Jaimeson and Christi Stockhaus

Fall 2011 has begun!

2011-09-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since we've posted on this blog! It's been quite a whirlwind the last month and a half. We finished up our time in Athens, took a much needed and wonderful vacation in Italy, headed to the East Coast and the Bay to visit family, and started to prepare for the Fall Quarter at UCSB. It's been a very busy time.

We are so thankful for our time in Greece!! We miss our interns, we miss our Greek friends. We feel so blessed to have spent the summer with such wonderful people. Coming home has made us realize just how much we actually do in the summer!! We felt very behind. It may seem that with RUF, our summers could be a lot of downtime with not much to do, but the fact is, that is the time we get the most preparation done for the year!

Thankfully, we feel caught up now! Classes start today! And, amazingly, we got everything done. We are excited about the school year. We have an AMAZING group of student leaders. They are excited, and working hard. They've been out at tables on campus all week long. We have a busy next week!

Please pray with us as the school year begins!!

Pray for:

1. Our student leaders- that they would continue to grow in grace, do well in their studies, and love their friends and classmates with the love of Christ.

2. Our Tuesday night Large Group Meetings- we start this Tuesday, the 27th! Pray for Jaimeson as he preaches through a series, "Jesus in Life." For our music team, and new musicians who will be leading us in worship. Pray for new students.

3. Our Fall Conference- In 3 weeks, we will have our 4th annual RUF California Fall Conference, where we join RUF Stanford, Berkeley, and UCLA! There are a lot of details still left to plan, and we are praying for new students to join us for a great weekend!!

4. Continued support- As the ministry grows we continue to need more financial and prayerful support. We returned from Greece to find that we had a $9,000 deficit! Yikes! But, God has graciously provided through generous supporters and we are now at just a $1000 deficit, so amazing!

5. Our family- We just celebrated Carter's first birthday!! Having a newborn last year this time was pretty crazy, and Christi was not able to be at RUF. Now that Carter is older and life has settled down a bit, Christi is excited to be able to do more with the ministry this Fall. Christi is excited to be able to be back at RUF on Tuesday nights!

We are excited for a great Fall 2011 Quarter!!

We had a blast traveling through Italy! We are so thankful that we had the chance to see such a beautiful country...we visited Rome, Florence, and some small towns in the "Cinque Terre." Carter is such a good little traveler!
Carter's first birthday party was at Grandma & Grandpa Stockhaus's in San Jose! It was a lot of fun...Carter had just gotten up from nap time in this picture
These posters are now up all over campus! We are excited for our first Tuesday night and praying that new students will come.
Some of our awesome student leaders were able to come on our retreat to Lake Nasciemento in Central CA. Jaimeson's dad was generous to drive down with the ski boat and meet us, we had a great time!!

Exarcheia

2011-07-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

We are excited about a new church plant in the Exarcheia neighborhood of Athens. Over the past month, our family has had a great time getting to know the planters of this church and spending time in this neighborhood. We can't wait to see this church begin, it's clear to us that God is moving and working in exciting ways here.

If you've watched the news concerning protests and demonstrations in Syntagma Square, you already know a little about the ethos of this area. Exarcheia is very much of the heart of Athens. It is a fascinating area, diverse, eclectic, and vibrant. It is filled with activists. One person joked that it is the safest place to be in Athens when there are protests, because everyone from Exarcheia leaves to go to Syntagma Square and protest.

We first visited Exarcheia the day after Austerity measures were passed, the day after a 48 hour strike and protest left our team stranded at the school in Pikermi. Our family met with Giotis, pastor of of the 1st Greek Evangelical Church where we have worshiped each Sunday, and Tim, one of the 2 Pastors who will be planting this church. Tim and his wife Cynthia have just moved back to Athens after being in England and the U.S. where Tim was in seminary. We spent time over a great lunch learning about the area, the vision for the church, and exciting stories of how God is working to get this church started.

As we walked to Exarcheia for our meeting, we noticed the aftermath of the protest... broken glass and marble filled the streets, protest signs everywhere, burned kiosks, yet life was normal in all other aspects. As we reached the neighborhood, we were amazed be the amounts of Graffitti. It's almost an art there. Every inch of every building seemed to be covered in spray paint. A sign in the square read in Greek, "We don't owe, we don't sow, we don't pay.", conveying the attitude toward the current financial situation of the country.

A few interesting facts about this neighborhood:

- It was the center of where the dictatorship was overthrown.

- Police do not come to this neighborhood. A few years ago, a fifteen year old boy was shot by a police officer, and since then, police have been driven out. Residents "police" the neighborhood themselves. It is the home of many drug addicts (our team witnessed countless people shooting heroin), yet residents drive out drug dealers with megaphones. It is a very interesting dynamic.

-There are a lot of neighborhood activist who work to help the needy, the addicts, and the rejected. While 'non-Greeks' are often looked down upon and not welcomed in other neighborhoods, this neighborhood has been very accepting of minorities in Greece.

-Today, it remains the center of political thought and activism, is close to 'Panapisteimou' (University).

-It is home to some of our personal favorite restaurants in Athens :-) We really enjoyed spending time here.

Our family spent time at the church office in the area. It's right above Medusa's Tattoo parlor, close to the square. The planters have such a heart for incarnational ministry, and have both moved into the neighborhood. We had a wonderful time on a double date with Tim and Cynthia. Cynthia went to the university in this area and knows it well. They are going to be a great team. We also enjoyed a great lunch with Alex, the other planter, and his fiance, Illiana. Alex is living in the same building as the church office, and Illiana is excited about the church and being a part of the start up. Both of these couples are amazing, we are thankful for new friends.

Our team of interns had a great chance to meet with the planting team, walk around the neighborhood, and pray for this new church. God is clearly at work, moving all the right pieces, and preparing the way. We were encouraged by one story imparticular, of a man who started attending the 1st church and meeting with the pastor there because he was looking for a place of peace. He is an atheist, and continues to not believe, yet he has become an incredible supporter of the church. He is a founder of a political movement, very connected, well known, and respected in the neighborhood. While he does not believe in God, he is encouraged by the church and wants it to be a part of his neighborhood and has helped connect the pastors with people. It's exciting and encouraging to watch God use unexpected means to further his kingdom.

