Tell the World!

Time for a change!

2009-09-25T18:54:00.000-04:00

I've moved the blog to detail our new adventure as we transition from Baltimore to Purvis, MS. Check it out at: http://mslafave.blogspot.com/

the lull is over

2009-09-22T13:45:00.002-04:00

See, the things with blogs are, they are hard to keep up. Not really difficult in a physical way but hard to come up with things that you think people are going to want to read or that matter. But, we are approaching a new transition in our life so beginning to post again sounds like a good idea.

MayMester Missionaries Rock!

2009-05-29T13:47:00.000-04:00

During the month of May we had 12 students from Hannibal LaGrange College serve in Baltimore at 6 of our churches. They do such a great job of serving and are willing to help out in anyway that they are asked.

But I've got one story that is my favorite from the month. In March of 2008 I went to The Church on Warren Avenue to visit our first incoming team since Embrace started. Somewhere in my travels I lost my portable Bible. It's my smaller Bible that my Mom gave me that I had a lot of highlights in. I retraced my steps, contacted everywhere I had been that night, and still no Bible was found. I was able to narrow it down to the fact that is must be somewhere at Warren Avenue. But have you ever had to find a Bible at a church you don't attend? Churches tend to have spare Bibles everywhere! I had resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to get it back and was really sad about it. But then, Warren Avenue got MayMester misssionaries. One evening after taking them home from an event I mentioned to them I lost my Bible and I think it was somewhere at the church. If they came across it to please let me know and I'd love them forever. Well, they were one day playing charades in the sanctuary. Kasi ducked behind the pulpit while she was awaiting her turn and saw a Bible. She checked the name and it was mine! I'm so thrilled and I do love them forever. Here's a picture with me, Kasi, and my found Bible.

everyone likes macaroni

2009-04-11T18:45:00.002-04:00

I decided that I wanted to get back into trying to eat more at home because 1., we are both trying to lose some weight and 2., we're wanting to re-do the budget and get our mortgage paid off. So to make this an easier thing to adhere to I thought that it was time to get back into meal planning. I did a little research on the internet and one site suggested taking 30 index cards, write down a meal on each card, and then choose 7 to make it a plan for the week. No problem, I thought. I got my index cards from the desk and sat down to complete each one. The issue came with I don't think we eat 30 different things- or at least we don't cook 30 different things. The 15 we came up with look like we are 8 year olds- macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, frozen pizza, grilled cheese. We also took everything out of the pantry to try to use up what we have already bought. I guess you have to start somewhere and we did accomplish a plan that starts tonight and runs through Friday. Here's what we got and I'm open to any suggestions for future ideas!
Saturday Dinner- Grilled Cheese/Soup
Sunday Lunch- Spicy Bean and Turkey Sausage Stew
Sunday Dinner- Ravioli/Soup
Monday Lunch- Leftover Bean Stew
Monday Dinner- Tacos
Tuesday Lunch- Ravioli
Tuesday Dinner- Chicken Wings
Wednesday Lunch- Frozen Meal
Wednesday Dinner- Brinner
Thursday Lunch- Betty Crocker Pasta Bowl
Thursday Dinner- Spaghetti
Friday Lunch- Leftover Spaghetti
Friday Dinner- church potluck

We communicate!

2009-04-04T09:47:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago Michael and I participated in the "Not So Newlywed Game" at our church and took home the prize. (Well, the prize was a coffee maker and we don't drink coffee so we technically left the prize at the church.) Here are the questions should you want to play at home:

Questions Asked to the Husband
1. Who would people say is smarter- you or your wife?
2. Which is bigger- you wife's shoe size or ring size?
3. If you were at home alone and had to feed yourself dinner, what would you make?
4. What chore does your wife not do often?

We got 3 out of the 4 of these correct. 1- Jaimee (answers matched), 2- Shoe Size (answers matched), 3- Frozen Pizza/Pizza rolls (amazingly, answers matched identically), 4- I said vaccuming and Michael said Picking up after herself.

Questions Asked to the Wife
1. Where was the last place your husband cut his toenails?
2. Which cartoon chacter does your husband most resemble: Batman, Daffy Duck, Charlie Brown
3. If your husband had an extra couple hundred dollars to spend however he wanted, what would he buy?
4. If the house was on fire, what would be the one thing he'd grab?

Again, we got 3 out of the 4 correct. 1- couch in front of the TV (answers matched), 2- I said Batman and he said Charlie Brown , 3- PS3 (answers matched), 4- TV (answers matched)

March Madness

2009-03-15T17:52:00.006-04:00

The winter is passing ever so slowly. Today it is 44 and cloudy/rainy. We were teased a few weekends ago with weather near 70 but it quickly went away.

The past few months have been gearing up for 2009 and that time is now quickly approaching. We had 2 teams in last week, all from South Carolina, and 4 teams in this week from SC, MS, and KY. This is the exciting time when you see the work you've been doing come to fruition.

The team from University of South Carolina/Furman University/Spartenburg spent a day at a non-profit farm that grows food and then gives it away to shelters and other places that have feeding ministries. They did a lot of prep work on the ground for spring.

They also painted murals at one of our churches that is located in a business park. Here's some of the artists with their Veggie Tales/Jonah and the Whale mural.

The other team was from Charleston Southern University. On Thursday they helped at the Rec Center located behind the church. They helped the kids with their homework, played with them, and also hosted a block party with hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy.

I like to party

2008-12-08T11:52:00.006-05:00

We are gearing up for the holiday's and are excited to be going to Ohio to spend time with the Johnson/Bogue family this year. It will be nice to spend a holiday together since we spent Thanksgiving apart. We had plans to go together to Ohio but Michael needed to go to Florida so he went there while I went to Ohio by myself. My sister, nephew, and I also went over to visit family in Indiana. I had a great time seeing relatives I hadn't seen in years. For Thanksgiving we went to my step-sister's house where I also learned how to help puppies go to the bathroom.

Michael and I went with a co-worker of mine to New York City on Saturday. I survived the cold and the crowds of people to have a great time. We saw the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park, Ground Zero, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and Times Square. It really is cool to be able to make a day trip out of going to NY.

This week Christmas parties abound. We have the Baltimore Baptist Association fellowship tonight, the Embrace staff lunch on Friday, and then a Christmas party for our youth group Friday night. That's a lot of red to wear in one week!

