A House Full....

For the past five days, we have had a house full of staff and summer interns. On Saturday, the summer interns for the ministry, Autumn, Holly, Brittney and Michael, arrived. In addition, Karen Katchuk, our staff liason from Kentucky, and her daughter Morgan flew in. So, we had 12 people gathered around the dinner table. What a joy!

What a blessing to host our friends and family for several days. It was pure joy to hear and see....

• Autumn strumming her guitar while Holly sang a song that Autumn wrote.
• Hearing Holly and Heather sing worship songs upstairs.
• The laughter coming from Jett as Morgan chased him around the house.
• Michael teaching Madison how to play chess.
• Karen braiding Madison's hair for the day.
• Autumn trying to figure out which one was the dryer!
• Brittney and Holly laughing endlessly.
  
• Kaitlyn wanting to take Morgan to her 6th grade small group.
• Having a row full of people we love at church.
• Giggles, laughter and other untold noises late into the night.

I am a content woman in the Lord knowing that I am blessed beyond degree. I love you all!

JT and Sheryl with our friend, Pastor Morales at New Jerusalen.

The Spice Girls (Patty, Brooke, Susan, Leslie, Erica and Amanda) with Jett!

The girls - Madison, Caroline, Haleigh, Savannah, Kaitlyn and Hannah.

Kaitlyn painting in the Tabitha House, a refuge for children in the dump.

Jett stood before a crowd of people at New Jerusalen on Sunday morning and quoted Psalm 23. He was a part of ministering to the same people group from which he came....oh, how God works!

(This same post was published on our ministry blog: www.1wayministries.blogspot.com with the exception of the remarks about Jett.)

Over the past eight weeks, our small group has been re-studying Experiencing God. We are all at similar stages of life, and we are learning so much this time around. God is showing us Himself in ways that we have never seen. We are absolutely amazed.

Most of our small group was able to travel to Guatemala together. What a time of biblical community this was for us. We were joined by Susan, Brooke, Amanda, Leslie and Erica from Brook Hills. It was a beautiful time of fellowship for all of us. We laughed together, cried together (often) and learned together. What a true picture of the church.

My mind still does not comprehend all that we saw in the dump in Guatemala City. Houses with no floors, walls made up of old plastic banners, no running water, no electricity, hazards everywhere....to be honest, I wouldn't let a dog run around in there. It was unhealthy, unsafe and full of people dying to hear about Jesus.

I was brought to my knees by stories of children abused in ways that I cannot repeat. At one point, our group had to re-group. We were all in tears and could not go on. We were beyond the breaking point and literally couldn't take another step without God doing a work. He did it, and we continued. I am so thankful for His divine grace, love and comfort. He reminded me of the need for tears shed on behalf of innocent children. He reminded me of the need for tears in a place that needs Him.

There are many more lessons but it's difficult to verbalize them all. I am still in shock and humbled by His mercy.

We were so blessed that Jett did extremely well! When we were on our way to Guatemala, he said "I am so excited!" Of course, I asked him, "Jett, why are you SO excited?" With a smile that will melt your heart, he exclaimed, "Because you're not going to leave me there!" Oh, the faith of a little child and his trust in us as his parents. It made me proud!

Jett received so much love while we there, and his name was the first one everyone remembered. I'm afraid he was spoiled by the kitchen crew, and they loved it! He ate more than we have seen him eat in a long time, and we were all surprised by his capacity. How can a 38 lb boy eat 3-5 lbs at each meal and not gain a pound?

We are so grateful for your prayers that sustained us. We are just thankful.

Kids Say the Funniest Things

Madison enjoying the McWane Center.

Jett and his friend Zackary hanging out at the grocery store.

iKaitlyn and Courtney loving hanging out for the day!

Over the past month, we have heard some funny things around here:

• Look Mom I have glossy teeth (meaning, I flossed my teeth).
• Why does that guy have a stick lawnmower? (translation: weedeater)
• Can't she just cough that baby up? (trying to figure out why a pregnant woman doesn't have her baby already)
• Thank you Jesus for fortifying us (translation: providing for us)
• Mom: Jett, do you speak Spanish? Jett: No Mom: Okay, do you speak English? Jett: No Mom: Well, what do you speak? Jett: I speak regular.
• I think we can adopt 2 or 3 or a hundred million.

And for my friend Nancy who wears a daydress when she gets home, props to you! You made me laugh today.

Earrings for MG!

Madison got her ears pierced last week, and she was thrilled. I told both girls that they could get their ears pierced at the age of 10. With the summer coming up and our pediatrician slated to be out of the office, we decided to go ahead and get this done a few months early.

Madison has already been very diligent in taking care of her ears. She cleans them twice a day without fail. She is very "safety" minded when it comes to the possibility of something going wrong. For those of you who know her, she always listens to the safety instructions on aircraft, reads the pamphlet in the seatback in front of her, looks for exits, etc. So, I'm sure this will go off without a hitch.

On another note our trip to Guatemala is only 2 weeks away. We are eager for our family to serve together with most of our small group. We are also a apprehensive about Jett returning to Guatemala. He seems to shut down when around the Spanish language or Latino people. He becomes very clingy and needy. We have reassured him of his place in our family and loved on him immensely. Please pray that God will use this time to bring Himself glory through all of us!

Easter Pics

It's been a few days since Easter but I'm just now getting around to the blog. We are finishing up our school year next Friday and things have been very focused around here. We want to be diligent in our work and finish well. So, the blog has NOT been anywhere near a priority.

We went to our church on Easter and Jett sat through the entire service. When we first brought him home, he could do this without any problems. However, now he would rather be in his class with his friends than sit in the service with his parents. This fall, he will begin going with us again to the service. We'll have to work on that!

We spent our Easter lunch with John and Mary Crisp again. They have loved on our family dearly. It is wonderful to have them in our lives! They spoiled the kiddos with Easter baskets again, and everyone loved it!

We are gearing up for the summer ahead. It will be filled with many trips. Our entire family (as well as our small group from church) will be headed to Guatemala in May. Please pray for Jett as he returns to his homeland. We are unsure of the implications of this at this time. Just pray for peace and comfort.

Egg Hunt for the Kiddos!

We decided to let the kids hunt Easter Eggs (the plastic variety) in the front yard today. Thanks to our good friend, Doug Petty, the yard looks much better this year!

JT filled the eggs while I was helping our friends pack their house. A few had candy, and some had money. Jett was not excited about the money, but he was thrilled with the candy. Madison was OVERLY thrilled with the prospect of getting money...she made the most by the way. She is our little saver. Kaitlyn was satisfied with a combination of the two! I think she even convinced Jett to trade his money for her candy....hmmm.

A Heart for the Nations

Our hearts are always heavy for the nations....we long to share the love of Christ with all of those who have never heard. In March, JT led a team to South Africa and Uganda. It was one of those trips that changes your life.

We have felt the desire to adopt again for the last several months. Perhaps God is leading us to Uganda. It would be a LONG process. But, the joys are worth it. I can't put into words what all this means to us right now. Some of you know. Thought I would at least post some of the glorious photos of Africa for you all to enjoy.

Please continue to pray for us as we walk this road.