January

January has been a roller coaster ride for Team Ketelsen.

The month started out with a visit to Ohio. Which was very enjoyable. We had a great time visiting Joshua's family and attending a church service at Zion.

The day after we got back to St. Louis Joshua had his first interview with a congregation. The congregation is in Moorhead, MN. The head pastor and call team came to St. Louis to interview potential candidates. Unfortunately, Joshua was extremely ill during the interview. He was then sick for the next week.

We had a week of calm and then we were hit again with a challenge. Stefani's dad took a trip to the emergency room for a heart palpitation. He was able to get his heart rate down by himself. The doctor believes these episodes are caused by a congenital issue with his heart. It will require surgery to get it under control. Please keep him in your prayers.

The weekend brought more enjoyable events. Stefani had a Tupperware party. She officially feels like a suburban wife. We also went to a great dinner party at the home of our friends from the Seminary. It was a night of great food, great people, and a fun game.

Stefani came down with a cold that really knocked her out. Luckily, there were 2 snow days which offered Stefani some "free" down time. Just as Stefani was getting well, Joshua came down with a nasty virus. After a trip to an Urgent Care center, a day in bed, a sick day taken by Stefani to take care of Joshua, and frozen Powerade cubes he is on the road to recovery.

Between the sickness that plagued Team Ketelsen, Joshua had second interview with a congregation. This interview was over the phone with a congregation in Brunswick, OH. Please keep the Call process and those involved in your prayers.

As January comes to a close we are excited to see what the rest of the year holds for us.

God's Blessings,
Joshua and Stefani

Christmas and New Year's

We apologize for the tardiness of the Christmas/New Year's recap. January has been busy for us. (That is another post.)

Our holiday season was busy and joyous. Christmas Eve was very low key. We had Chinese take out with Stefani's parents and then we headed to church at Our Savior. Christmas Day was spent with Stefani's parents, grandparents, and great uncle. We exchanged presents, ate far too much, played a game of Scrabble, and watched a movie. It was very enjoyable and relaxing.

The weekend after Christmas we hosted two gatherings. The first was the Marrah family Christmas party. Everyone brought yummy homemade soups. The amazing thing was we all got to eat in the same room! There were 15 Marrah family representatives and we all fit in the dining room around card tables.

The family eating in the dining room.

The second gathering was with Stefani's godmother, her family and Stefani's parents. We ordered Imo's pizza (a St. Louis icon) and had great visiting time.

For New Year's Eve we drove to Ohio to spend some time with Joshua's family. We got there just in time to go to a great Japanese steakhouse for a special and delicious dinner.

Here we are at the table waiting for our meal.

The week continued with gift giving, fabulous food, and time with family. It was a great visit all around.

We have the Ketelsen clan getting in a photo opportunity before opening gifts.

We hope you are having a blessed New Year!

God's Blessings,
Joshua and Stefani