God's Endless Faithfulness......

I realized I am behind on updating on what has been happening in our lives since the last time I posted.
Ally turned 10 on the 15th and I am still having trouble believing she is already 10. Double digits now....wow...time sure has flown by. She wanted to ride a horse for her birthday so we were able to get her an hour lesson in High Point this past Saturday. She loved it! By the end of the lesson she was riding the horse all by herself and even trotting with it. I think this has sparked an even greater interest in horses. She is having better days at school and for that we are very thankful. God is teaching her alot and really growing her faith and dependence on Him. It is so neat as her mom and dad to see her reading the Bible on her own and really developing her relationship with the Lord on her own. She is learning and growing and we are very proud of her.
Ally started doing gymnastics on Saturdays and is loving it. She is in a great gymnastics academy that is very well organized and has taught her alot already.

Caleb is doing well, although he is really missing not being involved in some kind of sport this fall. We are hoping to find something for him to get involved with. He really misses being able to go outside and run and play for periods of time. He misses our neighborhood in NY and his best friend Fuller. He talks about him ALL the time. We are all looking forward to Fuller and his family coming for a visit in February. He talks often of missing his old school, but is really thankful to be in the same class with his friend John. I am sure he would be doing much worse had John not been with him. That has been a huge blessing to have him here during this transition. God really did know what He was doing when he called us all down here together. God is SO good!!

Anna Kate is doing great. She loves her school and her class. She has adjusted better then any of us have. She will say every now and then how she misses NY and that when she gets married one day she will move back there.... ha....too cute...but for the most part she is our ray of sunshine that is just happy most of the time in whatever situation she is in.... :) She is in a dance class on Saturdays that she loves being in so that gives her something to look forward to every week.

Chris, is plugging right along with plans for the Crosswinds Church. He is flying to NY this Thursday to update Victory on where we are as a church and also to meet with our supporters. He is SO looking forward to seeing everyone again. He seemed to time this trip just perfectly so he could attend the East/West football game on Friday night... :) The kids and I are so wishing we could be going too......
We went to Thomasville, NC this past Sunday and Chris spoke at Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church and shared the vision for Crosswinds with them and asked people for their support prayerfully and financially. We are very blessed that Mt. Zion has signed on to partner with us and we are SO very thankful for that. We are in need of more finances for Crosswinds to take shape and kickoff in Feb and we are believing that God has BIG things in store and that He WILL PROVIDE all that we need at just the right time. Please pray for us that God will place on the hearts of His people to help us with this financial need. Things are happening and we are seeing God's faithfulness every day. We have several events planned the end of Oct and into November and we are getting excited as we are seeing things taking shape. God is SO good!

As for me....I am enjoying my job and loving the people I work with. This job has been a huge blessing for us and I am SO thankful for it. I see this job as a ministry opportunity for me as well. Just to be able to share God's love to people I encounter everyday whether it be through a smile, a word of encouragement, a listening ear......He is using me and I am humbled! As a team we are all reading Bill Hybles book entitled Just Walk Across the Room and I have been challenged by it. The book says that if taking ten steps across a room could point someone toward faith it might just change the way you walk.....It has challenged me in my everyday encounters with people. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about reaching out to others for Christ.

As a family we are growing and learning together on this journey and we are closer together as a unit as a result of this move. We treasure our times together and I am learning to let things go that used to drive me crazy.... valuing our time and not taking even one minute for granted.....we only have this one life and we can't go back and change things but we can treasure every minute and make the best of what the Lord has blessed us with and that is each other.

God is so faithful and I am truly humbled and honored to be on this journey He has called us to. There have been days I have wanted to pack up and go back to NY because this just wasn't what I signed on for....but in the midst of the hardships and emotions, my God has proved to be faithful and He has lifted me out of the miry pit and set my feet on a ROCK.....My dad said through his fight with cancer that it was in the hard times that we truly experience who God is and we truly KNOW HIM....I experienced that to be true during my grief in losing my dad to cancer and I am experiencing it now in this move to Wilmington. I think of dad everyday and his words of wisdom and oh how I wish he were here to give me more advice now.... it is now that I run to my Heavenly Father for His words of encouragement, wisdom, love, mercy..... He is FOREVER FAITHFUL.....my Abba Father......

