My Daddy

Michael and I love being and aunt and uncle. Our neices and nephews are great and they have never been confused about the relationship between us. This is not the case with the small children at our new church. One mom suggested that it might be because we don't have any children of our own, yet. I met Michael the other day at a shop one of the church members owns. Her grandson saw me give Michael a "hello" kiss and told his grandmother that he thought Pastor Michael had a girlfriend :) If you think that's good, you'll really love the next story. The little girls in two different families are convinced that Michael is my Daddy!!! One of them started by asking what my Daddy's name was. It was a question which I thought was a little weird but answered anyway. Then the mom told me what she thought her daughter was thinking. I've gotten some fun laughs out of this. The other little girl told me I could sleep in the downstairs bedroom and my Daddy could sleep on the couch :) I just love it.


I see that many other people have been publishing "it's been a while" posts, so I'm throwing in my hat with everyone else. Everything from our appartment has been packed in boxes since last Friday. It has all been unloaded into some storage facility or another since last Monday and we are currently between houses. I can't wait for Thursday - we close on our house on December 20th, Merry Christmas! We have enjoyed staying with various church members over the past week and are thankful for their generosity and the chance to get to know these families.


God really is blessing us here in Columbus. Our church is very warm and friendly and has a very sweet spirit. Here are some blogs you can look forward to once we get settled in our house and have an internet connection: "The back-up singer" and "High-tech shepherds."

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope to be in touch before the new year.

Freedom

My friend Joy had her status on facebook set as "Joy is so blessed to be living in the freedom of grace." Since then I've been thinking about freedom. I shared with her that:

"in Bible study we have been working through the first chapter of Ephesians. We talked about redemption (v7). I explained that this imagery has to do with Christ purchasing us for the purpose of setting us free. We are now free to reject sin, among other things! We couldn't do that before! Amen!"

Since sharing that with her, I've been striving to apply the truth that I am free to reject sin to specific areas of my life. Well, mostly one specific area - food! I generally try to eat healthy things like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The problem is that in doing this I don't cut out the unhealthy things. Not only that, but the purpose of food is to nourish our bodies, not satisfy a craving. So, instead of trying to convince myself that I don't really need whatever it is I'm feeling like eating or trying to convince myself that "I really shouldn't" I've started reminding myself that I'm free NOT to do it. It's a good perspective shifter and redirects my thoughts to "things above, not earthly things."

In what area of your life has Satan been able to convince you that you can't help the way you feel or you are powerless to change the way you have been? Remember that Satan is the Father of Lies and that YOU ARE FREE! As some of us enjoy the freedom of a day off work, as we remember the national freedoms we have because of the sacrifices others were willing to make, I pray we will remember the sacrifice that Jesus made and the spiritual freedom that we now possess to reject sin. Today I pray that you will experience the blessedness of living in the freedom of grace.

Various Updates, because I've been a blogging slacker :)

OK, what do I need to update you on?

Helena High Men's Varsity Soccer (Michael is an assistant coach) won the State Championship in a crosstown battle that wasn't settled until two overtimes and a PK shoot-out!! What a game! Michael was really excited because he coached most of the Seniors on the JV team during his first year when they were Sophomores. This was a good note to go out on as there is not soccer in class C schools like Columbus High School.

I was in a car accident! It was sort of a head-on collision! I'm doing fine, I feel better every day. I mostly just had bruises and pulled a muscle in my neck and shoulder. And, as my cousin Kelly was happy to hear, I have not had a single headache since the accident. I'm driving a rental and we are waiting to hear from the other guy's insurance about our car (the accident was his fault).

Now about a house. We (including Michael's parents) though we had one, but it fell through due to building restrictions in the subdivision. We have our eye on another one that looks good on the Internet :) We'll be able to take a look at it when we are down in Columbus on the 17th and 18th for Michael to preach his first sermon as the new pastor! I've started packing this week while Michael and Haddie are away hunting.

Michael and Haddie are away hunting. One of our friend's church plants started this men's' retreat last year. He took every thing he would need to hunt any thing from deer, to waterfowl, to upland birds, pheasants and turkey! Please pray for him this coming week as he finishes preparing his Thanksgiving sermon and maybe starts working on a Christmas series.

I was just about to say that I had covered every detail of our lives, but . . .
Michael's birthday was on Tuesday (the 6th). He got a lot of great phone calls from family and friends (and NAMB!?!) He's 33 if you were wondering :)

If you have a moment, please keep my family in your prayers: My brother-in-law and sister are also moving to accept a ministry position at a different church. They have found a place to live, now my sister just has to pack the house with an 1 1/2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old running around! Also keep my parents in you prayers as this is, by extension, a stressful time for them also, besides all their own stuff.

Thanks for your prayers. We love you.

Columbus, Here we come!

