Life this week!

Yay! Another post! 

Unfortunately since I am not accustomed to actually cranking these out back to back, I have nothing to talk about. 

Oh! Caleb is 6 months today! 

Bittersweet. He is an absolute wild man (I have nicknamed him Tarzan) and I wouldn't have it any other way. He is such a joy. He makes our heart sing. And he is just too stinkin' cute! Here's a video from him cruisin' in his Kolcraft earlier today.

http://youtu.be/m5594kPsfcc

Other than that, things are going. Our cousin, Donya sent us the most beautiful offering baskets that she made...see!

She's pretty much the queen of basket making which makes her famous and us cool by default. 

Church is going well. We are grateful for how smooth things have been going. Our most immediate goal, which I assume is the goal of most new church planters is getting people in the doors! We hoped for and anticipated a larger attendance but are grateful for those who are coming and for all of the positive feedback we are getting. Island life is different from anywhere else so you can't really anticipate things...even when you have spent your life on one. People are random and unpredictable, which is cool but a challenge nonetheless. The people that are coming to Church 360 are sincerely being impacted though...now just to get more people IMPACTED! We are looking into doing a College Movie Night soon as our main target audience are people 18-35. Prayers for that please!

Oh, and can I just share how AWESOME God is?! Through this entire Saipan process (not to mention the church planting) we have had to trust on God more than we ever have. It has at times been a relentless, challenging test of faith but glorious nonetheless. When we made the decision to come to Saipan, we both felt a peace, knowing this was where we were supposed to be for this season of our lives but we couldn't have imagined all that God had in store. He has molded us, changed us. I can't help but think of Psalm 66:10 "You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver."

God's word is true and He is faithful.

God is good...

It's been a while. Last time I wrote (Nov. 2011...sigh), Caleb was less than a month old, about 10lbs or so and Aaron and I were getting ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: church planting. Well now it is March 2012, Caleb is creeping up on 6 months, 20lbs, and the launch of Church 360 took place this past Sunday (March 18th). Amazing how things can change so quickly. To be brief, God is good and we are blessed more than I can comprehend. Let's break this up in chunks:

Aaron is wonderful. As he has prepared for his role as pastor at Church 360, I have seen him humbled as a husband, father, and overall man of God. I have seen him tackle difficult issues, kick down obstacles, and offer encouragement and grace in the midst of a desert. He is a good good, growing, Godly man (that's a lot of "G's)!

Caleb is hilarious. I cry at the thought is he is growing up way too fast but laugh of the thought of his toothless smile and radiant eyes. He's my own personal, real, life sized Disney Pixar character and I just love him to pieces. He got a walker at about 3 1/2 months and as he nears 6 months, he is officially a speed racer. No foot is safe! He has just about outgrown 6 month clothes and though he doesn't have any teeth yet, you can see a good 8 of them peeking through his gums. He loves music, rarely sleeps, and lights up the whole island with just one smile. He is truly our "local celebrity".

Church 360...our beautiful church. I could live there. I love it. There is such a peace when I enter through it's doors. For more reasons than I can count...but I will name a few.

1. The island needs it. On an island where most people cannot articulate what they believe and why they believe it; where false teachings dominate, and where Jesus Christ seems so impersonal and dated in his relevance, a church that offers the truth of our Lord and Savior is like a fresh wind for Saipan. I know that God has called us to this mission of sharing Christ and his relevance to these people. 
2. It represents obedience. We prayed about this church endlessly it seemed. "Is this right?" "Are we the right ones?""Is this the right time?" We feel God was faithful to answer these questions and this church represents our response and we are humbled by this experience and decision.
3. The people reached. Our launch was Sunday and it was lovely. I got to pray with a launch member who couldn't fight back tears, I saw a lady close her eyes and truly experience worship. I heard the testimony of one visitor that this was the first time in a looooooong time that she hadn't fallen asleep during a sermon. That's progress; that's HOLY! But even before the launch we got to do a community outreach at the community college where we gave out 150 hot dogs and 50 Christian rap CDs...for free. You should have seen their heads whip at the sound of "Free". And it was a blessing to be able to talk to them about the church and about Christ. And they were so receptive, truly hungry (both for hot dogs and the gospel). 

So lives are being changed...already. And this is truly just the beginning. I have no clue what God has in store for us...for Church 360, and honestly I don't want to ruin the surprise. Because I believe in His perfection, His divinity. And whatever He gives us is absolutely beautiful. God is good.