A Year {and a few days} After The Storm

No matter how much our town would like to NOT be known for last years tornado, it's now a part of our story and will forever define all of us in some way.

The valley {our church plant} lost our rented facility to the storm making it that much harder to ignore the fact that we will forever be changed do to a natural disaster. We've hopped from place to place, have exhausted members by working them to the bones, learned people's true heart and passion, and have most importantly Seen Christ. We've seen His heart and passion. We've seen His presence or absence in people when hard things hit and work gets hard. We've seen His spirit in every dwelling the Church has gathered, reaffirming that the Church is not a building!

There's enough tragedy and struggles experienced this past year we could fill an entire book but rather than focus on the spiritual warfare, I want to focus on the places God's brought us through them:

• Play Place
  free childcare for those parents working or volunteering after the storm
• Service on the Slab
  praising Jesus for his sovereignty
• Mom's Night Out
  stress relief for moms after the storm
• Survived Super Summer
  our middle-middle child got to experience a 1st for our family with her broken arm {it was mostly fun}
• Adopted a Dog
  Lulu the {almost 2-year-old} registered English Bulldog became part of our family
• First Family Vacation
  water park and tons of free attractions in Bran son MO
• Baby Dedication
  ELLIE! got to be the 1st baby dedicated at the valley church
• Started Our Families Foster/Adoption Journey
  we've started the process of opening our home for foster care through the CALL ministry and DHS
• Hosted our 2nd Annal Kids' Valentine's Day PARTY
• Baptism
  Maggie has discovered what being a Christ-follower looks like for a year and announced this decision in baptism
• Bought Land and Sent a Former Intern to the Ukraine Mission Field {short-term}
  financially these were the biggest outcomes of people's generosity after the storm that we never saw coming

I feel like the two biggest things that have happened over this past year are the strides in our community and neighbor love'n breakthroughs we've had.

After nearly 2 years in our community I feel like we've finally made some big strides in getting to minister in and with our community included but not limited to helping with the big KaBoom! Playground and cook out to celebrate the park. Those in the community are starting to recognize our name which is NOT the cool part but because they know us more, they are more likely to call upon us to help in needed areas. We are here to serve and are finally feeling like we're getting that opportunity.

We have also been plugging away at loving our neighbors all the while hoping they don't think we're crazy. Our most resent cook outs {just here in our neighborhood/our front yard} have allowed us to meet at least 2 more families. Just living outside our home on purpose has let us get to know our neighbors so much better which means they can know and trust us more which means we can love them in bigger ways. It's a beautiful circle! I truly believe its impossible, or at least much harder not to hate that which you know so well. Ignorance leads to hate; hate leads to avoidance, avoidance leads to ignorance. NOT a beautiful circle. Take the time to trudge away beginning the simple circle Jesus has called us each to, right were you are today.

Live, Learn, Serve Here, Go There in LOVE.