Richard

Matt and I started going with some friends from church last week to feed some people that live under an overpass here in Baton Rouge. I have worked with homeless before in a homeless shelter, but this was different. I was very suprised because these guys were well spoken. No one was smoking, and I didn't smell alcohol on anyone. One man I met and spent the most time talking to was Richard. Richard is a middle-aged man who is a deckhand by trade. He was telling Matt, John Pounders, and me how fortunate he was for all he had. And all he had was a chair, a couple boxes of possessions, and an old matress that someone had brought to him. He told us he was blessed because now he has a bed to sleep on. Last week, he said, he was sleeping on cardboard, but now he has this wonderful matress.

During this month of thanks, I am so very thankful for what I have. I am praying that God will help me share my possessions and not be selfish. Lately, Matt and I have been concerned because money is tight, but we have so much. We have a nice apartment, and neither of us is doing without food. Sometimes, I forget how much I have, but my heart is always broken when I meet someone with little that is so appreciative and thankful for what they do have. Last Monday, Richard reminded me to be thankful for everything.

Please join me in praying for the people who live under the bridge. Pray that we can build relationships with them and bring them to Christ one day.

Healing Place Church

Healing Place Church is the biggest church in Baton Rouge. A friend of mine was telling me about a single mom support group she is a part of at that church. That sparked an interest in me about what other ministries this church has. I always thought that in a big church like that you just get lost, but in that church, getting lost would be one's own decision. Passion for Christ and reaching out to others seems to be the goal of this church. One ministry that caught my attention the most is one where a small group of people go out to the worst part of Baton Rouge letting prostitutes, strippers, and bar maids know that they are loved. They reach out to them so that they know that there is hope for something better. They are not condemning or demeaning to them, but instead they are Christ like.

So often we are to scared to go into bad parts of town because we fear that we might get hurt. I admire the faith of these servants going into the worst parts of town late at night ministering to women who need it so desperately.

This week I am aiming to be bold and reach out to people I am around. I don't want to just be a good example, but I want to be like Jesus. I want them to have a glimpse of the love of Christ. I want the people I am around to know Christ. This week, I do not want to be shy, I want to be a minister and love people even when it is hard to love people.

COUP?

Obama says that the democratic process did not happen in Honduras and that he will "stand on the side of democracy." Obama needs to do his research before he sides with Chavez and other socialist leaders. President Zelaya was removed from office by the Supreme Court and Honduran Congress because Zelaya was trying to remove the democratic process and wanted to become dictator of Honduras. Please pray that US will do the right thing and not try to put a criminal back in to office. The president that was sworn in is of the same party as President Zelaya. Please, please pray.

PRAY FOR HONDURAS

Pray for the country of Honduras. The president is trying to make a way around the law so that he can be president indefiately instead of only the 4 years allowed by law. Pray that tomorrow he will be removed from office. If he gets his way, it could be very bad.

Mandy

At my work, people think of me as the nice girl or the Christian girl. They are not mean to me about my beliefs, but they all know where I stand. Today, one of the managers had told me about the hard week that she had. She then asked if I was a serious, faithful Christian. I told her I was. She then asked if Matt and I would add her to our prayer list. I assured her that I would. Praise God that he allows me to be an example of faith to those I work with. I pray that I can grow to be more like him every day and to be bold in my faith.

Anniversery

Today, Matt and I are celebrating our second anniversery. Many people say that the first two years of marriage are the hardest. In some ways that has been true in our marriage. We have faced many transitions in our life, but we are much closer now than we were two years ago. We have learned to fight more fairly. We have learned that we should communicate about all problems and situations. I am thankful to God that he has put such a wonderful man in my life. I am thankful that he aims to put God first in our marriage. Matt shows me every day that he cherishes me as his wife, and I hope he knows how much I respect him and love him as my husband. It has been two great years, and I hope that it will be another 72.

Honduran Earthquake

This morning at about 2:20 am an earthquake shook Honduras. The epicenter of the quake was about 64 kilometers north of the bay islands, but the quake was felt throughout much of Central America. It was rated 7.1 on the Rictor Scale which is huge. (The world series quake in San Francisco in 1989 was a 6.9). So far it has been recorded that 6 have died from the quake. Unfortunately, in Honduras, with it being a third-world country many deaths will go unknown and unrecorded. Many houses, bridges, buildings, hotels, bridges, schools and churches were destroyed in this disaster.

It is so hard for this country to progress. It seems that as soon as any advancement is made, a catastrophe hits the country. There have been hurricanes, floods, fires, and now an earthquake. My prayer is for the many more that have been left homeless tonight. It pains me to know that the people that were affected by this quake do not have the safety net of insurance to help them with devastation. Please join me in prayer for the people of this nation that experienced the quake this morning.

