October 09 Update

Why has there been so much time since the last update?

Well...let me see. In August we flew to Springfield for a week of meetings.

We returned from that week and had one week to pack up our house.

We moved from DC to West Memphis.

We unpacked.

Macy started 1st grade.

Brad's close friend and mentor, Jim Severn, tragically contracted a rare virus and passed away.

We travelled to NW Arkansas for Jim's funeral service.

The next week Mia and I both had the swine flu. Then I got bronchitis. Cough, cough.

Brad and I went back to Springfield for another week of meetings.

We have been spending countless moments in prayer about where God is calling us.

Things have been too uncertain to blog about.

Starting today.... I hope to keep the updates coming again.

And just to keep everyone is suspense... Brad and I are flying to Madrid, Spain, for a few days next week ...

October 09 Update

Why has there been so much time since the last update?

Well...let me see. In August we flew to Springfield for a week of meetings.

We returned from that week and had one week to pack up our house.

We moved from DC to West Memphis.

We unpacked.

Macy started 1st grade.

Brad's close friend and mentor, Jim Severn, tragically contracted a rare virus and passed away.

We travelled to NW Arkansas for Jim's funeral service.

The next week Mia and I both had the swine flu. Then I got bronchitis. Cough, cough.

Brad and I went back to Springfield for another week of meetings.

We have been spending countless moments in prayer about where God is calling us.

Things have been too uncertain to blog about.

Starting today.... I hope to keep the updates coming again.

And just to keep everyone is suspense... Brad and I are flying to Madrid, Spain, for a few days next week ...

Moving AGAIN!

Our one year program is ending here in DC - and we are moving.... for the third time in a year! Crazy!

We are moving to West Memphis this next week, and plan to live there for one year while we prepare for our missions appointment.

Details soon... please be praying as we move that God will give us strength and refreshing!

June & July Update

Why is it that we were here for 10 MONTHS and no one came to see us (except for some people who whirled up for a mere 36 hours)? :)

AND then....everyone wants to come see us in the same month!?

I am exhausted! I have been tour guide Barbie for 4 straight weeks!

Well, I am tired - but I LOVED every minute of it. I treasure the moments we were able to share with our family and friends during this year in DC.

Our prayer needs

I was reading in the book of Philippians this morning - where Paul is talking about how much he thanks God for those who have supported him on the missionary journey...
and I thought of the incredible group of people that God has put into our lives this year to be a part of our "support team".

This small group of people who support us, those who pray with us, and those who love us - have gotten us through this year of preparation for the ministry that God has before us.

Thank you. So much. Words can not express the thanks we have for you.
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We do have some urgent requests that we would love for our team to be praying with us about.

THE FACTS:
Our program here in DC ends in August.

We fly to Springfield, MO, in August to be interviewed by the World Missions Board of the Assemblies of God - to be appointed as full time missionaries.

We need to move SOMEWHERE at the end of August.

We will be itinerating and raising our budget (for 4 years of service) during the months of September - May. We will mostly be speaking in churches in Arkansas each Sunday during this time.

We have no idea where God wants us to live during this season of budget raising (September - May). We expect to possibly be "stationed" out of Springfield, MO, come next summer.

THE NEED:
Please pray that God will open up a door for where HE wants us to live. Since we will be raising our budget for full time missionary service...we once again will not have "salary" for this year.
Finding a place to live that would be FREE or low cost would be a wonderful blessing.
Somewhere in Bentonville area or West Memphis would be the best - so that we could be close to grandparents during this time. Macy will be in first grade - so that is a consideration on where to live.
Please pray with us. We do not have the answers we need yet.
But we do know that God will provide and give direction.
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We are taking 3 days: Today, Tomorrow, and Friday (July 22, 23, & 24) to pray SPECIFICALLY for God to provide direction in this area.
Would you please set aside a few moments each day to pray with us?
Thank you so much. We love you all.
Glenda

Baptism by the Bay

Brad reminded me that it was 2 years ago that we met Mark Batterson and came into contact with his writing and NCC. We watched a baptism video that their church had made while we were in a workshop at General Council in Indianapolis. Kinda surreal that Brad is in that crowd this year...helping capture footage for this year's video. (Blue shirt, by the water, holding the big camera) :)



Our friends Marcello and Maureen.

Here is last year's video of Baptism by the Bay:
http://theaterchurch.com/media/video/baptism-by-the-bay-2008/

Memorial Day with the Humphries

It was strange to have Memorial Day without an invite to the famous Willhite weekend celebration! However, our former neighbors from Capitol Hill had us out to their 40 acre home in West Virginia. They actually own a home in Capitol Hill for the week - and then go home to WV on the weekends! WV is beautiful...and it strangely felt like the Ozarks and NorthWest Arkansas! They commute from here in the summer....a 2 hour drive one way! Craziness!


Imani - the teenager!

Niya and Maggie

Tea Party

After school one day we had a tea party under the Kitchen Table! I don't fit as good as the girls do! I felt like the hunchback afterwards!

