Great Ideas

What to do at 9:30 am with that half-a-cup-of-coffee that you forgot about:

Step 1: Fill it to the top with milk

Step 2: Heat it up in your microwave

Step 3: Add a pack of Hot Chocolate

Presto~  you saved yourself $5 at Starbucks and it is DELICIOUS!  

Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

That's right people! We had a "sneak peek" ultrasound today and I am proud to announce that we only make one gender!!! In April, we will be "that family" with all the boys! Wow. It feels funny to even type this. I will have to share my story soon about how I prayed for boys - even before I was engaged! I am so thankful that everything appears to be normal and healthy. Sure do wish I had a picture, but maybe I will have one after my "real" ultrasound on Tuesday of next week!

This is a pic of Levi with Great-Grandmommy's glasses on... the things you do while waiting!

Me and mom in the waiting room..

This was my Grandmommy's FIRST time to ever see an ultrasound!

Common Ground Video Link

Many thanks to our friend, Matt Wolfe, for this amazing video of our ministry!

Please click on the link and then let me know your donation amount!!!  Just kidding, but it is really powerful.  To GOD BE THE GLORY! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZI7AA_gz2c

Common Ground Update

WEDNESDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDIES

We are having a blast with our Wednesday night neighborhood bible studies. We now have three separate studies happening simultaneously in three different locations. Kevin and I now have 27 boys mostly middle school age involved in our study. We have moved our meeting to our YMCA because we outgrew our house. Delta and Nicole still have 8 young women between 16 and 20 years old attending a study at Nicole’s house, and we are excited to announce that a new bible study began this past week with 8 young girls age 8-12. 

Middle SCHOOL BOYS

This week we had 22 boys attend and we discussed the question “Who are you becoming?” I contrasted this with the normal question they hear of ‘what do you want to be when you grow up.’ It is a question that has everything to do with character and growth, rather than some occupation. It anticipates that they are constantly becoming something. IF we as Christians are to be ‘transformed’ into the image of Christ then it is extremely important to ask if Christ is being formed in us. I asked the boys what they thought being a ‘real’ man meant. I asked them if they had ever really seen one. 
A ‘real man’ in our neighborhood would probably brag about what gang he is in, his ability to beat up other guys, his physical relationships with girls, about the money he has, about the car he drives, and the rims he has on it, according to the boys. We looked at how Jesus was the only ‘real’ man that has ever existed, as the one who was truly fully human and walked with the Father the way we were intended too. If we were truly united with Christ and ‘re-born’ according to the bible, then we should be engaged in the process of growing to be more and more like Jesus in our character and actions. I kept asking them throughout the night, ‘who are you becoming like’. They kept saying, ‘Jesus’. I asked them if this was possible in their own strength, if they could somehow make this happen by their own effort. It was a springboard to continue to teach them about the need for God’s grace and about the choices they need to make on a daily basis. 

DAY ONE WITH THE YOUNG GIRLS

I think some of the younger girls involved in our tutoring program were considering putting out a ‘hit’ on me if I didn’t follow through with finding someone to begin a bible study with them. I kept hearing week in and week out “ya’ll do all this stuff with the boys and have bible study and ya’ll don’t ever do one with us!” Seriously, it was getting a little hostile! I asked them one day who they would like to teach for them. Two of the girls told me that they wanted Abbey and Mrs. Leigh, a mother and daughter who had been coming over and tutoring them. I went to them and asked them if they would consider taking on this challenge. They were humbled by the trust these girls had granted them and said they would pray about it. Long story short, they did the first one Wednesday night. They young girls LOVED it! I took the girls home at the end of the bible study and the entire way they kept singing the song they had learned (at the top of their lungs with the windows down through Gibbs Village Housing Projects), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father, BUT THROUGH ME! John 14:6!” It was beautiful. 


ALL IN A NIGHT'S WORK!!
I think you will be at least be interested by the night we experienced this past Saturday........
Teaser Hint: A wedding, A party, and time with prostitutes?


