Giving Thanks!

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

-Colossians 3:17

It has been a whirlwind month of November.  I hope all of you had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving with friends and family!  This has truly been a month of being constantly reminded how much I have to be thankful for.  God promises in Philippians 4:19 that he will "meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  I have seen that promise fulfilled in so many ways this year. The Lord has been so faithful in everything, from the move to Montana in May, through the passing of my dad, through the ministry doors that have opened, through a procedure on my back that has left me feeling as good as I have in more than six years, to the many people He has put in my life who constantly point me to Him, and just the ability to grow in my personal relationship with Him daily, He has truly provided for my every need.  And it's amazing when thinking of the things I am most thankful for, almost all are things that money could never buy.  I am constantly reminded of my favorite verse that says "where (our) treasure is there (our) heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)."  I am so thankful to be rich in the things that God values over what the world says is most important.  Know that I thank Him constantly for the role so many of you have played in encouraging me along the way.

Things have been busy at Kirkwood Baptist out here in Bozeman getting ready for the winter season.  We have been working on some upcoming Christmas events, finishing up calendaring for the coming year, and spending a lot of good time in the Word.  Pastor James' and Misty's baby boy is growing so fast and just hit the six week mark!  We also just had a new family come into town from New York and they are just getting settled so everyone is eager to get to know them better in the coming months.  Also, a man that many of us had been praying for came forward and accepted Christ after service a couple weeks ago - so exciting!

I have also been busy coaching the Heritage Christian 5th-8th grade girls' basketball team.  It is a fun group of girls and we are getting ready to head in to some tournaments after Thanksgiving break!

Baby Levi - the Thanksgiving turkey :)

Hanging with the Wyatt kiddos

In the midst of everything I took a very quick road trip down to Utah to clean out some stuff at the place that was my dad's.  I was blessed to have a friend with me to help and we had such a sweet time together.  I am so grateful the Lord puts people in our lives to walk with us through each season!

Utah Road Trip

Utah Road Trip

I also got to go back to San Diego for the first time in almost a year for Thanksgiving.  I got to see my mom and friends I consider family.  It was a sweet time catching up with them and getting to wear flip flops for a couple days was nice!

With the Emerick family

With my mom

Quick stop at the beach

Although I grew up in San Diego and enjoy the beach, I am most certainly a mountain girl at heart and love being in Montana in Big Sky country with all the snow!  As we get ready to head into December, and as the lights go up, trees are decorated and gifts are purchased I pray we can all keep our eyes on what Christmas is truly about and have the ability to see God at work all around us.

In the coming weeks please pray for:
- Youth Lock-In at Kirkwood December 7
- Upcoming Kirkwood Kids Christmas Celebration December 15
- Kirkwood Christmas Dinner and Worship December 16
- I leave December 27 on a mission trip to Slovenia (near Austria, Italy and Croatia). Please pray for myself and the team I am traveling with as we all prepare to head over there! (If you go back to my Aug 24 blog post, there is more information on the details of this trip!)

All Things October

Wow, what a second half of October! God is good...

It started with Pastor and Misty's family coming in to town to see little Levi (who is three weeks old today!)  That meant I had the opportunity to go stay with the McLean family for my birthday week.  We took a trip to Rocky Creek Farm, carved pumpkins and enjoyed time together.

Rocky Creek Farm

At Rocky Creek Farm

Pumpkin Carving

My pumpkin :)

Ministry-wise I had the opportunity to paint Bible verses on a couple of the walls of the church.  As we painted, I was reminded of these verses, "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates (Deut. 6:6-9)".  We were able to get the Youth Room and front foyer of the church completed and are looking forward to some more projects soon. 

Working on the Youth Room

Youth Room

Front foyer

We have also had the chance to spend a few days helping out one of the family's from the church on some construction that needed to be completed on their house before winter comes.  It was sweet to see everyone come together and be willing to use their gifts for His glory.

Additionally, we had the annual church hayride which was an absolute blast.  After prayer meeting outside by the fire, we got on the hayride and stopped out in the fields where the kiddos (and many of the adults) jumped off to try to feed the animals.  It was hilarious to watch and just the best time with a great group of people.

Last night, we had Trunk or Treat at Kirkwood and made some good contacts with people of the community who came by.  We had the cars outside and then games, chili, cider, hot chocolate and a skit inside. 