We've witnessed a lot of unrest, strikes, frustration, and hopelessness this summer in Athens. Yet, God is moving to redeem his people here, he is active, at work, bringing shalom amidst the chaos. We are excited to know the men and women who are serving here, who love their neighbors, who love their city. We are thankful for these brothers and sisters across the globe and look forward to praying for them and with them for Athens.

Our team was able to serve this plant by going into the neighborhood park on top of the hill and picking up trash. It's a beautiful spot above the city, but covered in graffiti and drug use. They picked up hundreds of syringes, and a lot of trash.

God Condescends with Food

2011-07-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

What do we share in common with the Muslim concept of God? God is the eternal transcendent Being. He is the unchanging sovereign. I nodded my head to Soliman in agreement on Wednesday night at a homeless shelter in the middle of Athens. God is One, God is Great. Yes He is.

Our team this week served at a homeless shelter in the middle of Athens Wednesday night. It is a ministry done in the old fashion style of gathering men and women from the streets, preaching at them, and then feeding them with a warm meal. Whether we agree with this approach to the oppressed we had the opportunity to serve Jesus with other Christians filled with compassion for those hit hardest. Our team was able put bread before those who had not eaten in days. We were able to share our story with them concerning a loving God, and sing to them Amazing Grace. Even more, we were able to sit with them and hear their story.

This is where Soliman comes back into our story. I sat down next to a man and asked him if he spoke English. He said yes in a rapid style. He also spoke Greek and Arabic. He was from Iraq and Iran. He is a builder of homes. He told me he came to Athens 12 years ago to build for the Greeks. I asked him what went wrong? He replied, "I finished the job, and no one needed me again." This is the cruelty of the Greek recession. This is the cruelty of sin. We talked more. He told me how much he wanted to come to America. I pointed to Christi and son Carter and said we loved his new country. I asked if I could share a piece of bread with him and he and I talked and ate bread. In that moment, we shared our common value as image bearers of God. We were two men separated by drastically different cultures, languages, and wealth, but united by need, united by bread. I inquired of God. He repeated over and over, God is Great, and One. Soliman clearly was Muslim. We finished our bread and I gave him a hug. God is love ... I told him and I love Jesus as God. I was soon called to another task. Our conversation ended there.

Where does the Muslim concept of God and the Christian part ways? Our Great God also condescends to us. He is great. He did not need to Create, but He did. He did not need to endure this race, this broken and hungry world, but He has. In fact, He became hungry, poor, and lonely. He ate bread as an equal, even though He was not our equal. For He had designed our inward most being and plotted the very course of our lives! He is the eternal God who condescends to us in pain and searing loss. He not only gives us His bread, but eats with us.

Pray for Soliman. That he might know that Jesus is Great and from that Greatness bled and died to fill him and make him great. Soli deo gloria!

Ordinary Things

2011-07-08T04:34:00.000-07:00

I think many of us want to do big things. Many times people head out for missions trips tired of the mundane, looking for something miraculous, immediately life changing, wanting to do something truly extraordinary. I have to admit I often want to see immediate fruit, have exciting stories to share. The last few weeks of our trip have been quiet. We had several days where we couldn't even get into the city due to strikes and protests. We have lots of free time.

We have really enjoyed getting to know the Pastors here in Greece. Giotis, pastor of the 1st Evangelical Church here, spent time with our team earlier this week. He reminded us of something that I've heard before, but that is really sinking in here in Athens. He said that God uses "Ordinary People doing Ordinary Things with Gospel Intentionality."

Jaimeson & I talk about this in RUF with our students. Why is it so easy for so many Christians to be part of a big, exciting, program, but we struggle to just serve others in basic, simple, mundane ways?

Our team has spent much of the last several weeks continuing to serve the community center through tournaments. The kids love soccer, and the community center hosts soccer tournaments each summer. Our team spent time creating events and activities for kids to do in the square while the tournaments were being played.

Each day, we hopped on the bus, then the metro, and after a 1.5 hour commute, grabbed a Gyro or Gelatto, and walked to the community center. We cheered for the soccer players, painted, colored, had water balloon fights, made jewelry, and had a photo booth. The kids loved it! Courtney, an American missionary who helps run the center, said it was amazing to see girls getting so excited and learning about the community center. Right now, most kids who come to the center are boys, so we are praying that these tournament activities will help more girls and families in the neighborhood get involved.

The photo booth was a lot of fun. They loved the costumes... I took A LOT of photos that day. It was fun to see the kids get so excited. We printed pictures out for them to take home with them.

When I was done taking all the pictures, our family had fun in the photobooth, too.

Our team picked out a lot of fun costumes for the photo booth...

Courtney with 2 of the girls.

The community center is such an important ministry to this neighborhood. One of the pastors here in Greece grew up in this neighborhood, he says its very difficult. While universities in Greece are free, passing the exams for entrance requires a lot of money and a lot of tutoring. Kids from neighborhoods like this rarely have a chance. This center offers free tutoring, education, provides mentors, and a place to have fun. The volunteers help meet kids needs and give their time because they know the love and grace of God, and desire to serve and love this neighborhood.

Our team did very basic things with these children. It didn't take a lot of money, time, or planning, just "ordinary people, doing ordinary things, with gospel intentionality." We don't see immediate results. We don't have big stories to tell. But, in faith, we know that God is in the process of doing something much bigger than we can see, extending His Kingdom and redeeming His people.

What could ever be more exciting and extraordinary?

