Silly Saturday #24

    Where oh were have the past two weeks gone!!! I start work Monday, not that I consider babysitting work because I love it so much. Its still my job though, and man has God provided the kids!! As most of you know I babysat Alania and Emmy before Montana when we lived in Tennessee. Emmy was just a baby then. So when Amanda ( their Mom) knew I was coming home she asked about me keeping them and of course I said yes. Piece of cake right I mean I kept them before. Right and wrong Alaina (who will be in 1st grade when school start so I wont have her until afterwards) was excited and couldnt wait. Emmy on the other hand is a Mommy girl and of course doesnt even remember me. So I went over and hung out with them the other day and I think there maybe some crying in the beginning, but I think we will be ok. It will just take time. Please pray for next week that She wont have a major meltdown when her momma leaves :(. Also pray and pray hard August 8th! Alaina starts school that day and Emmy will be dropped off with me alone and I hope we have had such a good week the week before that she will be fine, but I worry about her crying. After all I understand how scary this must be.

          I honestly thought God had provided and I would keep the girls and that was it. I had only been here a few days when my sister in law asked if she could give her neighbor my number because She was looking for a babysitter for her baby boy Jacob. Of course I said yes and the next week I went over and met Jennifer. I was so nervous because I know how picky and skeptical I would be if it were my baby. Things went well though and now I  will be babysitting Jacob too starting in September.

     I also have another friend who has a lady at his work who might call and try to meet me about babysitting her son. Then I got a call from another friend who needs a sitter for her son and wants to meet me. Then another lady whose daughter needs a sitter. I finally had to take a deep breath and learn to say no. I am always giving and doing above and beyond what I can, and I think this was Gods way of finally getting through to me that I have to learn to say no. Its not because im mean or dont wanna do it, but physically cant. I do not want to get so many to babysit that the kids suffer. So I said I could possibly take one more child since Alaina will be in school and Jacob leaves before Alaina gets here in afternoon. So now its a waiting game to see who will call first, and maybe none of them will maybe this was really just God pushing me to the point of realizing its okay and sometimes necessary to say no. Time will tell,but im sticking to my word one more and this daycare is FULL.

           I was amazed at how God worked. I had not even been here a full week when all this happened and already He was  providing for my family in a huge way. When we were about to leave Montana I prayed and asked God to give me a purpose in Tennessee. I had a purpose in Montana and I did not want to leave it. Within one week of being home and He had given me my purpose. I still dont have all the answers. I still wonder when will it be my time to be a mother, but the pain and heartache behind that question is not there anymore. Because God has placed beautiful children around me for me to love and care for and He has shown me that I should be joyful while waiting for my turn.  How could I feel anything but joy with these beauties in my life!!

Emilyn and Alaina

Jacob

I have died everyday waiting for you.....

Two weeks!!

       We have been in Tn two weeks today. It was rocky trying to get settled those first few days, but we are finally getting calmed down and sorta settled in. I am still in awe of how God has been working in our lives already. So much has happened in only two weeks. I prayed and prayed and asked God to give me a purpose here, and He did. I knew I would be babysitting before I even left Montana, but what I didnt know was in only two weeks I would be completely full and unable to take more children!! Our God is so good!!! I never advertised, it was all by word of mouth!!! I cannot even explain how excited I am or how blessed I feel that God once again has surrounded me with children to love. I start monday  ( the 29th)and am so excited to update and tell more as this new journey begins. 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Silly Saturday #23

  Guess who is being reunited today??? 

Jeremy and Me and ALL OUR STUFF!! 

       

         Today Jeremy and his Dad Larry are using a friends trailer and heading to Knoxville to take our stuff out of the U-Boxes and pack it all into the trailer. Then bringing it to Judy and Larrys. So we wont be unpacking it until we find a place of our own, but at least if I need something I can go out there and dig till I find it. haha. It will be nice to have our stuff close again, but what will be better is when its all around us in a apartment or house.               

         Please continue to pray that Jeremy would be offered a job and that we could find a place to live. 

       And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

:) Fun Day!!!

             As most everyone knows Jeremy and I LOVE animals and are both still kids are heart so when we realized had never been to the zoo together we decided that had to change.
     Although I dont feel I have to explain myself I do want to say that Jeremy and I are using money we had saved in a account in Montana that we had to close when we left. We are not using money churches are giving us for ministry.
So today Jeremy had to go to Knoxville anyway to take a test. Lots of interviews and things in the works but sorry no info on here until something is official.
      We decided we should head to the Zoo after his test.

      We had a great day, and again needed that just the two of us time. Even though their were tons of people are the zoo! We had a wonderful time, and are thankful for days we can get away and be together.

I have a picture of me and this turtle when I was in 1st grade and I went to the Zoo with my school. Gonna have to dig it out and put them side by side.

One Week in Tennessee.....

   We have been here exactly one week today and when I think of all the things we have got I done I feel very accomplished. Jeremy has turned in numerous resumes and job applications and  He got his Tn licenses. Did I mention He did those things wednesday morning when we had just arrived tuesday night. What a man!! I have met with someone about keeping her baby boy when she has to go back to work in September. I will start keeping Alaina and Emmy on the 29th. I am so excited to start babysitting again although I wish I were keeping Alayah too :(.

