Spring is in the air...at least in Finchville. Of course that means that one minute it is 80 and by 8 pm it might be 45...:) Spring also means a time of new beginngings, the promise of new life, and often a chance to move forward in something new and exciting! This is true of our lives right now. Chris and I applied in the fall were approved in November to be sent at Youth Ministry trainers with Youth Ministry International (www.ymionline.com) Check it out! This is a huge new step in our lives, one that will move us from Finchville, to support raising and then Mexico City, where we will be getting training before launching out in ministry. The first step when we move there will be intense language school for several months. Then we will transition into an internship time. Chris will teaching and training how to teach youth ministry classes at Mexico Baptist Theological Seminary. YMI's eventual goal for us to send us to one of the other Latin American countries that are asking for formalized training.
We are so excited for this next step in our lives! Joshua 1:9 has become staple verse in my heart as change is fast approaching. We feel honored and challenged to be following God in this calling, but we know we can't do it without each and everyone of you! As a result of our new direction, we have actually started a website: www.ymibond.com . For this point on, please visit us there to see what new and exciting things are happening with us!
We love you all!
Hannah
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Another Overdue Update (I promise we will get better!)
Happy New Year Everybody!
I was completely embarrassed when I realized it has been so many months since we have updated our blog and filled ya'll in on our lives! Please forgive us, it has been several months of crazy in Finchville.
In October, Chris and I found out that we were expecting a baby. We were overwhelmed and humbled that God had chosen us to become parents and were also extremely excited. I began the process of my 1st tri-semester, complete with all of the fun symptoms that go along with that. December 1st, we went in for my 12 week appointment and to hear the heartbeat for the first time. We were excited, but that excitment soon turned to extreme sadness when, after several tests, we found out that our baby never developed a heart. The pain and hurt that we felt at the news is hard to put into words, but I have never been so glad for such an amazing husband who walked through that time with me. Over the next week, I had several tests run, and everything led back to the same conclusion. I had surgery the following week, and we slowly began the process of healing. I am so thankful for all of our friends and family that showered us with love, hugs and prayer, who listened when we talked and who encouraged with Scripture. You will never know how much each of you meant to us.
This time of stretching and trying was really hard for me, to reconcile God with my circumstances. Scripture like Romans 15:13 (thanks Erin) and Psalm 62:6-7 became so dear to me as I was reminded that although we live through trials, hard times and tragedy, that doesn't mean God is any less powerful or real and that He still loves and cares for us.
I remembered a sermon I heard several years ago. This sermon was based on Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith. We always read about the men and women who are mentioned by name for their faith, but there is another part of the chapter that we often skip over. Verses 37 and following talk all about those who were tortured and died for their faith. It is so easy to want to be the ones that God calls by name and exalts for their obedience to follow Him, but are we willing to also be the ones that suffer for Him? This question has never been more real to Chris and I has it has over the last 2 months.
As I mentioned in the beginning, there have been many things happening in our lives, but the rest of it is for another day. :) We again are so thankful and blessed by all those of you who have walked with us in the dark places we have felt over the last several weeks.
Hannah
I was completely embarrassed when I realized it has been so many months since we have updated our blog and filled ya'll in on our lives! Please forgive us, it has been several months of crazy in Finchville.
In October, Chris and I found out that we were expecting a baby. We were overwhelmed and humbled that God had chosen us to become parents and were also extremely excited. I began the process of my 1st tri-semester, complete with all of the fun symptoms that go along with that. December 1st, we went in for my 12 week appointment and to hear the heartbeat for the first time. We were excited, but that excitment soon turned to extreme sadness when, after several tests, we found out that our baby never developed a heart. The pain and hurt that we felt at the news is hard to put into words, but I have never been so glad for such an amazing husband who walked through that time with me. Over the next week, I had several tests run, and everything led back to the same conclusion. I had surgery the following week, and we slowly began the process of healing. I am so thankful for all of our friends and family that showered us with love, hugs and prayer, who listened when we talked and who encouraged with Scripture. You will never know how much each of you meant to us.
This time of stretching and trying was really hard for me, to reconcile God with my circumstances. Scripture like Romans 15:13 (thanks Erin) and Psalm 62:6-7 became so dear to me as I was reminded that although we live through trials, hard times and tragedy, that doesn't mean God is any less powerful or real and that He still loves and cares for us.
