tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79622548014201835932024-03-04T23:44:19.203-08:00The Rowdy RowzeesErinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-998513933040198952013-03-28T10:50:00.000-07:002013-03-28T10:50:28.271-07:00Life is hard, but God is Good We all have "stuff". At any given moment, we are all dealing with something that makes us at least a little uncomfortable. If you aren't, then I <em>guess</em> I'm happy for you. But watch out. It's coming! <br />
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I can look back and think of so many struggles that I went through that I called trials. And they <em>were</em> trials. Like potty training my oldest. It took 10 months to get that girl to poop on the potty. Or like moving across the country as a junior in high school. Gosh, those were definitely trials. Yet life at the moment feels like a much bigger trial. Maybe that's part of it - whatever you're in at the moment can sometimes feel worse than anything you've ever gone through. Just because it's what you're in right now. <br />
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As a believer, it feels like you're supposed to handle a trial in a certain way. The way those super-mature believers seem to handle trials when you see them at church and you ask them how they're doing and they answer with a sweet smile and say they're trusting in the Lord and praising Him through the storm. But you don't see them at home on their knees with tears running down their faces begging the Lord to let it end. Come to think of it, even Christ begged our Father to get Him out the mess He was about the face. But praise God He stuck it out and paid my way to abundant and eternal life! <br />
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Abide. I was reminded of the passage in John 15 where Christ commanded over and over for us to abide in Him, "for apart from [Him] we can do nothing". A good friend recently reminded me that abiding is simply clinging to Him. You don't always have to have a smile on your face or be happy about your circumstances. But it is simply a constant remembering of His faithfulness. Of His goodness. Of His strength. Of His sovereignty. It's running back to Him again and again and asking Him for the faith that we lack and for the strength to keep going. <br />
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Today I opened the Bible to Isaiah 40. Starting in verse 27 it says this: "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel; 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and my just claim is passed over by my God'? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."<br />
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I had to include that first verse because that's what I have been tempted to do lately. Believe that "my just claim is passed over by my God." That basically, He's just not being fair. So I remind myself once again if the truth of His Word and trust Him to renew my strength and grow my faith. <br />
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Praise God that He doesn't grow weary with me and my unbelief! He hasn't given up on me and He never will. Wow, what a promise :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-79522771712186287102013-01-04T12:46:00.001-08:002013-01-04T12:46:50.685-08:00When irony works out in your favorFor some reason, I've been battling headaches every day this New Year's week. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that my kids have already been home for 2 weeks and embarrassingly high number of episodes of "Jesse" have been playing loudly in my living room (what's the deal with kids and VOLUME?). Also, Allie got skates for Christmas and has spent almost all her days skating through my downstairs. So today I had to stop our painting project and park it on the couch for a while. My kids continued to paint - that's how out of it I was - I let them continue without me. What happened next came close to shocking me...<br />
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Avery cleaned up all the paint. Then she went and got supplies and proceeded to brush my hair, massage my head, rub my feet with lotion, and take off my 3 month-old toe nail polish. She also changed the Pandora station that was playing Broadway tunes to "nature sounds". And my sweet Allie got her favorite book and read it to me. <br />
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The irony didn't escape me that my sweet children were probably part of the cause of this headache, but it sure blessed me that they were so quick to help cure it. I sure do love those sweet girlies :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-12198055078329512392012-12-27T11:43:00.000-08:002012-12-27T11:43:20.479-08:00Christmas Extraveganza!<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I believe this was my 3rd year co-directing our annual kids' Christmas program. I LOVE doing it! I get to spend lots of time with one of my best friends, Wendy Kivett, and hang out with a big group of some amazing kiddos.</div>
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This year was called "Christmas in Snowflake County", but we kind of retitled it "Christmas Extraveganza". It was a little extra fun for me this year, since both my kids were old enough to participate this year (which also caused quite a few challenges), and because Avery was given a major drama role. She played Suzy Hallmark, the mayor's daughter. There she is with the main cast, right in the middle. She is playing Suzy, who is playing Mary.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqiycIT_Wq4LmGjxthmOL5Q3lcs0MadPXnnSzgysKQVmUsw7hKQe6JbZeSBFAMV9WWAcHkSixGtmnJzCX4_H1hTZeKi8K_dtb1sajGvQP-Tjh-DMapt-wO4MVwKnKMwq66UoPHSL-E-hO/s1600/december+'12+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqiycIT_Wq4LmGjxthmOL5Q3lcs0MadPXnnSzgysKQVmUsw7hKQe6JbZeSBFAMV9WWAcHkSixGtmnJzCX4_H1hTZeKi8K_dtb1sajGvQP-Tjh-DMapt-wO4MVwKnKMwq66UoPHSL-E-hO/s320/december+'12+022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The climax of the show is when Suzy finally gets to share her surprise with her mom, which is an entry for the contest. She sings "Silent Night" all by herself, as her best buddy Max (played by Riley Penn), accompanies her. It was absolutely adorable. I seriously couldn't be more proud!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtA-Jl214yD9IW43lmGnfL3nxGUu6aSa2jyoq3QklG0IGtbTxxFgp5r37Y7vlXVB7l_vpeDxMFBIcEuDZJWIuUlCdOAlE0_1KJzUjy2hrpsqkKG7Pa6OncW_NpB6FFdSDFF8jWzzUVGwI5/s1600/december+'12+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtA-Jl214yD9IW43lmGnfL3nxGUu6aSa2jyoq3QklG0IGtbTxxFgp5r37Y7vlXVB7l_vpeDxMFBIcEuDZJWIuUlCdOAlE0_1KJzUjy2hrpsqkKG7Pa6OncW_NpB6FFdSDFF8jWzzUVGwI5/s320/december+'12+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then, Mayor Hallmark (played by Cassie Hughes - she did great!), realizes that they've been too caught up in making the Christmas story too fantastic, forgetting the amazingness of the actual events.</div>
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Here's Allie's buddies! All first and second graders.</div>
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And Avery's buddies. Allie is in the picture, second from the left and Avery is 4th from the left. Her friend, Esabella had Avery's Mary costume on. I'm so thankful for the good friends my girls have at church!</div>
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I had to include a picture of Allie in the choir. This was at a moment when they were supposed to be sitting down during a solo or drama. Allie's head was peeping over the wall for the whole show.</div>
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It is such a blessing to do this every year! Wendy and I spend a lot of time talking to the kids and telling them how proud we are that they want to serve God in this way. It is one of the few ways that kids get to serve in the church. There is NOTHING like hearing God's truth - especially the truth of Christmas, being proclaimed from the mouth of a child!</div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-23054796492579837712012-11-20T08:22:00.001-08:002012-11-20T08:22:23.973-08:00Leaning on His understanding<div align="center">
Lately, I'm reminded of just how impossible it seems to raise my kids well. No matter what I do, they don't turn out perfect. They keep on sinning and reminding me of where I fall short as a person, a mother, and a child of God. Not to say they aren't growing and showing <em>some</em> improvement, but doggonit if they don't find something else to struggle with as soon as they seem to have overcome a particular issue. And who am I kidding? None of us truly overcome anything!</div>