It has been since July that we have truly experienced God's incredible faithfulness to us and it is endless......we are eternally grateful.....

A Life of Sacrifice....

Another week has passed.... God is molding us and teaching us through this process.  He is stripping us of our selfishness and we are surrendering and desiring to be more like Him.  This move to Wilmington has had its challenges.  I knew things were going to be hard with starting a new church, but what I didn't realize was all the lessons I needed to learn about myself and what I needed to be stripped of in order to be used by Him.  My relationship with the Lord is being redefined and He is showing me all of the areas in my life that I need to turn over to Him in TOTAL surrender.  I am reading a book entitled, "My husband wants to be a church planter, so what will that make me?" It is confirming in me that my first and foremost responsibility is to be a wife and mom and to support my husband through these difficult days.  I need to remember that I set the tone for our home and I need to have a positive attitude regardless of my circumstances.  It asks a question that I think about often..am I willing to sacrifice so that people in my community can experience new life in Christ?  We knew that by moving here we were sacrificing, but really it is a continual day by day life of sacrifice and it just doesn't stop with the physical move to Wilmington.  God is testing and teaching me through sacrifice.  We have been asked to give up living in our comfort zone, better schools for our children, proximity to great friends and neighbors, peace, time, a great church home....etc etc.... just to name a few....the journey before us is one that is requiring much sacrifice and TOTAL dependence on our Heavenly Father.  

Our faith is growing and deepening and being stretched to new heights.  We are truly blessed and excited at what God is going to do in the days ahead..... 

God is good even in the difficult times....

Hey Friends and Family....
Thought I would take a minute and update on the past few weeks. This week has been a rough week for us physically. Chris came down with the stomach flu on Tuesday and then I came down with it on Wednesday. Ugh...I have had to miss two days of work and I don't have sick time built up yet. The kids didn't know what to do with BOTH of us sick. I am feeling so tired and so attacked. I realize that Satan is trying everything he can to rob me of my JOY and to make me feel like my life is spinning out of control. It is in these times I find myself running to the Lord and crying out to Him to PLEASE make things better. All the while, understanding that this is part of the journey and we knew things were going to be hard, but knowing it would come and actually experiencing it are two different things. I am trying to daily remind myself of why we are here and that Satan does want to put a stop to what we are trying to do here.

The kids are still trying to adjust to school here. Ally seems to be doing better. Thank you to all of you who have read this blog and have emailed me to say you were praying for her. That means SO much to us. It is because of your prayers she is doing better. Please keep it up... :) A few of you have emailed your prayer concerns as well and I am praying for you too! Keep them coming so we can lift your concerns to the throne!

As far as Crosswinds Church goes, we have set dates for our first community event which will be a donation center for Hurricane Ike relief for those affected in Galveston, TX. That will be in October. Please continue to pray for us as we are all venturing into unknown territory with this church plant. Please pray for unity among us. Satan wants nothing more then to destroy our unity we have fought so hard to build and maintain together. We are still trying to adjust to this new life and new routine. God is good EVEN in the midst of the tears, struggles, pain, and stress we are feeling right now. I daily try to keep in front of me His calling on our lives and I am daily having to surrender to Him and to His will for our life.

Our verse for our family this week has been "Walk by faith and not by sight."......2 Cor. 3:7
We are truly learning what walking by faith looks like and not relying on what we see..which at times looks VERY dismal and not very promising....BUT....God IS FAITHFUL AND SO GOOD TO US!!!!

We love you all and so appreciate your support and prayers.

Trusting Him,
Ashley for Chris, Ally, Caleb and Anna Kate

Weeks of Adjustments....

