Fort Worth- Hudson House

This week we are staying with our dearest friends the Hudson's. Already we have had Wing Stop, stayed up late talking, listened to the children lay in their beds and giggle til they fell asleep, had a birthday party, planned a MOPS event, scheduled lunch dates, hugged my (newly skinny) brother, attended our other home church, and eaten Chipotle, and taken a long nap.

It is a joy to be together with the other side of our family. I love to see our children playing together, working through conflict together, and encouraging each other. This morning Grant took his first communion since becoming a Christian. It would have been special had we not been here, but it was very nice to be here. We are forever connected to these children. Our children have shared have more birthdays together than apart. We have prayed over these children and their friendships, their spouses, and their future children.

I pray that you have good friends who love you and your children. Even through all those little crazy quirks you have!!

Twin Talk

Abigail & Julia asked me: When we were tiny in your womb, were we one baby that broke into two babies?

I had never really thought much about explaining this, or biblically how to answer this. So I just said "SORTA".

And that seemed to satisfy them for a whole minute until Abigail said "So how are babies made?"

We had some nice time talking together, and I struggled to give them just enough information and not to much.

I just had to share a bit of one of our chats!

REST

Is not over-rated. God made it, use it, enjoy it. We are staying at Sue O'Dell's house. She is giving us the royal treatment. Comfy bed, nice hot showers, yummy food, space, and laundry.

Some of you don't know Sue. Many years ago when my Dad took a Builders For Christ group to Alaska, he was pairing people up with their host families. My parents and Grand-Parents were paired up with Sue and Clint O'Dell. Over the years, Sue and Clint have fallen in love with the Builders and its ministry, and the builders have fallen in love with them. They have gone on every trip since BFC came to them. Clint passed away from cancer 6 years ago. Sue is still active in the Builders, and still lives her life glorifying God.

We are speaking at Sue's church on Wednesday night. We are excited about going to this church. It already supports a Cadence missionary. How cool is that???

We picked up a new supporter yesterday at Webb City Baptist Church in Ozark, AR. So we are getting closer and closer!

Goal Update!!!

To get on the mission field we need to raise:

$5.690 a month

We currently have

$2,200 committed support coming in

UPDATE: Some of you are already contacting Cadence! Thank you! Keep it coming folks. Way to support us and our Military!!!!

We need only 34 more people to give $100 a month.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting us for one year? We are desperately needing to get on the mission field. We have a passion to get to our servicemen and servicewomen.

Will you please help us?

Click below to start supporting us!

http://cadence.org/donate/missionary

You can give by Credit Card, Automatic Draft from your checking account, or you can send in money. Just give Chris May as the missionary name.

Thank you for supporting our military!

You Should Hear MY Voice The Loudest

I am going to try and paint a picture of what happened yesterday. We were in a Christian book outlet. The kids were in the childrens section watching the new Veggie-Tale. I was looking at children's Bibles. Abigail has been wanting a Bible she can read from. I found one she can get in a few years. So, I called her name several times. Each time I walked closer to her and said her name a little louder. Chris ccalled her name and told her that I needed her. When she came over she said "Sorry Mom, I didn't hear you call my name." And I actually said this back "You should hear my name the loudest." And as the words were escaping my mouth, they penetrated mmy heart. O Lord, when have I been so focused on other things that I have not listened to your voice? Please forgive my child-like ways. Amen.

What lesson is God teaching you?

Precious Moments Chapel - Cartedge, MO

Matt 13:45,46 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

Crucifixion

Joshua - before the battle of Jericho

1 of 4 pictures representing ways we worship - Prayer

For those who know our girl loves Giraffes and she is 6.

Fountain of Angels outside the Chapel

Heavenly picture that left us speechless and excited about heaven!

Click on this picture twice for the enlarged version..Can you find Jesus? How about the angel keeping his eyes on Jesus? Do you see our military? How about the little girl who can walk? And the angel pointing to the rainbow?

Beautiful stained glass

Mom got the girls a new movie for this trip and they had the bracelets and charms for it at the store. The girls wanted their picture made with their Christmas list!

Prairie Creek - Rogers, AR

Julia's toe..Chris was the doctor, I gave the kisses

I did not make the picture for the blog, I made it so I could zoom in on the guy and make sure we had gotten all of him out. We did!...ok, Chris did!

View from the top!

St Joseph, MO - Home of the PONY EXPRESS

In the kids room...making veggie soup

Caleb getting ready to take the mail

Abigail in her at home clothes

We want a room like this in our next house

Taking the mail...see the special saddle with the mail pouches?

Pumping water for the riders and their horses

Caleb looking down to see how far the real well goes...very deep

David being a rider moving the empty mail saddle from one horse to another.

It was pretty heavy without the mail in it.

And so it began!

There are many stories about the men who carried mail across America by the Pony Express, but the Pony Express really didn’t last very long. It began in 1860, carrying mail between Missouri and California by horseback.

