The Great Adventure

Christmas Break

2012-01-02T22:09:00.006-05:00

The Christmas season is now over. This is always a sad time of year for me. I love the Christmas season, college football is about over, and hunting season is about over. My consolation right now is that I just watched Oregon win the Rose Bowl and am currently watching Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. I haven’t been able to watch a lot of football this year so it is nice to watch some big games tonight. We also had intermittent snow all day today and that was so very beautiful to watch!

The break has been a busy but good break. I have worked a lot of hours in my job and done a lot of studying. It has been good to have a break from the rigors of classes. The week after finals we went up to a cabin in Brown County Indiana for 2 nights and 3 days. That was a really nice time together. The weather was cold and we enjoyed times around the fireplace. We also went hiking and played a lot of games. The lodge up the road that rented the cabins also had a very large indoor water park which we all enjoyed.

We have been able to hike quite a bit in the last month. It is a great time of year to hike here because the mosquitoes are dead, the poison ivy is dormant, the snakes are sleeping, and the heat is gone. So far, it has been unusually warm also with temperatures getting as high as the sixties, but mostly staying in the mid fifties.

Christmas was a nice time for us this year. It was weird because it was the first time in which we did not spend at least part of the Christmas season with family. Yet, it was nice to be together even though we missed family.

Now, we are exactly halfway through the winter break. However, for me, the break is mostly over! I start a two week class tomorrow on the doctrine of the church taught by Mark Dever. I am looking forward to the class and the reading for the class has been really good. It has helped solidify some questions in my mind regarding the nature and function of the church.

Jess and the girls are doing well. Kate just finished reading Jane Austin’s Pride & Prejudice. She is a reading machine. Rose is really growing up as a little girl. She is becoming much more articulate and playful. Little Tess is just as spunky as ever. She almost always has a twinkle in her eye and is trying to make us laugh. She often comes up and says something goofy to make us laugh. Beth is nearing a year old now. That seems hard to believe. Her top front tooth came in forked so that is weird. It makes her grin really goofy and she grins a lot! So far, she reminds us of a cross between Kate and Rose. She is determined and persistent, yet when she gets fussy, she can fuss with the best of them!

The below pictures are the story in photos of the last month. Enjoy!

Jess and the girls in front of a really cool tree we found on our hike this past Saturday.

Tess has developed a great love for Minnie stuff! She got her first Minnie from my uncle Chris last year and has grown to really enjoy her!

The girls love to play with their stick horses and pretend they are either wealthy show jumpers or cowgirls. We got them some cowgirl hats and bandanas for Christmas and they wear them all the time!

One of our traditions here is watching jets around Christmas. With Louisville being the UPS hub in the US, the airport gets quite busy the week of Christmas! These Jumbo Jets are chartered by UPS. They are fun to watch!

All of the pictures below are from our cabin trip.

This is the aquatic center at the lodge in Brown County State Park. It is really nice!

Rose coming down the slide!

We went on a night adventure hike. It was fun and cold!

Playing games in front of the fire at the cabin we rented.

The girls as we are leaving for our hike from the lodge.

This is the cabin we stayed in

Nearing the End

2011-12-05T21:42:00.003-05:00

It has been so long since I have posted a blog, many of you have probably forgotten we even have one! I checked the date of the last post and I am not really sure how that much time slipped by in between posts. Well, sort of… This has been the most challenging semester so far and the last three months have been the busiest I have ever been. The combination of a full load at school that included Hebrew, working 20 hours a week, and serving at our church during a season without a pastor proved to be very time consuming! Not to mention being sure to spend quality time with Jess and the girls! Needless to say, when I turned in my last final exam on Friday afternoon, a great sense of joy and gratitude came over me as the Lord brought us through yet another semester! Now, I have five classes left to take to graduate with my Mdiv. I will take one this winter and four in the Spring to finish.

Despite a very busy season of life, we are doing well. The Lord has provided strength and mercy every step of the way. Our family outings were much more limited this semester than they have been in the past, but we still were able to make some great memories. We were able to go camping for three days during our fall break. We were able to once again experience the incredible colors of a Kentucky fall. The colors came late this year, but were stunning once again. One can only marvel at a God so gracious as to give us such beauty for us to enjoy. We were able to do several hikes in the surrounding state parks, including some picnic dinners. We were able to go watch the National Horse Jumping Competition in Lexington with the girls. I took Kate bow hunting for the first time. We were also blessed to have Ed and Sherie (Jess’ parents) come out and spend a few days with us. In fact, we were so grateful that Jess got the flu the night they flew in and we made sure it spread through almost everyone before they left!

Now we are settling in to enjoy the Christmas season and some relaxing time together as a family. We are going away next week to a cabin in Indiana for a few days. We have been looking forward to that for several months now. Our little house is cozy with our Christmas tree and decorations so that has been enjoyable. We are looking forward to snow and colder weather also.

As we begin to look to the future and pray for what God would have for us, we would welcome your prayers for us. It is hard to believe there is only a semester left until graduation. It seems like we just pulled in and unpacked the truck!

I have posted some pictures below of the past couple of months. Lord willing, either Jess or I will try to keep our blog a little more current from now on! May the Lord richly bless you as we near the time in which we celebrate the coming of Christ to rescue us from our sin and restore us into a living relationship with God our Father!

Blessings,
Shane

The girls with their new stick horses on a recent hike. An early Christmas present from Papa and Nana!

Hiking out at our favorite forest; Bernheim Forest.

Jess and the girls in front of the Christmas tree on Jess' birthday.

This photo was taken at Fort Harrod. It is a rebuilt fort from the first settlement in Kentucky, dating back to 1774. They have it set up as it would have been then and it is fascinating!

Tess has been collecting a zoo from Christmas presents over the past two years. She had them all set up in her bed with her!

I was blessed to be able to take Kate bow hunting for the first time. We saw deer but not close enough to shoot! Last season I was able to hunt quite a bit. This season I have only been out twice.

Kate caught a huge Praying Mantis in our yard this fall. She made a cage for it and named it Katie. She said it was a girl. Not sure how she knew that. Katie ate very large crickets caught in our basement and she slowly ate them alive. Pretty gross. Unfortunately, Katie only made it about two weeks.

Jess, Beth, and Tess on our camping trip in October.

The girls playing with fire on our camping trip. One of their favorite things to do! What kind of a dad.....?

Summer is Over (Praise God from Whom ALL Blessings Flow!)

2011-09-04T14:57:00.005-04:00

Summer is over and fall is upon us. Despite the fact that Louisville set a record high yesterday of 102, we know the heat is about to break. It is supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow! Summers here are hard because the heat is very oppressive. July was especially bad this year. Fall is beautiful though and we are excited for the coming new season. I am also excited because football has begun and hunting season is about to begin. It does make me miss coaching football!

I am now three weeks into my final year. It is hard to believe three weeks have already passed of the semester. Counting this semester, I have 9 classes left. After this semester, I will have 5. The plan is to take one in the winter and 4 in the spring. Lord willing, I should graduate in May. This semester I am taking Systematic Theology I, Preaching Practicum, Christian Ethics, and Hebrew. It is a full load but the classes are really good. Hebrew is the class I have been the most scared of since coming to seminary so it is good to be getting a start on it! So far it is okay.

Jess and I went away for three days at the end of July to celebrate our 13th anniversary. It was a great time of relaxation and rest. It was also much needed as this summer has been incredibly busy. We went to Lexington and spent some time in the horse capitol of the world. One of the things we did was go visit the Kentucky horse park, the home of the World Equestrian Games. Put simply; it is the dadgum fanciest place for horses I ever did see!

The girls have started school here at home and they are doing well. Kate has started reading up a storm. She is reading regular books now and reading them quickly. On her own, she is reading through the Bible and in a few weeks is half way through Exodus. Rose is now writing the alphabet in cursive and at the beginning stages of reading.

Tess is riding a bike with training wheels now and Rose is riding her new bike like a pro. Beth has started eating solid food and she is now crawling. That has introduced a whole new facet to life!

Next Saturday, Jess and I are running a 5K on the campus of Southern Seminary to raise money for missions. I have already called the paramedics and they will be standing by. My prayer and hope is to cross the finish line and to beat someone. I know....lofty goals, but I am feeling optimistic!

Well, I better go. Enjoy the pictures!

Blessings,
Shane

Tess has started Cubbies now at Awana and she is very excited about it! She earned her vest last week and was beaming!

Beth eating her first solid food!

We had a cooler day at the end of August and went out hiking at one of our favorite places. This is the trip we learned about chiggers. Poor little Tess had over 20 of them on her when we got home. They are like tiny little ticks that suck blood. Not exactly one of my favorite creatures!

Beth is growing up so quickly! She is a very jovial and happy little one. She is a big smiler and enjoys life.

On July 31st, it was 95 degrees and we were tired of being holed up in the house because of the heat. So, we decided to brave the heat and went down to Bernheim Forest. They have a great bike trail down there. Jess and I rollerbladed and the girls rode their bikes. It was a fun day and all slept good that night!

Jess at the main arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. There are multiple arenas there, but this is the main grandstage one. There was a national event going on while we there so that was fun to get to watch some of it.

Near the end of July, we met my uncle Chris, my aunt Lynnie, and Grandma Sander in a little town in Indiana called Nashville. It was fun to spend time with them.

Tess does really well with little Beth and she enjoys holding her.

So Begins July

2011-07-03T15:02:00.011-04:00

Well, July has begun and I realize I haven't posted anything in 2 months. Where did that time go? My bad. I would like to be a just a wee bit more consistent about posting things here!

The summer has been very busy. My job has been full time over the summer so keeping up with things at church and with my classes has been challenging. But, the Lord continues to provide grace and most things are getting done. I finished up a five credit class on Thursday and will begin working on my next class this week. I also need to start working on my reading for the fall semester, which begins in the middle of August.