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I was recently talking with a friend about some struggles her kids were having in school and I was reminded that none of us are exempt from struggles in this life. But each struggle is a chance for us to teach our children to "consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3) And of course I need to remind myself of this verse daily, when I'm tempted to complain of the struggles I'm facing.</div>
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This morning I was working on my Bible study lesson on submission and I was reminded of the old standby: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5) If I am truly trusting the Lord with my children, I'm going to follow what <em>He </em>says to do, not fall into my own ways of solving problems (which often includes anger and frustration). If I'm honest with myself, things seldom go well when I lean on my own understanding. And I'm ok with that. He's got it covered.<em></em></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-13464278117647537052012-10-29T16:58:00.001-07:002012-10-29T16:58:49.669-07:00Fallishness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It's been a while since I've posted and I am determined to get an October post in, so here ya go! </div>
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Here's Avery enjoying one of our almost-daily treats: hot chocolate :) Honestly, this isn't really fallish for us - Rowzee girls drink this throughout the summer, too.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2bVJ_VYAD0DUjIW9VUZ9tlyipqpgF8jvNOcJQTNe7XIXk-DDdfqo3mcZRXKpF4LYjhXByu7RZmf6A-yGt2ZkbOimGF_Y6nCHDEceq-9E8gGwLe-rQuJtHPcq-s3lsQP4SSk-PbdY0w13/s1600/fall+%252712+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2bVJ_VYAD0DUjIW9VUZ9tlyipqpgF8jvNOcJQTNe7XIXk-DDdfqo3mcZRXKpF4LYjhXByu7RZmf6A-yGt2ZkbOimGF_Y6nCHDEceq-9E8gGwLe-rQuJtHPcq-s3lsQP4SSk-PbdY0w13/s320/fall+%252712+020.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'm sorry, but I'm proud of this! Avery decided she wanted Perry on her pumpkin I'd say Mom delivered.</div>
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Here's Avery going for the ball at her last soccer game of the season (she's in the blue jersey). I'm pretty sure she got it :)</div>
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One of the reasons I insist on making sports work for our lives, despite my tendency to go nearly insane in my attempts to get both my kids to all their practices and games on time with gear on, is the experience of being on a team. Honestly, every kid needs to live it at some point in their lives.</div>
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This is Allie's team this year. Cute group of girls :)</div>
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This is out of order, since we did this a few weeks ago. We had a couple of hours between soccer games and decided to kill time at a nearby apple orchard. Good times.</div>
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Apples are seriously Allie's favorite food. She'll take it over candy or chocolate most days of the week. </div>
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I still miss summer, with the warmth and the carefree days. But if you gotta live it, you might as well enjoy it!</div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-14997062701665382042012-09-23T15:57:00.000-07:002012-09-23T15:57:18.786-07:00Off to the races!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We had a little family adventure last week! I've been talking for years about entering our long-haired dachshund in the local wiener dog races. This year I finally did it. A few days before the actual races, the girls and I showed up at 6 am for a little promotion for the Oktoberfest (in which the races were being held) on the local news. Five other dogs were there and they ran a little practice race. Raleigh was pretty confused, this being his first time. He got last place. Allie was QUITE disappointed about that :) Ok, fine - we were ALL disappointed! My kids didn't come by their competitive nature by accident. </div>
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So last Saturday, we took Raleigh to try to make a name for himself. And how did he do when it really counted? Let me put it this way: at least he's pretty. We've decided the race is WAY too short - it's literally about 10 yards. We've decided he's more of a 50 yard racer. He's just getting his speed up by the time it's over! Not to mention he has no idea he's racing...</div>
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It was a really fun family memory, though. And Raleigh had fun, too, I guess. His smile is huge!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrNl-mMkv8wYTVW_DTjPtp3iK4cmfs8GiQi8aDrT9CXrqvKvVs7ENlsEANlaPZMLbrrA7HqaUgRWhx3uElSyLw7-LuPA0yiOWTuHpWHx24vXmuEckT2aisxCWGt_Lihs0kdjpeUsFYB3p/s1600/september+'12+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrNl-mMkv8wYTVW_DTjPtp3iK4cmfs8GiQi8aDrT9CXrqvKvVs7ENlsEANlaPZMLbrrA7HqaUgRWhx3uElSyLw7-LuPA0yiOWTuHpWHx24vXmuEckT2aisxCWGt_Lihs0kdjpeUsFYB3p/s320/september+'12+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The memory was extra fun because we had our special buds with us. Ethan and Hailey spent the weekend with us, since their parents were finishing up a mission trip in Rwanda. Good times!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oV6Uatp5JyXtB6osIfzHJ4DT_oUwbTNVRHmwPhgS_Q5Sv-GE0K100LiWS4hoGuiAIqgyFqedPjxrNMLwKZ0lU5tliZNOLBp2Yu54mNdFb5LcOpfuv-wZZfvUaOIGVqSBGsvCZh9iH1YH/s1600/september+'12+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oV6Uatp5JyXtB6osIfzHJ4DT_oUwbTNVRHmwPhgS_Q5Sv-GE0K100LiWS4hoGuiAIqgyFqedPjxrNMLwKZ0lU5tliZNOLBp2Yu54mNdFb5LcOpfuv-wZZfvUaOIGVqSBGsvCZh9iH1YH/s320/september+'12+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-42617036931655432832012-09-18T10:50:00.002-07:002012-09-18T10:52:35.207-07:00His Promises <div align="center">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">NEWS FLASH</span> - mothering is super hard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe as a mom, you don't feel like me (but I seriously doubt it). My heart is often weary of training and disciplining and feeling like I seldom see the results I'm so desperate for. How in the world does anyone do this without the promises of God to grasp onto??? He is so faithful to encourage me through His Word. Today I read a very familiar verse and was reminded one more time of an awesome promise. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Philippians 1:6 "that He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hallelujah! He won't stop working on my kids! And guess what? It's not even my job to finish the work! I just need to be around and obedient to Him, He'll do the growing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Oh man, that's good stuff.</span></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-44817268023603056072012-08-21T10:45:00.000-07:002012-08-21T10:45:22.702-07:00Now that it's here...<div style="text-align: center;">
I just counted 15 days until my kids go back to school. This is a big year for us. Avery will be in 3rd grade and Allie will be in 1st grade. My baby in full day school! Not only that, but this mama is a stay at home mom again! I had a very hard year last year, in the midst of many blessings of teaching jr highers. I loved my students and I love teaching math, but I hate having commitments that take priority over my family, like, say... a JOB tends to do. I heartily recognize that it is often required that moms work and I know God had that planned for me last year. I will be subbing throughout the year, which is a great job for me. I can turn it down when I need to and I get to enjoy feeling like a teacher off and on with no planning involved :) </div>
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Yet here I am, 15 days before school starts and I can't believe my kids are going to school, but I'm not. I have a memory of Avery when she was about 4, probably, and I thought to myself, "I can't wait until she goes to 1st grade!" Of course I felt awful for thinking that, since I just wanted her out of the house for a few hours a day and that just seems like a terrible thing to think as a mom. As she got older, though, I thought that less and less and when it actually came time, I had a pretty hard time with it! It ended up being so awesome, though, for her to grow up a little and enjoy school. And now Allie gets to have PE, music class, and eat lunch with her friends. I'm so excited for her!</div>
