Settling in

We are SO blessed!
I can hardly believe we are here in Redding already. Everything seemed to fly by.  We are living with 2 other couples in a townhouse with 2 cats and a dog... i know, it sounds crazy. It is actually working quite well. As couples, I think we compliment each other well. One couple is from Holland (or The Netherlands). Their names are Ton (pronounced tone) and Rianne. Rianne loves to cook, and she is absolutely wonderful at it. She has made up a bunch of stuff already for us to eat, and our bellies have been more than satisfied. Then there is Brad and Stephanie from Michigan! They are an awesome couple with fiery passion for God! They have their dog, Kipper who is a super cute vizsla. Kipper is a good dog who is unfortunately allergic to mostly everything, including cats and human dander. His allergic reactions have gotten worse since being here. Since none of us have jobs yet, we can't really spend any extra money. Extra vet trips are hard to afford. So if you think about him, please pray for lil Kip's healing.

Jason and I are looking for jobs, and hopefully will get them before school starts next week. I can't believe school starts NEXT WEEK!! Since arriving here, I feel like I am just waiting for school to start already. Bethel, the church we are going to, has weekend services that we will be attending. We have already been to 3 services. It is really exciting to be with such a large group of people that are passionately seeking Jesus.   We already feel God moving in us and challenging us, and school hasn't even begun!

• Please pray for Jason and I as we set an example of Christ's love through our marriage. 
• Pray that we not allow the enemy to get a foothold. 
• Pray for jobs and finances!

                        

Made it!

We are now excitedly unpacking our stuff and replanting our lives.  The 7 hour drive down flew by and  now we have about 2 weeks before the school officially starts.

We are blessed to have my mom helping us get settled down.  Its been super fun to get to know our Dutch roommates and we are excited for our Michigan roomies to be here tomorrow.

Pray that we are able to find a job amidst a 16% unemployment rate in the city.

We also got an awesome surprise blessing from my aunt and uncle while passing through Roseburg...Yay!

 

Cornerstone Chiropractic

Yesterday was my (Cierra) last day of work at Cornerstone Chiropractic. It is an amazing office. What makes it so amazing is the people. Mostly the Jesus in people. I have had the privilege to work under an Amazing Doctor, who genuinely loves his patients and employees. It has been incredible to watch him day in and day out, take care of hundreds and hundreds of patients, with the consistency and love. He is also known for his ridiculous achievements in 100 mile marathons, iron man races, and recently placed 8th in an Ultra-Man race that just happened in Canada. It's insane. Look it up http://ultramanlive.com/. Somehow he convinced me to run a little 5k last year... well, I ran/walked it anyway. (How pathetic am I? Sheesh!)  It was a fun experience that our whole office participated in. Maybe I will get motivated to do it again someday...

My fellow employees are also just fantastic. Amazing people with different gifts that contribute to making Cornerstone the great place that it is. People have said many times that it is not only a place they come to get physical healing, but emotional and spiritual healing too. I have learned a lot from each of them, and am excited to come back to visit :)

Getting to know the patients has been an experience I won't forget. They became friends too, and I will miss them as well.

God has blessed me beyond my expectations, and I am truly, truly thankful.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we may ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church (bride of Christ) and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" 
                                                                                                
Ephesians 3:20-21



Visit Cornerstone Chiropractic's website! : http://cornerstonechiropractic.com/

The staff

And a few special patients....

4 days left

Only 4 more days left in Oregon. We are still packing and our place looks like a gross bachelor pad! Friends have come by to help take the things out that we are getting rid of or are storing here. We have been spending a lot of time with our friends, soaking in the moments before we say goodbye for a short while. My last day of work is tomorrow and I am saying goodbye to fellow employee friends and patients that have become friends. It has been such a great place for me to work. Amazing boss, amazing people, great atmosphere  We are growing in excitement and anticipation as we draw nearer to going to school. We will be entering into a new season of growth and newness in our lives!

PD!

Jason's mom ( I call her Mamma T ) took us into Portland to get us our new addition to the family - a bicycle! We had fun looking around and found the leads off craigslist. We found our bike and named him PD Xavier ( After PDX ) and call him PD for short ( sounds like pee-dee ). Thank you Mamma T!!

The Ember Days EP

The Ember Days FREE MUSIC download from Come and Live!

Awesome ambient worship from a New Zealand band. We love it. 

Click on the link to download:

 http://www.comeandlive.com/downloads/

Pack Pack Pack

Our poor apartment is an explosion of packing chaos.

With every detail we check off our list in preparation for moving, four more seem to sprout up in its place.  We are just now starting to experience some "lasts" in this season of transition.  This last Sunday night was our final night of Elements high school ministries, this Sunday was Cierra's last morning of singing with the worship team and I'm sure there are more to come in the following weeks.

