My sister, Joanna, and I have created social media pages

for our jewelry!!!!

All funds go directly to our missions trip. Will you go give it a like and a follow?!! 

We are excited to be vendors at our women’s Made For conference today!!!!

JC Creations

Created on purpose and for a purpose 😍🔥🙌

IM GOING TO KENYA!!

 I am writing to tell you about an incredible opportunity I have to serve abroad this spring. During the month of May, I will be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya to work with World Serve. While there, I will be serving in many capacities in remote parts of the country.

Some of the opportunities I will have are; serving in an orphanage, doing street evangelism, visiting homes to pray and minister, and laying hands on the sick. But the greater portion of my trip is what I'm truly looking forward to! I am so excited to be going into the schools to work with young girls of menstruation age. In Africa a woman's monthly cycle is taboo. So not only are a lot of these girls unable to afford items every month, they are equally uneducated about their own bodies. And thus, fearful of something so natural. Something that's very common to the rest of us, ignites fear, confusion, frustration and shame for these girls. I will be bringing supplies, compassion and equipping them to understand how their bodies have been created. Could you imagine if your daughter was so afraid of her period that she brought bodily harm to herself? Or was forced to sell herself to pay for basic supplies like pads? My heart shudders at the thought of my Pyr old sweet Anna ever feeling that way towards herself.

In order to make this trip possible, I will need to raise $3700 by April 15th to cover the cost of airfare, food, lodging, in-country expenses, and some supplies needed. $2000 of that is due no later than March 20th to secure lowest airfare. More importantly, I am hoping you will join me in prayer for this trip. I am looking for prayer partners who would be willing to lift our team up daily. Here are some specific areas to pray:

• Travel safety, both in the air and on the ground
• Favor with the local communities we serve
• Wisdom and understanding as we treat physical needs
• Opportunities to share the Gospel

If you would like to support me in prayer or contribute financially to my trip, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and send using the envelope which has been included for your convenience.

In order for your gift to be tax-deductible, please make checks payable to Bethels Rock and include my name, Crystal Beilke, and "Kenya" ni the memo.

Or you may give online directly through my church:

Bethels Rock Richfield Campus: www.BethelsRock.org/give

Also ni the notes include my name, Crystal Beilke, and "Kenya".

Please let me know when you give so that Ican update my trip funds asap. Otherwise it may take up to 2

weeks for it to be credited to my trip.

fI you're not comfortable giving to a church, you can give directly to me via cash app, Venmo, check or cash. Both of these have current updated profile photos of myself, so you'll know it's me.

Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Crystal-Beilke Cash App: $CrystalBeilke

Finally, I will be updating a private blog. It will include adventures leading top to my mission trip, pictures and stories during and final updates afterwards. This link will be sent to al those who supported me so that I can share with you what you have done, through me.

Blessings!! 

Crystal 

Kenya Fundraising

 Come buy some earrings!!! 

IM GOING TO KENYA! 

I am raising funds for an upcoming missions trip, will you help me get there?

I am selling earrings I have custom made to raise money for this mission.

The trip costs $3700. $900 is due this week. 

So these gorgeous, sparkly, super lightweight earrings are yours to purchase! Solid colors, ombré, custom designs available! 

2” Teardrops(dangles 3”) - $18

1.5” Heart(dangles 2.75”) - $18

1.5” Teardrops(dangles 2.5”) - $15 

 Limited quantity ready and available now!

Venmo: 

https://venmo.com/u/Crystal-Beilke

Last 4 of phone number 5098 😍🔥

Autism and seizures. How a simple Wednesday changed our family dynamic. 

(Picture from that morning)

Wednesday May 30th was suppose to be a fun filled day leaving our kids exhausted and crawling into their beds full of giggles and amusement park rides still swirling in their heads. And probably a little whiny(let's be real). 
The reality was I took 4 kids(10yrs, 8yrs, 3yrs and 5 months old) to MOA by myself for their end of the year school field trip, and that ain't easy. Ethan was suppose to go to Valley Fair but it was cloudy and rainy out so he decided to join us inside at Nickelodeon Universe instead. Baby Mila was fussy off and on all day, Elijah and Ethan ran themselves ragged and Anna rode the same 4 rides over and over. Just before lunch time I got a call, one I had slightly expected and yet hoped wasn't coming. 

(My oldest son Elijah and I) 

(Reading about Aspbergers)

"Hi Crystal. This is Kim. Just wanted to let you know before we meet, so you have time to process, Elijah very much tested positive for autism. He's high functioning but we can see clearly where ASD is interfering with his ability to learn and interact." 
Much more was said on that call but not much stuck in my head. 

We had started Elijah in counseling by the suggestion of some friends because he's struggled so much. After our first intake session the counselor said "I would suggest getting him tested. I suspect he may have autism". And I nearly fell out of my chair. Autism?! What? How on earth could I have missed that for 10yrs?

I left the office confused but ready to prove her wrong. I dove into researching everything I could get my hands on. And within the first 24 hours I found my son amidst these confusing symptoms in Aspergers. Things that never made any sense to us about him and yet never caught us enough to look deeper. 

Things like repetitive sounds and words. Awkward posture and body movements. His epic ability to tell the truth, to a fault and even if it meant he was going to be punished. And yet his inability to see his role in making a situation worse. His oral fixation to suck or chew on anything he could get in his mouth, one sided conversations and obsessive love for sharks, legos and drawing. And how his friendships have died off the older he gets because when he was little everyone was friends with everyone. And he could make kids laugh. Now his friends are maturing, and he's not, so things that were once funny are now obnoxious/annoying/frustrating to them. And so much more. 

