MOTION issue 15

15December2010

RELATIONSHIPSUNWRAPPED

GIFT OF PRESENCE

SPOTLIGHTSON SOUTH COUNTY

AND FULLERTON

CONSUMED BY SPENDING

MOTION | CHRISTMAS | 20102

IMMANUELby Jeff Gideon

Almighty. Alpha and Omega. Bread of Life. Chief Cornerstone. Creator. Deliverer. Faithful and True. Great High Priest. Holy

One. Hope. King of kings. Light of the world. Begotten Son of God. Ruler of God’s Creation. Savior. True Vine. Word of God.

These are only some of the names of Jesus. All profound. All with life changing implications for all nations, all generations, and all people.

As we approach Christmas…there is one name that comes to the forefront: Immanuel.

Currently, we find ourselves in the midst of Advent, the season of expectant waiting and preparation for the announcement that our Messiah has come. If we’re honest, in Orange County in the 21st Century we’re lucky if we’re able to enter into the Advent season by the week before Christmas…if at all. We live at a point in history where outside noise so easily pulls our attention from the announcement that changes everything.

Advent probably looked pretty differently for God’s people centuries ago. Somewhere around the time of 700 BC, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote: “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The

virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” [Isaiah 7:14].

For God’s people, pure elation would have flown out of these words because, in 8th Century BC, Judah was not thriving. It found itself under the rule of King Ahaz, described this way in 2 Chronicles 28:“Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and also made cast idols for worshipping the Baals. He burned sacrifices…and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord has driven out before the Israelites.” Scholars say this was a time of decay marked by open idolatry and hedonism.

Imagine, in the midst of those circumstances, the assurance of a Messiah. In view of their questions, struggles, and desperation, God promised to respond with the literal presence of Himself. Could there have been any bigger news? Any greater joy?

Then imagine the waiting and anticipation. First, for a couple months. Then a year. Then 10 more. And then 100…100 years.

So, how about 7 centuries of waiting? Jesus came into the world in the humblest of ways somewhere around

700 years after Isaiah prophesied it to God’s people.

And when He did, He was not the Messiah people had expected. He spent his time with the poor, not the powerful. Rome still governed the land, people still suffered, and oppression still existed.

But what God’s people would learn is that Jesus was a greater Messiah than anyone could have ever hoped for. Greater than anyone’s expectations.

This process is still familiar to God’s people. In 2010, many of us are waiting, anticipating God’s arrival in very tangible ways. Some of us have waited for months, years, or even decades now. Our own questions, struggles, and desperation yearn for God Himself…

And He will come.

ROCKHARBOR, as we prepare for Christmas, let us be people that long for Immanuel. Let us be people that wait expectantly for our coming King. And as He invades our lives, circumstances, and questions, let us be people who declare the glory and greatness of our Messiah, far beyond anyone’s expectations.

Merry Christmas.

MOTION | CHRISTMAS | ROCKHARBOR.ORG

Jane frantically ran from store to store in a mad rush to lay claim to the plethora of toys and gifts requested by her two young children. She had struggled throughout the year just to keep her family teetering

above the poverty line, and yet the closet still began to fill with presents. As Christmas Day approached, the closet was nearly full and her credit card charges had grown out of control. Not even the children’s health insurance premium could be paid, on this, the most joyous of holidays, the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

This story has, sadly, become all too common as “what Christmas is about.” But when did our love for each other become defined by how much debt we accrue? Is this the annual tradition we get to look forward to? Is this really the most appropriate reaction to the news that God is with us? What is happening?

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times, What’s Really Hurting Christianity in America, called into question the massive secularization and loss of faith in the US, particularly among our youngest generations. One of the most influential factors was attributed to the mass consumerism that has laid siege on our culture. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are due to spend nearly $450 billion this year for the holidays – amid a recession no less!

There are, however, many families who do Christmas a little differently. Led by her parents since she was young, ROCKHARBOR Friend Melanie Afshar of Irvine looks at Christmas as a time she can impact the community around her. Now in her mid-twenties, Melanie and her parents still volunteer regularly. They have made this type of “giving” their tradition.

“It was very important for us to teach Melanie the importance of being a blessing to others, especially during a time like Christmas,” said Anne Afshar. “There are many different organizations and collections that are eager to get the whole family involved with the giving of more than just our finances.”

In the midst of a now three-year recession, the Church is presented with great opportunity to join the Afshars in declaring what Christmas is about; responding to the news that thousands of years ago, the God of the universe invaded this world.