Getting ready for Trunk or Treat to begin

Alex getting ready for Trunk or Treat



Jesus, Marty from Madagascar 3, a Honduran soccer player,
a chef and a pumpkin making up the "Holy Rollers Praise Band!"
It was a one time performance :)

Personally, over the last couple weeks I had the opportunity to substitute teach at Heritage Christian School for 5th and 6th grade and had a great time.  I am also coaching the 5th-8th grade girls basketball team for the school.  They have been working hard and are gearing up for our first game this week.

When I was with the children at school, they had Chapel and learned about how God can use our problems and everything that happens for His glory as we trust and walk with Him daily.  When we went back to class we were able to discuss Psalm 40:1-3 which says, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."  This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture because it is a promise of God that when we cry out to Him, He will answer and will always give us a firm foundation to plant our feet on.  That doesn't mean life is easy and there aren't painful times, but it is most often through our brokenness we see Him most clearly and He is able to restore us.  Why does He do this?  Because He loves us and He wants to use us so "many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."  I have seen this so clearly in my own life and am so thankful that God has grown me through the hard times and places.  May we all be in awe of Him in every season.

As we head into the holiday season, please pray that God will continue to open doors for us to minister to the community and for hearts to be turned to Him! 

My prayer is that each of us can give thanks and remember that He is sovereign, He is faithful and His promises will always and forever be true ...

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Sending my love to all of you!



Happenings around Bozeman

It has been a crazy last few weeks here in Bozeman.  Perhaps the most exciting news is that Baby Levi is here!  Pastor James and Misty are excited and Levi's three older sisters are absolutely enamored with the little man.  And he is so cute!

Cassie, Muranda and Alex with their baby brother

First official Wyatt family photo with Levi!

So sweet getting to hold the little guy!



One of the doors God has opened here has been the opportunity to get involved at Heritage Christian, a K-12 school here in Bozeman.  I was able to serve as a chaperone on a fifth to ninth grade field trip to Big Sky Resort where the kids got to do archery, hike, zip line and do a ropes course - I don't remember having field trips that exciting when I was in school!!  I have also had the chance to help out with the 5th-8th grade girls volleyball team.  It has been a great opportunity to get to know some of the other children and parents in the area and am excited to see what else God will have in store there.

With Taylor and Alex on the field trip

Crystal, who is the head volleyball coach,
and I on the field trip.

Volleyball team trying to make a pyramid at picture day :)

At the church it has been especially sweet in Sunday School and Children's Church to see the kids growing in their knowledge of His Word more and more each time we are together.  We did a review activity this past Sunday on what we have been learning over the past couple months and they all blew me away!  On Wednesday nights there have been some children visiting so we are praying that we can share His love with them in a very tangible way and get them more plugged in as time goes on!  On Halloween night, October 31 we are hosting Trunk or Treat for children of the community.  Please pray for what God will do through that ministry outreach.

Additionally, I have been learning a ton in the World Religions class I am auditing at Montana Bible College and the Skiers and Snowboarders for Christ Bible study I am in has been a great time of fellowship and intentional time in His Word.  One of the things God has been constantly speaking to me lately has been the importance of serving out of His love instead of out of duty.  I think it is easy to get wrapped up in outward appearance and "doing the right thing" and completely miss what God desires, especially when running from one activity to the next.  In 2 Chronicles 16:9 it says, "The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth looking to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to HIM." I have seen in my own life that when I allow Him to change me from the inside out, then His love will overflow naturally onto others, instead of doing things in my own strength.  Allowing Him to fill us daily is the only way to "walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6)."

In addition, it snowed here October 3!  Woo hoo! The count down to ski season has officially commenced :) ... But it really has been nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather we have had the past couple weeks.

Enjoying God's creation just outside of Bozeman

Praises/Prayer Requests:
- Huge praise for the doors God is starting to open here - please pray I would be obedient to Him and only say "yes" to what God calls me to and not to all the good things that are in my path.
- Also a praise for the friendships that I have developed here in Bozeman - life is meant to be lived in community and I am so grateful for the many people He has put in my life, both here and elsewhere that help my eyes stay focused on Him in every season.
- Pray for Pastor James and Misty and little baby Levi as they raise him to walk with the Lord.
- Pray for patience and wisdom for Pastor James, our youth pastor Andrew and myself as we make decisions concering potential upcoming ministries at Kirkwood.

