Pray

I'm sure most of you that read my blog know April and Neal McKinney. If you don't I'll give you a little back story. We met them years ago but didn't really get to know them until about 6ish years ago when we started praying about starting a church in Alabama. We did indeed start a church called LifePoint and Neal was one of the pastors along side Q, Nick and Matt. When April got pregnant with her first child, our due dates were only a week apart.  I ended up having a miscarriage and I remember April being so thoughtful during that time and sending me flowers.  April and Neal had a baby girl named Raegan and I ended up getting pregnant shortly after.  Before Raegan turned 1 the Mckinney's moved to Oregon to help with another church plant.  We kept in touch with them through the years and eventually God called us out to Oregon also.  We always thought that since we were called to the same state that God had a plan in mind for us to work together in ministry again eventually.  Over the years of them being in Oregon and us in Alabama, we of course have 2 girls and they have added 2 boys to the family.  Now getting you caught up to date. 3 months ago they had the 2nd boy, 3rd child, Knox. Knox was born with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. He has already had one surgery and is getting ready for surgery number 2. Here is April and Neal's latest FaceBook update:

We found out from Knox's cardiologist that after viewing the MRI of his chest that on a scale of 1-10...10 being high risk...he is a 10 and at high risk for the next surgery. His anatomy has compensated for some clotting in his arms we didn't know about by reversing circulation to a point that they don't think he can recover from the Glenn procedure unless they change the procedure which has never been done...so, we will hear more on Wednesday about a new strategy for him...right now he is a likely candidate for heart transplant...all of his blood transfusions put him at some risk for rejection of a heart because of the antibodies his body has produced. Today, he is stable and doing better with his Norwood recovery than most babies like him, they say. So, we are headed home. The one factor concerning his collateral veins and where they are returning blood is the obstacle. He is outgrowing his shunt and needs help within the next few months. We are backing out of the house we bought and may have to relocate temporarily for a transplant. Docs are consulting with other institutions for advice. We are tired.

I've got on here to blog several times in the past few days and have had a really hard time posting anything. We are an hour away from them and I feel so helpless. How can I blog about the good things going on in my life when my friends are hurting and going through such a hard time. I don't know what's next for baby Knox but please pray for him and his family. My heart just hurts for them now and if I can't do anything else I can ask for prayers for them.

 

A week review...in pictures.

Date Night! Eating with the Woodward clan.

Monday night Bible Study. Alabama Crash team.

Our First Snow this winter!

Deci's self portrait.

The girls having a sweet moment. :)

CHEESE!!

Dress up!

Deci picked out her clothes for school this morning.

She fits in well here.

"I will NEVER let my kids..."

         Have you ever said those words? "I will never let my kids"...and fill in the blank.  I will never let my kids eat fast food, especially before they turn 1 (or 2 or 8 ha!).  I will never let my kid fuss in a restaurant and disrupt other people while eating. I will never let my kids make me so mad that I scream. I will never let my kid sleep on their tummy because back to sleep, right? I will NEVER let my kids sleep with me! NEVER! Hahaha! I laugh at myself now at all the times I said things like these above.  I took this picture below a few days ago.

   These girls are in mine and Quinton's bed. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and when it comes to sleep I'm all about making that happen.  When Deci was younger we were really strict with not letting her sleep with us.  When she woke up in the middle of the night and climbed in bed with us we always took her back.  We figured if we let her once that she would keep coming back.  It's funny how when child number 2 comes along sleep becomes more important and you bend the rules a little more. These girls wake up often in the middle of the night and most of the time we encourage that they stay in their beds but sometimes it's easier to tuck them tight in the bed with us and go back to sleep. If you want to read a funny story about us switching Deci over to her "big girl" bed read HERE.

Baking Cookies with Dee

Saturday Deci and my mom "Dee" made Cookies! 

Side story: My mom wanted to be called Gram but when Deci was little she said a D sound instead of the Gr sound... put it together and you get Dam... not quite a lovely name for a grandmother huh? So  her name got shortened to Dee. :)

 This is her "secret" recipe so I can't share it with you but here's a hint of what goes in them...

 Ha! Have you figured it out yet?? Yeah, me neither. I watched them make the cookies and I still don't know how to make them.

 Deci loved making these and I loved eating them! :)

Mom's in town....

and she brought Christmas gifts and she made lots of them! I shared a post a year or two ago of things that she made us.  You can see that post by clicking HERE.

Here are a few things she made us this year:

 She made the girls these blankets.

 And pillows. When Journey started climbing on top of her crib bumper to escape I took the crib bumper out and sent the cover to my mom and that is what she used to make these pillows.  I Love them! They match the curtain in the girls room.

 She made Q this bowl.

 And me this pillow for the couch.

Tomorrow I'm going to post pictures (and maybe a recipe) of my mom and Deci making "Dee's"  favorite cookies! :) Yummy!

Meet Aimee

 

Above is a picture of Aimee and her family.  I met Aimee at my church home in Alabama.  I don't remember exactly when I met her but I know that I've laughed more since I've met this lady.  She is seriously one of the funniest people I know...especially on Facebook.  Her status updates crack me up.  I think it's because they are usually about her kids and her youngest daughter reminds me of my oldest.  They both can get into trouble faster than any kid I know. :) Aimee loves the Lord. Below is Aimee's story, in her own words, about her upcoming trip to Africa.

