Settled...sort of...

Well, there is really no excuse. It's been two days short of a month since I last posted. I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up. We have moved into our new house. Everything is slowly but surely finding its place. It has been a much easier adjustment than I had expected. Everyone is getting along great, and we are all adapting to living with each other very well. Everyone has been so considerate of giving each other space, and we actually are already seeing areas where we are saving money! So that is great!
The dogs are loving the house! There is a really big yard...okay for Dallas it's a really big yard...for Indy, it's a pretty much normal. Anyway they are loving the freedom. Owen, however has the ability to spring, in a single bound, right over the fence. We knew he could do this before we moved in. We had seen him jump twice that high before, but HE didn't know he could do it until yesterday. Of course, now that he has figured it out he keeps doing it. So we really have to figure out something to keep Owen in the yard. That is another project for this week.
As usual we are insanely busy. Chris and I realized a few weeks ago, that we are not going to have a free weekend until sometime in December. It is incredibly draining not to have a day off. It is definitely taking a toll on our bodies and our minds. It has been amazing to see how that Lord has sustained us through it. It always seems like we won't have enough time, and God always end up pulling everything together.
Church is going fabulously. We LOVE it there. The people are just unbelievable! They are so supportive of us, and they are such a wonderful picture of the body of Christ. Of course, though, it keeps us busy. We are loving all the opportunities the Lord is giving us to connect with students and their families. We have small groups on Wednesdays, and this week the high school girls are making Mexican food and carving pumpkins. It should be a ton of fun!

News on Portland:
Things are coming together! We had a weekend retreat a couple of weeks ago, and it was awesome. We were far more productive than I imagined we would be. We worked on doctrinal statements and core values. It is so awesome to see what is essentially the DNA of our church, come together on paper. God is doing incredible things, and this is only the beginning. We have been working on building community with our team, and thought we have hit some bumps and snags along the way, God is refining us into what He wants us to be.
Justin, another one of our team members is moving to Dallas, to live with us, this Sunday. We are so excited that he will be here with the rest of the team. We will finally have all of the committed team members in the same place. I can't wait to see how things begin to progress once we are all able to meet together on regular basis.
This Saturday will be the 1 year mark for when we will be embarking on our adventure to Portland. Chris and I were just talking this morning about how strange it will be to pack up everything we own and move to a completely foreign city. I never quite imagined this would be where, or how the Lord would lead us, but now that it's happening, I can't imagine a better way.
We have been updating our website, and you can keep track of all of the new progress there. This week we should be updating the prayer list, but for now I will let you know so things that you could be praying for.

Please Pray For:

• Justin- that he would adjust well to Dallas, and to living with us. Please pray that he would be able to quickly find a job.
• The entire team- that we would be united, and that we would continue to grow in accountability and as a body of believers.
• Alison and Caleb- that the Lord would bless them as they get closer and closer to their wedding, and that they would be strengthened in their relationship with the Lord through their relationship with each other.
• Finances- that we would all be able to save money, and be good stewards of what the Lord has blessed us with. Pray that God would provide everything that we need as we adjust to the economy of the Pacific northwest. Pray for God to raise up people who would be able to support us.
• Portland- that God would be moving and preparing the hearts of people there. Pray that seeds are being planted even now, and that God is raising up people who will be leaders in the church and who will run along side us as we bring the message of the Gospel to the city.
• New Team Members- We still need more people to come with us. Pray that God would begin to call people and prepare their hearts for this ministry. Pray that we would be wise and discerning in choosing the leaders of this church.

That is good for now. Please check out the website!

I will try to be better at posting!