All Kinds of Excitement!

This is a picture of my soon to be new counter top. I got a quote and now I just have to pick out the tile for the back splash, faucet, new sink and hardware for the cabinets. I don't think we'll be doing all of it this month but I'll be ready when the time comes. Now that is exciting! :)
Today I got tickets to the Natalie Grant concert, she'll be in town in a week...CAN'T WAIT! Emma and I are having a girls night out. I wonder if I can work in a pedicure for us too. :)

Ok, so this isn't actually exciting but I'm pretending. The first couch we ever bought has been in our family room since May. It's not pretty...not at all! YIKES! I have been looking from time to time for the perfect leather couch. My idea of perfect is much different from my husband's idea of perfect. This week Chris surprised me with HIS version of perfect. Praise God for a husband who wants to meet my needs...I mean wants. It is a sleeper and it is some kind of leather and it is brown. I should have given a little more detail.
Friends spending the night...that's pretty exciting. Emma and her new friend Sam.

Right now KU is beating Michigan State...it's all good. My bracket is looking kind of sad, KU better win or else I might as well give up all together.

The Servant's Heart

Here are a few pics from my trip to Kentucky. I need to steal some pics from some of the other people who were on the trip. I guess I got tired of taking pictures. Maybe I just wasn't thinking straight after several days of getting 3-4 hours of sleep at night. I was trying to keep up with 20 year olds, guess I'm not 20 anymore. ha


Here I am driving through St Louis...the arch in the background.
First Baptist Church in Salyersville, KY. We stayed here the whole week and spent some hard days working in the fellowship hall here. This church was built by volunteers, there has been something like 5000 volunteers come through this building. Their desire is to house volunteers who want to come work in the area. This was a nice facility...mattresses, showers, a kitchen. I'm guessing it's much better than Mexico conditions. :)
This picture was taken upstairs in the fellowship hall at the New Hope Baptist Church. This church has had NO volunteers helping with the construction. I was able to work and hang out with this great group...everyone from GI except Caleb. Brother George is an amazing guy with a heart for the lost. I'd go back tomorrow to help finish this building if it were possible. They also had the best food! :)
Yes, that's me with a chop saw cutting metal beams. I cut about 50 of these and loved every minute of it. I also got to construct and put up walls of these beams. I felt so empowered.
These last 2 pictures are taken in the Index Community Church. We worked on their fellowship hall as well. Brother Bob is an amazing man who over sees something like 100 churches in the area. (that might be an exaggeration) He was working right beside us all week. You can pray for another great man in this area. Tom has put in countless hours helping at his wife's church but does not know the Lord as his savior.

It was at this church that we had 2 of our students get baptized the day we were heading back to Nebraska. Now that's what it's all about!

There are so many stories to share. Although this trip was not what I expected and truthfully I even found myself disappointed a few times, still I found God right there in the midst of it all. I realized that it doesn't matter what I do to serve here on Earth because it's not about me. It's about the One I serve, my Lord and Savior. It's my heart's desire to be more of a servant. Not just on a mission trip but here in my home city and for my family.

Quote for today:
How much must you hate someone to not share your belief in God?
by Penn (of Penn and Teller, yes he's an atheist)

On a Mission!

Three 15 passenger vans pull out of Nebraska tomorrow east bound for Kentucky. I am so excited for this opportunity to share my faith, my wealth and my love with complete strangers. There are some sacrifices (like good coffee) but there are also some incredible gifts that I will receive through the course of this 8 day mission trip. I do think we will all learn to redefine wealth. Although I know better, I could name some people who I think have reached the "wealth rung" on the ladder to financial success. The truth is most of the world and probably even lots of America would consider my life to be a good representation of wealth. Yes, I am so blessed.

Please pray for this journey that I am about to leave on. If you would right now jot my name and the word Kentucky on a post-it note, just put that piece of paper somewhere you will see it frequently. We need lots of prayer for safe travel, relationship building, spreading God's word and completion of the task put before us.

Tonight I have partially numb fingers after writing letters to each of my girls. They'll each have a message from me every day of the week. Oh how I am going to miss those sweet little smiles and huge hugs. I know they are in very capable hands so why do I keep thinking no one can care for them the way I do? Kind of a funny little game of pride I have running through my head I guess.

If you have a moment, give Chris a call. I'm sure he'll need a little distraction. Also, tell him, "your wife loves you and misses you terribly!" Thanks.

I have no idea if I will have access to a computer or even if my cell phone will work in the mountains. So I will say ta ta for now.

Preserving Memories of Life.

Don't you just love these ultrasound pictures? I remember so well when my 3 little girls (one at a time) were in the womb... seeing a picture of their living little bodies was just so amazing. This precious little life begins at the very moment of conception. When you sit in the doctor's office listening to the heart beat and watching the tiniest of limbs move and even punch their mommy's tummy how can anyone question the fact of life? This reminds me of the very important legislation that could be turned into law. Look up the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and consider what you can do as a citizen of this great country. Don't rely on emails that are floating around, there's so much untrue propaganda on both sides of this issue. I have a link below on the right side of my blog. There's also info right here on snopes... http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/choice.asp

Sorry about going political. There is so much pain and trauma associated with this subject. People need to know that this is not a quick fix and it is certainly not what we are called to do as Christians or even compassionate human beings.

No More Mexico

God is faithful. He has provided an alternate location for our spring break missionary group. As luck would have it, the day I wrote my last post there were some terrible crimes committed in Saltillo, Mexico so the CSF leadership shut us down. I had every bit of confidence in Dan and obviously God to have the wisdom to keep us safe. We are now going to Kentucky. Some of the kids are so disappointed however I think this will be a wonderful experience for all of us. This specific location is a very poor area, truly we will be surprised and surely saddened by this "third world country" within our very own United States.

Please continue to pray for this mission trip that lives would be changed and that each of us going will be challenged to continue our mission work right where we live the rest of the year. As of recently I have felt the Spirit move within me in ways I have never experienced. I'm so excited to have this opportunity.

Word of the Day: Chiastic Structure
Here's a definition for you-inverted parallelism. Whatever that means right?
Example: Don't live to eat, eat to live.

Mexico

My trip to Mexico is quickly approaching, less than 2 weeks. I am so excited to see what God has before me. Am I nervous? A little. Does it require faith and a desire to serve God above all else? You bet it does!

There's so much to do around her to prepare for my trip. One detail is finding a smaller purse sized bible. I also need to reload my ipod. I am really getting sick of some of those songs. My personal challenge for tonight is to make a list of every activity for the kids while I am gone. I am so use to being the one who takes the kids, prepares the kids and in general keeps them on schedule I can't imagine someone else doing it for me. The truth is, they'll be fine whether it all gets done or not.

I want to thank any and all of you who have taken time to support me in this trip whether it was by an encouraging comment, prayers or financial support. There have been several loved ones who have voiced concerns about this trip and we are keeping those comments in mind and watching what the state department has to say. Above all we are praying for wisdom and safety. My scripture for the day:

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

~ James 3:13, NLT

It is certainly our prayer to be humble before the Lord and wait for His direction.