Funny Story (at least it is to me)

We were sitting around the dinner table tonight talking about our day.  Ella was telling us all about her school day. (She always has so many stories to tell.)  This week, their class is studying about community helpers.  She was telling us she was so excited because tomorrow 2 police officers, a fireman, and a nurse were all going to come visit her class and talk about the ways that they help the community. 

Eric jokingly said, "So when is your teacher going to ask me to come speak to the class about being a preacher?"

Ella started laughing and said, "Daddy, you have to have a job to come speak to our class."

The whole table erupted in laughter.  So funny! 

Then, as we were finishing eating, she said (as if not to hurt his feelings), "Daddy, I know you actually have 2 jobs- you're a preacher and a missionary."

Oh how I love that sweet girl!!

Brittany

Beautiful Eyes

Today we went to get Brayden's hair cut.  (I think he has the fastest growing hair in the world!) While we were there, he and the lady that was cutting his hair started having a conversation.  It went something like this:

Lady: "I think you have the most beautiful eyes. Where did you get your eyes from? Your mama?

Brayden: "Nope."

Lady: "Well, did you get them from your daddy?"

Brayden: "Nope."

Lady: "Did you get them from your sister?"

Brayden: "Nope."

Lady: "Your dog?"

Brayden: "Nope."

Lady: "Well, where did you get them from then?"

Brayden: "God. He gave them to me."

Lady: (laughing) "I guess you're right.  God gave you beautiful eyes."

 

I love how much truth a child can speak!  What an example he was to the lady we met today! 

And, of course, he does have beautiful eyes!!  No bias at all!

Brittany

Knee Deep in the Water Somewhere

Have you ever had "one of those weeks"?  Yeah, me too.  I gave you a short glimpse at just the beginning of our week last week from the last post (with the flat tire).  Well, the week continued to dwindle.  Monday night I became really sick and had to go to the ER.  They didn't know what was wrong.  The next day I went to Urgent Care.  They sent me to get a Doppler ultrasound on my arm and neck just to make sure I didn't have a blood clot.  I didn't :) but my symptoms didn't go away.  All week I have been absolutely miserable with pain and numbness in my right arm, sometimes having trouble breathing.  I have had to sleep on the couch so that I could be elevated and have something to prop my arm upon.  It's been a hard week.  But praise God, I woke up this morning feeling much better!  No explanation other than that God healed me! 

However, one day last week, we took an afternoon to get out of the house and getaway from everything.  Although I didn't feel well, we were all dying to get out of the house and thought maybe the fresh air would feel good.  It did.  We had a great time. 

Here are some pics of us soaking up the sun and splashin in the water at Canyon Lake:



I just put my feet in the water





This girl would live in the water! 



One of my favorite places to go :)

Sometimes it feels good to get knee deep in the water somewhere (or in Ella's case, get all the way in) and just take in all of God's creation! 


Brittany

 

This is the stuff that drives me crazy!

"This is the stuff" by Francesca Battistelli is one of my favorite songs.  Today has been one of those days.  Actually, the last week and half have been "one of those days". 

You see, today, while on the way home from picking Ella up from school, we got a flat tire.  It was just me and the kids.  I do not know how to change a flat tire. :(

And although I do not know how to change a flat tire, I am learning.  This was the 3rd flat tire we have changed in a little over a week!!!  Let me clarify by saying they were not all on the same vehicle.  (Last week we had one on the church van while we were driving.  Then 30 minutes later a friend called that also had a flat tire and needed help.) Today was my personal van. 

As soon as this happened, I thought of the song above.  There is a line in the song that says, "This is the stuff that drives me crazy, this is the stuff that's getting to me lately, in the middle of my little mess I forget how big I'm blessed." 

So, today I am choosing to see how I am blessed and not focusing on the little things that make me crazy. 

FYI, Eric had just arrived home and was able to get there and help me in less than 5 minutes.  We were able to get pulled over quickly and will be able to get the tire fixed.  A sweet lady pulled over to give us a bigger jack so it made the job much easier.  We were also able to invite her to church.  All blessings :)



Two of my biggest blessings!!

What are your blessings today??