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I admit that some free time to myself sounds heavenly. Actually getting to clean my house alone (which I've only done 2 or 3 times in the last 8 1/2 years) will be amazing. But I'm finding myself wishing it wasn't so soon. I love the summer with my kids! I can't believe how stressful the school year is with kids in school. Already their homework seems a bit overwhelming, which is ridiculous I know. Plus we're so often off to soccer practice, piano lessons, or church... I just want to hide in the summer away from all our responsibilities. We even work hard at keeping our commitments low, but things still feel crazy. </div>
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But there's no stopping time, and the things that we are busy with are good. So I'm going to buck up and decide to hang on and enjoy the ride. And feel very strange when I sit down to each my lunch alone every day. Something tells me those girls are going to see mommy at school quite a lot :)</div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-6599382458398141362012-08-03T19:52:00.000-07:002012-08-03T19:52:42.331-07:00Avery's creation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One day I was gone and my family was out of lunch meat. So Avery decided to create her own sandwich. She calls it her Salad Sandwich. Today she decided to make another salad sandwich and asked if I could put it on Pinterest. Here's the recipe: bread (Avery actually prefers a hotdog or hamburger bun), mayo, lettuce, shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and a little bit of italian dressing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqhRdtLJr0ifTPRL68P30o4dMbikqWik5_e_b3WPwi5wQFcfwHcVKrNRICVPrjfclYWeBpKlqR4c-PFBzEI4KcIrfGFdxHLHglUBDB6YeYumal2Zc-oTcaeSFhGN5nHVwItBSwlR0nOzp/s1600/summer+'12+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqhRdtLJr0ifTPRL68P30o4dMbikqWik5_e_b3WPwi5wQFcfwHcVKrNRICVPrjfclYWeBpKlqR4c-PFBzEI4KcIrfGFdxHLHglUBDB6YeYumal2Zc-oTcaeSFhGN5nHVwItBSwlR0nOzp/s320/summer+'12+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After her first bite today, she groaned and said, "I LOVE this sandwich!"</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-62526173871363682432012-07-24T09:44:00.000-07:002012-07-24T09:44:06.245-07:00Have you MET my husband?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It took a while to convince Rich that we should go on the trip to Guatemala. In his words, "I just like to stay home and not go anywhere." Which isn't really true, because he likes to travel. But this was not a natural desire for him to want to go on a mission trip where we can't speak the language and we really had no idea of what we were getting into. </div>
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I couldn't be more proud of what came of it, though! The entire time he was guilty of being completely uncharacteristic for my quiet, reserved, shy husband. He volunteered for TWO dramas, purposely sat near the teenagers on our bus, and asked to give his testimony twice. At the first high school we went to, we were told there were lots of drug problems and such. When we got to each school, we would try to mingle with the kids and visit. I was much more apprehensive about doing this at the high school. As I was trying to get up my gumption to talk to someone, I looked over and saw my husband already talking with kids! </div>
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This is a picture of Rich giving his testimony at this same high school. Our translator, Patricia, is next him. He did a wonderful job! His testimony mostly consists of having given his life to Christ as a child, but spending his high school years not really following the Lord. He was in a bad car accident right out of high school and somehow walked off with only a scraped elbow. This was one of the moments in life that God used to get his attention. This is mostly what he shared here at the high school. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm5Bh8odbAikbVGeu942H0V8RVn-7vwe-sRYQ7vdD32EJqrotiCA_4jKPjFRP40FNJK-GqyaHGIxH17usAHi0ZpJygLpJHE-t1wvCAz3CaMp31IClbnIxwu6HVu0b2BwUggh5HVZLNTGR/s1600/guatemala+2012+127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijm5Bh8odbAikbVGeu942H0V8RVn-7vwe-sRYQ7vdD32EJqrotiCA_4jKPjFRP40FNJK-GqyaHGIxH17usAHi0ZpJygLpJHE-t1wvCAz3CaMp31IClbnIxwu6HVu0b2BwUggh5HVZLNTGR/s320/guatemala+2012+127.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Our young friend, Brendan, who was on our trip with us also shared his testimony of a time where he wasn't choosing his friends wisely. As a result of those two testimonies, a boy named Brandon came up to Rich and told him he was a pastor's son and hadn't been living for the Lord. He said that now he wanted to change and start living for Christ. Rich was so touched. Lord, I pray for Brandon, that he would rise above his peers and have the strength to live for You!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuWbAbSi8S_H2ckK-NWxhA47EKcGHXI2vpGuqfC_m4S7pxiL5AxDOjRNrC3Q5S2GZJqtoLxrk8hCecLEcJey3mHOB81cHtF9As8Wr25Mo3i26PK3OEov-0Tmag0P4qPlVrPxfzoj4401p/s1600/guatemala+2012+131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuWbAbSi8S_H2ckK-NWxhA47EKcGHXI2vpGuqfC_m4S7pxiL5AxDOjRNrC3Q5S2GZJqtoLxrk8hCecLEcJey3mHOB81cHtF9As8Wr25Mo3i26PK3OEov-0Tmag0P4qPlVrPxfzoj4401p/s320/guatemala+2012+131.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We headed to a church on Sunday morning. Our group split up and went to 6 different churches in the area and 6 of our men preached. They asked that one other person from each group at each church would share their testimony. Guess who spoke up in our group before anyone else could? This is a picture of the pastor greeting Rich right before he got up to speak.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiys-BWwnwxIacifaJrFOk42Ur3ykPD_c02GAzqkKGs9HsIlqG7ehcdWuS5kwuWc1c_5-oMs-NcuOtzPrlxrEAUvjl4t7KqvBE0Pq6Qd-NVIqgoPMFGi025qIFeIhm-C__BBFL-wy7ZP_my/s1600/guatemala+2012+189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiys-BWwnwxIacifaJrFOk42Ur3ykPD_c02GAzqkKGs9HsIlqG7ehcdWuS5kwuWc1c_5-oMs-NcuOtzPrlxrEAUvjl4t7KqvBE0Pq6Qd-NVIqgoPMFGi025qIFeIhm-C__BBFL-wy7ZP_my/s320/guatemala+2012+189.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The church loved him! One of the first things he said was that this was the first time he had spoken in church on a Sunday morning. They were so responsive and accepting. Our friend Bruce got up to preach after Rich and said he was ready to come forward if Rich had given an invitation :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxK2gcOQ9lokHNh2_IcYrw-GlZgRe_tnNLDgOzcSOl8V2CbOvVxvXIDO3afLLkPtIoUk22iDkAv0fcYQ3d4wv-16mn2uTlhRP_j0aNtt3LpyVCzEW68B4BY3dl47bBHQ82uTo1lt46Aiod/s1600/guatemala+2012+192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxK2gcOQ9lokHNh2_IcYrw-GlZgRe_tnNLDgOzcSOl8V2CbOvVxvXIDO3afLLkPtIoUk22iDkAv0fcYQ3d4wv-16mn2uTlhRP_j0aNtt3LpyVCzEW68B4BY3dl47bBHQ82uTo1lt46Aiod/s320/guatemala+2012+192.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This trip was so amazing for me to see Rich come out of his shell. Who knows what the future holds now that both of us have seen this new side of him? :)</div>
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</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-64052094133024182572012-07-16T16:32:00.000-07:002012-07-16T16:32:09.200-07:00Hawaii, but not really<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While in Guatemala, we had the privilege of delivering a TON of handmade clothing to a very poor village in the town of Gualan. A group of ladies from Morningstar Church here in Salem had been sewing these and they were beautiful! The village, when pronounced, ironically sounded much like "Hawaii". Before we left, we all joked about telling everyone at home that we went to Hawaii for our mission trip. Once we got there, our senses of humor were quieted. I'd say this was one of the most memorable moments for me. To see first-hand the poverty that these children are living in every day was heart-breaking.</div>