So while in that first week I knew in my heart we'd found our son, I hoped that I was being paranoid and the tests would come back inconclusive. That they would say, "nope. He's just a regular boy who likes to be defiant". 
Standing in the middle of the park that Wednesday, expecting the call I hoped wasn't coming, it felt like the world was spinning. I fought back tears as we said "OK, we will meet tomorrow to discuss this further". Tomorrow's meeting would never come. 

I hung up, shook it off, texted my sisters and simply said "pray for me. I can't think about it right now. We are suppose to have fun today". 

We ran around the park for the next several hours and the kids and I were beat. So we headed over to my friend Sarah's house to pick up Sheldon. He works for her husband and we are down to one car so we figured it would be easiest to meet there. 

I got there about half an hour before the men did so Sarah and I chatted casually. Baby Mila had felt a little warm that morning so I asked Sarah if she though she was warm as I was holding her in my lap. She came over and touched her and said "no, definitely not feverish. But she looks weird!". 

And as I glanced down I noticed her color was off and she wasn't moving. I called her name, "Mila...Mila?" Nothing. No movement whatsoever. 
So I turned her towards me and she was completely stiff. I lifted her in the air and gently shook her to get a response, "Mila?!". It didn't look like she was breathing so I blew in her face expecting the inhale reflex that baby's do when air hits them. Nothing. And as quickly as the thought, "she's choking" came to my brain she turned blue, slowly went limp with her eyes rolling backward.  

Then I panicked. I rolled her into my arms and sat up and called her name looking to see if she was breathing. Before I could decide on my own, she slowly faded back in and took some deep breaths and started moving. And then sweetly smiled at me. Sarah and I looked at each other, and I was like, "did you see that?! Did I just imagine that?!".  She goes, "yeah no, that was weird." But Mila was now interacting like nothing happened. Wiggling and smiling. So I thought, for sure I must be paranoid. Maybe I imagined her color fading. Maybe she just was so tired she fell asleep. And as we sat there trying to figure out what just happened we decided I should call the nurse line, just in case. 

After 20 minutes on the phone with them they suggest a trip to the ER. I wasn't sure it was that serious, still convinced I was paranoid. Sheldon walked in the door moments later clueless to what happened.  We rounded up the kids into the car and as we were pulling out of their driveway I turned to him and said, "we need to go to the ER. She's ok now, but Mila had a weird moment and I called her Dr's office, they said bring her in". He goes "WHAT?!!"

As we drove to the hospital I explained everything. I also said I doubt they'll say anything so just drop me and the baby off and you and the kids go get some dinner. 

As we walked into the ER Mila was giggly and happy. The nurse at the counter said laughingly, "Don't you just love when you show up to the ER and kids just bounce back like they are totally fine?! Follow me, let's go to triage". As we sat down and she asked me to explain, she interrupted my story and said, "did she look like that?" And I looked down at my sweet baby who was again frozen stiff and turning blue. Shocked, startled and afraid I began to cry and stifled out a "yes! Mila?!! Mila come on baby, take a breath!!" At that moment I had no idea she was having a seizure, all I knew was she wasn't breathing and my heart feared the absolute worst. 

The nurse jumped up and said "follow me!" She called something out to her colleagues that I didn't hear and we ran/walked to a room that became flooded with people. As I laid her down she slowly faded out for about 5 seconds and then just slowly came back and smiled sweetly at all of us.  

(staring off as her color fades)

And all I could muster to say was, "so I didn't imagine that?!" One of the nurses said "no hunny. I'm glad you brought her straight here". And there began a whole series of tests and a long 7 day hospital stay. 

Mila had 8 seizures in that first hospital within 2 hours, so we agreed on having her transferred to a hospital better able to handle seizure activity, one staffed with a neurologist. At 1030pm I took an ambulance with her downtown to the Minneapolis Masonic Children's Hospital. As I held my baby girl I was texting like crazy trying to get someone to go be with our other kids so Sheldon could come be with me. He was able to get there around midnight and We had barely been in the hospital room for two hours with multiple seizures when she had one that they couldn't get her oxygen back up. It dropped to 34% and even with a nasal cannula blowing oxygen in her face they couldn't get it above 50%. So we were moved to the pediatric ICU. 

At around 4am in the ICU, wired, tired and worried, we sat next to our sweet girl covered in wires; heart, oxygen Flo, oximeter, IV. They told us she couldn't eat until after they were able to do an MRI, so she was fussy and hungry. And we felt helpless. With my head leaned against Mila's bed I said slightly above a whisper, "I got the call today." Sheldon said "what call?"  I replied, "Elijah's officially been diagnosed with autism". He simply replied, "OK".  

(Daddy and her Granddad praying)

I got up, turned some worship music on and just let God saturate the atmosphere. 

The next 7 days all melted into one, practically no sleep, lots of seizures, many tests, trial medications and lots of unknowns. We shared most info through Facebook and tried keeping up with texts and messages. So many people were praying, one of the reason I absolutely love social media!

As the Dr's stood confused in our room multiple times, our faith strengthened. They said they didn't know why the meds weren't working. They couldn't figure her out. And they said the cyst they found in her brain will never go away. Sheldon and I looked at each other, smiling and said "Watch God". A friend reminded us, as we sat in the hospital room feeling weak and worried, about what we had shared with our church just three weeks before. 