Temple of Poseidon

2011-07-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Our team had the day off, so we headed to the beach and Cape Sounion, at the tip of Attica. We watched the sunset at the Temple of Poseidon where Greek mythology says King Agean jumped into the sea, naming the Agean Sea. It's fun to see ancient sights from Greek mythology, and we especially enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

Festivals

2011-06-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

Our team has spent the last week working with a community center in downtown Athens to host Festivals for neighborhood children. It is encouraging and exciting to learn more about the wonderful ways God has worked through this center.

The community center was the vision of a man who grew up in this particular neighborhood and had a heart to love these people has God has loved him. This Greek neighborhood is a low income area, home to mostly Albanian immigrants and refugees. We have learned that Albanians have not been welcomed in Greece and are often looked down upon and discriminated against. Though many believed it could never happen, the center opened its doors and has been impacting children and families in beautiful ways. The center provides a safe, positive environment for children to play and learn. Volunteers mentor, tutor, and care for kids. Each year, the center host Festivals and Tournaments (soccer) for the entire community.

We can not communicate well as most of the children only speak Albanian & Greek, but we've really enjoyed spending time with them. They love the attention and the activities.

We played lots of games. Tug of war was a big hit, the girls team actually won!

I bet they think Americans are crazy and smile funny after this week!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Jaimeson's first Father's Day...in Athens!

We celebrated Father's day with a great Greek dinner on a rooftop cafe overlooking the Acropolis.

Earlier that day, we enjoyed exploring more of Athens.

Carter had a lot of fun playing with his Daddy...

And fell asleep in his arms as we escaped the heat at a cafe.

The God of Corinth

2011-06-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we had a chance to visit Corinth, Greece. We visited the location of Athena and Apollo. Yet the living God, has left us a living testimony to his Lordship of Corinth - his Church!

In the seventh century B.C. Corinth stood as a backwater town between Athens and Sparta. Yet as these two cities warred Corinth steadily grew as a politico-economic rival. By the time of classical Greece (5th and 4th century B.C.) it began to flex its muscles as a major Greek polis. Its growth was largely due to its geographic location. It was primarily a port city that bridged the Ionian sea and the Agean sea. Normally, ships carrying their cargo would need to take the several day or week long travel around the Peloponnesian peninsula. However, Corinth offered a unique service to the sailors who docked in their city - an ancient "land ferry." At the most narrow place of the isthmus the Corinthian docking companies would actually roll the cargo ships over land using slaves and animals over a period of a week. This service saved the sailors countless days and they could avoid the temper of sailing the fierce winds of the Mediterranean sea.

Corinth grew to be a cosmopolitan city rivaling even Athens for economic might and sensual exploration. This is how Corinth got its licentious reputation. Indeed, one of the Greek verbs for fornicate was korinthiazomai, a word derived from the city's name. Apparently this estimation was based on Strabo's report of 1,000 sacred prostitutes in the temple of Aphrodite on the Acrocorinth, an 1886-foot hill that rises above the city to the south (see below). It was here that Paul came to reside a few times in his journeys to build and encourage the Macedonian and Greek churches. Here Paul would have argued and preached in the "agora" or market place. As you can see below. Our team was able to walk through what would have been this ancient agora rebuilt by the Romans. By the time Paul came to this city it was 5 times the size of Athens! You could imagine the strategic significance this city church was to the mission of Greece, the Mediterranean, and even great Europe.

Above you can see Carter enjoying his first swim in the ocean. It would have been the same Ioninan port Paul would have left Corinth from to depart to his home church in Antioch (Asia Minor). Cenchreae was the port where Paul got a hair cut before leaving this mission trip. Christi, Carter, and our team were able to enjoy this incredible place and filled with awe that this is where Jesus used the great apostle to reach the gentile world of Europe through Corinth.

Above is the ancient Temple of Apollo - the son of Zeus who wielded the power of health and healing or plague and death. Unlike the God of Paul, of whom there is no darkness, no evil, and is not the author of sickness or death. This certainly would have been good news to many Corinthians who tired of the vice and cruel demands placed upon them by their gods and religious bartering system. Jesus was Lord and He gives grace!
Here is our team kneeling down before the location most scholars think Paul was tried before the pro-consul in Corinth. Luke's account of Paul's stay in Corinth is found in Acts 18:1-18. According to the story, after some initial success in the synagogue, but with considerable conflict, he decides to concentrate on the non-Jews, apparently with significant success. He settles in and stays for 18 months, working as a tentmaker and living with fellow tentmakers, Aquila and his wife Pricilla (Prisca in his letters), two of the Jews expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius in a general expulsion. His success may have led to his being dragged before Gallio, the Roman proconsul, by the local Jews for heresy. Gallio dismisses the charge as a purely intra-Jewish affair. Soon afterwards Paul leaves, accompanied by Aquila and Pricilla, bound for Antioch, but on the way they stop over in Ephesus.

As we traveled down from Corinth we could see the beautiful shades of turquoise that made up the Ionian sea. What jewel of a city this must have been! I recalled standing in the shade of the ancient temple of Apollo; it is in ruins. Yet the church of Corinth still worships Jesus as Lord.

Jaimeson (Mission Greece)

Praying for a Safe House

2011-06-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today our team ventured into the Red Light District of Athens. We are still processing what we witnessed and learned. I can easily say that we were all changed by this brief encounter, feel more aware, and very motivated to intercede.

We spent the day with Dina, who has been ministering to women in the Red Light District with "Nea Zoi" (New Life) Ministries. She has spent the last 8 years going into these brothels, getting to know the women, learning their stories, and praying for them. She has faithfully visited these women, building trusting, respectful relationships, loving them and caring for them not as prostitutes, but as children of God. We began our day with her at a coffee shop downtown where she told us more about the history of the ministry, and shared stories of hope, struggle, and joy.

Prostitution is legal in Athens. Some of the women are willingly in the brothels and are free to go. However, most women are victims of human trafficking, brought to Athens with promises of a waitressing job or an education, and then abused and forced into the brothels. We learned of a woman from Nigeria who was sold by her cousin.

Walking with our team into the Red Light district of Athens.

