Christmas Letter 2015

Hello! Another digital Christmas letter -- this time to recap 2015. I love updating folks and wish I could write on the blog more. Sadly, or not sadly, just matter-of-factly, letting go of my blog for awhile was something I decided to do as I continue to finish my M.Div. and serve in ministry at Southwestern. I am grateful and excited about the other platforms that have enabled me to write this year, as it's something I love doing. But, I am excited to recap the year here now as I am finished with school for the semester and as things are slowing down in my job for the holiday season. Recapping is sacramental for me and it's been a beautiful year! So without further ado, here's how 2015 panned out for the Justs...

I've had the opportunity to return to Wilmore a few times since we've moved and I love that! Last January, I took an intensive term on the Life of Prayer. It was an amazing class and being back in Wilmore felt like home. I also had the opportunity with another one of my colleagues at Southwestern to take four students considering seminary on a campus visit to Asbury in September. From there, we drove to Nashville and attended a Wesleyan conference. That trip in particular has made me reflect on how transformative seminary has been for me. Kyle and I have changed in so many ways because of our time at Asbury, It's widened our lens, and has invited us to view the world in different ways. I am aware of my constant talk of Asbury; but it's rocked mine and Kyle's world. While I look forward to being DONE with my M.Div. and graduating in May, a part of me is sad to let this part of my life go. Ya know? 

However, as I (and we) let that part of life go, we continue on in our life here in Winfield, which Kyle and I relish and enjoy. We adore the house we're renting right now and have enjoyed settling into a rhythm of life. Kyle started working at Ark City Middle School as a math teacher this year, and is enjoying his time. He's found the work challenging, but in a good way. He's going through all the first year teacher stuff -- planning curriculum, grading tests, tweaking things, preparing for state testing, organizing math projects utilizing In-N-Out Burger scenarios (think, what would be the height of a 1 patty cheeseburger?; Now, a 3 patty cheeseburger?; Now, a 20 patty cheeseburger). He thinks it's hilarious. I say, "Who in their right mind wants to teach math?" He comes home and works and works on all of the things. 

As for me, my job has enabled me to travel a lot, which I love! Last March, I attended a conference for independent colleges in St. Louis with some of my colleagues and learned about how other schools are engaging students in service-learning and vocational exploration. Then, in May, I took Discipleship students to Costa Rica for ten days for our annual mission trip. What an amazing time that was! We served with a ministry called the Abraham Project and thoroughly enjoyed our time learning about Costa Rican culture and observing how God is on the move there. It was the perfect trip! Then, this year we're headed to Dallas for another mission trip. I'm loving all the traveling, and I love working with students. Being a part of their formation in college is the highest privilege to me, and while it's not always easy, and while I definitely feel like a rookie 99% of the time, I find it to be some of the most meaningful work that I could do; it's work worth doing to me. 

This summer, Kyle and I spent time working and taking class. Kyle worked for a landscaping company in town before he started his job in Ark City, and I beast-moded my way through a full seminary course-load. Both of us couldn't wait for summer to be over. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't all that fun either. We came out on a high note, though -- extra $$ to help us finish paying off Kyle's student loan  (we're getting ready to make our last payments like now!!!!) and competency in Biblical Hebrew. Both journeys of diligence, but successful none-the-less. 

This Fall, though, has been the most fun! Kyle and I were invited to be a part of a supper club in August and we've been enjoying the intentionality of that community. There are four couples and we take turns hosting meals at our homes! It's a blast. We also enjoy playing games with our friends on weeknights. We were Catan addicts for awhile there. We love our Sunday School community and enjoy the way that it's challenged us to "believe, belong and become," and to explore what it means to be generous, and engage in mission. And finally, we enjoyed going on a trip to practically tour the Northeast during Thanksgiving Break! We had been saving our money for awhile in hopes of visiting one of our good friends, Lucas, at Yale Divinity School. Yale is in New Haven, Connecticut, which is geographically in the middle of New York City and Boston. We've always wanted to go to NYC, and visit Lucas, so it was a great opportunity to do all of the things.