I miss college

2008-11-08T20:31:00.002-05:00

It has been a beautiful day in South Carolina. I have been here since Tuesday, November 4th to recruit collegiate students to come to Baltimore next summer. So far I have visited College of Charleston, Anderson University, Clemson University, University of South Carolina, and Winthrop University (saw them at Camp LaVida, not their campus). Next week I'll attend the annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and head to Charleston Southern before heading back to Baltimore next Friday.

We've finally made our Thanksgiving plans. We weren't sure what we were going to do but then Michael received a call from Jonathan Sennitt. Sennitt had surgery in September to remove a brain tumor and is back home now recovering. He called and asked Michael to come visit him so we booked Michael a flight home for Thanksgiving. I'm going to fly to Ohio to be with my side of the family. My sister, nephew and I are also going to visit relatives in Indiana for a couple days before having Thanksgiving with the Ohio family.

Tomorrow I'm visiting 2 churches- FBC Columbia and Hill of the Lord. It's also Michael's 30th birthday. Guess I better find him a present...any ideas?

Chad and Mel- missionaries in Canada

Anderson University

USC library- I hear it's has 4 stories below ground

Fireproof

2008-09-18T22:54:00.003-04:00

Michael and I were able to attend a pre-screening of the new Sherwood Pictures movie Fireproof. Once again they were able to make a meaningful movie with church members (with the exception of Kirk Cameron) and one camera. Yup, one camera. Jim McBride, one of their pastors, was at the screening. You may remember him from Facing the Giants- he was the coach with the lollipop, Bobby Lee Duke. If you have not yet made plans to watch Fireproof in the theatre make sure to do so. If you're a Sherwood Picture fan you'll notice references to their 2 previous movies throughout.

Jim McBride aka Bobby Lee Duke sans Lollipop

free shirt!

i'm back

2008-09-15T11:56:00.003-04:00

No wonder I'm getting in trouble with everyone... I let 2 1/2 months go by without updating- yikes! The summer just went by in a whirlwind and this is something that got put to the wayside. So I will do my best to re-cap and catch up but to get back in the swing of things for now, here is a picture of nephew Benjamin at 5 1/2 months. Note the 2 teeth that make him look so grown up.

summer has begun

2008-06-27T10:06:00.003-04:00

The sun does shine in Baltimore and it is great! The weather is high 80's or low 90's and I'm loving it. With our house not having central a/c it does get warm inside but at least we have 1 window unit in the bedroom so we can sleep well.

June has been a busy month with the mission teams arriving and summer events under way. We had 19 teams come this month as well as WMU's FamilyFEST. This week alone we have 10 Vacation Bible Schools and 2 sports camp.

Our summer missionaries also arrived this month so after the SBC Annual Meeting I went to Skycroft Conference Center to be a part of their orientation. We are having a total of 15 students serving this summer at 10 of our Baltimore churches.

On Thursday, June 19, we got to spend time with some friends from Florida who were vacationing up this way. We had dinner down at the Inner Harbor and showed them Duckpin Bowling. It was a lot of fun getting to see them. Hopefully they will come back next summer with their youth group for a mission trip. :-)

On Sunday, June 29, Michael and I will head down to Williamsburg, VA after the morning service to see Dan (Michael's older brother) and his family. They are vacationing in North Carolina so we're meeting at a half way point. We'll spend Monday with them as well and I'm quite excited to see Williamsburg. Then on July 2 Kathryn (my sister) and Roy (my nephew whose name is actually Benjamin) are coming to Baltimore for 5 days. My mom and Norm are currently in the Philippines on a mission trip so K & R are making the rounds visiting family. At 3 months Roy will be making his first trip on an airplane to visit his Aunt Jaimee and Uncle Coach. Stay tuned for pictures from there visit, but first, here's some from the past few weeks.

with the summer missionaries at a Frederick Keys baseball game

the Gawlowicz gang with the mustard

Beth taking her turn at trying Duckpin Bowling

did I mention we have rabbits that live somewhere around our house so we occasionally see them in our yard?

SBC Annual Meeting, Indianapolis

2008-06-15T21:08:00.003-04:00

The mustard made the trip- here we are in the Exhibit Hall

My Grandparents came down to see me

Along with Barb and Jim

Michael meeting Tony Dungy and getting his book signed. Michael told him this was the first book he has ready cover to cover since graduating college. Coach Dungy was a bit surprised.

Dinner with our bosses

Former FSU BSU Director Linda Osbourne

the love of technology

2008-06-02T20:50:00.004-04:00

Yes I know it has been almost a month since my last post and there has been a lot to write about. While time was a factor at the beginning of the month, technology created the difficulty in the latter part. Both at home and at work the internet or server went ka-put. We are now back up at home but apparently bigger issues abound at work. I know that we are quite dependent on technology but boy have I realized how much I use it. But back to what has happened in May...
On May 5 we had 19 students come from Hannibal LaGrange College to serve in 11 of our Baltimore churches for the month of May. 17 of them are leaving today and tomorrow while 2 of them have felt called to stay and serve the rest of the summer. They have done a tremendous job and the churches have fallen in love with them. Every Tuesday we had a "MayMester Outing" where we got them all together to do something. We went to the Inner Harbor, a Orioles vs. Red Sox game, Washington DC, and New York.
Also this May I turned 30, Michael visited friends and family in Florida, my family came to visit us in Baltimore, and we held our first Wednesday night youth program at our church. It's been a great month and I'm in disbelief that it's June. I've been in Baltimore now for 7 months and the time has flown by.

