North Carolina - here we are!

So, some of you may know but many may not. The kids and I have left the blinding cold of Minnesota to be closer to Mike in balmy North Carolina!!

We are staying with Mike's uncle and aunt which is about 3 hours from the base but Mike comes up to their house each weekend to see us. It's a huge blessing for us to even be able to be down here in the first place! We are so thankful for how Mike's uncle and aunt have taken us in and cared for us. 

Mike is a couple months into his training now and it has been going alright. It's a  lot of stuff he already knows from going to school for mechanics and there's not a lot of hands-on, so he gets a little bored sometimes! But temporary bordem is a welcome trade for hearing that this is the happiest he's ever been at any job he's ever had. He's told me more than once that he loves his job now - that he's found his niche! 

He is over half-way done with school and we are looking forward to graduation and going back home to warmer weather than it is currently! 

We've been spoiled by having a few days in the 70s and a number in the 60s! I can't believe that I have been out walking with the kids in early February. :) 

Most exciting - today is George's FIRST BIRTHDAY!! I can't believe he was born a year ago already! It seems like just yesterday - which I know is cliche - but it really does go that fast. He was a little 7lb 3oz, 20 inch, blue-eyed, jaundice baby! Now - he's almost walking and eating table food and starting to give up his bottle. Not to mention, he has 7 teeth and is getting another one. :) We had a small celebration last night with us and the Thompson's with cupcakes and a couple small presents - both he and Emma were covered in red frosting! 

Well ... when I am able I will try to get a video or some pics of last night and our fun! Hope you are all well. 

Free - by a Marine

She called...

Blacks, Whites...wait
African Americans and Caucasians, Asians, excuse me.
Vietnamese, Philipenes, Koreans and Jamaicans or
Haitans, waitin' Hispanics y'all.

Please be paitent
Mexican, Puerto Ricans, Venezualean, Cuban, Dominican, Panamanian Democrats
I beg your pardon, you partied with the late, great Reagan?
Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim, Brothers and Sisters who never seen the New York city skyline when the twin towers still existed.

But still She called.

From the bowels of Ground Zero she sent this 911 distress signal.
Because She was in desperate need of a hero,
and didn't have time to decipher what to call 'em,
so she called 'em all Her children.

The children of the stars and bars who needed to know nothing more than the fact that she called.
The fact that someone attempted to harm us
this daughter who covered us all with her loving arms.
And now these arms are sprawled across New York City streets.

A smoke filled lung, a silt covered faced,
and a solitary tear poured out of her cheek.
Her singed garments carpets Pennsylvania Avenue and the Pentagon was under her feet.
As she began to talk, she began to cough up small particles of debris
and said, "I am America, and I'm calling on the land of the free."

So they answered.

All personal differences set to the side
because right now there was no time to decide which state building the Confederate flag should fly over,
and which trimester the embryo is considered alive,
or on our monetary units, and which God we should confide.
You see, someone attempted to choke the voice
of the one who gave us the right for choice,
and now she was callin.
And somebody had to answer.
Who was going to answer?

So they did.
Stern faces and chisled chins.
Devoted women and disciplined men,
who rose from the ashes like a phoenix
and said "don't worry, we'll stand in your defense."
They tightened up their bootlaces
and said goodbye to loved ones, family and friends.
They tried to bombard them with the "hold on", "wait-a-minute's", and "what-if's".
And "Daddy, where you goin?".
And, "Mommy, why you leavin?".
And they merely kissed them on their foreheads and said "Don't worry, I have my reasons.
You see, to this country I pledged my allegience
to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic.
So as long as I'm breathin, I'll run though hell-fire,
meet the enemy on the front lines,
look him directly in his face,
stare directly in his eyes and scream,
"I AM AMERICA! WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
WE WILL NOT BE TERRORIZED!
I REFUSE TO BE AFRAID!
I'LL FIGHT YOU ANY COUNTRY, ANY CONTINENT, ANY TERRAIN.
I'LL FIGHT TO MY LAST BREATH!"

