Whats New With Us?

I realize how busy this season of my life is.  I haven't blogged in almost 3 weeks!  Some of the reason for this too is that Sam has the laptop with him all day, so while I have some free time during the day, I have no computer.  So I decided to recap whats been going on since my last blog post.

• Kids are all settled into a pretty decent routine as far as school is concerned.  I love Harvest Christian Academy!  The excellence they provide blows my mind!  The boys are definitely being challenged, but I love watching them learn and try new things.  Ashlyn loves preschool so much that we are adding another day starting next week.  Madelyn and Hudson continue to grow like weeds.  I can't believe Hudson will turn 2 in 8 weeks!  
• Sam's schedule is pretty rigorous with lots of outside meetings and training so that has probably been the biggest adjustment for me personally.  I am used to him being home a lot more and so it makes for some lonely days and nights.  God is giving me the grace I need to fully rely on Him and trust Him.  I know this is only a season and not a forever thing!
• Fall is in full swing, however we have been teased this past week with some beautiful weather!  It has been in the 70's all week and we have taken full advantage of it! On Monday the boys are out of school and we are going to an apple orchard with some friends (this is also Sam's day off), so we are looking forward to a fun filled day!

• A couple weeks ago we attended "Party With the Pastors" after church, which is something Harvest does to introduce you to Harvest-it is a real party too!  I took a picture of all the training center kids (this is minus 5 kids that were not available)

We are absolutely enjoying our time here learning all we can about Harvest.  It is really exciting to see God start piecing things together in our hearts and minds.  Please continue to pray for us.  We are still raising support, so if you would like to help us out you can send donations to:

Harvest Bible Fellowship

1000 N. Randall Road

Elgin, IL  60123

Just be sure to include a note that it is for us!  Above the money, we most desire your prayers!

My life at this season

This blogging thing is starting to become hard!  There is SO much going on and deciding what to blog is so difficult.  We are staying very busy, especially Sam.  This past week he learned about Small Groups and what they look like.  He also was able to attend one day of the Acts 29 boot camp, which was held at the Rolling Meadows campus of Harvest.
Okay, so enough about Sam...this is my blog right?
What does life look like for me? Great!  I am loving this season at this moment.  The boys (Bryson & Landon) are in school everyday from 8am-3pm and Ashlyn attends K4 on Tues, Wed, & Thurs from 8-11:30am.  So basically that leaves me with Madelyn and Hudson.  Honestly, I hardly know what to do with all the time on my hands.  For the first time in my life I am caught up on laundry and housework all the time.  I seriously wonder what I did when I had just 2 kids?!?  However, one thing I am learning about quickly is HOMEWORK.  Do you know how hard it is to motivate a child who has been at school all day to do more work when they get home?  Still trying to decide where I stand on this whole homework thing.
This seems to be turning into some random thoughts jumping quickly from one thing to another.  That is seriously how my mind has been since we arrived.  I have to say one of the best things about being here at the training center is this:  I am not in this alone!  There are other wives, moms, women who are facing the exact same struggles, fears and thoughts as I am.  In fact, 6 of us live right here next to each other and it so encouraging to know that they are literally a few steps away.  We were able to attend a brunch on Saturday morning together with a few of the staff wives of the fellowship.  It was held at the MacDonald's residence.  We had such a great time sharing our hearts and how God had brought us to the training center.  We shed tears, laughed and just felt so "full" when we left.  Kathy was such a gracious host and I enjoyed hearing just a bit of her heart.  I know why God has blessed Harvest Bible Chapel so much over the years....the MacDonald's are very humble and faithful to what God has called them to do.  I am blown away the more I learn about the ministries here.  The excellence and the way things are done are such a testimony to the goodness of God!
Finally I have to share something funny, yet neat that Bryson said this weekend.  He said, "Mom, we need to pray for a million dollars!"  I said, "Really, why?"  He said, "We need to pray that God would give us a million dollars for our church!"  I snickered and then later I thought how neat that he is already thinking and praying in his own way about our church.

The Beginning of Our Journey Part 2

I didn't think it would take me this long to sit down for part 2....but it has!  Whew, what a week! It didn't take long to unpack, however, there still are a few boxes in the back room (Hudson's).  We really only had Monday to settle.  Mom took us to lunch at Golden Corral and then we went to Target to get the rest of Ashlyn's supplies for school.  We had a quiet dinner Monday night and then Tuesday was the first day!  Ashlyn headed out for her first day of K4.  She absolutely loved it!  She walked right in, no reservation and did well.  She will go 3 days a week (Tues, Wed, Thurs) from 8am-11:30am.

