Throughout our lives, we are always striving to fully obey all that our Father has called us to do, and all that He has asked of us. This comes difficult to us sometimes when we know exactly what we have been called to do, but we want to somehow cheapen the calling and do it in our own way.
The story begins in October 2006 when I was called to quit graduate school and find a job to help eliminate all our debts. We both knew then what the Father was calling us to do right then to prepare for where He was calling us in the future. I was to get a job and pay off all our remaining balances from consumer debt to student loans in preparation to return to China as teachers.
We were blessed abundantly by finding a job that more than just pays off the balances, but allowed us to remain involved in the local and international Chinese community. Over the past 11 months, our Father eliminated all of our debts. But His ultimate calling for our service to Him was still unfulfilled.
To be obedient to our Father, we applied again to be teachers in China. We completed applications, personality tests, phone interviews, and references. On October 29, 2007 we received word that we had been accepted to return as teachers in August 2008.
Now, the question of being fully and completely obedient to our Father’s calling for our lives. I tried to make excuses and justify what I am doing now as a perfect fulfillment of what He called us to do in October 2006. I am serving China from Midland, is that not what you called us to do? Can we not stay here where you have placed us? Is this not exactly what you have called us to do? Are we not fully following your call for our lives?
After being conflicted as to what we are called to do for months, we now have the clarity and peace of mind to be fully obedient to His plan. I had tried to only partially obey what He had called me to do, making excuses as to why it is enough, knowing full well that this job now is not what we have been called to do, but that it is a preparation for things to come.
We are going to be fully obedient to His call on our lives and join His plan completely. I am going to quit making excuses and trust Him completely that He knows what is best for our lives and our families’ lives.
He has asked us to return to China as English teachers in August 2008. While this is difficult, we know that His ways are better than our ways and that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Being completely obedient to our Father is the only place we want to be, no more excuses. We ask for your thoughts as we continue to strive for nothing less than complete obedience. We ask that you consider how our Father would use you to join in His plan for the nations.
February 4, 2008
January 13, 2008
12:2 Times January 2008
Happy New Year 2008!
Happy New Year to each of you and your families. In the Hebrew calendar, the 8th year is a year of new beginnings. We can only imagine the new beginnings and awesome adventures coming our way in 2008. We hope this year brings the same to each of you.
On the Holidays Trail
The holiday season was a busy one for us. We were not at home for much of the break, but we did return home for the holidays.
The adventure started with a pre-Christmas celebration in Eola with the whole family. It was great to be able to introduce Kanyon to all of his great aunts and great uncles, and not to mention a few of his cousins.
The season continued at warp speed for the next weekend. We traveled home to Garden City to spend some time with M’Lynn’s family for Christmas. During that time, we were able to open all the gifts and watch a couple of great movies. But the fun didn’t stop at GC. For Christmas day we packed up our things and drove to San Angelo to visit extended family for the always fun and extremely loud Christmas celebration there. There is something to the sound of everyone talking at once and ten things going on that makes Christmas so special.
We did return home to Midland, but only for two nights before we headed on the Holiday trail again. This time to visit Jeremy’s family in Quitaque. We were not able to see his sister, but did visit with the parents, brother, and others. We even had more gifts to open there.
And finally after spending most of the holidays on the road visiting family and friends, we returned to Midland to celebrate the new year. We must be new parents, because we only made it to 11:30 PM and rang in the new year with a nap between feeding Kanyon.
Motley County Matadors – State Champs
We had to opportunity to attend the Texas 6-man football state championship games in San Angelo on December 15th. It has almost become a tradition to attend the games as we have been to 3 of the last 4 games, only missing the game when we were in China.
This game was special. While it didn’t include our hometown high schools, it included the Motley County Matadors, Jeremy’ dad’s school for the last 18 years. The Matadors started the game out slow, even allowing a touchdown on their first defensive play, but by the end of the game, they were victorious.
The second 6-man state championship game was less of a nail biter and more of the mark of a high school dynasty. The Richland Springs Coyotes won their third title in four years and completed a four year span with only one lost.
I love watching 6-man football and always miss the season when it is over. Next season hopefully brings just as many thrills. For now, I guess I’ll settle for the NFL playoffs.