If you couldn't tell from the title, Michael was officially called to be the pastor of Columbus Baptist Church on Sunday. He accepted, of course, so now we're looking to move. He will be preaching starting November 18th and we will move as soon as we find a place to live. The current pastor has agreed to stick around until December so that there is a bit of overlap. He plans to take Michael to the home of every church member! I just think that's so great. Now, about a place to live. There's not much to rent but Michael's parents are wanting to see if they can help us buy something. Wanda is up this week for the state soccer tournament, so she's going to head over that way and see what she can see.

This has all been kind of overwhelming in a way. Paul Jones, who headed up the search committee, has been a friend of Michael's family for a long time. Wanda told us some of the really nice things that he had to say about us concerning our interview process. He's really excited to ordain Michael and even more so because Michael's dad was on his ordination committee and signed his ordination certificate! And then Michael's dad, what can I say? I was blessed to grow up in a family, including much extended family, that thought (thinks) I'm great. It's amazing to me that someone from another family would think I am as great as my own family thinks I am, but he does - maybe more, if that's possible! And Mike and Wanda are happy to tell us how proud they are of us and pass along every good thing they ever hear about us - what an encouragement! On the other hand, my family adores Michael. They just thing he's the best thing since sliced bread, and I'd have to agree :) They just love, love love on us. We can't even count the ways our families have been a blessing to us, supporting us in everything we have done. How blessed we are to have godly legacies and mounds of encouragement coming from everyone we could possibly call family!

Columbus

So, some of you have been interested to find out some more about this town we may be moving to (pardon the bad English.) It is about 30 min. from the biggest city in the state, Billings and about 3 hours from Helena. I think the population of Columbus is around 2,000. No, I didn't forget a zero! There were 81 people in the worship on Sunday. At some points outside of town you can see 4 different mountain ranges at one time - I love the Beartooth mountains! OK, that's all I can think of for now. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll answer them for everyone.

Yikes! . . . and other exciting news

Well, we went back to Columbus this weekend! Michael preached Sunday morning, we enjoyed a pot-luck lunch with the church and opened ourselves up to a Q & A time. The church has a very sweet spirit and we had a good time.

So, why the "yikes!"? Well, the ladies of the church have already more than hinted at the desire for a women's ministry, including Bible study, retreats, and ladies' night out. While this is exciting and right up my alley, it would also be time for me to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I have professed a heart for women's ministry and have a degree in women's studies but I have not to this point had an opportunity to put my "heart" and degree into practice. It's a little scary! :)

So, what's the other exciting news? Well, first, I want to thank you for all of your prayers, especially those we specially requested against the spirit of fear. I was talking to Michael the other night and shared with him that I really thought we were going to have a continuing struggle against the spirit of fear that attacked us before our first visit to Columbus. But since we realized what it was that attacked us and started praying (and you all joined us) we have had peace - some nerves here and there, but no paralyzing fear. That's a really exciting praise.

The other exciting news is . . . we got a call on our way home: next Sunday, the committee will unanimously recommend that the church call us to come as the pastor and wife! Since we've been so successful in praying together for freedom from fear, we would now like to ask you to join us in praying for a place to live. The move will probably be too quick to buy a house and there is only one rental house available in Columbus, but they don't allow pets. It seems too big for us but it's definitely not too big for God! Amen?

We covet your continued prayers as we approach this exciting time in our lives. Thank you all for your love and prayers.

We're going back again!

So, we made it through the 8 hours of interview. Whew! We were exhausted and it literally was 8 hours, but time did not drag by and there was a very sweet spirit. Before we could get home, we got a call. One of their committee members had had to leave unexpectedly and wasn't there at all and another one was only able to be there for a small portion of our time there. The missing committee members is their main concern. So, they have asked us to come back. This time they will have an open house for us on Saturday night for people to come meet us. They want Michael to preach on Sunday morning. Then there will be a pot-luck after church followed by a question/answer period with the whole church. Then the committee will get together again and if the people who weren't there this weekend like us as much and those who were there this weekend, they are expecting to recommend to the congregation that they call us!!!

We are very excited and nervous. We ask, among other things, that you would pray against a spirit of fear. At different times during the weekend, Michael and I were both seized with a spirit of fear: "you guys can't do this," "what are you thinking," "you have no idea what you are doing," etc. We realize that this is an attack from Satan. We know that God will always enable us to do what He has called us to do and we have peace about the process that we are in the midst of right now. So, please pray with us against ungodly fear in our lives as we seek and follow the Lord. Thanks, we love you.

Interview!!

OK, here goes. . . Michael is interviewing with Columbus Baptist Church in Columbus, MT! We are driving down after church today (in the midst of a winter storm warning, no less). They are starting the interview process tonight and it will continue through the morning and afternoon on Monday. We are excited and nervous (he didn't sleep much last night). We appreciate your prayers for us and for the church, that we would all be following the leading of the Holy Spirit; He will bring the right pastor to the right church. We love you and will keep you updated.

It's Fall!