God had spoken to Sheldon that this year was going to be the "Year of Miracles." That Sunday morning during our team prayer time we shared this with our Frontline crew. And we said, "buckle up! Cuz you can't have a miracle without an obstacle that man can't overcome!" Little did we know we'd be talking to ourselves. But isn't that how God works? Through us? 

So we have buckled up. We don't know the journey we have ahead of us. Autism and seizures, specifically Aspergers and infant epilepsy. Two worlds we know absolutely nothing about. But get this. Our baby girl Mila? 
Her name comes from the Spanish word Milagros. Can you guess what that means? MIRACLES. 

THIS IS THE YEAR OF MIRACLES. AMEN. 

Leave a prayer request and we will pray for your miracle as well. Impossible Doesn't Stand A Chance!! 

(Many praying)

(Oldest, youngest)

(Mila, sweet as can be)

(the cyst-like spot)

(this is us)

 Thank you for all your prayers!

Grateful.... even for snow

Snow. Right now we dont need any other word to bring sighs, groans and slumped shoulders... just the word snow. We are so ready for spring, sunshine, warmth, signs of new life.... that the thought of another week in a winter freeze can be downright depressing. And its something that everyone relate to right now. Just yesterday I talked to at least 5 different strangers at the gym, and what did the conversation involve? Snow. All about snow and almost all grumbling. "Im so sick of snow", "April is almost over, what is this?!", "I cant wait for summer!", or the most common, "Im moving to Florida! No seriously, I really am!". Have you grumbled about it? I know I have, even if just a little. Last week during our Moms prayer group at school, we spent the first half hour talking about the weather, and then jokingly said that this was no longer a prayer group but a "Weather" therapy session. We all desperately crave warmth and sunshine, there's something about that happy feeling that it gives us. But in the midst of a snowy day, lets be grateful for other things.

I would have loved to wake up to a snow day with school cancelled, but I didnt. I would have love to have had my husband snowed in and have to work from home, but he wasnt. I would have loved to ignore the alarm clock and sleep in, but I couldnt. I could have complained about all of that, plus having to take our neighbors son to school on top of my own kids, but I didnt. And I really could have added a groaner to the fact that when I did drop off my neighbors son, another parent in that school backed into my van trying to get out of the parking lot. But I didnt.  I chose to have the peace only God brings. I chose to sing this morning to the kids, I chose to greet our neighbor warmly and with a huge hug. I chose to take in the absolute beauty of all the snow covered trees contrasting a bright blue sky. I chose to smile at the guy who hit me, look him in the eyes and tell him it was ok, that he was gonna have an amazing day and God bless him.

So I challenge you today. STOP IT. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, JUST STOP IT. Choose to see the good in your day. How do you want your day to go? Do you want it joyful, full of life and fun? Or moody, slow and long? Think about whats coming out of your mouth, or swirling around in your head and choose to make it positivity. Yeah I could have spent the morning in bed sleeping, but I got the chance to be a blessing to someone else in the midst of a cold "winter" day. Praise God for that!
Do you accept the challenge?

Philippians 2:14-15 "¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."

Life is not pointless

My heart hurts. The emotions are so mixed. And although there is a joy indescribable for my dear friends gain, the pain of the loss of such a gem in this world literally takes my breath away.

But thats not what this post will be about. Not about the pain or loss, but about the example that an amazing, very young man left behind. I will NEVER forget the day Nick Reed came into my life.

In September of 2011, our brand new church plant hosted a booth at the North Central University church fair. In the sea of college students, our team handed out Ramen Noodle and talked to lots of new people. Most of them asked questions like, "What kind of worship do you have? What kind of message do you give? How many people attend? Where are you located? Do you have a youth group".

 But not Nick. As I greeted Nick, my first thought was, "Wow, He is way older than most of the people here." We talked for a good 15 minutes, which is incredible considering most of the conversations all morning had been about 30 seconds long. After explaining some of the history of how God called us to plant this new church, Nick said he was willing to help anyway he could. I asked him what areas he was good in and he replied, "Just give me a brush and Ill scrub the toilets and the bathrooms. I want to serve." Then He explained to me that he was sick of hearing of churches using all these gimmicks to get you to come, that He wanted to find a place and just serve. Then He promised to be there waiting at 745am on our first launch day of South Oaks. He met our team that day, and as He walked away all of us marveled at such an amazing guy. We talked about him all week long, prayed for him and at our next meeting told everyone all about this Nick guy. We even debated on his age, because there was something about him that was so much older than the other students.

On our first Sunday, September 18th, 2011, Nick was one of the first, if not the first person to arrive. Ready and waiting to help set up and tear down. And He came every Sunday after that, bringing even more people with him every week, even with a limp.... and then eventually crutches. He served with all his heart. We didnt even know right away what a talented musician he was, or his amazing healing from the first bout with cancer. But we didnt have to, we knew from the moment He walked up to that booth that He was a one of a kind guy, someone unique and powerful. Adding in all that incredible testimony just increased our respect for him. If it wasnt for Nick, I wouldnt have met the awesome Brandon, or the beautiful Jessi, or any of the other amazing NCU people who are now a part of my life. And all the way up to the point when He had to go back home from surgery, He set the example and the bar for truly living for Jesus Christ in our church. Even from his hospital bed this past September, he sent a thank you video to the church for our 1yr anniversary. He never gave up, through pain and trial, through the toughest parts of life, Nick plowed through. Even more amazing to find out that He was only 19 at the time, He carried a wisdom far beyond his years.