Meet the Great Grandparents
Kanyon went on a whirlwind tour meeting all of his great grandparents for the first time, and all on the same weekend.
The first stop on the tour takes us the Big Spring, TX where we meet up with Jeremy’s parents and grandmother on there way to the state championship football games in San Angelo. We spent the night in Big Spring and Kanyon was introduced to Libbie, “you can call me Mamo,” for the first time.
We then drove to Eola for the pre-Christmas celebration where he was introduced to Raymond and Connie for the first time. He spent most of the day being held then passed to the next in line. After the day in Eola, we drove the 30 minutes to meet the other great grandparents, Nolan and Virginia. Since we arrived late, most of the “ga-ga”ing was saved until the next morning and lunch.
It was an incredibly fast weekend and a great way to get Kanyon to meet his “greats” at the same time.
Happy New Year to each of you and your families. In the Hebrew calendar, the 8th year is a year of new beginnings. We can only imagine the new beginnings and awesome adventures coming our way in 2008. We hope this year brings the same to each of you.
On the Holidays Trail
The holiday season was a busy one for us. We were not at home for much of the break, but we did return home for the holidays.
The adventure started with a pre-Christmas celebration in Eola with the whole family. It was great to be able to introduce Kanyon to all of his great aunts and great uncles, and not to mention a few of his cousins.
The season continued at warp speed for the next weekend. We traveled home to Garden City to spend some time with M’Lynn’s family for Christmas. During that time, we were able to open all the gifts and watch a couple of great movies. But the fun didn’t stop at GC. For Christmas day we packed up our things and drove to San Angelo to visit extended family for the always fun and extremely loud Christmas celebration there. There is something to the sound of everyone talking at once and ten things going on that makes Christmas so special.
We did return home to Midland, but only for two nights before we headed on the Holiday trail again. This time to visit Jeremy’s family in Quitaque. We were not able to see his sister, but did visit with the parents, brother, and others. We even had more gifts to open there.
And finally after spending most of the holidays on the road visiting family and friends, we returned to Midland to celebrate the new year. We must be new parents, because we only made it to 11:30 PM and rang in the new year with a nap between feeding Kanyon.
Motley County Matadors – State Champs
We had to opportunity to attend the Texas 6-man football state championship games in San Angelo on December 15th. It has almost become a tradition to attend the games as we have been to 3 of the last 4 games, only missing the game when we were in China.
This game was special. While it didn’t include our hometown high schools, it included the Motley County Matadors, Jeremy’ dad’s school for the last 18 years. The Matadors started the game out slow, even allowing a touchdown on their first defensive play, but by the end of the game, they were victorious.
The second 6-man state championship game was less of a nail biter and more of the mark of a high school dynasty. The Richland Springs Coyotes won their third title in four years and completed a four year span with only one lost.
I love watching 6-man football and always miss the season when it is over. Next season hopefully brings just as many thrills. For now, I guess I’ll settle for the NFL playoffs.
Meet the Great Grandparents
Kanyon went on a whirlwind tour meeting all of his great grandparents for the first time, and all on the same weekend.
The first stop on the tour takes us the Big Spring, TX where we meet up with Jeremy’s parents and grandmother on there way to the state championship football games in San Angelo. We spent the night in Big Spring and Kanyon was introduced to Libbie, “you can call me Mamo,” for the first time.
We then drove to Eola for the pre-Christmas celebration where he was introduced to Raymond and Connie for the first time. He spent most of the day being held then passed to the next in line. After the day in Eola, we drove the 30 minutes to meet the other great grandparents, Nolan and Virginia. Since we arrived late, most of the “ga-ga”ing was saved until the next morning and lunch.
It was an incredibly fast weekend and a great way to get Kanyon to meet his “greats” at the same time.
December 23, 2007
Christmas Time is Here!
We hope each of you has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I have finished all of my Christmas shopping today, Dec. 22 with three days left until the big day. It really is not too bad to brave the crowds if you head out to the stores early in the morning and beat most of the people to the goods. However as I was driving past Best Buy this morning, the line was already about 50 people long and the store had not yet opened. Maybe I should have been standing in that line to get a good deal, but I missed the ads and had no idea why the shoppers were braving the cold weather to get into the store first.