Two weeks ago, I spent a week in Salt Lake City on a missions trip for school. The goal of the trip was studying Mormonism to be able to more effectively dialogue with Mormons and share the Gospel with them. We met with Mormon professors at BYU, Weber State, and the University of Utah. We also met with Mormon church leaders and with Christians who minister full time with Mormons. It was a great trip and I learned a lot. It was also great to back in the west! I sure miss the west and the nice clear air that does not have the humidity! Currently, I think the air here is thick enough cut with a machete.

Yesterday we went out hiking and had a family day. It was a good day. We went on two different hikes, had a picnic lunch, and got some ice cream on the way home. It was wonderful to be out in the country again. We have not been able to get out much this summer due to everything going on.

The Lord continues to provide for us and we are so very grateful. He has provided for us through the generous gifts of friends and family. We are continually overwhelmed with His provision through His people. Right now, I am on track to graduate next May which is very exciting. I have four classes to take this fall, one to take in the winter, and then four to take in the Spring to finish.

The children are doing great! Rose is riding a regular bike now. We were able to get her a new one this weekend because she outgrew her other one. The kids ride bikes every day in the yard and on their daily walks. She is very excited about this next step in her maturity!

Well, I need to go. Here are some pictures to enjoy!

Blessings,
Shane

Beth loves to be on her tummy!

Redneck swimming pool! Three rubbermaid containers with water in them! Sprinkler play sure changes when you pay a water bill!

The girls on their flight to California!

The night Rose got her new bike. They sat there and sang with great exuberance for 20 minutes!

Rose affectionately named her bike "Misty". She covers it at night and talks about it is doing when she isn't home to take care of it!

Our team in front of the Mormon Institute of Religion at the University of Utah after three hours of dialogue with Mormon professors there.

This is the roof of the Mormon Conference center. It takes up an entire city block and holds approximately 21,000 people.

Looking down on Temple Square from the top of the LDS Administrative building. This building is 28 stories high and is the 2nd tallest building in Utah at 420 feet.

The Tabernacle. All work was done by hand. It was begun in 1853 and completed in 1893.

Our team in front of the tabernacle.

Yesterday's hike was a muddy hike!

2011-05-01T16:08:00.011-04:00

The last two months have been exceptionally full! School was very busy, church is very busy, and life with our family has been very busy! But, on Friday I took my last final and skipped home (not really, but almost)! I will get a small break for a week and then I will need to start preparing for summer classes. It will be a full summer. Ministry at church will be busy this summer, I will be working full time, and trying to take classes as well. With the conclusion of this semester, I am 2/3 of the way done! Praise the Lord! With everything going on, this has probably been my hardest semester. If the Lord continues to provide financially, I should be able to graduate next May, although it will be a push to make it. That being said, we are losing the babysitting job in September that Jess has here at home. That currently accounts for nearly half of our income. So, if the Lord brings it to mind, please be in prayer with us regarding that situation. We are confident the Lord will provide because He has so faithfully provided thus far. However, we are curious!

Derby time just concluded here in Kentucky and three weeks ago, we all went down to Thunder over Louisville. It is a 6 hour airshow, followed by the largest firework show in the nation. We all went to the airshow, but I took Kate and Rose back down to watch the fireworks that evening. It was a really fun time. The firework show truly was incredible. It was comparable to the largest firework finale you have ever seen, but ongoing for 30 minutes. The finale was so strong and loud, it felt as if someone was pounding our chest with their fists as fast as they could. When it was over, I was laughing and turned to Kate, asking her what she thought. She said, "That was really loud in my tummy...I think I am going to throw up!" It was a good memory with them!

We were going to go camping this weekend to get some time away as a family after a crazy semester, but a cold front with rain came in. So, we are staying home. I am still going to take Monday off of work and we are going to relax together as a family. The weekend has been relaxing and we are grateful. On Friday night we went to pizza to celebrate the end of the semester, as is our tradition. Yesterday we hung out at home and I didn't do any school work! First Saturday not doing school work since the beginning of January. It was great!

There a bunch of pictures from the last month below. I will try to put some more up in the next week or two. I have more, but I thought it was full enough!

Blessings,
Shane

Kate relaxing on the back porch. It is really nice to have a porch and a lawn! We are barbecuing once in a while and it is great! We can't really afford much meat here because it is so expensive. So far we just have chicken or hamburgers. We miss barbecued steaks!

Hiking in Southern Indiana

Watching jets at Thunder over Louisville. The girls plug their ears because there are a lot of military jets, such as F-16's that come over really low and do a lot of cool stuff. It is really fun to watch!

A glimpse of the firework show!

The girls as we are waiting for the fireworks to start. It was a cold and rainy day!

The girl's birthday celebration. Jess found white "fancy" gloves in the $1 section of Target. They were pretty excited!

My Mom made these outfits for the girl's babies.

Rose loves having a real baby in the house! Sometimes too much!

The girls after a fun time in the yard. Our back yard is bowl and when it rains the neighbors lawns, as well as our driveway drains into the back yard. When we get a good rain, about 2/3 of the yard is under water. The girls love to play in the water!

2011-04-08T12:30:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone!

It has been a long time since I have posted! Things have been very busy with adjusting to a new home, Shane's new schedule with a new job, a new baby and the season changing from winter to spring. We are finally having some spring weather and the girls and I are enjoying our new yard and back deck. How gracious our Lord is to bless me with this extra space and the ability to be outdoors more. I sure miss it.

Shane is doing well, though I know he feels a little buried with all there is to do. In addition, our pastor has resigned and is moving away, and the people are disappointed. I am sure more will fall on Shane's shoulders as well. He continues to do well in his classes though and is enjoying his new job as housing inspector on campus.

Kate is learning a lot in school and hopefully about her heart as well. She is reading books beyond her grade and has beautiful cursive writing. She has just said all the books of the Bible from memory too! It is so exciting she can begin to look up verses and read them herself. It is a blessing to teach her as she naturally works hard and wants everything to be perfect. However, she wants what she wants too and this poses problems throughout our days, as it does for all of us when we act and think this way.

Rose continues to grow physically and also there is a big growth with her mind as she begins to ask questions about God, excel in memorizing scripture and other things too. She still lives and breathes babies, and I better be praying more for her husband to be someday because she may be quite heartbroken to not have her own family someday :)

Tess continues to charm us all, although we definitely went through a testing phase soon after Beth came home with us. She is so full of life and has such a spark and enthusiasm in all she does. She is beginning to beg to do school and Math too, oh my how will I keep up with it all. But praise the Lord they all ask to do school and want to do more than I can give them. Something must be going right. Tess just turned three and I wish they would not grow up so fast, although it is exciting too.

Beth is growing rapidly. She now smiles really big, and enjoys looking at things longer. She held a toy the first time the other day. In addition she can roll from her tummy to her back and has done that for weeks. Weird since she is only 8 wks old. She has begun to sleep through the night, last night sleeping 8.5 hours. It is wonderful. She also doesn't cry as much in the evenings, so that is nice. We are all enjoying her a lot!

I am doing well overall. I am enjoying the richness of growing in the knowledge of the Lord as I hopefully learn to depend on Him more and more. Continually I am faced with moments when I don't know what to do, or how I will manage everything, and always He is faithful. If only I would live in this truth more often instead of trying to fix everything on my own. Worship is so important! I am also trying to get into more discipline with working out and eating right. I am anxious to have a vessel to live in with more energy and strength without physical distractions, as much as in my control, in which to serve my family and the Lord with... to the praise of His glory! I am most challenged now with this and also with instructing and correcting my children. It is so difficult sometimes.

Well, this is the update for now. I hope it is helpful for any of you wondering how we are here in KY! We miss all our friends and family, including our special family at Cornerstone very much. What a blessing you all are to us!

Enjoying the beauty of the Lord and His amazing creation this springtime day,

Jess

Enjoy the pics..

Tess's Birthday

Two weeks with Beth

2011-02-27T15:44:00.009-05:00

Little Beth has now been in our home for a week and a half. We are very thankful. The first week was a little rough. We got to bring her home from the hospital two weeks ago and then we had to re-admit her the next day because her jaundice got so bad. The admitted her in the ICU and throughout the day it got worse. Later that night, they hooked her up to an IV and three lights. After three days, she was able to come home. We are very grateful! It was definately a difficult week in that I was trying to keep track of Beth and Jess in the hospital, our girls at home, maintaining hours at work, and keeping my head above water at school. However, I am grateful for the experience. My empathy has really grown for those who have complications with little ones. We also greatly experienced the grace and strength of God. We grew a little more in understanding the words of Christ to Paul "My grace is sufficient." We are so very grateful that Jess' mom was here to help us through that time. That was a huge blessing.

School is going well. I am already four weeks in. Last week was extremely busy as I had three papers to write and turn in. Things should level out a little bit now, but it is just going to be very busy for the next two months.

The girls have been going to AWANA here in town at great church. That has been fun, but it has made me feel old! It is weird to have children in Sparkies and Cubbies! Rose earned her vest last week and she was soooooooooooo proud! The look on her face when she came bouncing out of her classroom with it on was priceless! I think Kate will earn hers tonight.

We are starting to move into the thunderstorm season here. The rain is starting fall and the and skies are getting dark. As I am writing, I am watching a storm come in and it is enjoyable to see the variety in weather. There are not any flowers yet, but the shoots are starting to come up in the yard. It is always fascinating to watch the seemingly dead ground, trees, and bushes come to life. It is a visible picture of what happens when Christ comes into one's life. The dead become alive as the Holy Spirit breathes true life throughout every ounce of one's life. It reminds me of Ephesians 2:4 where Paul writes, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved." I think the Lord has given us many theological illustrations through His creation.

Speaking of God's creation, we were blessed yesterday to be able to go out for our first picnic and hike with Beth. It was a chilly hike, but it was wonderful to be out. We went to our favorite spot, Bernheim Forest. Great to be out in God's creation!

