Patience is a Hard Lesson

I was hoping to have an updated blog a long time ago, but I did not want to count my chickens before they hatched. So a summarized version of what has been going on is this: We have been praying since my last blog that our house would sell by October 1st. On Oct. 2nd a couple had a showing at our house and they loved it. On Oct. 4th they placed an offer and we accepted it. We were SO excited, but we knew things could still fall through. The buyer is a commercial "flipper" by trade and he is currently in the process of trying to get funding from one of his sales in order to pay for our house. He's having issues with that sale, which in turn is causing issues with our sale. He still wants the house and we still intend on selling him the house once he's ready. But we are out of contract, so the house is back on the market and we're open to new offers. I still praise God for bringing this buyer to us on October 2nd. I believe if he is the one who is supposed to get our house, then that is exactly what will happen. No matter how long it takes.
On a brighter note - we had been praying for me because I was getting very discouraged about my job situation. I had an amazing interview for a Lactation Consultant job at Touro, but a couple weeks later a Budget Review Board cut the position :( So I was upset, but continued to pray for God's will to be done. A few days later the Nursing Agency that I had signed up with in July called to say they were finally getting calls for Nusery and NICU nurses! So we updated my file, I got my flu shot, went to Ochsner orientation, and now I'm ready to work! The agency assured me they would have work available pretty often, so I'm excited.
THEN, yesterday I received a call from the Lactation Consultant who had interviewed me at Touro and she told me she had just received the email from Human Resources telling her they cut my position. She proceeded to tell me how upset she was because she really wanted me as a part of their team. She assured me my name was at the top of the list as soon as something became available.
So all I can do it praise God for being amazing. I've seen so many examples of His provision in the past year, not only in my life but in the lives of many people around me. He has been teaching Nathan and I some HUGE lessons lately and I thank Him for that. It feels amazing to grow and realize things go MUCH easier when you just hand it ALL over to Jesus instead of trying to micro-manage everything yourself. This is one of the hardest things for me, because I'm a researcher and planner by nature. Our preacher at Vintage said something that really hit home with me. He said, "I'm cursed with always thinking about the future and where I want to be in a couple years." This is exactly how I am. I have a hard time enjoying the present, because I think so much about the future. Needless to say, God's in the process of teaching me patience.
Overall, our experience since we've moved here has been great. God's put some amazing people in our lives and hopefully they feel the same way about us! :) We are working on stepping out of our comfort zones in order to reach out to the people around us who need to hear the Gospel. Nathan is being a great witness with his art in Jackson Square. He meets so many people from around the world, so please pray that he will have the confidence to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through him. Same for me, please pray for confidence and strength to speak to our neighbors and even my own family.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." Psalm 37:3-6

Be Specific

When Nathan and I moved to New Orleans, we knew one of the most important things we needed to find was a church. As I blogged about earlier this year, we were told about Vintage NOLA Church in Uptown so we decided to try it out. We have gone every Sunday since and we love the people there. God has truly blessed us with an amazing small group, who we now look at as an extended family. Lately we've been discussing prayer and how many people have completely lost faith in prayer. We all say "Oh I'll pray for you" or "You're in my prayers"...but are we actually praying??? So in our group, we've challenged each other to make prayer one of the most important things in our life.
Last night when we were discussing prayer requests, Nathan and I asked everyone to pray that our house would sell because we are very burdened by this weight. One of our friends said, "When would you like to sell your house?" Of course we said, "NOW!" And he replied, "Well then you need to be specific in your prayers. Pick a date." I think everyone in the room was a little shocked but then we all looked at each other and realized...that makes perfect sense! Why aren't we specific with our prayers? Do we think God isn't powerful enough to make things happen? Of course not, so be specific! We discussed it for a minute and decided on October 1st. Pray that our house will sell by October 1st. So everyone gathered around us and prayed aloud for God to take away this burden by October 1st, so we can complete our original plans of using the money for HIS glory. I've said from day one that I believe Satan knows exactly how much good is going to come from our house selling and the money being used to bless others, so he is going to use everything in his might to not let that happen. But God is much more powerful than that, so we have 100% faith that He will overcome this.

