Karty Quotes...

All of our boys are super fun and filled to the brim with imagination and passion (wonder where they get that from)!
However, Karty is known for saying some of the craziest things... Things we want to always remember!

Last week while traveling in the car, (sort of a major theme in our lives lately) Kaden and Kolson where being extra whiney and grouchy. Since Karter didn't seem to be joining in with the other two Nathan praised him and told him that he was proud of Karter for being good.

Karter replied by saying, "that's my job...to be good"!

We all laughed and moved on. An hour later when Karter joined in the grouch fest, Nathan reminded him of his job.

Karter replied, "well, I'm taking the day off"!!

Ha ha! What a personality!!

The next week he told me that he had gotten fired from sharing!

Oh Karty boy... We love you so!

The UGLY word...

 

C H A N G E

 

We are currently embarking on the biggest change our family has ever known.  And if you have known us long you know that big change is a theme in our lives!

We moved from Tennessee to Texas just 3 weeks before we had our first baby...new house, new job, new baby...big change!

We moved to Martin's Mill just weeks before the loss of our second baby boy...new house, first time pastoring, loosing a precious baby...big change!

We moved to Malakoff 2 months before we had Karter...in the middle of that move I landed in the hospital!  Once again we had a new house, new church, new baby, and then 2 months later I also had a new job...big change!

Have you noticed a theme?  It seems like every change happens around the same time that I am preggo!  To be honest I was totally surprised that God didn't move us while I was pregnant with Kolson! :)

I am so thankful that the Lord has been so faithful to bring us through each transition.  They have not always been easy, but because of HIS faithfulness we know that we can trust Him in this crazy change once again!

Near the end of July we finally recieved news that a change we have been anticipating will be happening soon!  We were thrilled and overjoyed to see the face of our sweet Kenzi and know that soon our family of 5 will become a family of 6!

The unanticipated change came at the beginning of this month when  Nathan was elected to become the new Director of Evangelism for the Southern Baptist of Texas!  He will now have a part in reaching the whole state for Christ!  I am so proud of him and the way the LORD is using him and his passion for people!  We are so honored and humbled by this new position.  We are excited and hopeful, but we are also facing that word...

CHANGE

We will be changing where we live.  Nathan will be working in Grapevine so a move to the metroplex is in the near future.

In a way that could only be explained as a miracle from God our house here has sold...without it ever going on the market!  But, that leaves us homeless!  At the moment we are not sure exactly sure where we will live!  The plan for now is to put all of our stuff into storage and the boys and I will stay with my parents until the Lord shows us where to live!  I know...it sounds crazy...sometimes following the Lord does seem a little crazy.

Abraham and Sarah left everything to follow God's call not knowing where that would lead.

Noah built a boat even though it had never rained before.

Elijah moved out to the brook and received his food from ravens each day.
Joseph took a young pregnant Mary as his wife based on an angels visit in a dream.
And the list goes on...

Since we are not sure where we will be living we are also changing the way we do school.  For now we will be homeschooling Kaden!  Another huge change!  But this change gives us the freedom to take Kaden with us when we travel to Uganda to get our precious Kenzi...talk about hands on learning!

We will be changing our roles.  For more than 7 years now Nathan has been the pastor and I have been the pastor's wife.  In the beginning I was not sure about the whole pastor's wife thing...I mean, I don't teach Sunday School, I can't play the piano, I didn't think I had the right clothes or enough scripture memorized...I was SCARED!  But now, 7 years in, I am so sad to let this role go.  I have loved teaming up with my husband to minister!  While I am sure we will still have opportunities to minister together, I will miss serving on staff at a church with him!

In the middle of all of this change we are also changing our family!  We are preparing and making room for our sweet Kenzi to join our family soon!  We are praying to have her home before the end of the year!

In all honesty, there are moments when I am scared to death.  I love our life here.  I love our church and the precious people the Lord has allowed us to serve with here.  I love our home, so full of life and memories.  I love the sweet place in our marriage that we have found here.  I have no idea what life will look like with all of these changes...at this point I am not even sure where we will be living this new life...ha! 

But God...thank goodness for those words!  But God, He holds my every moment...he knows exactly where we are going to be living and exactly how He wants to use us in these new roles.  He knows the plans He has and His word has promised that they are not plans to harm us...they may not be easy but I have full confidence that they are for our good.  My only job is to trust Him, to wait Him, and to follow when and where He leads.

So maybe it's not such an ugly word after all...



Finally...a face!

