Happy Birthday Zachary!!

My baby is 6 Today!!! He is getting so big! We are so blessed to have our two boys! Happy Birthday Zachary!! We love you!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Some of my favorite moments from Christmas Weekend:

• Reading Luke 2 as a family on Christmas Eve.
• Laying with Zachary in bed, running my fingers through his hair singing Silent Night to him as he falls asleep.
• Zachary laying his head in my lap as I comfort him from an ear ache as we talk about his favorite toys he received for Christmas.
• Sitting on my moms living room floor after we all finished opening gifts and the mass chaos of un-tieing all the ties to open the toys out of their boxes has begun. And I'm just sitting there realizing how great our God is! So grateful of everything that He has given us, how He has provided just cause He loves us and cares about us. Pure Awe moment!
• Watching Nicholas' face each time he opened a gift - oh what joy this child had!
• Giving Candy / Cookie Bags to friends and family!
• Seeing Dev and Mickey! Seeing Mary and Cory! - It's always so fun seeing friends!

The weekend was absolutely insane, with quick short visits, and not enough time with each family. But grateful that we are blessed enough to have THAT MUCH family to visit!

Most of all, thankful for God's sacrifice in giving us His Son, Jesus! His birth is beyond all understanding and is nothing but amazing!

(Pics will be posted as soon as I have some time on the computer at home!)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Thank You Jesus!

YAY! Our passports are paid for, for our Guatemala Trip!!! I love how God is already providing and we are just beginning our preparation for the mission trip!!

Some Updates

Hey Guys! What a week it has been. Sorry for the delay in posting, but things have been a bit crazy around here!

Well, last Friday Pineville and Middlesboro got absolutley dumped with snow! The site of all the snow falling brought such happiness to me at first - snowflakes about the size of a dollar coin, they were huge! I left work early on Friday in fear of the mountain roads getting too slick. A 15-20 minute drive took me an hour! It was insane! After making it home in one piece, I started cooking chili for dinner and we all sat down to watch a movie. Just in time for the power to go out! Man, it sure is DARK in the mountains with no lights! Fortuntely from the ice storm that hit Shelbyville last winter, we had an indoor propane heater. We were the only family on Holly Hill with heat. Needless to say, everyone was gone by Saturday afternoon. Out of about 50 families, we were the only family left on Holly Hill by Saturday night. With only enough heat to last through the night and the utility company saying it would be at least Tuesday before the electric was back on, Saturday night we decide to head for Shelbyville. The plan was to leave the kids with Dan's parents and we would come back Sunday night so I could go to work. I so do not like this plan because it would mean that we wouldn't have Christmas in our own home, but the kids would be warm, so we did it. Sunday night we get home, and our power is on! I was so happy, but so upset at the same time. Oh well. We ended up going to another families home on Sunday night for a big grill out (So all the freezer food wouldn't go bad). We had a wonderful time! There was a total of 4 families in the home! We were packed! But it was wonderful fellowship, and it gave me a chance to get to know some more wives on campus.

Sunday was Nicholas' 3rd Birthday!! I can't believe my baby is already 3?!?! They sure grow so fast! It was a good though. We had some cake at Russell and Angela's, and we gave him a little Mickey Mouse Car gift. Although, he did play with the Lightening McQueen candle from his cake, more than his toy!

Monday, Dan and I had our first date night since we have lived here since August. It was a great night! We went to a $2.00 movie and saw Blind Side. Great movie! Afterwards we just walked around the little mall here in Middlesboro and just hung out! It was really a fun time with my hubby!

Today is already Christmas Eve and we will be making our way back up to Shelbyville to be with family and friends!

Can't wait to see you all!

Blessings

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ~John 1:16

Awe, how great this weekend has been!! God has truely blessed us, in so many ways!

Allow me to tell you ALL about it!!

Friday night after work, campus held a live manger scene. Dan was the role of Joseph! It was freezing outside, but we all just bundled up, and headed out! We had a live camal, sheep, goats, and some other animals - so not a farm girl to tell you what all was there! It was pretty fun. Afterwards we all enjoyed some Hot Chocolate and Cookies in Kelley Hall.

The boys all bundled up!

Zachary getting a little too close to the camel!

"The cast" of CCBBC Live Manger Scene!

Zachary with one of his best pals here - AJ.

Nichol Tucker was gracious enough to play some music for everyone as we all sipped on our hot chocolate!

Saturday morning came, and this is what we woke up to!

The snowy creek

It was absolutley gorgeous!

