I'm going to Haiti!

yep. me. next summer.
and i'm so excited!
i'm looking forward to seeing how God is going to use me. i have daydreams... i make up scenarios... my heart leaps with excitement for the things i imagine i will experience. and then i get even more excited when i realize this is God's thing... which means it's going to be way cooler than anything i can dream up.
i am going as a leader with our youth group from Brighton Chapel. please pray for our group as we begin to prepare for this amazing trip. pray that our hearts will be prepared for the sights we will see and the people we will meet. and also pray for the people that we will come in contact with. pray that we will have a lasting effect on them and that we will have unending opportunities to share the gospel with the lost people of this country.
i am attaching a copy of my mission letter so you can read more about this opportunity. i know i've already said it, but above all, please pray!! :)

I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”  Psalm 40:8

October 1, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

As you may know, for the past year, Nate and I have been involved as sponsors with our youth group at Brighton Chapel. In that year, we have grown a deep passion for these kids and have been so blessed as we watch them grow in their relationship with our Lord.  We have been given an opportunity to grow even deeper with God and with our youth group, and I would like to share that opportunity with you.

Our youth group is going on a mission trip to the country of Haiti in the summer of 2012. As you probably know, Haiti is a small, island nation that struggles with such things as extreme poverty, a lack of clean water, and a recent, catastrophic earthquake that killed thousands and destroyed much. As Haiti struggles with these issues, the door stands open for people to travel there to physically offer assistance, and also – and even more important – to share the love of God with the people there.

We will be doing a variety of things while on this trip, including working with orphaned children, assisting in water-purification projects, various small work projects, and sharing our faith in Christ. I have been blessed with the opportunity to help lead our group as we go on this mission. Nate has offered to stay home with Eden and Jada to allow me the opportunity to spend a week of my summer growing in my relationship with Christ and serving those less fortunate by sharing God’s love.

I am writing to inform you of this opportunity I have and asking you to pray for me and for our team of leaders and students from Brighton Chapel. Please pray that the Lord will make this trip a reality, that He will give us safety as we travel, and that He will watch over us as we serve.

I am also asking if you would consider partnering with me financially. The total cost for each participant on the trip is $1500. This cost covers transportation, lodging, food, and supplies – really, everything. Each person is working to raise enough to cover his/her own costs. I do understand that this is a hard time economically for many people. If you cannot afford a contribution toward my trip, I would love it if you would simply agree to pray for me and for our team!  Whether you are able to help financially or by lifting me up in prayer, I would like to thank you so much.

If you would like to read more about the organization we are serving with, you can visit their website at www.cpr-3.com. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me at 260.463.6553 and I will do my best to answer them.

Thank you so much for prayerfully considering how you can help me with my mission trip.

In His love,

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”  Isaiah 6:8

Kari Mauck                                                                                               Your Name_____________________________

0250 N 010 W                                                                                           Your Address___________________________

LaGrange, IN 46761                                                                                                   ___________________________        

_____ Yes, I will pray for you as you prepare to go to Haiti. I will pray for the Lord to give you safety,

that you grow you in your love for Him, and that He will prepare you to serve!

_____ Yes, I will support you with a gift of $_____.__ to help with this trip.

                Checks can be made out to Brighton Chapel and are totally tax deductible.

Please return the bottom portion of this page to my address listed above,

 and keep the attached letter as a reminder to pray for our group.

Thank you!

Jada Elyse. 2.

My dear, sweet Jada --
You are two! When did that happen? It seems like just yesterday you made your mad-dash of an entrance into this world... and you've been going strong ever since!
It has been so fun to watch you grow and change over these past two years. One thing has never changed, though -- your spirit!  You are so fun-loving and you know how to make people laugh. You are so sensitive to other people's feelings. You constantly put other people's needs above your own.  Your sweet smile and deep brown eyes are enough to melt anyone you come in contact with.
You are so hard to discipline. Not because you don't give us plenty of opportunity (you DO!) -- but because you are so stinkin' CUTE! As soon as you do something bad, you just give that look that says, "c'mon, that was funny..." You will never know how hard it is to try to conceal how funny you truly are! :)
You are a talker. You have been putting together long sentences for over 6 months now. It is so amazing to me to just listen to you talk. You are a very good speaker and have an excellent grasp of how to put your thoughts together.
Jada, you are such an independent spirit. You want to do everything yourself and you usually have enough determination behind you to get it done!! Daddy and I are rarely allowed to help you. We have learned to just let you know that we are available to help you if you need us, then we just step back and watch you learn... it's hard to watch you cry in these situations, but it's so rewarding to see you accomplish something new on your own. (and, i must admit, it is heart-warming when you finally give in with a 'help me, mommy.')
Your love for your big sister is the truest expression of love i have ever witnessed. I never experienced the 'sibling relationship,' and it has truly been a joy to experience that bond through you and Eden. Thank you for showing me this kind of unconditional love.
Your likes and dislikes: your favorite songs are Jesus loves me and "daddy's song" (DC-10 by Audio Adrenaline). Your favorite breakfast is pancakes. Your favorite movies are Dora and Strawberry Shortcake. Your favorite baby is Baby Belle. When you go to bed, you want a baby and a book,  but you absolutely DO NOT want a blanket. You are still loving your thumb and your belly button. If given the option, you will choose to stay in your jammies all day. You love to read. You say that you enjoy story time at the library, but you definitely do not like the puppets!  Favorite food?? Nope... no favorites... you just love food!
I can't wait to see what new and exciting changes we will experience with you in the next year as you grow and learn even more!!
I love you Jada Elyse,
Mommy