Kenzi,

It had been a crazy few weeks!  I was really starting to sense that we would hear something soon.  And so, being the resourceful girl that I am, I hacked into your Daddy's email just to see if there was any news! :)  Low and behold...there was an e-mail letting us know that all of your paperwork was in and that it would only be a matter of weeks until we would see our first picture of you.  I totally ruined Daddy's plan to surprise me!
I am thankful that the next 2 weeks were pretty busy because during the quiet moments it was hard to do anything but think of you!  I truly felt like I did at the end of my pregnancies with your brothers, knowing that it could be any day!  I was so full of hope and excitment as I waited for the big day!
I had that same feeling on Monday the 23rd of July...I just knew the news was coming soon!  But...this is Africa we are talking about.  That afternoon your Daddy informed me that everything was ready BUT the Internet was down in Africa and had been the entire weekend!  I will admit I was a little crushed but I also had to laugh...God sure does like to teach us lessons in patience when that is the one lesson we don't want to learn!
Tuesday rolled around and Mrs. Flo came to visit me that morning.  You won't remember her but she came to visit you several times while they were in Africa this summer.  At that point we didn't know who you were but God did and He made sure you were loved...and by someone that we know...God is so good sweet girl, and so very faithful!  That morning as we talked Mrs. Flo even mentioned you!

Around 2:30 on Tuesday the 24th of July, I went out back with Kolson to swing.  Not even 5 minutes later you Daddy came out to tell me that this was "THE CALL".  Not wanting to miss a moment of it, your Daddy and I locked ourselves in the bathroom to hear all about you!  It was a moment I will never forget.

After the call we all jumped in the car...no shoes and all and headed to the church to see your pictures!  We gathered around the computer to see our first glimpses of your sweet face.  As God would have it we got the church and Mrs. Stacey was there...she takes the most beautiful pictures.  She was able to snap a few pictures of us seeing you for the first time!

What a beautiful baby girl!  You are certainly worth the wait sweet girl!  We feel so blessed that God would allow us to be your family!  We can't wait to hold you and love on you!  I hope you liked to be carried...I am not sure your feet will touch the ground for the first year...we have waited so long to hold you!

We will continue to pray for you sweet baby girl as we wait for our court date!  We love you Kenzi Reigh!  We are waiting for you!

Walk on the Water

This blog has been sitting for over a month...ready to be published and for some reason I just couldn't hit publish.  But today after hearing my husband preach about Jonah and following God's call...it all I can think about!

"Too often we let "how" get in the way of "what" God wants us to do. We can't figure out how to do what God has called us to do, so we don't do it all."- Mark Batterson The Circle Maker

I wonder how often this has been true in my life?

For the past 2 years I have been captivated by a song. I guess you could say it has become my mantra!

Britt Nicole's song, Walk on the Water has been my constant companion on this adoption journey as well as so many other moments these past 2 + years!

You look around and staring back at you

Another wave of doubt

Will it pull you under

You wonder

What if I never make it

What if no one's there

Will you hear my prayer

When you take that first step into the unknown you that He wont let you go

So what are you waiting for

What do have to lose

Your insecurities will try to alter you

But you know you're made more

So be afraid to move

Your faith is all it takes and you can walk on the water

I cannot tell you how many times I blasted this song on my iPod as I prepared for the 13.1 miles that seemed impossible!  And trust me...I am using it again this year as we prepare to run for our sweet baby girl!

This song also makes me think about two of my friends, Jennifer and Kim, who stepped out against popular opinion to follow God's call on their lives to homeschool. They had so many questions and unknowns but they stepped out and their kiddos are thriving! 

I just can't hear this song and not think about 9 girls who stepped out and went to Uganda last year.
One of them, Kasey, was so moved and changed on that trip that she is returning this summer WITHOUT a group of friends.  Another, Brandi, left her job where she was named "Teacher of the Year" to follow God's call to another school and grade level that she has never taught before.  Sweet Kristi, had just lost a baby just weeks before our trip and was wondering if God would ever bless them with more...this year she expecting baby Dax!

Another one of those 9 was this girl, my friend Flo.

She was so unsure in the beginning, so many doubts and fears holding her back. But she took that step of faith and now, this year, her and her family just returned from living in Uganda for 2 months!

So get out and let your fear fall to the ground

No time waste, don't wait

And don't you turn around

And miss out on everything you were made for

I know you're not sure

So you play it safe

Try to run away

But if you take that first step

Into the unknown

You that He won't let you go

So what are you waiting for??

Let's stop letting the "How" stop us from doing the "What" that He has called us to do!