I was born in Newberg and lived there through the third grade.
I am the oldest with three younger brothers, Ken, Roger, and Doug.
All six of us lived in a small 2 bedroom house at 808 S. River St. in Newberg.
I'm sure my parents thought it was cramped,
but I don't remember it being a problem.
I remember that it had a huge backyard.
Richard Weber lived behind us and he had a huge willow tree in his yard,
which we loved to play in.
While there we attended Newberg Friends Church.
In 1959 we moved to Portland when Dad was transferred to a bank there.
We lived in two houses in North Portland,
both near Piedmont Friends Church where we attended.
Life in the big city brought some changes.
We got our first TV while there.
Not being used to TV I didn't understand that it was "just pretend."
I remember being very upset when Lassie was bit by a rattlesnake.
I was sure he was going to die - after all I had seen the blood.
My parents were unable to convince me that it was just "ketchup."
I also learned to ride
the city bus and took several trips downtown or to Lloyd Center.
While in Portland, the Columbus Day storm of 1962 hit.
We were all looking out the south bay window, watching the wind blow things around,
when Dad came home from work.
He immediately made us leave the window.
We spent the evening on the floor in the kitchen
as it was the safest place in the house to be.
We only lost one window in an upstairs bedroom to storm damage,
but our power was out for a couple of weeks.
The phones were also out and we could not contact my Grandparents.
So the next day we drove to Marion to see how they were doing.
I'll never forget when Cap,
owner of the store across the street from my Grandparents,
called all of us kids over.
There was no power for the freezers and the ice cream was melting.
We could eat all we wanted of any flavor.
What a feast!
In 1964 we moved to Tigard where my parents bought their first house.
I graduated from Tigard High School in 1968.
One summer during high school
I was accepted as a participant
in the National Friends Youth Leadership Conference in Iowa.
A bus load of youth from Northwest Yearly Meeting
traveled together cross country.
It was the farthest I had ever traveled until after I graduated from college.
It was a fun adventure.
We drove all night a couple of times and slept on the bus.
We drove through the Grand Tetons
and I saw those majestic mountains for the first time.
Iowa was amazingly flat with corn fields that went on forever.
While there a lightning storm hit.
The kids from the west coast were wide awake
and afraid the lightning would hit the cabin.
Those from further east didn't even flinch.
Then they started telling stories about lightning balls running down the phone lines
in the house and other hair raising stories.
I don't think I slept very well that night.
It was a great conference
and it was good to meet so many other youth
from all over the United States.
I went to George Fox College, graduating with a BA in Biology in 1972.
My senior year in college was spent at Emanuel Hospital in Portland
where I became a Medical Technologist.
I worked as a Med Tech for the next 20 years.
As a family our favorite activity was camping.
In the early days we usually pitched our tent at Elk Lake in Central Oregon.
As we kids got older, we ventured farther from home.
One summer we went to Canada with Darrell and Mary,
foster kids living with my Grandma.
An important part of camping trips was fishing.
I held the "chief fish cleaner" position in the family.
My love for travel never waned and I have traveled farther since being on my own.
My first big trip was to LaPaz Bolivia in 1973.
This was my first airplane ride.
I worked as a Med Tech in the hospital there for about 6 months.
I lived in the dorm with the nurses and was exposed to life in LaPaz.
It was an incredible experience.
While there I became proficient in Spanish,
even giving a lecture to the Doctors on the coagualation system of the body.
I couldn't do that in English today.
I really delighted in getting to experience life in Bolivia.
After finishing at the hospital,
I traveled as an assistant to a woman doing literacy work
in the area under the auspices of Wycliffe Bible Translators.
We worked with the Aymara people on the altiplano of Bolivia.
While there I learned to read a bit of Aymara,
enough so that I could read the primer and teach beginning students to read.
In addition to literacy work,
we traveled to the countryside around Lake Titicaca
where we sold literature and trained Sunday School teachers.
I loved my time there!
Traveling and getting to know the people were real delights.
By now I've seen much of the United States,
Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru, Chili, and Israel.
My favorite way to see another country is to live there for a period of time.
That way I get past the tourist view of a country.
I find that the culture I encounter as a tourist
is significantly different from the culture
I discover by living and working in another place.
If living there is not an option,
I always try to spend time with people who live there
so I can begin to see the country through their experience.
In 1990 I left the lab and went back to school at Western Evangelical Seminary
(now a part of George Fox University).
While I resist the pressure to take tests and write papers, I love school.
Attending seminary was a highlight of my life.
I found the challenge of new ideas invigorating.
While there I discovered a call to pastoral ministry.
The discovery happened while I was intern
at Mt. View Friends Church in Vancouver,
a church plant that has since closed.
It was as simple as doing it and discovering I loved it.
Then God said,
"This is what I want you to do,
journey with people as they discover how to walk with me."
After seminary I spent one year in Seattle
as a part of a ministry with young adults.
In 1994 I went to Spokane where I served for 3 years as youth pastor
and 3 years as pastor at the Spokane Friends Church.
In July 2000 I moved to Seattle to become pastor at North Seattle Friends.
I love pastoral ministry and am enjoying my work here at the church.
I delight in watching God unfold the mystery of who we are in Seattle.
It's wonderful to be a part of that effort.
My favorite activity continues to be traveling.
I'll take it in any form:
trips by car or plane, trips in Washington or some other country,
camping, visiting friends, day hikes, canoe trips, sightseeing
it doesn't really matter as long as it is away from home.
When a trip is suggested, my heart says, "Go? When? Where? I'm ready!"
I also love visiting with friends and family,
going out to dinner, going to plays, arts and craft shows,
antique stores, and coffee shops.
I like to be busy doing fun stuff with people.
I love to read.
Historical novels are my favorite.
My favorite Quaker novel is The Peaceable Kingdom by Jan de Hartog.
More than anything,
I love to see God at work in my life
and in the lives of people in the church.
It's incredible to see how God brings us together as the people of God.
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