Welcome to November!

FIRST - I need to give some huge props to our dear friend Logan who made our new and awesome blog banner!!! Isn't it cool?! Make sure you tell him and encourage him today/this week!

I cannot believe that it has been a week since we've last posted AND it is already November!? Time is flying! Which is great, because it is only 3 WEEKS til we get to visit home!!

Last weekend was fun and relaxing (much needed)! We went to a haunted house (run by the boy scouts association) with some friends and had fun laughing (fake laughing for me) at the boy scouts trying (succeeding for me) to be scary! :)

We also were tremendously blessed by God and friends this weekend! Usually, I don't like to tell of specifics of finances, but this was such an amazing God thing - I have to share:

Friday was payday for me and it was smaller than usual because it had those 2 days that I didn't work because of my back on it and didn't have any sick/vacation days. Friday is also the day that rent is due and both our car payments are due.... Needless to say I did some major freaking out to see that my little check was not enough to cover the expenses due on the 1st, let alone carry us through to next paycheck! Thanks to Dave Ramsey, we have our handy-dandy emergency savings fund.... So reluctantly, I had to transfer money out of our emergency fund and into our checking acct in order to cover our bills and have food for the next two weeks.

I felt defeated and lousy Friday night knowing that if we had a true crisis, we didn't have our full emergency fund. I began doubting and wondering how we were going to continue to survive like this for 3 more years!? Saturday, as we were walking out the door to Tony's flag football game, a fed-ex man came and brought us a package. One of Tony's school projects was to write a parent/student devotional and have our church evaluate it. So, we were expecting this package from our wonderful students and parents who graciously did the devotional!! What we were not expecting was a package FULL of cards!!

All the students stuffed cards in for us of love and encouragement, and I cried for forever reading them all over and over again! How can I be discouraged knowing how loved and blessed we are!? Not only that, but in another card was a check for the EXACT amount that I had to transfer! Isn't that COOL!!!? It is such a God thing! Grace- know that we love you and miss you and thank you soooo much for blessing and encouraging us!! You have no idea how much you mean to us!!! (PS - our entire fridge is covered in cards! I will take a pic of it and post it soon)

Everytime I feel doubt or frustration about what we are doing here, why are we here, etc.... God continually affirms me, us for our purpose here! I have never felt God so close to us, holding us up like ever before! it is really a cool feeling, although scary, not to know how this is all going to work out and know that there is nothing else we can do but totally and completely rely on God!

Thank you for all your love and support!!

Also, if I could leave you with some prayer requests and praises:

• Our 19.5 month old nephew, Koen, has the swine flu - pray for complete healing!
• Since Koen lives with my mom she is at a huge risk! After her cancer 7 years ago, she doesn't have much of an immune system; so it is easy for her to catch it and it could be fatal for her - pray for protection for her!
• Tony started his job at Apple this week and he loves it! He has decided to quit SixFlags to have more time working at Apple! - Praise God for providing!
• We are coming home in 3 WEEKS!!! - Pray for safe travel and PRAISE God!!!!

Until next time....

Blessings,

Diamend