The Robles Family

Spring has sprung

2011-04-20T11:43:00.003-04:00

With a new found love of running, I'm looking forward to the warmer weather in a whole new light this year. Since January, I have shed 26lbs. and changed a ton about our lifestyle. I've completed one 5K, and am signed up for 2 more. Our ultimate training goal is to reach a half marathon in the fall. I simply cannot wait, but the journey is amazing. We eat clean... organic... all natural... as much as possible. I enjoy weekly running bouts of 15+ total miles, with my long runs around 6 miles now. I'm looking for outside activities and cultural experiences for my family. We are going to try kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking this spring. And of course we'll be headed to the beach for sun and waves. I've decided to live my life. That who I am matters, and that each day is a new chance to try something new or experience something fabulous. The flavours and experiences of this world should consume us, day in and day out. God created this world with so much for us to explore and be fascinated with... and I'm tired of taking that for granted. World, here I come.

Frustrations...

2011-03-21T12:41:00.003-04:00

I feel so full of frustration lately. I'm frustrated with so much beyond my control, and some within my grasps as well. Homeschooling. It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time. I am blessed to have this time with my children, and have a say in their education and peer groups. I really do feel that they will be better for it in the end. However, I just want to quit. It's really not as glorious and rewarding as I had imagined it to be. And every year, I hit this slump... but by summer I determined that "next year will be different"... and I get geared up to be more organized, more structured, try a new curriculum... even pushing away my friends to make this all possible. Only to feel unsuccessful about it by January/February every time. Where am I going wrong? Why can't I feel the joy of homeschooling? Am I trying to balance too much? Then there is volunteering. I feel this desire to help others, so I reach out and volunteer to do things... only to feel "obligated" to do them in the long run. I don't actually enjoy it after awhile, and I'm tired of having the committment. But I can't seem to just walk away, because I committed to whatever it is that I'm doing. And it becomes yet another chore on my forever growing to-do list. I go through this in cycles as well. It's really quite interesting once you get to think about it. I feel like I need to 'give', so I volunteer to do something I think will be worthwhile. Then I enjoy my full schedule for a few months until I begin to feel overwhelmed and stretched too far. So I weed out the schedule; get rid of my obligations; and what do you know? After awhile I'm bored and seeking to fulfill my desires to help others yet again. Why do I do it to myself? Maybe I'll be able to reflect on this blog post next time I feel like filling my schedule. I'd rather be running.... which leads me to my next frustration. I'm frustrated that I can't run. My FIRST race (5K) is in less than 2 weeks and I have not got a good run in - in over 2 weeks, because of an abdomen muscle tear and an achilles tendon injury. I feel like I feel so much better about myself and my life when I can run and do workouts. I feel productive and healthy. And while I sit here and allow my body to heal, I am beating myself up over time lost. I know... there will be other races. But my eye has been on this race, training for the past 9 weeks, only to lose ground right before it. It's frustrating to say the least. Another frustration I am battling is people. People who say something and don't follow through. If I feel the need to be obligated to do things, and I stick with my committments even when I don't want to, why can't other people too? It just makes me want to run in the other direction when people don't stick to their word. But mostly I'm frustrated with myself. I'm frustrated that I can't just get over the pettiness of my own frustrations. I'm frustrated that I can't box them up, give them to God, and move on. I'm frustrated that I don't make decisions to change things and do just that. I'm frustrated that I allow these frustrations to fester and change my moods. So this post, is simply me throwing up all of my frustrations on 'paper' and deciding to do something about it. Today. Not tomorrow. I will give up my frustrations. I will follow God's plan, whatever it may be. And I will not allow them to change me anymore. Public proclomation of this makes it so. - Jessica

Robles Xmas Card 2010

2010-11-27T16:18:00.001-05:00

Joy and Love Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Shutterfly

2010-11-19T15:09:00.003-05:00

I am excited to be using http://www.shutterfly.com/ this holiday season for my Christmas cards. Their site is really easy to use and always has a lot of promotions. I can use their super fast uploader to get my pics on the site, quickly and easily make photobooks, Christmas cards, and order prints, and they are shipped right to my door really fast. And really affordable. And as a busy mother, homeschooler, business owner, and wife... I couldn't ask for more.

My favorite this year is their Christmas Photo Card collection. What a great way to add personal touches to your holiday cards. http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards Maybe these ones will stay on the mantel a bit longer?! And as for great gifts... I know that any grandparent would love a calendar just chalked full of photos of their cutest ever grandchildren! http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/desk-calendars This year we decided to go with the photobooks, which you can get lots of different sizes and customize them to your needs or choose a premade layout. SO easy, and fun, and wonderful gifts to boot.

(Please note that I was given 50 free Christmas cards to offer my opinion of shutterflys products. All opinions in this blog are my true feelings of this great site though.)

