Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The World
This morning I was reading a friends blog telling of her experience over seas. She is with an organization called One Acre Fund and my cousin will soon be leading a team to the Village of Hope in Uganda. Other friends are in or recently returned from other countries all over the world. It brings me joy that their hearts burn for people. That they want to help those with physical and/or spiritual hunger. It's so exciting, I'm so glad there are people with a heart for that and that they joyfully and bravely do it. My prayers are with you dear friends.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I have an army
I have an army of prayer warriors. Friends and family who at an email, facebook message, text or call mobilize, their hearts bow in prayer to God. What an amazing thing. Tonight I sent out a prayer request to some of my prayer warriors. Earlier this year Christina graduated, got engaged and was diagnosed with stomach cancer. You can read more about her story here.
It's comforting to know that I am not alone in lifting up my friend in prayer. And within minutes of sending out a note I had friends already telling me they were in prayer. Praise God, and thank you Lord for you church (not necessarily the physical place but the group of believers seeking Him). I am encouraged, blessed, loved well by them, by you! There is power that we cannot even comprehend when we pray together. I rejoice in my friends prayers and the Holy Spirit praying on my behalf when I don't even know how. "Not as I will, but as You will."
It's comforting to know that I am not alone in lifting up my friend in prayer. And within minutes of sending out a note I had friends already telling me they were in prayer. Praise God, and thank you Lord for you church (not necessarily the physical place but the group of believers seeking Him). I am encouraged, blessed, loved well by them, by you! There is power that we cannot even comprehend when we pray together. I rejoice in my friends prayers and the Holy Spirit praying on my behalf when I don't even know how. "Not as I will, but as You will."
Monday, April 25, 2011
Micah's first Easter
This year it was Micah's first Easter. What a difference a year makes! Last year I was starting to show a bit. Though if you didn't know I was pregnant you would just think I had enjoyed to many cadbury eggs. This year I have a 7 1/2 month old! Here are a few photos and highlights from the day
I always like holidays, spending time with family and good food, whats not to like? This year was no exception. We also had some friends, my nephew and his friend had a blast hunting eggs in my parents huge backyard and swimming. Some others played some basketball. And some of use just ate.... well we also were entertaining Micah, someones got to do it ;) Hope you had a great Easter and had some time to reflect on what the day is all about. He has risen and we are blessed by that daily, in more ways then we can possibly understand. Thank you Lord!
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| This is Micah at the end of church service, he napped for the whole thing. But between that and the cry room being pretty empty I actually got to listen to the service! |
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| Our good friends were in town visiting and felt called to be baptized! They will have their first baby later this year! It was so cool to get to see it (this was before i went to the cry room) and pray for them. What a good start to Easter |
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| This is our friends and their sweet daughter, she is a month and one day younger than Micah. |
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| The family |
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| He's such a funny boy |
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| Total creep status, that's my uncle, Micah's face is what I am feeling, I'm just better at hiding it! He came out to hand out Easter baskets. I guess this is Micah's first photo with the the Easter bunny |
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| He's a very happy boy |
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| The eggs were a bit to big for him to grab, I held it to help him and apparently he thought I would feed it to him |
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| He likes being upside-down |
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| Micah's favorite part of the day, the dogs. One dog was quick enough to lick him in the face and he just cracked up |
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| Always loves time with daddy |
Sunday, March 27, 2011
New Quarter
Tomorrow Cal Poly students will be returning to campus after a week of Spring break. This means our schedules area again up in the air until we find out when students are free to meet. Each quarter things change. And quarters being as short as you are, it seems like you have just adjusted to your schedule when it ends and you have to do it all over again. But on the plus side, if your schedule isn't a good one, you know it will be over soon. Last quarter almost all the guys Tom meet with could only meet on Monday.
Monday's are usually our break after weekend trips with students, or trainings. Most weekends are full one way or another. So besides trying to get some rest, unpacking, laundry, and groceries Monday is also generally our admin day. Printing, inputting, sending reports, all the behind the scenes stuff you don't thing about or see. But this past quarter Tom was trying to meet with these men too. It made it rather a stressful day. But tomorrow is a new quarter, already Tom has nailed down some times with some of the guys he meets with on a weekly basis and it already looks better than last quarter.
I've been reviewing my schedule again, always trying to be mindful of not over committing. I think I realized last quarter that I was thinking of myself as a stay-at-home mom since Micah is always with me. I wasn't looking at the fact that while he is always with me, I am also training, meeting with girls, attending student gatherings, admin, traveling for all our trainings and regional stuff. So yes, I am a stay-at-home mom but I am also a full time working mom too. I think I too often forget to give myself grace in that.