Stations were set up along the route, about 15 miles apart, where fresh horses were kept for the riders. Each rider rode three horses before handing over his mail to the next rider. It took about eight or nine days for the riders to carry a mail pouch from one end of the route to the other.

But the service ended only 18 months after it began! For that’s when the first cross-country telegraph lines began to carry messages instead.

The shortest trip on the Pony Express announced the news of Abraham Lincoln’s election, only six days!

Our Goal:

To get on the mission field we need to raise:

$5.690 a month

We currently have

$2,200 committed support coming in

We need only 34 more people to give $100 a month.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting us for one year? We are desperately needing to get on the mission field. We have a passion to get to our servicemen and servicewomen.

Will you please help us?

Click below to start supporting us!

http://cadence.org/donate/missionary

You can give by Credit Card, Automatic Draft from your checking account, or you can send in money. Just give Chris May as the missionary name.

Thank you for supporting our military!

Camping- The Dirty Truth

Camping can be fun. It can be interesting, it can build character in grown adults. It can push you to the edge of tears. Why you might ask? oh let's see:

1. Your tent is larger than the site you reserved.

2. The area around the campground is all rocks.

3. It rains..again.

4. The shower does not have a toilet, sink, or mirror.

5. The bathroom doesn't flush..it's a pit toilet. You can imagine.

6. The flush toilet that is far away, does not have a sink, mirror, or power.

7. We will look like Alabama hill billies when we go out.

8. the Air Mattress gets a hole..again!

9. We will try to remember Jesus didn't curl his bangs, or always have clean toes.

10. The adults will learn patience.

11. Maybe, just maybe, the kids will see their parents and know we didn't get all of this life stuff right. And maybe, just maybe, they will see that we love Jesus enough to walk in this life with faith!

new photo

Maysville, MO

What a joy. Today Chris not only got to share about Cadence, but also he got to preach. Chris shared a sermon about the Sake of the Name. This had been our them at our Cadence Conference too. He did a fantastic job and I heard people saying Amen and found myself agreeing with them. So many people came up to us afterward and said that God had really spoken to them. It is funny that how when we started this trip I wanted to find our partners in ministry, then at the first campground, I wanted to share Jesus and be a Cadence ambassador, and now, I just want to truly be the kind of Jesus that the people we encounter need. And we might not receive any financial gain from this, but the heavenly gain far outweighs any thing this world has to offer. I believe all that we are learning and gaining during this trip is preparing us for ministry.

After church, the body hosted us for a luncheon. Unfortunately, The kids were not only exhausted from arriving at our hotel really late last night, but we have also passed a stomach bug around. So needless to say Abigail threw up on the way to church, Caleb and Chris got sick at church. I hate we were not all feeling well enough to enjoy such a fine spread of food.

How did we find this First Baptist Church Maysville? My Dad took a group here with the Builders For Christ several years ago. Builders, that Church is beautiful!

Tea Time

While the Girls went to eat at the Tea Room, the boys went to

the bank for their FREE lunch. The bank was celebrating its 100th Anniversary!

Rachael, Esther, and us

Rachael & Esther

Me and my Girls!!

Iowa

We are really having fun in Iowa. We have had some late night game fun with our friends Michael & Rachael. They will be leaving in 3 weeks to go to Brazil. They will be teaching school to missionary kids. We are so happy for them. You can follow along with them in their journey at www.internationalkochhouse.blogspot.com

While here we have been staying in Rachael's parents hunting cabin. It is peaceful and restful. We have seen so many deer and groundhogs. Yesterday we saw a mother and her fawn. The fawn was so young it was still suckling and it kept falling down when it walked. It was really neat to see this little part of the world we never get to see. this was our little miracle for the day. Isn't God's creation just AMAZING.

We leave for Missouri tomorrow. We will be speaking at First Baptist Church Maysville on Sunday if you want to come hear Chris.

Iowa

Sightings in Route to Iowa

The house on The Rock by Frank Lloyd Wright

"The only infinity room in the world- jutting out an unsupported 218 feet, with 3,264 windows for walls"

The deer from our bedroom window

Funny frog Caleb found.

One of many farms we passed

Crossing from Wisconsin into Iowa. In Debuke

4th of July

After 10 years of Fireworks..my baby boy still doesn't like the sound!

Vicki & Julia cuddles up watching the fireworks.

Noah (Ryan Huber's new Son) and Caleb being silly

Abigail wanted to sit by herself in her own blanket.

Love the look on Noah's face as the first fireworks went off.

Brown Deer Walking in the parade

The Lone Ranger gave Caleb a treat...A real - life silver bullet

You know you want one!

Daddy Barron, please build us one!! It is just a lawn mower.

Waiting for the parade

Wanted to take Mom & Dad with me to Brown Deer

I was with them the last time I was here on a Builders For Christ trip in 1999.