I remember one time walking out the door at the same time He was, and he was on crutches. I tried to hold the door open for him, and he laughed and said "Im not paralyzed, girls dont hold the door for guys." And he put his crutch up on the door and blocked it, till he could get in front of me to hold the door for me and my boys. I remember giggling with Jessi as she crushed on him, and watching the two of them exchange glances.... I even gave up a seat next to Nick and forced them to sit next to each other. This was obviously before anything became official between the two of them, and Im pretty sure I made them both blush and very uncomfortable. lol But Im glad I did.

The church, My husband and I and our boys, just like everyone else, poured massive hours into prayer for Nick. I am overjoyed that He is now healed, whole and in heaven.

I have never met someone like Him, I believe He was a real angel sent her to show us how to serve with everything we have. The last words he wrote show his heart, "The seeds we sow in this life will be the crops we reap after we die. See, our bodies may die and all the things we worked so hard to get will be equal to nothing. But our souls will live on........ Life is not pointless. So live like it has a point."

The heart, the passion, the love for God, the way he treated Jessi.... all examples to live by. We call him the Warrior Nick... and his is a story I will tell over and over again my whole life. The story of a man, an angel, a servant... whose time here we all feel was too short, but was designated with a mission by God. I know that the evening of January 31, 2013, Nick Reed heard the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

The Beilke's love you Nick. Thank you for impacting our lives, by just being you. I am grateful to have met you.

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,....
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, 11

Nick Reeds BLOG:
http://thepilgrimman.wordpress.com/

(Nick and the team at a babyshower)

Do not grow weary in asking

My 5yr old son Elijah has already proven that He is quite prophetic. He has seen things, heard things and spoken things out that have happened. Its pretty incredible watching him grow up. Theres this silly, hyper, crazy little boy who is just like any other 5yr old, and then out of the blue He does something that make Sheldon and I take a step back and go, wow.

Two nights ago He had a dream that He remembered quite vividly. As far as I can remember, its the first time He has remembered a whole dream, and the night before was New Years Eve and we prayed special prayers over each of our children for 2013. He woke up slightly disturbed and told us all about it. He was in the ocean and a skeleton was teasing a shark. Well the shark ate up the whole skeleton and and spit out its bones and left. Thats it.

But the timing of the dream and the stuff in the dream is not coincidence. In the last week we have paid out over $1800 in vehicle repairs, and not one dime of it came from our personal pocket books. What we had need of, we prayed and the next day checks came in the mail. This van has been broken down since June! Would it have been nice to have it fixed before now? Sure! But God is always perfect in his timing, never late! We survived just fine with one car, it was tough and there was lots of switching, Sheldon taking the bus a two hour bus ride at 5am, and Elijah staying at school late, but even through the stretch and stress, we survived just fine. However, with our exchange student coming, we need the second vehicle, and God provided right on time for a situation we had given up on. Its so amazing that Sheldon and I have been totally in awe since last week. Then comes this dream.

To me the skeleton represents lack, starvation, emptiness, sickness. Well we have definitely struggled with sickness this month, and we have always been just under the cut for bills to income, even with the most basic bills you can have. But in all, we remain faithful to God and to giving to Him.

Now to the shark, He is the powerhouse of the ocean. He is the equivalent to the ocean, as what the lion is to land. He is fierce, Hes a hunter, and does not back down from attack. As He chews up and spits out the skeleton, to me it represents the destruction of lack and sickness.

For 2013, I claim that promise. Just as God has provided every cent needed to fix what the van, which we had given up on, He will provide for every need this year, as always. And I claim to stand as boldly as a shark in my walk with God. I will be bold, I will not back down in seeking and sharing Him, and I will fiercely love. 


'For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:8-11

A fruitful Summer

Its been a long time since I posted an actual blog, I have had an amazing year so far! Definitely living up to its expectations!  When we launched with South Oaks Community Church, my husband and I had taken on the Men's & Women's Ministries. Well just this past spring we also took on Children's Ministries as well, merging them all together to create our Family Ministries! Its been such an exciting change, and we are growing in ways we never saw coming! 
God has truly been doing some amazing things! Back in June we were blessed to go on a week long Leadership conference with our Pastors, Cindy & Steve. What an INCREDIBLE experience! We did not come back to Minnesota the same! At the end of the amazing Dave Williams Leadership School we had a "graduation". We spent the evening in worship and prayer, praising God for everything He had done that week. I had sprained my ankle the weekend before, and that Thursday I was healed when one of their prayer warriors prayed for me, and not even for my ankle! I met some amazing people who I hope to keep in my life a very long time, and watched a girl with flat feet miraculously get arches! I learned so many things about honor and how to honor our leaders in the Godly way, I learned about Faith Goals, defeating fear, creating an atmosphere of praise and growth in our church and so much more! The coolest thing was that during the graduation evening the leaders kept saying "the portals of heaven have opened above Mt Hope church" which is where the conference was being held, the repeated it several times. I remember thinking it was kind of a strange saying, and I wasnt too sure about it. But when we walked out of the church that evening I remember looking at the clouds over the parking lot and thinking, WOW....just beautiful! The sun was setting the sky was a beautiful color, the clouds were these amazing shapes and they took my breath away.
 As I stood there gazing at the clouds I noticed that people in the parking lot were looking behind me with an even more amazed expression, so I turned around and there...coming right out of the middle of the building was a double rainbow. No rain anywhere in sight, none! Just this magnificent double promise that the portals of heaven had truly been opened by our intense praise and worship that evening. I wish I had my camera with me, but the cell phone photo will have to work as proof. Never underestimate God, He will always outdo your plans!


