A pictures says 1,000 words ~ right?

Life has been crazy. 

I know I promised to update the blog weekly and that has been my goal, but LIFE HAS BEEN CRAZY!!! 

We left California and headed back to Texas.  We had Thanksgiving.  And now we have been packing, unpacking.  Sorting and resorting.  What to take and what should stay?  What should we ship?  What should we take on the plane with us?  My brain is a mess of list. A list of things that need to get done.  A list of things to pack.  A list of what list I still need to make.  And oh the emotions.  I can burst into tears at the drop of a hat.  My poor husband does not know what to do with me.  Sometimes he hugs me, sometimes he just walks away, and sometimes he will cry with me.  I love him.

Here are some pictures from our life.  Please enjoy!!

PS - I do plan to update before we leave but there is a GREAT chance that they next time you read a post from me I will be in Japan.  Thanks for your prayers over the last two years.  Please continue to pray for us.  We have a lot of "First" in our near future.

Beautiful Fall

Corbin, Kentucky

The first Kentucky Fried Chicken

Beautiful Fall (again)

Beautiful Fall (we don't have colors like this in Texas)

A canyon in Utah

Bye California

Jonah running off energy

Rachal and I {heart}

Arizona State Line

Snow in Arizona? 

Little did I know, but it does snow in Arizona.

Don't we look happy? 

Somewhere in Arizona with many miles to go.

Leaving Arizona

New Mexico

Finally ~ Home!

Making cinnamon ornaments at Nana's house

Making things merry and bright (at Nana's house)

Mike changing the oil

Why is this picture worthy you may ask?

Because it's the LAST TIME!!!

Aunt Marilyn's house

Decorating for Christmas

Jonah and Rachal

Opening boxes for the

Charles Dickens'

 Christmas Carole

 Christmas Village

Eli helping too

(he just found out that the Muppets are not

in the real story that Mr. Dickens wrote)

a SMALL piece of the Village

Snow in Merkel

Merkel

small town Christmas

We are blessed!

Just an update of how our week has gone. 

Monday - The missions house that we have been blessed with is Awesome!!!  It's four bedroom, living room, den, and two full baths.  When you have been living in hotels or with families from a church and then you get a whole house to yourself it's just AWESOME!!!!  So Monday we were still enjoying the new found freedom of this spacious house!!  Monday was also the day the church was setting up for a Trunk or Treat.  They had food, bounce houses, Velcro walls, games and the youth praise band was going to play. {the band was set up right next to the house - yay}  Our goal on Monday was to get two days worth of school done.  Lets just say that didn't happen.  The kids spent most of the day checking out the window to see how much was set up and did it look like they would have good candy.  How you can tell about the candy from the window I don't know but they were all convinced that the candy would be good. 

Monday night we dressed up the best we could (used only the clothes we had with us) and marched next door at 6:30 pm to see if the candy was indeed good.  The kids jumped, played and ate like crazy.  We were able to "enjoy" the band until late into the night.  Over all it was a great night.  By the way, the candy was great - free chocolate is always good!!

 Jonah as a basketball player

Eli as Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs

Noah on the Velcro wall

Tuesday - We headed to the San Francisco area.  On the way we were able to eat at a true California landmark. 

Wednesday - We had the opportunity to share about Japan with the AWANA program at Union Baptist Church in Rio Vista.  It was a truly an amazing night to see the kids bring 86 of their friends to church.  We were able to join in the fun by throwing pies at the AWANA commander.  So proud of her and how she is encouraging the kids to shine The Light of Jesus in their town.

Chrissy after having 86 pies thrown at her!! (at least it was not dog food)

Thursday - Chrissy gave Mike and I a chance to go into San Francisco {alone}.  She kept all four kids while Mike and I had a much needed date!!  What a great friend!!  We were able to to to Japan Town, see the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.  We drove around the crazy streets, up hills and down hills and even made our way to China Beach. 

 Bay Bridge

 Golden Gate Bridge

Japan Town

Friday - We ate a great breakfast, said our goodbyes to our friends, and headed back to our mission house.  On the way home we ran into some rain and then we saw the most amazing rainbow.  Just God's way of reminding us of His promises.  We are so blessed that we have had the opportunity to see the US while on deputation.  We are so blessed to have reconnected with friends and made new ones.  We are just So Blessed!!

Saturday - Mike woke me up around 2 am to read me an email.  We were granted our visa's for Japan.  We applied for 3 year visa's.  We were told, "They never give 3 year visa's the first time you apply."  We applied anyway.  We were granted a 3 Year Visa!! 

We are blessed.  God is good. 

It's all about the cross

Why do we teach Sunday School?  Why do we go to church?  Why do we live a life different than our neighbors?  Why am I taking my kids to Japan? Why am I starting over with nothing?   

Why?  It's all about the cross!!

It's not really what we want . . . .  It's what does God want from me. 
God wants our heart, our life, us.  God wants me.  God wants to use this sinner to accomplish great and mighty things for Him. 

