Here are some moments from our Spring Break trip that we caught on video... they are pretty silly, but too fun to watch!
April 04, 2011
March 29, 2011
Fundraiser Necklaces
Thea team from my church and I will be traveling back to Russia in June to visit some graduates, and hopefully an orphanage, and continue to bring the good news of Christ to the people there! We CANT WAIT!!!
One thing though -- going means we need the support to get there!! That's where you come in! :) We have a few different ways you can support our trip, but the latest is these necklaces! Erin & I make them, and we are selling them for $15 each to raise support!!
Here are some examples of necklaces that we have made! We make ALL different types... different colors, designs, etc. Also, on some of them we put the russian word for either 'faith', 'hope', or 'love'.... what a great way to remember these sweet kids in Russia and to be reminded to pray for them!! Also, we can customize text on them, so if you want something specific, we can do it!!!! Just note that when you order:)
We are so very excited to see what the Lord has in store for this upcoming trip!! Thank you all for your support!!
Just like with our T-Shirts, you can order online!! :) Be specific with what type of necklace you would like, and we will ship it to you! Above you can see some of the different designs that we can make :) There will be a small addition for shipping though!
You can order below!!!
March 27, 2011
$10 for Hope
Russian Orphans and Orphan Graduates are in desperate need of hearing the hope of Christ!
They have stolen my heart, and I have the opportunity to travel back to Russia in June, but I need YOUR help! :) We just got back from a GREAT trip over spring break, but it's time to start getting ready for June!
What can you use $10 for?
- a few trips to Starbucks?
- eating dinner at Chili's?
- buying that CD you want from iTunes?
OR
You can use $10 to help give hope to an orphan in Russia. I think that $10 goes way farther:)
I will keep track as we go and we will see how far we can get!
The goal: Get 250 people to pledge to give $10... You can send it to me at
735 FM 980
Huntsville, TX 77320
If you send a check, you can make it out to University Heights Baptist Church!! It will go straight towards our June trip to Russia...
Will you join me in sharing the love of Christ with these sweet children in Russia?
We're at zero.... lets see if we can get the thermometer up to 250!!!!!!!!! :)
March 07, 2011
Recipe for Russia...
We are leaving for Russia on Thursday, and as we pack our supply luggage, and I begin to pack my belongings into a suitcase for the millionth time... I have been pondering what really are the 'must-haves' that go into making a trip to Russia to visit these sweet orphan kids... in no particular order
1. Camera - I can't imagine these trips without being able to bring back the memories of the sweet faces that we've met. I have captured so many moments on camera and sometimes I just look back through them and cry remembering what the Lord has done, and is doing through the people we meet...
2. Backpack - My handy-dandy backpack has made this trek with me every time I've gone to russia... it's been through summers winters and all over the Ryazan region! It is smudged with soil from country I've come to love.
3. Journal - The time flies SO fast on these trips... light speed. One morning it's our first day in Russia, and the next it seems we're already getting on a plane home. God has been SO faithful in putting TONS of opportunities in our path and each day is more packed full of grace than the next. It's times like those that it's so important to write down each day what the Lord has made happen! Looking back at all the miracles that God has done is amazing.
4. Some good shoes - These trips take you everywhere -- city, country, mud, ice, snow, etc... Gotta have a good pair of shoes to make the trip! Especially this time -- got my snow boots and I'm ready for that Russian winter!
5. A flexible and moldable spirit -- I am a very 'schedule' and 'to do' oriented person. Each trip I have to pray especially hard that the Lord would make me moldable and flexible. He has SO much in store that we could never 'plan' for the amazing things to come... and it is HUGE that we're ready for whatever opportunity arises even if it wasn't in our original plan ;)
6. Some broken Russian - Definitely a humorous part of our recipe. No matter if it's just a few words here and there in Russian, or if you just try our your 'Russian accent' *cough* Ricardo *cough* :) it always adds a ton of laughter to our travels!