Lamentations 2:19

Lamentations is a book of the Bible that often gets over looked. My mom told me to look at this verse the other day, and it really touched my heart.

19 Arise, cry out in the night,

as the watches of the night begin;

pour out your heart like water

in the presence of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to him

for the lives of your children,

who faint from hunger

at the head of every street.

God has always used children to touch my heart. I love their innocence and the way they laugh. He also has used many poor children to touch my heart. Tonight millions of children around the world are starving. They do not know where their next meal is going to come from. This verse in Lamentations is a commission to pray for the hungry children.

Matt and I are committing our lives to helping children that have lived in horrible conditions. We feel compelled to do what we can to bring at least some children off of the streets. We want to teach them about God's salvation and that life has much more to offer. It is painful to think of all the kids living in deplorable conditions around the world. If it rains they will be wet. If it is cold they will not have blankets to keep them warm.

My heart is so full of compassion for children around the world, but my words are few. Please pray for the starving, poor, homeless children around the world tonight.

Less than two months

It is less than two months before little Haley Grace is due to make her debut into this world. I am getting very excited to meet her. Right now we are in the process of getting her room ready to welcome her home. I am thankful that this baby is going to be born into parents with so much love for each other, and this child will never have to fewr that her mommy and daddy are going to split up. She is also going to be born in a family where she hears daily how loved she is by her family and by God.

Dear Lord,

please continue to form Haley so that she will be born to be healthy. Give me and Matt the wisdom to raise this little person. I pray that she will grow up to know you and to love you and follow you. I pray that she will be self-confident and willing to stand up for what is right in this crazy world. God I can't wait till she is here in my arms. I love you Lord.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

BACK TO THE BLOGOSPHERE

After much time, I have come back to the blogging world. It seems impossible to fill everyone in since the last time I blogged. I am now 7 months pregnant and living in Baton Rouge, LA. I work as a cashier at a garden center, and Matt is working in a warehouse. The last few months of our lives have been filled with transistion and change. At times we have been stressed and overwhelmed about things, but Matt and I have learned to put our full trust in God. He knows what we need and he takes care of us. I want to share with you just a few ways that God has taken care of us in the last few months.

We moved to Baton Rouge after I had a threatened miscarriage in Searcy. We wanted to be closer to Matt's parents in case anything of the sort happened again. Also, we knew that there were much better jobs available in Baton Rouge than in Searcy, AR. We spent about a month looking for jobs. On the deadline to sign our lease, we put our faith in God that he would provide for us, and we both secured a job on Friday, February 13. Praise the Lord.

Soon after that I found a new doctor since I left my doctor in Searcy. It was seemingly impossible to find a doctor that would accept me when they heard that I did not have insurance. They tried to send me to a place that no one wants to go to have their baby. Everyone in town kept telling me not to go there because I would not be well cared for. Finally, I secured a doctor. After my first visit, I told Matt I know we can easily come up with 1/3 of the OB bill, but I don't know where we will get the other 2/3 from. A few days later an unexpected check showed up in the mail that would cover the remaining 2/3 of our bill. Also, someone hit my car which has turned to be God's working. My vehicle is still drivable and runs well, but the insurance of the girl who hit me provided Matt and I with a safety net of $4000. I can only see this as a miraculous gift from God.

Another imense blessing we have witnessed from God happened last week. The warehouse in which Matt works requires the guys to maintain a 90% efficiency by the end of their first three months of work. Matt was only going to be in the high 80s. Only one person of 12 that started work with him made this efficiency level. Ten of these guys were let go. The one person left if Matt. We spent Wednesday night praying that God would allow the best possible thing for us to happen. If that was Matt getting let go and finding another job, then so be it. However, the trainers saw that Matt was a man of character and value. The spoke to the top guy at the warehouse and it was decided that Matt could stay at the warehouse, but in a position with a lower paying job. He will start working nights next week. I know to most that lower pay and the graveyard shift does not sound like a blessing, but to us this is huge. Matt and I will have time every evening to spend with each other. Additionally, Matt gets to go to church on Sundays. Before it was required that he work every Sunday. Also, Matt's new schedule will allow us to not have to put baby Haley into daycare when I go back to work. One or both of us will be home all day to care for her and to love on her.

We are still spending much of our time planning and preparing to move to Honduras. But God clearly wants us to wait for a little while since we were planning to move the exact time that the baby is due. We hope to leave in a little under two years. We feel that waiting a little bit will make the adjustments easier on our family. We have been blessed to be able to sit in on the missions committee while we are here. The committee members felt this would be a great way for Matt and I to familiarize ourselves with them and visa versa.

Praise be to God from whom all blessings flow. In the last 5 months my faith has been strengthened. I have learned that the only way I am going to make it in this life is to fully depend on my Lord and Savior.