Trek To West Virginia
Posted: June 10, 2011 Filed under: Baby Bush, Travel Leave a comment »As I mentioned before, last week we trekked to West Virginia to see our friends Luke and Erin tie the knot. The joy of marriage becomes sweeter with each and every wedding I attend. I was reminded of our own wedding, my mind flooded with the storehouse of memories surrounding our big day- the people gathered to celebrate, the decorative knick-knacks that still sit in our home, and the vows I promised to my Beloved.
This wedding was charming, thought through with the ultimate intent to glorify the One who brought them together, and sweetly adorned with the covenant promise of best friends madly in love with a love that could only have come from God.
The groom and his wonderful mama
It was an outdoor country-barn-vintage wedding, set on the top of a hill beneath a thick canopy of trees, which provided a cool retreat from the harsh sun.
The tables were scattered with vintage china, clothed with lacey cloth, and set with a birch tree center piece.
It was a beautiful reminder of the love and promises of God for His people- exactly as marriage should be.
Jordan got to have good man time in with a couple of his best buds and I had girl time with a few sweet sisters whom I haven’t seen in sometime. It is always a reminder of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness to hear of and be a witness to the change that He is working out in His children.
**Sorry there are not more pics of the bride and groom. I learned that having an infant strapped around my body while attempting to take good pictures is harder than it looks. I hope to perfect this skill as time goes on.
Jairus was an enjoyable travel companion. He pretty much slept the whole way up and tolerated being passed around like he was the newest and coolest toy-he laid his charm on em’ and the people just couldn’t get enough.
He wore his diaper to the wedding and hung around in my sling for most of the day. Everyone was amazed at how well behaved and extremely good looking he is. We have most surely been blessed with a great baby.
We arrived back in North Carolina on Saturday night (more like early Sunday morning) and spent Sunday like a bunch of bumps on a log-lounging around like couch potatoes. Our stay with my parents has been an adventure of its own. We ventured to the Amish market and went booking in every surrounding city that had a goodwill. Jairus is quite the travel bug.
My parents dog and cat overcame their jealously toward Jairus and instead have taken an interest in snuggling with him in his bouncy seat. I suppose now is as good a time as any to go ahead and attack those allergies, although I’m not so sure Jairus enjoys the company.
This week could definitely be documented as the week of growth. Jairus seems to grow every day and its amazing to look back just a week ago and see the change. His cheeks are getting poochier and poochier which of course means that he is getting cuter and cuter since cheeks and cuteness are absolutely and positively correlated with one another. He is also getting super strong. To our surprise he has great neck and head control and uses his little legs to push against us. Since he is preparing for strongman, we regularly work out his arm strength and abdominal region. I’m anticipating he’ll get the title. He is learning to put his hands in his mouth and his cry is getting louder and more pronounced (can’t say we are too excited about that one). One of our favorite little growths is the way that he has learned to focus his eyes. He opens his eyes more now than ever and he actually looks at your face rather than at his invisible space friend. He is beginning to become interested in what’s around him and seems to love the light. Those baby blues are getting bluer and clearer- like looking into the crystal blue ocean, and I just can’t get enough of em’.
It’s been fun and while we would love to stay longer Auntie Nats is calling for her nephew to come back. Tomorrow we begin our trek back home-please keep us in your prayers!
Christmas Vacation in Review
Posted: February 11, 2011 Filed under: Life, Travel Leave a comment »Since I am awaiting Jordan’s near arrival from his trip to India, I thought it fitting to review the first time we were separated as a newly married couple, this way we can see if the events of his last week even slightly compare to the events of my adventure away from him. Something tells me Jordan is going to have the better deal this time.
The day after Christmas I left for a 5 day trek through seven of the Southern states to visit the Creation Museum and the Cherokee Indian Reserve. I missed Jordan verrry much (not as much as I miss him right now), but it was an interesting time with my family (as it always is) and we had many-a-laugh and tons more learned about Biblical creation. One of the major highlights was that the Bush’s (and Dillon) made the 4 hour drive from Pop’s house to spend the day with us.
Lacking time and desire to give a day by day report, I present to you our vacation in picture story form- or the first part of our vacation anyway. I’m sure you will enjoy it better in pictures anyhow.
Natalie and Kyle looking o so excited to begin their creationist adventure…
The Bush Family + Dylan
The Ray Family- The mustaches have nothing at all to do with creationism, but exemplifies typical Ray behavior
Padre with the prophets and sister love
One big created family
It was quite the adventure, and I must say, I was impressed with the creation museum. Maybe sometime I will get the pictures up of the Cherokee Indian Reserve. Since it was an off season it was somewhat uneventful with the exception of a pretty awesome museum and some really cool jewelry purchases. But more on that another time. Jordan returns tomorrow and I am mucho excited for his arrival. Adios for now!
