Here Goes This Blogging Thing...

I never ever thought I would blog....just like I never thought I would have kids a year apart, never thought I would homeschool, never thought I would live in Ohio or Atlanta, and never thought I would be helping my husband plant a church. But here I go again doing one of those things I never thought I would do.  Not because I don't like blogs, in fact, I actually read a lot of them. I guess I just never thought anyone would want to read about the comings and goings of my life. I'm just an ordinary girl from Kentucky, with a sort of (maybe not), ordinary life.  It has just been in the past few months that I have felt the leading to start blogging. I'm definitely nobody special, but I'm praying that I can be of some encouragement to other preacher's wives, church planter's wives, adoptive parents, and families of special needs children. I'm still learning and growing day by day, but I'm hoping some of you may relate with the craziness of my life, and the rest of you can just have a good laugh!
Here goes a speedy version of the past 9 years...
-Married in 2002
-Gave birth to Izaiah in 2004
-Graduated College in May 2005
-Gave birth to Braylon in May 2005
-Moved to Hillsboro, Ohio in April 2007
-Adopted Layla from Ethiopia in July 2008
-Helped start SHCI in April 2009
-Moved to Atlanta in August 2010
-Layla was diagnosed with Aspergers November 2010
-ONE Community launched March 2011

Not to mention that in the midst of all this we moved into 6 different houses & lived in 3 states! This has all happened in 9 years!!! If the Lord says, go, we go, move we move, do we do & I guess you can say this has lead to an exciting, fun, overwhelming, uncomfortable, challenging, but VERY BLESSED life! I cannot imagine our life any other way and oh what we would have missed had we chose to take an easier, more comfortable route.

I'm learning day by day that Jesus really is enough. His grace is sufficient for me. I'm an imperfect person that has been embraced and accepted and loved by a perfect God.

I have to say that this past year has been the hardest yet, but I know the Lord calls us to rejoice in our sufferings. Honestly, there are days that I just don't feel like rejoicing. There have been days where I feel like there are 10 people talking to me in my head, at once (no I'm not crazy). Hopefully some of you ladies can relate?! Days that I know if it wasn't for Jesus, I probably would really loose my mind! Planting a church and raising a child with Aspergers is tough! What the Lord is teaching me is that I don't have to pretend like I have it all together, because I don't and nobody does if they're honest. But  my natural tendency is to TRY with all my might to hold it together at all cost, but the past 8 months I have had no choice. Our life has been out there for the world to see, imperfections and all. New friends that don't know us well have witnessed us struggle over decisions, get impatient, feel helpless and out of control. They have seen us grieve over our daughter's diagnosis and wrestle with what to do next. All the while trying to build new relationships and feeling that if only they liked me or my family, maybe they would come to church, and meet Jesus there. The Lord continues to tell me "you cannot do what only I can do." It is our job to plant the seed, to pray, to fast, to love, to serve, and let God do the rest. We must let Him have control of our life and our mind. I cannot even begin to tell you how the Lord has proven Himself faithful over and over again and sometimes we miss His movement in our lives, if we're not in the valley looking UP.
" The ONE who has called us is faithful and He will do it." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24