The Harwells

Chattanooga Choo-choo....

2009-10-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

That's right! We're headed north this weekend with a group of 30 students to Chattanooga! We'd love your prayers for safety and for life change. We will be partnering with a church in Chattanooga, North Shore, which is doing a great job in living out the gospel in their community. We are doing community work with them and getting some talks from their amazing pastor.

We are hoping that are students will see what it's like to be a part of a church that lives missionally and are need-seekers of the city. We want them to know that it's important to be involved in a gospel-centered church when they graduate!

And also, we just want to have some fun! :)

Three years ago yesterday...

2009-10-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

...I said YES!

I will never forget that perfect day. Even though I was hardly surprised (I hate surprises) and Andrew did a great job of giving heavy hints, my expectations of our engagement were far exceeded. A crisp, cool but sunny October day in a Nashville park... the man that was created just for me down on one knee... a simple and perfect diamond on my hand... it could have been a scene on a movie. The picture above is not of that day. We have no pictures of it... and I like it that way. It's special to us and only we know how beautiful and perfect it was. I love my husband and am so grateful he wanted to marry ME!

In fact, he's so wonderful that he even took me to see Toy Story in 3D last night to celebrate. I know what you're thinking: LAME! Maybe for any other 25 year old girl... but I happen to be one of the largest fans of the movie. I don't think its wit and charisma has been matched yet! The 3D upgrades weren't that amazing... but it was priceless to see it on the big screen again. Thank you, hubby!!

Dear September, where did you go?

2009-10-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I can't believe it's already October! The fall is quickly flying past us. We've had such a neat couple months of ministry. One of our favorite things has been speaking to new member classes of fraternities and sororities. The beauty of Greek houses is that you immediately have an audience of freshman from all walks of life who will most likely be some of the most influential leaders on campus in the future. What a great opportunity to speak truth into their life their freshman year!

Our hope for the talks is to either a) plug them each into a gospel-centered community group and/or b)have lunch/coffee with them individually and share the gospel with them.

I just had lunch today that resulted from one of these new member talks and it was a sweet reminder of who the Lord has called us to at Auburn. She's a believer but hasn't found a group of Christian friends yet to surround her and, thus, has found her self slipping back into her former life. What a privilege to point her back to the gospel and get her plugged into a group where she is consistently pointed to truth... that could change the whole course of her 4 years at college and, hopefully, her life.

Tonight we will be speaking to AOII, Chi Phi, Theta Chi, and ATO. Please pray with us that they would be supernaturally attentive and God would use tonight to change the course of their life.

In other news.... we are so ready for construction to be done in our neighborhood! When we moved in, Lundy Chase looked like this:

Now the only house they are working on in our street is, of course, the one right beside our bedroom window. We've had some fun stories with mishaps in our neighborhood but this past week it came to a climax and it is not funny anymore. We've had power outages, our phone line cut, our invisible fence destroyed (and a nasty note left on our door about a certain yellow lab marking his territory in other yards)... but I guess we knew what we were getting into!

Happy Monday!

For it's one... two.... three strikes...

2009-08-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

Actually, there were far more than three strikes last night at my first ever Braves game! Our long-time friend, Aron, had three extra tickets to the Braves vs. Padres game last night and was kind enough to invite us to tag along. Knowing it would be a long night without a girl to chat with, I got to spend some sweet time with my dear friend Sarah Rhodes! (We had a lovely time guessing the ditties they played and making witty comments about each players cameo). The game in itself was a downer (only three runs the whole night), but the atmosphere was superb. We had a fantastic view of the ATL skyline and enjoyed an all-American hotdog. I think night games are the best. The last baseball game I went to was back in youth group... I saw the Cardinals vs. Cubs (The home run battle of McGwire and Sosa) and saw McGwire hit his 65th home run. I can't even remember the name of half the people on that trip, but I remember that random trivia. Anyway, that game was mid afternoon in summer, and about 30 innings in I made a covenant (now broken) that I would never attend another baseball game. I'm glad I did.

Here's some shots of us at the stadium....

On the way home I had a craving for some ice cream, so we pulled in a Wendy's where I continued walking on youth group memory lane and ordered a frosty and fries. Scoff not! The harmony of salty and sweet comes to crescendo in this perfect snack.

