November just flew by! We started out the month by visiting my parents in Iowa for a week. We had a blast, and mom and I were able to get some sewing projects done. My nephew Jacob also stayed with us for a few days, and he and Noah holed themselves up in a room playing with Lego's! Noah enjoyed the boy time. We went back to Anthony for a week, and then packed up and went home to Mustang for Thanksgiving. We were there for almost three weeks getting some things done. Caleb and his brother Josh were able to get the storage building boarded up and ready for winter, then they transferred our stuff out of the bus (Praise God!) and into the building. Caleb was able to do some repair plumbing work for a widow in our church that had bought a house. We also were able to get a cd recorded! 7 of the songs are Caleb singing with me playing the piano, and 5 are of the Quartet singing which is Caleb, Josh, Rochelle, and Andrea. We should have the cd available at the beginning of the year, please pray that we can get the money together to pay for the printing and wrapping.
We have been blessed immensely these last two months! We were able to buy a van for exactly the amount we had in our savings! We have been praying and looking for a minivan that has low miles, good engine, and will be able to travel where we need to. We were able to buy a '96 Ford Windstar from an elderly lady in our church that didn't feel safe driving anymore. It had 86,000 miles and was very well taken care of. We hadn't told anyone (except our Pastor) how much money we had to buy a minivan, but she called and quoted the exact amount that we had. We knew it was from the Lord. We have also had winter coats given to us for the kids, and money provided to buy new ones. The church in Anthony surprised us with gifts on Sunday. They bought Caleb a tripod for his leveling laser, and they gave me a Visa gift card! I was able to buy a new maternity winter coat, something I really needed. They also surprised me (and the other women in our group) with a very thoughtful gift basket which included good-smelling soaps and lotion, a robe, blanket, chocolate, flannel sheets, and other goodies. What a blessing! The church here has been overwhelming to us in meeting our needs.
The building project is going along smoothly. The walls are up, drywalled, taped and mudded. Now the men are painting and when that is finished, Caleb will begin laying tile. He got the electrical all finished so he's relieved about that! We will be here until January 17th, then we're heading home to have this baby! My due date is February 17th so we wanted to be home in plenty of time. We might even be able to come home a week earlier to go to the Heartland Home Missions Conference but that depends on how much work is left here, since that is our first priority. Hope you all are having a safe pre-winter and are enjoying your time with family! God bless!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
October Update! :)
You know you don't update the blog enough when your browser history doesn't recognize the blog address when you type it in. Just one more thing I need to remember!
We found out we're having another girl! Noah was terribly upset but I think he's used to the idea now. We don't really know what to think. It's always hard for me to imagine another baby in our family, even when we only had Noah and we were expecting Kayla. After every child we have I feel "done" and can't imagine having more!
These last two weeks have been super busy. Last week we were in a wonderful Missions Conference at Anchor Baptist Church in Andover, KS with Bro. Dodd. We've been there twice before and really feel a part of the church. We get along great with the Ivey's, and always have a great time! It was a long drive back and forth but we survived.
This past week we were in Battlefield, MO at Wilson Creek Baptist Church with Bro. Moody. They have an annual Home Missions Conference and they raise support for church planters and other home missionaries. I believe there were around 40 church planters/home missionaries and over $45,000 was raised! It was an amazing meeting and you could really feel the Lord moving. The church is amazing and so giving, taking care of our every need. You can really tell they love missionaries and want to serve as much as they can.
On our way to the church we blew a tire on the trailer. Thankfully it was on the inside so it didn't do any real damage. We were given money to replace that tire and buy four more! So we now have new tires on the trailer plus a new spare. That is a big relief!
As most everyone knows, we have been "borrowing" this trailer with the intent to eventually take over the payments when we had raised enough support. We were contacted and asked if we could take over the payments now, for a few reasons. There was no way we could afford so we just prayed and trusted the Lord. Our church was approved to take over the loan and also the church has worked out a way to meet the payments! What a huge blessing, we are so thankful for our church and their love and support for us. We don't know how we would make it without them.
We still need to raise some more support, so please pray that we can share our burden with more churches and see the support come in! Tomorrow we are leaving to go back to Anthony, KS. There is still a lot of work that needs done, but the end is in sight! Our future is still undecided. We might go to Arizona, we might stay in Anthony until it's time to have the baby, we might go somewhere else, we don't really know. At least I don't! We're just trying to take it one job at a time. All I know is that we will be back in Mustang, OK by the middle of January.
We found out we're having another girl! Noah was terribly upset but I think he's used to the idea now. We don't really know what to think. It's always hard for me to imagine another baby in our family, even when we only had Noah and we were expecting Kayla. After every child we have I feel "done" and can't imagine having more!
These last two weeks have been super busy. Last week we were in a wonderful Missions Conference at Anchor Baptist Church in Andover, KS with Bro. Dodd. We've been there twice before and really feel a part of the church. We get along great with the Ivey's, and always have a great time! It was a long drive back and forth but we survived.
This past week we were in Battlefield, MO at Wilson Creek Baptist Church with Bro. Moody. They have an annual Home Missions Conference and they raise support for church planters and other home missionaries. I believe there were around 40 church planters/home missionaries and over $45,000 was raised! It was an amazing meeting and you could really feel the Lord moving. The church is amazing and so giving, taking care of our every need. You can really tell they love missionaries and want to serve as much as they can.
On our way to the church we blew a tire on the trailer. Thankfully it was on the inside so it didn't do any real damage. We were given money to replace that tire and buy four more! So we now have new tires on the trailer plus a new spare. That is a big relief!
As most everyone knows, we have been "borrowing" this trailer with the intent to eventually take over the payments when we had raised enough support. We were contacted and asked if we could take over the payments now, for a few reasons. There was no way we could afford so we just prayed and trusted the Lord. Our church was approved to take over the loan and also the church has worked out a way to meet the payments! What a huge blessing, we are so thankful for our church and their love and support for us. We don't know how we would make it without them.
We still need to raise some more support, so please pray that we can share our burden with more churches and see the support come in! Tomorrow we are leaving to go back to Anthony, KS. There is still a lot of work that needs done, but the end is in sight! Our future is still undecided. We might go to Arizona, we might stay in Anthony until it's time to have the baby, we might go somewhere else, we don't really know. At least I don't! We're just trying to take it one job at a time. All I know is that we will be back in Mustang, OK by the middle of January.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
September Update!
Since it seems I only update once a month, I'll just call this my September update!
The building is going well. Caleb has gotten all of the plumbing done, so it's ready for drywall. We've had a few teams come back to Anthony so work is progressing smoothly again. Caleb is working on the soffetts on the outside of the building, as well as stringing electrical lines for lights in the auditorium. The men are putting in the baptistry, and there are some other various things to finsih before all of the drywalling can be done, in two weeks
The kids are really enjoying school! It's going well and we can get most subjects done in the morning, saving the more in-depth ones for the afternoon, like Science and Heritage Studies. We alternate days for those so it isn't overwhelming. Kayla still thinks 1st grade is better than Kindergarten but she said yesterday that I'm a boring teacher. I suppose I should try to work on that!
