Homestudy Underway

We have been overwhelmed, humbled, and blessed by the amount of support that has been shown to us over the past few weeks since we announced that we had started the adoption process. We are so thankful for each of you, the prayers you have been offering, and the support you have shown. My plan is to keep the "story" of our adoption process as up to date as possible here on the blog. There will likely be times when there is nothing to write because we are simply waiting. It was mentioned a few days ago that "now the waiting begins". And that is true, in a sense, but in reality, we've already been waiting! I've been waiting most of my life to be a mom, we have been waiting for nearly three years to have children, and now we begin a new wait- waiting for a match.

We've experienced a whole range of emotions over the past 6 weeks. Anticipation about the orientation weekend and meeting the agency. Stress and guilt and deep consideration while filling out form after form (52 forms to be exact). Worry and concern about how we are actually going to come up with $30,000- and, what if we are never able to have biological children; we wanted a large family, how will we be able to adopt 2-3 more times? Failure, because of my inability to carry our children. Insecurity when there are pregnant women and/or moms all around but I am the only one around who can't carry my baby to term. Excitement about providing a loving, Christian home for a child in need. Uncertainty about whether or not the baby will form a bond with me as its Mommy when he/she did not grow in my tummy. Nervousness about the home-study and interview process. Disbelief that this journey has actually begun. Fear about the possibility of a failed placement. Sobriety and joy about the opportunity we may have to minister to the birth mother. Humility from the support shown by friends, family, and even people whom we do not know. Admiration for the birth mothers who selflessly choose a better life for their babies.

Throughout the past six weeks as we have faced some of these emotions, we have seen our Lord work through others by providing support (financially and spiritually), by lending an ear to listen, by showing their excitement and interest. And we know that the Lord is able to provide and take care of us when we face each one of these emotions- whether they be difficult or easy. Pslam 27 has been a go-to read for me lately-

vs. 4- One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:            {narrow my focus}
          that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,    {commune often with God}
          to behold the beauty of the Lord,                                             {focus on God & His beauty}
          and to inquire in His temple.                                           {seek an answer for my problems}

vs. 13-14 - "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

So, where are we in this process? We are so close to being on "the list"! All of our paperwork is complete and we began the home-study last week. Oddly enough, we started the home-study in Abilene- which is not home. :) We spent 3 hours in an interview with our case worker- one hour together, and about one hour each individually. She will come to our house on the 23rd to complete the home study by checking out our house and finishing up some more questions. Thankfully, our agency does not require us to "baby-proof" the house for the home-study. The only thing we will have to change around the house for the home-study is to have our firearms and ammo locked up separately. Other than that, she basically wants to make sure our house is a safe environment for a child. Once the home-study is complete, we will then be put on the list (hopefully by the beginning of October). The agency tells us the wait time for a child is an average of 12-24 months. However, there is no set time. This is not a first come, first served kind of thing. When a birth mother gets to a certain point in her pregnancy (6-7 months) the agency will show her profiles of families who could potentially "match" her case (based on medical history, age, race, etc). The birth mother will then look at the profiles consisting of a photo album, a letter written to the birth mother from the adoptive families, autobiographies, and basic information (jobs, ages, religion, etc). Once the birth mother chooses a family, a match meeting is set up for the birth mother and adoptive family to meet, along with the case worker. If the meeting goes well and we are chosen, then we have a match! So, the wait really is just dependent on how quickly we get chosen by a birth mother.

What's next after we get a match? A lot will depend on the birth mother, how far along she is in the pregnancy, and what her preferences are. If the birth mother is open to it, we will get to go to ultrasound appointments prior to the birth! We will have a short amount of time to get the nursery ready, but I'm not worried at all about that- I've had a boy nursery and a girl nursery planned for several years now :) Unless we get matched with a "drop in" (a birth mother who has not decided to place her baby for adoption prior to the birth and it is a last minute decision), we should be able to be at the hospital for the birth. Some hospitals give the adoptive parents a room but some don't. Once the baby is born, the state of Texas does not allow the birth mother to sign her rights away until 48 hours after the birth. So, those 48 hours will be very nerve-wracking, as the birth mother can change her mind and decide to keep the baby (this is called a failed placement). Once the 48 hours has passed and she has signed her rights away, we get to take our baby home (if he/she is healthy enough to leave the hospital at that time)! If the birth father did not sign his rights away prior to the birth, he will have 30 days after the birth to come forward and claim his child. After the 30 days have passed, he no longer has parental rights to the baby. Most birth fathers sign their rights away prior to the birth. The baby will legally be under the custody of the agency until our court date and all the legal paperwork is complete. This usually takes about 6 months.

