Update: 2014

Since it has been a good amount of time since I last posted (257 days to be exact), I figured I could pull the "I just became a dad this year" card as a good excuse this time. There will be more consistent updates and such on here (I promise) going forward, so please follow the blog and leave comments or send us an email if you would like. We would love to hear from you! Read on to find out what has been happening with us here in San Francisco!

Jeremiah's first shopping cart ride!

Family

We received the greatest blessing of our married lives on February 4th this year, and he goes by the name of Jeremiah James Delarato! Born on January 28th, we found out a day later that the birth parents were looking for a Christian couple to adopt him, and we were excited yet anxious about being one of the few couples chosen to raise him. After answering a series of questions from the birth parents, waiting the weekend as they prayed about their decision, and finally meeting them in person on the 4th, we were shocked by the surreal nature of being chosen by this amazing couple to raise Jeremiah and become parents in an instant! Since we brought Jeremiah home from the hospital, we have gone through the usual life adjustments of parenthood (sleeplessness), increasingly recognizing how privileged and thankful we are to be the parents of such an adorable and precious son. Pray for us to enjoy each moment of our new family and for us to raise Jeremiah in the guidance and wisdom of our Father God. 

School

With the new developments in life and ministry for us (see below), I have decided that it is best for me to take this coming semester off of school. This has been difficult for me to decide on since I enjoy taking classes and want to continue pursuing my Master's degree, completing it sooner rather than later. However, because of the time constraints involved with my need to get a more lucrative part-time job while also balancing ministry and family life, Liz and I felt it would be best to take this time off and see where we are by the beginning of next year. 

Church: An End and a Beginning 

After being at Redemption San Francisco for the first ten months in the city, we transitioned to a small Chinese-American church named Grace Point at the end of 2013. I was given the great privilege of becoming the English ministries pastor to a group of young adults, a role which I fulfilled until just recently, leaving that post at the beginning of August. Being with Grace Point was a blessing in our lives; we got to meet and do life with a great group of young adults, learn more about both Chinese and San Francisco culture, and I learned more of the intricacies of day-to-day pastoral work since Pastor Michael Hsu gave me my first crack at it. However, although it was hard to make the decision, the beginning of summer found us in another church transition period, finally choosing to become a part of a new church plant called Citizens Church, led by our friend CJ Bergmen.

So, as we saw ourselves moving on from Grace Point, we found ourselves excited to be a part of another expression of the gospel in San Francisco with Citizens. You can find out more about our new church community at citizenssf.com. As we launch into this new venture, please pray for us Sto put Jesus and his gospel message at the center of everything we do and for many in our circles of influence to encounter the love of God in a way that they may not have anticipated.

Thank you for checking in on us if you have read this far! Check back for more updates and other writings soon. Hope you are well!