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”. Matthew 18: 19-20

I was crying my eyes out but I had this peace come over me that everything was going to be alright. The faith of our friends last night could have moved mountains and it helped Nathan and I to increase our faith. I'm still praying that God will help my disbelief because I am only human and it's much easier to look at the glass half empty. I've learned in the past couple of years the importance of strong Christian friends surrounding you. I have been lifted up when I'm down, held when I needed comfort, and prayed for when I needed help. Praise God for my brothers and sisters in Christ.



"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

A Purpose in Life

So...the question I've heard most when people see me is, "Did you have fun in India?" My answer is usually, "Well, something like that." The last word I would use to describe my time in Mumbai would be fun. Life-changing, yes. Eye-opening, yes. Sad, yes. Happy, sometimes. But none of these descriptions could come close to what we truly experienced during our time there. The American's definition of "fun" would be riding a thrill ride, buying the newest gadget, seeing the latest movie, or eating at a famous restaurant. A child in the slums of Mumbai would have a slightly different definition...it would be finding some food, a used pair of sandals, seeing an American walking by, riding a piece of wood tied to a donkey (Donkey surfing), or hearing a story for the first time about a man who died for our sins. Never in all my life have I seen people and kids so intrigued with the story of the Gospel. In America, it seems like everyone has heard it in some form whether or not it be the truth...so they do not care to hear about it anymore. But in Mumbai we came in contact with many people who had never heard the name Jesus before - or if they had, He was just another one of their 385 gods they worshipped. Telling people the entire true story of the Gospel had never felt so amazing and life-changing as it did in India. We've become so numb to the words of the Bible and the preaching of the Gospel. It's almost hard to imagine a whole world out there, when we are so consumed with living the American dream & climbing life's ladder of success. There are thousands of self-help books trying to help us figure out the meaning of life and what our purpose is. Honestly, before this trip, I too wondered what I was here for sometimes. I spoke before about the book we read called "Crazy Love", well I was introduced to another amazing book called "Radical" by David Platt. I had plenty of time to read it during our 20 hour travel time. This book was similar to Crazy Love but with an additional emphasis on missions. Platt makes it very clear that God has commanded each one of us to not only live for Him, but also to tell others about Him. If we don't reach those who have never heard, then they are destined to die without ever having the choice to believe in Him. That is nobody's fault but ours. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” — Romans 10:13-15

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15 So can you look at these kids' faces and tell me you don't see a purpose there? Could you look at them in the eyes and not want to explain to them why they were created & that there is life after death?! Or would you rather sit on your comfy couch and watch your life pass you by? It's up to you. What's your purpose in life? By no means do I have it all figured out and I'm on a slow path to learning where I belong in the big picture. What God showed me in India was a snapshot of what He has in store over my lifetime. But I know that I needed every second of what I learned in India to teach me how to be more confident to share His word and to trust that He will ALWAYS be there when I need Him. He never let me down when I needed the Holy Spirit to speak through me. As many of you know, I'm not exactly the most outspoken person...so it was a big leap for me to have to be a leader & to teach the Word to a group of people. Of course Satan continued to tell me I couldn't do it, but time after time I proved him wrong and God helped me through it. As always, everything begins with prayer. None of us can do anything without praying to Him for guidance and assistance. We also have to pray for the people who have dedicated their entire lives to make sure all nations have heard. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” — Matthew 24:14

http://www.brookhills.org/global/pray_go_give/index.html

Here is a small glimpse of a regular day on the streets of Mumbai:

No Worries

Thursday, May 20th, is when the movers will come clear out our house of furniture. I'll be cleaning all day Friday, then we'll have an open house this weekend! I am trying my hardest to have high hopes of selling, but each week that passes by with no calls from my realtor makes it very hard to keep my head up. Today I read the scripture from above, 1 Peter 5:7. Never should I have to worry or be anxious because He cares for me and He will make sure I never have too much to handle.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil. 4:6

We began this journey of selling our home with intentions of having more freedom to do God's work and I strongly believe this is still in line with God's will for our lives at this point. Why it's taking so long...I know is partly the bad housing market, but also partly Satan himself trying to prevent us from fulfilling God's works. But I've got news for him...it's not going to stop us! Yes we will have to budget it out for a while and perhaps not do the things we originally planned on, but it's NOT going to stop us from doing God's work wherever we are. We have been blessed beyond measure in this life and we have NO reason to let anything get us down. The house will eventually sell one day and if we lose some money in the meantime, SO WHAT! I can't take it with me to heaven!