Inner Harbor in Baltimore

Obviously, DC

Rockfeller Center/NBC Studios

Central Park (or the boat house from 27 dresses)

Benjamin "Already Breaking Hearts"

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-05T22:09:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe it's already May and harder still to believe that means I've been in Baltimore 6 months. Today 18 students from Hannibal LaGrange College arrived to serve in our local Baltimore churches for the month of May. We've been recruiting and planning for this day since my 2nd or 3rd week here so it's been so exciting for it to actually be here. Today was mostly spent at the airport (after a brief welcome to Lander University who is serving at FBC Brooklyn this week) meeting the students and making sure they found their ride to the respective churches. Tomorrow we're having a dinner for the students, pastors, host families, and Embrace staff for us all to visit, get to know each other, and celebrate their being here.
After getting back from the airport we went next door to the Maiers house to celebrate Brandy's (Sports Evangelism Associate) birthday with some chicken burritos, ice cream cake, and Guitar Hero.
Michael is leaving tomorrow to spend a few days in Florida and is supposed to be packing right now. I'm not sure what's he's doing but it's not packing because I'm upstairs with his clothes and he is not! I'm just excited that it's not me that's traveling this time...

pictures

2008-04-28T11:35:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from College Metro 2008 and Steve's wedding

Broyhill Hall at SEBTS where College Metro was held

Linda Osbourne- FSU BSU director of mine

2 of the nicest guys @ SEBTS- they took me around as a looked for a box of stuff from NAMB

I don't know why I look so freaked out by the Oriole Bird- I wasn't but I guess the picture was taken before I could hug the bird back

with Stefany at Steve's wedding

yup, the mustard made it to the wedding as well

1 James 3:1-9

2008-04-27T00:12:00.003-04:00

Last week I attended College Metro 2008 at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. I had big plans to catch up on email, write on the blog, etc. during the evenings. However, when I arrived I discovered that my laptop cord had been left in the office. I had never done that before but knew exactly what had happened. On Monday (the day before I left for NC), after work, I attended the FCA Banquet. Well, I needed to leave the office aroudn 4:30pm to pick up Michael before heading over to the Banquet. It wasn't easy to finish up by that time so I was racing to get out of there in which I packed my computer but not the cord. So after using what battery power I had for work emails, I was dead in the water. My attempt to buy another cord was successful until it didn't work with my laptop so it actually turned out to be unsuccessful. Oh well...it was a great week nonetheless.
College Metro is a group of collegiate ministers (both from campuses and churches) that meet together once a year to share ideas and encourage each other. I was there to represent NAMB and Embrace Baltimore in talking about mission opportunities for college students. In the meantime I was able to sit in on their breakout sessions- some taught by the seminary professors- and really get a lot out of it personally. The weather was beautiful, the campus was beautiful, and I was extremely happy sitting outside taking it all in.
I got back Friday night and then on Saturday (April 19) I went to Lansdowne at 8:30am(!) for their 100 year celebration. There was a parade and small section of booths and the FBC Lansdowne youth were selling water and soda as a fundraiser. Michael was supposed to be going but had to attend Upward Sport Camp training the same day so he didn't make it until the afternoon. We raised $235 largely in part to the water, soda, and ice all being donated.
Work this week was productive. We were able to make our MayMester assignments so that's one big thing checked off my list. Now if only we could get these college kids to finish the application process as they are scheduled to be here in a week!
Tonight I write this sitting in the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel. I flew down Friday evening to attend my good friend Steve's wedding. It was my first Catholic wedding, which was neat to see, but the interesting story comes from the New Testament reading. Steve had called me a week ago and asked if I would do a reading in their wedding. I said of course and asked what passage they wanted. He couldn't remember what they selected but said he'd let me know. No problem. Forward to Friday, the day before the wedding, and still no passage. Steve mentions I should be at the rehersal dinner but due to work I won't be there. He says Janet (now his wife) knows it and she should have gotten it to me. Forward to Saturday- day of the wedding. I ride over to the wedding with Stefany and Jason- still with no passage but with a Bible just in case. We get the church and look in the program. It says New Testament Reading by Jamie LaFave, 1 James 3:1-9. For those of you who don't know, there is no 1 James! I turned to James and chapter 3 is about taming your tongue. While that could be applicable to marriage I somehow didn't think that was right. The best man then approaches and says that the bridesmaids have the reading, he'll get it when they come in and give it to me. Stefany, Jason, and I take a seat and before you know it, the wedding started and I still had no idea what I was supposed to read! When the priest announced the NT reading I walked up there with the Bible I had brought having no clue what I was supposed to do. I had marked 1 Corinthians 13 just in case because you can always go with that. Fortunately, when I turned around to the microphone the Priest suddenly came up to my left, handed me his book and pointed at the page to read. Turns out it was 1 Peter. I read the passage, handed the book back to the priest, and went back to my seat with hopefully only a few people really knowing what really happened.
That's enough typing for tonight...pictures to come.

The Sun Will Come Out...Today!!!

2008-04-10T14:23:00.003-04:00

First Baptist Church Lansdowne

The youth room in it's current state

another view of the youth room

Pastor Bill and Coach Mike

Hopefully you now have a glimpse into our new church and Michael's new job. One of the first things to be addressed is the state of the youth room. We'll be doing new paint, floor, light fixtures, etc. After we helped re-do the youth room at FBC Pinellas Park I didn't want to see another paintbrush, but it's going to look so good after it has been done.
Today in Baltimore the sun is shining and it should be around 70 degrees. It's beautiful! I have never understood what role the weather can play in your life but after spending my first winter up north (and it was a mild one) I can definitely understand why people go south for a break. The cold and overcast days just don't make for fun times. I know as a Christian our joy is not dependant upon our outward circumstances but the sunny days sure are nice!

Great news!

2008-04-08T22:18:00.003-04:00

On Sunday Michael was officially voted in as the Associate Pastor of Youth at First Baptist Church Lansdowne. Woo-hoo! FBCL was one of the first churches I went to when I moved to Baltimore and Pastor Bill's enthusiasm is contagious! I have been taking the camera with us to church but have not yet remembered when we got there to actually take pictures. This is a full time position and the first time this church has had a youth pastor. The youth program at this point in time consists of youth Sunday School so it's basically going to be starting from scratch. Michael started today and was in meetings practically all day (and if you know Mike you know he hates meetings!). But one good thing is that the afternoon meeting was held at the Embrace Baltimore office so we were able to see each other.
I'm gearing up to go back to Hannibal-LaGrange college this weekend for our final meeting with our MayMester students. Next week I'm heading down to North Carolina for College Metro 2008. I get back from that on a Friday night and overheard Michael today volunteering me to run the youth booth at the Lansdowne 100 year Community Celebration on Saturday while he is trained in Upward Camp. My schedule was quite hectic enough with just the job and now here comes the youth ministry in addition. It's all good and I love it but I had to drag out my big planner the other day and put it back to use. The weekend after that I'll be heading down to Ft. Lauderdale for a wedding. Michael was supposed to come with me but church staff do not get Sunday's off, at least not this soon, so I'll be sitting at the singles table. And that pretty much will bring us right into the month of May.
As for the family: my Mom is really enjoying her trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. I believe they are heading tomorrow to Jerusalem. Kathryn is staying with relatives and baby Benjamin is doing great. He's just like his Aunt Jaimee and doesn't like to be cold. Michael's brother Jon left last night for his 24 hour flight to Iraq for active duty. I think he's going to be over there for 12 months but before he left he got engaged to his girlfriend Molly.
That's the news for now. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Try it...you'll like it