When I was a kid growing up in Florida, I always thought that the seasons should start changing when school started. I was disappointed every year as September became even hotter than August! Now the fact that July here in Montana was mostly triple digits makes it kind of hard to get hotter, but still. This is the time for what I call "whiplash weather." We're going from highs in the 80's to highs in the 60's and back in one week. And just because the highs are in the 80's doesn't mean the lows won't be in the 30's. That's right folks, 50 degree temperature swings in one day! Ahhh, Fall. It's cooling off in September, just like it should :) On the other hand, I think Spring should start in March (like it did in Florida when I was a kid) but here it doesn't usually start until May or June. Oh, well. You win some, you loose some.

Joy

I heard a sermon today on Hebrews 12:1-2. Joy is now my theme. I know, it's not the usual "Joy Passage" but it works for me. God is doing something and whether it's preparing me for something big or just the regular work of making me more like Christ, the fact that He's doing a work in me should bring joy, even if it's painful. I'm thankful that I feel like I'm becoming more aware. Aware of my moods and feelings, what might be behind them and whether or not they're worth paying any attention to. I hope it continues. Thanks for your prayers.

First Flush

Well, Haddie finally started putting all of the training and hard work into use today...and made me very proud in the process. We went out this morning for a couple of hours and she ended up flushing two coveys of sharptail grouse and a rooster pheasant. The first covey I think was an accident, she was pretty sure on the second covey, and she actually trailed the pheasant for 25 yards before it flushed about 2 feet in front of her.

I managed to down two of the sharptails (pheasant isn't in season yet) but we only found one of them. Still have a little work to do on retrieving them once they're shot, but today was a great step. Here's a pic of our pup with her first bird.

Pouring out my heart

Psalm 143:10-11
Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God:
Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For the sake of Your name, O Lord revive me.
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.

When I started this blog, I really wanted it to be a way to keep our family and friends up to date with what God is doind in our lives. We have included updates on the church plant, opportunities that God might be leading us toward and a good amount of fun fluff (see the previous post). Now I'm goign to share with you a spiritual struggle I'm in the midst of.

I had my two-year review last week at work. Although I maintained good ratings in most categories and increased to a "superior" in job knowledge, I received a "marginal" score for performance. This included attitude and accuracy.

I can feel it when I get stressed at work. It's busy and there are things I have to get done and customers need help and co-workers have questions. . . It's hard for me to switch back and forth between them all. What I didn't know was that I have a Dr. Jeykel/Mr. Hyde personality (that's a quote). Apparently I'm "happy Christina" 90% of the time and the other 10% I'm scary! This news was kind of devastating, because I didn't know that I was making my co-workers feel like that and because it's such a terrible witness!

I have had at least one offage every month for the last year. I spent some time thinking about this, pondering why they thought that was so much worse that I was feeling that it was. One day off out of twenty work days is 95%. That's an A! My worst month I was off 4 times!! OUCH! But, still only an 80%. I just hadn't gotten it into my head that I'm not being graded like I was in school. There is not scale - it's pass/fail and it takes 100% to pass. Besides this perception problem I had, I thought I was checking all my work. I truly am supprized when I get an email saying I neglected to perfom or follow through on some duty.

So I had to come up with a PIP (personal improvement plan) I was able to come up with some practical things as well as some ways my supervisors might be able to help. I also included a spiritual section to my plan because that's not separate
from every other part of my life. My supervisors thought that was good because they know how important my faith is to me. So, I expected things to be/get better immediately.

Instead they got worse! The first thing I saw at my station when I came in today was a list of things I had neglected to do/done wrong at work on Saturday. I had to go to the bathroom and dab at my eyes! Today was the fourth, off-the-charts-busy day in a row! My checks didn't match in the middle of the day! Usually this happens because I type in the number wrong when I'm adding them up, or I made some other small, easily fixable mistake when processing the transaction. Not so toady! I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for it, while the two girls who came in early stayed just as late as the rest of us trying to get everything taken care of. And now, while I have tomorrow off, someone else has to go back through every piece of work I did trying to find my mistake!!

I'm crushed! I don't know what else to do to fix whatever it is that has made these last couple of months so bad at work. The grace, patience, love and servanthood that my supervisors have shown/are showing is a daily conviction to me (especially considering my current attitude issues). But, I feel like God is doing something. I don't know what. I can't figure out what I'm supposed to do or learn. I don't know how this is going to glorify God or how it will prepare me for what God has in store next, but I'm confident that it will. And it feels like it's something BIG!

I'd like to thank my brother-in-law, Phillip, for his great reminder of these things. Also, I really covet your prayers while I continue through this time striving to keep my eyes on Jesus and seeking my strenth and joy in Him. Please also pray for what God has in store for me/us and that His Spirit would complete this work of preparation in me.

I love you all and thank you for your love and prayers.

A Study in Opposites

I have come across two great joke lists - one for where I live now and one for where I grew up. Notice some of the opposites:


Jeff Foxworthy's comments on Montana

If "vacation" to you means going shopping for the weekend in Great Falls, Billings or Bozeman (while the kids swim at the Comfort Inn),You might live in Montana.

If parking your car for the night involves an extension cord, You might live in Montana.

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, You might live in Montana.

If you're proud that your state makes the national news primarily because it houses the coldest spot in the nation, You might live in Montana.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March, You might live in Montana.

