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| You can just barely see Bug playing basketball in the twilight in this beautiful pic taken one quiet evening on the ranch. Its been hectic here lately, but moments like this make it all worthwhile! |
Phew!
That about sums up the past few weeks! It has been a whirlwind of activity around here with school getting into full swing, the girls getting involved in all sorts of extra curricular activities from band to volleyball to choir, and we have finally gotten all of our things moved from Nola that we had in storage!
Special thanks to Brian, Brandon, Bo and Case, and of course Daddy and Cliff! We had a time coordinating it all, but with their help in Nola and the help of the C6 and C9 boys here in Houston I now have a house full of boxes to unpack!! It's going to be a chore, but it is one we are so thankful for! It's amazing how simply you can live when you have to, but also it's wonderful how blessed you feel when you finally get back all the little trinkets we seem to collect along life's journey.
The first thing I did last night before bed was unpack and put together Bug's room. Even though we were exhausted I wanted to get his room put together so that he could finally feel again that he has a place of his own that's familiar. He has been such a little trooper throughout all of this back and forth from cottage to cottage and we have learned to make home wherever the Lord has taken us, but I know it did his precious heart good to see all of his toys and room decor set up in a way that felt like the home that he remembers and loves.
It is my goal to do a little bit of unpacking each day when the girls are at school so that soon the whole apartment back here can begin to feel like a safe haven for us as family. While I am striving to make the cottage where the girls live and where we minister as a whole family a place of sanctuary as well, I know that the apartment back here where we come just the three of us at night and on our days off needs to be an extra special place of rest and rejuvenation.
(More pics top come as I make progress!)
Cliff's birthday was last week and the girls made him cake and a card. They are so sweet and did such a good job making the night special for him. I can't believe i didn't get pics! What was I thinking?!?!
(More pics top come as I make progress!)
Cliff's birthday was last week and the girls made him cake and a card. They are so sweet and did such a good job making the night special for him. I can't believe i didn't get pics! What was I thinking?!?!
In other celebratory news..
Fall has officially begun! Yahoo!!
And even though it's still 90 degrees in the mid day Texas heat we are ushering in all the fun that comes with the cooler temps that will hopefully not be too far behind.
And even though it's still 90 degrees in the mid day Texas heat we are ushering in all the fun that comes with the cooler temps that will hopefully not be too far behind.
First off we are getting a new girl in our cottage!
Rhonda will come on Friday when we return for our next eight day shift and we could not be more thrilled to have her! She is the older sister of a little boy who has been at BGC since March and he is someone Cliff and I both love even though we never worked in his cottage. I'm excited to get know Rhonda as well as have the chance to continue to grow a relationship with Luke through her. It's neat how God has given us some siblings to work with across campus! (In case you missed it Brandie who is in our cottage is the older sibling to Alton who we worked with and grew to love in C11! He is the little guy who shares a birthday with Bug!) Rhonda seems like a really great girl. She is 15 and is a sophomore in high school. I am very excited to see what good things she will bring to cottage life!
Rhonda will come on Friday when we return for our next eight day shift and we could not be more thrilled to have her! She is the older sister of a little boy who has been at BGC since March and he is someone Cliff and I both love even though we never worked in his cottage. I'm excited to get know Rhonda as well as have the chance to continue to grow a relationship with Luke through her. It's neat how God has given us some siblings to work with across campus! (In case you missed it Brandie who is in our cottage is the older sibling to Alton who we worked with and grew to love in C11! He is the little guy who shares a birthday with Bug!) Rhonda seems like a really great girl. She is 15 and is a sophomore in high school. I am very excited to see what good things she will bring to cottage life!
Homecoming is fast approaching and so are the days for pumpkins, and trick or treating, and all of those other fun fall bucket list activities!
In fact, that's next on our cottage agenda is to make our fall bucket list and begin checking it off!
In fact, that's next on our cottage agenda is to make our fall bucket list and begin checking it off!
In other fun news I am thrilled to officially announce that my very dear friend Blake is joining our BGC team as a single teaching parent! It's so cool how God works and He is definitely at work in Blake's life! I can't wait to see what is in store for his ministry here!
He is finishing up with his training and will be starting his career as a full time single teaching parent this time next week. He has gone through the same training course that Cliff and I did back in April where he has begun to learn all about the family teaching model that we use here on campus. He has visited each night in a different cottage, getting to know the students and the other parents, and i am sure that after getting to know Blake everyone will be fighting over him to be in their cottage!
I know that he is going to be great at this because he has been called by God to do this work no doubt! And what fun to have his energetic personality around! I am just so blessed that this blog and the posts on Facebook encouraged him to seek me out with questions about the work we do here. I was praying that if there was someone out there I needed to talk to about a career here the Lord would show me, and I am just so, so happy that it turned out to be such a precious friend to have here with me.
I will finish this post off with pics of cottage life and some Bug-tography and as always, prayer requests at the bottom!
He is finishing up with his training and will be starting his career as a full time single teaching parent this time next week. He has gone through the same training course that Cliff and I did back in April where he has begun to learn all about the family teaching model that we use here on campus. He has visited each night in a different cottage, getting to know the students and the other parents, and i am sure that after getting to know Blake everyone will be fighting over him to be in their cottage!
I know that he is going to be great at this because he has been called by God to do this work no doubt! And what fun to have his energetic personality around! I am just so blessed that this blog and the posts on Facebook encouraged him to seek me out with questions about the work we do here. I was praying that if there was someone out there I needed to talk to about a career here the Lord would show me, and I am just so, so happy that it turned out to be such a precious friend to have here with me.
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| Bug already loves his Uncle Blake! |
I am so thankful for those of you who continue to follow our journey and pray for us. We could not do this without your love and support!
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| Football in Texas is in full swings and our Friday nights (and Tuesday nights, and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings) are taken up with the love of the game. Brianna is in band and so she and I along with Brandie and Erin have gotten to work in the booster club concession stands! So far the Waller Bulldogs are doing pretty well, but of course our favorite players Alton and Tyler play for the pee wee league this year and dream of getting in the big game soon!!) |
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Brandie and Erin decided to paint their nails by lamplight. Makes total sense?! But they had a great time doing it. Pray for these girls though, they can have so much fun with each other one minute and then be so angry at one another the next. I am praying that we can have more and more moments like this one above as their relationship grows. 
I was so proud of our girls and a few of the friends that they invited along from C1 as they went with me to an
event our church participated in a couple of Saturdays ago called Feed My Starving Children.
Together with the other volunteers the girls helped put together bags of food that will feed 116 children a meala day for an entire year! We even got to be the feature of the week on the BGC Facebook Wall! 
Bug painting a pic for Neano and Daddy-O
Billie teaches Bug how to swing like Super Man!
Bug tries to play Brianna's euphonium.
Our baby ninja warrior watches his ipad in his favorite upright position! I don't even know how he got like this!!
Bug thinks that this drawer is made just for him!
Bug and "Bailey" nap outside together!
  