Blessings,
Shane

Some pictures from our hike yesterday!

Beautiful dresses and bonnets my Mom made for the girls! Kate and Rose wore them to church this morning.

Rose with her AWANA vest the night she earned it!

The day we brought home Beth from the ICU. Rose was thrilled to be able to go with me to get her!

Beth Anya Sander

2011-02-10T10:51:00.004-05:00

Beth Anya Sander was born yesterday evening at 6:45. Praise the Lord! She was 9.4lbs and very healthy! Both Jess and Beth are doing very well! We came into the hospital at 7 in the morning to be induced. The doctor decided to induce 10 days early because of the size of the baby. Unfortunately, little Beth wasn't quite ready to come out! Mild labor began around 10, but didn't really get serious until 4. Jess did great, but it was rough on her to have labor stretch out for so long. Thankfully, Jess only had to push once and Beth came right out! The downside is little Beth's face got pretty bruised up, as the first picture shows! The other pictures were taken this morning.

Blessings,
Shane

Update

2011-02-09T08:25:00.007-05:00

Well, it has been a long time since I have updated everyone on what has been happening in our life and for that I apologize. I am currently sitting in the hospital waiting for the birth of our 4th girl. We are noticing the difference in the medical field between California and Kentucky! The baby is large (no surprise there) and they have decided to induce labor 10 days early to prevent the baby getting any larger. We are excited to meet this new little girl!

There have been a lot of changes over the last month. A few weeks ago we moved into a little house on the other side of campus. We are very grateful for the Lord providing the house for us in the small little window in which we could have moved. It is a two bedroom house, but it is two stories with a full basement. It also has two extra rooms downstairs that give us more room for living space. Jess has a homeschooling room now! Thankfully, it is only $50 more than what we were paying to live in the apartment on campus.

I also just started a new job last week working 20 hours a week in the housing office. Moving into the house increased our expenses and we needed more income. It is going to make this semester our busiest semester by far but I think it will be doable. Even though the rent didn't go up all that much, the utilities doubled and that is what necessitated more income.

The semester started for me last week and it was a little chaotic. I had to drop a class and add a different class to make the work load more managable with all that is going on this semester. I am taking Personal Evangelism, Old Testament I, Preaching, and Marriage and Family Counseling. At the end of this semester I will have 59 units done and only have 35 units left to go. We are grateful and praising the Lord for that!

Jess and the girls are doing well. Kate, Rose, and Tess are very excited about welcoming a new little sister. The girls really enjoy having a house to run around in and they sleep much better at night! We have a back yard as well that the girls really enjoy playing in.

Well, I better go. Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support! Enjoy the pictures!

Blessings,
Shane

The first sledding of the year! Always an exciting time. There hasn't been as much snow this year so we haven't been able to sled as much as last year. Hopefully we will get another good snow before Spring!

The backyard. The girls really enjoy riding their bikes in the yard.
The house from the front.

We went for a really nice drive in the snow. It was the most snow we have had so far, which was about 3 inches.

Colors are Changing

2010-11-07T15:29:00.008-05:00

Fall is finally in full swing! Two weeks ago Louisville set a record for how hot it was. October was a very warm month, just as September was. A week and a half ago, the heat finally broke, but it didn't go without a fight. We had a cold front come through that conflicted so much with the heat that it caused a large storm with tornados. We didn't have any tornados touch down in Louisville, but the sirens went off and we had to take shelter at a neighbors. This is the first time we have had the sirens go off since we have lived here. Two different funnel clouds formed right over Louisville, one of which was only a couple of miles from our house. We had hard rain and heavy winds. After that, it finally started to get cooler. We started having highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. This weekend though has been fantastic! Lows in the low 30s and highs in the low 50s. The last two mornings have had heavy frosts. My kind of weather!

We have been able to get out and do some more hiking recently which has been really nice. We found a new place to hike in Indiana that is really beautiful. Many of the pictures below are from there. There are great trails for hiking and a lot of places to picnic. The fall colors are finally looking beautiful here and that has been really nice to be out hiking in. Little Tess is starting to hike now which has been good. All the girls really enjoy hiking.

School is only a few weeks away from being done for me now and I will be one class away from being half done. Praise the Lord! I wrote two big papers for last week and I have one more paper to write. Jess is doing well with the pregnancy. The only thing is she is having a hard time falling asleep. She just lays awake at the beginning of the night. This has been a new issue and she is hoping it goes away soon! Kate is reading up a storm now. She loves to read and reads Tess books now. She also enjoys reading signs when we are driving.

Jess' dad came this week which was really fun. It was great to spend time with him and the girls really enjoyed seeing him. We are looking forward to being back in California in less than month! We fly in on December 4th and leave on the 14th. We are looking forward to seeing our family and seeing our friends at Cornerstone. It will be great to visit!

The girls have been saying some funny things lately. There is a 2nd hand childrens store here called Buttons, Bows, and Britches. Rose talks about it all the time, but unfortunately, she doesn't quite get the r sound in "Britches". You can use your imagination to know what it sounds like she is saying! The girls planted some beans from the grocery store and they grew really quickly. I was joking with the girls and told them that is why you have to be careful when you eat beans because they grow so quickly. Kate shook her head and said "No Dad! We're going to poop them out!"

Well, better go.
Blessings,
Shane

Hiking at Cherokee Park, just across the street from the Seminary.

A beautiful little road in the fall! This is also at Cherokee Park.

This was a new park we found in Indiana that is nearly 20,000 acres. It is a little over an hour away and is a beautiful place to hike. We went out there twice in October because it is a great place to see the fall colors.

Yes, the swing on the left is a doll, not a real baby. Whenever we go hiking, Rose always brings her baby doll. She even has a front carrier, as well as a sling that she uses to carry it.

2010 Fall Break

2010-10-12T17:00:00.014-04:00

I am sitting in the gym right now watching Kate and Rose in their motor skills class and I am wondering how they are getting so old and praying for grace to shepherd their hearts as they grow older. They are both changing so much, especially Kate. Kate is moving into a stage where she wants to go and do things, but she wants to participate, not just tag along. It is different and difficult to explain, but there is a difference in her as she is maturing. I have been shooting my bow a lot lately and she not only wants to go with me, she wants her own bow to shoot! Last week she told me she is glad we are not having a boy because then I would probably take him hunting and she wants to be my hunting buddy.

The fall semester is already over halfway done and there are only six weeks left in the semester. Once again, it is going by very quickly! Fall break was last week and it was a great week. On Friday I got to go hunting for whitetail deer again, the first time in 12 years. It was a great blessing to be outdoors for the day! On Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday we went camping. We had a great time together as a family. The weather here has been very hot, but when we were camping, we had a short break from the heat. The night temperatures were 42 and the daytime temperatures were in the mid-sixties. It was beautiful! There were a couple of mishaps, such as forgetting diapers for Tess (Jess made some out of Wal-mart bags and paper towels) and I had a problem with fire this trip. Twice chunks of coal popped out of the fire and landed on me. The first one caught my jeans on fire and burned a hole in my brand new boots. The second one went so high it went down my shirt and gave me a real nice burn at the base of my neck. We did some hiking, enjoyed playing in the campground, and had a great time sitting around the fire. Now that we live in the city, camping takes on a whole new meaning for us!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday I worked on a paper I am writing for my counseling class entitled "Counseling the Loveless Marriage". On Saturday, we went up to Nashville, Indiana with my uncle Chris. It is a great little town with a lot of great shops. It is on the border of a 16,000 acre state park that is stunning in the fall. That was a fun day.

The fall colors are in full swing here now. They are about two weeks early from last year and they are not as vibrant as last year because we haven't had any significant rain in 2 and a half months. It has been the third hottest fall in Louisville history and the driest September in Louisville history. Sunday set a record for heat when it got up to 92. We are very ready for the heat to permanently break and the cold frosty days to begin. Well, here are the picture from the last week! Hope you enjoy them!

Sitting up in the deer stand on a beautiful evening waiting for Bambi's parents.

Our campsite with the sun setting on the trees

First evening around the campfire.

Jess making Tess her diaper. Worked pretty good!

The first hike we went on doubled as a scouting trip for hunting. It was a pretty area to hike.

The second hike we went on was a beautiful trail that meandered through the woods. It even went through a beautiful grove of mature pine trees. This is one of our favorite trails at the campsite.

Tess was running around and kicking the ball. She was very proud of herself!

The girls nestled in for the night. I actually took this picture at 3 in the morning.

Ice cream in Nashville Indiana.

These deer creations were great! Someone was very creative in coming up with this idea. If I had a place to put it and money to buy it, I would definately put this on my porch!

The beginning of the fall colors in Nashville Indiana

Nothing But Girls

2010-09-27T21:41:00.002-04:00

Well, its official... In this sander home we have nothing but girls. Yes, I am 20 weeks and had our ultra sound and it is another girl. We are all rejoicing at the blessing of another daughter and the girls are excited to have another sister, however, I think we all hoped a little that we would have a boy. But praise the Lord all is well with baby and myself and He knows what we need and what is best! I knew there was a reason I packed at least 4 cosco diaper boxes full of girls clothing. What a good use of resources! So thankfully I won't need too much and I think I have something lined up to get what we do need, so may the Lord provide yet again. He is so faithful to us and is, as always, so gracious and generous. I know many of you have asked what we were having... so here you have it. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement!
Blessings,
Jess

Finally another post from Jess

2010-09-20T13:54:00.002-04:00

Well, I think I would still prefer paper and pen, but this is a great way to communicate with so many at once, so once again, I will renew my efforts to actually post some things more often!

This fall has been busy as Shane said. I have begun school with Kate and it is going really well. The curriculum we chose has been a good fit so far and it has been very managable for me, so far. I praise the Lord for this, because, most of the time I feel pretty maxed out.