Today Andrew and I got the pleasure of visiting Grandmother and Grandaddy Harwell. They hosted us for lunch (a full menu of friend chicken and okra!) and we had a really pleasant visit with them. We love the two of them very much and are thankful for all the ways they encourage and inspire us. Grandmother reads this blog every day and you better believe she let's us know how long it has been since our last update! We love you two!!

The Great Convergence

2009-08-23T16:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday night at our weekly meeting, our campus director Bill Boldt explained to the 300 students that showed up why we feel called to invest our lives into them. We believe that college students are the most significant people (the next leaders, movers and shakers) in the world at the most significant time (independence, deciding what to do w/ their life) time of their lives. It was such a moving reminder to Andrew and I of what we are called to: this great convergence. We hope to impact these students for Jesus, so that in turn they would impact their community and the world.

Thus, being the first week of school... we were rather busy this week! On Monday morning we handed out 1,000 cups with Crusade's information and the football schedule in 45 minutes! On Monday afternoon we hosted 40 students in the Crusade office who desire to have a personal ministry. We challenged them to think about what would happen if there were 100 gospel-centered (experiencing Christ, outward focused, relationally driven) communities on Auburn's campus.

On Wednesday night, me, Andrew, and our dear friends Hank & Anna had a craft night until midnight getting some new ambiance for our weekly meeting the next day.

Just call us Martha Stewarts! Anna recovered some lampshades while I made a table cloth for our "Connections Table."

Our manly men worked on some stands to drape cloth over for some ambiance behind the band.

This is how the hard work payed off for our connections table

A shot from our first weekly meeting

Our first weekly meeting was incredible. Not because of anything we did... you could just tell that God was moving in the hearts of these students. Our series this fall is called "The Essence of Christianity" and we are studying through the book of Acts. Bill gave a great challenge from Acts 1:8 that we should be actively pursuing ways to be God's witnesses in both the near and far places in our life.

On that note, I want to say that we are praying for our partners in the gospel who just arrived in East Asia a couple days ago to continue the ministry that Auburn Crusade has been a part of for years in this huge city. We are so excited to see what God is going to do through Chris & Anne Marie and the rest of the team!

Then.... on Friday night we headed to Sylacauga, Alabama to have a leadership retreat! It was so encouraging! We had 41 students show up with a heart to reach their campus for Jesus. Please join us in prayer that through these students God would sweep Auburn's campus with a great revival that would in turn impact our nation and world. We have great expectations for what the Lord is going to do this year!

Here are a couple pictures from the retreat:

2009-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

Getting behind in posts is overwhelming. Africa feels like it was three years ago! Since we've been stateside, here are a few things that we've enjoyed:

Time at the lake... we especially love when we get to enjoy it with family. (My parents even got to come for the 4th of July!)

Speaking of my parents... we also got to make an ATL trip with them, so of course we checked out the Varsity's greasy burgers!

It was so sad to be away from our "son," Samford, this summer.... so we've enjoyed being around him again. He always provides a good laugh with his vibrant personality.

And finally, the thing I've enjoyed most is just being in our home! The older I get, the more of a homebody I become. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that we basically left our house as soon as we moved in. I realize that I neglected to put any finished pictures of our home on the blog... so here's a few:

This is our entry.... I have to brag on my hubby. He is an INCREDIBLE craftsman. I showed him a picture of a table I liked in Pottery Barn and he put this together from scratch. How lucky am I?! I also should add that I've been wanting a bonsai tree a couple years now... guess how long this one lasted with my any-shade-but-green thumb? A whopping two weeks.

We are already enjoying hosting in this room... I love the feeling of "home."

In case anyone who read my short-lived design blog wondered what happened with my beloved iron horse... he received the place of honor in our living room right smack dab on the coffee table. I love him even more today than the day I bought him.

Well, that's all for now folks! Tomorrow morning we are headed onto campus! First day of class is finally here! We'll be handing out Crusade cups with the football schedule to advertise for our ministry and hopefully get to meet some students. I love the fall! We wait in high expectation of what the Lord will do this year. I pray I am faithful to document it on this blog.