We celebrate our Christmas celebration last night with hot chocolate, cookies, kolaches, and gifts of course. Seems we were both on the same page as we each received some backpacking gear for the trail. Now we need to find a baby sitter to watch the child this summer while we head out on the trail. It has been over 2 years since the last time I have been backpacking. So it is a must this summer.
We do hope that you and your families have a great holiday season. We will be lifting up great fellowship and asking for safe travel for all of you.
Merry Christmas
I have finished all of my Christmas shopping today, Dec. 22 with three days left until the big day. It really is not too bad to brave the crowds if you head out to the stores early in the morning and beat most of the people to the goods. However as I was driving past Best Buy this morning, the line was already about 50 people long and the store had not yet opened. Maybe I should have been standing in that line to get a good deal, but I missed the ads and had no idea why the shoppers were braving the cold weather to get into the store first.
We celebrate our Christmas celebration last night with hot chocolate, cookies, kolaches, and gifts of course. Seems we were both on the same page as we each received some backpacking gear for the trail. Now we need to find a baby sitter to watch the child this summer while we head out on the trail. It has been over 2 years since the last time I have been backpacking. So it is a must this summer.
We do hope that you and your families have a great holiday season. We will be lifting up great fellowship and asking for safe travel for all of you.
Merry Christmas
December 14, 2007
A New Taste Sensation - "Umami"
This is an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal online edition about what chefs are calling the fifth taste, umami.
Read a small excerpt: (Link to Full Article)
Read a small excerpt: (Link to Full Article)
Americans are taught from an early age that there are four basic tastes -- sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But what describes the taste of chicken soup?
To an increasing number of chefs and food-industry insiders, the answer is "umami," dubbed "the fifth taste." First identified by a Japanese scientist a century ago, umami has long been an obscure culinary concept. Hard to describe, it is usually defined as a meaty, savory, satisfying taste.
To understand the taste of umami, imagine a perfectly dressed Caesar salad, redolent of Parmesan cheese, minced anchovies and Worcestershire sauce; or slurping chicken soup; or biting into a slice of pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza. The savory taste of these foods, and the full, tongue-coating sensation they provide, is umami.
While umami is a relatively new concept in this country, it has been well known in parts of Asia for nearly 100 years. It was identified in the early 20th century by Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist who coined the name umami (pronounced "oo-MA-mee") using the Japanese term for "deliciousness." He found that foods with the umami taste have a high level of glutamate, an amino acid and a building block of protein. Mr. Ikeda developed and patented a method of making monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a processed additive that adds umami taste to food, much as sugar makes things taste sweet.
I just knew their was something different about the food we ate while in China. Maybe it was all that MSG and the "Umami" fifth taste sensation that we enjoyed so much.
December 5, 2007
12:2 Times December 2007
Introducing Again, Kanyon
Kanyon arrived at 4:30 AM on November 20, 2007 weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 ¾ inches long. He has quickly learned how to sleep, at least at most times, besides the party he likes to throw for himself just after midnight. We are learning the new parent skill of getting sleep whenever we can. Now sleep is great if we can get it in 3-4 hour blocks.
We are enjoying every minute of being parents. We have been extremely spoiled over the first weeks of his life. Our Life Group members from our fellowship showered us with home cooking for the first week. Renee came into town almost everyday to shower us with some home cooked lunches. I wonder how it will all go when we have to cook our own meals again.
Kanyon has made two successful trips to the doctor, and mom made it successfully too. At his latest weigh-in he had gained weight to 8 lbs 8 oz. Before we know it, he will be bigger and taller than both of us!
We will try to keep the pictures updated online so you can all see him as he grows. Hopefully you can give us some more insight as to who he most looks like. Right now we think he looks like a good combination of the both of us.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
We wish each of you a great holiday season. We ask for safe travel, if your traveling and a great time of fellowship with your friends and family.
We hope that all we do during this season will be honoring to the Father and reflect the true spirit and thankfulness we have for the greatest gift of all. We do hope to remember the season and not get caught up in the materialism that Christmas sometime becomes.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Football Marathon
The greatest thing about bringing Kanyon home over Thanksgiving week has been all the football on TV. While we are sitting around the house changing diapers and doing his laundry, we had football on all the time. The football marathon started on Monday night in the hospital and didn’t end until the following Sunday. That means we were able to watch a total of 12 football games over 4 days, an astonishing 3 games per day!
