Some Fun News!

We’re having a baby boy at the end of August (or early September)!

The timing is a little crazy, with Sara starting her new 4th grade teaching job two weeks before our due date, but we’re choosing to trust His plan. We’re very excited and thankful for this blessing, and we’re so grateful to have family nearby for this birth!

Even in such a joyous time, both of us have definitely felt some worry creep in, since there are so many unknowns during the pandemic. If you’re dealing with uncertain life situations right now, please know you aren’t alone. We’d love to sit alongside you to listen and help carry your burdens— 6 feet apart or virtually;) but seriously, let us know if you just want to chat about hard things or life in general.

Would you join us in bringing some things before the throne? Here are some of our requests:
- that the Father would work out the details of Sara’s maternity leave length
- that the baby/Sara remain healthy
- that Jesse would have some time away from grad school for the birth
- that Camellia would feel loved during all of this change.

Our main goal is for our Creator to be magnified in it all, as we use this life experience to love on others around us.

Thanks for reading,

Jesse, Sara, Camellia, and Baby Teel

***P.S. Now accepting baby boy name ideas because we don’t have a name picked out yet!!!

Life These Days

Since our last blog update (last summer...), a lot has changed!

I (Sara) taught 1st grade the first 3 months of this school year and loved it. Since that job, I have been teaching English language learners (ELL) out of our home. All of my students except 1 are local moms, and it has been so fun to help people improve their English skills while learning about their home culture. I've also been hired by Auburn City Schools as an ELL tutor 3 days each week with kindergarten and first grade students. I've continued my part-time work as an exercise instructor and online English teacher. Kind of crazy to have 4 part-time jobs, but I'm loving the variety for this season, before I begin my 4th grade teaching position for the last 3 months of school.

Camellia is still at preschool/daycare each day and is learning SO much. She has a lot to say from the minute she wakes up until she falls asleep at night! Still working on the potty training, but she's getting there and is communicating more when she needs to go. Stickers are helping a lot. ;)

Jesse is in his third semester of graduate school and is working very hard each day on his thesis, project, and research on local foods. He's interviewing farmers, attending conferences, touring gardens, and learning a lot in his classes. It's fun seeing him excel in his coursework and in his research!

We knew coming back from China that we were here for a reason:  to serve and love our family and reconnect with friends we have missed seeing while we were far away from America. But only our Father knew that we would get to be here to help both sisters move to different cities, to serve some of Jesse's family by hosting a marriage course, to join a new fellowship in Auburn, to be nearby when my grandmother (dad's mom- "Bam") had a stroke and went through rehab, and to be close to family when my sweet grandmother (mom's mom- "Grandmama") passed away.

As for our journey back to China (we get asked about this often), we are still on a study Leave of Absence with our company and are considering returning. We have several months to decide, hopefully by the end of this year. So we're still bringing those plans before the throne, holding them loosely, willing to sacrifice everything for the kingdom wherever we're led.

For now, we are enjoying time with family and friends.

Thanks for thinking of us!

~Jesse, Sara, & Camellia Teel