We 
(the
 Kelly’s 
and 
the 
King’s) 
had 
the
 privilege 
of 
being
 a
part 
of 
a 
wedding 
of 
some 
friends 
of 
ours 
that
 live 
in 
the
 Gibbs
Village
 housing 
projects. 
Kevin
 was
 a
 groomsman, 
Nicole 
was 
the 
wedding
 coordinator ,
my
 4
 year‐old
 son 
Ethan
 was 
a 
bible
toter/ring
bearer, 
Kaiya 
was 
a 
flower
girl, 
and 
I 
had 
the 
honor 
of 
co‐officiating 
it
 with the
 pastor 
of 
the
 church 
they 
had 
recently
joined 
(a
HUGE
 life 
change! )
 We 
have 
known 
this 
family 
for 
over 
2 
years 
now 
and 
love
 them
 dearly. 
 I 
have 
had
 the 
joy 
of 
doing
some
 marriage 
and
 personal
 counseling
 with 
the m
over 
the 
years .
 It 
is 
a 
blessing
 that 
they 
have 
granted 
us 
such
 a
 place
 in 
their 
lives. 
We 
have 
seen
 God 
do 
amazing 
things 
with 
them.
We
 had a 
blast
 at 
the 
wedding
 and 
reception. 


INVITED TO A PARTY

…. Kevin and I left the reception to go to a birthday party in the neighborhood of the mother of two of the boys that have been involved with us for a couple years now. The mother of these boys made a big deal about wanting to see us at her party. The invite was really important to her. Now would be a good time to confess that Kevin and I often go places that are questionable at best, for us to go. We like to hold onto the fact that Jesus went places oftentimes that caused him to be criticized and called a drunkard and sinner (can you imagine where this might be going?) 
We showed up at the ‘party’ and were immediately patted down by an extremely drunk and over protective brother of the birthday girl. We walked in to a smoky packed room with uncomfortable stares from many interesting looking men who were wondering who we were and why we were there. Loud music with extreme profanities rang in our ears. I have to mention that Kevin still had his tux on from the wedding and stood out almost as much as my white complexion…. Almost. The two young boys (8 and 7 years old) came flying through the crowd and jumped on us with wild hugs. The birthday girl ran out and hugged us, thrilled that we showed up. One of the men wasn’t sure he wanted us at that party so I told her that I just wanted to stop by and say happy birthday, that we weren’t there to start or cause any trouble, and that we would be leaving. She would hear nothing of it. She looked at us and loudly announced, “These are my people and my family, and you are my people and my family! You belong here.” 
She then proceeded to tell everyone in the apartment what we mean to her, what we have done for her kids over the last two years, and how much she appreciates the role we play in their lives and in the lives of the other boys and girls in the neighborhood. It was incredible. The tension faded away, and men and women began to ask us questions and say how much they admired what we were doing and how they had seen us loving the kids over the last year. One father pulled us outside and poured his heart out to us about how we were an inspiration to him and how he wanted to round up some other fathers in the housing project he lived in to come get involved with us in our community. It was unbelievable. 

When we came back in, the mother pulled the little boys over and told everyone in the room how much her sons had learned about God and about the bible and dared anyone to ask them what they had learned. I cannot do justice to the story in my attempt to explain to you what a truly humbling experience it was for us to be given this place of honor at such a ‘party’. As we were leaving I was fighting back tears of appreciation to God for the favor He has granted us in the lives of families like this one. 

TIME WITH PROSTITUTES

…. It was now about 11 o’clock and I turned down the block towards my home. A prostitute that I have recently been getting to know (in healthy ways, I promise!) didn’t recognize my wife’s van that I was driving and tried to solicit her services to me. It was very cold out, so I went home and warmed up some chili and other leftovers to take back to her. I returned to the corner where she was and we talked for a while. I have spent other nights recently on that corner just getting to know her and two others who work that same corner at night. I introduced myself as a minister who lives around the corner. I have brought food to them multiple times now and continued a conversation with them little by little over time. This particular girl wouldn’t take any food from me before. This time, she was happy to take it. She talked with me for a while and remembered my name, where I lived, and some of the things we had discussed previously. She told me about herself, which house she was staying in, and about the other two girls she ‘worked’ with. They all looked out for one another.
I told her again that I wasn’t out to judge her and that I was just trying to get to know my neighbors. We talked about some of the dangers and struggles she is experiencing. She thanked me for the food and I left and prayed for her on the way home. The next day after we returned from church, I came home to one of the other girls sitting on my doorstep. She said, “‘S B’ gave me some of the chili you gave her last night and told me to come see ya’ll because you might be able to help me. I am really hungry.” Delta made her some food, and we sat on the porch and she poured out her heart to me for a half hour. She just told me her story. She wept as she recounted how men had beaten her, raped her, and even left her for dead. Two of her friends have been murdered in the last few months while working the streets. I told her to come back and see us anytime. She has a few times since. Please pray for A, S, and K as we love these ‘neighbors’. 