We are already beginning to miss friends and family...and we haven't even left the state yet!

Pray for:

-Finances.  We have enough money for the first part of our tuition payment and are believing God to provide the money we need to be able to cover moving expenses.
-That God would prepare our hearts to receive ALL that He has for us in this coming season.
-That God would begin to set in motion the calling He has for us...after BSSM.
-That there would be grace in closure for this season.

check it!

-Set moving date to Redding... check!

-Re-paint walls... check!

-Write handwritten notice to apartment management of departure... check!

-Pay 1st deposit for BSSM... check!

-Get rid of unneeded stuff... hmm, still working on that one.

-Plan strategic time to spend with friends... check, and checking! :)

This is only a fraction of my huge to-do list that we are in the process of checking off and adding more things to daily! Only 27 more days till we hit the road with a trailer full of our things and excitement in our bones to Redding, California! It is coming up fast, but I feel unusually calm and confident. God has reassured me and reassured me of His faithfulness and provision in my life. He is a good Daddy and only has excellent things for me! :) Why waist time stressing out when I can enjoy myself in the arms of the One who has everything under control? It's a good trade. My control, for His peace. I love it. 

Jason and I are doing our best to plan for our next big adventure, practically, emotionally and spiritually. Initially it feels like a lot to give over to God, but when you do, it's the easiest thing in the world. We are looking forward to walking out the journey, one day at a time.

So about that checklist... There are a few things we are trying to get rid of so we don't have to haul it to Redding! Here are a few, if you would like to buy any of it from us, or know of anyone who would want any of it, let us know!! All monies would go toward our school fund! Thanks!

~C

2 dining chairs w/ blue slip cover

32" t.v. (and stand too, if you want it!)

dvd player

                                                                        5' tall silk palm tree

                                                                          Love, 

                                                                            us!
                                                              (We are not for sale)

Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry

We are learning to love God.

We are learning to love others.

God is now taking us on a journey to unlock the inheritance that we have as royalty and children of Him.  We are now learning the  level of power that is available to us through what Jesus did on the cross, out of love.

Cierra and I are going all in.

God has opened the door for us to attend Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California this coming September.  We are SUPER stoked!!!  This school plays host to an international crowd of individuals seeking the Kingdom of God in love and power.  It is a ministry school with an option of attending up to three years with the core of the curriculum being accomplished in the first two. We are committed to the first year for sure and will see if God calls us to a second one.

We have talked about wanting to attend something like BSSM (Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry) on and off since we have been married.  It hasn't been until this last year that God has burdened our hearts with wanting to move in this direction.  It has only been through personal supernatural encounters of God's relentless love that we find ourselves hungering for more, with a desire to lead others into that same place.

This last two and a half years of marriage have been phenomenal and we are sad to move away from such close and dearly loved friends, here in the Portland area.  Thankfully God has given us a heart for this area and we know we are called back here after a short ministry school experience.

Cierra and I would be honored if you would pray for us through this upcoming season.  We have seen the power of prayer and if we were to ask for one thing from the ones we love, it would be for whatever prayers God lays on your heart for us.  We will try and give more specifics as things progress but sometimes words are not enough to express what the Spirit wants to do...so we trust that He will lead.

Second to prayer would be financial support.  If you feel like God has placed on your heart a desire to help in a financial sense then we will provide details to do that also.  Guilt is never a good reason to give and we expect nothing wether from family or friends but a sincerity and excitement to give what they can from both heart and from pocket.

Cierra and I will be moving at the end of August and are super excited to be rooming with 2 other young married couples our age in a townhouse.  One couple is from Michigan and one from Holland...who knows the crazy stories that will come out of this one!  We will be  five minutes from Bethel Church were the school is located and within walking distance to a mall and an assortment of shops.

We are truly thankful for all of our friends and family and would love to include you in what God is doing in our lives.  We feel all your love and support and we couldn't do any of this without you!  We will post more details shortly.  Feel free to email us or catch us in some way to share your thoughts or questions!

Summer is here!

Life continues to fly by, as we have celebrated America's independence, the beautiful summer weather, Justin and Melissa's wedding and my family coming up for a visit! Life is good and it keeps us busy :) enjoy some snapshots...

The drive-in

new patio table!!

being silly..

joy

new friends :)

Melissa's bachelorette

Happy 4th!

waterfront park Portland, Oregon

Mr. and Mrs. Nichols!!

blue bridesmaids :)

mi familia :)

my family visit us in Portland!

The Montage with my fam!

Sarah and the 'rents :)