Gods has Great plans for your life.

I haven't wrote to you in awhile sweetheart but its not because I haven't been thinking about you. I think of you daily and what a blessing you will be to your daddy and I. You will be loved by so many. All your family in Tn plus all our wonderful friends here. You don't have a chance baby you WILL be spoiled rotten. You will always be my miracle, my answered prayer from God, and no matter how old you get I'll never forget how I prayed nd longed for you. I wish so badly that I was holding you in my arms right now, but god has a plan for our lives and as hard as its been I am finally t a place now where i can say I trust Him amd actually mean it. Always know that your momma and daddy love you very much but more important never forget how much God loves you. He created you and He has great plans for your life.

The Worlds Greatest Friends

 I am convinced God has blessed me with the best friends in the World, and I am so thankful. The Ministry gets hard well life period gets hard and having friends who you know you can call anytime to talk or to just cry is a necessity . To say your struggling is not a sign of weakness To me it takes great strength and courage to admit. I am thankful that during the hard times I have amazing friends to lean on. I wont name names because some wont want there name on the internet and besides I am human and might forget someone but I just wanted to say that I am honored to have such amazing friends here in Montana. I brag on my family alot but often times not my friends so I just wanted to say I love you ALL and am so THANKFUL for you and ALL you have done and ARE doing :) You rock!!!!

My Friend Joy and Me doing what We do best.....Laughing :)

Are We really getting it??

So I am doing the bible study " Experiencing God" . We are just into our  3rd week but I am already amazed at what im learning and feel that im growing from it already. Anyway it talks alot about God trying to talk to us and were not listening. So of course I get to thinking and I start rememebering stuff and i'm not sure if im looking too deep into it or If maybe God was trying to give me vision along time ago and I just wasnt listening.

 I was a senior in high school and of course everyone was talking about college and what they were going to do with there life and I didnt have a clue. I knew I didnt wanna go to college but other than that I had no plans. But I had this strong feeling that I was not meant to stay in Athens Tn. So As weeks went on and it got to be a few months before graduation I Seriously considered joining the Army. I just had this feeling that I was meant for more than staying in Tn. I didnt know what to do. Well I ended up not joining the Army I just never felt it was completely the right thing to do. So after I graduated I started dating Jeremy and 8 months later I'm married. But all wasnt happily ever after and i secretly dealth with depression. It just all felt wrong and for one I know for a fact my relationship with God was not where it was suppose to be. But I cant help but wonder if the feeling in high school and the depression was all because God was trying to call me into missions. I guess I will never really know the answer. I finally got my relationship with God right and not long after the depression was gone and I remember the moment I really felt God speaking to me about Montana. It was july 2010 and a group from our church had just come back from there mission trip from Hungry Horse. During there presentation I just got the feeling that I was suppose to go there. So I said ok Lord We will go on the mission trip with them next year. I can just imagine How frustrating it must be to God when We arent really getting what He is trying to tell us. Little did we know by the next year when the church came on the mission trip We would be living here.:) The night of the presentation Jeremy even sang a song He wrote about missions called "Go anyway" and its just amazing to see God work. I am so glad We finally got what He was really trying to tell us.  Once We surrendered to Gods call on our lives. It was insane how things started falling together. He had it all planned out for us. It feels great to completely trust Him with our lives. My only regret is that maybe I didnt listen close enough sooner, but I cant give him back my past I can only give him my present and future and I plan to do just that :)

God's Working all around us!!

Gods working all around us but how often are We to busy to miss the blessing of seeing Him at work??
Here is a awesome story about just that.

 So My parents bought this book I cant remember the exact title but its a book for Missionary Parents. Well mostly its about oversea missionaries but still some of it applies to us and our situation. So my Dad read it and now my Mom is reading it but alot of it has been hard for her to get through because She cant really relate to it and as she put it "its boring" haha. But Dad has been telling her it gets better so she is still reading it. So as most everyone knows We left to head here July 5th 2011.The day holds so many sad memories so it was and probably always will be a emotional day for all of us.  So on July 5th (2012)Mom was at work on her lunch break reading the book and she had just enough time to read one more page before time for her to clock back in and this was the page she read

  So See, Lord? My Hands Are Still Open

Nobody said it is easy,

opening our hands in release,

But Jesus said if we trust and obey,

He will give us His peace.