With having three little ones already, watching a one yr old 30 hours a week and being pregnant and tired (always) it definately leaves me with little time or energy left over. In fact, this has required some stretching and growing as I often don't know how I will make it through the day. I have noticed a pattern, that I worry that I can't handle everything and become very overwhelmed and discouraged. What I havn't been considering is that God's grace and strength is sufficient for the day. Each day is brought to me by my loving Lord who knows exactly what I need. I can rest that no matter how I feel, He is working in me and through me to accomplish all things to His glory and I can rest in Him that He is in control of the day and will give me all that I need, if I trust and depend and abide in Him. So, these new trials have definately been strengthening my faith in our wonderful Lord and Savior!

I have so much to learn in trusting Christ, training my children, encouraging my husband, managing my home, encouraging my friends and doing everything to the glory of God. I pray and trust that He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun in me.

On a lighter note, we find out the gender of the baby a week from today (last monday in Sept) and we are excited for that news. This pregnancy has definately been more challenging than ones past. More sick and less energy. So it keeps me on my toes (or knees :))

More to come later.... Thank you all for your prayer and encouragement!

Jess

Fall in Full Swing

2010-09-19T16:38:00.008-04:00

This picture was taken before this school year began. These are the books I read in my first year here at seminary.

We were able to finally go out and barbecue again! The summer has been very hot and so has the fall. We can't seem to consistently stay out of the 90's. I am told it has been a very unusual and very hot fall so far.

The following pictures are from the 2010 Fall Festival here at the seminary. Once again, it was a really fun time.

The fall is in full swing! I am only two weeks away from midterms. School is going well. So far, this semester has been extremely busy, but most of the business has come from things outside of classes. Classwork has been very consistent, but church and other things has been very busy and unpredictable. My classes have been very good and I am grateful for what I am learning this semester.

We are all doing well. The fall has been very hot and unusual. The trees are already beginning to turn because there has been very little rain. Unfortunately, there is little color and they are mainly going from green to brown. We keep looking forward to cooler weather but it just doesn't come! This week is supposed to be in the mid 90's.

I have been preparing to bowhunt whitetail deer. A good friend of mine gave me a great hunting bow so I have been practicing with it a lot. Bow season began the first weekend of September, but I have been waiting for cooler weather and more practice with the bow. Hopefully, I can begin hunting in October. Getting a couple of deer would really help our food bill.

Jess has began first grade with Kate and so far it is going really well. Jess really enjoys teaching and Kate really enjoys learning. The annual Fall Festival was last week and that was a great time. There were a lot of rides for the children as well as a lot of free food! It was a fun evening. There were a couple of live bluegrass bands as well that were very good.

Well, that is all for now!

Blessings,
Shane

The Summer Comes to a Close

2010-08-23T18:09:00.011-04:00

The summer for has now come to a close as classes began last week. The summer went by very quickly but it was a good summer. It culminated with a trip to Montana. Being out of the city was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed being in the mountains. It was also wonderful to visit family and spend time with them.

School is now in full swing as I am reading aplenty and already writing my first research paper. This semester I am taking Greek Exegesis of Matthew, Church History I, Pastoral Ministry, and Typical Problems in Biblical Counseling. They will be good classes and I am excited for how God will use them to continue to shape me, mold me, and prepare me for ministry.

The following are several pictures from our trip to Montana. Enjoy the pictures!

Tess is being potty trained! She was very proud of her first box of pull-ups!

Mom made these dresses for the girls while we were there.

All the girls got to ride with Papa Tim on the little motorcycle, dubbed "Lil' Putt Putt"

Dad and I on top of a beautiful mountain in Idaho. Great 360 degree view. Rode the motorcycles near the top and then hiked the rest of the way.

Kate performing her fire skills on a camping trip!

Papa Time and Kate.

Camping in Idaho.

Dad and I rode for ten straight hours. Needless to say my rumpolia was quite sore at the end of the day. Beautiful ride though. This picture of me is a point in which we crossed a river in which this is the only access by road. We saw three moose on this trip.

On a day hike.

One of the hikes we went on had a lot of cedars. This one Rose fit right inside of!

We camped on the top of a mountain where there was an old fire lookout. The view was beautiful but the thick and fine dirt was a bit of a problem with the little ones!

Rose and Kate each getting ready to ride Lil Putt Putt.

We got several loads of firewood while we were back there! It was a good workout and great to run a chainsaw again!

Blessings,

Shane

A Month in Pictures

2010-07-08T14:57:00.010-04:00

The last month has been very busy and the summer is going by extremely quickly. Here at Southern, they offer what are called J-terms. A J-term is a semester long class crammed into a week. You do all of the work before the class begins and then you are in class from 8-5 during the week the class is offered. It is a very intense learning environment and provides a different academic perspective because you study one topic for an entire week. Last week I had Christian Philosophy and the week before that I had New Testament I. Both were very good classes. June was spent doing school work full time in order to prepare for the classes. Consequently, I didn't put any pictures on the blog. So, here are a smattering of pictures over the last month!

One day, we went to central Kentucky and visited Fort Harrod. This was the first settlement in Kentucky and it was established in 1774. The fort has been rebuilt and it is outfitted as it would have been back then. They also have several volunteers throughout the fort doing work that would have been done in the 1700's. We had a lot of fun there and the girls really enjoyed it!

This would have been the school room for the children in the fort and the outlying areas. Notice the giant fireplace!

This is the dining room.

The outdoor kitchen area where they would cook food for those in the fort.

This graveyard lies just outside the fort and it is the oldest one in Kentucky.

One Saturday morning we went and picked berries and peaches at Huber's Farm.

An evening walk out at Cherokee Park.

The girls have been doing great learning to swim thanks to Aimee. Kate now jumps off the diving board and swims all over the pool without a life vest!

Last Monday we went to the sprinkler park located in the Zoo. The girls had a blast!

One day, we went up to Indianapolis to spend time with my uncle. He took us to a very nice sprinkler park and the girls had a great time! It was a fun day.

Well, that is all for now! Currently, we have VBS going on at our church so we are going over there every night. The days have been relaxing though. We are also getting ready to drive to Montana. We leave Sunday after church and will return on July 28th. Please pray for safety as we drive! We are very much looking forward to the break from the city and some time in the mountains and with my family!

Blessings,

Shane

The South

2010-06-11T19:52:00.007-04:00

The South. A place I had never been before. Some of my perceptions were accurate and some were not! I definitely learned some things while we were down there! The United States is a fascinating place and one thing I am learning this year is the great amount of diversity within the subcultures of each area! What one subculture sees as absurd, another sees as normal.

We travelled down to Mississippi to visit our friends Will and Sarah and their newborn baby girl in June. It was a quick trip, but well worth it. The drive was fascinating, our time as a family was very good, and our time with Will and Sarah was a blessing.

The drive was about 8 hours, but much of it, (about 3 1/2 hours) was spent on country roads through Alabama and Mississippi as there are no interstates near where we went. What this meant was that there were about 50 different ways to get there as country roads cross every which way. We just had to guess which country road was faster. This depended on drivers in front of us, the number of towns the roads went through, and how curvy the road was. For example, the route we took home was shorter in mileage, but about 45 minutes longer.

Driving through Alabama was not what I expected. It was very beautiful! I was thrilled to see the forests filled with pine trees. I do miss the pines and firs so this was a welcome sight! There was also a large logging industry there, which I was unaware of. We saw a lot of logging trucks and logging companies. There were a lot of rolling hills and some beautiful river bottoms and vistas.

A long the way, I saw some very large snakes dead along the road. Yeech. At least they were dead. However, I also kept seeing other reptiley corpses along the road. I kept slowing down to trying to figure out what they were (Please withold your redneck comments.....I was curious). It looked just like an armadillo, but I didn't think they were down there. Finally, one was not as smashed as the others and it was clear: Armadillos were being slaughtered in great numbers by the vehicles that traveled the roads there. It was a tragedy for the armadillo community! However, it was apparent they didn't learn from the mistakes of others. Another reason to study history.

We did see some funny things down there as well. A couple of restaurants that looked appealing: Boar's Butt Restaurant and then another called Smokin Butts Barbecue. Hmmmmmm......apparently you don't throw a steak on the barbecue there. You throw a chunk of butt. We also learned the south likes their tanning salons....only they are very different from the typical tanning salon of the city or California. Anyone ever been to an express video and tanning store? We saw a couple of those. Or how about a floral and tanning shop? There was also another really random one, but I can't remember what it was. The funny thing was, we saw several of these combination shops. "Yeah, I'd like a dozen roses and a tan please." "Honey, go down to the shop and pick out a movie for tonight and while you're there, why don't you bronze yourself?"

We were very blessed to stay in a house on the base which was great. It was so nice to be in a house again! Three bedrooms is nice also! The base was an pilot training base so there were constantly planes going over which the girls really enjoyed. Jess and the girls also got to ride a horse we use to have named Frank which was a blessing.

Enjoy the pictures!
Shane

Kate and Rose in their bedroom. They really liked their little beds.

Frank and Tess and Kate.

Some of the Alabama countryside. Sorry....no armadillos in this picture.

The highlight of the trip for Rose. No joke.

Zoom in on this picture. It is worth it.

Thunderstorm Camping

2010-05-28T20:12:00.008-04:00

We had told the girls we were going camping, but after a long day of rain, we chose not to go and see what the weather would do the next day. The next morning, Jess and I were up early reading our Bibles in a quiet house. We checked the weather and there was a strong chance of thunderstorms so we were thinking we probably wouldn't go when all of a sudden we hear Rose shout "Campin!" We looked at each other and said "Well, we're going to have to try to go now!" Rose was so excited to go! So we decided to take the chance and go!

