Everyone's Home!

I'm sure Brett will update you all soon about his adventures, but I wanted to say thank you for your prayers. Brett is home safely (and with all his luggage). He is quite worn out from travel and the "bugs" he picked up...but he's home, and we're a happy family. --April

The Day Has Arrived!!!

I'm leaving for Togo today. Please pray for my "coming and going", as my mom would say. I know God will bless my trip. Thanks for your support!!! I'll be back the 28th. Until then, Pilaba Cee!

Some People Say That We Kinda Look Alike

Ok, so its not the skin color or the eyes, and its definitely not the hair. He's about 5'6", and I'm 6'1". He has lots of muscles from working in the fields all of his life, and I...well, let's just not go there. So if its nothing physical, then what is it?

I think it's that we both look and act like Jesus, or at least we try to. We have been clothed with Christ, and He has given us His Spirit to live in us. Look closely and I know you'll see it...

In two weeks I might get to see this man again. I don't even remember his name, or what village he is from, but I do remember him in a very real and intimate way. I sat next to him for about 20-30 minutes during our internship in the summer of 2003, trying desperately to communicate in some way, and I remember vividly the look in his eyes and the kind, gentle, jovial, and peaceful nature he displayed.

Please be praying for me as I prepare to travel to Togo on March 16th. Its just another step in our journey to Togo, but it is an important one in many ways. I feel so blessed that God has called us to the Kabiye people, and because of this calling, I know that there will one day be many more Kabiye men and women who look just like me...

Wonders Never Cease

I am now the proud owner of tourist visas for the countries of Ghana and Togo. Not a big deal in the scope of things, but consider this: I obtained both visas by mail in exactly 2 weeks time. Not impressed?

Keep in mind that each application must include my passport and a return envelope, meaning that I can only have one visa being processed at a time. I mailed Ghana first, and received it back in 6 days. I had figured that Ghana would be faster, so I mailed it first to get it out of the way. The day I received my Ghanaian visa, I immediately mailed my Togo application. I wasn't holding my breath, figuring it would take much, much longer. 8 days later I had it back.

Now don't get me wrong, I am very pleased with the fast response. I just expected more hassle and difficulty with the whole process. I expected a call from the Togolese embassy a week before I left requesting extensive financial records and a reassurance that I wouldn't be staying and setting up a DVD bootlegging operation. Instead, it went smoothly. It's great, but the whole process just seemed so un-African...

There's No Place Like Home!

The trip to Michigan went great. Not just great, but actually above and beyond all I could have asked or imagined. My church home was much different than I left it 7 years ago, and that is a good thing. That is a VERY good thing.

The church I left way back when was a church still in a healing process. We had suffered through a pretty ugly split, and everyone who was left was just kind of stuck in a funk. Praise God that He has reconciled some members who had left back to the body at Livonia, and the members that never left are thriving under the leadership and guidance of the sheperds and the minister, Larry Stephens. Larry brought a peaceful, thoughtful, and wise spirit to the church that it desperately needed. He is a stabilizing force, a true man of peace, and I am thankful for his friendship and that of his wife, Diane. I can only pray that April and I can be a little bit like them when we reach their age!

I was well received by everyone at Livonia. There were some sweet reunions and, thankfully, some new introductions. The preaching went well, and I also had the chance to teach the young adults class. Sunday evening I was at the home of Bob and Teri Carris, lifelong friends of my family and parents to my great friend Rob Carris (who is gonna be a daddy soon!). Bob and Teri are amazing people and they are very supportive and helpful in trying to get us to Afrcia. Bob specifically has a vision for missions and how Livonia can be involved, involvement that hpefully can increase in the next few years as they grow. I was able to spend time with John Williams and Eric Sims as well (JK and E-Money back in the day), which was awesome. They are both older than me and were actually friends with my older brother Chad when were were growing up. For a while there, John WAS my older brother, mentoring me in the ways of life and basketball, altoughI am now HIS teacher on the hardwood! Seeing old friends and reconnecting is one of the glues that holds me together, and I thank God for allowing me to see my people again.

I could say much more, but I'll end with this: God is faithful. He never left me, even when I tried so desperately to leave Him, and that faithfulness was fleshed out in my life by the Livonia Church of Christ during my visit there. I am eternally endebted to my brothers and sisters there!