7. Great friends and teammates - Whether they're Russian or American, it's amazing to see the bonds and friendships that form during trips like these. I always look forward to seeing people we've grown to be friends with over the past few years!
8. Yellow, Black, White, Red, and Green Beads - though apart they are just 'craft supplies' together they tell the story of my Savior, and how He died for me and saved me from so much. These beads tell the story of Christ, and remind us of His love for us....
9. My Sword - definitely a must have for any believer - our sword... the love letter that our Father wrote to us. It is so important for us to spend time seeking the Lord on a daily basis, and especially in the midst of a trip like this - to let the Lord direct us through His word and remind us of why we take these trips at all....
10. A good playlist - 12 hours on a plane and 3 on a bus would pass by SO much slower without some good playlists with some Lecrae, B. Reith, Relient K, Shane & Shane and so much more... (I may even throw in some Bieber every now and then hehe!) but it is definitely a must have!
Now that I have the essentials -- I better go get packing! Stay tuned for updates and ways you can pray!
1. Camera - I can't imagine these trips without being able to bring back the memories of the sweet faces that we've met. I have captured so many moments on camera and sometimes I just look back through them and cry remembering what the Lord has done, and is doing through the people we meet...
2. Backpack - My handy-dandy backpack has made this trek with me every time I've gone to russia... it's been through summers winters and all over the Ryazan region! It is smudged with soil from country I've come to love.
3. Journal - The time flies SO fast on these trips... light speed. One morning it's our first day in Russia, and the next it seems we're already getting on a plane home. God has been SO faithful in putting TONS of opportunities in our path and each day is more packed full of grace than the next. It's times like those that it's so important to write down each day what the Lord has made happen! Looking back at all the miracles that God has done is amazing.
4. Some good shoes - These trips take you everywhere -- city, country, mud, ice, snow, etc... Gotta have a good pair of shoes to make the trip! Especially this time -- got my snow boots and I'm ready for that Russian winter!
5. A flexible and moldable spirit -- I am a very 'schedule' and 'to do' oriented person. Each trip I have to pray especially hard that the Lord would make me moldable and flexible. He has SO much in store that we could never 'plan' for the amazing things to come... and it is HUGE that we're ready for whatever opportunity arises even if it wasn't in our original plan ;)
6. Some broken Russian - Definitely a humorous part of our recipe. No matter if it's just a few words here and there in Russian, or if you just try our your 'Russian accent' *cough* Ricardo *cough* :) it always adds a ton of laughter to our travels!
7. Great friends and teammates - Whether they're Russian or American, it's amazing to see the bonds and friendships that form during trips like these. I always look forward to seeing people we've grown to be friends with over the past few years!
8. Yellow, Black, White, Red, and Green Beads - though apart they are just 'craft supplies' together they tell the story of my Savior, and how He died for me and saved me from so much. These beads tell the story of Christ, and remind us of His love for us....
9. My Sword - definitely a must have for any believer - our sword... the love letter that our Father wrote to us. It is so important for us to spend time seeking the Lord on a daily basis, and especially in the midst of a trip like this - to let the Lord direct us through His word and remind us of why we take these trips at all....
10. A good playlist - 12 hours on a plane and 3 on a bus would pass by SO much slower without some good playlists with some Lecrae, B. Reith, Relient K, Shane & Shane and so much more... (I may even throw in some Bieber every now and then hehe!) but it is definitely a must have!
Now that I have the essentials -- I better go get packing! Stay tuned for updates and ways you can pray!
January 21, 2011
What's my life if I'm not praising you...
I think these lyrics speak for themselves... very powerful.
Lecrae - Boasting
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I'm not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
With every breath I take, with every heart beat,
Sunrise and the moon lights in the dark street.
Every glance, every dance, every note of a song.
It's all a gift undeserved that I shouldn't have known.
Every day that I lie, every moment I covet
I'm deserving to die, I'm just earning your judgment.
I, without the cross there's only condemnation.