Last week was a week FULL of adjustments for all of us. We are all still trying to adjust to this new school and work routine. We had a few days of tears and the kids didn't want to go to school. Caleb and Anna Kate for the most part are adjusting very well to school. Ally is having a hard time in her class. Some of the kids are teasing and picking on her and she is just having a hard time. We would SO appreciate your prayers for her specifically. I spoke with the principal and the school counselor today and they are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make her year a positive experience for her. I am SO thankful for that. Ally met with the school counselor today and she loved that time with her. I know that God has a BIG plan for Ally and that this time will only strengthen and build her character. We keep telling her that God loves her SO much and that He has a plan for her but that this transition for her is not easy and that God doesn't always allow it to be easy for us. It is sometimes through the most difficult times that God shows us more of Himself. I am praying that during these trials for her that she will run to Him and learn to rely on the Lord even at her age of almost 10 yrs old. She said to me the other day when I asked her if she had asked the Lord to go with her through her day and be SO near to her, she said, "it doesn't help mom".....after further talking with her she hadn't asked Him to be with her.....She is learning.....We are asking the Lord to tell us what He wants her to learn through these circumstances and to draw her SO close to Him in her relationship with Him. So, for that, I am grateful for these teachable moments on how we can teach our daughter with real life events on what it looks like to trust God and to depend on Him for everything.

For me, Ash, the Lord is teaching me about what is really important and how I need to take each day and treasure the time I have and be thankful for the many blessings He gives me. With starting this job and having such limited time with Chris and the kids, I have truly learned what is important and what is just not and I have to find a balance. One day last week I had a severe allergic reaction to a med I was taking along with an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I truly believe that God intervened and protected me from what could have been a heart attack. I won't go into the details, but I am SO grateful and SO blessed. Since that night I am truly trying to live each day with more passion and love for my Lord and my family. It is amazing how I just took that for granted so many days. God is good and I am truly thankful to Him and SO excited to see what He has in store for us here in Wilmington.

It certainly has not been easy and there are days that I am just so tired and just SO overwhelmed with all that has to take place for this church plant that I just want to go back to the life of comfortable living in Painted Post, NY...but it is in those times that the Lord reminds me of His presence and His calling on our life....and I am overwhelmed with emotion as I think back at all the signs of His goodness and His blessings on us as we have taken the steps of obedience to seek after His will for Crosswinds Church and our lives as a family.

Thank you, our family and friends, for your faithful prayers that we feel on a day to day basis. We certainly treasure them and love you all!

Week of Firsts....

This week has been a week of firsts for all of us..... The kids started school last Tuesday, the 26th. They all had a great first week.  Ally started 4th grade, Caleb 3rd, and Anna Kate started Kindergarten.  We have attached a few photos of them on their first day in their school uniforms. I started my job as a Public Health Nurse with the New Hanover County Health Department.  I have alot to learn, but I know that I will love it once I get oriented and feel comfortable.  I will be in training and orientation for 6 months so I have plenty of time to feel comfortable.  It will be a great opportunity to BE Jesus to my coworkers and the patients I come in contact with.  The people I work with are very friendly and have accepted me in and made me feel welcome so that was great.  I am now trying to manage working full-time and still managing my roles as wife and mom.  God is good!

Chris had a guy from headquarters come down this past week and do some one-on-one training with him for church planting.  He gave great insight and words of wisdom. We had a launch team meeting on Sunday and were able to set core values and next steps for Crosswinds Church.   God has made clear to us that we are to plant in N Brunswick County in a town called Leland where there is LOTS of growth happening.   We are now in the process of trying to find a location to rent.  Please pray that God will bring in the finances for us so that we will be able to afford a place to rent for our meeting place.  We have learned to be patient and wait and God WILL reveal to us His perfect plan in His perfect timing.   Over the next few weeks we will be doing community surveys and assessments and outreach events in the Leland area.  Please pray for us that God will use us and that we will be in the center of His will at all times.  

We covet your prayers and your support. 

Until next time......

Ashley for Chris, Ally, Caleb and Anna Kate

Eyes Wide Opened.....