And if by chance death is my fate,
pin my medals upon my chest,
and throw Old Glory on my grave.
But, don't y'all cry for me.
You see, my Father's prepared a place.
I'll be a part of his Holy army standing a watch at the Pearly Gates.
Because freedom was never free.
POW's, and fallen soldiers
all paid the ultimate sacrafice
along side veterans who put themselves in harms way.
Risking their lives and limbs just to hold up democracy's weight,
but still standing on them broken appendages anytime the National Anthem was played.
You see, these were the brave warriors that gave me the right
to say that I'm Black. Or white.

Or
African American or Caucasian,
I'm Asian, excuse me.
I'm Vietnamese, Philipene, Korean, or Jamaican.
I'm Haitan, Hispanic

Y'all, Please be paitent.

I'm Mexican, Puerto Rican, Venezualean, Cuban,
Dominican, Panamanian, Democrat
I beg your pardon, you see I partied with the late, great Reagan.
I'm Republican, Independent, Christian, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, 7th Day Adventist, 5 Percenters,
Hindu, Sunii Muslim,

Brothers and Sisters We're just Americans.
So with that I say
"Thank You" to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines,
for preserving my rights
to live a diverse life
and paying the ultimate price for me to be...

FREE!

All I can say is WOW.

This is a good reminder of the fact that we don't see what happens over there. We are not fighting for nothing ... though many perceive it that way.

"Good Morning:For those of you who don't have spouses in the military these topics are probably only seen and heard through newspaper and television if at all. Three hundred and seventy some of the men from 147th 2 BA out of Watertown fought for our freedom from December 2003 to February 2005. For those of you who were wondering where your tax dollars were going and what our soldiers were doing, here you go. Have a great day!"

Subject: Covering up the truth
Did you know? I didn't know! How could we?

Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq ?Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq 's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5 -100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq 's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers every 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq ? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW!
WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?
OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and it is intended to discourage American citizens ---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense website.......Pass it on!

Scoping Out New Territory

So, as many of you know, we have had news about the job with the church. Mike did not get it. He talked with one of the pastors on Monday and found out that he didn't get it. The reasons told for the other person getting it were related to flexibility and some experience.
This has probably been a harder struggle for me than for Mike - although he's had the disappointed and angry emotions - he's usually better about dealing with them! I on the other had am not always the best at dealing with my emotions.
However, I did for the most part, vent only to God and dealt with my emotions with Him instead of taking them out on anyone else. The honest emotions were anger and frustration and a lot of questioning. In my eyes this was perfect for us in every single way - there wasn't a negative about it. I thought that we were perfect for the position, and everyone I talked to thought that we were perfect for the position too! But I'm not God and neither is anyone else ... and apparently this wasn't the perfect position for us. God has something else in store for us.
The hardest part is going through something like this and feeling like the only thing we got out of it was a big fat character struggle! And also, knowing all the right answers and Truths of the Lord in my head but not feeling them on a real level or in a real way.

God has sure tested me through this. This was the first time - that I can really remember - where I was out-and-out angry with God. I was mad - and I told Him so! But it was also really good for me to experience that feeling and to communicate it with Him - just Him. It's a small reminder of what I'm supposed to be doing every single day with every single emotion that I encounter.

Well, on another note. We still do not know where we will be living and we are moving out on Sunday. We will either be in Prior Lake or in Eagan. If we can get our money back (long story) from Prior Lake then we will for sure be in Eagan. If we can't get our money back then we will probably be in Prior Lake. I'm torn between the two. I really like and want the Prior Lake apartment because we would be in a 3 bedroom with a really nice kitchen! And it's extremely affordable. The Eagan one is affordable too but it's only a two bedroom and it's smaller than the two bedroom we're in right now. :( But it's also closer to everything and everyone!
Oy!

I'm off ... to feed the baby! The wonderful baby George.

CONTINUE to Stand Fast ... an unenthusiastic ooohrah ...

