Daddy/Daughter & Mommy/Son Date Night

Date night with the kiddos made it on the summer fun list and has been a much anticipated event in the Gilbert house!  Every time Ava has gone somewhere with Chad, she has been quick to remind us that this isn't their "big" date. :)  She picked out her dress earlier this week, but then also had some strong opinions about what Daddy should wear {the jeans and nice shirt didn't satisfy so she picked out the pants, dress shirt, jacket, and tie!}.

Grayson, on the other hand, I almost couldn't get out the door for our "big" date because he just wanted to keep playing with his cars.  Boys. :)

Chad wanted to get Ava some flowers, but decided that might be too expensive.  A little later our friend Adrian called because his wife, Leah, had gotten a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her last day at work, but they were going out of town and hated to just let the flowers die in their apartment.  He knew it was random, but just wondered if Chad would want them.  How amazing is our God?!

Chad rang the doorbell and surprised Ava with her flowers!  We're starting early teaching our precious girl what it looks like for a man to value and love her!

Chad surprised Ava with dinner at her favorite restaurant, East of Italy.  My tiny girl will demolish a bowl of their alfredo pasta!  Chad's favorite quote from dinner {as he was asking Ava questions} . . . "Dad, instead of all this talking, can you just tell me stories from when you were a little boy?"  Evidently her dates are more about entertainment and less about getting to know each other. :)

After dinner they went to the lakefront to look at the water and then to walk along the levee.  They also went to see the Milneburg Lighthouse that was built in 1855.  We love living in NOLA for so many reasons, but lots of fun things to do and see for free is definitely a perk!

 Grayson was having a tougher time catching on to the idea of our date night, but once I drug him away from his cars and got him in the van, we were good to go!  Oh I love this little man!  He is growing up so much and now that he can really talk, his compassionate, joyful, and rambunctious personality is coming out in full force!

 Since Grayson doesn't get excited about restaurants as much as he does about just eating, I decided just to go to McD's!  This pic was taken right before he dropped his {first} cheeseburger on the floor without even taking one bite.  :)  While we were eating, I told Grayson that Psalm 138 is the one that I pray for him.  He said, "Say it to me Mama?"  Melt. My. Heart.  I spoke that Word over my little man as we munched on fries and treasured the moment in my heart.

After dinner we headed to City Park to feed the geese.  These geese were hungry and aggressive!  That part of our date only took about 30 seconds because we were trying to get the bread out of our hands before the crazy things attacked!  Grayson thought it was hilarious and then spent a few minutes chasing geese and squirrels.  This was certainly adding up to be a dream date for my boy!

I catch my breath when I look at this sweet face and get overcome with gratitude that God has blessed me with such a gift.  He is pure joy!

After the geese episode, we walked down Carrollton to look at a fire truck . . . every little boy's dream!  {I, however, stepped in ants so it was a little more like a nightmare for me!}

Our last stop was Lakeview Grocery where we just so happened to run into Daddy and Ava!  This neighborhood grocery store has kid sized ice cream cones that are self serve and only a quarter!  Perfect dessert choice!

We ended the night by walking over to another fire station where a kind fireman let the kids see inside the truck and stand on the front.  They were in awe and just kept thanking him over and over!

Date Night was a success!  We are so blessed to have these two little treasures and had a blast surprising them with special dates!

What are some of your cheap ideas of stuff to do with your kiddos?

10 Years {and the giveaway winner}

It's my anniversary, but I'm gonna be nice and announce the giveaway winner before I go on and on about how much I love my husband!  

Thank you to everyone who entered . . . I loved seeing pieces of the Word that y'all are hiding in your hearts!  If this blog does anything, I want it to be used to spur others on in the faith and I feel like that has happened because of such a great response to this giveaway!  

But alas, there can only be one . . . and Keri Taylor is the big winner!

{I used random.org to pick the winner.  Ava was with me to verify and she couldn't sit still she was so excited to see who won!  She loves surprises just like her mama!}

For those of you who didn't win, I can't encourage you enough to go get the supplies to create your own box.  I got it all at Office Depot because they have the dividers that are sturdy plastic . . . it costs a bit more {you'll need two packages of dividers to get all 36 tabs that you will write on the back of}, but it is a worthy investment and is still under $20!