Going Home

Most people in life have that one place that they can call home. For me that place is Michigan, the Northcoast of the USA, home of the Wolverines, cold and snowy winters, and the church that I was raised in. Today I get to go back home. My father and I will once again blaze a trail up and down I-75, a trip so common to my family that neither of us can even remember how many times we've made it.

I'm going to preach at my home church and raise funds for the work God has called us to among the Kabiye. That's the main purpose for my trip. However, anytime I go home, I get a deep feeling of God's presence in my heart. For me, to go home is to remember how far the Lord has brought me in my relationship with Him. At home is where it all began, where I fell to my lowest lows, and where my redemption and reconciliation with God was initiated.

Of course there's the old friends, friends so close that there is little distinction between them and family. And there's the old stomping grounds, streets so familiar to me that it as if I never left. Of course who can forget the snow?!?! I'll get to see snow this weekend! But that's not what this trip is about.

Today I am going home to revisit my past so that I can have an even clearer view of my future in Christ.

It Not As Simple As You Might think

If you've ever planned and taken a trip to Africa, you can stop reading now, because you can already testify to the truth of this post. If you haven't planned a trip to Africa, allow me to let you in on a little secret: It's complicated.

Today I sent in my visa application for Ghana. Ghana requires FOUR duplicate applications plus about a hundred bucks for a multiple entry visa. The form itself is complicated as well, requiring 2 addresses of contacts in Ghana, proof of return ticket, proof of "sufficient" funds (what does that mean anyway?), and a letter from your employer stating that you will be returning to your job after your trip. Like I was planning on setting up a bootlegging operation in Accra or something.

The Togo application is less complicated, requiring only 3 duplicate applications, but it costs the same, and it looks like a 12 year old laid it out. Come to think of it, it seems just like something that would come out of Africa...

I also went to the doctor today to get my malaria meds. I have to take them everyday beginning 2 days before my trip and continuing 7 days after my trip. They also give you wierd and vivid dreams, and I'm still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not.

A week ago, I finally got my plane ticket, but that was after hours and hours of searching, calling, emailing, and being frustrated. I got a great deal at $1,150, but that is mostly because it is the off-season for flights to Europe.

And then there's the time off from school. What's a good way to ask your principal for 4 days off, days that are bumped up against your school's Spring Break? Answer: There is no good way, you just have to do it. Thank God I work for a bunch of Christians who are behind our plans 100%.

So if you want to plan a trip to Africa, think twice about it, and then call me. I've earned some lumps that can help you out...

Declaring an Unknown God

That's the title of my sermon/presentation for this Sunday. It's based off of Paul's short stint in Athens when he saw all of the altars to different gods, including the "Unknown God", which he declared as known to the people of Athens. The Kabiye know a creator "god", but he is far off and uninvolved in the lives of humans. We are going to join with the Lord and our teammates in making known the God that they revere as unknown. Additionally, our God can free them from the bondage of ancestor and spirit appeasment, a vicious cycle of the spirits becoming angry, being appeased through sacrifice, and then becoming angry again. This weighs heavily on the hearts and souls of the Kabiye, and as Jerome Amana, a Kabiye elder, once said, "We used to lay down at night, but we could not sleep well, because Satan would trouble us. But now that we follow Jesus, our hearts have found true freedom."

What a beautiful statement of faith and conviction. God grant us all this acceptance of and appreciation for God's gift of Grace.

Missions Presentations

We have 2 big missions presentations coming up soon. The first is Sunday, January 29th at Grace Pointe, our sponsoring church. GP always has a combined service on 5th Sundays, so we will have the entire church in one place at one time. Please be in prayer about this event, asking God to continue to use His Spirit to infect the hearts of our brothers and sisters at GP with a passion for His vision for the Kabiye people.

The second big event currently planned (there will surely be more to follow) is at the Livonia Church of Christ in Michigan on Sunday, February 12th. This is a special event for Brett since this is the congregation he grew up at. His father was an elder for many years and his mother was the do-it-all church secretary(you all know the type!), and his family was very involved and passionate about this church. It is so special to be able to return to his brothers and sisters there so they can bless our family as we follow God's call to Togo. Livonia is very passionate about missions. Their pulpit minister, Larry Stephens, was formerly sponsored by the church as a missionary in Kenya for 20+ years. He returned to preach, and the church just this month sent off Larry's daughter and son-in-law, Joshua and Julie Marcum, to begin a new mission work in Cochabamba, Bolivia. We are so excited about this opportunity, and we ask that you would pray for God's blessing on that special weekend.