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We asked that the children try on their clothes to make sure they fit before we left their home. That's right, these kind people allowed us to enter their homes. This little girl was in one of the nicest homes on the street we were assigned. If you notice, it's merely dirt floors and no doors.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZoCogvB0yiG-qayFrLSUy-RBA-s60zKmq5YxFcIDrGRstnZ5hbud4Kr25OBnohxbOiAKyEzJvnIWlSrzl2wytqZMTRfxl7161etPUkr8NlqwtJi4ZoHdqj-2C_j6qaZioHDDdNoDkA5E/s1600/guatemala+2012+149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZoCogvB0yiG-qayFrLSUy-RBA-s60zKmq5YxFcIDrGRstnZ5hbud4Kr25OBnohxbOiAKyEzJvnIWlSrzl2wytqZMTRfxl7161etPUkr8NlqwtJi4ZoHdqj-2C_j6qaZioHDDdNoDkA5E/s320/guatemala+2012+149.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was a sweet story. This was definitely the nicest home we were in. It actually had doors! This girl had a twin sister who wasn't home and we were able to find two matching dresses, of different colors for her and her sister to match.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY7p9YsNW17wGK_8PhqL5qB5Bbl-xA2lJwlHNhjvz8m4oo_Vrjp1rNCl7kkYeF210fxfL0-aI4v40Pyv_NFeqnVN1UVnZM3L_N6mbdge80iddfmdjC8_-7OHyAW3k6fNffyqIGt9dixoM/s1600/guatemala+2012+156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqY7p9YsNW17wGK_8PhqL5qB5Bbl-xA2lJwlHNhjvz8m4oo_Vrjp1rNCl7kkYeF210fxfL0-aI4v40Pyv_NFeqnVN1UVnZM3L_N6mbdge80iddfmdjC8_-7OHyAW3k6fNffyqIGt9dixoM/s320/guatemala+2012+156.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This family came out very warily. Mom was gone and they were all home with their sister. You had to climb down some very steep stairs into sort of a cave. I don't think any of these kids said anything to us. I'm sure we were quite overwhelming to them - a bunch of white people speaking English trying to give them clothes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64zXXwdCyUk8PXhNLS15JVrbUJ4AnFwPQ2Ovrg8zLXWKXfIJ7ph4mUOnC3el60-Nws6YKrKXxQYdSjsRy0KeNS7hrneJX7o2jsS_UK_L6gGTeiXMVRCtQgrHZOzpDRdOJ5m79pp8ZPhyE/s1600/guatemala+2012+161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64zXXwdCyUk8PXhNLS15JVrbUJ4AnFwPQ2Ovrg8zLXWKXfIJ7ph4mUOnC3el60-Nws6YKrKXxQYdSjsRy0KeNS7hrneJX7o2jsS_UK_L6gGTeiXMVRCtQgrHZOzpDRdOJ5m79pp8ZPhyE/s320/guatemala+2012+161.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is our translator, Rosy. She was amazing! She is calling into this home asking if we can come in. When I look at this picture of this family's "front door", I'm humbled that I've ever felt discontent with my own beautiful home. Notice the clothes drying on the roof...</div>
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This was a kitchen with a beautiful view out the "window".</div>
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The medical team held clinics in several towns we were in. They reported that most of the children had worms and many were very malnourished. At least one mother, when asked what her child eats in a day, answered "a tortilla". Not per meal - <em>per day.</em> Before this trip I was apt to think that poverty everywhere in the world is the same. This has shown me otherwise. At least in my town, children are required to go to school and any children with anything close to a low income are provided breakfast and lunch. All summer long there are lunch programs throughout town for low-income families. Those same families have many government programs making sure they and their children don't starve. I'm not saying we don't need to help those in need in our own town, but people in these other countries aren't getting helped by their governments. Even just sponsoring a Compassion child can be the first step to putting feet to your faith. To see the hungry and give them something to eat... "In as much as you do to the least of these, you do it to Me." Matthew 25:40</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-34678833684842603432012-07-02T19:23:00.001-07:002012-07-02T19:23:35.342-07:00Compassion child<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the main reasons our church felt pulled to go to Guatemala is that over one hundred children in a certain Compassion center in Salama, Guatemala are sponsored by families in our church. Our mission trip ended up being way more than just visiting this center, but it was one of my highlights. Rich and I began sponsoring Yerlin about a year ago and have sent her a couple of letters and pictures. I've told many people already, but I have always loved what Compassion does. We had a sponsor child as long as I can remember growing up. I've always wondered what it would be like to actually meet them. I still can't believe I've done it! </div>
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This is the sign that welcomed us to the center. The children go to their various schools in the morning and then twice a week in the afternoon they come to the center for Bible lessons, physical activities, help with school work, etc... They also usually come on Saturdays.</div>
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This is Yerlin's parents and grandfather! Her grandfather actually works at the center. This is pretty amazing, really, since a great number of the children have been abandoned by their fathers. Yerlin is blessed to have believing parents and a stable father and grandfather. Praise God!</div>
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It took quite a while to get this little one to warm up to us. She is only 4 1/2 years old and pretty shy. Her parents were shy, as well. But by the end of our visit she was running up to us and hugging us. </div>
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I mean, how cute is this little thing?? She was very much dressed up - in her authentic local dress.</div>
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This is Yerlin's class. She is at the far left of the picture. The younger ones had the largest class.</div>
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I wanted you to see the staff it takes to run the center. These are the local staff that work every week to share Christ and enrich the lives of these needy children.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wylR_BlgQ67OTkqu9cIqhRDljtw2gSyKN3p3xUmhnlRZuRMdmtEbI3k0sHR_2f11Ou2GlBKETqJqxN_q5yk4ZRSN8vrmM-SrEAzna1-vfEc5WRteTkQbNsIbKvoK2eKtyoVBc0by_y1F/s1600/guatemala+2012+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wylR_BlgQ67OTkqu9cIqhRDljtw2gSyKN3p3xUmhnlRZuRMdmtEbI3k0sHR_2f11Ou2GlBKETqJqxN_q5yk4ZRSN8vrmM-SrEAzna1-vfEc5WRteTkQbNsIbKvoK2eKtyoVBc0by_y1F/s320/guatemala+2012+078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Compassion was amazing. They provided a translator for each family that was there to see their sponsor child. I was able to connect with a number of other children who are sponsored by various friends of mine. One of the teachers (the lady in pink and black in the picture) took my list of children and gathered them all up for me to take pictures and talk to each one.</div>
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We were able to put on a VBS for a day for the center. As I led songs, Yerlin didn't take her eyes off of me :) At the end of the day, we were given one last half-hour to give her a gift and pray with her and say goodbye. Her grandfather prayed for us and our family - a moment I won't forget! It was truly a day we'll remember for the rest of our lives!</div>
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If you have even considered sponsoring a child but don't yet, or even if you do already and doubt whether it's worth it... doubt no more! Your little bit of money a month is doing incredible things for extremely needy children! If you are a sponsor, let me encourage you to write to your child. Yerlin has 2 brothers that are also sponsored and they have never heard from their sponsors. Never even one letter. I know it's hard to make the time for it, but it really means a lot to those families. I really think it takes the ministry to a whole new level. Don't miss the opportunity!!</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-77113070460343288922012-07-01T22:41:00.000-07:002012-07-01T22:41:45.114-07:00Guatemala mission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Well, I just don't know where to start! My husband, Rich, and I got back a few days ago from our trip to Guatemala. It was amazing. We grew as a couple and as individuals. We grew existing friendships and made new ones. God stretched us and amazed us with what He accomplished through us! </div>
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The whole group we traveled with was made up of a medical team, a school team, and a pastors team. Rich and I were on the school team, so we usually went out in the morning to a school, returned to the hotel for lunch, then went to another school in the afternoon. We sang songs, told stories, performed a skit, played games, gave testimonies, and shared the Gospel. It was pretty amazing that the schools, mostly public, didn't care how much we shared about Christ. Teachers and students alike listened and responded to our presentations. We saw hundreds of children accept Jesus as their savior and even heard their prayers, since in their culture they usually pray out loud. So sweet! </div>
