Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.........

 It snowed all afternoon Christmas day and then throughout the night.  The next morning we woke up to this beautiful scene of snow everywhere!

 We enjoyed spending time outside playing in the snow.  This is Macey with our snowman that we built.

 Mike helping to make the snowman.

 Mike, Kevin, and Zach making the snowman.

 My mom even came out!

  Doesn't she look beautiful!?

 I love this pic. of Macey making a snowball!

 Our finished snowman!

 Zach

 Zach pulling Justin on the four-wheeler.

 Michaela, Hannah, and Macey

 Angie and Mike

 You just have to have some snow cream!

 I love this pic. of Hannah!

 Hannah and Michaela preparing as Mike is about to throw a snowball at them.

 They also made an igloo.

 Macey sledding

 Zach and Justin on the four-wheeler.

 The next day our snowman was leaning a bit.  It was like he was leaning around the tree to see us!

Come out and play with me!

Christmas 2010

Here are some pictures from Christmas 2010.  Hope you enjoy!

 Our Family

 Zach and Sarah

 Christmas morning opening up presents at our house.

 Justin

 Zach gave me this pic. that he drew.  Isn't it fantastic?

 opening up stockings is one of our favorite things

Zach trying out his new amp.

 After opening our presents at home we traveled to my parents house in Elon.  

 Justin with his Papa

 It began to snow!!

 Kevin with his pile of presents!

 My mom and my niece, Macey

 Hannah and Michaela

reading after a long day

 After a few days we then traveled to Kevin's parents house in Oriental, NC.  

 Sarah came with us and Zach took her out in the canoe for a little while.

 Kevin out on the dock.

Turkey Hunting

 Justin went turkey hunting in Va. last week and killed this big gobbler.  This was his first time to turkey hunt!

Ideas of how you can give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

Early this morning I woke up thinking about this years Lottie Moon Christmas Offering Goal and what it was going to take for this goal to be met.  The goal this year is 175 million dollars!  That sure sounds like a lot to me and I'm sure it does to you too.

Below are some ideas of things you and your church can do to contribute to this offering:

-Consider praying and asking God how much you should give and then be obedient.

-Give what you would spend in one month on entertainment and eating out.
-Give again what you normally tithe.  Still give your tithe to your church but then give the same amount to the LMCO.

-Cut out soft drinks for one month and give that money towards the offering.

-Save loose change throughout the year and give that during Lottie Moon season.

-Have a missionary come to your church and tell about what they do and how you can be involved by going, praying, and giving.

-Have a yard sale and give the money collected towards missions.

-Challenge parents to give as much to missions as they spend on their children for Christmas. Another challenge is to give as much as they spend on their most expensive Christmas present.
-Start a Lottie Moon Post Office; church members "mail" one another Christmas cards which are hand-delivered by students. Money that would have been spent on postage is given to Lottie Moon.
-Keep a globe or world map close to your dinner table. Let children take turns pointing to a country. Pray that the people in that country will know Jesus. Pray for missionaries serving in those areas.
-Have a prayer walk:  Members of all ages can be sponsored per mile they complete. Proceeds go to Lottie Moon.
-Challenge church members to save a quarter each day of the year to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Each church member could then give more than $90 toward the church's goal. Multiply $90 times the number of church members to set your goal.
-How tall are you?  Measure the children during the children’s sermon one Sunday and ask if they knew how tall Lottie Moon was. Then show how tall Lottie Moon was and tell the children that no matter how small they are, they can still make a big contribution.
-Arrange a phone call to a missionary you know during a worship service and broadcast the conversation through the sound system. If you have the technology and people who can set it up, consider a video conference or a Skype conference. Ask the missionary to explain to the congregation how giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will affect their work and the spread of the Gospel around the world.
-Hold a worship service in the dark or with only minimal light. Use blindfolds for an even greater impact. Have a worship leader explain that millions live in spiritual darkness everyday, without an opportunity to hear about Jesus. Emphasize that our gifts to missions increase the chances that the true Light will come into their world.

I know that these are hard times in the US and all over the world.  However, we found these statistics that showed us that people are still spending money on themselves just not as much on others.
While Americans gave $300 Billion to charity(includes all giving, not just missions) this year only 2% of that or 6 Billion went to overseas ministries.  However, we spent 45 Billion on our pets, 13 Billion on cosmetic surgery, 65 Billion on jewelry, 59 Billion on lottery tickets, and 705 billion on entertainment.

Please pray about how God would have you spend your money not only in church but just in everyday life as well.  It looks like from the statistics above that we are wasting a lot of money.
Also, please pray about how much God wants you to give towards the Lottie Moon Offering this year.

