Merry Christmas

We just wanted to stop back in to wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!!  We pray that you've been able to feel His peace this season and if that hasn't been the case, that you will be able to do so from here on out.

This year, we've been forced to step way back and really grab hold of what this season is truly about;  the gift of life, freedom and salvation that came to us in swaddling clothes all those years ago.  But those gifts are just as relevent today as they were then.  His gifts are renewed each and every day and we find ourselves daily thanking Him for His many gifts this season.

The love, prayers and gifts of generous friends have deeply touched our hearts and have made us very proud and honored to be a part of such a wonderful family.  We are looking forward to the New Year with excitement and anticipation as we watch and wait to see how Jesus will manifest Himself in our lives.  We know that He is doing a new thing in our family and we are giddy with expectation <3

Our love and prayers go out to each of you, that you will seek and find Him, that you will cast all of your cares at His feet and that you will join us as we watch the night sky and celebrate the New Born King <3

*Lorraine & Bill

Jessica, Joe, Jaysen & Julia

Part 3 and counting

So we are finally up to date with this journey.  It isn't over by a long shot, I'm sure.  God is always working, always moving and we are standing firm on His promises.  We are coveting prayers; peace, understanding, direction, strength, focus, steady job, full pay, etc.  We are trying hard to be excited about what God is going to do.  His promises are fully wonderful and that's where we are standing.

Going Off the Deep End

November 21, 2011

It's Thanksgiving week.  It's month 10 on the new Richie Calendar.  It's week 40 on the you still get a paycheck calendar and then you don't anymore.  It's honestly been pretty easy, okay a few times here and there I wrestled with some emotion, but it was more the "it's exhausting holding onto the truth and goodness" kind of emotion, not the "oh my goodness we're going to sink" kind.  I am SO thankful for that!!!!

But here's the interesting thing.  We've been sitting in the shallow end of the pool.  You know the pools at the fancy resorts where you can lazily walk down into the deep end, or you can sit and rest in the warm sunshine and shallow water if you'd like.  The shallow end, yep that's where we've been hanging for the past 10 months.  Now my friends, we're standing on the diving board, no not the low dive, the high dive and the water....it's DEEEEEEEEP! 

Our choice is the same as it was 10 months ago, we can look at our situation and fret about what appears to be coming, or we can stand firm on the Word of the Lord and proclaim that no matter what we see in front of us we know, We KNOW that God is in control and that HE is GOOD All the TIME!!  Since I'm already quite exhausted, I'm going to choose the latter.  I know that one of two things will happen.  God will either catch us before we hit the water or He'll be waiting on the surface, for the moment where we explode up out of the water, flailing our arms like crazy, gasping for air.  He will be there, He will be our air, He will be our refuge, our rescue, our life perserver.

There are two other things that have to take place.  We MUST give THANKS. 

*   "Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives."  -Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts 

*   "Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:20)

And we MUST simply GIVE.

Websters New World Dictionary says this about the word give:

1.  to make a gift of 2. to hand over 3. to hand over in or for payment 4. to pass (regards) along

there are 13 definitions of the word....my favorite it number 8 to devote or sacrifice

What does that mean or what does that look like?  Well in the easiest terms it is to give something to someone else.  That could be as simple as a compliment (which when you are focused on yourself or your problems isn't so easy) or on a larger scale to give something of greater sacrifice, like a portion of your money to help someone in need.  In one aspect I am challenged to give to those in need even though I could be soon be considered "one in need".  We wrestle through that...how to give what you don't necessarily have. (They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”  Mark 12:43-44)

In another aspect, giving Thanks to God in the midst of our situation is also a sacrifice.  It would be easier to not give thanks, to look around and miss the things that we take for granted, to feel selfish and maybe stomp our feet a little and say...."poor us!!!  we have no job, how will we survive, it's not fair, we have children to feed and bills to pay...and boo.hoo.hoo"  So we choose to look in the other direction daily and continually give thanks, to see the gifts and to blindly trust....well that's faith! (sometimes that's a minute by minute, even second by second choice - it's not been easy...it's getting easier though, as we choose truth we really have no choice but to trust and give thanks)

As we stand on the edge of that high dive, we stand on faith.  As we grab eachother's hand to pray, we hold faith.  As we give thanks inspite of ourselves, our situation.....we breath and speak  faith.  You could even say that is our new address: 

Bill and Lorraine Richie

Faith Road

That is where we reside

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1-3

giving thanks

#40 Reminders that I'm NOT in control

#41 Hope in someOne bigger than I am

#45 Life that goes on

#54 Knowing your goodness in ALL things

#67 Opportunities to grow

#89 Learning together

#90 Gifts to count

#91 A Gracious God

Part 2 - Backstory

Between February and October, we had a handful of possible opportunities, none of them panned out in the way that we had hoped.  Here is the second time that I wrote about our situation and how God was speaking to me.

