farewell paul and kelly

I first met Kelly in the summer of 2003 when she came with a group of people from her university on a short term mission trip to Spain. Little did I know at the time that we would end up working together for 5+ years.

That autumn, Paul lived in Madrid for a stretch of time. He was here for a period of studies. He returned later that school year to the States and barely missed meeting his future wife by weeks because...

In January 2004, Kelly Wills moved to Madrid more permanently to do a 6-month internship with Mountainview, the church I was leading at the time. She was working with an organization called Impact at the time. At the end of her internship, we kept up the relationship with her so it was only a matter of time until (as we jokingly say) "we lured her over to the dark side" of Christian Associates.

At the end of the summer in 2007, while Kelly was on furlough in the States, Paul returned to Madrid. I remember being shocked, seeing him again. I thought we'd never see each other again when he left Madrid nearly 4 years earlier!

What would surprise me even more (and them) would be this: just one year later, Paul and Kelly would get married here in Madrid--and they hadn't even met each other yet!

Yes, in January 2008 these two finally found each other. By Easter last year, they were engaged and by September they were married. At their wedding I predicted that their life together would never be boring. That prediction has certainly held up so far. Last autumn, Paul and Kelly informed us that it was time for them to move back to the States.

So...yesterday morning Paul and Kelly Jennemann boarded a plane headed for Memphis. They are there now, looking for housing, a car, and a new church family. Paul will begin teaching Spanish at the Knowledge is Power (KIP) Diamond Academy soon. They have many, many more adventures awaiting them and I am happy for them.

Paul and Kelly: we will miss you. Wishing you all the best, my friends.