"And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires." 2 Peter 1:4

Expectations

Well 2012 is here, and 2011 is gone.


Last year, at the beginning of 2011, our pastor challenged us to paint our canvasses. He handed out little paint brushes to everyone and said "2011 is a brand new year, God made the canvass, you paint the year!"
Well looking back on what my painting of what 2011 looks like, I am quite happy with it. There were lots of tough times, probably more than I have had in a long while.....but every one of them was worth it in the end.


With March's 21 day fast that led to some incredible awareness's, a free trip to Tennessee for a leadership conference, Sheldon's political campaign, leaving our old church and planting the new one, my boys a year older and the one started kindergarten, an amazing wedding season, leading my womens ministry and kick starting fun get togethers, leading my first bible studies, God providing new(used) vehicles, and sooo much more!
God really opened the door to some incredible opportunities that just cant be explained away.


2011, you have memories that will be tough to compete with, but with Gods help I go into 2012 with even higher expectations.


I expect tough times, they are learning experiences. I expect blessings, to be the giver and receiver. I expect expect to grow in ways I never knew I could even stretch. I expect to fall into an even deeper level of love for the almighty Father! I expect miracles, Gods hand is moving on this earth...watch out for it!


Coming up we have a Men's Advance, a Women's Retreat, a Marriage Weekend, a monthly couples Date Night, tons of different studies and social groups to get connected in and lots of worship!
And on top of all that I get to witness my sister marry the love of her life, who we already call our brother.


2012, I have expectations of you. Instead of making resolutions that will be broken shortly after making them, maybe you should have expectations.  What are your expectations?


I will bless those who bless you,
      And I will curse him who curses you;
      And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”Genesis 12:3

Gods Timing

People call a lot of things coincidences, Christians tend to call them GODinstances. Well tonight I had a Godinstance. 


About 20 minutes before we put the boys to bed, we found a really nice DVD shelf on craigslist for super cheap right here in Lakeville. So I ask Sheldon to go buy it, and He does. So instead of putting the boys to bed, I decide to wait for Him to come back home. While I'm waiting, I get the urge to let the boys run off any last bits of energy outside. 
So we put the shoes and socks on, jackets too because its so chilly outside and out we go! 
The boys take off running up and down our shared driveway in our town-home community. Laughing, giggling, screaming and just plain running like maniacs. By the time we went inside they were covered in an icy sweat.
But just a few minutes after we went outside, I look over and my neighbors little girls came running into the street. And a few things are quite odd. 
For one, they are the 2yrs old & 3yrs old(cutest little things EVER!) and they are alone. I keep watching as they come closer to me to see if a parent is coming out after them.
Second thing odd is that neither is dressed.... the youngest had on a diaper and a shirt, and the older sister was wearing nothing but pants. And when I mean nothing, I mean nothing. No shoes, no socks, no sweaters, nothing. 
So I say to these precious little girls "hi, wheres your mommy?" And I get a blank stare from both. 
So I ask, "Wheres your daddy" 
All the while looking around to see if there is anyone around. Nothing, and nobody. And these girls are NEVER without a parent. As I am trying to talk to them a car passes us and I usher them out of the street to safety.
I ask again "Hunny, where is your mommy?" And the older sister just shrugs. I say "Are you cold" (Now mind you I am in a sweater and I'm cold. And the reply is another shrug of the shoulders. 
By this point I realize that their parents probably don't realize they are outside...so I tell them to follow me as I lead them back to their house. And they obediently follow. Another neighbor comes out of her garage looking quite concerned, and before either of us got a word out the mother of these girls come flying out of the house calling the girls frantically. I call out to her "Don't worry, I have them! They are right here!" 
I saw an entire range of emotions play across her face in matter of seconds and she explains that they were suppose to be in bed and when they started calling her she hid so they couldn't find her. And somehow they managed to sneak out of the house into the garage, and because their garage door was cracked they crawled under the door and got out. She never heard them get out of bed though, and when she went to check on them they were gone. As she was telling me this I could see she was torn between relief, fear, embarrassment, anger, frustration and gratefulness to at least find them safe....but she gently hugged the girls and took them home, and I was grateful I had been there.
The thing that struck me though is that I had absolutely no intention whatsoever to take the boys outside. If it hadnt been for finding that DVD shelf, and Sheldon running out to buy it then the boys would have been put to bed. And we wouldn't have been there to help the girls.
Gods timing is immaculate. Only He can set up divine interventions like that. Only He makes you late for work so you miss that car accident, or allows you to get sick you so miss that flight that crashed, or gives you the nudge to call someone right when they need it, or while on a prayer walk puts you in the path of someones home who you just by chance know and they desperately need prayer, or urges me to take my boys outside to burn off energy and find these baby girls.
Lord I am so grateful that your timing is never off, its always right on time. I am grateful for Godinstances. 