We got out to the campsite at Taylorsville Lake around 1:00, set up camp, and then went for a beautiful hike. We have hiked quite a bit out at Taylorsville Lake, but this trail was our favorite because there was a lot of pine trees along the way. Reminded us of the mountains! As we were hiking back to camp, we could hear thunder behind us. A storm was following us in! We got back just in time and had a small thunderstorm. Dinner was cooking while the storm was going, compliments of a covered grill. When the storm finished, dinner was finished so we came out of the tent and ate. While eating, we could hear and see another storm coming. This one was turning the sky black! (See above picture) We finished eating and went up to use the restrooms. As we were coming out, I heard the growing sound of the rain coming as it blasted the leaf covered trees. I've never heard that before! It sounded like throwing a handful of gravel into a lake. That is probably a redneck description, but it is the best I got! The sound roared toward us until we were caught in a torrential downpour. We only had about 50 yards back to the tent, but by the time we ran back there we were soaked.

The storm settled in right over the top of us with a lot of lightning and loud thunder. It lasted for nearly an hour and we waited it out inside the tent, anxiously watching the seams. Fortunately, the tent faired well, even though a small river was flowing under the tent. To occupy the girls, we played Simon Says. To date, that is the longest Simon Says game I have ever played. But, it was fun and a good memory. The girls did great in the storm.

Finally the storm cleared and we were able to go outside and enjoy a beautiful evening. The moon came out and large clouds moved by, majestically silhouetted against it's light. It was a beautiful evening.

The next day we just relaxed around the campfire most of the morning. It was great! I hadn't camped in a thunderstorm since backpacking in Montana! All in all, it was a very relaxing trip and it went well.

The Girls Enjoy a Loooonnnnggg Game of Simon Says!!!!

2010-05-16T17:26:00.011-04:00

Well, we are still alive. It has been a long time since posting and I apologize! We are doing very well. Finals finished a week ago and so my first year of seminary is behind us! I am taking a short break and then I will begin working on my summer classes.

The past month has been very busy. Between studying and preparing for the end of the semester, we have been blessed to have several visitors over the last four weeks. In fact, we have had visitors from out of town every week since the 2nd week of April! It has been wonderful to see friends and family from California. Jess' parents were here last and we had a very blessed time with them last weekend.

Kate and Rose turned 6 and 4 in April. We went to the zoo here in Louisville for their birthday. It is a nice zoo and we had a good time there. They also got new bikes for their birthday and were very excited. Here are a few pictures from the zoo and the girls with their new bikes.

Kate and Rose have been having swimming lessons with Aimee and are enjoying that very much. Their last lesson they jumped off of the diving board so they were pretty excited about that.

We keep trying to go camping, but our plans have been foiled as we have had a lot of storms lately. However, the storms are fun.....except for the storms that come with tornado watches. I can do without those! We are hoping to be able to go camping tomorrow if the weather lets us, but we'll see! We are also planning on trying to go to Montana this summer in July. Hopefully that will work out because these country people are anxious for some extended time away from the city! Well, that is all for now! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Blessings,
Shane

Kentuckee Kamping

2010-04-11T16:20:00.007-04:00

This week was Easter Break so we took advantage of some time off and went camping for the first time since being here. We had a great time! It was wonderful to be in the outdoors for an extended amount of time. We all miss the country and so we really enjoyed being out of the city for a couple of days.

We camped out at Taylorsville Lake, which is just under an hour away. It is a nice campground and it is a great place to camp with children. The campground is well maintained and there are a lot of trails for hiking. There were quite a few people out there, but it was pretty quiet.

The first day we had a thunderstorm in the afternoon, which was fun. We had some strong rain, lightning, and thunder. They even issued a tornado warning, which is always comforting when your shelter is a tent! However, it made for a beautiful evening and beautiful sunset. I got to have a fire!!!!! I haven't been able to have a fire since July! It was great to burn stuff again! Oh how I miss the smell of smoke and the dance of firelight! We let the girls stay up late and had fun around the campfire. The girls got some glow sticks and ran all around our campsite pretending they were lost and couldn't find their way back to the campsite.

That night a lot of wind came in. We had to get up a couple of times to re-stake the tent. It was loud and flappy, but we did get some sleep! The morning was beautiful and after a great breakfast we went for a hike. There we encountered an unwanted trail obstacle (see below photo) and the girls freaked out! We were hiking single file down the trail and it actually went right between us as if we were not even there! I had been looking for snakes because there are quite a few different kinds of poisonous ones out here, but I missed this one. Kate was behind me and the snake went between Rose and Kate. It added a good memory to the trip! Rose and Kate were screaming and clinging to us. I think they were sure they were going to die!

This time of year is beautiful to be outdoors. There are so many flowers, most of them flowering trees! The woods are full of color. There is a purple tree here that is spectacular! They are scattered all throughout the woods. Everything is turning green now also. The streets are lined with yellow, purple, pink, and white trees. Very beautiful!

Well, that is all for now!
Blessings!
Shane

Ever Seen a Hippo Ice Skate?

2010-04-01T20:40:00.008-04:00

Ever seen a hippo ice skate? A whale surf? An elephant tango? A Boeing 747 doing spirals and 360s? A walrus sing opera?

Well....those are similar descriptions of my new endeavor to........roller blade. Yep, that's right; the redneck is trying to be a sophisticated, coordinated, somewhat graceful city recreationist. It is probably like Larry the Cable Guy deciding to try and be the PR director for the Queen of England!

Right now, my main focus is trying to stay alive. This is now my third week and I have yet to make a trip to the hospital. I count this a blessing, as well as evidence that God still moves in supernatural ways. I must say the safety equipment I purchased may not make me look cool, but it does significantly reduce the scarring process. The first two weeks I think I probably resembled a wind sock in a tornado as I swirled around, desperately trying to keep from slamming into the ground. Lets just say I regularly experienced whiplash like being rear ended in a car by another car doing 65......several times over within a short period of time.

Jess and I started rollerblading together because we wanted something we could do together outdoors when we had only an hour or so. We also wanted something that would serve as exercise. Because my legs feel like Jello when I am done and I walk like Gumby, I think it works. So far though, it has been fun! There is a very large parking lot next to our apartment that is usually empty. So, we go out there and rollerblade while the girls run around and play. It allows all of us to be outside and get some physical activity.

Well, that is our new activity to debrief after a long day of classes and studying! So far it works great to take my mind off of things. This is because the only thing I can think of is keeping from seriously injuring myself. At first, my thoughts were "I'm gonna die; I'm gonna die; I gonna die; I'm going to crash really hard and then I'm gonna die." Once I get better, I am sure I can figure out a way to use this as a resource for huntin and shootin. I know there is an olympic sport of skiing and shooting. Maybe I can figure something out related to that!

Enjoy the pictures and blessings!

>

A Few Random Pictures

2010-03-19T18:56:00.005-04:00

Here are a few random pictures over the past month. The last month has been very very busy for me. School has been intense and will continue to do so for two more weeks. Things should slow down after that...hopefully. I have two large research papers due at the beginning of April and that has made things very busy! One is on Revelation 20 and the other is on whether or not the gift of tongues has ceased. Very interesting papers!

Kate and Rose playing with some little gifts they got at a birthday party

Tess has been working on making faces. Okay, so I taught her how to do it and she has been practicing!

The weather has been getting warmer so we took a quick drive out to Bernheim Forest after a day of studying. It was a beautiful evening and the girls enjoyed being out and playing. There is a 32 acre lake there and we spent the evening walking around the lake.

Blessings,
Shane

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2010-02-14T20:58:00.008-05:00

This week we got 6 inches of snow and school was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We made good use of the time! We got a lot of sledding in and enjoyed a lot of time together as a family. Kate and Rose have gotten to be good sledders. Kate likes steep hills and a lot of speed. Fortunately, she is good at steering as well because there are several trees and lamp posts to avoid! She figured out that if she lays down on her back she can go faster. She looks like a little luge runner! However, she still steers. Rose on the other hand learned from Kate how to do this as well only she doesn't steer. She just lays down on her back and doesn't look up again! I think her attitude is "I'm yours Lord! Do Your will!" She sure goes fast though! She has had a few close calls though, narrowly missing trees and poles. She sure thinks it is fun!

Yesterday we went out to Bernheim Forest again to do some hiking. It was beautiful with all the snow out there. The nice thing about going out there this time of year is there are not many people out there! It was a beautiful day with a lot of snow. We also saw a lot of deer which was fun. The girls had a good time throwing snowballs as we hiked and playing in the snow.

Tonight we have a winter storm warning in effect. We are supposed to get several more inches of snow! Woo hoo! I love snow! It has been fun living where it snows!

Snow on the seminary campus.

Kate and Rose climbing the hill for another sled down the hill. They climbed that hill a lot this week!

Kate and I built a snowman after a morning of sledding.

Family photo while hiking out at Bernheim Forest.

Sledding on the hill next to our apartment. Action shot of Rose on her way down the hill.

They are off! Rose demonstrating her Luge form.

The girls pose on the hill before heading down hill.

Rose climbing the hill for another run.

Tess enjoying some time in the snow.

May God bless you all and continue to work in your lives for His glory and your good!

Shane

The VonSander Family Pukers

2010-02-04T16:00:00.005-05:00

**The following contains content that is for mature viewers only. Contains references to vomit and other questionable content. Viewers should be advised the following may cause slight laughter, nausea, and abdominal discomfort. The author reserves the right to not be held responsible to the following due to a state of partial delirious due to lack of sleep, food, and liquid.

Kate had stomach problems beginning Tuesday night. It never really amounted to much though so we didn't think much of it. Last night, Rose and I went to church, leaving Kate, Tess, and Jess at home just in case Kate had the flu. Upon arriving at the church, I started not feeling very well. Church is 25 minutes from home, so about halfway through, I decided to leave because I wasn't feeling any better. The closer we got to home the worse I felt. By the time we were a couple of miles away from home I began to feel I wasn't going to make it. You know the feeling! Extreme dizziness, the rising feeling, and the cold sweat! Right before home, I was stopped by a red light. Choice: Get out of the car and have an embarrassing situation in front of all the traffic or pray and try to last. Due to my extreme aversion to embarrassing situations, I chose the latter. Praise the Lord I made it home. Thus began the debut of the VonSander Family Pukers.