One Amazing Summer

2009-07-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been quite some time since we have made an entry on this blog. Hopefully since we are all moved into our new home and are done traveling for awhile, we will be able to keep up with this blog more intentionally.

This summer we had the joy of spending six weeks in Durban, South Africa. We went with 11 college students from all over the South East region to spread the good news and good deeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The summer was essentially broken up into two parts.

Part One: Campus

During the first couple weeks we were on the University of Kwazulu Natal. This campus had its beginnings in the ugly history of the apartheid. It was originally created as a campus for the Indian population (surprisingly, South Africa has the largest population of Indians second only to India itself!) When the apartheid was over, the campuses started to be integrated (with much opposition.... there were several deaths and many riots that occurred on this campus in regards to the integration) and now KZN (the campus) is about half and half Indian and Black African students with only a very small percentage of whites.

During our days on campus we would initiate conversations with students about their spiritual life. At the end of almost every conversation, we shared the gospel with the students giving them a chance to respond. We had so many amazing conversations.... most of the black South African students had grown up around church, but many were living under the assumption that their good deeds would essentially be what earned them favor in God's sight. After sharing about what Jesus did for us through His perfect life and sacrificial death to one girl, she looked at us with wide eyes and said: "I had a dream last night that someone was going to tell me about this type of spiritual freedom." What a confirmation from God that He had already been at work and we were just stepping into what He was already doing.

In all, we shared the gospel with around 300 students and saw over 25 of them trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior. What was also really cool about this was that we were able to do follow up appointments with almost every student who accepted Christ so that we could teach them how to study the Bible on their own, have assurance in their faith, know the role of the Holy Spirit in their life, etc.

At the end of the summer we had a camp that we invited all the students we met (particularly those who accepted Christ) to come to. It was a two night affair at a beautiful camp ground. Those two days were probably my favorite of the whole summer, because we got to see the fruit of what God was doing on this campus. Students from KZN who had become believers with last year's summer project were actually the ones leading the camp.... sharing their testimonies and talking about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. During one emotional women's time at the camp, Rose (a student who had just accepted Christ that week) confessed that she had been outcast by so many friends and family because of her differences from them and she felt so alone. Another student told her that now she had a group of sisters around her that would never leave her because of their bond in Jesus Christ. This was her family. The fellowship of believers continued to be a theme for this camp as many students found a group of friends who they could be transparent with and still be loved.... a place where they could grow in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Part Two: Community

The second half of our summer was spent in the township of Ntuzuma (pronounced In-tuh-zoo-muh). There we partnered with two incredible people who have been called by God to start a hospice (which they have named Ugukanye, meaning "The Light") for HIV/AIDS victims in the area. Prince is a black African pastor who became homeless as a child, learned of Jesus through a ministry that he later went back to help out with. There God softened his heart to AIDS victims and he got a call on his life to bring healing and hope to those dying of this terrible disease. He later partnered with Penny, a Kansas native who lost her ex-husband to HIV/AIDS several years ago. She, too, received a call on her life to take care of those with this disease and thus God eventually called them to work together in Ntuzuma. (The story is far longer and far much more interesting than I have the ability to tell).

Our primary job at Ugukanye was to provide man power for all the physical labor that needed to be done to get their building ready to be a hospice. We spent most of our time their washing, priming, painting, and repairing the roof. We also sanded and painted beds that will hold the future patients, organized supplies, cleaned rooms, etc. We each also got the chance to go on several home visits with Prince and care givers that are hired by Ugukanye to check on those suffering in the community. What a humbling experience. Andrew met a man one day whose body was ravaged by this disease. He and prince picked up his fragile body in a sheet and had to transport him to a clinic. The next day we were told that he died over night. It is so tragic, but death is such a common place occurance around Ugukanye. 33% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS. The prayer and mission of this hospice is not only to promote awareness, but also to provide comfort and the hope of the gospel to those in their last days before walking into eternity. It was a sobering experience to be a part of.

Needless to say, this was a life changing summer for the both of us. It is always so encouraging to travel to different parts of the world to be reminded that our God is truly a God of all nations who is mighty to save. We are continually amazed that we get to be a part of what He's doing.

