Mission: Detroit 2011

 First Baptist Church in Albion took their first trip to Detroit for an urban missions trip. It was a great experience, with lots of potential and contacts made for future trips. Here is the group, (minus the two college students that met us there). It was the hottest week in decades, but you would never know by this picture. We are ready to roll!

 The poor, poor people that had to ride in the van without air conditioning! 

 Impact Church was our home for a few days. It was SUCH a blessing to come back to an airconditioned sleeping area. We ate our meals here, slept here, and showered here. I am proud of our group for dealing so well with 1 shower for 24 people. Way to go team! 

On Thursday we set off to work at Hope Church. Hope Church put us to work! Amber and Grace made a drab white hallway into an ocean mural.....

 Hope Church also put us to work in their garden. There are over 41 square miles of empty land in Detroit, why not plant a garden? There are no stores that sell produce within the city limits of Detroit---makes it hard to eat healthy! How do people get fresh produce if they don't have money...another advantage of community gardens! Speaking of community.....gardening together brings the neighborhood together!  

 And then more work at Hope Church......working with their kids camp. They have an 8 week kids camp, serving from 40-100 kids. 

Friday we sent groups to the Detroit Rescue Mission. The center we went to was a center for ex convicts re entering society. Our team prepared meals, served meals and cared for the men in attendance. 

 Also on Friday some of the team was sent to work at Impact Church, doing some cleaning work. The kids did awesome!!!!

 Following the work on Friday we went a local home and had a soul food dinner. It was great!! Delicious! We also met with a couple from Albion who have moved to Detroit to live intentionally for ministry purposes. 

Saturday we spent more time cleaning at Impact and then.....to Greek Town!!! Wahoo. Gotta love Greek Town in Detroit. 

Happy (belated) Birthday to My Hunny!

 We were in Detroit on a missions trip during Jon's 21st birthday--probably one of the hottest birthdays I can remember. Thank you midwest heat wave. In honor of  Jon's 29th birthday, I will give you 29 facts about the love of my life.

1. He hates leftovers
2. He won't eat melons of any kind.
3. He has taken up running and has lost over 50lbs in the last year.
4. He wants to own a motorcycle some day.
5. He went to college for: engineering, elementary education...and then....culinary arts.
6. He is the absolute best father in the world.
7. He may also be the absolute messiest person in the world. 
8. Unlike his wife, his idea of a vacation would not be to lay out on the beach all day.
9. He is not a fan of christian music, much like his wife.
10. He is loving on the youth of our church and becoming a part of their lives. I never thought I would see that happen, but it is fun to watch him grow in those discipleship and teaching skills.
11. He is a man that worships his creator through music, and I love it.
12. Give the man some tortilla chips, salsa from La Casa Mexicana (restaurant here in Albion), beer, and Gordon Ramsey and he will have a great night ahead of him. (Insert Gordon Ramsey with ESPN, Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters, etc.)
13. He does not like to read.
14. He had my grandma for a third grade teacher.
15. He knew he was going to marry me in September of 1998. We married July 16, 2006.
16. He loves Detroit.
17. He is incredibly easy going.
18. If you are driving in the left hand passing lane on the expressway, you may want to watch out, lest you face the wrath of Jon.
17. He thinks that having an SUV is synonymous with getting me to date him. (Not true, and quite the opposite.)
18. He grew his hair out in college.
19. He lived in a house with 5 guys in college. They had a lot of fun, but did not do a lot of cleaning or class attending.
20. He was in a band in high school and college. I hated it. We broke up.
21. He loves soccer, playing it, watching it and coaching it.
22. He is gracious and merciful.
23. He is an amazing cook, but would live off cereal.
24. He won't eat chicken nuggets.
25. I can see God's heart through him.
26. He has an understanding of scripture that he is not even aware of. I can't imagine what it would look like if he would really really tap into it.
27. I am certain that there is no one else in the world that I can see eye to eye with on the big things in the life, the big decisions, social issues, theological issues. etc.
28. He is the most amazing kisser. And yes, no one else would know that but me:) There is something about only dating one person and  marrying your high school sweetheart.
29. If allowed, I think he could quote all of Talledaga Nights to you.  

Happy Birthday to my hott man! Love you baby.

A Late Monday Morning

I rolled out of bed at 8:30 this morning. Unheard of around here. Jon has been at work for a few hours and Caleb and I are definitely enjoying a quiet morning and sleeping in. We had a very busy weekend, and we needed that sleep.

Our time in Detroit was great. Jon and I have both been a part of urban ministry trips in Detroit, but we have never done them together. This was our first time together, and our first time having a child there. It was
 H A R D with a baby-almost toddler there. I was so glad that Caleb was there though. We want to have it instilled early on in our family that we do ministry together, we serve together and follow Jesus together. It may not be as hard as I thought, just realizing than an 18 month old is harder to work with than college students.

There is a lot of adoption talk going on at our house, for those of you who have been asking. If you have been paying attention, we have said that we would pursue foster care in July 2011. Here we are, almost done with July and we have not forgotten. We are so unsure of where to pursue at this point.  There has been a lot of discussion and prayer. This week there should be some emails sent and phone calls made.

I have lots of photo shoot ideas for my little man. This week may be the only week to get them done. I am looking forward to it!

Today will be spent catching up on my Bible reading. Apparently a 4 day missions trip isn't quite conducive for a 90 Day reading plan. Laundry will be done, including sheets, my bedroom will be cleaned, I will started back on my shredding (Day 9 today) and photos will be edited!!

