What's been going on Part 2

So here's the big news....




WE'RE MOVING TO MARYLAND!!!






This is new news to this blog, but really I've known about this for almost 2 months now. You may remember an older post where we knew change was coming, but we were not sure what the change would be. After two visits to the East Coast, my husband was offered a youth ministry/worship ministry intern position at a church in Maryland. After a great deal of prayer and affirmation from the Lord, we accepted the position.

We are in a unique position because Joe will be employed by the church and by Reformed Youth Ministries (RYM). As a RYM intern, Joe will receive training through the organization, and he will receive mentorship in the context of the local church. He will also have the benefit of going to seminary while we are in Maryland. Our plans are for Joe to go to Reformed Theological Seminary and work towards a Master of Divinity. (He's going to be really busy, huh?) Find out more about RYM here.

So what are we waiting for? Why haven't we moved yet? I know these questions are probably running through your head. While we will be receiving the majority (about 67%) of our income from the church we will be working at, we have to raise about 33% of our income since Joe will be a RYM intern.

We are currently in the throes of fundraising, and boy let me tell you it has been harder yet more rewarding than I ever imagined. The Lord is working miracles. In just 1 month we reached 60% of our goal!!! In the last month, fundraising has been much slower, and Joe and I have been wracking our brains to get the last 40%. Yet Lord is taking this time of slower fundraising to teach us many lessons. First of all, I can't tell you how much my faith has been stretched. I have NO idea how we are going to raise the last 40%, and but the Lord does. When worry finds its way in I have to tell myself that. The Lord knows where every last cent will come from, and I can rest in that. If this is the Lord's will (and we believe it is), we will make it to Maryland!!

Second of all, the Lord is making my heart long to give. In the midst of needing gifts from others, I find myself wanting to give like never before. I feel like some "scales" have fallen from my eyes, and I see that Joe and I have not been near as generous as we are called to be. Thank you God for revealing this to me!!

Finally, I have seen God work in very OBVIOUS and BIG ways. I will talk about some of the HUGE things God has been doing in my next blog entry (since this one is getting pretty long).

If you or anyone you know has any experience with ministry fundraising please let me know. We can use any and all help! :0) Please pray for us as we continue with fundraising and as we prepare for this new chapter in our lives.

What's been going on

So I'm terrible about blogging....obviously. Well a lot has happened since my last post IN AUGUST!! I'll try to give an update daily on the past few months (because man have they been eventful!).

Update #1

Eden turned 1 on November 25!! Wow, where does time go? Lately, I keep getting told by everyone that she no longer looks like a baby. I keep reminding myself to savor her remaining babyness. I find myself doing things like holding her longer before bed because I know that this time really flies. The fact that she is already 1 is testimony to that. Although I'm struggling with her new 1-ness, I'm also really enjoying it. Here's what Edie has been up to lately:

1. Walking-She's been walking for about a month now. She LOVES walking. She spends the majority of her day walking around and carrying a baby doll. She stopped crawling about 2 weeks ago and now only walks. It's so cute to see her waddling around. :)

2. Pretending/Mimicking-I didn't know pretending starts as early as 1, but it has with Edie. She loves her babies. She feeds them bottles, carries them, and loves them. I love seeing her "love on" her babies. We say, "Eden love her, " and she squeezes the dolls and grunts....SO CUTE!!! She also loves to get baby wipes and wipe everything. She'll grab a wipe and walk around the whole house wiping...carpet, tables, even mommy. She has also started pretending that she is putting lotion on herself. Whenever we are lotioning her up after bathtime she has started rubbing her hands together and acting like she is putting lotion on. The first time I saw her do this I laughed until I cried. She is hilarious!

3. Being sooo sweet-She has recently increased her snuggliness which I LOVE! She did not used to be the cuddliest baby because she was always on the go and interested in everything. While that is still true, lately she has been taking time to lay her head on my shoulder and pat me. She also now walks over and just wants to sit in my lap (she was always way too wiggly for that).

4. Talking up a storm-Edie has always been our little chatterbox, but she now seriously talks ALL the time. She says numerous words and even a couple of phrases like "Here you go." Her favorite words are "Bye-Bye" and "Mom."

More updates to come soon...:)