Here is what I know

Here is what know, lately we have been getting a lot done. Our week looks like this alot of times: Monday: School 8:00-12:30, 1:00-bedtime Family time Tuesday: 8:30-12:00 Kids & Chris do School, I go to PWOC (Prodestant Women of the Chapel) 12:00-1:30 Lunch with other missionaries and soldiers. Afternoons, Chris works. 4:30-8:00 David goes to youth group. Wednesday: 8:00-12:00 kids school 6:30-9:00 dinner & single soldier Bible study Thursday 8:00-11:00 school 12:00-3:30 homeschool co-op (which we all love) 4:30-8:30 Community Connection-this is at our post chapel. We have dinner and Bible studies. Friday: 8:00-12:00 school 12:30 - 3:30 Prepare for Bible Study 6:30-10:00 Dinner & Bible study Saturday: All kinds of fun things, right now we watch AuburnFootball. Sunday: 8:00 start preparing lunch. 10:30-12:30 church 1:00 Lunch served the rest of the day we play nd rest. This Sunday we hd 45 people at lunch, and it was Great. We had just a great time inthe Lord. Makes me look forward to this weekend!

I just thought you would like to know why getting on the blog is taking a little more time than it use to.

We love y'all

I

We are on the move!! Praise God.

After 14 months of living on the road, we have a place to lay our heads. We have moved into the parsonage side of the Hospitality House. Talk about excited. The day we got the e-mail, the kids went screaming down the hallway. They had their beds moved and unpacked by lunch. I got emotional (of course), and my heart and mind were going faster than I could I process. I feel so blessed to be able to live here.

Even though we have not taken over as the House Directors yet, I feel very responsible for the cleaning, washing, and bed-making on the ministry side. I also feel very responsible for making sure everyone is tucked in at night that stays here.

Now we are preparing for the 5th Annual fund-raising banquet for the Hospitality House. It is schedule for Oct. 11th. If you are going to be in the Killeen area, or want to give money to help us, e-mail Chris at tophermay@yahoo.com. Last year we had 315 people come to banquet. It was spiritually exciting to hear from the soldiers, as well as exciting to see God's people get excited about loving these soldiers.

Please continue to pray for Chris, as he calls on people to support us. Pray for the banquet that it can be financially fruitful. Pray for our soldiers, those deployed are trying to be a light, those at home, are in training and trying to grow spiritually, and the spouses who are trying to stay strong until the homecoming. Pray for me as I begin to finally feel organized and in charge of a household (not a tent). Pray for our children as they have started a new school year, and are trying to make new friends as well.

We count it a privilege to be here at Fort Hood sharing not only our lives but the very gospel as well.

Cadence Kids

If any of you want to see some of the Cadence Kids pictures or read more about the ministry of our fellow missionaries that I mentioned in the blog below, please read:

http://kennjoylowe.tumblr.com/

Where oh where has the time gone?

I know you probably thought we got sun-stroke and haven't been able to update you all on our going-on's. Well, we have had 9 groups here working on the SHH. It is coming along quite wonderfully. The parsonage part is complete. There are a few minor things to do, and a few things that will need to be accomplished in time. In between, we have gotten to host various youth groups as they worked on post leading and helping with VBS through the Cadence Children's Minsters, Kenny & Joy Lowe. In the evening they have helped us here at the house with cleaning, painting, organizing, cleaning, painting, repairs, projects, etc. We have been blessed to have gotten to spend time with this next generation of young people. Our future looks good with these guys coming up. And we have really enjoyed getting to know Kenny & Joy better. They are not only becoming fast friends of ours, but we can see how our ministries will overlap one another and help grow the Kingdom. Exciting is all I can say. The parsonage side of the house is ready for us to move in, we just haven't been released yet. We still need about $1,500 more a month. Some of our folks have committed and haven't given yet, so we are praying for God's timing on all of this. We are not worried. He has led us to this point, and I know He has plan, He promised it.

I have also gotten to learn some valuable lessons. I have learned more about listening. Sometimes, my mind takes a little longer to process what people are saying so I have to concentrate on keeping my mouth shut. I am also trying to learn the balance of grace when I get overwhelmed. A hard skill, so any tips can be left in the comment section. I am now proficient in installing a toilet. My Daddy taught me good.

