Nuggets of wisdom in gift wrapping...

What a wonderful week it's been! I started a new job gift wrapping at Von Maur and I am really loving it. What I've learned while wrapping and fellow shipping with the women I work with is that loving what you do makes a huge impact. The joy that I've experienced in the week I've been there is so refreshing. I've been able to enjoy my shifts because of the attitude of my coworkers. I am one of the "young ones", most of the ladies could easily be my mom.. it's fun to see how seasoned wrappers keep their cool when the gift line gets full and they just seem to enjoy the gift they are on without rushing and they help me keep perspective when it's felt overwhelming.. how I admire their patience.

Enjoying this time of year when life is rushing around us at high speeds seems impossible some days, but what I have been reminded is that taking time to enjoy the moment regardless of the demands is what's most important. Every moment matters! So savor each moment with your family, enjoy the shopping, the wrapping, and breath deep the joy of this remarkable season!

A word from my Hubby... An End & New Beginnings....

Proverbs 16:8-9 “Better is a little with righteousness, than much gain with injustice. In his heart a man will plan his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

These verses, these promises and truth of scripture, have been sustaining me the past two weeks. I have had to hold close to these promises as our lives, plans, and calling has been deconstructed around me. It has been extremely difficult but most times, as Christians and leaders, we are called to make difficult choices. These choices look foolish or incomprehensible to those without the grace of Christ in their life, I am not entirely sure that I understand all of the on goings, but another promise of scripture rings true, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail they are new every morning.” So, I ask to receive some grace from you as all of this is reveled. We need your prayers and support now more than ever over the past year.

As of now we are officially not going to Rome to plant churches with Avant Ministries. There were a number of factors that went into that decision, some having to do with my giftedness for ministry and what my calling is or should be, some related to our team and a number of issues that we had, and some personal. We are sill missionaries with Avant and are praying about several options for our continued ministry with them and missions. I realize that those are some very generic terms, so allow me to add a little substance to each of those thoughts, however, this will be a synopsis; words are hard to describe the gravity of the last year and how we got to this point. If you have questions please e-mail or call me so we can talk more.

All of you who know me or have worked with me have known that youth ministry is something that I am truly passionate about. I love working with kids and teens to get them pointed toward a direction that will lead to them know Jesus Christ. This was why I went to Grace University, to work in youth. As we walked in faith, God did not allow for a job in that area. We eventually went to missions as we felt God moving us that way, but part of both Renee and I still wanted to minister to teens. We thought that we would just incorporate this into our church planting efforts but we have been informed that is not the most effective way of planting a church. That is not to say that we could not work with teens, but making it a main component of church planting would be difficult. 

Our team was unique in many aspects, most of them made it hard to lead out effectively. We were the first team that Avant ever had go through COP at the same time in July of 2010. By the end of 2010 we had lost one couple and one single from our original team. We did not get that team fully back until August of 2011. Our team training date had been delayed four different times due to the changes within our team structure, another first at Avant. There were personal/spiritual differences that resulted in conflict that was hard to overcome without team training, where most of those things are brought out. We had already been delayed as a team from Jan. 2012 to summer of 2012 and with our team, in general, being new into fund raising or having struggles making benchmarks needed to leave on time; we most likely would have been delayed again.  The potential delay we thought would be unwise stewardship for those who have already been supporting us.

The thought of delay lead to some very personal choices about our family, schooling, and how our kids would operate in a bi-cultural setting. Delaying would have pushed our time on the field with our kids shorter and recently both have expressed interest in coming back to Lincoln Christian for their senior year making the transition to college easier for them, but hard for me and mom three thousand miles away in Rome. I was separated from family during my senior year and had a chance to minister to a young man who also went through that experience; both of which were not great for the overall health of the families involved. After a lot of family discussions we knew delaying would absolutely make that transition harder.

Taking all of those factors into consideration, I made a hard decision to dissolve our team by stepping down as leader. This allowed Avant, our family, and our teammates to move in separate new directions. It also allowed for us to find a need within Avant that fits closer to our gifts and time frame. Please pray for us as we consider the following options, Echo Ranch Bible Camp in Alaska or Black Forrest Academy in Germany as a dorm host family. We hope the LORD will provide clear direction soon, and that by January we can communicate to all of you the direction we will be going. The uncertainty is rather hard but we are clinging to the promises. This is not a deconstruction, but rather a reconstruction.

What other's think..