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, You might live in Montana.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, You might live in Montana.

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches, You might live in Montana.

If you know how to correctly pronounce Butte, You might live in Montana.

If you measure distance in hours, You might live in Montana.

If your family vehicle is a crew cab pickup, You might live in Montana.

If you know several people who have hit deer more than once, You might live in Montana.

If you often switch from "heat" to "A/C"in the same day and back again, You might live in Montana.

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching, You might live in Montana.

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,You might live in Montana.

If the largest traffic jam in your town centers around a high school basketball game,You might live in Montana.

If there are more people at work on Christmas Eve Day than on Deer gun Opener, You might live in Montana.

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, You might live in Montana.

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, You might live in Montana.

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, You might live in Montana.

If you can identify a southern or eastern accent, You might live in Montana.

If you consider Red Lodge exotic,You might live in Montana.

If the sunbelt to you means Miles City, You might live in Montana.

If a brat is something you eat, You might live in Montana.

If you find 0 degrees a little chilly, You might live in Montana.


You know you're from Florida when.....

"Down South" means Key West.

"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola.

Flip-flops are everyday wear.

Shoes are for business meetings and church.

No, wait, flip flops are good for church too.

Socks are only for bowling.

Orange juice from concentrate makes you vomit.

Tap water makes you vomit.

Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip to Florida.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

A good parking place has nothing to do with distance from the store,but everything to do with shade.

Your winter coat is made of denim.

You can tell the difference between fire ant bites and mosquito bites.

You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and Christmas.

It's not "pop." It's "soda" or "coke."

Anything under 70 is chilly.

You've attended a hurricane party.

You go to a theme park for an afternoon, and know when to get on the best rides.

You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Withlacoochee , Okahumpka and Loxahatchee.

You've driven through Yeehaw Junction.

You were 8 before you realized they made houses without pools.

You were 12 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

You could swim before you could read.

You know that no other grocery store can compare to Publix.

You've gotten out of school early on Halloween to trick or treat before it got dark.

You know that anything under a Category 3 just isn't worth waking up for.

You dread the lovebug seasons.

You are on a first name basis with the Hurricane list. They aren't Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances...but Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

You think a six-foot alligator is actually pretty average.

You were twelve before you ever saw snow or you still haven't.

When the northerners complain that 80 is 'so hot', you just stand there and smile.

You refer to the seasons as "Tourist Season", "Fire Season" "Hurricane Season" and "Mosquito Season".


Perhaps these illustrate why my life is so full of extremes :) Hope you enjoyed!

For the love of Fall...

Have I ever mentioned that I love this time of year? There are so many positives; the weather is cooling off, high school soccer starts, hunting seasons start up, and winter is just around the corner! I actually like all of the seasons, with summer being the least favorite. The beginning of summer is nice, but I'm not a big fan of 95º-plus temps and the associated fire season & smoke here in MT.

Speaking of smoke, we have had about 10 days of beautiful, clear, cool weather. Daytime temps have been in the 70's and low 80's, nights cool off to the upper 40's, and no smoke to speak of. There are still many fires around the state, but the cooler weather has helped slow them down quite a bit.

Our first soccer matches are this weekend. We play Missoula Big Sky on Friday and Missoula Hellgate on Saturday. Our varsity team is looking really good...we already had a strong team, and now we have a new transfer student from Seattle who will be 1st Team, All-State this year easily(maybe the best HS player in the state)as well as a new foreign exchange student from Mexico who will be a very strong defender for us. We are very excited! My head coach has been coaching HS soccer for 10-12 years now and he said that this is the strongest, deepest team that he has ever had, and he has won 2 state titles! It is also a special year for me as most of the 12 seniors this year were on my JV team the first year that I started coaching. My JV team is looking good as well. We need a little work on offense, but the defense and midfield look very solid.

Bird hunting season opens Saturday! Its time for Haddie to start earning her keep :) I think that she is very ready for it and she will do great. I need to work with her on live birds some, but her retrieving work is solid. I bought her a vest to protect her chest and belly from thorns and things and now she barrels through obstructions like it was nothing. We might get out Saturday morning but it will probably be Monday morning before we get some serious hunting time in.

Please continue to pray for us. The church in Columbus is checking our references this week and we are looking at an interview in the very near future. We are also praying about a church planting staff position in Belgrade. Both places are awesome and we would enjoy the work in either, but we really want to discern God's will and make the right choice. Also, please pray for us as we minister here. God has opened several opportunities to share with people and we would like to be able to follow up with them. I have had a chance to share the Gospel with several people at Lowe's and with our new assistant coach while we were at camp last week. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in their lives and bring them to the place of repentance and faith.

