Alli's Blog
2 Years in Cali
By allison
for allisblog
This is actually a newsletter that my husband copied in as a blog. I'm not really the avid blogger (as you've caught on, I'm sure). Since I write 40 page + papers all the time, it's not a huge priority... as you would (I'm sure) understand!
It has been about two years since we have communicated with many of you. We value your continued prayers and would love to hear from you!
We were not sure exactly what to expect when we moved from Ghana to Pasadena in 2006, but it is a wonderful place to be at this time in our lives. Chuck and I came back to the US from Ghana in July 2006, so that I could start a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. I finished the degree in September, 2008 and now have plans to complete a PhD also! We LOVE the weather and the cultural diversity – LA is such a diverse city. Spanish-speaking neighbors surround us, I go to a Ghanaian church, and half of my piano students are Korean. On top of that, Pasadena has over 1,700 restaurants – which means that you can also eat food from about every country you can imagine! Importantly, my experiences at Fuller have given me the knowledge and background to reflect critically on what God is doing in the world, and what our role and response is as the people of God.
It has also been a time for Chuck to explore his entrepreneurial skills. His business, 180byDesign, is still growing, but could be considered successful already. He gets to meet and work with lots of clients and industries from all over Los Angeles and the whole united states (clients in 13 states!), and in most cases those clients aren't church related. He's also found that he ends up helping those businesses with online and internal planning, which is an area he might expand later. So this has been a good time for him to expand and redevelop his own strengths.
Because of my interested in education and research, this has been a long term goal. After discussions with several professors and evaluation of our goals and circumstances, Chuck and I decided that I should apply for the PhD program at Fuller. I am interest in researching areas related to immigration and mission within the African immigrant church in America– which came out directly of my involvement with a Ghanaian immigrant church in LA. Since June 2008, I have been actively involved with a Ghanaian (Church of Pentecost) immigrant congregation where I sing, play keyboards, teach Sunday school, preach, and just about anything else you can imagine. It is fascinating the ways that God is working in this “reverse mission:” that Christian immigrants to America bring their faith with them, and many are concerned with sharing this faith in ways that impact their communities.
Thank you for your valuable prayers and support. We do not have all of the answers for where God will lead us, but know that while this is a period of education and formation for us, God also wants us to be witnesses to his transforming power no matter where we are in the world.
Prayers and Love,
Allison & Chuck
It has been about two years since we have communicated with many of you. We value your continued prayers and would love to hear from you!
We were not sure exactly what to expect when we moved from Ghana to Pasadena in 2006, but it is a wonderful place to be at this time in our lives. Chuck and I came back to the US from Ghana in July 2006, so that I could start a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. I finished the degree in September, 2008 and now have plans to complete a PhD also! We LOVE the weather and the cultural diversity – LA is such a diverse city. Spanish-speaking neighbors surround us, I go to a Ghanaian church, and half of my piano students are Korean. On top of that, Pasadena has over 1,700 restaurants – which means that you can also eat food from about every country you can imagine! Importantly, my experiences at Fuller have given me the knowledge and background to reflect critically on what God is doing in the world, and what our role and response is as the people of God.
It has also been a time for Chuck to explore his entrepreneurial skills. His business, 180byDesign, is still growing, but could be considered successful already. He gets to meet and work with lots of clients and industries from all over Los Angeles and the whole united states (clients in 13 states!), and in most cases those clients aren't church related. He's also found that he ends up helping those businesses with online and internal planning, which is an area he might expand later. So this has been a good time for him to expand and redevelop his own strengths.
Because of my interested in education and research, this has been a long term goal. After discussions with several professors and evaluation of our goals and circumstances, Chuck and I decided that I should apply for the PhD program at Fuller. I am interest in researching areas related to immigration and mission within the African immigrant church in America– which came out directly of my involvement with a Ghanaian immigrant church in LA. Since June 2008, I have been actively involved with a Ghanaian (Church of Pentecost) immigrant congregation where I sing, play keyboards, teach Sunday school, preach, and just about anything else you can imagine. It is fascinating the ways that God is working in this “reverse mission:” that Christian immigrants to America bring their faith with them, and many are concerned with sharing this faith in ways that impact their communities.
Thank you for your valuable prayers and support. We do not have all of the answers for where God will lead us, but know that while this is a period of education and formation for us, God also wants us to be witnesses to his transforming power no matter where we are in the world.
Prayers and Love,
Allison & Chuck
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