My Head in the Clouds

Week 3 & A Birthday

2012-02-11T07:15:00.000-06:00

We finished another week of stretching, growing and preparation. You'll see Jason with a microphone. The ICC class was introduced at the monthly JAARS meeting on Tuesday.

And new this week...I'm another year older. Jason made my favorite chocolate cake last Saturday and we were so blessed to be able to share it with new friends.

I even got to lick the beater which is quite an honor in this house since it's usually fought over!

Thanks for all of the cards, texts, messages and packages! I felt so loved!

2 Down 2 To Go

2012-02-04T09:37:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we've been here two and a half weeks and have just two weeks to go in class! This week has been emotionally, mentally and at times, physically tiring. We are being challenged and stretched in ways we didn't think possible, but I know this is why we're here. We continue to trust that God is in control, His ways are best and we're following Him each step of the way the best we can.

Another video has been made this week. You can view it here...the camera loves my husband :)

Sunday Observation

2012-02-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

I walked in, the outsider looking in, to a group of a dozen or more women varied in ages. Their lives, their customs and traditions so much different than my own. I can't help but wonder what these women think of me. I'm sure they're wondering what I'm doing here with them.

We don't have much in common and it's very obvious I know nothing about them or their language. They smile and nod at me, I in turn, do the same.

I take a seat for the next hour at a table, at the end, out of their way and just observe.

What I see is a group of women who have gathered who love the Lord. A teacher who has studied and speaking from her heart...passionate about the topic at hand. Hand gestures when needed and even a funny anecdote here and there as she smiles and even laughs to herself. A group of women who share a respect for one another as it's seen in the way they interact with each other, laugh with each other and on this day, cry with one another.

We go through the lesson, the teacher sharing the Word, written and spoken in their heart language-one that is so foreign to me. Some dutifully take notes, others look deep with their thoughts taking God's word in.

Our time is closing and it's time to end in prayer. We bow our heads and I'm overwhelmed with this feeling...a feeling that takes me back to a time at the Navajo Indian Reservation, in a small group in Romania, a time in Hungary...the feeling that I know we're talking to the same Person. A feeling that never gets stale and I hope never will.

The prayer concludes and I think we're done, until an older woman sitting across from me immediately begins speaking. Not knowing what she's saying, I watch as the women around her, gather, tears are filling their eyes as she speaks. The concern on their faces isn't missed. The next thing I know, this woman across the table is extending her hand out to mine and we're all praying again. Me...the outsider is now enveloped in this group.

Next to me I hear, whispered in broken English, "Her mother in Vietnam...she is old...she has fallen and it doesn't look good..."

During these next moments, language barriers are meaningless and hearts connected. We have somehow become united as we are all daughters with concerns and love for our families. We're also daughters of our Heavenly Father. A loving Father who sees our hearts, feels our pain and hears our prayers in every language and doesn't need a translator...He understands every word.

Update

2012-01-27T14:11:00.000-06:00

Because I don't want to leave you hanging...if you read this post, you should know that this week all 4 of our passports arrived! This means the backgrounds were white enough (a fear from our district clerk saying she didn't think they were) and the faces suitably straight for entering and exiting the country. I'm so thankful things worked out so well and we now have that little project behind us.

Next order of business...visas for PNG!

1 Minute Video

2012-01-26T20:08:00.001-06:00

The IT guru has put together a one minute video for us to share that catches a glimpse of this last week during our class. I promise I'm in the video (which means I AM in class :)) There's a shot of the back of my head, but also me at a flip chart with a microphone :):) but you'll have to watch it closely. You won't have a problem spotting the hubs!

Hope it gives you a small idea of what we've been up to this week!

Settling In

2012-01-25T20:24:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe we've been here a week already! A few things we've been up to...

**We're moved in, unpacked and feeling more like "home" here in North Carolina. Our apartment is the perfect size and the kids are adjusting nicely to the schedule/routine and seem to be handling the move quite well...huge praise!!

Thanks girls :)

**Class has been interesting, informative, thought provoking and challenging. A typical day begins with class at 8 going until noon and then an elective most afternoons. We've covered topics including: spiritual vitality, worldview, language and cultural acquisition, interpersonal skills...and the list goes on! I'm looking forward to putting these things we're learning into practice once we're on the field.

**We've been assigned an "ethnic" church to attend for 4 weeks. The purpose is to get you out out your comfort zone and learn how to deal with being the "outsider" in a new culture. We have been assigned to a Vietnamese church in Charlotte and went for the first time last Sunday. Their services are translated so we were able to hear in English and Vietnamese--which was nice and rare from what we gathered from friends who went elsewhere and didn't have a similar experience. Plus they have lunch after church every week so we're able to try some amazing Vietnamese food! We had a great time and look forward to going again this Sunday.

And did I mention homework?? D thinks its great he's not alone in the world of studying :) I'm off to hit the books and maybe an early bedtime (a girl can dream right?!)

Creatively Cramming

2012-01-19T14:28:00.000-06:00

Here are pics of the cars...

3 bikes...attached to a bike holder meant for 2...tassels from the girly bike blowing at 70 miles per hours down the interstate...I'm surprised they're still attached.

There is an RC airfield directly across from the JAARS center and Jason creatively crammed his plane he had built years ago into his car. Poor D...that's a long ride with a tail in your face!

Little did we know that our apartment is facing the airfield (lucky us??), so when J's not in a plane or working on a plane, he'll be flying the remote controlled one I'm sure!

I took this pic but then realized the Budget van was in the shot.

Oh how I wished for that van many a time over the course of 2 days :)

Notice the back end of the Camry...how low can you go?!

So thankful for a safe trip and reliable vehicles!

YAY-We Made It!

2012-01-18T19:44:00.000-06:00

Just a quick update in case you hadn't heard...we're here!!

Last night we stayed with a friend's parents outside of Atlanta...a visit that was way too short, but we had to hit the road this morning. We arrived just in time this afternoon to get our i.d. and badges and housing info. When we pulled up to our apartment, two of the guys we had met at our training in Orlando and who are here for the same class we are, showed up and helped unload-YAY!!! D was on his bike within the hour with 3 boys he had met at Equip-another YAY!!

The kids did well on the trip...just anxious (like we were!) to get here and get somewhat settled.

Now it's quiet...very tired kids are asleep and some very tired parents are surrounded by boxes and need to do some homework. We're thankful for a great trip and anticipating class TOMORROW morning!

More details and pics SOON. Thank you for your prayers-we have felt them!!

Time in Tuscaloosa

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000-06:00

~Hi from Alabama~

I had high hopes to post yesterday...even last night, but Sunday proved to be more emotionally involved than I had anticipated plus with all the odds and ends that were left that needed to be picked up, thrown out or creatively crammed in our two vehicles...it was a busy day.

Yes, we're only in the van and the Camry...that has 3 bikes attached. We are seriously "low ridin" and I know you need a visual...I will get this soon...just not today. I'm tired.

Why didn't we rent a U-Haul you ask?

Well, I've asked myself that question many a time since Friday when Jason and his brother packed us up. Number one reason: money. It was just too expensive to get a trailer plus we'd have to get a hitch for the van and that didn't happen, so we creatively crammed. I am nervous about Wednesday when we have to "un-cram" just as creatively.

So here we are in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the night after a crazy week filled with appointments, turning in keys, changing addresses, dinner dates, discovering a new love in the space saver bag, saying good-byes and oh yes...celebrating a fiercely independent two year olds birthday...

Last night, our amazing church family blessed us again with their love, prayers and support. There is no way to adequately say "thank you" to all of them. We were overwhelmed, humbled and amazed at how the Lord uses His people. I have cried and cried til I thought my eyes were going to fall out. And to think, I thought I was fine! I even made it through Sunday morning service (well sort of...Jason sang and I lost it at the end) but even when Pastor had us come on stage, I was fine and tear free.

Not last night. Saying good-bye to people that have influenced us, cared for our kids throughout the years, some of our closest friends...I was a certified wreck. Even one of the 9 year old girls came up and mentioned I was "kind of" a disaster. Yep, the honesty of a child.

I guess I didn't really want to leave because I ended up at home with the nursery beeper as a souvenir of our time there. (Don't worry, 22 will be in its rightful spot recharged by Wednesday night thanks to my mother-in-law.)

This morning we headed out for Day 1 of what we hope to be the first of many moves this year.

This girl has watched movies til her eyes have bugged out, but she's happy...with snacks from Uncle Stephen and Aunt Kristy...so all is well in her world (and mine since the girls are with me in the van)

We also have a new game called "Can you find the toddler"? It gives you an embarrassing glimpse into the van. I didn't think a vehicle could hold that much, but...

I am SO grateful and thankful to each of you that have prayed for us today. We have felt them and things have gone incredibly smooth thus far. I have the best kids.

You couldn't ask for more from the three of them.

But now, it's bedtime.

Til tomorrow...Roll Tide!

Brewer still Babbling

2012-01-11T23:17:00.000-06:00

The other night a friend texts and says she's run across something from a post I wrote at my old blog before I made the move here and that I should go look it up.

Click here to read what she is talking about...try not to get distracted at the pictures in other posts like I did when I went back to look :)

Just a little something from the past that made me amazed at what the Lord has done since that day and makes me anticipate this year even more.

Framed Reminders

2012-01-05T10:06:00.000-06:00

I've been putting off this week for awhile now...sorting, cleaning, packing...again.

I know. Didn't we just do this you ask?

Yes, yes we did, but alas, the calendar says in less than a week and a half we hit the road and head east.

So Tuesday morning with many cups of coffee (I lost count as hubs kept asking if I wanted refills!) I started in sorting clothes, things and stuff, trying to plan ahead for years in advance for growing children...and their feet!

I was fine...free of meltdowns...until...I pulled out the box of pictures. Pictures that once hung in our hallways at home. Pictures of newborn chubby faces and of people that had more hair and were about twenty pounds lighter.

Bring on the tears.

Sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by boxes, paper and frames, I was sorting out memories of our life. Looking at newlyweds who had no idea then that they would ever have three kids and be in the process of moving out of their comfort zone.

I couldn't help but think how blessed we've been in such a short amount of time as our little family has grown to five. From our moves and job changes in our "early days", to healthy pregnancies that gave way to happy babies and now this process...we overflow with His blessings.

He has gone with us every step of the way. Why do I worry, doubt or stress about the present when He's in control and always has been?

I have the pictures to prove it...reminders of His faithfulness. The pictures of family time and friends we've known. Pictures of God breathed nature and sky taken with my dad's careful eye. These reminders in frames that will go us...reminders that He's been there and He is with us now-wherever we are.

Passport Photos 101

2012-01-04T22:44:00.000-06:00

What do you get when you take your own passport photos at home?

A great blog opportunity.

Hubs says why not do our photos at home? It'll be easier he says.

I laugh out loud at him.

Let's just say I'm glad the in-laws weren't here to see the fiasco that took place.

We had issues staging the background, trying to prep the kids and a fair share of girl drama of course!

Actually, D did great...well...zombie like, but apparently that's what our federal government wants.

But this one...well...

Thank goodness they just want a head shot and

not necessarily a shot of what she had for dinner all over her shirt.

But her hair??? As I looked at her I thought we should have bathed her first.

And her hand motions clearly mean she's in song mode...

She's bracing herself for more...

Her sister is NOT happy about having this done.

Can we please bend the rules and have 2 in the picture?

Tell me again why we just can't go to Walgreens and do this?

How pitiful...

And because I let my passport go without renewing years ago,

I even had a turn to get all bug eyed in front of the camera...ugh...

It didn't help that I had an audience...laughing at me and an eight year old telling me my white turtleneck looked terrible against the white background...And now looking at these...he's right. Can I add some color? Maybe a scarf?

Or a husband that started saying things like "Glamour Shots by Deb!" (quote from which movie FD?? :)

Then things get goofy and I start acting like the aforementioned subjects.

I have no idea where they get it from.

Here's hoping we have decent shots of the 4 of us to send in.

One look and I'm sure they'll be glad to get us out of the country!

Adios 2011

2011-12-31T17:47:00.000-06:00

As I look back at the calendar (yes...I looked back at each month-that's the only way I can keep track of our life!) I am in awe of all that's taken place. We were so uncertain of what 2011 would hold...

-In January, Mal turned ONE (where did that year go!?) and we officially became members of Wycliffe

-February had us out of our comfort zone for what would be only the beginning, speaking about our future with Wycliffe during our church's annual missions conference. What a blessing and opportunity we had that week with our CBC family.

-April had us on the road...again...our third major road trip in last 8 months. We headed to training at Wycliffe Headquarters in Orlando, Florida.

-In May I said goodbye to my tenure as a preschool teacher. We began the full time process of PD (partnership development)

-Had a great week of VBS in June...kids lives were changed forever...for HIM! We also took the daunting step of putting our house on the market.

-July found the Brewer Boys in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin at the air show. I think my son is forever in love with airplanes.

-In August we felt like we were really starting our journey...visiting churches other than our own. Great to meet God's people...our extended family!

-September meant kids starting back to school, Mo getting older and little did we know by month's end we'd be moving in with the in-laws!

-October...oh October...when things really kicked into high gear. Closed on our house on D's birthday, and Jason left Eagle...in a matter of 3 weeks. Whoa! Not to mention at least one or all of us was gone every weekend for 5 weekends straight. All of sudden it was November and now the end of December?! We were so blessed along the way to see friends we hadn't seen in years. Our time together wasn't long enough!

And now here we are. Looking forward to what 2012 has in store! If I thought I didn't know what this last year had for us...I'm completely baffled at what next year will bring.

So many questions (that keeps happening...just when I think I have an answer, there's another question!) The major question...what will happen after June 23? Will we have our financial and prayer team together to leave for PNG in August? Will I be able to blog this time next year?! :)

Regardless of what happens or where we end up, I know WHO holds the future. I trust Him to guide us, just like He has, every step of the way. Yes, there are days I need to remember to breathe...that these things we deal with in the moment (paperwork, boxes, sheer craziness!!) are just temporary. I'm reminded in those times what the Lord has done this year...His provision (sometimes in the most unlikely places or people!) His guidance...His protection...it's Him we're following on this journey.

Thankful for a wonderful year and looking forward to what 2012 has in store!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T13:47:00.000-06:00

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful,

Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

This Christmas as we reflect on our Savior's birth, I'm reminded...

-340 million people still haven't heard the message about our Savior's birth. They've never heard about Jesus...this baby who would grow into a man and one day die for our sins.

-I think more than ever before of those that are serving Him abroad. Their roles range from preaching to church planting to flying, but the goal is the same...to get the Word of God spread to those that have never heard. I think of the many friends we know...the Williams, the Brewers (another fam of 5 in PNG!), the Koski's, the Caldwells, the Crosby's and the Hopkins. Pray for them...for their families here as they celebrate long distance with them.

From our family to yours...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

This & That

2011-12-20T15:44:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks have been busy for this bunch of Brewer's...

We were humbled and overwhelmed by a local church who held a fundraiser on our behalf...

Cute cakes up for auction!

Several men got up early on their Saturday to cook giant pots of stew for lunch!

Time with family (Jason with his Mema)

Jason spoke about our heart for the Bibleless people of Papua New Guinea

And there was even a live auction with a professional auctioneer!

Such a great day! Thank you Pickton Tabernacle!

There have been cute kid choir performances

(For the grandparents: Top row...far right :))

More performances

(Note to grandparents: Right side, bottom row, far right :))

Daring attempts to capture something other than silliness from this one...

