We're moving and it is for real. I would be starting to freak out but God is very much taking care of my crazy little heart. We have 15 more days in our house. Tomorrow I'm packing - not prematurely, right on time. I will be at Mosaic for three more Sundays. There is a house 2900 miles away that is waiting on our family. Yikes. This is the start of a very big adventure.
Thanksgiving was absolutely amazingly wonderful. We spent Wednesday night with Nick's dad, Thursday morning with Nick's Nana & Thursday evening through Sunday morning with my family in Charleston. It was really such a blessing. We ate, we cooked, we talked, we shopped, we played with the kids, we took pictures, we made lots of amazing memories.
I have to say - between all of our different family units, we are extremely blessed. We have amazing family and a lot to be thankful for. We took the greatest family portraits that Ill post up here ASAP.
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Welcome to the NRA
Please go read Nick's blog. I promise I won't let him shoot any of you. Unless you try to come near Glory.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
I've got to say...
God is good.
I'm just feeling so in awe of Him these past few days. The more I know about Him - the better I find He is. To alot of people, that may sound trite & silly, but to me it is so refreshing. I mean, I just can't get over Him. He took me - the worst person I know, all my sin & shame and decided that I was not only worth saving - dying for, but also worth using for His glory.
The next few months are going to be scary - but so so so so exciting. In general, I feel like the next few weeks are going to be some of the best of my life. So much time with family - Nick & Elias, and extended family. Mosaic's Womens Retreat at the end of this month, selling our first home... meeting with people to talk about New Beginnings, Elias' first Christmas... a week's vacation in Charleston with my favorite people (minus Nick who will be driving cross country) before we move. We really could not ask for more.
And then there's New Beginnings - a few months ago, I was truly at my wit's end. I knew I loved being a mother, but I hated doing it the way I was... stressed out, missing my husband, feeling paralyzed in ministry & my walk with the Lord. I just felt like giving up and so, in my heart, I did. I told the Lord that I couldn't figure out how to live - how to serve Him, how to be a good mom while loving on women and supporting my husband all at once. And now - this.
I've been focusing so much on the actual move & raising support that I keep forgetting & re-remembering what we're going to be doing. Then... I'm in awe. I can't believe what I'm about to be apart of, what my JOB is going to be. So - thanks God. I just can't believe how great You are. I don't think I'll ever get it.
I'm just feeling so in awe of Him these past few days. The more I know about Him - the better I find He is. To alot of people, that may sound trite & silly, but to me it is so refreshing. I mean, I just can't get over Him. He took me - the worst person I know, all my sin & shame and decided that I was not only worth saving - dying for, but also worth using for His glory.
The next few months are going to be scary - but so so so so exciting. In general, I feel like the next few weeks are going to be some of the best of my life. So much time with family - Nick & Elias, and extended family. Mosaic's Womens Retreat at the end of this month, selling our first home... meeting with people to talk about New Beginnings, Elias' first Christmas... a week's vacation in Charleston with my favorite people (minus Nick who will be driving cross country) before we move. We really could not ask for more.
And then there's New Beginnings - a few months ago, I was truly at my wit's end. I knew I loved being a mother, but I hated doing it the way I was... stressed out, missing my husband, feeling paralyzed in ministry & my walk with the Lord. I just felt like giving up and so, in my heart, I did. I told the Lord that I couldn't figure out how to live - how to serve Him, how to be a good mom while loving on women and supporting my husband all at once. And now - this.
I've been focusing so much on the actual move & raising support that I keep forgetting & re-remembering what we're going to be doing. Then... I'm in awe. I can't believe what I'm about to be apart of, what my JOB is going to be. So - thanks God. I just can't believe how great You are. I don't think I'll ever get it.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
exhausted
Ugh - I hate when people I love forget to blog all week & I don't feel updated. But I haven't blogged since Monday and I still don't feel like it. Life is steamrolling me & I'm trying to love it. Work has been absolutely psycho - trying to wrap everything up. My boss already hired my replacement & I start training her next week. I honestly think she'll be much better at my job than I am, and I'm sure her attitude will be MUCH better than mine has been this week.
Nick's job isn't even having him finish out his two week notice, so tomorrow is his last day. I'm slightly jealous. The buyer of our house moved up the closing to the 11th of December, and while that's nerve-wracking (considering we won't be in Puyallup until the 2nd of January), we're just believing God has some exciting purpose behind that.