Let me know how I can be praying for you! Love you all!!

Nashville trip!

"Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

Romans 10: 17

What an INCREDIBLE trip to Nashville!!  My heart is so full from the time God allowed me to have there!

First, there was a five day missions conference known as the Global Impact Celebration at Judson Baptist Church.  It was such a sweet time with my Nashville church family and hearing what God is doing all over the world!  Judson has mission partners in places including Kenya, Guatemala, Brazil, Nicaragua, Honduras, New York, Montana and throughout Tennessee.  It was so encouraging to hear what God is doing all over the place and to have a chance to share with so many what God has been doing out in Montana as well.  To God be the glory for allowing me to be apart of a community that is willing to be His witnesses in "Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)."  To all of you there I was able to spend time with, whether at church, in passing or out and about over the couple weeks - no words can thank you for your love, support and encouragement.   



Opening Night of Global Impact Celebration at
Judson Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee

Another huge blessing of the trip was the chance to return to Foundations Christian Academy where I worked at for two years.  The group is like one big family centered on Jesus and is just a big bundle of love and encouragement.  The families there have served in over 60 countries and 48 states and have such a heart for sharing the Gospel.  I had the chance to speak in Chapel to the kids (about 140 K-6th graders) and many of the sweet parents who stayed that morning, about the Armor of God and related it to what I have experienced during my time in Montana and other missions experiences I have had.  I encouraged the kids and families to be obedient to God's call on their lives.  I also had the chance to get over 100 of them together one evening to celebrate what God has been doing and just reconnect with everyone - it was such a special time.  Here is a link to slideshow of pictures from time with them!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLWdEvGf6PU&feature=youtu.be

Speaking in Chapel at FCA

With the FCA 5th grade class

Part of the group during an awesome evening together!

Additionally, I had the opportunity to catch up with Chris and Christy White who run Mobilizing Students and a great missions program called Trek-X that focuses on launching the next generation ministry.  Students in the program are trained for two years in the states and then serve overseas for two years with the opportunity to stay on the mission field after that.  I have gotten to know them through a mutual friend over the past couple years and they have been a huge blessing and source of encouragement to me.  It was great to catch up with them in addition to attending a morning session with the current Trek-X students in their program.  Please pray for what God is doing through their ministry ... and if you or someone you know is entering, in, or just leaving college and is interested in missions, the Trek-X program is definitely worth praying about and looking in to!  They also send many mission teams overseas in addition to an awesome missions week called Urban Plunge in Atlanta each summer.   (Check out: http://www.mobilizingstudents.com/Mobilizing_Students/home.html and see all they have going on!)

With Chris and Christy White

Additionally, I had the opportunity to catch up for a few with Sam Feazel of Ignite Missions who I have served with for three years in Honduras - God is doing incredible things through that ministry and you can't help but walk away fired up after being around Sam!  Please pray for him and his wife Peggy and what God is doing through Ignite Missions down there!

Sam Feazel, Ignite Missions founder

It was truly an awesome couple of weeks - I wish I could list every detail of what happened but just know that every single one of you I got to see just made my day and you are each a reminder of His faithfulness - it was great feeling like I was home in Nashville and could also return home to Bozeman where God has called me for this season ... I got back to Montana yesterday and have already hit the ground running getting back in the swing of things!

Please pray for:
- Individuals and families to come to Montana to partner with us throughout this next year!  (And if God is leading you out here - contact me :)
- To be able to clearly discern which doors God is opening here in Bozeman and to walk through them with boldness in His name.
- For Pastor James and his wife Misty as they are getting ready to have their fourth child!
- For God to provide us a worship leader at Kirkwood Baptist here in Bozeman.

Love to you all! Please keep me updated on how I can be praying for you!

