Common Ground Montgomery

This segment aired on WSFA Montgomery a few weeks ago. Check out the link below to see first hand how Bryan Kelly and Common Ground are seeking to rebuild one of the poorest communities in west Montgomery, by showing the love of Christ to the children and families of those in that area; an area Bryan moved his family to in order to be as effective as possible at winning them for Christ.

Orlando Roadtrip

Last week, Roy and I made a trip to Orlando to take a tour of Reformed Theological Seminary and to celebrate my birthday (which is today!) at Universal Islands of Adventure. We were also able to watch my dad's softball team play for the State Championship in Plant City, FL. The Port St. Joe Lady Sharks are the 2009 State Runner-Up. I am SO proud of my dad for such a tremendous accomplishment! The past few weeks have been overwhelming for us as we have been praying through some options since, as many of you know, we will no longer be working with Campus Outreach. We really and truly believe that the Lord is leading us in another direction and we are trusting in him completely as He leads and guides our every step. This trip to Orlando was a "Mini Vacation" for us and a time to explore the potential option of Roy attending seminary. We had a WONDERFUL time and have fell in love with the Oviedo/Orlando area. We were able to stay with my mom's friend from college who works for Disney. She was is always so welcoming! Again, nothing is set in stone, but we are seeking the Lord and trusting the Spirit's leading. It is a very exciting time for us and stressful as I'm sure you could imagine. We don't know what the Lord has in store for us, but we long to be faithful. We know the Lord places trials in our path to bring us closer to Him and above all that is what we desire. Roy and I long to know Jesus and to share the love of Jesus with others. Please continue to pray for us as our plans change and as we prepare for the next step! Here are a few pictures of our trip to Orlando. Enjoy! We are so thankful for all of you!

Strawberry Picking

Roy and I stopped at a strawberry patch just north of Dothan on Sunday. For as long as I have been associated with Troy, I have seen people every now and then picking strawberries. I have always wanted to stop and yesterday, WE DID! We had a huge bucket and the man told us to,” Pick as many and we could fit in the bucket.” We picked at least 100 yummy strawberries. Roy decided he would eat the strawberries while we were still picking, which caused an allergic reaction. When we got home his eyes were red and his face was swollen. Bless his heart! He is all better now and we have both been enjoying DELICIOUS strawberries.

Ft. Lauderdale Adventure

This past week I had a conference for work in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and was able to bring Roy along too. What a sweet blessing to be able to get away for a few days. We got to our hotel where the conference was being held a day early (along with my boss and her husband) because we choose to DRIVE 12 hours for the conference to save on expenses. It was quiet the adventure and I was extremely thankful that I didn't get car sick, which I usually do. I'm an awful passenger. The hotel was AMAZING and we were able to enjoy one day of SUNSHINE by the pool. While I was in sessions for the confernce, Roy was able to work on support, making phone calls, sending e-mails, etc. He is such a hard worker! He loves to stay busy. I wish I could say the same! The conference really was such a great week for us and was just a week after we celebrated 6 glorious months of marriage. We are gracious for the time we have been given to invest in our marriage for the past 6 months. Ft. Lauderdale was a sweet treat indeed! I've included a few pics as well. We are currently at 36% pledged for support. Support is such a gigantic leap of faith and we are trusting in Christ to provide it for us quickly. We would LOVE to be on staff by the fall semester. Please continue lifting us up in prayer during this time. The Lord is teaching us about ourselves in a number of ways and we are really learning who we are, what some of our gifts and passions are, and we are trusting that the Lord has something wonderful in store for us. I keep telling Roy that these trials we are facing will one day be sweet memories of how the Lord continued to provide for our needs. He is gracious indeed.

The News

Today, Becky and I reached a milestone: 33% of our support goal. That's 1/3 of the way! Admittedly, I hope the other two thirds come in quicker than this first one. But, we have the first third pledged. That brings a small, but significant, sense of accomplishment. We would love to be able to begin in August. I feel that may be a bit overly-optimistic, but attainable. We are being daily reminded that God really is in control, and all of this is running on his timing.

Last weekend, we went to Livingston. We celebrated Easter, and my Mom's 54th birthday. Tuesday, I went to Birmingham for assessment (a requirement for all potential CO staff members) and got back Thursday night. Sunday, we'll be headed to Ft Lauderdale, where Becky has a conference for the AIM Project until Thursday. So we are no stranger to the highway here lately.
I've been pushing my little Corolla to the limit lately, and she's been good to me. Best purchase I've ever made, second to Becky's ring.

Thanks for reading our blog! We'll keep you informed.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pressing on!

We are currently in our fifth month of full-time support and are still inching towards the 25% mark. This past month was a tough month in terms of raising support. Roy is making phone calls, sending letters, and looking to meet with potential supporters, but it just a much slower process than I realize.

I think we are both learning a lot through support raising and all of the transitions we are undergoing. We are promised trials and we both know that trials make us stronger and brings us closer to our Creator, but the process can be trying. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways during this transition time and we are trusting in Him to continue to provide for us.

It's official... all of our siblings are getting married. Roy's brother will be married in June, his sister in Decemeber, and my sister in August. Wow! :) It will be an exciting year for our family!