I remembered a sermon I heard several years ago. This sermon was based on Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith. We always read about the men and women who are mentioned by name for their faith, but there is another part of the chapter that we often skip over. Verses 37 and following talk all about those who were tortured and died for their faith. It is so easy to want to be the ones that God calls by name and exalts for their obedience to follow Him, but are we willing to also be the ones that suffer for Him? This question has never been more real to Chris and I has it has over the last 2 months.
As I mentioned in the beginning, there have been many things happening in our lives, but the rest of it is for another day. :) We again are so thankful and blessed by all those of you who have walked with us in the dark places we have felt over the last several weeks.
Hannah
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Long Overdue Update
Dear Friends,
I am ashamed that is has been so long since we have connected with you! From April until now, life in Finchville has been crazy! Chris graduated from Boyce the second week of May along with my sister Stephanie, and that same weekend we had the joy in being a part of her and Andrew's wedding. We also had a brief time with our families as they all descended on Finchville for the weekend. :) Chris and I then got away f0r a few weeks to the Smoky Mountians to get a much needed respite before the summer of church activities began. June brought VBS, and many new students to youth group, followed by July which was filled with missions trips to Guatemala and youth camp. Labor Day weekend capped off our busy summer with a youth outreach event here in Shelby County that involved several big name Christian artists. Needless to say, we are finally beginning to know what sleep is again and having a chance to breathe. :)
As I am sure, many of you are wondering about the missions trip to Guatemala this year. I was unable to go, due to work and finances, but Chris went with 11 others during the week of July 11-17th. They actually were supposed to leave on the 10th but when we got to the airport, they had cancelled their flight due to an engine failure. We were very thankful and grateful that God protected them from that danger.
Chris was able to spend some time with Rebeca while he was in Guatemala, and he was able to take her some presents from us, as well as a note that our good friend Sara Gonzalez helped us translate. It was really hard for me to be here, not able to hug her or love on her while Chris was there and I spent much of the week struggling with my attitude. It is a weird experience, opening up your heart a child that is not your biological one and then beginning to love them as fully as you can. When Chris returned, I was so excited to hear about how big she had gotten, how his time with her was, and began to ask questions about any progress on the adoption front. Strangely enough, he didn't seem as happy as I had thought, and after I had metioned adoption, he said "we may have a slight problem." At first, I thought he was just talking about the closed adoptions, but then it dawned on me that he meant something else. After several minutes of thinking, I said, "Is someone else interested in adopting her?" He said, "Yes, a family there in Guatemala."
At first, I didn't really react, he had gotten differing information from people while in Guatemala, so I thought that there may have been a mix-up. We emailed the Hope of Life main office here in the States that Monday and received the information that we were not hoping for, a family in Guatemala had already begun the adoption process of Rebeca. See, nationals don't have the same kind of restrictions that we do. In fact, Chris meant the father of the family that has begun adoptin Rebeca while he was there.
For several days and weeks, I was angry. Angry that we had opened our hearts up and that they now felt trampled all over, angry that the governments of both countries can't figure there stuff out, angry that someone else was taking "our" little girl home. We cried and mourned over the loss of her in our lives, and it was a hard battle each day. Then one day Chris reminded me of something. We had been praying that God would bring Rebeca home. He said to me, "Hannah, God did, just not to us." That took me a minute and then I was humbled by my arrogance. Obviously, God's plan in Rebeca's life is to have a family that will love and cherish her, care for her and provide for her. And He does, it's just not with us as we had thought. Chris and I are continuing to sponsor her each month until her adoption is finalized and we pray that you will continue to pray for this little girl that so greatly touched our lives. We still don't understand all of why God has brought us through this experience, but we are trusting that His way is best and that His plan for us is great. Psalm 61:1-3 has become a source of great comfort and encouragement for me during this time, and reminds of who it it that we serve.
"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy."
I am going to include a couple of pictures from Guatemala, as well as a couple of us from the summer. We ask that even though Rebeca isn't going to come home to us, that you would keep her in your prayers as she begins a new life with a new family.