Answered Prayers

I think many of us have people in our lives that we have prayed for over periods of time.  When I came on my site visit to Bozeman last November, I met an awesome lady who I connected with right off the bat that, who in addition to being one of the funniest people I have ever met, would become one of my dear friends.  She had been coming to Kirkwood for a little while, but at the time had lots of questions and did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  So even as I returned to Nashville and prepared those next five months to return to Montana, I prayed often for her heart and for what God would do in her life.  Then, a few weeks ago, when I was on one of the trips that I have had to make down to Utah, I got a call from Pastor and his wife, letting me know that she had come to meet with them that day and surrendered her life to Jesus Christ.  I was SO excited!  This past Sunday, she got baptized along with her daughter who had previously been saved as well.  They wanted everyone to know they have a personal relationship with Jesus.  It is so cool when we are able to see God answer prayers in such a tangible way.  And perhaps even better is when we see the difference a relationship with Him can have in someone's life.  There is a different peace and confidence that she has walked with since coming to know the Lord.  God has put such a desire in her heart to listen to Him daily and she is starting to become more and more aware that God is involved in and cares about every small detail of our lives, not just the "big things."  It will be exciting to see what God does in her life and her daughter's life moving forward as they continue to walk in obedience to Him!  So to all of you reading this - continue to pray for friends and loved ones - even if it is over years and years - God is faithful and promises His word never returns void.

Jonni's baptism

Morgan's baptism

The past couple weeks out here we have been getting back to the "normal" schedule during the school year, with Wednesday evenings along with Sunday mornings and evenings.  We have met as a staff and prayed and discussed what we feel God is leading us to do in the coming year and have begun putting some of those plans into action.  I am also a couple weeks now into the World Religions class I am taking at Montana Bible College and am learning a ton.  I wish the class could be more than twice a week!

I shared in an earlier post that I have been working this summer on memorizing the book of James.  I want to share the following that is an excerpt from the book Divine Mentor by Wayne Cordeiro.  In this passage he was over in China training some of those who lead the underground house churches and this is what he said about the experience:

"We'd brought 16 Bibles to pass out, leaving a few of the leaders to share with one another. I had them turn to Second Peter, chapter 1. As we were about to read it out loud, one elderly woman handed her Bible to another leader.  I thought it was a bit strange, since Bibles were so scarce, but I didn't call attention to the matter.  After we began to read, I understood why she had willingly given up her Bible.  She quoted the whole chapter from memory! During a short break, I asked her how she memorized so much Scripture.  "I have much more memorized," she replied through one of our interpreters.  "But how did you memorize so much," I asked, "when there are so few Bibles available?"  "In prison," she said. Pushing back, I went on.  "But if you had a Bible, wouldn't they confiscate it right away?"  "Yes," she answered.  "So people brought me Scripture written on pieces of paper."  "And what if the guards found you with those?"  I pressed. "Wouldn't they take those away as well?"  "Yes. That is why I memorized the Scriptures as quickly as I could.  You see, they can take away the paper, but they cannot take away what I have already hidden in my heart." (p. 167)



At that moment, it really hit me how much I take for granted having a Bible at my disposal whenever I need it, how often quiet time is the first thing to go in a busy day, and then when things in life aren't going according to my plan, I run back to the Word for a "little help."  Lord, forgive me for that!  It has been such a reminder that in His Word we are told to pray "Give us EACH DAY our daily bread (Luke 11:3)" and that as Mr. Cordeiro says in his book, "The Lord wants us to come to Him each day for what we will need on that day.  Nowhere does He ask us to pray for our weekly bread, or our monthly bread, or our yearly bread.  He fashioned us to need fresh bread daily, and nothing but fresh daily bread will every satisfy our souls (p 116)."

In the Bible, Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35)."  I am praying I can be more intentional in my time with Him each day.  As an accountability for myself in memorizing and an encouragement to you all that it is possible, here is a video of me reciting James 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3vJDi1jQnQ&feature=youtu.be ...

This week both Pastor James and myself will be traveling to Nashville for the Global Impact Celebration at Judson Baptist!  I am excited to get to see everyone, share more about what God has been doing out here, and also to hear what God has been doing with all of Judson's mission partners around the world.  It is a blessing to be apart of a church that is truly working to fulfill the Great Commission and to take His name to the ends of the earth.

Please pray for safe travels and for what God will do through that time.  Pray as well for Misty as she is going on eight months pregnant and will be remaining in Bozeman while Pastor travels to Tennessee for the conference.  Pray for the doors that God is continuing to open here in Bozeman and that we would be obedient to what He is leading us to do.

To all of you back in Nashville - SEE YOU SOON! Love you all and thank you so much for your prayers!

Summer Endings and New Beginnings

Here is what has gone on over the past couple weeks and ministry opportunities heading into this fall and winter!