For those who are interested, we are doing a t-shirt fundraiser! We are asking for pre-orders to be in by Saturday, September 19th. Here is a link where you an see and purchase the shirts.
http://www.jmooreoutdoor.com/Adoption-TShirt-Fundraiser

Please continue to pray for us, our future child, and the birth mother!

A Pregnancy on Paper!

A few weekends ago, Jordan and I went out of town and spent some time in Canton- shopping. We also, however, spent the majority of the weekend at an Adoption Orientation. When people asked where we we going, we simply said "Canton". We just weren't ready to share about our decision to adopt. We wanted to go through the orientation, learn more about the agency we had chosen, become more educated about the adoption journey, and have time to process everything ourselves before we felt we could share with everyone. We trust that everyone will be understanding about that decision.

There are hours upon hours worth of information I could share with you about the adoption orientation- and at some point, I likely will share a lot of it. But for now, I want to share a small bit that I think and hope will help others understand our position a little better. 

There were many different aspects, categories, and topics discussed over the weekend- all of which were highly beneficial and educational. But, one of the most eye opening things for me was hearing the panel of birth mothers and the panel of adoptive families speak. During the adoptive parent panel, we had the opportunity to ask questions. 

One question Jordan asked was this, "Tell us about your experience in transitioning from struggling with infertility to the decision to adopt." Many people have different views on adoption. After a miscarriage or a long struggle with infertility, someone may say "just adopt, then you will get pregnant". I have come to learn that people (mostly) really do mean well, but statements like these just aren't comforting for so many reasons. After a miscarriage, you don't want to 'just adopt'. You wanted that baby. You wanted your baby. The baby that had begun to grow inside of your tummy- not just any baby. Adopting a child has always been something I wanted to do. I can't remember exactly when I decided that, but I know it was before I was married. As I have mentioned before, I had a plan for my life. Part of that plan was to have 2-3 biological children, then adopt a baby. I also planned to get pregnant within a couple of months of trying to conceive. It seems logical to think that after several months, year #1, or at least year #2, one would fully realize that she is really not in control of when or if she will ever conceive or carry a child to term; however, that is not always the case. Medical advancements are wonderful and amazing tools that help our health in so many ways. But, it doesn't always help our souls. There has been so much research done and so many discoveries made in medicine, especially the female reproductive system, and there are so many options for treatments. Doctors have discovered that if we test this and test that and prescribe this pill or that hormone injection, check this temperature or that mucus on these certain days then we will get it figured out! We will track everything for everyday of each month and make adjustments that next month and it'll work. And sometimes it does work! Probably more often than not. But sometimes, it doesn't. In the midst of all the medications, appointments, lifestyle changes, charting, etc you begin to feel like you are in control of what is happening. 

"If I forget a progesterone pill the lining of my uterus may be too thin to hold a pregnancy"- I'm in control of that. 

"The ultrasound series this month showed that my eggs did not grow to a mature enough size, so next month we will change up the Femara or the Clomid prescription to fix it."- I'm in control of that.

"I have to be diligent with my charting everyday because it will give us answers as to what is wrong and how we can fix it." - I'm in control of that.

With many, many more responsibilities, it is easy to believe that every move you make- or don't make is solely determining whether or not you conceive or carry your baby to term- or not. Talk about a HUGE weight on your shoulders. It is easy to forget that God is in control. And, it is very difficult to let go of that 'control' that you think you have. When the discussion that weekend took place about transferring your mindset from trying to conceive to adoption, a few comments stuck out in my mind. One of the couples made the suggestion that you have to really be "okay" with the fact that you very well may never have biological children. You have to be at peace with that before you can change paths onto the adoption journey. And I really believe we are there. Adopting is something that we have been discussing for a couple of years now. We began the process in April of this year. We have prayed about these decisions for years. Whether or not we ever have biological children, we are thankful that God is providing this opportunity for us to minister to a child in need and his/her birth mother. 