On Tuesday afternoon after Ashlyn finished school we took mom back to the airport while Sam attended orientation from 1-3pm.  I was so proud of myself!  I drove 40 minutes into Chicago and back with all 5 kids.  Mom left us her Garmon so that will be very helpful in the days and weeks to come.  We met Sam back at the apartment and then went to Harvest for a welcome picnic with all the other training center families and the fellowship staff.  We had a great time meeting everyone (some reacquainting), however I have to admit it was a bit chilly for us Southerners.  Pastor James & Kathy MacDonald showed up so we were introduced to them for the first time and then Sam played football with him and all the other guys.  That was pretty entertaining to watch! : )  He (Pastor James) gave the guys their first assignment for Wednesday afternoon when they would work on sermon prep with him.  I took my camera, but got too busy talking to take some pics.

Wednesday morning we all got up and dropped Ashlyn off for school and the boys were tested for Harvest Christian Academy.  It was a bit of a long morning, however God worked out the details and they had their first day of school on Thursday.

Hudson & Madelyn playing on the indoor playground at Harvest waiting for the boys.

So, the boys survived their first day of school and I had no clue what to do with only 2 kids!  I got so much done around here it was insane.  I really could get used to this...Landon had a rough day Friday and didn't stay at school.  Please pray for him in a very special way that God would change his heart and help him make the adjustment.  Last night we had all the training center families over (our apt is the biggest) which is 16 adults and 22 kids!  We had a great time of fellowship and so glad God put all of us on this journey of church planting together.

Today is our church day!  We have to be there at 4:30pm which puts us leaving at 4pm and we will return home around 7:30pm so I am trying to readjust meals today so I don't have a bunch of starving kids!  We will attend church tonight as a family at the Rolling Meadows campus and then Sam will attend church tomorrow here in Elgin and then serve.  

The Beginning of Our Journey Part 1

My mind is in serious information overload!  Not sure where to start this blog post so I will start at the beginning of our journey on Friday.  Our plan was to leave out at 9am, however, our official departure time was probably around 11am.  Not to bad, considering...our first destination for the evening was Frankfort, KY (about 6 hours).  Someone graciously provided us a room there with their travel rewards at no cost, which was a blessing!   The kids did pretty well on the trip.  They took turns riding in the truck with Sam which left mom and I with the other 4 to entertain while I drove. We did stop at a McDonalds on the way for lunch and let them play for a bit.  I included a picture of Hudson on the slide because he was too cute!  He was so brave and kept climbing up the stairs and sliding down all by himself!

Friday was also Sam's birthday, which I am sure is one he will never forget!  We kept promising him to pick a place to eat his birthday dinner when we arrived at the hotel in Kentucky, however after we arrived, unloaded, got freshened up and walked over the Longhorn's it was a 45 minute wait and I just could NOT do that to my sweet children, so we ended up at Panera Bread (his least favorite place to eat).  He is a good sport though.

Everyone slept wonderfully!  All 8 of us were in one room and although it was a bit crowded at times (with noise), it was a very restful night.  We got up, ate the continental breakfast and again didn't get out of there until almost 10:30am.  Our next stop was Elgin, IL (Country Inn & Suites).  After riding in pouring rain and bumper to bumper traffic through Chicago, we finally arrived around 6pm (local time). We are now on Central Standard Time.  I have to say that was the longest drive ever!  Again, the kids were such great sports and really did well.  One benefit to the hotel was that it had an indoor pool, that was the best incentive for the kids.  We kept reminding them that this was the last swim of the summer!

We got up on Sunday morning and attended Harvest Bible Chapel (Elgin) which is the main campus where the training center is, the Christian school, etc.  It is literally 6 minutes from our apartment.  This was the kids first time at Harvest and let me tell you....they LOVED it!  They will also be attending AWANA there on Wednesday evenings.  We came back after the service (which was awesome by the way!) and packed up our stuff, let the kids swim one last time while we waited for the magical hour of 3:00!  Let me just say I seriously had butterflies in my stomach at this point...the drive to the apartment was so LONG for me, when really it wasn't.  I was like, "this is it...this is it!"  I pulled in and took a deep breath as this was home sweet home for the next 5 months.  We were greeted by another family that we had met back during our interview weekend...they helped us unload as I walked around our very spacious apartment, literally in shock!  It is wonderful....couldn't of asked for a better place to call home.  We have 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a kitchen with a ton of cabinet and storage...a safe play area outside for the kids to run and play and lots of great neighbors that are in this as well!  I will end this post with a few pics I have taken so far.  I will take some more and post those later.  I will also finish up Part 2 tomorrow night.

Kids at the dining room table

That is the front door

My kitchen! Learning how to cook with a gas stove.

Living room (from front door) You can see back door which steps out to the patio

Down the hallway from living room

When My Heart is Overwhelmed

Today was a very FULL day for me emotionally.  Has your heart ever been so full of so many things that you can't begin to even express it....today is one of those days, so if this blog post seems a bit jumbled you will know why.