- This December I will have opportunity to go on a mission trip to Slovenia.  The trip is with the International Sports Federation - an organization that uses sports missions as a tool to share the Gospel.  One of my friends, Jessica, who I served with when I worked for a traveling sports ministry a few years ago, is their Director of Mobilization, and she will also be going.  Our team will be skiing at various resorts in Slovenia and distributing evangelism materials in partnership with local missionaries.  Please pray that I will be able to raise the support necessary to go on this trip!  For those of you who might not know, to the left is a map that shows where Slovenia is.  As those who understand ski and boarding lingo would say, I can't wait to go "shred (tear up the mountain) for my Savior!" or in Bible terms, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17)."






Catapalooza Booth

- Catapalooza is a three day event at Montana State University where over 2,500 incoming freshman and their parents, along with other students and people in the community come through.  Many organizations in the community set up booths.  I was able to set up a booth for Kirkwood Baptist along with our youth pastor Andrew and treasurer Matt.  We handed out care packages to many students that included invitations to a dinner we are hosting in a couple weeks and other information about Kirkwood. Throughout the three days we were able to make connections with many students as well as other organizations and ministries. It was a blast!  Please pray for God to open the door to further these relationships.






Bench outside the front doors -
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19



 - This fall I will have to opportunity to audit a class at Montana Bible College here in Bozeman.  I will be taking the World Religions class and am excited about the opportunity.  I really thought I would never go back to school, but when this door opened I just couldn't pass up the opportunity!  Class starts this coming Monday morning and I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning from teachers who have a passion for taking Jesus to the nations.








- This Sunday, the 26th, I will have the chance to share my testimony during service at Kirkwood Baptist.  God tells us in Revelation 12:11 that "we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony."  That means that what God has done in and through our lives is important and we should be willing to share it with others... all for His glory.

Please also pray for:
- Pastor Wyatt, Misty and their three girls as they are still in Tennessee visiting family.  They will be returning to Montana Monday, August 27th.
- For God to open the door to build relationships with some of those we met at Catapalooza this past week as well as to partnerships with other ministries in town.
- Most of the kids head back to school here August 29th. Please pray especially for our youth pastor Andrew and his plans to reach the youth in the community this fall. I also have some meetings I am trying to set up in the next couple weeks to discuss with key people possible plans in the coming year. We will also be fully back into the swing of Sunday and Wednesday night activities starting the beginning of September.
- Please pray as I adjust to my schedule for this fall - that I am intentional with my time and am faithful in pursuing the opportunities God puts in my path.

A couple quick shoutouts: Know I am praying for all of you back in Nashville - for everyone at Judson as you get ready for the Global Impact Celebration in a few weeks (can't wait to be there!) and to the kiddos and families at Foundations Christian Academy (where I worked Aug 2010-May 2012) - hope you had a great first week back at school and looking forward to hearing all about what God does through each of you throughout this year!  Miss you all but so grateful to be where God has me for this season!

Love you all and thank you so much for your prayers and support! It definitely makes my day whenever I hear from you!

A New Chapter

There has been a lot going on in Bozeman over the past couple weeks!  Here are some highlights:

-          Moved to a new place here in Bozeman (and for lack of a better way to get the word out - that means I have a new address – email me if you need it!)

-          Opportunity to take Jacey, Nick and Mason (three sweet brothers who have been involved in Kickball Club and VBS all summer) to lunch and spend an afternoon with them before they returned to Illinois for the school year where their mom lives.

-          Got to watch Pastor James and Misty’s three girls for a weekend while they went up to Canada for a wedding.  It was a blast of a time – pie making, hiking, coming up with a dance routine to “Ole Ole Ole” while watching soccer in the Olympics (yes, really) and just sharing a sweet time together!

With the Wyatt girls

Hiked the "M" trail with Muranda, Alex and Cassie

-          Had final meeting for summer Bible study I have been attending – it was a sweet community of people I was blessed to meet there and the chance to be in the Word with them was definitely an answered prayer through the summer.

-          We had our last day of kickball club – it was awesome to see God work through that ministry throughout the summer as we had an opportunity weekly to build relationships with many children and do devotions.

Gospel Presentation at Kickball Club

-          We had a visit from Pastor Russ (First Baptist Provo), his wife Lesley and their three kids – second time I have gotten to be with them this summer – they are awesome and we have spoken about possibly getting our churches to partner on some work in the states as well as overseas.