It has been a huge blessing to be able to have Micah with me and work. I love getting to see him every day, to see all the small changes, and not miss anything. And I enjoy the working part, getting to know the students, assist Tom and other staff with different admin things. I just have to remember that I am doing two jobs and to allow myself time for rest.
If you are on our Prayer and Support page on facebook then you received my message about what our staff has/is praying for for 40 days. As I have been praying about it, I have been looking ahead to next year. The woman I currently am meeting with is a senior, she will be leaving, and with Micah, I get to meet a lot of the students but not really spend a lot of relational time with them in their homes and with their friends. I don't know what next year looks like. I have talked to God, and wondered aloud, is my ministry moving more towards other moms? Or is it perhaps our two Edge girls on our staff team. Or will God work in a way that I cannot see at this point to bring me in contact with students? I don't know what this quarter holds, I don't know what the summer will bring and I don't know what next year will look like. To often I try to figure it out on my own. I want to break that trend, I want to look to God, to wait patiently on Him and His plan.
My friend I were reading a passage and we were struck by the fact that the word wait and rest were interchangeable. In one translation it said one, in another, the other. When I think of waiting, I think of lines, of stress. But God wants to show us that when we wait on Him, it's not stressful, we know that the wait will be just as long as it should be, that what He does and has planned will be just as it should be. It will be perfect. We can rest in our waiting because we have a Father we can trust in.
Pray for whoever He chooses to bring into my life (or who are already here). That I will see those people and love them well. Pray for me to wait, to rest, to trust in God.
Monday's are usually our break after weekend trips with students, or trainings. Most weekends are full one way or another. So besides trying to get some rest, unpacking, laundry, and groceries Monday is also generally our admin day. Printing, inputting, sending reports, all the behind the scenes stuff you don't thing about or see. But this past quarter Tom was trying to meet with these men too. It made it rather a stressful day. But tomorrow is a new quarter, already Tom has nailed down some times with some of the guys he meets with on a weekly basis and it already looks better than last quarter.
I've been reviewing my schedule again, always trying to be mindful of not over committing. I think I realized last quarter that I was thinking of myself as a stay-at-home mom since Micah is always with me. I wasn't looking at the fact that while he is always with me, I am also training, meeting with girls, attending student gatherings, admin, traveling for all our trainings and regional stuff. So yes, I am a stay-at-home mom but I am also a full time working mom too. I think I too often forget to give myself grace in that.
It has been a huge blessing to be able to have Micah with me and work. I love getting to see him every day, to see all the small changes, and not miss anything. And I enjoy the working part, getting to know the students, assist Tom and other staff with different admin things. I just have to remember that I am doing two jobs and to allow myself time for rest.
If you are on our Prayer and Support page on facebook then you received my message about what our staff has/is praying for for 40 days. As I have been praying about it, I have been looking ahead to next year. The woman I currently am meeting with is a senior, she will be leaving, and with Micah, I get to meet a lot of the students but not really spend a lot of relational time with them in their homes and with their friends. I don't know what next year looks like. I have talked to God, and wondered aloud, is my ministry moving more towards other moms? Or is it perhaps our two Edge girls on our staff team. Or will God work in a way that I cannot see at this point to bring me in contact with students? I don't know what this quarter holds, I don't know what the summer will bring and I don't know what next year will look like. To often I try to figure it out on my own. I want to break that trend, I want to look to God, to wait patiently on Him and His plan.
My friend I were reading a passage and we were struck by the fact that the word wait and rest were interchangeable. In one translation it said one, in another, the other. When I think of waiting, I think of lines, of stress. But God wants to show us that when we wait on Him, it's not stressful, we know that the wait will be just as long as it should be, that what He does and has planned will be just as it should be. It will be perfect. We can rest in our waiting because we have a Father we can trust in.
Pray for whoever He chooses to bring into my life (or who are already here). That I will see those people and love them well. Pray for me to wait, to rest, to trust in God.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Nap on Mom
Today Tom watched Micah for 2 hours so I could get out of the house alone and spend some time studying. Apparently Micah screamed most of the time I was gone, not sure if he's not getting enough to eat or was unhappy that I was gone. Once I got home he was still a bit fussy so I nursed him and he is now passed out in my lap. It's funny being a mom, on the one hand I would love to go out without guilt and enjoy some me time but it's also nice to know that someone loves you so much. When he's not in the right mood and someone comes to close or holds him the bottom lip pops out. It's heartbreakingly cute. I'm torn with "dude, please let someone else hold you awhile!" and "oh my poor baby, mama is going to hold you and never let you go!"
