VBS Preview 2007

We had our VBS Preview today. I spent 6 hours at the church yesterday with all of our VBS leadership decorating the fellowship hall for today. We served hot dogs and people came and signed up to work in VBS. It was a great idea! (not mine...they do this every year...I will definitely take this idea wherever I go).

The Ox in the well
Providence is a funny thing. I would have to agree with you, Marianne!

This weekend I went to Amarillo to go to my friend Amy's wedding (Which was beautiful, by the way). I was in the reception party, so I had a good time chatting with Jenn while cutting bride's cake and serving punch. I left at about 5:00 to head back to the HEB area.

I was just north of Memphis when a tire blew out! I pulled to the right shoulder, turned on my hazards, and got out to look at the damage. Then I got back into my car, called AAA, called my mom, called my pastor, and then waited for help to come. Long story short...I ended up in Amarillo for another day.

I was very sad to not get to teach my kids on Sunday (I was supposed to do a children's sermon), but it was nice to get to spend another day with my family. I went to church at TBC and then out to lunch with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law and niece and nephews.

Mom, Daddy, and I went to Sears that afternoon to get a new tire. While we waited, we wandered around the mall. My mom commented that she felt strange being in the mall on a Sunday. My parents are really good about observing the Sabbath. I apologized, and my mom said, "That's okay...It's the ox in the well." We then spent the next few minutes debating what the ox was...my car or ME!

All in all...it was a blessing!

I just realized something...Nissa's a dork!
Those words were said to me about halfway into about a 90 minute conversation on Lost (and other things) that happened between four of us in Life Group. And they were meant as a compliment!!

Last night we had three new people show up for Life Group. We've added new people every couple of weeks, but we've also lost a few people from our original group. There are 7 of us, including the pastor who have become the regular members. Last night we ended up with 9 of us, I believe.

Anyway, after we had our discussion time (which I led, because our pastor had to leave early), we sat around and talked and ate the snacks that I brought (that's my job in Life Group...bring food & keep the drinks stocked). Gradually almost everyone left. The four of us who remained began discussing Lost, Heroes, Batman, Serenity/Firefly, various movies...it was one of the most entertaining conversations that I've had since moving to HEB. Like I said, about halfway into this conversation, one of the two guys that made up this group suddenly said, "After all this Lost talk, I just realized something...Nissa's a dork!"

Basically, I think that meant that I'm part of the group now! :-) I'm making friends, and I'm so very thankful for it!!!

(This also means that I get to be a part of a weekly get together to watch Lost and discuss every possible detail on it).

Praise the LORD!!
One of my young mothers here at NPBC just gave birth yesterday to a beautiful baby girl. While the miracle of life is reason enough to praise God, this baby is a baby that our whole church family is jumping for joy to have added to our family! This young mother had FIVE miscarriages over the past few years. She portrays Mary, the mother of Jesus in our annual Christmas Pagaent and every year, while loving the part she was able to play, she would ache to have a baby of her own.

She and her husband had trouble getting pregnant in the first place, and they went through several very costly procedures to get pregnant, only to lose each baby only a few weeks into the pregnancy. Finally, after a lot of tears and a lot of prayer and a lot of "whys" to God, they felt led to stop trying the procedure and see what else God might have in store for them. They surrendered their desires over to God and chose to trust Him. They were just beginning to look into adoption, when to their surprise, this young mother discovered she was pregnant!!! Not only that, but everything has gone very smoothly for this pregnancy!!

I just spoke with our Minister of Music who was there yesterday in the waiting room. He said that he had never seen so many people from our church in a waiting room before! :-) She had brought every verse that God had given her during this pregnancy and during their struggle (She had them written on index cards). The whole time during her labor (she couldn't have an epidural b/c of some medication she was on), she had someone with her reading those scriptures and praying with her. What an awesome testimony for this baby girl to have...she was literally brought into this world bathed in the Word of God!

And this young mother would be the first one to say that it was not her ability to believe that got her through...because there were times througout this struggle that she just didn't understand...but it was her God giving her the strength that she needed.

*Update on Canthen: Thanks for your prayers! Canthen went home on Friday and is doing much better!

Why do I love my pastor?
Not only does he preach the Word, but today when he was talking about us being aliens in this world, he broke into an E.T. voice and pointed and said, "E.T. Phone home."

That woke everyone up on this time change Sunday!! :-)

Prayer for Canthen

Please pray for my nephew Canthen (5 months old). He is sick with RSV right now. He was having trouble breathing yesterday, so they put him in the hospital where he is staying until sometime tomorrow.

March of Dimes
Hey everyone! My friend Jenn sent me this link to donate for the March of Dimes WalkAmerica. It's a very worthy cause, so if you can, please make a donation. They raise money to help save premature and sick babies. Premature birth is the #1 cause of newborn death and the biggest threat to babies’ health today, and through WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes is funding important research to find out why premature birth happens and what can be done to prevent it.

Any donation, large or small would be a great help!!

www.walkamerica.org/jenncate