As soon as I got home, I was down for the count. The whole works. Miserable. It was 7:00. By 8:30, Rose was throwing up. By
11:00, Tess was throwing up, joined soon by Kate. Finally, at midnight, Jess got into the action as well. It was a symphony of throats at work that was....well....gut wrenching. We were all miserable and it continued throughout the night. There were several times when two of us were throwing up (or pooking according to Rose) at the same time. Jess and I were taking care of the little ones in between our own bouts of getting sick. It continued until 6 in the morning. We just spread the kids around our bed on the floor. Throughout the night, I kept thinking of the verse in I Thessalonians 5, "Rejoice in the Lord and in everything give thanks for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." So, I gave thanks and praised the Lord for a night of puking together as a family! It was a night in which we had to rely upon the Lord and His strength.

On the positive side, I lost five pounds and Jess lost six.

In between my own getting ill and getting out of bed to help my family throw up as effectively and efficiently as possible, I kept thinking of songs from The VonSander Family Pukers. Naturally, these are set to songs from the Sound of Music. Our CD though is called the Sound of Vomit.

1. (Tune: The Hills are Alive) The rooms are alive with the sound of puking. With sounds we all dread, but we've heard before! Our guts will be empty, with the sound of puking and we'll wash every blanket we own.

2. (Tune: A Few of My Favorite Things) Broccoli and meatloaf and bread and potatoes. Cookies and ice cream and chips and lasagna. All of the food that was down in my stomach. It is all coming up now just for me! When the guts churn, when the throat tightens. When I'm feeling bad. I simply throw up and see all of my food and then I just feel soooooooo bad!

3. (Tune: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria) How do you solve a problem like dry heaving? How do you take the bile and make it stop? How do you make it on time to the bathroom? How do you stop the vomiting and get some rest?

4. (Tune: Do, Re, Mi) Puke, its brown and it smells real bad! Darn, it just got on the rug! Oi, I feel so terrible. Uuuuh, oh here I go again! Arrrgh, the kids are puking too! Will, this night ever end? I, am dehydrated! That will bring us back puke.....

5. (Tune: Climb Every Mountain) Vomit all your food! Clean out your gut! Running to the bathroom! Till you find reeeeliiieeeeffff!

6. (Tune: Sixteen Going on Seventeen) I am gagging, going on vomiting, baby, it's time to heave!

This is the result of laying awake at night in a ball in between episodes and trying to keep a joyful attitude! May it bless you and make you smile! If it bothered you, please remember the disclaimer at the beginning!

Blessings,
Shane

Playing in the Snow

2010-02-01T08:41:00.009-05:00

We woke up on Saturday morning to a beautiful layer of snow. The weather then cleared and the sun came out. What a beautiful weekend! The moon was also full at night. It is hard to beat the beauty of moonlight on snow! We were blessed to be able to spend some time playing and sledding. Here are some pictures from the weekend!

The first thing we did after breakfast was to bundle up and go for a walk around campus!

Once again the hill next to our apartment offered some great sledding! We had a great time sledding and playing in the snow. Kate and Rose especially enjoyed the sledding! It was a joy to watch Kate and Rose laugh uncontrollably down the hill. Later on, the girls began racing Aimee and her friends down the hill. Naturally Kate taunted them all the way down!

The Great Commission? Maybe Later....

2010-01-29T14:46:00.003-05:00

Go into the entire world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. You see, it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. You will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

How do we view those words? Are they advice for Christian living? Are they merely suggestions of something to do if we get bored in life? Are they only for those who struggle to fit into society? Are they a last resort for those who can’t seem to do anything else? Should those words be accepted and believed at all?

Unfortunately, many Christians really don’t believe those words. Think about your own life? Do you really believe those words? Do they motivate you? Are they the driving force for how you live your life? Do we in the American church as some of the wealthiest Christians in the world really believe those words? Those are the words of Christ and they are found in Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:44-49, Matthew 28:16-20, and Acts 1:4-8.

The main verb in the Great Commission is “Make Disciples”. Everything else flows from that command. Christians are to make disciples of Jesus Christ. What does that mean? It means we seek to see people, not only come to believe in Christ, but seek to see people continue to grow and mature in Christ. It means we focus less on programs and activities and more on discipleship. This is how Jesus ministered. He took twelve men and had them walk with Him for over three years. He both formally and informally taught them. Perhaps Paul best summed up making disciples when he said in I Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”

We need to focus on making disciples because it is a command of Christ and therefore should be one of the driving purposes of our lives. Unfortunately, we often settle for less. We take the Great Commission and reinterpret it to mean “Go into all the world and get conversions. Then turn them into church members.” We in the American church want results. Therefore, we want conversions. Making disciples is too slow and time consuming. We’d rather have big evangelical events and be able to claim 300 people came to Christ, regardless of whether or not they really did. It has been said that there have been more recorded “conversions” recently in one island nation than there are people that live there! Perhaps we need to celebrate disciples instead of conversions.

We need to make disciples. Yet, once we get conversions, our focus then becomes making them church members. We want to get them plugged in. We want them to be in the Adult Sunday school class, serve as an usher, a parking attendant, etc. We fill their schedules full of church programs. But, we fail to disciple them. We fail to say, “Come walk with me and imitate me as I also imitate Christ.” Is it hard, time consuming, and slow? Absolutely. Is it biblical and effective? Absolutely.

Go into the entire world and preach the Gospel. We usually take the command of Jesus for missions and separate it into two categories: Going and Sending. There are some who are called to go and some who are called to stay. Praise the Lord for those who truly go and those who truly send. But, I would submit that more of us should go then do and if we aren’t going, we must be sending. John Piper has stated that if one isn’t going or sending, they are disobedient. I believe he is correct. More of us must take the command of Christ and go. Those of us who stay must take sending seriously.

I would submit that this is severely lacking in the American church. As I reflect back on my own life, it has been severely lacking in my own life. Sure, we’ll send a missionary a hundred dollars if they come to our church and give a presentation. We’ll tithe a small portion of our money to the church and hope it goes to missions. But most of us do not truly sacrifice to send. Think about the sacrifice one makes to leave all that is comfortable here in America and go to another culture to make disciples! They make drastic sacrifices to do so. It should follow by necessity that we would make drastic sacrifices to send them. But no, we focus on improving our standard of living, our material wealth, and our happiness. We have lost the perspective the early church had as they labored and sacrificed, even to the point of death, not just for making disciples in their own community, but in making disciples around the world.

The question we must ask is this: Do we really long for the Kingdom of God? This is the driving force behind the Great Commission command. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We partly experience God’s Kingdom in the here and now, but when Jesus Christ returns and Satan is defeated, we will fully experience God’s Kingdom. We read in Revelation (5:9-10; 7:9-17; 13:7; 14:6; 21:12) that God’s Kingdom will be full of people from tribes and nations from all over the world. God’s Kingdom will not fully come until all of these people hear the Gospel. Matthew 24:14 states, “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (See also II Peter 3.) If we long for the Kingdom of God, we will be active in missions. We must pray for God’s Kingdom to come and we must labor for the Kingdom of God. Seeing the Kingdom of God come must be what drives us to be actively involved in the Great Commission.

May we be obedient in fulfilling the Great Commission and honestly examine our own lives to accurately determine if we are being faithful in making disciples, both here and abroad!

“When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever” –John Piper

A Weekend of Mourning

2010-01-24T17:16:00.006-05:00

The bridge that connects Kentucky to Madison Indiana.

Here are a few pictures from the last snow we had.

This grave site is in Bernheim Forest and contains the graves of a family from the mid-1800s. The earliest grave we saw was from 1840. The parents were born in 1804.

Another hike out at Bernheim Forest

This weekend was a weekend of mourning for us for two reasons. First, the girls and I took down our Christmas tree yesterday. It was finally starting to curl a little bit. Secondly, there are only 2 1/2 football games left in the season. As I am watching the Jets-Colts game right now, I look ahead with sadness, knowing there is but one more game today and one more game in two weeks. Maybe I'll start watching the Weather Channel for my Saturday afternoon down time!

The last two weeks have gone quickly, but they have been good ones. I have gotten a lot of reading done and have been able to get three of my books read before the start of the semester this week. This semester will have significantly more reading the last one. I am looking forward to my classes though. They should be good.

We have also had some good family time. We spent last Tuesday out at Bernheim Forest and then went for a nice drive in the country. The Tuesday before, Jess and I had a date day and went up to Madison Indiana and explored that area. Very pretty up there. The movie Madison was filmed there. Very unique little town with a lot of history. It is really neat living in an area where a lot of towns were established in the very early 1800s.

Last night we had a big thunderstorm. That was fun. A lot of lightning, big thunder, and heavy rain. The weather has dramatically changed, going from the mid twenties to the high fifties with rain. I'm praying for more snow!

Kate and Rose have been building a lot of puzzles. That is the new thing they are really enjoying. It is a good rainy day activity! They have also been building with their new Duplo blocks a lot. (Wooo hoo! The Colts just scored!) Kate has started reading this week. That has been fun. She is really eager to learn.

Yesterday was a very busy day cleaning and getting the house ready for the semester to start. So, today we are relaxing, watching football, playing Nintendo, and playing with the girls. It is a rainy day and very gray outside!

Well, my dinner is ready, so I better go! May the Lord bless you and keep you!

Blessings!

Shane

Haiti

2010-01-15T16:23:00.004-05:00

Dr. Mohler wrote an excellent response to the crisis in Haiti. You can read it at:

http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/14/does-god-hate-haiti/

Snow!