I want to be salt and light to the world. I want to lead a life that demands an explanation. I realize it might not happen over night, but I want to be different, and what better time to step into that than during the celebration of the advent of our God? He truly is with us – and I want my approach to Christmas to loudly declare that, to bring hope, life, and purpose to all people.

This issue of MOTION looks at some of the ways our church community has and can approach Christmas differently together. The following pages look at things like how we spend our money, how we spend our time, what kinds of gifts we can give, and more. Some share stories. Some share ideas. All of them share the common desire to live compelling lives this Christmas season.

CONSUMED by SPENDINGby James Chiusm

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RELATIONSHIPS UNWRAPPEDby Chelsea Davis

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For the past six years, Ronn Hallett has dedicated his life and study to researching underserved youth. Much of that time has

involved working with or near homeless families in South Central Los Angeles.

While studying towards his Ph.D in Urban Education Reform, Ronn became particularly connected to a family in Watts. The Arburtha family consisted of a single mother with five children and two grandchildren. Shortly after

meeting the family, Ronn learned of their pending eviction from their short-time housing arrangement. He began assisting them in finding a more permanent living situation, hoping they could find a place to stay before Christmas.

After seven years of living in shelters and hotels, the family was able to move into their own apartment. Ronn committed to helping them make it “home.”

At the time, Ronn was in a life group at ROCKHARBOR. Their goal was to become more of an outward focused life group, serving the needs of those in their surrounding communities. “We wanted to enact the word of God, not just talk about it,” he says.

As Christmas 2007 neared, ROCKHARBOR encouraged life groups to pray about who and how they could bless in the community. They solicited

proposals to the First Fruits team, the group of people that prays for God’s leading in sending the first 10 percent of RH’s income back into the Kingdom. The ministry wanted to provide financial means to enable groups to go out and help those in need.

Ronn and his life group put together a proposal that would allow them to furnish the Arburtha’s new apartment for Christmas. The First Fruits team responded by giving them nearly twice the

amount of money they asked for. Ronn took the family to Target and Ikea to shop for furniture and household items, encouraging them through their initial hesitations. He remembers them not knowing how to react but helped them realize this was a gift free of strings or stipulations…simply love for love’s sake. At that point, they were able to accept it and really begin to enjoy it.

For Ronn, this experience with the Arburtha family was never just about doing something nice for a family at Christmas time.

“I really take seriously the call to walk with people, looking at Christ’s life as an example and who He spent time with…no matter who they are or where they come from,” he said.

The following year, again through First Fruits, Ronn felt compelled to provide a Christmas experience for two different families along with

the Arburtha family. Each family received a Christmas tree and gifts. Ronn recalls one of the family members, a 20 year-old girl, saying it was the first time in her life she received a tree or gifts on Christmas.

Looking back, Ronn is convinced the reason he was there was to simply love them like family and walk with them through life’s struggles, something he still continues today. It was never just the “things” that made the difference to these families.

What made it most memorable for everyone were the relationships formed, the time spent together, and the openness to allow one another into each other’s lives. It’s those things that point toward Jesus much more than an iPod or Wii ever could.

“They taught me and served me just as much, but in different ways,” he says. “My family expanded, the people I love and care about expanded and it taught me to really enjoy life…the greatest joy was the community part of it, being around each other and really connecting with them.”

These experiences have changed the way Ronn approaches each Christmas season. And he says it’s something others can just as easily step into, encouraging the Church to “really just be prayerful, read the Word, and move as you feel compelled.”

“We wanted to ENACT the word of God, not just talk about it.”

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Aways having a heart for those who are marginalized and oppressed, God gave Katie Rystrom the desire to love, learn, and live in community with those around her. While at UC Davis, Katie interned in Washington

D.C. for an organization that handles cases of immigrant children who had illegally crossed the border. Through this, God showed Katie the harsh realities and struggles of what immigrants endure journeying to the U.S. When she moved to Thailand to teach English, God redirected her to a Burmese refugee camp, giving her a glimpse of what life is like for a refugee. “Living in the camp gave me a small taste of the physical and physiological issues refugees face” she says.

Fast forward to the present, Katie now works with ELI (Empowering Lives International) full time, and in her free time, volunteers through Solidarity--a Fullerton based non-profit organization that seeks to live out the teachings of Jesus, empowering believers of Christ to love on and impact the community around them.