2008-04-05T10:17:00.003-04:00

My favorite mission magazine (and not just because it is by the North American Mission Board) is now FREE. Sign up for your free subscription to On Mission magazine at www.onmission.com. On the left of the screen will be a place for you to subscribe to their email newsletter or the magazine itself.

the mustard

2008-04-02T14:17:00.003-04:00

I guess I should explain about the mustard. There is an SNL skit where they are talking about what you can and cannot take on a plane. One of the items mentioned was "mustard, but nobody would take more than 3 oz. of mustard on a plane." And Maya Rudolph's character replied, "They would if they liked mustard." Just her tone of voice and facial expression made me laugh so my sister found this jar of mustard that is less than 3 oz. so I can travel with it. Hence, some of the travel is documented with the mustard.

(And I don't even like mustard)

a few pictures

2008-04-02T14:09:00.001-04:00

Bejamin James Nichols

at Criswell College

Charm City Cakes

Washington DC

stupid bird

2008-04-02T13:59:00.005-04:00

Well March just completely got away from me and was a little too crazy. Here are some highlights:

5 mission teams came to Baltimore giving us a taste of what this summer is going to be like
A bird either flew into or fell from the sky onto my windshield as i was driving down the interstate. Fortunatley, nothing was broke but my nerves.
Went to Dallas for Great Commisson week at Criswell College
Michael moved to Baltimore
my sister had a baby boy on Good Friday- Benjamin James Nichols
went to Washington DC for my first time

At work I'm gearing up for the summer and all of the mission teams that are coming to serve in Baltimore. We also have collegiate students coming to serve in May and during the summer in our local churches so we're preparing for that.

We just about have the house in order with Michael moving to Baltimore. He has been talking with one of the churches here about becoming their youth pastor. Last Friday they voted on the position and budget so the hardest part, I believe, is over. This Sunday they will vote on Michael to be the person to fill the position. If that vote is postive he will be a full-time youth pastor having to pretty much start the youth program from scratch. More details to come providing the vote goes our way. It's so exciting how quickly it all has happened.

the past 2 weeks

2008-02-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

I'm such a bad blogger. I had all these grand ambitions of updating nightly so the world would know of the baltimore fun but when I get home I'm tired! So what's gone on since Valentine's Day? The Collegiate Conference in Lake Yale was nice- how can I complain about wearing flip-flops while enjoying the sun by the lake? I would've liked more response from the students but they didn't seem to show much interest in any of the booths there. We got back from the conference on Sunday and went right to work finalizing the finishing touches for our Catch the Vision tour that started the next day. We had 15 people come to be exposed to Baltimore and some of our local churches. The tour ended on Wednesday and we left on Thursday to go to Greenville for the NAMB Commissiong Ceremony. Michael came up from St. Pete as did his parents. It was great to see them. At the Commissioning I learned the 5 B's of public spreaking: Be Brief, Brother, Be Brief!
In other news: Michael is going to finally be moving to Baltimore the first week of March. Woo-hoo! Our house has not sold, in fact we took it off the market, but Michael's uncle is going to live there for now. I've come down with my 4th cold since moving here. Come warmer weather come quickly! Book recommendation: Missing in America by Tom Clegg.

home sweet home

2008-02-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

It's valentine's day and I'm in Florida- but not in St. Pete. I'm at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center in Leesburg. Dawn (Mobilization Associate) and I flew in today for the Florida Collegiate Conference to do some recruiting for summer missionaries. We did meet Michael for dinner at Cracker Barrell along I-75. It was really nice to see him even if it was for just a few hours. We have determined an official move time for him- the first week of March. We have decided to take our house off of the market and Michael's Uncle will live there instead. As you can imagine, I'm so excited to have Michael living in Baltimore. Another thing I'm excited about- Sonny's BBQ. Dawn and I made sure to locate one nearby the conference center so we'll be going there for lunch tomorrow. How will I get any sleep tonight?!?

thinking outside the bun

2008-02-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

i had a bit of a rough evening. i typically go home I-695 to I-95. however, i was craving taco bell and the closest one to my house would be to just stay on I-695 and then go home through the neighborhood roads. but then i hear of an accident on I-695 and traffic is pretty much not moving. so not only did i have to take the long, non-interstate, other way home from work (did I mention i didn't leave work until 8pm), it didn't take me by taco bell! i finally arrived at taco bell and it was so incredibly slow but i had come this far and i wasn't going to let anything stand between me and my tacos. i arrived home approx. 45 minutes after leaving the office but i did have a bag from taco bell. so, obviously, it's been a rough night.
the cold weather is back and it's no fun. i am not a fan of the cold air that feels like its stinging your face. i'm anxious to get to florida on thursday where i won't have to bundle up just to go outside.
i wish i had a story to tell but i pretty much work and that's that. i did find the bridge that has been being dismantled by the late night construction. it does have a section over the interstate so i guess that does explain why it's not done during the day.
my sister is due to give birth one month from today- March 11. she had her first appointment in ohio and all is well. she still won't find out if it's a boy or a girl and i think she takes pleasure in knowing that is driving me crazy.