For more pictures you can go to this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2112280&id=51800416&l=afaa954ad5

Design Blog

2009-02-19T09:56:00.001-08:00

I've (Elizabeth) started my own design blog! I couldn't stand the tension of wanting to blog about designing our new home and talking about our lives on this blog... so I decided the best thing to do would be to create a separate blog. I will try not to neglect this one!

You can view it here. Hope you're having a splendid day!

Africa!

2009-02-09T17:44:00.001-08:00

The verdict is in... Andrew and I will be spending five weeks of our summer in South Africa! We are so excited about helping to lead a group of students on a summer project in Durban. We have no idea what to expect, except that God will move! The first half of the project will be spent on a university campus just sharing the Gospel with the students there. The second half we will be partnering with a church to help in serving. I think this will involve working in an orphanage and AIDS ministry. This city, if I remember correctly, has the most percentage of AIDS infected people per capita. What a joy to be able to serve there!

I always thought Africa would be cool, but I never dreamed that we'd actually get to go! Speaking of... have any of you ever seen the movie "Out of Africa"? Andrew and I rented it one night randomly and I cried and cried. It is SUCH a good movie! I want to watch it again before we go... even though we're not going to be in the middle of the tundra. I like to imagine that we will be... living it mud huts, waking up to the sight of a herd of giraffes. I think our experience will be far from, but I won't consider our trip finished until I see a lion. Can't wait!!

If you want to see a good movie...

2009-02-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

...don't pass up Slumdog Millionare. I love it when acclaimed movies carry the story line of redemption. There is something within us all that yearns for old to become new, for dirty to become clean, for impoverished to become provided for, for lost to become found. I don't think Hollywood can stay away from it because it is so much a part of our being human. We know that something about this world is not quite right. Children being abused, people living in shacks, innocent being named guilty... whether we believe in an absolute truth or not-- no one can arguably say that these situations are right. We all long for those situations to be restored or made amends for.

What a joy that we can find redemption in the person of Jesus... "in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Eph 1:7). Not only redemption for our souls... but for the whole earth! I like how Revelation 21 puts it:

1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

5And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

What a day we have to look forward to! I pray that I'm a part of bringing heaven to earth right now in this moment, too.

Anyway... if you're looking for a good movie and a moving story of redemption, don't miss out on this movie! Sometimes award winning shows are a little too over my head or just push the line in general, but this one is well worth any award it wins. Go watch for yourself!

I love prints!

2009-02-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

I should be sleeping right now, but I'm up looking at fabrics! I've had such a rough time working with paint colors for our home (I went totally neutral). Therefore, I keep telling myself that I'll make up for it in the curtains! I know for a fact that I want tan linen curtains in the living room... but I want prints everywhere else! Here are some that I have found:

For the dining room:

(I found this at Hancock's 40% off!

For our master bath (possibly)... the walls are grayish blue:

The rest are just ideas for laundry room and possible back-ups for master bath. I really want the laundry room to be a fun room with a lively print. (Something that makes me want to be in there! The walls are a sage color):

This also means that I'm going to have to pull my sewing machine back out. I can't wait to learn more tricks on it... the most complicated thing I've done yet was an apron for Madelyn's birthday last year:

Hopefully this new place (and a place to sew besides my kitchen table!) will make me more motivated to do projects. I think I may make a sewing nook in our office. I can hardly wait.

An Eventful Weekend

2009-01-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

We have siding! Andrew and I can't believe how fast this is going now. I know the process will feel more slow as the interior begins, but right now I love driving up to our soon-to-be home and seeing something new every time! I wanted to show a picture...

It's hard to tell, but the color is a light gray. "Online" gray, in fact. The front door and shutters will be a dark blue name "Distance." That's one job I would like to have... naming paint colors. How do they come up with those? "And what shade of orange would you say this is?" "Oh... that's definitely a 'Horseback' orange." ??

We've had a really fun weekend. Friday night and Saturday morning were spent at Camp ASCCA in Dadeville for our Crusade leadership retreat. It was a really encouraging time to be with those students who really have their own personal ministry at Auburn. It reminded me again why it's so strategic to work with college students... these are going to be the movers and shakers of our generation. Andrew and I believe that our best chance at being a part of changing the world, at this point in our life, is by investing in these students. We love them all so much! What a privilege we have in our job.