            So we are settling in and things are going well and It is finally beginning to sink in that we are not here for a visit. I know that God has a plan for us here  and I am happy, but even on my best days deep down there is this empty feeling in my heart and other days it seems to physically hurt. I know I will always miss Montana and our life there. I know that not a day will go by that I wont wish I could scoop Alayah up in my arms and hug her tight. I know I will wish I could walk into Beyond Borders for Christ each wednesday and join all the chaos and love on the children,or even give Miss Pat a hard time.

       We miss everyone so much!!! But We have got to make the most of our situation because God sees the bigger picture and knows what is best for us. So no more moping around or feeling sorry for ourselves.  Its time to face our new lives head on with all the excitement and wonder we had when we first set out for Hungry Horse, Montana. Thank you for your prayers as we transition and try to keep a good attitude :). We are so excited to see what the future holds.

Cousins!!!

The Fellowship Church

   Jeremy and I were very unsure about what God had planned for us in Tennessee. We were praying and seeking His will when our friend Derek told us about The Fellowship Church which at the time didnt yet have a name. We began to pray and a few months later we didnt have many answers, but we knew God had a plan for us and  it somehow involved The Fellowship Church. Please feel free to check out the website and please join us in praying for The Fellowship Church.

The Fellowship Church Website

Silly Saturday #22

   Anyone ever been in a relay race?? I'm sure at some point everyone has. Relay races are where each member of the team has a chance to participate by taking a turn then running back handing the ball to the next person so they can take their turn. Have you ever been the one running and when you get back to the next person you dont wanna give them the ball?? What if your faster?? What if the other person strays off the path? What if the next person doesnt care as much as you and just takes their time and doesnt put much into it? The truth is your tired, but you could still keep going right? I mean your still doing a good job arent you? Do you really need the break, or could you just keep taking everyones turn? I mean your not getting slower and sloppier since your tired, are you?

         This is exactly what I went through and am going through lately. The truth is I was tired and worn out. We were in Hungry Horse for two years, and dont get me wrong we loved every minute. We loved the ministries we got to be apart of and we fell in love with all the people. Then we got the call from God to move on. Yikes, I wasnt  ready to hand the ball to the next person. God reveal to me it was time by having Diane volunteer to take my class on wednesday nights. It was a huge blessing and relief, but I wanted to hold onto that ball. I watched as the kids began to learn her name. I watched as they began to call it Ms Dianes class instead of Ms Stephanies. Time went on and I begin to slowly fade into the background, and God showed me that its not a bad thing to pass the ball on and let someone else take their turn. The truth is your gonna get tired and worn out and if you continue to try to run and not let anyone else take their turn lots of times you do more harm than good.

           Are you someone gripping the ball with all your might too scared to let anyone else take their turn?? Or are you someone who is too afraid to even get in line for a turn?? I urge you to get in line today. You wont regret it.  1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

      If your gripping that ball with all your might and are tired and worn out. Pray for God to send the next person inline and when He does dont be afraid to pass the ball on and let them have a turn.
Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Date Night!!!

     Last night Jeremy and I decided we needed a date night. With the move and so much on our minds as far as Jeremy finding a job, us eventually finding our own place, and everything else we just needed to get away together. We went to dinner and a movie. So much has changed in the Athens area since we lived here. We are trying to settle into our new lives in a place that we always called home, but now seems so unfamiliar.
Please continue to pray for us. We are hanging in there and doing okay, but we still need your prayers.

We made it!!

  We made it home Tuesday night!! Thanks to everyone who prayed for us to have safe travels. We made it safe and sound with no problems.  On the way home we made a stop to check out Mount Rushmore!!

We are still just trying to settle in best we can since we dont have a place of our own yet. We are hanging in there during this tough transition and trying to make the best of it.

I was so thankful to see my family!!

But at the same time I just left behind so many who feel like family in Montana. Its bittersweet and its really hard, but we trust God.  Please continue to pray that Jeremy can find a job, and that God will provide us with a place to live.

Did I mention that I have fallen inlove????

Silly Saturday #21

   We have been having a great week with Judy and Larry ( My inlaws). We have tried to really enjoy and just soak in everything our last week in Montana. So hard to believe that tomorrow is when we leave. Please pray for us as this will be a hard transition. Thanks for you love and support. You will be able to continue following my blog to find out how things are going with Jeremy and I. God has a plan for us in Tennessee and we cannot wait to see what He has in store. Here are a few pictures from this week.

U-Box We Haul

          So for those who don't know once we made the decision to not take Molly to Tennessee with us we begin to look into u haul u box. You pack your stuff in the box and u-haul ships it wherever you want and you have up to a month of storage. I hear everyone talk about how expensive they are but once we factored in gas the u box was about $100 cheaper than renting a uhaul and driving it ourselves. So we decided to go for it. We got two u boxes. They brought them today that way our last few days are not spent worrying about packing. So today we loaded all our things and left the boxes at the u haul place. I was beginning to worry about everything fitting because the u boxes dont look very big, but I asked everyone to pray. And EVERYTHING FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! A BIG THANKS to Lee and Steve for helping!! It is such a relief to be able to enjoy our last few days here in Montana.