it was good while it lasted

2008-02-06T20:57:00.000-05:00

So things are going well here in Baltimore. This week we are having four training opportunities around the area to let churches know how Embrace Baltimore can assist them in the areas of Evagelism, Prayer, and Volunteer Mobilization. It makes for some long days but I've been looking forward to this opportunity to share with the churches so I'm glad to be doing it.
While I have been doing well I have some friends who are going through some tough times- relationship trouble, job seeking, and serious illness. While I love my job and what I am doing it's time like these that it's especially rough to be away from friends (and family).
The weather was great tonight- it was supposed to get to 70 which I'm not sure if it did but it just was nice to not be all bundled up for a change. Apparently on it's way is lots of rain and cold weather but it sure was nice for a day.
I received 2 new books last night- Missing in America and Externally Focused Church. I'm anxious to start them but I'm in the middle of The Prayer Saturated Church so I'm going to try to finish that one before starting another one. I was reading Breaking the Missional Code but found it very repetitive and you know how much I hate that so I stopped somewhere in the middle.
On a good news report: Bob's (some of you know him as Baltimore Bob) daughter attends Union University that was hit by the tornado's last night. She is fine and uninjured so we are thankful for God's protection there.

peace and snow

2008-01-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Since I went to bed last night to the construction AND woke up to it this morning, I'm quite excited to be spending the night in a hotel room in Hannibal, MO. The snow has been falling every since we arrived and we're hoping that we'll be able to get out and back to Baltimore. But for now, I'm going to sleep.

oh the lemon cake was delicious too

2008-01-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have just been so curious as to how the construction noises have been going I am not pleased to announce that two nights ago they woke me up at 12:30am, last night I believe they started at 11pm, and here it is 10:40pm and I heard the first duh-duh-duh-duh-duh of the night. Yipee!

Today was a good day ending with an Associational Quarterly Business Meeting at FBC Lansdowne. It's great to go to these things and hang out with the pastors and just laugh with them. Plus they had refreshments afterwards and I'm quite the sucker for chips and dip. (Why does it have to taste so good?!?)

Keep in mind, if you ever want to come visit Baltimore you are welcome!

hard days night

2008-01-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

These days have been long with a lot of work to be done but I guess I kindof knew that going in. On Friday the SFC coordinator from NAMB was in town and basically told us it's going to be a painful road for the next couple of months as we are behind in where we should be, but once we are able to get back on track, things will be more smooth sailing. Yesterday (Sunday) we had a Concert of Prayer at a church in the city to pray not only for Embrace Baltimore but for Baltimore, the churches, etc. It was scheduled from 3-4:30pm and I really did not want to go. I knew it would be good once I got there but I was having a hard time adjusting to it being scheduled during "Christian nap time." But I did go and it was wonderful. Tomorrow night we have some kind of a leadership meeting and on Thursday I leave for St. Louis to go do a follow up recruitment meeting at Hannibal LaGrange college.
On a personal note I have watched Hot Rod which was hysterical (Mom, you won't like it), am almost done ripping all of our CD's to my computer, and have grown frustrated trying to make food for 1. I have also been turning my heat down during the night and while I am away at work. It makes for a cold house to come home too but I'm definitely at the point where I have adjusted. I still am not a fan of cold weather, but I am doing just fine. I totally see where Northern's come from when they come down to Florida and say it's not cold because even I, after one day in the 20's and the next upper 30's or low 40's say "this isn't bad."
My sister successfully closed on her house last Friday and is now officially living in Ohio with Mom. The baby is due in mid-March and I am quite anxious to find out if it is a boy or a girl. Either way it's nickname will be Roy due to a long standing family tradition of loving the movie Overboard.
Well, I've got a few reports to write before I get to go to sleep so TTFN...ta ta for now.

page 396 of The Baptist Hymnal

2008-01-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

I have been playing the piano for the early traditional service this month at one of the churches here and a few weeks ago the music minister sang a song called "When the Church of Jesus". I had never heard it before but the lyrics were quite powerful.

When the Church of Jesus by Fred Pratt Green
When the church of Jesus shuts its outer door,
Lest the roar of traffic drown the voice of prayer:
May our prayers, Lord, make us ten times more aware
That the world we banish is our Christian care.

If our hears are lifted where devotion soars
High above this hungry suff'ring world of ours:
Lest our hymns should drug us to forget its needs,
Forge our Christian worship into Christian deeds.

Lest the gifts we offer, money, talents, time,
Serve to salve our conscience to our secret shame:
Lord, reprove, inspire us by the way You give;
Teach us, dying Saviour, how true Christians live.

some Baltimore stats

2008-01-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

*There are 2.78 million people residing in Baltimore City.
*64.3% of Baltimore City’s residents are African-Americans.
*There are 268 city neighborhoods in Baltimore City.
*17.9% of Baltimoreans do not speak English at home.
*Only 24.4 % of the population have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
*As of August 22, 2007 there have been 200 murders. If the pace continues, the city will tally 315 homicides this year.
*Per 100,000 residents, Baltimore’s murder tally is at 33 murders this year.
For comparison: Newark N.J.’s murder rate per 100,000 residents is 24
Washington D.C.’s is 23
Philadelphia’s is 19
Boston’s is 8
New York’s is 4

*There is 1 SBC church for every 43,437 people. Nationally, there is 1 SBC church for every 6400 people
*Total church membership in the BBA (Baltimore Baptist Association) is 16,099
*Total worship attendance in BBA churches is 5,450
*Total Sunday School/Small Group attendance in BBA churches is 2,919
*Total Baptisms in BBA churches is 444

14 hour day

2008-01-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

The CTV trip went wonderful. I'm now home, exhausted, and about to go to bed. I knew it was bed time because I heard the construction noises. :-)

up here they say warsh

2008-01-14T23:11:00.000-05:00

I guess if I'm going to have this blog it's a good idea to actually post once and a while. I don't know about you but 2008 had me hitting the ground running! By the time I get home at night getting in front of the computer again is not my idea of fun. But as I wait for my clothes to get done in the washing machine it seemed like a good time to write. Today started our first Catch the Vision (CTV) trip of 2008. We are hosting a group of 14 men (pastors and Directors of Missions) from the Kentucky Baptist Association. Tonight was a dinner with them, the Embrace staff, and several members of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D). It went really well and I was super glad because this was the first dinner I have had to plan as part of the Mobilization job. Tomorrow we start bright and early at 8:30am and will go all day meeting with church planters and hearing their stories. One thing I'm looking forward to tomorrow besides the meetings- having lunch at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. If you have not yet gone to a Five Guys, you must find one and go. Delicious!
As I write this the construction noises have started. There is some kind of dismantling of an old railroad bridge (or something) and for some reason they do it at night. Who's the crazy person that approved that? Keep in mind it's winter so it's not like the heat of the day causes trouble. Okay, enough about that because I could go one for awhile and it's all not positive thoughts.
Nothing really to report, just been working a lot. I did play one song on Guitar Hero yesterday- that was pretty fun. Watched the first episode of the Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. Mostly for Summer Glau as I'm not really a Terminator fan. It was pretty good. First episodes are always hard because they have to lay down so much history and backstory.
Well, I think the washing machine is done so I'm going to move the clothes to the dryer and try to get some sleep. Thank you to all who write and call. I'm so sorry I've been slack in my responding. It really can get lonely up here once I've gotten back to the house (see story that follows) so the thoughtfulness is much appreciated. I realized I was lacking companionship when I caught myself talking out loud my thoughts. For example, I typically brush my teeth first and then wash my face. Well, the other day I accidentally washed my face first and found myself talking- out loud- saying "I didn't mean to do that, etc." Not a big deal but I sure felt a little crazy. Must be the late nights with construction noises preventing sleep. :-)
On that note, it's off to bed I go.