For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

First day of school, for both of us

This morning was Elijahs first day at school. And mine too. He is my oldest son and therefore this is the first experience I have had with the whole school thing(As a parent). We all see how those moments go in movies;
Kid gets on the bus
Mom cries

Well Elijah isnt taking the bus, Im dropping Him off, and I didnt cry this morning. At least not a real cry.
But last night, thats a whole different story. We went about our day as normal, had a wonderful day. A nice long 2 hour walk, came home and had pork chops, rice and green beans for dinner, then we put the boys to bed. The whole time prepping Elijah for today;
"Elijah if the teacher says sit down what do you do?" "Sit down Mom"(while rolling his eyes)
"Ok if the teacher says its clean up time, what do you do" "Clean up Mom" (are his eyes even in his head?!)
"If you have to go potty, are you gonna tell your teacher?" "Yes Mom"(add a head roll and a hand on the hip to the eye rolling as if to say "really mom?!" ) But I gotta cover my bases.
So off to bed my boys go, and then it starts hitting me. My first born baby boy is NOT a baby anymore, not even close.  Then when we go to bed, Sheldon and I are talking... and I said "Its tomorrow" and he sleepily replies "yep" and I choke.
See now Sheldon had taken some medicine for allergies and was already half asleep by the time He even got in bed....so really when I say "we" were talking it was more "I" was talking and he would grunt.
As I lay there thinking back to the time of his birth and all the uncertainty that surrounded his first couple of days I get kinda teary eyed. Then I remember him learning to walk, and eat, and talk and how stinkin CUTE he always was.
Im laying there in the dark literally holding my breath so that I dont start all out sobbing...tears are still streaming down my cheeks...now you know when you try not to cry when you are obviously crying you tend to squeak....you know what Im talking about. I try and clear my throat so that I can get rid of the sob stuck in my throat and I take a BIG deep breath... and then there goes my nose. Why on earth does your nose start running when you cry??!! Can someone answer this please?!
So now Im sniffling...after a few minutes of lots of deep breaths and lots of sniffling Sheldon finally goes "are you sniffling?" I say "yes" and He goes "why"... I say "because"... He says "because why?" and I say "because" after a few rounds of that I finally admit Im crying. He goes "why are you crying?"
Now you know that if you try and explain why you are crying, you will only start crying harder, and then no one could understand you anyway so I figured whats the point of trying.
I really didnt want to sound like this "ayyeemm chrrrieenngg(sniffle/deep breath) beeecchaausseee maaeeyyyy bbaa(sniffle)bbyyy iiisshh aaaahhhlll biiiiggg noooouwww!(insert wailing sound) (Did you even understand my attempt to translate the language of tears into words?
Pretty much I just tried to explain that I couldnt talk about it, and He accepted it. But I wasnt done..and now I was at a breaking point.... between the sniffles, deep breaths and crinkling up my nose to stop the tears I am trying to think of something else, ANYTHING else.... so I pick up my phone and get on facebook. And it worked, after a few minutes of reading peoples statuses I was past my worked up phase. Whew....that was exhausting and shortly afterwards I fell asleep.

Fastforward to this morning, well I didnt set the alarm and instead of waking up at 630am like I wanted, I woke up at 7am. Not too bad, but it didnt leave time for Ethan and I to eat breakfast, just Elijah. Which was fine because it was more important that He ate(we came home afterwards and ate so dont worry, Ethan eventually got breakfast). But fortunately that loss of a half hour of time left me with NO time to cry.... praise God! :)


Elijah took a shower, got dressed, ate waffles, I did his hair, took photos and out the door we went. Took more photos in the car, and on the way into class. He smiled from ear to ear all morning, He woke up on his own and happy!(thats rare)
And it was great!
EXCEPT, I forgot to send a lunch with Him...and in order to get a lunch at the school you have to order the week before. I had started doing it the night before but realized we didnt have any sandwhich bags....and then didnt think about it again till I saw all the other kids lunches lined up on the teachers desk. So after I dropped him off, I went to the store, bought baggies and took him a lunch. I knew I would forget something....but at least it was an easy fix.

Ive heard of kid who are scared to start school....yeah I just cant relate to that. Mine was practically screaming "LET ME GO!!" as He grabbed his name tag and ran into his classroom....He didnt even kiss me! And then I was kinda caught off guard, the teacher comes up to me and says "Thank you for that letter you wrote" and I kinda looked at her and drew a blank. She continues "Pastor Kindle read it to all the staff this morning at our meeting" then I remembered I wrote a thank you email to the school for such a wonderful experience at orientation last week... I had NO idea that everyone was gonna read it. So I got a little embarrassed, but in a good way.
Elijahs teacher prayed with Him as he walking in and then He was in class....and other than chit chatting with a few other moms standing outside the classroom.... there was nothing else for me to do. So Ethan and I left... and I didnt cry. I almost did....but I held it back. Now dont get me wrong... I am beyond excited for Elijah to be in school... in fact a part of me feels kinda guilty for being so happy that He will be gone for so many hours. A part of me feels relieved to have time alone with my youngest now, but theres still that tiny tiny part that is sad that He has come to this stage already.
And now its time to go pick Him up and hear all about his adventurous day! I wonder what stories I will hear....

I am grateful for the way life has a way of going so fast...even when sometimes its too fast. :)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

Never Say Never...