Another comment that stuck with me was this: "An adopted child is not just a consolation prize." Although I have always wanted to adopt a child, I had planned to have biological children first and then adopt a child. I wanted both. In our day, you can pretty much achieve whatever you put your mind to. "If you believe it, you can do it". This is how I felt about having children. But after nearly 3 years of trying to have children, losing two, and seeing family after family around us have child after child, it is easy to feel like a failure. We believed, we prayed, and prayed and prayed, we did everything the doctors suggested day after day after day- but it STILL didn't work! So, we decided that if we wanted to be parents, we would need to adopt. Even though we had wanted to anyway and had planned to even if we did have biological children, for me, it just felt a little different when we began the process. To be perfectly honest, it felt like we were going to get a consolation prize. But after more prayer, thoughtful consideration and after seeing and listening to these families who have already adopted (some also having biological children), I know that that is absolutely not the case. No child is simply a consolation prize. Psalm 127:3, "children are a heritage from the Lord..." Children are from the Lord, they belong to Him. A biological child is no more mine than an adopted child- both are from the Lord, both are equally loved by the Lord, and both- if we ever have both- will be equally loved by us. 

We are so excited to begin this journey! A quantifiable measure of our excitement is evidenced in the fact that we have completed over 50 forms and documents in the last 2 weeks. And we're just beginning with the paperwork... The agency likes to call this a "Pregnancy on Paper"; we just don't know how long the "pregnancy" will last! I know there will be many questions from many people, but please bear with us as we are still processing all of the specifics and requirements ourselves. Number 1 question will likely be "how long?". There is no exact answer to that question. Once we have our home study completed (likely by the end of September), the agency says an average of 12-24 months to wait. Trust us, we know that seems like forever, please don't remind us! :) But, we know that each day we are one day closer to adopting, one day closer to meeting our babies in Heaven, and one day closer to spending eternity with our Lord! 

As we take steps through this process, I will be updating the blog. Please check here if you are seeking updates. Please also, continue to pray for us- for patience, for a smooth adoption process, for a quick process, and that we will be the parents the Lord would have us to be.

If interested, you can find information about our agency of choice, Christian Homes and Family Services at www.christianhomes.com 

What to Expect When No Longer Expecting

     June 8th, 2015. A day that was once anticipated with great excitement. A date that is forever ingrained into my memory. A day that I became nervous and anxious about. The day that was the expected due date of our first child. You see, the expected due date is just that- expected- there are no guarantees. Some babies comes early, some babies come late, some babies don't come at all. And for parents like us, the expected due date is all we have. As I sit at home this morning, preparing to go to work, I can't help but think about the "what should have been." There is no hospital bag packed; no carseat in the car. There is no decorated nursery; no baby clothes sorted by size in the closet. There is no feeling of excitement or anticipation; no one waiting for a phone call to say "it's time". Just a pregnancy journal that is lacking details from the second and third trimesters, sweet cards from friends and family, and silence and stillness in this house.
    Facebook reminded me this morning of what happened on June 8, 2010. It was a day full of excitement and love. Family was in town, wedding planning was in full swing, and I had a lovely bridal shower in Dripping Springs that day. Life was busy and exciting. New adventures coming up, plans for our life together being made. One of those being plans to be married for 1-2 years then start a family. Looking back at those pictures this morning, I can remember that day very clearly, I never would have guessed that 5 years later we would not be expecting to meet our first child on the expected due date. Even more so, I would not have expected to be preparing for, not the birth of our first child, but the miscarriage of our second child.
     The last time I posted a blog was November 24 when we shared with you all the news of our first pregnancy and loss. That was a very difficult, helpless, lost, angry, and hurtful time for us. It has been a long, trying, roller-coaster, pill taking, injection giving, test taking, blood giving, doctor visiting 2.5 years of trying to become parents. In the past 9 months we have lost our 2 only children before we even got to meet them. But, in the past 7 months, since we have opened up to our family and friends about our struggles, we have been shown more love, concern, compassion, and care than we could have ever imagined. Our faith has grown, our hearts have been touched, our hands have been held up (Exodus 17), and the Lord has blessed us. He has blessed us with children who we will meet some day in Heaven. He has blessed us with physical families that love us and care for us. He has blessed us with a spiritual family, both locally and around the world, who have taken our names and burdens before the His throne in prayer (James 5). He has blessed us with each other and a marriage that grows stronger through our struggles (James 1). He has blessed us with broken hearts that have learned to find our strength in Him (Psalm 34:18). He has blessed us with a new opportunity to work with the youth in our local congregation; an opportunity that has already and will bring us great joy. He has blessed us with a Savior who walked this earth, was tempted in every way, who hurts when we hurt, and who loves us enough to have given His life so our souls could have the chance to be with Him in eternity.
     Not expecting the expected... The word expected is defined as: regard as likely to happen; anticipate the occurrence or coming of. I always feared that I may have trouble becoming a mother. I am not sure if I "just knew" something was not right with how my body was functioning, or if the fear was just there because being a mother was something I have always wanted so badly; something I dreamed of, something I anticipated, something I expected. It is a weird feeling to not only "not expect" but to know that we will not meet our baby on the expected due date and to also know that we will not meet our first two children until we pass from this life. People expect to become parents, raise their children, spend a lifetime together, and then to pass from this life before their children do. Maybe, sometimes, our own expectations are a dangerous thing that lead us to hurt and heartache. Maybe we should put more time and effort into finding out what God's expectations for our lives are and strive to fulfill those expectations. Then, when the time comes for our lives on this earth to end, we can be at peace, not just expecting that we will spend eternity in Heaven, but knowing that because of our Savior, His sacrifice, and our commitment to obeying Him, we will spend eternity in Heaven.
     God is good, all the time. And all the time, even when things don't go as we would expect, God is still good.