Lucas was beyond kind to us and made a whole tour of the Northeast out of our trip. He took us everywhere and was the best guide! We toured New Haven and Yale University. Then, we took the train to NYC for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (so FUN!). We had New York bagels, toured the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, all the shops on 5th Ave., the World Trade Center Memorial, rode the subway, hailed a taxi, ate NYC Cheesecake -- man, you name it and we did it. I always thought that I'd love to visit the city in either late spring, or early summer, when it's nice out. Or, during the holidays, when everything is decorated. I am SO glad we visited during the holidays. It was magical and made me want to move right to the city! We also enjoyed roadtripping through Newport, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod. Then, we ended our time in Boston, touring the city. We enjoyed amazing food, friendship and rich conversations along the way. That trip was the highlight of our year, by far, I think. So fun. The older I get, the more of a desire I have to travel and see the world. Not to get all poetic on you, but every time that I come back home after a good trip, I am changed. There's something really beautiful about that to me and so Kyle and I try to make travel a priority in our life together.

Well, if you made it to the end of the Christmas letter, good for you. I know this has been a long update, but like I said earlier, I relish this moment each year to recap and thank God for the ways that he has been with us, worked through us and opened our eyes. May you and yours experience God's great love in this season of Advent; this season of quietly and patiently waiting for Christmas. And may you experience the richness that comes with the remembrance of Jesus' birth -- truly a reason for the weary world to rejoice, for the soul to feel its worth. 

-Kyle and Molly Just 

 

A Kentucky Derby Party with some of our Winfield friends who also spent a considerable amount of time in the South. This was SO fun! Hats, Red Roses in honor of American Pharoah, and Custard with Berries because I'm all about the food.

Discipleship Students and company in Costa Rica...this was the morning of our Rainforest Hike. Casual, right?

SC Students at the New Room Conference in Nashville, pictured here with President Tennent of Asbury Theological Seminary.

Supper Club. Woot woo! 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC.

Touring Boston!

The most amazing cannoli in Boston's Little Italy. 

My favorite picture from our trip. We were standing under Lord and Taylor's holiday lights on 5th Ave., eating chestnuts that had been roasted over an open fire. I mean, seriously. Does it get more picturesque?

Discipleship 2015! Adore these folks. 

Christmas Letter 2014

2014. Two-thousand-fourteen. What.a.year...tra la la. My blog notes that I haven't written a blog since July-twenty-fourth-two-thousand-fourteen, but  the truth is, I've written a few blogs in-between and have left them unpublished. It's been awhile, but I went back tonight to re-read them. They're good. At the time that I wrote them, I think they felt too raw to share, but perhaps I will share them in the nearer future. I'm a word girl. You all know that. I experience God in w-o-r-d-s. So, here are a few words for you to recap the year! Consider this Kyle and Molly's digital Christmas letter that saves the earth.

In order to review two-thousand-fourteen, that would require me to begin somewhere and I'm not even sure where to begin. How about March? In March, I received a phone call that my *dream* job was coming open at Southwestern College in Kansas. To make a really long story short, I applied for the job, interviewed for it and was offered the position in June. Kyle and I said good-bye to our beloved Wilmore, Asbury Seminary and wonderful friends in July and moved  our booties back to Kansas. This was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. I'm tearing up like a baby even thinking about it now...not because I didn't know that we would leave Wilmore one day, but because we left Wilmore earlier than we had planned. I'm not done with seminary, folks (although I've slashed through an additional 15 hours since we talked last...PRAISE THE LORD ABOVE *insert praise emoticon here*). Kyle, while sad to leave, was rather ecstatic to return home. That part of our journey has been a blessing this year! It was difficult to leave Kentucky, but what made it easy to leave were the people back at home. We've spent just about all of our waking hours with family. I think we've seen our families more in the last few months than we have in the last two years. That's been really fun! We're grateful. Despite missing Kentucky, we're grateful for the boundaries of God's love that have led us back to Kansas. We feel very confident that this is the direction that God called us. Never have we doubted that. 