We left the safety of the coffee shop and began walking to the red light district. As we approached the first brothel, and learned how to identify a building as a brothel, I was amazed at just how many surrounded us. We visited 4 brothels. At each, Dina would take 1 or 2 girls with her while the rest of us stayed outside, prayed, and watched. The goal of her visits is simply to build relationships, trust, share the love of God and hope of the gospel, and hopefully help these women get out of the brothels. We were all amazed by the ministry she has with these women.

We learned how difficult it is to get these women out. Dina is praying now for a safe house, a place where women who leave can go to be safe from harm and also learn skills they need to survive and work outside. Many were brought into the brothels at a very young age and have little education, which makes if difficult to find work when they leave. They do not speak Greek or English, may not be able to read, cook, or have any skills they can use. We are praying with her for a Safe House.

I hate to say it, but its been a long time since I've felt such a deep need to pray. I pray because I want to, because I can, or because someone has asked, but I will sadly admit that I often (and wrongfully) think that I can do something more effective than praying. As I stood on a street with one brothel after another, watched countless men walk in and out of doors, and heard screams of girls behind barred windows, I was acutely aware that I HAD to pray. I could do nothing else. Human trafficking is such a complex issue. There is no quick fix, no easy solution. I am ready to go back, to do what I can, but I know that prayer is the only way to start, and I don't imagine there is much we can do with out it.

Pray with us for a safe house. Pray for a place of refuge for women in a very dark place. Pray for the gospel to be shown in this place, for the broken to be redeemed, for new life. Please pray with us.

http://neazoi.org/

The Omnipotent Lamb

2011-06-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

Who is in charge of this world?

Sunday marked the 5th full day we have been in Athens, Greece. We worship at the First Evangelical Church in Athens, right under the shadows of the Acropolis. The Acropolis means "edge of city" or height of city. And it is. It is an amazing cite in the center of Athens. The ancient engineers of the 5th century BC (430 years before Jesus) knew what they were doing in order to bring glory to the goddess Athena, the god of culture and the symbol of Athens. It is magnificent and glorious.

The Greek people, however, are in turmoil and under the shroud of uncertainty. Their glory is bound up in their past. Protests, strikes, and unemployment (16%) mar the reality of Greece's future glory. The pastor spoke from Psalm 82. It was a reminder to the Grecian Christian community to not look to politics or the gods of promises for their glory but to God and His Son.

The first image we see in Psalm 82 is God. He is the one who assumes the global throne and He alone sits in session with his divine council, God in three, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We might also presume He takes council with His elders as pictured in Revelation 4. In the midst of the gods, politics, kings, promises, and powers of the world, God rules! The gods of human power rule from darkness. They rule for their own glory, which result in inequity and power games. The poor are downtrodden and used as political human shields for their own advancements. Where is justice? God will have it in judgment. He rules and there will be equity.

Revelation 4 and 5 come to mind. Exploding out from the midst of this scene is the Lamb. Jesus alone is worthy to crack open the seals of the scroll of human history. And in His right hand He wields the globe. He rules by power and reconciliation. Justice will be established, now or later. Now by His blood alone can we be friends of God. Yet, that same gentle ruler, Jesus, the wounded King will return to establish beauty, glory, and shalom to our world of riots, wars, and unemployment.

As His body, united together for this hope, we gathered on Mars Hill after the service to bring beauty to the world through a cleaning project at the site of the ancient Aeropagus. It was here that Paul stood up and preached of the eternal God who is "a sei" the God of Himself - "I am who I am." He is a knowable God, revealed now through His Son Jesus who rose from the dead. We stood under the shadows of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and Nike - the god of victory. We live in a Nike world, a world of human pride and resistance to God's reign of mercy and goodness.

Yet as we stood there it started to rain, heavy. Thunder clapped. As I gazed up at the Temple Nike nearly 100 feet over us, this ancient symbol of the gods dedicated to human achievement, a lightning bolt tore threw the clouds and plunged down striking the ruins of Nike. Shards of that ancient limestone came tumbling down. And we were at once all reminded in that moment who was in charge of this earth. The Lamb of God.

Keep our team in your prayers. Today (Monday) we go back into that city to visit the Red Light District.
Jaimeson

LOVE our team!!

2011-06-11T00:59:00.001-07:00

We have an AMAZING team of students here in Greece! They arrived Thursday afternoon and we had such a great time getting to know them. Emily will arrive Monday night, and our team will finally be complete! (The picture below was from their time in Pireas, the port of Athens, before we arrived)

This group of interns have come from various schools across the country. Camile & Tyler both go to Auburn University, Trevin is a recent LSU graduate, Elise has one year left at Winthrop in South Carolina, Rachel is at Cal State Sacramento, Joanna just finished her freshman year at Dallas Baptist University, and Kelsey is from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. They all have amazing attitudes and are excited to be here to serve in whatever way we are asked. Jaimeson & I are so excited to get to know them over the next 2 months.

(Camille, Joanna, Tyler, Trevin, Rachel, Elise, Kelsey)

Yesterday, we spent the day in Pikermi at the school getting to know this team better. Then we got dressed and headed into Athens for the first time to go to a Greek Wedding! It took about an hour to get to Athens, as we take a bus from Pikermi to the metro, and then take the metro into the city. It was actually a lot easier than I was expecting. (Plus, our students are so sweet and always hopped quickly onto the busses and trains to be sure I had a seat to sit in with Carter!)

As we exited the metro, we were able to look up at the Acropolis, simply stunning. It is incredible to be in such a modern city in the midst of ancient ruins. We did not do any site seeing, but on the way to the wedding saw both the acropolis and the Temple of Zeus. (We will add lots of pictures soon!)

The wedding was beautiful, we had earphones with translation so we could understand. I think I was expecting it to be like 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding,' but it was very similar to ceremonies in the U.S. (we could not stay, but I'm told the reception was still going at 3 a.m.!) We were back in Pikermi at about 11 pm. Carter was, again, such a trooper. He's been on planes, trains, busses, and all over the world the past few days but always has such a sweet smile and disposition.

