Thursday, March 29, 2007

Thank You Cards

Boy, Tucker is really on top of things! He's already done his Thank You's! (Just an FYI-the blue I dyed the yogurt with dyed his poo a beautiful teal color that then dyed his tosh! We'll see how long he has a teal bottom!)


Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Holy Cow!

Wow...God takes such good care of us! He took a day that was weighing heavy on my heart and turned it into a day of blessing. We just got back from our party with our small group and it was amazing. Our 'family' really knows how to take care of us. It is a completely mind-blowing, life-altering experience to have several very godly people huddle around you and pray to God for you. I've gained a whole new perspective on our influence in others lives, just from the powerful prayers that were said over us. With God leading our path and our 'family' praying behind us, we can do more than move mountains - we're on our way to move nations! We love everyone of our family at Fellowship with all our hearts and hope you know that you will always be in our prayers. So, as Sheila would say, see you later!!!

Tough Day

So today has been a little bit of a tough day. I've been going through our house and pricing pretty much everything that we own for the yard sale this weekend. I went through all of my pictures (a big tote full) and threw a lot of them out (we are down to a shoebox full). I've been looking forward to getting rid of stuff and for the most part it's very liberating, but there's that little bit inside of me that's a little bummed or nostalgic or hormonal. Who knows! To top it, we are having our going away party with our small group from church tonight. These are the people who are as close to us as our family and have been through so much with us. It's just been a tough day, and I'm getting really anxious to leave. So I'm blaring the David Crowder Band and spending a little time praising God. I'd also like to ask everyone to keep us in your prayers as we get down to the final countdown of days. I know that we are going to have opposition from the devil, because God's going to do amazing things through us and the devil hates that! And since prayers are powerful, we could use your help! Love you all!

1st Birthday Party

So I'm a little behind on posting! Tucker had his 1st birthday party on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. We were fortunate enough to have his dedication at our church on the same day. So all the fam went to church to see us pledge to raise him in a strong Christian family, then friends and family came over for hamburger and cake! He had a lot of people come to see him. He made out like a bandit on the present end of things (every thing from a $100 savings bond to a four-wheeler to a swimming pool and lots of bubbles and books!) He'll be a very happy boy for a while! Here are some pictures:


Tucker loves cake He wasn't too messy though.

But he did need a hose down after. Look closely and you'll see his blues tongue.

He loved the presents, though getting him to focus long enough to open them was tough!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

James and Scarlet Milsaps

We are very fortunate and thankful that God has blessed our lives with truly amazing friends. Last night we were able to enjoy dinner with two of our favorite people-James and Scarlet Milsaps. This couple is doing completely awesome things for spreading the Word of God. Not only does this couple go on missions to third world countries, but they train others in discipleship as well.

James and Scarlet are currently living and working at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM)base in Cimarron, Colorado. They just got finished leading a Discipleship Training School (DTS) were they spent 3 months training five 19-year-olds for a outreach mission trip to Thailand and India. I'm not sure if any of you have ever tried to teach teenagers just out of high school, but it takes a lot of grace and love.

After training, James and Scarlet and five teenagers left for Thailand on December 2nd. Yesterday they shared their photos and experiences with us, and I tell you, God's hand was really on them in protection and love. They spent two months in Thailand which is primarily Buddhist. They were able to travel around Thailand doing several services for the Thai people. They went to the tsunami area and helped there. They were also able to teach English to a school for orphans from the tsunami.

They also went to an area that is being filled with refugees from Burma. There is a flood of children coming into Thailand whose parents were murdered as they tried to escape. The sad thing is that there is no funding or room for these children once they make it through their horrible trek. So the children are forced to live in the jungle and eat the scrapes the villagers are able to give (the villagers themselves have a hard time feeding their own families.) Even through all they've been through these children still had a face of hope in the pictures. The DTS team spent time there loving on the people and handed out blankets to the children.

They also helped a hill village clear the ground for a church. God has really opened the hearts of these people and several are being saved in villages throughout the area. The team spent a week digging up trees with rusty machetes and hoes, moving the dirt with sacks, and plowing it with a human plow the village had made. The pictures that they showed us made you tired just looking at them!

They were also able to visit a Christian orphanage that has 60 children and 2 twenty-something Thai women who take care of them. There were several children through the whole experience that James and Scarlet would've packed up and taken home in a minute. The need for families to take these little ones in is so great!

They worked at a Christian-owned smoothie shop on a university campus. A big 'wow' thing that they were able to do was go into a high school of 750 and speak about Christ. They were told they could do whatever they wanted and had two hours. So they did a concert for them and were able to witness to them about the power and love of Jesus. For most of the students it was the first time they had ever been told about Jesus.

Thailand for them was hard work, but very rewarding. They said the people were full of hope and smiles even with their situation. Scarlet was hit by a motorcycle and they thought she had broken her hand. God really had a protection around them, because she wasn't seriously injured and her hand healed within a week! (one of the top reasons for death in Thailand is by motorcycle!) With the Tsunami, God has really open the door for discipleship to Thailand, and James believes that harvest time is coming and Christianity is going to explode in that country!!!

After Thailand, they traveled to India were their strength in God was forcefully put to test. India is a country that the devil has buried deep roots of fear and hate. The country is made up of mostly Muslims and Hindus (who dislike each other intensely). The group was able to set up an English class with the help of a fulltime missionary there in the poorest part of the poorest part of the country. Every morning they would ride their bikes through the crazy, dangerous traffic to a unimaginably filthy slum. There is no plumbing, no electricity, no bathrooms. To get to the village they had to cross a river where the people dumped their trash, the poorly cremated remains of their dead (Scarlet said the riverbed was riddled with skulls and bones that didn't completely burn to ash), they defecate there, wash their clothing, bath, and play.

