Well...many people are already aware of what this blog is going to be about...but several are not! Brent and I moved to New Bern last June to take a position at Pleasant Acres Church. I have been teaching at the school and Brent has served as the music minister. Throughout the course of this year there have been so many things on our mind. What does God have in store? What are we learning from this experience? What is our future going to be like here? As we started our ministry we still had butterflies and a little bit of "homesickness". As we started our journey we prayed that God would make us comfortable and help us to love our new home and ministry. After a few months we were still praying to feel at home. Over time we adjusted and continued to pray that we would know exactly God's plan for our lives. As we began to pray and search our hearts the Lord revealed so much more than we could have ever imagined. We had really been praying for God to guide and direct our path and we had believed we would be in New Bern for several years. The more we prayed a lack of peace began to overwhelm our hearts. Brent and I would discuss things EVERY night...and I mean EVERY night...how we were feeling, why were we feeling this way, and what in the world was God doing. We started to think about small things that had been on our hearts and began to realize that some of these things were God's still, small voice. Over time we had been thinking about these desires of our heart, but not really giving any significant thought to them. We knew God was trying to get our attention, but what exactly are we to do? Well after much prayer and discussion we beleive that God was ready for us to really begin fully relying and trusting in Him. I am thinking....HELLO we are in the ministry, we do rely on God. But we began to express how we have never had a time of just stepping out on faith and trusting the Lord to work and direct our paths. We truly believe that after looking for direction and what path to take that God is leading us to move back to our home in Gastonia. Once we return, Brent will begin pursuing his masters degree.
Here is where the leap of faith comes in. We are super excited about what God is going to do, but are still praying for God to open the right door of employment in HIS timing. We are very grateful that God did not allow our home in Gastonia to sell, and not only did He allow it to not sell; He provided us with the most amazing tenants to rent it who happened to need out of their lease 2 weeks before our move date! Can you say God's timing is AMAZING! We have been so pleased with the way our house was taken care of , as well as, how amazing this couple was in making their payments. I have heard so many horror stories of renting out your home, but I can truly say after looking at my property...Me (MISS PICKY, CLEAN NUT) cannot find ONE problem! Not only did this couple take great care of our home, they had the carpets cleaned and hired a professional cleaner without us asking! As of now, our plans are to move back home and continue to pursue our career options. Once the right doors open we are excited for Brent to begin studying his masters. We know this is the beginning to a long journey, but we are SO grateful about what the Lord is going to do.
Although New Bern did not end up like we thought it would, God always knows what He is doing. We have learned so much over the span of time we have lived here. From "how to move" to the important issues in life such as truly living a life of faith. We came here following God, and we leave here stronger and continuing to follow His leading. We covet your prayers over the next few weeks as we will be moving and continue to search for the right doors to continue walking through!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Friday, October 21, 2011
Alphabet Fun Day in K-5
Today we had Alphabet fun day in my class. Each child picked a letter of the alphabet and dressed up with something that started with that letter. It was SOOOOO Adorable. We played games, watched movies, made words with scrabble cheese its, ate alphabet soup and so much more. The kids had a great time and so did I! I also joined in the fun and dressed up as Dorothy. I have LOVED the "Wizard of Oz" since I was a little girl and had always wanted to dress up as Dorothy....well today I took advantage of that :) Here are some pics from today!
Had to share this....He was crackin me up...I accidetally kept calling him Cpt. Hook all day!
My little Mini Me
Return to Gastonia to visit our friends!
#4 Return to see our friends brand new baby Emma....as well as alllll our other wonderful friends!
We headed back to Gastonia to see our friends David and Sarah Pleasants brand new beautiful baby girl Emma Rose. We were so excited when we found out they were having a baby that I said I WOULD return to visit her once she was born. It was a great visit and a great weekend to be there. We went back to CCA to visit all the students during homecoming weekend. We miss them sooooo much and had a great time seeing all of them. Not only did we get to see all of the students, but we got to meet all of our best friends at our favorite restaraunt...LA FUENTE!!!! ( We have yet to find anywhere that can top it!) It was so much fun seeing everyone and made us miss the fun times, but was a great weekend. We love and miss all of you so much and cannot wait until our next trip!
We headed back to Gastonia to see our friends David and Sarah Pleasants brand new beautiful baby girl Emma Rose. We were so excited when we found out they were having a baby that I said I WOULD return to visit her once she was born. It was a great visit and a great weekend to be there. We went back to CCA to visit all the students during homecoming weekend. We miss them sooooo much and had a great time seeing all of them. Not only did we get to see all of the students, but we got to meet all of our best friends at our favorite restaraunt...LA FUENTE!!!! ( We have yet to find anywhere that can top it!) It was so much fun seeing everyone and made us miss the fun times, but was a great weekend. We love and miss all of you so much and cannot wait until our next trip!
Me holding little Emma
Samantha holding Emma
Me and my buddie Cameron Haggard (My wonderful friend Hannah's Baby)
School has Begun!
#3 Courtney Starts a new career...in K-5.... Let the learning begin!
