God gives Grace

I think this song is so fitting for what my family has been through the past year in a half and through the health battle that I have been going through. I cry every time I hear it.

My health battle has flared up again since delivering Declan. It's been a week of ups and downs with it and much prayer! Times where I feel like I can't handle it anymore and the Lord speaks in that still small voice. I was singing with Addie just today and she said she wanted to sing, My God is So Big." While singing it the Lord seemed to say, this is the God you serve and I will take care of you.

It's difficult when you want the immediate answer and healing and the Lord says, not yet. I get afraid, cry, pray, sing, read His word, and try to strengthen my faith and know that He will answer me.

Declan Burkhardt

Our big guy has finally arrived at 8 lbs. 13 oz. and 21 inches long. He pretty handsome like his daddy and is a pretty good baby overall. We thought Addie would be quite jealous of him, but she absolutely adores him. Probably swarms him a little too much;0)

It was so nice to have my mom and grandmom here for almost two weeks. Mom as such a huge help to us.

Aaron has continued being the interim pastor at our church. We have been praying and seeking the Lord's will on this further and prayerfully soon things will be permanent.

The Lord has blessed beyond words at the church. We have passed out flyers all over the Akron area. We had a family come about two weeks three weeks ago to visit and then missed the following Sunday. Our Alyssa prayed all week that they would come again since they had a little girl her age. PTL, they came this past Sunday and told us they were planning to continue attending and coming on Wed. nights for the kids Patch club.

This past Sunday we had a total of nine brand new visitors and twenty five in total attendance. Once Sunday school ended they just kept flowing in. What a difference in the service from 10-25 and to be able to hold our first jr. church class. We are so excited to see what the Lord is going to do. Wed. we went to take some cookies to one of the young couples that came and ended up running in to a lady who Aaron worked with years ago before we were married. She said she would come out to visit and told us about her friend who had some grandchildren that might be interested. PTL, for more opportunities.

We are continuing to pray that the Lord would allow us to be used in ministering to these people. Some we know are not saved and we pray that the Lord would allow us to show them His love. Please continue to pray for our church and that the Lord would provide us with a piano player!!

My Pastor

Things have been so busy around here for awhile now. As I mentioned before, our church has been without a pastor, but this past Sunday my husband was nominated to be the interim pastor. I must admit, he is one good preacher and handsome to boot:0)

We are excited to see what the Lord is going do to. Whether it's just for a short while or for a long period we desire to be used of Him in this area. Much planning, working, and prayer has been going on behind the scenes.

The church name has been changed and our new brochures should be ordered here this week. The Lord worked out getting our new sign and website up and running.

We are also excited to have three Crown girls coming all next week to help us clean up the church and be a part of our first big outreach next Saturday. When we came the church had no outreach for quite some time.

The Lord has taught us already how important prayer really is. A couple of times we have been worrying about this or that until finally the Lord had to say, "Hey, I'm right here. I will listen to you." He was their, He listened, and He answered!!!!

On another note, our little guy, Declan, should be with us in about a month or so. We are sooooo excited. The attic is just about finished for the schoolroom/playroom. Drew is so pumped to have a brother!!!

Please keep us in your prayers. Seems like so many new things are going on at once in our lives.

Our Mission Field!

Yesterday I made about 55-60 cookies for my Aaron's students at school. We both have been so burdened for them. I must admit I haven't always had this burden for these kids. When Aaron first started working with troubled kids, somedays he would come home so discouraged and sometimes by the end of the school year he was just ready to get another job. I always thought to myself, if he could only just work in a regular school things would be different.

It wasn't until I was able to go visit his school a few times that my heart broke and I was ashamed at how I felt towards these kids as the Lord started working on my heart.

My heart aches for them when I hear Aaron come home with different stories about his students and all they go through. Whether if it's the student who just quit talking since his mom passed away, to students whose parents have overdosed on drugs, to many of the girls who are lesbians and what no other lifestyle, to students who think that turning to drugs is the answer.