-          A small mission team from Dalton, Georgia is currently here – they have helped with many odds and ends around the church, as well as putting together care packages in preparation for an event at Montana State University when the students return in a couple weeks where we are hoping to build relationships with freshman as well as returning students. They have also been prayer walking in key areas around town and one evening I took them on a trip up Hyalite Canyon to one of the falls. They will finish out their week tomorrow by helping us with the Back to School Bash we have in a local neighborhood where we are giving out school supplies to families in need. They are officially here on a site visit to prepare for a potential partnership and full mission team to come out next summer. 

Preparing for Catapalooza at MSU

With Dalton, GA team up Hyalite Canyon



Palisade Falls, Hyalite Canyon

Personal Update:

After much prayer over the past couple months, I feel confirmation that the Lord is leading me to remain in Bozeman for this coming year.  There are still some details to fall in to place, but God is the author of details and He often calls us to walk forth in obedience and trust Him to light the path one step at a time.  He truly is Jehovah Jireh – the Lord who provides – and I have seen that time and time again, especially as I have said “yes” to remain here in Montana.

For those who do not know, I think it is important to share with you how I even ended up here in the first place…

I had the perfect life in Nashville.  I was serving as Camp Director at Judson Baptist Church with an amazing church family, while also working at a Christian academy with 120 of the sweetest kids and families in the world.  Life couldn’t have been any better.  In June of 2011, my dear friend and mentor Jenny called me while on a mission trip to Bozeman and said, “I could see you out here for a while.”  I quickly dismissed the notion, reciting the million reasons why Nashville was the place for me.  At the time I truly believed I was where God wanted me.  However, God tells us to hold our plans lightly and walk with Him one day at a time.

Well, in September of 2011 our administrative pastor approached me about the possibility of interning in Bozeman the following summer and I told him I would pray about it.  I was walking through about a five month period where all I heard in every sermon, Sunday school lesson and Bible study was “be obedient.”  I didn’t know what that meant at the time and just prayed that the Lord would make the desires of my heart match His when the time was right.  In November 2011 I got on a plane to Bozeman for a site visit.  During that ride I asked the Lord to show me what I was still holding onto that I needed to surrender to Him.  He showed me it was the community of people I was surrounded by in Nashville. 

When I left Salt Lake City, where my layover was, it was a completely cloudy sky and I was still praying for clarity from the Lord.  As we got ready to descend into Bozeman, the skies cleared and it was like hearing "welcome home."  I knew at that point I would be coming back to Bozeman before too long. 

On the field where Jenny called me from
in June 2011 ... this was taken May 2012

After a great site visit, I returned to Nashville and began preparing to come out here to intern this summer.  I felt the Lord asking me to lay down anything I was holding onto before I left so I informed the academy I would not be returning the coming school year, as well as a couple other jobs I was working on the side.  This was at a time that all I knew for sure was that I would be in Bozeman for this summer. 

Although the original plan involved me serving out here for three months, after seeking the Lord through this summer, God has confirmed there is still much work to be done here so I am going to remain. 

Please pray:

-          He continues to provide the resources necessary to make this possible

-          That He will continue to open doors for ministry opportunities and partnerships here in Bozeman and make it clear which ones to pursue

-          That I will be intentional in sharing the Gospel as I go out in to the community each day

-          That I will be able to keep in touch with loved ones in Nashville and elsewhere around the world (i.e. all of YOU!)

Following God’s call is not always easy.  When you end up thousands of miles from everything that was once familiar to you, you quickly realize if your foundation is truly in Him or in other worldly comforts that were never meant to hold that weight in the first place.

However, the joy in serving Jesus is always greater than the sacrifice when you earnestly seek Him each day. To follow God’s call as He lights the path one step at a time… it is always worth it.  Each moment He has given us is a blessing and I pray we all use it to the fullest!  God tells us “where our treasure is, there our heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).”  The joy in the Lord and valuing what He values is so much more important than fitting in with what the world deems as most important.

I am so grateful that the Lord has put each of you in my life! We serve an awesome God!

Please also pray for Pastor James and Misty and the girls as they will be traveling to Tennessee the 17th-27th of August to visit family.  I will be returning to Nashville for a short time in September for the Global Impact Celebration at Judson so I look forward to seeing many of you then!