When we moved, Kyle was still job searching. It was hard for him to leave his job at The Providence School in Wilmore. He loved working there and he really loved his colleagues. Thankfully, right before school started here, Kyle found a job as a math tutor with the Intermediate School in town. He's been enjoying his job. Turns out that he does a smorgasbord of things, the man teaches art, practically runs chess club and then, oh yeah, he tutors students in math. His school has snow cones after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he stays late to play dodge ball with the students on Fridays. Precious boy. He lays in bed every Thursday telling me he can't wait for dodge ball the next day. 

My job is going well at Southwestern! One of the things that I love is that I get to both pastor and teach. And my students, well, they're fantastic. I couldn't  have made them up! This past week, I had a meeting for ordination with my district committee on ministry and they asked me what I've learned so far this semester...I told them a lot of things, but one of my interviewers said it well when we were wrapping up, she noted: "It sounds like you're learning who Molly Just is in ministry." I think that's right. I'm learning who I am as a pastor and leader, but also as an image bearer of God that is called vocationally. That's been a good adventure. 

Other than work, Kyle and I have enjoyed adjusting to this different life. We've enjoyed getting to know people around the area and are grateful for connections we've made. Transition has the potential to be lonely, but God has provided wonderful friends in Winfield! We're grateful. We've enjoyed being back in the land of good Mexican food and we absolutely ADORE our house. I can't believe I haven't given you a virtual tour yet. I'll fix that today with some added photos. We've enjoyed having students in this space. It's PERFECT for such a need. Gosh, we've had some great times here already.

All in all, we're grateful for God's sweet, sweet Spirit that constantly leads and guides us...we know He guides you all, too. We pray blessings over you, dear reader, especially this Christmas season. May the true gift of the incarnation be realized in your life and heart (as Dr. Tennent has said in Asbury's alumni Christmas card). And I think that's a wrap for this year. For the past few years, as I've written Christmas letters, I've always wondered to myself, "Where will we be next year?" I never thought 2014 would lead us back to Kansas, but it has! So, I end this letter with wonder...where will we be next year? I'll look forward to answering that question again in a year, but until then, we look forward to the year ahead and trust that God is with us on this journey that we call life.

They were out of the "O Joy!" falalalala signs at Target. But you know what? Myquillin Smith says that "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." The nester against Joy Cho. I don't know who wins, but I saved $4. 

Somehow this fireplace managed to stay on my chalk board since last winter. That's both impressive and embarrassing. 

I figured out how to take a panorama with me in it. Skillz.

The house! Woodwork, be mine forever.

Christmas Cards!

The Time Proved Rich

Since going to seminary, Kyle and I look forward, very much, to Christmas. We enjoy Christmas like everyone else, for all the common reasons, but since moving, we especially enjoy it now because we know it's a time (and sometimes the only time during the year) when we are going to get to see our family members and friends. This year, we really hit the nail on the head. We saw just about everyone we could see in Kansas. And for that, we're grateful (and I'm proud!).

For some reason, though, this Christmas, when we were bouncing around from one place to the next, every time we had to leave, I felt a sudden, quick wave of extreme sadness. And as soon as it swept over me, it was gone. Then, that sadness was replaced by a deep sense of satisfaction. That satisfaction brought me great joy in the end.

Now, let me explain all of that, because the more that I've reflected over all of it, the more I've been extremely grateful to God for all of the blessings he's put in our lives.While I was sad to leave so many of our family members, I'm glad that I experienced that sadness. It made me realize how blessed we are. I've realized that good, deep, kind relationships leave us with a deep and rich sense of satisfaction even when we do have to go. Our time with our family was good. And even when we had to leave, we left feeling even more grateful, even more satisfied with time that we were given together. The time proved rich.

