Tori's Last Day

Soon, he'll be crawling...

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Tori.  I don't know what it is, but I find it difficult to say goodbye to the amazing people God has placed in our lives to help take care of our amazing little blessing named Cade. 

As noted in previous posts, Tori was just a delight and made sure Cade got the rest and food he needed, while also giving him some amazing times of outdoor adventure.  We are grateful for Tori and pray that we will see her again someday. 




Prior to leaving, Tori took some great pictures of the two of them playing together.  What a blessing she has been.

Tori and Cade so happy together

Smile for the camera!

Back in the Swing of Things

Tonight, I went for a nice brisk walk with a friend in Idaho.  It was great to have time to walk outside with munchkins in tow after another long day in the classroom. 

Prior to having Cade I was on a great workout regimen of walking several miles 3-4 times a week.   Since our little monkey was born I have failed to continue the exercise I know I need and honestly want.  Exercising - be it walking, running, weights, or yoga - always makes me feel better about myself, life situations, work, and family.  Exercise is something that my life has been lacking.  Although I have made a few efforts and even gone on walks with the family, nothing has been a serious effort on my part to make exercise a daily routine. 

While resolutions tend to come at the beginning of the year, this one comes now.  I resolve to begin some type of regular exercise to ensure I stay physically fit in preparation for our journey overseas (and to help with my endurance as Cade enters into toddler years). 

Please feel free to hold me accountable and keep me encouraged as I journey back into the exhausting, energizing, and healthy world of being physically fit!

6 Months with a Monkey

The past 6 months have been some of the happiest of my entire existence.  It's so hard to believe that 6 months ago I was preparing for/going into labor.  It's hard to believe that 6 months ago I had no clue what it was truly like to be a mother.  It's hard to believe that 6 whole months have gone by with our adorable little Cade-Man.  He is one of the major highlights of my life.  He has been a primary tool that the Lord has used to show me His heart for me, for our family, and for His created.  

Words cannot express the love my heart has grown to know over the past 6 months and I am looking forward to the next 6 months and lifetime to come!

Here is a photo-video of our fun little man taking his first cruise in a set of wheels:

A note to my son:

Cade,

You are a joy.  You are a blessing.  You are my very heart.  I love you today more than I did they day you were born.  I look forward to a life of showing you love, care, discipline, hope, and above all Jesus.  I pray that I will be the mother you need me to be as you grow and develop.  I pray that you become a man who seeks after God's heart and will.  I pray that I will be an instrument of God to direct, correct, and show you His love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  There will be times that we do not see eye-to-eye, but I will ALWAYS love you.  I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. 

Gratefully Yours,
Momma

No More Peas, Please!

Last night began our adventure in baby food making.  Pete and I purchased some great foods - apples, peas, and sweet potatoes - for Cade's first dining experience.  So we set out to puree peas, and while I was at girls night Pete completed the process.  Tonight, one day before Cade's 6 month birthday, he ate his first taste of veggies.  The pictures below depict how the dining experience went.

Eager to eat his dinner.

First taste of pureed peas.

Dad, why did you let her feed me these peas?

This is what I'm talking about!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Cyndi Lauper was right - girls just wanna have fun!  Tonight was just that - FUN!  We had a fantastic girls night here at the MAF apartments.  It was a great evening of fellowship, sharing fears, laughing BIG and making memories.  The girls ate tomato bisque, chocolate chip cookies, virgin daiquiris, chips and queso, and chocolate galore and shared life events, joys, and embarrassing moments.  This throw back to traditional adolescent slumber parties (without the slumber and sleep over part) was just what we needed the night before Security Training begins tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, the men had a "meeting of the minds" just outside the apartment with all of our kiddos in tow on this lovely summer evening.   What a joy it was to sneak little peeks outside to see the men of our worlds caring for the little ones and sharing in life moments together - only without all of the chocolate. 

The stories and memories shared (both others and my own) remind me of how God has worked things together for His good and His glory in all of our lives.  What a mighty God we serve!

Fun in the Sun

Last night was probably one of the hardest nights with our little man.  Teething is proving to be a difficult task and we can tell that Cade hurts especially at night when the orajel has worn off and he accidentally gums down on his finger.  None the less, he is a fun little munchkin when the day begins (even if his daddy and I are not).

After taking mid-morning naps to make up for the lost sleep, we joined our new found friends for an afternoon of fun in the sun - and swimming pool.  Just around the corner from the airport is a park with a waterpark area just inside.  It was the perfect place for little ones (and bigger ones with young souls) to enjoy an afternoon of splashing around.  Since Cade has recently learned the art of splashing in the water, it was a hit!  He had so much fun and we enjoyed hanging out with some amazing people who we can now call our MAF family.