Jordan Update
Posted: February 10, 2011 Filed under: Missions, Travel 1 Comment »Jordan has been in India for a week now and begins his journey back in a couple more days. Luckily, Cody’s phone has been working while they have been over there and I have been able to speak with Jordan a couple of times. The conversations were short, but he shared a few things with me.
Pastor Syam is their only interpreter so the language barrier has been difficult for them. The orphans only speak a little English and many of the older people don’t speak it at all. Jordan told me that they were able to video tape some of the testimonies of the older members of the church and said he was so encouraged by their stories. Through God’s graceful provision they have been able to go to lunch with some of the church members, treating them to what they say was “the best meal’s of their lives.” They have been able to spend a large amount of time with the orphans, getting to know them all a little better. I guess they spent the day at the beach and the kids had a blast (although the men got some sun burns…hehe). They also went to some of the oldest Hindu temples in India and were able to speak briefly with the Hindu priests. Both Cody and Jordan have had the privilege of leading a couple of gospel meetings at the church and supposedly there were some Hindu’s who came to some of the church meetings and heard the gospel…Praise the Lord! I didn’t get much more detail than that, but when I hear all the wonderful stories I will be able to share more.
One last story that I wanted to share is about one of the women who attends Pastor Syam’s church. I guess this woman has a Hindu husband who is not fond of her attending a Christian church; although Christianity is legal it is not looked upon with much favor. She is a believer and attends church weekly despite her husbands disdain for Christians. As a result of her attending church, she suffers regular beatings. I was so heartbroken to hear this story, as we rarely experience this type of thing in America. This woman said that she will continue to attend church and worship God even if it means that her husband beats her to death. I was humbled by this story and hope that it teaches you a lesson as well. We are so blessed in this country to not know what persecution for the sake of the gospel is like, but we need to continually be reminded that there are many who face death for their proclamation of the gospel. Please pray for strength for this lady and a growing love for her Savior. May He be glorified through her sufferings.
That is all I have for now, I will update a bit more later. Pray for Jordan and Cody as they head back to the states. They have about 40 hours of travel ahead of them.
“But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and og God rests upon you.” 1 Peter 4:1-15
Prayer- India
Posted: February 3, 2011 Filed under: Missions, Travel Leave a comment »Yesterday morning I dropped my wonderful husband off at the airport to begin his trek to India. A woman gracefully followed the Lord’s leading in providing for Jordan and another friend from our church, Cody, to go to India fully paid for. While I am a bit anxious about what is going to happen while he is over there and a little lonely already, I am excited for what the Lord has for both of us, as well as those who they will be ministering to in India.
They are headed to a tiny little town in South India in the state of Andhra Pradesh to visit a pastor friend who owns an orphanage with 16 orphans and 4 widows. We have been talking with this Indian pastor for almost a year now over SKYPE and email. Our church decided to begin to support them monthly as they lacked funds for basic needs like food. Jordan and Cody are kind of like the Joshua and Caleb, going in to check out the land, learn more about the church and the people, and see what needs our church might be able to meet in the future.
So this week our church is praying for India. I ask that with our body, you also be praying for Jordan and Cody and that they would be ministers of the good news with much boldness, wisdom, clarity, and above all, truth. Pray that they would be encouraging to the believers they meet and intentional in sharing the gospel. Above all, pray that Christ would be made glorious to all those who hear the gospel and that God would bring many to repentance and salvation.
Some facts about India:
India is a predominantly Hindu nation with Islam as the second most popular religion. Although all religions are welcome in the country there is an increase in persecution of Christians among the nation. The caste system is a very important part of the Hindu culture and as a result, many face serious poverty and inequality. The Lord has used this for His glory as the poor of this nation have been made rich in Him; the lower castes are more open to the gospel than they higher castes of society.
Prayer
The Church in India is growing and we should be praying for the Lord to raise up preachers and teachers to lead the churches. Also pray that teaching and discipleship would become more readily available for those who are Christians. Like many areas where the population of Christians is small, churches often conform themselves to many different understandings of Christianity. Pray for the Spirit to reveal truth to the leaders and guide them in their study of the Word.
Christian Materials are difficult to come by in the Hindi language. Pray for the many efforts to provide study materials and Bibles in the Hindi language
Minority communities such as the Skih community and the Buddhist Tibetans. Pray that Christians in the country would reach out to these communities and learn more about their culture and languages.
Persecution of Christians is worse in some areas than others. Pray that the Lord would give those who are experiencing persecution comfort from His Spirit and boldness to continue to preach the gospel. Pray that God would get all glory from their suffering. Gujarat is one place where persecution is prevalent.
Haryana and Himacham Pradesh are two of India’s least evangelized states. Pray for harvesters to go into the field.
Unreached people groups including the Kashmiri Muslims, the Tibetab Buddhists and the high caste Brahmin Pandits of Kashmiri. There are many more unreached people groups to be praying for also.
I will try my best to keep you posted on Jordan and Cody’s journey. They should be arriving in India tonight to meet Pastor for a seven hour car ride into the town where they will be staying. We praise the Lord for a save journey thus far.