To France, or not to France?

That is one of the big questions these days. Having settled on a departure date of September of 2006, we now are asking the question of whether or not we need language school. We realize that there are pros and cons to both scenarios, and we just want to seek the Lord's guidance in this matter. We would love to be in Togo as soon as possible, but we also want to be as prepared as possible. Spending a few months in France isn't the end of the world, but we have already done alot of waiting, and we are anxious to join our teammates in Kabiyeland.

Please pray for this decision. We believe that part of seeking the Lord's wisdom is seeking out counsel from our brothers and sisters, so if you have any suggestions or guidance, please feel free to comment.

Mini-Survey to Togo

Well, I got the approval from the Missions Committee to go ahead with my trip to Togo in March. The only hurdle that remains is school. I need to take at least one day off on either end of Spring Break, but Lighthouse has been very supportive of our family and our plans, so I think I'll get the OK.

The trip will be March 17-27, give or take a day or two. I am hoping to secure final plans for housing, meet with the elders of Kabiye churches to alert them of our imminent arrival, form preliminary relationships with elders and Christians that I don't already know, and encourage and give a boost to my teammates. The last item is especially important with the Neal's headed home in March. That will be a huge blow to the team that will take some time to recover from.

Oh, and there will definitely be a safari. I did Nazinga in Burkina Faso last time, and we are planning on doing Pendjari in Benin on this trip. They have lions there. I can't even imagine!

It Begins Again

We originally created this blog to chronicle our journey to Togo as missionaries, but it seemed so far away that we kind of lost interest. Well, its now just about 6 or 7 months away, and it's time to start blogging again. From here on out things are gonna move pretty quickly. We'll keep this site updated as to what is happening, which will be alot. God has brought us on an amazing journey, and we feel blessed to be able to share it with whoever reads these words...

2005 Christmas Letter

Wow! Life never seems to slow down for the Emerson family, and 2005 was no exception. This year we bring you greetings from Montgomery, Alabama. However, reflections on the year begin in Memphis, Tennessee. In January, Brett took a job with Memphis City Schools as a Reading teacher. He was placed at Longview Middle School in inner-city Memphis. On his first day of work, instead of starting his Reading job, he was offered the position of Digital Photography and Computer Technology teacher, and he accepted. April continued to sub for Memphis Harding Academy in the elementary classes.

Skip past February (although something probably happened that we’re forgetting) on to March when we took a much needed Spring Break trip to Denver, Colorado. We enjoyed spending time with friends from Harding University (the Staples and Carrs). Brett surprised April with a few days to ourselves at a cozy cabin just outside of Estes Park near Rocky Mountain National Park. We enjoyed lots of snow and God’s beautiful creations. April especially enjoyed relaxing by the fireplace in our cabin while Brett went exploring in the mountains. This was also our last trip together as a couple since we found out just days before leaving that we were expecting our first child (more about that in the October section).

Knowing we would be in Memphis a while longer than we had expected, we began looking for summer jobs. April began hers on April 1st at Sycamore View Church of Christ as the Secretary for the Youth Office. This was a familiar job for her as she spent several summers during her college years working in that office with her youth minister, Joe Godley. Brett joined the youth team in May after he finished teaching and we became the youth interns for the summer. We were blessed to serve alongside the many amazing brothers and sisters at Sycamore View.
In June, Brett attended Memphis WorkCamp while April, being 18 weeks pregnant, continued working in the youth office. Later that month, we were able to spend a weekend in Gatlinburg at an amazing cabin in the Smokies with our dear friends Mike & Ann Baur (thanks to Mike’s relatives). We also enjoyed spending time with the Gulleys and Luchauers. On the 22nd, we went to the doctor for our first ultrasound. We had decided not to find out if our baby was a boy or a girl. The ultrasound was exciting nonetheless, and we learned that we had a healthy baby due on November 7th. As if June wasn’t exciting enough, we received a call from John Land, an elder at the GracePointe Church of Christ in Montgomery, AL, informing us that they were willing to make a commitment to be our sponsoring congregation for our work in Togo, West Africa! Many of you know that we spent an entire year looking for a church to partner with us in our mission work, and when we finally learned to fully trust Him, He provided. We praise the holy name of our faithful and true Father for His provision!