It's no use....she's a big mess!

But she's always got love for her monkey...

The kids wrapped up the fall semester last week. Here's a pic of D's sharp looking class....

D & Mo were asked to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and blow out the candles on the cake.

This is all I could get...I was crying (shocking I know!)

The last couple of weeks have been full of fun and music celebrating our Savior's birth.

Less than a month til we leave for North Carolina...wonder when I'm going to start packing??

Up & Coming

2011-11-30T09:08:00.000-06:00

Look to the right side bar...see anything different??

I'm so excited (admittedly probably a little over excited)--I've added a link for you to sign up for our newsletter! It's easy to do and free! If you don't receive our newsletter in your inbox, take a second to sign up.

(Go ahead and do it while you're here...I'll wait.)

We try our hardest not to clutter your inbox (so don't think that I'm going to stalk you) but we do feel it important to keep everyone updated periodically.

Next item of business...

Just in case the December date seems a few weeks it off...it's not...that's THIS Saturday!!! We are excited and humbled by this opportunity to share about Wycliffe and our upcoming roles in the Bible Translation process. If you have some free time this Saturday, please come out and see us! And if you can't be there, we covet your prayers for this event.

Anything else?? I don't think so...other than the 3 Christmas programs for the kids, Christmas parties galore, Live Nativity at church, three weeks of school for the semester and oh...about 6 weeks til we leave for North Carolina.

But really...we can talk about all of that another time...

72 Hours Of Feasting

2011-11-28T13:48:00.001-06:00

Because we're really "carpe diem-ing" this year...anticipating and praying that next year we're on the coast of PNG in our orientation course...we couldn't just have one Thanksgiving...not even two...we had to have three. In honor of 72 hours of deliciousness, good times and memories...some pictures:

There were fancy tables for big and little kids...

Fun tables...

Grilling...

LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD...

Dressing up the real baby doll...

First time making pumpkin pie...and finding a recipe at the last minute! It was actually really good!

40 pounds of ice that lasted 3 days...

Fun with cousins and uncles...

Playing games with Nannie...

In an epic coincidence...my mom, my sister-in-law and myself all showed up in turquoise shirts!

(Sorry Sue! ;))

There were attempts at pictures with grandkids...

Cheesy photos on the iPhone...

Frying turkeys with boy scout like ingenuity...safety first...

4 wheeling in the wind and cold (makes an 8 year old boy extremely happy!)

The one thing we didn't get enough of was this...

(dollhouse left by the eldest girl...she gave up on her dozing daddy)

Hope your Thanksgiving was blessed and full of recounting your abundant blessings!

Days 23 & 24 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-24T22:22:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving Day. Back in September, November and Turkey Day seemed light years away...now, it's here...and almost gone. Can December really be next week?!

One thing that I've been reminded of...there's no way I could ever blog about everything I'm grateful for. I could (and should) look for the blessings that the Lord shows me on a daily basis. I was reminded of this during these 24 Days of Thanks.

I ran out of time, but here is a very short list of things that I wanted to write about and ran out of time. At least this gives me material for another time...after all "a grateful heart is a happy heart" (thank you Veggie Tales!)

-My parents who's faith in God and love for each other is a testimony and encouragement to me

-My in-laws who have sacrificed their quiet home for some temporary craziness

-Our prayer and financial supporters....without your love, encouragement and support we couldn't go on this God-sized journey He's called us on

-Opportunities

And let's not forget I'm thankful to each of you that take the time to read this blog! :) Hope your day was filled with food, fun, laughter and blessing!

Day 22 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-23T16:30:00.000-06:00

If you've been following long, you know I'm a planner. Spontaneity isn't really my thing. Well, I take that back...I used to be spontaneous...back in the days when my social life demanded more attention than dirty diapers, girls that love to see the hour between 6 and 7 AM and when I wasn't ready for bed by 10 p.m.

But when some friends we met at our training class in April let us know they were on their way to Nashville via East Texas and could we do breakfast? Um, YES!! After all, the girls would be up :)

What's great about this is that their oldest and Mo became great friends while we were in Florida...so we decided not to tell the girls and let it be a surprise this morning!

Today I'm thankful for...

-Spur of the moment breakfast meetings

-Lots of giggles with girls

-A boy that can occupy himself with an iPhone among said giggles

-Snuggles with an adorable 3 month old

-Encouragement from friends that know what we're going through

Day 21 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-22T16:01:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for the things I am able to remember...the memories made with family and friends over the last 30 something years...

-My dad teaching me how to ride a bike. I remember looking back, thinking he was still holding on, and he was back at the other end of the road! I don't remember if I actually stopped or used the brake???

-My Pawpa's humor and that every meal was the "best meal he'd ever eaten".

-Taking trips with my Nannie and Pawpa during summer break. You knew we were going somewhere if they had cash stashed in the freezer.

-My mom taking me and friend to the Garth Brooks concert!! I think it had to have been one of the first concerts I'd ever been to-so fun!

-My younger brother telling me Santa wasn't real. I.was.crushed. I think he was quite pleased with himself :)

The highlight reel in my head and heart is long. So thankful for memories made in the past...looking forward to even more being made with friends and family this week.

Day 20 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-22T15:45:00.000-06:00

The Bible.

The more I read, the more I learn. There's always something new, something applicable to what I'm going through. People look for child rearing advice, suggestions on dealing with their boss, help with wayward relationships...it's all in one place. I'm thankful for this guidebook on life that offers help, encouragement and direction. I'm thankful that we are part of an organization whose sole purpose is spreading the Word of God to every tribe, nation and language.

May we not take the Word of God for granted. Read it...use it...live it.

Day 19 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

Volunteers...you might be one of them. If you're not, you probably come in contact with them at some point throughout your week.

For me, it's at church...

-Nursery workers every Sunday and Wednesday

-Awana and Cubbie workers who help with Scripture every Sunday night

-Those who prep for an event and then those that pitch in to clean up

-Sunday School teachers and Children's church workers who get an earful every week

-Choir and praise band members

-The people who run sound and video every week

On and on the list could go with people who volunteer their time, talents and skill to make sure the church runs smoothly on a daily and weekly basis.

Who do you run into on a weekly basis that volunteers of their time?? Take a minute this week to say thanks for all their hard work.

Day 18 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-19T10:35:00.000-06:00

This morning my 22 month old has a song in her heart. She's singing...most of it jibber jabber then occasionally something that sounds like "EI, EI, O!" mixed with some "Dee and Wiiiii" (translation: "Deep and Wide")

On the way to school...my 5 year old was practicing her solo for the upcoming Christmas program. (Insert one anxious mom!) And then we switch tracks so D can listen to his program he's been working on since September.

Music is everywhere in our lives...in the car...at church...for some it's in the shower...thankful for the "joyful noises" that fill the air.

Day 17 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-17T21:48:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm actually going to say this, but today I'm thankful for...waiting??

Not something we typically associate with being thankful for is it?

God is continually showing me that His plan, His timing, His ways are wwaaayy out of my hands. I feel like He's telling me that in the waiting, He is taking care of things beyond my control...things that I don't even know about and can't comprehend in my little head. My job in the waiting is to rest in Him, continue to trust in Him and to serve Him. I'm not to give up and not do anything just because I'm tired of waiting. There's still work to be done for Him...people that still need to hear and see God's love shown to them every day.

Over the last 18 months there's been alot of waiting...for paperwork to process and approvals granted...a house to sell...support to raise...constant transition...all the while, in the waiting, there's hopefully been growth. My patience continues to be tested, but in that my faith in Him increases as I wait and see what He does.

I will never have this waiting thing figured out and I assure you I will never be the most patient person in the world. I can only pray that as I wait, He continues to grow me into the person I'm supposed to be.

Day 16 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-16T09:52:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with my nieces every Wednesday. Their hard-working mama is teaching kindergarten this year and the kind director arranged for her girls to have childcare while she works...lo and behold who was available on Wednesdays?! Aunt Jaime and cousin Mal!

Every week we get to read books, watch movies, have snacks and PLAY! I love getting updated on dance class and life through a three year olds curious eyes. Not to mention lots of hugs and I love you's!

So thankful for this time that we get to spend together every week.

Day 15 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-15T18:39:00.000-06:00

I'm thankful for fall days...

Day 14 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-14T19:16:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for the Christian school that my older two kids attend.

The teachers are creative and have invested their time and resources into the lives of their students. Countless hours of prayer and preparation have gone into getting ready for this year, this semester, not to mention the daily grind they face every day when they walk through the door.

The director is organized and makes sure that everyone (teachers, students and their families) are all on the same page with activities and programs taking place.

Mo loves the "snack ladies" (shout out to Mrs. B & Mrs. Carolyn :))

I am thankful that my kids are not just learning their ABC's and 123's but also the word of God. D's class is working on memorizing a passage in Psalms...something that will stick with him long after second grade is a memory.

I am so thankful for a great school with a foundation built on God's word. I'm so grateful to the teachers, staff and volunteers who love the Lord and love on my kids every week.

Who are you thankful for today?

Day 13 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-14T08:58:00.000-06:00

Mal Pal...our third installment of this Brewer clan. She's our mischievous, somewhat accident prone, likes to get dirty, wants to be just like her big sister, sweet girl.

I am so thankful for this ball of energy the Lord has blessed us with. She keeps us on our toes (and on our knees in prayer!) and I can't wait to see what the Lord has planned for her.

Day 12 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-12T10:38:00.000-06:00

Five years ago, our first daughter greeted us with bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Little did we know having a girl in the house would change everything...pink loads of laundry...hairbows that won't stay in growing curly locks...dolls...bears...dress up clothes...our world was turned upside down.

Sweet Mo is compassionate, "little Mama" to her baby sister, silly, creative, artistic and has quite the imagination.

Although I truly dread the teenage years and the drama that is sure to ensue, I pray that I can be the mom and example she needs in her life. I pray that I am the mom to her like my mom was (and still is!) to me.

Most of all, I pray she will grow up always knowing how much we love her but that her Heavenly Father loves her even more. I know He's got a plan for all this spunk and I can't wait to see how He uses her.

Day 11 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-12T10:08:00.000-06:00

Eight years ago we entered this race called parenthood. I remember those first few days pretty clear even in my new role as mom...my hubs turned new father apologizing to his hours old newborn son that he had no idea how to change a diaper...not knowing that jaundice was pretty typical in newborns and wondering if he would always be orange...

We didn't know much then and even though we've grown as parents, there's still so much we don't know as we raise this boy into a man. I'm thankful for God's wisdom and leading as we parent.

I'm thankful for this boy we have on loan for a short time. I'm thankful he is growing not only physically, but spiritually. He is smart, loves to learn, (secretly) loves his sisters, loves to explore. One day I hope his excessive chatter will be put to good use with his fierce independence. I pray the Lord will use this boy to one day be a man of God and use him wherever He sees fit.

Love you D man...you'll always be my baby :)

Day 10 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-11T19:20:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...I'm behind, but not any less grateful! :) We had a very full day and night and I didn't get a chance to write about it, so today I'll play catch up!

I am thankful for the worship I had with a great group of women at our church last night. Months of planning, prep and prayer went into this evening. We started with a baked potato bar complete with coffee and dessert. Next we moved in to a time of music and testimonies from some amazing women that God has shown Himself faithful to throughout the trials they have faced over the years.

To all of the women that had a part in last night...thank you. What a sight seeing women, young and old, working together for one common purpose: that the Lord be glorified and praised.

Day 9 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-09T19:36:00.000-06:00

This morning the weather outside actually felt like November. The kids were wrapped up in jackets and the van got its first of many seat heater workouts. I'm thankful for this modern convenience that, before we had the van, I hadn't experienced before. Obviously, I could live without being warmed from top to bottom while the van heats up, but I'm thankful for this little perk in my chilly morning.

Some other things that I'm thankful for that make life a little easier...

-Microwaves
-Coffee pots
-Ice in the fridge door (One of my chores as a kid was to "break up the ice" with the ice trays...anybody with me?!)
-INTERNET and because of that we can have google, Skype, email...
-Devices of technology...mainly anything with an "i" in front of it! (oh and the Kindle!)
-Disposable diapers
-Dishwasher
-Washer and dryer

There are so many things that make life a little easier for us and it's easy to take them for granted. So today while you're reading this, thanks to the internet, with your re-heated cup of joe, while a load of clothes is washing and your iPod plays...what's a modern convenience you're thankful for?

Day 8 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-08T09:51:00.000-06:00

Girlfriends...

-The ladies you laugh with until your stomach hurts and tears stream down your face. They're the reason you have wrinkles around your eyes at such a young age!

-They love you despite all the faults and imperfections you have.

-You can expose your heart and they encourage, love and pray for you.

-They're honest enough to tell you how it is and not beat around the bush.

-You can agree to disagree and still love each other.

-They'll tell you if you have lipstick on your teeth or if you shouldn't leave the house in the outfit you have on.

-They fill in the blanks when you're crying so hard you can't make a sentence.

-They show up with a meal or a slice of high calorie deliciousness "just because".

-They're the sisters you never had (even if you had sisters!)

-They're your biggest fans even when you think everyone else is against you.

Thankful for the Proverbs 27:17 women in my life...

"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

Day 7 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-07T18:59:00.000-06:00

Mondays...I'm not usually a big fan of them, but this semester, I've grown to love them. Usually, hubs is able to take the kids to school, which means I can stay in my jammies a little longer and drink more than half a cup of coffee.

Have I mentioned it's Peppermint Mocha creamer season??**

I haven't?? Well, it's one of my all time favs and just around til the end of December...or whenever my local retailers run out. And yes, I'm such a fan that I will stock up on any BOGO's I find just so peppermint mocha season can linger into the new year.

And yes...this year I'm enjoying my creamer a little more all the while praying that this time next year I'll be busy learning a new culture that probably hasn't heard of such crazy things as flavored creamer!

So today I'm thankful for Mondays and cupS of coffee with my favorite creamer...what little thing are you thankful for today???

**Coffee mate did not pay me in liters of creamer to gush about their seasonal flavors although if they ever felt led to send me a coupon or a jug of the good stuff, I wouldn't turn them away.**

Day 6 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

Over the last few months we have had the opportunity to visit several other churches and share what God is doing in our family. Throughout these visits, I have been reminded of several things...

-As Christians, we are all a part of God's family and purpose. Despite what songs are sung, or how the church pews look, our purpose and goal is (or should be) the same: to see lost saved and get ready for eternity. I am thankful that we've had the experience of other churches to remind me that there's not one right way to do things...and just because it's different from what our church does doesn't mean it's wrong (yes, taken from a conversation with the kids :)

-Being a part of God's family means we have each other as brothers and sisters in Christ! This morning we were visiting a church and it struck me that we have this amazing opportunity to meet more of our "eternal family" each time we visit somewhere new. Even if our paths never cross again on this earth, I will see them in Heaven.

-I'm also reminded every time we're gone how much I miss our church family. We know we have people praying for us, supporting us financially, encouraging us on this journey. They are our support system, but more than that, people we love...even the ones who harass me every week!

Today, I'm thankful for the body of Christ and the opportunities we have to see it in its different forms. Despite the differences we have, may we never lose sight of our common eternal goal.

Day 5 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-05T09:07:00.000-05:00

In a recent conversation with my 8 year old we talked about the matter of forgiveness. When you're wrong, it's never easy to admit you've messed up and say, "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" And on the other end of the spectrum, it's sometimes even harder to be the one to say, "Yes, you've hurt me, but I forgive you...and I still love you" no matter what feelings are there.

