Home from Sudan with a Grateful Heart!

We've made it safely home and had an incredible journey! I hope to share more very soon, but until then, I wanted to share this video. Daniel Phillips, our photographer and videographer, did an amazing job at capturing our week in pictures. The need is so great in Sudan, but we serve a compassionate God who will not forsake His people! More to come...

**Not sure why it's cutting off some of the screen. You can also visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_LA5OVuLhI to view the video.**

Dead End

Does God ever lead us to a dead end? In our perspective, yes... but in His perspective, no! We studied Moses this morning in Sunday school and how God used him to save the Israelites form Pharaoh and the Egyptians. (Read Exodus 14 for the complete story. It's really good!) In verse 2, God tells Moses exactly where to set up camp... by the Red Sea. So why if you're trying to get away from someone would God put you right at a dead end? Why would He want you to camp where there's no where to run? So HE ALONE can get the glory when you are saved! What often looks like a dead end to us is an opportunity for God to receive glory. Exodus 29-31 says,

"But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses his servant."

So this "dead end" story has brought new perspective to me on our journey to have a family. We have felt like we've been at a dead end for a very long time. For a while, the word 'acceptance' has been on my heart. I think God wants me to completely accept His will for us. That's been kinda hard because we felt like we had been very obedient in what God asked us to do and we just haven't seen anything come of it... a dead end. But I learned today that God has brought us to the "dead end" so that He can be glorified. I don't know what our "wall of water" or "dry ground" will be, but I'm excited to see what God is going to do. He may have babies in our future and He may have something else for us, but no matter what, He just wants (and deserves!) to be glorified!

One last thought... Exodus 14 says,"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." I've wondered many times over the last few years if we've done the right thing. And most recently, I've felt like we need to quit the pursuit, accept (there's that word again!) where we are and leave it up to God. And God confirmed to me today that we are to do just that. He's got us in a season of being still. He will fight for us. He is sovereign and nothing we do or don't do will thwart His plan for us. He is fully capable of fulfilling His plan for us without our help... or manipulation! So on the day before we leave for Africa (woo hoo!), I'm very thankful that God has confirmed that our "dead end" is right where He wants us to be! HE IS GOOD!

It's Here!

After lots of planning, praying, and packing, it's here! Monday we'll be on a plane to Africa! I never thought I would go to Africa, but God has a way of changing our desires, doesn't He?! It's neat to look back over the last 5 years and see how God has put people and circumstances in our lives to give us a heart for Sudan... and now we're going to experience it firsthand! Even though I have moments of nervousness, Yancy and I both CAN NOT wait to be there and we can't wait to be back and tell you all about it! Please continue to remember us in your prayers, along with all of the team's families who will be staying behind. It seems like such a huge task, but God has been encouraging me with Philippians 2:13, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order fulfill his good purpose." I'm glad it's not up to me!! Thank you again for your support and prayers! I can't wait to share this experience with you!

I Love Fringe!

New York City... Good

Free trip to New York City... Better

Free trip to NYC with 2 of my favorite girls... THE BEST!

For those of you not from Opelika/Auburn, Fringe is an awesome consignment shop. They have great clothes, purses, shoes, and accessories all for really great prices. It has completely spoiled me; I don't want to shop anywhere else! Rebecca and Apryl love Fringe as much as I do, so on Thursday nights when they're open til 8, we like to shop together. It's like a little girls getaway. The beginning of September, Stacie (the owner of Fringe) announced that she was giving away a trip to NYC for 2. So that Thursday night as we were shopping, we filled out entry forms for the trip and talked about how much fun it would be to win and go together... not really thinking we would actually win! Well, long story short, Rebecca won!!! And she chose to give the trip to me and Apryl and pay her own way to go. What an awesome friend! It was all so much fun! From finding out we won and talking about NYC and planning what we would wear to actually being there and experiencing it together... amazing! We had THE BEST time! I still can't believe it all happened! Enjoy the pictures!

Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village

The best and prettiest cupcakes ever!

Ready to see Martha!

Somewhere in Central Park

Times Square!

I'm a workin' girl now!