Living so far away has helped me to experience hospitality to the fullest. When we leave one place, we're always welcomed, with open arms at another. This is a blessing in life, and I realize that many others do not have this same blessing. Perhaps these are the types of relationships that God longs for us to have with others, especially our families -- deep, appreciative relationships where we value, in a rich way, time, conversation, and laughter. Where we welcome one another with open arms, at all times, and value, deeply, the time that we have together.

It was a Merry Christmas for us indeed! 

The Komlofske Sibling Clan

The Just Crew

Christmas Letter 2013

Christmas Greetings!

With Thanksgiving running later this year and finals taking over my life, I didn't have a chance to write a Christmas letter and send it out prior to leaving Wilmore. So, I thought a Christmas letter on the blog was a great alternative :). Without further ado, here is the Just year in review!

As many of you remember, last Christmas around this time, Kyle was offered a job at the Providence School, an alternative school here in town, literally a mile or two from our house. That was such a blessing to us! It was a constant job for Kyle, which is exactly what we needed. In March or so, we started thinking about what to do during the summer. Kyle needed a summer time job and I planned to take summer courses. However, mid-March, we received a call from Project Transformation asking us if we'd be interested in applying to serve with them in a couple of different leadership roles for the summer of 2013. The opportunity came at just the right time and was way too good to pass up. I was hired on as a house pastor and Kyle was hired on as a leadership training intern, working mainly with high school students.

We also moved into new seminary housing in May. We had to be in Dallas for leadership training at the end of May for PT, so we finished out seminary/work and moved during finals week. Then, we packed up and went to Dallas for the summer. It was a crazy couple of weeks of studying for finals, packing,  unpacking, repacking and traveling, but we made it! We enjoyed our summer in Dallas very much and enjoyed working with Project Transformation again. We were so blessed to meet and minister to/with so many other students from across the United States and catch up with old friends. Kyle and also discovered that, over the years, we've spent almost one full year of our lives living in Dallas. I don't always love the city, but I could totally see myself living in Dallas someday. It's so trendy and we have so many connections there. However, Kyle doesn't think he can see himself there. So he's quick to veto my ideas, probably for good reasons! All that to say, we enjoyed our time in Dallas and count ourselves blessed to have worked with Project Transformation. It really is a huge part of our lives. We wouldn't be the same without PT and all of the awesome experiences we've had in Dallas over the years.

At the end of the summer, prior to returning to Kentucky, we dropped by Kansas for a wedding! Our great friends, Isaac and Anna, got married and Kyle was a groomsman. The wedding was such a fun end to our summer because all of our friends from college were there. And, we enjoyed celebrating Isaac and Anna, of course! Right when we returned to Kentucky, Kyle headed back to work and I spent most of my remaining time off organizing the mess from moving in May. At the end of August, our house was finally a home. It became a home just in time, too, to host tons of visitors. My mom, sister, Trista, David and Jessica have all been to see us since August. And my parents and aunt plan on visiting in May of 2014 for the Kentucky Derby, too! We feel well-loved and have enjoyed showing our friends and family all around Wilmore and Lexington.

Otherwise, we've enjoyed everything that Kentucky and Asbury Seminary have to offer. Most of all, we've enjoyed our community. We couldn't ask for better friends here. We love living down the street from our friends; we love being able to pop into friends' houses at the drop of a hat or running over to grab a cup of sugar or sprig of cilantro. We love sharing meals with them and holding their squishy and perfect newborns. Most of all, it's a total honor and privilege to grow in Christ with them and the community at ATS. I honestly think everyone should go to seminary, if only for this experience! There's no season like it.

There are so many more things that I could say about 2013, but the main thing to say is that God is constantly faithful and ever-present in our lives. Kyle and I have experienced his loving kindness and pray that you have, too. We pray blessings over you in the coming year. May you all experience great expectation this advent season as you await the celebration of Christ's birth.

Cheers!

Kyle and Molly Just

A good fall photo from a birthday party!

Some of our seminary crew in Wilmore.