Tough life lessons for not only an 8 year old to learn, but for many adults as well.

My relationship with Jesus is no different. Daily I'm messing up, recognizing the need for Him to wash my slate clean. The hope, as I was trying to explain to my son, is that we learn from our mistakes and work on not repeating the same offense again.

I'm thankful that my Heavenly Father is patient with me when I inevitably mess things up and even more grateful at the forgiveness He offers.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

The Lord is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

Psalm 103:12-13

Day 4 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-04T14:33:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful for the man the Lord prepared to be my husband over a dozen years ago.

-He puts God first in his life and continues to grow in his walk with the Lord. He has been and continues to be the spiritual leader this family needs.

-I have seen him grow into a father over the last 8 years. He can wrestle with his son, brush tangles out of a mess of orange curls, and kiss away the "owies" of our youngest.

-He loves to cook...anything and everything. I haven't made a pancake yet!

-He listens to me cry but can make me laugh til my stomach hurts.

-He is a wealth of ~~useless~~ random information. I don't suggest playing "Trivial Pursuit" against him, although it would be a great idea to have him on your team.

-He is a problem solver...broken van parts...broken airplanes...and sometimes girl drama. He'll find a way to fix most anything (though most times he leaves the girl drama alone :))

I am so thankful for the husband I have and for the man he continues to become.

Day 3 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

This post has gone several different directions, but I can pace myself...after all, I have 24 days. So I still hadn't decided which aspect of "thankful" I wanted to write about until...I fell down the stairs.

Yep, I'm admitting it right here...I fell (hard!) down the stairs. Thankfully, it wasn't with the load of laundry and 21 month old like I was carrying earlier in the day. However, hubs wasn't home and the two oldest came to my rescue. After realizing I was fine and "didn't need an ambulance" as was D's concern, he said, "Wow mom. I've never heard an adult fall before!"

In my dazed and confused state, I couldn't help but laugh. (note: kids looking at me like I've lost my mind as I sat there and laughed!) I was laughing because I was trying to imagine what I had looked like missing the 2 or 3 stairs and landing on the floor. I was laughing wondering what was really going through my kids minds at the time. And of course, laughter from being relieved that I was fine. Yes, a little bruised and sore (I caught myself with my knees and wrists!) but nothing broken.

I'm thankful that, despite my occasional clumsiness, I haven't had much "major" happen in the health department. I am without a gall bladder, have my share of a few stitches, other than that, I'm okay. I know others that are going through some painful times with their health, waiting on answers, praying for their body to heal. I pray that I don't take my ability to "go and do" lightly. I pray that while my health is good, I can live fully and for Him wherever He takes me.

Day 2 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-02T15:47:00.000-05:00

Life can be hectic these days. Three kids ages 8, 5 and 21 months. Busy schedules, the time ticking away as each day passes and ~~sometimes~~ most of the time, I've got my agenda lined out for the day. There's little time (in my mind) to stop and "smell the roses" (it's more often like dirty diapers here). And that's too bad because there are so many heartfelt, cute moments with the kids that quickly pass because I'm too hurried, frantically getting to the next thing on the "to do list". Lately, I've tried (and failed) at soaking up the moments that you can't get back with kids these age.

This morning was no exception. We hurried out the door and down the road to school, when the 2 oldest look out the window and yell, "LOOK AT THE SUNRISE!!"

I look to my right and sure enough, the sun was an enormous orange ball rising over the horizon. The kids were busily talking about God's creation, how He could do something so cool as make the sun so big, so colorful. In my mind, I had a decision to make...keep driving just to "make it on time" or take this moment they were so enamored in and join them.

So I chose to stop...pull over on the side of the road (imagine their surprise!) and take some pictures, capturing this small moment we had together, in awe of the Creator.

Today, I'm thankful for the small, fleeting, priceless moments of my day. I'm learning to "carpe diem" knowing these days with young kids will be gone before I know it.

Oh...and did we make it to school on time? You bet...we were even a few minutes early.

Day 1 of 24 Days of Thanks

2011-11-01T15:04:00.000-05:00

I did a series of posts last November, leading up to Thanksgiving, about things, people and everything in between that I'm thankful for. I remember enjoying the series because it really helped get me focused on truly being grateful, content and in awe of all the many ways God has blessed me and our family. So this year, I'm doing it again :)

Day 1...

Today, I'm thankful that over 2000 years ago, my Savior died on the cross, rose again 3 days later and lives today...for someone like me...a sinner, saved by grace, unworthy of His love, His mercy, His forgiveness.

The more I continue to learn about who Jesus is, the more I'm in awe of Him. I'm thankful that He never leaves me...always pursues me...always wants me to grow, to be more like Him. I'm thankful He never gives up on me.

What are you thankful for as we head into this season of thanks? Leave a comment here or write it down somewhere so you can look back and see what the Lord has done...you might find it changes your outlook on life.

Lately...

2011-10-24T22:18:00.000-05:00

Things have been cRaZy around our literal neck of the woods the last couple of weeks.

There's been a field trip to the Dallas Children's Theatre...

Field trips to the pumpkin patch...

Mom and me cub scout camping where, once again, I've proved to my son that I'm more than a chauffeur, chef and homework checker. I'm also a tent builder builder, hiker of trails and cheerleader to boys who shoot BB guns and bows and arrows...

Then there's been much needed time with girlfriends. Despite the years, travels that take us worlds apart (one leaves for China in December!) we've been together through so much. Love these girls and am thankful for the time we had...

And then there's been a small thing going on in baseball keeping us up way too late most nights....

This weekend we head up to Oklahoma and Kansas to see family and friends and will speak at the church we were members of during our newlywed days. Please pray for safety as we travel and clarity as we share what God is doing with our family. Looking forward to a great weekend!

Meet & Greet Committee

2011-10-14T21:07:00.000-05:00

Seven years ago, we lived here with my in-laws. I was younger, a new mom with a 6 month old son, I didn't know a soul here except my in-laws, hubs and baby boy.

My first go around in the country, I ended up finding out what to do when a stray dog dies in your garage, the neighbor's dog dies in the pond out back and what to do when a baby bird falls out of its nest onto the sidewalk.

I decided that I wasn't really ready for country living.

Fast forward seven years, a couple more kids, living in the not-so big city, having a social life and I'm still not so sure I'm ready for full on country life.

The grasshoppers are pretty much like I envision a Biblical plague. Occasionally they hitch a ride into town only to get detoured by going 70 down the highway. They just can't hold on.

I came home last Saturday morning from a run and found this blocking my entrance:

Why yes, that IS a baby copperhead. When I saw what it was, I beat on the kitchen window, where hubs was lovingly making breakfast for his famished family. Pointing frantically at the porch I mouthed, "THERE"S A SNAKE!!" More frantic hand motions ensued.

Jason stopped what he was doing (I'm sure with added eye roll at my fear), came out, killed the snake, disposed of said reptile, went back in, washed his hands and just like that was back to getting french toast on the table.

Like a friend said, "Just another day in the country."

The next night, a tree frog hopped in and planted himself on the dining room table. Seriously, creatures...stay away and out of the house!

Again, hubs saved the night letting the frog hop on his arm for an escort into the great outdoors.

I really believe everything is in preparation for something else later on in life. With my recent run-ins with nature, I'm a little concerned as to what might be on the horizon!

Surreal

2011-10-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind...a blur of activity and emotion to say the least. The things we've prayed that would happen are in full motion...

-We signed a contract on our house.

-Celebrated someone's 5th birthday with lots of purple...

-Started the process of moving out sentimental and necessary items, and gave away or sent everything else to the curb. (Our city sanitation workers earned their pay the last three weeks!)

Big Red is packed up waiting for the move in January

-Moved in with some amazingly sacrificial in-laws. I will now get to watch the rest of football season and my Sooners :) (Oh and have a place to live and food to eat...details, details...)

-Jason bid farewell to the regional airlines on September 29th. I would be lying if I didn't say there was a broad mix of emotion that day.

-Finally finished moving and cleaning!! Thank you is not adequate to every person that helped us...from bringing food...cleaning...packing...moving things out to the curb...watching our kids...picking up "your" item that you claimed :) We are so grateful to all of you that made this emotional, exhausting task easier. Thank you to those of you that have been praying and encouraging us along the way! There has been "a peace that passes all understanding". I can't explain it except that it's God hand in this.

-Someone turned 8!!

(Thanks Grammy for the surprise party!)

AND on the same day...

We closed on the house.

We are now officially jobless and homeless and truly thankful for it all!

The next chapter of this adventure begins...

Ready to Fall

2011-09-20T20:28:00.000-05:00

We've been waiting for things to start happening. Waiting for things to become a reality and not just something we're talking about.

We've had things planned as best we could, with the unknown still left in His capable hands.

We've been waiting and praying for that one little push to kick start something major.

Yesterday the dominoes that were neatly lined up started falling...

We've signed a contract on our house with a closing date the first week of October.

Lord willing this goes through because...

Jason gave his two week notice at work today.

We've already begun the process of cleaning out, giving away and moving in with my in-laws who have graciously opened up their home to our whirlwind of activity and, how do you tactfully say LOUD, bunch.

This "Journey of Faith" as our newsletter headline states is becoming a reality. We've talked for so long about "the day he stops working we can..." and "when the house sells we will..." and now...it's HERE.

Stay tuned because it's about to get really good...

Leaning

2011-09-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,

Leaning on the everlasting arms?

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,

Leaning on the everlasting arms.

There's a high pitched, almost deafening, squeal high in the air.

My 19 month old runs as fast as her chubby little legs will allow her...straight behind my legs. Her siblings are chasing her and she, trusting so faithfully, believes that I will take care of her. She wraps her arms tight around my tired, knobby knees and leans hard into me. I'm caught off guard by her grip. I wobble, catching my balance. She doesn't realize I'm not as stable as she thinks.

I let her stay guarded as long as she needs. The chase ends abruptly when they see me. We win, they lose and move on. My 19 month old peeks through my legs to make sure the coast is clear. She's safe to go on her way.

Other times, the hiding behind legs isn't enough. She runs straight into my weak arms. She wants protection from whatever it is she feels is the enemy. She knows if she's up from ground level, both of my arms wrapped tight around her small frame, she safe. She's trusting in me.

Lately, worry is trying to replace peace and confidence. I'm getting anxious about approaching deadlines and dates on the calendar. I feel like I look a bit more disheveled than my usual state. I notice black circles under my eyes have taken up permanent residence. Like everyone I've encountered this week, I've got a full plate facing me at the table. Reality and fast moving time settle in as normalcy in the day to day.

I've run hard to my Father this week, leaning hard on Him with this dump truck sized load I struggle to carry. These days, He's had to pick up what weighs me down...me still leaning on Him just as hard. Daily I'm reminded of the need I have to be carried, protected tight from what's chasing and staring me in the face.

I'm relying on and trusting in the only One that I know can carry me through. My load is never too much to leave with Him. When I lean, He is stronger. He stands firm, solid...never catching His balance...never wavering...always there for me.

First Day

2011-09-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

Another summer gone...another year begins...

Another first day to document by "the tree"...

Our last one by this big, towering tree in the front yard...

Maybe another one will find it's way into the lens next year...

You roll your eyes at now at the signs I want you to hold, but one day these pictures will tell your story...

Your beautiful, bright eyed, silly faces...ready to learn...

Growing up way too fast for this mama's heart...

Milestones & My Mechanic

2011-09-02T09:13:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, our van crossed the 100,000 mile threshold. Of course, knowing it was close to turning over, I kept an eye on it, wanting documentation. It just so happened we were on our way to Rockwall with some friends when the odometer flipped.

Yes, Mr. Officer, that was me...on the side of the road...snapping a picture to put on my blog. Thanks for not stopping and asking!

We kept rolling on down the road and even my dashboard hula girl was excited about the milestone.

Why do I have a hula girl on my dashboard? It's kind of a long, detailed story, so I'll keep it to myself...

Just a week or two after 100,000 miles, I went to the grocery store only to come out and have a dead battery. It was only 104 that day, as opposed to 110, AND Jason was home and was able to come to my rescue. (This after he heard me describe what sounds the van was making...apparently I sounded very much like a dead battery.)

Thankfully, our sitter ,who lives down the road, was able to drop everything she was doing to watch the kids so Jason didn't have an audience (other than me!) This made for some very happy kids...they love Samantha.

The situation could have been worse...Wal-Mart parking lot...all three kids...110 degrees...Jason not home...I was very grateful how it all played out.

And yes, I did take a picture of him while he was working. It was hot and I didn't have much to do.

Our life works better if takes care of the maintenance and I stay his cheerleader, wrench holder and family photographer.

Summer Recap

2011-08-30T19:33:00.000-05:00

Since I've been busy going through the alphabet, I haven't talked much about what we've done this summer. Don't worry...you haven't missed much, but since school starts next week I gotta get the summer behind me. Fall is on the horizon which also means birthday season around this house, so here's a wrap up...

**Living in Texas has some disadvantages especially in the summer. We've been over 100 degrees so many days I've lost count and don't even care what kind of records have been broken. It's just hot and there's no way around it. So most days I've put on my referee jersey and grade school P.E. whistle to break up the threesomes fights, squabs and brawls.

However, I would like to give a shout out to the inventor of Legos. You've saved one soon to be eight year olds life and given him countless building opportunities. He even said one day that he had "blueprints in his brain" that were just waiting to get out! Every day a new creation, a new idea...thank you Mr. Lego Man.

**Jason and I were a part of an ensemble at church this summer and finished our series of songs on Sunday. We had a great time singing with some amazingly talented people. There is talk of us doing some Christmas music and I hope this is true-it would be so much fun!

**In late July, Jason, his dad and D went to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin for one of the largest general aviation shows in the world. They flew in a Piper Archer and camped in a tent out by the plane. An aviation junkies paradise to be sure.

I gave my 7 year old strict orders to take plenty of pictures knowing his father would not. Over a hundred pictures later...here's a sampling of the show through seven year old eyes. I left out pics that he took of fruit at the grocery store. After all, we've all seen fruit at the store right?

D saw a random green tent, thought of me because green is my favorite color and took a picture

Dad in mid-flight

The sign on the table at Fazoli's-why this was intriguing I'll never know

The Bratwurst 18 wheeler that came to Osh Kosh

The ONLY picture out of 4 days that we have of the Brewer boys together

Of course, a self portrait while flying (he takes after his mother)

Thankfully, Papaw took the camera and snapped the boys with the snazzy painted float plane

**The girls, during the boys sabbatical, took the opportunity to visit Nannie and my parents. Nannie is a sucker for reading the same book ten times and getting as much lovin' in as possible!

**By summer's end we had managed to kill all of our grass except one patch. The surviving green needed some attention and D ~~begged~~ offered to mow. Low and behold he's finally tall enough to push the mower...yay! A yard boy...just in time for us to sell the house and not have a yard for quite some time :( Oh well...it's fun while it lasts and that one green patch is guaranteed to look great!

And that's...pretty much it. I know, not too exciting, but I think our excitement lies in the months and year ahead, so I'll take boring while I can.

Y & Z {YOU & The End!}

2011-08-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

As much as I tried to come up with something for "Z", I couldn't. I googled, did a wikipedia search and came up short for "Z" in regards to what we're doing with Wycliffe and PNG.

I know, it's so disappointing.

So let me try to tie you and the end together....

*Thank YOU for taking time out of your day to read these posts about on journey.

*Thank YOU for your comments, emails, texts and words of encouragement.

