Merry Christmas 2013!

This year has been busy and filled with fun memories! 

Here are some of our favorites!

We love taking walks by the Detroit River, even when it's freezing cold! 

Keagan loves being carried on our backs.

In May, we found out we were pregnant with baby #2!

We also celebrated our second wedding anniversary.

In June, we took a vacation camping at Port Crescent State Park and then went up north to my grandparent's cabin for the 4th of July. Keagan loved his first boat ride and first 5K race!

We had some chickens in our backyard this summer. The kids from MACC Lit (a literacy summer camp through our church) came over to help take care of them and our garden. We had a potluck in the garden at the end of the summer with all of the kids and their families.

Both of our moms turned 50 this year!

We were able to spend a weekend with Andrew's family in August to celebrate, and had a party for my mom in September.

Keagan turned 1 on September 7th. 

He loved his first taste of chocolate cake!

We rode 50 miles around Detroit in the Tour DeTroit bike ride. 

Here we are in front of the old Michigan Central Station.

Andrew helped to direct the soccer program for kids from our church and community at the park right down the street from our house. I coached a team of 4 and 5 year olds this fall.

Andrew and I were able to attend the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) national conference in New Orleans this year. The philosophy of CCDA is a long-term commitment to live among the people in America's neediest neighborhoods, allowing God to use us to help bring about justice, reconciliation and shalom, restoring things to the way they were intended to be. We learned so much about being on mission in the city and how our family can be good neighbors to those around us.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support making this trip possible. 

Our new niece Josie Lehoczky was born on November 11th.

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year in Canton.

We are currently in the middle of finishing construction on our kitchen. Here's what it looks like today. We are looking forward to having this last major project completed on our home and taking a break from renovations for a while!

Andrew is still enjoying working at General Motors. He has taken a new position in Pontiac as an Engineering Business Manager. He will be doing managerial accounting for about a year and a half before moving on to another role. I love spending my days at home with Keagan. We have been busy going to the YMCA, attending Bible Study Fellowship, and spending time with other moms in the neighborhood. Keagan is a busy 1 year old. He loves being outside and going for walks, reading books, dancing to music, and playing with balls and trains. He is talking all the time! His favorite things to say are "no", "uh-oh", "dada" and "here you go". Now, we're just waiting for the newest member of our family to arrive in the next few weeks! We pray that 2014 will be a year of joy and peace for you. Please let us know if you're ever in the city- we love having visitors! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

Andrew, Erin & Keagan

Luke 2:8-11

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.""

CCDA Conference

We have the opportunity to go to the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) National Conference September 11^th-14^th in New Orleans.  The vision of CCDA is to see “holistically restored communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of transformation”. The mission is “to inspire, train, and connect Christians who seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities”. The theme of the conference this year is “Cultivate: to foster growth; to tend, prepare and improve”.

Living in the city, in the midst of poverty and violence, there is also beauty, grace, and the power of the Lord. We are planning on taking this time away from the craziness of life and ministry in the city to cultivate our souls and renew our spirits. We are praying that God will break our hearts again for the city and sustain us as we renew our vision to care for the lives and community around us. We pray that we are able to discern how God would use us in our neighborhood and put our time, talents, and treasures to use for His Kingdom.

Andrew is really looking forward to going to a workshop hosted by the President/CEO of New Vision Renewable Energy, a Christian Community Development Organization working on using renewable energy in sustainable community development. This could be a great connection for the future! There is another workshop about using flag football as a vehicle for justice in the hood. Andrew served as the MACC Sports’ Soccer Commissioner this spring and would love to learn more about using sports to engage youth with the Gospel in our community. I am excited to attend a workshop about turning at-risk schools around through community based strategies. We are praying through schooling options for our kids already, and would love to see gospel-change in our neighborhood schools. Another workshop topic I am looking forward to attending is about gentrification with justice. As cities change and neighborhoods become gentrified, like in Midtown, how do we care for the poor who may be displaced or negatively affected? We are also both planning on attending workshops focusing on making marriage and ministry work in the city, balancing life and ministry, and sustaining passionate activism for the long haul.

Will you partner with us? We are in need of financial support and prayer partners in order for our ministry in the city to grow. The total cost to attend the conference, including registration, travel, food, and lodging is approximately $800 each. Would you pray and ask the Lord what resources he has blessed you with and how you can use them to further his Kingdom? We both would love to talk with you and share more about what God is doing in Detroit. Please get in touch with us if you are able to be a prayer partner or are interested in coming to the city for a visit or volunteer trip. Thank you for partnering with us for the Gospel. How can we be praying for you as you bring light into the darkness? We’d love to hear from you!