At first I was so nervous about the fact of teaching k-5...many people perceive 5 yr olds as babies who you have to clean up, tie shoes, wipe noses and pretty much wait on hand and foot...so naturally I was somewhat concerned. Some of these things are true for the first few weeks of school and still occasionally, but honestly the day goes by so quickly you don't even realize what your are doing! It has to be done, so you just do it! My kids are so energetic and funny. There is not a day I go home without a story about something someone said or did that day....I have thirteen kids in my class and they each have such different personalities....it has been challenging and fun all at the same time. Here are a few photos of my classroom and kids...Enjoy!
At first I was so nervous about the fact of teaching k-5...many people perceive 5 yr olds as babies who you have to clean up, tie shoes, wipe noses and pretty much wait on hand and foot...so naturally I was somewhat concerned. Some of these things are true for the first few weeks of school and still occasionally, but honestly the day goes by so quickly you don't even realize what your are doing! It has to be done, so you just do it! My kids are so energetic and funny. There is not a day I go home without a story about something someone said or did that day....I have thirteen kids in my class and they each have such different personalities....it has been challenging and fun all at the same time. Here are a few photos of my classroom and kids...Enjoy!
...Brent's 25th Birthday...
#2...Not much time to celebrate...but a cool cake!
Brent turned 25 in August. We wanted to have a big bash, but with the new jobs and school starting....and Irene ruining our plans we weren't able to make it happen. The church threw a surprise party and a lady in the church made an AWESOME cake for him! He was so excited about the cake and so was I! Hopefully next year I can compete somewhat with this cake....NOT! :)
Prepare to catch up.....Here Goes
1. IRENE COMES TO TOWN
Brent and I were so prepared to stay in New Bern during Hurricane Irene. We figured it would turn and we would get just a little rain.....as the day went by we decided it was probably not the best idea for us to brave the elements so we headed home to Raleigh. When we came back home we knew we would have no power, but we never expected to see the damage we did. Praise the Lord he protected our home and material belongings.
\
Brent and I were so prepared to stay in New Bern during Hurricane Irene. We figured it would turn and we would get just a little rain.....as the day went by we decided it was probably not the best idea for us to brave the elements so we headed home to Raleigh. When we came back home we knew we would have no power, but we never expected to see the damage we did. Praise the Lord he protected our home and material belongings.
\This is the unit next to ours....as you can see the tree ruined that unit and landed on our deck.
No severe damage to anything of ours. We were very grateful for the safety of our property!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
House....house...house..
Well the time is coming for us to start packing up the boxes and heading out! ...I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. We have been praying and praying for God to give a us buyer for our house. As of today we still have no offers... :( Working with a real estate company, I am beginning to realize hmmm this housing market really isn't recovering too quickly. We are still praying about what to do and believe God will show us the best avenue. The problem in our neighborhood is that there is still room for new construction and the builder is offering a steal on new properties. I pray that God will send us the right buyer or possibly renter along to help us through this transition. I know He will provide no matter what happens and He has already proven His faithfulness time and time again. Proverbs 3:5-6 is the verse I think of every time I begin to get frustrated with the situation. God opened the door for us to move and get the jobs that we desire, so I have to trust that He will provide in every aspect of our move.
Although we have not sold our home, God has provided us with a cute little townhome to live in. We knew going into New Bern that we had a certain financial "cap" we wanted to stay in since we are still working through the house situation. We looked online and around the area and I just was sooo frustrated because I love my cute little house and nothing we looked at had that homy feeling in our price range. UNTIL... the management lady said... I think I have a property you might want to look at. Not knowing the price we agreed to go and I immediately loved it the moment I walked through the door. It was close to work, looks very similar to our house inside...and most importantly had room for our furniture. Then the big questions came...can I afford it, and can I bring my dog? Holding my breath I asked the lady and WOW she hit the price point on the head and yes...Phoebe can live there too. I told Brent this is it...but the price is only if you sign that week...uh oh we had two more months until we move in. So the lady said typically they wouldn't rent that far in advance, but for some reason that day the landlord agreed to let us sign for June. I know God's hand was in that situation and will continue to be throughout the rest of our move. Please keep praying as we make the transition to our new future!
Although we have not sold our home, God has provided us with a cute little townhome to live in. We knew going into New Bern that we had a certain financial "cap" we wanted to stay in since we are still working through the house situation. We looked online and around the area and I just was sooo frustrated because I love my cute little house and nothing we looked at had that homy feeling in our price range. UNTIL... the management lady said... I think I have a property you might want to look at. Not knowing the price we agreed to go and I immediately loved it the moment I walked through the door. It was close to work, looks very similar to our house inside...and most importantly had room for our furniture. Then the big questions came...can I afford it, and can I bring my dog? Holding my breath I asked the lady and WOW she hit the price point on the head and yes...Phoebe can live there too. I told Brent this is it...but the price is only if you sign that week...uh oh we had two more months until we move in. So the lady said typically they wouldn't rent that far in advance, but for some reason that day the landlord agreed to let us sign for June. I know God's hand was in that situation and will continue to be throughout the rest of our move. Please keep praying as we make the transition to our new future!
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