I know a lot of people work A LOT harder than I do, but I am working 2 jobs now... 3 if you count baking, 4 if you count being Yancy's personal editor/assistant! :) I'm still at Bright Beginnings at FBCO which I absolutely love! I love the children and their parents, I love the other teachers, I love my boss... It's a perfect fit for me! And now I'm also working with Four Corners Ministries (the ministry that we're going to Sudan with) helping them out with their Uganda Child Sponsorship program. In a nutshell, I'm just keeping all the children and sponsor information current and organized. While we're in Uganda before heading into Sudan, we'll make a stop at the orphanage to meet some of the children there, as well as some of the workers that I've been communicating with. I'm really looking forward to that! If you are interested in sponsoring a child, it's very simple and convenient. For $30 a month, you can give a child in Uganda the opportunities they need to grow and thrive... clean water, clothing, 3 meals a day, education, etc. Most importantly, they will hear the Good News of Jesus Christ!! You can visit http://www.4cornersministries.org/sponsor-a-child/ to sign up or if you have any questions about FCM's sponsorship program, I'd LOVE to talk to you about it!

Too Much to Say

Because I haven't blogged in almost 3 months...

Because I've been super busy, working 4 jobs (ha!ha!) and doing some traveling...

Because I really appreciate anyone who's still interested in reading my blog...


I have a lot to say! Let's get to it...

In August, we went to the Bristol night race! The week before the race, we had a friend call and say he had 4 free- yes, FREE- tickets to the night race and wanted to know if we'd like them. Hmmmm.... let me think about that for 2 seconds.... YES!!! So off we went with Tommy and Rebecca and we all had a great time. We actually stayed in Boone, NC- a quaint little town with beautiful mountain views- and enjoyed perfect weather while we were there. Good times! JJ- as Yancy and I affectionately call Jimmie Johnson- didn't do so well at Bristol, but we're cheering him on to his 5th championship! Go 48!

Next on to New Orleans. Yancy tried for years and years to get me to go to NOLA and I was not interested. Last year I gave in and went... and loved it. It's a fun city with awesome restaurants, and since eating is one of our favorite hobbies, it's a great city for us! And of course, there's great music too! Here are a few pics...

Arnaud's Jazz Bistro (the humidity does wonders for my hair!)

Preservation Hall- Our favorite place to hear live jazz in NOLA.
Our dentist, who is originally from NOLA, recommended a restaurant called Jacques Imo's. When we got there, we saw crazy costumes and floats. We had stumbled upon Midsummer Mardi Gras, and let's just say that we were very entertained! Jacques Imo's, by the way, was our favorite restaurant in NOLA. It's similar in feel to The Red Bar in Grayton Beach. We highly recommend it!

Galatoire's

Much more to come... New York, new job, Sudan, and living radically!

Look What Yancy Did!

He built a pergola with a lot of help! (BIG THANKS to Darryl and Tommy!) They all did an excellent job and worked very hard out in the scorching heat! Our new pergola provides lots of shade and is covered so we'll be able to stay out if it rains. Yancy even thought about lights and a ceiling fan! And even as hot as it's been lately, we've been sitting out there in the evenings and it's been so nice. I think it's really going to be awesome when the weather cools off a bit. It's like having another room on the house and I just love it! I'm so proud! Here's some before and after pictures...

Weekend Full of Fun

We had a much needed fun weekend! Andrew and Bullen were able to come and hang out with us and they are always such a blessing! Their love for God and their faith in Him is truly infectious!! Every time I spend time with them, my heart is so encouraged and it was definitely just what I needed! I love them!! Friday night, we had friends over to visit- Tommy and Rebecca, and Kevin, Apryl, Connor and Presley. We ate and laughed and sang praise songs... such a sweet time of fellowship!

Saturday, Yancy's parents and Aunt Renee came up and we celebrated Yancy's Mom's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Cynthia!!!) We had another great day of eating and laughing and rejoicing in the Lord!

Bullen and Andrew were able to share their testimonies on Sunday morning with some youth from our church. I wasn't there for it, but I hear that it was amazing (as always!). It was a spur of the moment thing, but they are always ready to give a reason for the hope that they have! (1 Peter 3:15) What a great weekend! :)

At the Top of My Lungs

The past few days have been a roller coaster ride for us to say the least. I don't really feel like I can talk about all the details, but let's just say that it involves major disappointment! I feel like there were wounds in our hearts that were starting to heal and they've just been ripped wide open. Honestly, I'm really starting to relate to Job (not that I have suffered nearly as much as Job, but you know what I mean!) But like Job, I'm declaring that "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." (Job 13:15) I DO NOT understand the things of this world, but I am choosing to completely trust God, my Savior. I heard this song this morning and I think it might be my new theme song for awhile. Instead of screaming Why and I don't understand and even What do I do now, I'll just sing at the top of my lungs, Hallelujah! I am His and HE IS GOOD... all the time!