So many people wanted to participate in their English classes that they had to do an enrollment and lock the doors once the students were in or the crowd that waited outside every day would crowd into the room. The muslims thought that the team was only allowing hindus into the classes so they began to attack the group, threatening them with machetes. But God's grace intervened and the police arrived right in time to disperse the crowd. One of the girls on the team has blond hair with blue eyes, which is desired by the men in that area. So she had to be constantly watched and never left alone. The devil was vehemently attacking the pioneering they were doing, even so much so that they would be awaken in the night by demonic screams outside their windows. But the team persevered and overcame. Because of the month they spent in that one area, doors have been opened for more missions to go and teach and hearts will be softened to eventually hear the Word.

Now you can see why we feel so blessed to be able to call this wonderful couple our friends. They are an inspiration to us in our path, and we hope to one day be able to do a mission trip with them. We are so glad that God has blessed us so that we can help support them in God's work. If you want to learn more about what they do, visit the base's website at http://www.ywamcimarron.org. If you want to help them in their mission, please send a check to YWAM Cimarron, PO Box 158, Cimarron, CO 81220 (to write it off on your taxes, only put their name The Milsaps on the outside of the envelope, not on the check itself.)

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Happy Birthday Tucker!!!!

That's right! Today is Tucker's 1st birthday! I can't believe that 1 year ago after 36 hours of intense labor Tucker decided to pop out at 9:20 in the morning on his due date! I guess he wanted to be on time and not early. But no matter how much work it took, he is totally worth it. I can't believe that God blessed us with such a perfect baby. He is almost always happy and loves to flirt with any girl who peaks his interest. One of my favorite parts of the day is when he first wakes up and he cuddles his head right into my neck. I could stay like that all day if I didn't have so much to do to get ready to go. We are having his birthday party on Sunday so I will post some pictures for you all. Well, we have someone coming to look at the house in a little bit, so I have to go do the frantic clean.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Heat Wave

Spring is definitely blooming in Grand Junction, CO. Yesterday it was so hot we took the sides off the Jeep and let the wind blow freely through our hair. Tucker loved the wind. He's in his new big boy carseat, so it was a whole new world for him to view. He'd just scream and shake his head excitedly back and forth. Now as my fingers were typing away, I heard the weather report on the tv say that it's supposed to get cold and rainy this week! That's GJ weather for you! Get you all excited for shorts and tank tops then hit you with a cold front. Speaking of cold fronts, I checked what the weather was doing in Tok, AK this morning and it is currently a whopping -27. Ouch! Stretch is assuring me that the summer will be in the 70's though, and I'm hoping he's right! I really am tired of my sweaters!

Monday, March 12, 2007

Snowmobile Trip

So the first weekend in March we were finally able to give my parents their Christmas present--a weekend with me and Stretch in the mountains at a lodge and snowmobiling. Now normally I really distaste snowmobiling. I've never really felt comfortable or confident at controlling the beastly things. And since my run in with a tree (the tree jumped out in front of me and I fit it head on. Many bruises and very broken machine equals not very much fun!) a couple of years ago, I really have gone on the one token ride a year and left it at that. This weekend was a lot different though. Instead of 99% agony and 1% fun, it was only 1% agony and 99% fun. I totally believe that it was because I had God with me this time. Now this may sound crazy, but whenever I would get nervous and feel like I wanted to throw up or my body got tired, I would just pray or think of verses about strength or fear and I would feel 100% better. I handled the machine better than I ever have, and I was able to play and attempt some little tricks. Now don't get me wrong, I still got stuck, a lot, but even that was fun (for the most part). I have included some pictures for your enjoyment. There's a good 7-8 feet of snow there!

The first two pictures are Stretch and I at the overlook. I know I look sexy in my outfit, but if you can look past me you can see the gorgeous view.


This is one of my many sticks. Not too bad!

The next two are my mother. You'll notice the tree jumped in front of her, too!


The next two are Stretch. Yes, even the master gets stuck every now and then!


This last one was a fun one. My mom was following Stretch (which isn't always the best idea) and got into a sticky situation. Her machine rolled over into a tree on the side of a hill. Luckily she was wearing her helmet! The guys had to climb up the hill in the snow, dig the whole machine out, then lift and move it to point it down the hill. Good going, mamacita!

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

A New Name

Well, I've been trying to come up with a family name for this blog that embodies what we are doing and who we are. I think I figured it out. NOTW Road Warriors-We are donning the armor of God and climbing into our big white chariot and fighting to save God's children. We know it will be tough and that there will be opposition. We know that our path may not always be clear and we may not understand God's will. Thankfully, we also know that we are not of this world, but a citizen of the Kingdom of God sent here to fulfill the calling God has put in our hearts. We know that if we endure to the end, we will be rewarded in heaven for all eternity. So with God's Word in our hearts and His Spirit in our souls we set off, for:

Wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. 2 Cor. 2:14-15

Monday, March 05, 2007

The truck is outta here!!!!

Yeah!!! The day of take-off is ever closer, and our prepartions are coming together like an ooey-gooey peanut butter and pickle sandwich! However, we do have to observe a moment of silence for Stretch and the seperation of his beloved Tacoma. He loved that truck with all his heart and will cherish all the four-wheelin', stuck and pullin' memories. sniff-sniff. Sorry, I have a little cold. God's really looking out for us though, because we also sold our other vehicle that we had to get rid of the same week. On top of that, we got more than we had said that we would settle for, so we now have the money in the bank to start our travels! The only other big thing we need to do is sell the house. So keep us in your prayers and we'll let you know when God answers them!