Here are some specific prayer requests to lift up:

-that Christ would be King in our home, our neighborhood and the city of Detroit

-that the Lord will provide the financial support needed to attend the conference

-that we would prepare for this conference and arrive ready and willing to learn about how God can use us as urban missionaries in the city

-that we would return home refreshed and energized to continue loving our neighbors and bring the gospel to our community

-that the Lord would one day provide a way for Andrew to work in our community using the skills and education he has received 

Merry Christmas!

2012 has been a very busy and fun-filled year for us! 

Here are some of our favorite moments!

We found out that we were pregnant a couple of days after Christmas last year. This is the ultrasound of baby Rohr at 12 weeks.

We bought our first home in February on the east side of Detroit, 

about a mile north of where we were living before.

We began construction right away and did most of the work ourselves, 

with lots of help from family and friends.

We celebrated our first anniversary working on the house. 

I was 5 months pregnant.   

We moved into our house in the end of June and took a vacation the next week to Pictured Rocks in the Upper Peninsula to camp and hike.

Keagan Paul Rohr was born on September 7th at 8:47pm.

He was 9 lbs. and 21.5 in. long.

We are loving being parents to our new baby boy!

Andrew coached soccer for a team of 6 and 7 year old kids from our church and community at a park right down the street from our house.

Andrew's sister, Liana, and her husband Kory had their first baby, Isaiah, on November 10th. We were able to go to Kalamazoo to meet our newest family member the next day.

Here are a few recent pictures of our sweet little Keagan.

Andrew continues to enjoy his job at General Motors working on thermal management for high voltage battery packs. He just finished up a year-long project and will begin designing software to enable simulation testing in hybrid vehicles. I am now a full-time stay at home mom and love spending my days with Keagan. I am continuing to volunteer with our church's literacy program, MAC Lit, as well as helping to plan the children's ministry.

We pray that 2013 will be a year filled with joy for you and your family, 

as you rest in the peace and hope given to us in the gospel. 

Love,

Andrew, Erin & Keagan

Luke 2:8-11

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.""

Keagan Paul Rohr is finally here!

Praise God for our son, Keagan Paul Rohr! He was born (at 41 weeks and 2 days) on Friday, September 7th at 8:47pm. He was 9 pounds and 21.5 inches long! We are so thankful for a safe and healthy delivery after 27 hours of labor. Andrew was amazing support for me during labor and helped catch Keagan when he was born! We took a natural childbirth class (The Bradley Method) to prepare for the birth, and were so blessed to be able to bring our son into the world without drugs or unnecessary interventions. We are completely in love with him and amazed at the miracle of his life.

Keagan's first visitors at the birth center:

Grandpa & Grandma Maxam

Cousin Peyton, Aunt Becca (& Uncle Mike)

Proud Papa!

Aunt Hannah & Uncle Josh

Grandma & Grandpa Belton

Uncle Seth & Uncle Caleb

Second month in the house!

So, a month has gone by since I last posted pictures of the house. We have been working on the 2nd floor. We needed to finish painting and staining in order to meet our deadline for carpet installation so that we could move upstairs before the baby is born. We were able to finish the top coat on the wood the day before the carpet came! I was feeling super pregnant and had very swollen feet from being on them constantly. My parents came and gave me a break for the afternoon. I took a nap, and when I woke up, the wood was done! What a huge blessing! Thank you!

BEFORE

 AFTER

Here is Andrew finishing up paint touch ups over the stairs. It was a little tricky to reach all those edges!

The stain was really smelly so Andrew put on a bandanna and used a headlamp to keep it in place :)

We have carpet! Woohoo! Thanks to some friends who came over that night, Andrew had help moving furniture and boxes upstairs. Time to get organized and unpack! (There's me, enjoying the new carpet! Feet still swollen...)

38 weeks pregnant and starting to set up the baby's room!

Here is the house currently! We have an ongoing list of projects, but it is liveable and we are loving it! Just in time to bring our baby home.

LIVING ROOM

DINING ROOM 

KITCHEN

 BABY'S ROOM

FAMILY ROOM

 OUR BEDROOM

39 weeks pregnant (August 22nd)

We are ready and anxiously waiting the arrival of our new family member! 

Please pray for a safe labor and delivery and healthy baby. 

We will keep you posted on when he or she arrives!

P.S. These peaches are the only thing that grew in our backyard this summer since we didn't have a hose hooked up outside yet and I neglected to water daily... Oh well. Better luck next year!