The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. Proverbs 29:25 MSG


The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. Proverbs 29:25 ESV


This truth is so convicting to me today. I sadly, many times measure myself by other people's standards. I am sometimes paralyzed by the expectations of others. I calculate decisions based on what other's will say, I worry about saying "no" to things because I fear people won't like me, I worry about what people will say if I "let them down", and do you know what this is called? Pride. I am prideful, I want to save face with people. I want them to like me... why?? Why do I fear man? Why do I let other's define me? 


God is humbling me, He is stretching me, releasing me from my pride...and I need Him. I need Him to hold me as I let go of my people pleasing ways.. because God isn't concerned with whether or not people like me.. He's concerned about whether or not I trust Him. Because scripture says, if I trust Him I am safe and protected from the fear of man. What other's think, say, or feel about me shouldn't matter. My identity is not in what other's say.. my identity is in Christ alone! I want to be safe and protected.. I guess it's time I trust that He will!

He Lifts me up!

There are many times in life where there are no answers. Where words cannot possibly be said to fix what's happening, you can't explain the whys and how's
of everything. As an adult I am finding myself in places and dealing with things
that I feel I should be prepared for, but realize that there is no way to prepare
yourself for things you've never experienced before or didn't foresee happening.
I am not capable of handling most of the things the world throws at me, but
with God... WITH GOD I can!  My faith sustains me. I am thankful for a
God who never leaves me or forsakes me, sometimes I just need a reminder..
I forget, I fix my eyes on the temporary and forget to fix my eyes on my Savior.
I am grateful that He never forgets me! Today is "Thankful Thursday"
and I am thankful for Jesus, that He lifts me up! Give Him all your
burdens, lay it down at His feet, and let Him lift you up!

Production week...

Production week has kicked off and our household will be a flurry of activity!! We are all very excited and I can't wait to see productions this weekend.. but I am asking for your prayers as we won't have much time to breath... pray for peace, kids to remember their lines, lighting, stage crew, hair & makeup crew, and Michael as he directs and fine tunes.. and pray that God will be glorified! We remember that we are performing for an audience of One! :) Thanks!

P.S. and pray I get the job at Von Maur! I really want it. :)

Heart of Worship?

I am struggling with this "heart of worship" right now. As I wrote the title of this blog the reality of what it should look like and what my heart actually looks like..well, it's not really reflecting that sentiment. I want to worship, I desire to worship... but I am a bit afraid of all the tears that will come when I take off the mask and really worship. It's not that I'm sad.. I'm not, I'm just in a place where my heart is soft..softer then it's been in good while. God is working on me, He's bringing me to places that are growing me, chiseling me, and really showing me just how much I need to let go of... It's not a process that's all that fun! Trusting that everything will be better is hard...when I feel like I am not sure how much more I can let go of... I like holding on to "my ways" and "my plans" it's hard when I feel like letting go is just too hard & too painful. Also, this whole waiting thing... ugh, it's like the worst thing in the world! I HATE waiting... so, yeah... guess who's having to wait for lots and lots of things right now? Apparently that's another thing I gotta let go of and work on... some days it feels like I am whittled down from a Sequoya tree to a toothpick and I am wondering how much more needs to be refined??... but that's a dangerous question!

Thankful Morning

I had the most wonderful morning! Morning routine goes something like this; Alarm goes off at 6:30 AM, hit snooze until at least 6:45, get outta bed, make sure kids are up and getting ready, which this morning both were up and Caleb was studying. Pack school lunches for both kids (they don't serve hot lunch at their school), make sure the kids have something for breakfast, Faith wanted me to do her hair, so I did a really cool braid, get dressed, and out the door. The wonderful part happens now... we go outside and it smells like someone baked cookies.. the whole neighborhood smells AWESOME! We are all a little perplexed by where the smell is coming from.. but linger outside our car to appreciate it! And then guess what? I have frost on my windows.. first scrape-able frost cover of the season.. excited.. frost and cookies.. loving the cold morning and to top it off it smelled like cookies! :)

Parenting with laughter!

I get such a kick out of the funny things people say, however, it's not always as humorous when it's you saying the blunder, okay I lied, I laugh harder sometimes when it's me saying the blunder. What can I say? I crack myself up sometimes! :)

Our dinner table is usually filled with lots of funny conversations and usually our sarcasm about certain situations happening in our life become comic relief. I grew up in a family where humor was often found at the dinner table as well. My brothers still talk about the time when my family was talking politics and I was about nine and I was growing agitated that the conversation didn't include me and I very loudly asked, "Who the HELL is Bork?" The table erupted in laughter, except for my father who didn't appreciate my colorful question. Needless to say, we have our favorite quotes from our dinner table as well.

I found a really great quote about parenting and it reminded me of the importance of the attitude I am showing my children. Grateful for the laughter that is shared in our home!

"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are."