Another Level

October 10, 2011

So about 7 months ago I shared a note regarding my husbands unemployment.  7 months!!!!  I can't believe that it's been 7 months.  From the moment that he shared the news with me I've been holding on tightly to God, in hope, faith, and trust.  I've proclaimed that God will bring the right job at the right time, and I still believe that.  But something is beginning to change, has changed in that line of thinking.

Bill has had a handful of interviews, most of which have been typical job positions, meaning, the type that we would expect.  They've gone well, he's even had a second interview here and there.  But none of them have grown into anything.  Disappointing?  Yes!  Discouraging?  No!  I've continued to pray and wait for the "right job" that God has.  And then he gets a phone call from a source that he did not search out.  It was an unexpected call, from an unexpected source. And now a second opportunity for an unexpected position.....it's crazy-weird!!!!

Through my eyes, these job opps. don't make the least bit of sense.  From what I can see, there's no way that this could ever work out!!  But what I'm beginning to realize is that I've put certain expectations on what I believe God will do or rather should do.  I've given Him my list of criteria for what I think He should provide for my family.  It's funny to realize that I've been doing this - I really didn't know!  It's embarrassing to see it written out in text!  But I have to get it out and get rid of the thinking behind it - so I share.

First of all, who am I to tell God what to do??  What right minded Christian would even dare to do that right?  Well, I imagine there's a lot of us out there that don't even realize that we are doing it.  It has to be in "this location", it must fit between "these hours", it's got to have "this pay scale".  If we dont' get "this pay" then "this and that will not be able to take place"  He must hold "this job title", we must keep the house, not move, not settle.  It has to fit into this block or things will fall apart!!!  You get the picture.

Second of all, why on God's green earth would I even want to tell the One that created the green earth what to do?  Certainly He's proved His ability to handle things on His own, I mean look around!!!  We are surrounded with gifts that are beyond our perception of what perfect is.  The sunset, the mountains, the flowers, and His best creation, humankind.  The work that He's set forth is flawless.  And of course, sin set in and we've been messing up His work ever since!

If I truly believe that God is good, wouldn't that pertain to the times that things don't make any sense to me and my limited view?  I want so desperately to see God the way He intends me to see Him, but in order for that to happen, I must allow God to remove the layers of "self" from my being.  It hurts, it's ugly, at times, it can be embarrassing.  It's most definitely humbling and scarey.  But I must remind myself of His truths and promises.  I have to check and recheck the things that I claim to believe.  I can't keep viewing God in the way that I want to view Him, but I must begin to view Him as the truth that He is.

Some unexpected job opportunities have come up this week.  They weren't even close to being on our list, they don't make one bit of earthly sense and maybe this is just an opportunity for Bill and I to change our way of viewing God and go a little deeper in our faith.  Whatever the outcome, I know that God is good, He love us more than any other being that He created and the outcome will be beyond what we could have ever dreamed up in our measly little brains.  His ways are perfect and why would I want to mess with that??

Prayers are appreciated for discernment, wisdom, trust, and continued growth.  I believe that if we get those down, the rest will somewhat fall into place, okay, well maybe not fall into place.....but God will certainly do what He sees fit to do for us...and that is number one on our new list.

*Lorraine 

Background

I don't feel like I can move forward with this blog until I give you a little history on where I've come from. Everything that I am experiencing and learning now has everything to do with a situation that occured last January.

My husband came home from work and dropped the news that he had been let go.  To date, he is still unemployed. 

I've written about the experience on facebook in the notes section and I'd like to share those with you over the next few days.  God has been so incredibly gracious during these months and though the sky is getting darker, I know that He will carry us through.

I hope that you are touched by our story, by the way that God has carried us through to this point and that you'll come away knowing that He cares as deeply for you and your pains as well.