The weather is still warm, although not in the 100's. Our trailer still gets warm in the afternoon but not stifling like it used to!
We were able to go home to Mustang, OK for our church's revival and had a wonderful time! The Spirit was definitely moving during the services and the Lord spoke to many people about revival in their lives. Ours included! The Nelson family came to sing and they are always a blessing. Check out their website . If they are singing at a church in your area, it would benefit to go hear them sing! Bro. Steve Johnson, Pastor in Aurora, CO preached the revival for us and he used simple illustrations that really drove his point home! It is always nice to be home and see friends and family, and to revive!
Well I am 19 weeks pregnant now and we should find out of Monday whether we're having a boy or a girl! We are excited and nervous. Noah is very worried it isn't a boy, he even mentioned selling the baby if it's a girl! I reminded him how upset he was when we found out Anna was a girl, but now he loves her and plays with her all of the time. He paused to think about that and then said, "Yeah, but I don't think I could love TWO baby girls!"
The building is going well. Caleb has gotten all of the plumbing done, so it's ready for drywall. We've had a few teams come back to Anthony so work is progressing smoothly again. Caleb is working on the soffetts on the outside of the building, as well as stringing electrical lines for lights in the auditorium. The men are putting in the baptistry, and there are some other various things to finsih before all of the drywalling can be done, in two weeks
The kids are really enjoying school! It's going well and we can get most subjects done in the morning, saving the more in-depth ones for the afternoon, like Science and Heritage Studies. We alternate days for those so it isn't overwhelming. Kayla still thinks 1st grade is better than Kindergarten but she said yesterday that I'm a boring teacher. I suppose I should try to work on that!
The weather is still warm, although not in the 100's. Our trailer still gets warm in the afternoon but not stifling like it used to!
We were able to go home to Mustang, OK for our church's revival and had a wonderful time! The Spirit was definitely moving during the services and the Lord spoke to many people about revival in their lives. Ours included! The Nelson family came to sing and they are always a blessing. Check out their website . If they are singing at a church in your area, it would benefit to go hear them sing! Bro. Steve Johnson, Pastor in Aurora, CO preached the revival for us and he used simple illustrations that really drove his point home! It is always nice to be home and see friends and family, and to revive!
Well I am 19 weeks pregnant now and we should find out of Monday whether we're having a boy or a girl! We are excited and nervous. Noah is very worried it isn't a boy, he even mentioned selling the baby if it's a girl! I reminded him how upset he was when we found out Anna was a girl, but now he loves her and plays with her all of the time. He paused to think about that and then said, "Yeah, but I don't think I could love TWO baby girls!"
Friday, August 27, 2010
Ready for Fall!
We are ready for Fall around here. The temperature has cooled and we're able to leave the windows open for most of the day, just using the a/c in the afternoon. We even used the oven to make dinner one night! I had to stop and remember how to light it.
We are also ready to start school! I have Kayla and Lela's school work but I am *patiently* waiting for Noah's to come in. At the end of this past school year I really felt like we needed to try a different curriculum. The one we were using was good for traveling and with a new baby, and it worked well for us. But I felt like we needed to try soemthing a little bit more challenging this year. So I prayed about it, looked at a lot of different curriculums, talked to my mom (who is a homeschool expert), and talked to other homeschool moms to see what they use and what works for them. Finally I decided that I would like to use Bob Jones Press. That's what I mainly used growing up so I'm familiar with it and we've been given a few workbooks in the past that the kids really enjoyed. The only problem was, it's really expensive!! Well I decided to trust the Lord and "prepare for rain" so I planned what I would need for the kids, watched ebay auctions and searched Amazon to see what things were selling for. I ordered a free catalog from the company and memorized it! Then just as I knew He would, the Lord provided the money to buy the curriculum AND I found amazing deals for everything we need! I was able to buy full curriculum sets for Kayla and Noah for less than it would cost to buy JUST Kayla's straight from the company. What a blessing! So right now we're just waiting for Noah's to come in, hopefully we will start on August 31st.
We have a few prayer requests, if you could please remember them:
* That we would get more supporting churches so we can officially "buy" this trailer from the Means family, if it's the Lord's will
* For Caleb to be able to accomplish a lot with the building. There's been a few setbacks so the work has been slow, but praise the Lord, he is almost done with the plumbing in the walls!
* The new baby, pray that he/she will be healthy and the Lord will provide for financial needs.
We have had many blessings, the Lord has taken care of us in mighty ways! We have had a few churches take us on for support. Also I am starting to feel a lot better with my pregnancy, I just get sick mostly in the evenings or if I don't eat.
Thank you for the prayers!
We are also ready to start school! I have Kayla and Lela's school work but I am *patiently* waiting for Noah's to come in. At the end of this past school year I really felt like we needed to try a different curriculum. The one we were using was good for traveling and with a new baby, and it worked well for us. But I felt like we needed to try soemthing a little bit more challenging this year. So I prayed about it, looked at a lot of different curriculums, talked to my mom (who is a homeschool expert), and talked to other homeschool moms to see what they use and what works for them. Finally I decided that I would like to use Bob Jones Press. That's what I mainly used growing up so I'm familiar with it and we've been given a few workbooks in the past that the kids really enjoyed. The only problem was, it's really expensive!! Well I decided to trust the Lord and "prepare for rain" so I planned what I would need for the kids, watched ebay auctions and searched Amazon to see what things were selling for. I ordered a free catalog from the company and memorized it! Then just as I knew He would, the Lord provided the money to buy the curriculum AND I found amazing deals for everything we need! I was able to buy full curriculum sets for Kayla and Noah for less than it would cost to buy JUST Kayla's straight from the company. What a blessing! So right now we're just waiting for Noah's to come in, hopefully we will start on August 31st.
We have a few prayer requests, if you could please remember them:
* That we would get more supporting churches so we can officially "buy" this trailer from the Means family, if it's the Lord's will
* For Caleb to be able to accomplish a lot with the building. There's been a few setbacks so the work has been slow, but praise the Lord, he is almost done with the plumbing in the walls!
* The new baby, pray that he/she will be healthy and the Lord will provide for financial needs.
We have had many blessings, the Lord has taken care of us in mighty ways! We have had a few churches take us on for support. Also I am starting to feel a lot better with my pregnancy, I just get sick mostly in the evenings or if I don't eat.
Thank you for the prayers!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
hot, Hot, HOT!!
It is SO hot! That's all I can think about! It's hot when I wake up, it's hot at lunchtime, it's hot in the afternoon, and it's hot at night! HOT!! And it's just now August!
Not many exciting things have happened this last month. The kids and I had a great time at my parents' house in Iowa and did not want to come back, but Caleb wouldn't stop whining so we came back anyway. Turns out he doesn't like the peace and quiet as much as he thought! I am still pretty sick with this baby but I seem to be handling it better and better. I just have to remember my limitations and not fight what my body is telling me. The building is going slow, but steady. I would post some update pictures but everything they're doing is "behind the scenes" and doesn't make a big enough difference to matter! But it's all necessary work.