-Jim Henson

So what will your children remember? I hope my children will have many quotable moments that they can laugh about and remember fondly! Even in the seasons of our life when things are stressful, remember that your attitude matters!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome Friends! It's Thursday and I am taking a moment to stop and list what's happening in my life that I am thankful for. (In no particular order... just random placement on list)

1. Humor- without it I'd never get through the day!

2. Friends with kindred spirits- you know who you are and without you....I don't even want to think about that!

3. New opportunities - I love knowing that there's new things on the horizon...

4. Freedom - what a blessing it is to be free in the Lord and live in a country with this same blessing!

5. Prayer - it sustains me.

6. Coffee - yeah, it made the list!

7. Caleb & Faith - being a mom rocks!

8. Michael - he is my soul mate & forever

9. Football Season - it's just the best!

10. Family - it's true, life begins and ends with them

Enjoy the blessings in your life... take a moment to stop and thank Jesus for all He's done for you... stop complaining and start rejoicing in the little things! :)

"Everything Good"- Ashes Remain!

I feel like this is the soundtrack to my life right now.

Story Behind Song:

Journeying

I walked into missions not really knowing a whole lot about mission agencies, I hadn't grow up a missionary kid, I didn't attend a church growing up that exposed me a whole lot to the world of international missions, I only knew one missionary as a child and what I knew didn't make me want to jump up and be one, as a young married I attended a Lutheran church that's main mission focus was internal missions (city missions), then we changed churches and were blessed to see the vision of missions through the Berean Church.. it changed our life (literally). I am thankful for our exposure to missions, we've met some incredible missionaries, people who have impacted my life and who's journey to the field has been inspiring! This whole experience has stretched me, grown my faith in Jesus, exposed me to a greater understanding of how God really does provide your every need. Financially it has grown us and stretched us, living on support is something that most people never get to experience, and I am grateful beyond words to our supporters.. this journey has been hard, but so worth it. I am pausing to thank God for His tender mercies, for his graciousness of putting some amazing family & friends in our life to walk with us, and our supporters who love us and support the path that God has placed us on. It's been hard, it's been amazing, and I know that God's working.... excited to see all that He's got in store! Thank you for journeying with me, reading my thoughts, & keeping us in your prayers...

Sweet moments of a wonderful life~

In this moment of sitting on my couch writing out my journey I am remembering the sweet moments of yesterday. As a family we went to a park and the boys fished, Faith and I took pictures, spent time collecting pine cones, laughed, threw rocks in the lake, and spent time chatting about life. I am thankful for my children, blessed that God would choose me to parent such amazing kids! Thank you Lord for allowing me to be a mommy, giving my heart such a deep joy about watching them grow up and thank you for giving me a husband who is an awesome daddy! My heart cherishes all the days that I got to be a stay at home mom and sit on the floor and read books all morning, play pretend, play in the park, snuggle, and watch countless hours of Blue's Clues.... and now as my kids are growing into these fabulous teenagers, I am grateful for their sense of humor, watching them act, sing, play instruments, hearing about classes, friends, life away from home... I am so blessed.

Honest?

Journaling online for the world to see is very different from writing it down in your own private journal.. duh right?!.. I guess what my point is, is that it's hard to be completely honest about 100% of your life online. I tend to share only the common knowledge things, the things that most people would hear me say even if they didn't know me well. The things you tell people in passing, the "fine" you give after someone asks you how you're doing, the smiles you give to people as you pass them by on your way to do something... and I feel as though more and more I am living this life.. a life where I am careful about what I say.. careful that it's not too much information, censoring just about everything I think and feel... anybody else feel like me? Like everything that really matters is just glossed over with simple answers like, "everything is going great!" has become your normal answer, even when things aren't going great...

I am feeling tired today, tired of saying the "right" things, not saying what's really on my mind... I am thankful for those people in my life who know the whole story, who know the uncensored, real and honest truth about what's really happening... without those few, I might go crazy after saying, "everything is fine," for the thousandth time. So here's to the ones in our lives who know the depths of our life and love us anyway!

Thankful Thursday

I am very thankful for art. Thankful for the way that it makes me happy! I love creating, designing, painting, and finding new ways to re purpose things. "The Earth without art is just Eh." Love that quote... I feel much the same way if I am not creating and changing things in my life... "eh". I am grateful for this season of my life right now and that I am needing a creative outlet and praising God that I am finding it.. it's helping me cope with all the changes and pressures! Here are some fun things I've been inspired by lately.

1. Pintrest.com: what can I say? It's pretty much my favorite thing right now! I am finding all sorts of fun art projects to do! Also finding fun things to change up in my house! Love!