Some other positives about this system that I didn't mention before . . .

When traveling, you can easily grab the note cards for the days you will be gone, throw them in a ziploc bag, and not miss any of your memorization.

This system allows you to use the translation you like best for each passage you choose.  Instead of only memorizing out of the translation you normally read, you are free to write whichever translation you prefer on your notecard since you will be learning and reviewing it from there.

This is a great gift idea!  I gave my mom and Chad's mom each a box for Mother's Day . . . what prize could be better than one that leads people into greater knowledge of the Word?!

You can use this system with kids.  I got Ava a smaller box {3x5} to use as we work on memorization for her.  Some kids might hate it, but my firstborn loves her some structure so I think it is going to work well!

I'll encourage you with the verse from Colossians 3 that is my hope and is what I wrote on the top of my box ...

Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly!

Now I can gush about my hubby!

Seriously though . . . I am so blessed and there just aren't sufficient words to express it.  These 10 years have been an adventure in faith.  I couldn't have imagined as I put on my dress, walked down the aisle, wiped a tear from Chad's eye, and danced the night away all that the next ten years would hold . . .

• a crazy first year at Doulos that taught us of God's provision & sustaining power
• A master's degree for Chad
• falling in love with the city we vowed to leave after graduation and begging God to plant us here
• Hurricane Katrina . . . the loss and grief, but also the hope and restoration
• Post Katrina New Orleans . . . you had to have experienced it to fully understand . . . those were some hard times, but also filled with some great memories with friends
• The loss of our first baby Ashton
• Chad becoming pastor of Edgewater . . . definitely a gift from God that we never dreamed would happen
• Ava's birth . . . that month alone was crazy . . . heart condition for my baby girl, evacuating for Gustav, her birth in Shreveport, and the miraculous healing of her heart!
• Learning {mostly by mistakes} what it means to be a pastor and a pastor's wife . . . thankfully with a faith family who is gracious and loves us so well
• Our first mission trip together to East Asia . . . there is nothing greater than making disciples in all nations with your best friend
• Grayson . . . what a joy this boy is to our family!
• Obeying God's call to adopt our HIV + son from Africa. . . two years later we are still waiting to see Easton's face and bring him home from Ethiopia
• A revival in our hearts and a deepened love for the Word . . . there is nothing I am more thankful for than God's grace in continuing to draw us to Himself.
• Pouring into young couples through For Better, For Worse, For the Gospel and watching God refine us and take our marriage to new depths in the process
• Chad donating part of his liver to his mom, which included a 4 week recovery.

And that just skims the surface!  It hasn't always been easy.  In fact, there has been plenty of hard. But God is Faithful and has not only sustained our marriage, but has made it into something stronger and more beautiful than we could have ever hoped!  

I can't wait to see what God has for us in the next 10!

Anniversary Giveaway!

July 3rd made one year for us officially on the waitlist for Easton.  

It also means we began this whole crazy adoption process two years ago . . . it seems to have flown by and crawled by at the same time!

These milestones are just that . . . not the end, just stops on the way.  Rather than lamenting how long the journey has been, we have the chance to look back at two years in process and one year on the waitlist and give thanks.  

If you look at any of the tabs above that give details about our adoption story, one thing becomes crystal clear . . . God has been and is at work for our good and for His glory.  

We have so many reasons to give thanks.  He {the God of the Universe} has spoken to us {an incredible thing that we often take for granted} in amazing ways to guide our steps, strengthen our faith, stretch our faith, test our obedience, and reveal more of Himself to a family who doesn't deserve to know Him at all.  He has provided every penny we've needed and blessings upon blessings that have gone above and beyond our needs.  He's been so close by the Spirit, through the Word, and through the Body as we've struggled in the wait, always gently reminding of His perfect plans that cannot be thwarted.

So we give thanks to the only One worthy and we continue to wait with much anticipation for the revealing of our precious son!

But that's not all!  We've got another major milestone happening this week . . .

July 12 is our 10 year anniversary!

I can't believe it has been 10 years.  I couldn't be more grateful for the man God chose for me, undeserving as I am for such a blessing.  I loved him when we got married, but I couldn't have anticipated the depth to which our love would grow in a decade.  Maturity, times of loss, times of great joy, kids, ministry, and most importantly, growth in our intimacy with Christ has created a love between us that is far greater, deeper, solid, selfless, and joyful than I could have ever imagined.