2010-01-07T21:52:00.005-05:00

Snowing hard at noon!

Well it snowed all day today! It was beautiful. We have a great hill on campus next to our apartment for sledding so we had a great community sled tonight when the snow let up! Kia thoroughly enjoyed running up and down the hill chasing the girls! Tess got to sled a lot and giggled all the way down the hill! The girls had a blast playing and sledding. Now, it is clearing off and is 13 degrees. A little chilly! It is wonderful to live in the snow again!

Enjoy the pics!
Shane

Trip to California

2010-01-03T21:04:00.003-05:00

Enjoying a hike on the ranch with Papa and Nana.

Struggling through the airport with two people carrying five people's stuff is real fun!

What we landed into at the airport!

We very much enjoyed being on the ranch again!

We were blessed to be able to spend 10 days in California visiting friends and family over Christams. It was so good to see everyone again! Many thanks to many of you who had us in your homes while we were there! We had a wonderful time. We have missed everyone from home and it was great to spend time with friends and family. It was also a rich blessing to be able to attend Cornerstone again. We are so grateful for our Cornerstone family!

Our trip home was a little stressful, but God gave grace and met our needs. We barely made our flight out of San Jose. We got up just after 2am to make our flight, drove up to San Jose, got to the airport only to meet a line out the door to check bags. By the time we got our bags checked, we only had 25 minutes to make the departure time. Thankfully, they had an express security checkpoint set up that they sent us through. We got through that, ran through the airport with the munchkins and got to the gate as they were loading the plane. Praise the Lord we made it! Things went smooth from then on. We were just tired. We left California at 3am and got home around 9pm our time. It was a long day.

It was weird to go from 20 degree weather to 70 degree weather and then return again to even colder weather! We landed in a good snowstorm in Indianapollis. I have no idea how a 747 can land on a snowy runway at 150 miles an hour and not spin out! If we go 55 on roads like that we end up in the ditch! This morning it was 7 degrees with the wind chill bringing it down below zero. I won't lie. It was good to get back to the cold again!

My winter class starts tomorrow. It goes from 8-5 M-F but I get a whole class finished in a week. I am looking forward to it as it is a missions class. I have much to learn in that area.

On that note, I need to get ready for bed. I have been sick for three weeks and I am struggling to get out of bed in the mornings! Back to getting up early tomorrow!

God bless,

Shane

2009-12-03T23:52:00.002-05:00

Well, we bought our Christmas tree on Sunday at Home Depot and set it up Sunday night. We had a good time together as a family. We have always really enjoyed setting up the Christmas tree. The girls were very excited and fun to watch. Tess was really fascinated by the tree and just kept going around it, examining every ornament. It was very cute! We let the girls put on the ornaments and just like last year, all the ornaments were on one part of the tree. We just spread them out later on! So thankful for the Christmas season!

A Walk in the Fall

2009-11-16T15:29:00.001-05:00

Fall in Kentucky

2009-11-07T22:52:00.008-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since posting anything! It has been busy! I also apologize for the funky arrangment of pictures. Evidently, I am not smart enough to arrange them neatly.

There are now two weeks of classes left in the semester. I have a week off for Thanksgiving which will be used to prepare for finals, which are the first week of December. So far, classes are going very well. They are a lot of work, but the knowledge I am gaining is such a blessing. It is a great priviledge to study under the professors I have.

We have really enjoyed the fall here! It is pretty incredible! I have never seen a landscape change so much! For about two weeks, the trees glow with magnificant shades of golds, oranges and reds. Beautiful! Now, all the leaves are falling, which is fun as well. The ground becomes the color the trees once were and the landscape really changes because you can see through the forest and the sunlight shines through due to all the leaves falling.

Jess and the girls are doing well. Jess has been blessed with a few more clients at the barn. I am still looking for some work. Things at the church are going well, but it is really different not being at Cornerstone and we miss everyone there a lot. I am thankful to be back in church ministry though.

Tess is beginning to talk and that has been fun. One of her first words was horse pronouced "hice" and squirrel "gwirl". She has been a lot of fun. Kate and Rose have had a lot of great one liners lately. They have been making us laugh a lot.

Thank you for all who are praying for us. Please continue to do so. We are grateful for your prayers and the notes you send us. It has been a wonderful blessing. We will be back in California for 10 days at Christmas and will look forward to seeing family and friends!

Blessings,

Shane

The Beginning of Fall Break

2009-10-04T16:46:00.006-04:00

Friday brought the conclusion of the first half of the semester for me and the beginning of Fall break. To celebrate, we left at 2:30 in the afternoon and went to Bernheim Forest, about 25 minutes from our home. It is a 14,000 acre private forest that is maintained for public use. It is beautiful! There are over 30 miles of trails and multiple places to have a picnic. The trails are well maintained, but still rustic. We have been exploring a lot of hiking in the area, but so far, this is our favorite spot. The forest is more open and the variety of trees is amazing. There were hardly any people out there and the cost is free on the weekdays. It is going to be beautiful there when all the colors start changing! We had a wonderful time out there and it was a crisp fall day. The mugginess is finally gone and the evenings are getting cold and the days have been in the low 60's.

After spending the afternoon hiking at Bernheim, we went to Pizza Hut for dinner. It was a great conclusion to the day! I am a big Pizza Hut fan!

Today, Morningside Baptist Church voted to appoint me as the new Associate Pastor of Worship and Families. That was exciting and I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve in the church once again. I have missed it very much since leaving Cornerstone!

For those of you who enjoy theology, here is my semester mid-term in my theology class: You have 75 minutes to complete it!

1. Counsel a young man who is asking about the age of the earth, why it matters and how does Christianity reconcile the apparent discrepancies between science and the Bible.

2. A woman seeks your counsel who has just lost her husband to cancer and is now responsible to care for her only child who has down syndrome. She asks "How can God be good, sovereign and loving when this is happening to me"

Well, that is all for now! The colors are beginning to turn here, the weather is getting cold and fall is definitely here!

God bless,

Shane

Apple Picking

2009-10-04T16:30:00.006-04:00

Family photo in the apple orchard!

Kate putting apples in her bag.

Last Saturday, we went with some friends to a very large farm in Indiana where you can pick your own pumpkins, apples, berries, vegetables, etc. It was a great time! We picked two large bags of apples and brought them home and made apple crisp! Very tasty!

Tess' New Tennies

2009-09-12T01:52:00.000-04:00

Southern’s Fall Festival

2009-09-12T00:16:00.004-04:00

Tonight Southern Seminary held its annual Fall Family Festival. This year is Southern's 150^th anniversary so they really put a lot into the festival. There were carnival rides for the children, free dinner, free snacks and desserts, raffles, carnival games, bounce houses, a professional BMX show and a fantastic firework display over the seminary to conclude the evening. It was a wonderful evening.

The festival was held on the large center lawn in the middle of campus. They spent the last several days setting up for the festival and at least twice a day the girls wanted to walk up there to check on their progress. The first thing they set up was a carousel and that really excited the girls and created the desire to continually check on their progress! This morning, after the morning walk to check on it, Kate said "That carousel is God's provision for me because the carousel is in Montana and we don't get to go there for a long time. So this is God's provision for me." She cracks us up all the time! The girls were so excited to go up to there tonight! It was all they talked about all day!

We went up to the festival a little before six with some neighbors and enjoyed a few rides before having dinner. The BMX show after dinner was fun to watch. They were a professional group from North Carolina and had performed during halftime of the NFL game in Tennessee last week. The remainder of the evening was spent going around and experiencing all there was to do. Kate loved all the rides, but Rose was definitely more hesitant!

The children were all given large glow sticks before the firework show. There were supposed to be around 2000 people there so when everyone got the glow sticks going it was a pretty cool sight! Finally, they turned out all the campus lights for the firework show. They were shot off right behind the library so it was really neat to get to see them bursting over the seminary. Tess watched in awe for the first half and then burst into tears. She then proceeded to bury her head so she couldn't see them. Rose got scared and sat there shaking. Soon, she started crying as well. When the fireworks were over, Kate started balling because they were over! Oh, the joy of having girls! It took them ten minutes to all stop crying!

It is truly a privilege to be a part of this seminary community. It is very rich. I am honored to be able to study the Word of God here under the excellent professors that are here. It is difficult, but very good. If some of you are looking for some good sermons to listen to, go to sbts.edu and track down the chapels. You can download them to listen to. They are fantastic.

May you all grow in the knowledge of our great God!
Shane

Thunderstorms and Frank Sinatra

2009-09-08T21:36:00.002-04:00

Well, you may be wondering what on earth I am talking about with this random title. The other day, Shane took me on a wonderful date. He planned the whole thing, arranged childcare (yep, Aimee :), and I realized how crazy things are. He told me to get dressed up, and I thought we were staying home. Then I come out and Aimee is there, and I thought how fun, Aimee is going somewhere with us. We are all going out somewhere. Then as I sit there visiting with her I realize, we are going out, on a date. Aimee is there because Shane and I are leaving, duh! So we did indeed go out, and I am still so thankful for the Lord's provision to us, in friendship and help with the girls, with Aimee. We went to the big mall here. This is significant because, a- it is cheap being on a seminary budget, and b- it was what we did on our first date together in Portland OR. All this to say that we thought it would be fun, while there to look in a music store and further that because of all our musicals and classics we had been watching over the last three years that a double CD of Frank Sinatra would be fun, especially because it was crazy cheap. :) We had a great time and enjoyed uninterupted time to discuss the things we are learning here on this grand adventure.

So days later, this big thunderstorm is rolling in. The girls are in their bathing suits playing on our balcony and Shane and I are enjoying watching them and the storm come in while trying out our new CD. It was very nastalgic and peaceful. Hence the title of this post!