Anyhoo... it's the weekend now - which is only the greatest thing ever. Tomorrow I have mommy small group, lunch with Kal & Stace, and girl's night at my house while Nick is in his last weekend class! Saturday morning is going to bring some Rachel Merchand/Elias/Jessi/possibly Angela time - and that couldn't be more fun.
Okay... I'm done. I have a nice pinched nerve in my upper back, a dirty house, a husband's paper to read over, & some serious sleep to get. Love.
Nick's job isn't even having him finish out his two week notice, so tomorrow is his last day. I'm slightly jealous. The buyer of our house moved up the closing to the 11th of December, and while that's nerve-wracking (considering we won't be in Puyallup until the 2nd of January), we're just believing God has some exciting purpose behind that.
Anyhoo... it's the weekend now - which is only the greatest thing ever. Tomorrow I have mommy small group, lunch with Kal & Stace, and girl's night at my house while Nick is in his last weekend class! Saturday morning is going to bring some Rachel Merchand/Elias/Jessi/possibly Angela time - and that couldn't be more fun.
Okay... I'm done. I have a nice pinched nerve in my upper back, a dirty house, a husband's paper to read over, & some serious sleep to get. Love.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Not to Us
In this whole process - you'd think I'd be really intent on focusing on God's glory & His name, but I've honestly gotten caught up in the craziness of it all.
The only place for those who know
It's not for us, It's all for You
Send Your holy fire on this offering
Let our worship burn for the world to see
It's not for us, It's all for You
It's sad that it took such a simple song for me to remember that it is because of the Lord we're doing all this. It's not just about Him, it's for Him. For His glory... for His name. To love on His girls, to show them true life in Christ and how freeing it can be. I might need to constantly remind myself of this, but there is absolutely no reason for me to feel anxious about any of this process - when God wants His glory, He gets it. I just need to relax & be grateful to be apart of the ride.
All that being said - even though we don't need to RELY on it, we are getting the most encouraging feedback. This morning was when I'd scheduled to put in my two week's notice and I was so scared about cutting off my own pay that I had pit stains on my shirt the size of my face. We really knew we needed at least a few weeks to pack up and get situated but I was terrified to end what feels really stable to officially start this endeavor. Anyhow, this morning - while I was stalling (and sweating) I checked my email to find an offer of support. It was from a sweet sweet sweet sister in the Lord & it just reminded me - it's about Him and His glory. This has nothing to do with me or what makes me comfortable.
Okay so that's just an update. Peace & Love.
What does everyone think about me moving? Are they supportive? Sad? Disapproving?
What if no one wants to financially support us? Does they like us enough? Do they trust us?
What if I'm terrible at the ministry? What if we totally fail & have to come home?
Then yesterday, we were singing during worship....
The cross before me the world behind
No turning back, raise the banner high
It's not for me, it's all for You
Let the heavens shake and split the sky
Let the people clap their hands and cry
It's not for us, it's all for You
Our hearts unfold before Your throne
The only place for those who know
It's not for us, It's all for You
Send Your holy fire on this offering
Let our worship burn for the world to see
It's not for us, It's all for You
It's sad that it took such a simple song for me to remember that it is because of the Lord we're doing all this. It's not just about Him, it's for Him. For His glory... for His name. To love on His girls, to show them true life in Christ and how freeing it can be. I might need to constantly remind myself of this, but there is absolutely no reason for me to feel anxious about any of this process - when God wants His glory, He gets it. I just need to relax & be grateful to be apart of the ride.
All that being said - even though we don't need to RELY on it, we are getting the most encouraging feedback. This morning was when I'd scheduled to put in my two week's notice and I was so scared about cutting off my own pay that I had pit stains on my shirt the size of my face. We really knew we needed at least a few weeks to pack up and get situated but I was terrified to end what feels really stable to officially start this endeavor. Anyhow, this morning - while I was stalling (and sweating) I checked my email to find an offer of support. It was from a sweet sweet sweet sister in the Lord & it just reminded me - it's about Him and His glory. This has nothing to do with me or what makes me comfortable.
Okay so that's just an update. Peace & Love.
Friday, November 9, 2007
.... BIG BIG FAMILY NEWS cont'd...