Anna is walking like a champ now and is cutting more teeth than ever. She has 9 teeth now! The kids are exciting to start school again, our start date is August 17th. I was able to get Kayla 1st grade curriculum from Bob Jones Press for a very good price and my parents were very kind to help out in purchasing it! She looks at the workbooks every day and begs me to let her start! I want to get Noah his 3rd grade stuff from BJP also but I don't know if we'll be able to this year. There are some good deals on Ebay that I'm watching, and if it's the Lord's will, I know He'll provide. I just have to be patient and trust His workings. Lela will be doing preschool again so she's excited too!
I recently was hired by an online newspaper to write articles for them. I am the West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner, officially! I write 2-3 articles a week relating to pregnancy and get paid by how many views my articles get, how long they're read, and if people subscribe. So please check it out!! I left my computer at my parents' house and just got it back this weekend, so I'm trying to play catch-up and get going on that again. The link is: West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner
I can't think of much else that's going on. We're going to Oklahoma next week for our church's VBS. Please pray about our financial situation with this pregnancy. We feel led to not use government assistance, and we are members of Samaritan Ministries (bill share group), but the doctor and hospital aren't cooperating and would rather try to convince me why I should just use SoonerCare than actually get me a quote so I can start seeing a doctor. We want to trust the Lord and depend on Him for this one!
Not many exciting things have happened this last month. The kids and I had a great time at my parents' house in Iowa and did not want to come back, but Caleb wouldn't stop whining so we came back anyway. Turns out he doesn't like the peace and quiet as much as he thought! I am still pretty sick with this baby but I seem to be handling it better and better. I just have to remember my limitations and not fight what my body is telling me. The building is going slow, but steady. I would post some update pictures but everything they're doing is "behind the scenes" and doesn't make a big enough difference to matter! But it's all necessary work.
Anna is walking like a champ now and is cutting more teeth than ever. She has 9 teeth now! The kids are exciting to start school again, our start date is August 17th. I was able to get Kayla 1st grade curriculum from Bob Jones Press for a very good price and my parents were very kind to help out in purchasing it! She looks at the workbooks every day and begs me to let her start! I want to get Noah his 3rd grade stuff from BJP also but I don't know if we'll be able to this year. There are some good deals on Ebay that I'm watching, and if it's the Lord's will, I know He'll provide. I just have to be patient and trust His workings. Lela will be doing preschool again so she's excited too!
I recently was hired by an online newspaper to write articles for them. I am the West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner, officially! I write 2-3 articles a week relating to pregnancy and get paid by how many views my articles get, how long they're read, and if people subscribe. So please check it out!! I left my computer at my parents' house and just got it back this weekend, so I'm trying to play catch-up and get going on that again. The link is: West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner
I can't think of much else that's going on. We're going to Oklahoma next week for our church's VBS. Please pray about our financial situation with this pregnancy. We feel led to not use government assistance, and we are members of Samaritan Ministries (bill share group), but the doctor and hospital aren't cooperating and would rather try to convince me why I should just use SoonerCare than actually get me a quote so I can start seeing a doctor. We want to trust the Lord and depend on Him for this one!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
It's Been a While!
I didn't realize how long it had been since I've posted a blog. Wow! A lot has happened too. First and most importantly, we found out we're going to have another baby! Probably the end of February sometime. We're all pretty excited. Pray for Noah, that either it's a boy or he'll still be alive if it's a girl. He said if we have another girl he just might die! Kayla also informed me that when I have this baby she will get to take care of Anna ALL BY HER SELF! So I might just take her up on that offer. Lela is more excited about this baby than she was for Anna. Probably because she knows what to expect and she's a little bit older now, she can appreciate what is coming.
Another exciting this is that I got a job! I applied for an article with an online newspaper, examiner.com. I got the West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner position. So I write three or more articles a week relating to pregnancy. It's been pretty easy coming up with topics! You can see my profile page here. Please stop by and browse some articles! You can subscribe to my column and get an email update whenever a new article is posted. I've always loved english and writing, and had dreams of writing some day, and so this job is almost a dream come true. It doesn't pay much yet. I get paid depending on how many people view my articles, how long they view them, and how many people subscribe. So until I get a following I won't make very much.
We are still in Anthony, Kansas and still loving it. It is forever HOT and we are always trying to come up with new ways to stay cool. The kids' new favorite way is to turn on the hose and soak themselves. I tell them to go for it, but they can't come inside until they're dry! The building is going slow, but they're getting stuff done. The walls are mostly up, and most of the windows are in. Caleb is starting to put plumbing in the walls so he's excited to be back with the plumbing again.
The kids and I will be going to see my parents in Iowa for a week. We have plans of going to train museums, a drag race, a water park, Kayla is going to learn how to sew, and the kids have major plans of running around crazy!
Another exciting this is that I got a job! I applied for an article with an online newspaper, examiner.com. I got the West Oklahoma City Pregnancy Examiner position. So I write three or more articles a week relating to pregnancy. It's been pretty easy coming up with topics! You can see my profile page here. Please stop by and browse some articles! You can subscribe to my column and get an email update whenever a new article is posted. I've always loved english and writing, and had dreams of writing some day, and so this job is almost a dream come true. It doesn't pay much yet. I get paid depending on how many people view my articles, how long they view them, and how many people subscribe. So until I get a following I won't make very much.
We are still in Anthony, Kansas and still loving it. It is forever HOT and we are always trying to come up with new ways to stay cool. The kids' new favorite way is to turn on the hose and soak themselves. I tell them to go for it, but they can't come inside until they're dry! The building is going slow, but they're getting stuff done. The walls are mostly up, and most of the windows are in. Caleb is starting to put plumbing in the walls so he's excited to be back with the plumbing again.
The kids and I will be going to see my parents in Iowa for a week. We have plans of going to train museums, a drag race, a water park, Kayla is going to learn how to sew, and the kids have major plans of running around crazy!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
After taking almost two months, all of the roof trusses and OSB sheeting are finally on the roof! Bro. McCullough, Bro. Cannon, Bro. Newkirk and Caleb worked steadily today and finally got it finished! The roofers are coming on Monday at 6am to start putting on the actual roofs which means the men can focus on doing other things. What things, I don't know! I'm assuming something with the walls, but I don't know for sure. I just watch and report on what I see get done.
This week it has been super hot and it isn't even July yet. I'm not sure if we'll survive the next two months! I have started making dinner in the crock pot and I'm hoping Caleb will be able to take the time to make a Solar Oven, so I don't have to use the oven in the trailer. We either have to be frozen in the morning until about 11pm so it stays relatively cool (around 80*) during the afternoon, or suck it up and endure the warmness in the afternoon until about 7pm. Our poor a/c works on high for most of the day, going continuously. I pray every day that it keeps up and doesn't quit on us! In the afternoons we try to either go somewhere and do something, take naps, or watch movies. Any kind of activity is almost unbearable! I know, we're such wimps, we are grateful for the fact that our trailer is less than 90* during the day when it could be over 100* like outside! The kids and I like to go to the library, or walk around Alco, or even just going to a park and spreading out a blanket is preferrable to being in the trailer when it gets so hot.
