Noah turns FIVE!!!

December 8, 2011 Noah turned five years old!!  It is so crazy to think that I have a five year old!

Can I just tell you a little bit about him??

Noah is a thinker. He is very analytical. Cautious. Not at all a risk taker. He is very polite and thoughtful.  He is sensitive.  He is a people pleaser.  He is silly.  He is always joking around and "pranking" us with "monkeys always look."

He has the sweetest belly laugh that is very contagious.  He is so smart.  He likes to do worksheets!  He is writing and slowly reading.  He loves to be read to! His favorite right now are the Magic Tree House chapter books. He loves soccer and tells everyone very humbly how good he is at it.

He is becoming so independent, but still likes to cuddle.  He is very outgoing.  He likes Batman.  He really wants a dog that mom just isn't ready for yet. He is an awesome helper!  He loves to do chores and help clean. He loves to cook and even said the other day that he wanted to be a chef when he grew up.  He has a sharp memory! Seriously, he remembers stuff from when he was two! No joke!  I could go on and on and on.....

but it's time for birthday pictures!!

BOWLING

homemade batman cake

This is where it gets interesting. 

Noah received SEVEN nerf guns. 

This exploded into a lot of fun!  What came next was about a 1.5 hour

nerf gun war in our house!

My dad was under the kitchen table.

Steve was hiding behind a trash can dodging bullets.

At one point my refrigerator door was open to protect someone. 

It was a little out of hand, but so much fun!

Nerf bullets were flying all around our heads and only one person was injured!

That's pretty good!

I think the adult men had more fun than the little guys, but it was a blast!

Happy Birthday Noah!

It has been so fun watching you grow!

So thankful God has entrusted you to us!

i am having a moment

I am having a "moment."

A moment where all I can do is think about all the abandoned babies I held in Romania.  All I can picture is the little faces of children in Sumugiu and seeing them chase after our VW Golf as we drove into the village.  They were so excited to have someone taking time to be with them, play with them...love them!

I have moments where I just want to be there.  My heart still feels a little broken at times and I wonder if I will ever not want to be there.  Honestly, I hope that never goes away.  I hope that I never forget ( i really don't see how I can!)  those faces, those little bodies that had no one to rock them and change their diapers. Those sweet families in Cherichu who need money and food and jobs and grace and love and someone to teach them how to parent.

I know the Lord brought our family here to reach those in North Knoxville and I do believe we are right where we are supposed to be, but that doesn't mean I always like it.  I really love Romania.  I really love North Knoxville. Sometimes I just wish I could live in both places, but that is not possible. I am learning contentment and trust still.  I thought I was passed all of this, but clearly, I'm not! Sheesh!

So as I type with tears streaming down my face thinking of all of our friends in Romania, please pray for them.
-Please just take a moment to pray for the missionaries.
-Pray for the abandoned babies there.  I am so thankful for a couple we know that are now paying the salary of one to two nurses to care for these babies full time!
-Praising God that the Bruski family will be starting work back up in Sumugiu starting this month. They went this week and the families are doing well.
-Pray for families in Cherichu who have no jobs and are very hungry and need money to pay bills.
-Pray for salvation among the Nations--that they may be glad because of what Jesus has done for them!

"If you abide in my Word you are truly my disciples and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free!"  John 8:31-32

to blog, or not to blog...

Since October I have wrestled in my mind over this blog.  Whether I should continue posting or not. While preparing to go to Romania and while there it felt so necessary. There were so many supporting us and praying for and God was doing so much in our hearts and in Romania that I couldn't help but share that with you all.

After we returned from Romania I was unsure whether to continue to blog.  I kept asking, "Lord, what do You want me to do?  If I keep this up, what's the purpose? What do I write about?"

In early December I really felt like the Lord answered me.  "The purpose is the same as it was when you first started--Ascribing glory to MY name!  Keep telling them what I am doing in your heart, in your home and in your ministry."

It may seem silly to pray over a blog, but I don't want to just ramble on about our life, I want it to bring glory to the Father.

God has given me three things that I am really passionate about and that is what I will write about.
1. Jesus and what He is doing in our lives.
2. Family! Oh, how I love my little family. We have no family around us so it is always fun to share what is going on in our home.
3. Ministry.  We love working with people and desire to really do nothing else in life, but be in ministry in some capacity. I will write a lot more about ministry happenings in the near future. This will include Romania, a newlywed Community Group we are leading and a Missional Community Group we are leading in North Knoxville and more.

One year ago today....

Our little family of four landed in Budapest, Hungary following the Lord's leading on our life, not knowing the outcome.

Walking by faith and not by sight.