Brittany

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave towards our matching grant from Lifesong for Orphans!  Because of your willing and generous hearts, we were able to match all $3000!!  This means we got $6000 to put towards our adoption expenses, which was really great because we had a payment to make of $7600.

 That makes it that much closer for us to bring this little guy home:


I can't show the whole picture until he is officially a Gibbs, but here he is!!

 Thanks, also, to everyone who helped with the yard sale.  Whether you brought items to donate, helped price items, worked the couple of days preparing, etc. we can not say how much we appreciate you!!!  We are constantly amazed at how much our family and friends support us.  We know that there were so many of you who helped in so many ways.  We wish we could have been there!  Our parents kept telling us how much stuff was donated.  I, personally, asked for pictures so that I could see it all.  It was awesome!!! 

I am so proud to say that we you raised a little over $2000!!!  Complete awesomeness!!

Because there were still many items left to sell, our parents have decided to have one more yard sale day this Thursday.  Although we have raised our goal for this time, we still have more payments in the future.  The proceeds from this yard sale day will go towards those payments. 

To give you an idea of what we have left to pay:

one payment of $2800 to our lawyer/agency

one payment of $1200 to our lawyer/agency

about $5000 worth of travel expenses (including airfare, hotel, food, etc.)

So, we are preparing for about $9000-$10000 more!! 

Once again, we thank you so much for supporting us, loving us, and encouraging us.  We seriously have the best friends and family in the world!!!!

Brittany

                                                                     

Children on the mission field

I want to say right upfront that I did not write what I am going to post below.  It came from a Godly lady named Amy Block.  I do not know her personally, but I read her blog regularly and I feel like I know her.  I think in real life we would be friends :) 

Anyway, her and her family are fixing to move to Guatemala onto the mission field there.  This is a post that she wrote yesterday that I can very much identify with, except for the fact that we still live in the US (although many times I feel like we are in a different country).  The words that she wrote come from my heart as well.  You should check out her blog: http://www.buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/

Her words: 

Monday, July 25, 2011

Children on the mission field

One of the top questions we have had lately is how do we feel about raising our children on the mission field. I am assuming the reason we get this question so often is because of fear. People fear something happening to their children and fear not being able to offer them 'the best things' in life so they assume we feel the same way.
First of all, we believe that raising our children in the center of God's will is the safest and best place to raise them.

While some may view moving to another country as unsafe- I can assure you we are doing everything in our power to provide a safe life for our children.

Our power is the key word.

Because the truth is- while you and I can do all the 'right' things to make sure our kids are safe and healthy- in reality, there is only so much we can do. Whether we live in the comfy old USA or in a 3rd world country- things happen. People get sick- cancer rears it's ugly head, we break bones, and get in car accidents. They are a part of life no matter who you are or where you live.                      

Does it scare me those things could happen to my children? Of course. It scares me right now living in the USA. But what scares me more is raising my children in a world where they are constantly bombarded by the pursuit of personal happiness. Where 'the finer things in life' are constantly dangled in front of their eyes and where they are brainwashed into thinking 'things' are more important than people. 

We learned a long time ago that there are no guarantees in life- and we learned a long time ago that the Lord isn't so much concerned with our 'happiness' as He is our holiness. While we do need to be wise- we also don't want to stand in front of God one day and realize we missed out on the very purpose He created us because we were too afraid to really live.

While it's true the USA is considered the land of opportunity, I believe my children will experience 'other' opportunities while living in another country that many Americans will not. They will see things, experience things, and live things that are different than those living in the United States- but equally as good. They will learn to relate on a new level to others who are not like them and learn to appreciate those differences. They will learn to be fluent in two languages and learn how to step out of their comfort zones. They will experience different cultures first hand- rather than just reading about them in geography books. They will learn to be resourceful, flexible, and adaptable.

I think many people believe that by taking our children onto the mission field they will somehow be deprived. If being deprived means no more video games, cheer leading try-outs, cartoons, or fast food- then we are okay with that. While they may be giving up some things- I believe what they are gaining is so much more important. It's simply a matter of priorities.

