Well, we successfully finished our first year of school. We promise a newsletter to come soon! We went straight from finals week into a two-day drive to WV. We stopped in Parkersburg to visit my grandma and cousin and had a great day. We celebrated my cousin passing her RN test! Congrats Michelle!
We next visited with my sister and her fiance for over a week and just enjoyed spending time together in Shepherdstown. We had a great opportunity to worship with the Hagerstown Church of Christ and Robin even taught a youth class there. It was an encouraging time with family!! Please pray for Ashley and Joel as they prepare for their wedding and marriage, it's an exciting time for our family!!
After our visit with them, we drove to Jacksonville, NC to spend a week with my parents. It was such a wonderful time together! We just spent time catching up and also helping with the Roosevelt Drive Church of Christ (our sponsor congregation) VBS. It was a great week with the kids, there were over 60 in attendance and the number kept growing at the end of the week. What a blessing to see those kids learning about God! I had fun chasing around 20 5 and 6-year-olds!! Wow! We also got a chance to go to Wilmington, NC and visit my grandma and her husband John for my grandma's birthday. It was a special evening.
Yesterday, we left for Stirling, Scotland and arrived this morning! It was a long trip and we are jet lagged and tired, but it was one of the smoothest trips we've had. We had an 8-hour layover in Philadelphia and had never been there, so we took a 20-minute train ride into the historic district for a few hours. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and Washington Park with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. We also stopped by Chinatown and had Chinese pastries and bubble tea (yes, Steph, real bubble tea!!!! Did you know it was a Chinese thing?).
So, we are hitting the ground running with a Youth Day tomorrow here in Stirling. There are kids even coming up for it from England! We look forward to seeing some of the kids we worked with at camp in years past. On Sunday, Robin is preaching at the Stirling congregation. Monday, we are spending time with Robin's grandparents and aunt, uncle and cousins. Tuesday is the mid-week Bible study (Robin may be teaching again) and on Wednesday, we leave for a 3-day vacation (holiday) to Inverness with Robin's parents!!! We're excited for a quiet getaway amidst a very busy trip! It's also a great chance to scope out a growing city that has great potential for a future church plant. Who knows? God surely has a plan and we trust in that whatever it may be!
Following weeks are going to be very busy and include a trip to the north to work with the youth program in Peterhead, where I lived for two years, and visit the missionaries and congregation there and then a trip back down south to work with about three or four other congregations. We also hope to fit in a trip to Ireland to work with a church there!!! As you can see, it's going to be a very busy, but exciting summer of service to the Lord and His church and seeking His will!
Please pray for our safe travels, but more importantly that all of the work be to God's glory. Please also pray for us as we consider the work in Scotland and what plans God has for it -- and for us! We appreciate it so much!!! Have a blessed week!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Going south!
Hello everyone! I can say that with relief, as we just finished our finals today! I know, it's hard to believe another semester is already gone! It seems like we just had Christmas and started this term! It's flown by, but been a real blessing. It was a challenging semester, though. We seem to have hit burnout a few weeks back. But we pressed on and made it through this week, including a brutal Ed Wharton final in Scheme of Redemption today. We did our best!
And now, we head to Mexico in the morning!!! We're excited!!! This will fulfill our foreign campaign credit. We got the opportunity through another congregation in Lubbock to join a work campaign to an orphanage in northern Mexico, just outside of Chihuahua. We will be refurbishing dorms for the kids, and of course when we get free time playing with the kids and trying to encourage them. Of course, we don't speak Spanish, but we do speak the international language of soccer! :) Please pray for our safe travels tomorrow! Thanks!!!!
It's going to be a fly-by couple of weeks, as when we return from our Mexico mission trip, we begin a campaign in Lubbock with our school. We are canvasing the entire city in an effort to spread the gospel. We'll be doing different methods, including coffee shop ministry, door knocking, benevolence work and I hope to grab some students at Texas Tech too! Please pray that hearts will be opened during this campaign and that God will get all the glory!
After three days of the Lubbock campaign, we'll be flying to NC for my dad's retirement after 30 years in the Marine Corps! We are so very blessed to be able to take part in this special day with him! If you don't know, this is a huge deal for the Marine Corps, and for our family. It's going to be an event to remember! Don't worry, I'll take lots of photos.
Well, I'm off to finish packing and get eveything ready for the big trip! Thanks to all those who support us and make it possible for us to serve the Lord in these ways. We love you all and miss you loads!!!
And now, we head to Mexico in the morning!!! We're excited!!! This will fulfill our foreign campaign credit. We got the opportunity through another congregation in Lubbock to join a work campaign to an orphanage in northern Mexico, just outside of Chihuahua. We will be refurbishing dorms for the kids, and of course when we get free time playing with the kids and trying to encourage them. Of course, we don't speak Spanish, but we do speak the international language of soccer! :) Please pray for our safe travels tomorrow! Thanks!!!!