Galatians 6:9 - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Hebrews 10:36 -You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.


Everyone, please continue to pray with us for the Lord's will to be done. Thanks & God bless!!!

NOLA here we come!

For those of you who have ever been to New Orleans or especially if you are from New Orleans...it's easy to understand. For others, not so much. Nathan and I are picking up and moving to NOLA (New Orleans, LA...) and we couldn't be more excited about the journey ahead. Here's a little back story to catch you up to where we are now:
Nathan had his "dream" home built right before we began dating, so naturally after we were married, we moved right in with no questions asked from me. IT was his dream home after all... Well we began going to a bible study where we were reading a book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. To sum it up shortly, the book is a big slap in the face for lukewarm Christians who go through life inviting Jesus along only when it's convenient. Hmmm, that sounded familiar...it was ME! Nathan and I began a spiritual journey with each other and God, which led to a deeper relationship and a wake up call that we were going through life only concerned about ourselves and not really caring what God's will was. We realized we had a huge house, huge mortgage payment, huge debt, and a huge hole in our hearts because we knew we were being so selfish. So...we made the decision to put our house on the market. We wanted to get rid of all that wasted space and free up some money which would go elsewhere to people who needed it. It wasn't an easy decision, especially for Nathan. But he came to me and said, "This house doesn't matter at all...the only one that matters is the one in heaven". I couldn't have asked for a better way to say it, plain & simple.
The journey has been tuff, we just made the 5 month mark of being on the market and haven't had one offer yet. We just drastically lowered the price and are praying that whatever is meant to happen will...soon!
So during this time we've tossed around a couple of ideas as to where we wanted to go once our house sold. During a trip in Hammond, LA where my parents live, we made a visit to "the city" (aka New Orleans) which is about an hour away. We would go every time we made a visit, because we loved it so much. On this particular day, I'm not sure who said it first but the idea of spending a year in the French Quarter was brought up. Well Nathan begins daydreaming about selling his art at Jackson Square (where all the local street artists sell their stuff). I began daydreaming about living close to my parents again and all the volunteer opportunities in the city. Next thing we know, we're seriously discussing this move. That night I started looking at rental properties...just for fun, ya know? A few weeks later, we visited again but this time we went to look at apartments! We originally planned on just browsing, but before you know it we found a quaint little duplex that we absolutely fell in love with.

Here is our empty living room and my mom & I sitting on a mattress in the kitchen, haha


This is our guest room, open to anyone who wants to come visit!


This is our street!

New Orleans is a city unlike any other. The people who live there or who are from anywhere around there are SO proud of their city, especially after Hurricane Katrina. We feel a sense of family because we all went through a similar loss. Still to this day it's the question of any new friendship..."Did you lose your house?" or "How high did your water get?" My answer is, "I lost my entire town". The town I grew up in, Buras, which is 60 miles south of New Orleans was entirely wiped out by the hurricane. I can count on one hand the number of houses that were salvagable. I had friends still living in FEMA trailers over a year after the storm. But all that's part of history now and people are still rebuilding their lives day by day. But throughout the city you can feel a sense of hope. People visit here to feel the vibe of the city, hear the music, and see the sights. We chose the French Quarter specifically because it's the heart of the city. To me, it wouldn't be a true New Orleans experience unless we were in the Quarter. I look forward to walking and biking everywhere, but I'm NOT looking forward to finding a parking spot for our car! And then losing that spot once a week for street cleaning! Ahh but there must be compromise in everything, right? The famous Clover Grill is one block away, which may be a bad thing for my thighs. I'm excited to try all the restaurants and we are still in search of a good sushi place...oh and did I mention I intend on finding a gym? haha.

Sooo the end of the story is, no we haven't sold our house yet but we are going to slowly move our stuff out until we are completely moved out probably around June. Hopefully someone will be interested in the house by then! Our friends Josh & Stephanie told us about a great church in New Orleans called Vintage NOLA. It was created in 2007 and is predominantly young married couples and people our age who love God and the city! So we're REALLY excited about becoming a part of that church and meeting new people. There are TONS of volunteer & mission opportunities for us, which will be our main focus during the next year. And of course, Nathan got his permit to sell art at the Square so he'll be painting his little heart out! We know God will use us no matter where we are, but we have a feeling He's going to do big things in us and with us throughout this journey. We will miss our friends & family in Deer Park SO MUCH, but they are all excited for us to experience something new. After a year is up, we'll just have to see where we stand and what we want to do at that point. How exciting! We would love everyone to pray with us throughout this move and with selling our house, and also continuously over the next year that God would show us the best opportunities to do His work and glorify Him. Thanks to everyone who is showing support, even though many still don't understand it...haha. We love you all!