When Katie moved to take her job at ELI, she attended a church service and heard Tommy Nixon, the founder of Solidarity, speak on what the organization was about. Touched by his words, she felt pulled toward the movement Solidarity was living out in Fullerton. “I remember thinking that I needed to talk to that guy- I was excited to hear about a community that integrated their lives into the neighborhood around them” recounts Katie. So she filled out an application and turned it in.

“After I interviewed with Solidarity, one of the staff members, Bethany Anderson came up to me without previously meeting me and asked, ‘Are you looking for housing?’ My jaw literally dropped. I had been praying for five months to live in a neighborhood like that,” says Katie. Two weeks later she moved onto Garnet Lane.From the get go, Katie has loved living on Garnet and getting to know her neighbors. “The neighborhood is a beautiful mix people from Central and South America. Every time I step out my door, I feel like there is a divine appointment

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SPOTLIGHT on FULLERTON

OUR CHILDREN PROJECTOUR CHILDREN PROJECTby Becka Delaney


waiting to happen. I have loved getting to know my neighbors and hearing their amazing stories,” she says.

When this past summer came, Katie felt called to serve in a program called the Our Children Project. The program focuses on children who have tried to cross the border but have been detained and placed in an immigration detention center. The point of the program was to fulfill two objectives: to get English and Spanish speaking

churches together to do a Bible study one week and then the next week, to visit an immigration shelter to do fun lessons and also to love on the girls in the shelter.

For the first week, Katie and her friend Crystal came together from the English speaking church while Claudia and Vanessa from the Spanish speaking church and chose to study a book called, “Strangers in the Land”, detailing what the Bible says about immigration. “It was the most amazing Bible study,” Katie recounts, “Because I had created relationships with these women, I felt the freedom to ask them the hard questions so that I could really understand immigration from all perspectives. As they opened up and shared their lives with me– stories of their own families journey to America– I was able to see God’s heart on a deeper level, and the issues of immigration became more personal to me” says Katie.

The next week her group visited the immigration shelter, leading activities in cooking and games, and loving on the girls there. But there was something she noticed while visiting with them. “Some of these girls had been there for quite awhile. I realized these girls had not been told ‘I love you’ or given hugs or just generally felt part of a family or community in a long time. They were so far from their home,” said Katie.

One night, after helping out with Our Children

Project, she came home and wept as her heart went out to the girls. As Katie recalls “In the midst of my uncontrollable tears, I felt God whisper to me ‘Katie, there are girls that need love everywhere, even in your own neighborhood’. Katie began to pray. “I thought about the girls in my neighborhood post-high school, many who may not have a healthy outlet or safe place to turn. Many of these girls are not sure of their next step. Those who are undocumented may feel scared or trapped and are not sure where to turn.”

After many weeks of prayer, Katie contacted her neighbor friend Rosie and as they dreamed about what a girls group might look like, Katie made fliers and Rosie passed them out. They got together with a couple others girls willing to help out and prayed, “Lord, may you bring the girls that you desire to this program”. When the first Thursday of the month came, they waited. “I thought no one

would show up. I was standing there and literally, eight girls showed up. It brought tears to my eyes.” Now two months have gone by and a solid six or seven girls show up every time. “It’s so beautiful how God’s Kingdom works. Thursday nights has not only been a highlight for the girls, but it has been the sweetest part of my week.” says Katie.

What started with a seed in Katie to love on people and help them transform into what God intended has come full circle. When a girl from

the group expressed herself over a Thanksgiving potluck last week about what she thankful for, she stated how much she enjoys Thursday’s and how she couldn’t wait to come back each week. Katie recalls this moment, “I couldn’t stop beaming and praising God. This program has been God’s from start to finish. It’s like he planted this seed in my heart and He’s the one that watered it and He is the one who has grown it.”

The ROCKHARBOR Fullerton community feels compelled to join God’s work through the Our Children Project. Together with Solidarity, RH is helping to provide a Christmas experience for 60 kids living in the immigration shelter. To find out more, email [email protected] or visit solidarityrising.org.

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“The neighborhood is a beautiful mix of people from Central and South America. Every time I step out my door, I feel like there is a divine

appointment waiting to happen.”


Tim and Wendy McMahan, a ROCKHARBOR South County couple, received a very specific wish list from their daughters two Christmases ago; rice cakes, which was a new favorite treat, and a baby. They knew they could accommodate at least one of those requests, just not the one they had in mind.