Ashes, ashes it all falls down

We woke up to a layer of ash on everything this morning! Since we have the windows in the house open, this includes everything near a window in our house. I was told today that this extreme smokieness was not from the fire to our north (the closest one) but from one over the mountains - I guess the weather patterns changed. Anyway, it's really weird and I thought I'd share. Hope you had an ash-free day :)

Netty Pot

I do not often watch Oprah, but sometimes I have a day off or get off early and I take a peak. The last two times I've watched, Dr. Oz has been on. So, they demonstrated and sang the praised of the netty pot. With all the smoke and my aforementioned boogerie nose and Michael's bad sinuses, I decided to try it. I love it. It looks like a tiny teapot. You fill it up with warm salt water, pour it in one nostril with your head tipped to the side and let it come out the other side. When the water first starts going through all your sinuses, it sort of feels like accidentally inhaling salt water. Imagine that! But after the initial sensation, you don't really notice it anymore. I tried it and liked it. I thought it would be good for Michael, too, but I didn't think I'd actually be able to convince him. But I did! And it's really work for him with his tiny nostrils. Now I do it once or twice a day - whenever I feel a little stuffy. It softens everything up and washes it right out. Of course you're going to have to blow your nose a couple of times when you're done, but I'd rather have a bit of a runny nose than a stuffy nose any day. Let me know what you think :)

Weather Updates and more.

Well, I was going to write yesterday and tell you that it had cleared up and we had been able to see the mountains for the past two days, but . . . no more. It seemed fine this morning but now the sky is all smoky white. It has cooled down a bit though - upper 80's to low 90's for the highs and getting down to the mid 50's for lows at night.

Soccer starts tomorrow! They might have to rearrange the practice schedule because they might not be able to practice outside because of the smoke. It's funny, the tell us the air quality is bad so we should stay inside (just like they do other places) but if we don't have air conditioning, why be inside instead of outside? Where was I? Oh, yes, soccer. Michael's really excited about this season, so we'll see how things go.

He's also excited about hunting season! We're having a lot of fun working with Haddie on her retrieving for this season. Maybe he'll even get me some shooting practice and I'll be able to get a deer this year!

I'm hoping to be able to watch some of his games this year around my work schedule. When it cools off a little bit more I guess I'll be getting started on some quilting.

Please continue to pray for us as we are seeking God about where He would have us serve. Michael has been approached by another pastor who is looking for a church planter to be on staff at his church. This is in an area of Montana that actually has some Hispanics, which is exciting! We're clueless. Both opportunities would require a lot of learning on the job but would also come with a mentor and a variety of opportunities for ministry.

Anyway, that's about it for now. We love you guys and love being able to read about what's going on in your lives just like you do ours. Thanks for your love and prayers.

Montana is on Fire

It is an eerie feeling to live in a fairly narrow valley, to be surrounded by mountains, and yet not be able to see them. They are becoming harder and harder to see as smoke from the many fires around our state gathers in the valley. There is an enormous one west of us in the Bob Marshall Wilderness that is too big and too hot for firefighters to even approach yet. There are a couple of them north of us in Wolf Creek, I think. And there are some to the south, as well. I believe most of these were started by lightning. There are many thunderstorms in Montana during the summer but a lot of the time the humidity is so low that the rain is evaporated before it gets to the ground. The lightning, however, does make it to the ground where everything is as dry as tinder and the wind is usually whipping down a mountain range and across a valley. These are dangerous conditions indeed and there are many fires in other parts of our state, as well. Please pray for the safety and wisdom of our firefighters, for rain, and for the safety of people and property.

Pathetic

Have I mentioned that it's HOT up here? Have I mentioned that no one has air conditioning? I thought I had. Well, Michael is suffering more intensely than I am, as can be demonstrated by the following anticdote. I came home from work the other day and said "Hello!" I follow the weak reply to the bathroom where I found my husband languishing in a bathtub full of cold water!! He rolled his head out from behind the shower curtain to greet me :) It was so, so sad :) Here's hoping you're finding ways to beat the heat wherever you are.

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July. We went to Manhattan, MT and played a couple of games of softball with our friends William and Teresa and the mission team that was working with them this week. After the softball we all ate hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, etc... until we were stuffed. Then Christina and I took advantage of being near Bozeman and went and did a little shopping. Christina had a couple of gift cards from her birthday and I went to the new Sportsmen's Warehouse that just opened... happily (from my wife's perspective, anyways :) ) we were able to get out of there with just a couple of new bumpers (retrieving dummies) for Haddie.

We came home about 4:00 PM and rested for an hour, then we went to a barbeque with some friends in East Helena. When we pulled into their driveway, we noticed that the neighbors had a pair of sawhorses out with a board securely fastened to them. On the board were fastened several (about 10) firework launching tubes of various sizes. Thinking it a little strange, we asked our friends about it and found out that it was perfectly legal to shoot fireworks off in the city of E. Helena...and what a show it was!! I don't know exactly how much money people spent on fireworks there, but it was the most that I have ever seen. It seemed like everyone in E. Helena had spent thousands of dollars on fireworks. We sat there for over an hour watching as fireworks went off all over the town, including the actual city firework show. And when we left, there was no signs of it slowing down. It was truly amazing.

If any of you ever wonder where we'll be for the Fourth of July, East Helena is the place!

