Power Team Week

We have been crazy busy at the church this week with The Power Team here. We've have four members and the road manager here since the beginning of the week. They have done 11 school assemblies in three days plus three evening performances. Today they signed autographs at the Christian Bookstore in town and spoke to the residents at the E-Free Retirement Home. We have two more evening performances to go and they will speak in several churches tomorrow morning. We've had great turnouts in the evenings. We've had more than 400 people each night come and in three nights had 135 first time decisions. I've been entering all the information from the decision cards into the computer and it's really awesome to see whole families getting saved!

As exciting as this is though, I think Jeff and I are both really ready for some down time. Although, looking at the schedule for the next few weeks (and months), I'm not sure when that will come. It's a good thing that God doesn't give us any more than we can handle:)

Wedding Pictures

Zach and Andrea Lawson
March 21, 2009


Zach and Andrea had a beautiful wedding. Everything went smoothly with only a few minor glitches. I'll admit that it is really weird to think that I have a son that is married and Jeff and I are now GRANDPARENTS!!







Jeff had the honor of performing the ceremony.









This is Bryce, 3 years old, with his Uncle Josh. Bryce has decided that Josh is the greatest. He especially likes being chased and riding on Josh's shoulders.



My sister-in-law, Kim Norwood, made the wedding cake. She spent several days making and decorating it, but it was absolutely beautiful.



Hailey is 15 months old. Her job was to throw the flower petals for Mommy and Daddy, but she liked to eat them! My job was to keep her quiet during the wedding.




We were excited to have so many family members that travel here for the wedding. It was crazy and hectic, but we are so glad that they were able to come. So many people pitched in to help us with the wedding. We could not have pulled this off in just three short weeks without everyone's help. Thank you to everyone who helped or came on Saturday, you helped to make this a special day!

Goodbye, Mr. Cosens

Yesterday, a friend of ours pasted away from a brain tumor. He was the principal of Madrid High School, where both boys graduated from. He was diagnosed with the tumor in the spring of '07.

Now, I've gone to several funerals of people who have died from cancer, but this time it is different. Mark wasn't an elderly man, he was my age. His son played football with Josh and graduated with Zach. He was diagnosed while I was still bald from chemo. Over the past two years I have followed his condition on his blog. I have cheered for him as the experimental treatments worked and the tumor shrank. I have cried for him as his condition deteriorated.

I'll admit that his death shakes me a little. I can't help but wonder why??? Why did someone with so much going for him have to die so young? Why did God heal me and not him? What if I get cancer again? That could have been me... Goodbye Mr. Cosens, we'll miss you!

I'm Back in the Game!!!

I got a call a this afternoon offering me the Directer job at New Horizons Child Care Center here in Boone. I have accepted the position! I am very excited but will take a few weeks to finish up at the store and at church (not to mention getting through a wedding and The Power Team). I will begin my new job the beginning or middle of April. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me.

What is God Up To??

I have really struggled over the past two years about when the "right" time is for me to look for a teaching job. While I miss teaching, I enjoy working at the store and at church I get to be involved in daily ministry, not just listen to Jeff tell me what is going on. I'll also admit that there has been a bit of fear to even try teaching. What if I can't handle working full time? What if I'm not ready? What if I get turned down again for a job? I know that my gifts, talents, and interests are not in the church office, but I do like the safety of staying there.

About a month ago, Jeff and I were talking about our dream jobs. I shared that mine would be to have my own preschool specifically for lower income or at risk kids. I told him that someday I hoped to realize this dream, but I that I am very content (or comfortable) where I was. I wasn't going to go looking. If God wanted me to be in a classroom, he would have to make it very obvious to me.

A week and a half ago, I received a phone call from a county agency here in town that is working with a small church daycare to hire a director. They asked if I would be interested in talking to them about the job. To make a long story short, I have an interview on Wednesday afternoon. The funny thing is that it's like God just plopped it in my lap. And it is a daycare that caters to the low income people in our community. Boy, is it funny how God works! I'd appreciate your prayers this week.

An Announcement

Friday evening, Zach and Andrea announced that they are getting married...March 21, 2009. Yes, in just three weeks. We are pleased to have Andrea, Bryce, and Hailey join our family. I will admit that I'm feeling a little panicked at how quickly the wedding will be here. Our church family has really stepped up and is asking how they can help, which I really appreciate. More time to plan a proper wedding would have been nice, but we'll still be able to pull off a beautiful wedding. Not all of our extended family will be able to make it and that makes me sad.

Congratulations to Zach and Andrea! I hope that your love and appreciation for each other continue to grow through the years.