This is the first time I’ve ever written the Hope newsletter. I’m Liz Martineau, and I asked Nick if I could write the newsletter for the week so I could personally say thanks for the amazing gift of sabbatical that you all gave our family. The last few months have flown by and were filled with plenty of amazing and significant moments for us. During this time, I’ve often stopped to thank the Lord for a Church that would give this great gift to our pastors.
Over the last few months, I truly saw Nick relax and embrace a different pace of life. Nick got a bunch of projects done around our house, but I also saw him spend extra time with our kids, he had fun with his friends, and we even had a few extra date nights!
It will forever be engraved in my mind the day I came home in the middle of the afternoon on a random weekday, and there was my husband sitting outside in a chair, reading a book by our lake. No distractions, simply embracing a different rhythm. I saw him purposely disengage from many of life’s demands, and I got a first-hand view of how it benefited his soul.
There was one Sunday when Nick and I arrived at church early (an absolute miracle if you know me!), and we decided to stay in our car and watch people walking into church. This gave Nick a perspective he never gets to see, and I was amazed as Nick teared up watching you all faithfully gather to worship, serve, and love each other.
I am beyond grateful for the time my family got to spend together. We had an amazing couple of months, not without its challenges, but a time I will look back on and be abundantly grateful for. We were able to travel and walk in the footsteps of some of our ancestors. These are memories our family will be talking about for years and years.
Thank you to a church that sees the value in giving our pastors the space to rest, take adventures, and renew their souls! This was a blessing not just to Nick, but to our entire family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you all loved us this summer. I’m truly excited for the next year and what the Lord has planned for Hope.
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)
And, this coming Sunday, Nick is going to share his post-sabbatical ponderings. Looking forward to seeing you all!
Love,
Liz
Over the last few months, I truly saw Nick relax and embrace a different pace of life. Nick got a bunch of projects done around our house, but I also saw him spend extra time with our kids, he had fun with his friends, and we even had a few extra date nights!
It will forever be engraved in my mind the day I came home in the middle of the afternoon on a random weekday, and there was my husband sitting outside in a chair, reading a book by our lake. No distractions, simply embracing a different rhythm. I saw him purposely disengage from many of life’s demands, and I got a first-hand view of how it benefited his soul.
There was one Sunday when Nick and I arrived at church early (an absolute miracle if you know me!), and we decided to stay in our car and watch people walking into church. This gave Nick a perspective he never gets to see, and I was amazed as Nick teared up watching you all faithfully gather to worship, serve, and love each other.
I am beyond grateful for the time my family got to spend together. We had an amazing couple of months, not without its challenges, but a time I will look back on and be abundantly grateful for. We were able to travel and walk in the footsteps of some of our ancestors. These are memories our family will be talking about for years and years.
Thank you to a church that sees the value in giving our pastors the space to rest, take adventures, and renew their souls! This was a blessing not just to Nick, but to our entire family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you all loved us this summer. I’m truly excited for the next year and what the Lord has planned for Hope.
Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)
And, this coming Sunday, Nick is going to share his post-sabbatical ponderings. Looking forward to seeing you all!
Love,
Liz