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This is the first school we went to on our first day. The kids LOVED getting their picture taken.</div>
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I will need to spread this over several posts. My heart and head are full of thoughts and I'm still processing :) I can't wait to keep sharing with you of our experience!</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-81787229416369176022012-06-14T05:45:00.000-07:002012-06-14T05:47:48.542-07:00For the love of the game...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm not sure if there are many better moments as a parent than taking time out of your busy week and getting to sit in the sun and watch your kid play a sport. I looked forward to it all spring. Granted, it made for a super-busy season, bustling kids to practices and games, but I wouldn't trade it. I believe it is so good for my kids to be learning a skill and get to be a part of a team. </div>
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Allie played tee ball for the first time this year and loved it. Rich and I weren't sure if she would, though, since it's a lot of standing around and hoping the ball comes to you. But she looked forward to it every day and was always asking if she had practice or a game that day. </div>
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Our friend and neighbor had his son on Allie's team and helped coach. Thanks, Tyler! In this picture, he's probably telling Allie not to <em>fall on the ball</em> when she goes to field a hit. The girl thinks it's a race against everyone else on her team to get to the ball first. Never mind if you fall on it like it's a land mine and you're saving your teammates from imminent death, then you can't actually make a play and get the runner out. It's a tough world out there and you gotta make sure no one else gets the ball...</div>
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She got a hit and was standing on first base.</div>
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And now it's turn for me to admit my failure as a mom. I guess I was just having too much fun relaxing to actually take good pictures of Avery this season. I feel sad, but these are 2 of the only 4 or so pictures I took, I guess! At least I have proof she played. </div>
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She still loves soccer. And by golly, she's getting to be a great little player! Her coach calls her a fireball :) She has gotten so much better at handling the ball and she just gets in there and gives a good fight. I really love to watch her play! </div>
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This is an example of the reason I love my kids to be in sports. They learn early to take a knee when a player on either team is down with an injury. They all drop instinctively when someone gets hurt. So cute!</div>
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And this is the other awesome picture of my stud little soccer player! Sorry, Avery, I'll do better next season!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpej3OT5McGpyJQCWT0Cmqh36an-w_zLWWw37Hv7npKNALN979xagZ_GOd1fEa-78CzL0T6T8HC48d4FeXWHjfTNzZi6uSytTsmqxc2X5DG9hkkCQUZrbHWxrCf1DkUMoNvpADsfoILMU/s1600/spring+'12+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpej3OT5McGpyJQCWT0Cmqh36an-w_zLWWw37Hv7npKNALN979xagZ_GOd1fEa-78CzL0T6T8HC48d4FeXWHjfTNzZi6uSytTsmqxc2X5DG9hkkCQUZrbHWxrCf1DkUMoNvpADsfoILMU/s320/spring+'12+023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-35634949055585414592012-06-09T22:20:00.000-07:002012-06-10T18:04:37.665-07:00Guatemala<div align="center">
I can hardly believe it, but Rich and I will soon be traveling to Guatemala. I'm done with school and I can finally focus on this giant thing that we are about to do.</div>
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Rich and I decided to sponsor a second Compassion child a year or so ago when our church encouraged everyone to sponsor a child in a certain town in Guatemala, with the hopes of someday doing a mission trip there and visiting the children. That really appealed to Rich and I and we picked a little girl a year or so younger than our youngest daughter.</div>
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So here we are! A group of people from our church is joining the Reid Saunders Association and heading down to Guatemala. We will be visiting the Compassion center where around 80% of 150 are sponsored by people from our church. We will be able to run a vbs for these precious children. Many of them come from homes of drug addictions, alcoholism, and domestic violence, not to mention poverty. Many of them just want to feel loved! Rich and I will be able to visit with our sponsor daughter, also. </div>
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In addition to this, we will be visiting schools for several days. They will allow us to share our testimonies and the good news of Jesus with all the kids in these schools. There will also be a medical team running a clinic for several days, as well as a pastor's conference. Toward the end of our 11 day trip, we will be assisting RSA with running a 2-day evangelistic festival, complete with professional bmx stunts (I'm rusty on my skills, so I won't be a part of that). </div>
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Of course we would love to have you pray for the people of Guatemala, that their hearts will be soft and prepared to accept salvation. Also pray that the team would be unified, confident, and healthy. Lastly, I would ask that you pray that our kids stay happy and healthy while we're away and that this mama and daddy can serve God without missing our kids too much!!</div>
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We're so very grateful for everyone who contributed financially to this mission and for all your prayers. In the words of Reid Saunders, "All for Jesus!" </div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-69524961476608770152012-06-06T06:39:00.002-07:002012-06-06T06:39:45.569-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Allie graduated kindergarten last week! With how crazy our lives have been, I'm lucky it's only taken me six days to get this posted. She has had an incredible kindergarten year. I taught at Albany Christian School for the main purpose of allowing her to go there for kindergarten. I knew the teacher was amazing and we felt like she really needed an extraordinary start in her school career. I couldn't have been happier! I can't believe all that she was able to learn or how well she was loved and nurtured. We were greatly blessed!</div>
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Allie with her teacher, Mrs. Elliot.</div>
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Family photos rarely turn out the way I want them, but at least it documents that we were all there!</div>
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Um, how precious is this?</div>
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Me and my girl.</div>
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We love the Awesome 3000. This was the 30th annual event in Salem. This was the Rowzee's 3rd annual Awesome 3000. I probably posted the last 2 years about how great Avery did. This year I get to brag about both my girls. Both girls ran a 1.5k, which is .91 miles. They run with their gender with kids in their own grade. There were 180 girls in Allie's group and 240 in Avery's. Are you ready to hear how great they did? I know this isn't nearly as exciting for anyone else but their mother, but I can't help pretending like you care. Avery has gotten 8th place the last 2 years, which is a little strange. Even stranger is that she got 8th place again!!! I'm so proud that she's so determined. Now for the wild card: our Allie-girl. Rich and I figured she'd probably do really well. I mean, there has to be SOME kind of positive way to direct all that energy! But we also thought it was possible she'd come in dead last just to be a stinker. Nope! She was SECOND!!!!! I could hardly contain myself (scratch that - I DIDN'T contain myself) when I saw her come back in that stadium in second place. Toward the end we saw a girl behind her start to catch up with her. She looked back and saw that girl and it was over - she picked up so much speed! There was no way that girl could have caught her :)</div>
