Ending a great job :(

I do not like endings.....Ending of a vacation, a movie, a out to eat with friends , Bunco ETc....As we prepare to move the natural result of that is having to leave my job.  I remember whe I came to LHBC 9 years ago.  I had been at SBEC teaching k-4 when I found out I was pregnant with David.  I knew I did not want to work full time so I resigned.  I loved SBEC!  I had the best bosses, co-workers, friends and students.  I remember how hard it was to say goodbye!  Luckliy, I have maintained a great relationsgip with SBEC and get to visit all my co workers when I would drop the kids off for school.

Ok, Back to being pregnant and needing a part time job.....I applied at LHBC as a 4 year old teacher.  I remember interviewing with Donna and Missy.  They asked some hard questions.  Needless to say they hired me and I began my job teaching preschool children there.

I cannot express how much I have loved my job the past 9 years.  It may seem silly to love teaching two days a week, but I do!!  I have loved having great kids, great co-workers, and a great boss, Donna.  I have enjoyed getting to be a childs "first" teacher and their "last" teacher before they start kindergarten! I have had the pleaure of being the first adult that some parents have left their kids with. It thrills me to hear when they ace their kindergarten entry assessment and when I see them lose their first tooth!  I also cry every graduation because I am so proud of how they have grown up all year.  I have had CHALLENGING kids, easy going kids, funny kids and serious kids!  I have been thrown up on(many times), bit, sneezed on, cried on given many mnay hugs and fixed many boo boos and made 90 scrapbooks!  One of the best parts of my job has been sharing with them about God's love.

This year has been exceptionally fun because I got to teach my last year with one of my bestest friends Monica.  We had so much fun and laughed many laughes.  I had an awesome class that was so smart and sweet.  I also had terrific parents as well.  What a great way to end!

This summer I decided to do "summer camp" which I NEVER EVER EVER do because it burns me out to teach all year.  This summer I decided to work to help save $$ for a trip to Disney.  It has been an extra special blessing!  I got to have almost my whole class back for one last time!  God is so good that way! What a fun time we have had!!

Long story short....I am so sad to leave.  I have had so much fun and good challenges teaching the last 9 years.  I am thankful and excited about what is next in store.   I am taking off this year to move and do school full time with the kids as we move and i am excited about that as well.

So in closing I am so thankful for my job at LHBC.  I am so glad I have had the opporunity to serve and teach with so many awesome parents, teachers and kids....

looking forward to whats next :)

Creation Science Museum/three house showings

What a busy week!  We visited the Creation Science museum in cinncinati,Ohio on Friday.   We met David's sister Renee and her family and David's other sister Ronda.  We had a great time!  If you ever get a chance take a look, it was really a great amount of information and really neat planetarium.   The kids really enjoyed learning new info (they both love Science).  I was really proud of Anna because she already knew so many facts about fossils, science and geography.  Thats my girl!  Almost anything she reads she retains!  It was a long drive but it was a nice break from trying to keep my house spotless.  Shout out to my neighbors for keeping Boots the 14 year old dog!

Speaking of spotless homes.....mine is one of them, now someone come buy it!  Seriously, this house is so clean I welcome you to eat off my floor...hahaha...ok don't!  Our house went on the market last Friday.  We have had three showings, all postive feedback.  I know the right family is out there just waiting for our house!  I am not getting discouraged, just trusting God and mopping floors!  I actually love how clean it is, I might just keep this up after we move!  We put 1/2 of our house in storage so it is empty and really easy to keep nice.  I may just have a garge sale with all my stuff in storage!  All in all it has been a great week.  This week David's sister Ronda is coming so we will put her to work cleaning while she is here...just kidding ronda!

What a great friend!

Today I spent like 3 hours with my friend Paige.  We had a great time looking up eating healthy food stuff on the internet, talked about many topics and just had a great time.  We were laughing cause we both thought we looked "ugly" cause we had no makeup on ......I had pigtails and she had a bobypin holding hers back.  But when I left her house I thought about the fact that she is a true friend.  I do not have to dress up for her, put on makeup or even have on cute clothes(and I LOVE cute clothes!!!).  We really did "nothing" for three hours but it was fun spending time with her.

She is also our pastor's wife. She is so authentic!  What you see is what you get. Brian is the same way.  Last sunday Brian preached and before he began he talked about how He too is a sinner and does not deserve to be on stage preaching.  God's grace allows him to be able to have that privlege.  So appreciate that in a pastor.  Back to Paige.....she is the same way and I love her to pieces for that.  She does not "pretend" to be perfect, in fact she talks more about her imperfection than anything else!  She struggles with many things that some of us will never experience, like a life altering car accident, almost losing her life, medical issues and now not being able to drive.  Do I hear her gripe??  NO!!!  She is the first one to volunteer to make a meal when someone is sick, let my kids spend the night, etc.  Her heart is huge.  She is such a great example to me on many levels.  She always tells me she is praying for me and our family and I love hearing what God teaches her in His word.