Family Portraits

2010-09-19T22:15:00.005-04:00

Jenny Grogg is an amazing friend and extremely talented photographer.... Enjoy!

Weeks 4 and 5

2010-09-19T21:39:00.003-04:00

Wigwams
Dom's first soccer practice

Dom Roller Skating for the first time

Abbi Roller Skating for the first time

Abbi "Master Chef" making SOUL food!

My Fathers World Focused on Native Americans in Week 4 and Week 5 on Pilgrims. We have made teepees, wigwams, and read wonderful stories about Native Americans. One of my favorite go-alongs was a few books called "A day in the life of...(Sarah Morton, etc.) which told of the daily lives of the pilgrims. They were fun to read and accurate in information. We read the story of Squanto and fell in love with his determination and perseverence. It was a book that we didn't want to put down each day but liked the suspense. In the end, we settled on eating a Pumpkin Pie with homemade whipped cream to celebrate the first "Thanksgiving". For Science, we discovered the Universe, making a 13 ft. scaled down diagram of the solar system with cardstock, lots of measuring and math, and markers. I was astonished at how much bigger the sun is than the planets... oh the things we forget. Abigail spent a couple of hours on this project, but still refused to hang it in her "horse" room. So her brother gets it in his room. :) He is pleased. Then we studied the stars and constellations. We still haven't made it late enough on a clear night to actually look for the Big Dipper, but we'll fit that in this week (if I can remember!). Abigail memorized her bible verse on day one, so bible is fairly easy for her. I'm beginning to wonder if I should change the verses up each week, instead of giving her so much time to memorize them. I want them to be truely in her heart for good, so I don't want to rush it, but if she can memorize things so quickly, why not put a few more verses in there for her?

The Study of the Indian slavery and stars fit in really well with our Five in a Row studies. In week 4 we read "Who owns the Sun?" which was a great indroduction to slavery. It is a tear jerker, but the kids didn't seem to be "moved" too much by it. We have read dozens of books on slavery now and the kids have really come to love this time period and the freedoms gained since. We ended the week with a fabulous southern soul dinner cooked by Abigail herself. We even invited another family over to enjoy. (ham, macncheese, baked beans, and corn bread... and pie!) It was a dinner that the slaves might have cooked for their masters, and talked about the difference between what the slaves got to eat and what they had to cook. In week 5, we read "Follow the Drinking Gourd", another slave tale, and it has surely become a favorite of mine. We learned a lot about the Big Dipper and the North Star. We also took the time to learn the song that goes with the book (Thank God for YouTube!). The kids then wanted to hear more slave songs, which was fun. Abigail and I have enjoyed reading the Addy Series from American Girl Novels, which is about a young slave girl. We will continue our reading on slaves into the next week (6) because we have SO many great books.

And we ended the week with family photos, thanks to our talented and wonderful friend Jenny. I'm going to make another post shortly with some of the great shots! On Friday we also took a trip with other homeschoolers to a local roller skating rink. It was the first time the kids had ever gone roller skating and it was a blast. On Saturday Dominic had his 2nd game, and they won! He has scored 1 goal at each game and really looks forward to his soccer days.

PRAISE: We have been praying about a way to provide horseback riding lessons for Abigail. It is honestly the only sport that she loves doing and it's amazing therapeutically. Well, I called Coastal Therapeutic Riding Program here in Wilmington, and found that we can bill our insurance for most of the cost through them. We are so excited. We'll be going to the barn to meet her new instructor this Thursday. Praise God for providing this resource for us. What seems like a luxury, is really not for Abbi... and God knows her needs, wants, and desires and loves her more than I can even imagine. :) He sure is faithful.

Week 3

2010-09-03T15:32:00.011-04:00

Ferry Ride

Our New Fish

Jellyfish crafts

Jellyfish at the Aquarium!

Cool Turtle

Octopus!

Alligators!

Each week gets better and better!!! I absolutely LOVE our curriculum choices for the year. We have not had this much fun together in so long.

This week, in My fathers world, we studied Captain John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Name of Jesus. We've read stories of Native Americans and life in Jamestown, all written from a child's perspective, which is so intriguing for the children. We'll spend the weekend reading some Pocahotas novels for enjoyment. Next week we'll really get into the study of Native Americans, so this week we focused more on the FIAR curriculum.

