Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
HOME
We are hitting the road to Illinois early this morining!! We cannot wait to see our family and friends and our church on Sunday!! We have left all of Sunday open to anyone at Grace for lunch youth group!! Can't wait to see you all!!
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel:
- safety on the road
- finances with high gas prices and little budget ;(
We will update when we get home with pics!! We will be traveling back home to Texas on Monday!
Blessings!
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel:
- safety on the road
- finances with high gas prices and little budget ;(
We will update when we get home with pics!! We will be traveling back home to Texas on Monday!
Blessings!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Almost HOME!!!
Only 2 more days and we get to go HOME!!! We are getting sooo excited and anxious to hit the road early Wednesday morning and see/hug all our friends and family!!! 2. MORE. DAYS!!!
In the meantime... We have been busy! Which is probably a good thing, so as to keep our minds from driving us crazy about going home! Last week was the Baptsit General Convention of Texas's Annual Meeting in Houston. Tony and I flew to Houston last Sunday, Tony came home Monday night (b/c he had class) and I finally got home Wednesday! It was a lot of work, but lots of fun - I really enjoy my work here!
Do ya'll remember me telling you about Metochai at SWBTS? (The students' wives fellowship that meets once a month for bible study and fellowship) Well, last Thursday we had our last Metochai meeting of 2009! Along with the meeting we had a home business fair! I have started my own little home business "Scrapbooker for HIRE" so I had my very own booth at the fair! I was able to showcase my scrabooks and what I can do for others - basically it is me scrapbooking for those who don't have time/talent to do their own for money$$. So I'm hoping that this opened up some doors and I can start getting to work soon!
**PS. If you would like to hire me (hint hint) let me know and I'll send you my list of services and prices!!
Now to the good stuff: We are leaving in 2 DAYS to go home to Illinois for Thanksgiving!!! (WOOHOO!) So, when we come home after driving and unpacking, the last thing I want to do is mess with putting up a tree! So we put our Christmas stuff up this weekend, and we'll take it down before we go home again for Christmas!
Prayer requests:
- Safety as we travel
- Finances to get us through traveling
Blessings,
Diamend
Monday, November 16, 2009
Long Time
Well let me see if I remember how to do this...since I haven't blogged for almost 2 months I think. But I've been in school so I have an excuse. ;-) The semester is about over for me. I've got this week and then 2 days. Last bits of homework and reading, plus finals, are all I have left for the year. It has been really great and God has taught me some great things through this first semester.
You may be asking yourself, "Self, why is Tony posting at 10:30 on a school night?" I'm sure Diamend is thinking the same thing, but I just got back from Houston where Diamend is and I was for the BGCT's Annual Meeting. It was really great to see and meet some of the leaders in Texas. I would be asleep, however, I'm missing my wife and I thought this would be a great way to think of her.
Diamend and I are very excited about coming home for Thanksgiving, so if you're going to be around look for us because we will be there! We are looking forward to seeing family and friends!
Apple is going great! The job is very fun and the people are great too! I had training last week but that is all I can say about that. Just know that Apple is a wonderful company to work for!
Please continue to pray for us! And let us pray for you! We have still be struggling financially since I haven't yet gotten paid from my part-time job, and with traveling home, we have seen some extra costs that we probably can't afford but we can't afford not too! We love ya'll too much! Please comment on how we can pray for you and if there is anything new!
We love you all and thank you for always being a blessing in our lives!
Much Love,
Tony
Friday, November 6, 2009
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:
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
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Fall Fun
It was a great and/but busy weekend! Saturday Tony had to work 13 HOURS at SixFlags! Poor guy was sooo tired! :( But while he worked, I played! Our church we've been attending had their Fall Festival so I got to dress up and do trunk or treat!! My friend (also my director at work) and I did a joint theme with our trunks with a rainbow connecting them and she was a rain cloud while I was the sun! It was fun and as soon as I find pics I will post them!
Speaking of church - we had lunch with the pastor and his wife after church on Sunday and decided to make it our home church here! While Grace will always be our true home/family; this will be our home away from home for a while. So this coming Sunday we will be joining Northpointe Baptist Church in Arlington. It is a mission of FBC Arlingto n, so it is small and fairly new, but has many areas where we can get involved! If you want, check it out: http://www.mynorthpointe.org/.