God has blessed us in so many ways. We've gotten random love offerings, had food given to us, and I've gotten into contact with some friends I haven't talked to in years! There is definitely hope for the future and I love it when the Lord allows us to see a little bit of His glory to keep us going. We have started to have family devotions in the morning, something we are very bad about keeping going, and the kids have been very receptive in hearing the daily devotion. We are teaching Anna, who is 1 year old now, to sit still on my lap. She is doing well and only squirms a few times in the 15 minutes it usually takes us.
Thanks for all of the prayers and thoughts! We love to hear from people, so leave a message or comment!
This week it has been super hot and it isn't even July yet. I'm not sure if we'll survive the next two months! I have started making dinner in the crock pot and I'm hoping Caleb will be able to take the time to make a Solar Oven, so I don't have to use the oven in the trailer. We either have to be frozen in the morning until about 11pm so it stays relatively cool (around 80*) during the afternoon, or suck it up and endure the warmness in the afternoon until about 7pm. Our poor a/c works on high for most of the day, going continuously. I pray every day that it keeps up and doesn't quit on us! In the afternoons we try to either go somewhere and do something, take naps, or watch movies. Any kind of activity is almost unbearable! I know, we're such wimps, we are grateful for the fact that our trailer is less than 90* during the day when it could be over 100* like outside! The kids and I like to go to the library, or walk around Alco, or even just going to a park and spreading out a blanket is preferrable to being in the trailer when it gets so hot.
God has blessed us in so many ways. We've gotten random love offerings, had food given to us, and I've gotten into contact with some friends I haven't talked to in years! There is definitely hope for the future and I love it when the Lord allows us to see a little bit of His glory to keep us going. We have started to have family devotions in the morning, something we are very bad about keeping going, and the kids have been very receptive in hearing the daily devotion. We are teaching Anna, who is 1 year old now, to sit still on my lap. She is doing well and only squirms a few times in the 15 minutes it usually takes us.
Thanks for all of the prayers and thoughts! We love to hear from people, so leave a message or comment!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wow! This has been a long week! We came to Oklahoma with few plans; only to have Anna's birthday party, and for Noah and Lela to go to the dentist. Shortly after we got here, however, plans changed! A very loving and giving family in our church has been letting us "live" in a house on their property. We have had our stuff there and lived there when we were back in town, for 1 1/2 years now. We knew they were going to try to rent the house and that we would need to move our stuff out, little did we know we would need to do it this week! So our short vacation turned into a longer working-vacation. Thankfully Caleb and I were able to pack Thursday and Friday without the kids, and then Saturday the kids helped us pick up trash, sweep and vacuum. They were such good helps that we got it done in only two hours! We got all of our stuff seperated into four categories; pack in storage, keep in trailer, sell in garage sale, and throw away! We thought we would find a "few" things to sell and we ended up filling half of Caleb's parents' garage!
I made Anna a little cake for her party and she loved it! She must have been watching a few dogs to get some pointers on the best way to eat, because she dove in head first! It was too cute. She is really walking now and prefers to walk over crawling, except for if she loses her balance.
We are headed back to Anthony, Kansas tomorrow and Caleb will return back to work. We had a wonderful time home and really enjoyed seeing family and church family. We probably won't be home again until September, unless we need to come home for another reason. But otherwise, we won't be back until our church's anniversary.
God is good!!!
I made Anna a little cake for her party and she loved it! She must have been watching a few dogs to get some pointers on the best way to eat, because she dove in head first! It was too cute. She is really walking now and prefers to walk over crawling, except for if she loses her balance.
We are headed back to Anthony, Kansas tomorrow and Caleb will return back to work. We had a wonderful time home and really enjoyed seeing family and church family. We probably won't be home again until September, unless we need to come home for another reason. But otherwise, we won't be back until our church's anniversary.
God is good!!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I didn't realize it had been so long since I had updated! The work in Anthony is going well. They got all of the trusses up (I believe) and are finishing up the sheeting. It seems the process is very slow, but there are so many little things to do, that it takes a while to see progress.
We are in Oklahoma for a week. Anna is turning one year old on Wednesday so we came home to have a party for her and also because Noah and Lela have dentist appointments. They have cavities! AH! I am nervous for them, but I'm trying not to show it! I didn't get cavities much as a kid, the first one I got I believe I was close to the age of 10, and I remember it being a little bit traumatic! But I'm hoping it isn't so bad for them. The dentist we had as a kid is a little bit of a legend in our family; a bad legend. The kids' dentist, however, is very kind and gentle so I'm sure it will be fine. Since finding the cavities the kids have been very faithful to brush, floss and rinse. I'm so proud of them!
There isn't much else going on with our family. We are trying to plan a trip to Iowa to see my family and spend time at "the farm". But since Caleb doesn't really know when the plumbing will need to be done, it's hard to plan. Plus we are trying to work around my mom's work schedule. The kids and I might just go by ourselves so Caleb can keep working.
Anna is starting to walk now and she is so proud of herself! She hasn't gotten the hang on regaining her balance, she just kind of sets off until she can't walk anymore! It's quite humorous. And then she will look around to see who was watching and see if she can get some praise!
One of these weeks I'm going to start summer school with the kids, it just hasn't worked out yet! I'm still considering switching curriculum this fall, but we're waiting to see what exactly it will cost.
Caleb turned the big 3-0 on the 7th! He is now "old" as we all that are younger like to remind him. We were able to go out on a date without ANY of the kids, including Anna! The Pastor and his wife, David and Holly Newkirk, watched the kids so we could go. It was such a blessing to be able to leave them with people we could trust! I was a little panicked at first, I wasn't sure how Anna would do without me for so long, but we both survived with no problems.
Please pray for the men as they work! It is terribly hot and humid and they are on the roof. We've already had one man who had to go to the doctor for dehydration.
We are in Oklahoma for a week. Anna is turning one year old on Wednesday so we came home to have a party for her and also because Noah and Lela have dentist appointments. They have cavities! AH! I am nervous for them, but I'm trying not to show it! I didn't get cavities much as a kid, the first one I got I believe I was close to the age of 10, and I remember it being a little bit traumatic! But I'm hoping it isn't so bad for them. The dentist we had as a kid is a little bit of a legend in our family; a bad legend. The kids' dentist, however, is very kind and gentle so I'm sure it will be fine. Since finding the cavities the kids have been very faithful to brush, floss and rinse. I'm so proud of them!
There isn't much else going on with our family. We are trying to plan a trip to Iowa to see my family and spend time at "the farm". But since Caleb doesn't really know when the plumbing will need to be done, it's hard to plan. Plus we are trying to work around my mom's work schedule. The kids and I might just go by ourselves so Caleb can keep working.
Anna is starting to walk now and she is so proud of herself! She hasn't gotten the hang on regaining her balance, she just kind of sets off until she can't walk anymore! It's quite humorous. And then she will look around to see who was watching and see if she can get some praise!
One of these weeks I'm going to start summer school with the kids, it just hasn't worked out yet! I'm still considering switching curriculum this fall, but we're waiting to see what exactly it will cost.