FIAR brought us into the world under the sea this week. We read "Night of the Moonjellies" and fell in love with the idea of being along the sea in New England. We studied jellyfish, dolphins, sharks, whales, salt water fish, crabs, eels, and just about every ocean life book we could get our hands on. We learned so much about biospheres and food chains. We EVEN went to the store and bought the kids some fish for a science "project". Abigail is now the proud owner of a Betta Fish, Princess. And Dominic is the proud owner of 2 goldfish, Jack and Jill. And it was all worth it, when on Friday fun Day, we took a trip to the aquarium. The kids would say, Oooo look! A Moray Eel mom! Look at how its yellow because of the slime! And Mom! Look! A horseshoe crab! Let's flip it over and see how it can use its tail to flip back around! And MOMMMMM! MOOOONJELLIES!!!!! Hehehe. And then, oh how excited they were to learn that on the way home, we would be riding a Ferry across the river, just as the child in their story rode a boat the night he found his moonjelly. It was magical and wonderful, and lovely. We even invited some friends along, and had so much fun. Then to finish the wonderful day, we'll be eating some New England Seafood favorites... Lobster, Clam chowder, Fried clams, and milkshakes.

Week 2

2010-09-03T15:19:00.003-04:00

Week 2 of homeschooling... we are just beginning to get settled into a routine. I'm impressed at how well the kids have transitioned from summer time freedom to school days filled with activities and schedules. It has certainly not been without it's tantrus, whining, and complaining, but not as much as I had thought there would be. Not to mention throwing the wrench of daycare into the mix. It adds a large family feel to our home, that I seem to love more and more each day.

This week in MFW we studied Christopher Columbus. We read stories of his travels, made ships out of foil (again with the foil! haha). And sailed them on the ocean blue... well, the bathtub. The kids enjoyed sailing the ships with lego men in the tub for quite awhile, acting out the stories we had read all week of angry men getting frustrated about sailing into the unknown for months, while Christopher insisted they'd land in the Indies. :) Too bad he never really knew that what he found was America, a whole new world. My children are fascinated by this.

This week in FIAR, we did "When I was young in the mountains" by Cynthia Rylant. We studied Appalachians, read appalachian folk tales, talked about being content with what we have, and finished the week off with an appalachian dinner of Corn Bread, Pinto Beans, and Fried Okra. Luckily Nelson, seeing the shopping list before him decided to pick up some fried chicken too, knowing that him nor the children would actually enjoy pinto beans or okra. Hahaha. He was right. At least we're trying new things.

Week 1

2010-08-19T19:12:00.006-04:00

Vikings!

Name Bracelets (Above) and Red, White and Blue Snack (Below)

This week was a great first week of school and daycare. I got really nervous over the weekend, that I wasn't prepared enough, or that the kids wouldn't like the new style of learning... who knows. But it went really well. We learned about the meaning of our names, made name pancakes, posters, and bracelets. We learned about patriotism and the pledge of allegiance and made a red white and blue snack. Did you know the pledge has been revised several times from the original, with adding Under God the latest rendition? Crazy, the things I'm still learning as an adult. We learned about map reading and the Vikings. Today we did a science experiment about floating. All of the children I was watching had so much fun seeing what would float in plain water and salt water and what wouldn't. We read Harold and the Purple crayon all week, which taught us about creativity, the use of puns, and the children made purple pictures with the use of the vanishing point technique. We pretended to be in a hot air balloon and took a ride (with the use of google maps) from our roof all the way to space, where we could see the earth... little by little. Perspective is a wonderful thing. We've spent an hour or more every night, curled up on the couch reading book after book from the library. What wonderful time spent with my children. Last night we read a chapter book, "The chalk box kid" to go along with the same type of creativity portrayed in Harold and the Purple Crayon, and today we too made chalk gardens, like the chalk box kid. How fun it was to see my children's imaginations blooming. They are inspired by learning about how creative God was in the story of Creation. It has been a topic of conversation all week, as we take our morning walks around the nature preserve in our neighborhood. It hasn't come without challenges... Dominic isn't a fan of workbooks at all, so math is definitely not his favorite, but he still does it. And I've learned that he is just not ready for Powerglide Spanish yet, as I had hoped he'd be. Oh well, Abigail is in her prime and loving it, and Dom will just have to get it by osmosis. I'm almost certain I'll be impressed with what he retains from listening to her do it. I've also had a few extra daycare children from time to time this week... a welcome addition to our home. But Abbi does have trouble staying focused with older children in the house who don't have to learn these things. We've incorporated them as much as possible, and it's been fun. I've learned that I can be flexible, and that my plans are great building blocks... that can be manipulated, changed, or even crossed out without any of my children lacking anything integral to their childhood. I'd rather see them playing and learning what is inspiring them in the moment, and fit the rest in when I can. We are finishing our week, on Friday FUN DAY, we had a Vikings Day. We made Vikings costumes from foil and sheets... held an epic battle over lands... and even made hommeade vikings bread (dense and seedy) with beef and barley soup, and vino (grape juice) from horns! for lunch. And Friday night, Abigail read us the FIAR book Harold and the Purple Crayon, and we had a Harold 9 Pie Picnic dinner. We made homemade empanads (meat pies) and had purple (blueberry) pie for dinner.