Searching for Contentment: Through a Miscarriage

Today should have been a celebration, but instead it's just another Monday. This week we had planned to share our good news, but instead we will try to hold it together as there is nothing left to say. This holiday season was going to finally be "the one". This coming June we were supposed to finally hold what we have prayed for for so long, but instead our arms will be empty.

You see, today we should have been celebrating the end of the first trimester, but instead we are mourning the loss of our baby. You see, year after year we say "surely by next Christmas we will have a baby". We should have been able to know that with certainty this year. Our baby was due to be born June 8, 2015. Now, it'll just be a day on the calendar for most, but for us, it will always be a day in our hearts. A day that we will wonder many things about. Would our Baby have come early, late or right "on time"? How much would it have weighed? Was it a boy or girl? Today- and every week that passes- I wonder, would I be showing yet? If so, how much? Would the nausea still be around or would it have passed? I could go on and on with all the thoughts, wonders, dreams that go through my mind daily. I will always wonder who our Baby would have been.

 I realize that many of you probably didn't even know we were pregnant. Allow me to backtrack for a minute.

That cycle was my first cycle (in a few months) without any ovulation meds so things were a little different/unclear. Each month I get blood work done on peak day +7. I also start taking progesterone on days peak +3-12. I had gotten to cycle day 23 and decided to check in with Dr. J to see if I should go ahead with blood work and progesterone. She said yes, so I got the blood work done, started the pills and would wait until the next cycle started to have a cycle review with Dr. J to see how my levels were without the meds and to make a new plan for the next cycle. We waited and waited, and we got to cycle day 39. At this point, part of me wanted to take a test just to remove the question from my mind, but the other part of me (a larger part of me) was scared to. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing another negative test. The morning of October 9 (cycle day 39), Jordan and I decided it would be best to take a test. *Just in case* I might be pregnant...I would need to restart progesterone immediately to help hold the pregnancy. I can't even come up with an adequate word to tell you how shocked we were. The test said pregnant! Immediately, clearly, no doubt about it, two lines, positive test, PREGNANT! I called Dr. J, they sent me for blood work, I took another home test and all results were good. She started me on progesterone, changed my diet, we found a local doctor, made cute announcements for our parents and felt like we were living a dream. We were full of joy and thanksgiving. Our conversations revolved around our little Baby. We couldn't wait until Thanksgiving when we had planned to make the announcement to extended family and friends. Christmas cards were already decided on. I had begun to fill out the pregnancy memory book that I have had stored away for years. My mind revolved around the fact that, finally, we were going to be parents. The next month was a complete blur. After some complications, numerous doctor visits, ultrasounds, blood draws, and an emergency room visit, our dream came to an end. No one knows why, but God took our Baby home.

Generally, most people decide not to share the good news until they have made it through the first trimester and the risk of miscarriage drops drastically. We had decided to do the same, especially considering all of my medical troubles. However, after we lost our Baby, we found that we could/can not bear this burden on our own. As we have broken down and cried to family and friends, I told Jordan, "This doesn't make sense. We didn't tell anyone other than immediate family that we were pregnant so that we didn't have to tell people if we had a miscarriage, but now that we have had a miscarriage we have told several people." I guess, initially, we were afraid of how hard it would be to tell people that our Baby was no longer living- if something were to happen, but in reality, it was so much harder trying to carry this burden on our own.  I only wish we had told more people the good news before the bad news hit. So many have been praying for us for so long, it would have been so nice to share some good news with them, rejoice with them, thank God with them.

We try to focus on positive things, but sometimes it is hard. My mind knows that because of Jesus, I have reason to celebrate every day. We can celebrate that our church family has helped to bear our burdens with us. We can celebrate that our jobs have allowed time for doctor appointments and some time away. We can celebrate that we have each other and that we are growing closer through this rather than growing apart. We can celebrate because this is another day the Lord has made. We can celebrate because we have a great Dr. We can celebrate because we have family and friends that love us. We can celebrate that our Baby is in the arms of Jesus. We can celebrate that we, belonging to Jesus, will join our Baby someday. These are a just a few reasons we know in our minds that we can celebrate, but our hearts are clouded by the hurt of not being able to celebrate the birth of our Baby.

I have spent a lot of time over the past few weeks reading blogs and searching for comforting scriptures, trying to gather my thoughts and find a way to move forward. Here are a few scriptures I would like to share:

-Psalm 147:3-5
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite."

-Psalm 46:10
"Be still and know that I am God..."

-1 Peter 1:6-9
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that in the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, thought it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith-the salvation of your souls."

-Revelation 21:4
"And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

One more verse that has been on my mind...

-Philippians 4:11
"...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content."

I can't honestly say that I have come that far, but I have a goal.


Those of you who know me well, know that a post like this is far out of my comfort zone. I wanted to write these things to help clear my head, to share with those who have questions, to possibly help someone who is going through something similar, and to ask for your prayers. Friends and family, we simply ask that when you think we are being rude because we are not talkative, when we look sad or mad, when our eyes are on the brink of tears, please forgive us and keep in mind that our hearts and minds are likely thinking of our baby. <3

A New Perspective

Well, here we are, 8 months post surgery. I wish I could be writing about some positive news-in regards to infertility- but it simply doesn't exist right now. We have spent the last several months trying this medication and that medication, sticking to the diet, sticking to the charting, monthly blood draws, monthly check ups, and frequent ultrasounds. 2 months on Clomid, 1 month Femara, I have lost count of the months on Progesterone and the other 2 supplements. It is safe to say I am tired of swallowing pills! I say "we" rather than "I" because my husband has been there every step of the way. And with each medication and side effects, he experiences it too. Definitely different side effects than I have, but he experiences the mood changes, the tears, the frustration, the anger, and the feeling of helplessness. Dr. J has decided to take this month off as far as ovulation medication goes. No Clomid, no Femara. My body has not reacted well to either medication so we are taking a month off. After this months blood draws, she will decide what is next. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I feel like we are wasting another month in trying to conceive. If I don't ovulate with the medication, I am highly doubtful that I will ovulate without it. On the other hand, a break is probably what is best for me right now. In fact, sometimes I think taking a break from all of it would be nice. It sounds like it should be simple; takes some pills, watch what you eat, and chart. However, it is exhausting, mentally and emotionally. There is so much more than popping pills, paleo, and charting. For example, as I am writing this my head is pounding. Just take some Advil, right? No. I can't take Advil (or any NSAIDs) because it can effect ovulation. Living in the Texas Hill Country, I struggle with seasonal allergies. Take some Allegra? Nope. It dries up the mucus membranes, including cervical mucus which is necessary for conception. Those are just a couple of examples- I will spare you any more. It seems that any thing I do, or don't do, in every aspect of my life can effect our chance to have a child. Talk about stressful. Wait, I can't be stressed- that also effects ovulation. So, why don't I quit work, stay home, eat fruits and veggies and some meat, drink water, pop pills, and take notes every time I use the restroom. Wait, we spend way too much money on all of this to be able to quit work. (Side note- I love my job and we have been working hard over the past few months to lower my responsibilities and stress.) So, I say all that to say this: I have felt drained, defeated, depressed, and discouraged for quite some time.
The last two Sunday mornings, we have had sermons based on the victory we have in Jesus. These lessons have helped me realize that I often lose sight of that victory. As my life revolves around the struggles of infertility, I find that the little free time I have is consumed with things related to this struggle. I would be much better suited if I spent this free time in Bible study, prayer, and keeping busy with things that make me smile. I put so much trust into what the Dr. says - and I should, she is a talented, knowledgeable, and sincere doctor- but much more trust I should put in God. No, God doesn't promise me that I will have children. But He does promise me that if I only ask, He will give me the wisdom to get through this trial (James 1:5-6). He does not promise that it will be easy, He does not promise that it won't hurt, he does not promise that I will "beat" infertility. But He does promise that if we follow His Word, we are more than conquerors through Jesus (Romans 8:37). Christ has already won the victory for us, if we are in Him. I try to remember that eternity is all that matters. What I do here effects where I will be for eternity, but as far as salvation goes, having a child is not a prerequisite. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son." Revelation 21:7. What does "all things" entail? I don't know. But I do know, I won't need or want for anything else.
Now the hardest part. To keep this perspective, to live with this attitude, and to put all of my trust in God. Some days are better than others, but I pray that eventually, all days become easier.