Today started out like all of our other Sundays here in Wilmington.... we went to church and then we all met as a launch team to share together and pray together as a team..except this day we didn't meet in a home..we met at Greenfield Park here in Wilmington.  Paul and Noele had reserved the pavilion for us to meet and eat in while the kids played on the playground beside us. When we arrived we noticed there were people in the pavilion and me (ash) being the imperfect human I am thought to myself, "well, they need to get out because WE have reserved it"...I found the Lord quickly speaking to me about my initial thoughts and so we proceeded to unpack our coolers and "set up camp" so to speak.  I quickly realized that these just weren't people like us picnicking in the park, but they were homeless.  They soon realized we were there with an agenda  so they left and moved to the pavilion right across the sidewalk from us.  As we all sat around talking I sensed in my spirit the Lord nudging me to do something.  I wasn't sure what.  But the thought came to me...here we are a new "church" and we have people observing us from a distance with REAL obvious needs.  So, what were we going to do to meet those needs today.  I wrestled in my thought processes....thinking, how do we do this.  I quickly found my judgmental attitude rising up within me saying, "but they are smoking, one has a cell phone, there is probably alcohol in those cups"..ugh...I hated I was thinking those thoughts.  I found myself thinking well they can afford those things, why not food?  I found the Lord quickly speaking to me and saying, "Ashley, it is not for you to judge them...just be ME to them".... As I was wrestling with what to do, I said to Noele, "I think we need to do something...maybe feed them...it is so obvious they are watching us..what are we going to do?" She then mentioned to Paul that maybe we should cook up all we had and have the 15 or so homeless people come through the line and have what we had leftover.  I agreed.  It was amazing what happened after that as I sat back and watched our launch team slowly make our way out of our comfort zones to minister to these people.  It was like watching a slow motion movie take place.  Paul, being the outgoing talkative one that he is..announced to them all to make their way over and help themselves.  It was interesting to watch these people make there way over and introduce themselves and say thank you.  We had a chance to talk with a few of them and hear a little of their stories and as I sat there I found my judgmental attitude slowly fading away and I was moved to tears for these people.  Our hearts were breaking for them.  God was there today and he taught us something that even as we sit here and write this we are checked in our  spirits once again about something that has bothered us since our time today with the homeless people.  Why did we give them our leftovers?  Looking back on that today, we should have cooked everything and given it to them FIRST and WE should have gone without if we had run out.  It was like giving God our leftovers. It was a learning experience and yes, we know that we did what God was asking us to do, but realizing now that our human selfishness got in the way and we did it all backwards.  God help us as we strive daily to be YOU in the flesh.  We so realize that we will mess up, but thank you that you see past our faults and our sometimes backwards thinking.  

Today our eyes were wide opened to the SO many needs in our community.  Our prayer is that we never become "used to" the needs of those who have less then us.  We were quickly reminded today of the scripture that says, "The King will reply I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me" Matthew 25:40

It all goes back to LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE, and IMPACTING THE WORLD..  This is a process and an eye opener for all of us.  

Chris and Ashley

Being still and waiting....

Hey Friends,
I (Ash) decided it was time to update this blog on what God is teaching us in these early days of this church planting adventure. We just recently hung a chalkboard in our home that we call our "Scripture Board" where we post a verse that the Lord gives us to memorize for the week. The kids are enjoying memorizing and then placing a star on their "scripture charts" daily when they are able to recite it to us. Through this, God has given us a verse this week that is before us EVERY day so that we cannot forget what He is requiring us to do...The verse is Psalm 37:7a which says..."Be still in the presence of the Lord and WAIT PATIENTLY for Him to act..." (NLT). The Lord is teaching us to wait on Him....in all areas of our lives...to Ally, this is waiting for God to reveal to her the purpose of this move in her life..she questions how she is going to find a friend here...for her this journey has been a little more difficult in that she didn't have a friend that moved with her like Caleb and Anna Kate did. It seems that each move we have made it always is the most difficult for her. I keep telling her that God has an AWESOME plan for her here in Wilmington and God called her just as he did each of us to step out in faith. To Caleb and Anna Kate this verse is teaching them to wait patiently in their daily lives and in their eyes their interpretation is that God is teaching them to be patient... to them they say "patient with each other and when we tell them as their parents they need to WAIT". I chuckle when I think of each of their interpretations but nonetheless each one is a lesson God is teaching them....For Chris and I..it is learning to BE STILL in His Presence and wait for HIM to show us what direction HE would have Crosswinds to go....We only want God's fingerprints all over this new church and there is SO much planning and preparation ahead of us....we don't want it to be us at ALL....we only want God's leading and His direction. Please pray for us that we will continually be in constant prayer for His leading and for us to be able to have much wisdom and discernment in the days ahead. God is SO good and we have been in awe at what He is teaching each of us who are a part of this launch team. God is up to something BIG and we are humbled to be on this journey with Him. Thank you to our friends and family for your love and for your prayers. We so appreciate each of you.