I'm a Bad Blogger!

I cannot believe that I last blogged in February! Where did the time go? I had lots of things I wanted to share about Experiencing God (such a great study!), and some other highs and lows over the past few months, but I just never got around to it. Maybe I can still post those at some point. But for now, I'll just catch you up on the weekend...

our 11th anniversary weekend!! We decided to just hang out in Birmingham for a couple of days. The Wood Brothers played at WorkPlay Theater Saturday night and we love them, so that's how the planning got started. Joel and Allison went with us and we had a fun time! It was a great show!

Saturday afternoon before the concert, Yancy and I went to see Toy Story 3. I loved it and highly recommend it!! (We actually went to see the first Toy Story on our first date!)

But I'd have to say the highlight of the weekend was eating at Highlands Bar and Grill. What a great restaurant experience! The service was perfect, the food was delicious, and they even wrote "Happy Anniversary" on our dessert plate! I wanna go back... right now!!

Happy Anniversary, Yancy! I love you bunches! :)

More About Sudan!

We had our first planning meeting Thursday night for our Sudan trip. Hmmm... anybody notice I said our?! That's right... I'm going too!!! I'm really excited about it- kinda scared, but so excited. I've been praying about it for a while now and God just kept confirming to me that I should go. My small group has been doing Experiencing God (which is AWESOME and should be a whole other post!) and God used several things in that book to lead me to commit to go. Here's a picture from Thursday of our team. Please be praying for us... Tripp Skipper, Tommy and Rebecca Cummings, Kevin Mullins, me and Yancy, and Eric Robinson.

Since both of us are going now, I really need to get busy baking some more cakes!! Here's the newest flyer for Spring. (I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but it has tulips in the background! Great job, Rebecca!) Please feel free to pass it along! Thanks for your support and prayers!

Happy Hearts Day!

I've written about this before, but Yancy and I have a tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day at Waffle House. Nothing says "I love you" like waffles and a double order of hashbrowns!!! Tonight, our waitress Donna said, "I was wondering if you were going to come in tonight!" She remembered us from last year and said she had been telling the other employees about us. I guess we're kinda famous at the Bent Creek Waffle House! See ya next year, Donna!

Snow Day!

Here's a few pictures from our snow on Friday. It was beautiful!

Charlie loved it! :)

Duke hated it! :( Isn't that face pitiful?!

TGIF...

Thank God it's FEBRUARY!!! I'm sure it's psychological, but I'm so happy to be done with January. I'm hopeful and lookin' ahead to a great month! :)


Pastor Steve reminded us yesterday of who we are in Christ from Romans 1:7. (You can go to www.fbc.opelika.com for the sermon transcript.) It was so encouraging!

1. We are God's loved ones.
2. We are people who have received a call by God.
3. We are God's saints.
4. We are recipients of grace and peace. Hallelujah!
5. We are people who have God as our Father.
6. We are people who have Jesus as our Lord.

It was good to be reminded of God's love for me and how He sees me. I think I can make it! :)

Sweets for Your Sweetie for Sudan

Guest Postess With the Mostest...

Trips to Crazyville!!!!

Ever been there?! Wanna go?? Don't worry...WE KNOW THE WAY!!!!!! My friend Rebecca is back on the blog as your personal travel agent. :)

Hello, fellow travelers!
I feel honored that I have been specially selected to help facilitate your trip to Crazyville! My past experience will be beneficial to you as you think about your trip. Maybe you too are a frequent flyer...if that's the case, we value your insight that will surely enhance the experience for others!

To prepare for the trip, well, you won't need to prepare, because these trips always sneak up on you! So if you are in to spontaneity - good news! - you are prepared!

