Daddy's My Man

I often threaten my husband that I have this need to publicly declare, maybe even shout out loud, what an amazing man he is.  And, this would truly be my desire such a day that honors such special people.   That's just not his "style" of being honored.  So, my way around that is to let it come through the mouths of babes.
  "Daddy's my man!"  ~Daisha
  "He's teaching me to be a farmer and work hard like he is."  ~Truitt testifying of his father in Sunday School.
   "My dad's the best in the WHOLE world, not just the world."  ~Drew comparing his dad to his friends' dad.
   "Dada"  ~Danae

They love you and look up to you so much baby!  Thanks for being such an awesome Dad!

Happy Birthday Daisha

Happy Birthday Daisha!!!         3 Years Old

May/June Update

May/June Jamaica Update

  Our Father is a gracious Father.  In last month’s update, we referenced our needs and deficiencies as parents to our children and contrasted that to our Father’s parenting of us.  In Isaiah 40, the prophet extols the greatness of our God, detailing His greatness in His power and in His grace.  The explanation of His power is awe-inspiring and majestic as revealed in creation and in our world, measuring the waters in the hollow of His hand.  And then, that same power is detailed in His grace that gives strength to the weak and endurance to the faint.  What an amazing picture of our Father in whom we can trust in His power and take comfort in His grace!

            

Also in last months update, we referenced our prayers for God’s direction regarding a possible move this summer.  Our God in His grace has answered our prayers.  The Lord has opened a door of ministry for us in the states and we sense the timing of our ministry in Jamaica is coming to a close.  We rejoice in His grace as our Lord has directed us into this new opportunity, but our hearts ache as we think of moving on from the work in Jamaica.  Our hearts remain uniquely burdened for the deaf community in Jamaica.  We value the friendships and relationships that we have with our deaf friends and ministry partners.  This is the reason for our heartbreak, we are certainly leaving a part of ourselves in Jamaica and we pray for the work to go on for the Glory of His name.  But, at the same time, our hearts have felt the call to serve on behalf of our sending churches’ outreach programs.  Almost two years ago, we began actively praying about and pursuing the opportunity to serve on behalf of our sending organization in the states.  The timing was not right, but the burdened has remained.  This spring, we again sensed that we were reaching this crossroads and needed to make a transition into a different housing situation.  In processing this potential move, we decided it was time to again investigate the needs of our sending organization and inquire as to the opportunities available to serve.  This time, the timing was right as one step led to the next and door after door continued to open.  It is with humbled and grateful hearts that we consider moving on to this new opportunity.  Our time in Jamaica has been profoundly blessed and we are very thankful for your friendship and support.

            

We are not exactly sure of the logistics of our transition.  Our plan is to remain in Jamaica through our summer teams and then transition before the coming school year.  We are looking at around the third week of July.  Our destination in the states is also yet to be determined.  We anticipate the details of the transition will come clear as we continue on this journey.  We praise the Lord for His continued faithfulness.  Thank you so much for the prayers offered on our behalf, we are humbled. 

            

We know that we have a big transition ahead of us.  In the world of missions, the transition is called Re-Entry and is known to be filled with unforeseen challenges.  Therefore, we again are praying for wisdom in how to do re-entry well.  The transition is certain to take a considerable amount of time and we anticipate investing time and resources into various aspects of our transition.  In this, we may also be depending on your grace for continued support.  We anticipate keeping you up to date at least until our transition begins and then further as we connect through life.  Please reply or contact us if you have further questions or advice regarding our upcoming transition.

           

Thank you again for all of your loving support through the entirety of our Jamaican journey.  May you be Blessed by the Grace of our Loving Lord!

Princeville Work Team

I grew up in Princeville, IL.  It is a small agrarian community in central Illinois.  This past week, the church in which I grew up brought their high school sunday school class to serve with us for a week.  It was the same trip 15 years ago which served as my first introduction to missions, deaf ministry, jamaica, and CCCD.  The Lord works in mysterious and wonderful ways.  It was fantastic to have this team join us for the week and we were very encouraged.   We need to express special thanks to all of the love and support they expressed to us.  Praise the Lord!

Out of town

We have been out of town.  The missionary who has been hosting teams at the Montego Bay campus asked us if we would help him out with a team.  We agreed to go down to MoBay for a few days to help out.  Friday, we went down for a fun day of swimming with the kids.  Saturday, we picked up the team and stayed through today.  It was a small team from Augusta, GA.  They were alot of fun and we enjoyed our time in the heat of Montego Bay.  But, our family is certainly not as mobile as the time when we would move down to MoBay with ease.  Now, 4 kids means more stuff and more issues with being out of routine, but thankfully, the kids are pretty flexible.

Happy Birthday Danae!

1 Year Old!!! Praise the Lord!!!

High School Class Reunion

This summer, my High School class is hosting a reunion.  It has been 15 years and our class has still not had a reunion.  Keri and I will not be able to make it for the event, but they did ask everyone to submit a summary of their past 15 years.  This is not an easy task to put 15 years into a few sentences for people of whom you only know their most immature self.  Then, add to the equation that a class reunion may be the first chance to "redeem" their enduring image of me, of which I am not the most proud.  For someone who thinks too much about these kinds of things, this is hard.  Therefore, I need your help.  Here is my first draft, let me know what you think.  If you have the time, please send an email or leave a comment.  Too long?  Too short?  Too practical?  Too ethereal?  Too christianese?  Too serious?  Thanks!

I am not who I was.  I look back at high school with some fond memories and a fair measure of shame.  My high school experience was better than that of 99% of the world.  I must be thankful for great people, good memories, and a decent education.  I know that puts me in the 1%.  But, I was not who I should have been and for that I am sorry, it makes grateful for forgiveness.  Not long into my freshmen year of college I realized that there was more to life than my experiences.  It was at this time that I became a believer in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  This changed everything!  From this point on, my life took a new course.  Through ICC and on to the University of Illinois, my journey took me beyond what I had planned.  After graduation,  I found myself living in Indiana and teaching at a small school for at-risk high school students.  It was often with a fair measure of chagrin that I looked at my life behind a teacher's desk as I considered my years failing Ms. Stahl's math class or some ridiculous english class.  The comedy then turned to a belly laugh as I took my 3 years of experience as a teacher and moved into the principals office.  It was a great job and a great experience and I remain passionate about education.  It was about the time that I became the Director of Education of that school that I was swept off my feet by the love of my life.  We married in 2004 and soon welcomed our first son in 2005.  After our second son was born in 2007, we felt the call of God to serve as missionaries overseas.  This call has taken us to the deaf community on the island of Jamaica.  We work at a school for the deaf in rural Jamaica and have experienced the profound grace of God living in a different culture.  We have had two daughters born since being in Jamaica and we often can't believe we are now a family of 6.  Life has not been easy or perfect, but we know that its a journey and we are living it in joy, learning how to love more completely.  And, by the grace of God, the journey continues.......