Whoa, it has been a while since I have updated this blog!
With only 4 weeks until my due date, everything feels like it is in fast forward! Here are a few highlights about what has been happening in our lives:
1 – I had the privilege of attending a women’s retreat with our church (thanks Ed for watching K). It was so refreshing and encouraging. The topic that was discussed was “Delighting in the Word” and we talked about finding joy in the Word, studying the Word, and memorizing Scripture. I am SO glad they picked this topic – with there being so many things they could have chosen from hot topics of the day to issues women are dealing with, it is encouraging that they stuck to the basics because the Lord will use the Word to change and help women deal with ALL those issues. The retreat was at Ridgecrest in Asheville, NC and even though I have been here multiple times, I have NEVER seen a bear here (even though it seems everyone else does). Well, what do you know? A few of the women saw a bear! I told them that if they would have called me, I would have come running, baby and all, to see! One of the ladies talked about how the Lord has used memorizing books of the Bible to change and impact her life. It really motivated me to do this, so, even though I am off to a late start, I started this morning memorizing Philippians!
2 – My mom came into town (to see us and Kinsley, but also to let me rest – God bless her sweet soul) and even though we were supposed to be “taking it easy” (I don’t know that this phrase registers to me!) we tackled a few fall crafts, mostly because I was in that “I really am loving this cool weather and want to decorate everything all cute for fall” phase. So here is what we did (courtesy of Pinterest):
We hollowed out the pumpkins (I LOVE ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS this time of year) and planted mums in them. I am trying my best to keep them alive, but I am afraid I am over watering them a little (since there isn’t a place for water to drain). Then, we started working on these cute bottles for the inside of the house. As you can see, I am waiting on one more bottle, so I am missing a L. But you get the picture right?
3 – Ministry is going great! We have been really connecting as a team (we went camping this past weekend and had a blast!) as well as seeing the Lord move mightily on our campuses. Not only are we seeing growth in our ministries and students’ lives, but we have seen 5 students place their faith in Christ so far this semester! I have even been able to go to campus at Wake Tech a lot to work with the faculty and students there, and have been blessed to see the Lord working on that campus. We even have our first leader ever at Wake Tech! Even though there have been some hard things (aren’t there always), the Lord is blessing our efforts and choosing to graciously show up on campus. Check out our newsletters for more updates!
4 – We have been dealing with some behavior issues with Kinsley in regards to her pushing and hitting other kids. When we are around, we are able to connect her and have seen that be successful. But, when others are watching her, such as at the gym nursery, she becomes aggressive. We are trying to discipline her, take away privileges, give rewards, etc. but one thing is for sure, time outs are NOT effective. The lady at the gym today said that she is fully aware of what she is doing when she hits or pushes – so much so that she actually put herself in time out multiple times today when she did something wrong. Obviously, time outs aren’t working to change anything. Please join us in praying for something to work and that we are able to guide and shepherd her heart and not just her actions (as much as that can happen and she can understand at age 2). My biggest prayer is not that she changes her actions (even though I hope this happens too!) but that she sees that she is a sinner, needs Jesus, and only he can change her heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. As frustrating as seeing my child be a bully is, I am grateful she has a strong will and just pray that the Lord will use that for him one day! I also am grateful to realize that the odds of dealing with this in our next child are real low, PRAISE THE LORD!
Soon, I will post another a picture of my pregnant self and hopefully an updated one of Kinsley!