HEAT

Before you say anything, I know you've got humidity that we don't have (ours was 18% yesterday.) But you also have air conditioning in your home which we don't have. Most people up here don't. Yesterday the high was 99 degrees; today was supposed to be a few degrees cooler.

At about 9:15pm (you can still see the very top of the sun over the horizon) I came home from walking the dog. I grabbed my water glass off of the entertainment center where I had set it last night. I went to the fridge and started pouring water from our filter jug and the glass cracked! You know how glass does when it goes from too hot to too cold too fast!?! It was a pretty thin glass, a thicker one hadn't cracked earlier, but I was still so shocked!

That's all, I just thought I'd share another amazing adventure in Montana, the land of extremes :)

Praying for a hurting family...

Landon Meece went to be with the Lord yesterday. Please remember to continue praying for the family. Although we celebrate that she is in the presence of her Redeemer, there will still be dificulty and some grief for the family. Please pray for their comfort and that the Lord would continue to be glorified through this, even though we don't understand it.

I could have told you, but I'd have had to kill you...

For several months we have been praying about a move. Right after our April vacation the pastor of my home church (Emmanuel Baptist) in Billings, Pastor Paul, one of my closest friends and mentors, called me and asked me to pray about submitting my resume for consideration to become the new pastor of the church in Columbus, MT. After praying for a couple of weeks, we did. Columbus Baptist Church is basically a restart and it has been under the direct supervision of Emmanuel Baptist for the past 6 years or so. They are running about 100 in worship now and have really become active in reaching their community. Their current pastor is moving to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren because the dad is scheduled for his third tour of duty in Iraq/Afganistan. Last week Paul helped them form a pastor search committee...their first ever committee! Normally when they have business, they call a potluck fellowship and people just volunteer to do whatever needs to be done. Pastor Paul told me that they have a very sweet spirit and have really become missions oriented...which, in my opinion, is a direct influence from Paul and Emmanuel.

This really would be an ideal situation. We are still praying about it, but we are excited about the possibility. The chance to have Paul teach me how to pastor, to have the direct support of a growing, healthy church like Emmanuel, and to do it in a church that is healthy, growing and is missions/community oriented seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Please pray with us about this...however perfect it may seem, it will be completely wrong if it is not God's will. Pray for us for God's wisdom and understanding, that we will be able to discern God's will. Pastor Paul would like to have the new pastor in place by the end of the summer, so it is coming up fairly quickly.

Thank you everyone for all of your prayers!

On to a more immediate need, thanks to everyone who is praying for Landon Meese. As of yesterday the situation had not changed...she is breathing, for the most part, on her own, but is still unconscious and shows no brain activity on the EEG. The doctors do not know the extent of injury and things still look bad.
Pray for the family, that they would have continued peace and strength as this painful situation continues.

General Updates and a Perfect Flan

Now that there is no more substitute teaching to be done, Michael is the newest employee at our Lowe's store. He says the work is pretty easy, he just has to get used to their system. Let's pray that they actually work around his mission team/block party schedule as well as they said they would.

Michael's parents came for a visit. I feel like they mostly sat around and waited for us to have time in our schedules to hang out - but they said they had a lot of fun. We really enjoyed having them here:) They are such a blessing!

We are well into the summer season of mission teams. Our first sports camp was last week. We have huge team this week that is putting on Backyard Bible Clubs as well as a team who is leading a Crown Financial workshop. We have other teams coming this summer for more sports camps and service projects. I'm having a hard time keeping them all straight. Pray that God would use them to minister to the community and draw people to Himself and also that God would use the mission trip to do a work in each team member's life.

Much thanks to my friend Maday who gave me her flan recipe. The first attempt was OK, but after I have adjusted for my oven, my husband is now more in love with me than ever! :)

That about covers all our news. Please continue to keep Landon Meese and her family in your prayers. We are praying for a miracle and for God's glory.

Please Pray!

Please take a moment to pray for Landon Meese. She is the thirteen-year-old daughter of Ed and Karen Meese, who are part of our church planting team in Livingston, MT. She was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis this weekend and airlifted to the Hospital in Great Falls, MT. She is in critical condition and is not expected to live much longer. Please pray that God would heal her body...but above all pray that He would be glorified through this painful situation.

Death of an Appliance

It's finally happened! The washer and dryer that was a hand-me-down from my seminary roommate have finally died!! The timer on the dryer hasn't worked in quite a while, but we worked around that. But yesterday I went downstairs to change the loads and was met with a smoky room and the smell of burning electronics! Don't worry, there was no actual fire! So, we're looking at buying a new set - hoping the last warehouse set of last year's model will sell so we could get the floor model at a discount. We'll see. It's kind of nice to be in a place where I've finally realized that it's all up to God, so I don't really have to stress over anything :) Here's hoping you are all in that place, too.