Homeschool Journey

2010-08-14T08:07:00.002-04:00

This is my first post about homeschooling... probably one of many to come. We chose to begin homeschooling our children last year. Given the baby (Logan) on the way and other factors, we choose to use a traditional style curriculum, along with videos to help the year go smoothly. It worked wonders for our family, and Abigail really came to love learning at home. Homeschooling is not a lifelong choice for us. Simply a year-to-year decision based on what is best for our family. Well, this year, we have chosen to do it again. Except now, we'll have 2 kids in school, and I'm operating a small daycare in my home to supplement the budget. AND, I've decided we need a different approach this year. We are going to give the 'living books' approach a try, with an ecclectic feel. Definitely more hands on. We've chosen to use Adventures in My Fathers World for Abigail (3rd), and Five in a Row for Dominic (K). In addition, we're adding Singapore Math, Primary Language Lessons by Emma Surl, Teach your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons, Powerglide Spanish, computer keyboarding lessons, and Spectrum Spelling. We are SO excited about this school year. Crafts, recipes, read-aloud stories, and fun activities will fill our days. We've also decided to get more involved with activities for social exposure this year. Both children will be participating in a weekly homeschool co-op in which they'll have the opportunity to take up to 3 classes. They'll also be joining AWANA, which I'm really excited about. Additionally, Dominic will be taking up soccer and Abigail will continue with horseback riding. I've kept our afternoons free for Occupational and Physical Therapy, especially since the daycare children will all need naps. I am beginning to wonder if we've filled our schedule too full, and not allowed enough margin. I pray this is not the case, but will not hesitate to trim down our obligations if family time is not abundant.

This week, my goal was to visit the New Hanover County Library, because the Brunswick County Library does not have sufficient resources to meet our needs. (Ie. NHC has 31 of the 33 books I need for Dominic's FIAR curriculum, as compared to BC - 13!) We had to pay $30 for library card... but it was well worth it. I can actually turn in my book lists for the whole year, with dates for picking them up, and the childrens department, will find all of my books (even through inter-library loan if needed), as well as add supplemental books they see fit, and I just pick them up. This will take hours of work off my plate. Praise God!

Well, today is Saturday... our year will kick-off in 2 days on Monday. To celebrate the occasion, we made "name" pancakes this morning with each pereson getting mini pancakes in the shape of each letter of their name. "Mom" and "Dad" included. I wish I had thought to take a picture! This week, we'll be learning about Jesus' name... our names... The pledge of allegiance... and reading "Harold and the Purple Crayon".

Ooops, it's been awhile!

2009-09-21T13:42:00.006-04:00

We have now been here for 6 months. Can you believe it? I have so much to share! I'll try and make it abbreviated...

April - We made a trip back to New York. It was a real confirmation that North Carolina was now home. We enjoyed time with family and friends though! Jess started a women's Bible Study that has been going strong ever since. Many good friendships have been made and it has been an amazing ministry. We even enjoyed a visit from Great Grandma Hillyard for a couple of weeks. Jess has taken the "job" of coordinating Outreach and Missions with Crosswinds. We are doing monthly food distributions with Manna Ministries, monthly clothing distributions, and lots of smaller projects in between! It has been beyond rewarding.

May - We found out that we are now expecting baby #3! It's a BOY! And he is due on Christmas day. :) Good friends, the Lascolea's came to visit and we really enjoyed their company. It is always inspiring to see people who are willing to follow God, no matter where he sends them. They were recently called to move to Maine! Makes us sad, but we are so proud of them.

June - Abigail finished school and we found out that she did not get into the Charter Day School. We decided that homeschooling was going to be our option for 2nd grade. June brought lots of trips to the beach, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

July - We started a couples small group on Friday nights. The group has been awesome. We could not have asked for better fellowship and food! We are now leading two small groups! Abigail was baptized this summer as well... in the ocean! We are so proud of her!

August - Summer seems to have flown by. Our time with Crosswinds Church has been amazing. It's been fun to see different families from NY come down to visit. We began school with Abigail, using the Bob Jones University Distance Learning Program. We really prayed about using this curriculum, but the cost was really high. We knew that if it was God's intentions, he would make it possible. Little did we know that we'd find the entire curriculum for under $200 on Craigslist. Praise God! Abbi really enjoys being home, and we enjoy being a part of her education.

Sept - We decided last minute, to take a family vacation before "Logan" is due. We took off in early September for 2 weeks in sunny Florida. It was amazing. We spent 6 days at Disney World (Got 3 free!!!), went to sea world, and even scored great seats for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season Opener Game - for Nelson's birthday. The kids had an amazing time, and we were so blessed to have had the opportunity.

Updates:

Nelson - is still looking for work while doing freelance stuff from time to time. It has not been really high on the priority list, but will be soon! Keep him/us in your prayers that the right job opportunity will present itself at the right time. He continues his studies in Information Systems this fall with Empire State.