My Mom has been here during some of this time to help. I really wanted her to be here to help with the kids. I knew our attention would be needed and that there were going to be things that only Chris and I could answer. I didn't want my kids to feel neglected. Instead, Grandmama Jan came and spoiled them. It has been great. Mom has even kept up the laundry and dishes. I don't know how we could have done these weeks without her. Thanks Mom!

We now can catch our breath, relax a little and look to the next step. We'd love to hear from you! Love you all.

Where we are

Sorry all, We are in Fort Worth getting ready to transition to a "almost there" stage. Chris has been meeting people and doing lots of lunches to share the news of our mission. I have been finishing the kids school year (even though they will do some summer work), and helping our friends here with various projects. One of the families that hosts us a lot and has been on this journey with us from the beginning, is in a situation of their own. Mr. Steve and Mrs Gayle are wonderful Christians who truly love the Lord. Well, Mr. Steve went to work one day and came home having Chest pains at a level of 12. He has been hospitalized for almost 2 weeks and still no diagnosis. So in the meantime, I have been keeping their daughter Amy's Children. It just so happens that Amy is my Best friend, and our kids have grown up together. All the same, it has been hard to watch our friend suffering and yet it has been rewarding to watch Steve and his relationship with God. Please continue to pray for this family. We all could use your prayers.

Next week, we head Down to Fort Hood, TX to start our transition period. The family there will be transitioning out slowly and we will be working with them until we have the last of our money raised. We are excited to be this close to going on the mission field. If you have not gotten your latest newsletter, let us know and we will mail you one.

Blessings to each of you.

The commercial

VERA BRADLEY COMMERCIAL

I took the girls along with their friends (and moms) to Vera Bradley's Ultimate Fan Day. We got to be in a commercial. For our trouble we got to choose a Vera coin purse and Vera water bottle. I will admit I did the commercial just for the coin purse!

Picking our coin purse

Julia in the screen

All 4 girls (and dolls) ready to roll.

Bloggers Been Down

Should have some new posts up and running soon!

POSTINGS

Don't forget to click OLDER POSTS to see more stories!

Meet the Smith Family

We had the joy of meeting Ingrid and her daughter Catherine at the Hospitality House. Jerry is deployed to Afghanistan. Catherine just had recent double foot surgery and is on crutches and having to move very slowly. Please pray for Ingrid that she can be an encouragement to her daughter, as well as get the rest she needs. Catherine is in the process of getting ready for College as she graduates from High School in May. When Jerry returns this summer, he and Ingrid will be moving to Ft Bliss, Texas. As a Mom this is going to be a hard change..Only daughter going to college and you moving further away to a new location. Pray that this family will have peace as they make these transitions. They are a close and strong Christian family, and they do know that God will sustain them as they go.

Meet Me on a Frustrated Day.

So for all of you who wonder if I always see life as Sunshine, most of the time I do, today was one of those Storm cloud kind of days.

I am Frustrated. I want to be in Fort hood.

I want to tell my children yes.

I am tired of saying:

"When we raise our support"

"It's in the storage unit"

"When we have our own house"

"It's in the suitcase"

"Please go re-pack your suitcase"

"It's in the storage unit"

"This isn't our house"

"When we have our own house"

"It's in the storage unit"

I am now longing for this time of fund-raising to be over. I am ready to be about my Father's work. And I long to be back in the midst of running my home, cooking meals, washing clothes, sweeping floors, and sleeping in my own bed (even if I can't remember what that feels like anymore).

I know that this is what God has called us to do, and I am content in following Him. I just wanted you to get a glimpse into my heart. And I know that in a few months we will be in our new jobs at our Hospitality House. I also know that even if I don't love washing clothes then, I will be thankful for it.

Meet Christina & Alvin

I had the opportunity to meet Christina when we were at the Hospitality House in September. She and Alvin had been married for a few weeks and he was getting ready to deploy for Iraq. We talked together and prayed together about not only her being a new wife, but a new military wife. After we left Ft Hood in November she and I stayed in touch on Facebook. When we arrived at the Hospitality House a few weeks ago, she met me at the door with huge hugs. Christina is smart, funny, brave, and sometimes scared. She struggles with the fear that she could lose the husband that she hasn't even gotten to enjoy yet. He left after they had been married for 7 weeks. Christina is also looking for a job and wants to find a job working with children. Christina has a heart for the Lord, and is growing and maturing in her walk with Him. Pray that she will stay encouraged and not let discouragement creep in on her heart.She does get to send Alvin care packages, and gets to talk to him often, which is a huge blessing. Pray that their conversations will be fruitful as they discuss plans for their future, finances, safety, and spiritual issues. Pray that Christina can be a continued encouragement to her husband, and that her job hunting will be successful.