Saturday when we got home I spent the whole rest of the day watching part of Season 4 of LOST. This is the only show I have watched every episode of... and now I am actually REwatching episodes. I never thought this would be possible. This show is captivating. I have a pretty photographic memory and I love connecting the dots... so I am beyond highly impressed with how intricate this show is. They don't miss a beat with connecting a seemingly unimportant moment in say, season one, with a life altering scene in season four! It floors me. I don't understand how they do it... They must have the whole script already written out.

Speaking of TV shows (I am going to sound like a couch potato!), but I must publicly announce my anger with abc for canceling Pushing Daisies. They better be glad that they host LOST, or I would be boycotting them completely. It definitely wasn't a show for everyone's taste, but I am willing to say that it is the wittiest show to ever be broadcast on television (and I am saying this as a fan of both Gilmore Girls and Arrested Development). Not only was the dialogue above par, the colors of the set and costumes were a masterpiece! It really was beautiful in so many ways. In 2008 it was nominated for 9 Emmys, won three and nominated for 3 Golden Globes. What happens to shows like this? So sad. I am embarrassed to say that I may have shed a few tears at the discovery... but I am imploring everyone to go rent the dvds of the first season (you can watch the 2nd on abc.com) and maybe, just maybe, they will finish out season 2 with a made-for-tv movie. That sounds terrible... but it's definitely better than living with no closure.

To end... WAR EAGLE to the Auburn women's basketball team! They are currently undefeated, and Andrew and I got to watch them talley another W this afternoon against UT. The game was sold out (quite a miracle for any AU basketball event) and they said it broke the record for attendance of a women's bball game at Auburn. It really was fun and I hope they make it all the way to the Final Four... and maybe even beyond!

The Beginnings

2009-01-17T22:15:00.001-08:00

So, this afternoon I decided to drive by our plot of land thinking to see (at the most) our foundation poured. Much to my bliss and surprise... we have the beginnings of a house! Our builders have been behind since they've started... so I was thrilled to see this. Words don't even describe what it felt like to walk in our soon to be home! More to come.

Welcome, 2009!

2009-01-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

Looking Ahead
I love the feeling of a new start... it's so fun to think about all of the great things that this year has in store! Here are some things that I am looking forward to:
* Moving into our new home! (Hopefully this will happen in March!)
* Katherine and the Uzells coming on staff with us at Auburn
* Celebrating our 2nd year of marriage!
* Going on a summer project (We have jet to be placed, but will hopefully know soon!)
* A new season of American Idol and LOST
* Fulfilling my new years resolution: reading 3 books a month. That will be 36 books at the end of the year!

Looking Behind
But because I am such a sentimentalist, I think I love remembering what's behind more than anticipating what's ahead. Here are a few of my favorite things that happened in 2008:

Kim and Nathan's Wedding! It was so fun to see two of our favorite people tie the knot.

Our one year anniversary trip to Charleston. We had a blast and I wish we could go to Charleston every year... it is now one of my favorite places in the world.

Ministry. Every day I am more convinced that I am doing exactly what God created me to do. I have loved being a part of girls' lives at Auburn and I pray that God continues to use me in His kingdom.

Allie growing up. I loved getting to see my beautiful sister at her prom. She also graduated (can't believe it!) and is a freshman in college now.

Summer Project in East Asia. This was a life-changing six weeks... God is doing huge things in EA and we were so humbled to be a tiny part of it.

Leighton coming!! I waited patiently for 9 months to meet this sweet baby, and she didn't disappoint me a bit. I love her so much!

Lazy days at the lake. We are so blessed to be able to spend so much time with family at the lake in the summers. This year was especially fun with the purchase of BIG MABLE!

Buying a house... sort of. Right now we have a piece of land and a few cement blocks... hopefully the rain will stop and the progress will pick up!

Trip to Montana! We took a trip to Whitefish, MT with Andrew's family for Christmas. It was so much fun... even though I stuck to the green run the whole time.

Christmas in Murray. I know that some day things might change, but it is such a blessing to be with my family for Christmas. And we got to celebrate in my family's new home!