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We sprayed their hair pink this year and I got them crazy socks. There are so many kids in that stadium and this way it was a little easier to pick them out of the crowd.</div>
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Rich and I are super proud of our girls :)</div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-57669080412954235002012-05-04T22:16:00.000-07:002012-05-04T22:16:23.094-07:00Land of the LostI live in the land of the lost. We are going almost every second of the day. I'm lucky if I get home at one o'clock with Allie. I emphasize the <em>"with Allie"</em> part because that means she begs me constantly if I'll play with her or watch her ride her bike outside and it's a miracle if any housework gets done. I pick up Avery at 3:30 and we have a short time at home to eat a snack, practice piano, and talk together a bit before we shoot off to soccer... or tee ball practice... or a game... or church... or piano lessons. <br />
Ok, so there's my whining. I have been losing things like crazy. It's not really like me. I am not the most organized gal on the block, but I am usually able to keep track of our things. Rich loses things around the house quite often and looks and looks for them. I <em>always</em> find them :) Well, I haven't been finding them lately! <br />
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**I lost my keys for a couple weeks and thought I was going to go crazy without them. Turns out Avery had them and absent-mindedly tossed them in the garage behind my dry storage food.<br />
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**Rich left his shoes on our front porch. Those didn't get lost - they got "ganked". That's gangsta for <em>stolen. </em><br />
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**Allie has two pairs of shoes that she wears almost exclusively. She has lost one of each pair - at the same time - several times over the last few months. She wore whatever extra shoes I could find for days before I was finally able to locate the missing matches.<br />
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**I lost my sunglasses. I was so bummed! I loved them and I really didn't want to buy a new pair. I had worn them to a tee ball game at school on a Tuesday night. The rest of the week I looked everywhere for them. On Saturday we went to another tee ball game at the same field, but our team was playing on the other side. I stopped on the side we had played at on Tuesday, just to visit with an old college friend, and looked down and saw my sunglasses! They weren't broken or even bent! Avery was with me and we both celebrated. It was a good moment to talk about how God might not care a ton about my sunglasses, but He cares about me :)<br />
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**Rich lost his ipod. This was a big one. This was a big splurge for Father's Day last year and we definitely aren't going to replace it if it goes away for good. We prayed as a family and I asked for friends to pray that we would find it. We were counting on being able to use it on our mission trip to Guatemala (more details on that in a different post). Well, after missing it for a week, Rich's dad calls and it turns out it was in his couch! Thank you, Lord!<br />
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**Avery lost her soccer cleat. I looked everywhere. My whole family looked everywhere. Tonight I realized if she didn't find it by tomorrow for her game, I was going to have to come up with some more cleats for her to be able to play. I decided to look in our hallway closet one more time, and there it was in plain sight! <br />
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I can't even remember everything else we lost. But I'm so thankful for God's presence! Yes, things feel crazy. Yes, I'm having a lot of trouble keeping track of things in this very busy season. But God cares! He sees my struggles and hears my cries over soccer cleats and sunglasses and He's been so faithful to get me through it. Thank you, Lord, for caring about my little life with little struggles that, to me, feel kinda big sometimes :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-10911651570738086272012-04-02T22:26:00.003-07:002012-04-02T22:36:36.418-07:00Good stuffAs I was saying goodnight to Avery tonight, she said to me, "Mom, I think God must be the best artist ever." Of course I agreed, but I wanted to know where that was coming from. After I asked, she said, "Because He made us <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">symmetrical</span>." She went on to tell me that they had learned to draw clowns in art class today and talked about how our bodies are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">symmetrical</span>. Now, were she in a Christian school, I'm sure the teacher would have taken the opportunity to discuss God's great design. However, she is in a public school and I know God wasn't discussed. But that didn't stop my girl! She found her own Biblical Integration (one of those terms from my elementary education days in college when I had to add that element to every lesson plan). She immediately thought of God's amazing artistry in creating us <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">symmetrical</span>. <br /><br />This is one of those moments in which I'm reminded that God's will always prevails. He is growing and teaching my children even when I'm not present and even when the teacher has no idea she is being used to draw my daughter into a deeper understanding of her Creator. Good stuff :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-55343506411019505432012-04-01T14:04:00.002-07:002012-04-01T14:27:09.623-07:00Bring on the crazyAll school year I knew this was coming. Spring. I am working every day. Avery is playing soccer on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5, with a game every Saturday. Allie is playing <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tee ball</span> on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 and there will be games all during the week whenever those start. I teach ladies discipleship on Tuesday nights while my kids go their church activities. Avery will go to piano on Thursdays at 5:30 (Allie has been taking it but will not take it during the spring since it's at the same time as <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">tee ball</span>). All of these practices will depend on me, since Rich doesn't get home until 5:45 usually. He will be able to help with some pick ups, but we haven't really arrived to where we're comfortable just dropping the girls off at their practices. This might be the year, though! <br /><br />I also have two big events in April - hosting my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Bunko</span> group at my house and helping to host a table and my school's annual auction. And I have our church's <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">VBS</span> Bible curriculum to write in time to be published for the summer. Oh, and Rich and I coach a coed church softball team that has games beginning the last week in April and guess what night that's on? Tuesdays - the same night as Allie's practice and our church activities. Are you as tired as I am just writing this down?<br /><br />Anyone have any advice? One of my biggest questions is dinner. We usually eat around 5:30. How am I going to get everyone fed? It seems that on the later practice days we will have to eat early and on the nights Avery practices at 5, we might all wait until 6:15 to eat. But that's pretty late for us. Plus, eating early on the nights of 5:30 practice means having dinner ready by 4:45, since my kids take forever to eat and I'll need to have everyone in the car with gear on and to practice on time. <br /><br />So I'm trying not panic. God is huge and certainly big enough to help me handle the life He's called me to. I'm very glad I'm not always this busy. I need to take each day at a time and try to plan carefully. I need to start my day in the Word and stay leaning on Him when I start to panic as I look at my messy kitchen and piles of laundry. I think, also, we will be eating more sandwiches and hot dogs - meals we can eat on the go. And, dare I say, maybe a few drive-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">thru</span> dinners???Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-60345456452738684612012-03-24T20:51:00.004-07:002012-03-25T13:16:39.877-07:00Eight years...<div><div>*For eight years, my life has not been my own. </div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I have napped only if I played my cards just right and the gods smiled upon me.