July brought us two weeks of church camp and a mission trip to Albemarle, North Carolina with the teens. Brett celebrated his 28th birthday at camp and enjoyed a surprise visit from his parents and our nephew, Nathaniel. April’s pregnancy continued to progress with her feeling great and enjoying life…her’s and the baby’s.

August is the point where life became almost overwhelming. We spent nine days in Israel and toured the Holy Lands with classmates from April’s experience at Harding University in Greece (HUG). Thanks to Monte Cox for setting up this special reunion. April was a real trooper, trekking all over Israel with her 27 week belly. April traveled home and left Brett in Europe for a few extra days of exploring. Brett learned first hand that being away from your wife that is carrying your first child is a lot harder than expected. After everyone was safely back in Memphis, we began packing up for our move to Montgomery, AL. Brett secured a job at Lighthouse Christian Academy as a 9th-12th English teacher, and he taught a few days before returning to Memphis and moving all of our belongings.

We celebrated four years of wonderful marriage on September 1st. We combined April’s 27th birthday with our anniversary and spent a night at a bed and breakfast here in Montgomery. September also found us attending childbirth classes as April’s due date approached. Betsy, our sister-n-law, took beautiful maternity pictures of April at 32 weeks pregnant. Along with a friend, Betsy has started a photography business, and they do wonderful work. You can see more of their work at www.amephotography.net.

The Together for Togo conference was in Richland, Washington the first weekend in October. Brett was blessed to be able to attend the conference this year and build relationships with friends, family and missionaries of Togo. We praise God for taking care of April while Brett was away and not letting her go into labor. Then on October 25th, April’s water broke while she was in the doctor’s office for a regular checkup. We took a quick ride next door to the hospital, and approximately six hours later and after only 15 minutes of pushing, we welcomed our sweet little BOY into the world! His name is Caden Darrel, and as you can see from the photo, he is beautiful. His middle name comes from Brett’s dad, and we were honored to pass on the name of a man we both admire so much to our own son.

November and December have been about learning to be parents and learning about life with a baby. Please feel free to view regularly updated pictures of Caden at http://theemersonfamily.blogspot.com. He is a healthy boy and a great baby, a blessing in so many ways. At the writing of this letter, he is six weeks old and weighs over 9 lbs! He is beginning to smile and coo a lot (which is fun for Mommy and Daddy too). We ask you all, as our loved ones, to pray for Caden and for us as parents as we raise him up in the Lord and dedicate our son to a life of service to Him.

We couldn’t end this letter without telling you about our church here in Montgomery. GracePointe church has been absolutely wonderful to us. They have taken us in from day one as a part of their family. We love worshipping with them, and we can see God’s plan and timing in bringing us here. Clearly, God’s timing IS perfect. Another blessing of living in Montgomery is being able to spend time with Brett’s brother and his family. Our nephews, Owen and Dawson, love spending time with their Aunt and Uncle and cousin, “baby Caden”.
As we celebrate the holidays this year as a family, we pray the Lord has given you the wisdom to see all the blessings He has sent you. We love you all! Lord willing, we will be leaving for Africa at a time to be determined in 2006. The Lord loves to keep us guessing, so you’ll have to bear with Him as He continually reveals His plans for us as His children. Please keep us in your prayers as we make preparations for that transition, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Baby Emerson

BABY EMERSON IS HERE! Visit our family website to see lots of pictures. www.theemersonfamily.blogspot.com

It's Official !!!

Grace Pointe Church in Montgomery, Alabama has agreed to be our sponsoring congregation. We received a call from John Land, the missions elder at GP, saying that the missions committee and elders have agreed to make this commitment. The details are still being worked out. We plan to move there in August/September. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for the past year and a half for this. God is faithful and He does provide! July is an extremely busy time in youth ministry for us, leaving little time to make moving decisions...much less baby Emerson plans. Please continue praying for us as we make plans for the move to Montgomery.

Prayers needed

We will be traveling to Montgomery, Alabama Memorial Day weekend. We will be visiting family as well as a congregation that has shown some interest in our desire to work in Togo. We are very excited about meeting their missions committee and sharing with them our vision. Our prayer is that we would continue to be patient until God reveals his will to us and that He would speak through us this weekend as we share our hearts.