We are so blessed. I am thankful for every second of 2008 and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for 2009!

2008-12-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

First, it is necessary to say that you are currently taking part in a miracle! We are updating our blog more than once in a month!

I just wanted to post some pictures of "The Cottage at Christmas." A couple of weeks ago I told Andrew that I thought it was silly to put up decorations when we'd really only be here a week out of December. The very next day I couldn't take it any longer and told him I changed my mind! Now I can't believe that thought even crossed my mind. I turn off the lights and stare at the tree every chance I get. Andrew has to drag me to bed at night and I can't even watch him turn off the tree because it makes me sad. I also make him turn them on before I get up in the morning so I'll never know that they were off. Weird, I know, but I have a strong passion for Christmas lights and I am not ashamed! So here you go....

This weekend we got to celebrate Christmas in Florence, Alabama with Andrew's grandparents, parents, and his brother and family (Patrick, Leslie, and my favorite children). Just in case you have read this blog and missed pictures or stories about the cutest children in the world (I'm not sure how that's possible).... here is a picture of Brooks and Madelyn in their Christmas pjs!

We had a blast and it made me even more excited about our trip to Montana that's only four days away! We are going to ski in Whitefish, Montana with Andrew's family and I have mixed emotions about it. I can't wait to be there with the family and I absolutely LOVE the mountains and snow (two of my very favorite things), but I really hate skiing. Mostly because I'm terrible. And the most unathletic (nonathletic? ilathletic? Not sure here. Help me out other English majors.) person in the family. It will be fun regardless!

Harwell Holidays

2008-11-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

We have officially entered into the holiday season! I've always had a rule for myself that I wouldn't start playing Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving, but I feel like I must confess publicly that I started way before this year! Harry Connick Jr. is my all time favorite Christmas crooner... and his records were absolutely begging me to play them about three weeks ago. So I gave in! And I think it's safe to say that they improved my quality of life and even gave lift to my ability to pull off my first ever Thanksgiving dinner!

Andrew and I were so blessed to host both of our parents and my sister for Thanksgiving this year. I am finding more and more that hosting is one of the top things that bring me joy.

This is the whole crew at dinner minus Mom who was taking the picture

Me and my sister, Allie posing with the set-up

Me giving Dad the picture of their new house I painted for him for his birthday

On Friday, the gals entered into the mayhem of Christmas shoppers in Montgomery. It was great to get most of my shopping done... but I have forgotten how draining extensive shopping can be. Before I moved to Auburn, the girls in my family would always start at 7:00 in the morning and shop until midnight in Nashville! I have no idea how we did it... but I'm not sure I want to do that ever again.

The treat we got after our shopping trip this Friday was seeing my two favorite children: Madelyn and Brooks! I stole this picture from Leslie's blog because it's probably the best picture of them I've seen!

Other highlights of this past month (sorry we've been skimpy on the posts!) were traveling to Orlando for a regional staff conference with Crusade. The conference itself was wonderful and it was great to reconnect with other staff, especially those that I joined with. However, if anyone ever asked for a good way to torture me I might tell them to place me in a room where I get to see Disney World everyday but can never go. That's exactly what happened.... almost Dante's Inferno-esque. It was terrible to wake up and look at Epcot out my window and know that we couldn't afford to go nor had the time. So we decided to do some Disneying for free... went to Downtown Disney, Disney Boardwalk, some Disney hotels with Christmas decorations... and even got to ride the monorail late one night with Chris and Anne Marie. It was pretty cool that we got to sit in the very front, but it was also kind of anti-climatic riding around in one big circle and only seeing the castle from a distance, not to mention it smelt like beef and cheese as Buddy the Elf would put it. But it was still fun... and if any of you know me well, you know that Toy Story is the best of best of movies on my list and I got a picture with Buzz Lightyear, so I guess it was all worth it.

The last thing to mention is that... we bought a house!! We are so blessed! It's actually a pre-sale of a house in construction in a new neighborhood in Auburn. After months of frustration, we could tell the Lord's hand was on this place. It is perfect for us and perfect for our ministry. We will be able to move in late February! I will post pictures of the process. Thanks for all of your prayers and all of your love. Andrew and I are so thankful for our family and friends. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating the Lord's goodness in our lives!