Well..long story short...today was a great day with Paige.  She is such an awesome friend and pastor's wife.  She may be embarassed if she reads this...oh yeah I know she will read this cause she tells me she reads my blog!!!!

Love ya paige!

Walk the Walk sister!

"I am not liking this" LOL!!!!  That is what I told Dave when our realtor left yesterday.  He loved our home and said "do not change a thing, excpt anna's justin beiber poster" LOL.  I felt good that the house was CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and decorated to sell.  I am not too thrilled with the market for selling a house.  WOW, you see and hear it on the news but when it is YOU, it is a different story!  We knew when we felt led to go that the housing market was at it's worst.  Well....thats the truth!!!  I am just full of mixed emotions.  We have taken such good care of our house and have the most beautiful hardwood floors(ok thats bragging sorry) it is so weird to feel like your "giving it away" for a steal.  Ok thats my rant and self pity, now I will get to the heart of it all....

I know know know that if we are suppose to go God will provide a buyer for our house.  "knowing" and "believing" are two seperate things.  I am having to "believe" in God's promises to provide for us and care for us.  I am having to "believe" that He is soverign and though the odds look horrible, He is not a God of "odds".  Anyhow, it is a test in faith and I am trusting and Believing God.  I am trying to not let my emotions take over.  I know God is in control and He will be faithful.  Funny thing is I give this advice to friends, church members, etc all the time!  It is time to walk the walk.  Today I am going to quit creating money scenerios in my mind (it really is a sight cause I am horrible at Math and half of my scenerios are wrong) and just give it over to God to take care of this situation with our house.  Ahhh, I knew this challenge was coming!  Thankful that God cares enough about me to grow me this way.....anyhow...if I gripe tell me to "walk the walk sister" and hush up!

I will Follow

Boy, I am glad the cat is out  of the bag and we were able to share with our church family today what we have been praying about for months.  Long story short, God has called us to plant a new church with the Anglin family in East TN (Johnson City).  The catch? we love love love our church and are so sad to say goodbye :(.  It is so bittersweet to me. I know that God gave David the last four years to gain experience in church planting and I KNEW KNEW KNEW God would have David t to "practice" those new skills again. Just for anyone who does not know about church planting it is a exercise in FAITH, TRUST, GIVING and OBEDIENCE.  It is not an easy task but such a rewarding one.  I over heard a  pastor saying "all these young guys want to plant churches just so they wont have to work full time..." HAHAHAHA not quite! The opposite!   It has been the biggest test of our faith, making decisions that will last a lifetime of a church is a hard task.  No one "chooses" to be a church planter, God chooses them I am convinced!  

David has had the opportunity to serve under and with Brian Tillman and his family.  What a great pastor and friend and his wife, Paige.....do not get me started I will cry like a baby.  We adore their family and it is like saying goodbye to family rather than a co workers.  He also works with Clay and Whitney , sweet dedicated, wayyyy wise beyond their years.  They have loved on my kids and invested time in Anna, we love them so much.  And of course Liz.  Love her to Pieces, a great friend and encourager and she loves my crafts (hahahahA).   Feels like when Dorthy woke up from the Wizard of OZ and she saw all her friends.....:)

I remember our first day at Riverbend Dave went from a huge choir and band the week before to him in a cafeteria with guitar alone and a projector that did not work half the time.  No singers, no band...and guess what?  I am convinced it made David a better worship leader. It humbled us both to the core.  We had taken so much for granted before, never will I do that again, not even the goldfish we feed the kids in children's church!   I am so thankful for Riverbend.  I am thankful that we are saying goodbye for a time on all good terms, some pastors do not have that luxury.  I am so glad that even in the summer our attendance is higher than the week before and today had over 63 kids.  God is good and faithful.

So new adventure begins soon. We are ready and willing. I know when David sings "I will follow" at church he means it in his heart and I do too.  Even if we have to leave schools, friends, neighbors behind us for a time He is faithful to finish the work he started with us.

So please pray for the Anglins ,Fields and Riverbend church and the 20 Somethings at Longview that David Anglin lead for so long.  I know God has a great plan for them and for us and for you.

First Blog ever!

This is the first blog I have ever written and it is sad that my 12 year old had to set up the whole thing for me, hahaha!  I decided to keep this blog to talk about real life.  The Fields are as real as you get, hahaha and what you see is what you get!  Sometimes it does not look "cookie cutter perfect", but we love the Lord and really strive to live for Him and glorify Him in what we chose to do and say.  I thought it would be fun to record our "Real Life" on a blog and add some interesting things along the way to encourage our friends and family.  When your a ministry family you see "Real Life" all the time!  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Also the great, transforming and the life-changing!  A long time ago we decided as a family that we would never try to "be a perfect ministry family", we would be who God made us and pray that it would glorify Him, despite our faults and our quirkiness (hahaha not the Fields!).  We pray this blog gives who ever reads it the same kind of encouragment.