*Thank YOU for your commitment to pray for our family in the weeks, months and years ahead. (There's still space available on our prayer calendar to sign up!)

*Thank YOU to those of you who have partnered with us financially. The Lord has been at work even this week adding new partners to our team and bringing us in contact with so many new people. We are humbled and grateful for the role you are playing in Bible Translation. (Want to be a part of what we're doing? There's still time! Find more info here...)

So for now, our ABC's will end. I've learned so much going through the topics and I hope it's been insightful. I'll get back to my regularly scheduled, random posts about the lives of the three amigos and how the Lord is preparing our family for this next adventure in our lives.

"God's part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith."

Andrew A. Bonar

X {X-Ray}

2011-08-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Again...you doubt my ability to come up with something for such an under appreciated letter?! I know it's not original or exotic, but there is a point to it...maybe...

This actually stems from a conversation I had with my younger brother a couple of weeks ago...tied in with our last visit with them in the spring. I'm pretty sure he made fun of my recent series of posts, not once, but maybe twice during the convo?

Hard to say and since he probably doesn't even remember the conversation or the visit...you'll just have to believe my side of the story. I mentioned something about what to write about for "X" and he said we should talk about what happens if when we get sick or hurt during our tenure in PNG.

This would make sense seeing as how he's a doctor. And not a physician, but a neuropsychologist. Yes, I'm sure he's already evaluated my family and withholding his results. Maybe he went into that line of work as a result of growing up with me? Hmmm...

My brother's wife, my SIL, mother of my two cute nephews, asked a string of questions during our last visit and many of them surrounded worse case scenarios while we're in PNG. While discussing this, I also found out that whenever she's with my dad (whom she claims is her favorite person on this side of the family-my brother and I will try not to be offended) they spend hours coming up with things to worry about. I'm not sure if they've discussed our future situation specifically but you can bet, I've just given them yet another reason to get together soon, as if they needed a reason!

Your welcome SIL and dad.

So during our visit, SIL asked what would happen if the kids contracted some crazy disease, broke an arm etc...things that I kind of take for granted because we haven't really dealt with anything over the top other than a sliced head, busted lips and massively smashed finger. We are blessed that we've never darkened the door of the ER or spent days in the hospital...yet. So let's face it, at some point in my life, with three kids, that's probably going to happen sooner or later.

But what if it happens while I'm in a third world country?

What we know is that there is a clinic on sight in Ukarumpa. This clinic is staffed by Wycliffe nurses and I'm assuming a doctor or two? The clinic can treat the minor things and I'm sure provide stitches and x-rays if need be. But what about something major?

At our training in April, we heard some awesome stories about how God provided just the right medical staff, at the right time, to deal with medical situations that came up. Some had to travel to the closest "big city" that being, Cairns, Australia. This trip is not cheap or easy when you live in the Highlands of PNG, but God provided all along the way from the plane and finances to the doctors involved.

So for my brother, thanks (I think?) for the round about way to get a topic covered. To my SIL and dad--don't worry...we'll be taken care of one way or another, although I'd rather not find use every option available, so let's just pray for good health instead.

W {What If...}

2011-08-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Much to hubs disappointed, "W" is not about Whataburger. A favorite among this fam of five. Burgers made to order, "Toast back twice" (grilled cheese -not on the menu-made with Texas Toast for the picky 4 year old), little wonder tubs of ketchup...I'm hungry...maybe we should grab lunch? Sadly, our time with the orange W is coming to an end (NC doesn't believe in Texas Toast!) and Mr. Brewer is broken hearted about waving farewell.

But I said this post wasn't about the bright orange, beloved W.

This post is about a friend, who will remain nameless, who is always asking me, "What if?"

What if...the house doesn't sell by the time you leave? Doesn't this mean you can't leave?

What if...the house does sell? Where will you go?

What if...you don't raise enough support? You'll stay, right??

What if...you get to PNG and don't like it? You'll come back, right?

The list goes on and on...do you see a pattern? She asks, "What if?" trying to find a loophole that will eventually get us to stay put. The kicker is my usual answer...

Um...I don't know. I'm believing that the Lord will take care of all those details if He wants us to do this.

I really have no idea what will happen if the house doesn't sell, or we don't raise enough support. I am trusting that this entire process has been the Lord's from the beginning. He'll work these details out...in His timing and in His way. Not mine. He knows better than I do, what we need, when we need it. (yes, some days this is much easier said than done!!)

Yep, back to that "faith" thing again. I see my friend rolling her eyes again. Not in a "I-can't-believe-you-trust-the-Lord-that-much" because I know she does too..she's just knows what I'm going to say! (Secretly though, I think she might be praying for the loopholes to be roller coaster sized so we can stay!)

In the mean time, she'll keep coming up with new "What if" scenarios, I'll give her the "you-know-what-the-answer-is" look, then we'll drive to the big orange W in denial...no cheese and hold the mayo please...I have POC to train for.

V {Vision 2025}

2011-08-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

Some of you have seen me wear this bracelet...

Some of you have even dared to ask, "Uhhh...why do you have a bracelet that says 2025 on it?"

I smile (a little too excitedly) and say, "I'm SO glad you asked!! Here's the deal..."

So pretend like today I'm wearing my bracelet and you see me at Wal-Mart (because other than church that's the only place I go...well and maybe DQ for happy hour...) and ask me, "Uhhh...why do you have a bracelet that says 2025 on it?"

I"M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!

In 1999, translation projects were starting at the pace of about one every 18 days. At that rate, it would be 2150 before the last project would even begin. A daunting thought especially when you think that people are dying every day not knowing about Jesus and the eternal life He freely gives.

So, Wycliffe leaders challenged the Body of Christ to accelerate the pace at which translations were beginning. The goal? To see every remaining language have a translation project started by the year 2025.

Every time I talk about it, I get chills. To think that in my children's lifetime, all people's of the world could have a written language which ultimately would include having the Word of God in their heart language. Thankfully, with advances in technology and people following the Lord's leading, work continues each and every day to obtain this goal.

U {Ukarumpa}

2011-08-23T11:29:00.001-05:00

Ukarumpa, located in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, will be our "home sweet home" after we spend 14 weeks at POC. And no, the Oopa Loompas from Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory do not live there (seriously-people say that ALL the time!)

Ukarumpa was founded in the mid-1950's by Wycliffe and serves as the base for translators, support staff (that's us!), linguistics personnel...anyone who has anything to with Bible Translation in that particular part of the area.

The airport is there, which will serve as the 'hub' for the pilots flying in and out of surrounding villages. We understand there is a small store, post office, clinic and the school is on the premises. There will be a fresh market available 3 to 4 times a week that we'll be frequenting as the cost of canned goods is very high. And because of the tropical climate, strawberries are grown year round (yay!!)

An aerial shot of Ukarumpa...

The red arrow shows where Ukarumpa is located in the country...

There will be lots of walking as everything we "need" is centrally located, although, the airport is a bit further from where the homes are. Jason will need to find a motorcycle when we get there...he's excited...D's excited. We'll see how long the excitement lasts the first time it rains and the dirt roads become mud!

T {Timeline}

2011-08-22T10:21:00.000-05:00

So what are we doing until we leave for PNG??

Today-December 2011: For the next 5 months we are in full Partnership Development mode. We will be talking to individuals and visiting churches sharing with them our role in Bible translation. We are praying that the Lord would put us in contact with people who are willing to partner with us financially on a monthly basis. We are also encouraging people to be a part of our prayer team.

January 20-June 22: Lord willing, if we are able to raise 90% of our monthly support by the end of December, we will travel to Waxhaw, North Carolina and the JAARS center for more training. The first four weeks will be an Intercultural Communication Course that both Jason and I will attend. Jason will have a two week break and then begin aviation orientation the first week of March until June 22.

June 23-August ???-We will, I'm assuming, head back to Texas to make final preparations to leave for PNG. I don't have a date of when POC begins, but I'm assuming some time mid to late August. More on this as details become available.

This next year will FLY by, but we are excited to see how the Lord unfolds His plan, one day at a time.

S {Sacrifice}

2011-08-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

I have sat and looked at the blinking cursor for a long time thinking about what to say. I have very mixed emotions about this subject. I know, I could have chosen something else, but it's a topic I've skirted my way around, and now it's staring me in the face.

As amazing as this God-sized journey has and will continue to be...as fun it is to think about the things we will see and do, the people we will meet...there are people here, many people, making sacrifices.

Yes, we're leaving the comforts of "home"...a supportive, loving church family, my ultra super comfy bed, pretty reliable electricity and internet connection...Dr. Pepper and Starbucks. My kids are giving up chicken nuggets, seeing the occasional snow fall, ice cream and they'll be one of the last to know about the latest trends as teens. And I know it all sounds crazy when you start listing it, but it's okay. If it wasn't God calling us to do this, I assure you, we wouldn't be okay. There wouldn't be a peace that passes all understanding.

Our financial partners are making sacrifices every month to help us do this work. Some have given up eating out as much or waiting to buy that "big ticket" item they've been eyeing so they can support our role in Bible Translation. They're committed to making a monthly sacrifice and there are not enough words to express how grateful we are. Our prayer is that we can one day soon show you the difference you are making in the lives of the Bibleless people in Papua New Guinea.

Our prayer partners who are on their knees praying over us for protection, good health, unity in our marriage, my children, the people we will come in contact with...how do I say thank you? I can't, but I hope you will be encouraged by the things you read here knowing that your prayers have been answered.

Our friends...some understand, some don't. I realize not everyone gets what we're doing. I just want people to understand that this is bigger than us. This is God. This is eternity. This time on earth is brief, but eternity...can we grasp that concept? Even though our times of late night laughs and hour long phone calls will be limited, what is forever? **cue Smitty's 'Friends are Friends Forever'** Seriously though...I've cried countless tears over saying "so long for now" to some of the best cheerleaders Team Brewer has...my dearest sisters in Christ.

And when I haven't cried over my friends, I've shed even more tears about leaving our families. We are inconceivably blessed with parents, grandparents, brothers and their awesome wives that love the Lord. Because of that, they have supported us through this entire process (after the initial shock that this was really happening!) I recently read something that said the true heroes of mission work are the families left behind. They're the ones that have to sacrifice not seeing their grandchildren grow up. They're the ones praying earnestly for safety, sending care packages and counting down the days til furlough. There will be birthdays missed of sweet nephews and nieces...holidays with empty seats...

How do I justify any of this? The giving up my things, trading in my wants...saying goodbye...the tears...the sacrifice?

There are over 340 million people that have never heard of about the saving grace of Jesus Christ in their own heart language. Jesus...the One that died for me...the One who was beaten, bloodied and then sacrificed His life on the cross...so I could live with Him for eternity.

Our role in all of this is incredibly small compared to the cost that was paid on the cross.

We've got nothing to give back to Him except ourselves.

R {Rain}

2011-08-18T09:40:00.000-05:00

Rain...something in East Texas that we haven't seen in awhile. Conditions are extremely dry, burn bans are in place and we pray daily for the clouds to darken and open over us.

I'm learning that in PNG rain is essential but for different reasons...it can be insurance on making sure you are able to bathe. Although I don't know all the details, I've heard that rain fills a tank and that tank has a line running into your house. Depending on which house you live in, sometimes you're relying on the sun to heat your water. Now, I haven't actually verified this with my own eyes, so this will fall under a "To Be Continued" segment that will pick up about a year from now. (Someone remember that I've already blogged about this! :))

I've also heard that kids LOVE the rain because it makes for some *awesome* mud sliding. Hence the need for a full tank to bathe the dirty kids after they play in the mud. I'm guessing white will not be a popular color to wear!

Then there's the down side of the rain...the mud makes it hard for the missionaries to travel in and out of the villages...too much rain ruins dirt airstrips making flying virtually impossible.

And what about my once clean laundry hanging on the line? If a shower comes, my clothes start the drying process over.

I pray I'm reminded of this Texas summer, the heat, the drought when the complaining starts about the downpours we experience...or the kids tracking mud in the house...or my laundry not getting dry...

For everything, there is a season...

Q {Quest Kodiak}

2011-08-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

You didn't think I could come up with one for "Q" did you?! :)

The Quest Kodiak is the airplane that Jason will fly once we get to PNG. To say that he is excited about flying this airplane is a bit of an understatement.

To fuel that excitement, Jason was in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin in July (a post coming about that soon if we can ever get to Z!!) Jason was able to see one up close and personal. Jason's dad, who was with him, thankfully took a pic of Jason along side the Kodiak.

(Secretly, I think he actually did it for me knowing I could use it for PR purposes, and knowing that my hubby's brain doesn't work like that. Hence, him flying planes, me updating a blog...Thanks Jerry for the pics!)

If you've seen the latest newsletter, you've seen a picture, but just in case you haven't signed up yet...

He kind of looks like Indiana Jones in that beloved hat of his. But I don't think IJ had a cup of coffee or a backpack??

For more detailed design information about the Quest and a great picture of the plane (sans Indy), see the JAARS website.

**To sign up to receive our newsletter, or to be added to the prayer calendar, post a comment or send me an email to be added to the list!**

P {Prayer Partners}

2011-08-15T10:31:00.001-05:00

There are, admittedly, lots of things in the Christian life I don't understand and prayer is one of them. I know our Heavenly Father desires for us to communicate with Him: our fears, our heartaches, our dreams, our tears, our everything and pour it out to Him, lay it at His throne room and let it go while we wait for answers. Our all knowing Heavenly Father wants to hear from us. It's our life line to Him. I can talk to Him anywhere, at any time and I know He hears me.

Even though I don't understand how prayer "works", I do know that prayer is powerful. I have seen my prayers heard, answered and responded to time and time again. Sometimes the answers aren't what I wanted, or expected. Sometimes the answers haven't made sense. There are still some petitions waiting on answers. Each time, I'm reminded that I am heard and that my Father loves me, even if it doesn't "go my way".

We have seen the power of prayer, and the prayers of others on our behalf, time and time again over the last year. We know that in the days, months and years to come, we need people committed to pray for us, our families and at certain times, specific prayer requests.

This aspect of our support is, I would dare say, is just as or more important than the financial support we need. We know that the Lord can provide us with everything we need financially-He owns it all!

We need people fighting on their knees, on our behalf, for the spiritual battle that's taking place. The enemy doesn't want us doing this and has tried to derail us more than I'll admit here. But it's also during those times that I know people are praying for us. We usually hear from people on the day things are happening with us saying, I don't know what you're going through today, but the Lord put you on my heart. I wanted you to know I'm praying for whatever you're going through. If that's not the Holy Spirit and Lord at work, I don't know what is!

Will you pray for us and the work of Bible Translation across the world? And not just every now and again, but on a committed, monthly basis?

I am adding a page to the top entitled "Prayer Calendar". I would love to see someone or a family praying for us every day of the month. If you are interested in praying for us on a committed, monthly basis, let me know and I will add your last name only into the calendar. Our goal as a family is to pray for each financial and prayer partner we have as well. So as you pray for us, we are praying for you.

Thanks for thinking about being a part of this and we look forward to seeing great things happen!

"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 paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

O {Orientation}

2011-08-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

A popular question asked is "When will you learn the language?"

A year from now we will head to PNG and the first thing we will do is head straight to a 14 week course on the coast called Pacific Orientation Course (POC).

Things we'll do besides learn Tok Pisin:

-Sleep under mosquito nets. We will initially be on the coast where malaria is more prevelent than when we move into the Highlands after POC.

