storylines: adams family

This month we talk to Aaron and Sarah Adams about family and church life - and how they ended up here in the UK.

- First off, introduce yourselves and tell us a little about the Adams family...

A: I'm Aaron named after the brother of Moses, though I've never built a calf out of gold in my life
S: I'm Sarah and my husband is not funny
A: We have two children, a boy called Solomon (3 years old) and a girl called Elisha ( 1 year). They will not be speaking much in this interview as our daughter prefers to scream and my son would just tell you random facts about dinosaurs and tigers.

- Anyone who has spoken to you will know that your accents are a little different - and that you call trousers 'pants'. We're hoping you have a good reason for this… In other words, where were you from originally?

S: The United States
A: Specifically California - Most of our time as a couple has been spent in a place called Orange County - yes, the same as the O.C. on television, although we, like most people there, didn't have a spacious mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

- So you arrived here in December 2005 - but this isn't your first time living in Hurstpierpoint. How did you end up here first time round?

S: We were involved with a ministry in America that started out in the UK and that led us to get to know some folks from over here. Through our involvement we felt really called to live over here and circumstances in our lives opened up in 2002 to make that a reality. Aaron applied and was accepted to an MA programme at Sussex and I was able to find a great job here in the village. It was quite a jump from sunny California to rainy (but beautiful!) Hurst.

 - You had a dog called 'Moses' when you last lived here.. which was ironic as he never listened to any of the 'commandments' you gave him! (poor joke). Anyway, is it true he's become an American citizen now?

A: Yeah. When we lived here the first time around we got a dog - a little black pug - called Moses. We were known in the village as "the Americans with the little black dog." When Sarah fell pregnant with our son, we had to move back because she was experiencing severe complications and illness. We took Moses with us and, when we decided to move back this time around we didn't want to subject him to an extended stay in quarantine. So yes, he now lives with my Mom in San Diego. I'm not sure of his citizenship status at the moment though he has taken on several American traits including gaining loads of weight since my mom feeds him McDonalds on a regular basis. But, as far as I know, he still celebrates Guy Fawkes Day each year and watches the Queen's Christmas Address on cable.

- So what made you guys come back, and do you have a sense of vision for your lives?

S: We always felt like we would come back - that our time here was not completed. But the circumstances for us to come back seemed out of reach. Aaron felt like it was going to happen. I wasn't so sure. We prayed and waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . . and almost gave up a few times and then, all of a sudden, things began to fall into place. Aaron applied and was accepted for a PhD programme at Sussex - which was always part of what we were planning on doing when we lived here the first time around.
A: Vision for us is a tricky thing. Sarah and I both have really strong ideas - which we feel are from God - about what we want to do and what we are called to do. But what has been a challenge at times is that we feel that God has - for reasons we know and other ones we don't - put a lot of that on hold. The waiting can be difficult. In that, I think God has been teaching us patience, faithfulness in the places he has planted us, and to trust in his timing . I suppose that a big part of it is that, as we wait, we've been challenged to redefine vision for ourselves. I know I've always defined "vision for our lives" as huge plans for doing huge things. Maybe the vision for us right now is the vision we're always supposed to have - loving God and others - which is a pretty big vision in itself.
As we wait for this vision to become reality I often think of Moses who lived for a couple of decades in the desert taking care of sheep BEFORE God called him to go back and free his people. So, I think we're waiting, trying to be faithful in watching our sheep, and waiting for that burning bush I suppose. This is, of course, a metaphor as I know nothing about taking care of sheep in real life . . .

- You've been getting really stuck in  at The Point... what motivates you to do that?

S: When we lived here the first time there was a small group of people that lived here that were part of the group that started The Point. When we left, some friends of ours had a real vision for a church here in the village/mid-Sussex that did things differently and really made a difference for God in people's lives. Over our time in the States, we were excited (and a bit jealous) to hear of the church starting and all the things that God was doing to make it a reality. When we moved here it was great to step right into a "built in community" of people that were focused on journeying together towards God. We had some friends from before and straight away found more lovely people to get to know and share our lives with. It was great. We've gotten stuck in because we believe in the people and vision behind The Point. A big part of it really goes back to what Aaron said earlier: If we're not too sure about the big stuff, the big vision, the big direction in our lives, we feel that the best thing we can do is to get stuck in - serve and love - in the place that God has put us. In our lives right now, that place is The Point and we're loving it.

- Having young children can be exhausting - and some people in that stage of life find it tricky to get really involved at church... But you guys seem to have made a choice to be on teams, and even run a Purpose Group. Do you find it easy to get life 'in balance' - or is just you've decided to make a priority, even if at times it's a stretch?

S: Balancing is just that - a balance. It is really a hard thing to make sure that we are serving God and others through our involvement and also making time for each other and our family. It can feel like we're on a bit of a yo-yo. We make mistakes. I think it's like anything - we learn as we go.  Involvement is really something that is important to us. But you're right, having kids is a huge commitment and our number one priority. We want our kids to grow up seeing their parents committed to serving and being part of a church and that it can be done in a way that values our family in the process. No secret here except praying and talking about it and learning to accept that we're always learning.

-Tell us a little bit about the Purpose Group you've been running...

A: We are part of a group that focuses on growing closer to Jesus. For 2000 years Christians have been using a tool called the Spiritual Disciplines to clear out space in our lives to hear God and what He's saying to us. They're not about doing stuff to prove how much we love God or to get God to love us. It's about taking steps to put ourselves in a position where God can do cool stuff in our lives. So, each time we meet, we hang out, eat, pray, learn a bit about a specific discipline, and then chat it through as a group. Each person then, if they feel like it, gives it a go the following week and then we get back together and talk about it at the start of the next meeting. Its been great fun so far and we look forward to starting the next cycle after Easter.

- How did you both become Christians in the first place?

A: We both grew up in church so I guess you can say that we both are people who "became Christians" at an early age.
S: But we both grew up in hard family situations that brought us to the point where we had to choose if this faith was going to be something we really clung to in struggle or was just an "accessory" in our lives. God has proven to be so loving and so kind and so faithful in those early years right on through to our lives today.

- Having been involved at churches in both the USA and the UK, are there any major differences you notice?

A:  In the US, the culture in general is bigger and more commercial - more focused on image. This can extend to churches in the US as well. The focus here seems a bit less intense in that respect. And that's refreshing. But, to be honest, the more we are here the less a lot of that stuff seems to matter. The differences don't seem as strong as they used to. In the end, both are full of people trying to grow closer to Jesus and figure out what living life is really all about. .

- You've both been on quite an adventure - moving countries a couple of times etc. What is one thing you've felt God teach you on your journey?

S: I don't know if its one thing. Each move has been about something unique - another lesson. And it's usually the lesson is clear after we leave. When we moved from England back to California it seems like it was a time where God was setting us aside from the plans that we had and from connection with so many people that meant so much to us. It kind of felt like a forced isolation. But it was necessary in so many ways. We really came together so much more as a couple and a family - and, most of all, our dependency on God became much clearer.

- Now, speaking honestly, do you miss that Californian sunshine? (Or does the fact we have a Queen make up for it?!)

S: YES!  Especially in January. But we're heading there at half term.
A: God save the Queen but  . . . .Sandy beaches! Burritos! Fajitas! Sunshine! I love California!

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