Summer Update/Buckle up for Fall!

Summer Begins!

After the school year wrapped up, we took a few extra weeks of parental leave—a much-needed gift of rest, reconnection, and adventure. And yes, we decided to bring a four-month-old and a two-year-old back to Europe! It took a lot of extra energy but it meant a lot to us.

Part One – Munich

What a joy to reconnect with friends in Munich. When we left, we left behind a diverse, global community—seeing them one year later was a gift and will hopefully carry those friendships forward for the long haul. We loved being back (so many pretzels!), but both Meg and I came home with a renewed sense of confirmation: the Pacific Northwest is where we belong.

Part Two – Romania

“Welcome to Romania! I see you’ve rented a car with car seats. We don’t actually have any, but you can drive to a grocery store and buy some.” Not exactly what you want to hear when stepping off a plane with little kids!

Some of our closest Munich friends (Ben and Rhoda) now live in Romania, and we wanted to visit. The country is stunning and the people incredibly kind, but traveling with little ones brought its challenges. Our planned road trip got cut short (Lindy was not a fan of the replacement car seat), but we learned our limits—and stretched our travel horizons.

Part Three – Lake District, England

To finish the trip, we joined our friends Scott and Giselle in the Lake District. Rolling green pastures, cozy stone villages, and time with Washingtonians-turned-expats—it was a great conclusion to our grand adventure.

Back Home – Summer in Full Swing

After Europe, my summer was filled with all the logistics of making sure students got to Young Life camps safely.

“How many seats are in a 12-passenger van?” became the great riddle of my summer. I thought 13 (12 + driver). The rental company told me 14 (12 + driver + passenger). Turns out the real answer is… 12 total. Because of that miscalculation, I got the privilege of driving our mini van full of kids to camp at Washington Family Ranch and back! All in a days work.

Finally, in the last week of summer break I personally got to go to camp!

Malibu Club, Canada

It's been 6 years since I've been to Malibu- being back was a gift! We had four Kamiak guys come, but our cabin also included five students from four other high schools. I wasn’t sure how it would go, but the first night one student shared vulnerably and he opened the door for others to share.

Some quotes from the week:

• “I didn’t know I was a people pleaser with all my friends back home until this week.”

• “This has been the most important week of my life.”

• And my personal favorite: “Chase, you know just the right amount of teenage slang and culture without going overboard.”

  
  

On the final night, we did affirmations—going around the room giving each student genuine encouragement. For high school boys especially, it’s rare to hear sincere compliments without sarcasm. Watching them receive those words was powerful. There were some major decisions from our group to follow Jesus. Truly, this was one of my favorite groups ever.

Family Notes

Our unofficial summer anthem was “Golden” (a K-pop hit). It’s Sam’s number one request and the first thing he says when we get in the car. We enjoyed many ferry rides and walks to the playground.

Looking Ahead

New Teammates! We’re excited for fresh energy on our Sound Cities team:

Valarie – our new part-time admin. She’s been amazing with camp details, banquet planning, and (let’s be honest) most of the details.

Ethan – our new Community Director in Edmonds. I get to supervise him, which will be great growth for both of us and allows me to re-focus more deeply on Mukilteo.

Fall Ambitions:

WyldLife – My biggest prayer is that middle school ministry takes off this year. We had our first leader meeting Thursday with four new leaders. I've invited my Campaigner group from last year ( a couple of recent high school graduates and current seniors) to lead with us. I shared the story of Zacchaeus as a picture of middle schoolers (short, eager, climbs trees, sometimes despised) and of how Jesus meets him, knows him by name, and invites him into authentic Christian community.

Banquets – This fall I’m organizing two banquets—one for Edmonds and one for Mukilteo. These nights will be a chance to celebrate what God is doing and invite others into the story. We’d love for you to be at the Mukilteo event—details are below, and please register if you plan to come!