We got all eight of our duffle bags and loaded them into a warm van with a sweet Romanian driver.  We had good conversation in the little broken Romanian that we knew and the little English that he knew. He drove right up to the door step of the Bruski's home where we were greeted by Patrick, a teenage intern who stayed there for a year.

This was the beginning of such a work God was doing in my heart and in Steve's.  It was just the beginning of something that is still unraveling with the sole purpose of sharing the Gospel and making Christ known among the nations.

I think of Romania and the missionaries and our Romanian friends every. single. day! I miss it more and more with each day that I am not there. My heart longs to go back to visit, knowing that I am exactly where God wants me for this season.  I am eager for August to come because, Lord willing, I will return for a short trip.  There is so much life to be done until that time, but until then I pray and watch the Lord have His way here and there and all around the world.

Today is a day of remembering Romania for me and really remembering what HE has done in the last year--our Faithful Provider!

Christmas 2011

I haven't really blogged since right after Thanksgiving.  I never blogged through the holiday season. I thought about it, but that's as far as I got.  We so enjoyed our holiday season and got to see family and spend some time with just our little family!  Here is a little snapshot of what we did during the holidays.  Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Festive breakfasts

We made a variety of cookies, packaged them up, loaded the kids

in the wagon and delivered these goodies to nine families in our neighborhood

that we are trying to build relationship with.  It was so much fun talking to them 

when we made deliveries!!

Jesus' birthday cake....

the kids were a little excited! 

Jesse Trees

The kids each had a small tree in their bedroom and decorated it 

with their Jesse Tree ornaments.  We had a devotion to go with each

ornament and it basically just walks you through the Bible. Noah did

his own drawings this year--precious! 

We didn't do it every single day, but we tried our best. 

We saved these ornaments and next year we will finish the ones that we didn't complete.

Wrap the Room

Steve's aunt had a fun tradition each Christmas when their children were little.

They would wrap the living room before bed on Christmas Eve.  

Christmas morning when it is time to open presents they get to run through the

paper and tear it down! It's just FUN!

Our kids don't wake up and immediately open presents.

Steve and I like to get ready before we start all of that. The kids

just play while they wait on us. They are so patient!

We piled into our bed and Noah retold the Christmas story to us!

We figured he could tell it to us because he had heard it so much his entire life!

He did a great job!

Then, they got to bust through the wrapped living room!

What do Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee & Stonewall Jackson have to do 

with Christmas??

CAMPING AT STONE MTN.!!!!!

My parents parked their RV out at Stone Mtn. and for two nights our little family 

camped and did a little Christmas at Stone Mtn. 

We just LOVE camping!!

At the top of the Mtn.

all lit up for Christmas

Noah loves being outside by the fire with his daddy!

Christmas is always so fun! 

We love finding ways to remember the birth of our Savior!

Now in the first week of January, I am glad to be back home, I am glad to no

longer have decorations everywhere, I am glad to have structure and I am very glad to not be 

baking or receiving anymore sweets! 

The only thing that will remain in our home from the Christmas season is a small Nativity set

and we will daily be remembering the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

7 Years has gone by way too fast...

Happy 

7 Year 

Anniversary

Steve!!!

Marriage is good.

A picture of Christ & the Church.

Steve, I know we both fall short of being imitators of Christ at times, but I wouldn't want to be walking side by side in ministry with anyone else but you! 

Reading Ephesians 5:22-33 gives me clearer perspective on our relationship and marriage each time I read it. 

Looking forward to 2012!  It will be another exciting year where we are learning to be aliens here on this earth and are learning to walk by faith and not by sight. 

It is the scariest kind of fun I know!! :)

This was last New Year's (6 yr. anniversary in Dahlonega, GA).  

I LOVE these pictures! 

I love them because I crack up laughing just looking at them.

Steve was making hilarious faces and noises that were just hysterical, 

and I could not stop laughing.  Can you see the progression?  Look at the crinkle

in my forehead?  Mouth wide open, upper teeth jumping out of my mouth, eyes

forced shut, giant wrinkle between the eyes, nostrils flared= HUGE, hard, silent, gasping laughter!

I love those laughs. I loved this day.

Our anniversary this year looked much different. Steve awoke to Paige vomiting on him numerous times.  We had a sick baby girl to care for while out of town.  We arrived home by 10pm tonight.  Not a romantic anniversary, but it's not about that. It's about who you share it with. And as we drove up 75 with Noah coloring in the seat behind me and Paige chatting away as she wore her Hello Kitty helmet, Steve and I held hands and smiled! There is no one else I would spend my days with!

Love you Stevie!