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Taking Aim to Have a Heart Like Jesus

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus"

It's so hard to believe that another year has come and gone at Peach Valley! It seems like a just a few months ago we were sitting down with ideas, dreams, and hopes of even starting a camp session out there. (in reality, this all began in 2012- time flies when you're having fun!) I started a blog post after camp last year, but it is still saved as a draft. I never felt like I really was able to put everything into words to adequately describe the week and the whole experience. I am not sure that this year is any different- however, I fully intend on finishing and posting this one! :)

For those of you who do not know, Peach Valley is an older camp between Shiner and Gonzales. My brother, cousins, and I went there as a kid, my parents went there as kids, and my family has had many good memories at Peach Valley for many years. It is no Hyatt by any means, not even a LaQuinta, but when the staff, servant leaders, campers, family of God gets there, the place comes to life. You no longer notice the need for new paint jobs, you no longer notice the cracks in the floors/walls, you no longer notice the musty smell (maybe that's only in the girls cabin...), you no longer notice the need to wear shower shoes; what you notice and adore now are the smiles, the kind and caring hearts, the service shown one to another, the songs of praise, the open hearts in prayer, the heartfelt lessons, the growing souls, and the memories you are making each and every minute of the day. For staff and servant leaders, that's over 8000 minutes spent at Peach Valley in the past week. Not to mention, the pre-camp meetings and preparation. Every minute, every dollar spent, every drop of sweat, every ache, every missed hour of sleep- was all worth it!

We had 72 campers (3rd-8th grade), 17 servant leaders (9th-12th grade), 28 staff members, and 6 pre-campers (staff children). I think it is safe to say that each and every one of us has grown spiritually in a tremendous way this past week. The curriculum was focused on having a heart like Jesus through secrecy, prayer, mediation, worship, and servant-hood. After Mondays lessons, campers began finding and leaving sweet notes on others beds anonymously- not doing good to be seen of men, but to glorify our God (Matt. 5 & 6). From Tuesdays lessons we all learned how to have a healthier prayer life. One that is regular, private, deep, sincere, giving adoration to God, thanksgiving to God, confessing our faults and struggles to God, and to make supplication from our hearts. Wednesday we focused on how to really meditate on God's Word, how to hide it in our hearts, how to live it in our lives. (Ps. 119:11) Thursday's focus was how to truly worship God in spirit and in truth. What is our attitude behind worship, how have we prepared our hearts, minds, and bodies to worship God as best we can. (John 4:23) And finally Friday, something that we touched on all week; something that our 17 servant leaders and staff taught by example all week: servant-hood. We want to serve others, worship, meditate, pray, and do good the way Jesus did. We are so blessed to have His example written down for us so we can learn from it and strive to mold our lives to be like Him.

I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, every single person who helped with this camp. Thanks to those who volunteered their time and donated their money at work days, those who cut leaves for the encouragement tree, those who baked cookies, those who gave "scholarship" money to help kids make it to camp, those who wrote the curriculum, those who trusted us with their kids, those who took the effort to provide a hayride for the campers, those who have encouraged us along the way, those who have taught us by example, the encouragement from the elders at University, Dripping Springs, Midtown, Riverside, and elsewhere, and of course the servant leaders and the staff, and anyone else I may have left out. (forgive me, I am a bit tired :) )  Thanks to John for helping us and teaching us how to do this, thanks to Mom for helping me prepare and covering for me at work the last few weeks before camp, thanks to Carla for her input, experience, and support, thanks to Dad for his labor at pre-camp work days, and thanks to my wonderful husband for his constant hard work, dedication to God, caring heart, and desire to make this camp a success. Above all, thanks to our Father who gave us a Savior to teach these kids about, who gave us a safe week at camp, who gave us a common bond, who gave us each other, who created all things, and who has a Heavenly home waiting for us. To Him we are eternally grateful.

 One of my favorite parts about camp: The Encouragement Tree

Out of 123 people, over 500 leaves were written to encourage one another this week!

Peach Valley AIM Camp 2014