We Are Not In Control

February 11, 2011

We think that we are, in control, that is.  Think about it, we set our clocks for when we want or need to start our day.  We choose, for the most part, what our day will be filled with, what we wear, what we eat, who we talk to, etc.  Our gig can last for quite a while too, running smoothly with seemingly no interference.  We get proud and cocky like nothing can knock us off of our self-made pedestal...we even go as far as proclaiming our invincibility to others.

And then the moment comes, it's different for everyone, that moment that tells you what you believed was true - simply isn't.  You are not in control, sure there are some aspects of your day, your life, that you can control.  But somewhere along the way those small aspects grow into much larger ones and pretty soon you think you control everything.  But you don't.

The evening in November when I pulled up in front of where my parents were staying and an ambulance pulled up behind me was on of those "waking-up" moments.  Where I realized that my ability to control is not as great as I thought.  My father was in between heart attacks at that moment, unbeknownst to me.  I was rushed into the house by my husband to find my dad laying on the couch, holding his chest and looking very pale.  He no sooner got the words out of his mouth "I'm having a heart attack" and the EMT's were rushing in behind me.

The rest was a blur of activity and as you all know, he's alive and well.  Well, I'm not sure that "well" is completely true.  He seemed to be doing much better after that, but just this week he woke up to an ear full of blood, he's been very achy and looking pale again.  We found out that his eardrum ruptured and his blood pressure was ridiculously low....he's on antibiotics now.  But you wonder, what's next?

In the midst of that, my Grandmother, who is 92, continues to struggle with Alzheimers, a small hint of Parkinsons, and a bag of other small problems that when added up is quite a heavy load.  Her brother, my great uncle, has been diagnosed with cancer at an advanced stage.  My grandmom knows that something is wrong but can't remember what it is.  Ther are other issues within my family that my loved ones are dealing with.  Things that dear friends are working through.  All reminders of the fact that we are not in control.

So you would think, with all of the reminders, the blinding light screaming "you are not in control", that i would get it.  That I would live fully realzing that I am not in control.  That there is One though, who is.  One who has set the sun and moon and planets in motion, who told the stars where to hang and when to shine, One who has a plan for all of my days and who knew me while I was still forming in my mothers womb.

But no, I don't.  I still wake up, feeling like I am in control and failing at that control no less.  Anyway, I've continued to live this lie, this thought, this un-truth and then one day.....Wednesday, January 26th, to be completely exact...probably around 6:00 that evening, things began to change.  I was, ever so gently, reminded, in a much bigger way that I, we, are certainly not in control.

I watched out the window as Bill pulled into the drive way from work.  I opened the front door for him and greeted him with a very cheesey, Hi Honeyyyyy, how was your dayyyy : )  Big kiss and closed the door behind him.  He half laughed, put his bags down and invited me upstairs.  Hmmmmm, I'm in the middle of unloading the dishwasher, and didn't really want to be bothered with whatever his reason was for inviting me upstairs.  I don't really remember what his response was to my trying to get out of whatever "it" was but I followed him up to our bedroom.  He closed the door behind me and I sat on my side of the bed and he sat on the foot board.

I don't remember the order that the words came out of his mouth, but I do remember feeling a very heavy weight fall upon me and taking in the words "At 3:00 today Frank, (his boss) pulled him into a meeting and he was let go.  You know how in the movies, in those moments how everything around the person either stops all together or slowly swirls and all the focus is on the subject?  It was kind of like that....my jaw dropped, my eyes leaked and I tried to process what he was saying.

As I was being introduced to these emotions, I clearly felt the hand of God grab my shoulder and pull my attention away from the "pit" of fear, confusion and panic and redirect my gaze upon Him...the One who is in control!!  I quickly worked through the remaining tears and gazed upon the face of faith, hope and trust.  The only way that I can explain the ability to not freak out is that my hope and trust is deeply rooted in the God that loves me, that created me, the God that has great plans for my life (jeremiah 29:11)

I don't know what those exact plans are that God has for my life, but I do know that they are plans to prosper, they are good and they will ultimately serve His kingdom.  I also know that believing in God and His plans for my life doesn't mean that trouble and trials won't come my way.  In this life you shall have trouble......but He has overcome and through Him, I too am an overcomer.

This is a daily, moment to moment choice - for at any given moment I could very easily turn to what my nature knows as truth, and panic...but my spirit knows that that is not truth and my truth is that God loves me and my strength MUST come from Him.