-Watch 2 out of 3 of my kids play in the mud. Mo will turn her nose up at the idea of getting filthy.

-Learn to adapt to a different culture which will include 5 weeks of living in a village with a family and learning about them and how they live day to day. (note: I am SO excited about this!!)

-There's talk of learning how to start a fire similar to Tom Hanks in "Castaway". We'll be re-watching this movie before we leave the country just to make sure we know what we're doing. Although Wilson will be replaced by D, Mo and Mal. They are cuter and more practical than a volleyball for this part of the journey. Sorry Wilson. J even purchased some kind of "fire starter" on a recent trip. I truly believe this is cheating and his "tool" will probably confiscated if not at the airport, once we arrive. He thinks it's legal...again...let me reinterate: I will watch the movie to ensure we pass this section of the course. I might even practice before we go if the burn ban ever lets up around here!

-At some point during POC, we will have to complete a 3 mile hike...and a 1 mile swim...in the sea. I hike just fine with the right shoes, but swim in the sea?? Can I doggy paddle? Dead man float? Bring goggles? Arm floaties? I foresee some hard core training at the JAARS pool next Spring...

-I have already prepped some of you for this, but we will have very limited communication during those 14 weeks. The internet is slow, expensive and there is apparently very limited time to do anything "extra". As SOON as I have a decent connection and email the grandparents to update them on their grandchildren, I'll make sure to update this dear piece of cyberspace...and hopefully with pics!!

-We've heard several things about POC...kids apparently *love* it, it's challenging, informative and adults either love it or hate it. I would say J and I are pretty adventurous (???), but I'm sure this is going to put that spirit to the test!

-The kids will have their own POC training although I'm pretty sure the swim and hike are out of the question. I'm thankful they'll have some training on a level they can understand and I'm sure they'll be teaching us a thing or two before it's all said and done!

N {Newsletter}

2011-08-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

We are trying our best to update what's going on with us through this blog, but also through a quarterly newsletter. We will do our best and keep it informative so you can know how to pray for us, plus see what's coming up for family. And possibly a cute kid pic or funny story...maybe...if they'll cooperate!

If you're interested in receiving our newsletter, we can mail it to you or send it conveniently to your inbox.
Send me you info and we'll be happy to add you to our list! And we promise not to sell you information to an outside third party...haha!

**The latest edition is being sent out this week!!**

M {Map}

2011-08-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

We're at the half way mark with the "Wycliffe ABC's"!!! Thanks for hanging with me to this point!

Today we're going to look at a map since there has been some confusion on where it is we're actually going. Several people thought PNG was in Africa or somewhere in China. And trust me, until recently, I don't know if I could point out exactly where this small island the size of California was located.

I know the map is small, but due to size restrictions on the blog, this is as good as we can get...

So find the U.S. then go to the far right side of the map. See the pink blob, more than half way down the page, surrounded by blue? That's Australia. Go north to the teeny tiny island right above Australia and that's Papua New Guinea. Almost exactly on the other side of the world where I sit today.

If you get a chance, take google earth for a spin and see what's nearby!

L {Language}

2011-08-04T10:24:00.005-05:00

We will have many transitions once we get to PNG and a major one will be learning a new language. Jason and I are very excited about this while D is still warming to the idea. At first he thought we would never speak English again! We reassured him that we would still speak English, but he would also know a "secret language" that he could speak when we visit the US. He wasn't sold on that idea ("Mom, you're crazy!"), but he's slowly realizing he'll need to communicate in something other than English!

There are over 800 languages in PNG and several hundred of those languages still have translation needs! We will be learning Melanesian Pidgin, or Tok Pisin, which means "Talk Pidgin", and it's one of the official languages of PNG and most widely used. (We'll talk later about our language training!)

I'll leave you today with the Lord's Prayer in Tok Pisin:

Papa bilong mipela

Yu stap long heven.

Nem bilong yu i mas i stap holi.

Kingdom bilong yu i mas i kam.

Strongim mipela long bihainim laik bilong yu long graun,

olsem ol i bihainim long heven.

Givim mipela kaikai inap long tude.

Pogivim rong bilong mipela,

olsem mipela i pogivim ol arapela i mekim rong long mipela.

Sambai long mipela long taim bilong traim.

Na rausim olgeta samting nogut long mipela.

Kingdom na strong na glori, em i bilong yu tasol oltaim oltaim.

Tru.

K {Kina}

2011-08-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

*Kina is the currency of PNG.

*One hundred Toea make one Kina.

*The bank notes used in PNG are made of polymer not paper like the U.S.

*You can see pictures of the Kina and Toea and read more about the currency of PNG at the Bank of Papua New Guinea website.

*Yes, the tooth fairy plans to visit PNG regardless of the currency used :)

***Thanks to everyone who has commented and encouraged me about this series of posts! If you're just joining me and wondering why it looks like I'm doing something with the alphabet...you can start here to get up to date!***

J {JAARS}

2011-08-02T14:01:00.000-05:00

A little history about JAARS. Back when Cameron Townsend first founded the organizaiton in 1948, JAARS stood for "Jungle Aviation And Radio Services". He realized how important aviation could be in reaching people who live in inaccessible terrains. More than 60 years later, JAARS has done away with the acronym because its services now include computers, maritime services, media and so much more.

This time last year, I had a full page list (or two!) of things I was anticipating packing for our 2 1/2 week trip, bound for Waxhaw, NC and the JAARS facility. Jason had been invited back in April for a TE (technical evaluation) to test his maintenance and pilot skills. This would be the first step, of what would be many, in our application process with Wycliffe.

So many things were uncertain this time last year...what would be involved in the TE? Would he pass? If he did pass, what would be next for us? Some things we already knew...the Lord had already provided us with the funds to pay for the TE, the time off work for Jason, portable DVD players for the kids (yes, priorities :)). We had a peace that we were doing exactly what we were supposed to be doing, in the midst of the unknowns.

Those two weeks at JAARS turned out to be some of the best, most stressful times for us. Jason was tested, tried and challenged almost every single day for two weeks straight. This was no cake walk for him and there was nothing I could do but encourage and pray for the Lord's will to be done.

We met people who were in the same position as us...unsure of the future, but so certain this is what God had called them to do. We met families who had been on the field for years and heard their stories about how God was using His people, with their variety of skills, to get the Bible into the hands of so many that don't have it.

The last Thursday we were there, Jason had finished his last major flight, the TE was "officially" over...I remember saying to him, "I'm going to be really sad if we don't get to do this." My heart had been changed. I wanted to be a part of Bible Translation.

We knew he had done his best, the end result was in God's hands. Friday morning rolled around and we anticipated (understatement of the year!) our "results meeting" early that afternoon. When they gave him his acceptance letter, we were surprised and excited. With that excitement, more questions...and even more questions came up on our 16 hour drive back to Texas! (Nothing like a good long car ride to make you question everything!)

But here we are, a year later, making plans to head back to JAARS in January for more training and to complete another step to get us ready for PNG. The Lord continues to show His faithfulness and we continue to be amazed at His goodness and grace.

A verse I was reminded of last year still has truth for us today as we plan and make preparations...

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord." Prov. 21:31

I {Initiative}

2011-08-01T16:51:00.000-05:00

One thing I'm looking forward to, when we move to PNG, is the opportunity we will have to meet people of different cultures, races, backgrounds, life circumstances. I want to hear what moms on the other side of the world deal with, the issues they face in raising their children in an environment completely and totally opposite of what I'm used to or comfortable with. I want to hear and see with my own eyes another glimpse of how big our God really is.

We have been told that where we will live is mostly with other missionaries, so the time we have with nationals will be limited unless we make the effort to build relationships. We will have to take the initiative to meet other people. Good to know that even though things will be different there, some things, like building relationships, stay the same. Think about your closest friends...your spouse...those relationships didn't happen over night. Both of you had to make the effort, take the time, to get to know each other. If neither one had taken the initiative to know the other person, what blessings would you miss out on by not having that person in your life!?

I don't know what the scenarios will be for us...the open air market that I'll have to go to (early in the morning) 3 or 4 times a week to pick up fresh veggies and fruits? At a local church? I don't know how it will happen, but I know that I want the Lord to use me, even if it's at the market!

So if you think about me, will you pray that the Lord will open up a ways for me to build relationships with the nationals while we're in PNG? You know you'll hear about your answered prayers here :)

H {Help Wanted!}

2011-07-29T16:24:00.000-05:00

Hopefully by now, you're seeing that Bible Translation isn't just the people who go in to the field and translate the Bible. While those people have a huge task in front of them, there are hundreds of people behind them that make Bible Translation possible. We met just a portion of those people during our training...

-A telephone technician and his wife, a nurse...headed to PNG to serve where we're going-yay!

-Art & Ethnomusicology....see my friends, the Gasslers, to see what their role will be.

-Language surveyors

-Librarians

-Computer specialists

-The amazingly talented artist...headed to Thailand with her hubby to illustrate.

-The other aviation nut with his school teacher wife...we're also headed together, Lord willing, on the same timeline...our kids are so excited!

-The family not quite sure where they're headed, but they know, for a year, they will help serve at the JAARS center before moving to the next location.

-The recruiters making the move from Austin to Nashville to go into churches, colleges, their surroundings and encourage those thinking about missions to "just do it!"

-The single guy that wanted to do missions, youth ministry and auto mechanics...he's headed to Waxhaw, NC to do all three. Yes, God is awesome like that.

I heard over and over, from the testimonies shared over those two weeks, it doesn't matter what God has given you the talent or ability to do, He can use it for His purpose in Bible Translation. There is a need for everything from business people, mechanics, school teachers, IT guru's, nurses...and yes, pilots to bring Bibles into the hands of those that have never heard.

Have a week of vacation and want to serve? There are opportunities to serve short-term and your help would be invaluable. Who knows, it could plant a seed that changes your future!

G {George Cowan}

2011-07-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

We had the wonderful opportunity and privilege to meet Mr. George Cowan at our Wycliffe training. He is a past president of Wycliffe and has had countless opportunities to see the fruit of Bible Translation.

Mr. Cowan shared many stories during his time with us. Each time, he spoke I had tears in my eyes. Still, even at 95, has a passion for every tribe, tongue and nation to have a Bible in their heart language.

Click here to get just a taste of the passion he shared with us.

F {Faith & Finances}

2011-07-28T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today you get to hear from none other than Jason! I asked him to help shed some light on today's subject...

Faith and finances. At the outset they can seem to be two unrelated topics. However, for God's children, the faith we profess should have a profound impact on how we view and manage our finances.

As we begin our journey with Wycliffe, one of the big changes is financial. We are shifting from working a traditional job to provide for our needs to working with the Lord to build a team of partners to support the work of Bible translation by praying for us and supporting us with their finances. We cannot do the work God has called us to do without the support of a faithful prayer and financial team. We must have faith in the Lord that He will provide for us monthly through the gifts and prayers of His people. This is definitely a different way of life but I don't believe it is as different as I first thought it to be.

Every since I graduated from college I have worked somewhere. I went to work, did my job, and the company sent me a check. I never wondered if the check was coming. I just knew it would be there. I had faith that they would pay me every payday.

If I could have such an unwavering faith in an employer, how much more unwavering should my faith be in the Creator of the universe, the God who did not even spare His only Son for me? God owns everything and everything I have comes from His hand.

James 1:17 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning".

The reality is, whether I go to work and earn a paycheck or depend on a team of partners to provide, God is the source and He does not change. He will not fail to provide.

That brings me to you. What is God calling you to do? Perhaps you haven't been called to go and serve in a full time capacity, but all of us have a part to play. Maybe the Lord is asking you to give Him more of your time in service or more of your money to His work. Whatever it is, if you hear His voice, there is no greater thing than to obey. Even if you can't see then end or understand how it could possibly work.

Remember, "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen" (Hebrews 11:1) and "trust in the Lord with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

E {Education}

2011-07-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

The next question people ask, after how the kids doing, is what will they do about school? Fair question since they are kids and they aren't natural geniuses or gifted and talented in every subject. (I know the grandparents are in shock right now...)

The educational issue was a big concern for us. Actually, before we decided to go into full-time missions we were in "discussions" of what to do here once our kids finished the school they go to at our church (pre-school through 2nd grade).

Here's the deal: I don't feel like I'm called to homeschool our kids full-time. I truly feel like it's a calling. It's certainly a commitment of your time, your resources, patience etc. I have many friends who do have that calling and I commend them for abilities! It's cool to see how each person does things differently, yet achieves the common goal of getting your child educated, ready for "the real world" or college, whatever is next.

When we looked at our viable options of where we could go, Cameroon West Africa or PNG, I started praying, "Okay, Lord, you know where my heart is about the school issue, but if you want me to homeschool I will." And I meant it. I knew that if that's what He wanted for our family, for me, then that's what I would do.

After much prayer the Lord started leading us to PNG and we found out they have a great school where we are going. The teachers are Wycliffe missionaries who have been called to come and teach the missionaries kids. Awesome right?!?

Needless to say, I'm excited. I'm excited that my kids will be exposed to over 13 different nationalities of teachers and kids (a.k.a. soon to be friends!) I'm excited that I can be involved some how, some way in their school. I don't know if they'll have PTO meetings or home room moms (cupcakes?!), but I'll find a way to help.

Think I'm off the hook with homeschooling? Not so much. We will spend 6 months in North Carolina in January for training and guess where the kids are going to school? Yep...right in our little abode in Waxhaw. We felt like they were going to go through enough transition next year that we didn't want to pull them out of school here, move, enroll them in public school for one semester only to unenroll (spell check says that's not a word, but it is now!) and then move to PNG.

I know those 6 months will be a stretching time for me. Honestly, I'm already a little nervous. I don't really know where to begin. "The plan" is for me to use the curriculum they will use this fall, but I also want to be creative (and CHEAP!) in what we do to implement the material. So...if you have any ideas or things that have worked for you in homeschooling...pass them along. I'll take all the help I can get!

D {Dylan}

2011-07-23T22:56:00.001-05:00

Almost everyone we talk to wants to know how the kids are handling the transition we're going through, especially moving and leaving everything they've known in their limited existence...just because their parents have made this choice to follow the Lord in this particular direction.

Sometimes I feel like they're politely saying, "You know you're crazy for ripping your kids out of a 'real' childhood..."

Well, no one ever said we were normal.

Honestly, I think they're okay and really? They'll have a childhood...it will be fun...it will just be different.

And that's okay.

Mo asks questions, but she's our laid back, go with the flow girl. She's more worried about which dolls she can take with her than whether or not she'll have access to hot showers and chocolate. For now, she's good. I know soon when things start picking up, she'll have questions and I pray we'll have answers to help her through.

Little Mal won't know any different, so for her the issues will be coming in for furloughs and dealing with the overload of stimulus that the U.S. offers. I'll cross that bridge later. She'll be older, we'll be a little wiser...

But my boy. My sweet, crazy, dirty, funny, smart D. He is old enough to know what's going on and I truly feel like the Lord has and is preparing him for this adventure.

Before we talked to the kids about going into missions, Jason and I talked alot privately (in this house: after the kids were in bed--the only time there's peace around here!) We didn't want to start something that wasn't going to go anywhere. You know how kids get when they think something is going to happen and then...it doesn't. Chaos...mass riots (we're outnumbered kids to parents around here!)...tears...