Jaimeson & the students are at a camp (Palamos) today cleaning to prepare for July when we will be working with children at the camp. Apparently, it is incredibly dusty, dirty, and covered in inches of pollen, so they told me not to bring the baby. Carter is taking a much needed nap, and I am trying to keep you all updated. I'm reading 1 Corinthians, looking forward to heading to Corinth later this week. Tomorrow, we head to Athens to worship at the church, and then will head to Mars Hill to pick up litter. Monday morning, we head to the Red Light District to learn more about the ministries to the brothels.

In Greece!

2011-06-09T03:10:00.000-07:00

We made it safely to Greece!

We arrived Wednesday morning after a long, but good day of travel. We were so thankful to have no delays and a baby who did very well on all 3 flights, including the 10 hour one! Carter was such a trooper, he didn't sleep as much as we hoped (so WE didn't sleep much :-), but it was a very smooth day of travel. Thank you for those of you who prayed for that!

We were greeted at the airport by Dominic & Yoanna, who both work at the Greek Bible College where we will be living for the summer. We drove through beautiful Athens to Pikermi, the town where we are staying. Pikermi is a suburb of Athens, we still have a lot to explore, but it seems like a great location, close enough to the heart of the city that we can get there easily by the metro, but far enough away that we can avoid the protests and craziness of Athens when needed.

We got settled, rested, and met some more of the staff here at the Bible School. Everyone has been so kind and gracious, we are thankful to be surrounded by such sweet people and look forward to getting to know them all.

Last night, we walked down the street to "Cafe, Tea, & Sympathy," a lovely spot that serves as a coffee shop/ restaurant/ pub. The owner, Savros, loved Carter. We had heard that Greeks love babies and he was no exception. His 4 year old was there with him, it was a fun trip. We were sad to learn that this shop which has been around for a long time may close because of the economy.

Our team of students arrives today from Volos, the coastal town where they have been working the last week. We are excited for them to arrive!!

We are also excited that Emily, one of our RUF students at UCSB, will be joining us soon. She has now raised her full budget and will be here as soon as her last final is over.

Witnessing a new creation

2011-06-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Christi, Carter, and I just returned from a incredible time in Newport Beach. I had the honor of marrying Will Phelps to Amanda Peck. What a joy to witness another new creation as they now go off to spend a life together in Christ. Will the son of Bill and Andrea Phelps are caretakers and owners of the Phelps Wines located in Napa Valley along the Silverodo Trail. Amanda Phelps the daughter of Tom and Kathryn Peck are native to Southern California and are renown for their generosity and love.

The theme of the wedding was sacrificial love. It is a love that sees and endures pain while simultaneously moving to that person to renew them. It was the love displayed by our Lord Jesus. It was an appropriate theme as we all witnessed something beyond sight. We witnessed the creation and formation of a new life. Will Phelps will never be the same, nor Amanda Peck. As Christi and I drove home we had the glorious opportunity to drive along the 101 coast of California on our way home to Santa Barbara. As the mountains in front of our eyes touched the ocean, we swelled with thankfulness to tread this ancient design. Even more incredible a day earlier to witness an entirely new creation that did not already exist ... but now does, a husband and wife becoming one flesh. Soli Deo Gloria! To God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Sprit be the glory ....

Here's an engagement picture of the happy couple. Can't wait to see pictures from their beautiful wedding!

http://www.oncewed.com/43450/wedding-blog/real-weddings/summertime-engagement-portraits/

Hitting The Road Together

2011-06-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

Unreal. Five years as the RUF campus minister at UCSB have drawn to an end. And what a great way to end the year! We took nearly 30 Gauchos on a road trip to Encinitas, in order to wind down the year and enjoy the gift of fellowship. The trip was wildly successful. New memories are created, new friends are formed, and new trust is forged. Part of what makes this trip so important is to unite the freshmen to the larger ministry and the servant team here within RUF at UCSB.

The spring quarter is the time of the year we begin to really equip the first year students with the gospel. Despite our flaws we are being remade, by the grace of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Out of this renewed life we are using this time as a college student to discover how God has uniquely created us and where our King will call us to serve His Church and Kingdom. This year we have 6 more servant leaders who will continue to expand this ministry into next year by joining our servant leadership team.

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers.

Gearing Up for Greece!

2011-04-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

We are excited to be heading to Athens, Greece for the summer! We will be serving with Mission to the World (MTW) through their Thrive program, and will be mentoring a team of MTW interns who are serving in Athens. We recently went to the MTW headquarters in Atlanta, GA for training, and we are both humbled to be a part of this great program and excited to get to work with this great team of students!

Our main role in Athens is to mentor these MTW Interns. We will be serving alongside them through various ministries and joining with local churches to love and serve this city. We will learn a lot more about our role when we arrive in Athens. We have been told that we will be working with children's and youth ministries, serving refugees that come to Greece from Eastern Europe & North Africa, and working with ministries to Brothels (Prostitution is legal in Athens, and sadly Human Trafficking is very prevalent.)

Please pray with us as we prepare to serve in Greece this summer!

1. Pray for the team of students as they continue to raise financial support for the summer while finishing their school year.

2. Pray for Jaimeson as he finishes a very busy Spring Quarter with RUF at UCSB...we still have a lot to do before we leave early June!

3. Pray for the Stockhaus family as we prepare to head overseas with little Carter... it takes a lot of planning to pack for a 2 month overseas trip with an infant, but we are excited for the adventure.

We are excited to give you updates from Greece this summer!!

My how time flies...

2011-04-26T23:28:00.000-07:00

Carter turned 8 months old today. It is so hard to believe...the last 8 months have flown by so quickly. He's a little baby, but he is already such a big boy. He's been pretty mobile since 6 months. He started the army crawl at 6 months and had the full crawl mastered at 7. Now he pulls himself up on everything he can. He LOVES to jump. He has 4 teeth ( Started teething at 3 months), and had chicken, avacodo, apples, and prunes for dinner. He has the most amazing laugh, and the sweetest countenance we've ever seen. He is a complete joy.