So to celebrate these two anniversaries, I'm doing a giveaway!

The prize is something that puts the focus on the root of why we have a thriving marriage 10 years later and why we have joy in the {long} wait for Easton . . . the Word of God.

There is absolutely nothing that has strengthen my intimacy with God and therefore strengthened every other area of my life like consistent, daily, worshipful time in the Word.  God has spoken, delighting to reveal Himself to us.  The Word transforms hearts and lives.  It is living and active, absolutely relevant to what we face in this broken world each day.  Through the Word we are equipped for every good work God has prepared in advance for us to do.  In the Word we are sharpened and refined, humbled and astonished by grace, strengthened in faith and convinced of Truth.  The Gospel is clearly proclaimed and this is a Gospel we need to preach to ourselves each day.

So I am obviously really thankful for the Bible, but my depth of love and gratitude has increased over the last few months because of one thing . . . memorizing Scripture.   

Having your daily bread in the morning is so good, but memorizing the Word is like having a constant feast before you all day.  

I can't even tell you how blessed I have been since I started memorizing in April.  Knowing the Word has protected me and sustained me, but has also readied me to be willing and able to share the Truth at a moment's notice.

I wrote a few months ago about the giveaway that I won with all the materials for a Scripture memory system.  It might not be for everyone, but I have loved it! 

 

{I'll give a basic explanation, but if you want more details you can go to my friend Shauna's blog which has a video with all the details.}

You have a box with a Daily tab, Monday through Friday tabs, and a tab for each day of the month {1-30}.  You write a verse {or verses, chapter, whatever you choose} on a notecard and it first goes behind the Daily tab.  You work on it each day until you've got it.  Then you move the notecard to one of the Weekly tabs where you'll review it once a week.  Once you feel like it is down deep, you move it to one of the Monthly tabs where you will review it once a month . . . forever!

So here's how it will look each day . . .

On the morning of my anniversary {Friday the 12th}, I'll work on each notecard that is in the Daily tab.  Then I'll review each notecard behind the Friday tab.  Then finish by reviewing all the notecards behind the 12 tab.

Make sense?  It is a simple system, but has been so good for me.  I need structure and routine, but enough flexibility to make me not get overwhelmed.  I usually have one longer passage and one or two shorter ones that I'm learning daily and I don't add another daily until I move one of those to a weekly tab.  I try to push myself, but not get so piled up that I'm jumbled and frustrated!

A big thanks to my friend, Mandi Eastwood!  She read my blog in April and not only got the materials for herself, but also got an extra of everything so I could do a giveaway!

So here's how the giveaway will work . . . Just comment on the blog or on my facebook with one of your favorite verses that you've memorized.  Easy as that!  I'll keep a list of everyone who comments and use random.org to choose the winner.  

I'll announce the winner on Friday . . . what a great way to start my anniversary! :)

Praying for your Pastor

Confession:  I never prayed faithfully for my Pastor . . . until I was married to him. :)

{This is the spot where my Pastor proposed 10 years ago!}

I wasn't that I didn't appreciate my former pastors or realize to some extent that the ministry is intense.  I just didn't think about it.

But now I live with it.  And let me tell you . . . until you do, you can't fully appreciate just how intense it is and just how much intercession matters.  

So I'm just gonna throw it out there . . . an encouragement and challenge to be on your knees {faithfully and frequently} for your Pastor.

The life of a Pastor is a constant battle ground.  His heart, his mind, his faith, his marriage, his relationship with his kids, his time engaging with his flock, his time in the Word and prayer,  his time in sermon prep {especially Saturday nights and Sunday mornings} . . . a war rages all week.

Why?  Because the faithful and bold proclamation of the Word of God has the power to transform lives.  People are born again as the Gospel is preached.  Followers of Christ are continually transformed as they grow in intimacy with Jesus.  Sin is revealed as we hold our lives up to the Word.  Grace is overwhelming as we hear of what Jesus has done on our behalf.  Lives are radically changed as we are yielded to God's purpose for His people . . . to glorify Him by making disciples of all nations.