There are so many of you who are daily going through trials, struggles...you question why?  You want to give up and walk away.  There are many times that I too react in that way, I tire of the fight and just want to rest.  But the rest that those actions lead to, in fact do not bring rest.  There is only One who can truly offer the rest that your heart desires, One who also created you and knew you before you took your first breath of air.  One who has great plans for your life as well, if only you would turn from the lies and seek His face.  Jesus Christ, the one who laid His life down for yours.

There are many of you who draw from the same source of hope and grace as I do, but maybe your knees are weak from the fight.  Remember where your strength comes from and Who you can get that rest from..Come unto me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.

I pray that this will be an encouragement to you no matter where you are.  I do not choose God's peace over panic easily, it's something that I am learning.  It is not by my own strength that I do it and many times I fail miserably.  But He picks me up and sets me on my feet again and I start over.  And believe me, I've had plenty of opportunity to learn.  Life looks pretty and easy in the pictures, but I carry the scars of struggles and trials, some have been pretty big (like this new unemployment) and some have been much smaller - but they've all been struggles none-the-less and they've all been opportunities to work out my faith.

Bill continues to work until the 24th, he has had a few contacts and possibilites for new employment already.  We remain hopeful and thankful for his friend and boss that continues to fight for him

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  Phil. 4:13

God bless * Lorraine

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

I know, I know, we just got through Thanksgiving! But, the truth is, Christmas will soon be upon us. This year, I feel more than ready. So, I thought I would take my excitement and joy for Christmas and put it into one of my favorite things, a list! 

My top 5 favorite things about Winter/Christmas:

1) Giving - I love to buy gifts for people and I love the joy on their face when they open said gift. Not because the gift is particularly expensive or shiny, but because I like to buy gifts that show I put some thought into it!

2) Family - By this, I don't mean extended family that I only see on holidays. I mean the family I see everyday, the siblings that get in my hair and drive me crazy. Now, I'm not about to get TOO mushy on you, but there is something about Christmas that makes everyone a little bit more manageable and friendly.

3) Traditions - I love traditions and the fact that it's something you can count on from year to year. I'm a little bit of a controlling person and I love something that I can count on to happen. Even the smallest things, like cinammon buns on Christmas morning, and the tedious-ness of sitting upstairs while the grandparents and parents get all 50 cameras ready to capture my morning breath (yes, I'm sure it's strong enough to come off on camera).

4) Snow - I love the feeling that snow brings, like Christmas is completed. I know that you can have hot chocolate and watch movies without snow, but it feels so much more productive with snow. Kind of like something to check off on the to-do list. (Watch hallmark movies with hot chocolate and snow. CHECK!) Which brings us to...

5) Hallmark - I LOVE cheesey movies! It doesn't have to be on Hallmark channel either, anything from It's a Wonderful Life to The Little Troll Prince. Christmas movies in general are fabulous.

EXTRA) Music - Christmas music is somewhat of an annoyance but I couldn't have left it out, what's Christmas without the music? I guess you could say we have a love-hate relationship. I have to note that I am overly excited for Michael Buble's new album!! woo! woo!

So there it is, as you are all gearing up for Christmas don't forget the most important part... The birth of Christ. Although the actual birth date is unknown (which gets on my nerves sooo much! Why Dec. 25th??) Christmas is an excellent time to take advantage and show someone the joy we not only find in the Christmas season but in Christ, our savior.

Something to think (and comment) about: What's your favorite part about the Christmas season?



           ~Jessica

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

I pray that no matter who you are or what you're going through that

you would feel the love of friends and family today

and more importantly...the love of God, from whom ALL blessings flow!

-Blessings, Lorraine and Jessica

My bad!!!

I have to apologize, again!!  But this time to my wonderful husband and my children for forgetting to write about our anniversary in my last post!!  In trying to remember the events of last week to share with you, my brain shut down and I remembered nothing past Wednesday!!


On Friday, November 11, 2011, my husband and I, along with our children and my parents, celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. 

 

Our daughter, Jessica, had planned for weeks to cook us a lovely dinner and she saved up her money to send us out to see a movie after!  What child does this??  We are so truly blessed to have her as one of our daughters.

She prepared for us Ratatouille Stoup; a vegetable stew of Provence, typically consisting of eggplant, zucchini, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, served hot or cold.  Jessica followed a recipe that called for it to be part stew, part soup and added Rotini pasta.  It was amazing!!  I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical....but I loved it!! 