God has granted us many open doors in our community. The boys and girls involved in our bible studies and tutoring are recruiting other kids to come and we anticipate a lot more kids getting involved. Please pray for us as we are making HUGE and fast-paced decisions on our future ministry space over the next few weeks. Thank you so much for your prayer and support! 

Psalm 34:3,
The Kellys and The Kings

My Little Studly man

Ethan was in a wedding this past weekend.  And not just any wedding.... a real "hood" wedding!

He was asked to be the Bible Carrier in our friend's ceremony - they have actually been married 15 years, but never had a ceremony.  This couple is the first couple we met from our neighborhood when we started CGM.  Bryan was asked to say a prayer during the ceremony, so he got to stand up in the front as well.  We are praying for the Lord's blessing over this couple, and that they would truly love Him and be a light to their community.

So, as Ethan was getting dressed up (you know he LOVES costumes!), he looked at me and said, "This is what a REAL man wears, right mom?"  I must say, I agree:)  He especially loved the shiny shoes!

Family Update

I know, I know! It has been forever since I have posted... I wish I could blame it on something crazy, but really it's mostly because I have been going to sleep at about 9 every night. I thought I would just give a quick update on how we are and throw in a few bits about the ministry as well - we shall see how this goes:)

Bryan is SUPER busy these days. He has tons of speaking engagements and lots of things "in the works" as far as ministry goes. There is some REALLY cool stuff going on that I can't wait to share, when the time is right. So many people have given space heaters and blankets to aid the families in our neighborhood through this winter - it has been such a blessing for me to see all the generosity of the Church when they spring into action! He and Kevin are busy with preparations for the Christmas store again this year - here is a pic from last year, followed by the middle school boys bible study:

This store is also supported by the generosity of the Church - and was a huge success last year. Parents and grandparents get to buy brand new gifts at reduced rates and give them to their children THEMSELVES!!! The tutoring program is going great- please pray for these children to be able to excel in their studies as a result of this effort. I really do believe that education is a HUGE step to breaking SO many destructive cycles that we see in our neighborhood.

I am still involved in helping Nicole with a teen girl's bible study that averages about 8 -10 girls each week. Nicole does an amazing job preparing the lesson for each week and then hosting it in her home. We have had several amazing people bring us dinner to serve the girls, and I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing that has been! Since the girls are all hanging out starting at about 3 pm on bible study day, it can be a bit challenging to get everything done. But truly God is blessing these girls in SO many ways. Please see this blog entry that Nicole wrote recently and be greatly encouraged. There is even a cute picture of all the girls on our day trip to Birmingham.
Personally, I am into the "honeymoon phase" of this pregnancy - the second trimester - you know, the time where you aren't sick, have a lot more energy, and eat every hour! We will be finding out who this baby is on December 2ND, so you can be sure there will be a post about that! I must say that I am getting excited more and more each day!

I am doing a wonderful bible study on "contentment"that I hope to be sharing quotes from soon - it has been a HUGE help to me the past few weeks.

All the boys are doing great!

Bryce just finished his first season of football. He did a great job and seemed to enjoy all the hitting and blocking!

Ethan is about to be 5!!! I really can't stand that! He is doing really well in his PreK-4 class and is finally learning all his letters. I seriously wondered if they would ever stick in his little brain. He is really loving and thoughtful and ALL BOY!
Levi is 15 months old and HILARIOUS!! He keeps us laughing with his open mouth grin and all his attempts at communication with us.