There is great potential for transformation through the Spirit when the local Body gathers together to worship Christ and hear the Word preached.

Understandably, the enemy doesn't like this at all.  If a Pastor is faithfully feeding the sheep, the wolves will come.  I've only been the wife of a pastor for 5 years, but I can tell you that the evil one hasn't eased up on his attacks yet and I don't expect that he will.  The life of a Pastor is a constant battle ground.  If Satan can entangle him in sin and self, he will have with one swoop affected the whole flock. 

Here are just a few of the temptations Pastors can face . . . Every. Single. Week.

1. exaltation of self

{This is tough because we literally put Pastors up on a platform, give them a microphone, and put all eyes on them, but don't want them to be exalted instead of Christ.  What a weekly battle they face!  I pray for Chad this quote by Robert Murray McCheyne, "I see a man cannot be a faithful minister, until he preaches Christ for Christ's sake, until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ."}

2. the desire to please man instead of God

 {Paul says in 2 Timothy that a time is coming "when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth."  I doubt you want your Pastor to be one of those kind of teachers, but know that there are some who want just that.  A Pastor has to fight to measure success by his faithfulness and obedience to God instead of by how pleased people are with him.}

 3. balancing his time . . . engaging with his people during the week, administrative work, sermon prep, prayer . . . discerning how to best spend each moment is a weekly battle

4. the weight of standing before the flock {and before God} with a message from God

{I saw David Platt put on facebook yesterday this quote from John Knox, "I have never once feared the devil, but I tremble every time I enter the pulpit."  Preaching is intense, y'all!}

5. the temptation to go through the motions without growing in his own personal intimacy with God, without continual transformation, without submitting his own heart to the Word he will preach 

 6. the temptation to isolate

{We can forget that the Pastor isn't the Head of the Body . . . that is Jesus' role.  The Pastor has a specific role WITHIN the Body.  As part of the Body, he needs the same things that we all do . . . sharpening, encouragement, accountability, friendship.  If people expect their Pastor to somehow not struggle with sin and are shocked when he tries to confess sin and be held accountable, then a Pastor {and his family} can easily be resigned to just walk their faith journey in isolation, which is a dangerous road where sin can end up reigning in their lives.}

7. insecurity and the fear of man 

{Chances are a Pastor is not living up to someone's expectations in pretty much every area of his ministry.  If his eyes are focused on this reality, he can be insecure in all aspects of his ministry.} 

Like I said . . . a war is raging in the life of your Pastor and the enemy is not letting up!  Let's commit to being those who intercede, who take up arms and fight right beside the men who faithfully proclaim Christ each week!

I've been memorizing Psalm 138 to pray for Grayson, but on Saturday night I felt a strong leading to pray it for Chad as he prepared his heart to preach.  I'm not saying you have to, but if you are looking for something specific to pray for your Pastor, maybe you could start with this!

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

Pray that your Pastor will be overwhelmed with God's grace in his own life.  Pray that from his humbled heart, full of gratitude for his salvation, praise will flow and that he will worship in Spirit and in Truth.  Pray that his mind will be focused on the character of God revealed in the Word and in Christ.  Pray that the motive of his heart and the aim of his preaching will be that the name of Christ and the Word of God be exalted.

I'll just say one more thing from personal experience . . . if when you do pray for your Pastor, tell him!  It is so encouraging for him {and his family} to be reminded that he is not alone in this battle.  Especially when God gives you something specific to pray on his behalf, let him know how you are interceding . . . it is probably an answer to prayer or exactly the temptation he is facing.  Hearing from you will strengthen his faith in knowing how God sees and provides for him in the battle!

What do you pray for your Pastor?  How do you remain faithful in interceding for him?  Pastors and Pastor's wives . . . what are other areas of the battle that can be lifted up?

Summer Fun

There is nothing like your firstborn getting ready to start kindergarten to make you acutely aware of the shortness of summer.

I know some of y'all with kids at home who are normally at school are wondering what in the world I am talking about ... summer is loooooong. :)  I'm sure I'll be changing my tune in a year, but for now I feel like the day when my baby girl heads off to school without me is hurling toward me.

So this summer, we decided to be a little more intentional about making memories together.  It is awful to end up feeling like you've wasted precious time so I've been determined to make the most of these few months.  

