Dec 2 2010

Accountability:
Traci
1. Get out of bed @ 6
2. Read Bible daily
3. Be a good steward of time and money
Eric
1. Read Bible daily
2. Excersize consistantly
3. Look at others through Gods eyes

Prayer for:
Traci
Be selfless and keep all of the glory for GOD
Eric
To stay hungry for God

Thanks For:
Traci
Kaiser's personality coming out
Eric
That God provides

When He calls my name

So much has been going on. So many lessons have been learned. And so many prayers have been answered, I can not keep up with them on the blog. This one needs to be documented. I need to hold myself accountable. So here it goes...(back story) over a year ago the Lord asked me to quit drinking. It was a big ordeal and Jason I both in the end brought to the Lord and were obedient. Months went by and we did not have a single drink. Then after Kaiser was born we began finding reasons "why it was OK to have ONE drink" then it was two. Never any more than that, but we were still taking it back into our own hands... and making legit reasons why it was OK.)
This morning I was woken up by the Lord. If you have never experienced this before it is quite scary. As a Mom I wake up often in the night responding to different sounds throughout the house. But this is different. One minute I am happily sleeping and the next minute I am staring conviction right in the face. Not guilt or condemnation... conviction and My King right there surrounding me in the dark of the early morning hours. I heard the Lords voice as clear as day, "Traci, I have been whispering to you about this one thing, but your stubbornness keeps getting in the way. Your lack of self discipline keeps playing a role in there too. I am done whispering. I am coming to you out of love, I have asked you to let go of alcohol. You were obedient, but then you took it back into your own hands. It is time you leave it at my feet and be obedient. The next time I ask wont be so nice. So what will it be?"
I replied, "Lord when you put it that way, of course I choose you. I will let it go and not let it be a barrier between us any longer. Thank you for loving me and coming to me like this. Lord I lay this at the cross and I will not go back. I ask for deliverance and forgiveness of this sin. I pray for self control. I ask that you would remove the very temptation. I used to be addicted to drugs and another lifestyle and you delivered me from those free and clear. I ask you to do the same with the alcohol now too. Thank you for your faithfulness even when I am faithless. Thank you Jesus, Amen"
and then just as fast as I was woken up from a deep sleep I fell right back into one. When I woke up this morning, I could feel the Lord smiling at me and even a little wink. Then I felt the need to tell a close reliable prayer warrior/best friend so she could pray over me and hold me accountable so I was not entering this alone.
The other neat addition to this early morning moment with God that I love so much is all of the teachings that came flooding back to mind. Some people don't understand how powerful the act of obedience of going to church each Sunday is. As a family we go to get fed, and then there are those Sundays where you might not leave feeling super amazing like you just learned so much you have to go tell everyone you know. BUT then these moments happen. What you put in, is what you get out. I am thankful we have been in church depositing truth so when the tough moments and choices come the Holy Spirit suddenly (with out me even asking) floods you with all of the truths you have been subconsciously storing up.
I am at peace with this decision it feels natural this time. As always I am an open book if you have any questions. Please be in prayer with me/us that this remains in the Lords hands this time and not sneak back into my own. Also please feel free to ask occasionally how I am doing, be specific, I wont be offended. I will appreciate it.
Lastly, please understand that this is a personal decision. This is not a bash on alcohol. Each person has their own reasons why they do or do not drink. I am just explaining my own personal reasons.
Love Traci