First thing it hit me that today would of been mom and dads 35th wedding anniversary.  Daddy was always up to something and he usually pulled me into helping him plan something.  Last year he was in Charleston starting radiation/chemo and they came home on their anniversary weekend so daddy called me and had me get 34 roses and have them on their dining room table when they came in.  Lots more sweet memories I could share.  I do know that I am thankful that God gave me parents that showed me what it looked like to be married through the thick and thin of life.  I see now days that our culture preaches such a different message.  Marriage is work, but when you work at it, it is a very rewarding thing!
We went to church today to our next to last service at Grace Church.  Let me just say that when we first walked in the doors of Grace Church approximately 11 months ago I had no clue what God would have for us in this past (almost) year.  When we stepped away from our position at our former church in complete faith that God was moving us to something different I could not even begin to tell you how scary, yet empowering it was to know we were following God completely!  God has taught us so many things through that process and I am thankful everyday that even though some may never understand it, it is the best feeling to know we are in God's perfect will!  I have grown so much being under the teaching ministry of Grace.  The application to my life personally has challenged me, stretched me and grown me in ways that I could of never thought possible!  I saw church in a different light and my life will be forever changed because of it.  For once in my life I don't feel pressured to meet someones standard of acceptance, but I am accepted through my faith in the gospel.  I don't think the gospel has ever been so true to me in every aspect of my life.  I really don't think I have ever come to such reality of how truly broken I am on a daily basis.  I mean we all try to talk ourselves into how good we really are (we don't do this or we do do that) right?  But seeing things in a different light made me realize that we are all so broken and in need of the gospel not just once when we get saved but everyday that we breathe!  There are so many people at Grace Church that welcomed us with loving arms and showed us what practical Christian love and generosity looked like.  They have blessed us beyond words.
We had our "going away party" with our small group tonight.  When we signed up to join a community group (Grace's technical term) I wasn't really sure what exactly a small group was, but had heard different things.  We walked into a group of 13 other people who accepted us with open arms and loved on us at a time when life was a bit difficult.  They gave us meals, watched our kids, sent us out on a date night, more meals, more childcare, but best of all encouraged us and cried with us and weren't afraid to meet us where we were.  I will forever be changed by their example.  When we were first accepted to Harvest Training Center I didn't really think it would be this hard to walk away from our church we have proudly called home...today was a bit emotional for me.
Finally, I am feeling a bit anxious about what it will be like to walk away from what has been our "routine" for the past 11 months to some unknown waters and territory.  We are so excited about where God is placing us and how He is going to use us.  If I could explain all He has done over the past few months to confirm in our hearts that we are exactly where He wants us it would blow your mind!

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto you, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."  Psalms 61:2

15 days....

My kids ask us just about everyday, "how many more days until we leave for Chicago?"  So, we made a countdown on our calendar in attempts to keep the nagging at a low.  I am reminded how soon we will be leaving South Carolina for the north!  I know we will only be gone for 5 months, but I also know that things won't be the same when we return!
We took a trip to the cemetery yesterday evening.  The kids have been asking pretty often about going to see papa.  Their different responses were pretty interesting.  Ashlyn (4) immediately asked if we could dig him up.  Madelyn (3) kept saying, "Papa is in heaven." Bryson (8) was fairly quiet about the whole thing.  Landon (6) who seems to be the most outward with his grief spent a lot of time just standing there at his grave.  He picked up a rock and drew a cross in the dirt and wrote "Love Papa."  He hugged me for a long time and kept saying, "I miss Papa and love him so much!"  He said can we get some food and sit right here and have a picnic.  I reminded Landon that Papa's body was buried here, but he was really in heaven and that if we trust Christ we can see him again one day.  I pray that God will continue to work in his young heart.  I have to say the last few weeks have been hard at times.  There are times I want to talk to daddy so bad or just see his smile or touch his hand, but I know that won't happen and some days that is so hard to swallow.
Our days are pretty much filled with last minute doctor and dentist check ups for the kiddos, laundry, packing, trashing, sorting, meeting up with friends, etc.  I have to admit that the closer it gets the more anxious I become about this new step.  I do know however and have the confidence that God is right here with me and knows exactly where I am going.  Church planting is no easy task!  Details seem to cloud my mind and then I become scared, anxious and fretful about how it will all come together....when will I learn?  I just need to rest in God's plan and know that He has everything under control!  I look over the last year and can see His hand so evident in our lives!  This also brings great comfort and peace to me.

Thought I would finish out the story of the van.  To make a long story short, really short, someone called Sam last week and through a series of events gave us $1000 more dollars to fix our van.  So, we now have our van in the shop with $2000 to work with and should have a newly fixed van any day now!  It is funny how when you think God is going to work something out a certain way, He always has a bigger plan and what He gets glory through.  I am amazed at how He has worked out so many details for our upcoming move and adventure in faith!  There are still a thousand and one other things that need to come together, but I have confidence that in HIS timing and HIS way they will all be worked out by September 2nd....that is the official move date.
I have seriously considered throwing away all the kids clothes and starting over....but, I know that would be foolish, but it is VERY tempting, let me tell you.  When I started having kids, I didn't realize the amount of clothes and socks they produced.  : )