2. Making t-shirt scarves.. thinking of doing a bunch for stocking stuffers!

3. Learning to create different braids on my daughter Faith's hair!

4. Painting on canvas once again! After we moved to Lincoln I stopped taking art classes and haven't really painted on canvas since about a year ago... and just last week painted two pictures of owls for my daughter and son's bathroom. :)

5. Helping out in an art class at Lincoln Christian this week! I have the joy of helping teach 21ish 8th grade boys the joy of creating masks for the Fall Jr. High Drama Production.. it's been really fun watching them create..and seeing how their ideas come to life!

Much

Much: a great quantity, measure, or degree; a great, important, or notable thing or matter

Hello much. I feel as though this word truly encompasses my state of being right now. How much? Is that too much? Communicating exactly what this looks like is a bit hard, the details may be a bit fuzzy and abstract, but I am guessing that you know the feeling. I am grateful for the lessons that God is teaching through this very interesting time in my life. Although at times I feel like I am navigating a foggy path.. I remember that it is His Word that is the light unto my path!

Thankful Thursday

Hello Thursday! :) Fall feels like it's arrived here in Lincoln. The weather has been beautiful the last few days and I am getting very excited about seeing the colors pop out on the leaves soon. Here's 5 things I am thankful for today:

1. Fall is starting to show it's colors:

2. Pulling out sweatshirts


3. Football Fridays & Saturdays & Sundays! I LOVE football!




4. Soup weather


5. Back to school prayer time with Teresa. Every Thursday we get together and pray over our kids together. Love it!

Decorating & Cleaning therapy

I was home today with a sick child and it caused me to be home almost all day, other than the drop off and pick up of our older son to and from school. I had the time to just putter around the house and do some fun projects and spiffying things up! I love sprucing up my nest... it's therapy to me. With Michael's help we were able to pull out the stove and fridge and clean behind them.. ugh.. was that needed!! I so enjoy cleaning things! I think I've told you all my deep enjoyment of cleaning floors, it's really very gratifying to see things all spic and span!

Also, when you have a sick child, it's necessary to keep things clean when both kids share the same bathroom.. so I was able to deep clean that too! I have a list of things that I plan to clean tomorrow... I don't think that Faith will be back to school just yet.. she's still not feeling the best. Anyone know a good product to shine up facets? Ours are kind of dull from the hard water.. I would love to see them all shiny..

I also got out all my fall things this past weekend and I plan on tinkering with that more and making the home feel all cozy for fall. Remember that each day is new and filled with new possibilities of how to rearrange your furniture and clean out your clutter! ;)

Waves

I have had an amazing week of feeling the waves of God's love wash over my heart! I am excited and grateful for the way in which God can take my heart from feeling a certain emotion and then wash over me with a completely unexpected feeling in a blink of an eye.... rejoicing and praising Him for doing what He's doing... it feels great! As one of David Crowder Band's songs goes, "Waves of mercy, waves of grace, everywhere I look I see Your face, Your love has captured me..."

I feel such peace knowing that God's got everything in His hands...

Information.... Oh my!

The Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills (SYIS) week of training was very useful. It was an intense week of learning and filled with a lot of really great dig in deep moments. Michael and I were able to apply it to many areas of our life in ministry, team dynamics and I feel like I grew in my relationship with the Lord as well as it caused me to look at ways I communicate with God.

I am feeling quite full of information and still have much to shift through and process. It was a valuable week, insightful, hard, and it's helping me put lots of things into perspective. I will have to look back at the folder of info I have and fill you in on some of the things that really struck me. But right now I am just very thankful to be home.

Hoping that your day is relaxed as well and that you enjoy your long weekend, looking forward to spending some time just being a family tomorrow! Enjoy your Sunday!

Preparing

This next week Michael and I will be in Kansas City with most of our team doing an interpersonal communication seminar.

We will be looking at relationship killers, loving listening, drawing people out, helping others solve problems, confronting well, receiving confrontation well, building trust, living in community, managing conflicts well, helping others manage conflict, walking in moral purity, managing stress, maintaining margin, helping others grieve well, & being an encourager. Sounds like good stuff!

Pray for our kids while we are away, they will be staying with our friends Ken and Teresa Sunday thru Wednesday morning and then my parents are coming to Lincoln to stay Wednesday afternoon thru Friday. We are so very thankful that we have wonderful friends and family who have stepped up to help, it makes being away much easier on us!! Pray that everyone stays healthy, they have fun, and things go smoothly!

We are carpooling down to KC with our team mate Nicole, we ask that you pray for safe travels as she drives us all there and back. We know we'll have a really fun road trip together! :)

I should get back to getting things done before we leave, I have laundry, cleaning, grocery planning, lunch planning for the kids, packing, etc.. the stress management session will be a good one for me! :)

Spark!