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I have stared at my stretch marks in the mirror every morning and thought, "that's a bummer.."</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've dreamed of just leaving the house without packing a snack bag, finding <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">someone's</span> other shoe, filling up a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">sippy</span> cup, buckling someone in or nagging them to do it themselves.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've only made dinner a handful of times without hearing some level of complaining, even if it's something everyone likes.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've considered the hours of 8pm to 10pm "vacation time".</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've cried at every Clifford episode I've ever seen.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've looked into one of my daughters' eyes and known that she thinks I hung the moon.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I haven't entered my home to greet my family without hearing the word, "Mommy!" screamed and hear footsteps running toward me and have one or two girls jump into my arms.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years, I've watched my heart walk around outside of my body.</div><div> </div><div>*For eight years I've been a mom. </div><div> </div><div> I thought having a baby meant having a baby. Then the baby became a child. Then the child became a person. Motherhood is so much more than I expected - in all the good and bad ways I could possibly mean! No one has ever made me crazier than my own children, but no one has come close to stirring my heart the way they do. There is nothing I want to do more in this life than to give my daughters a safe, loving, Godly, healthy environment in which they can grow and thrive and become women who honor their Lord.</div><div> </div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723686341383029106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNd_WVr6L4X2teO0I0I-W3R7EoG4DwtqNPQYNtWwm5oZIt6XUzKCeFU6kR0L3PHB4a1cOouX5KoNpRPL3hO9GH-gg7BpQZhSEwcWGFXVv-3kdJfRMhuYU8F3fhDnTGdgh53elEYaesFFKS/s400/avery%2527s+8th+bday+%252712+033.JPG" /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>So Avery turned eight today. I took her to get her ears pierced. It was a special mommy-daughter date and I soaked in every minute of it! Allie and I get a lot of time together alone - A LOT. I love that Allie and I can have that relationship and can spend so much time together, but Avery and I hardly ever spend time alone anymore. So I was looking forward to our afternoon. We shopped, tried on lotion, got her ears pierced, and had lunch together. It's true - I absolutely LOVE this girl! I love that I can take my maturing, growing girl out for a girlie afternoon and we can both have a wonderful time :) Thank you, Lord!</div><div> </div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-56427392396721998782012-03-22T09:52:00.002-07:002012-03-22T10:06:31.478-07:00Spring Snow<div align="center"> </div><div align="center">On the second day of spring, we got a snow storm. I really don't mind Oregon's weather. Yes, the winter gets a little long, as it tends to be pretty rainy. This winter's December, though, was gorgeous. You gotta take the good with the bad. I am willing to put up with some winter rain to have our beautiful summers. And if you want to have our flourishing trees and foliage, you have to accept the rain. But a dumping of snow on the second day of spring is highly unusual! It snowed for 24 hrs straight.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Raleigh loves that our heat works :)</div><div align="center"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722765660815558466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_XKAP-c0wTf63l_yGFlkmodnmHbOMzBNs_GzQJSbNcTqZ67xqmgl-AiGOYAUXHp-hLxgxph7gyoLghPOl6yqD5ieYVgqSIvJvR9I9CLOmngOG1PlL2kf-SlT8eT-2RIqz5UL1k6S8A5g/s400/winter+%252712+166.JPG" /><br />I think I took this picture a couple weeks ago during another light snow day. After 24 hrs of snow, we had way more than this.<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722765655711354434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwGqIA4rU3Qz1v6OnCQwyet-OtCYPg3gmr-WA-IXgFbbDNVcxHghBFo8z4zJkG1G45He3RJVEOXwhlXgopW1dHcDujO_-5qRIVo3nb3YXrOgZqJN-yCk1Q6dk7Jnjr6gN2V0hHmf4sOZK/s400/winter+%252712+165.JPG" /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qKxMpJll1NWie2_R2u1vewX2freCOkpMcpF6wNL_TIWYRVO2G4hwSxPvJpIo_7rJphPz0VzYKxUxuxLgWjMzc-_rjuJ6RgdXa49TkobvhV8tVzALOpy8EY-Ep9pzknBjt1N_J1c8NvnC/s1600/winter+%252712+168.JPG">I'</a>I'm not sure why, but this silly picture came out sideways, even though I rotated it. Just tilt your head, please. I really liked this picture of my girls and their <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">doggie</span>. They are growing up! Allie is 6 now, and Avery turns 8 in 2 days!</div><div><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722765653104601602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9qKxMpJll1NWie2_R2u1vewX2freCOkpMcpF6wNL_TIWYRVO2G4hwSxPvJpIo_7rJphPz0VzYKxUxuxLgWjMzc-_rjuJ6RgdXa49TkobvhV8tVzALOpy8EY-Ep9pzknBjt1N_J1c8NvnC/s400/winter+%252712+168.JPG" /><div> </div></div><br /></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-24026506855639620462012-03-18T15:15:00.002-07:002012-03-18T15:42:02.130-07:00The End of an EraWe've had our girls sharing a room since Allie was 2. I guess it's been about 4 years. They have a bunk bed and a beautiful room painted raspberry-pink. All along we've planned on letting them have their own rooms eventually, but not until Avery was maybe closer to middle school. Well, lately the fighting has gotten worse. Man, that has to be one of the very hardest things about parenting - hearing your kids be nasty to each other. I know their shared gender and closeness in age makes the fighting almost inevitable, but I refuse to accept it. Rich and I are constantly talking about praying about how to help the girls get along and treat each other with respect. <br /><br />On top of that, we're trying really hard to teach them responsibility for their own things and helping to clean around the house. Folks, I'm going CRAZY in this area. Since I'm working every day, it's much harder for me to just do their work for them, and I know how important it is to be teaching them to pick up after themselves. <br /><br />So we've dubbed Saturday mornings as "family clean-up" time. The girls are required to clean their room and the playroom, as well as pick up anything else around the house that's theirs. They also are given one chore (Avery's is usually to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">vacuum</span> the stairs and Allie's is to clean the doorknobs or windows). Throughout the week, of course, they also need be trying to keep things straight. But I'm just too busy and tired during the week to enforce it much. Last Saturday the girls spent the entire morning whining and crying and finally got their small amount of cleaning done when we said they couldn't eat lunch until it was done.<br /><br />One of the biggest obstacles to their cleaning is that they can't seem to get along while they clean. So yesterday, during all the struggles of Saturday morning cleaning, Rich announced it was time. Time to move Avery out and give her her own room. She's been asking for a while, but fairly content to stay with Allie. We've been talking about it and thought maybe we'd wait for the summer. But this seems to be a wise decision. I'm hoping that having their own space to be responsible for, rather than basically a free-for-all everywhere, will help them take a little more ownership over their space and things. <br /><br />I was sad. At bedtime, after we had switched Avery's stuff and they were settling into their own rooms for bed, Allie told me, "I wished she could wait 'til tomorrow to move". She felt a little scared to be alone, even though she's slept alone off and on in the past. I felt sad for Allie and sad that it seemed it was the end of an era. The era of my girls being little and always together. They're both in school and making their own friends and spend too much time apart for this mama's comfort. On the other hand, when they're together there's WAY too much fighting! Well, this morning I went to check on the girls because I knew they were both awake. I peeked into Avery's room first and guess what I found? Allie was quietly sitting on the floor playing a game and Avery was trying to fold origami on her bed. They LIKE each other! They have their own rooms and they chose to be together this morning! <br /><br />Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-9115493717031654072012-02-20T21:23:00.006-08:002012-02-20T22:46:53.088-08:00New Creations<div align="center">In the words of my old college president, Dr. David Miller, "Sit down, I've got a story to tell ya." I remember Dr. Miller sharing this well-worn phrase as an introduction into many stories of God's goodness and faithfulness. This is definitely that. I couldn't make this story up, folks. So grab a cup of coffee and get comfortable...