We were even able to watch the beloved Denver Broncos twice. They did manage to win one of those games, even though this season has been a bust. However, M’Lynn’s Cowboys continue to win and win big. Is a Super Bowl in their future?
I think we watched so much football that little Kanyon is going to need a game on in the background before he can go to sleep. I just hope he enjoys basketball season as much. Now that the football marathon weekend is over I wonder what he'll be watching as I return to work next week. Kanyon will be home alone with his mother, hopefully not watching too much Oprah.
White Thanksgiving
While I had hoped to have a great story about the day that our son was born, it never really developed. We do have a great story about the day we brought him home for the first time.
I arrived at the hospital wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt, but I would have frozen if I tried to return home in that. All day on Thanksgiving, it snowed and snowed. It rarely snows here, and much less after the temperatures had been in the 80s earlier in the week.
The weather didn’t make it any easier driving home as nervous parents driving with Kanyon in the car for the first time, and much less in the snow. We decided to take the long way home to avoid all the overpasses, that could have been frozen, but probably weren’t. Then we had to carry Kanyon up the snow covered steps to our apartment.
We made it home safe and sound and have since been warm and cozy in our apartment. Kanyon has enjoyed being all wrapped up in blankets and we have been warmed up with endless cups of hot chocolate.
Kanyon arrived at 4:30 AM on November 20, 2007 weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and 20 ¾ inches long. He has quickly learned how to sleep, at least at most times, besides the party he likes to throw for himself just after midnight. We are learning the new parent skill of getting sleep whenever we can. Now sleep is great if we can get it in 3-4 hour blocks.
We are enjoying every minute of being parents. We have been extremely spoiled over the first weeks of his life. Our Life Group members from our fellowship showered us with home cooking for the first week. Renee came into town almost everyday to shower us with some home cooked lunches. I wonder how it will all go when we have to cook our own meals again.
Kanyon has made two successful trips to the doctor, and mom made it successfully too. At his latest weigh-in he had gained weight to 8 lbs 8 oz. Before we know it, he will be bigger and taller than both of us!
We will try to keep the pictures updated online so you can all see him as he grows. Hopefully you can give us some more insight as to who he most looks like. Right now we think he looks like a good combination of the both of us.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
We wish each of you a great holiday season. We ask for safe travel, if your traveling and a great time of fellowship with your friends and family.
We hope that all we do during this season will be honoring to the Father and reflect the true spirit and thankfulness we have for the greatest gift of all. We do hope to remember the season and not get caught up in the materialism that Christmas sometime becomes.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Football Marathon
The greatest thing about bringing Kanyon home over Thanksgiving week has been all the football on TV. While we are sitting around the house changing diapers and doing his laundry, we had football on all the time. The football marathon started on Monday night in the hospital and didn’t end until the following Sunday. That means we were able to watch a total of 12 football games over 4 days, an astonishing 3 games per day!
We were even able to watch the beloved Denver Broncos twice. They did manage to win one of those games, even though this season has been a bust. However, M’Lynn’s Cowboys continue to win and win big. Is a Super Bowl in their future?
I think we watched so much football that little Kanyon is going to need a game on in the background before he can go to sleep. I just hope he enjoys basketball season as much. Now that the football marathon weekend is over I wonder what he'll be watching as I return to work next week. Kanyon will be home alone with his mother, hopefully not watching too much Oprah.
White Thanksgiving
While I had hoped to have a great story about the day that our son was born, it never really developed. We do have a great story about the day we brought him home for the first time.
I arrived at the hospital wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt, but I would have frozen if I tried to return home in that. All day on Thanksgiving, it snowed and snowed. It rarely snows here, and much less after the temperatures had been in the 80s earlier in the week.
The weather didn’t make it any easier driving home as nervous parents driving with Kanyon in the car for the first time, and much less in the snow. We decided to take the long way home to avoid all the overpasses, that could have been frozen, but probably weren’t. Then we had to carry Kanyon up the snow covered steps to our apartment.
We made it home safe and sound and have since been warm and cozy in our apartment. Kanyon has enjoyed being all wrapped up in blankets and we have been warmed up with endless cups of hot chocolate.
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