Strawberry Pies and other memories

I made a strawberry pie the other day - it's a great sign of Spring. And it always reminds me of my Grandpa Rowland. He used to make them in batches of 5, or some huge number like that. Then he would send them home with us - and Mom would let us eat pie for breakfast :) So I ate pie for breakfast! And I made myself a cup of tea and sweetened it with Splenda. And I thought about how my Grandpa would have liked Spelnda. He was diabetic and would make part of his batch of pie with Equal - but I think Splenda is better and I think he would have liked it :) The pies reminding me of him made me think of the things that remind me of my other grandparents.

Sometimes when I look at my hands I think my pinkies look like my Grandmommy Bishop's pinkies. And when I'm having nose issues because I can't seem to get it clean enough, or to stop whistling when I try to go to sleep I remember when my Grandmommy was in the hospital and my Mom was taking care of her and she would talk about helping her make sure she felt that her nose was clean. She was very particular about it and it bothered her but the nurses didn't have time to help her, so Mom made sure Grandmommy felt like her nose was clean. Yes, I know that a snotty nose and a pinkie are weird things to remind me of my Grandmother - but we don't get to pick these things.

There are all of these sweet, little, old ladies that come into the bank. They look so delicate and speak so softly - they remind me of my Grandma Rowland. She was so nice to everyone. In her living room hung her paddle - it had a pillow on the "busineess end" :) Her cabinets were always full of Little Debbie's. I liked that, even though I didn't always like the kinds she picked :)

Finally, my Grandaddy Bishop. I don't really remember anything about him. But I do remember his funeral. It's really not as sad as it sounds. The Methodist church was packed! I remember being impressed that so many people knew and loved my Grandaddy - I still am. Really the only part of the funeral that I remember was when the minister told the congregation that Jack didn't want us to be mourning but that this was a celebration because he was in heaven. Every other funeral I have been to has been compared to that first one. I have never dreaded funerals or been scared because even in his death my Grandaddy taught me that as God's children, death isn't something to fear but a celebration of a home going.

I look forward to being reunited with all of my grandparents and am so thankful for the memories I have and the legacy they left.

Crocs and Socks

I know, even the name is frightening! I was so excited about crocs after I finally tried on a pair of my friend's. I waited until Christmas and my wonderful mother-in-law, Wanda gave me a pair. During the winter I would wear them with socks and jeans (which I really don't think is that bad). Then I wore them au natural when we walked the dog one day recently and I ended up with blisters all over the top of my feet!! I was so disappointed because I really wanted them to be my dog-walking shoes - a little support, won't give me blisters on my heals like almost everything else does, lite, airy, etc. Now all my hopes are dashed! - sort of. I will not wear crocs with socks and shorts out, but I've resigned myself to this huge fashion disaster for walking the dog :) Lucky for me, my husband is no fashionista (or should I say fashionisto?) and doesn't mind walking with me and my crocs and socks.

Attack of the Lawnmower!

For any of you guys out there who are looking for an excuse not to mow the lawn, I've got one for you. Michael was mowing the lawn yesterday on his day off. The lawnmower shot out a rock which became embedded in Michael's shin bone as well as shattering into about thirty pieces all in his skin and muscle. He went to Urgent Care "just to make sure the wound was cleaned out all the way" and the doctor ended up having to yank pieces of rock out of his bone and even shave the bone!! They gave him IV antibiotics and sent him to the pharmacy for an antibiotic "horse pill" and for pain meds. His leg didn't start hurting until about 9pm, but by then he said it felt like they had shaved off some of his bone. :( The doctor told him he needs to wear his shinguards when he mows the lawn from now on - COOL! Seriously though, please pray for his recovery. He was planning on going turkey hunting with a couple of guys this weekend and, conveniently for my husband, hunting is a great ministry opportunity here in Montana. :) The doctor said it would be fine; I guess we'll just have to see how well he's getting around. Whatever you do, remember how dangerous it is to mow the lawn! :)

Spring is Here

So, I know the last time I posted I talked about how green everything was becoming and the possibility that Spring might be here. Now there is solid evidence of Spring (even though the calendar officially says we are well on our way toward summer.) So what are these solid proofs? 1. The Farmers' Market! There weren't many vendors there yet but it opened last weekend adn the weather was georgous. 2. No nylons!! I work at a bank and from October through April we have to wear nylons with everything - skirts, capri pants, regular pants. No ankles seems to be the rule. But from May through September it is foot freedom :) Open-toed shoes and forget about the nylons! So tonight I painted my toe-nails a beautiful bubblegum pink for their debut tomorrow. Never mind that it's supposed to go back down into the 60s the second half of this week :(

Picture test...

Hey, Saturday morning I went to the mountains east of town to pattern my shotgun for turkey season and also to take the puppy on a hike. I was driving up Avalanche Gulch when I saw these mountain goats on the side of the hill. I was able to get fairly close, within about 50 yards, and got some decent pics. I wanted to try adding some pics to the blog so I figured I would start with these.

Who Knew?