I've struggled with holding too tightly,

knowing that she can't remain,

And, in the process, I finally saw

that I just increased the pain.

I've prayed for protection for so many years,

and Lord, I don't plan to stop now.

I can't keep my daughter away from all harm,

and now I've made a new vow:

To give you our daughter again, like I have

so many times before,

But this time for missions----wherever you want.

I trust you to open the door.

So See, Lord? My hands are still open.

Use us however you choose.

I'm trusting you for tomorrow,

Knowing with you We can't lose.

Thank you for being my Savior and Lord,

and making her your own design.

Keep using her as your witness, and Lord,

keeping loving that daughter of mine.
                                                                                                  ---1990,  Nancy Stoppelkamp

Wow How amazing that She read this poem on July 5th!! So see if she had quit reading it she would have missed These comforting words. There is no doubt that God puts things like this together He knows exactly what We need and when we need it. So keep your eyes open and watch for Him because He is working all around you.

What a Mighty God We serve!!!

 God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. This week it got up into the 90s and boy were we sweating. Our windows in the apartment are casement windows (vertical) So We couldnt get a window air conditioner and fans were not cutting it Jeremy and I both were not getting any sleep at night because We were so HOT!! Well I looked up online and hooray they do make vertical window air conditoners  but BOO!! they are over $500. As Jeremy was talking to some friends tuesday about the hot weather and our vertical windows A friend who is here helping for a few months mentioned getting a window air conditoner and cutting a hole in the wall for it to go in. He even said He would come cut the hole and put it in and everything. After getting approval from Lee We were so excited and then that Friend Slipped us some money and said here I wanna help pay for it. God had a plan all along!! So We get the air conditoner and Lee says hey try measuring the window and see if you flip it horizontal will everything fit that way. It did!!! So We have been so blessed this week!!! No more sleepless nights and no more sweating (in the house). A huge thanks to our Friend for giving us the money and coming and putting it in for us. We could never thank him enough. But mostly a HUGE thanks to God who laid it on his heart to give the money!!! Everytime I walk into this cool apartment I am reminded how much God loves us and how He has provided ALL our needs but He has not stopped there and alot of times He throws in a few wants here and there. What a Mighty God We serve!!!!

One year ago....

One year ago today I left my family and friends all standing in tears as Jeremy and I answered Gods call and started a new chapter in our lives as we headed to Hungry Horse, Montana. As we pulled away we knew in our hearts we were doing the right thing but that didnt stop them from breaking. Now here I sit a year later Yes somedays my heart still breaks and I could probably fill up a ocean by now with the tears ive cried. But God has took care of us and im so thankful. We have made so many friends here and We love each ministry were involved in. As I rode along one year ago wondering what my life was about to be like I can tell you it was nothing like I imagined. Its better!!! God is so faithful and its amazing how awesome He is. He has provided all our needs and In one year completely changed our lives for the better. I am not putting us up on a pedastle by any means but dont ever let the devil tell you your not worthy because thats what He did to us but We pushed past the lies and here we are one year later telling about our ministries and seeing God work in a mighty way here in Hungry Horse, Montana.

I'd give anything.......

Some days id give anything just to walk into Mamaws and sit and talk to her and Pap, Or to go out to dinner with Mom and Dad. I am stuggling lately. Somedays the sacrifice seems to great and I get selfish and wonder why me? Why did I have to give up my whole life? Of course after I have a good cry I feel just awful for even thinking these things. Christ gave the ultimate sacrifice His life!! The truth is I am honored He chose us to come to Hungry Horse Montana. As most everyone knows my passion is for the little guys This week at VBS We had one 3 year old boy who kept being disruptive I was busy with another little girl when I hurt one of the other ladies in our class trying to calm him down as He started to cry I heard him sob "I just wanna sit in your lap" I dont know anything about his home life but the poor little guy just wanted someone to love on him. Well from then on He became my little buddy and everytime you turned around He was up in my lap. And it was through that God reminded me why im here and what one of my jobs is. To love on these kids who dont get that at home. Let me also say dont think im connecting this statement with the little girl im gonna be keeping She is very much loved and took care of. But thats not the case with a big majority of these kids in the community. So when I am having a bad day and just wanna go home God always brings a childs face into my mind and reminds me my purpose. We all have a purpose It can even be as simple as being there for the little kids. There are no little jobs. i have all eternity to spend with my family . My goal is to make sure these little guys are there too.