Bible lessons from a 3 year old

Last night, Eden was insistent that I stay in her room after the girls were put to bed. After about a half hour of back and forth, I finally gave in and just took my book into her room and lay on her floor waiting for her to fall asleep. As she laid in bed and read her book aloud, this is what I learned:
• Adam and Eve lived in Wonderland
• The animals all came one by one to visit Noah on the boat
•God sent a really big storm to Wonderland
•The boat eventually came to Wonderland
•God sent a rainbow and it was beautiful

Her details may have been a little off, but I gotta tell ya.... her interpretation of the story was just as beautiful as God's original story.  Because I'm pretty sure when God was naming the Garden, it was probably a toss up between the Garden of Eden and Wonderland. What a tough decision.  And He really did send a beautiful rainbow at the end of that big storm.

Thank you, God, for your promise, your love, and the way you have filled the hearts of both of my daughters with a great love for you! AMEN

new sleeping arrangements

Night #1 can definitely be deemed a success!

yes, there is still some work to be done. yes, jada still needs a mattress.... i realize that is vital to a good night's sleep... but it was labor day and there were no stores in lagrange county open for us to buy a cheap mattress. but she seemed content with her little bed for now.
the bunk beds were my idea. i was certain they would both sleep better at night if they weren't sleeping alone. but i was still super-duper nervous. if you have read my previous posts, you know we have to 'trap' jada in her room at nights because she has a tendency to get up and walk out in the middle of the night and bug the rest of us.  and for those of you that don't know, one of the major things missing from this room is.... wait for it.... a DOOR. yikes. you can understand why i was nervous. i thought for sure the night would go something like this: the girls lay down for bed, mom and dad leave the room, girls laugh and talk and dance and giggle and do all things unrelated to sleeping, girls eventually fall asleep, then one girls wakes up crying which wakes up the other girl, jada wakes up continuously throughout the night and comes to my room just because she can, blah, blah, blah... you get my point... i didn't expect to sleep last night!!
but i was pleasantly surprised.  yes, they chatted, but we never had to go in to tell them it was time to sleep... they figured that out on their own. i had to get up once because eden needed to pee-pee and, in her words, "i not know how to go down dat ladder. it not have enough steps."
so, we all slept well last night, and they are currently in the midst of nap #1 in the new room and everyone is fast asleep.
love those girls!

Where's Daddy?

Jada's first words this morning when she woke up this morning. I love how much my girls love their daddy!!
"Where Daddy??"
"Daddy is at work"
"Why"
"So he can provide for our family and take care of us. Daddy makes sure we have a house to live in and food to eat."
"Eat house??"
"No... we eat FOOD. We LIVE in our house."
"Eat food?"
"Yes."
"oh."

that baby in my belly.

No... this is not an announcement. Just a really funny story.
I wasn't going to write about it, but it keeps coming up in our house and I decided it deserved to be shared.

A couple weeks ago, EE and I were chatting in the evening and I told her that she was going to Miss Amanda's [the babysitter] the next day. This is the conversation that follows:
EE: "Why"
Mom: "Because I have to go to work tomorrow."
EE: "But pretty soon you will have that baby in your belly and then you won't have to go to work anymore."
Mom: shocked. "Www...ww...WHAT?"
EE: "Pretty soon you will have that baby in your belly then you won't go to work anymore!"
Mom: "But I don't have a baby in my belly."
EE: "Yes you do. And when it come out of your belly then you not have to go to work anymore."
Mom: still confused
EE: "And when you have that baby then there will be 4 girls and only 1 boy!!" *laughs*
Mom: "So the baby is going to be a girl?"
EE: "Yes, I not want a boy."
*** This conversation continues for some time. She finally confesses that Isabella's mommy is having a baby and that's where she got the idea. I have to admit, this calmed my fears a bit. She was speaking with so much confidence I was starting to fear I may have a prophet on my hands!!
So the next morning when we go to Miss Amanda's I tell her this funny story. And she tells me that Isabella's mommy is NOT having a baby!! Nobody's mommy is as far as she knows.
Yikes.
And a few days later it comes up again. She again laughs because daddy will be the only boy. And this time she has a name. We will name the baby Allison (she names ALL her babies Allison). This is named after her favorite twins, Allison and Jaren. And then she has a new insight. I'm having twins. Because she wants babies like Jaren and Allison to live at our house. But she's concerned about where everyone will sleep. Don't worry -- we got it figured out. She initially thought it would be best for daddy to just sleep in the basement with the babies. But after a little brainstorming, we figured out a way for everyone to stay upstairs. Whew.

sweet.

Eden keeps calling Jada 'sweet.'
"Hey Sweet." "C'mere, Sweet." "Did you see that, Sweet?" "I'll be right back, Sweet."
How sweet.