Many of you know and some of you don't - but we've been praying through a big family decision for the past several months. A while back we felt led to pray about some family changes - we felt like the Lord was taking us in a new direction and having us be open to wherever He was calling us to go. We started looking at different ministry positions and the first one we seriously pursued truly captured our heart and through a LOT of prayer & seeking counsel - we accepted that position last week.
So, as of January 1st - we will be living in Puyallup, Washington - a small town outside of Seattle. We'll be living as house parents at a crisis pregnancy home, New Beginnings, a YWAM-based ministry for young pregnant women with no resources. We'll be working with a team of others (social workers, the directors of the ministry, doctors, & other missionaries) to provide support for them and show them what raising children in a godly home looks like.
We can't even imagine what it's going to be like moving all the way across the county, packing up our lives & starting over... but we know this is something the Lord is calling us to. On top of all that, we're going to be trusting the Lord in a way that is very new for us - raising support to live on. New Beginnings will be providing a lot of what we need but we'll also be raising $2,000 a month and moving expenses that we're estimating to cost around $5,000.
So the next few months are going to be very excited and REALLY hectic. Our townhouse is officially under contract, for a price we feel pleased with. It's been on the market for four months and we just received our first offer today. The Lord truly could not have provided better timing... if everything goes as planned - we'll really start focusing on support raising in the next few weeks, packing up, and we'll close on our house around December 20th. We'll spend Christmas saying goodbye to family in Charleston and we'll head out!
In the meantime, we would LOVE to see, talk, pray, and hang out with all of you before we leave. We'll still be desiring your prayers and friendship over the next few weeks - and especially the next few years! Also - if you or anyone you know might be interested in partnering with us through financial support or hearing more about the ministry we'll be working for, of course we'd love to share!
Again, we're so thankful for our friends, family, & "family" for all you've done and for your continued love & support. We're so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and all of you!
.... Jessi, Nick, & Elias
So, as of January 1st - we will be living in Puyallup, Washington - a small town outside of Seattle. We'll be living as house parents at a crisis pregnancy home, New Beginnings, a YWAM-based ministry for young pregnant women with no resources. We'll be working with a team of others (social workers, the directors of the ministry, doctors, & other missionaries) to provide support for them and show them what raising children in a godly home looks like.
We can't even imagine what it's going to be like moving all the way across the county, packing up our lives & starting over... but we know this is something the Lord is calling us to. On top of all that, we're going to be trusting the Lord in a way that is very new for us - raising support to live on. New Beginnings will be providing a lot of what we need but we'll also be raising $2,000 a month and moving expenses that we're estimating to cost around $5,000.
So the next few months are going to be very excited and REALLY hectic. Our townhouse is officially under contract, for a price we feel pleased with. It's been on the market for four months and we just received our first offer today. The Lord truly could not have provided better timing... if everything goes as planned - we'll really start focusing on support raising in the next few weeks, packing up, and we'll close on our house around December 20th. We'll spend Christmas saying goodbye to family in Charleston and we'll head out!
In the meantime, we would LOVE to see, talk, pray, and hang out with all of you before we leave. We'll still be desiring your prayers and friendship over the next few weeks - and especially the next few years! Also - if you or anyone you know might be interested in partnering with us through financial support or hearing more about the ministry we'll be working for, of course we'd love to share!
Again, we're so thankful for our friends, family, & "family" for all you've done and for your continued love & support. We're so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and all of you!
.... Jessi, Nick, & Elias
Thursday, November 8, 2007
One of the best days of the year...
Starbucks switches to their Christmas cups. Rejoice. In general, I'm not a fan of premature Christmas decorations - but this is just the greatest thing in the world.
Monday, November 5, 2007
A week later
I was talking to my mom last night about the whole Glory ordeal and we were comparing notes about how different we all feel a week later. When people ask me how far along I am, or when I'm due.... I want to go into a twenty minutes tangent about God's grace & goodness. During that whole hard walk - I really anticipated that I'd feel silly or stupid if everything turned out to be okay. I don't feel that way. I don't feel like a tear or a prayer was wasted. I just feel grateful.
I don't think anyone can understand what we went through in those two weeks, except for those who've been through that wait. I know I can't understand what it's like to lose a baby & I know I can't understand what it's like to bury a child and so I don't really expect anyone to understand what our little faith trial was like.
