The MInd of a 3 year old

Ellison has been really sick over the past couple days. It started with a fever yesterday and progressively got worse through the afternoon and into the night. She just had a pita pizza and some ice cream, signs that she is feeling much better! Even in the midst of her being sick she keeps us laughing. She saw my "pregnancy service strips" AKA stretch marks and said " I see those waves on your tummy mama." I said "Do you know why they are there?" She said "Because you went to the beach." HA! Gotta love that. 

The beauty of a good find!

So, just like always, life has been really crazy and I haven't had the time to blog. I find myself experiencing something and thinking..."I want to blog about that." Then 2 weeks passes and it's old news..bummer. So today I bring to you, hot off the press, "the beauty of a good find."

One thing I love about my mom is that she taught me how to stretch a dollar. It's so funny but when we talk on the phone one of us is almost always on the way to Target or Goodwill looking for a steal :-). Some of the first stores that we shopped in growing up were TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Oh the thrill of a good find!

Well she would be very proud of me today as I loaded up the kiddos and headed to Kid to Kid on the hunt. As the cold weather is knocking I realized that Ellison has 1 pair or pants.  For those of you who don't know. Kid to Kid is a fantastic place to get second hand clothing for kids and to sell to as well. 

There are lots of ladies who blog about great grocery deals and picture their loot, so I will do the same. Basically I got 11 pieces of good quality clothing (Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place) and a pair of new balance shoes combined to make 12 different outfits (yes 12!) for under 50 dollars. YES!!!!! I love a good deal. I didn't have the time to look for little man but maybe I can go back at some point tomorrow to get some goodies for him too. The best part is really the out of pocket cost to our budget is zero dollars because I sold to them last month and made just over 50 dollars.  

Happy shopping to you as the weather cools off!

I'm Home

We landed at about 2:15 yesterday and we were in Alpharetta by 5PM. The best surprise of the day was seeing Ian and the kids at the airport. Man I missed them! Orginally we had planned that I would drive home because I'd left my car down in Buckhead. As I was on the plane I was so anxious to get moving so that I could see them so the surprise of having them there was just GREAT! I could hardly believe how good Jude is on his feet now. In only 8 days he really has the walking thing down.  

There is so much that I could write about my time in Spain. Most of all God showed his power at work from the beginning to the end. Bethany, our team leader, gave us a scripture that stuck with me the whole week and really summed up the entire experience well. "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever; Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21. He indeed did immeasurably more than I asked and than we asked as a team. We serve a BIG God! 

My biggest prayer as I finish this journey is for the country of Spain and for this church East Park Church (Parque Este). On our last day we heard the testimony of Pepe, the pastor, and he told us that on average 2 christians per year come to know the Lord in Spain. TWO!!! There are a million people alone in the city of Sevilla which is the 3rd largest in Spain. This country will remain in my prayers and in my heart as well as this dear family. He and his wife are only in their early forties and have suffered tremendously for the cause of the gospel. It is hard to imagine that people continue to suffer to simply believe in the one true God and His son Jesus Christ.  I pray that the mountains would be moved and that a revolution would break out in this country and in all of Europe. I can't help but hope that God would allow our family to be a part of such a revolution!

All Glory to Him, because He is able! 

 

Can't get away from it

I am so excited that I had the chance to sit and write curriculum for this Sunday. Kinda cool to think about that. Here is a picture of Bethany and I at the computer. We are curriculum buddies back and home and we put our skills to work here in Spain. I've also posted a picture of the finished product. Pretty cool huh?

We Made It

Hello Friends!

We are here in beautiful Spain. The people are such a joy to be around and there is much work to be done. Thanks so much for your prayers during this trip. I have attached a photo of the church and a view from inside of the church. Be sure to check out www.spainupdates.blogspot.com for more information. 

Blessings to you!

How Beautiful

Today I keep hearing the song "How beautiful is the body of Chirst." I have been the recipient of this beauty in so many wonderful ways in preparation for this trip to Spain. Today was the culmination of it all. On Wednesday, we had our final team meeting and got a report of the support that each person raised. I had not raised all of my support but I was so grateful that as a team we met our goal. Praise God for allowing me to go!

A few weeks ago, however, when I was only a third of the way there I prayed and asked God to confirm that He had called me to go on this trip by allowing me to raise the portion allotted for each team member. As you can imagine, I was a little disappointed to see that I didn't meet the goal. As I thought about it, I was just grateful that other people's gifts allowed me to be able to go on the trip. 

Through this journey, I realized that it wasn't a money thing, it was more of having folks on board cheering from the sidelines and knowing that people were excited about me going and were supportive through prayer or financially. More than the money is the support of friends and family. 

This morning I was so blessed by confirmation after confirmation that yes God has called me to this trip for this time. It all began at 7:45 with our UpStreet staff praying over me. Every person that I work with prayed specifically for this journey. Each prayer was rich and precious to me! It was such a sweet send off for which I am so grateful. As the day progressed volunteers and friends followed suit with their well wishes. 

When I went to church with Ian, I bawled through the entire worship set. Specifically the lyrics "my Savior he can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save." All I could think of was God, please move the mountains that separate the residents of Sevilla from you. Move the mountains that separate Spain from you, move the mountains that separate Western Europe from you and please God move the mountains that separate the world from you. Tonight I am so overjoyed that I get to be a light for Him in a place that I've never been before and in a place that I may never return. For all of you who have wished me well, prayed for me and even given to allow me to serve in this way, I just want to say thank you.  

On the way out of church today one of my volunteers stopped me with a check for 200 dollars. That is more than what was needed to meet my goal. YAY God! How beautiful is that!

PS-

Check out spainupdates.blogspot.com for information on our travels. I will update if I can but I think our internet will be limited. 

5 Things

A friend of mine from work posted 5 things she liked about her week and i loved the idea. So here's my list this week. If I knew how to do pictures with captions I would do that but I'm still learning here....

1. Last year on this day we brought our son home! WOW! I've attached the only picture that we have of him while he was so sick (thanks to the Northside nurses). It is a great reminder that God is so good and he is faithful. Today Jude is 25lbs., walking, talking and shows no signs of menengitis.

2. I'm going to SPAIN on Monday. I can hardly believe that I'm leaving so soon. I have always wanted to visit Spain and now I have the bonus of being able to do it as a mission trip and launch children's ministry.

3. We are signed up to run a half marathon. It's 12 weeks till the big race and this week I've completed all of my runs so far!

4. Zumba. I love Zumba. Everytime I watch a dance movie, I want to be a dancer. I even start thinking in my brain about how it could maybe work...um no! So Zumba has filled the hole for me. I take it every Friday morning and it is super fun!

5. I'm starting a new study called "Becoming the Woman God wants You to Be" thanks to my friend Joy. Basically it's a 90 day journey to cleaning house (spiritually, finacially, and even literally). I'm looking forward to this book. Along the same lines, I got an ipod touch to help organize my life yesterday!! I got a great deal on it from a friend and I'm looking forward to connecting all the dots in our lives.

Have a great weekend!

Jude's Walking

It's been another busy 2 weeks here at the Chadwick house. We've been getting rid of lice (yes lice), trying out big boy milk , traveling  to the North Georgia mountains, preparing for Spain (next week!!!!)and....WALKING. Yep our little guy is officially taking steps. He's still getting the hang of it, which is so cute. Here is video of his latest steps.