Harner Christmas Letter 2009

 

Merry Christmas from the Harners!

So much has happened this year that we decided a Christmas letter was mandatory. We started out 2009 with two children (Emma, now 4 and Michael, now 2), living in Louisville, KY, while Matt attended seminary and worked part-time for the outreach ministry of Sojourn Community Church and Christy supported the family with her graphic design business while preparing for the birth of baby number 3. Matt and Christy took a last-chance-to-escape-children trip to Rome in March. Christy continued work on her first book, Behind Every Illusion, which she hoped to “release” on her own on June 6th, and so dozens of people were slaving away helping her with the editing (thanks to all of you, by the way!). Together we led a community group for Sojourn church and enjoyed the last little bit of our time in Louisville, not knowing where God would lead us come summer.

Well, summer crept up and we still didn’t know where we were going! Matt finished full-time seminary (he still has 1 class to take) and Christy began dwindling down her business, expecting Matt to find a ministry position in the Christian & Missionary Alliance somewhere, to prepare us for future overseas work (a 2-3 year ministry service is required before we can go overseas as international workers). With the economy crashing churches didn’t seem interested in hiring us, and with an upcoming third child (due June 17th) life looked a little bleak and unknown.

The C&MA General Council was held at the end of May in Louisville, so we were lucky enough to attend (okay, Matt registered and Christy just snuck in whenever she felt like it…if you can sneak in between book speaking engagements while nine months pregnant!). Matt’s parents, Bob and Dian Harner, and Christy’s parents, Bob and Joyce Wetmore (who currently live in Pakistan) all stayed with us (some were kicked out to motels, though) while we listened to speakers from all around the world and helped “send off” new international workers to various countries (including the Brake family of Swanton, Ohio, to Indonesia). This was all fine, but Matt and Christy still didn’t know where on earth they would be sent for the next few years. All we knew was that Baby 3 was coming soon and the lease on our apartment would run out July 1st.

Enter the Great Lakes District superintendent, Jeff Brown. Through a friend from college, Matt was informed that a small church in northwestern Ohio needed a new pastor since theirs was headed for Indonesia that summer and that they were actually interested in hiring a missionary candidate (wait…that’s us!). Matt excitedly emailed his résumé to Jeff and told him of our interest in the Northwestern Ohio church in the little town of Swanton, and Jeff responded by inviting Matt to meet up at a District reception the next night. It just so happened that two of the three elders from the congregation were also attending (and also just so happened that this was one of those evenings Christy decided to sneak in), so we all met each other and planned on a next day lunch.

Maybe it was Christy’s hyperactive perkiness (she’d just gotten back from an insane morning speaking at a private middle school) or Matt’s extreme love for God and for getting into a church that made them interested, but—long story short—we were asked to candidate immediately.

Well, things happened. Namely, Tristan Isaac Harner was born on June 4th weighing 8lbs 14oz (Christy would like you to note that he was 2 weeks early and still humongous and that she’s awesome for carrying him). And, if you remember the beginning of our story, this was only two days before her book, Behind Every Illusion, was to be released. And yes, she’s crazy, so she did not delay the release, but spent the weekend on her laptop in the hospital! So now we had three healthy kids and no place yet to live come the end of June! (But we were still hoping the Swanton thing would work out).

LONG story short (yes, again): We candidated a week late, which was the end of June, and LOVED the church, the town, the people, the parsonage (!!!), the parsonage backyard (!!!!), and pretty much everything about it. So we drove home feeling very excited and received a call a few days later (climbing to the phone over mountains of boxes we’d had to pack already) that yes! They did want us to come. Whew…three days to spare on that lease of ours…

So, we packed up our bags and, after a few weeks traveling (to Toccoa with the Wetmores, the beach in NC, and “Grandma and Grandpa Harner’s” house in Zanesville, OH), we picked up Daniel (Christy’s brother, who is staying with us in-between school and possibly the Airforce) and moved to Swanton, Ohio! And despite the fact that Christy SWORE she would never move the “bleak state” as she calls it, this part of Ohio is actually more like Nebraska, where she grew up, and so she loves it more than anywhere she’s ever lived. And the church? Well, here are Matt’s thoughts:

Life here in Swanton has been wonderful. Jesus clearly brought us here to serve at Swanton Alliance Church. Since our start date on August 1st, we've been getting to know the ins and outs of the church—both its people and its programs. Matt focuses mostly on adult ministries--preaching, teaching, discipling--but he’s also enjoyed getting to know the youth some by attending Sunday school classes with them. Matt spends a lot more time in prayer than he ever did before; his need for Christ's help and strength is so evident. And Jesus is providing all we need. Matt has already conducted his first memorial service and his first wedding. What's been a special blessing is to see ways in which various church members have been deliberate about reaching out to their neighbors and the community. Potlucks, community dinners, youth events, an Ohio State v. Michigan open house... the people here want to see people know Jesus. So we’re both feeling at home here in Swanton among the new friends we've already grown to love.

Christy is working part-time with her graphic design job, and will actually be picking up a high school intern this coming semester (so if anyone has any projects they need done for a lower fee than usual, call me!). And last month, her writing career became more than just a hobby when she wrote her second book, the “mermaid manuscript” as she is currently calling it. After completing the first draft, she sent requests out to a dozen agents, looking to see if anyone might be interested in representing the book as well as any future works (including her Behind Every Illusion series, for those of you who keep asking!). Less than 24 hours later, she was in contact with an awesome young agent in NYC who loved the manuscript and wanted to represent her as an author! So on her birthday (Nov 17, fyi), Christy signed a contract with Artists and Artistans, Inc, and began work on rewriting her manuscript (which will be sent out to Young Adult Publishing Houses—like Harper Collins and Little, Brown—come January 4th). During the day, she watches all three kids. She’s also heavily involved in the youth group at church (and has grown close to a number of the youth by heading up a young adult writers club), several Bible studies, and Alliance Women, among other things.

Tristan is 6 months old now, just learning how to pull himself around the house. He has two teeth and LOVES to eat (bananas, bread, baby food, cake—he grabbed some out of Christy’s hand and chugged it down the other day—you name it…), even though he’s quite “tall and skinny” as the doctors say (hmm, he wouldn’t get that from his daddy by any chance?). Michael is “verbally advanced” (which also means he never stops talking!) and loves to cuddle and help with making dinner and cookies. He’s also very much like Matt, which scares Christy (a lot) and makes Matt laugh at her. Emma is a total princess, but is oddly obsessed with Lilo & Stitch as well. She also just learned how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano and loves to draw a lot. She tried ballet, but after a few months decided it was “too boring.” We envision a very creative little artist and soccer player inside her.

And that’s our year! Things have certainly turned around quickly with Matt going from being tired of school to having his dream job and Christy going from being a desperate writer-on-the-side to having a real agent and perhaps getting to write YA fantasy for years to come.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Matt, Christy, Emma, Michael and Tristan