Sometimes Gods humor is a little one sided...lol

I was at Women of Faith last year listening to Mary Beth Chapman share about her experience of losing his little girl in a terrible accident.
If you dont know who she is, she is the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman, a very famous christian musician. Well a few years ago their young adult son accidentally ran over their youngest daughter in their driveway and she did not survive. To get more details on the story go get the book "Choosing to SEE" by Mary Beth Chapman. Aside from the grief and guilt caused by an accident like this, one of the things She said that night was to never tell God you wont do something. She said that He has a funny way of making us do things we NEVER want to do. She said told God that she would NEVER be a public speaker, and that she would NEVER write a book and that she would NEVER travel all over the way her husband did. Well the outcome of the death of her daughter was sharing her story with the whole world and helping people see the good in their own tragedies. How can something good come out of such devastation?(read the book!) Through Mary Beth and her family being so open with their grief, many many families have learned how to handle their own losses. One of her last funny comments was "I will NEVER go on a 6 month long vacation to Hawaii with only my husband alone") haha, she made a funny! LOL

So what relevance does that have to me? Well one of the main things I always said to myself was that I never wanted to be a pastors wife. In fact the first time someone spoke a prophecy of Sheldon becoming a pastor I think I literally cringed. We had only been married a few months and that was the last thing I expected hearing from someone. Then it happened again a few months later. And then again about a year after that....and then again and again and again. It was a recurring theme that always popped up that Sheldon would become a pastor. And its something He has always had a desired for in His heart. But me? No way! I didnt want that responsibility, thats huge....that meant always being available to people, always being on call, always opening your home, always sacrificing for others.... and as the wife having to sacrifice some of my time with my husband.

Then something changed. I dont know when, and I dont know exactly how. But looking back... I remember those feelings, but I dont have them anymore.

Sometime in the past 2 years a change so deep encompassed me that I didnt even realize it happened. As I watch Sheldon do his schooling for a ministry license that fear is no longer there of becoming a pastors wife. I think even when He started talking about classes last year there was still a tiny bit of reluctancy within me, but nothing like it had been years ago. Then the more He did it, the more bible studies I led, the more involved with community stuff I got into, I realized that feeling was completely gone. And then a few month later the offer came up to become the Womens Ministry Leader for South Oaks Community Church. And I jumped on it! It had been growing in my heart for the past year to get involved in womens ministry.

And now looking at the possibility, Sheldon may in fact become a pastor one day... and Im not scared of that thought anymore. I no longer dislike the idea of all the responsibility but rather I look forward to it. I embrace the idea of opening my home to others, sacrificing for others, being available to those who need someone, and allowing my husband to grow into the man of God He has been called to be. So the main idea here is never say never to God. He will find a way to use us outside of our comfort zone, and once that gets comfortable He will stretch you again.

Had you told me 5yrs ago that I would be the Womens Ministry Leader for a brand new church, I may have laughed at you just as Sarah laughed at God when He told her she was with child in her old age. But Gods plan for our lives is greater than we could ever imagine.... He sees a picture that we hardly see a pixel of.... just never tell Him never.....LOL I am grateful that God doesnt always give into what I want, He knows better.

"And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"" Acts 20:35

0 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
   Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
 ¹³ Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”Genesis 18:10-14

A new Chapter

So today is the first day in September. And this month marks the turning point and some major changes that will be happening in our lives. Last week Sheldon started a brand new job, next week Elijah starts school for the first time ever, then we launch our first ever official service LIVE for South Oaks Community Church and the fun just keeps going!
New beginnings offer fresh starts, new relationships, and a chance to push past your comfort zones and reach further than you had before. But they also mean growing pains, mistakes, stumbles and a learning curve. So far its been fabulous, I LOVE our team at SOCC and I love my pastor. We all work so well together and most of all we all know that everything we do must be centered on Christ. Its not about us and our comforts, but about spreading the love of Jesus.
With Elijah starting school this year it will give me more one on one time with Ethan that He has never had being the little brother. I look forward to being alone with Him and teaching Him all the things I taught Elijah....but with Elijah right there all the time He tends to overtalk Ethan. I also look forward to all the new things Elijah will learn at school, hearing all his stories when He comes home, helping Him with homework and volunteering at His school. I am possibly more excited than He is, although He is very excited. And that excitement is mixed with a terrible sad feeling that His baby years are officially over and the memories I have are all that are left of that time period. (sigh)
Now with Sheldons new job, it means no more overnight shifts(which let me tell you how much of a struggle that was!), no more consistent weekend shifts and He will be home for dinner every night. I cant even begin to explain how happy I am for that!

With all the new things that will be happening, I look back on the last 5yrs of our marriage and all the things we went through, and it shows me hindsight is 20/20. So many things make sense that we had to go through, losing our apartment, getting our vehicles repossessed, having to move in with my mother in law for a year, Sheldon working 2 jobs, and so much more. I feel like 10yrs worth of experience was jammed into 5yrs, almost like God said...OK...Here's a crash course on life. 

So into the new journey We go, not looking back.....but anticipating what the future holds....

All in all I am grateful for some of lifes crash courses!

"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Crossroads

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As usual there seem to be themes that pop up in my life. I have accepted it as Gods way of talking to me in certain areas. One of those themes is crossroads.
 
When I was 16yrs old I was able to get my driving permit, and eventually my license. That gave me the ability to get a better job at any distance I wanted to drive. I no longer had to rely on my mom to get me places, and I definitely didnt have to rely on the city bus. Getting my license lead me to Sears Portrait Studio as a photographer. I went to "Crossroads Driving School".

A few years later I was in a relationship with a guy. After about a year we decided to move in together. Even though it was against my better judgment. It was a 3yr relationship that ended horribly. And I promised myself and God that I would never again live with another man unless it was my husband. The apartment we lived in was called Crossroads Apartments.
 