And I will leave you today with this:

Way before celebrating our one-year anniversary in this home, our brand new doorbell gave out. I wonder how many rings make up the life of a doorbell???

Neighborhood News

For those of you who don't read Nicole's blog or get the e-mail updates that Bryan and Kevin send out, I want to post the exciting story from last week!

We have been praying (so have many of you) that God would open up the door for us to build a ministry facility around the corner from our homes. Below is the account of how we ‘heard’ His answer. 

A Quick history lesson: First of all, we spent the better part of a year trying to acquire enough land to build on. Property after property became ‘available’ only to become ‘unavailable’ again due to title problems. Finally, a mother of a teenager who had been introduced to Jesus through our ministry, donated an empty lot to us because ‘she wanted something good for the kids in our neighborhood.’ The home she owned on the lot was lost to a house fire years ago. She now lives with her mom 2 houses down. We were able to buy the adjoining lot from a wonderful family who had moved away from the community. When they become aware of what we were doing in the neighborhood they were happy to sell the lot to us. We were committed also to getting overwhelming neighborhood support for such a facility. 

We have spent the better part of 2 years building relationships with and serving the precious people in and around our neighborhood. He are some examples: We have provided volunteer coaching for the football and baseball teams at Carver High School and held bible studies and meals for as many as 60 students weekly. We have provided recreational ‘fun’ for the kids wandering our streets, having baseball camps, paintball outings, a summer boy’s camp, a trip to the mountains of North Carolina for camping, a girls camp, and various other excursions. We now have after school tutoring to what has grown to 35 kids. A year ago we relocated our families into the Washington Park neighborhood and have opened up our homes to many kids and families who have become like family to us. We have had various ‘sleep over’s’ in our homes with kids we are getting to know and support our local YMCA by transporting and signing up kids for sports teams with our own children. We have also provided Christian counseling to families and kids, and starting a local Christmas store that allowed for neighborhood parents and grandparents to buy discounted new toys for 165 children. We also have begun doing housing renovations for families who could not afford to make the potentially expensive repairs to leaking roofs, dangerously faulty wiring, and bad plumbing and now hold bible studies for boys and girls age 6-19 in our homes through out the week. We have worked hard to live with and listen the desires and needs of our neighborhood. The next step was to have the property rezoned to allow us to build on it. 