~Hannah
Monday, April 4, 2011
Update
Dear Friends,
Summer is almost here! As the weather starts getting warmer and the days get longer, so our lives get busier as well. I thought this would be as good an opportunity as any to update everyone on what's been going on in Guatemala.
Unfortunately there has been no news on when adoptions might re-open. Corruption has penetrated the Guatemalan government at the highest levels, and until the the drug cartels and crime syndicates no longer have a stranglehold on policy-making the outlook is bleak. Our God, however, is not restrained by human limitations. He cannot be bribed with cash or intimidated at gunpoint. His power transcends that of even the most powerful crime boss. We would ask that as you pray for our daughter to be brought home that you pray for the nation of Guatemala as well. Pray that God frees the Guatemalan people from intimidation and injustice.
Our next trip to Guatemala is coming up fast! Finchville Baptist is sending a team of 12 people to serve alongside Hope Of Life from July 10th-16th. We are excited to see what God does both through us and in us while we are there, and would covet your prayers for God's provision for the trip and for our effectiveness while there.
A few weeks ago God provided a great source of encouragement for Hannah and I. One day, while sitting at Starbucks practicing for our Spanish class and having a fairly awful day, my cell phone starting buzzing. I looked and realized that I was receiving an e-mail from Cheryl at Hope of Life! She had called the staff in Guatemala and had them take some pictures for us, and they couldn't have come at a better time. We sat there and marveled at not only how beautiful our daughter is becoming, but at how great our God is. He sent just what we needed at just the right time, and it was a reminder that He cares for us infinitely more than we can imagine.
Here they are:
Your prayers and support have been a constant source encouragement to our family during this time, and we are always thankful that God has placed people like many of you in our lives.
God Bless,
C.M.B.
Summer is almost here! As the weather starts getting warmer and the days get longer, so our lives get busier as well. I thought this would be as good an opportunity as any to update everyone on what's been going on in Guatemala.
Unfortunately there has been no news on when adoptions might re-open. Corruption has penetrated the Guatemalan government at the highest levels, and until the the drug cartels and crime syndicates no longer have a stranglehold on policy-making the outlook is bleak. Our God, however, is not restrained by human limitations. He cannot be bribed with cash or intimidated at gunpoint. His power transcends that of even the most powerful crime boss. We would ask that as you pray for our daughter to be brought home that you pray for the nation of Guatemala as well. Pray that God frees the Guatemalan people from intimidation and injustice.
Our next trip to Guatemala is coming up fast! Finchville Baptist is sending a team of 12 people to serve alongside Hope Of Life from July 10th-16th. We are excited to see what God does both through us and in us while we are there, and would covet your prayers for God's provision for the trip and for our effectiveness while there.
A few weeks ago God provided a great source of encouragement for Hannah and I. One day, while sitting at Starbucks practicing for our Spanish class and having a fairly awful day, my cell phone starting buzzing. I looked and realized that I was receiving an e-mail from Cheryl at Hope of Life! She had called the staff in Guatemala and had them take some pictures for us, and they couldn't have come at a better time. We sat there and marveled at not only how beautiful our daughter is becoming, but at how great our God is. He sent just what we needed at just the right time, and it was a reminder that He cares for us infinitely more than we can imagine.
Here they are:
Your prayers and support have been a constant source encouragement to our family during this time, and we are always thankful that God has placed people like many of you in our lives.
God Bless,
C.M.B.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Update
Dear friends,
Thank you for all the prayer & support you've given Hannah and I over the past few months! We have both a greater knowledge of and deeper appreciation for the glory of Christ because of the love that His saints have given to us.
Last Sunday we were asked to share with a Connect Group from our church about adoption and how God has used the experience to grow us in godliness. With tears in our eyes we shared not only the great pain that the separation from Colocha has caused but also the greater appreciation we have for God's faithfulness and the great hope we have that He will bring about what He has promised. We felt honored to have the chance to share our hearts and our lives with them, and the time they spent praying for was irreplaceable.
This summer, I'm glad to announce, our church is going back to Guatemala! We have an almost entirely new team of people who are taking a week out of their summer to be servants to the least of these. The plan for our family, at this point, is for Hannah to stay home and for me to go. Hannah felt that it would be extremely difficult for her to go and separate herself from Colocha so she could serve in other capacities, so she made the decision to stay.
