....buyers market

Check out our mess!!  

    (I have prayed for transparency- so this is it!)

Where's Waldo?  I mean... Chris... with an african mask?

This Saturday is our HUGE YARD SALE (May 31st).  We are frantically trying to get ready for it.  If you are in need of a sneak peek, just give us a call and drop by!  PLEASE TELL EVERYONE!  There is a ton of stuff!

Everything MUST go!

Just for fun

At first I was hesitant on blogging this because it wasn't really "ministry related."  But then I thought- Oh yes it is.  We are sitting at 3 week before we leave and we are super busy.  Busy with ministry stuff to iron out and busy with lots of "last hoo-rah's".  So today I'm blogging about my last "hoo-rah" with my best friend, Joy.  I met Joy the same summer I met my husband.  It is ridiculous how much alike we are- you would think we would get tired of being around each other.... no chance.  We love growing in God's love - together! 

I left T-ville Thursday  evening to start our wild wilderness weekend in Boone, NC.  We willingly went to fight bugs, rain, bears (not), attack cows (fo real!), and the dark. 

That's right- we went camping... just the 2 of us.  It was so much fun!  At the end of our time together, our number one question was: why in the world hadn't we done this before??  We hiked (and napped along the way)  for over 5 hours Friday after setting up camp (FYI: tent stakes are a great idea to ACTUALLY TAKE along- it makes setting up the tent way easier.  But good ol' quick thinkin' Joy found some rocks and sticks which worked rather well.)   

   

We thought we were being super rugged- cooking on our alcohol stove.  Yes sir'ee, we had rice and popcorn.  Go ahead and laugh, but we were about to bust!  After dinner, we read exerts of a book about missions in the 21st century.  When God turned out the lights, we realized- we had no other source except our camera.  So naturally- we crawled in our tent, curled up in our sleeping bags and began taking photos whilst laughing our heads off.  I know it's impossible to enjoy these as much as we did, but if you have time please try- just for fun!

Meeting fellow servants...

Thursday night Joy came in from Boone and we drove to Charlotte to her friend's place.  I must say we hadn't had much time to talk, so I thought we were going down there to hear David Johnson speak at a church or auditorium.  Well, I learn as we are pulling in that we were there just to "hang out" with fellow believers that have hearts for the oppressed.  I asked Joy: "So David Johnson (1) is coming to just 'hang out'"?  She looked at me kinda funny and said "well, Yea."  You see, in my mind he's kind of famous in a way due to his involvement in helping the oppressed people of Sudan.  He is doing something I have dreaming of for the past year and a half.   

Here Chris was trying to send me with a video camera to tape the "speakers", but I told him I wasn't going to take it because I'd be the only dork with a camera.  Boy would I have felt like a ding dong walking up in there with my video camera.  Sure am glad Joy saved the day.  Poor Chris, just wanted to be able to hear. 

Any way, so we ended up being the first ones there. We walk into this super cool apartment in downtown Charlotte and meet the most precious couple.  They were so down to earth and on fire!  There were 12 of us there all together; a few couples, David, Joy and I.  Well, a long story short, David has actually been to the Livingstone House and stayed there!  Later on in the night I asked if he could remember when he first started learning about the horrific acts happening in Sudan.  To which he replied "I was actually sitting at your kitchen table at the Livingstone house about a year and a half ago."  The guy he had traveled to Ethiopia with wanted him to know what he was getting himself into if he wanted to shoot in Sudan.  So he slid him some papers and a book to him, sitting at that kitchen table.  I'm flippin' out!  I just thought that was the coolest thing ever!  I had a million other questions to ask him about Sudan, but forgot most of them.  

... Who knows though, maybe he'll come back to the Livingstone house one day.  

(1.) David has traveled around the world doing documentaries  of oppressed, persecuted, and suffering individuals.  His heaviest involvement being in Sudan.  Purchasing Voices of Sudan is well worth your money as ALL of the proceeds go to provide relief efforts to the Sudanese.  The book is only $20 and is a great way to educate others on what is happening in Sudan. 

Getting Closer

I know, this update is long overdue.  It is getting harder to blog the closer we get to leaving.  June 16th is the official date for those who haven't heard.  Just to catch you up on what we've been doing, here are a few pictures (y'all know I'm crazy about capturing every precious last moment on camera):

Beth, Elizabeth, Levi, and I battled the wind at "Spring Daze" (or May Days) selling jewelry to benefit missions.  Despite the ferocious wind,  we actually did have a lot of fun!

Dinner at Dr. Ben, Hyrine, and Benji Omungu's home.  Hyrine added her Kenyan touch for a delicious meal and wonderful fellowship last night.  What a blessing this family has been to us!  We can't wait to discover how we can help in their visions for Kenya.  We hope to serve along side them in July!

We took our last trip to the coast (with my family in tow) to see Chris' family and speak at Salem Baptist.  It was so fun having both families together and in full support. 

A proud Aunt and Uncle right here.  (I'm always trying to think of ways to sneak pics of our niece and nephew on the ministry blog.)  

   Dad and Levi catching some Z's before Dinner.

We will do our best to keep you updated between trying to spend time with family and friends, pack up, sell, and move. 

I will try to post after this Thursday's trip to Charlotte to hear David Johnson (Voices of Sudan) speak more about genocide.