We had the most wonderful morning yesterday! Chatting with a missionary with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) in Rome, Italy! Can you believe it she's in Rome!!? We were connected through one of my closest friends Nikki, she had talked with Lauren and then connected us together... it's amazing to see the way that God works! We were able to talk with her about the need and impact of missions in Italy and she shared what God is doing through their mission and we tried to drink in all her insight, experiences, and encouragement that she so willing poured out for us! I can't describe the way that Lauren impacted us, it's beyond words... what a joy it was being with her! We know that our paths have crossed for a specific purpose and we stand in awe of how Big our God is!! She was like a spark for us, giving us renewed passion and greater insight! Thank you Lauren!

Join us in praying for CRU and specifically Lauren as she ministers to the college there in Rome, Italy. Also for Family Life Ministry who are doing amazing things in the lives of families in Rome as well.

Ask. Seek. Act.

We’re All in This Together

Our heart and vision is that people in Italy will come to know Jesus, put their lives in His hands and share the good news with other Italians. In about nine months we will be there sharing the Gospel and watching peoples lives changed forever because of the power of the cross. You are on this journey with us, supporting us with your prayers and encouragement, without that it would be impossible to continue the work that God has called us to. What we also need is your financial support in order to do the work that is needed.

We are launching our 50 at $50 campaign. Our sending agency has required us to be at 50% funded by the end of this month (August) and we believe that we will be! Knowing that it is only a week away, we are stepping out in faith believing God will provide! We know that it is not us who will say just the right words, but that the Holy Spirit will do that work in the hearts of our supporters. We are asking that you pray about committing to see the Gospel advanced in Italy and that you seek the Lord about committing $50.00 monthly to that cause this week.

We are asking that you would send in your commitment to:

Avant Ministries

10000 N Oak Trafficway, Kansas City, MO 64155

In memo line of check write nothing, but instead attach a note that states the donation goes to Michael and Renee Johnson (Italy)

Every gift is tax deductible and statements will be sent to you monthly

Giving is simple, the reward is eternal, and God’s Glory is the goal! We know that someday we will be gathered around the throne of God hearing Italians lift up the name of Jesus because of the work that we will do together in Rome.

We are asking that you seek the Lord and then act. Will you?

Hurry up and wait!

The truth of this statement resonates with me very deeply today. I am in this place of hurry up and get certain things done and waiting on the Lord to get other things done. My mind is wrestling with the oxymoron of my lifestyle lately. I feel such urgency and know fully that it's the Holy Spirit working in me to press forward and share the vision and get to Italy! However, there are other areas in our life right now where we are waiting to see what will happen... we've been waiting for what seems like forever and my heart is being pulled and tugged.

God is in control, aren't you glad? I mean my mind can not possibly comprehend how to handle even my own life most days.. can you imagine knowing each person and each circumstance that was, is and yet to be all at the same time? God is good! Thankful for His tender mercies today...

Praying for the boldness of Joshua and the patience of Job....

Prayer...

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Lord Jesus, You are in me, and You are greater than the enemy. You are for me, so who can be against me? I'm convinced that nothing...including the devil and his demons...will ever be able to separate me from Your love! (1 John 4:4; Romans 8:31,38-39)

We all have battles, struggles, hardships, messed up pasts, but hold on.. press forward.. trust in Jesus, He is our deliverer, protector, intercessor, and savior! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer! Psalm 19:14

Beginnings

Today was the first day of school for our kids. Caleb started his first day of High School. I have a high school age child... that seems so unbelievable! And our little baby girl Faith started her first day of Junior High.. wow..

Although, as a good friend keeps reminding me, each stage of our kids' lives brings so many wonderful things and new joys! It's so true. I am blessed. I have two beautiful children who are growing into young adults who love the Lord and I think they are pretty cool people! I kicked off the new year with my friend Teresa and we prayed over each of our children and lifted up their school day. It was a wonderful way to start the year and it will be something we continue together every week, I am so looking forward to our time together this year. What a blessing it is to have a friend who prays with you! We will be using some of the Mom's in Touch materials, which is such a great organization to plug into. (all you mom's out there who's kids are school age, it's a great way to get to know other mom's!)

