him:
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Greetings from 1,478 miles away! I hope all of you are doing well. I wanted to send a little update about life in KC, and also thank everyone I didn't get to thank personally for the gift you sent away with me in December. Not having to make all of my ends meet financially has helped with the transition greatly.
Well, as month four greets me, I'm remembering that April comes in and goes out like a lion when you're a student. My classes have been going well so far even as I'm going through academic deja' vu all over the place. Almost immediately after I got out here, I got connected, through an NTS posting, with Dr. Neil Wiseman. Neil is a retired Nazarene pastor/mover-and-shaker in the church who has fairly advanced Parkinson's Disease. So I was hired as a caregiver for 15 hrs. a week. It's been a great job but I'm still in need of another job on the side to pay all the bills (and feed myself).
I'm living in an apartment with another seminarian and we're on a street with 15 other seminarians living on the same block (I get to be the lone East Coast guy). Once a week we all invade one of the apartments and eat dinner together. There's definitely some cool people out here, but I'm not ring shopping or anything, for those who care about that stuff (or pretend not to). I've also made my first forays out in the basketball courts of KC so I can get my Great White Hope nickname back :)
After visiting all kinds of churches and meeting tons of people in Sunday School classes (and getting some free meals along the way), I've recently decided to attend KC First Church of the Nazarene. The pastors there have been really receptive and there are a variety of ways I could serve. It's way different than North St. but I'm aiming to bring some of the strengths of North St. to First church, even if it's like 10 times bigger (crazy I know).
I've been planning to make a trip back but I don't have any dates yet because my family is all over the place now. I'm not less sure about a May visit but I'll be in MA for my brothers wedding July 23. I hope you know I'm praying for you all. Keep challenging and encouraging each other through the discernment process, and expect that God is going to compel you as a body to spread his kingdom in and through you.
Grace, peace and the three stooges :)
Ryan