Easter & A Daily Decision

This past weekend was Easter and we spent it at my parents' house in Independence, LA. We had an amazing time spending a few days with my family. It's always great to get together for the holidays, but I'm glad we make time to talk about the real "reason for the season" and praise Jesus for the sacrifice He made on for us that day thousands of years ago. We visited a church in the city of Amite, which is where my grandfather grew up. It was called House on the Rock and it was cute little hometown church and everyone was so sweet and inviting. The message was great, the preacher spoke about the roller coaster of life and how many people think they have their "going to heaven" days and their "going somewhere else" days... But the truth of the matter is, there is no neutral ground. We need to realize that once we've crossed that line of faith and have accepted the Holy Spirit into our lives, He's always there and we can have bad days of being stupid but every Christian sins! There is no condemnation for God's people, but we will always feel convicted which is how we draw back to Him and ask for forgiveness. The life in Christ is a beautiful renewal of the soul on a daily basis! Praise God for this amazing gift! So yes, we definitely enjoyed Easter service and we would love to visit that church again one day.
Once we got home, we shared lunch with the family, then it was 4-wheeler time~!!! My dad made miles of trails on their land, so we all jump on 4-wheelers and chase each other down the trails. It's a blast! My dad even taught Nathan and I how to operate a bull dozer and an excavator! I got to dig a huge hole and fill it with tree debris, then Nathan filled it back up...all on the excavator! It makes you feel so powerful to be able to move massive amounts of dirt or debris with the few movements of a joystick. It's almost like a real-life video game ;)



April 9, 2010 ~ Last night we had a party at bible study and we played games from the new tv show Minute to Win It. This video is of me, Lauren, and Stephanie played the Oreo challenge where you had to get an oreo from your forehead to your mouth using only your face muscles and head movements!

To sum up the entire experience in one word...HILARIOUS! I don't think I've laughed that much in a while and it's always so much fun to spend time with people who share my faith and love for Christ. I absolutely love my friends and I've come to realize in the past few years just how important it is to have a group of Christian friends to spend quality time with. It's especially important for many people in our bible study group who are college students. The college age is the prime time for when most Christians go astray. For me it started much earlier and the college years were a roller coaster for my spiritual walk. Luckily my parents started me off on the right track from a young age, so I had a good foundation to fall back on. Eventually the Holy Spirit hit me in the head and gave me an amazing husband, which was the beginning of surrendering my life to God. I thought I had it all figured out on my own...but boy was I wrong! And what do you know, when I threw my hands up and told God I couldn't do it on my own any more...He blessed me with more than words can explain. I'm slowly learning how to wake up every day and surrender it all to Him, because it definitely is a daily decision.

~Amy Rae Warner~

Our 1st natural wonder of the world

I tend to view blogging as a small glimpse into someone's world. Say, a few pages from a journal or a photo album. Never will you know the entire person from reading about parts of their life, but what fun it is to be able to share bits and pieces of a journey for others to enjoy along with you. My husband, Nathan, and I have just began our journey together. We got married on May 2, 2009 and have shared in many adventures already. We intend to keep God at the center of our lives and hope to do everything for His glory. Since I can't go back 2 years to share with you all of our travels, I'll start with the most recent... ;)

You can read about it, see it on TV, or in books...but until you are standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon you have no idea how incredible it truly is. The experience was life changing for Nathan and I. We always thought we had a desire to travel and see new sites, but after that day we realized it means a lot more than we originally thought. God gave us this beautiful world to SEE, not just learn about. When you are in the midst of one of His natural creations, there is nothing left to say or do other than praise Him and thank Him for what He accomplished. We literally could have sat in one spot for hours just marveling at what was in front of us. It gave us a craving to see more of what was out there in the world. We have been so blessed with this life and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for us. We can promise each other one thing though...we intend on taking every opportunity to be free, live it up while we can, and do everything while praising the Maker of it all!!!!!