Author: Rev. Johann Caauwe

I am a Lutheran pastor in Wood Lake, MN.

Back in the Saddle…

Rev. Johann Caauwe3 Comments

Or should I say, back in the chancel. This past Sunday was my first Sunday leading worship at Trinity. It was good to be back at this work that I love. There are so many things that are unfamiliar these days, but presiding at the liturgy I felt at home. Speaking words of absolution, words of prayer, words of benediction—even though it is to a new group of people, I speak on behalf of the same God with the same assurance and confidence.

A few notes on how things are going so far…
  • When we moved into the house, there were a number of issues with the house (appliances not working, loose tiles in the shower, leaky pipes, etc). I think everything is fixed now, so we can live here for the time being.
  • I’ve looked at a few homes in the area, but we’ll just keep our eyes open for the next few months and see what we see. 
  • I’m in listening and learning mode at church. I’m trying to get a sense of how things work, where things are, who does what. After I do this for a while, I’ll be able to have a better sense of the direction things might go in the future. 
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    I think I’m getting used to El Paso. We had our first real desert rain yesterday. It rarely rains in the summer in Modesto, so it was a little different. I have my Texas plates on the van and my new drivers’ license should come in the mail soon. I’ve driven around several parts of the city, though far from all of it. It’s still a little strange to be able to drive and see Mexico out the window. I love being by the Franklin mountains. The picture here was taken with my camera phone as we were coming back from supper on the west side and coming back through the mountains the moon was rising up over them. Beautiful.
  • I’m looking forward to being in Minnesota at the end of the month for worship conference. Not only am I looking forward to the conference and the workshops and the worship services, but I should be able to see some family while there, and I’ll also be able to catch up with a number of classmates and friends and former members. It will be really nice. 
  • I’m looking forward to July 11, when the new 3G iPhone is being released. I’ve been waiting for this for a while, and I’m especially looking forward to a phone with GPS in an unfamiliar city as I start making my initial visits with the families in the congregation.
  • If you don’t have our new contact information, just send me an email and I’ll send it to you. Some of the details (like address) won’t be permanent, but it’s where you can find us for now. 

On the Move

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I've been meaning to write an update on the progress of our move and our travels this week. It's been a crazy week. Here are a few highlights:

  • My final sermon at St. Peter was on Sunday May 25. After services was the church picnic and a farewell for us.
  • Hard goodbyes all week long
  • The moving trailer arrived on Wednesday and we loaded it up on Thursday. I'm very thankful to those who helped us load.
  • We spent Friday cleaning the house and getting ready to go.
  • On Saturday we drove to my sister Becca's in Corona, CA. We stayed at her place and went with her to church on Sunday.
  • Sunday we drove to Phoenix, AZ and spent the night at my aunt and uncle's.
  • Monday we flew to Milwaukee and made our way to Watertown where we are getting ready for Rachel's (Sara's sister) wedding. 
  • Next week we'll be back in Phoenix for the Arizona-California District Convention, after which we'll make our way to El Paso. 

Our trailer is now parked in front of our new home in El Paso. The plan is for some members of Trinity to unload the contents of the trailer into the house. I'm very appreciative of that, considering our travel schedule. But I don't envy those who have the job of unloading it all (though it must be easier to unload than to load). I particular appreciate those who move my 24 boxes of books. Those were not light boxes. Before I packed it all up I measured 24 feet of bookshelf space for my library.

It's a little strange to travel, knowing that all our belongings are loaded into a trailer (except what we have with us). But it's also a nice little reminder that all of that is just "stuff" and is not our life. 

I haven't taken a lot of pictures so far this week, but I'll post what I do take to this web album. If you want to receive updates when I add new pictures to the album, subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the "Subscribe" button and adding the address to your newsreader.

Pics from El Paso

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Here are a few pictures from my trip to El Paso this week. I did find a house for us to rent for a while. You should be able to tell which picture that is. The first two are inside the church. The fourth picture is a view from the base of the Franklin Mountains. You can see the church in the picture. Look for the red roof in the middle of the picture. The last picture is on central El Paso and the US—Mexico border. You can see the Mexican flag on the right, just inside the country. If the slideshow doesn’t work for you, take a look at the pics on my .Mac web gallery.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Confirmation

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Last week I took our three youth confirmands out to lunch. I have done this for the past three years as a way of encouraging the kids to continue what we have begun in confirmation classes and to help them see their role in church life.

But this year was a little different, because of the fact that I will be leaving. I won’t be around to be their pastor during the coming years. I always hope that the things I teach to them will stick with them long after confirmation is over, but I won’t be around to check on them or to remind them.

