Summer 2008!

An update...
So much has happened since we last updated our blog. We first created the blog as a way for our friends and family to see all that was happening while we spent the summer of 2007 in Europe, especially in Romania. Not being expert computer folks, we thought it was a short-term thing...ha! Since last summer our life and the direction we are headed has completed shifted, thanks to our Lord's sovereignty and grace!

Fall 2007...
While we were in Romania, many asked us if we would ever move over there to minister full time with the orphans. We said "some day.." and left it at that. Not to avoid the opportunity, but we just felt confident in our path and content with where God had us. We both began the new school year, I graduated with my masters in counseling, and continued to build our business with Arbonne. We new we wanted to begin a family, and just enjoyed our crazy life schedule as we waited for God to bless us with a little one. Throughout the course of the fall, two different missionaries with Livada came to stay with us for conferences and to visit local friends who support them financially. As we visited with them the topic came up - would we consider moving...

Wow!! So much had changed...
Jeff and I both believe in God's timing with our lives, and know that He is in complete control. We also know He has a great sense of humor! We just had no idea how He was orchestrating all of the "little" details in our lives to bring us to a place where we could commit to actually moving over to Romania for a couple of years. As we spent many, many hours in prayer about the opportunity, we wanted to make sure there was a true need for us, with the hope of also having a baby. Within three days of deciding - Yes, we will go...we found out that we would be parents! We were shocked, thrilled, filled with joy, and couldn't help but believe it was all in God's timing! In December, the day after my birthday we got to see the little one and his heartbeat - Jeff and I both cried in the doctor's office. On Christmas, we got to share the exciting news of our little one with all of our families - it was such a tremendous joy! Our due date was set for August 12, 2008. We knew that in 2009 we would hopefully move to Romania, but we waited to share that bit of info until January - we just wanted to experience the pure joy that this little one would bring - without all the fears that we knew our families would feel once they knew of the move. Thankfully, even through the telling of our families, God has given us such a peace about the whole thing - one that is truly supernatural. The whole thought of being a missionary can be overwhelming...not in a prideful way, but in the sense of the responsibility you take on and the complete trust you must have. I never would have thought I would be a missionary - but I am so thankful to be doing this alongside my incredible husband who loves the Lord and loves the kids we are going to work with. It has been an amazing journey!

Spring 2008...
January and February for me were filled with lots of morning sickness and hours of watching Law & Order on the couch from 4-9pm every evening once home from work! As Jeff enjoyed his first spring not coaching basketball, he was busy planning to take a team from our church back to Romania for the summer and was occupied with all of the details that go along with that! It was a huge prayer to take a team that could bring back the stories of the kids to our church family, especially knowing that it would be our last time to lead a team ourselves. They have such incredible stories that can break your heart - while at the same time provide such a sense of gratitude for the life we've been given. Just to know the hope each child has despite the world they live is truly inspiring!

Once March rolled around and I could eat more than pink lemonade and chicken nuggets (my nephew's favorite!!), I got into nesting mode and starting cleaning out closets, shopping for maternity clothes (gotta love the sure-fit belly capri-pants!), and trying to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. I enjoyed lots of girls trips with my girlfriends from college as well as my sisters and mom. Jeff and I celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary and were snowed in! It was our first time to be home as it didn't overlap with our spring break this year. It was nice just to chill out and enjoy each other without driving or flying somewhere! The most thrilling event that happened to us in March was getting to go back to the doctor's office for another sonogram - and we found out we were having a little BOY!! We were shocked! Jeff and I both always wanted to have a boy first, but we were led to believe we were having a little girl for the past few weeks. Needless to say, we both got a bit choked up knowing we were having a son. What a blessing he will be! We hurried to tell our parents and siblings - it was fun getting to play the guessing game with them! Another neat thing that happened in March was that we got a chance to meet with the Livada Board of Directors for the first time. We were given the title "Directors of Ministry for Residential Care." Crazy!! Basically we will be helping with the 30 kids in Livada's 3 group homes - leading bible studies, building relationships with the kids, doing life skills types activities and acting as surogate parents...while learning to be parents ourselves! We walked away challanged, excited, eager to begin the fundraising process, and humbled by the adventure God was putting us on.