the pursuit of perfection

2007-12-29T22:45:00.000-05:00

I knew this vacation would fly and sure enough, it is. However, next time I need to remember that it's not just Christmas but Bowl Game/last week of NFL regular season/Fantasy Football playoff time as well. Not always the best time to try to work in quality time with your sports enthused husband. It is at this time that New England just made a 2 point conversion to go up 31 to 28 on New York.
Michael and I did have a date day on Friday where we went to the Florida Aquarium, saw National Treasure, and went out to dinner. I had also done quite a bit of reading since Wednesday- 2 Karen Kingsbury books, magazines that have built up, and completed today Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy.
In my most recent On Mission magazine there was an interesting article in regards to International students at our universities. "Open Doors reports that the 10 largest international-student-sending countries for the academic year 2004-2005 were India, China, Korea, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Germany, and Thailand. Together, these 10 countries represented 60 percent of the international student population. Take another look at this list. Now, consider this: six of these countries are either closed to the gospel or are strongly resistant to it. What an amazing opportunity for churches especially those that are close to large universities, to reach out and influence tomorrow's world leaders with the gospel of Jesus Christ." I love how God works. If the countries are closed to the gospel, He'll just have some of their cream of the crop come to the US for education. These are the students who will return back to their countries typically making quite the impact. While they are here they are lonely, away from what they are familiar with, and just looking for someone to be friendly to them. Imagine if we were to sincerely take an interest in these students and doors were open for us to share Jesus with them. What an impact could be made in foreign countries!
NE just scored to make it 38-28. Not looking good for the Giants at this point in time.

It was a Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas like we did yesterday. After watching A Christmas Story in the morning we spent time with family and my sister even came down from Sanford to spend the day. As a child you can't really imagine Christmas being enjoyable without the presents but as you get older you really realize that they don't matter. We also got a new niece yesterday- Claire Marie was born in New York on Christmas afternoon. That makes a total of 17 nieces and nephews with 1 on the way in March. Woah.

Luke 2- Jesus' Birth in Bethlehem
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." 15When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." 16So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
18And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

home again, home again, jiggety jig

2007-12-22T22:31:00.001-05:00

Here I am, back home in Florida. It's been a long week and it's good to be here. I worked at the office on Monday and Tuesday but left Wednesday morning to fly to Atlanta. The plane was delayed slightly due to a light being out but I'm always okay waiting for something to be fixed on a plane. Made it to Atlanta no problem and rode MARTA (their rail line) out to Doraville where an associate, Dawn, was there to pick me up. We had a night out on the town in Buford, GA where we went to Target and Waffle House. The next morning we went to Alpharetta where we were meeting with the collegiate folks at NAMB. They gave us a lot of good insight and places to start in our recruitment of collegiate students for summer missions. Flew out Thursday evening to Pensacola where I then drove over to Chipley. I didn't make it in time for the viewing but did make it over there by the time the pizza arrived. The next morning we returned the rental car in Panama City and high-tailed it back to get ready for the funeral service. (For those that don't remember, Michael's Nanny died on Monday.) The service was at Leonia Baptist and Nanny was buried with her husband in the country cemetery across the street from the church. We visited with family before returning to the hotel just exhausted from the days activities. Made it back to St. Pete today in good time. Michael went out to the mall area where we had pizza, saw a few friends from church, ate ice cream, and almost finished up our Christmas shopping. Didn't see much sunshine today but it was nice to be outside without 3 layers, gloves, and a hat. It has been great seeing family again and cannot believe how fast little ones grow in a month and a half. I'm now tuckered out so even though it's only 10:30pm I'm going to get ready for bed!

life comes at you fast

2007-12-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

We've all been there. One moment life is going along just fine and then what seems to appear out of nowhere, you are thrown a curveball. Within the past 6 days I am aware of it happening twice. Now, in both of these cases, the families are at peace and know that God is in control but it just amazes me how fast your life can change directions.
I leave for Atlanta on Wednesday but changed my flight on Thursday to fly into Pensacola. Michael's grandmother, Nanny, died today and her service will be in Panama City on Friday. Not exactly the way one expects to start their holiday vacation but I know she is with the Lord. One cool thing I found out is that Nanny's mother died while giving birth to her. So today, since they were both Christians, they met each other for the first time in heaven.

goodbye neil

2007-12-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

As I watch my recording of The Biggest Loser from tonight I must say I'm glad that Neil has finally been sent home. But enough about that...
It's been awhile since I posted and I apologize for that. A week ago today I started not feeling well and have been battling a cold and cough for 7 days now. Yuck. On the job front, everything has been going really well. I accepted the position of Director of Mobilization 2 weeks ago so I am now in charge of the mobilization of all of the volunteers over the next two years. I'm working with an associate named Dawn. She was actually doing the job without a supervisor for about 2 months so I think together we are going to make a great team. So, if anyone is looking for a mission trip for 2008 or 2009 check out www.embracebaltimore.com and come on up!
I'm heading home on December 20th and should be there for a few weeks- can't wait to see everyone then!