T o say that December wasn’t going as well as hoped would be the understatement of 2008 for the family. They had just escaped serious injury after totaling their car in a freeway accident. They remained in the midst of the adoption process with their four and five year-old daughters. At the same time, they

dealt with the behavior problems that many kids who have bounced around the foster care system carry. There could not have been a worse time for any other challenges to enter their lives.

BABY KAYSPOTLIGHT on SOUTH COUNTY

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by Chelsea Davis


Just five days shy of Christmas, they received a desperate call from their placement worker. A nine-month-old baby girl named Kay was about to be released from the hospital with a skull fracture. All of the emergency shelter homes in Orange County were filled to capacity. Baby Kay had absolutely no place to go.

Being foster parents with Olive Crest since 2006, Tim and Wendy knew that emergency placement could last up to 30 days. They seriously discussed whether or not they could manage this along with everything else going on.

Their immediate thought was of Jesus and the vivid picture of Mary and Joseph being turned away because there wasn’t room at the inn. They couldn’t imagine saying no to any child let alone an injured baby.

“Helping a kid in need, particularly at Christmas, an innocent kid…that’s what we want to be about,” says Tim.

An hour and a half after the call, in a borrowed car, they picked up baby Kay.

“We realized this is really what Christmas is all about, thinking about Jesus and the example He gave us in laying down everything so that we can have life,” says Wendy.

The generosity of friends and family quickly met their basic baby equipment needs. The following day, Tim purchased a minivan while Wendy tried to figure out what exactly to do with a nine-month-old baby. Their own Christmas plans came after what had become most important and that was taking care of baby Kay.

Wendy and Tim experienced for the first time what it’s like to have an infant. They were also exposed to the chaos and brokenness of the birth parents through required monitoring of half of the 12 weekly visiting hours given to them. It was difficult, but it gave them the opportunity to mentor the birth parents and even witness some redemption.

After her month-long stay, baby Kay was placed into the care of a relative. Of course, there was some sadness in the goodbye. Wendy recalls hearing somebody say, “I hope that little girl doesn’t break your heart when she leaves you.” Wendy’s thoughts were, “I hope she does.” For them, there was no alternative to attachment because, more than anything, that’s what baby Kay needed.

Even in the chaos, unpreparedness, and sorrow, it remains the most memorable Christmas experience they’ve ever had. And it would not have occurred had the McMahan’s not been willing to let God use them in the giving of themselves.

“You have to make concerted, specific decisions to be God’s hands and feet. Christ calls us to give generously because that is what we were created to do and, in doing that, we show Jesus how much we love Him. The best kind of gift we can give back to Him is loving other people,” says Wendy.

For the McMahan’s this meant obtaining their foster parent certification so that they are open to receive calls such as the one for baby Kay. They encourage other ROCKHARBOR families to consider doing the same.

Not only had God fulfilled the wish list of their daughters by giving them a baby for Christmas, He amplified for Tim and Wendy everything they knew that Christmas was meant to be. All this in the tiny gift of baby Kay.

This Christmas season, the RH South County community is rallying around an organization called Safe Families for Children. Like the McMahans did in 2008, Safe Families provides short-term housing for at-risk children.

To learn more, visit SOUTHCOUNTY.ROCKHARBOR.ORG.

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THE GIFT PRESENCEby Dave Cornelius

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I remember rushing to the mall to get the last minute gift, attending parties, and making sure that I got gifts for all the right people. I would make sure the charities received my contribution and felt that I did my part.

Last year, I spent Christmas in Tucson, Ariz., and witnessed a church community step into giving relational gifts. The pastor issued a challenge to adopt a family or person in need and spend time giving presence, not presents. The recommendation was to limit gift purchases to a minimum and spend time over dinner or lunch sharing experiences. I witnessed transformation in the people who responded to the call to give themselves relationally. What’s more, I watched people come to know Christ because of it. Relationships were formed that would not have under normal circumstances. A shared love in Christ made it possible for people from different walks of life to experience the Word.