In April we set up a "game-plan" (that's a coach's wife talking) of how we would go about raising our funds to go. I am the type-A planner who needs a very detailed plan, while Jeff is more of the go-with-the-flow kind of guy who lights up any room he walks in to! We spent time reading up on how to fund our ministry while honoring God the whole way - such a daunting task at times but a blessing all the same! It helped us both to "get organized" and see how to balance the ways God has gifted us so that we are productive with our time and fruitful to the ministry. We also realized that we are on a time crunch as we hit the 20 week mid-way mark of our pregnancy and realized that once our little once was here, our opportunities to share our story would look a little different:) At this point my tummy is very round and he is moving a ton! Jeff always gets such a kick out of seeing him move and tumble around - perhaps practicing to play on Dad's team someday?

In May we started to wrap up the school year, make plans for the next school year and finalize the summer trip to Romania and all the plans, details, reservations that go along with it. God brought together a team of four, 2 guys and 2 girls, who love the Lord and are eager to spend their vacation time with these "unwanted" children who want nothing more than to experience love. I wish I were able to go this summer, but I can't wait to see how God will use each of them in the lives of these kids. Jeff and I also officially embarked on our first round of speaking engagements to share about our ministry plans in Romania. We drove the 8 hour drive to Missouri to visit with Jeff's dad's family and church friends - it was such a blessing and encouragement! We just prayed that God would bless our time, their time, and all of our hearts as we shared, prayed and enjoyed each other's company. May was also filled with baby showers with family, friends and co-workers who were so sweet to celebrate with us the joy of this little guy. Many of you have asked us his name, but Jeff and I decided to keep it a secret until he is born! Truthfully, this has just encouraged our procrastination of making a decision and as soon as we eliminate a name, we add another! We will get one though, at least before we leave the hospital!

In June we finished school, thank goodness! We both loved our kids this year, but it was long going past Memorial weekend this year. We celebrated by driving to Vail, Colorado with my mom and Nana to enjoy a week in the mountains in Nana's time-share. Not much was open since it was still early in the season, but it was wonderfully relaxing...something we both needed! It was warm enough to layout and then one day it snowed!! Crazy!!! I spent many summers vacationing there with my family and it was a joy to visit many of the favorite hangout spots of ours. One of the favorite memories is always skipping rocks in the stream that flows just below our condo, among the other sweet times if hikes, picinics, walking around the village and of course picking the wildflowers! As soon as we came home we turned around and drove to a little town in the middle of Texas called Lexington to be the guest missionaries at Tanglewood Christian Camp for 4th and 5th graders. We got to share what we will be doing, showing them video clips and to ask the kids to pray for the kids we work with. The campers were such an encouragement as they have a child-like faith and love to hear what God is doing around the world. They even collected an offering in the evenings and the kids gave way beyond their goal. It was quite moving for all of us there! This last week Jeff and the team left to go to Romania for 11 days - I can't believe the time is really here! They are busy working at a camp in Vetca, Romania with teens from Sincrai (all of which grew up in the Ludus orphanage). I can't wait to find out how the week went and how God will use this time to work in their very hardened hearts. Jeff shared the few changes that have happened in the town we will be living in - they got a KFC and 3 small casinos - big time!! The town has a sweet European look to it - with traces of communism throughout it. Thankfully the economy is changing mostly for the better for the folks living there - with the hope that they will be able to help their own. In the meantime, we look forward to the move and spending those precious few years with some of Romania's hardest hit children..

That's a brief update from summer - to - summer. I will add pictures of our last year once Jeff returns with our camera:) as well as more frequent updates on our journey. Right now we patiently await Jeff's return, watch our little guy grow bigger and bigger each week (we are 33 weeks now as I write this) and enjoy the summer time together with friends and family!