friends!

it is very uplifting to have friends that lift you up when you're down - thank you to my friends that lifted me up yesterday:)! our family is going thru what i like to call CRAP. if you don't read Brock Gill's blog do so now! you will be encouraged and challenged and entertained daily. (God has a hand on he and Auny and of course on all my friends but these two get to spread the gospel in such an abstract cool way.) he has been posting about friends that are going thru....CRAP....don't ya love that word... Michawn especially does:). he had a lot to say but basically challenged his "readers" to bless others. i kind of took it as and this is my take on it not necessarily what he was saying...stop feeling sorry for your self and bless someone else. i know there are way worse situations out there in the world so i need to take my eyes off my problem and be a blessing to someone else.

our church has been trying to raise money for 2 families w/ 11 kids between them this Christmas. We only had $50 raised last week so our pastor challenged the youth and college to try and raise the money. well between those two groups and a couple adult ss classes and few other adults we raised over $500. i personally think this is awesome. see our church is a very giving church family and we raised this money plus did the Christmas Shoeboxes w/ the Franklin Graham group...sent a care package to a group in the military...the staff has baked goodie bags and taken them to all the families in the church....on and on and on.

Brian is taking Mattie w/ him to pass out his goody bags to his list of people as we speak. they are wearing santa hats while they deliver:) above all else this season i want mattie to really get a grip on what Christmas is. not santa, not snowmen, not reindeer, not to want want want want, but to give give give and know the ultimate gift was Christ. all that other is fine but i don't want Christ to get hid by all the wrapping paper and christmas cartoons ya know. of course we do santa but ask her why we celebrate Christmas and prayerfully she'll say b/c it's Jesus' birthday. unless she just saw something on tv that she wants...hahahahaha. anyway, that's all i have to say.

so today is a better day. gotta take my eyes off my problems and think of others. check out brock's blog, michawn's blog - missionary in Brasil and kays blog - missionary in Peru. and of course we're all missionaries right?.

Kay and Trent...this is Auny's sister

Brock, Michawn and Brian....do you remember this pic Michawn? what child had you just had?
Michawn, Auny, and Me...just before Ryder was born!