Hello, Seaside!

To coincide with our new youtube video showing at our home church, Seaside, this sunday, we decided to write a short, honest blog about some of our present financial challenges in order to create more awareness and gain more support.

Let me begin by saying that our experience out here in Montreal has been one of great freedom where we are continually learning so much about God, ourselves, our family, and society in general. This freedom to live in a new place, experience a new culture, and yet meet the same God doing amazing things, has been unforgettable.

However, with all of our freedom, there is plenty of risk, which mostly has to do with finances. Although this too has been an amazing area to see God's provision as he answers our needs, we are often discouraged by the immense financial challenges facing us month to month. Basic expenses like rent, food, utilities and transportation are really what it comes down to.

Being our third year in Montreal and the last year of our commitment as staff with YWAM, we are presently discerning whether this financial reality is reasonable for us as a growing family. We take joy in the freedom but are often quite burdened by the financial realities. Nonetheless, we do have a considerable amount of time before our commitment ends and thus need the resources to see it all the way through.

Please consider supporting us through this next school year (from October to June) as we continue learning and seeking God's will for our future.

If you prefer to receive a tax deductible receipt for your donation, send a check to Seaside Community Church (21521 Surveyor Circle Huntington Beach, CA 92646) made out to Seaside with our names in the memo. We have also set up an account online (www.paypal.com/sendmoney) where, using our email address(delaluz18@gmail.com), you can follow the simple steps on the website in order to set up a paypal account and transfer money to our paypal account immediately (takes about 5 minutes).

A Week to Remember

Well, our friends Josh and Lindsay just left this morning on a bus bound for Burlington, Vermont and then on to two flights that will take them back to California. They stayed with us for an entire week (Saturday to Saturday) and I'm pretty confident when I say that it was a special experience for all involved.
Over a year ago, when we had decided to come back to Montreal for two more years, Josh and Lindsay swore to us that they would somehow make it out here to visit within that two-year time frame. They said that they knew it would happen if they promised us. They stayed true to their word and made it happen; and we sure are happy they did.
Our great week was capped last night (Friday, the 10th) by a truly Montrealesque-type evening. We started with dinner at O. Noir (French for "in the dark") where we enjoyed a one-of-a-kind dining experience. O. Noir is a restaurant that started in order to create jobs for the blind where you basically eat in the dark. When I say dark, I mean pitch-black, can't-see- absolutely-anything kind of dark. Click on the link above link to learn more about how it works. We recommended this place to Josh and Lindsay as a great date experience for them, but when they found out that we had never been, they insisted on a double date, their treat. Lauren and I couldn't resist! We thoroughly enjoyed our sight-deprived yet taste-enhanced, delicious meals. We then re-entered the visible world and proceeded to "wash down" our meals at Dieu du Ciel and Fairmont Bagel (two signature Montreal locations!). Needless to say, it was an evening to remember; a great finish to a really enjoyable week. In fact, the generosity shown by Josh and Lindsay last night was indicative of the entire week. In more ways than one, Lauren and I felt so blessed and gifted to have them as our guests. I've coined a new word to describe this experience: guestpitality. If a good host is hospitable, Lindsay and Josh are very guestpitable. They made dinner for us several times, got out and enjoyed the city on their own (we loved hearing them practice their French!), took care of Dennis, and shared great conversations with us throughout the week. Their genuine interest in our work out here (and generous support of it!) have left us with a profound gratitude for our friendship with them.
Thanks, Josh and Lindsay, for a beautiful week. We were blessed by your coming!