What to pack:
1) Tissues
2) A really good friend (a traveling companion and will also be needed to assist in the return trip)
3) A shoulder (for in between tissues)
4) Baggage (don't worry, you aren't charged extra for exceeding 50 pounds!)
5) A very small circumstance that recently became not so small OR
6) Several small circumstances that recently became not so small OR
7) No circumstance at all
8) Irrational thoughts
9) Hormones...or a lack thereof
10) Sanity (for the return trip)

Attire:
1) It doesn't matter...you won't be caring what you have on.

Itinerary:
- Most inconvenient time possible: Arrive in Crazyville (the more inconvenient the time, the longer the trip)
- Tour of City
- Excursion with really good friend to edge of reason
- Dinner (it doesn't matter where...as long as it includes LOTS of food!!)
- Post-dinner Discussion with really good friend who will assist in packing for trip home

Upon return, you may experience lag...not of the jet variety...just lag.
No worries!...if you brought your traveling companion back, they will be able to assist during the readjustment period. :)

Safe travels!
Rebecca

So long, January!

I'll be glad when January is over. It's been a rough month for me... lots of dates that are just depressing! This month makes 8 years since we first started on our journey to have a baby. I know... 8 years!! Pretty unbelievable. This month also included the date our baby was to be born, the 21st. This one hit me hard, very hard. I miss our baby. And I think I wasn't expecting the date to get to me so much and just wasn't prepared for the onslaught of emotions. It's been rough, hard, sad, depressing and discouraging. I think I cried multiple times every day last week... and I'm not really a crier. To add to my heap of emotions, I've just been feeling like God has been absent from my life, like He just wasn't showing up anymore, like I'm in this all on my own. Now I know that's not at all true, but haven't you felt that way before? I kept saying, "God, where are you and what are you doing?" and kept getting no response. I don't really have an answer to why I felt that -maybe because I was being distant, not Him. I say all of this not to make you feel sorry for me (I know a lot of people have bigger trials and issues than me!) but just to show you where I was last week and prove that God is faithful to come through even when we can't see a way out. God did show up yesterday in a big, personal way. He gave me a fresh word straight from His heart, and I am so thankful!

I love to listen to James MacDonald from Walk in the Word. I don't hear him often, but I'm thankful when I do. He's very down to earth and has a great way of explaining scripture in its proper context. So yesterday, his message was entitled Why Trials? It's actually the 3rd part of a series, but it's just the one I needed to hear. He was preaching from James 1:2-8...

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Consider it joy... huh, what?! That's hard to do! But God doesn't want us to think of our trial as joyful. He wants us to be joyful about the outcome of our trial... what we're going to have learned on the other side of it... how we'll be changed to look more like Him. He (James MacDonald) went on to say that the Greek word for steadfastness here means to "remain under". Who wants to remain under a trial? Our first reaction to trials is to get out of it, to be done with it. But if we can "remain under" it, God has amazing things in store for us. Job 23:10 says, "But he knows the way that I take, and when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold." Praise the Lord! I love that! He knows the trial I'm facing. He knows the pain I'm in. He knows the outcome. He knows! But when I come out on the other side, I will be like gold! :) And His Word says that I'll be "perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I want to be that! If I don't "remain under" this trial, I will never know the purposes God has for it. I'll never learn what He wanted to teach me. Oh, I pray for a teachable spirit!

I know this is getting long, but one more point. God doesn't want it to be a mystery to us what He's trying to teach us. "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach..." All we have to do is ask in faith what God is wanting us to learn or how he wants us to grow through our trials, and He will answer us- generously! He won't respond with agitation. He's not that kind of god. He's not going to leave me hanging or be absent like I felt last week. He just wants me to seek Him, to ask with faith for wisdom to get through this hard time. And He will answer!

Oh, if I can just "remain under!" Sure, it still hurts. Sure, my heart is still sad. Sure, it's not easy. BUT God is refining me as gold, working the process to make me perfect and complete, lacking nothing. That's good stuff, good enough to get me through!

I pray that God would speak to your heart today if you're struggling with a tough trial. May He give you the ability to "remain under" and wisdom to know the lesson He's teaching you so that you'll come out on the other side as gold!

Love y'all!

ps... if you want to hear the message that all of this is from- which i highly recommend- go to http://www.walkintheword.com/. go to broadcast and you'll see the previous messages, why trials part 3. you may have to sign in.