We are so thankful for all those who do give to this offering.  This offering goes to support Southern Baptist Missionaries and their work all over the world.  It pays for their salary, home, vehicle, insurance, health benefits, and education for their children.  Because you give, we do not have to go out and raise financial support and can stay on the field longer.  It is such a blessing to be able to concentrate on our work which God called us to and not having to raise support.  Thank you once again for your sacrificial giving.
As you consider what you will give this year just think about all those in this world who may be saying, "Is anyone coming to tell us the message of Hope?"  Don't let these people down.....they are counting on you.

Lottie Moon

Today's China is a world of rapid change. It's home to 1.3 billion individuals-one-fifth of the world's population. Village dwellers flock to trendy megacities with exploding populations. And China holds its own in the world's economy. It's very different from the vast farmland Lottie Moon entered in the 1800s. But one thing hasn't changed: China's need for a Savior. Lottie Moon-the namesake of the international missions offering-has become something of a legend to us. But in her time Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. In fact, she was like today's missionaries. She was a hard-working, deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group could know Jesus. Her mission When she set sail for China, Lottie was 32 years old. She had turned down a marriage proposal and left her job, home and family to follow God's lead. Her path wasn't typical for an educated woman from a wealthy Southern family. But Lottie did not serve a typical God. He had gripped her with the Chinese peoples' need for a Savior. For 39 years Lottie labored, chiefly in Tengchow and P'ingtu. People feared and rejected her, but she refused to leave. The aroma of fresh-baked cookies drew people to her house. She adopted traditional Chinese dress, and she learned China's language and customs. Lottie didn't just serve the people of China; she identified with them. Many eventually accepted her. And some accepted her Savior. Her vision Lottie's vision wasn't just for the people of China. It reached to her fellow Southern Baptists in the United States. Like today's missionaries, she wrote letters home, detailing China's hunger for truth and the struggle of so few missionaries sharing the gospel with so many people-472 million Chinese in her day. She shared another timely message, too: the urgent need for more workers and for Southern Baptists passionately supporting them through prayer and giving. In 1912, during a time of war and famine, Lottie silently starved, knowing that her beloved Chinese didn't have enough food. Her fellow Christians saw the ultimate sign of love: giving her life for others. On Christmas Eve, Lottie died on a ship bound for the United States. But her legacy lives on. And today, when gifts aren't growing as quickly as the number of workers God is calling to the field, her call for sacrificial giving rings with more urgency than ever. How much does your church plan to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year? Please see my sidebar if you would like to give online.  Where does my money go?? Lottie Moon Christmas Offering® Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to support Southern Baptist missionaries as they share the Gospel overseas. The offering represents 55 percent of the International Mission Board’s total income. Find dollar examples of how your gifts are used, including stories, photos and videos, at  Lottie Moon @ work. Cooperative Program Thirty-two percent of the IMB’s income is received from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program. Each state convention gives between 13 percent and 55 percent of its CP collection to the SBC. The SBC gives 50 percent of that amount to the IMB and 50 percent to other SBC entities, including the North American Mission Board. Other income Southern Baptists’ gifts to the IMB’s World Hunger and General Relief ministries comprise 2 percent of the IMB’s income. Field-generated funds, investment returns and other income constitute the remaining 11 percent. How much does it cost to support a missionary? • $43,845.86 a year • $3,653.82 a month • $843.19 a week • $120.13 a day • $5.01 an hour • $.08 a minute Reported April 2010. Support includes housing, salary, children’s education, medical expenses, retirement and more. Thank you for prayerfully considering how much you will give this year!

Giving to Lottie Moon Story

Check out this story of a small church and how they gave sacrificially to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering:

http://mediaviewer.mediasuite.org/?mvid=12138&mvidext=flv

Please pray about what God would have you to give this year.

Hannah's 10th Birthday!

Hannah celebrated her birthday Dec. 8th.  She had several days of fun!  These are the pics. from her special day.

 She had friends over to spend the night.  Above they are eating their pizza and watching Toy Story 3.

 Hannah blowing out her candles on her cake.

We played several games from the tv show "Win it in a Min."  It was a lot of fun!

 Here the girls had to move a cookie from their forehead into their mouth only using their facial muscles and no hands.

In this game they had to blow a marshmellow using a straw into a square.

 In this game they had to shoot the cans down with rubberbands.

 Justin showing them how he could stack the cans.

 Here they had to stick their nose in vaseline and then pick up a cotton ball with their nose and then transport that cotton ball to another bowl without using their hands.

 

 Here is a group pic. of all the girls with their cotton balls on their noses!

 Hannah waking up on her birthday to us singing "Happy Birthday!"

 opening some presents

 here she is with a bear that Justin got her

 We also went to Chuck-E-Cheese for her birthday!

Sarah took Hannah to a girls spa where they both enjoyed getting their fingernails done.

 having her hands soak

 the finished product

Our daughter, Hannah, who is now double digits!!  I guess there is no going back!

Seriously though, we are very proud of Hannah and love her so much.  We have truly been blessed by her in our family!