Romans 3:10  As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. (KJV)

I am not perfect, but I am willing.  Willing to go, willing to give, and willing to love.  Are you?  Are you willing to go across the street to your neighbor? Down the hall even?  Are you willing to give of your time (prayer), your money or even your family?  Are you willing to love the unlovely? the unimportant?  the unwanted? the other people not like you?   
Remember, it's about the cross.

God didn't enjoy the cross - no he endured the cross.

Hebrews 12:1-2  Wherefore seeing we also are  compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run the race with patience the race that is set before us.  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (KJV)

He endured the cross for you,  your co-worker, your neighbor, your family, for me. 


Take up the cross and show the world you belong to Him.

Mark 8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. (KJV)

 It's not easy to pick up your cross everyday and follow Him. It's not always easy to be the one who stands out because of the way I dress, the way I talk, the way I act. 
It's says "take up his cross and follow me."  Are you following Him?  Don't walk too fast.  Don't get ahead of God.  Don't say, "I can do this all by myself." Don't rush God. But don't walk too slow, either.  Don't stay around in sin. Follow Him.  Follow His leading, His direction. 

It's about the cross . . .  it always has been about the cross.  From the manger to now. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyR0lwO-nXc

Enjoy

God bless America

On Monday, October 3, we had the chance to visit Washington DC. 

My kids made fun of me because I cried.  I grew up in a very patriotic home.  My Dad is a Vietnam Veteran.  My mom works for the Veterans Affairs Medical Clinic.  We have always been "Proud to be an American".  After September 11, 2001, I became more patriotic if possible.  It was at that time that I fully understood that freedom is not free.  As we rode the Metro into the heart of DC, I began to think about all the history I was about to see.  I began to think about all of the men and woman who gave up their family so I could be free.  I thought about the laws we have, both good and bad.  I thought about all the men who came across the ocean to start a new life here.  As I thought about this I began to pray . . .  Pray for our country, our leaders and our service men and woman and our President.  When we stepped off the Metro and headed up the stairs to the Mall, I was shocked at the beauty i saw and pride I felt.  I looked to my left and there was the Washington Monument and to my right was the Capital Building.  I wanted to burst out in song

"God bless America, land that I love. 

Stand beside her and guild her

with the light from above . . . ." 

The Capital Building

 The Washington Monument

Noah, Eli, Rachal, Jonah

(it was raining and cold, we were freezing)

 The White House

 Lincoln Memorial

 Looking at all the names on the Vietnam Memorial Wall

Jonah and Eli in front of the first airplane made by the Write Brothers.

Psalm 33:12

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord . . .

Oh the joy . . .

Today I will be taking Rachal and Mike up to the West Texas Fair in Abilene to enter their artwork. It brings back so many memories for me. I remember as a child making crafts, drawings and once I even sewed something for the fair. The excitement when you bring your entry to the Modern Living Mall, wait in line, see all of the other entries, worried that yours is not good enough to win anything. Then after the LONG three day wait we would scan the paper each day to see who had won in each category. We would cheer for our friends when they won, we would cry when we didn't see our names listed and we would shout and dance when we saw our name in the winners list. Oh the excitement on the day our family would head to the fair. To go and see our artwork, our craft on display for all the world to see. (OK maybe it was only the Abilene area, but still!) And today, Tuesday, September 6, 2011 I will be walking thru the fair grounds again but this time as a proud parent and wife.

Rachal is submitting items from her pottery class and Mike is submitting pictures we took while in Japan. 

God is still God

{This post was written late at night on August 20, 2011 in a missions house in Knoxville, TN.}

God is still God

This post is a lot different than my last one. My last post I was upset – down about the house, saying goodbye, and moving on. God has spoken to me, He has whispered to my heart ~ God is still God!

Last week we were in Murfreesboro, TN in a missions conference. The theme was “How are we going to reach the world for Christ?” We heard four messages explaining to us Why, How, When, and Why again.

Why? – The cross. John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever shall believeth in him shall not parish but have everlasting life.

How? – With support. Prayer support and financial support.

When? – Right now! On this night we learned about a man who had cancer. He was a father of two, married to his love, son of a missionary, loved the Lord and he had cancer. We watched a video of this young man facing death and he said “If God heals me of cancer then God is God and God is worthy to be praised. But it God does not heal me, well then, God is still God and God is still worthy to be praised!” This young man went home to be with the Lord a year after he was diagnosed with cancer. With tears running down my face I prayed and asked God to forgive me for being so selfish. How could I be upset that God has asked me to give up my house? some of my friendships? and give up "normal"?

Here is his story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ojj02nobl4

We ended the night with this song . . .

“Every blessing You pour out, I’ll turn back to praise. When the darkness closes in Lord still I will say, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be the name of the Lord. You give and take away, You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name . . .”

He gives and He takes away. 

Sometimes we don’t know why, or how, or when . . . . But no matter if he is giving us a gift or taking something away God is still God and God is still worthy to be Praised!!

Why? – It’s all about the cross. No matter what, It’s always about the cross.

A few changes . . .

I tried to use another blog site.  I thought it would be easier.  I thought it would be better.  Well, as you can see, I have come "home"!  I will be moving  them over to this blog.  If you have read them before, sit back and read them again!! If this is the first time, I hope you enjoy what God has laid on my heart. 

Until next time . . . Cristy