Wednesday, March 9, 2005

That's right...we're pregnant! You're supposed to take the pregnancy test, put the cap on and leave it for several minutes...we didn't even get the cap on and we had our 2 pink lines. I has suspected I might be pregnant and had prepared cards to give to our parents to announce our special news. The front of the card had presents stamped on it and the words, "A GIFT FROM THE LORD" and the inside said, "IS LIFE" and pictures two little baby feet (made with the end of my fist). Our parents and family were very excited and very surprised. The baby is due November 9, 2005 and will be born somewhere in the states. I've felt great and had basically no morning sickness. The Lord knew what this little body could handle and blessed me with a great first trimester. As we finish out week 13, my belly is starting to show just a little. And the buttons on my fitted pants don't come close at all. I am down to the drawstring and elastic waistbands.

The Middle School

Lots of things have happened since January 1st...the biggest news has been Brett taking a job with Memphis City Schools. Mom was watching the 10 o'clock news one Saturday night and noticed that there had been a job fair where they had interviewed reading and math teachers. Brett called and found out they were still hiring teachers. He accepted a position as a reading teacher. He was placed at Longview Middle School. Now, most people don't know where Longview is because it's in the ghetto (the southeast corner of the I-40/240 loop). He went through one day of orientation and then received his classroom. However, when he arrived at Longview, they said, "Well, we really need a digital photography teacher. Do you know anything about that?" Even though Brett was hired with "No Child Left Behind" money to teaching reading...he is teaching digital media to middle school, low income students. He did an attitude interest survey and discovered that of all his students, only about ten of them had ever taken a photo with a digital camera. His classes vary from a typing class to learning to use computers to create presentations (microsoft word, powerpoint, etc.) His school has been challenging yet exactly where he wanted to be teaching. This middle school was the lowest achieving school last year and was therefore declared a "fresh start" school. This means that they fired all the teachers, sent their best principal there, and gave him the authority to rehire only those he wanted. He chose four teachers to return. Also, the school is participating in a program sponsored by Apple computers known as "One to One." Each student has an apple ibook (a laptop, for all you pc people). One of Brett's biggest challenges has been overcoming what the previous teacher left behind disciplinary wise. He was a favored teacher among the students because he basically let them do whatever they wanted. Brett has faced many different discipline problems but has full support of his principal, Mr. Harris, and that makes all the difference. Several days Brett would come home physically and emotionally tired. He discovered one day on the way to work that God would not have given him this job if he could not handle it. This thought has helped him deal with the strains of working in the inner city. And we praise God for the job and the stability it provides.

Family Pictures

We finally convinced Mom and Dad to take family pictures while Allen & Sarah were here. Here's one of Brett and I. (my favorite pic)