Saturday afternoon, campus held a Shopping Spree for all the families / students on campus. It was such a blessing! We all had lunch in the Bell County Middle School gym together, then Nicholas went off with all the other preschoolers to a day care room, Zachary joined his age group for some fun time in huge inflatables, and all the parents went off shopping! Each classroom was filled with items to choose from. There were Toy Rooms, Bed & Bath Rooms, Media Rooms, Kitchen Rooms, you name it, they had it. Just there for us to take! Christmas for our boys will be good! Zachary got a new bike!! Nicholas got some toys that he will absolutley love! Even Dan and I were able to get some things for the cottage! Such a huge blessing!

It's amazing how God will just do things for you just because He cares for you. He didn't have to provide toys for the kids, besides, that's not what Christmas is about. But He did because He cares. I love thinking about the intimacy there, a relationship between a Dad and His children. Very cool to think about!

Saturday night we recieved a phone call from my Grandma Jo (from Cali - but actually just moved to South Dakota). They want to stop by on Sunday for a visit!!! YAY! I love my Grandma Jo so very much! It is always so fun being with her - she has always spoiled me just a bit! ;) ! But I love being with her though, because I love listening to her stories, and I absolutley love her laugh! I always have. Some of my best childhood memories are with my Grandma Jo out in sunny California! - Awe, how I miss those days!

Sunday they arrived and we just hung out at the cottage, looked at some pictures together, then we all went to McDonalds so the kiddos could play in the huge indoor park thingie! Monday morning we met up for a quick breakfast before I had to be at work. It was really great seeing them! They too were a blessing to have as a visit!

I thank God for the many small blessings that He has been giving us. From parents helping us out financially; recieving a card in the mail with a $100 bill in it, from an anonoumys church; for all the many prayers, love, encouragement, and support from family and friends back home. This journey would be much harder if it weren't for all of you back home praying for us! Thanks so much you all! Love you!

1 Semester Down, 7 To Go!

WhooHOo!! Christmas Break has finally begun for Dan, as he finished up his finals this afternoon! One Semester is down! I am so proud of Dan. He did really good on all of his finals, making A's and B's and even a couple 100%'s! Go Dan! The knowledge that he has gained this semester is unbelievable! God is faithful and is doing great things!
Love and miss you all!

My Dream?????

Ever since I was 17, I had a dream to be a missionary. I have always felt the calling so strong in my life, but it wasn't His timing. I am learning new things, stories that I have never heard about the mission field, that quite honestly terrify me and bring me to tears.

Dan had a Tribal Missionary come to Chapel this week, and Dan shared with me some of what the missionary shared:

*Please note: This is the Tribal Mission Field, it may or may not be like this everywhere. If God is calling you to missions, please don't be discouraged, just aware.

There are absolutely NO doctors, hospitals, or medicine anywhere around. Now, I know we all know that. But what I'm about to tell you, will bring you to tears. When you have children of your own, and you know God is calling you into some sort of missions - it frightens you.
This missionary has two sons, ages 8 and 4. The four year old little boy caught what is known as Bone Breaking Fever. It's some sort of an illness that is in tribes. One Tribal Man described it like this, "The first few days, I thought I was going to die. After the first few days, I wish I were dead." This little four year old boy, all he would do is lie on the floor and cry. His parents had no doctor to take him to, no medicine to give their little boy, nothin'. Just prayers, and faith in God. Talk about learning how to trust in Him completely!! Could you imagine though? Imagine your little one, or if you don't have one yet, think of a younger sibling, niece, nephew, grandchild. Hurting, wanting help, but you can't do anything to help them.
The missionary's son survived, but I can't imagine picturing my own Zachary or Nicholas suffering in that way and not being able to do anything for them.

There was another missionary family in the tribal area. You see, missionary's have to take malaria pills, so that they will not catch the disease. They even have to give these pills to their children. When they do that, they are sacrificing their lives. Taking these pills shortens the life span by years. One two year old got a hold of the bottle and overdosed. The parents had to just hold their precious baby for three hours until the Lord finally took him. Imagine again, no Poison Control Center to call, no hospital, just watch your baby die.

How was I so naive?

Now think of this:
The Tribal Missionary held up a rolled up scroll type of thing. He called it his sad list. When he let go of it and let it roll, it went from one end of the chapel to the other. It was a list of all the tribes that have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. If I remember correctly, it was something like 400,000 tribes have never heard His name or the wonderful Gospel.

We have a job to do Christians! It may mean sacrificing, but how great was Jesus' sacrifice on the cross! Should we not sacrifice for Him? I think not!