Enter:  Summer Fun List.

 We sat around one of the days that Chad was still home {but not in a pain or medicine fog} and came up with these ideas together.  It shouldn't take you long to guess which ones Ava added to the list. {anything involving sugar!} Or be surprising that our first one checked off was to make smores . . . over the grill in the middle of blazing hot June!

I'm looking forward to getting the whole list checked off by August 21 when life gets turned upside down!

Since we're on the topic of summer fun, I thought I'd share a yummy recipe that is especially great for summer.

Hummus Veggie Wrap

whole wheat tortillas {I like the Whole Foods ones best}

hummus {I could eat Sabra Roasted Pine Nut hummus with a spoon!}

fresh lemon juice

tomato

cucumber

red onion

lettuce

{When I do something I like, I do it that way every time.  I'm weird like that.  So I'll give a step by step that is delicious and you can feel free to change it up!}

Spread hummus all over the tortilla.

Sprinkle lemon juice over the hummus.

Slice the tomato and put over half the tortilla.

Put sliced cucumber on top of tomatoes.

Sprinkle a little more lemon juice on cucumbers then add pepper on top.

Put sliced red onion on top.

Add romaine lettuce on top {not in the pic because you wouldn't see anything else!}.

Fold over and enjoy!

We love this wrap and seriously eat it for lunch at least 2 or 3 times a week.  It has no meat, but is super filling.  Chad even asks for it now!

 And just in case you needed a little more cuteness, here's a few more pics of my little loves . . .

 Ava and Grayson are actually playing together a lot more now. {translation:  Grayson will actually be still long enough to listen to what Ava wants him to do!}  They are getting creative together and it is such a joy to watch!  This is their "bunk bed" which kept them busy for 30 minutes. :)

Grayson is hilarious, especially now that he is talking and pretending.  This is him being a "mower."  The backpack is a blower and he uses the strap to pretend to blow the grass off the sidewalk.  He even makes the noise as he waves it back and forth.  And the hat is a necessity {you'll never see a landscaping guy without a hat on!}.  So cute!

Swinging and a picnic lunch at the Botanical Gardens

What are some of your favorite summer fun activities?

Adoption Update

An adoption update is long overdue.  It hasn't been that there is nothing to share, but with all that has been going on, I just haven't had the words or the energy to write until now.

I never gave our May waitlist number {88} because we got it right before the surgery and I was freaking out focused on that front.  Little did I know that I had missed my last chance to share our waitlist number. 

We received an email from AGCI a few weeks ago letting us know that they would no longer being giving families an updated waitlist number each month.  They aren't changing their process so we are still on a big list, but we just won't be getting that number anymore.  Essentially the process is so slow and complicated by lots of factors and parameters that the waitlist number can be a little misleading and lead to confusion and discouragement.  I get that.  A countdown is good, but when your number is still huge, it isn't as exciting as you'd think it would be.  And when your number is small, you could be on the edge of your seat for months, freaking out each time the phone rings . . . not great either.  {So if anyone has a great idea of what to put on my cute little chalkboard in the kitchen that previously chronicled our countdown, let me know.}

The slowdown in a nutshell is because like anything in our world, corruption can come into something beautiful and screw things up.  Thankfully AGCI is an ethical and trustworthy agency and has an amazing team in Ethiopia committed to doing things above reproach.  Because other agencies and orphanages aren't as ethical, there is a slowdown while US and ET authorities try to sort out and get rid of corruption.

AGCI also opened up a few possibilities because of the long wait . . . switching programs, concurrent adoptions, and letting your paperwork expire until you are closer to receiving a referral.  It is good they are looking at the timelines realistically and giving families a little more freedom in the meantime.

However, none of these options are something we sense God leading us to at this time.  Since we are still high on the list, we might normally be open to letting our paperwork expire, but I knew the list of families open to HIV was smaller and so I thought we should keep our paperwork updated so we'd be ready for a referral at any time.  

We don't have access to the details of families on the list, but I only knew of a couple of families in front of us open to HIV.  I decided to email our caseworker just to see if she would give me an answer as to exactly how many open to HIV were ahead of us {I was thinking 2 or 3}.  