Caleb turned the big 3-0 on the 7th! He is now "old" as we all that are younger like to remind him. We were able to go out on a date without ANY of the kids, including Anna! The Pastor and his wife, David and Holly Newkirk, watched the kids so we could go. It was such a blessing to be able to leave them with people we could trust! I was a little panicked at first, I wasn't sure how Anna would do without me for so long, but we both survived with no problems.
Please pray for the men as they work! It is terribly hot and humid and they are on the roof. We've already had one man who had to go to the doctor for dehydration.
Friday, May 28, 2010
I love being a mom. I really do. I became a mom at a young age (right before I turned 20) and i was naive in every way. My kids have taught me a lot, and having kids has taught me even more. I understand and love God more, and I'm more grateful for His love and mercy! But some days, like today, I just feel like I need a break.
One thing that deputation taught Caleb and me, is that we are not very good parents. I know there are a lot worse, but we really found out our shortfalls! We have been trying to work on our anger, yelling, and impatience. We really don't believe that a loving household has a place for any of those things, but it's harder to live without them than I ever thought it would be.
With it getting hot, the kids can't play outside for very long. But when they're inside, our space is so limited that they have a hard time figuring out how to get along. And I get frustrated when my only floor is covered in crayons, puzzles, legos, paper bags, and whatever else they got out. I understand kids make messes, but I don't know why that mess has to be on every bed, the kids' floor, and my living room floor. Then they want to watch a movie, play on the computer, and have a snack.
And of course, nobody got that stuff out.
And since everything is out, there's nothing to do.
I love my kids and I thank God for every one of them. But some days it's hard to remember why I love them so much.
One thing that deputation taught Caleb and me, is that we are not very good parents. I know there are a lot worse, but we really found out our shortfalls! We have been trying to work on our anger, yelling, and impatience. We really don't believe that a loving household has a place for any of those things, but it's harder to live without them than I ever thought it would be.
With it getting hot, the kids can't play outside for very long. But when they're inside, our space is so limited that they have a hard time figuring out how to get along. And I get frustrated when my only floor is covered in crayons, puzzles, legos, paper bags, and whatever else they got out. I understand kids make messes, but I don't know why that mess has to be on every bed, the kids' floor, and my living room floor. Then they want to watch a movie, play on the computer, and have a snack.
And of course, nobody got that stuff out.
And since everything is out, there's nothing to do.
I love my kids and I thank God for every one of them. But some days it's hard to remember why I love them so much.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Angels are Rejoicing!
For the past year or so Kayla has been talking about getting saved, but she is so goofy that we never knew when she was serious. Plus, she was easily distracted so we never pushed. Lela has been interested for a few months now, but when we would ask her about it she would say she "didn't understand yet" so once again, we'd let it go.
This morning I opened "Call To Glory", a Baptist devotion book, to see what the subject was about (sometimes they're not appropriate for kids) and saw that it was about Salvation. I just knew that Kayla would get saved because of it! The devil was really fighting; the phone rang twice while I was reading, Noah couldn't pronounce half of the words in the passage and got mad when I said I would read it, Anna was flinging water all over everyone from her cup, and the girls were more interested in giggling than listening. I had to really fight the urge to give up and just start school!
We got through the devotion which was about Paul talking to Felix about the Lord, and I asked Kayla what she thought about the lesson. She said that everyone has to be saved or they won't go to Heaven. Lela was raising her hand so I asked her what she thought, she said, "Last night when we were praying (prayer meeting at church) I was crying because I knew I needed to get saved but I was too scared." That hit me like a ton of bricks! I didn't notice her crying. So we talked about it and both girls said they wanted to be saved right then! I made sure they understood that they were sinners, that they couldn't go to Heaven because of that sin, and that Jesus died on the cross so they could go to Heaven instead of Hell!
So I texted Caleb and asked him to come home, and he rushed over to the trailer. We talked to the girls and then I took Lela into our bedroom and Caleb stayed in the Living Room and talked to Kayla. They both asked the Lord to save them! Lela was so sweet, I told her what to pray and she repeated and was crying! She was so happy. Kayla was giggly and happy as always and was jumping around the trailer singing every song with the word "saved" that she knew!
They of course wanted to tell everyone they know right away so we went from trailer to trailer telling everyone and then made about twenty phone calls!! It was so sweet to hear them tell what happened and to see their excited little faces. And what a burden that was lifted for Caleb and me! To know that all four of our children will go to Heaven with us is a better feeling that I ever imagined. I am ready for the Lord to come back, before Anna is old enough to understand!!!
This morning I opened "Call To Glory", a Baptist devotion book, to see what the subject was about (sometimes they're not appropriate for kids) and saw that it was about Salvation. I just knew that Kayla would get saved because of it! The devil was really fighting; the phone rang twice while I was reading, Noah couldn't pronounce half of the words in the passage and got mad when I said I would read it, Anna was flinging water all over everyone from her cup, and the girls were more interested in giggling than listening. I had to really fight the urge to give up and just start school!
We got through the devotion which was about Paul talking to Felix about the Lord, and I asked Kayla what she thought about the lesson. She said that everyone has to be saved or they won't go to Heaven. Lela was raising her hand so I asked her what she thought, she said, "Last night when we were praying (prayer meeting at church) I was crying because I knew I needed to get saved but I was too scared." That hit me like a ton of bricks! I didn't notice her crying. So we talked about it and both girls said they wanted to be saved right then! I made sure they understood that they were sinners, that they couldn't go to Heaven because of that sin, and that Jesus died on the cross so they could go to Heaven instead of Hell!
So I texted Caleb and asked him to come home, and he rushed over to the trailer. We talked to the girls and then I took Lela into our bedroom and Caleb stayed in the Living Room and talked to Kayla. They both asked the Lord to save them! Lela was so sweet, I told her what to pray and she repeated and was crying! She was so happy. Kayla was giggly and happy as always and was jumping around the trailer singing every song with the word "saved" that she knew!
They of course wanted to tell everyone they know right away so we went from trailer to trailer telling everyone and then made about twenty phone calls!! It was so sweet to hear them tell what happened and to see their excited little faces. And what a burden that was lifted for Caleb and me! To know that all four of our children will go to Heaven with us is a better feeling that I ever imagined. I am ready for the Lord to come back, before Anna is old enough to understand!!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
It is hot here!
The heat is starting to kick in, here in Southern Kansas! Yesterday it got up to 92degrees and with the humidity, it feels a lot hotter! I'm having a hard time convincing the kids to play outside when I don't even want to go outside. The men seem to be taking the heat well, they all have their big straw hats and plenty of water to drink.
This is our last week of school, and then we will go to part-time school. I'm excited about doing science projects with the kids and learning about different history topics! I have also had my eye on a math program called Math U See. It is a little pricey new so I've been scouting it out on Ebay to see if I can get it cheaper. Unfortunately it's a popular program and everyone wants it cheap, so the bids really add up, especially when you include the shipping! My dad has the manipulatives that he's willing to send me ($30 value) but I still need the Teacher's Manual, Student Manual, Test booklet, and DVD. After I had looked on Ebay and saw that those were going for no less than $50 plus shipping, I decided to try Craigslist, just in case. It just so happens that a man in a town not too far from here is selling all of that except the DVD for $20 and is willing to meet us halfway! Praise the Lord! So I'm waiting to hear from him, when we can meet. God is so good to provide!