rain, rain, please don't turn into snow

2007-12-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

This past week we got to meet with some of the team from Cleveland, a strategic focus city that is winding down it's final year now. They gave us some great insight on how they did things which provided a good vision for what all needs to be done...and it's a lot. But I'm really excited to get to work to make 2008 successful for volunteers and the local churches. If anyone is interested, or knows of anyone who is looking for a mission trip location, might I suggest coming to Baltimore to partner with one of the local churches. Embrace Baltimore will help facilitate so don't be intimidated! Yesterday morning I had a lot of fun going to the pre-game festivities for the Army/Navy game that was being played in Baltimore. We went to see the cadets and midshipmen march to the stadium and then did all the free stuff in the harbor like touring the ships, seeing a helicopter, and checking out some army equipment. I didn't have any interest in watching the game so when I got back home I took a nap instead. Went out last evening back to the Inner Harbor to ESPN Zone and played some arcade games. I stunk at pretty much everything except Air Hockey so thanks youth room for the practice!
(Side note for those who watch wrestling: I just saw a preview that Jericho is on Raw. I can't believe he's still around. I thought he was so awful that I was actually embarrassed for him when he was on. 10 years later- I still am.)
Today I attended FBC Dundalk where they celebrated a baptism and the Lord's Supper. Afterwards they had their church wide Christmas dinner with everyone invited so I, of course, stuck around. I'm no fool and know better than to turn down a Southern Baptist potluck. It's been raining since early afternoon and I'm nervous about how cold it's going to get. Tomorrow is the Baltimore Baptist Association Christmas dinner for Pastor's and spouses. I'll be attending as well and hope that I will be able to meet some of the pastor's I haven't yet met.
Thanks to all who have kept in touch with emails and phone calls. I miss you!

Thankful for a great Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

It's now that time- that time where we all have to start thinking about going back to work after having a lovely holiday. Michael and I had a great time with my family in Ohio. It's the first time in many, many years that my mom, sister, and I have had Thanksgiving together. My grandparents came over from Indiana and it was just a really nice time with everyone there. My parents leave for Africa on Tuesday for a 3 week mission trip. Any prayers you remember to offer up will be much appreciated.
Michael went back to Florida yesterday afternoon. His flight wasn't delayed but they lost his luggage again. I wonder what the stats are on having your luggage lost both times. (They delivered it today.)
I am still working on everything have a place and knowing what that place is in the house. I went grocery shopping today so the kitchen is now set. The cabinets have a weird, musty odor that I'm trying to get rid of. I've tried vinegar, baking soda, and now I've got damp rid and newspapers sprayed with Arm & Hammer spray. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!

Hannibal, MO- I love the city for the name

2007-11-19T00:47:00.000-05:00

If only plans came together in real life like they did for Hannibal on the A-Team. Friday night in picking Michael up from the airport was a big mess. To get to the DCA airport from Baltimore you take I-95 South and then go north on Route 1. So off I go to DCA and get about halfway there when I see a sign that says there has been an accident and I-95 South is closed up ahead, all lanes, expect major delays. Since I know of no other way to get to DCA I take an exit that says Route 1 and figure I'll just go south on Route 1 to get to the airport. I called Michael's parents for confirmation this would work and through a series of events that had me frustrated to tears, I ended up in Virginia. Thanks to the miracle of internet maps, they followed me on the map until I reached the airport. But the fun had only just begun. Michael's luggage did not arrive on his flight so they said it would probably be on the next flight arriving from Atlanta and that was getting in approximately 20 minutes from then. No problem- I parked the car and went inside to wait with him. Well, of course more than 20 minutes goes by but the other flight finally arrived but alas, still no luggage. Our first case of missing luggage- yuck. We filled out the paperwork and they said it would probably arrive the next day and they would bring it to us. Great. On the way back home a car flew past us going some sort of crazy high speed. I was going 70 mph and this car completely flew past us like we were on a Sunday drive. I saw it up ahead try and change lanes and next thing we know it was spinning across the interstate and landed off of the right hand side of the road. It didn't appear to be as serious as it looked like it could have been so we called 911 and continued on our way home arriving there around 2:30am. Needless to say we did not attend the conference the next day but stayed home relaxing and waiting for the luggage that never showed. We did get an answer to our phone call that it had arrived at DCA but it actually wasn't delivered until today (Sunday) at 11:20am. No luggage meant no church appropriate clothes so we did not attend church this AM as we had also planned on doing. But since the luggage arrived things have been better. The flight to St. Louis went off no problem and we're now in Hannibal where the college is at. I've got a king size bed to myself and the room temperature on as high of heat as I want- it's going to be a good night. :-)

Friday!

2007-11-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

Well the brochures are made, the interest forms printed, the pens collected and it's off to St. Louis on Sunday. We are recuiting specifically at Hannibal LaGrange college for coming in May but if you know of any college student interested in being a summer or semester missionary through NAMB please direct them to www.answerthecall.net. We're interested in them coming to Baltimore!
Tomorrow Michael and I are attending a conference called Missing in America: Making an Eternal Difference in the World Next Door. It's one I saw my first day here and have been wanting to go. I'm glad Coach is a good sport and willing to go along. The probably won't even show the Bucs game here on Sunday and he came anyway!
Hope everyone has a great weekend like I am planning on having!

one week later

2007-11-12T22:13:00.001-05:00

I am just amazed that it has been a week since I last wrote. That was certainly unintentional and I can't even believe that it has been that long. The CTV went very well, was very informative, and the need for people to partner with Baltimore is great. On Thursday we moved Dawn and Lily into their new house and so now the place is to myself. Friday was my first full day in the office. I finally feel like I am set up and ready to work. While I should've been unpacking and setting up the house on Saurday I opted instead for a minister's wives luncheon I was invited to and then I went to see Martian Child. I went to Streetlite Christian Fellowship on Sunday morning since they have a 10am service (most churches up here meet at 11am). We were leaving at 1pm to head to Ocean City, MD for the state convention so I had just enough time to finish packing and grab lunch before we left.
This is my first convention and all I am really doing is manning the Embrace Baltimore booth and meeting people but I am having a lot of fun. I have met a lot of people and, of course, picked up a lot of free stuff. :-) Tomorrow will be another full day of the convention and we'll get back home around 9pm.
One piece of exciting news (at least it is for me) is that we booked a flight for Michael to come up this Friday night and stay through the following Saturday. I will be traveling for a couple days to do college recruiting in St. Louis but it was cheaper for him to fly then and stay in Baltimore than to fly closer to Thanksgiving. I'm quite happy to be seeing him again so soon and am thankful that it should only be a few more weeks before I can see him over the Christmas holidays.
If you haven't done so yet, check out www.embracebaltimore.com!