It's going to be a fly-by couple of weeks, as when we return from our Mexico mission trip, we begin a campaign in Lubbock with our school. We are canvasing the entire city in an effort to spread the gospel. We'll be doing different methods, including coffee shop ministry, door knocking, benevolence work and I hope to grab some students at Texas Tech too! Please pray that hearts will be opened during this campaign and that God will get all the glory!
After three days of the Lubbock campaign, we'll be flying to NC for my dad's retirement after 30 years in the Marine Corps! We are so very blessed to be able to take part in this special day with him! If you don't know, this is a huge deal for the Marine Corps, and for our family. It's going to be an event to remember! Don't worry, I'll take lots of photos.
Well, I'm off to finish packing and get eveything ready for the big trip! Thanks to all those who support us and make it possible for us to serve the Lord in these ways. We love you all and miss you loads!!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
a skunk and a scone
Well, this Valentine's Day has proved eventful already. Let me tell you about our skunk saga this week...
Monday morning we woke up to the rancid smell of skunk. One had gotten under our house through a hole around the side. Apparently, skunks are running rampant in Hale Center. The skunk must have sprayed to get rid of the stray cats that live under our house that we feed daily. Yes, we feed 5 stray cats. I can't help it, they're so cute!!!
So, we called the city at the advice of a deacon in our church and they came to set up a skunk trap. Apparently, this is a normal occurence in Hale Center. We put an egg inside and set the trap. We waited for a few days.
Wednesday morning we woke up to a skunk in our trap. It was soooo cute! It was digging around until it curled up inside and slept most of the day. I have to insert here that I worked at a zoo in high school and we had a descented skunk in our petting zoo. It was SO cute and would curl up in my lap with its little feet wrapped around my arms. Ok, so I obviously have soft spot for the critters (aside from, of course, their aroma).
Wednesday afternoon, two city workers come around to take the skunk away. Only, the short one gets sprayed. They tried to cover it with a blanket to calm it down, but it was too windy. The short one said, "Well, we'll come back in an hour when the skunk is calmed down." Coming back in an hour means coming back to take it away right? WRONG!
An hour later on Wednesday afternoon, we look out the window and see the short city guy coming to our door with a rifle. That's right. You heard me. A rifle. Would anyone else be concerned about this? I was. I begged Robin to talk him out of shooting the skunk. He did. What a husband, eh girls? So the short guy leaves and says he'll come back tomorrow.
Thursday morning, as I am making chocolate chip scones for a Valentine's Day breakfast, the city employees come back. They try to cover the skunk cage with a blanket again, but the skunk sprays like 3 times. The city guys are getting annoyed, so they call a local cop to come and shoot it!!! Welcome to West Texas!!!!
Well, Robin knows how strongly I want the skunk to live (I was quite upset, which I know is a little dorky, but I can't help it), so he starts trying to talk the short guy out of it again. The cop rolls up, just as they try one last time to get the blanket on. It's a success!!! The cop is all annoyed and wants to shoot it anyway (how unfair for the little guy). But thankfully, the skunk is carted away to the city truck to be released outside of town, as they originally promised!!!
Ahhhhh... I am now breathing a sigh of relief for the skunk, lighting every candle we own to rid our house from the smell, and enjoying my chocolate chip scones topped with cream. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!!
Monday morning we woke up to the rancid smell of skunk. One had gotten under our house through a hole around the side. Apparently, skunks are running rampant in Hale Center. The skunk must have sprayed to get rid of the stray cats that live under our house that we feed daily. Yes, we feed 5 stray cats. I can't help it, they're so cute!!!
So, we called the city at the advice of a deacon in our church and they came to set up a skunk trap. Apparently, this is a normal occurence in Hale Center. We put an egg inside and set the trap. We waited for a few days.
Wednesday morning we woke up to a skunk in our trap. It was soooo cute! It was digging around until it curled up inside and slept most of the day. I have to insert here that I worked at a zoo in high school and we had a descented skunk in our petting zoo. It was SO cute and would curl up in my lap with its little feet wrapped around my arms. Ok, so I obviously have soft spot for the critters (aside from, of course, their aroma).
Wednesday afternoon, two city workers come around to take the skunk away. Only, the short one gets sprayed. They tried to cover it with a blanket to calm it down, but it was too windy. The short one said, "Well, we'll come back in an hour when the skunk is calmed down." Coming back in an hour means coming back to take it away right? WRONG!
An hour later on Wednesday afternoon, we look out the window and see the short city guy coming to our door with a rifle. That's right. You heard me. A rifle. Would anyone else be concerned about this? I was. I begged Robin to talk him out of shooting the skunk. He did. What a husband, eh girls? So the short guy leaves and says he'll come back tomorrow.
Thursday morning, as I am making chocolate chip scones for a Valentine's Day breakfast, the city employees come back. They try to cover the skunk cage with a blanket again, but the skunk sprays like 3 times. The city guys are getting annoyed, so they call a local cop to come and shoot it!!! Welcome to West Texas!!!!