Cinderella's

Kylee spent a day with us while her mom and dad went to the USCIS to be fingerprinted for their next adoption (Korea!!!). Mia and Kylee were so cute dressed up as princesses! Sweet!

Gotcha Day Reunion

May 9 we celebrated 2 years since Mia was put into our arms for the 1st time. We were able to go the reunion this year....4 families from our travel group got together for a weekend. We were not able to attend last year - so this was really special for us!


These 4 girls were all born in the same city within one week of each other...and spent the first 8 months of their lives in the same row of cribs in Yangxi China. (There are 3 other girls from this Yangxi group that were not able to make the trip).

Washington Memorial

Macy had a day off from school recently and we made a day of it at the Washington Memorial. These are 3 of my fav pics.

May Update

Whew! May 18! Where does the time go?

I posted a few details last month about our trip across the country, speaking in churches, meetings in Springfield...

So the scoop is....

We are officially pursuing becoming Full Time Appointed Missionaries with the Assemblies of God!

And we are excited!

That in and of itself is a miracle. You are talking to the girl who once said, "Lord, please do not call me to the mission field". And I am married to the guy who used to say, "I don't want to be a missionary. I don't want to have to depend on others to sustain our family financially."

Wow what God can do when he takes you to Washington DC for a year - and through a valley of "preparation". He has been working on us all year - teaching us how to REALLY trust Him.

I will try... :) to post more details this week. For now - just be praying for us...that God will direct every step of this journey...as He has already been doing in our lives this whole year.

Much love.

April in Pictures

Macy and her new best bud. Sam Godzwa. Both of our families have been in the same small group this last semester. Funny thing is - me and his mom graduated from CBC the SAME year and didn't even really know each other! His parents are Chi Alpha Missionaries. So the PK and the MK are great friends!


This is all of the kids from our small group Bible Study! How awesome to be a part of a group this is KID FRIENDLY! Woo! And kudos to the babysitters Rachel and Henry that came every week so that us parents could connect!





Our small group ended the semester with an Easter party for the kids! Macy was SPRINTING around to fill up her basket! So funny!



Mia and Kylee on Easter Sunday!

April Update

Had a whirlwind trip....drove through the whole state of Virginia, the whole state of Tennessee, and the whole state of Arkansas. About 18 hours "drive time" from DC to Bentonville. But overall, it really wasn't bad! Nice scenery (except for the strip of road between Memphis and Little Rock...uhggg).

We have been extremely busy since we returned home - and I haven't had a chance to update for April....and here it is almost May! :)

Our trip to Arkansas and Missouri this last month was not planned until the last minute....and was mostly business. We had several eventful meetings in Springfield...which I will blog about later this week (hopefully) :D

We were also able to speak in several churches while traveling....which was WONDERFUL!

We did not get to see many friends on our trip, however. Hopefully "next time" will not be so crazy and we will have more "down" time to relax and visit.

Thank you to all who are praying for us. It has made SUCH a difference as we have experienced difficulties these past months. However, God has given us direction - exciting stuff!!! And now we understand more clearly the trials we faced this year. Boot camp. Enough said. :)

How To Survive

I will be speaking tonight on this topic. The first 6 months of our journey in DC have taught me much. I have a new understanding of what it is to feel depression, anger, fear, and confusion all bundled up into one mass.

I have learned that when you feel this way;
1. You HAVE to turn to God's Word
2. You DO NOT give up
3. You look for opportunities to GIVE to others

And all 3 things are....

AN INTENTIONAL CHOICE
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You will make it. You will overcome.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Num 6:25
Somebody needs that today.

Ponderings...

I was just considering a few things today....

If we would have come back "home" anytime in the last 6 months - I would have DREADED going back to DC.

But today....as we sit in West Memphis...I even look forward to when we go "home" to DC in the coming days...

The #1 reason:

The relationships/friendships that have been formed with a group of incredible people otherwise known as the "Simon Small Group".

I still have not blogged about how I feel about "small groups". I have always been a believer in their place according to Scripture...but now....

I have 2 comments:
1. I receive equally in my Spirit between Sunday morning service and Sunday night Small Group.
2. Even if we were ever in a "place" to consider being a part of a different church in the DC metro area...we wouldn't - BECAUSE of our SMALL GROUP. Powerful thought.

Mia's first date

Now that Macy is in school, Mia got to have her very first date with Daddy by herself. So sweet!

We traded babysitting with the Oswald's recently. They kept our girls on Friday night - and Brad and I had our first date in a LONG time! Then we kept Kylee the next night so that they could go out.

These are the sleeping angels. Wore out.

Celebrating REFERRAL Day!

Mia & Kylee


March 5, 2007 was the day we were matched with Mia. We received a phone call, an email, and a picture - the day had FINALLY come and our baby had been "born"!