If Jesus wasn't executed there's no celebration.
So in times that are good, in times that are bad,
For any times that I've had it all I will be glad.
And I will boast in the cross. I boast in my pains.
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in his reign.
What's my life if it's not praising you.
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit.
I do not count my life as any value or precious at all.
Let me finish my race, let me answer my call.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I'm not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
Tomorrow's never promised, but it is we swear.
Think we holding our own, just a fist full of air.
God has never been obligated to give us life.
If we fought for our rights, we'd be in hell tonight.
Mere sinners own nothing but a fierce hand.
We never loved him, we pushed away his pierced hands.
I rejected his love, grace, kindness, and mercy.
Dying of thirst, yet, willing to die thirsty.
Eternally worthy, how could I live for less?
Patiently you turn my heart away from selfishness.
I volunteer for your sanctifying surgery.
I know the spirit's purging me of everything that's hurting me.
Remove the veil from my darkened eyes.
So now every morning I open your word and see the Son rise.
I hope in nothin, boast in nothin, only in your suffering.
I live to show your glory, dying to tell your story.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I am not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
Glory was solely meant for you, doing what no one else could do.
With All I have to give, (With all I have to Give) I'll use my life, I'll use my lips.
I'll only glory in your Word. What gift to me I don't deserve.
I'll live in such a way that it reflects to you my praise.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I am not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
Lecrae - Boasting
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I'm not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
With every breath I take, with every heart beat,
Sunrise and the moon lights in the dark street.
Every glance, every dance, every note of a song.
It's all a gift undeserved that I shouldn't have known.
Every day that I lie, every moment I covet
I'm deserving to die, I'm just earning your judgment.
I, without the cross there's only condemnation.
If Jesus wasn't executed there's no celebration.
So in times that are good, in times that are bad,
For any times that I've had it all I will be glad.
And I will boast in the cross. I boast in my pains.
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in his reign.
What's my life if it's not praising you.
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit.
I do not count my life as any value or precious at all.
Let me finish my race, let me answer my call.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I'm not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
Tomorrow's never promised, but it is we swear.
Think we holding our own, just a fist full of air.
God has never been obligated to give us life.
If we fought for our rights, we'd be in hell tonight.
Mere sinners own nothing but a fierce hand.
We never loved him, we pushed away his pierced hands.
I rejected his love, grace, kindness, and mercy.
Dying of thirst, yet, willing to die thirsty.
Eternally worthy, how could I live for less?
Patiently you turn my heart away from selfishness.
I volunteer for your sanctifying surgery.
I know the spirit's purging me of everything that's hurting me.
Remove the veil from my darkened eyes.
So now every morning I open your word and see the Son rise.
I hope in nothin, boast in nothin, only in your suffering.
I live to show your glory, dying to tell your story.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I am not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
Glory was solely meant for you, doing what no one else could do.
With All I have to give, (With all I have to Give) I'll use my life, I'll use my lips.
I'll only glory in your Word. What gift to me I don't deserve.
I'll live in such a way that it reflects to you my praise.
If this life has anything to gain at all
I count it lost if I can't hear you, feel you,
'cause I need you. Can't walk this earth alone.
I recognize I am not my own, so before I fall
I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.
November 28, 2010
your eyes
your eyes
they tell me all the words you cannot say
how your heart breaks because of what you've seen
because you feel unwanted
because you feel alone
your eyes tell me of a child who needs a mom
and a dad
and a family
someone to kiss them goodnight
someone to hold when they're scared
your eyes look to mine
for comfort
for love
for rest
for friendship...
those beautiful eyes
i see a twinkle in them when we hug
and laugh
and then you smile...
oh those smiles I wish I could keep ingrained in my memory forever...
smiles of hope...
and of joy....
but then it's gone....
in an instant
as you remember that we'll be gone soon
and you'll still be longing for a family
and for somewhere to belong
please see in our eyes
see the hope
the love
the joy
the peace
that only comes from Jesus
He can make your eyes shine again -- and forever
and they're so beautiful when they shine...