Jessica - is now 6.5 months pregnant, and all has been wonderful and healthy. A couple of infections have occurred, but nothing too alarming at this point. It is usually around this stage of pregnancy that complications arise for us, but we are confident that everything will be fine until Christmas time!!! She is working hard on her MBA and plans to graduate early next year. The combination of work, school, homeschooling, church business, and family life can be hard at times... especially when naps are an integral part of the day! HA.

Abigail - is enjoying homeschooling, taking horseback riding lessons, dance lessons, and participating in community activities as they arise. She loves being involved in everything! We have finally found all 6 specialists that she needs down here... She has just gone through a growth spurt, and as a result is having some complications with her muscles/bone growth in the left ankle/leg. We will see an ortho surgeon in a couple weeks to discuss options for treatment. Please keep her in your prayers, as we would like to be as least invasive as possible.

Dominic - is finally potty trained!!! This summer was the perfect time, and he was so ready. We are certainly glad to have the break from diapers for a few months. He has made many friends at Crosswinds church, and his best buddy Raymond and him are inseparable.

****

It is so hard for me to believe that it has been 6 months since we moved down here. We have been so blessed in so many ways. God has provided in ways we haven't even asked. Crosswinds Church is seeing Life Change by the day. Baptisms, Salvations, and Growth don't even come close to describing the movement we see. We continue to pray for all of them though!
Thanks for taking the time to catch up with the Robles' Family. I'll try and do better with updates! :)

My Kiddos at the Bucs Game

Dominic and Raymond at the Beach

4th of July

Crosswinds Movement!

2009-03-26T21:15:00.008-04:00

Crosswinds is a movement that cannot be contained by walls! A building will not define who we are! We are followers of Christ! His spirit is here and all around us. Can you feel it??? May all of those who come to Launch Sunday, hear the MESSAGE and feel the LOVE! I am a CHRISTIAN!

I Am A Christian: By Carol Wimmer

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin". I'm whispering, "I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven".

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"... I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner, who received God's good grace, somehow!

~Nelly~

6 Days and Counting...

2009-03-23T21:26:00.009-04:00

Our trip to the Beach!

I have to take a moment, and thank all of my family and friends who helped me pack up the truck, unload the truck, and supported us during this move. It SO could not have been possible without your help! Thank you!!!

Well, now that I got that off of my heart, we have so much to share. First, the family... Abigail is loving her new school. It is certainly different than New York, but she seems to have settled right in. She began riding the bus to school in the morning, because we were the last pick-up, and it was only a 5 minute drive. After one day, she asked if she could ride the bus home too. I think it was so much harder on mommy than her, but she is now riding the bus independently to and from school. CRAZY! It might all change come next year though, as we are looking into a charter school here in Leland, that does not offer transportation. We'll see what God has in his plans I suppose... As for Dominic, he has made quite a few friends here. He seems to be the least phased of any of us. God bless his little heart. We have visited the beach, the local park, the movie theatre and spent a good portion of each day roaming around the neighborhood. It has been so nice to get outside!

Nelson dove right into the "techy" side of church business. He is working on the Crosswinds site with Noelle, and it is looking so good! They are also working on graphics and really cool stuff for the worship presentations. He is now learning the sound board for the worship services. It is so cool to have him be on the tech team, and really enjoying it. He is just now beginning to look for work, so that could be a new prayer request for us!

I am having a blast on the worship team, singing my heart out. I couldn't be happier than when I am really worshipping my God. How amazing he is... And I am spending quite a bit of time now coordinating Crosswinds Missions and Outreach. I have been so humbled with this responsibility, yet is fills my soul to help others. I am so on fire with passion to help the needy in this community, that I can't contain myself at times. God has instilled in me a desire to reach out for those who need it most in ways that I just cannot describe. Right now, I am working on a partnership with Manna ministries, which feeds the poor. Crosswinds could not be here at a better time than now. One of the things that I have missed most about NY is my ladies small group bible study. This mid-week ministry was the bread of my week. It was my support, my refuge, and the food for my soul. Well, tomorrow morning, I will begin my endeavor as a small group leader for women. I have started my own Bible Study, and tomorrow is the first time that we will meet. And can you believe it? The church has not yet even opened, and I have 6 attendees! I know... crazy... :)