But during the "discussion" process, out of nowhere one night, D asks, "Why aren't we missionaries?" J and I just glanced at each other like "Did you say something to him?!" Neither one of us had and we told him that right now we were supposed to be missionaries here...to our friends, our neighbors, the people around us that don't know Jesus. That answer seemed to suffice his question for the time. And since then, he's amazed us with his boldness in talking about Jesus to strangers. It's seriously humbling not as his mom, but as a Christian.

Then weeks later, at dinner where we had a side of rice, D says, "I really hope, if one day the Lord tells us to be missionaries, that we don't go somewhere that they just eat rice. I don't like rice."

He couldn't let the missionary thing go! All of a sudden he was asking questions...lots of them...about places, people, food. He referred frequently to a visit several years ago we had with some dear friends who are missionaries in Indonesia. I can't believe he remembered them, but their visit impacted him. He thought what they were doing was so cool. Flying for Jesus? He was all over it.

It was obvious, we had to tell the kids what we were thinking. They could be praying for this process and whether or not we should "go for it". Plus we were hoping (and still praying) that this could be such a faith builder for them. To see God at work. To see how He opened and closed doors all along this way. How mom and dad handled it. (no pressure!)

Needless to say, D was pumped...but then nervous! Would he have to learn a new language? Would we ever speak English again!? And the kicker...no chicken nuggets? French fries? What would he eat?!

He's still not excited about leaving his fav foods, but he's relieved to know we'll still speak English. We're starting to work through the bigger issues...leaving friends, family, not being able to take all of our "favorite things". (Somehow when you're almost 8 everything seems to be a fav!)

We have confidence that the Lord will continue helping his tender heart through this process. He's excited, but nervous, fearful of the unknown...aren't we all?

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." Heb. 11:1 (NASB)

C {Cameron Townsend}

2011-07-22T13:48:00.000-05:00

Since becoming "official" members of Wycliffe in January, we have had 6 weeks of online training and, in April, spent 2 weeks in Orlando, FL at the Wycliffe Headquarters. This training included an array of information, including the background of how Wycliffe was founded. (Yes, Jason the history buff was excited!)

So today, here's a little about William Cameron Townsend, or Uncle Cam as he's affectionately remembered.

Uncle Cam was a college graduate, trying to sell Spanish Bibles in Guatemala in 1917. He discovered that the majority of people he was selling the Bibles to didn't understand Spanish. He was so convinced that it was God's will that the Cakchiquel people be able to read the Bible in their own language that he stayed among the people and stopped selling Bibles. The Cakchiquel people took him in, helped him learn their language, create an alphabet, analyze the grammar and translate the New Testament in just ten years.

But Uncle Cam didn't stop there. He was concerned for other Bibleless groups and opened Camp Wycliffe in Arkansas in the summer of l934. Named after the first translator of the entire English Bible, John Wycliffe (see yesterday's post!), Camp Wycliffe was designed to train people in basic linguistic and translation needs. Only two students enrolled. The next year, five new students enrolled and Townsend took the group to Mexico with him to begin translation work.

In 1942, Townsend and three associates—Kenneth Pike, William Nyman and Eugene Nida—officially founded Wycliffe Bible Translators and its affiliate organization, the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now know as SIL). In 1948, after surviving a serious airplane crash in Mexico, Towsend founded the Jungle Aviation And Radio Service...now known as JAARS...we'll talk more about this soon!

Townsend wrote many books and articles over the years. Many of these were on the topic of linguistics, for which the late Professor Edward Sapir, one of the world's great linguists, commended him. Townsend’s ultimate goal was to serve others scientifically, materially and spiritually. Uncle Cam passed away in 1982, but his vision to see Bible translation completed for every language that needs one has never been closer. Today, Wycliffe and each of its affiliate organizations continue to strive towards that goal.

B {the B-I-B-L-E}

2011-07-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

Question for today...

How many Bibles do you have in your home? (Don't forget to include the one you may have uploaded on your phone, your iPad, your Kindle, your computer...oh and check the kids rooms too!)

5? 10? Maybe more?

How many of those Bibles can you read?

My guess is that unless you have a Greek or Hebrew translation laying around (I'm sure there are a few of you that do!), you can easily read every copy you have in your possession.

We are a blessed people. We have the opportunity to be educated, to learn to read in the language we best understand. For us, it's English. It's our heart language.

But for us to get the Bible into our heart language was no small task. There was a price paid and sacrifice made.

Jason is a history buff and loves to find how things originated. Several months ago, he spoke at church and gave some history about how the English Bible we have came into being. So for today, I completely ~~stole~~ borrowed his notes! :)

The Bible was originally written in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The old testament in Hebrew and Aramaic and the new in Greek.

To make a long story short, eventually there later came a translation entirely in Greek called the Septuagint and one entirely in Latin called the Vulgate. Christianity came to England in the days of Roman rule and the Roman Catholics arrived in the year 597. Till this time, English Christians had no Bible and the the Roman Catholics brought the Latin Vulgate that they couldn’t read.

David Ewert, in his book A General Introduction to the Bible says “It is staggering to think that for a thousand years of Christianity in England, English Christians had no Bible.”

That’s where the name John Wycliffe comes in. John Wycliffe lived from 1329-1384 and was a theologian at Oxford. He became concerned with the Roman Catholic church of his day and the corruption in it and wanted to bring people back to a solid biblically based faith. This was an impossible task without a Bible in English that the average person could read.

So he began to translate the Bible into English and completed two versions of the Bible in English. For this he was labeled a heretic by the church hierarchy. His bible was banned by law, he was forced to retire from his job at Oxford, and died a year and a half later.

Wycliffe wrote this to those who opposed his work:

“You call me a heretic because I have translated the Bible into the common tongue of the people. You say that the Church of God is in danger from this book. How can that be? Is it not from the Bible that we learn who is the Builder and Sovereign of the Church? It is you who place the Church in jeopardy by hiding the Divine warrant, the royal missive of her King.”

Because of Wycliffe’s pioneering work in translating the Bible into English, Cameron Townsend, named the Bible translation organization he founded after him.

Another man came along after Wycliffe and furthered the work of an English translation. It’s a name you might recognize from today, but only as a book publisher. William Tyndale (1494-1536) was his name.

Tyndale’s work culminated in his edition of 1534. David Ewert says in his book that “it is estimated that nine-tenths of the King James Version of 1611 is Tyndale, and where the Authorized Version departed from Tyndale, later revisers often returned to it.”

Tyndale was also severely persecuted for his work and in 1535 was kidnapped, imprisoned, convicted of heresy and eventually burned at the stake.

As you can see, it was not without great sacrifice that we have come to be able to read and understand the Bible in our own language.

In the world today there are nearly 7,000 spoken languages.

Of those 7,000 languages there are over 2,000 languages that do not have any Scripture.

Those 2,000 languages equate to more than 340 million people.

340 million people without the word of God to encourage, reassure and give them hope.

A {Aviation}

2011-07-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

To kick this series off, let's talk about aviation, but first, a little background...

As you know by now, Jason is a pilot. He's been flying since he was 16 and he's passionate about it, but with that passion, he wanted purpose.

Four years ago Jason took a regional airline position, it wasn't his dream job, but he knew that this was the best way to gain flight time. We knew if we were ever going into mission aviation one day (we thought in like 20 years!), he would need the hours and experience to get him down the road.

Fast forward to 2010. With thousands of hours now under his belt, the passion Jason had to fly was still there, but the urge to have a purpose in that flying was raging. Flying all over the U.S. and being gone 4-5 days a week isn't all that it's cracked up to be--he wanted more. Last March the Lord made it very apparent that it was time to give that passion some purpose for HIM.

Missions and aviation....an unlikely pair? Not really when you look beyond the U.S. and go into third world countries where isolated, rural, tropical areas are the norm, transportation and resources scarce. Add missionaries attempting to reach people groups living in these areas and you have yourself quite a combination of needs.

Here is a favorite story from Mary Pearson, translator in Papua New Guinea, for over 23 years and her thoughts on mission aviation.

It was an early morning in March 1986 the first time I laid eyes on a Cessna 206.

My friend and I grabbed each other in a fearful embrace.

We had never seen such a small plane. How in the world would our families fit into that tiny thing? Could it fly safely over rugged mountain ranges and miles of open ocean? Find a remote village and land on a tiny strip of coral jutting out of the water?

We were about to begin translating God’s Word into Lote, a language in Papua New Guinea that had never been written down. Its speakers had never seen the Bible in their own language.

That first weekend, we walked 3 1/2 hours down a coral road, six degrees south of the equator, to join an Easter celebration. We carried small index cards for reminders and said something like, “Ek Maria.” My name is Mary. “Iat nge Amerika.”I come from America. We’ve come to learn your language ... This is all I know.That’s how it began.

But to get there, we had to board the tiny, winged vessel that stood before us. As we squeezed into the cabin, we felt like we were taking our lives into our own hands.

We were wrong.

Turns out we were putting our lives into the capable hands of pilots and aviation mechanics, whose honed skills and sharp eyes enabled us to fly safely anywhere in this rugged country. They had received years of training and could be earning a comfortable salary. Instead, they used their expertise to serve missionaries around the world—giving their very lives to save ours.

Our first four years were the toughest. A strange place. A foreign culture. An unbearable climate. A new language. Learning to speak an unwritten language and writing it down phonetically often had us stumped, feeling we’d never get to the next level. But word by word, phrase by phrase, we got there. Meanwhile, we fell completely in love with the warm, friendly Lote people.

During those long village stays, away from everything familiar, we received visits from the angels: those beautiful white-winged planes we grew to cherish, no matter the size.

The hum of an engine breaking through clouds brought joyful anticipation. Mail bags! News from home! Fresh vegetables, meat, medical supplies—comforts to help us through the lonely months.

I’ll never forget the time a plane departed after one of its wonderful deliveries. A few minutes later, we heard it coming in for a second landing. I jumped to the radio and asked the pilot if everything was okay. “Yes,” he said, “I just realized I forgot to unload your Christmas presents.”

Those precious 20-minute visits connected us to the outside world.

On one extraordinary November day, the plane landed on our little airstrip loaded with precious cargo: books. The Lote co-translator stood over my husband’s shoulder as he opened the box and pulled out the first copy of the Gospel of Mark in the Lote language. It was the first time he ever held God’s Word in his own language. He took it, sat down in the shade of a tree, and read hungrily: “Helenga urana toto ngana nge Iesus Kristus nenge Nenut Non Palaungana Tuna.” The very good news of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

One year, a cyclone destroyed our village house; we were rescued by a pilot willing to fly through turbulent winds, knowing the plane had been inspected and checked as always. A year later, pilots—once again—were key to building our new house, as they shuttled builders from the nearest town into our village.

It’s now 23 years since we arrived, and the Lote Scriptures are at the printers.

We’ve had twenty-three years of safe flights, medical rescues, mail and grocery deliveries, and flights for national translators to attend training courses. Twenty-three years of flights enduring high winds and wicked rain storms, over volcanoes, mountains and oceans. Twenty-three years without incident, bringing us to the place we now call home, so the Lote people can have God’s Word.

Because these pilots, mechanics and trainers have invested their lives in Bible translation, this will be the generation when the Lote people hold the New Testament in their hands, reading it in their own language for the first time.

The need is great for skilled pilots and mechanics to help carry out the work of Bible Translation into some of the true ends of the earth.

This is why we're going.

Wycliffe & the ABC's

2011-07-19T14:14:00.001-05:00

As most of you know, or have at least caught on by now if you've been reading long, we're in the throws of an amazing, God-sized journey with our family. So many of you have asked us some great questions over the last several months, and what a better platform than my little spec of the net to try and cover some topics.

I'm going to start a series of posts about Wycliffe Bible Translators, JAARS, our upcoming roles and what part you can have to reach the Bible-less people in Papua New Guinea. Didn't think you were going with us did you? Well, just wait...you are!

As I thought about how to do it, my preschool teacher brain kicked in and I thought "Hey use the alphabet!" So every day I'll cover a topic with that letter. My prayer is that these will be insightful and informative for you as well as me since I'm still learning too!

While you're reading, if you have questions/comments, drop me a line in the comment box and I'll do my best to clarify or find a better answer.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Got Joy?

2011-07-17T23:08:00.000-05:00

Our associate pastor started a series of messages tonight about happiness...joy...being positive in the midst of whatever in life that has you down.

I think it struck a nerve with people...in a good way.

So often we find ourselves in situations where it's easy to complain and grumble which ultimately leads to negativity. That negativity changes our moods. We're aggravated, short tempered, "Debbie Downers" and "Negative Neil" is who they are in our house! Our outward actions change (gossip, complacency) and our heart fills with guilt and sin.

Nothing positive can come from the negative attitude that we take on. I'm not saying that positive things can't be part of the outcome of a negative situation. I am a firm believer that the Lord can and does use the negative situations in our lives to bring Him glory and praise.

But sometimes the challenge is finding the joy in your life despite the circumstances around you. We're all going through things in our life whether we like it or not. That's called life and I'm pretty sure the board game is easier to play than the real deal...even if you lose the game!

A great quote from tonight:

"A lot of people say "under my circumstances" and that its their problem. (as if no one has ever gone through it!) They are under something that God has already gone over." (see Romans 8 for more!)

Nothing surprises God. But when you're faced with the situation, how will you react?

Honestly, I think sometimes it's easier to be negative about things than positive. Yes, some days the pit you're in feels like quicksand...you're sinking fast with no rope in sight. Some days you want to huddle up in the corner and cry for a few hours til your eyes are puffy and red and it's hard to breathe. We all go through those days of wanting to be left alone to have our pity party.

But there IS hope. There IS joy around us. Some days you may have to squint a little harder to see it, but it's there.

Tonight's challenge: find the joy in your life. Sounds easy right? Well, we've been asked to write it down! For every negative, look for the positive, write it down and acknowledge the One who is the giver of all we have on this earth...in this life we live.

Wanna join me in finding joy?

This week put a piece of paper on the fridge and start writing...the blessings, the answered prayers, the positive things, the little things that make our numbered days on earth a little better and you'll see...joy is closer than you think.

XI

2011-07-15T00:00:00.004-05:00

Today, I'm celebrating eleven years with this man...who might shut the blog down if he finds out I found this picture (it makes me smile!) and posted it. Thankfully, his sightings of this blog are few and far between, so maybe I'm safe.

He was apparently quite confident in his decision to marry me because he was eating right before we walked down the aisle!!

(Now I will say, if memory serves me correctly, that this is a bread that my parents sweet neighbor had made and it was DELISH, but that's besides the point...)

Who eats RIGHT before they're about to get married?!?!

Women spend months just trying to fit into their dresses and look "just right"for their big day...food takes a back seat until the vows are said!

But not the groom. Obviously Jason wears his tux handsomely, unconcerned (from this pic) that I'm tucked away in another room almost ready to go, but fighting the huge zit that formed on my face overnight! If only "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" had been out I could have known I needed Windex to solve my problem!

This post has really derailed...

My point is, I still love this bread eating man.

I love him more today than I did that day.

I have a hunch I'll love him even more eleven years from now.

Mug Shots

2011-07-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

Question: What happens when you face the prospect of moving...to the other side of the world?

Answer: You realize how much stuff (some might say "crap" (mom...) but in the interest of being a child friendly blog, let's continue to say stuff!) you've accumulated over the years.

Through this process, I've come to the realization that we kind of have a "thing".

I know that some people collect magnets, postcards, pencils...why couldn't we be one of those people? Something smaller. Something more portable?

I really don't know how we got started.