We opted to forego the movie, since we had been blessed enough the previous week to go see the movie Courageous with friends.  So instead, we took the day off and spent a few hours in the afternoon enjoying some of the shops in our area.  My parents joined us for dinner and after we celebrated with a delicious cake that our 11 year old, Joe made for us....from scratch and the icing too - I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm bragging...I really can't help myself!!


So it appears that I had a very good week, even though it started with sickness, it surely ended very sweetly!!  I am so thankful for my husband, my children and my parents who continually love and support me!! 


How was your week?  Anyone remember it??


<3Lorraine

Fall Splendor

I want to apologize for neglecting this blog for so long.  I barely remember the events of last week.  I believe the lingering sickness made its mark on the 7 year old, causing her and I to miss church and to cancel a long awaited visit from some special friends. 


Thankfully, the beautiful weather we've been having caused us to seize the day mid-week and we headed to a local park with our cousins.

 It was gorgeous, the fall colors surrounding us, the rich history of the land and  

spending time with people that we love.

God truly is an artist.  I am never bored with the beauty that He surrounds us with and I am so thankful for the gifts.

I'm positive that the week held a lot more events than the ones I've remembered.  But I think I'll leave those memories buried and just enjoy these - obviously they are the best ones!!

<3Lorraine



Sore Throats and College Brochures

I've been struggling for a few days now of what to say and what to post. I'm completely out of ideas. This morning I woke up with a sore throat and a foggy view from my bedroom window. Not the best way to wake up if you ask me. Well, I do like foggy and rainy weather, one of my many weird quirks (that's what I like to call them, atleast). But, needless to say, a sore throat is not something I enjoy. But, I saw it coming. If you read my mom's last post you probably know that a sickness has, indeed, been making it's way through our household and, as always, I'm one of the last stops.

On the brighter side, my school day went by very speedily this morning and I'm contemplating a bike ride in this gorgeous weather. There's just one problem... I don't have a helmet that fits me and the cops where we live will pull you over if you are not wearing a helmet. Trust me, I've had it happen to me before. EMBARRASING!

To completely change the topic again, something I do quite a lot, I've been looking into a great deal of colleges and am awaiting the arrival of a great deal of brochures. I think the other day I set a record of requesting information from something around 10+ colleges. What can I say? I got college-happy! I'm looking into majoring in either Spanish or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers Of another Language) and minoring in the other. I'm struggling with the distance thing, I don't want to go too far, but I also don't want to be too close to home. This is definitely a popular topic in my prayer life recently and I can't wait for the direction and purpose God has for my life.

- Jessica

Weekend Fun

So today finds me at home instead of at church.  We've been battling colds here for the past few weeks.  It's no fun.  When you have multiple children, germs have a way of sharing themselves with everyone in the house!!!  (so kind of them)  Very rarely does it hit everyone at the same time, more often, it takes its time and goes one at a time....making sure that you miss out on weeks and weeks of activity.  It started out with our 11 year old, then moved to the 10 year old.  Now it's time for the 7 year old and I believe myself.  Luckily the 15 year old and the husband have been spared.  Although Jessica has complained of very small, cold-like symptoms...I'm pretty sure she will not go untouched!

I'm gladly accepting the break that a cold brings along.  Not that I wanted to miss church, but when it comes to breaks, I'll take what I can get!!  We've had a busy weekend and after a lot of busyness, I enjoy some down time!!  So the little girl and I are watching a movie marathon - High School Musical!!  Fun times!!!

Yesterday the boys had a birthday party to go to and it's location made running back home after dropping them off seem a bit silly.  We'd be home for maybe an hour and then have to head back out to pick them up.  So instead, the hubs, myself and the two girls went to a local mall, had some lunch and just walked around and wasted time, I mean, spent time together :)  We came home and hosted my parents for dinner and Christmas gift planning.  They pulled out the toy books and let the kids go through them, circling all of the things that they wanted.  What joy!!

Friday night we spent the evening with friends.  We went to the movies to see "Courageous".  I was told to bring tissues.  I should have listened!!!  I can't remember another movie that took me from hysterical laughing to trying to hold back the tears in one scene change!  What an amazing movie and challenge to the fathers of our world.  They have a big job to do, thankfully we have a Heavenly Father who not only sets the example of how to love, but walks by our sides as He leads and guides us to love.

