We've been non-stop . . . And our kids have a blog site too!

We are back and seemingly in full force . . . that is of course after doing 14 speaking engagements in 12 days and then a couple days of illness/fatigue coupled in with a move to another house and then a ton of digging ourselves out of mounds and mounds of emails. BUT, we are back in KC and doing our best to enjoy the Holiday season as it begins while packing and finalizing details for our big move to Singapore. In honor of the most recent elections, we thought that you would like to see who will actually be the first woman president . . . notice Natalie and her shirt here!

Have you ever tried to pack with a hungry crying infant around?
Have you ever tried packing with the same infant and a two year old toddler crawling all over you longing for more attention?
Have you ever tried all that and . . . Well, I guess everyone has their "busy" times but the important thing is to catch, cherish, and relish the absolutely wonderful times within what may seem like insurmountably challenging times. Like . . .

The other day when my daughter told me, "Daddy I wanna walk you!" I'm not sure if she meant "walk me" or "walk with me". What eventually happened was that she proceeded to take my hand, lead me outside to our front sidewalk stoop and sit down. The as she was sitting looked up at me and said "Sit daddy, sit." (Which honestly sounds a lot more like "sh**" and so I laugh every time. Some jokes just don't ever get old!). Anyway, I sat down, and she and I were both extremely happy. . . Dare I even say, that I had tears in my eyes, and not necessarily because I was laughing but I believed that my daughter at just under two years old knew what was important. . . "unless you become like one of these (children) . . ."
Well, before we sign off we want to take just a moment to thank the Alabama South District for their amazing love, support, and gracious hospitality. We had a glorious time touring all across the southern part of Alabama, sharing, speaking, and being loved on by such an amazing group of people. We are proud to be members of the AlaSouth Church of the Nazarene District and we look forward to seeing how God will continue to use the beautiful friendship, partnership, and above all kingdom fellowship.

Even though the schedule of 14 services in 12 days may sound daunting we must be honest and let you know that it is! :-) But, when it's with such beautiful folks it's the most rewarding in numerous ways. So, again, thank you dear friends. We most definitely are looking forward to returning in three years to share how your prayers, support, and partnerships are being used by God for His kingdom's sake in Asia. Grace and peace be with you all. We love and bless y'all!

We also want to thank the Butler Church of the Nazarene for having us back this year to share once more. It's a great blessing and privilege to be loved in such a gracious manner. We enjoyed being able to celebrate your "Faith Promise" yet again. . . may your engagement in serving the global church this way bring joy and blessings. We look forward to being with you too again. . . just not as quick this next time!

Finally, we want to end with a short update on a few things that might spark some interest:

1. Our kids have a blog site now! http://whetpebbles.blogspot.com Please stop by and visit. We (Danielle) will be monitoring this site and you won't want to miss growing up with our kids . . . Right?! :-) We'll have a subscription ability loaded on their site as well, soon. But for right now, you can check out our Halloween adventure and a number of new pics. and videos. But you can catch one of Jeremiah at the end of this blog. . . I just had to post it as a proud Daddy!
2. We will be flying to Singapore January 13, 2009! The time is quickly approaching but we are praying for the ability to see both sides of our family at least one more time before we leave. Therefore, please keep this in your prayers as well.
3. We still need to raise close to $20,000 in order to meet our goal for the first two years. Please pray with us. And if your interested in helping support, please visit us at the Whetstone Partnership: Fellowshipping Together
4. Natalie will be two years old November 30Th. She's hit her "two's" early, at least in maturity. . . So, please pray for her parents as we seek to parent her the best way possible in the midst of all that we are doing.
   

Thanks everyone. We feel and sense the prayers and thoughts. . . they are keeping us going.

Peace to you all.