I guess, once upon a time, we were newlyweds, we were young, he had hair, mine wasn't gray. We were carefree, child-free and going places. We would take weekend jaunts here and there, go places with friends and we always ended up coming back with a coffee mug from somewhere.

Back then, we drank coffee, but not near the copious amounts that we do now. Maybe it's because now we're older, he's balder, I'm grayer, not so carefree, definitely not child-free and well, we're going places, just long-term and not just for the weekend!

But this mug purchasing "thing" has multiplied to the point that a couple of years ago, I got rid of all of the "normal" mugs because we were overrun with "special" mugs.

Want to look inside my cabinet you say?

Okay, if you insist...

Maybe this is the mug that started it all. I'm sure we were leaving Longview, headed to Kansas and needed to remember our roots. As if getting college educations, each other and living there four years weren't enough!

You might be married to a pilot if you have mugs from various air shows, mugs that talk about being a pilot or mugs with airplanes, their history and their "specialities". Have I mentioned pilots are kind of geeky?

I happen to love geeks.

Then a few years ago, someone (pointed finger to me?) came up with a brilliant idea to paint daddy a mug for Father's Day...because we short on mugs?! Hardly.

It's one of his favs so I'm glad we did it. But because of the paint, hand-wash only.

B-r-i-l-l-i-a-n-t idea.

Old school design which he loves. Perfect amount every time which I love and it's used all the time. (It's actually dirty in this picture but you would never know because I'm not taking pics of the inside. Now you're wondering if the other ones are clean or dirty...thought so...)

Oh and it reminds me of when I did my first LIVE radio broadcast, so of course, buy a mug...seriously. It's out of control.

Then there are mugs that I buy just to drive the pilot crazy. As if he was ever really going to drink out of the crab mug...from a Girls Weekend...from Tybee Island!

So it became my "take to school" mug because the kids got a kick out of it. I took it home to wash it with actual soap and water...forgot it the next day and the kids flipped! They wanted me to bring the crab back! At least someone appreciated its uniqueness.

And on and on the tour could go... more airplane mugs (yes, there are more), the neon yellow Blue Bell mug, the USS Lexington mug...places we've been, things we've done. Kind of like walking down memory lane one sip at a time.

But for now, I'm banning mug buying. We'll have to figure out something smaller for the future.

I might turn into one of those magnet collectors after all.

The Highlight Reel

2011-07-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

Already Wednesday!? A brief re-cap of our fourth...

*After a day of shopping on Saturday and fireworks on the square here in town, I wasn't feeling well. I thought maybe just a combo of the heat and being tired, but oh no. About 5 a.m. Sunday morning I found out I was the lucky recipient of a good dose of food poisoning. Thankfully, the pilot was home and wrangled the three amigos so I could hibernate in my bathroom until I stepped out into the living room at about 4:15 that afternoon. After ten minutes of that commotion, I went into hibernation again. So thankful hubs was home!

*Monday, the 4th, Jason and I were supposed to celebrate our anniversary early by going to the Rangers game...and the all-you-can-eat seats and fireworks. Not really appealing after how my day went Sunday, but the tickets had been bought weeks ago and he was going...with or without me. Thankfully, this wasn't one of those fancy schmancy dates so t-shirt, shorts and pony tail were totally appropriate and I pulled it together enough to go. The heat (it was 104 on Monday) was a bit much and I only thought I was going to pass out once. I did not indulge in the all-you-can-eat aspect of the game but I got my money's worth in water, so I feel like I got something out of it. The fireworks were AWESOME afterwards. We moved seats only to be told we should really go out to the concourse to see them better. We went and ended up being yards away from where they were being set off! Seriously, it was raining cardboard and paper! A great show for sure and made me think about how much I'll miss fireworks once we're in PNG.

*And then to top off our holiday weekend, a man showed up at our house Tuesday morning wanting to look at the house. Well, that's fine and all...if you had called first! But, my husband who is living in this "Carpe Diem" mode, welcomed him in oblivious to the fact that the clean unfolded laundry was still on the couch, the kids rooms looked like, well, kids rooms. This oversight apparently doesn't bother men as much as it bothers women?! I just like to have it in "show mode" and it was a far cry from how I like to show it. Thankfully, most of the time was spent outside talking "structural integrity" and not so much "interior design".

So today it's back to "real life". The pilot is being a pilot and I'm upright a little more than I was yesterday and trying to take on my husband's "seize the day" mentality. Not sure what that will entail, but I'm guessing there are Icees in my kids future.

Thankful Thursday {VBS Edition}

2011-06-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today I am overwhelmed. My heart is full of love and overjoyed. I still have tears brimming in my eyes.

All of this because of VBS.

VBS? Isn't she taking it over the top today? Sometimes, admittedly I do, but not today. We have finished an amazing 4 days of seeing God's people come together for kids pre-K to 6th grade.

So today's list includes...

*The 17 new brothers and sisters I have in Christ! Their decision means even though we probably won't spend much time together on this earth, that we will spend eternity together. The countenance on their faces was priceless. One boy said, "This is the best decision I've ever made!" There is such depth to that statement that I know at 8 he may not really comprehend right now, but my prayer for each of these kids is that they will grow to understand their decision they made. Some were fearful about what their friends would say, but had the courage to move past it...this was about GOD. Our big God who loves them and gave His life for them. They accepted all HE offers with child like faith and boldness. What an example I learned from these kids as they came forward.

*God's people showed up in a big way. We had some awesome volunteers that spent their time, resources, and creativity to make this week run so smoothly. One man even sacrificed his hair all for the sake of Samson's example (thanks Rob!!) There was such a sweet spirit this week that only comes when people forget about themselves and put others, this week about 150 kids, in front of them. The 54+ volunteers gave it all for these kids and because of it, we had an outstanding, fun filled week.

*Each year, we have snack and Tuesday is usually cookie day. All we did was say the word "We need cookies!" and the church kitchen was overrun with at least 45 dozen, mostly homemade cookies!

*I am thankful for our church and staff that are willing to take a week and devote it all to kids. There have been late nights, early mornings and months of planning all devoted to these 4 days but it has been worth every minute, every dime to see 17 kids come to know Christ. That is what it's all about.

*I am thankful to the kids that emptied out their change jars and sacrificed their allowances this week. Because of them, 2 missionaries in Peru will have over $900 a piece to spend on things they need to serve those they are working to reach. That.Is.Awesome!

*I am extremely grateful to my husband and kids. They have been long suffering through all of the days and long hours of prep and planning that has gone into this week. Poor Mal is, yet again, my little trooper as she's been pulled out of bed because I needed to get going and napping in her stroller because she just finally gave up on waiting to get home. This afternoon she's just begging for some "MAMA!" time and I gladly caved!

Can you see why I am full this week? Months of prayers have been answered, kids saved and lives touched this week. I am completely blessed and humbled to be a part of it all.

Little House on the Lake

2011-06-20T23:15:00.001-05:00

This is the log house that, many years ago, was built by three generations of hands.

Well, truth be told, just two generations as the younger wasn't interested in helping. Although, not helping isn't an option in this family. Work ethic is instilled at an early age and the value of a relationship with God and family along with it. More than likely, any time you're with one of the generations at this house, there will be a story brought up of when this house took shape. Many a memory made and passed on.

A couple of weeks ago, the wise man I married, told me we needed to spend some time there. To take a break. We went spontaneously...as spontaneous as you can be with a family of 5. Later that night, once we had unpacked and put kids to bed, we sat in the house still painted country blue and mauve and a hundred memories came flooding back.

I had first come to the house in college with our dorm floor and J's floor. There were about 30 of us packed in and overflowing out of the house that day. It was at this house, on that first visit, my future husband would get up the nerve to hold my hand for the first time on this back porch swing.

Months later I would come home from a three week missions trip to Europe knowing two things: one-if the Lord ever wanted me to go into missions, I would do it. Two: I was going to marry the pilot. I just didn't know how...or when...because I hadn't really broken that news to him.

Later the same week, with new insight that I kept to myself, I went to the lake to meet the pilot's parents for the first time. Guess I wasn't the only one that had some insight into the future?

Through the years this house has welcomed the pitter patter of the future generations who would explore the great outdoors and have their first taste of s'mores gooey goodness.

There have been domino victories and losses and Yahtzee mayhem...

There have been dry ice bombs by dumb college boys, firecrackers and bonfires (some from those same boys!), Sunday School parties, sleepovers with sweet girlfriends, temporary housing for friends and families in need.

There have been countless family gatherings with an abundance of food (because everything tastes better at the lake!) Washer board competitions have been battled and peaceful getaways sought when life gets too crazy.

Even though the generations are getting older, the stories remain and memories continue to be made.

2008

2011

This & That

2011-06-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

Can you tell summer is here?! I thought my blogging life was slow when school was in session...summertime is CrAzY!

It could be that all three kids are here...all day long...needing play dates, snow cones and showers due to the copious amount of dirt they're covered in by days end. It could be that we're trying to sell the house "by owner" so on top of attempting to keep it clean because of the aforementioned three, we're also awaiting interested buyers. Or it could be that VBS is in two weeks and I've been in the throws of prep work.

But...I really do have like 30 posts in waiting. Seriously--30. They're all in various stages of writing and I'll get to what the purpose of some of them is soon!

For now, know that we're still here...just covered in a layer of backyard dirt with a touch of blue bubblegum (or Ninja Turtle or Barbie ) flavoring for good measure...

The Flip Side

2011-06-06T13:50:00.002-05:00

This morning was bittersweet as I said good-bye to 29 of my church family. They are headed to Peru for 12 days to work with missionaries from our church, Oliver & Gloria Williams and Brent & Miriam Williams, in Lima and also in the mountains of Pichanaki.

Last week another friend left for NYC (her fifth or sixth trip??) to teach VBS around town for a week.

We also said farewell to my in-laws who are headed this week to the Phillipines to do work in clinics, and an orphanage among other things.

Tomorrow another group from church leaves to help with tornado relief in Joplin, MO.

And with all of these good-bye's my heart tugs...hard. I want to go with each of them. I want to experience the cultures, the people, the food, and yes, even the altitude in the Pichaniki mountains (16,000 +). I want to help clean up in Joplin, build houses in Pichanaki, see the kids faces in Lima, all the while sharing and showing Jesus' love.

But I can't go this time.

As my eyes welled with tears this morning, J said " Not this time. It's our turn to send, give and pray."

I know he's right. (I hate it when he's right!)

For the last year, our church, our friends, our family have supported us with their prayers, their gifts and helped us go and seek out the Lord's plan for our life. Now we have work to do here that will get us further down the road on this journey.

But now it's also our turn to give. It's our turn to hear of stories of how the Lord specifically answers the prayers of those who are praying back home. It's our turn to see loved ones come back with a renewed sense of God's presence...to see how they've forever been changed by the experiences they've had. It's our turn to wait for the days to pass until they come home safe and sound.

I also get a little taste of what they go through every time we've left this last year. I also have a renewed sense of gratitude for the power of their prayers and their love. And I can't wait till they get home.

How to Throw a Rock

2011-05-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks to some very generous, lake abiding friends,

we spent the last 24 hours taking in some much needed down time/family time.

And in case I wasn't sure, I learned how to throw a rock in the lake by a master rock thrower.

First, search for the perfect rock. This takes some time and research.

Once you find the perfect rock...

Wind up

(because rock throwing emulates baseball in some states)

Throw with all your might.

This in the hopes of having your rock catch some air.

Release and Watch

Yes, kicking your leg out helps move the rock further.

(He's his mother's son when it comes to this stellar move.)

Start looking for another perfect rock to do it all again...

leg kick included.

I do...but...I don't

2011-05-26T22:35:00.002-05:00

This week I started sorting, cleaning, boxing up, throwing away and passing on seven years of "stuff" that has accumulated in this house. Today, especially, it feels like I'm trying to climb Mt. Everest but I'm only at the bottom, leaning wwwwaaaayyyyy back trying to see the top. If you know anything about my athleticism, then you know the idea of conquering a mountain isn't really on my bucket list. (Let's remember, I tried that in December and it didn't work out so well!)

You see, I really don't have a problem parting with the "things" of this house. It's just "stuff". A recent quote I heard, "You never see a UHaul following a hearse to the cemetery, do you?"

Not to say that things are bad. I totally feel like they have their place, but that place for me is slowly transitioning. I find myself, instead, getting sentimental, looking back on the memories here and praying for future memories that are just as sweet.

I've already said goodbye to some things, taken some to Goodwill and some other "big ticket items"are going to good homes in the near future.

Like the dresser that we made over for our then, one and only daughter, is being passed on to another beautiful girl who will, no doubt, spend many more hours admiring her reflection in the mirror.

Our dining room table....It's the table we picked out when we were still in the newlywed stage, dreaming of one day having a few extra mouths to feed. We even picked the "distressed look" thinking that kids might destroy something nicer. I think we were pretty smart in that decision. We've spent countless hours at that distressed table laughing out loud at too many unnecessary burps, crying over uneaten vegetables, feasting with friends, blowing out many a birthday candle and celebrating board game victories. The family that's getting it will no doubt have their own share of memories adding to the "distressed" look :)

On and on it goes as I go through each room...and as it does, there's still the lingering big question of who the Lord will bring along to fill this house with their memories. All in good time...all in His perfect time...and one step at a time.

I guess it really is like trying to climb Mt. Everest after all.

Summer's Here!!

2011-05-21T09:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I said goodbye to another class of 3, now most of them, 4 year olds. I wasn't expecting the onslaught of little hugs I received on the platform yesterday. I almost cried! But then the class video rolled and yeah, I cried then. Such a great group of kids...some bossy, some shy, some talkative...all different now than when they first walked in last September. I'll miss them.

D is now a second grader (I need some air...)

Mo will go back to the 4 year old class again next year because of the way her birthday falls. She won't care...it'll be another group of peeps for her to socialize with and that's just fine with her!

Mal has croup and a double ear infection. (I thought as long as we were talking about yesterday, that's what happened with her. She wouldn't want to be left out!)

So what's a Brew Crew to do until September?

Lord willing, the summer will be busy. This house needs to be cleaned top to bottom so we can put it on the market. I'm starting today...after my coffee...it'll be better for the house and me.

We also hope to get the proverbial ball rolling with our PD (partnership development) scheduling meetings with people and churches and helping them catch the vision of Wycliffe and our role in it.

VBS is in June so plans are in full swing for a great time of learning and fun. I'm excited to see what the Lord does this year!

Those are the highlights...I'm sure we'll have to have some fun along the way too. My kids will protest if we don't.

What about you? Any big plans this summer?

Sleeping Beauty

2011-05-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

This is a story about our orange curly headed, almost 5 year old, princess whom we affectionately call Mo.

Mo was born with the wonderful ability to sleep anytime, anywhere.

Just get her still for long enough, and presto-she's out.

Bored sitting? Nice time for a cat nap...

Long car rides...they fly by with her eyes closed...

Hard day at play? Dinner is overrated anyway...

Too much excitement turning 3? She fell asleep in the entryway after her party...

So imagine how NOT surprised I was when we went to see TobyMac in an outside concert before the Rangers game last Saturday and found sleeping beauty, on the ground behind me, completely sacked out.

There were THOUSANDS of people there, it was crazy loud (have you heard TobyMac before??)... it didn't bother her one bit!

And let me tell you, she was a better person the rest of the day because of her little outdoor siesta!

What a girl...

ABC's & 123's

2011-05-16T08:08:00.000-05:00

Today starts a bittersweet week for me. The last week I'll be a preschool teacher. I know, it's just been two years, but I get attached easily when it comes to a class room full of crazy kids...and I hate goodbyes.

