Stirring Hearts

We've felt within the last couple of weeks this feeling of being stirred. Now, it started off slow... but has continued to increase intensity as the week progressed. I am feeling more and more that God is reminding us of how He stirred our hearts and called us to missions. I am thankful for the whirl of God's hand as he is shaping us.

It's been a good week of gathering with people and talking about life and missions and our call to Italy. I have felt incredibly encouraged by the amount of support and willingness of others to hear us and then faithfully step along side us. We have a good amount of people right now who are praying about how much they are going to give in their partnership with us. I ask that you pray for our supporters, for those considering and those who are already giving! We are blessed to have so many faithful givers and seekers in our life! I am awed at God's provision and grace! He is so faithful!! Also pray that the stirring of hearts that we see would continue and that we would be fully funded soon! Pray that as we look at the next 55 weeks before Italy we would see an amazing opportunity and not a mountain of impossibility... knowing that our faithfulness to ask and God's faithfulness to provide will lead to 100%!! We look forward to seeing those percentages rise!!

Passport & Possibilities

Today we went to the USPS and Michael and I got our paperwork turned in and pictures taken for our passports! They said it should only be 2-3 weeks before they arrive! Steps like this make it seem more real, knowing that the days are going quickly and before we know it, we'll be in Italy!

Lots to think about in regards to the details of life. We have been thinking a lot about what the next few months will look like and how much we have to do! We are planning on getting some of our furniture on Craig's List this summer and I am actually thinking seriously about selling most everything at a mission garage sale this July. I will need to talk to my sister in law Natalie and get something going with some church ladies and organize this soon!

Michael has had some sleepless nights thinking about all that needs to be done and the details of what it means to get it done... We are thankful for friends and family who have taken time to hear our hearts and prayed over us about some big decisions that we will need to make within the next few months. We are trusting God! Seeking His face and turning our ears to hear Him and trusting that He is faithful! This may seem a bit vague, but it's not really... it's all about trust and taking a leap of faith. We are excited about what the next few months hold and what God has already done in order for us to be where we are! We are about 40% pledged! Thankful for faithful givers, thankful for praying friends and family, thankful that we are exactly where God wants us; trusting Him!

Please continue to pray for us, that we will clearly hear God and be faithful to follow! We are so grateful for your prayers!

Words of the day....

Happy Easter!

Praising God for the gift of Jesus! Celebrating the joy and blessing of the cross! He is Risen!! Looking forward to getting together with my family and having a wonderful meal tomorrow. Michael is making lamb, ham, potatoes and squash soup. Yummy!!

I feel so incredibly blessed. I get to wake up tomorrow morning and go to church and then celebrate the day with wonderful people. How great it is to have children, dye eggs, stuff eggs with lots and lots of candy, fill baskets and hide and watch children hunt for eggs.... I am blessed!

Thank you Jesus for the cross, thank you for dying once for all! Enjoy your day celebrating Christ's resurrection!! He is Risen indeed Hallelujah!!

Thankful Maundy Thursday

Reflecting on what this time in Lent is all about today as we celebrate Maundy Thursday. Picturing a day of Jesus eating the Passover meal with his disciples and washing their feet... how I love this image...

Before the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. By performing this lowly act of service, the Bible says in John 13:1 that Jesus "showed them the full extent of his love." By his example, Jesus demonstrated how Christians are to love one another through humble service.

During the Passover meal, Jesus took bread and wine and asked his Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples and said, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Then he took the cup of wine, shared it with his disciples and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you." These events recorded in Luke 22:19-20 describe the Last Supper and form the biblical basis for the practice of Communion.

What Does "Maundy" Mean?

Derived from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "commandment," Maundy refers to the commands Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: to love with humility by serving one another and to remember his sacrifice.

Today is a day of remembering what sacrificial love looks like. Remembering that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed with such earnestness that he sweat blood...


Last night at Oasis Youth Group we did the stations of the cross and walked through that eighteen hours that Jesus was arrested, beaten, crucified and buried... knowing that Sunday is coming!! I love Lent and Holy week is such a great time of preparation and studying the Word. How amazing it is to know we have a Risen Savior!! So may this Maundy Thursday be a vivid reminder of all that Jesus has done and may our hearts feel that anticipation for Easter morning!!

Sharing our story...

We had an opportunity last night to share our journey with a wonderful life group. It is always awesome to me to share our story about what God has done in our life! Giving Him all the Glory for where we are now and looking back at where we came from. Our story is one of redemption... as is every one's... but it made me want to dig out some old pictures from some fourteen years ago and look at where our love story began...

I graduated in May of 1996 and met Michael in June of 1996

Traveled together to Tempe Arizona in early September for a Husker game


Before the Husker Game

My Wedding Shower November 1996


Our Wedding November 30,1996

(only 5 months since we met/three months pregnant with Caleb)

Our First Christmas Together December 1996

Our First Easter Together March 3, 1997 and very pregnant!

A week after Caleb was born

Caleb's First Christmas (my Grandma, Mom, and I) December 1997

Summer 1998

It was so fun looking back at our early days together.. seeing how young we were, just a couple of kids really. I was eighteen when we got married and Michael was nineteen... and now we are going to celebrate fifteen years of marriage this November! I can't wait to see what the next fifteen years hold... he is my forever, and I praise God for all the blessings and hardships.. I wouldn't change a thing.

Thankful Thursday reflecting on the Women's Retreat

Quiet time with the Lord, nothing beats it! Today I am reflecting on my time away at this years women's retreat at Platte River State Park. It was such a joy to see women from my old church and women from my new church gathered together to learn about Finding Sanctuary and seeking the heart the God. How I need to know more about what finding sanctuary means and seek that in my Savior Jesus each day. I am so thankful for the time away last weekend. It was nice to stay up late talking with women each night, enjoying the fellowship that occurs when ladies get together!

I hope that each woman there found the same kind of rejuvenating experience as I did. I hope that it gave them time to stop the busyness of life and just be with the Lord. It was great to hear about authentic relationship not only with each other, but how important it is to have that with God. We had a chance on Sunday to hear some women share their testimonies and it was powerful to see what God has done in their lives! I wanted to share a few pics I had taken from the retreat. We had free time on Saturday and a lot of women went into Louisville to do some shopping or to Art Chicks. I went to Art Chicks and had a ball! Dress up and dessert, who wouldn't love that?! We had a Chico's fashion show that evening and our worship leader Lori Fuchs did makeovers and Angie did our hair. However, my camera died during the show.. so I don't have any pictures of myself modeling.. it was such a blast! :) All the planning was worth it, what a great weekend it was! Enjoy!

getting checked in

Our speaker Julie Sibert and friends

My sister Natalie and I

Friday evening group

Our worship leader Lori and accompanist Cathy






dessert and dress up

dress up time

the ladies :)


make up


hair time

fashion show time!

fashion runway

Sunday Morning

worship


my friend and teammate Nicole sharing her testimony