Week Two: Day Five | Unity

I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
John 17:23

The enemy likes to lie to us, making us think that we are alone in a struggle, alone in our fears, alone in our situations.  This week I was reminded how good it is to share with other believers fears, expectations, and life circumstances.  This week I was reminded that unity among believers and with the Father is EXACTLY what Jesus prayed for, as noted in John 17:23 (and other verses).

I am so grateful that He provided us with community and the ability to become vulnerable with one another and share with one another our hopes, fears, and life events that make us both unique and unified.  What the enemy uses to try and isolate us within ourselves, God intends to use as a bond that can allow unity and support to flow from.  

While we all have our own stories, we have unity in our Lord.  The creator God, who restores us to Himself, and longs for us to be with Him where He is and share His love and the story of redemption to all.  

In the Life of Cade:
Our little Cade-man is teething.  While we haven't seen any pearly whites busting through his gums quite yet, there are little nubs of soreness and pain in his mouth that make a momma so sad.  He has woken up a couple nights this week with a painful cry that hurts me to even think about.  He is such a trooper and has taken nicely to the orajel and tylernol combo of meds to fight off the pain in this little battle for teeth.  Please keep him (and us) in your prayers through this process.  It is by far the hardest thing we have gone through with our adorable little man. 

Week Two: Day Four | Refocused

Every morning we begin the day with a series called "Unveiled".  Essentially, it is a time for us to see how God's design has always been that the Nations would be reached for His name and glory.  This morning, we heard from a pastor who was a former Muslim.  What a powerful testimony and encouragement. 

2 Timothy 1:7 says, "for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."
So often we as "Christians" spend too much time focusing on the darkness, but our job is to make the Light known.  We are called to be salt and light, we are given a spirit of power, love, and self-control.  Instead of being intentional to love and share the light, we focus on the fear, we focus on the darkness.

Today we had a slightly different schedule and I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't have a little bit of fear going into the activities that had been planned for us.  However, I came away from the day acknowledging the mighty One we are here to glorify.  I came away from today refocused on love; refocused on His power in me; refocused on the Light!

Week Two: Day Three | Information Overload

Every Candidacy class puts together a chapel event for the Wednesday after they sign on as "career staff".  After working on this over the last week, it was great to "host" chapel today.  Each family shared information about themselves within the context of a Jeopardy themed chapel service.  President/CEO of MAF - US told Pete and I that it was one of the best Candidacy Chapels that he had seen.  WOW - what a compliment to our team. 

Today wasn't all games, though.  It was a day of information overload.  We were able to spend the morning after our chapel service talking to a panel of missionaries who had been in several of MAF's programs around the world and learn about the pros and cons of life overseas.  It was a great time of asking pertinent questions and learning about the ways we can seek the Lord as we prepare for life abroad.  I came away with more questions.  I came away with more answers.  I came away knowing that God has it all in control and that there are those who have gone before us who are more than willing to share advice, answers, and information that will help as we follow God's call.

Along with the missionary panel, we learned about benefits, retirement, and travel/visa information and came back to the apartment with a stack of paperwork weighing several pounds.  YIKES!  It truly was a ton of information, but all pertinent as we are now staff with MAF.  I look forward to having some time this weekend to explore all of our options and think through all that we learned today.

In the Life of Cade:
Another beautiful day here in Idaho meant more time outdoors for Cade today.  This morning he came to Chapel with us and then took a stroll around the MAF base.  This afternoon as we walked back from our meetings, we saw Cade and Tori sitting outside in the warm breeze under the shade of a tree just outside our apartment.  He looked so happy to be outside rolling around and giggling.  What a joy he is!  I cannot imagine life without the Cade-man. 

Thanks for all of your support and sweet comments.  We are truly blessed and long to be a blessing to others.

More to come.

Week Two: Day Two | Location, Location, Location

From the moment we began the journey to overseas missions and with MAF specifically we have been asked one question above all others: "So where are you going to serve?"

While the answer to this question has been a lengthy description of how we have to pass this test first, then come to this class, then become career staff, then get the official word on the region we will be serving, we can now answer with great confidence and excitement.  Where you may ask, will we be serving? 

That has been our question and was the theme of the day.  As we gathered this afternoon as a Candidacy class, you could cut the anticipation with a knife.  We all longed to hear where we and our new-found friends would be going in the months and years ahead.

Awaiting our assignment

Candidacy Committee

Pete, Cade, and myself are very excited to announce that we will be serving God with MAF in INDONESIA! 

 

That's right friends, INDONESIA!  Two other couples will be heading to Indonesia about the same time as we will from our Candidacy class. 

Candidacy Class

We are grateful for your prayers and support until this point.  The next year will be filled with support raising and other preparations for our time overseas.  After that, we will spend about a year at language school in Salatiga, Indonesia. 

Please continue to pray that God would be glorified and made known in this journey and through our lives and work. 

More to come.