I'll miss getting to know another class of wide eyed, shy yet eager kids. I am still in awe of the transformations that happen from September to May. These ten kids go from the only place they know: mom and home to school-learning concepts they will use the rest of their lives. Colors, numbers, shapes...we've covered it and then some! I'm sure we drove parents crazy with the songs we learned...the projects we did...the painting...the dirt...but we've had fun!

But just like last year, I wonder, have I done enough? Have they learned everything to help them move on? Did I show them Jesus' love through my actions, my words? What will they remember?

What about the kindergarten class and Fun Fridays? Fridays won't be as fun without them singing Justin Bieber, drawing silly pictures or telling me how fabulous I am (Fridays were good for the ego this year :)) They've lost their front teeth, memorized Bible verses, learned to read and write and seriously, they can tell some funny stories. (Some are best left unheard to protect the parents :))

I have been blessed to be in this position the last two years.

And I'm going to miss these kids.

Showers of Blessings

2011-05-13T21:05:00.001-05:00

Last night at our monthly mom's meeting at church, the theme was "Counting Your Blessings". What a night of being grateful for the big things and the not so big things that happen in our lives.

This last year, we have been overwhelmed by the blessings we've encountered. Some of the blessings came through trials, but as we talked about last night, sometimes that's how the blessings come alive. I could fill up pages and pages of ways we've been blessed...it's overwhelming, humbling and yeah, I pretty much want to cry (and have cried!) when I think about it.

I shared a story last night of a huge blessing that just happened with our Partnership Development (PD) If you were there, sorry...you're hearing it twice!

Wednesday a huge line of thunderstorms made its way through the DFW area. Jason was at the airport and at least one of his flights was cancelled. He called saying he would be sitting for several hours, waiting on the line of storms to pass so he could get to the next flight and he'd call me later. I didn't think much of it, but I hadn't heard from him in awhile. Usually, while he waits, he's calling frequently because he's "bored" and wants to see what exciting things are happening on the home front....like what fights I've refereed recently, who's been sitting in time out, these kind of things. So right before his next flight was about to leave, he called and said, "You're never going to believe what just happened."

He said he was sitting by one of the gates, reading, and a man, a fellow pilot, we'll call him Mr. P, sits down next to him. Mr. P notices J's Wycliffe lanyard (that he bought while we were in Orlando-thought it'd be a good conversation starter) and says, "Wycliffe? As in Wycliffe Bible Translators?"

Jason says, "Yes. My wife and I are new members..." yadda-yadda-yadda (you know this part of the story so we'll skip it!)

An hour has now passed and during the conversation it turns out that Mr. P was a JAARS pilot back in the 70's! He and his wife lived in Cameroon, West Africa for several years. But now Mr. P needs to catch his next flight so he and J exchange contact information. Before he leaves he tells Jason that he and his wife want to support us financially.

Say what?!? (I've pretty sure I stopped breathing at this point while I'm listening on the other end of the line)

Jason said, "Wow, that would be great, but we just met. You don't even know me." He said, "I know the kind of people Wycliffe require, so I know the kind of person you are." And a little less than 20 minutes later, Mr. P, a man of his word, signed up online and he and his wife are now a part of our team.

Yeah, say it with me, WOW!

I am in awe of God's orchestration of a perfect stranger, in the midst of a literal storm, who is now a friend, helping us get to the field and further spread the Word of God to the Bibleless people in Papua New Guinea.

Thank you Lord for the storms.

Thankful Thursday

2011-05-12T14:18:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up with my friend Gina this week to pause in the midst of end of school year craziness and give some thanks...

This week I'm thankful for...

-HUGE progress made in my dad's recovery! We have seen the Lord's healing hand at work. There's still a long road ahead of him, but we are thankful for the steps made thus far.

-Being loved on by my family on Mother's Day. There's nothing like a handmade card from your 7 year old that says, "Stay cool and keep your family cool". Here's hoping I can follow through on that...I know he won't think I'm "cool" for much longer if he even really thinks that now!!

-The last few days of school. It's bittersweet but I'm looking forward to the summer and all that's in store.

-Snail Mail. I love it when a package shows up! Puts a smile on my face every time!

Link up with us or tell me, what are you thankful for today?

Monday Night Flight

2011-05-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

My hub is passionate about flying. Even though he flies every week to bring home the bacon, you can't keep him at home from our local airport on a beautiful night. (I take the opportunity to play with the camera while making sure my kids stay off the runway!)

She saw the plane!

Future pilot?

This girl loves to take her turn in the passenger seat!

How awesome it is to see it all come together--two passions, his love for flying and the Lord, coming together for one purpose: furthering the Kingdom of God. What an opportunity.

Push Play

2011-05-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

We've been back from Florida about 3 weeks now and I'm just now uploading hundreds of pictures.

Yes, hundreds. I'm sure there's some club out there for people like me...

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to do anything with them. It's almost like we pushed pause on life, took a road trip to Florida, met new friends, had some fun, learned invaluable information for a new job we're doing and came back right where we left off.

Oh wait...that's exactly what happened!

So let's back track a few weeks and push play. I'll spare sharing hundreds of unedited pictures, but here are a few faves...

At the "Watermelon Patch". It's a shoe store in somewhere-ville Mississippi that had me with high hopes of finding a new pair of Yellow Box sandals. Needless to say, we just got a picture of these 2 in front of the giant watermelon.

The random playground we found on the side of the road to eat lunch at on our way down.

Miss Independent

Yelling "MAMA", her absolute favorite word, at the top of her lungs

Mo's new BF Anna. (Yes, Mo has the whole world in her hands)
These girls met Day 1 and were inseparable until the day we left!

In front of the fountain (below)

Inside the Discovery Center at Wycliffe Headquarters.

In front of the Papua New Guinea mannequin.

Oh and then there was Easter the week we returned...

I'm not sure who told him he could grow up...

2 of my favorite people

Sweet Sisters

Lessons from the Waiting Room

2011-05-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

On Monday my dad had major surgery and while we're still unsure of the outcome, we continue to pray for a full complete healing from the Almighty Healer. But while we prayed, we waited. And of that, I've not a big fan...especially in hospitals...but I wasn't alone. There were 7 consistent seat warmers plus more than half a dozen who came and joined our bunch throughout the day. You'd think waiting for someone who's in surgery over 9 hours would be boring...well...you haven't been with this bunch.

In no particular order some things I learned in the waiting room.

-In "fancy" hospitals, there are people that get paid big bucks to make sure you (sometimes annoyingly so) are "fine" and "okay" while you warm their pricey seats. These people also take you on guided tours of the ICU unit when you are bored. They also make sure that they schmooze (even spell check knows that word!) with the right people in your family (eh hem...this would be for my brother)

-Kindness is not niceness.

-Pastors are real people and some of them are really funny. My parents pastor falls under this category. If only I could remember his bald joke! I recall my hubs not laughing as hard as me??

-You can't put a price on friendship.

-Families are units that you are born into. You can't change them and you can't get out of them, but then again, why would you want to? These are YOUR people. Love them for who they are.

-With today's technological advancements, I'd like to put in a request for more wall outlets and bin to checkout extension cords for the day. The number of smart phones and e-Readers almost outnumbered people.

-Hospital staff do not encourage or appreciate you taking the rearrangement of their furniture into your own hands so you can enlarge your circle of people. Nor do they like it when you disorganize their magazine rack.

-It is possible to be "kindly re-directed" out of ICU into the waiting area because of too many visitors. Can I help it that my dad is so popular?

-Calories do not count in waiting rooms.

-Caffeine is a requirement.

-I should take up knitting. We watched (okay stared in awe) as a woman knitted something, in what I'm pretty sure was record time, although, we're not sure what it was. A skirt for a pencil? A baby's hat? A doily for a cup of coffee? It was small, cute and looked functional for whatever purpose it was going to serve. ***After further personal evaluation I can barely eat with chopsticks, so knitting probably isn't something I should pursue***

-There are exercises for DVT. If you are interested, in finding out more, I can certainly give you a name and number of someone who can help. This is a serious issue and can be caused by extended sitting in waiting areas, flying in airplanes or sitting too long in church.

-Lastly, this is dedicated to my brother who got to share National Brother/Sister Day with me, on the actual day. First time we've EVER celebrated the holiday. I feel slightly guilty I didn't buy him a card in the over priced gift shop with great smelling perfume, but there's always next year. We'll just plan on a different venue for the festivities.

Sometimes...

2011-04-28T22:49:00.000-05:00

How do you know that God is still who He says He is and that He hasn't forgotten about you?

How do you know that He's still crazy about you and loves you unconditionally?

Sometimes it's His loving arms wrapped around you in the form of a friend's hug or a sweet kiss from your child.

Sometimes it's in encouraging words that show up in your inbox or in the mail.

Sometimes it's in the stillness...when you're by yourself with your tears...waiting for Him to speak and then He comforts you with His Word.

Sometimes it's in the unexpected that God can show you that He alone is in control.

Nothing surprises Him or throws Him off guard.

He is the ultimate planner.

He is the chief orchestrator.

His plan is always perfect.

Sometimes He shows us in very real, tangible ways that He is who He says He is...and sometimes He really gets my attention.

Less Is More

2011-04-23T12:47:00.000-05:00

We are so blessed to have friends scattered all over the world. Our friends, the Hopkins, are missionaries in Indonesia where Brad is a pilot. His wife, Rebecca, is a very gifted writer, something which alludes me completely, so I enjoy reading her blog with her beautifully penned words.

Today's post, which you can read here, spoke to me and I hope it will be an encouragement to you as well.

Thankful Thursday

2011-04-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

So much to be thankful for this week...

-Safe travels to and from Florida. It's good to be "home" right now even though "home" is taking on a new meaning...more on that another day!

-Productive 2 weeks learning...growing...stretching...anticipating...

-Friends and family that have covered us in prayer.

-Two wonderful women that subbed in my class while I was gone. I am so grateful.

-This amazing, wonderful time of year that we reflect on our Savior who is not dead but is ALIVE.

May we never lose the wonder of the Cross.

H-O-M-E

2011-04-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Hey Y'ALL!!!!

We're home, had Dr. Pepper at dinner and slept in our beds last night-yay!!

Thank you for the prayers as we traveled. They were heard!

I will update more as we get settled.

Looking forward to seeing how the Lord works out the details in this next chapter of our journey.

Around Here...

2011-04-13T19:13:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update for anybody that's keeping up with us...

We're still here, but this week the homework load for us has increased so after the kids are tucked away...we're pounding away on the keyboards and racking our brains for presentation materials which means we're not doing much of anything else!

Tomorrow J and I give a presentation together. It will be our first attempt at giving a presentation together and not separately....wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall :) I think we're ready and after a couple of run throughs later tonight, we should be good to go...I hope! We even bought props-shouldn't that increase the fun factor!?

Our last classes/wrap up will go till Friday at noon. After that we hit the road to head back to the Lone Star State-yay! Everybody's ready...

The Week In Pics

2011-04-10T20:58:00.001-05:00

Week 1 is complete! We had a good week but were really tired by Saturday morning once we finished our a.m. class. They are very efficient with our time but that makes for busy days.

We had free time till this evening and we kicked off Week 2 tonight with pizza and some insight about PNG. I missed most of it because I was chasing the soon to be 15 month old around the building. She bores quickly at anything that's not food or loud like her siblings. Needless to say, we spend some of our time tag team parenting which involves, you guessed it, chasing Mal!

Here are some pics from this last week when we weren't in class.

Yes, you can have Fruit Loops every day while we're here...

But you CANNOT make silly faces when we take our family picture...

Something more like this would be great...thanks for cooperating.

The entrance to the Wycliffe Discovery Center. If you're ever in the Orlando area, a must see!

Today we went to Cocoa Beach for a couple of hours and right when we found our spot on the sand, this little guy (and a kid following him) came to visit...

Somebody LOVES to play in wet sand...

And eat it too!

Such a fish...

Thankful for some family time...

Love this pic!

I know I keep saying it, but it truly means a lot that so many of you have emailed, texted and called and told us you've been praying. We have seen answered prayers this week and I know it's because there are so many of you who are lifting us up! THANK YOU!!

Lots of sand filled hugs from Florida...can't wait to get back to the Lone Star State where "Ya'LL" is a standard part of the vocab! :)

WORD-less Wednesday

2011-04-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's "WORD-less" Wednesday some facts about the WORD of God around the world.

There are an estimated 6,860 worldwide languages.

457 of those languages have an entire Bible in their language.

2,565 have a copy of the New Testament.

There are 2,078 languages that still need a copy of the Bible in their language.

This means that there are about 340 million people that haven't heard that Jesus came to this earth for them.

They don't know that He died a brutal death on the cross, was buried and rose from the dead 3 days later.

340 million people that have no HOPE.

Monday

2011-04-04T21:12:00.003-05:00

I think it's still Monday?? The days start early around here and I'm still on Central time so I'm looking at the clock, but my body is saying, "Get to bed!!".

We are in day 3 of training and it's going really well so far. We have a TON of information to cover, but that's why we're here 2 weeks! They are truly equipping us for this job.

Some training highlights because I know some of you want to know "what's really going on" around here:

-There are 22 people here plus, I think, 17 kids from these families from all over the U.S. ranging in various ages, denominational backgrounds and future careers with Wycliffe. We have met several that are also headed to PNG!! I hope we can get to know them and stay in touch as we go through this process.

-We have a worship time at the beginning of each day and have been reminded daily just how awesome our God is. I've also been in awe how He has brought us all together, at this particular moment and time, for this purpose. I have been truly humbled and feel so unworthy to be doing this. What an honor and privilege.

-The kids are doing well. D started his class today. He misses Mrs. Ali and his friends, but I think he had fun. He is also learning some things about cross-cultural living. I'm sure stories of what he's learned will surface as the days and weeks go on :) The girls are doing well. Mo has made a cute little friend (Anna) and Mal is just keeping the workers on their toes. Thankfully, she naps and they feed her a snack, so what more could she want?!

-Tomorrow we attempt to take a family picture for our official brochure/prayer card. Enough said.

-Coming soon...an official little blurb on the Wycliffe site. More on that as we get it developed!

And now for some pictures...and little tidbits about things here. (If Gene (our fearless Sunday School teacher) is reading he should stop now because I know he doesn't appreciate my "extras" like some of you do :))

-There has been mention of a gator on the property. I'm not sure if this is really true, but I'm gullible enough to be on the lookout because a picture of him would make a great blog post. I just don't want him to get too close...

-I had to make a Wal-Mart run for diapers and this. It's not commonly found in soda fountains on this coast. So unfortunate.

On my way to Wal-Mart I saw a Volvo with a palm tree hanging out the back window in front of me. Only in Florida. Sorry I don't have a pic...it would have been funny!

-Several of the boys (including D) brought scooters and they ride all over the facilities. Here they're parked for the day. I'm not sure if they intentionally divided red and blue on opposite sides of the sidewalk, but the blue riders seem to be a little more responsible.

On the way down I had a lot of time on my hands to mess with the photoshop on my phone. Had to share this cute pic of sweet Mal hanging out in one of the hotels.

She's growing up way too fast...

Thank you to all of you who read this, pray for us and have helped us get here financially. We are truly grateful to you and thank you for letting God use you. Every aspect is so vital and we can't do it without you.

Know that you are here with us as we go on this journey. Our prayer is that we can show you how God wants to use all of us for His purpose in reaching the Bibleless people around the world.