Here is our latest story, posted on the Cadence Website

Going Out on a Limb: A Missionary Partnership Development Journey

Thursday, March 10, 2011

written by Elizabeth May

“Go out on a limb—that is where the fruit is.”

This was a quote that went over and over in my mind as our family knew we had to take a huge step of faith. We were appointed as Alpha missionaries with Cadence in June of 2008. Our partnership development was coming along, but not as nicely as we needed it to. So in May of 2010 my husband resigned from his job and we decided to travel the country preaching and sharing about Cadence. We put all of our belongings in a storage unit in north Alabama, loaded our mini-van with our suitcases, tent, and everything else we thought we might need for 6 months…6 months is now turning into 1 year.

We have traveled to Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. We stayed with individuals along the way, meeting and spending time with our brothers and sisters in Christ and camping in various campgrounds. While camping, we learned a lot about ourselves and those who lived a pioneer life. Gathering firewood for 3 meals a day, washing the same dishes 3 times a day, keeping mud out of our tent, not always having flush toilets, and trying to stay cool made us appreciate everyday amenities. Along the way we visited some great tourist stops: The Tennessee State Museum, Pony Express Museum, Precious Moments Chapel, Abraham Lincoln’s home, Wal-Mart museum, and many more. We have tried to eat food that was a local treat: Cheese curds, roasted corn, deep dish pizza, and tex-mex.

Throughout this time God has been with us. Anywhere there was rain this summer, you can guarantee, our tent was under it. We survived a damaging storm with 80 mile an hour winds that forced us out of our tent in the dead of night. Our tent sustained only minor damage, and we were provided with a cabin to stay in for the night where we hung out all our clothes to dry. Our turtle shell opened causing us to lose some bedding; God used His people to replace some of it, and some of it is still lost.

It is currently March, we have been assigned to the Fort Hood Hospitality House and we are at 70% of our financial goal. We know God will provide the remainder in time for us to start our work on September 1, 2011. We are putting our belongings in a storage unit in Fort Hood and traveling around Texas raising the last of our support.

This adventure has not always been easy; we have felt discouraged, frustrated, scared, and sometimes very lonely. But along the way, we have held onto the truth that we knew God wanted us to trust Him enough to truly follow Him. I feel God is changing our course for a home now. Our children are ready to see their toys, we all long for school days that take place at a desk versus a picnic table, and we are ready to be ministering to our soldiers. There is a quickening in our spirit that lets us know this part of our journey is coming to a close. The question is how will the chapter end? One thing I know for sure, my family will follow God anywhere He asks…besides the tent is packed!

Find out more about the Mays and pledge to help them with their last 30% of financial support.

Meet Teaven & Sarah

It has taken me a few days to write this blog as it is such a great God story. And yet, hard for me to look at all the emotion behind it. We met Teaven when we were at the Hospitality House in October of 2010. Teaven lived in the room upstairs next to ours. He is engaged to Sarah, Sarah is Ken & Judi Wooten's daughter. Ken & Judi currently are the House Directors for the Hospitality House.

One day, Teaven came in from work and he & I were chatting as he gathered his mail. I saw that he had a letter from YoungLife. I asked him if he worked for YoungLife. He told me that he did work for them doing military youth ministry work on Fort Hood. I asked him if he might have known a friend of ours who use to work with YoungLife before he was killed in Iraq. As soon as I said Leif Nott, he got misty-eyed, and I got teary too. Teaven explained that Leif had been his youth leader when he was a teenager. He told me how Leif had shared Christ with him, but that he had not been willing to accept Christ at the time. While Leif was deployed, Teaven received encouraging notes from Iraq. Leif, having been killed in July of 2003, never got to know that he would be instrumental in Teaven accepting Christ as his Savior. It was then that I told Teaven that Chris was the one who had led Leif to the Lord. Talk about emotional. When Chris came home a little later, Teaven and Chris shared with each good memories of Leif. It was a joy for me to witness the look on their faces. The assurance they had that their friend was with Christ, but at the same time longing for one more conversation with him.

