We began our trip at 8am. Our first stop was to get breakfast at Jack in the Box. We drove on and only made one stop before eating lunch at Subway. We were stuck in some heavy traffic near Chicago. We stopped in a small "village" at a McDonald's for dinner. We then saw the famed Gaylord. Stefani was thrilled when she saw Old Navy, Kohl's, and some familiar chain restaurants. We arrived in Onaway at 9:45 pm eastern. The Broughams greeted us at the local Subway. They took us to the house we were to stay at for the weekend. We unloaded and settled in for the night.We woke up Saturday morning and leisurely got ready. We had breakfast at a local restaurant called Woodwinds. It was very good. After breakfast we met up with Gary and Bev. They showed us the library, chamber of commerce, and the city hall. Then they took us to see the church. After the church we saw our new home. The previous pictures did not do it justice. There are double closets in every bedroom, a coat closet, and two hall closets. The rooms are spacious. (Feel free to visit!) Once we were finished with the building tours we got a car tour from Gary of the surrounding area. We saw Cheybogan and Rogers City. We saw Black Lake and Lake Huron. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Huron. We got back to town and decided to go to the local furniture/appliance store to pick out our washer and dryer. (Thank you Zion!!) We were successful! We also met the mother/mother in law/grandmother of a family we met in Salem, IL that belonged to the church Joshua where the vicar. Small world! Once that was all set up we had a few moments of down time before we went to dinner with Gary, Bev, and other members of the church. We went to another local place called Lorenzo's. It is owned and operated by a member of the church. The food was delicious! After dinner we visited the vacancy pastor,Pastor Gray. Finally, it was time to call it a night.
Sunday morning we woke up for Bible class and church. We received many questions and happy you are heres. Including cards made by the Sunday School children. After church there was a short informal reception. Then we were taken to lunch at another local eatery, Manzana's. We were taken by two younger ladies with young families. Once we wrapped up with lunch we headed back to where we were staying for a much needed nap. We went to church so Joshua could attend a church council/elders meeting while I helped the youth with a banner for their Michigan Jr. High youth gathering. After the meeting there was a dinner of sloppy joes. Yum-o. After some visiting we went back to the house we were staying at and prepared for our drive back to St. Louis.We finally left town at about 9:00 am eastern. Before we left we checked out the local supermarket. The locals told us it was a bit expensive, but it will be handy for forgotten items. After the traffic issues we had going through Chicago, we decided to take the other route that goes through Indy. It was definitely the "quickest" route and the one we would recommend for St. Louis travelers. We arrived home at about 8:30 pm central.The trip was wonderful. We learned so much about our new home and met so many wonderful people. Stay tuned for pictures of our new house!God's Blessings,Joshua and Stefani
Call Day was April 22nd. Now that it has been a few days since then, we have more information about Joshua's first call. Joshua has been called to Holy Cross Lutheran in Onaway, Michigan as the sole pastor. The town has a population of 900. The town is on the smaller side than we are used to. We spoke to the Chairman of the congregation on Thursday afternoon. From the conversation the congregation seems eager for our arrival. The church has a parsonage that we will be living in. It has 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, a newly renovated kitchen, a finished basement, and 2.5 car garage. The house is "in town" and 2 blocks away from the church. As more information comes we will pass it on. Right now we are just letting it all "soak in". Joshua still has a month left of classes, graduation (May 22nd), and ordination.
It has been a while since our last post. We have been busy preparing for Call Day.
Joshua has had four interviews. Stefani was fortunate to be a part of each one. Each congregation seems like they could be a good fit. The first interview we had was in January with Our Redeemer in Moorhead, MN. Moorhead is near Fargo, ND (the cities are like Kansas City, KS and MO). Our second interview was over the phone with St. Mark in Brunswick, OH. Brunswick is a suburb of Cleveland and about an hour from Joshua's hometown. The third interview was with Divine Shepherd in Omaha, NE. And the last interview was with Redeemer in Manitowoc, WI. The city is right on Lake Michigan. As you can see we have some great possibilities. The decision is in God's hands. We and everyone else will find out April 22nd.
Onto family news...Stefani's dad will be a having outpatient surgery on his heart on Friday April 3rd. He has a congenital heart issue that causes palpitations. This surgery should solve the problem. Please keep him in your prayers.
That is the update for now. Stay tuned for moving information when we receive it.
God's Blessings,
Joshua and Stefani
The sign for our resort. 
Our first dinner at Tony's at the Magic Kingdom.
At the Magic Kingdom. 
Us behind the castle.
One of the shirts Stefani's parents had made for us for our anniversary.
In front of the Living Seas in Epcot.
Our anniversary dinner. It was YUM-O!!
Hanging out at Disney Studios.
On a boat to eat dinner at the Wilderness Lodge.
A water under the Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom. 
We're going on a safari!
A giraffe we saw on our "safari" at the Animal Kingdom.
An elephant on the "safari". 
An ostrich coming at us. 
A classic Epcot shot.
This is Stefani's friend Nikki and her son, Nathan. Nikki's husband is on vicarage in Orlando. She met up with us for the day. 
The whole gang. 
The castle! How magical. 
