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.

Our New Life

Yikes!

So obviously, I had the baby. Lol! Actually, today is his one month "birthday". Caleb Wesley Wood was born Wednesday, September 27th at 4:40pm. He is absolutely precious and now we can't picture life without him. See?

I don't really know where to begin with the updates but life is wild and wonderful. We are still in Saipan enjoying our time here. We have been so blessed by this experience. We have grown in ways we couldn't have imagined. If we could, we would probably sell our house and everything in it back in the states. We just aren't in the same place mentally and spiritually...and we have way too much stuff.

I will keep this short and sweet since Caleb will be waking up any second now.

Peace and Blessings!

Just a waitin'

I am sitting here...literally waiting on our sweet baby to get here. Why literally? Because I can't do much else. Sleeping is a thing of the past, eating usually leads to a stomach ache, and walking just increases the size of my elephant feet! Still, it is so worth it. Aaron and I are so excited to meet our baby we could just scream. Thinking back to just a few weeks ago, I wondered if and how everything would come together. There were so many things that needed to fall together. But God is so good and now I have the privilege to simply relax (kinda) and wait for our baby instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Having our baby in Saipan has probably saved us thousands for the pure fact that we are doing with only the necessities. There is no elaborate nursery, gadgets, or gizmos...just me, Aaron, and our soon to be munkin. And it couldn't be any better.

Here are a few pics from our maternity shoot last Tuesday.

Life As We Know It

In just a few short weeks, our baby boy will be in our arms. This is such an exciting time in our lives...I don't think I can fully grasp it. In recent weeks, Aaron has taken on a new level of excitement. It is such a blessing to watch him get excited as new baby items arrive in the mail and he imagines our little one taking advantage of the items. It is fun to day dream with him. I am grateful to have him by my side during this process. This pregnancy, much less labor/delivery, and then caring for our son would have been insane without him. We are feeling really blessed. And though these last few weeks have been filled with physical discomfort and all sorts of craziness that comes with being pregnant on an island in the middle of nowhere, these are the days I think we will look back on as old people and smile.

Life on Saipan is like nothing else. It has definitely had it's ups and downs as we adjusted but it has become one of the(if not the) sweetest times in our marriage. We are privileged to spend most of our days together. We have learned to rejoice in the little things. We have grown spiritually in ways I didn't know were possible considering our briefness here thus far. We have a better grip of where our marriage and soon to be little family is headed and our purpose. And we even love our teeny tiny room that we live in. It's all very surreal. I look back on when I first heard about this opportunity in Saipan and this is indeed not what I expected it to be but it is exactly as God wants it...and it is beautiful. We have been humbled and changed in the most beautiful of ways.

Saipan is in need of a church...a fresh church that offers something...different. This island is in need of a revival. The island, to be frank, seems to be dying spiritually and the youth particularly are in desperate need of a message that they can understand. We feel like we have a role in making a difference in God's Kingdom here on Saipan and are really trying to understand what that role means. Be praying for us on that.

Something random and funny...some of you may know that I braid hair. I've been doing it for ages now and even went ahead and got my license a few years back to make it official. Well, the women on the island are intrigued to say that least. The are awestruck at the fact that I braid my own hair and the small population of African American women here are basically forming a line for my services. It is hilarious! Before my arrival to Saipan, women have literally been paying airfare to travel and get their hair braided with extensions. That is insane to me. And the local women in the island are amazed. To them it is this kind of old world luxurious beauty; something elaborate....and expensive. So to them all (American and native women)...me being here is miraculous. It's amazing how little gifts can be such a huge deal to someone else.

My Sweet Cameron

I found out two days ago that my cousin, Cameron Xavier Dansby had been killed. He was only 23. It breaks my heart. This is the cousin I grew up with. He lived in the same home with me when we were in elementary school and then again for a while in high school. We took dance class together as little children...he was so skinny and cute. As we grew into young adults, he took a different route, a route I wouldn't have chosen for him...but he was finding his way. And all too quickly, he was snatched from the earth a few short months after welcoming his son (who looks like his twin) into the world.

I cannot explain why this happened. Why he wasn't one who lost his way...then found it. Why he will never get that chance. I just can't say. But I find relief that I don't have all the answers. I thank God that I don't have to carry the weight and burden of knowing it all because as heavy as I have been feeling in these last few weeks of pregnancy, I am still far too small to carry that significant task. I do know that 5 years ago, Cameron and I sat in his mother's living room in the very early hours of the morning. I took his hand and I prayed for him. We recited the sinner's prayer. I have to find peace in that. I remember opening my eyes in the middle of the prayer seeing this young man across from me who literally seemed to radiate light in those few moments. I remember thinking "God is here". I couldn't help but see that little boy that I played cars with as a little girl, the little boy that weighed 50 lbs with the head of a basketball. The little boy that I called "My little Keebler Elf" because he had a round head with little pointy ears that kinda stuck out as a toddler.The young man I used to goof off with and jokingly freestyle battled with. I loved him so much. And it hurts to think I won't get to see him anymore and hear his silly jokes...not here on earth. I think I will even miss his occasional temper flare ups now...because love it or hate it, that was Cam. It hurts that people can be so unkind that they would take him from the earth so cruelly. It's not right but I trust God.

I trust God. And I will miss my little cousin but I will not spend life mourning him. I have far too many precious moments to hold onto for that.

I love you sweet Cam and trust that this is not the end.

Life in Saipan

These last few weeks have been insane...like something out of a movie. I can't even begin to explain everything so I won't try. I will say that we have grown tremendously and been changed by our move to Saipan. We have been deeply saturated in a cultural experience like none other, we have gotten to spend more time together in the last few weeks than we have in any other 4 weeks in our marriage. That has been a blessing. But things are different and there are things that we have to adjust to and things that we have to decide if we can adjust to. It's all very intense.

As far as baby, he is moving like never before. It reminds me of that game where those groundhound things pop out of holes all over and then going disappear. I have lumps appearing and disappearing all over my belly. It's pretty funny! I can't believe I am nearing 33 weeks. That is so insane to me. I have been looking forward to this moment since I was a little girl and here it is just weeks away! I have to say that as the time draws near it is bittersweet to imagine family and friends not here to celebrate with us. Particularly our mothers and sisters being here to greet our sweet munchkin as he is just minutes new into the world. That is hard. But God is good and we continue to hold on to the fact that we are here for a purpose.

Overall this is truly a season of patience, obedience, and spiritual growth. Though there are difficult moments I believe Aaron and I have realized that we are both stronger and more resilent then we thought. We have also grown closer to one another through this process. And we have been able to spend these last few weeks of my pregnancy together, making decisions and enjoying each other's company. I can't say that this would be the case in the states and for that I am forever grateful.

Enough for today. I will be back soon. Honest :)