by Ryan White

In Pasadena thermometers are pushing 100˚ forcing us inside to the reprieve of air conditioning; a drastic change from the “June Gloom” that daily enveloped us a month ago and reminded me of many days in Seattle.

Four years ago, when I moved to Pasadena, CA to begin my graduate studies at Fuller Seminary, I hoped to head back to the beautiful Northwest at the soonest possible moment. But that was before I met my future wife Alethia in the first month of school, prior to the economic recession leading to fewer jobs, and before we settled into our community.

As recently as a few months ago it seemed we would need to pack our bags immediately after graduation in June and head out in search of a more promising job-market. But in March Alethia was offered a job in the International Office at Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, supplying us financial support during the end of my program and changing our attitude about leaving.

With one job secured, I began looking for work and was offered a position teaching middle school math for the upcoming academic year. Though it may seem a departure from my educational focus, I am very excited to again be working with youth in a new ministry field within the classroom.

Now, with a brighter outlook than the previously bleak winter months, we hope to spend much of this next year adjusting to life after school while discerning where God will be guiding us next. But for now we are content to remain in Pasadena for another year or two, enjoying our community and the places for ministry, along with beautiful weather for yearlong cycling.