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This has reminded me of an old Ietter I have. The letter is addressed to my grandfather from a former pastor who confirmed him. I think Grandpa was confirmed in 1922. The letter is dated January 26, 1926, soon after his 17th birthday. Apparently the pastor was a vicar when he was at my Grandpa’s church and confirmed him. Here is a rough translation of the letter.

My dear confirmand Andreas:

I have received the other letters from you and it makes me happy from the bottom of my heart every time I hear from one of my confirmands. Yet don’t be offended that I have not always answered. It is not always wise and in place for a pastor to write to the people in whose congregation he has served, because he could give the impression that he would like to sneak back into the congregation in which he served as a student. And it might not please the current pastor of the place to be writing to his members. That is why I have not answered. It’s not that I have forgotten you. I think of you often—with joy.

Yet this time I may not be silent. A young man who makes a request of the pastor who confirmed him—if he would be willing to get him a Bible—must be answered. It gives me great pleasure, dear Andreas, that you desire a Bible. I will be happy to send you one. Just read in it diligently, and you will have something in your life that reaches to eternity. Today people too often let the Bible gather dust. You, dear youth, do otherwise. And should it be God’s will that we meet each other again here on earth, you can show me a well-used and read Bible.

So far God has richly blessed me in my office. More than his servant has deserved it. Last summer I also received a call to another congregation, but my dear congregation here has not let me leave. Otherwise we are alive and well here in beautiful Illinois. We are very happy here. Give your dear parents my greeting, and to the others whom I confirmed. And keep writing, even if I may not also be able to reply. Greetings. F.W Henke

This letter is interesting for so many reasons. The first thing I note is his hesitancy to interfere with another pastor’s ministry. It’s not that he no longer cared for the people he formerly served, but the fact is that he wasn’t their pastor. I assume that the people whom I have served in Modesto will always be dear to me. We will hopefully maintain some contact with many of them. I do hope that those who read this blog will continue to do so. But I also understand that I will not be their pastor.

The second thing is his instruction for the Bible he would send to this young man. "Read from it diligently. If we meet again here on earth, I hope you can show me a well-read and well-used Bible." I think that would be the wish of every pastor—both for confirmands and for all his members. He hopes that after he departs those people would continue in their diligent reading and study of Scripture. He hopes and prays that these people would have in their hearts a deep desire to remain students of Scripture all the days of their life.

I always start out each year in catechism by showing the students old catechisms. Some of them are over 100 years old. I want them to see 1) that the study of the Bible’s teaching using Luther’s Small Catechism has been going on a long time and that their parents or grandparents studied the very same things and 2) to see how well-used these books were, even after confirmation class was done. I want them to see this as the beginning of a lifetime of study and I’ve told them that I hope someday to see their Bibles and catechisms as well-used as these. I tell them that I hope their grandchildren will someday see in these books a testimony to their life of devotion to and growth in God’s Word.

I don’t know if Pastor Henke ever saw my grandpa again. But I saw his Bibles and catechisms and hymnals. They were exactly as his pastor hoped.

Moving Update

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I just wanted to update you on what we know about moving. We don’t have all the details arranged, but we’re making progress.

We’re aiming to make the move the last week of May/first week of June. The goal is to be packed up before we leave for Phoenix on June 1. We’re still making arrangements for moving our belongings. I got an estimate from a moving company today, and we’re still trying to find other alternatives.

Next week I will be flying to El Paso to look for a place to live. Right now I’ll be primarily looking for a place to rent until we find a house to buy. I’m pretty sure that we will purchase a home in the near future, and the market seems right for it. But it’s not something we want to rush, either.

We’ve started the packing process (Sara’s done more than I have). What’s really amazing is how many things I find that I can really get rid of—even after just three years. Besides the physical packing, there’s also a lot of things I have to do to wrap up loose ends here. I need to hand off  things that I’ve been working on. I need to make sure the right files and records are left in the right place or the right hands.

And then there’s the most difficult part of saying good-bye. I haven’t had to say final good-byes to anyone yet, but the initial discussions have been hard. When I’m talking to people about my departure, there are two things that I want to say (but it’s usually hard to say without becoming emotional). The first is just how much I’m going to miss this place and (especially) the people here. But at the same time I don’t say that in the sense that I’m going to wish that I hadn’t left or was back here. I’m looking forward to what is ahead, and in that sense I’m not looking back. But it is hard to say good-bye to so many kind and wonderful and supportive people. I’m going to write something more about this later.

The second thing I want to express is how much of a privilege it has been to serve here and how grateful I am to have been able to do so.

The Price is Right

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Members of the Seminary Chorus attended a taping of The Price is Right while they were on tour in California. The show aired yesterday. You can watch the episode online here. One of the guys had the chance to "Come on down" and got on stage with Drew Carey. The choir sang "Sie leben hoch" while he spun the wheel. Even Drew Carey was singing along.