Summer Wrap-Up

Whoa, it's been a while! And a lot has happened in between! We've finally settled in for the school year, back in our beautiful city, Montreal. We had quite a summer. Counting layovers, I think Dennis took 10 flights and a few road trips to boot in the past 4 months. That ups his total to somewhere around 30 flights, most of them within the first two years of his life. So, we did it. We survived an extra-crazy summer and are glad to be homebodies again in our lively, colorful, vibrant city.
We got back to Montreal on August 8th and then welcomed Jimmy and my Mom a few days after that. For an entire week, we were able to share our Montreal lives with them and catch up on all those things you never get to on the phone/email/skype. One of my highlights was taking my little bro on a tour of some of the best pubs and beers Quebec has to offer. He kept asking, "Where's the Bud Light Lime?" as he grimaced down another swig of some frothy stout. I was proud to introduce him to beer as it was meant to be.
(Awkward transition forthcoming...)Lauren is coming along nicely with our next little bugger. She is now closing in on 6 months. We met with our midwife a few weeks ago, and Lauren will most likely choose to have the baby at home. The birthing center will come to us and it's all free! Oh, Canada!
So, now, as we settle in, Lauren will be busy completing her apprenticeship as a doula and I will be preparing for our next UCDTS (we're expecting 11 students! double the number of the last two years!). We're both excited and enthusiastic about what all of this will entail.
Lastly, if you would like to compete with our friends from the Orient (who are so dedicated in leaving such edifying comments on our blog posts; check the whopping 14 comments on the previous post), please say hello and tell us you love us. We can't read Chinese anyhow.

Two new videos...

Hello everyone,
For some reason our video bar still isn't displaying our latest videos, so here's the link for three fresh ones. Enjoy.
Denny

Family Monastics

This summer we're sort of like a monastery unto ourselves. We're pretty isolated out here in Omaha and our focus is simple and clear. Our family life right now is comparable to the monastic life of the richest tradition in western monasticism, the Benedictine Order. The order has been around since the Rule of Benedict (amazing document) was written in the 6th century. The Rule prescribes three basic duties for the monks, summed up in the latin phrase ora et labora. This means pray and work. The three activities that would fill their everyday as monks were communal prayer (aka liturgical prayer), solitary prayer (through lectio divina), and manual labor.

Although, to be honest, there's not much formal prayer going on over here (except when Dennis insists that we pray several times during meals), we do have a considerable amount of solitude and time for reflection as I pursue my studies. One great, very unique characteristic of my masters program is how much it encourages reflection. Most people in academia are largely concerned with acquiring more knowledge; so, this is rare to be urged to reflect on the knowledge you are receiving or already have. Another great highlight of my program so far is that because we are so disconnected out here, so distanced from other obligations, both Lauren and I are able to reflect on my studies together. In fact, Lauren has been able to read a few of the books and articles from my classes along with me. We've been able to have some great discussions because of that. The manual labor aspect of our lives out here is evident in the fact that we do not have a car (extremely rare in Omaha) and so we ride our craigslist bikes everywhere. Unfortunately, Omaha, although it's in the middle of the "heartland", is quite hilly and hot in the summer. And when you're on a bike, those hills seem like mountains.

We're a little over half-way through our summer out here and, although it has definitely not been without its moments of loneliness, I'd say we have been able to embrace the simplicity and be thankful for such a time and opportunity. I know I myself am thankful, especially to my wife, for the gift she's given me in allowing me to do this program while she courageously cares for Dennis and the little one germinating in her belly. As the hip-hop world might say, what a soldier!

Omaha, School, and a Heartbeat...

Hello All,
So, we've been in Omaha for nearly a month now, and feel like we've adapted quite well. I'm very busy with school stuff (right now I'm taking classes in Spirituality and Social Concerns and History of Christian Spirituality), and we don't have internet at the apartment. As you can imagine, blogging has not been easy. Nonetheless, we are having some really great experiences out here and can't wait to share them with you, through blogging, in person, or however. Thanks for checking in.
The Fam!
P.S. Heard a heartbeat the other day in Lauren's belly! #2 is on his/her way! December 13th guess date. That's a good guess, being my dad's birthday!

New video!

Check it out at www.youtube.com/dflashflan18
Another coming soon...