Cow-Bug insisted on wearing his Daddy-O's hat into the Mexican Restaurant!
He wanted Neano to try it on, too!
A busy day getting some work done at the home office!
Helping Neano and Mommy out at the laundry mat!
 
Goofy little Crab!
 
Enjoying the car show with Daddy-O!
 
Trying out Peggy's on the Bayou (where we saw a gator swimming behind the restaurant!)
and watching them make donuts at Snowflake!
What could be more relaxing than a quiet day in the camper with goldfish and Dr. Seuss!
I love this precious pic of Neano giving Bug a sink bath!
  
Neano and I even got to enjoy a ladies night where we painted these fun trees at an event put on by their new
church in Orange!
And finally, the sweetest little guy all tuckered out from all the fun!
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for our new girl Rhonda. Pray for her adjustment period here at BGC and pray also for her mother that she is leaving at home.
Pray for Blake and the other trainees as they learn more and more about the job. Pray for their endurance as they come to the end of training and begin the work of ministry to the children here. Pray that they will continue to feel God's call upon their hearts to do this work even when it gets tough.
Pray for the houses in Clinton and Poplarville to sell. We have had a few bites and nibbles but we need a catch!
Pray for us as we continue to grow our relationships with the girls in this cottage. Pray specifically for one girl who we are trying hard to reach that is proving difficult. She is very precious and wants to be loved more than anything, so pray that she will feel our love but also be able to better adjust to life in a cottage where there are certain expectations and guidelines. Pray that we can learn as parents how to reach her.
Pray for Bug as he continues to adjust to this life!
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