Well, Robin knows how strongly I want the skunk to live (I was quite upset, which I know is a little dorky, but I can't help it), so he starts trying to talk the short guy out of it again. The cop rolls up, just as they try one last time to get the blanket on. It's a success!!! The cop is all annoyed and wants to shoot it anyway (how unfair for the little guy). But thankfully, the skunk is carted away to the city truck to be released outside of town, as they originally promised!!!
Ahhhhh... I am now breathing a sigh of relief for the skunk, lighting every candle we own to rid our house from the smell, and enjoying my chocolate chip scones topped with cream. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
a stripe with a smell
Robin and I are enjoying our research week so far. Our dear friend Crystal came and spent the weekend in Lubbock and we had a great time! It is so refreshing to see old friends. We also had one of our classmates from NY over for dinner Friday night and it was such an encouragement. We just love time of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ!
Since then, we've been trying to stay busy with all of our homework. We have quite a bit of it this week -- a 10-page research paper, 2 books to read, a book report, a 13-outline lesson series, a take home test and memorizing Matthew 5!!! Haha. You have to admire Sunset for keeping us in the Word constantly!!
As for a more exciting event of this week, we woke up on Sunday morning to the pungent smell of skunk wafting through our bedroom!!! We think a skunk got in under our house somehow. We called the city hall and they said it was happening alot around here lately. They came and set up a trap in our yard. So far, no luck! Today, the smell subsided so maybe Mr. Skunk snuck away during the night. Gotta love west Texas!!!
Robin and I are hoping to get our work done as quickly as we can so that we can take a one night camping trek up at Palo Alto Canyon near Amarillo. We've been dying to check this canyon out -- it's the second biggest in the country and only an hour and a half away!
Well, I'm off to do some reading and memorizing. Hope you're all doing well. Have a great week!!!
Since then, we've been trying to stay busy with all of our homework. We have quite a bit of it this week -- a 10-page research paper, 2 books to read, a book report, a 13-outline lesson series, a take home test and memorizing Matthew 5!!! Haha. You have to admire Sunset for keeping us in the Word constantly!!
As for a more exciting event of this week, we woke up on Sunday morning to the pungent smell of skunk wafting through our bedroom!!! We think a skunk got in under our house somehow. We called the city hall and they said it was happening alot around here lately. They came and set up a trap in our yard. So far, no luck! Today, the smell subsided so maybe Mr. Skunk snuck away during the night. Gotta love west Texas!!!
Robin and I are hoping to get our work done as quickly as we can so that we can take a one night camping trek up at Palo Alto Canyon near Amarillo. We've been dying to check this canyon out -- it's the second biggest in the country and only an hour and a half away!
Well, I'm off to do some reading and memorizing. Hope you're all doing well. Have a great week!!!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
gone with the wind...
I know, I haven't posted in months. But those months have seemed like weeks or days to this Bible student. I suppose time flies by if we're not careful enough to stop and take some time out once in a while. I apologize, especially the part of me that is the writer, for not keeping up with my blog. Hopefully, I will have better time management this term. At least, that's one of my New Year's resolutions.
Speaking of, Happy New Year everyone!!! Hope your holidays were fantastic. Ours surely were! 4,000 miles and 15 states later we were tired, but so encouraged. We spent Christmas with my entire family in West Virginia. It was so much fun! The day after Christmas, however, I got sick and had a high fever. Fun, fun! I got better after a few days and then we drove down to my parents house in North Carolina. We stayed with them a good week and a half and visited our home congregation of Roosevelt Drive in Jacksonville. It was so uplifting to see everyone. We stopped at my grandma's house in Wilmington, NC and then my other grandparents home in Atlanta. We spent a few days there before heading to Dallas and staying with Robin's sister and brother-in-law. We had a great time.
Now, we're back to the grind, or as my teacher says, back to the joy of being at school. It honestly is a joy! We just love our classmates, our teacher and most of all the amazing things God is teaching us. We are so very blessed!!
This term, we have Acts, Matthew, Scheme of Redemption, Effective Bible Study and Evangelistic Methods. Robin has preaching and has his first sermon on Monday already! Pray for him. I have public speaking 3, which focuses this term on leading small group studies.
Please pray for us this term, as it will be quite a challenge. We have a lot of memory work, including ALL of Matthew 5. We also ask for your prayers as we prayerfully decide where to spend this summer. Of course, you all must know we're considering Scotland, North Carolina or doing a mission trip to somewhere new. Please let us know what you think!
We love you all. Thanks for your love and support. Have a blessed weekend!
Yes, it does snow in west Texas!
There are always sooo many presents at my grandma's house every year!
(From the left) Joel (my future brother-in-law), Ashley (my sister), Michelle (my cousin), me and Robin showing off our scarves that my cousin Steph knitted for us.
A pretty view of West Virginia on our drive.
Our cat, Amica. She's so good on long trips.
The view from one of our favorite restaurants in North Carolina.
Us at our favorite restaurant
Me and my Dad at one of our favorite hiking spots in North Carolina on the salt marshes.
Gotta love North Carolina! :)
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