As for the church... well, it is on fire. I mean, obivously not literally, but the Holy Spirit is doing something in this community that none of us can even begin to explain. People are jumping at the chance to find out what Crosswinds is all about. Everywhere I go, I barely get 5 words out of my mouth, and God is just working in their hearts, building excitement for his kingdom. It is crazy! I am brought to tears almost daily, by the outpoor of spiritual need in this community. It is beyond amazing to me how quickly and invisibly God is sweeping through the streets of this town. Boggles my mind... But anyhow, we still have not recieved our certificate of occupancy for the church building. Despite this, we have begun painting in the church early this week. We have to wait until we get this to begin putting walls up, or anything of that nature. Our team will really need your prayers come later this week, as we do what we have now coined "Extreme Church Makeover"! We will have 3 to 4 days, and few hands to whip this church together in time for our LAUNCH Sunday on the 29th! We can do it though. This team is amazing, and their dedication to Crosswinds is beyond measure. Many of them have become quick friends, and we couldn't be more thankful to work with each and every one of them. God certainly knew what he was doing, when he put us all together. We are all very different, but our differences are complementary. It is unreal, that we have a full worship band, tech team, hosting team, building and parking team, small group coordinator, missions coordinator, etc etc etc, in such a small group of people. What an amazing orchestration, only possible by the one true God. :)

Well, sending our love to all! Enjoy the new pics!

Bike Riding in the Neighborhood

Singing with the Worship Team in our Temporary Location

Our Tech Team Extordinaire!

Leland, North Carolina

2009-03-07T07:50:00.003-05:00

We arrived in Leland last Friday night with my parents in tow. Our intentions were to drive part-way and get a hotel, but we ended up driving the entire trip in one day. When we arrived at our new home, we were all very tired, and ready to crash on the floor. However, when we entered the home, we set off the alarm, and did not know the code to turn it off. For about 10 minutes we were scrambling around, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, my darling husband, found the code on the kitchen counter. Who would have thought? LOL. As we were peaking around the house and checking out our new diggs, we very quickly realized that we had absolutely no water. That was a recipe for disaster with 6 people wanting to crash for the night. So, we ended up getting a hotel in Wilmington for the night regardless. When we got up in the morning, we called the utility company and they came out to turn the water on. Saturday was much less eventful, but full of work and love. We all unloaded the truck, and several of the Crosswinds team members showed up to help with food and gifts. It was wonderful to meet some new friends and to see some old. The truck was unloaded rather quickly and our house began to take shape. Over the past week, we have unpacked boxes, hung curtains and pictures, and made this house our home. It is a beautiful house, and is already feeling like home. I will try to post some pictures really soon.

The kids have made the transition so well. They both made instant friends with the Crosswinds kids. We took Abigail to her new school, and they have been really nice and accomodating. She starts on Monday, and seems to be rather excited to get back to a routine. The kids have more than enjoyed riding their bikes and four-wheelers up and down our sidewalks (this is a new concept to us, as we have always lived in rural areas). They are already meeting the other children in the neighborhood and loving this nice warm weather. It is supposed to be 75 today! We are going to go check out the beach!

Overall this transition has been absolutely wonderful, thanks to my parents coming down with us for a week and for the Crosswinds team amazing hospitality. God has been so faithful, and so comforting during our move. My mom bought me a Garmin GPS, so I don't get lost down here. Maybe I'll venture out a bit more, now that I have some security that I won't get lost! I have joined the Crosswinds worship team and will be singing at the service tomorrow. Woo Hoo! Nelson is still searching for his place in the Crosswinds movement, but God will reveal it to him in his perfect timing.

Thank you all for your prayers during this time. My parents are leaving this weekend, and we'll probably need those prayers more than ever as reality sets in that we are really here without our family. We are excited about this new phase in our lives, and how God is going to work through us to benefit the town of Leland. We'll keep you posted!

Packing, packing, packing!

2009-02-19T07:24:00.004-05:00

Nelson and I have been trucking along with our move plans. In two days, our house will be loaded into the truck, and in a short 9 Days, we will finally arrive to our new house in Leland. The time is flying so very quickly. The reality of our huge move is really starting to hit me as most of our belongings are in boxes, and every free moment is spent packing or getting together with friends and family for goodbye dinners/lunches/parties. It is a somber, yet exciting time, as we face one of our biggest life changes. We are leaving all that we know... our family, friends, home, and stability. But it is with a purpose, and a callling, having faith that as we follow God's will, he will provide for all of our needs.

And, on that note, I will share how God has continued to amaze us by filling our needs. You see, that new house that we got in Leland, has two detached offices. We were confused why God would provide us a house with detached offices, but we knew they were there for a reason. God had a plan for them, and it has been revealed! I posted last that I turned in my 4 week notice at work. Well about a week ago, my boss offered for me to keep my job with reduced hours, working from home in Leland. I was shocked, and amazed by this offer. One of our biggest needs in this move will be to find jobs. While this will not provide all that we need, it is certainly something! And I was leaving my job with great concern over the program that I have built from the ground up. It made me sad to think about all of the details of this program, slipping through the cracks, without my presence. And now, I feel great relief knowing that I can see this project through its entirety. Thank you Lord for your faithulness. You never cease to amaze me!