Teaven then told us that Leif was not only his leader, but had also been in his Father's unit. It was through Leif's example and Teaven's words that Teaven's father came to be a believer as well.

Teaven and Sarah are getting married in a few weeks. As Teaven's Spiritual Grand-father, Chris & I will be at the wedding. To us this was another Ebenezer Stone that God had selected Fort Hood for us. Pray for Teaven & Sarah. Pray for their new marriage to go smoothly. Pray for them as they prepare to be ESL teachers in a foreign country, hoping to share the Good News of Jesus where they go, (Korea or Russia is in the works). Pray that as they say good-byes to their families they will hold to the hope that they are living for something bigger than themselves.

Meet Ellie and Julia

This is Ellie and her daughter Julia. Ellie is a recent Single Mom. She is preparing for her deployment in June. Julia is a delight to be around, and of course, our Julia loves her. I just recently met these two. My heart breaks for Ellie. Julia will be going to stay with Ellie's sister while her Mom goes off to war. As a Mom, I am hurting for Ellie. Can you imagine missing one year from your childs life? Not seeing her learn to swim, not watching her go to her first day of preschool, seeing her perform in her first ballet recital. These are real people, real sacrifices, real honor, real COURAGE. Join me in praying for Ellie and Julia as June's deployment is not far away. I promise when we tell them good-bye on Friday, I will give them both lots of hugs!!

Meet Luke and Noelle Rau

Luke came to the Hospitality House when he was a single gentleman. Once he arrived in Afghanistan, he met Noelle. They began spending time together, feel in love, and were married when they both returned to the states. Luke brought Noelle to the Hospitality House, and they became plugged in to the ministry as a married couple. Noelle has 3 children and even though Luke might not be their Father, he is their Dad. It has been a real joy for us to get to know this family. They love the Lord and strive to know Him more. In the past few months, Noelle has gotten out of the Army and has become a stay at home Mom. Luke will be deploying in June. Please pray for this family. The children are going to have a hard time not having their Dad around. Noelle will not have the relief of a husband coming home at the end of the day to help her. This family is taking on some changes. Pray for them.

Kyndra

I keep sharing these stories so you will begin to see how God has put us here for a reason. Many of you know that our good friends, Rick and Becky Aderhold (Phenix City, AL) have a granddaughter named Kyndra. What you might not know is that Kyndra, her husband Alex, and her daughter Gabriella (7 months) are stationed here at Fort Hood, TX. So as soon as we got here, I called her to come over. We had a great afternoon together and I learned that Alex is at NTC getting ready to deploy in June. Please pray for them. Pray that God will use me to encourage Kyndra.

Cousin Brandon

Now here is a great story. My Dad had taken the girls with him to visit at Fairview school in Cullman, Al. While there, Dad ran into a distant cousin of his, Cindy Miller. Dad told Cindy how we were heading out to Fort Hood to the Hospitality House. Cindy was so excited, her son is a chaplain assistant at Fort Hood. They wanted us to look each other up. So the day after we got to town, I called my new to me cousin SPC Brandon Miller. We had a great conversation on the phone and made plans to meet each other at chapel services the next morning. We did meet at chapel and he followed us back to house for lunch. We spent the rest of the afternoon on the front porch getting to know each other and laughing at how God brought us together. I think for both of us this cured the homesickness blues. It also confirmed to me that God is getting ready to do something very Big here. Already my family has gravitated towards him and his fun personality. Julia likes that she and Brandon have the same dimples. And the boys are trying to be kind to the Alabama fan, even though they really want to tell him Auburn is better.

We were also blessed this past week to be with Brandon and a youth group from First Baptist Carthage, TX. The youth group was hear volunteering with Cadence missionaries. We got to see the true heart of this cousin of mine. He has a heart for the Lord and a heart for young people. Not many missionaries have this gift and we are thankful for it!

MOVING ON IN FAITH

We are trusting God with this move to Fort Hood, TX. Even though we have not raised the last bit of our support, we went ahead and moved all of our stuff into a storage unit in Fort hood. We have been learning about faith. Faith is believing, going, and doing when you have no hand written word from the Lord. We are going on faith. And for affirmation, we gained 2 new supporters following the move. We are filling in at the Hospitality House for 2 weeks while the directors take some R&R. Just being here with these people make our hearts heavy and light. Light because we are excited to be coming here, Heavy because of the world "our" soldiers see.