they tell me all the words you cannot say
how your heart breaks because of what you've seen
because you feel unwanted
because you feel alone
your eyes tell me of a child who needs a mom
and a dad
and a family
someone to kiss them goodnight
someone to hold when they're scared
your eyes look to mine
for comfort
for love
for rest
for friendship...
those beautiful eyes
i see a twinkle in them when we hug
and laugh
and then you smile...
oh those smiles I wish I could keep ingrained in my memory forever...
smiles of hope...
and of joy....
but then it's gone....
in an instant
as you remember that we'll be gone soon
and you'll still be longing for a family
and for somewhere to belong
please see in our eyes
see the hope
the love
the joy
the peace
that only comes from Jesus
the father, and family, and belonging
the mender of broken hearts
He can make your eyes shine again -- and forever
and they're so beautiful when they shine...
November 26, 2010
Playlist
So... we are not ready to be home, yet ready to see our families.... it has been am AMAZING 9 days... I can't even explain it....
It is 1:37AM here now, and we are leaving for Moscow for the airport at 4:00AM... so we're hoping to get a few hours of sleep before then... then we have a 3 hour drive to the airport, then we fly out at 10:15AM Moscow time.... with an 11 hour flight that puts us back in good ol' Houston at 2PM. So, we'll see ya then and say 'yeehaw'..... please stay tuned for more updates from the trip... I realize they'll come after we're home, but there was just so much and so little time to write... thank you all for praying... we definitely saw evidence of it!
Just a little playlist we'll be listening to with some songs about serving the least of these, and about kids who need homes, and some of them are just plain great songs about Jesus.... check 'em out... this is what I'll be jammin to to pass the time on the plane.
1.) All I Have Is Christ - NA Band
2.) Always - Building 429
3.) Antidote - B.Reith
4.) Background - Lecrae
5.) By Your Side - 10th Avenue North
6.) Hope Now - Addison Road
7.) Lead Me - Sanctus Real
8.) Ooh Ahh - Grits
9.) Glory To God Forever - Fee
10.) Open Hands - Matt Papa
11.) Tears of the Saints - Leeland
12.) Temporary Home - Carrie Underwood
13.) Turn Down the Music - Shane & Shane
14.) Won't You Be My Love - Mercy Me
15.) Your Hands - JJ Heller
Let the Lord speak to you as you listen...
Thank you again for all of your prayers! See you in the США....... Пока!!!!!
It is 1:37AM here now, and we are leaving for Moscow for the airport at 4:00AM... so we're hoping to get a few hours of sleep before then... then we have a 3 hour drive to the airport, then we fly out at 10:15AM Moscow time.... with an 11 hour flight that puts us back in good ol' Houston at 2PM. So, we'll see ya then and say 'yeehaw'..... please stay tuned for more updates from the trip... I realize they'll come after we're home, but there was just so much and so little time to write... thank you all for praying... we definitely saw evidence of it!
Just a little playlist we'll be listening to with some songs about serving the least of these, and about kids who need homes, and some of them are just plain great songs about Jesus.... check 'em out... this is what I'll be jammin to to pass the time on the plane.
1.) All I Have Is Christ - NA Band
2.) Always - Building 429
3.) Antidote - B.Reith
4.) Background - Lecrae
5.) By Your Side - 10th Avenue North
6.) Hope Now - Addison Road
7.) Lead Me - Sanctus Real
8.) Ooh Ahh - Grits
9.) Glory To God Forever - Fee
10.) Open Hands - Matt Papa
11.) Tears of the Saints - Leeland
12.) Temporary Home - Carrie Underwood
13.) Turn Down the Music - Shane & Shane
14.) Won't You Be My Love - Mercy Me
15.) Your Hands - JJ Heller
Let the Lord speak to you as you listen...
Thank you again for all of your prayers! See you in the США....... Пока!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)