It seems our laundry situation is working out for now. The Pastor's inlaws (Titus and Cynthia Mohler) have graciously allowed us NTCP members to use their washer and dryer while they are gone on deputation bouts, so I am able to spend a few hours there washing the clothes, and then I can hang them outside to dry in the natural Kansas wind! Thank you Lord for providing a dryer! I just make sure that I wash the undergarments and towels first so those can dry in the dryer while the others wash!
The building is going well, as usual. They are putting up the corner things, not sure what they're called, and this weekend the trusses will go up for the roof.
Thank you for the prayers and the support! And for reading my lowly thoughts. :)
This is our last week of school, and then we will go to part-time school. I'm excited about doing science projects with the kids and learning about different history topics! I have also had my eye on a math program called Math U See. It is a little pricey new so I've been scouting it out on Ebay to see if I can get it cheaper. Unfortunately it's a popular program and everyone wants it cheap, so the bids really add up, especially when you include the shipping! My dad has the manipulatives that he's willing to send me ($30 value) but I still need the Teacher's Manual, Student Manual, Test booklet, and DVD. After I had looked on Ebay and saw that those were going for no less than $50 plus shipping, I decided to try Craigslist, just in case. It just so happens that a man in a town not too far from here is selling all of that except the DVD for $20 and is willing to meet us halfway! Praise the Lord! So I'm waiting to hear from him, when we can meet. God is so good to provide!
It seems our laundry situation is working out for now. The Pastor's inlaws (Titus and Cynthia Mohler) have graciously allowed us NTCP members to use their washer and dryer while they are gone on deputation bouts, so I am able to spend a few hours there washing the clothes, and then I can hang them outside to dry in the natural Kansas wind! Thank you Lord for providing a dryer! I just make sure that I wash the undergarments and towels first so those can dry in the dryer while the others wash!
The building is going well, as usual. They are putting up the corner things, not sure what they're called, and this weekend the trusses will go up for the roof.
Thank you for the prayers and the support! And for reading my lowly thoughts. :)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Watch out, Dorothy!
Being in Kansas during tornado season certainly is testing our faith! There have been a few high wind storms and a few rain storms, but yesterday was our first tornado scare! There were storms all the way up through Oklahoma and Kansas and we were waiting all day to see if one would come near us. Thankfully, the Lord saw fit to have the storms go around us and the worst we got was some thunder! Praise the Lord!
There are quite a few families here now (6 in total) and the walls are going up fast! They took yesterday (Monday) off because of the threat of storms and it was misting and cold. But today it is sunny and they've been working hard!
We are going home for a few days starting tomorrow. We have dentist, doctor and eye appointments all set up. Plus, our little Kayla is graduating Kindergarten on Thursday!! She is so excited and she's getting a special haircut tonight to celebrate. I'm so proud of her, she's been working hard and is doing great. Today she read "neck" today without having to sound it out! And the phrase "Can Jill wink?" We were excited.
I have a silly little prayer request, if you could keep it in mind. Doing laundry is getting to be quite a chore, and we need to find a solution. The only laundromat here in Anthony is small (two washers, two dryers) and to wash clothes there I have to spend 4 hours in a tiny room with all four kids, or go back and forth all day which is quite tiring. There is a laundromat in Harper (15 minutes away) but it is really expensive ($2 to wash, $2 to dry) and it only has four working dryers, so once again, I'd be spending a long time there. The only other options are to either do drop-off service which charges by the pound, or to buy a washer/dryer combo so I could do laundry here. Because of space I need to do laundry every 5-7 days and it is very hard to spend an entire morning or afternoon at a laundromat or going back and forth to one. A washer/dryer combo would probably be best but they're around $1000. and we don't have that kind of money! If you could please pray that we could come up with a solution that works best for everyone I would appreciate it! Anyone that has done laundry at a laundromat would understand my problem!
Kayla lost a tooth today, with a little help from Daddy! Now she says the one next to it is loose. We are keeping the teeth in a jar!
On a closing note, anyone have any advice for getting a 10 month old to eat more than avacadoes, bananas and Gerber chicken sticks? She absolutely will not eat anything else!
There are quite a few families here now (6 in total) and the walls are going up fast! They took yesterday (Monday) off because of the threat of storms and it was misting and cold. But today it is sunny and they've been working hard!
We are going home for a few days starting tomorrow. We have dentist, doctor and eye appointments all set up. Plus, our little Kayla is graduating Kindergarten on Thursday!! She is so excited and she's getting a special haircut tonight to celebrate. I'm so proud of her, she's been working hard and is doing great. Today she read "neck" today without having to sound it out! And the phrase "Can Jill wink?" We were excited.
I have a silly little prayer request, if you could keep it in mind. Doing laundry is getting to be quite a chore, and we need to find a solution. The only laundromat here in Anthony is small (two washers, two dryers) and to wash clothes there I have to spend 4 hours in a tiny room with all four kids, or go back and forth all day which is quite tiring. There is a laundromat in Harper (15 minutes away) but it is really expensive ($2 to wash, $2 to dry) and it only has four working dryers, so once again, I'd be spending a long time there. The only other options are to either do drop-off service which charges by the pound, or to buy a washer/dryer combo so I could do laundry here. Because of space I need to do laundry every 5-7 days and it is very hard to spend an entire morning or afternoon at a laundromat or going back and forth to one. A washer/dryer combo would probably be best but they're around $1000. and we don't have that kind of money! If you could please pray that we could come up with a solution that works best for everyone I would appreciate it! Anyone that has done laundry at a laundromat would understand my problem!
Kayla lost a tooth today, with a little help from Daddy! Now she says the one next to it is loose. We are keeping the teeth in a jar!
On a closing note, anyone have any advice for getting a 10 month old to eat more than avacadoes, bananas and Gerber chicken sticks? She absolutely will not eat anything else!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Things are going well here in Anthony. They got the plumbing laid, the concrete poured, and the gas and water hooked up. I think they're starting the framing next week.
We have been busy, going to several meetings in Kansas. We were in Andover, Kansas for a Sunday night; Hillsboro, Kansas the next Sunday night; and this week we're in Attica, Kansas for a Missions Conference! It is such a blessing to be able to present our ministry! I was also able to play the piano at several churches, Caleb was able to sing and preach.
The kids are extremely excited to be almost done with school! Noah has finished all but one of his PACE's, we are waiting for a few more to be delivered so he can be on the same number in all of his subjects. Kayla is doing great in her reading, once she decided she could read, she has been doing great! She reads blends she hasn't learned about. This summer I am thinking about doing things a little differently. I am thinking of doing one subject a day, and making it fun with everyone involved. I'm thinking of doing a math day, science day, history day, and a something else day. I am going to start planning it, if anyone has any ideas!
We have been busy, going to several meetings in Kansas. We were in Andover, Kansas for a Sunday night; Hillsboro, Kansas the next Sunday night; and this week we're in Attica, Kansas for a Missions Conference! It is such a blessing to be able to present our ministry! I was also able to play the piano at several churches, Caleb was able to sing and preach.