the vision is being caught

2007-11-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

spent the morning looking at the staples website to order supplies. i'm still not sure exactly what all i need but it's weird starting from scratch. my first assignment is to make a database of church's that are doing events over the next few years. the catch the vision trip day 1 went very well. we met with 3 pastor's today and it was so great to hear their stories. they all had great vision of how they want to impact and reach baltimore. it was refreshing to hear from people who are willing to do whatever it takes to reach their communities. in the van some people were talking about pastors/churches who want everything to be the same it was years ago and are not currently being effective in reaching their communities because the community has changed dynamics. well, what happens to all the people that are now in the neighborhood but don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? they go unreached and will go to hell. it's a tough reality to have to hear but it just really struck me today that unless the christians are willing to do whatever it takes to give people the opportunity to receive christ, to be willing to adjust to the current population, to be willing to put themselves out there that these people are going to go to hell. why on earth would any church not want to adjust to the people that are now there? it's all about HIM and everything else just doesn't matter.
i'm looking forward to another day of getting to know the area pastor's. please pray for the people of baltimore that they would be open and receptive to hearing about Jesus. pray for the pastors that they receive vision of what God would have them to do to reach baltimore. pray for the embrace baltimore team as we seek ways to assist the churches in winning baltimore for christ.

work begins tomorrow

2007-11-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

First off, I want to apologize and explain my lack of personal communication. Right now I am living in the living room of the house I am currently sharing with the other US/C2 girls. It's back to a dorm-style of life, which is fine, but is an adjustment to the married-style of life. There is one internet connection so I am not able to frequently communicate that way and my letter writing materials (aka stamps) are in a box somewhere that is not yet open. The girls are probably moving into their new place next weekend and then I will have to spend some time getting things set up here. So I appreciate your patience and will do my best to keep in touch.
Today I attended and was introduced at First Baptist Church Dundalk. I really enjoyed the service and the people were very friendly. FBCD is where the people who own the house I am going to be living in attend. FBCD has adopted it and furnished it with supplies for missionaries. Next week I'll go "shopping" in their food pantry for some basics to get me started.
Tomorrow is my first day in the office, but even then, I won't be in the office much. There is a Catch the Vision trip from Monday at noon through Wednesday afternoon where people from other churches (outside of Baltimore) come to see what is going on to "catch the vision". Since this will be my first day I will be catching the vision as an orientation so I can jump in with both feet running. And running definitely seems to be the key. Next week I'll spend a few days in Ocean City at the Maryland/Delaware state convention and the week after that will spend a few days recruiting college kids in Missouri. I'm so excited about what's going on and this opportunity and it hasn't really even started yet.
Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. And a special hello to those who attended Adults on Misson at FBC Pinellas Park tonight to learn about Strategic Focus Cities!

finally in Baltimore

2007-11-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Norm and I left for Baltimore on Wednesday (October 31) morning. We made good time and stopped in Dunn, NC for the night. The next morning we continued on, took a leisurely lunch at Cracker Barrell, and arrived in Baltimore around 4pm. Total mileage was approx. 1000 miles. Whew! The house that I will be staying at is currently hosting two other US/C2 missionaries. They are awaiting an affirmative vote this Sunday from a church that has a parsonage. They will move into that house sometime next week and then I will unpack all of my stuff that is currently in their living room.
Yesterday, Friday, November 2, we returned the Budget truck in the morning and I took Norm to the airport. I then met up with Jennifer, the director's wife, and we spent the afternoon together. I went to the office and got to meet everyone, see where I'll be sitting, and get some paperwork done. It was good to start getting acclamated. I spent the night last night in a hotel to get my thoughts together but starting tonight I'll go live in the house.
One thing that is my biggest challenge so far- the weather. Of course, I knew this was going to be something I would be getting used to but it really is cold compared to Florida. Once I unpack and get to some of my long sleeve clothes, things should be a bit better. I think on the top of my list of things to do is finding some good winter clothes.

Jehovah Jirah

2007-10-29T09:28:00.000-04:00

Here it is, the Monday before I leave. Today is to be my last "big day" accomplishing things around the house. Tomorrow we load the truck in the evening and Wednesday morning my stepfather and I head out to Baltimore. I'm expecting a call from the realtor today to list our house on the market. All that seemed so far away is finally here.
My main story for the post though happened this weekend. I've always heard of people telling stories of how God provided for them and I've got one to share. On Saturday I took my car in to be looked over before taking it to Maryland. I was expecting maybe a filter change or some fluid top off but the estimate they came back with was over $650! I could tell the work needed to be done (it wasn't a scam) but Michael and I did not know how we were going to pay for it. We looked over some figures, I got discouraged, and finally just thought I can't spend all day thinking about this and told them to go ahead with the work.
Yesterday morning at church there was a bag on the alter for people to put money in to help us get to Baltimore. I was not expecting this at all. The money that was in that bag, along with a refund check we were not expecting, money from some tickets that don't usually sell, and a reimbursement check all totaled up to cover the final price of the car service with about $6 to spare. Praise the Lord!
So what did I take from this- don't worry about money. It's been a long time since I honestly have worried about money. We aren't in the poor house but were not expecting another large purchase to come so this one really through me for a loop. I got in a bad mood, grew frustrated, and let it dictate my day. Lord, I apologize. Thank you for taking care of me in unexpected ways. Please continue to help me make wise financial choices and help me to realize that you have promised to provide for me. I just need to get myself out of the way because you've got it all under control.
One other thing- I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and runny nose. Any prayers that this will quickly go away will be greatly appreciated! Nobody wants to take a road trip where the tissues quickly accumulate on the floorboard.

10.4.07

2007-10-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

I decided to set up a blog of my own to detail out my journey to Baltimore. When posed with having to creatively name said blog I first wanted to somehow work the A-Team into it, but it just didn't feel right. "A Plan Comes Together"? "On the Jazz"? "I want some trash bags!"? No, they didn't work. However, Tell the World did because that's why I'm going to Baltimore. I want to tell the world that Jesus died for them and that He lives again. (I'm not that creative on my own- this is also a Hillsong United song that I learned at camp this year.)
It's now late and I feel accomplished at just getting this set up. More to come on how I arrived at this point...