As I reflect on my Christmas experience in Tucson, Ariz., my view of giving at Christmas has been forever changed. My mind is drawn to when Paul encourages Philippians 2:14-15, encouraging us to be shining stars in a crooked and depraved generation. In considering what my approach to Christmas 2010 would be, the popular song “The 12 Days of Christmas” popped into my head. What if I challenged my family and myself to give relationally for 12 days of Christmas in 2010? I decided to ask my wife and a few friends for suggestions and, together, we came up with these guidelines:

Through a local school, charity, or ROCKHARBOR, we’ll identify a family that we can give ourselves to relationally for 12 days from December 24 through January 4. We have a spending limit of $20 per day [$240 maximum over 12 days]. Each day contains one or more activity to be done with the family Here’s how we’ll spend the 12 days:

This Christmas, relational giving is what I have to offer. The salary of past years is replaced by availability to be used in a way that I can hardly imagine. My hope for my wife and I is to see God’s work through us. We pray to be paired with a family that has a heart for Christ. If they are not, we hope our stories are blended in victory for the Kingdom. There’s anticipation as we prepare for our journey and the unknown is cause for restlessness, but we’re willing to go forward to see if this could be the beginning of a new tradition.

During the holidays people are busy decorating their homes, buying Christmas trees, shopping for presents, and getting into the spirit of Christmas. I’ve followed the same traditions and embraced Christmas in these ways for some time.

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1. Collect all our unused school supplies and give them to the kids.2. Take the family for a bike ride.3. Make home-cooked meals one day and sit down for breakfast, lunch, &

dinner.4. Decorate a Christmas tree together.5. Make hot chocolate and sing traditional Christmas songs.6. Spend time praying for and with the family.7. Buy 20 gifts [$1 each] for the kids and have the mom wrap them.

8. Invite them to celebrate Christmas at ROCKHARBOR on Christmas eve; then share dinner together.

9. Make a fire and share stories together.10. Teach the woman [and girls, if the case} may be how to knit hats, scarves,

and garments. 11. Have a picnic on the beach.12. Take pictures and video of our time together throughout the two weeks

and give the family a photo album of memories.


F or many, Christmas becomes a season defined by shopping, food, gatherings, and constantly being on the go. In Orange County especially, it is increasingly difficult to walk through Christmas encountering Jesus. To combat that, here are some practical ideas for how to create

space to meet with Immanuel this season:

If you find yourself at work or class most of the holiday season, choose a place where you can be alone during breaks. The school library, your car, or even headphones will do. Spend some time meditating on the meaning and origin of Christmas and ask God to re-inspire you to the incredible idea that Jesus is with us.

Have everyone in your family make each other gifts or give acts of service instead of buying presents. Pray together about how you could use the money

you’ve saved to impact people around you.

Fast from something for a day [food, media,

working out, etc.]. Use that time to pray for the people that

will attend Christmas Services at RH. Pray

that Jesus would draw people into deeper

relationship with Himself.

Ask God to reveal to you someone that has a difficult time celebrating Christmas. Invite that person/family into your holiday traditions and pray that God would show you how to love them.

Rally your family, friends, or roommates and volunteer 3 or 4 hours a week together somewhere…perhaps at a local orphanage or retirement home. Consider what kind of Christmas gifts you can bring for the people that you meet.

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by Christian Prosser

MOTION | CHRISTMAS | ROCKHARBOR.ORG 13

Think about the neighborhood where your Life Group meets. Use one night that you meet to carol, hand out cookies, and invite the neighbors to Christmas Services at RH.

Expand Holiday Movie Night to include your

neighbors. After watching your

favorite one, take some time together to share Christmas

memories, traditions, and stories for the sake of building

community.

Each night during the week before Christmas,

read the Christmas Story to your kids.

Afterwards, use this time to teach them

about the anticipation that surrounded the first

Christmas. Pray that your family would have that same anticipation

this Christmas.

Take a night to drive around some

neighborhoods in your community where the

houses are decked out in Christmas decor.

Use that time to pray for whatever city or

neighborhood you end up in.

Write affirmations for some of your co-workers or classmates and include them with your Christmas card.

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Use part of the Christmas budget to give to a organization in your community. Gather your family, friends, and roommates to talk about and

pray over who you want to give to. Beyond giving money, find out ways you can tangibly love the people of the organization and those they serve.

If you normally host a Christmas party, consider inviting your guests to join you in serving a meal at a local food bank this year.


Kinzi and Jay Herron had once talked about the idea of bringing in a child to foster but they shook the thought away and decided it wasn’t a good idea. Raising a six-year

old son and a four-year old daughter was already enough let alone the idea of bringing in another.

But God had other plans. It took shape while Kinzi was at a ROCKHARBOR South County Celebration service one Sunday talking to some new friends. They told her that there was a mother who needed help with her one-year old daughter, Olivia*, to care for temporarily while the mother got her life in order. Kinzi and Jay prayed that God would be with them when the door opened. “The whole thing literally fell into our laps. We chose to do it because

it was a real, tangible, and a sacrificial way for us to love ‘the least of these’.”

