Hello friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family or friends… and that you did not encounter any turkey problems unlike my roommates and I! No worries, we did get to have turkey, we just had it for dessert instead of with dinner :)
My house kicked off November with a Housewarming - Chili-Cook off - Football party that was crazy, wonderful and fun fellowship for all! Our house was definitely warmed by all our friends and co-workers from IHOP, but especially by the five pots of competing chili! It was a fierce competition - complete with taste-testing and voting stations - yet the winning pot was a fabulous white chicken chili. The football game was just as intense (it really felt like we were on Friday Night Lights with our field being lit by everyone’s car headlights) and ridiculously hilarious. Proudly, I can say that my team won… although I think it was sheer luck, and the fact that it was really dark.
The best part of my month was when I got to take a quick weekend trip home to Virginia to celebrate my mom’s 50th birthday (the picture is of my brother, sister and I from the party)! It was so wonderful to see family I haven’t seen in years, friends of the family I don’t always get to visit with while I’m home, and just spend time with my family! The party was really fun – sooo much good food – and a just a great way to let my mom know how special and wonderful she is!
Back in Kansas City, things didn’t slow down one bit! A big shift we decided to make in the CEC, due to our increased growth within the last year, is to split the ministry into two teams, a national and local team. Because of the nature of my position – directing all marketing and communications for our ministry – I get to be a part of both teams! However I am going to be more heavily involved in our national team, administrating and coordinating events, speakers, and organizing our team to travel when necessary. I am so excited because I will get to work more closely with our summer camps (a deep passion of mine), and the members of the national team are just awesome. I am challenged and motivated by their vision to see children equipped and empowered by the Word of God all across our nation, and the nations of the earth. It is such a privilege and honor to work alongside them!
The Prayer Room has been awesome for my heart and has helped me to engage with the Lord in a deeper way than I ever have before. I am learning so much about who God really is, not who I make Him out to be, and as a result who I am. He is allowing me to go through situations, both hard and good, and challenging me to believe and proclaim that He is a good, kind, and wise leader over my life no matter what situation I am in. For He never changes, His love is unconditional, and His declaration over each of our lives is that we are worth it, that we are His beloved ones. Laying hold of these truths and truly believing them for my own life has transformed my times of prayer and worship to be powerful, tender, and loving times of communion with Him. He is so good!
Please send me any prayer requests, or testimonies of answered prayers! I hope you have a wonderful month, and am looking forward to seeing many of you when I come home for Christmas!
Grace and Peace...