I know that as we move forward, things will not always be easy. We would have no reason to turn to God in faith, if he provided for every detail without a little heartache and sweat. But for the moment, we are thankful for the details he has continuously pulled together. Even right down to us finding a home for our old, old cat. God cares about even the smallest things. Just rely on him and he will come through.

Well, we must get to packing. Lots left to do. Pray for us during this transition. Pray for our packing, safe moving, and for God to reveal our roles with Crosswinds Church. Pray for Crosswinds, as they approach their opening date, and are already bursting at the seams in their informal services. God has a plan, and it is big. Pray that his plan be unveiled to all involved. Take care and God Bless!

God is so faithful! - A new home and more...

2009-02-03T20:20:00.005-05:00

We are so excited to let you know that so many things have fallen into place. We have found a great new home for our large dogs. They live in Queens, New York with a very nice woman who is spoiling them more than ever! We have reserved our moving truck, and have started recruiting people to come help us load on Feb. 21. AND, we have also been approved to lease this beautiful model home in a nice gated community in Leland. And best of all? It is only 5 mins away from Crosswinds!!! Pastor Chris is ever so graciously going to look at the home for us tomorrow to make sure that all is in line. But it looks as though, this will be our new home!

You see, we spent weeks trying to find our dogs a new home when we realized they were becoming too much to afford with Nelson being laid off from work. We didn't get any real response, and every lead went to the wind. When we finally accepted God's will for us, he has provided down to the very smallest detail. Within a week of contacting a breed rescue group, we had found a wonderful new home for our beloved puppies. They are adjusting well, and we are feeling really good about their placement.

We also hit a roadblock when searching for a rental in the Leland area. You see, most landlords would really like you to have a job IN North Carolina, so that they know you will have income after you move. Well, we certainly have not had time to come down for any interviews before we move, so the job hunt is going rather slow. However, we decided to put our whole story out there on the table when responding to a couple of house listings. Well, this very nice Christian man who took mercy on us, has decided to allow us to rent this home right in Leland! Lesson learned... when you are doing God's will, he will provide. He can move mountains and open doors in ways that we had never imagined. God is so great!

As the pieces fall into place, and each day passes, our move date is approaching so quickly. We have 24 days left before we actually leave, and only 18 days until our house must be packed to go. I've already given a 4 week notice into my work, and it was accepted with extreme disappointment, but excitement for our family and the adventure that lies ahead. It was amazing to see the response of even the non-believers at my workplace. I hope in some way, I have been able to plant some seeds with these co-workers during my time there. None the less, time is flying and I had better get packing, eh? :) Sending our love and blessings to all!

Jess

The power of prayer -- And Gods Timing

2009-01-31T23:11:00.003-05:00

It is amazing how prayer works in ways one would never imagine. Over the past 24 hours, people have been praying in one hour time slots for Crosswinds church and the families of the launch team. It didn't occur to me until, just before our time slot at 10pm tonight, that people had been praying for us all day long. I didn't correlate the amazing things that had fallen into place throughout the day today with their prayers until just now. Prayer is so powerful and amazing, and I felt so close to God as Nelson and I spent a full hour with him tonight. And it is my hope that as people have prayed for these 24 hours, that the same types of amazing miracles will be taking place for the Crosswinds Church, the launch team, and the community of Leland. This church is really something bigger than anyone of us could ever imagine. God has some BIG plans to unveil, and I can't believe that our humble family has been chosen to take part in something so awesome. I cannot wait to begin work in the Leland community for his will and his kingdom. If I can ask for a prayer from any of you at this time, it will be that many lives are saved because of the works of this church and that God will move mountains in the Leland community!

God is a God of perfect timing. I have many times referenced to him as being my 11th hour God, because he always seems to come through at the last minute. As I sat in silent prayer tonight, it occurred to me that God has no 11th hour. He does not come through last minute! He comes to our aid in his timing... In his PERFECT timing! It is his will and our faithfulness that collide at the exact moment when he desires. And we have to be patient and obedient, resting assured that God knows what he is doing. In the book of Exodus (2:23-25), "Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he rememberd his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act." God had promised to bring the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt and the people waited for a long time, but God waited and rescued them in his own timing, the right timing. God knows when the best time is to act! When you feel that God has forgotten you in your troubles, remember that God has a time schedule we can't see. It is this passage, that has kept me faithful, even when I don't know how or when things will fall into place. I know that God will provide for our needs, in his PEFECT timing. And he WILL provide for the needs of this church in his PERFECT timing. All we need to do is ask, for he will hear. And he WILL answer our prayers, be of his will -- and in his timing.

In his awesome grip,
Jess

Our Leap of Faith

2009-01-26T18:32:00.003-05:00

Little be known, to us, but about 5 years ago God began planting the seeds for us to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. We joined a small group with our church and made some wonderful friends. These were the seeds first planted in what is now our biggest leap of faith yet.