God ‘shows up’ through our community! We went before the city Board of Adjustment yesterday evening to plead our case to be able to build the building in a residential area, and to ask for variances on some of the ‘set backs’ and parking regulations for such a facility. Our argument was that we have a major need for such a community space, that our community wants and needs it, that our families and kids walk to the facility, or that we pick them up and bring them, and that our proposed set backs would match what is already existing in the neighborhood. 
We spent the last week or so getting the word out that we needed community support to come with us to the meeting. I learned a lot about the mistrust of government as so many people told us they would sign anything we produced in support, but that they do not go to ‘meetings’! Also, we saw a number of folks tell us all along they were ‘coming’ and then not show up. As I reflected on this with one 74 year old resident, he told me that people all over this neighborhood talk about how bad it is, but that they have resigned themselves to doing nothing more. This may come as a result of the hopelessness that has set in over time. He looked at me and said, “You come by to get me and I will be here! I won’t let you down.”
We made calls all day yesterday and personal visits to remind folks about the meeting. Kevin and I drove two vans around and picked up those who said they had no way of getting to the meeting. As time got closer, I realized that some of the ‘key’ people that I thought would and should come would not be showing up. I prayed that God would bring the ones he desired to work and speak through. I called a grandmother who has care of her two grandsons due to some very sad and devastating circumstances and she said this to me. “Don’t you worry, I have already prayed and God says it will be done! You just pick-up me and my boys and we will come and do what needs to be done! This is a done deal! “ 
I stopped by the house of the woman who donated the land and she said, “Oh, don’t you worry, I will be there, just pick me up… and I will bring some others. That land is just sitting there and our kids need somewhere like this! Ya’ll are doing too much good in this neighborhood for them to say No!” I then called our neighborhood watch/association president and she said, “I will be there… let me make some calls and get some others there as well.”
We showed up at city hall with 22 people from the ‘hood. Kevin led us in prayer before we walked in. They Board leader called our petition to be discussed. Our architect argued our case and then they had me come to the front to answer questions. It was a little grueling, and we were challenged with a good bit of concerns the board had. One board member seemed very displeased with our request and presentation and at one point even said it seemed as if we were trying to ‘sideswipe’ them by saying we were a ‘church’, which had to do with the type of zoning we were requesting. I explained that we, as a ministry, saw ourselves as the ‘church’ in that we care about the various needs of our community, not just that which is considered spiritual only. I also explained that the very nature of our ministry was to unite the various congregations in Montgomery to serve those living on the west side of the city. They then opened the door for those from our community to speak. That is when I saw God ‘show up!’
Before the leader could even finish getting the phrase “is their anyone that would like to comment on this…” out of his mouth Mrs. Punkin was already walking up to the front!....“Yes I got some things to say!” She introduced herself rather clearly and emphatically and said, “I donated this land to them for this building and this is our neighborhood… and these are our children… this is our community, and we need something positive, and we want to build! And our kids need something like this! Bryan and Kevin having been doing a good thing in this community and our kids need a way of staying out of all the trouble”. As she turned to walk back, there were “Yes’s!” and “Uh Huh!s” and “Amen’s” and “That’s right!’s” from our crowd. Then, Mrs. Rice walked up.
“I am the Grandmother of two boys and these guys are mentoring and tutoring my grandsons. They are positive role models and doing great things for our community. Everyone is always looking down on the west side and focusing on all the negative stuff… and this is some thing positive that is going on. We need this, and we want this. “Again, came the crowd responses, maybe even louder, during and after her testimony. Then, came Mrs. Harris.
“I am the head of the neighborhood association and watch committee and we are very much behind what these young men and this organization are doing. We have seen some great things happen in our community through this ministry and wish to show our support for this facility.” 
Three more people raised their hands and were on the way up to the front to talk when one of the board members said, “I make a motion to grant the request to build and allow the variances,” and then there was an “I second” and a vote was held…. A unanimous vote in our favor! I could hardly hold back the tears. Our families applauded and we walked out overjoyed! Please celebrate with us over this and praise and thank our great God who opens doors like these. 

Now, please pray for us and there is the SMALL matter of raising the $350,000 to build the facility over the next 5 months! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! May He ‘show up’ again through the generosity of His people! 

Announcing....

You may think that Bryan and I are flashing up the latest gang signs.... but actually this is our way of announcing that the Lord has blessed us with another child!  That's right, we will be having our 4th child in April of next year.

Am I a little overwhelmed?  YES!!  But I am Oh so grateful for this precious blessing!

We have known for a while - actually while visiting our amazing friends, The Bruners, while in Orlando.  As you can see from the plates, we were having our traditional meal with Sarah and Stephen, a HUGE mexican spread.  It has to go down as one of my favorite moments of all time.

Please be in prayer for this baby and for me as well, as I have been having terrible "morning sickness" ALL DAY LONG!!!  I already know what you are thinking.... "that means it's a GIRL!"... well, let's just say I won't be at all surprised if this baby is a boy:)

My baby's first time in the news!

We had a wonderful day this past Saturday when a local church put on a fun even in the park in our neighborhood.  They provided a bounce house, snow-cones, hotdogs, cookies, drinks, and serving spirits. A separate group also helped with clearing a lot we plan on renovating for the ministry. 

All my boys had a great time, and even Levi is old enough to know a party when he sees one! The photographer loved him,  and this online article featured a sweet picture of him. There were even more on a slide show!  The link for that is right below the picture in the article. Ethan and Kaiya are also in the slideshow:)

I am so thankful for the city-wide effort that the Lord is beginning to start here in my 'hood.  There are so many people in this city who love God and want all people to know Him and love Him as well.  I believe so strongly that the Lord has called and blessed my husband and Kevin in an amazing way.... as Nicole would say:  "Look at the Lord!"  He continues to do SO much that we don't deserve.  He truly is concerned for this part of the city.