What I do understand, is peace. I also understand my Father's heart much better than I did a month ago. I understand that any trial is hard - small or big. Tonight I was talking to some girlfriends and hearing their hearts and what they're going through and I was just broken for them. Life is so hard - processes on earth are so fallen. Grief, in any form, is not easy.
It's just so hard for me to understand that God gives us His love, peace, & grace so willingly. I will never walk through another trial in my life in a place that blames Him because I've tasted that gift and seen how easy it is to accept. Part of me wants to put a condition on that & say 'maybe I'll revert back to my old ways & complain and moan and curse His name & plan'. But I truly know that I won't. Once you've tasted the simplistic gift of His presence - you're hooked.
So whatever life brings - I'm holding on. I might mourn, cry, scream, hurt, die, fail, fall, question, cry, wait, wonder, cry, kick things, cry.... but I won't do it without Him. I won't push Him out - I won't do it alone. I'll cry, kick, & scream while I thank Him for the gift of His presence.
I don't think anyone can understand what we went through in those two weeks, except for those who've been through that wait. I know I can't understand what it's like to lose a baby & I know I can't understand what it's like to bury a child and so I don't really expect anyone to understand what our little faith trial was like.
What I do understand, is peace. I also understand my Father's heart much better than I did a month ago. I understand that any trial is hard - small or big. Tonight I was talking to some girlfriends and hearing their hearts and what they're going through and I was just broken for them. Life is so hard - processes on earth are so fallen. Grief, in any form, is not easy.
It's just so hard for me to understand that God gives us His love, peace, & grace so willingly. I will never walk through another trial in my life in a place that blames Him because I've tasted that gift and seen how easy it is to accept. Part of me wants to put a condition on that & say 'maybe I'll revert back to my old ways & complain and moan and curse His name & plan'. But I truly know that I won't. Once you've tasted the simplistic gift of His presence - you're hooked.
So whatever life brings - I'm holding on. I might mourn, cry, scream, hurt, die, fail, fall, question, cry, wait, wonder, cry, kick things, cry.... but I won't do it without Him. I won't push Him out - I won't do it alone. I'll cry, kick, & scream while I thank Him for the gift of His presence.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Elias Powell - joy of our universe
Listen... Nick and I LOOOOOVVVVEEEE Elias. I mean, we really love him - He is our absolute joy. Our families love him, a lot. Our friends love him, a lot. It is really encouraging to me that not only does Elias love being around people, but in general - he is a blessing to the world when others get to spend time with him. Like Donald - who spent the day with E today. We're really thankful for friends who not only love Elias, but also really love to spoil him when we refuse to. (And Nonnies & Rubies who do the same!)
A few more updates:
Thanks so much for all of your encouraging words about Glory. I wish I could sit with each of you and tell you how awesome it's been to have your prayers & support. My prayer is that we continue to give Glory to God - our daughter and the worship He is due.
We get a little family time tomorrow! Elias is really excited to see his Nonny - my mom is coming in to town for a short little visit and we all can't wait! Nick and I are going to wait to go to church at night, so we're doing something as a family we've never done before - going out to breakfast! We can't wait. Family time is so precious to us and we're really excited for a few hours as a quartet (even if one of the family is still in utero).
I hope everyone is having a great start to fall! We cannot wait for it to get cold so we can bundle up Elias in his plethora of coats! For some reason - that kid has more coats than anything else:)
A few more updates:
Thanks so much for all of your encouraging words about Glory. I wish I could sit with each of you and tell you how awesome it's been to have your prayers & support. My prayer is that we continue to give Glory to God - our daughter and the worship He is due.
We get a little family time tomorrow! Elias is really excited to see his Nonny - my mom is coming in to town for a short little visit and we all can't wait! Nick and I are going to wait to go to church at night, so we're doing something as a family we've never done before - going out to breakfast! We can't wait. Family time is so precious to us and we're really excited for a few hours as a quartet (even if one of the family is still in utero).
I hope everyone is having a great start to fall! We cannot wait for it to get cold so we can bundle up Elias in his plethora of coats! For some reason - that kid has more coats than anything else:)
Friday, November 2, 2007
My new love
So since life is starting to look a little more normal - I don't really have a ton to say. It's been a busy week, getting back into the swing of things after having two weeks off for Glory/Seattle. One little new joy in my life is.... crossword puzzles. I'm slightly addicted. Kal, Shawn, Nick & I played them the whole way home from Seattle and even competed against one another.... it could get ugly.
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