All this said, I have some news:
This March, God willing, Dan and I will be going on our first Mission Trip! We've turned in our applications, and are in a lot of prayer and preparation for it. Our next step will be getting our Passports, which are $140.00 each. We don't have an extra $280.00 just lying around, but I know God is ABLE! And if this is His will, He will provide. I have absolutely no doubt in that! We will be going to Guatemala working in the orphanage and going into the jungle to save babies and children who are dieing from illness.

I am a bit scared. If you have the stomach, check out Google and type Guatemala Bugs. A brief description: A beetle the size of a kitten! I kid you not! As Dan and I were looking through the google pics, I almost had a reunion with my dinner and the toilet. I HATE BUGS!! You all know this about me! But, God did create them, so I'm praying a simple prayer that He will just keep them away from me!

We will be in Guatemala for a week and a half! I wonder though if I am ready? Ready spiritually and emotionally. I think I'll enjoy working in the orphanage, but I'm sure it'll be sad also. But I know God is preparing me. I'm really just seeking Him right now. I have to!

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18 - 20

Please be in prayer for us as God prepares our hearts and minds for this trip. And that many will come to know Him!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”- Psalm 95:1-2

I think this has been one of my favorite Thanksgivings!! Everything was so perfect!

All family arrived at the cottage on Wednesday night! Our cottage was packed with about 15 people!! We chowed down on pizza, prepared some of the meal for Thanksgiving, and had a lot of laughs!

Early Thursday morning Dan and I got up to begin cooking the meal. We couldn't quite figure out the turkey thing, so we woke up Russell and Angela ( Dan's parents). Russell was kind enough to take out the guts of the turkey - since this grosses my very weak stomach completely out! Then Dan took Justin (Dan's brother) and Mandy (Justin's girlfriend) out on a walk. They really wanted to see the tunnel on our favorite walking trail. So the three of them bundled up and hit the trail! I think they enjoyed it.

As the fun chaos of cooking began in full swing and all the kiddos running around, we had KLOVE blasting in the background! I had fun just singing and dancing along in my kitchen as I prepared the meal!

Closer time to eat, Davin arrived. This was cool. Davin is one of the students here, and his home is in Michigan. He was unable to go home, so we invited him over for lunch! It was fun getting to know him. He is studying to be an apologetic. I knew this would be an interesting time with the family, being my mom is Mormon, Ryan is Apostlistic and we have a student studying to be an apologetic. For those who don't know, an apologetic is someone who learns the depth of all the religions and learns how to defend our own faith. It's a very cool study. Sure enough, after we all finished eating, some company had to leave, others began napping and Dan, Davin, Mom, and Ryan began a 3 HOUR discussion of all of our different beliefs! Oh, but it was great listening to it. It is so neat to see the love of Christ in someone while they are trying to explain Biblical truth. Davin will be a great apologetic. I think God has big things in store for him!

I'm also very proud of my husband. It was so amazing to see the growth in Dan!!! He is learning so much about the Bible, how to explain the truth, and he has also learned so much about other religions. I feel God really spoke through Dan in their conversation. I knew Dan has been learning a lot, but I think until I saw it into action, I didn't realize just how much he had grown! It was incredible!

Anywho! The company was so great! We hated seeing them all leave on Thursday and Friday. But it was nice to have space again in the cottage. I have spent the whole weekend cleaning again, enjoying Dan and the kiddos, and... DECORATING for CHRISTMAS!!! I love the day after Thanksgiving!

Usually, we get up like at 3AM and shop, then have a big breakfast, then decorate for Christmas! Although this year has been the first year that we had to skip the shopping, we did still get to have our egg nog and decorate the tree and cottage! It was a blast!

enjoy the pics!

Everybody!

Dan, Me, Brandon (Dan's Brother), Zachary, Bradley (Dan's Brother), Davin, Justin (Dan's Brother), Mandy (Justin's Girlfriend), Angela (Dan's Mom), Mom, Nicholas, Ryan, Russell (Dan's Dad)

Russell cutting the ham!

Zachary, Brandon & Bradley

Love this pic!

FOOD! FOOD! & MORE FOOD!

It's Decorating Time!

What is up with his face?!?!

Each time the boys would put on an ornament, they would only put them on one branch and fill it up!!!

This is an ornament from 2003, the year we got married! I'm not sure if you can see it or not, but check out our "hook"!! It's a BREAD TIE!!! Yep, remember those first years - "You ain't got money, but you got love!"

Our Tree!