My boys, my heart

This is another picture from Natalie.  I absolutely love it.  I think I will be buying this camera! Don't worry, i know that I won't get pictures like this just because I have the camera, but maybe I can learn.

Bryce is 6 and loves First grade.  He is still adjusting to sitting down a lot more than he had to in Kindergarden, but his grades are good and he seems to be making friends.  He has typical boy humor and a compassionate heart, but is generally kind of a serious kid.  He is out by 12:30 everyday and I actually really like it.  We are all home everyday by 1:00, which means some down time before all the neighborhood kids get home from school, and it also means I don't have to interrupt Levi's afternoon nap to do a school pick-up.  

Ethan will start his pre-K class on Tuesday and he will go M-TH from 9-1.  He had a blast at his Open House this past week and is looking forward to school starting back up again.  His personality is definitely  "Life is FUN all the time" and I love watching him go through his days. 

Levi is changing each day.  He is walking all over the place and into EVERYthing!  I just looked down the hallway and I see him eating an oatmeal bar he just found in a cabinet... don't ask why there was an open bar in the cabinet... I am pretty sure it's Ethan's fault.  :)

I promise to do a ministry update soon - thank you for your prayers for our family and all these precious people the Lord has brought into our lives.

So perfect

I spent the afternoon with my sweet friend, Natalie.  She has a son right between Bryce and Ethan that my boys adore.  They love to go to their house to swim, climb trees, find bugs and just run crazy!  I love to go because Natalie is someone I really connect with.  She loves to talk about the Lord and what He is teaching her through each phase of life.  I learn so much from her honesty.  I am so thankful that the Lord has brought us together as friends.

Yesterday, as the boys played, Nat decided to try out her new camera... and I LOVE the results! I only have this one picture of Ethan now and I can't wait for all the others.  When I say she captured the spirit of this kid, I mean she did it perfectly!  She was standing right in front of him asking him things like, "What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?  Who is the funniest person you know?"  And it really worked.  He just cracked up.  

Thank you, Natalie, for you friendship and for trying out your new hobby on my kids!  love you!

The Reality of Life with Boys

I've read a few posts lately where people feel that they may be posting "too much information", so I thought I would join the crowd... for the sake of remembering all the hilarious things that go on in my house each day.

This particular story is about Ethan:

The latest "thing" at my house, is that several of our neighbor boys have taught Bryce how to do the "underarm poot" - you know, the thing where you put your hand under your armpit and pump your arm thus producing a noise that makes everyone laugh.  It took Bryce a while to get it, but now he is a professional.  Just what I wanted in my house.  

Well, it wasn't long before I saw Ethan attempting to learn the same trick.  Then one day, I heard it.  He was SO proud.  He would pump his little arm, and out would come THE NOISE.  Then I happened to notice that THE NOISE was a little bit delayed... the arm would stop pumping and out would come a little....pfft.  

"ETHAN!!!  Are you REALLY pooting????"  

"NO mommy!"  

"Are you sure? "

Turns out, Ethan is able to pass gas, for real, on demand.  Just what I wanted in my house.

"Ethan, How are you able to have that much gas???"

"Cause God made me that way!"

enough said.

Back to Reality

We are safely home!  

I really do like being here, but considering that we rolled in last night at 2 am and Bryce had his first day of 1st Grade... I am a little pooped.

I am trying out the slideshow feature at the top of my blog, but it is really small.  I am using Picasa, so if you just click on the slide show, you can view them on their website where they are bigger. 

I sure did have a fun summer, and kind of hate that it's over.  But I REALLY love the Fall... so part of me is excited.  

Please continue to pray for all the relationships that were deepened through all the Bible Studies and hang-out time.  Pray as Nicole and I talk through the next steps and as the Lord continues to surprise us with His agenda!  Two of our girls in the study are having babies this month, so keep them in your prayers as well.

On Vacation

I am thrilled to announce that we are ON VACATION and have been for a week now!

We will return home on Wednesday, and real life will SLAM me in the face after so much leisure time.  The day after we get home will be Bryce's first day of school, so I am pretty nervous about that.  