A few years later, married to wonderful man we find a home church that helped us grow in our faith in ways we couldnt imagine. During our year and a half there we were baptized together, took several bible studies that freed us of lots of baggage, and then even lead a few studies ourselves through the church. We gained spiritual strength and growth and some amazingly supportive friends/family.
This church is called Crossroads Church.(lovingly called CRC). 

Then Sheldon and I began having that inner feeling that we wanted and needed to do something. What that was, we werent sure. We talked about hosting several bible studies outside of the church, community outreaches, neighborhood watches, and a few other things. As we prayed, we were given the opportunity to pray for a new church plant. So we prayed for the new church, and in that we began to feel led to be a part of helping plant this new church. But there was that feeling of not wanting to leave our home at CRC. So we prayed some more.
 
Then we got convicted. The Holy Spirit gently reminded us that as christians we were not called to sit in a comfy spot and worship God. We are not suppose to "sit on our blessed assurance", but to go out into the world. To share the gospel with every nation. And that means every community here in our own state as well.
 
So it was no longer a question of "well we really feel led to go be a part of this new church, but we dont want to leave our home because we love it!", it became "we feel led to do it, so lets DO IT!" 

The roads I have chosen in my life I have outlined what my life has become. 
**Getting a car lead me to my 1st photography job and preened my skills which lead me to owning my own business. 
**Living in that apartment with that guy taught me to put my foot down and learn my value as a woman. I had to set and stick to what I wanted out of any future relationships which lead me to a man who was looking for the same thing and we married within 5 months of dating. Since we are going on almost 5 years of a happy marriage I would venture to say that was a great outcome! :)  
**And searching out a new church and finding a home that was so welcoming and nurturing we learned how to grow. Which lead me to the opportunity of being the Womens Ministry Leader at a brand new church called South Oaks Community Church. We shall see where this road leads me :)

So as I cross these roads in my life, I pray that God is my guide the whole way. Whether it was learning to drive and be independent, making mistakes and learning what it means to be in a wholesome healthy relationship, or it was finding a home church and growing closer to God.....
I am GRATEFUL for all my cross roads!


And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Provers 16:3
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5


Special thank you to Pastor CJ & his beautiful wife Cheryl for loving us so warmly and embracing us as we were a part of your church. We love you guys and appreciate everything you have done for us and with us! We will be praying for CRC to reach above and beyond your expectations!

Are you cold?

We moved into our townhouse just this past September. So we havent even been here a year yet. Almost, but not quite. Its a brand new house, they built it the month we moved in and were still completing little tasks while we moved in. This place was a blessing to a very large need for us. And we love it!
One of the things though was that our downstairs bathroom never had hot water. It was always ice-cold. We never called the maintenance people, and I guess thats because it was never much of a problem, we could get by on other areas of the house. And eventually we just got used to it, we all knew...even the boys, that the sink in the bathroom had very cold water.
Well after about 10 months we mentioned it to our caretaker and they put in a report for us. The very next day a guy came in and turned a knob, and VOILA! Hot water! 


What a simple fix! 


It came to me today that Jesus is our simple fix in life. But how many of us have learned to deal with the cold of life? We are use to it, so instead of doing anything to change it, we just deal with it. We accept that life will be hard and unfair. And while that might be true, if you gave your cares over to your caretaker, and opened the door of your heart, it really could be as simple as a twist of a knob(or prayer) to release the peace and love of God.

How many times do we try and get by on things other than God? "Oh I can do it myself" "So and so's got my back, no problem" "oh it will fix itself over time". Dont count on the world to fix and fill what only God can....if you try to get by on other things.....nothing will ever change.
Lets not live our lives pretending like the colds not there....acknowledge it, decide to you dont want it, and grab a hold of your caretaker! Once you open the door of your heart and really let Him work on you, you will realize how simple it is to get your life on the right path.

Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.-Jeremiah 33:6

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.- 1John 5:4

Quick Honest Prayer, Quick Honest Answer

Love how sometimes God answers prayers just as fast as you send them.
Tonight I was at my moms and I was searching through her books. She has a whole bunch of books layed out neatly on her TV stand, and usually some by her bed and also by her computer. I didnt really know what I was looking for, just something to stand out and look good. But found nothing that I hadnt already read or it just didnt grab me. So I said a little prayer in my head that went something like this "Lord show me some books to read, I want a new book!".
Well about an hour later I went to my final bible study on "Leading from your Strengths" at church. A great study on how we as individuals communicate, what our strengths and weaknesses are and how we can be stronger in our area by working together with others who are different.
I walked into church, walked into the classroom, said Hi to a few ladies there and had barely sat down in my seat as Pastor Cindy walks up with a book in hand and says "I brought this book for you, I think you will love it!" I sat back in my chair with my mouth open for a moment, then exclaimed "I JUST PRAYED FOR A BOOK!!" Everyone looked at me and said "really??" Then not a moment later another lady from class, Samantha, pulls out her bag and says "I brought 3 books with me I think you would love!"  I mean really?! All I wanted was for one book to read and I left class tonight with 3!!( I only took 2 of Samantha's books).

The first book I received is "What God Truly Thinks About Women" by Sharon Jaynes, "The Hidden Power of Prayer and Fasting" by Mahesh Chavda and "Face to Face with God" by Bill Johnson.  I cant wait to start reading these, and if you are interested I will let you know if I recommend them!

Sometimes God has a way of answering quick honest prayers with quick honest answers. Not always, but sometimes, and for those moments I am so grateful!

"And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive" Mathew 21:22