We have had SO much fun being his mommy & daddy! We've been so preoccupied having fun with him and learning new things about parenthood while doing the ministry of RUF that a blog has definitely not been a priority...but we're going to try to keep up better. We're not the most tech/blog savvy family, but with family and friends scattered across the country and the globe, we know its a wonderful gift to be able to share pictures, updates, and encouragement from so far away. So, we'll try to keep you updated :-)

Life with a Newborn...

2010-09-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Life is certainly different with a newborn. EVERYTHING is new. We are thankful to have had family in town for the first 3 weeks, and for our wonderful church family who brought food to us after they left! I don't know that we would have eaten anything if not for them!

Jaimeson has also been preparing for RUF, which has now started full swing. Christi & Carter made it to our Leadership Camping retreat for a few hours, and also came to our first couple events. We've been having a lot of fun with him, despite our exhaustion!

Carter Daniel Stockhaus

2010-08-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Carter Daniel Stockhaus was born at 7:56 pm on August 26, 2010. What a joyful and unforgettable day!! Our baby boy's due date was August 25th. That morning, I went to the Dr. for a non-stress test, and we learned that he was doing just fine but didn't seem to be in a hurry to come. Because of low amniotic fluids, the Dr. said she wouldn't want to wait too much longer, so if he didn't come by that weekend, we would schedule an induction on Monday.

So, Jaimeson decided to take the day off so we could just enjoy the day together, relax, and hope that our baby would come. We had a great day walking up and down State Street. We ate lunch at Live Culture, one of our favorite downtown lunch spots, and then saw a movie (one of our last in theatres for quite a while!). We finished the night with friends...Christi had dinner with some girl friends in the Riviera while Jaimeson headed out with some guys.) It was a great night. At about 4 am, Christi woke up (not unusual at this point!) wondering if something might be a little different. The Dr. kept telling me that I would KNOW when I was in Labor...nope. I genuinely had no idea. I knew I felt different, but figured it was a false alarm. By 8 am, I still wasn't sure, but felt like I should at least head to the hospital to find out.

We headed to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara at about 8 am that morning....here's the last pic we took of my belly at home right before we left...

It was a long day of labor, but we had fun with it. I had a great play list on my I Pod with the Rocky Theme song and Bon Jovi...dancing around and singing kept my mind off the pain. The nurses even danced with me and for me when I had to stay in bed. Just before 8 pm, our precious baby boy was finally here!!

39 Weeks & Summer RUF

2010-08-18T17:40:00.001-07:00

We're officially 1 week away from his due date! Not sure when our little man is going to show up, but we're enjoying August while we wait.

Summer RUF has been amazing! Jaimeson is leading a study on the Book of Jonah, and it has been encouraging. Last night, we packed 20 people into a small living room in Isla Vista, worshiped together, studied Jonah 3, and prayed with and for one another. We are truly amazed at the community that has developed with RUF at UCSB, and are constantly thankful of the ways the students are growing in grace.

Getting closer...

2010-08-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Annemarie is a wonderful photographer... she was very sweet to take some pictures as we wait for Baby Stockhaus. I feel SO HUGE right now, so I didn't think I'd be excited about having pictures, but I am so glad she took them! These were taken just a week and a half before the due date!

38 Weeks

2010-08-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

The nursery is all ready for Baby Stockhaus! We've had a lot of fun getting ready for him! Here are a few fun pictures of some of our do it yourself projects we've been working on. We found an old dresser/ changing table on craigslist and re-painted it...looks brand new! We got the glider/ ottoman used as well... Christi learned how to sew to re-upholster the cushions, it turned out great (and it's REALLY comfy!). She made the mobiles and the artwork, too. Now we're just waiting for our baby boy!

37 Weeks!

2010-08-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Baby Stockhaus is now 37 weeks! He's full term, and while is official due date is still 3 weeks away, the Dr. says to be ready for him any time. We've got the car seat in the car, the hospital bag (mostly :-) packed, and the nursery ready...we can't wait to meet our little man!

Summer!

2010-07-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here (UCSB doesn't finish Spring quarter until mid June!), and we recently headed to the Bay Area for some time with family. We loved spending time with our family, and also got to celebrate our 2 year Anniversary!! We spent a little time in San Francisco to celebrate, and had a great time seeing Wicked. With just under 2 months before our little man is expected, it was a little harder to walk up and down the hills of the city, but we had a great time! Christi & the baby at 8 months

RUF Road Trip 2

2010-06-01T23:06:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd annual RUF Road Trip was a blast. We headed to San Diego again, and had an incredible time!

Our Nephew is here!

2010-05-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled to be able to head to the Bay Area to visit our new nephew, Lukas! Jaimeson's sister, Sandy, just had a baby boy. Here he is, ready to go home from the hospital.

We're also excited for another new nephew as Jaimeson's other sister, Candice, is due in September (yes, that's 3 baby boys in 5 months for the Stockhaus family...5 boy cousins total, we have our own basketball team!)

Fun with Family!

2010-04-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

We were SO excited to recently have Christi's parents visit from Virginia! We miss our family on the East Coast, and it was wonderful to have them visit. We had a lot of fun in the Wine Country, walking around our neighborhood, and having them visit RUF! Christi's now 5 months pregnant and finally started 'showing' just in time for her mom to see. (You still can't really tell in pics, but we'll be sure to post more pictures soon). We can't wait for another visit soon (and look forward to any other visitors, too!)
After the headed home to VA, we headed to Pump It Up with a group of about 25 students for a fun night (Pump It Up is a giant, inflatable play ground...bouncy rooms, jousting, and a great time!

It's a....

2010-04-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

BOY!!