Our dear college friends at the Chua Wedding!

Isaac and Anna Chua -- we enjoyed their wedding and we enjoy having them live in our village at seminary, too!

Merry Got Me Thinking

On Christmas Eve, Seth Godin (an excellent marketing blogger that you should follow) wrote a short blog called "Merry." The point of this little blurb was "you can't be merry by yourself."

"Merry" got me thinking. You really can't be merry by yourself. One of the greatest gifts that God gives us is other people -- both people that we know and people that we don't know. I don't personally know Seth Godin, but he impacts my brain, in a good way, I think. Sometimes we are blessed from a distance by the presence of other people. It must have been the same for Joseph and Mary. Two people, probably not with a lot of friends after (what seems to be) a pregnancy scandal. However, the birth of a child -- a Savior brings a little "merry" to the scene. Shepherds come and wise men come from afar, bringing good gifts to people they do not even know.

I would have to say that the Christmas season calls us to be merry for more than just the simple idea that Christmas should be a time filled with charity and warmth. It seems scriptural for us to be together. As Godin writes, "merriment requires a group" -- whether that's a group of rejoicing strangers or close family members. So, let us choose to be together this season and always, celebrating the mystery of merriment as we rejoice in Christ.

Merry Christmas Eve

I was recently at my Aunt Nancy's house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family and she informed me that I had not blogged in awhile. And, alas, it's true, I have not! So, I will catch you all up. The fall semester, for me, started getting extremely busy in November. From the end of November until mid-December I worked on four major projects for the end of the year. By the end I finished a 16 page Exegetical Paper for Greek class -- don't be fooled, this paper was a great deal of work! I translated Matthew 28:1-20 all on my own; altogether I spent around 8 hours translating/parsing/all that grammatical stuff. I spent around another 15 hours researching/writing the actual paper. It was a crazy time. But, in the end, it was a paper I was extremely proud of! I also wrote another paper for my "Holy Spirit, the Church and the End" class. I wrote about Free Liturgy in the Pentecostal/Charismatic realm and Traditional Liturgy and what the two have to learn from one another. That was probably my favorite paper to write! It was very moving to write and it also was one of those things that really helped me shape my beliefs further, ya know? If you've never read Simon Chan (Liturgical Theology, Spiritual Theology, etc.) you must! He hails from the Assembly of God denomination and has some wonderful things to say about traditional liturgy. I wrote another paper for Philosophy on St. Augustine's view of evil as the privation (lack) of goodness. It was a great paper to write, too. My philosophy professor asked if I'd consider submitting it in a local Philosophical writing competition. Still deciding on that. Last of all, for my Worship Planning class, I had to design my own worship service down to a tee. That was a wonderful project! I really enjoyed it. I decided to design a Southwestern College Chapel service -- I centered it around one theme, "Light up the World" (I will attach the graphic I designed for class). That project really allowed me to be imaginative -- something I am really good at :). We presented our planned worship services for our final in class. It was a blessing to be in a group of so many wonderful worship planners. That pretty much summed up the semester for me.

On to Christmas happenings -- not much has happened yet. As I stated earlier, I went to my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Pat's house for a few days to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family. Kyle went along, of course, and my family was very adamant about him being there. They like him, I think ;). My Aunt Nancy loves to sew -- she quilts and does many other talented things. In the past, she made everyone in my family a stocking complete with our names embroidered on them. This year, she made one for Kyle! It was very thoughtful of her.

For the next few days I am staying at Kyle's family's house and will celebrate Christmas with them on the 27th. After that, I will be headed back to Holcomb and will hopefully be there to stay for awhile.

Next semester I am very excited for everything going on at school. I am taking 15 hours -- a full load, and part of that load includes a 5 hour practicum in Campus Ministry. I am very excited for that. I will also be transitioning in to be the college's chapel student admin. That should bring wonderful opportunities to dream as well. Anyways, Merry Christmas!! I will try to blog a bit more often.