At least I got some studying done. This quarter I will be traveling for the regional studies again, Micah in tow. Keeping up with the studies has been difficult, I have yet to finish one but luckily everyone is pretty understanding.
The other week Micah had his 4 month check up. Micah was not in a happy mood, it was right around the time to feed and nap. I wanted to wait to nurse until after his shots and he fell asleep in the car so I had to wake him up. The first thing they have you do is undress them so they can weigh them. Immediately Micah started screaming. I put him on the scale and he flailed about. I'm not sure how accurate the scale was because of this. I'm thinking it must be off some because otherwise he gained less then a pound in 2 months! He dropped from 75% for his age in weight to 20%. The doctor told me not to worry but of course I have been. I help Micah while the doctor examined him and he was fairly happy until I had to put him back on the table for shots. He started crying right away and then when she gave him the shots he did the silent scream, tears streaming out and his head turned bright red :( poor guy. Once I nursed him he was happy again. I have to say I don't like shots, I know they are good for them but its so sad to see and then for two days after Micah runs a mild fever and is so grumpy. My happy baby is back now, so I am glad but not looking forward to those next shots.
The doctor also said we could start some rice cereal and then veggies in a few weeks. I wasn't sure what Micah would think of it, I tried him in the high chair first but it doesn't recline and he was more interested in the new seat and sitting up then on eating.
I moved him to the bouncer and he ate the whole bowl! I had heard that babies make big messes when they start eating, but besides some on his face the rest he inhaled.
I'm glad he is liking it, I am so worried about his weight dropping so much, I think it was a number of factors, one is he is so active, he is always moving when he is awake. The other is he had a cold and I don't think he ate as much during that so I think it caused my production to drop. I started pumping hoping to help. Though I still haven't decided how long I'm going to nurse yet. I was just happy to make it through the first month, and here I am at 4, so who knows.
He's so funny though, he opens his mouth wide and grabs my hand with both of his and tries to shove it in his mouth. He gets mad when I'm too slow. It's been a fun experience so far, looking forward to starting some veggies.
Micah also loves blowing raspberries but lately he is doing it just with his lips, he thinks it's hilarious and so do we! What a cutie!
On the Nav side of stuff, we leave Thursday for some regional training and a marriage retreat. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and also some other moms. Micah has been a champ at the Gathering, the students love seeing him. I'm currently trying to move his bedtime back to 8:30, right now it's in the middle of the Gathering which has been a little tough.
The little one is stirring... trying to lick my arm actually ;) time to make everyone dinner!
At least I got some studying done. This quarter I will be traveling for the regional studies again, Micah in tow. Keeping up with the studies has been difficult, I have yet to finish one but luckily everyone is pretty understanding.
The other week Micah had his 4 month check up. Micah was not in a happy mood, it was right around the time to feed and nap. I wanted to wait to nurse until after his shots and he fell asleep in the car so I had to wake him up. The first thing they have you do is undress them so they can weigh them. Immediately Micah started screaming. I put him on the scale and he flailed about. I'm not sure how accurate the scale was because of this. I'm thinking it must be off some because otherwise he gained less then a pound in 2 months! He dropped from 75% for his age in weight to 20%. The doctor told me not to worry but of course I have been. I help Micah while the doctor examined him and he was fairly happy until I had to put him back on the table for shots. He started crying right away and then when she gave him the shots he did the silent scream, tears streaming out and his head turned bright red :( poor guy. Once I nursed him he was happy again. I have to say I don't like shots, I know they are good for them but its so sad to see and then for two days after Micah runs a mild fever and is so grumpy. My happy baby is back now, so I am glad but not looking forward to those next shots.
The doctor also said we could start some rice cereal and then veggies in a few weeks. I wasn't sure what Micah would think of it, I tried him in the high chair first but it doesn't recline and he was more interested in the new seat and sitting up then on eating.
I moved him to the bouncer and he ate the whole bowl! I had heard that babies make big messes when they start eating, but besides some on his face the rest he inhaled.
I'm glad he is liking it, I am so worried about his weight dropping so much, I think it was a number of factors, one is he is so active, he is always moving when he is awake. The other is he had a cold and I don't think he ate as much during that so I think it caused my production to drop. I started pumping hoping to help. Though I still haven't decided how long I'm going to nurse yet. I was just happy to make it through the first month, and here I am at 4, so who knows.
He's so funny though, he opens his mouth wide and grabs my hand with both of his and tries to shove it in his mouth. He gets mad when I'm too slow. It's been a fun experience so far, looking forward to starting some veggies.
Micah also loves blowing raspberries but lately he is doing it just with his lips, he thinks it's hilarious and so do we! What a cutie!
On the Nav side of stuff, we leave Thursday for some regional training and a marriage retreat. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and also some other moms. Micah has been a champ at the Gathering, the students love seeing him. I'm currently trying to move his bedtime back to 8:30, right now it's in the middle of the Gathering which has been a little tough.
The little one is stirring... trying to lick my arm actually ;) time to make everyone dinner!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sew Fun Ramblings
Last Christmas I received a sewing machine. Being of a shorter stature finding pants in the correct length is impossible. I decided instead of paying someone or just rolling up my pants (what I do more of the time), I can hem them. Between my mom and a friend I learned how to thread my needle and a few basics. Then I spent some time practicing and even hemmed a few pants. I must say, knitting seems so much easier! Doing things in straight lines is not very easy for me, and I'm a perfectionist, not a good combo.
I keep seeing friends and projects online and really want to learn though. I love making homemade gifts for people and have loved knitting things for Micah and myself. I have heard of mini quilts that parents make of their child's clothes and I really want to make one for Micah. I feel so intimidated by it though. It doesn't seem to come naturally to me at all. And I don't want to spend a lot of time or money on fabric on something that may be hideous when completed.
I picked up a quilting for beginners from the library and have been reading, it all sounds easy but I know actually doing it will be a whole other story. I have kept some of my favorites of Micah's clothes, the rest passing on to another mom. But I wonder if I should wait on cutting up Micah's clothes, what if we have another boy? Won't I want to use the clothes again? But I'm eager to start a sewing project. I probably should start with something smaller, but what? Does anyone know of a good sewing website with free patterns?
The last few years I have started doing more crafty things. Mostly I have always wanted to, just never brave enough to start. With some friends encouragement and help I got really into knitting. I love being able to make special things for friends and being on a budget it helped immensely with all the baby showers I have had the past year. It's been especially fun for baby showers as I have gotten to pray for the baby as I made them a hat, booties and/or blanket. Another reason I would love to get into sewing, to make special gifts for family and friends.
Maybe I will start by quilting a little burp cloth for Micah out of some scrap fabrics I have. Right now he has boring white diapers for burp clothes, maybe I will use one of those for the backer.... now I'm getting excited! Maybe this weekend I will pull out the sewing machine!
I keep seeing friends and projects online and really want to learn though. I love making homemade gifts for people and have loved knitting things for Micah and myself. I have heard of mini quilts that parents make of their child's clothes and I really want to make one for Micah. I feel so intimidated by it though. It doesn't seem to come naturally to me at all. And I don't want to spend a lot of time or money on fabric on something that may be hideous when completed.
I picked up a quilting for beginners from the library and have been reading, it all sounds easy but I know actually doing it will be a whole other story. I have kept some of my favorites of Micah's clothes, the rest passing on to another mom. But I wonder if I should wait on cutting up Micah's clothes, what if we have another boy? Won't I want to use the clothes again? But I'm eager to start a sewing project. I probably should start with something smaller, but what? Does anyone know of a good sewing website with free patterns?
The last few years I have started doing more crafty things. Mostly I have always wanted to, just never brave enough to start. With some friends encouragement and help I got really into knitting. I love being able to make special things for friends and being on a budget it helped immensely with all the baby showers I have had the past year. It's been especially fun for baby showers as I have gotten to pray for the baby as I made them a hat, booties and/or blanket. Another reason I would love to get into sewing, to make special gifts for family and friends.
Maybe I will start by quilting a little burp cloth for Micah out of some scrap fabrics I have. Right now he has boring white diapers for burp clothes, maybe I will use one of those for the backer.... now I'm getting excited! Maybe this weekend I will pull out the sewing machine!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Trusting the Ultimate Planner
Tonight at the Gathering we talked about Trust, what do you trust in? Who do you trust? Why do you trust these things? And why is it hard for you to trust God? It was really cool as different people spoke honestly about what was difficult for them. Some of us are more worried about others opinions, some of us don't believe God will come through. For me one of the reasons I find it difficult to trust God is I think I know best.
For me, I am a planner, an organizer. My spiritual gift is administration. I enjoy planning and scheduling events to make the most of the day. When we load up the car, I'm the one who shuffles the luggage making it all fit like a game of tetris. I trust my skills in that. When God doesn't start fitting the pieces together as I think they should I start doubting. Doesn't He know it would work best if this or that happened? But where my doubt is the greatest so also is my confidence. When I believe that God has a much bigger plan then me, that He is working it all together for His greater good, well my admin side feels better.
I like knowing that God is a planner like me. People who fly by the seat of their pants stress me out. Now don't get me wrong, I can flex my schedule but I think usually my ability to do this is I plan for EVERY situation I can think of. In my mind, I imagine all the different ways things can turn out, I plan what I would do. But the thing with God is, He is tricky. He creates situations even my wild imagination never fathomed. So I sway between panic "does He really know what He is doing? He should just do it my way!" to complete confidence in my Heavenly Father "He really knows what He is doing and how it will all work out".
God continues to remind me that I cannot plan for every situation. My mind, my ideas are not big enough. I have had situations where I just knew there was no way it could end well, then I come out the other side not only unscathed but seeing amazing miracles. Like a movie character after a huge adventure, I pat myself down, looking for wounds and turn back looking at everything that happened and just shake my head in amazement at how it all worked out so perfectly.
This was the second Gathering back this quarter. Micah's second ever. He did pretty good, a little fussy but then ended up napping through most of it. It's at an awkward time for him. Micah still is not on a sleeping schedule. I feel completely incompetent on putting him on one. Forcing him to stay awake when he is clearly exhausted seems mean and trying to put him down when he's ready to play is just impossible. I try to put him down for bed around the same time but other then that, he rules the show. Some days he naps for only 30 minutes no matter what I do and then other days he will suddenly nap for 2 hours! Sometimes he is ready for bed at 7:30, sometimes he falls asleep at 6 (what to do with that!?! Consider it a nap? Or should it be bedtime? AHH, I just don't know!). So I'm trying to be somewhat consistent and hope eventually he will fall into a routine.
Tonight was also fun as my brother, cousin and my parents current exchange student from Germany came. My cousin has talked about coming for a bit and then my brother figured he might as well come check it out too. It was fun to see them. One of the big things I miss about working for the family business is getting to see my family all the time.
After the Gathering some of the group headed down to a local pizza place that has Tuesday Night Trivia. We did it a lot last year, was a good way to hang out and get to know people more. With Micah I won't be going but Tom still plans to. Right now I plan on sitting back, enjoying this rare peace and quite :)
For me, I am a planner, an organizer. My spiritual gift is administration. I enjoy planning and scheduling events to make the most of the day. When we load up the car, I'm the one who shuffles the luggage making it all fit like a game of tetris. I trust my skills in that. When God doesn't start fitting the pieces together as I think they should I start doubting. Doesn't He know it would work best if this or that happened? But where my doubt is the greatest so also is my confidence. When I believe that God has a much bigger plan then me, that He is working it all together for His greater good, well my admin side feels better.
I like knowing that God is a planner like me. People who fly by the seat of their pants stress me out. Now don't get me wrong, I can flex my schedule but I think usually my ability to do this is I plan for EVERY situation I can think of. In my mind, I imagine all the different ways things can turn out, I plan what I would do. But the thing with God is, He is tricky. He creates situations even my wild imagination never fathomed. So I sway between panic "does He really know what He is doing? He should just do it my way!" to complete confidence in my Heavenly Father "He really knows what He is doing and how it will all work out".
God continues to remind me that I cannot plan for every situation. My mind, my ideas are not big enough. I have had situations where I just knew there was no way it could end well, then I come out the other side not only unscathed but seeing amazing miracles. Like a movie character after a huge adventure, I pat myself down, looking for wounds and turn back looking at everything that happened and just shake my head in amazement at how it all worked out so perfectly.
This was the second Gathering back this quarter. Micah's second ever. He did pretty good, a little fussy but then ended up napping through most of it. It's at an awkward time for him. Micah still is not on a sleeping schedule. I feel completely incompetent on putting him on one. Forcing him to stay awake when he is clearly exhausted seems mean and trying to put him down when he's ready to play is just impossible. I try to put him down for bed around the same time but other then that, he rules the show. Some days he naps for only 30 minutes no matter what I do and then other days he will suddenly nap for 2 hours! Sometimes he is ready for bed at 7:30, sometimes he falls asleep at 6 (what to do with that!?! Consider it a nap? Or should it be bedtime? AHH, I just don't know!). So I'm trying to be somewhat consistent and hope eventually he will fall into a routine.
Tonight was also fun as my brother, cousin and my parents current exchange student from Germany came. My cousin has talked about coming for a bit and then my brother figured he might as well come check it out too. It was fun to see them. One of the big things I miss about working for the family business is getting to see my family all the time.
After the Gathering some of the group headed down to a local pizza place that has Tuesday Night Trivia. We did it a lot last year, was a good way to hang out and get to know people more. With Micah I won't be going but Tom still plans to. Right now I plan on sitting back, enjoying this rare peace and quite :)
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