2004 Christmas Letter

The Emerson's offer you and your family Season's Greetings from Memphis, TN! 2004 has been a year full of adventures, beginnings and endings, and blessings from God Most High. He has also taught us many lessons, and we have learned more and more about what it means to fully trust Him.
To talk about 2004, we have to take a quick step backwards into 2003. On December 29th, Brett's sister Amy and her husband Ed welcomed into the world their first son and our second nephew, Nathaniel John Baynes. We were able to be at the hospital just after he was born, and we also spent the first couple of days of his life at the Baynes' home loving on the newest addition to our family. Nate is extremely cute and he has been such a fun baby! He is usually quite happy, and Uncle Brett and Aunt April can always make him smile.
Shortly after Nathaniel's arrival, on January 19th, Brett's brother Chad and his wife Betsy had their second son, Dawson Kendell Emerson. We have loved having Dawson around, and he has been given a well deserved nickname – "Wild Man"! He was given this nickname after his brother Owen and his daddy taught him how to growl like a lion. He is constantly on the move, and he is definitely not shy about playing a little rough. His wildness is offset by his sweet nature and the fact that he is a very beautiful baby.
We also received a very important phone call towards the end of January. As most of you know, we spent the summer of 2003 in Togo, West Africa, and we had been contemplating our options to return to Africa in some capacity. Towards the end of January, our now teammates Brian and Tracy Reis were on furlough, and they called to invite us to join their team working among the Kabiye people in Kara, Togo. We humbly accepted, and we have now made a commitment of at least 5 years to work with the Reis, Reeves, Neal and Miller families. We are currently searching for a sponsoring church that would like to join us in what God is doing among the Kabiye, so if you know of any churches that we should contact, please let us know. Our departure date is uncertain, but we would like to leave sometime in 2005. Check out our website and leave us a note in the guestbook. www.geocities.com/emersontogo
In March, after spending so much time with babies, we needed to remind ourselves that we are still without children – and lovin' it! We were ready for a trip, and we spent our Spring Break in Washington, D.C. with our friends Josh and Cristen (Godley) Roberts. The Roberts had a great apartment that was very close to all of the main attractions, and we had a blast exploring the city on foot and hanging out with Josh and Cristen.
Also in March, April's mom, Leslie Gillespie, had hip replacement surgery. April was able to take a few days off from her work at the Sunshine School to help her parents out around the house while her mother recuperated. As of this writing, her new hip is in great shape and she is getting around without any problems.
In May, April's time as a Speech Therapist at the Sunshine School came to an end with lots of mixed emotions. She truly loved her job and her co-workers, and the special little children she worked with everyday have left a life-long impression on her. We give thanks to God for providing her with a job that allowed her to touch so many lives and at the same time provide for our family during our 3 years in Searcy.
Our time in Searcy came to an end with Brett's graduation from Harding University in July of 2004. He finished his Master's Degree in Education in Reading, and after passing his Praxis II exam, he is now a certified K-12 Reading Specialist. While our immediate plans will take us to the mission field, Brett still desires to one day work in a school setting, helping children not only learn to read, but to acquire a life-long passion for it.
In August, we made the big move from Searcy to Memphis. April's parents were gracious enough to allow us to live with them while we prepare to move to Togo. They have been so wonderful to us, and we would have had a difficult time with this transition were it not for their love and their desire to help us get to the mission field. Our belongings currently occupy just about every square inch of the 2nd floor of the Gillespie home, but no worries, we're planning on a big garage sale sometime this spring.
Our next adventure was also in August, when we took a two week trip to California. The Los Angeles area is home to many of our dear friends and family, and we spent the first few days with April's brother Allen and his wife Sarah. Allen is finishing school at Pepperdine, and Sarah works in the corporate insurance business. We had a great time, making two trips to the beach for body boarding and just spending some quality time around their home. We also were able to worship at the Hollywood church of Christ, where we have many fond memories and good friends. After leaving the Gillespie's we met up with our good friends Marcus and Jessicca Moore for a camping trip to Yosemite National Park. If you've never been, we highly recommend it. Yosemite Valley and the surrounding area is some of the most beautiful creation in the world, at least the world that we've seen. The highlight of the trip for Brett was the climbing of Half Dome with Marcus, a very strenuous 12 hour round trip hike. We were sad to leave California and all of our loved ones, but we know that we'll be back someday soon.
In September, we realized that we didn't have any money! Ok, so we weren't broke, but we also didn't have April's steady Sunshine School check either. We signed up to substitute teach at Harding Academy, and that along with odd jobs for April's dad is how we will be supporting ourselves until we find a sponsoring church. In fact, Brett recently accepted a teaching position at Harding Academy. He will be filling in for the 8th grade history teacher for 6 weeks beginning in January while she is on maternity leave.
So now we've come to the holiday season, and we have already spent lots of time with our family. We were in Nashville for Thanksgiving with Brett's family, and we all stayed at Brett's parents' house for a few days, including the nephews. Brett had an especially fun time playing with Owen, who is now 3 years old and at a very fun age. He is incredibly smart for his age, and he keeps everyone smiling with his large words and sentences as well as his love for the alphabet and phonetics. It's not uncommon to hear him say, "The 'W' says 'wuh', 'wuh', 'wuh' what's happenin' dude!"
As Christmas approached, Brett's grandfather, Ray Pippin, was married to Nora Bagwell on December 4th in a beautiful ceremony at the Madison church of Christ. It was a great time for everyone on Brett's mom's side of the family to be together and bless our grandfather as he begins a new chapter of his life with Nora.
Well, we'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this very lengthy letter, assuming you didn't just skip to the end. We can't help it! God has blessed us with rich, full, and exciting lives that we love to share with our family and friends. We hope that 2005 brings you many blessings and a closer relationship with the Lord. Keep in touch!