It truly is a mission field and I am so thankful we can be a part. Making cookies may seem like a small thing, but Aaron says they love it. Most don't get that homemade meal or special things from their mom's. We want them to feel loved and let them know that we care about them and someone else loves them even more.

Aaron cannot say much on his own about Christ on his own. He does play his music on the computer and the students are fully aware that he is a Christian. When he does get the opportunity to share Christ, it's the students that bring it up. The other day Aaron had prayed specifically that morning to get a chance to talk about the Lord in one of his classes.

The Lord answered his prayer and questions were flying at him left and right. He is also witnessing to one of his fellow teachers. They discuss things about the Bible and this man just doesn't follow what Aaron says blindly. He will go home search the scriptures and come back the next day with more questions.

I am so thankful for a godly husband who believes his job is more than just that. I am thankful the Lord worked on my heart to have a burden for these students and that I can have a small part along with him to do things for the kids and pray for them. We are really praying with budget cuts going on all over that his school won't close down. It looks like his school would be the first to go if his district started cutting things.

It's a BOY!

We are pretty excited about having another boy around here. Drew is quite pumped!!

My mom is coming in April. In the new attic room Aaron made me a 16x10 walk-in closet. Mom and I are going to be figuring out shelving and storage for it. Cannot wait until the room is completely finished to get organized a little better! The kids are excited since the attic will actually be the new schoolroom/playroom. It will be a nice big room for them to play around in.

I Love My Family!

Solid Rock Baptist Church

Well, we have officially voted that the new name of our church would be Solid Rock Baptist. We are excited to have a fresh start. The Lord sent us a great young couple to candidate a few weeks ago and our church is really praying that the Lord would direct us in having him be our pastor. We do not want to be hasty in our decision, but it does seem like the Lord is closing every other door for us.

If this is who God wants we are excited. Secretly, Aaron and I have been praying for a younger pastor close to our age that we could work along side. The kids have been praying with us that we would get a pastor soon. Alyssa loves their little girl and was excited to have another playmate!

God has also blessed us with another child on the way. We are very excited and will be able to find out soon what we are having. Daddy wants two boy twins and Alyssa wants a boy and a girl and Drew just wants a boy. Mommy, well, I could go with just one at a time and am hoping for another boy. Of course, if it's a girl we will be happy=)

Daddy has been working hard each Saturday on our attic to finish it off. Prayerfully it will be done by the time the baby arrives in August. His dad has been a huge help in trying to get it done.

Gettin' Better

It is so good to be feeling somewhat normal again.

All of last week we held on to some promises from God's Word and prayed and prayed for a miracle by Sunday. I hadn't been able to go to church in quite some time and I really wanted to go.

Sunday morning came and most of my burning had gone and I was able to go to church with my family. God had answered prayers. Each day just keeps getting better and better and my body is healing. After the burning had left I had a lot of sensitivity all over and that has seemed to subside. I was able this week to go out shopping twice=) Not too sure if my husband was thrilled about that!!

I am so thankful for Aaron and how he has been with me through this whole time and taken care of me. We were so thankful this week, as well that God has given us some blessings. It was as if we had just been through this big storm and God was giving us these extra blessings to encourage us and keep letting us know that He is with us.

God has given us clear direction on a church to be a part of and we are excited to see how he is going to use us.

Aaron at this time is making our attic in to a girls bedroom. Drew's room is now the schoolroom and we have been looking at countertops to put across the wall for the kids to write on and then put cabinets underneath for storage. The Lord this week gave us two free countertops just the right size that we can use for the schoolroom and an extra one that Aaron can put in the girls room for them to write on.

Another blessing was how God provided for Addie's helmet yet again. Our therapists told me Addie was ready to be discharged and came on Tuesday to see us. I told her Addie would need to be casted in two weeks for a third helmet. She told us that she would come again for one more session for Addie so we could continue to use them to help us pay for the helmet. The Lord has provided ALL of the $6,000 needed for her helmets and we haven't paid a dime!!