So, while we were on vacation in North Carolina I just kept thinking about how green everything was! Green trees, green grass, green everywhere and all I could remember from home was brown. When we got back to Montana it was just as brown as I remembered :( Then, then night we got back, it started to rain. It rained all night and most of the morning. Then, in the late morning the rain turned to snow! We got a whopping .57 inches of precipitation!! But the next day - everything was green!!! Who knew 1/2 inch of rain could turn your whole world green? And now everywhere seems green. We're supposed to get up to 82 on Saturday and we had more rain today. I think Spring might have come. YEAH :)

We're back

We're back from our NC vacation and we had a wonderful time visiting all of our friends. Our travel experience was also very smooth - good weather for driving and flying. It was good to have down time to just hang out with our friends, catch up and see what God is doing in their lives. We bounced around from house to house sleeping on a different bed every night and squeezing in as many friends as possible. It was great! I was reminded again how much I love being round people who know my history. There's just something about not having explain yourself or wonder what the other person is thinking - you've known eachother long enough to understand. It's a blessing.

It was also a different kind of blessing to be reminded how lax I have been in praying for my friends. I know a lot of history for them, but I was missing out on a lot of recent happenings and opportunities to lift them up to the Father. I've decided to go back to a practice I was doing a while back - filling up a small photo album with pictures of people to pray for. When I traveled I used to take one with me but I think I will go back to my photo album as a remender to be more diligent in my prayers for my friends and family. So if there are any friends out there who we haven't seen and there are things that we could be praying about for you, we'd love to know.

Happy Easter!

"For I passed on to you the most important points of what I received: Christ died for our sins in keeping with the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day in keeping with the Scriptures - and is still risen! (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ISV) What a simple, yet complete statement of the Gospel and the reason for which we celebrate Easter! It is my hope and prayer that we will continue to celebrate the resurrection every day of our lives, not just once a year in the spring.

This week is Spring Break for all of the Helena schools as well as the school in MT City, so I am not substitute teaching this week. The school in Clancy, MT is having school today (Tuesday) but I didn't get a call from them this morning. We are actually preparing to go on vacation - or "vaca" as my wife now calls it - later this week. We are going to North Carolina for 5 days to visit friends from seminary. More about that later.

I called both MSU-Billings and UGF (Univ. of Great Falls) this morning and am waiting to hear back from the education departments. I was on UGF's web site and saw something interesting. They offer a Master of Arts in Teaching degree that is completely online classes. The site says that it is for people who have a "teachable" undergraduate degree and desire to change careers to teaching. It is 42 hours of credits, but all of the classes are offered through the web so I could do all the work here at home while I am still working. It sounds very interesting but I am waiting on more info. Please keep praying that we would see where God is leading and that we would have the faith to follow.

Since turkey hunting fell through, I went fishing yesterday instead. I drove to Melrose, MT (about 100 miles...not very far by MT standards) and fished the Big Hole River. Whe I arrived, it was raining/snowing, the wind was blowing about 10-15 mph and it was about 38-40º. Yesterday was really my only day to go so I decided to stay and tuff it out. The weather stayed about the same for about 1 1/2 hours, then it was like God opened the shades of a small window in the sky and let the sun shine through. For the rest of the afternoon there was sunshine, 55º, and a slight breeze while in the mountains all around the valley it continued raining/snowing. It was pretty amazing. All of that by itself made the trip worth it...the fact that I caught four trout (2 browns, 2 rainbows) was just icing on the cake. What a great day!

Bummer...

Well, I went to my interview At Carroll with the dean of the education department last Tuesday. Things didn't quite come out as I hoped. After comparing my transcripts and their requirements, she told me that I would have to take 77 credit hours to be able to get my certificate...wow! That would be like getting another degree. That kinda frustrated me a little bit. But I talked to some friends and they suggested that I contact a couple of other schools, University of Great Falls and Montana State-Billings, and see what they had to say. They told me that those schools would probably accept more of my previous credits and might knock the number of hours necessary down to a manageable number. So keep praying, I am going to try to contact them this coming week.

Other frustrating news...I planned on going turkey hunting on Monday with a friend and his son but none of the places we called worked out. Some of the landowners have really restricted access for hunting turkeys and some don't allow it at all. There is some public land near, but we're not sure we want to drive all the way over there (200 miles) to see if there are turkeys. We have one other possibility and my friend is working on that, but it doesn't look good for this weekend. I did hear that the Big Hole River is fishing really well right now so don't feel too bad for me... :)

Summer Jobs

We would like to ask for you to pray with us as we look toward this summer. Michael has an appointment with an admissions counselor on April 3rd about the classes he will need to gain his provisional certification for teaching. Since Michael won't be able to substitute teach this summer and he will have a challenging schedule with all the mission teams we are considering Christina looking for a part-time job to help with our income. Please pray that we will have wisdom and that God will show us what HE would have us do. Pray that we will be patient in listening to Him and looking for His provision instead of frantically and faithlessly pursuing our own provision. Thank you for praying with us.

First Big Hello!

Hello everyone. We've decided to try a new bit of technology to help us keep family, friends, and prayer partners updated on what God is doing here in Montana. Michael has probably sent you an update recently, so we'll start from here. Thank you all for your support through prayers, encouragement, finances and mission teams. We love you.