Seven.  Not gonna lie, that email was like a punch in the gut.  {Now before you freak out at my selfishness . . . Of course I'm thrilled that so many families are open to a positive child.  I love it.  These kiddos need families and access to life-saving medication.  I'm thankful for how families just like ours are obeying God's call to be open to little ones that some in our world would disregard.}

But the difference between three and seven in the adoption world could be months and even years.  So there was some excitement, but quite a bit of discouragement too.  {And you have to cut me some slack too because I got this email right after Chad had come home from the hospital and I was exhausted and he was in all manner of pain and my kids were probably going crazy and it was all just too much.}

So what did I do?  I sadly did what many a woman before me has done when faced with a delay in her plan . . . I began to manipulate.  {Think Sarai and the whole Hagar episode.}

I found a moment alone and began to think of ways to fix it.  My train of thought went something like this . . .

We could leave AGCI and be matched with a waiting child with HIV in no time.  No . . . we would lose all the money we've already put in and we can't do that with everything that friends and family have sacrificially given.  We could do a concurrent adoption.  After all, we've already talked about adopting again one day.  Maybe another little one will come before Easton instead.  No . . . that would require another $30,000 that we don't have.  Maybe we could do foster-to-adopt since there is such a great need in our city.  No . . . AGCI won't let us do that while waiting.  Maybe I could just get pregnant again and have another little one before Easton even comes home.

And that's when God snapped me out of my craziness.  I had let my mind go so far down the track without realizing that the Holy Spirit had gotten off the train several stops back.

God whispered . . . When did the goal become just adding another child to your family?  Doesn't matter who, doesn't matter how . . . just get a kid in our family as quick as possible.  When did you trade in My perfect plan for this idea?

Ugh.  Thankfully I wasn't in that pit for long, but it was sobering to see the road that a little discouragement could send me running down.  I confessed.  I repented. 

And then I did what I predicted two years ago would need to happen at some point . . . I went back to when God spoke.  

This is an excerpt from my very first blog post announcing that we were adopting . . .

We know it will be a hard journey and we want to be able to look back and know that we heard God speak and were led by Him alone. To combat the desire in us to figure it all out and to pursue options that would be quicker, cheaper, etc., we committed to just spending time in daily prayer asking God to teach us, refine us and show us our next step.

Boy did He speak! In the last week, God has given us some clear answers.

What we know for now is that we are to adopt a son from Africa!

God spoke in incredible ways that we were to pursue adopting a little boy from Africa.  Months later God refined our call to adopt an HIV positive little one.  

This reflection gave me a fresh resolve . . .

Until we hear Him speak again, we will continue down this road for as long as it takes to see God's plan fulfilled.

{That's an easy sentence to write, but a much harder reality to walk.}

 I was strengthened and renewed by returning to our call, but it still weighed heavy on my heart as to why I was so thrown out of whack at the thought of our adoption taking even longer.

Then the other day God used my kiddos to reveal to me my heart and error in thinking.  

Ava said to Grayson, "I'm 4 and you're 2 so I win."  {She just might have a bit of her mama's competitive nature in her!} I said, "Ava, you are making a race out of something that isn't one.  Of course you are older, you were born first.  It isn't better, it's just how God planned it."

The words had barely left my mouth before I was humbling my heart.  I have looked at friends start the adoption process after us and already have their kids home and somehow have felt like they have won and I've lost.  I've turned this journey into a race so that every month waiting feels like a hurdle in my way and every victory for another family feels like defeat.

  
What a mess I've made of such a beautiful thing.  Of course our friend's have already welcomed their little one home . . . it was God's perfect plan.  Of course Easton isn't here yet and there are seven families in front of us and it could be years before we see his face . . . it is God's perfect plan.

And if I can't trust in His perfect plan, then what can I trust?  Walking in faith . . . that is what we are called to . . . even when it is hard and we can't see and it hurts.  So back on the journey {with the Holy Spirit this time!} and looking forward to more of how God will refine my heart and our family through the journey to our precious Easton!

So there you have it.  {Now you know why I haven't had the energy to write it all out!}  It is humbling to be honest on here for anyone to read, but I don't want to be anything else.  I don't have it all together.  I don't always wait well.  I worry and manipulate at times instead of trusting.