Today, I am actually in Orlando, without kids!  Bryan's family is keeping them until tomorrow morning so we could come visit old friends and rest a little bit.  It has been a precious 24 hours so far, for so many reasons.  :)

I will blog again, probably this weekend, with some awesome vacation pics.

My heros

SUPER-HEROS that is! And yes, this is all before 8:00 in the morning! hahahahaha

He gives VISION to the BLIND!

I am so happy right now, I can hardly stand it!

I just returned from my post-op visit and my eyes are healing wonderfully and I have 20/15 vision.

The surgery went so very well. The only time I was really nervous was a point that they put a suction on my eye and that eye goes completely blind.... I just prayed and prayed that I would see again! It only lasted a few seconds, but seemed like an eternity. Other than that, it was amazing. My doctor was so reassuring the whole time and each eye was under the laser for less than a minute. I really do see this as a modern day miracle.

I have SO many things to post, but just wanted to thank the Lord publically for such a wonderful outcome and for providing this special treat for me. Jesus, thank you for the amazing blessings you give that I clearly don't deserve. I feel so loved by your tender care of me.

Good bye old friend

Well, by this time tomorrow night, I will be sleeping away my final pill that will help me recover from my Lasik surgery.  

I must admit I am quite nervous (considering this is ELECTIVE surgery!) but am trusting the Lord to get me through it.

So, here's to you, oldest pair of glasses ever... may I never need you again!!!  (until i am 40 and need you to read!)

Girls Ministry Update

I just want to thank my friend, Nicole, for a few things.  She is an amazing friend and ministry partner. She is so faithful to speak truth and encourage me.  She is committed to loving on the girls around us - even when she is SO tired!  

Also, she has done an amazing job writing about her/our experiences during this first year of intense learning about urban ministry.  She just wrote an incredible update about our teenage girl's Bible Study, so please click here to read it!

Getting up in the morning

This was just TOO good to not pass on:

"Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says.. 

"Oh no, she's awake."

---Unknown

All Smiles

Sometimes you just get a really good smiley picture, and have to share!





Within the last several weeks, Levi has FINALLY:


*sprouted 3 teeth


*takes about 3-5 steps (then gets so excited that he sprawls out onto his face)


*wears a size "4" diaper, and as you can see below, he is quickly catching up to Ethan's height!


*said his first word...."Hec-tor".... one of his 2 favorite teenagers - also seen below!

I can't believe he will be "1" in just two weeks.

A Safe Place to Play!

When we first moved in back in November, I really wanted a playground for my kids and those around us to have a safe place to play.  I decided to just pray and ask the Lord to provide one, in His timing.  I didn't even tell people - except for Nicole and Bryan and maybe one other person.

Then, a few months ago, the lady who was in charge of Eastwood Church's Vacation Bible School called.  She wanted to know if I would want them to contribute and build a playset in our backyard as part of their missions emphasis for the week.  I was speechless and teary eyed.  I think she thought I didn't like the idea because it took me so long to respond!   Well, a few weeks ago, the 6th grade boys came to my house to help some of the volunteer men from the church build this amazing playset. 

It has become THE place to be every afternoon.  Ethan and Bryce go out there as soon as their breakfast is finished in the mornings.  From the picture you can tell it was even turned into a water slide! (we put a stop to that quick-like!)

I am so thankful to to Lord for ministering to my heart in such an unexpected way.  I am so thankful to Eastwood VBS and all the men who sacrificed HOURS of their time to make this possible.  FUN, FUN, FUN!

Pictures Galore!

Praise the Lord - I found my camera! So in celebration, here are some pics that were on the camera!!


Sweet Brothers! This was taken at my Grandma's house during my cousin's wedding in May.
Backyard fun - playing in a mud puddle!
Just a word - if you aren't having a date night with your spouse - start this week! It has been so wonderful for us! Thank you, Nic and Kev!
Just wanted you to see a "before" pic of my house (when it's clean)in the mornings. See the next pic for 5 pm on a Friday afternoon!Don't you just love a full house!! I wish the picture of the tile floor had been more clear so you could see it,....
And now, just some favorite pics of the boys fishin in the mountains: