". . .it was a time of happiness and joy. . . .

" . . .it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor." Esther 8:16

Wow. So much has gone on in the past week. We have been busy!

Our region participated in a volleyball tournament last weekend. We lost - yet we still all had fun! We made T - shirts that said "MAC Attack" on the front and on the back we were each an item on the McDonalds menu.

You can see Travis getting his game on in the picture on the left and Abby, Janna, and I showing off our cute shirts below!

Thursday was a wonderful Thanksgiving day. The kitchen staff here at ILC cooked a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving meal and we enjoyed spending the day with our FPO family. That evening, our regional leaders invited us to their home for some more Thanksgiving food and fellowship. It was an awesome time. Thursday night - Tina, Janna, Jessica, Stacy, and I went to a midnight madness sale in Williamsburg. Here are four of us dressed in our jammies and ready to go - they were supposed to be giving away free pajamas for the first 500 people that came in their pajamas. However, we were too late. But it was still fun!

Friday, we went to Washington D.C. with the intent to observe internationals. We road the metro and made our way into a hispanic community within D.C. As soon as we walked into the neighborhood, you had the sense that you were in another country altogether. Many of the people we came in contact with spoke no English at all and many store signs and flyers were all in Spanish. It was a touching time for me.

As we were walking down the street, hailing greetings to passerby's in Spanish, it was if God spoke ever so softly to my heart: These are your people. Tears reachced my eyes as I felt the strong burden he was placing on my heart for the Hispanic peoplegroup. As I spoke with ladies in my broken Spanish the burden just became stronger. It had been so clear to Travis and I that God was calling us to Mexico City and in our hearts we knew we were to minister to those people. However, that day I felt God not just giving me a burden for lost around the world but a LOVE for the Latino culture and most importantly the people who are a part of it.
While we were in the neighborhood, we did some prayer walking and witnessing. To the right is a picture of the neighborhood. Our group met one young lady at a laundry mat and she prayed to receive Christ! What a joyous occassion it was!

Travis and I were also were able to spend some time in Union Station while we were there. Below is a picture of us in front of the Christmas Tree. We had so much fun!

This week has been full of joy and fun. We praise the Lord for all his blessings and we thank each of you who have been praying for us and ask that you continue praying as this week will be a tough one in our training.

". . .it was a time of happiness and joy. . ."

"I thank my God every time I remember you."

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Phillipians 1:3

We cannot tell you how much all the prayers and words of encouragement have meant to us in these past few days. We have been so uplifted with the flood of emails that we have had - some from those we have never even met who are lifting our families up in prayer during the recent times of trial. Travis and I thank God for each and every one of you.

Please continue to pray for heavy burdens still on our hearts.

We thank "(our) God every time (we) remember you."

"Ouch!!!!"

Today, Travis and I received immunizations. You can tell by the looks on our faces that we weren't too happy about it - but I think the nurses enjoyed every minute! ( I am just teasing - they are awesome and compassionate ladies!)

We had a fun week this week. There were some discouraging things that went on in the lives of our families. Yet, we still know that God is faithful and his plans are the best plans for our lives.

Thursday night, our little "neighbor" friend, Eden, and I had a coloring night. Here we are with one of the pictures we colored together. She is a very sweet little girl part of a very sweet family.

Below is a picture of Travis and I at Latino worship night. It was a fun time praising the Lord in Spanish! It is amazing how you can still feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as you worship in a language you don't know!

"And we rejoice . . . ."

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produce perserverance; perserverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not dissapoint us, because God has poured his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:2 -5)

This week was filled with many wonderful new experiences. We had "special meal" on two days of the week. For lunch, we ate Middle Eastern meals where we were only allowed to eat with our hands. It was a really fun experience for us.

Also, We had "Thanksgiving" this week! A friend of our quad family, the Louderbacks, sent them huge baskets filled with food for Thanksgiving dinner which they shared so generously with our entire region. Even though we won't be home with our biological family this Thanksgiving, we were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with some of our spiritual family on Sunday night and it was an awesome blessing. Thank you Tim and Tina!

Saturday, many from our region ran/walked a 5K race around the ILC campus to raise money for Lottie Moon - We look tired after our race.

On a different note, this week was difficult in ways. Our families have experienced some rough times and I can feel Satan attacking us in difficult ways and using our thoughts and the tough situations in the lives of people that we love to discourage our hearts.

For me this week, my mind was my greatest enemy. I looked around and saw many godly men and women of the faith. There are those who have already been imprisoned and persecuted for sharing the gospel and many with seminary degrees and biblical knowledge far beyond what I possess. Satan had spoken thoughts into my mind and made me believe myself inadequate to be a missionary and even a Christian. In my mind, I couldn’t possible hold a candle to these spiritual giants and I began to wonder if we were doing the right thing in going. However, Friday, God used a session we had on personality to really open my eyes to the lies I was letting Satan feed me. I may not be a great biblical scholar; I may not know the answers to all the questions that someone may ask me. I may not be a talented musician, singer, doctor, seamstress, church planter, volleyball player, or preacher’s wife but God made me exactly how he wanted me to be and I have gifts and talents that I can use to serve him as well. He gives each of us our own gifts and he created us unique so we can use those gifts to serve Him. The physical body has many parts just like the body of Christ. Each part has its own unique purpose to fulfill. When we believe we are not good enough or that we have no gifts to offer, we are saying that God’s creation is worthless. In my situation, I was not only telling God his creation was worthless but I was calling him a liar by saying that I didn’t have the ability to do what he had asked of me.

God set this verse on my heart this week: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139: 14 – 16

Travis took a picture of this rainbow a few days ago out by the pond at the ILC. Today, this rainbow reminds me that no matter what is going on in our lives, God is faithful.

Please pray specifically this week for our families that they would have hope in the midst of any trying circumstances that may come their way. Please pray that miracles would happen where there seems to be no chance and that they would always remember that God, their creator, Savior, and friend is faithful.

Also, please let us know how we can pray for each of you. We believe strongly that it is our responsibility as brothers and sisters in Christ to lift one another up to the Lord and to encourage one another in the faith. Please let us know how we can lift you up and encourage you this week.

"And we rejoice . . . ."

"We cannot but speak of what we have seen..."

"But Peter and John answered and said to them, 'Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must not judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19 -20

It has truly been an unbelievable week. God has blessed us in incredible ways and we just can't stop talking about it! We got the news back on our truck - the insurance company will be mailing us a check for almost the exact amount that was paid for the truck nearly four years ago - Hallelujah, He is our provider! We would have never been able to sell it for that amount. It was a huge hassle that it was stolen but God turned it into an enormous blessing!

We also want to thank the Lord this week for new friends. To the right is a picture of Janna, Danielle, Tina, and Stacy all headed to our African worship service. These ladies all live in our quad and we are headed to the same region! We have had a joyful time together with them and their families. Even though it isn't even Thanksgiving, we all decorated our quad for Christmas - It is possible that we got a little carried away. Thank you Lord for friends!

Please continue to pray for us as we continue on in our training. Also, please let us know how we can pray for you. We feel cut off from the rest of the world and want to hear from all our friends out there.

Praise the Lord! He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is our strength. He is our provider and protector. He is the Almighty God forever and ever.

We come to worship...

"Worship the Lord in the spendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." Psalm 96:8 - 10

Our time at training has truly been a blessing to us. We are spending so much time worshiping the Lord through studying his word, prayer, and singing praises to him. We wanted to share with you an experience that touched our hearts this week.

Each Sunday night for the next six weeks, we will be having a cultural worship service in another language. This sunday night the service was in an east Asian language. It was supposed to be a model of the true East Asian house church experience. I use the term East Asian to protect some of our fellow believers in closed countries. When we came in the door of the building, we were all asked to take off our shoes and leave our Bibles at the door. We went in the room and it was dark - people were crammed into close quarters and we all sat on the floor. We sang in an East Asian language and clapped without touching our hands together. The speaker gave a sermon in the East Asian language. It was a touching experience to see how those in countries where the gospel is illegal worship. They cannot come in with their Bibles in broad daylight and sing praises loudly to the Lord. They cannot meet in groups larger than 30 or more than 2 or 3 days in a row. These are the people of the persecuted church. Please pray with us this week for those in the closed countries that the believers might be protected and that they would be able to share with other nationals the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Pray for them as they. . . worship the Lord . . . .

Take the time to watch this video this week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ. It will touch your heart.