Our Girls Turn 7!

Hanging with the Helgrens

It has been over 3 years since we have seen these precious friends. We went to seminary together, and watched God show him his plan for their life. They are missionaries with the IMB serving in Zambia, Africa. We drove to Stone Mountain, Ga to visit with them for a long weekend. We ALL had a great time together. Please continue to pray for them as they prepare to go back to Zambia. they are doing a great work there, and lives and hearts are transforming.

The Banquet

The Banquet was a huge success. We had 60 people come out to learn more about ministry. This was a great avenue for us to meet new people and share our vision with them. We were blessed to have so many wonderful table hosts and their yummy desserts too. We added 8 new monthly partners to our team and many people gave us one time gifts to go towards our ministry. We were blessed by a collection of the Alabama Singing Women who shared a patriotic medley, testimonies that were shared, and the encouraging words from others. I will try to find a way to post some of the video on here soon. Thanks to all our friends and family who helped make this event so successful! If you couldn't make it, and still want to support us, there is still time, just let us know.

Phenix City, AL

WE are currently in Phenix City, Al. This is our last scheduled trip here for a year or so. We are excited to be going to Texas and see all that God has in store for us there. As I ponder sometimes, I wonder just what the next step in time will look like. And I don't know all of it, but I know some of it. And that is encouraging to our hearts.

I want to encourage you to examine your heart. Ask God are you living this adventure of life with Him. I know to many people it looks like we are crazy doing this year long trip of faith and trusting God for a place to stay and where to eat. But our desire to be right where God wants us, ministering to His people, far outweighs any "normal" right now. We can feel the time winding down, but what an adventure this has been. Our kids love being in one room, they love having us all to themselves, and we have laughed, learned, explored, cried, become angry, packed, repacked, napped, giggled, and enjoyed together. You really have to try this kind of faith. If we can do it, you can!!

Saying "good-bye's" that will have to sustain us for a while is hard, but disciples left their families to follow Him. And so do we. Pray for God to be with us in the next few days.

The Joy

What a treat that Mom & Dad plus us went together and got the girls their American Girl Historical Dolls. I was so excited to give them their dolls. From the moment they had the box in front of them I felt like I was on the verge of tears. I think as their Mom I had made certain milestones up in my mind they would reach when they were growing up, and they had hit the "big girl doll" phase. They were so happy! Instant friends!

The Wonder

A family friend gave us their old pink ipod nano to give Caleb. We ordered him an Auburn skin, covered the pink, and got him some headphones. Caleb saw the cord first, and then saw his ipod. He loved it!

The Shock

For those who haven't heard the story: David had asked for 2 things for Christmas a laptop and an ipod. So I sat David down and explained that we would not be able to get him either one of these gifts as they cost too much. He replied " I know, but why do you have to take my hope? Jesus came to be the Hope of the world and you you just crushed my hope." Needless to say, I felt bad. As a Mom I want to give my kids what they want, and David hardly asks for anything. Little did I know that God had a plan. One of our house mates in Fort Hood had upgraded his ipod to the ipod touch and wanted to sell his ipod. The price he offered was well within the hope range!!

Christmas in Kentucky

We had a new little trip to Kentucky to visit Chris' folks. Enjoyed the cold weather, seeing Christmas lights, eating yummy food, and celebrating Christmas!

Holiday Break

Well, I took a break from blogging to enjoy the holidays. And now, we are back in session. I will try to give you a quick re-cap! Before then, I will let you know that we our current location is Cullman, Alabama where we staying with my parents. We will be here until the end of February. We will be hosting a Cadence Banquet at the end of February in Phenix City, AL. Then we head to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with our missionary friends Joy & Kendall Helgren. The Helgren's are missionaries with the IMB in Zambia, Africa. We haven't seen them in 3 years and are itching to put our hands on them while they are on furlough. After that, we are back on the road to Texas. In texas we will be speaking at more churches, meeting more people, raising support, helping at the Hospitality House, and hosting a banquet in Fort Worth. We have a lot going on.

The kids are doing great in school. Lately, we have been having snow days and have enjoyed playing some good games together and building snow sculptures!