What an incredible day seeing our baby boy moving around. The ultra sound was so much fun, its amazing to see this little guy kicking, swallowing, and rubbing his little face. The ultrasounds have incredible pictures! And, we're excited to know that we're expecting a little boy. It will be nice to say "he" instead of "it" from now on :-)

Baby Stockhaus!

2010-02-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

We're excited to announce a new addition to our family. Baby Stockhaus is due August 25th!! We are so thrilled and overjoyed to share this great news. The picture is from our 8 week ultrasound. It was amazing to see the little heart beating so fast! Christi is feeling pretty well so far. We look forward to keeping you updated as the pregnancy progresses.

Girl's Small Group

2010-02-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken at a recent Girl's Small Group. Our upperclass girls Bible Study meets on Monday nights. This quarter we're going through the book of Romans. This study was held on the back porch of one of the girls houses, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The fire pit kept us warm a cool Central CA night.

Nerd Bowling

2010-01-22T11:09:00.000-08:00

While I (Christi) was at the RUF Wives Retreat in Atlanta, UCSB RUF went Nerd Bowling. I was sad to miss out on the opportunity to wear such a great costume, but was very impressed with the costumes I saw. My husband apparently won the award for the best dressed nerd, and from what I hear was pretty good at acting the part as well. I came home from Atlanta to find an entire Facebook Fan Page now dedicated to nerd Jaimeson.

RUF Core Group

2010-01-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

We have an incredible group of student leaders that serve RUF! Here's a picture from our last Core group dinner at our house.

Winter Quarter at UCSB!

2010-01-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

The Winter Quarter has begun at UCSB, and we're excited to begin RUF again. This year, Jaimeson will be speaking each week on "The Cosmic History of God: Genesis to Revelation." We will traverse through the scripture in large epochs from Genesis to Revelation. By zooming out we will see how God has reclaimed Creation and locate our lives in that unfolding history.

We've moved!

2009-11-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

We are excited and thankful to have found a new house to rent that is closer to campus (and saves us money!) We will miss our downtown bungalow, but with the high cost of living in Santa Barbara, we are more thankful to have a more affordable rent! This duplex is biking distance to campus, and even has a great yard for Cally!

It was hectic and busy moving in the middle of the Quarter, right before Thanksgiving, but hopefully by Christmas we'll be settled in.

Our 2nd Annual California RUF Retreat!

2009-10-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our 2009 CA Fall Retreat was a great success! We spent the weekend in the beautiful redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Mount Hermon retreat center. Our speaker's theme was "The Pursuit of Happiness." It was an incredible weekend for our students to hear the Word of God, spend time in small group discussions, worship with one another, and enjoy time to rest and reflect.

Tuesday Night Large Group

2009-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Last night was our first official Tuesday night Large Group...what a great night! We were encouraged to see so many new faces and continue to get to know new students. We had a great turn out!

Jaimeson's theme for this Quarter is "The Curious Case of Jesus," a play on the movie, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." He is going backwards through the life of Jesus, beginning with his resurrection and ascension and ending with his birth (just before Christmas!). Last night, Jaimeson preached that Jesus IS Lord through the last Chapter in the Book of Luke.

We continue to feel encouraged and excited!! Thank you for your prayers!

Small Groups began tonight!

2009-09-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

We just got home from campus and Isla Vista where 2 of our Fall small groups began. Two of our student leaders began a freshmen guys Bible study in one of the campus Residence Halls.

The upper-class Women's Bible study, led by Christi, also began tonight. In addition to the girls who were part of last years women's Bible study, we had several new girls as well, two new sophomores and a graduate student from Beijing, China.

We are thankful for another encouraging and exciting night! New freshmen girl's Bible studies will begin later this week. We are excited for our first RUF Large group tomorrow night! (at this point late at night, I suppose its technically tonight!)

Barbeque

2009-09-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great Sunday afternoon Barbeque at our house today! About 30 students filled our small backyard and enjoyed some great food. Many of our student leaders were able to connect new freshmen to local churches, and provide rides to church and to our house.

It was a great day to continue to meet new students! We also had a great first Core group (Leadership) meeting. Our student leaders are amazing, and we continue to be encouraged and excited for the coming year!

Please pray for us this week as we begin to get into the rhythm of the school year. Monday night, our upper-class girls Bible study (led by Christi) will meet, and so will our new Freshmen guys Bible study (led by 2 of our student leaders!). Tuesday night at 8 pm we will have our first Tuesday night RUF meeting!

Beach Day!

2009-09-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at Goleta Beach day, and enjoyed meeting a lot of new students! Christi has been working at a local Adventure Company, and we were thankful to be able to use some kayaks for our event. Today was just a fun time for students to come relax and have fun, and was a great opportunity to invite students who have never been to RUF. We continue to be excited for this new ministry at UCSB, and are thankful to be a part of it. Here are a few pictures from our day!

Our first RUF event of Fall 2009!

2009-09-23T11:19:00.001-07:00

Last night, RUF welcomed about 50 students with pizza and worship music on the beach. It was a great time to welcome new freshmen as well as some older students who are new to RUF. We had a great night, and are excited for our weekend events!

Our student leaders have been hard at work welcoming new freshmen. We have tables set up outside of the UCSB bookstore, and have been inviting students to our Beach Day this Saturday and Bible studies this Fall. Its a busy week for us, but we will have more updates soon. Please pray for the new UCSB students as they begin classes tomorrow!

Finally Fall

2009-09-20T23:45:00.001-07:00

The UCSB Fall Quarter is about to begin. While most campuses across the country have been in session for the last month, UCSB's quarter system has a Fall start in late September. Freshmen convocation is tomorrow, and classes will begin on September 24th!

We are excited to see what God will do on this campus this year. We just returned from our first leadership retreat, a great start to the 2009-2010 school year! New student leaders spent a weekend at Lake Nasciemento. A HUGE thank you to Jim Stockhaus for donating his time, his boat, and his amazing boat driving skills. We are so thankful for your support. We had a great time wake boarding, tubing, and enjoying time to prepare for the year! We have an incredible and excited group of student leaders this year, and we look forward to keeping you updated on some exciting events this next week!