I am looking forward to our final school year in the states... so much will change for us next year! Each little thing the kids are doing and experiencing this year will feel bigger I think.. knowing that it won't look like this next year will help us to take in each moment and savour our time at Lincoln Christian. It's such a great school and we are blessed to be a part of it! Here's to a great year!! :)

Caleb 1st day of High School

Faith 1st Day of 7th grade

Wonderful

Wonderful: excellent; great; marvelous:

The past few days have really been wonderful. I've felt incredibly uplifted and grateful for the life God has given to us. The road of missions is full of so many milestone moments and it's stretched us in ways that have brought such depth and further understanding of the grace of God. I am humbled by the people in our life who shower us with encouragement, prayer, financial support and words of wisdom as we walk through this deputation process and beyond!

The past few nights have been chocked-full of wonderful opportunities with new supporters and it's awesome to see God blessing our steps... more and more we are in awe of the vast ways in which He works! I feel so blessed to do the work that is required...what a blessing it is to be called a missionary...

The journey is hard, but the mountaintop moments are inspiring!

Thankful Thursday Summer Edition

Enjoying the simple things of summer today. Reminiscing about all the fun things that have left their fingerprint on our hearts this summer!

Pool days- the joy of apartment living includes a wonderful pool that most mornings is empty and it feels just like a private pool!

Sleeping in- who doesn't love this part of summer vacation?!

Camps- We were able to do Camp Maranatha as a family serving together in different roles and then Faith got to go away by herself for a week back to Maranatha as a camper with all her friends!

Late night with friends- We have enjoyed many wonderful nights & days hanging out with Ken, Teresa, Hannah and Josh Roeloffs' this summer... we've lived up our last summer in Lincoln with them!

Travels- we had road trips to Crete, Bellevue, Omaha, KC (a few times!), Springfield, boys went to CO, overall it's been a full summer of little trips!

Thankful for our summer time fun, all the things done and all the things not done... because it is the little daily joys that make up life... the small moments of laughter with family and time with friends both old and new, our last summer in the States for awhile was really wonderful! How grateful I am that Michael has been able to concentrate on fundraising full time and that we've had time to go through a lot of our things and pair down! It's awesome to think that this time next year we will have been in Italy for 2 months.... wonder what our summer will be like next year?

You got my attention...

Psalm 139 was all over our day.. we heard it mentioned in the sermon, youth Sunday school lesson taught from it, then on the way home on the radio... okay God got it.. reading Psalm 139 today... :)

¹O LORD, you have searched me and known me! ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
³You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

¹³For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

¹⁹Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
²⁰They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain!^[b]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²²I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

Family Time...

Protecting precious family time was our plan of action for the past two days! We spent time together doing normal family things like back to school shopping, watching funny movies, eating dinner together at our dining room table, and enjoying many laughs. I can't tell you enough how much needed these days were in our home!

Today I am reading a good book a friend of ours borrowed us, Emotionally healthy spirituality by Peter Scazzero, which I am flying through! I have another book I am planning on diving into as well called Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender another book suggested by our good friend Ken. So, today as we slowly engaging back into life.. we are being careful to remember boundaries and protecting our family time...

Next Monday and Tuesday our kids have back to school orientation so we are enjoying what will be one of our last weekends before back to school madness begins... enjoying this last deep breath before school activities fill the calendar. Praising God for the reminder to slow down and enjoy... Hope that you have a day where you can stop and enjoy the little things because it is the little things that make up life. Hug you kids, kiss your spouse, and thank God for life!

Rest

Our plan as a family for the next two days is rest! We are in need of some quality family time! When full time ministry is your life, it gets hard to make time for just your own family. That's exactly the prescription we are going to follow....time spent with each other, relaxing, and giving ourselves permission to not answer the phone, email, or any other form of media.. we will be on vacation in our own home! Looking forward to rest, we need it!!

In the stillness

I am at a place right now where I am craving the stillness of God's love. My heart feels more like a place of chaos and confusion.... I am grateful for our prayer team of people who are lifting us up. Please continue to pray for direction as we deal with many questions about how to effectively lead our team. Leadership brings it's own unique struggles and although I am gifted in positivity the reality of struggles is not lost of my heart.

My heart is heavy right now, I am craving God's grace, seeking wise council, and choosing to delight in the rich blessing of faith in Jesus. Pray for my heart. Pray for my husband and children. I am seeking God and spending some wonderful time in reading the Psalms... I love reading about crying out to God.. because that's exactly where I am at right now! Knowing that there is no one else but Jesus who can heal, restore, and bring us through the trials! I am shedding my tears at the feet of Jesus! Grateful that in my pain He is ever faithful!

Abound!

Our Rummage to Rome Garage Sale is over and we were blessed beyond blessed by the amount of stuff that was donated to us to sell! It was a lot of work but the rewards were great! I am so very grateful to Ann, Steve, Donita, Laura, Natalie, Kirk, Auggie & Caitlin for donating their things which helped raise support for our mission to Italy. Blessed by their generosity!