We celebrated this great day this year with our friends the Oswalds, who also received their referral on that day for their little girl, Kylee. It is amazing that these 2 girls were born in the same city in Yangxi, China; spent the first 8 months of their lives in the same orphanage, and now live less than 10 miles apart. We hope to have a big reunion with our entire travel group one day!








Glenda and Shauna
Mia and Kylee

Today is my birthday

OK. So today is my birthday. Any guesses?


My best gift is that I get to see my family in Arkansas this week! Wooooo!

My mom....

My mom wrote about my adoption on her blog a while back...and then referenced it this week since it is my birthday. I am so thankful for adoption. I am so thankful for God's destiny. I am overwhelmed at His grace towards me.

Here is the link to my mom's story of adopting me:
http://findingtreasureinjarsofclay.blogspot.com/2008/03/little-more-of-my-thoughts-on-adoption.html

I am the one who is blessed beyond measure to have been grafted into my family. Love them soooooo much.

Finally SNOW!

We FINALLY had some winter weather! On March 2nd we got about 8 inches of snow!

Vote NOW

I ran across Mary Beth Chapman's blog tonight (wife of Christian Musician Steven Curtis Chapman). They lost their youngest daughter, Maria, age 5, this past year in an accident. I can not imagine the this kind of loss - but I have watched such incredible love for God and strength pour from this family.

This is the first year that the GMA awards have accepted voting for artist of the year. I just cast my vote online for Steven. If ANYONE has exhibited incredible artistry combined with character - this man is the model for it.

Why don't you go vote for Him too?
http://gospelmusicchannel.com/doves

Macy's very LATE birthday

Since Macy had just started school on her birthday in January - we waited several weeks to have a party. That way she could a least know a FEW kids to invite! Even though it was late - and her friends from Huntsville could not come - she had a HUGE smile all day!

Culturally Diverse

Northern Virginia (DC metro area) is VERY culturally diverse. Wow at all of the ethnic groups and immigrants represented! Out of Macy's class I think only 2 girls have fair hair. Three girls are Ethiopian and have really interesting names... it took me over a month to say and spell her classmates names correctly!

What a wonderful experience to be gaining some new friends with such interesting backgrounds!

Brakes went out

I don't really know much about cars - but when your brakes sound like crunching metal - I figure that is NOT a good sign. Several weeks ago our brakes went from squeaking to GRINDING in about 3 days time. And of course - just the thought of how much it was going to cost to fix them was stressful!

God sent a HUGE blessing in the form of Macy's new school. Not only have they been an awesome prayer support network - but the principal of the school even put the new brakes on for us! Wow. Please pray that God will richly bless Him for blessing us!

I even took a pic of them to see if someone knows if this is normal for them to look like this.... they looked pretty chewed up and bare to me!

Angie's Surprise Box

I recently got reconnected with my long lost friend from Harmony Grove, Camden - Angie Simmons! She found out about our crazy lives...read the blog....and sent the girls an AMAZING gift box FULL of candy, clothes, love! Sniff..... What a wonderful gift not just for the girls - but for me. I haven't seen Angie in probably 16 years! Yikes that makes me sound old!

Yay for spring break!

I am so excited to be heading towards my family next week!
We will be speaking at West Memphis on March 29th and at the new church plant in Centerton on April 5th! Neither of us have spoken anywhere in the last 6 months....so beware if you r there....we may burst into flames!

Anyone excited to see these girls?! They are sooooo excited!

Stinking Hilarious!

They may be living halfway across the country from each other...but that doesn't keep Macy and her friend Raegan from playing together! They have Skyped (video conferencing) with each other several times and it is STINKING HILARIOUS!

They will both get their newest toys and show each other on the cameras.....make faces at each other.... and the best yet - dress up and play like they are Batman and Friends! One night I was cooking dinner while they were talking - and I walked over to see what Raegan was doing (didn't hear anything....unusual....) and she had her eyes closed with her tongue hanging out.... I said, "Raegan, WHAT are you doing?" To which she opened her eyes briefly and said "Ms. Glenda, I am playing dead!" Then she returned to her "playing dead" state. I laughed until it hurt!

Missionary boot camp...

I had made the comment a few days ago that the last 6 months of our lives has been like missionary boot camp.... "Despair. Anxiety. Stress. Uncertainty. Confusion. Feeling...Lost. Waiting. Searching."

As I have thought on that throughout today....it is so complex to try and explain.

We have experienced a time of such uncertainty. Of such lostness. Of such fear. Of not knowing how we were going to pay the rent... Of not knowing "where" we were going... Of literally "feeling" the darkness trying to strangle us...

Yet - in comparison to what so many other people are facing....it seems shallow to even compare our experience as a "boot camp" of sorts. We are not starving. We do not have parasites. We are not being tortured. We are not turned out on the street.

I have been reading, "The Heavenly Man" by Chinese Christian Brother Yun. I have not paid the price that these people have. A very challenging read..

No words needed...

Washington Monument Part 2