So Kinzi and Jay brought Olivia home in mid July 2010. They had no fostering experience let alone the knowledge of how to parent a child they knew nothing about.; all they knew is this little girl needed to be cared for and loved…so they did just that..

With new scheduling and routines in place there were questions that raced through Kinzi’s mind. “How would we adjust to having a baby in the house again? How long would she be with us? How would the kids treat her?” With each looming question, there was no time to get anxious; they just decided to trust God. “We learned more and more that we were not the ones in control

Spotlight on South County

by Becka DeLaney

ORPHANTHE CAUSE OF THE

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but that God is,” says Kinzi.

God came through in more ways than they could have ever imagined. The Herron kids adjusted well and wanted to do whatever they could to help with the process. “They loved Olivia like a little sister,” says Kinzi.

Even when Olivia acted out and threw fits, the family still cared for her as they would with their own. “I would just hold her, rock her and sing to her,” said Kinzi.

But after a month and a half of fostering Olivia without any support, the family decided they needed some direction. “We didn’t know how to go about handling Olivia’s situations or how to handle her mom. We didn’t know anyone else who was in the same situation who we could talk to; we just needed some help”, says Kinzi.

That’s when they found Safe Families for Children, a Christian organization [that ROCKHARBOR – South County has partnered up with this holiday season] that places children in temporary homes so parents can take time to get their life back on track. Later, when the parent(s) feel they can support their children again, they can take back their kid(s) and raise them in a stable environment. “Safe Families gave us the support we needed to know how to handle the situations at hand and also get support from other families in the same boat,” said Kinzi.

Safe Families has no state funding so those who decide to foster children through the organization will be using their own funds and time to support the child(ren). The parent(s) still have full custody of their child(ren) and can come and take their child(ren) back. If the parent loses legal rights to their child(ren), Safe Families encourages foster parents to contact an agency outside of its organization for the possibility of adopting or fostering further.As time went on, they started to notice something about Olivia. With all the love they showed her despite the need for extra attention and the temper tantrums, they noticed Olivia’s character change. “She started to show

affection and now had the ability to love back,” says Kinzi.

Because the Herron’s didn’t originally start with Safe Families, they had no idea when Olivia would go back to her mother. “We had so little control over when Olivia would be leaving us. We became attached. We loved her and she in turn loved us.”

After two and a half months, in late September, Olivia’s mother was moving to Palm Springs and wanted to take her daughter with her. “When Olivia’s mother decided to take her back, we didn’t want Olivia to feel abandoned by us. It was a huge struggle for us because we didn’t want to go back and forth with Olivia’s mother. We just wanted to make sure she was in a safe place,” says Kinzi. With stories from several sources that Olivia was being bounced around, God gave them peace that everything was going to be ok. “I envisioned that our story ending would be this child becoming a permanent part of our family. We provided something that Olivia needed so desperately, even though it was temporary,” said Kenzi.

Safe Families supported them even though they no longer had Olivia anymore. “They helped us deal with our emotions that nobody else would have understood,” says Kenzi.

The story does not end here. A short time later, Olivia came back through Safe Families to be fostered through another family. Even though Kenzi and Jay did not have the same duties as they had before, they appreciated that they could still help out with babysitting.

As stretched as the Herrons were when Olivia first came into their lives as part of the family, they grew with her, and even got to know more about themselves in the process. “We learned more clearly than ever that we are not in control, but God is. We cannot force things to go the way we think they should go. All we can do is to be obedient to Him and trust Him in the process,” says Kinzi.

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RH Central Campus345 Fischer Avenue,Costa Mesa

Christmas at ROCKHARBOR

Friday, December 2412pm*, 2pm*, 4pm*, 6pm*, 8pm

*Children’s Ministry [birth – 5th Grade]

73 fwy

airway

red hillbaker

fischer

55 fwy

Can’t make it Christmas Eve? Celebrate Immanuel the weekend before at any RH Campus. Visit ROCKHARBOR.ORG for complete service times and details.

345 Fischer Ave | Costa Mesa, CA 92626Office: 3080 Airway Ave. | Costa Mesa, CA 92626

[email protected] | WWW.ROCKHARBOR.ORGThis issue of MOTION was 100% designed by Kayla Adams

(aka Lu lu). We are eternally indebted to her for volunteering her time and talents.kaylalouisecreative.com

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MOTION issue 15