Something NEW I'm thankful for this year

Usually I am giving thanks for the typical things on Thanksgiving.  Our family, our home, our provision, our health...  But this year I have something new to be thankful for...

I am thankful for the call.  The call to missions.  Nothing has required more sacrifice, and nothing has brought more honor and humility to my heart.  My heart now beats to a new rhythm.  It beats with greater intensity when I think of the millions of people living in our world that have no knowledge of who Jesus is and what he came to this earth for.  I long for them to know the same hope and love that I do.  Knowing God has changed my life.  I have never been the same.  I was so empty before I came into a real relationship with God.

My heart beats strongly for those living in darkness to have their emptiness filled with God's all encompassing LOVE.
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I am thankful this year for those that have partnered with us.  It is humbling.  It is an honor.  63 families and 34 churches have joined our monthly support team so far.  They are going to get us to Spain to do this work.  They are going to keep us there to complete it.  I am exceedingly thankful for their faith in us.
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My prayers today:
1.  Mia's surgery on her eyes is scheduled for January 10th.  I am praying for the doctor to have divine wisdom and to be able to perfectly correct her eye alignment with this one surgery.
2.  My friend Heather is in an adoption battle for her little girl that she has had since birth through DHS.  The birth father showed up right before the adoption was finalized to say he wanted her.  In recent days he has been wavering in that decision and has stated that he doesn't even know if she is really his.  I am praying for God to complete the work of putting Layna with the family he has chosen for her.  They do not have any other children.
3.  I am praying that God will get us to our field.  We must be 100% funded through monthly financial supporters before they will send us.  I feel the stirring that we need to be there NOW.  The window is open to reach people through media NOW.  Please pray with us that God will stir hearts and that more churches and families will become monthly partners.  We still need about 75 more people/churches to join us.  McMath Family Support Page 
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There is one more thing that I am thankful for in a new way this year.  I am always thankful for this - but this year it is stronger than ever before.  I am thankful for God's gift to me of my husband.  He is perfect for me in every way.  I love him now more than ever.  I will follow him anywhere God leads Him.  I believe in Him.  I am thankful for the 2 little girls in my life. They become more wonderful every day.  It is a gift that God chose me to be their Mom.

Is there anything new that you are thankful for this year?

Last Month in Pics

The Princess and The Bee

Seems like there was a princess and a little bee last fall in Huntsville at the Moms group costume party.....hmmm...yep. Those costumes got recycled this year.....and The Princess and the Little Bee visited Washington DC! There was a little carnival at Ebz (Short for "Ebenezers"... the church coffee house) and the girls loved it! They were just too cute walking down the sidewalk together!

I have NO idea who these guys are...I am assuming that maybe they attend NCC...but this picture was just too funny! LOL! Is that supposed to be the nun and the cowboy? :)

New neighbors and friends:

There is a family that lives 4 houses down from us that has a little girl, Niya, who is close to Macy's age. That common denominator has caused us to get to know one another....and they are a GREAT family. Dad works at Library of Congress; Mom works for ...Mitre....(sp?) Very classy yet personable people. And being personable is not even something I have found throughout the Christian community here! Mark (dad) has brought us several things from his DC garden (some plot of ground they rent to have a garden spot a few blocks from here!) - and it has been WONDERFUL! Yummy eggplant!

Me and the girls went with Gwendolyn (mom) and her girls to a soccer game a few weeks ago (they also have a 14 year old) - and had a great time!

Macy and her new friend Niya.

My new friend and neighbor Gwendolyn. She has been such a blessing to me! She keeps me laughing and definitely has a "tell it like it is" personality! Love her!

Noni's Birthday

My mom had a birthday this month...and even though we did not get to see her - we made her a birthday cake! And ate every bite! :) We used ALL the candles we had in the house and still did not have enough! :)

Sightseeing finally!

We have lived here for 3 months and not really taken the time to see much of anything! So we took a day during the Thanksgiving week to go! We were FREEZING as we stopped in front of the Washington monument for this pic!

Macy took her little camera with her into the Smithsonian...it was so cute watching her take pictures of EVERYTHING. Unfortunately she also kept taking the batteries out of her camera...and thus erasing every pic she had taken...or I would post some of her creative photography here! :)

BOTH girls still LOVE lip gloss. Or lip stick. Or paint. Or anything they can make a mess with! I heard them giggling this week...and walk into the bathroom to see that Macy has brilliantly painted her little sisters face....and TEETH...with some lipstick!

We were REALLY bummed about spending our first Thanksgiving without family. Will & Rachel hosted dinner at their house on Thanksgiving and we went there along with several other people from the church that do not have family here in DC. It was really nice and I made some new acquaintances! I learned that Jeff has worked for the government for 19 years....Scott is a Pediatric Oncologist...and Henry has a PhD... Geez! These guys are brilliant! And Henry has such a neat story...he has only been a Christian for 3 years...I will have to post a story about him soon!

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