What are you up to today?

In my own little corner

• In a few hours, I leave for Detroit. Our church is going on an Urban Missions Trip and I am so excited to be a part of it. It seems strange to be packing and getting the whole family (all three of us) ready for this. I am always the one to leave, to go on these trips, to staff these trips with college students as well as a variety of other travel fun. This time....me, my hubster and the baby. Wow. All of us. Feels great, even if I am weirded out. 

Because I will have my "Mom hat" on, amongst other things, I have a feeling that a lot of my time will be spent with Caleb and other kids. This will be different!

I am currently reading the Bible through in 90 Days. It has been a sure test of discipline. I have loved it. It has been hard to not dig deep and study, but I am reminded of the importance of a Biblical Overview. It has been 10 days and I have covered Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and am currently in Numbers.

My to do list is bigger than the alloted amount of time in a day. When will that change?

I had a brush with insanity this week. The last straw dropped and I went to the salon and had Caleb's head shaved. Wow. I am both mourning and rejoicing. No more sticky, yucky food hiding in his afro, no more combing and picking through, no more tantrums with the grease, no more worried that his hair will get wet and then I will have to comb it out again.....but HE LOOKS SO    B I G.  Can someone please come and tell him to stop growing?

I have a few hours before we leave for Detroit. I need to finish my Bible reading for the day, clean out the car, pack the car, pick up cat food, find coolers, fans and paint supplies and work on some of our Bible Studies for our time in Detroit. Can't wait to take a few pictures in the city.....and then of course bring them to you:)

HOT

How are you keeping cool during this midwest heat wave? We brought Gramma in for a few days and hit the pool!

Operation: Weight Loss (2 Month Low Carb) Day #8

Yay!!! It feels good to say that I am officially on Day #8. I am not really counting the days of low carb eating as much as I am counting other days (Bible in 90 Days, 30 Day Shred), but it is good to NOT see Day #1.

I have always loved low carb eating, once I get over the initial withdrawl:) I see success. So far I have lost 5 lbs since last Tuesday. I know I have gained endurance in working out. I am slowly thinking that working out and eating healthy will become habitual in my life. We shall see:)

5lbs down is a huge success in my book! It is the encouragement I need to keep going.

Day #1 of B90

 

Today marks day 1 of reading the Bible in 90 Days. I am so excited. I woke\up at my normal 6am ( I cannot believe that 6am is my new normal). Day 1 is always easy, for anything. The excitement of something new gets us out of bed. How can I be sure that I maintain this?

1. Maintain 6 am wake ups. Usually at this time Jon is at work and Caleb is still sleeping. There are times when Caleb is awake, but he can stay content in his crib before he needs to wake up. He is pretty good at that.

2. Blog and get the word out, so people are keeping me accountable.

3. Not giving up.  Especially when I miss a morning. Those times, I will need to find another part of the day, or make up for a missed day.

4. Be dependent on God.  He wants me to read His word more than I ever will. I need to lean on Him to give me strength, endurance and excitement.

Won't you join me???

Operation: Weight Loss (2 Month Low Carb) Day #1 (AGAIN)

When you fall off the horse, you need to get right back on.

Exactly what I am doing this morning.

Eating carb free went great last week.

That was until we decided to go up to the lake, lounge around and eat junk all weekend. Apparently it is really hard to diet during a holiday weekend, especially at my grandma's house.

That being said. Let's do this!!! Today is a new day, I have found new motivation and am ready to shed these pounds. Looking forward to a better update next Tuesday.

The bad news? I don't even want to share, but because this blog is where I am going to find accountability and support, I will.

I am up 4.4lbs. EW. Gross. Ok, and that is my complaining and self loathing for the day.

Today is a new day and I will own it!

90 Day Challenge

"So, are you going to get a maid, and a cook?"

Normally that response from my husband would make my skin rise with feminist ideas, but not today. It is like a challenge..... I am shouting in my head, "Watch me." I will do this. Just watch me.

Maybe not the best attitude, but something to jump into. Sometimes you have to do that right?

I am jumping into the Read the Bible Through in 90 Days Challenge. Wow. Time Commitment for sure. I am excited to practice discipline, to grow in God's word and to prove my husband wrong:)

I know it will take discipline.....which I need all around right now. I also know that I have been yearning and wanting more of God's word. I have been spending about the same amount of time required to be with the Lord during the day anyway, this will just be a lot more reading. I am excited. Feeling overwhelmed, but so excited.

So....who is with me? I want to do this with other people. I want to do this in community, but not break any of my other friends Bible reading plans....so, who's in?

Here Kitty Kitty

What could this beautiful, curious boy be doing??? Dangerous question. I try to avoid it as much as possible. Ignorance is bliss around here. Did my son just share his sippy cup with the dog? Certainly not. If I didn't see it, it didn't happen. 

Moving on, I promise.

My little guy had his heart stolen this week. 

Stolen by this little guy. Unfortunately I don't think this kitty felt the same way. 

"Mom, can we take him home?"

"I will pet it and snuggle with it." 

 "I have a lion chair at home too. I bet the kitty will feel right at home at our house." 

 "And if it needs help moving from chair to chair, I am big enough to help."

" I love carrying kitties. Especially upside down. I think they like it like that. " 

 "I think I could get used to taking care of a kitty. I am pretty good at it." 

"Please mumma. Please!"

Alternate title to this blog: Sorry Wendi, for allowing my kid to torture your new baby kitties. Can we still be friends?