A great end to the school year!

2009-07-16T22:49:00.001-07:00

Exams have finished and the 2008-2009 school year has officially ended. We are excited for the summer, looking forward to some rest, but sad to see students leave! This has been an incredible year with many challenges and joys. While planting a new ministry has been a long process, we are beginning to see the fruit sprouting. We know we have a solid foundation and wonderful student leaders, and we can't wait for the next year!

Our last RUF of the year was the perfect way to end the year. It was "dead week," the week before exams where students are stressed and busy. The first year here, only 1 student came to RUF that week! Only a handful came the following year. This year, we were excited to have about 30 students show up for our last RUF of the year!

We met at Campus Point, a popular beach spot near the residence halls, set up tiki torches, had pizza, and some great music. We recently were able to purchase a 'cajon,' a type of drum that has been a great addition to our music team!It was a great night! We are so thankful for this last year and excited about the next!

RUF Road Trip

2009-06-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

We took a group of student leaders, (mostly freshmen!) to Southern CA for our first annual RUF Road Trip and had an incredible time! We are so encouraged to see students growing in their love for the Lord and maturing in their faith, developing solid friendships, and taking ownership of the ministry. The trip was FUN!!!

We stayed in a great youth room at a church near San Diego. The weather was chilly, foggy, and rainy, so many of our plans had to change, but we had a great time despite the crazy weather! We spent time in the San Diego area, had a mid-day bonfire to stay warm at the beach

Saturday, we found some interesting outfits, dressed up, and headed to Chic-Fil-A, the fast food restaurant we miss terribly in Santa Barbara!

We had a crazy and competitive team scavenger hunt which included having a dance-off in Pet Smart...

On Sunday morning, we woke up early and headed to the Laguna Beach area for a Sunday morning worship and devotion time. It was a perfect end to the weekend. Some students led us in a time a worship through song, and Jaimeson spoke on what it means to be "adopted" sons and daughters of God. We had a great time of discussion and prayer, and enjoyed the beautiful cove and beach.

Beach Day!

2009-05-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

We continue to be thankful for the new students we are getting to meet! We had a great Beach Day with kayaking, hot dogs, and lots of students. UCSB is in a great location right on the Pacific ocean, and student's are always excited to spend time together. We have seen incredible growth this Spring. Christi's Bible study has grown to about 15 girls who are committed each week. Jaimeson has a busy and hectic schedule of Bible study and one-on-one's with students! As most school's celebrate graduation and RUF group's across the country head to the RUF Summer conference, our students will be in mid-terms. But, we are excited about the last few weeks of the 08-09 school year!

Spring Quarter

2009-05-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

Spring has been a fun Quarter for RUF! We continue to meet new and excited first year students, and many prayers have been answered. We recently had a great night with pizza and music to work on building our music team, and had a wonderful hike to Inspiration Point. After a more challenging Winter quarter, we are encouraged!

Fire # 3

2009-05-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

We've heard California referred to as the "Shake & Bake" state for all of the fires and earthquakes....while we rarely notice the shaking, we've certainly had a year of baking. The sky became very smokey on the 5th (when this picture was taken from our front yard), and while it appeared to be okay, by the next night the street just north of us was in a mandatory evacuation zone, we were on alert, and helicopters were taking off right above us to put the flames out... it eventually became the worst fire we'd seen yet.

Merry Christmas

2009-01-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

We had a busy, but great December. After heading to Dallas for RUF staff training, we went straight to Southern CA to meet with some friends, then went to Northern CA to take a cheaper flight to Virginia to spend time with Christi's family, and then back to the Bay Area for Christmas. It is encouraging to spend time with family, friends, and other RUF campus ministers!

The Winter Quarter is beginning at UCSB. Christi will be teaching a few fitness classes at UCSB, and we will continue to move forward in ministry. We continue to pray for new students, especially freshmen, that will be excited to build this ministry with us!

Fire!

2008-11-30T21:09:00.000-08:00

The Tea Fire has been the 2nd large fire we've had in our time in Santa Barbara. (The Gap Fire occurred during our wedding.) We were safe, but very close. We took this picture from our porch...not the best quality, but it gives you an idea of how close it was. It was a very sad and destructive fire, burning over 100 homes and several buildings at Westmont, which was where our wedding ceremony was. We bonded with our neighbors as we watched the flames from our front porch when the power went out.

We had a great time hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year! The home we rent in downtown Santa Barbara is small, but we were able to serve Thanksgiving dinner to 11! Jaimeson grilled the Turkey. We certainly have much to be thankful for.

Fall Quarter

2008-11-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

After a family trip to Hawaii, (Christi's first trip there) we were able to settle into our home a little better. We had some busy weeks getting ready for UCSB classes to start...they're on the quarter system and classes start at the end of September! We've met some new students and are excited about the next year.

Christi is working part time for an adventure company and spending most time with RUF. She's leading the girl's Bible study with about 5 girls right now. We are enjoying doing ministry together!

It was encouraging to have the first California RUF Fall retreat! UCSB, Berkely, and Stanford all joined together for a great weekend. West Coast RUF is very new, and we are not able to participate in conferences with the rest of RUF, so it was an exciting weekend for us. We know that we are at the start of an exciting new ministry in California.

2 Months!

2008-09-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

We've had an exciting first 2 months! We didn't spend much time in Santa Barbara, between the honeymoon, RUF staff training in Atlanta, and a trip to the East Coast to celebrate with Christi's family in Virginia...one more trip and we'll be in Santa Barbara for a while!

2008-07-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Our wedding was on July 6, 2008 in Santa Barbara, CA! We had an unforgettable day, and are so thankful for all of our family and friends who were there to celebrate with us! When we began planning, we knew that we wanted the wedding to be a celebration that would glorify God, bring our families together, and allow us to have quality time with the family and friends who have been so important in our lives.

We had an AMAZING day, and are so thankful to begin our lives together!