Now onto another note - matters of the heart. I was reading a friend's blog the other day and she wrote exactly what had been on my heart and mind the last few days/week. It completely reiterated what I was thinking/praying....
I was driving to work this morning, thinking about a lot of things at once: plans for the day, everything that happened yesterday (praying it wouldn’t happen again), when the Lord broke in with a word for my heart and mind.
Do I truly believe the words of Colossians 1:15-18…that He alone is FULLNESS, He alone is above all, He alone is preeminence? If I do, then my perspective must change. I must take myself outside of every situation, and instead of looking at the way it effects me, look at how He is in control of it, and how it can bring Him glory and praise.
That, in every single way, is what it means to live loved…to live in the purpose for which He has created us. Everything must point back to Him. Everything must be for Him…for His glory, and His praise. All of a sudden, situations with unhappy people aren’t about me…all of a sudden I don’t have to lay my head on my desk in tears, cry to my husband, or ask my Mom for long distance hugs. Instead, I can rest in the fact that He is in complete sovereignty over all, HE has control over everything, and I can focus upon how I can respond to the situation to most bring Him glory and praise.
For everything that seems to be going wrong or not the way I want -- I need to turn the perspective around and see God, His sovereignty in everything! Any/All of our complaints of housing/the housing office/rules.... Praise HIM because we have a home! Any/All worries or fears about money how we are going to make the next bill or fill the fridge... Praise HIM because we have more than most! ALL my complaints of homesickness and loneliness... Praise HIM because I am not and will never be alone!
I pray today that you might see every situation as a new opportunity...an opportunity to make Him your Treasure above all else, to find Him in everything, to adore Him, to love Him...to live to the praise of the glory of who He is...I pray today, you might truly live loved.
Love you, praying for you!
Diamend
Speaking of church - we had lunch with the pastor and his wife after church on Sunday and decided to make it our home church here! While Grace will always be our true home/family; this will be our home away from home for a while. So this coming Sunday we will be joining Northpointe Baptist Church in Arlington. It is a mission of FBC Arlingto n, so it is small and fairly new, but has many areas where we can get involved! If you want, check it out: http://www.mynorthpointe.org/.
Now onto another note - matters of the heart. I was reading a friend's blog the other day and she wrote exactly what had been on my heart and mind the last few days/week. It completely reiterated what I was thinking/praying....
I was driving to work this morning, thinking about a lot of things at once: plans for the day, everything that happened yesterday (praying it wouldn’t happen again), when the Lord broke in with a word for my heart and mind.
Do I truly believe the words of Colossians 1:15-18…that He alone is FULLNESS, He alone is above all, He alone is preeminence? If I do, then my perspective must change. I must take myself outside of every situation, and instead of looking at the way it effects me, look at how He is in control of it, and how it can bring Him glory and praise.
That, in every single way, is what it means to live loved…to live in the purpose for which He has created us. Everything must point back to Him. Everything must be for Him…for His glory, and His praise. All of a sudden, situations with unhappy people aren’t about me…all of a sudden I don’t have to lay my head on my desk in tears, cry to my husband, or ask my Mom for long distance hugs. Instead, I can rest in the fact that He is in complete sovereignty over all, HE has control over everything, and I can focus upon how I can respond to the situation to most bring Him glory and praise.
For everything that seems to be going wrong or not the way I want -- I need to turn the perspective around and see God, His sovereignty in everything! Any/All of our complaints of housing/the housing office/rules.... Praise HIM because we have a home! Any/All worries or fears about money how we are going to make the next bill or fill the fridge... Praise HIM because we have more than most! ALL my complaints of homesickness and loneliness... Praise HIM because I am not and will never be alone!
I pray today that you might see every situation as a new opportunity...an opportunity to make Him your Treasure above all else, to find Him in everything, to adore Him, to love Him...to live to the praise of the glory of who He is...I pray today, you might truly live loved.
Love you, praying for you!
Diamend
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