We view our going to Guatemala as our family mission. The Great Commission isn't only for adults. Each one of us are playing a vital part in reaching the world for His kingdom. Each one of us will relate to specific people in specific ways. Each one of us have different strength and gifts the Lord has given us and each one of us will come into contact with different people. I have already seen my children touch the lives of people that I never would have been able to. Each one of us, no matter how old or young, are able to love and reach out to others. And, I think it's crucial we teach our children this at a very young age.   

More than anything in this world I want my children to know Jesus deeply. I want them to understand that life isn't just about their getting ahead- having the biggest house or the biggest bank account. Life isn't about being #1, being popular, the smartest, the greatest athlete, or the best looking. It isn't even about our personal safety our comfort. It is so much more- and most of us are missing it.

 There is world out there full of people who are hurting and lost. A whole world out there who's only answer is knowing Jesus personally. You and I were put here on this earth to be His hands and feet-to tell others about Him...not to spend our days trying to prove WE are worthy. We were given life to show others His love- regardless of who they are, where they were born or whether they deserve it or not. If my children discover how to love others regardless of social status, ethnicity, diseases or ability to give anything back- than I truly believe we have succeeded in giving them the very best in life. 

The Beginning of a New Chapter

Well, we officially started a new chapter in our lives today.  Our sweet Ella started Kindergarten.  Where has the time gone?  It seems just like yesterday that she looked like this: 




Look at those chubby cheeks and arms!

But today she looks like this:



All ready for her first day!

She was so excited to start school that I didn't even have to wake her up.  She came in the bathroom while I was taking a shower and said, "I'm up and ready to go to school!"  If you know my child at all, this is a big deal.  She loves to sleep late, and I just knew I was gonna have to drag her out of bed.  Not today!!

She picked out her own clothes and shoes and got ready really quick.  Of course, we had to get a few pictures of her on her special day before we took off.




Ella loving on Brayden (Side note: See the cat that has taken up residence at our house.  FYI- I don't care for cats, but evidently it really likes us.)



Daddy and his little girl.  (Another side note- we heard Steven Curtis Chapman's song "I danced with Cinderella" on the way home from school.  Not a good song to hear on the first day of K.)



My little girl :)

I'm not gonna lie- this was a very emotional day for me, for all of us really.  The first day of Kindergarten is hard anyway, but even harder when you know nothing about the school, teacher, etc.  However, we were confident that the school that she is going to in Chandler (not going to say the name because there are weirdos out there) is the one she should be attending, so we knew it would be ok. 

We pulled up to the parking lot this morning and there were kids everywhere.  A majority of the kids walk to school because it is so close to the neighborhood that they live in.  We were a little overwhelmed.  Ella immediately got out of the van ready to go.



We found her classroom and met her teacher, Mrs. Willman.  She was super nice (as most K teachers are) and showed Ella where she could sit.

I did really well holding my emotions in until we got back to the van and then the flood gates opened.  I gained control and did pretty good throughout the remainder of the day (just a couple of sniffles here and there).

It was just a weird day.  It felt weird eating lunch and not making her plate.  It was weird to not hear any fighting or arguing over toys.  I actually missed it.  Brayden missed her too.  Although I will say, he was extremely well behaved today.  He played quietly in his room several times.  He was so quiet I had to go look for him to make sure he was ok :)

When the clock said 2:30, I was ready to go pick her up.  We waited in the parent pick up line forever (realizing it is the first day) it seemed.  Finally, it was our turn.  She was excited to see us.  Her teacher said she had a really good first day.  No tears ever.  She said she was very well behaved.  

We asked her a million questions on the way home.  Who did she sit by?  Did she make new friends?  What did she have for lunch?  Did they play on the playground? Etc.  She was most excited that she made 2 new friends.  She was also excited that there was a boy in her class named Brayden, one named Aiden (cousin's name) and someone named Bailey (her friend from KY).  She liked recess and snack time.  (She is my child haha)  She said it was a really good day.

So, we made it through the first day.  I think better than expected.  Although I'm sad that my baby is growing up, I'm looking forward to the new chapter that we are beginning.  One that hopefully involves her growing into a beautiful, young lady and child of God!!

 

Brittany