We are unfortunately still waiting to hear about the job with the church. It's mainly my fault because I misunderstood what Mike told me about when they would be contacting him with the answer. I guess they told him that they would have the decision "the 3rd week of April." Which is, of course, anytime this week. I thought that Mike told me they would contacting him today, the 18th, at the latest. So, if you were one of the many that thought we would find out today - I apologize! I misunderstood and unfortunately mislead many of you.
Although I don't enjoy the, what feels like, endless wait I know that God is using it to grow me. It seems like patience with answered prayers is a continual area of growth for me. So needless to say, I feel like God is calling me to continue to stand fast and simply trust Him.

"However, whether I choose to believe it or not, if I am His child, the Truth is that 'His grace is sufficient for me.' (This is assuming, of course, that I haven't taken on myself responsibilities He never intended me to carry. If the burden is God-given, I can go on by His grace.) His grace is sufficient for every moment, every circumstance, every detail, every need, and every failure of my life.
. . .
What do you need God's grace for?"
-The Lies Women Believe-

This is my book study book and what I've been reading about this week. We have been talking about circumstances and the lies that we tend to believe about our circumstances. This chapter has come at a really good time for me. Part of me didn't want to read it because I knew that I needed to. With everything that's been going on with Mike's job situation and our house situation and the wait with the church job - I needed to read this chapter. It's been really easy for me to examine our circumstances and let them determine my mood, my attitude, and my responses. But God's been quietly showing me how I can't base the way that I think and act on our circumstances. I can feel the emotion of them but I can't act on those emotions, at least not all the time. This weekend God met me in my quiet times and gave me His unending peace. Peace with where we are going to live, even though we haven't signed a lease anywhere. Peace with Mike's job situation. And peace with the church job situation, even though we haven't gotten an answer yet. I don't feel this peace every moment or even every day ... but I know He has it waiting for me and all I have to do is take a hold of it and trust Him.

As far as the quote goes - it's what stood out to me yesterday as I was reading. That as long as I take up what God has given me, and not extra, He will continue to give me the grace to go on.

PS we've got some new pictures on the Slide - so take a look!

Stand Fast

So... quick update.
Mike had his interview with Evergreen Lakeville tonight and he thought that it went really well. The one thing that threw me off is that they told him that the decision won't be made for up to two weeks. I thought they were making the decision this weekend!
They have a couple more interviews and then the pastors of Lakeville need to get together and pray about everything so that they are confident in their decision. So, I understand all of this, I just didn't expect it to take so long!

The one thing that I need prayer for is my own faith and trust. I am such a planner. I have my plans and when they change and get messed up I have a hard time readjusting. It's something that I'm constantly working on, but it's hard. So finding out that our home decision, ie: where we are going to live when our lease is up at the end of the month, is on hold shakes me up a little! I trust Mike and that he will always do whatever is in his power to take care of us and provide for us. I trust the Lord to do the same - in an even bigger way. Now I just need to put that trust into my actions! There is no need to worry or be anxious - the Lord knows what He's doing - and He's telling us to stand fast: to stay where we are and not move until He tells us!

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:31-34
God knows what we need and He will take care of us. I just need to trust!

Ooohrah

*Ask God to show you His good plan for your life.*
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This is Lakeville's daily prayer for today and it's not only my prayer for the church but my personal prayer for our family. It is perfect for our family because it has been our prayer for the last, almost, two and a half years. Today part of that prayer was answered PRAISE GOD!! Mike accepted a new job today. He will be working at Transmission Doctor in Apple Valley starting on Thursday the 19th. This is an amazing answer to prayers because his new schedule is Monday through Friday 7-3:30! I am so very thankful for this!
We are still praying for the job with Evergreen Lakeville. Mike has his interview tonight and the decision is being made this weekend. We so strongly feel that this is where God wants us and are excited about the possibility of serving the church in this way, as an entire family. But ultimately we desire God's will for us, so if that means that we do not get this job - that's alright. We just ask for God's will to be what is done!