Top Ten...

2008-10-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful sister-in-grace, Leslie, reminds us every time that she gets the chance that we haven't updated our blog in over a month. I'll have to admit that one of the superficial reasons is because we can't find our camera charger anywhere and so we are sitting on zero pictures to post. Who really reads a blog without pictures? Since we are lacking compelling photographs, you are going to have to settle for an equally-compelling list. How about one consisting the top ten things that have happened in the past two months?

10. I (Elizabeth) have started to take a class at a local church called "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" and love it! (Andrew's parents caught me the one time that I decided to skip.) It really is something I look forward to all week... what I have gotten from it is all in the name: a great perspective on mission work.

9. Andrew has made the statement that his life doesn't really revolve around football! Wow! I wonder what events could have birthed that attitude? :)

8. I got to celebrate with Mom on her birthday! And had the most fabulous weekend in Murray seeing a ton of my friends, eating at Matt B.'s, feasting at Dumplin's, and even attending Mr. MSU (Where my mother happened to be the star of the show! Don't ask.)

7. We have started hunting for a home... but this is lower on the list because nothing has really stood out to us yet. Surprise, surprise: The Auburn market has not been affected like most of the U.S. and hasn't given us a whole lot to work with.

6. We've put out a hammock in our front yard that my parents got us in Nicaragua and have spent many late afternoons and Sundays relaxing and reading in the gorgeous weather.

5. We just got back from a staff retreat at which we began to put together a rough draft of a training manual for our students to debut in the Spring. It was a refreshing time to spend with our staff team, who are like family to us, and a great time to reflect about our ministry.

4. Samford is starting to stay off of the carpet on his own. I love that dog with all my heart (I promise), but this accomplishment is HUGE in my book. On this I would also like to add that we bought a new vaccuum... a super, ultra, deluxe, something or another dirt devil and it truly has brought life change. Truly.

3. Andrew took me to see Wicked at the Fox Theater in Atlanta!!!! I could go on and on, but this could have been the most amazing thing he's ever done for me. I loved every nano-second of the night and I'm not sure that I blinked once during the show. This was my first Broadway show and I think it will be hard to top. The acting, music, ambiance were all stellar. To top it off, Andrew loved it too. He will say "I LIKED it" in response to that, but he really did love it.

2. Brooks (our handsome nephew) turned one!! We had so much fun celebrating with the Harwells in Birmingham at his first birthday party. That little man inhaled his cake. He has the sweetest disposition of any baby I know (just like his big sister!) and Andrew and I love him like he was our own! It's the truth. And Madelyn was as cute as ever. Also, my beautiful sister celebrated a birthday, too! (19th in fact!) I was sorry I couldn't be with her, but she only goes out to the movies when Andrew and I come into town anyway! I love her very much regardless!

1. My parents bought a new house!! It is the most beautiful house in Murray in my opinion and they have every right to be as proud as they are. It is downtown Murray, a little white house with the most picture perfect front porch you'll ever see. The history behind it is so fun... and Allie and Dad are convinced that there is a ghost living there (but a friendly one!) We loved staying there (in Allie's loft) and can't wait to see what memories this house will be a part of.

What do you all day?

2008-09-05T12:25:00.001-07:00

The subject today is also the reason of the tardiness of this entry: School has begun! And thus, so has our ministry.

So many people ask us what our days look like in the profession we are in. I stumble a lot when people ask this, because each day varies in activities. To tell you what we did all day would be to give you a play-by-play of each week. (Which, I know, is not what you really care to hear!) So, I thought it would be good to give a taste of what our week looks like and also to catch everyone up (especially those of you who support us financially and pray for us!) on what is going on at Auburn University.

With that, I give you: "What in the world do you do all day?"

1. We spend time with the Lord. That might be an obvious, and should also be a staple in the life of every Christian... but we see it as a high priority of our job to be in the prescense of the Lord daily so that we have something to offer those that we come in contact with. Without that time, our work is done in vain.

2. We plan. We have a time set aside for ourselves and also for the team as a whole to pray about/think about strategies to put the Gospel within arms reach of every student at Auburn.