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It is Official

We are going to homeschool Paisley beginning this fall.
The Lord put it on my heart for a few months... and I ignored it. It was the last thing I wanted to add to my plate. For about a month now the Lord has been showing me different and new angles that have totally changed my heart about it. This is my season to pour into my children God blessed ME with, so why not make the most of it. After praying about it, researching curriculum online and talking with other homeschooling Moms/families I respect and admired, I narrowed it down to one. Plus we are adding LOTS of our own as well.
Who: Paisley Liv
What: Sonlight P3/4 curriculum http://www.sonlight.com/newcomer-p34.html
In addition we have a schedule that will include: homemaking, art, crafts(seasonal and holiday), games, literature, music, cooking/baking, serving others and field trips. For keeping her socialized we are part of two different MOMS groups with plenty of peers for her to play and be around, until she gets to the 1st grade level. At that point we will join or create a co-op that will offer science and PE on a level we can not offer her along with peer interaction.
When: starting this fall when all the other kids go back to school
Where: At home of course
WHY: This is a BIG one... so here it goes.
(Here are our reasons and not in any particular order)
-To keep Christ the center of our home.
-To teach Paisley to seek God's kingdom above everything else.
-Raise her with a Godly heart for the world.
-To nurture Paisley's enthusiasm to learn and a desire to discover.
-To teach her to listen well to others.
-Teach her that listening to other views won't destroy her faith.
-We as her parents, want to be the primary influence in her life.
-We will be able to keep up with Paisley and a pace that will continue to challenge her.
-We will have more freedom to control her curriculum and give her everything she needs and not have to sacrifice due to budget cuts.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. We are very passionate about this, and the Lord has continued to bless us with tools and resources and we trust He will continue to through the years as we follow His guidance on this matter. We are looking forward to showing her progress and all she is learning. If you have any questions or comments on the matter feel free to ask! It has been and will always be a learning curve for Jason and I, so prayers are more thank appreciated. Specifically wisdom patience and guidance along with opportunities to further His kingdom together as a family.
PS here is the desk we bought and are refinishing to be her special spot. She wakes up every morning and goes straight there drawing smiley faces, stick figures and LOTS and lots of the letter P! Gotta love it.

Cont Missions Trip

This trip was a blessing. God choose me to go on this missions trip very specifically. He made the path to get me there smooth. The Lord provided the funds using my amazingly generous aunt Teri. And he used my wonderful husband to so kindly take care of the kids in my absence. The hard work and sweat that I was able to offer and the bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime are priceless. The Lord blessed me more than I can explain and take in at the moment. I was honored that the Lord let me be His hands and feet to bless a family and ultimately bring glory to God! I am in the process of learning spanish and praying about the next trip. The Lord has very clearly put on my heart that "You did a good job my obedient servant, but you are not done yet." I am listening God, open the doors and lead the way, I am willing and I LOVE YOU so much and more! Thank you for this opportunity to serve you in such a real and tangible way. Fill us up and send us out, Lord!!!

Cont Missions Trip

And the finished product. A photo of the family that will occupy the home once the next group stuccos it for them. And then a grand finale picture of our group (minus, Mike, Kelly, Vanessa and Clint, they left just a few hours before the end of the work day, they needed to be home) and the owners of the home. We all stood inside with the family (even though they could not speak english) and prayed over the home and the memories that would be made there. We did not just built a a home. We TOGETHER as a team built a place for them the children to grow up and memories to be made. A place to learn about God and for God to show them in a very real way His love, power and grace. We prayed that the children of the home would grow up to glorify God and lead others to the Lord through their testimony. God bless this home.

Cont Missions Trip

My oh my this is so much fun reminiscing over the trip and all of the memories made... so in the window Jessi wrote my quote of the weekend. I would wave to everyone that went by (I was so excited to just be there, I could not help myself and for once could care less what they might have thought about me... it was very freeing and powerful for me) so I would wave and of course flash my smile at everyone. Then if I had a chance to speak with them, I would say "gracias" or "adios." But then I would add to the end "Vaya Con Dios" (back story) when I was growing up we would say to one another "vaya con dios" but in english we said "Jesus be with you" So to be fair I KNOW that "vaya con dios" translates "God with God" but to ME when I am saying it, in my heart I am telling them "Jesus be with you!" All of mexico probably thinks I am "LOCO" but oh well!!! Everyone in the car had a good laugh when I explained this to them... it makes sense to me though :)

Cont Missions Trip

Well there were a handful of evident miracles that the Lord blessed us with over the trip... one, being complete removal of a migraine that Megan got the first night camping. Then the fact that Jeff even made it on the trip was a miracle, Jeff has major back problems. He is missing a disc,(OUCH!) and the morning of or the night before he fell to his knees, but he was there and worked his tail off, even though he would argue that with you! Also the quickness that Mike and Kelly received their passports and documents to order them was and could only have been GOD. Another miracle was my keys. Well for starters yes I brought both sets planning ahead. Well I was holding on to one set and Jeff and his radiant wife Cecilia had the other set. I was unaware that at some point their set had dropped in the dirt. I was walking up the hill to get more waters when I just about stepped on my own keys in the dirt! Then at the end of the trip I misplaced MY set of keys. I searched all the places I had kept them but they were no where to be found, a minute later I thought, why am I giving this so much thought (which is not like me to give up until they were found) I could be helping everyone else pack up, the Lord will find my keys. Off we drove home and 10min into the drive... my keys appeared! The Lord is faithful!!! There were more, but at the moment these are the ones that come to mind...