We are finally sitting down tonight and reflecting on yet another day of feeling God's abounding love and knowing that He has everything in His hands! Watching things shift and puzzle pieces falling into place... watching hearts be stirred... lives dovetail together... makes my heart shout for Joy! I love how God's faithfulness is never-ending! Better is one day in God's presence then thousands elsewhere!

Go, go, go....

It's been a lot of go, go, go for me the past few weeks... months... year.... you ever have days like this where you think to yourself, "does the to-do list ever end?" Well, I am knee deep in garage sale madness tonight and although I was planning on being asleep by now, I am still awake and thought I would be productive and blog.

I am incredibly thankful tonight for wonderful family (I've stayed at Kirk & Natalie's a lot in the past few weeks), and friends (who've donated a TON of things for our sale)... and mostly I am thankful to God for meeting me right where I'm at; and at this moment.. it's mostly exhausted and a tad stressed (and by a tad I might mean a TON!).

I have a wonderful circle of teammates praying for me and enjoyed a night of prayer with most of the girls on my team last night... my heart is full of thanks for that! I needed to just hear voices raised to God on my behalf.. what a joy it is to lift each other up in prayer! So thank you all who are praying for me and I ask that you pray for good weather tomorrow, Friday and Saturday as we have our "Rummage to Rome Garage Sale". Looking forward to letting go of excess and preparing for our mission overseas next summer.

If you want to come to the sale address is: 1141 Ivy Avenue Crete, NE

Sale starts 1pm-6pm Thursday!

Friday 8-5

Saturday 8-2

Friday Fun!

It's Friday and I am sorting through loads of garage sale things putting nice little stickers with prices on them! Yay for getting things done! I am spending the next few nights at my brother and sister-in-laws so that I can accomplish as much as possible before next weekend. Wow.. how time flies... next weekend is our big sale! Rummage to Rome is looking to be very promising, still have a few loose ends to tie up though. However, today I accomplished setting up an ad on Craig's List and calling the Crete News to place an ad to run there as well. Needing to plan a trip into Omaha to load up our Durango with things from Michael's Aunt and Uncles basement.. they have been so kind to let us store stuff there!!

Looking forward to a lunch break with my nephew and sissy! Getting stuff done is so fun!! Hope your Fridays are blessed! Come see me next weekend for the sale! Here's the AD:

Rummage to Rome is a mission garage which will benefit missionaries who will be heading to Rome next summer. They are moving across the ocean without their stuff- so come buy it! You will find clothes for women, men, and children sizes 8-XL lots of variety in brand name apparel. Furniture from beds, chairs, kitchen table, pictures, appliances, and everything in between. Lots of Christmas decor (trees, ornaments, nativities, etc.) If you want it we'll have it! Moving Sale with a purpose!

1141 Ivy Ave. Crete, NE

Thursday July 28th: 1 P.M to 6 P.M.

Friday July 29th: 8 A.M - 5 P.M.

Saturday July 30th: 8 A.M. - 2 P.M.

*Last hour of sale Saturday we will be handing out bags and everything you can fit in a bag will be a $1.00!

Mama said there'd be days like this...

There are these kinds of days where you are so spent that emotion runs high. I am quite tired tonight and have spent the last week being busy and functioning on very little sleep. My dad was in the hospital last Wednesday night came home on Friday, then had to go back to the hospital on Saturday night and plans to come home tomorrow. He's doing much better now and thankfully all tests look to be great. God is good!

As you read in my earlier blog we were in KC last Wednesday-Friday. So, I was already feeling a bit tired! We had friends over on Saturday night (wonderful time!!), then Sunday morning got the call about my dad and were off to Papillion to visit him in the hospital. After visiting we went to my brother Kraig's for the Women's World Cup Soccer game (sad results!). I stayed with my mom last night along with my brother Kirk and we enjoyed fellowship and helped her out with the dog and she was thankful that she had someone in the camper with her.

This morning went back to the hospital and got the good results about my Dad and were off towards home (thanks Michael for coming to get me!). It's been a whirlwind couple of days for sure! I am tired and thankful all at the same time... so glad I am able to be near my family in times like this. The laughter my family can share at all times never ceases to amaze me... only us could enjoy the language of the nurses and laugh when the nurse is telling us that, "I'm sorry he's gone (for testing)." and my brother Kirk says, "He's gone? We just talked to him," in this fake grieved voice.. the nurse laughed and said it was good that we had such a good sense of humor... we laughed all the more and when we told my dad his response to that was, "You should have asked if I went peacefully!" ahhh we are too much!! :) We are the family who in ICU has to have the door shut due to the spontaneous laughter that explodes down the hall if the doors open... our view on life is fun.. we embrace each obstacle with humor... you should hear the enema story... hahaha.. (but seriously, it's funny!)