</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Five years ago a nice family moved next door to us. I think I freaked the mom out a bit when I popped outside with a big grin on my face, eager to meet my new neighbors. Her name was Mackenzie. I quickly tried to befriend her and she was friendly enough with me. I could tell she was a bit cautious, though. Her daughter was my oldest daughter's age, so immediately had something in common. I'm pretty sure her daughter came to Avery's birthday party the weekend they moved in!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">I admit I felt a little funny when I would visit with Mackenzie and another neighbor of ours. I stuck out like a sore thumb with them. They had so much more in common, being non-believers and VERY tan! We spent a lot of time in our front yards with all the young children and I grew a deep compassion for these women, but I still felt very awkward in most conversations.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Mackenzie and I spent time together on our own and I quickly grew a very soft spot in my heart for her. I was quick to tell her of my faith in Christ and worked very hard to show her that I loved her where she was at. </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">She allowed me to begin taking her children to Vacation Bible School and our evening children's ministry once a week. The kids ate it up and came with me for 2 years every week. One day, a year and a half ago, she told me she and kids were thinking about coming to church on a Sunday morning. My heart skipped for joy!! I called that Saturday and suggested they come the next morning and they did. Later, the kids told me that they went shopping for church clothes the afternoon after they attended that morning. </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">A dear friend at church told me I should think about meeting with Mackenzie once a week and try to disciple her. Honestly, I hesitated. I had a child at home all day with me and my life felt so busy with family and church ministry. But I asked Mackenzie if she would like to meet once a week and do our church's Book of John study with me in my house. She said yes immediately. God opened up the time and my heart for that and I'll never regret that decision. It was in the second week of our study when she gave her heart to Christ. Right at my kitchen table. With my whole body shaking and tears pouring out of both of our eyes. The next morning, Mackenzie called me and said she's never woken up with so much happiness before. Everything was different!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Her husband, Brian, started seeing changes in her. In that first week, a moment happened in which her old self would have yelled immediately. Instead, she sat down on the stairs and prayed. Out of surprise, Brian observed later, "you didn't even yell..." So Mackenzie and I spent the whole school year studying the life and teachings of Christ and working through her new-found faith. And praying for Brian.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">The spring came around and Brian agreed to play softball on our church coed team with Mackenzie. So Rich and I left the team we have played on for several years in order to start a new team so we could play with Brian and Mackenzie. We grew more of a friendship with Brian. Since I was singing in the Easter production, I asked Brian to come see it. As it turned out, Mackenzie wasn't able to come, but Brian brought his kids and came alone, just because he had told me he would. He later came to church for Mother's Day, upon request of his wife. I think he came every week after that. </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Soon after that, Brian came over for a talk with Rich and I with some questions scribbled on a piece of paper. They were some very understandable questions with everything from "why do bad things happen to good people?" to "how do you explain dinosaurs?" We answered what we could and sent him with a copy of "A Case for Christ" by Lee <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Strobel</span>. Brian read it cover to cover and loved it.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">They attended a class at our church on the fundamentals of our faith during the fall. As a result of that class, Brian was able to ask our Pastor Justin all of his questions. I'm so thankful for the role Justin played in their lives as Brian was so close to making a decision for Christ.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">We're nearing the end (really just the beginning), folks. A few months ago, Mackenzie wrote down a few verses from Ephesians 4 that God had used to encourage her in a struggle she was going through. Brian saw it and knew that she was working through those verses. Can anyone be surprised that Pastor Carl opened up to Ephesians 4 that Sunday? That did it. Brian could no longer pretend that everything that was happening was coincidental. The next week he came over to return the book and told me he prayed his first prayer for someone else that day. It was for me. He had seen me upset with a friend and prayed for my encouragement.</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">And now here we are. Last night the couple was baptized. I couldn't wipe the huge grin off my face. Wow. </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711455371574652338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGealW7135JHCioc0wC4C2day2XUlnT_MyppdfNb8-aLOzPnEXUHnWSDG-4ItzbmpFRL6EYApLT-gdsEWU-vIdBdfrp1e1Cel7U_iYrxCLBYlj9QbgLHXE_knbF2_bYPTavzlVuG1oij2z/s400/february+%252712+006.JPG" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelNolbeJrRCs-hWcnfoj5RjCDW4qYPfdy13AWg4ir7I-oQH2dgf0oy3aGdXFCDPSBVO2CyBcObc34qX5f4h15Nw3i5O0GPRi9I7oHRJgxyv3UG11hxaiPGCtpRx-NgKIt1SEAxTnKoHsx/s1600/february+%252712+004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711455367273415938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelNolbeJrRCs-hWcnfoj5RjCDW4qYPfdy13AWg4ir7I-oQH2dgf0oy3aGdXFCDPSBVO2CyBcObc34qX5f4h15Nw3i5O0GPRi9I7oHRJgxyv3UG11hxaiPGCtpRx-NgKIt1SEAxTnKoHsx/s400/february+%252712+004.JPG" /></a>I will never be the same! Knowing this couple has changed my life forever! I will never look at anyone again without wondering what God has in store for them, regardless if they are believers or not. He is mighty, indeed!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0X7xzgt-Z_i6cwBpkWXrwsUgmWLxa-xlCmu7tj-IOQsJ2zqbkHruo210kHKgSenIcEdFVHV5Gge1QgJuR6WlsGi1HnIYCh7bHtTJi5_oly6e_bKwfJ_EVcYU53wWl5MYosk9IQAum0iZ/s1600/february+%252712+008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 300px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711455367064458386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0X7xzgt-Z_i6cwBpkWXrwsUgmWLxa-xlCmu7tj-IOQsJ2zqbkHruo210kHKgSenIcEdFVHV5Gge1QgJuR6WlsGi1HnIYCh7bHtTJi5_oly6e_bKwfJ_EVcYU53wWl5MYosk9IQAum0iZ/s400/february+%252712+008.JPG" /></a>Folks, here's the deal. When you share your faith with someone... when you tell someone the good news of Christ... that they are loved and cherished by the Creator of the Universe and a way has been made for them to know Him and have the security of the promise of Heaven... NEVER be surprised that they decide to believe you! It's truth! You should be surprised if they don't take you up on it on the spot!</div><div> </div><div>I'm hooked, man. God has lit a fire underneath me to share His good news and I'm not stopping!Who's with me? :)</div></div>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7962254801420183593.post-16891867031390653632012-02-15T16:13:00.000-08:002012-02-15T16:17:30.775-08:00Profession of LoveBest Rowzee quote of Valentine's Day 2012:<br /><br />"Mom, I love you more than Satan. Because I don't love Satan at all."<br /><br />"Gee, thanks, Allie. I'm touched."<br /><br />There you have it, folks. True Love :)Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11540401927903515048noreply@blogger.com1