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...