However, tonight I am really very tired and have had an emotional roller coaster of feelings.... I've cried a lot and I should probably be in bed, but am going to have a cup a tea due to a sore throat I'm fighting.. my emotions are a bit raw tonight and I needed to be reminded about the joy of laughter...

Office Hours

We are home after a few days spent in Kansas City at Avant Headquarters/Training Center. It was time well spent! We enjoyed meeting a fresh group of missionaries going through the COP (Candidate Orientation Program). We were one of them just one year ago. I loved connecting with and talking to so many wonderful people, their hearts and words blessed mine tremendously. Sharing their journey and struggles and hearing the way that God brought them to where they are now. I loved hearing their stories and talking until 2:30am one night. The lack of sleep while we were there was so worth it! We are praying about each of them and asking God to fill in those empty spaces on our team. The bigger our team the better!! :)

My hubby Michael blogged about his time down there in KC and really encapsulated so well the feelings we experienced while buzzing around the office. There were so many people we had a chance to get to know better and feel like they got to know us better too!! Praising God for so many wonderful conversations with the staff!!

Take a look at Michael's blog and see what he said:

http://koinoiawithmichael.blogspot.com/2011/07/re-charge.html

Family. Friends. Fireworks!

Celebrating with loved ones is wonderful isn't it? Laughing with one another, inside jokes, long standing nicknames, favorite foods, being known in such a way that allows you the freedom to just be... These are the things that make up our 4th of July gathering each year. Knowing it'll be your last of these for awhile is so bittersweet. I know that we'll be friends forever and that when we get back to the States we'll have more 4th of July celebrations together. I also know that while we are away serving in Italy I will miss them terribly and the 4th of July next year will be hard without them!

However, the sadness is mingled with anticipation for what is yet to come. I know that we are doing God's will and that our missionary calling will hold more joy than I can even fathom, but there are times where these "lasts for awhile" are hard.

We played Startzer Olympics and drew our team members from a hat and my team won! The funny thing is Caleb was all bummed when he found out I was on his team, but he was one proud boy after watching me win in the three legged race with Monique. We rocked it out! Kevin and Caleb did an awesome job in the water balloon toss.. it was so much fun racing against everyone and I have to admit quite fun beating Michael... who is used to winning. ;)

I enjoyed every moment, ate all my holiday favorites (calico beans, strawberry pretzel dessert, monster cookies, and cheesy potatoes!) until I was overly filled, and laughed until I cried and my sides hurt. It was a day to remember! Here's a peek into the days events...

Faith & Julia

Tradition of writing our names with smoke bombs

Caleb blowing things up

Forever Friends! (amazing sisters!)

Our favorite lanters

Hug Life!

I love being an Aunt! Hanging out with my nieces and nephews is the best. We live pretty close to my family in Crete and we get to see them every Sunday for church and then in the summer it seems life slows down enough to see one another more. We have a pool at our apartment complex and it's a great magnet to cool down on hot days. We've had a lot of those hot days lately and I've had the pleasure of having lots of company. We lounge and chat... having many moments of laughter and as my kids like to say, "mom acts like a kid too". I do tend to let loose and enjoy the relationship that comes with being the Aunt. I think I'm a pretty cool one! ;) So, here's to many more days of summer... spending time with my nieces and nephews.... knowing next summer won't look the same. I am breathing deep the moments this summer... ahhh and what a summer it's been so far!!

Rummage to Rome

You would think that downsizing from a house to an apartment a year and a half ago would mean that I would have very little to downsize. I wish.

I've been going through every drawer, closet, and Rubbermaid tub that have been filled with "too good to get rid of" things. Those things now are wearing stickers for the garage sale I have planned for the end of July. My sister-in-law in Crete is hosting and going through all of her things too. We also have a good friend who is donating lots of household things (she's getting married in Aug.) and will need to combine two households.

We need others to donate their things too. We are planning on using the proceeds from the sale to help with start-up costs for Italy. Which is why it's our Rummage to Rome! So, if you are like me and have lots of "too good to get rid of but not using at all" stuff... donate it to us! We would love to help you help us! My pile of sellables is growing and it's going to be a very big sale! You have a month to look through all your things and get them to us, if you want to know how, contact me via facebook (leave a comment) and I will get back to you with the how-to. Or if you want to help us out at the sale.. let me know.

We are looking forward to simplifying our life and letting go of the clutter! Sounds good right! I'm off to look through another closet... how many towels does one really need?