The kids are extremely excited to be almost done with school! Noah has finished all but one of his PACE's, we are waiting for a few more to be delivered so he can be on the same number in all of his subjects. Kayla is doing great in her reading, once she decided she could read, she has been doing great! She reads blends she hasn't learned about. This summer I am thinking about doing things a little differently. I am thinking of doing one subject a day, and making it fun with everyone involved. I'm thinking of doing a math day, science day, history day, and a something else day. I am going to start planning it, if anyone has any ideas!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Anthony, Kansas
Well here we are in Anthony, Kansas! Caleb considers this "home", because he was born here and then graduated from high school here, even though in between those times he lived all over western Kansas!
Caleb started doing the ground-in plumbing today, and the concrete will get poured on Saturday. The church is very exciting to get started on the construction, and things seem to be going smoothly.
Caleb was able to get a Bond so that he could pull permits. Bro. Newkirk seems to think it went well because Caleb is a graduate of the High School here!
The family is doing well, we are so excited for Spring to be here and we love being parked right next to the job site! The kids are loving playing outside.
As I said in my last update, we were able to get a bigger, newer trailer! It has been such a blessing and it is so nice to be able to send all four kids to bed in their own beds! And it's also nice to be able to shut the door to their room so they can play, and I can sit on the couch in quiet!
The Lord has been good to us, and has provided for us through other churches. We were given money to get a new laptop, and we also have a new supporting church! Praise the Lord!
Thank you for the prayers!
Caleb started doing the ground-in plumbing today, and the concrete will get poured on Saturday. The church is very exciting to get started on the construction, and things seem to be going smoothly.
Caleb was able to get a Bond so that he could pull permits. Bro. Newkirk seems to think it went well because Caleb is a graduate of the High School here!
The family is doing well, we are so excited for Spring to be here and we love being parked right next to the job site! The kids are loving playing outside.
As I said in my last update, we were able to get a bigger, newer trailer! It has been such a blessing and it is so nice to be able to send all four kids to bed in their own beds! And it's also nice to be able to shut the door to their room so they can play, and I can sit on the couch in quiet!
The Lord has been good to us, and has provided for us through other churches. We were given money to get a new laptop, and we also have a new supporting church! Praise the Lord!
Thank you for the prayers!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
We have had a busy last couple of weeks! Our Missions Conference was great! The messages were challenging, the fellowship was sweet, and even though our numbers were down big time, I think it was the best one we've ever had!
On Sunday the 21st we were supposed to be in a church in Sperry, OK in the morning and Ponca City, OK at night but because we had a "blizzard" on Saturday we weren't able to make our morning meeting. It was the craziest thing, we had 70+ degree weather on Friday, snow blizzard and 20's on Saturday, 50's on Sunday and by Sunday night you couldn't even tell we had a snowstorm, much less a blizzard! That's Oklahoma in the Spring for you!
We did make it to Ponca City Sunday night, since most of the snow was melted by noon. We had a wonderful time at Second Baptist Church. The people were so friendly right from the start, and we felt very welcomed. We had told them previously that our laptop was slowly dying; we couldn't depend on it to turn on and when we would get it on, sometimes it would shut off for no apparent reason. They took up an offering for us and the total came to $640 and some odd cents. The next day we went to Walmart (then Best Buy, then back to Walmart! lol) and bought a laptop with all of the extras we were wanting, plus a carrying case, for just two dollars under the love offering amount! It was amazing to see God provide exactly what we needed!
Caleb has still been busy working on our Associate Pastor's house, getting it ready for them to be able to move into it. He took Wednesday off to make some phone calls and was able to set up some meetings in Kansas! Praise the Lord!
Our ETA for Anthony, Kansas is now somewhere in the second week of April.
And now for our biggest news: the Lord has blessed us with a new trailer! As you know, we were given a 29' trailer in October. It was a huge blessing then, and it has been since, but we have been praying that we would be able to purchase one that has an extra bedroom in the future. We were able to meet the Means family, who are missionaries to Mexico, when we were in Russellville. They are leaving for Mexico very soon and were needing to sell their fifth wheel, or they were planning on putting it in storage. Everyone involved felt that God had brought us together, so we could meet each others' needs! The trailer is a 40' fifth wheel, it has four slideouts, an extra room with two bunks (four beds total) and is available right now!
We need to raise some more support to be able to completely take over the payments, so please pray the we would be able to do this, but we are exciting about what God has provided so far and how He will provide in the future!
On Sunday the 21st we were supposed to be in a church in Sperry, OK in the morning and Ponca City, OK at night but because we had a "blizzard" on Saturday we weren't able to make our morning meeting. It was the craziest thing, we had 70+ degree weather on Friday, snow blizzard and 20's on Saturday, 50's on Sunday and by Sunday night you couldn't even tell we had a snowstorm, much less a blizzard! That's Oklahoma in the Spring for you!
We did make it to Ponca City Sunday night, since most of the snow was melted by noon. We had a wonderful time at Second Baptist Church. The people were so friendly right from the start, and we felt very welcomed. We had told them previously that our laptop was slowly dying; we couldn't depend on it to turn on and when we would get it on, sometimes it would shut off for no apparent reason. They took up an offering for us and the total came to $640 and some odd cents. The next day we went to Walmart (then Best Buy, then back to Walmart! lol) and bought a laptop with all of the extras we were wanting, plus a carrying case, for just two dollars under the love offering amount! It was amazing to see God provide exactly what we needed!
Caleb has still been busy working on our Associate Pastor's house, getting it ready for them to be able to move into it. He took Wednesday off to make some phone calls and was able to set up some meetings in Kansas! Praise the Lord!
Our ETA for Anthony, Kansas is now somewhere in the second week of April.
And now for our biggest news: the Lord has blessed us with a new trailer! As you know, we were given a 29' trailer in October. It was a huge blessing then, and it has been since, but we have been praying that we would be able to purchase one that has an extra bedroom in the future. We were able to meet the Means family, who are missionaries to Mexico, when we were in Russellville. They are leaving for Mexico very soon and were needing to sell their fifth wheel, or they were planning on putting it in storage. Everyone involved felt that God had brought us together, so we could meet each others' needs! The trailer is a 40' fifth wheel, it has four slideouts, an extra room with two bunks (four beds total) and is available right now!
We need to raise some more support to be able to completely take over the payments, so please pray the we would be able to do this, but we are exciting about what God has provided so far and how He will provide in the future!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Back Home!
We are back home in Mustang, Oklahoma now. We came back for our church's Big Day on the 7th. Our goal was 300 but we had 240, Praise the Lord! We had a lot of visitors and we're hoping to get some good prospects out of the day.
We are now in our Missions Conference and the devil is fighting right and left! First our main speaker found out halfway here that his mom died, so he had to turn around and go to Florida to deal with that. And then, one of the missionary's had put on their schedule to be here April 14th, not March 14th! We only had one Missionary family left. While in Russellville we had met a family to Mexico, the Means, and they were available this week and willing, so they joined us Sunday night.
