Our house is still for sale in Indiana. We switched realtors and hope that soon, very soon, our house will be sold. We are still renting the house we're in now, but the thought of being here much longer is a bit overwhelming. Sometimes it's hard for us not to ask God, "Why did you bring us here, make us give up everything we know, just to leave us hanging?" And yet, at the same time, we are not "hanging". We are flourishing. We see things happening through our ministry that are things some can only dream of.
Heather was excited for her cousins, Cory and Crystal, to come down for a visit during their spring break from college. Though Heather worked a lot of the time, they were able to get away to New Orleans for a day. The weather ended up being really nice, and it was a fun trip for them. She was sad to see them go back to Indiana.We were blessed to have Jarod Brown, a friend of Heather's from Indiana bring a group of teens down for their Spring Break to help do some work around the church.
We hosted them for dinner and the youth got to hang out with them on the Wednesday night they were here. What a blessing they were, and we would love to see them again someday!In March, Heather and Duane took the youth group kids to the Spring Youth Rally at Pine Lake Fellowship Camp. Heather led worship, and had a great team to back her up, including a Choctaw boy from the reservation who attends another church. It was a great time of worship, fellowship, fun and growth. We were amazed at how the youth were interacting with other students who they had met at the lock-ins we've been hosting throughout the fall and winter. God is stirring in the hearts of our youth for sure.
One of our youth boys, Daelin, accepted Christ about a month ago, which means two of our youth have become a part of God's family since we got here. The Lord continues to bring people into the church, and despite our crazy schedules, allows us to minister to them.Laurie is still looking for a job and has been feeling extremely lonely lately. This weekend she is attending a Women's Conference with her friend, Merilee. We are sure this weekend will be one of refreshing and encouragement.
As Heather has been preparing to leave MS in July to head back to Fort Wayne, IN, she has found out that if she returns to IPFW to finish school, it will take her 3 years to graduate due to the way the classes are scheduled. This was completely unexpected, and as usually happens with Heather, has changed her thoughts on returning to IPFW. She has a meeting on Tuesday with the head of the Social Work department at MSU, to find out if she can stay here and finish school in 2 years with a BSW degree. She is frustrated with the fact that her plans "never go as planned", but she is trusting that God has a reason and that He will direct her steps as she goes through this process.
Brittany and Matt's baby is due in May, which is approaching VERY quickly! We are excited to see this new addition to our family and can't wait to spend time with them when she is born.
Please continue to pray for our ministry, our home, Laurie's job and Heather's schooling. My, how God keeps us in a state of need! Blessings, friends.