"Let's see here. Why do I want to go to Rwanda? Well, I have always had a heart for Africa even before I came to Christ. When Chrystal went back in June my heart ached because I knew that was where I needed to be but didn't have the knowledge of the trip or the resources to make it happen even if I had. I knew the morning that we dropped her off at the airport that this year when she went, I would be with her. I have such a strong calling on my life to teach (which is why I am in school to be a teacher) and that is exactly what Land of a Thousand Hills is all about. They choose not to do things for people but to teach them to do it on their own. Kinda like you can give a man a fish and feed him for a day or you can teach him to fish and feed him for life.

When I decided that it was meant for me to go to Africa I didn't care what it cost to get me there because I knew that God would provide if I were truly meant to go. The money has been coming in a little at a time thanks to some very generous and crafty people such as Audrey and Jessica Stewart. My mom was helping me make dresses to sell to come up with some of the money but then she passed away in November and I have no idea how to use her sewing machine. After she passed I almost didn't want to go anymore but then someone told me how proud she was of me answering the call from God and choosing to go on this trip and I knew that I had to go.

As of right now, I am still looking to raise another $2500. This will cover the cost of my trip minus the plane ticket, my vaccinations and money to leave my husband to pay bills. I don't get vacation time at work so I will have to miss work for 2 weeks to go. Any financial support would be greatly appreciated but even more than money, I need about 2500 prayers! I know without a doubt that this trip is was God has called me to do and I wont settle for less than He asked for. As I grow my relationship with Christ I find myself more excited about how this trip will change my life and the lives of my whole family. I am so excited for my children to see what it means to follow God and to go and make disciples as He has called us to do."

13 years ago I got the chance to go to Africa on a mission trip.  Yes, my parents were brave enough to let me go to Africa at 16! (Again, so thankful to have supportive parents!) From then until now (and probably forever) I hold Africa in a special place in my heart and I am always so eager to help those that want to go to Africa.  I was so blessed to have people to help support me financially.   If you would like to help support Aimee and her trip to Africa you can email me at awilliams@discoverlifepoint.com to get an address to send money or you can help by buying something that I knit. 100% of the money I get from the things I'm knitting right now go to Aimee's trip to Africa. You can comment on here about something your interested in or send me an email.  

Here are a few pictures of things that I can knit:

Ear warmers $7 (I'm not sure why this picture is blurry but  maybe you can see enough)

head bands $5

Bracelet/Cuffs $4

Thicker ear warmer $6

Example of an ear warmer on.

Another example from a different view.

2 Ear warmers, scarf ($15), and headband...just to show you different designs and colors.

The yarn I have now.

If you have a specific color in mind let me know.

One Year Ago

Where do I start... I've been excited about writing this post for some time now...we've made it a year away from Alabama.  I don't guess I ever doubted that we wouldn't but all the same it feels like a huge accomplishment just to survive here so far away from our friends and family. January 9, 2011 my husband drove me, the girls and my mom to a hotel close to the Birmingham airport to spend the night.  The next morning we got on a plane and flew to California to stay with my cousin for a few nights. Q and the rest of the crew didn't leave for a few more days but they eventually met up with us in California.  On January 15th, we made it to Oregon. 

I'm not even sure how to recap a year of living here.  It's not always easy but it's not always been hard either.  We've each had our own struggles to overcome but in the process we are learning to seek God's guidance.  It's been really neat watching God place everyone in Jobs and in communities where they can minister to people.  My husband got a job in June working with the homeless.  We are also getting involved in different churches in the community.  We aren't a part of starting a church plant yet but I feel (pray, hope, believe) that it's going to be soon.  That process has been slow here and sometimes it can make us feel like failures. I have not once doubted whether we are suppose to be here.  I honestly have a peace about it and with that peace I know that God has a plan.  Our friends told us that it would take us a year just to get to know the culture here. So we now have a years worth of knowledge about this culture.  We have lived this year just loving on people...loving on our neighbors. 

Below is a picture of our Crash Team from Alabama.

 

from left to right: Luis, Q, Journey, Me, Deci, Derrick, Breanna, Holleigh, and Alec. Photo by: Alec Woodward 

Not in the picture: Jeff, Richie, Sharee, and Zach.

These guys really are like family now.  Most...well all of them but Richie and Sharee, have lived with us at one point. We are so blessed to have a team here.  It would have been so much harder to live here without them.  We meet every Monday night at our house for Bible Study. It's so encouraging to hear their stories each week of what God is doing in their lives.

Last night we had the team over to celebrate Breanna coming back!

I want to thank all of you back in Alabama. Our friends and family. People who support us financially and by praying. We are so Thankful for you!! Living here would be so much harder if we had family that didn't support us. It would be so much harder if we didn't have the extra financial support because I wouldn't get to stay at home with my girls or Q would be spending less time with us and have to work a second job. It would be hard if we didn't have people praying and sending us encouraging text, emails and phone calls just to say they are thinking of us. I can't say it enough but THANK YOU!! We miss all of you in Alabama! That is the biggest sacrifice for me...to be away from you all.  But I know it is worth it. I'm living in the most un-churched area in the united states. I know God has called us here to love on people and show them His love.