The Lord has provided three clients for me at the barn for riding lessons, and we continue to praise Him for His faithfulness and continue to pray for His provision. I am enjoying my 25 minute drive out of the city into the country to the barn and teaching the kids. It is great to still be around horses. The website if anyone is interested is www.emilyragan.com

I notice that my life has slowed down for my mind to notice that my heart misses everyone from home in Cali. I got quite emotional thinking of my twin brother, whom I lived 8 feet from and praying for Cornerstone brought many more tears. I was probably overly tired, but still, I do miss all of you.

The girls are well. There is a family fall festival this friday on campus. The girls are looking forward to that, especially because there will be fireworks too!

That is all for now. Pray for us, as we pray for you. May we all abide in Christ and glorify Him, always!

Jess

2009-08-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

We are still trying to settle into our new life here in Louisville KY. Today, we will go on an exploration adventure to discover a nearby lake and do some hiking out of the city.

We are very thankful that the Lord has provided a job opportunity for me to teach riding lessons at a barn about 25 minutes away. The facility is beautiful with an indoor arena and trails to ride. The trainer is very laid back and seems to be a good person to work with. I am excited about this opportunity because I can work part time hours and make a full time income hopefully covering all our expenses so Shane would not have to work. It would be grand if he could just concentrate on school and family. Keep praying that God would bring the clients and hours to provide for our needs and that it would be a good safe working environment.

I am also exploring where I will get my groceries and supplies and how to get there. It seems I make a wrong turn at least once every time I go out into the city, I am such a country girl! But none-the-less, I am slowly learning my way around.

I had my first Seminary Wives Class on Thursday night. It is called Biblical Parenting and we are reading "Instructing a Child's Heart" by Tedd and Margy Tripp. It looks like it will be a great class and I am excited for the spiritual stimulation. Also, I found out I can watch the chapels live on TV from my home. This is great news to me because I really wanted to attend them but didn't know how it would work with the girls. This way I can work on training them to sit through a service and enjoy chapel in my own home.

I miss my family, church family and wide open spaces of my home in California, but despite this, I love my new home, apartment and I am content. For a city, Louisville really is pretty. The Lord has taken care of everything for me big and small. Praise our loving, providing, mighty God. I am so thankful to Him for all that He gives.

Blessings,
Jess

Finally a post from Jess

2009-08-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

Well this will be brief for now, but I am finally entering a post myself. The Lord has been so gracious to us, going ever before us, paving the way in this new adventure.

I really enjoy our new apartment and am thankful to be so established and unpacked a mere two weeks later. Although it is an adjustment to be in an apartment in town.

I am seeking to secure a position as an instructor at two different barns here in the area. I can make really good money per hour and am hoping to be able to work part time and make enough so Shane would not have to work and he can have time with the girls and focus on his studies. I am also praying for a childcare position to become available where maybe I could watch an infant or baby in my home and make income without ever leaving home. So please keep this in your prayers.

Otherwise I am trying to find where I will get groceries and supplies and how to get there. We are trying to establish some routine and I am hoping to begin Kate's schooling in a few weeks.

I miss all my friends and family from home and also my family at Cornerstone. God bless you all!

-Jess

A Weekend in Louisville

2009-08-23T21:31:00.006-04:00

What does a Redneck do in Louisville on his first free Saturday? That's easy! Take the family to Bass Pro Shops in Indiana for the afternoon! What an amazing store! Guns, fishing equipment, live fish displays, outdoor equipment, hunting arcades, NASCAR arcades and animal mounts in every nook and cranny! What isn't to love! The kids enjoyed it as well. There were catfish swimming around in aqariums that were as big as my children. Kate called them "kittyfish".

One of the many very cool displays in Bass Pro Shops

The afternoon found me studying Greek and learning to parse nouns. Then in the evening we had Aimee over and played Phase 10, which I heroically won.

There is a 600 acre park across the street from the seminary that is called Cherokee Park and it is full of hiking and biking trails. Today we went for a long hike and that was fun. I am very thankful to have that right next to us. When hiking in the park, aside from hearing the interstate, you would never guess you were in a city. It has several ponds and a creek that meanders through it.

Tonight, we did some more cleaning and rearranging, getting rid of a few more things that just weren't fitting well in the house. We also hung the last pictures that needed to be hung.

The Lord has blessed us with beautiful weather this weekend. There are big clouds in the sky and it is a mere 70 degrees with very little humidity. It has been very nice.

Jess and I are hoping to nail down some income this week, so that is something we would appreciate prayer for. We are seeking the Lord's direction and provision in this area.

Well, that is all for now.

Blessings,

Shane

Milk

2009-08-21T08:10:00.003-04:00

Here in Kentucky, a gallon of milk is $1.89. I think I've written enough for everyone in California to contemplate for one day!

-Shane

First Day of Classes

2009-08-18T21:41:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of classes, meaning this new thing of blogging will probably get less frequent! So far this semester I have 15 books to read, not counting what I will have to read for my research papers! Good thing I enjoy reading. The issue is just making the time for it!

Enjoyed Systematic Theology II, Elementary Greek and Person Spiritual Disciplines today. I am looking forward to all of them. I really enjoyed what was covered in Theology today. Dr. Moore spent the class time laying out three purposes why theology is given in Scripture:

Everything is summed up in Jesus Christ and found in Christ. Therefore, when we are ministering with accurate, biblical theology, we are standing in the place of Christ.

Everything since the Fall is to be seen in the context of warfare in that the promise of God to destroy Satan is ongoing and real until the return of Christ. The power of the Gospel shatters the power of Satan.

Theology fulfills the mission of love. Theology is not a field of study left to the elite, but a field of study in which the Word of God is further understood and with love, brought to people for the glory of God and their personal good, as well as their joy. All theology must be worked out through faith and love.

The closing comments of Dr. Moore was that the class is not ultimately for we who were in the class, but for the many lives who will be impacted through the ministries of those of us in the class. This impact will go years beyond our lives and our imagination.

For those of you who are praying for us, here are some specific things you can pray for:

The Lord would provide us with jobs to cover our living expenses.

The children to adjust to living in a "itty bitty little living space". They want to run and play, but we don't have room anymore.

The Lord would give us wisdom as to where we are to attend church and where we are to serve. There is a church that is very interested in me serving as the family pastor there and the ball is in my court. I need to get back to them soon.

That we country folk would get used to living in a very big city! Yesterday, Jess took her mom back to the airport at 6:00am and I was awakened at 6:40am by my phone. It was Jess and she said, "I'm lost and I think I am in a bad part of town." If you are a husband, that will wake you up! Praise the Lord though for high speed internet and Google Maps! She got home without incident. Later in the day, I proceeded to get lost. Oh well, I guess it is all part of it!

Finally, please pray that I would be able to be a good husband and father while being a student.

We miss all of you and may the Lord bless you richly as only He can do!

Blessings,

Shane

The Trip Across the US

2009-08-16T20:31:00.008-04:00

Loading the Truck

Well, this is a little backwards and should have been before the other one, but I didn't have the time to put the pictures on my computer! I will try to stay in order from here on out!

We left California on Tuesday afternoon and drove to St. George, arriving there at 2 am. I planned to arrive there around 6 or 7, but had severely overestimated how fast we could travel with a 26' truck and 3 little girls! The next day, we headed out to Montrose, CO to visit some friends there. On the way, we got caught in a very good thunderstorm in Eastern Utah. By good, I mean a lot of lightening, high winds and rain so hard you can barely drive. That was fun. Kate saw a fire above the road in a bush that was started by lightening. She was pretty excited about that!

Just before Leaving Colorado

After a relaxing 2 night stay in Colorado and we headed out once again. This time, we had to cross the Rockies to reach our motel an hour east of Denver. Travel was slow, but ironically, this was the best day for mpg. The worst day was the next day for mpg as we drove through flat Nebraska! Go figure! For the whole trip, we averaged 7.5 mpg. There was a computer in the truck that kept track of that for me.

We stayed with friends in Fremont, NE and once again enjoyed a good thunderstorm. From Nebraska, we drove to Mascoutah, IL. The next morning we were entertained by yet another thunderstorm. As we were packing the car, we noticed the rear tire on the van was low. We filled it with air and decided to find a tire store because the only reason it could have lost that much air was if there was a hole in it. At the tire store, they found a nail on the inner sidewall. Praise the Lord we didn't just air up and take off down the highway! That would have been a bad blowout! It was an hour delay, but we arrived in Louisville on Monday afternoon around 4.

We were very blessed by my uncle coming down from Indiana to help us unload and unpack. Several of our new neighbors also came out and helped us unload the truck. Since the Lord knows how much I dislike heat, He provided the hottest day of year (so we were told) for us to unload the truck in. Nothing like 95 degree weather with 875% humidity! We unloaded about 2/3 of the truck when.....you guessed it.....another big thunderstorm. So, we stopped there for the night and attempted to deal with what was in the apartment.

View of the storm from our front door

It seemed pretty hopeless to cram all that was in that 26' truck into the apartment, but thanks to the creativity of others and the instillation of multiple shelves, we managed. Now, the apartment is nearly finished and the last box has been unpacked. Praise the Lord!

Well, that is all for now.

Blessings,

Shane

Moving in

2009-08-13T22:39:00.000-04:00

Well, we are almost moved into our 2 bedroom apartment after living in a 1500 square foot house. It is challenging! We have gotten rid of some more stuff, but by and large it is all fitting thanks to much help from friends and family, as well as a lot of creativity!

Leaving those whom we love in California was very difficult, but the Lord is gracious and good. He gave us the strength we needed to be able to say goodbye and begin this great adventure! We already miss everyone and I have been particularly missing ministering at Cornerstone. It was a rich and wonderful time there. I look forward to when we get to visit!

Tomorrow, orientation begins and then classes start on Monday for me. I am excited and nervous. Many questions run through my mind, but I know that God has called us here and He will provide for us. I am excited to be able to tell the stories of His provision!

God bless!
Shane