But I am seeking my Father through it all and I can still hear His voice that brings me back to quiet waters and green pastures.  His Word reminds me of His faithfulness to His promises . . . always.  The Gospel proclaims His great mercy and grace lavished on me.  Where else can I go?  I will trust in Jesus.  Praise be to His Name! 

Missionary Training

We have a missionary in our family.  

Her sending date:  mid-August.  

Her sending agency:  Us.

Her destination:  Lusher Elementary School.

Her next two months:  Training for the field.

{Ava ready to be a flower girl a month ago.  How is it possible that my girl is old enough to go to school?} 

The past year has taken us through the craziness that is applying to public schools in New Orleans.  We applied to three of the incredible public schools in the city, all of which are open enrollment to anyone in our parish.  They each have a lottery since there are way more applicants than spots.  It was time consuming and a little stressful . . . and we trusted in God's sovereignty from the beginning . . . I can't imagine the families that are desperate for their child to get a good education and are just hoping to get lucky.

We went through all the lotteries and Ava didn't get it any of the three.  And we were fine with this.  We signed her up to go to Arthur Ashe, which is 3 blocks from our house and started buying uniforms.  

Then, two weeks ago, we got a call from Lusher.  Because of Ava's good score on their assessment test, she had been #2 on their waitlist.  Even so, we didn't expect her to get in because people don't typically give up a spot at such a great school.  We were shocked to hear them offer Ava a spot.  We took a few days to pray about it {the weight of this decision was more overwhelming than I expected}.  

We are confident after much prayer and wise counsel that God has opened this door for Ava to learn at Lusher and for our family to intentionally make disciples in the Lusher community.

We have talked with Ava about the fact that she will be a "missionary" at Lusher.  Don't worry . . . we're not heaping pressure on her.  But we do want her to understand that God calls us, even her, to be intentionally making disciples as we go about life, in all areas of life.  We want her to get a great education, but that is not our greatest goal for her life.  We want her to see {and we've got to show her} that her place at Lusher is for a purpose far greater than just her education.  Our family will now have the opportunity to encounter other families, students, and teachers who may not have heard the good news that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

As you know, missionaries don't just get thrown on the mission field.  They go to training first.  Intensive training.  Our great friends JB and Liz have been at training the last few months before heading to Africa.  Ava has been faithful to pray for them as they prepare {she always prays for their language learning, which they haven't even started yet!}.  

This morning the Lord opened my eyes to the fact that we are her sending agency, but don't yet have an intentional training plan for Ava to prepare her for going to school.  

{The catalyst was a nightmare last night about Ava's first day of school.  I'm still having the "can't get my locker open" nightmares and I've been out of school for 14 years!  Now evidently I get to have them for my daughter too!}

So I spent time this morning praying and thinking about how to best use the next two months to prepare Ava for school.  Now here me . . . it isn't like we have never talked to Ava about Jesus or don't read the Bible with her.  We do.  But it is a whole other thing to think specifically about what Truth I want to make sure is hidden in her heart and mind as she steps foot in a whole new culture.

Our plan for now is to focus each week on one of the "I AM" statements of Jesus recorded in John.  {If anyone has any craft ideas or illustrations for any of these, feel free to pass it on!}  

Ava has also been very interested in my Scripture Memory System and has asked for one for herself.  It might be a little much for her, but since she's asking, we're going to give it a try. {She is a firstborn who loves structure and routine so it just might be perfect!}

That's a start, but I'm writing this because I know I'm not alone.  I know there are families who have already walked or are walking this road and have priceless wisdom to share.  And I know I'm not the only mama who would be grateful for practical ideas and insight for intentionally discipling our kids to be a light for Christ at school!  

So this is where you, my friends, come in!  I would love some wisdom, advice, and sharpening to be shared here!

What are some of the verses that have been most beneficial for your children to have memorized to deal with what they encounter at school?

What teachings from the Word have you focused on that have been practical and encouraging for your children?

What things have you intentionally done to prepare your little one's heart for engaging with children and teachers who don't know Christ?

As school begins, what do you do to keep the big picture in mind of making disciples . . . for your child and for your family?

What are the best ways that you have connected with teachers and parents that have opened doors to share the Gospel?

 Please share!  Life is so much better in community {even online community!} where we can spur one another on in our faith!