Cont Missions Trip

Sunday was different from Saturday... I think everyone was pretty wiped out from the heat and personally the pancakes just didn't tide me over or give me enough energy... so by the late afternoon on Sunday I just felt in the way. Then I found Dominic! Dominic was the man that could have single handedly built the house on his own... but he didn't he was SO patient and kind. I was SO thankful for that. So unfortunately for him I followed him around the rest of the afternoon doing anything he would let me :) I understood that I was visual and needed to be shown what to do not told. SO here I am staying busy by following him around! God bless you Dominic for understanding me and not making fun of me.

Cont Missions Trip

Random photo to most... but for Jessi (my new best friend and long lost kindred spirit) and me it is yet another picture of a cross. From the moment the trip started the word CROSS was put on my heart.(still not sure why) Dee the handywoman rockstar I mentioned before was telling me story before we got in the vehicles and headed South. She explained that she collects crosses. She has them all over her home. That she has a favorite one her daughter had gotten her. Then she goes on to tell me that the Lord had put on her heart to bring a cross for the family we were going to build the house for as a house warming gift. She said she immediately thought of her fav cross but thought no I will go buy one instead. Well after shopping she found one that she said "would work" but still was not feeling it. She wrapped up the newly bought cross and placed it in her pillow case. Then a few moments later tossed her pillow aside to get to something else, forgetting about the brand new cross. The cross broke into pieces and she said, "I got it Lord, I know what I need to do." So she so selflessly brought and had everyone sign the back of her favorite cross and generously gave it to the family.... great story to start off the trip! So having the word CROSS confirmed, Jessi and I thought it would be fun to keep out eye out for crosses the whole trip.

Cont Missions Trip

Here is a great picture of Dee... she is a handy woman rockstar! There is nothing this woman can not do. I should also point out we were the only two women that went with out their men. I love this picture also for so wonderfully capturing the conditions they live in. See the home over her right shoulder. A family lives there, with children even... it really makes you appreciate your front door, the locks, the non leaky roof, your carpet and the vacuum, the running CLEAN water, the toilets that flush into a sewer system, not to mention that is the "yard" or the where are all the kids play, there are no parks or safe places to run around. But they never complain, they are amazing at TRULY recycling. They toss nothing and are not prideful. We have a lot to learn from the, and their survival techniques...
Also here is a cute pic of Kelly my secret camping all star with a good picture of the bathroom... don't worry only from the outside!

Cont Missions Trip

This is me and Sess or Sessa... she is my sister in Christ. We have become very close over the last year and I could not live with out her. She is family in the deepest sense of the word. Her name is Vanessa but Pais could only say Sessa so to us she is Auntie Sessa, Sess for short. I love her and can not say enough good things about her. It was a surprise when we found out we were both going, and it was nice to have experienced the trip together. She was our God sent translator. She was the only one who could speak fluent spanish! We couldn't have done it with out her.

Cont Missions Trip

Sunday morning we woke up and broke down camp. We headed off to the work site to finish the home. There was a lot to be done and it was a day of learning. The day before was mostly cutting and nailing... yes we all learned lots of tips to make those areas more effective, but day two was new tasks that at least for myself had never attempted before. So there was a bit more of a learning curve. Communication was key and there were some interesting moments where I was told to"just walk away" and I did just that. Were were productive as a team and we all learned something new. The best thing about our group was that EVERYONE lent a hand. IT WAS HOT, 108 the first day and in the high 90 the last two days, being in the heat and WORKING hard takes a lot out of you. But no one just sat, even if someone was taking a break you could find them attempting to chat with the neighborhood kids or smiling and someone walking by. It was beautiful to see so many Godly spirits working together for HIS glory.

Cont Missions Trip

I apologize for these being out of order... but these I snaked from others who took photos too! There is one of me looking like I peed my pants because in the 100 degrees I could just not cool off so I was dumping water all over myself. Just water, I sware!