I also started reading "Kisses from Katie" last weekend and finished it up on Friday.  It's the story of an amazing young woman who finds her heart drawn to the people of Uganda.  I could tell you more, but I don't want to give it away, instead I urge you to get the book and read it yourself!! It's another amazing challenge to all of us to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39) and to take care of the widows and orphans (James 1:27).  It has made me question a lot of things in my life.  We live in the land of plenty while hundreds of thousands of others live in the land of poverty.  It breaks my heart to think about all that we have and know that there are families out there who literally have nothing.  I am so thankful to people like Katie Davis who go and offer these people not only supplies for living, but a living hope...The Living Hope in Jesus Christ.  But, it's not enough for us to just sit here and leave the work to someone else.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, or write a book here on the spot (though I'm certain I could).  I will leave you with these two powerful challenges. Go see "Courageous" and read "Kisses from Katie".  I hope you find yourself moved to ask the hard questions.  

Love and God's Blessings - Lorraine

Encouragement

So, I've been following blogs for almost a year now.  I was first introduced to blogging through a video that a friend had posted.  It was the promo video for Ann Voskamps, 1000 Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where you Are (Found HERE).   It moved me in such a huge way.  I immediately connected with this writer and her challenge to see God in everything and to give thanks no matter what the situation is.  I asked for her book for my birthday and I devoured it.  I started following her blog and it was like a daily dose of nourishment for my soul, and it still is.  I eventually added a few more bloggers to my list and now follow quite a few.  Some are about life and God, some are about homeschooling and others still are about decorating and crafts.  It amazes me that there are so many women out there who are just like me.  It amazes me that due to the internet, people are connecting in ways that we couldn't have imagined twenty years ago.

I started to feel a pull towards blogging myself, but like so many others, I doubted that I had anything worthy to say.  Honestly, I am not a writer, I haven't done anything on a large scale.  I'm just another mother who stays at home, homeschools her children, and tries to live a life that is pleasing to her Maker.  As a result of following some of these bloggers, I am learning to listen to God regarding who He has called me to be.  I am learning to trust that God has given me a song to sing, a story to tell and I would be remiss to turn my head and continue being only a follower and not a leader.

I can't tell you right now, how this blog will go, how it will ebb and flow, but I can promise that you will find it to be an open and honest place 2 gather.  Some days may be light hearted and just a recap of a crazy day that I've had and some others may be a bit heavier as I continue to wrestle with who God calls me to be.  I pray that you never walk away from here feeling disappointed or discouraged.  More than anything I believe God has called me to be an encourager, so Lord willing, you will find encouragement here.  I can do nothing apart from Him who gives me strength and all the glory goes to Him <3
             - Lorraine

Answers

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" - Matthew 21:22 (NIV)

I asked, and boy... I received! I've been praying pretty consistently for a couple weeks now for something specific. For an answer. For an answer about my future. I had considered a couple of different careers.. nursing homes, financial manager, ICU nurse, but never this, at least not for awhile. When I was a kid I pictured the adventurous stories of the missionary. But those thoughts soon got pushed out of my head as images of "The American Family" replaced them. The husband, kids, chicken roast, and laundry soon took their place. But once again the meaningful life and adventure came back and stronger than ever. The thought didn't suddenly appear to me as I awoke one morning. I didn't have a revolutionary dream with 12 fattened calves. It just all seemed to piece together for me.

I love teaching Spanish to my 3 younger siblings; but teaching in a public school to American teenagers just didn't seem like enough. Nothing against American teenagers, I am one myself, but they just don't know the value of knowledge. My answer didn't come as a mission opportunty at first, but more of a teaching position. To teach English to the people of Honduras. But the more I thought of it, the more I considered a missionary position. Whether I'm supposed to call this a missionary position or a teaching position that I use to share my joy in Christ, I'm not sure.  I'm still praying for direction and I'm requesting your prayer as well.
              -Jessica

Where do you like to gather?

Somewhere...
           Warm?
           Comfortable?
           Inviting?
           Familiar?
           Inspiring?
           Friendly?

Our hope is that you find those things, here with us, at a place 2 gather! God has blessed us with a very full life, where there's never a dull moment. We like to look for the gifts in the midst of the chaos and we want to share them with you. Join us on our first blogging journey, we're sure there will be ups and downs but we hope to grow closer to God, each other, and you!