So far the Conference has been a blessing! We are looking forward to what else the Lord has for our church. Bro. Means called a Missions Conference the "Annual Business Meeting to see how blessed we want our church to be". And it's so true! If a church isn't supporting Missions, they aren't going to grow and the Lord isn't going to bless.
We were surprised and blessed to be presented with two gift baskets Tuesday night and tonight Caleb is able to make a presentation of what we've been doing in Arkansas and preach.
We will be staying in Oklahoma for a while, until we can go to our next project, probably in Anthony, Kansas. Right now that project is expected to start the third week of April.
This Sunday we have a meeting in Ponca City, Oklahoma and one in Sperry, Oklahoma. We also have a meeting in April in Kingman, Kansas.
Please pray that we are able to raise some more support! I hope to be able to update this more often than I have been.
We are now in our Missions Conference and the devil is fighting right and left! First our main speaker found out halfway here that his mom died, so he had to turn around and go to Florida to deal with that. And then, one of the missionary's had put on their schedule to be here April 14th, not March 14th! We only had one Missionary family left. While in Russellville we had met a family to Mexico, the Means, and they were available this week and willing, so they joined us Sunday night.
So far the Conference has been a blessing! We are looking forward to what else the Lord has for our church. Bro. Means called a Missions Conference the "Annual Business Meeting to see how blessed we want our church to be". And it's so true! If a church isn't supporting Missions, they aren't going to grow and the Lord isn't going to bless.
We were surprised and blessed to be presented with two gift baskets Tuesday night and tonight Caleb is able to make a presentation of what we've been doing in Arkansas and preach.
We will be staying in Oklahoma for a while, until we can go to our next project, probably in Anthony, Kansas. Right now that project is expected to start the third week of April.
This Sunday we have a meeting in Ponca City, Oklahoma and one in Sperry, Oklahoma. We also have a meeting in April in Kingman, Kansas.
Please pray that we are able to raise some more support! I hope to be able to update this more often than I have been.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Life is moving here in Russellville! The men are working hard and getting things done. They've had to make a few adjustments and changes so there was a slight holdup, but they're working with a plan now! We've been blasted with several snow storms! It seems like wherever we go, we get record snow falls. But the kids love it, and we love being parked inside.
School has been going well for us, I made a daily schedule plus a chore chart, so we are getting things done. Kayla is ahead in her work, and doing well. She is starting to put sounds together to make words. She can read words like cat, tub, and shut. As long as she doesn't try to guess what the word is, she does a great job! Noah is cruising through his work. He will start times soon and he's dreading it, but I tell him that he mastered cursive, so he can do multiplication too! Lela thought she wanted to start school, but then she discovered that school wasn't as thrilling as she thought it would be! I bought her a preschool book at Walmart and she quickly got tired of the coloring and drawing lines, and now she only wants to cut and paste!
Anna is amazing us all. She is crawling, climbing stairs, trying to climb onto the couch and getting into everything! She is very inquisitive and wants to know what everything does and how it does it! You can see her brain working and moving.
We will be going home to Mustang, OK for our church's Big Day on March 7th. It's the anniversary of us moving into our new building, built by New Testament Church Planters, USA. Our goal is to have 300 people. Please pray that we would reach our goal, so that more of our community is reached! We might be staying for the Missions Conference the next week, but we're not sure.
Future projects for us would be Anthony, Kansas (south of Wichita) and Joplin, Missouri. We're not sure of the timing right now. Caleb is looking at plans and making plumbing lists and suggestions. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
School has been going well for us, I made a daily schedule plus a chore chart, so we are getting things done. Kayla is ahead in her work, and doing well. She is starting to put sounds together to make words. She can read words like cat, tub, and shut. As long as she doesn't try to guess what the word is, she does a great job! Noah is cruising through his work. He will start times soon and he's dreading it, but I tell him that he mastered cursive, so he can do multiplication too! Lela thought she wanted to start school, but then she discovered that school wasn't as thrilling as she thought it would be! I bought her a preschool book at Walmart and she quickly got tired of the coloring and drawing lines, and now she only wants to cut and paste!
Anna is amazing us all. She is crawling, climbing stairs, trying to climb onto the couch and getting into everything! She is very inquisitive and wants to know what everything does and how it does it! You can see her brain working and moving.
We will be going home to Mustang, OK for our church's Big Day on March 7th. It's the anniversary of us moving into our new building, built by New Testament Church Planters, USA. Our goal is to have 300 people. Please pray that we would reach our goal, so that more of our community is reached! We might be staying for the Missions Conference the next week, but we're not sure.
Future projects for us would be Anthony, Kansas (south of Wichita) and Joplin, Missouri. We're not sure of the timing right now. Caleb is looking at plans and making plumbing lists and suggestions. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!
Monday, January 11, 2010
A New Year!
The new year is upon us, and I can't believe 2009 is already gone! So much happened last year, it's fun to remember what we were doing exactly one year ago. We were getting ready for our third leg of deputation into the southwest, I was just getting over my pregnancy sickness and starting to enjoy pregnancy, and the kids were turning into real missionary brats!!
This year we are still in Russelville, Arkansas. The worked has slowed while the Pastor has to wait for money commitments to be fulfilled. The building is starting to look more like a church and with more families back from Christmas vacation, things are really going to start shaping up!
With this new year we are going to get down and get serious about school. At the end of Fall doing school with the kids was kind of sprung on me, so we ended playing catch-up until the end of the year. We've finally gotten caught up and now we're going to start fresh. Lela has been asking and begging to do school so I got her a Preschool workbook and I'm going to start teaching her. If anyone has any advice on how to teach a 2nd grader, Kindergartener and Preschooler all at the same time, plus watch a crawling 7-month old, I would love to hear it! I'm thinking we'll have to do the girls in the morning and Noah in the afternoon, but that's as far as I can think.
We're back in Oklahoma for this week so we can get our taxes done and go to the Heartland Home Missions Conference. We're ready for an exciting week of preaching, seeing old friends, and maybe raising some money or support!
Thank you for your prayers and support, we are thankful for everything God is able to do for us and through us! Leave a comment if you can, we'd love to hear some feedback from those few that might read this!
This year we are still in Russelville, Arkansas. The worked has slowed while the Pastor has to wait for money commitments to be fulfilled. The building is starting to look more like a church and with more families back from Christmas vacation, things are really going to start shaping up!
With this new year we are going to get down and get serious about school. At the end of Fall doing school with the kids was kind of sprung on me, so we ended playing catch-up until the end of the year. We've finally gotten caught up and now we're going to start fresh. Lela has been asking and begging to do school so I got her a Preschool workbook and I'm going to start teaching her. If anyone has any advice on how to teach a 2nd grader, Kindergartener and Preschooler all at the same time, plus watch a crawling 7-month old, I would love to hear it! I'm thinking we'll have to do the girls in the morning and Noah in the afternoon, but that's as far as I can think.
We're back in Oklahoma for this week so we can get our taxes done and go to the Heartland Home Missions Conference. We're ready for an exciting week of preaching, seeing old friends, and maybe raising some money or support!
Thank you for your prayers and support, we are thankful for everything God is able to do for us and through us! Leave a comment if you can, we'd love to hear some feedback from those few that might read this!
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