Adventures in Our Home & Hearts: Grateful for Our God who Faithfully Provides ~ November 2016

*I just recently switched up my blogging gameplan since it has not worked out for me to blog for a long time. I am simplifying my posts for now with the hope that I can return to my more detailed posts, since I really enjoy reflecting on and remembering the details. So, I started back up where I left off and am writing as if it was during that month. Hopefully I will catch up fairly quickly and be able to blog in the present again soon!

Giving God Glory

Grateful for Our God who Faithfully Provides

We are grateful for God's faithful provisions financially and with family-like friendship this month! With a big cross-country move, we anticipated a lot of extra costs and wisely planned for them. However, we did not expect to have a lot of things go out on us in only the first few months of living in Ohio such as our computer, home thermostat, Christina's driver's license (which we missed since it expired only a week after we moved and that was definitely on our minds at the time, and we learned never to let a license expire again since it was a major hassle of jumping through hoops and paying fees), washing machine leaking, dryer starting to fall apart, and more. We are grateful for God's faithful financial provision that continued to cover these unforeseen costs, even in the midst of a change in our financial scenario with Wes' career change.

We also encountered a major holiday without being able to celebrate with our extended family. God graciously provided good friends that are like family to us, who invited us to celebrate Thanksgiving with them and their extended family... or maybe we invited ourselves ;) ... I can't remember who asked who first... :)

Marriage Memories

This is what we were up to for Wes' birthday, though it wasn't specifically planned to be a birthday gift. The Lord's timing just worked out to pick it up during our date out for his birthday. :) I must say this truck has been longed for, prayed for, saved for several times (since the "truck fund" was depleted multiple times in home investments) over the past 10 years. Wes has waited very patiently! Buying a truck has never been a priority for me, but saving for one has been a priority for me since it was important to Wes. However, the last thing on my mind - after spending money on a cross-country move, investing the specified "truck fund" investing in our new home in OH, and entering a different financial scenario with changing careers - was to make a major purchase on a truck! However, this was the first time that there were legitimate reasons and uses for Wes to get a truck with his new job and our bigger property, which would involve hauling materials, machines, supplies, or wood at times. So, after we both discussed and prayed about this decision, we had peace with using some of our savings for this purchase. To say Wes was excited would be to put it mildly! ;) We are grateful to see the Lord at work in our marriage in uniting us with various decisions. I am also grateful that Wes went for a wise deal with a used truck that was in great condition (and less expensive)! :)

Family Fun

Yearly Fam Photo and Note for Thanksgiving :)

Thankful for Our Good Shepherd ~ 2016

This year we have experienced the Lord as our Good Shepherd through leading Wes from

firefighting to camping ministry and moving our family from Colorado to Ohio. Psalm 23 has

come alive to us as our Good Shepherd has been…

Leading, guiding & providing for our family with all the logistics involved with a career

change, selling & buying homes, & moving across country

Blessing us (Wes & Christina) with celebrating 10 years of marriage & also refreshing

our marriage. Leading Wes to a job he loves & our whole family is very excited about!

Comforting Noah (7), Josiah (4), and Samuel (1) as they missed friends and worked

through fears with all the changes. Blessing our boys with woods to play in, a pond to fish

from, beginning new friendships, & also continuing homeschool & AWANAs

We hope this Thanksgiving you are able to see ways that God has been your Good Shepherd

in this earthly life and that you trust in Jesus Christ as your Good Shepherd for eternal life.

“I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

It is amazing that by trusting in Jesus’ death, burial, & resurrection to save us from our sins

we can have a personal relationship with God and experience Him as our Good Shepherd!

With thankful hearts ~ Wes, Christina, Noah, Josiah, & Samuel

Our 1st fam nighttime campfire in our backyard... complete with smores! :)

Carving/decorating pumpkins

Noah all smiles * Josiah fearful he was going to drop it because it was heavy for him * Samuel all excited

1st weekend our family hosted together at Heartland
Hosting involves taking care of and providing excellent customer service for the group(s) and/or guests that are staying at Heartland for the weekend.
We stayed in the "Wildwood," which is Heartland's RV.

Mommy & Samuel * We were able to see and hold many of the animals at Heartland's Nature Center.

Noah with Hadassah the bald python * Josiah with DiNozzo the bearded dragon

Samuel getting "scangry" (scared angry) at Ollie the box turtle, but he eventually got brave and touched it!

Noah News

7 years old

Continued prayer that the Lord would graciously save Noah at a young age and lead him to walk with the Lord all of his days, if that be the Lord's will.

Praise for the Lord protecting Noah (as well as Josiah and Samuel) when he fell out of the top bunk in Heartland's RV when we were hosting at Heartland. All 3 were in the same room with Josiah on the bunk underneath and Samuel in a pack-in-play below. Noah was completely fine, just a little out-of-it with being in a dead sleep at the time, and the Lord guided him to miss landing on Samuel in the pack-in-play.

I asked Noah what he would like loved ones to pray for him, and he said to continue to pray, "That I would be kind to Josiah."

Josiah Joys

4 years old

Continued prayer that the Lord would graciously save Josiah at a young age and lead him to walk with the Lord all of his days, if that be the Lord's will.
Praise for technology that allows Josiah to be able to text his cousin, Nathaniel, when he misses him and to be able to see each other over Skype at times. Please continue to pray that the Lord would bless Josiah with a good friend and comfort him when he misses his cousin, Nathaniel (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

Samuel Sentiments

20 months

Continued prayer that the Lord would graciously save Samuel at a young age and lead him to walk with the Lord all of his days, if that be the Lord's will.

Praise for the Lord's faithfulness in helping him learn skills such as all kinds of new words this month - ex. Papa, Nana, Tahee (Tache), caw-caw (chocolate), lehus (lettuce), hoe (hole), bah (ball), I (ice), mah-mah (marshmallow), buhbuh (peanut butter), and many more words.

Bro Bonding