Our trip will be from July 10th-16th. As excited as a I am to get to go and serve with my brothers & sisters from Finchville (and to get to see our daughter), this trip will present some significant challenges. We would ask you to petition God on our behalf for endurance, as the trip is at the end of what is already shaping up to be a long and arduous summer ministry season. The trip will also present some serious financial obstacles, so please pray that God will give us the faith to trust that he will provide and the willingness to sacrifice whatever it costs in order to be obedient to Him.
God's grace upon you all,
Chris
Thank you for all the prayer & support you've given Hannah and I over the past few months! We have both a greater knowledge of and deeper appreciation for the glory of Christ because of the love that His saints have given to us.
Last Sunday we were asked to share with a Connect Group from our church about adoption and how God has used the experience to grow us in godliness. With tears in our eyes we shared not only the great pain that the separation from Colocha has caused but also the greater appreciation we have for God's faithfulness and the great hope we have that He will bring about what He has promised. We felt honored to have the chance to share our hearts and our lives with them, and the time they spent praying for was irreplaceable.
This summer, I'm glad to announce, our church is going back to Guatemala! We have an almost entirely new team of people who are taking a week out of their summer to be servants to the least of these. The plan for our family, at this point, is for Hannah to stay home and for me to go. Hannah felt that it would be extremely difficult for her to go and separate herself from Colocha so she could serve in other capacities, so she made the decision to stay.
Our trip will be from July 10th-16th. As excited as a I am to get to go and serve with my brothers & sisters from Finchville (and to get to see our daughter), this trip will present some significant challenges. We would ask you to petition God on our behalf for endurance, as the trip is at the end of what is already shaping up to be a long and arduous summer ministry season. The trip will also present some serious financial obstacles, so please pray that God will give us the faith to trust that he will provide and the willingness to sacrifice whatever it costs in order to be obedient to Him.
God's grace upon you all,
Chris
Monday, January 3, 2011
Update!
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy New Year! Chris and I pray that as you begin this new season in 2011 that the Lord would bless you, stretch you and continue to make you more like Him each day. Isn't it awesome that we serve a God who's love for us never changes? I was realizing yesterday that no matter how many times I fall or fail, God will NEVER love me less and that was such an encouraging and freeing thought!!!
Ok, now that I am done with my pep talk for the year :), we have an update on Colocha!! I emailed Hope of Life last Thursday to just kind of get an update (we hadn't talked to them in several weeks), and within an hour I had a response. The lady I emailed with told me that she had been down at HOL a few weeks ago and that Colocha was doing well. Then the most amazing thing happened, she volunteered to have them take a picture of her and send it to us!!! I was blown away and very excited to see how this beautiful girl had grown. We had a picture by Saturday! Although we are very excited to see her, it also broke our hearts because she looks very sad. I just wanted to reach through the computer and hug her. :( Please continue to pray for God's protection and health for her and also that the relationship between Guatemala and the US would improve. We appreciate each and every one of you and your prayers and support of what God has been and is continuing to do in our lives!
Hannah
Happy New Year! Chris and I pray that as you begin this new season in 2011 that the Lord would bless you, stretch you and continue to make you more like Him each day. Isn't it awesome that we serve a God who's love for us never changes? I was realizing yesterday that no matter how many times I fall or fail, God will NEVER love me less and that was such an encouraging and freeing thought!!!
Ok, now that I am done with my pep talk for the year :), we have an update on Colocha!! I emailed Hope of Life last Thursday to just kind of get an update (we hadn't talked to them in several weeks), and within an hour I had a response. The lady I emailed with told me that she had been down at HOL a few weeks ago and that Colocha was doing well. Then the most amazing thing happened, she volunteered to have them take a picture of her and send it to us!!! I was blown away and very excited to see how this beautiful girl had grown. We had a picture by Saturday! Although we are very excited to see her, it also broke our hearts because she looks very sad. I just wanted to reach through the computer and hug her. :( Please continue to pray for God's protection and health for her and also that the relationship between Guatemala and the US would improve. We appreciate each and every one of you and your prayers and support of what God has been and is continuing to do in our lives!
Hannah
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