Over the course of the next 4 years, God had been molding us for his big plan. Just over 1 year ago, Nelson and I felt that it was time for us to move. We began looking at the possibility of moving to Columbia, SC to be near my grandfather. We put our house on the market, Nelson began looking for a job in Columbia, even making a trip down there for interviews, and we waited.... and waited.... and waited. God seemed to be closing every door that we tried to open. The house wouldn't sell, no jobs were to be found, and the idea of moving seemed to be closing in on us. During this same year, many of those very friends we had made in our small group 4 years earlier were being called to Wilmington, NC to start up a new church.

By the end of 2008, we were tired of trying to make something happen, that just didn't seem to be working out. We had been concentrating so hard on surviving and dreaming, that we forgot to put time into the most important things in our life - our spiritual walk, our relationship, and our family. With this realization, we began to put effort in the right places. We began to pray for God to reveal his will for our lives. Forget what we wanted to do, what did God have in store for us?

I'm not even sure where to begin... Let's see... I was on my way home from work one day, praying fervently about our move. God gave me great peace about moving, and about financial matters; but I was heavily burdened by the fact that Columbia was not the right place for us. Could it have been possible that God had closed all the doors to moving, until we realized what that right place was? I immediately called Nelson, and told him about my thoughts. He laughed, and informed me that he too had that feeling earlier in the day. When I got home, I found him buried in information about North Carolina. God had confirmed to us both in separate ways that South Carolina was not the place.

We began to concentrate on the Charlotte, NC area, because it was the most economically stable area in North Carolina. We were finding jobs and rentals plentiful; the possibilities seemed endless. Quickly into our search, I asked Nelson if he knew where our friends had moved to start up the new church? He laughed again! Earlier in the day, he wondered the same thing, and had looked them up. He had found that they moved to Wilmington, and thought nothing of it. Again, God was giving us confirmation in separate ways. We tossed this idea back and forth for a bit, because Wilmington didn't have near as many jobs as Charlotte. By the next Sunday at church, Nelson and I both had been burdened with the idea that we needed to be there for the launch of the new Church. But that launch was only 4 weeks away. That seemed impossible!

With this burdening feeling, we realized that God was answering our prayer to know his will for our lives. We made the decision that Wilmington was the place to be. When we contacted the Vernon's, who are the Lead Pastor and family starting the church in Leland, NC (next to Wilmington). They were so excited to hear that we would be joining them. And they informed us that the launch date of the new church had been delayed until March 29 - 10 weeks away! Now, that was enough time to move! God is gracious and his timing is so perfect.

As we neared our projected move date of March 1st, we had to tell Abigail of the impending move, before she figured it out herself. Nelson and I sat down with her one night before bed, and let her know our thoughts. We told her about how we had been called by God to do something bigger and more important that ever. Well, let me just tell you that my little girl about cried herself to sleep. She had known all along that we were thinking of moving, but now it seemed so real. We went to bed that night praying for God to give our children peace about this move if it was really his will for us, because it just broke our hearts. The very next morning, we were awoken to Abigail standing next to our bed. She said, "Mommy, I have something to tell you." She went on to say, "If you are willing, I'm willing." I couldn't help but wrap my arms around her and Thank God for his faithfulness.

As we began to spread the word to our family and friends, we've had several other confirmations of this move. When I told my father, his response was enormous. We spoke of risk taking faith and he repeated to me, "If you are called, you must go". While speaking with a family friend, we were discussing the lack of job opportunities in the Wilmington area. She looked at me with a smile on her face and said, "You don't need a ton of jobs, you only need one". And she was so right. We don't need every possibility available, we need the right possibility. The right house. The right job. And that is what God will provide to us, if we take this risk in our faith.

So here we are now, about 4.5 weeks from move day, and things are slowly falling into place. We are currently looking for a house or townhouse to rent and applying for jobs as they come up. We are praying for the housing situation to fall into place soon, as we will need this address to do much else. But we are waiting for God's perfect timing, as he has a house prepared for us to do his work. Meanwhile, we are wrapping up the details, living life, and enjoying time with our extended family. We are so thankful that God has given us this opportunity and that we didn't miss the boat, because we never asked.

Please pray for Crosswinds Church, all 6 other families on their launch team, for our family with the move/transition, and for the lives this church will touch in the Leland area. Check out the website: http://www.crosswindslive.com/ and the blog http://www.crosswindschurchlive.blogspot.com/

Risk-Taking Faith

2009-01-26T10:05:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we struggle to let go. We feel safe in our comfort zones. We think it's a risk to have complete faith in God and to give it all to him. But isn't the real risk, not trusting in him?

"If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it" (*NLT* Luke 9:24).

~Nelson~