3. We disciple. Both Andrew and I have a group of 10-12 student leaders (who each have their own personal ministires) that we meet with weekly to disciple, challenge, and encourage. We cherish these times! I know Andrew would say the same about his guys, but the girls I meet with aren't your average Southern complacent Christians. They have truly grasped what it means to be a part in advancing the Kingdom at Auburn and seize every opportunity to do so.

4. We build relationships for the sake of the Gospel. Our north star that we set before us is to get the Gospel within arms reach of every student at Auburn so that they might be able to experience Christ in Gospel-centered communities. This is done through both of us being an advisor in our respective Greek organizations, pledge communities (starting next week! they inclue a three-week series we get to do with almost every Greek pledge class at Auburn!), freshmen community (same as pledge comm, just not with Greeks), and just meeting people on campus and grabbing lunch/coffee and sharing life.

5. We help plan a weekly meeting. Every Thursday night we have a weekly meeting on campus that includes social time, worship, and a great message. Andrew is on a rotation to speak at these meetings every third week. This year we are studying through the book of Matthew and the messages have been great. We normally have around 250-300 students at the meetings.

6. We have fun! Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for what we get to do with our lives. Our occupation is so rewarding... to be used by the Lord to have eternal impacts on people's lives is a joy! A lot of our time is spent just sharing life with the students. We are a relationally-based ministry... so that is a bulk of what we do. So, we have cook-outs, "Office" (TV show) parties, mug and muffin mornings, etc.

Life is good! We can't wait to share with you through this blog what the Lord does this semester.

The 8th World Wonder: The FOOD Pyramid

2008-08-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

So, Andrew and I are entering into a new phase of our life: watching what we eat. We've always been fairly health conscious. Andrew gets enough physical exercise for the both of us. I cook most of our meals... we rarely eat out. But after Andrew brought home some fish oil pills one day last week and I responded with "What is this? We need fish oil?" I realized it was high time I started researching. Sadly, my degree from Murray State did not include any nutrition classes.

Thus began my intense journey that led me face to face with the pyramid: the nutritional pyramid, that is. Have you considered what it takes to have a well-balanced diet? Okay, the grains (6 0z a day) I can do with ease. And the rest looks so simple on paper: 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk, 5.5 cups of meat/beans. But have you ever added up what you have eaten at the end of the day? It's not as easy as it sounds. You feel like you need to start adding broccoli to your breakfast menu.

And another problem we are running into with this whole health thing is money. I don't understand why the healthy items are the most expensive. I mean, $4.00 for 20 blueberries? Come on! That makes me want to go straight for the peanut butter for 80 cents! Anyway, we are trying and learning what works for us. My hope is that a well balanced diet starts to become a natural thing and I don't have to start stressing at dinner because I need to add 2 cups of vegetables and 3 cups of meat/beans to the meal. I also hope that we start to see an improvement in our our general health. I tend to be a pretty lethargic person by nature, and I'm hoping this will improve my energy level. We'll see! Other things we are adding to this "diet" are fish oil pills, one-a-day vitamins, and only drinking water with meals.

I know this was far from interesting, but if this works for us then hopefully it can be an encouragement. I don't think we have to starve ourselves to diet... I think the Lord created good food for us to enjoy, but like all things: in balance. I pray He gives us wisdom as we learn to treat our bodies better!

Brooks' Baptism

2008-07-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we had the joy of watching our nephew, Brooks, be baptized at his church in Birmingham. It was a great time of being reminded of the blessing and responsibility of raising a child under the Lord. We love our family and we are probably the proudest aunt and uncle you could find. Above is a picture of us with Andrew's parents (Mr. James and Mrs. Libby), Patrick (Andrew's brother) and his wife Leslie, and then sweet Madelyn and Brooks!

On the other side of our family, we have some world travelers at the moment. My mom and sister are currently in Nicaragua with our church back home. They are working with a local school and also an orphanage. We can't wait to hear all their stories when they return! It was Mom's first flight ever and both of their first time out of the country. I was worried about how Dad would be getting along, but I called yesterday to find him eating a grilled steak, asparagus, and baked potato. I think he's fine!

Meanwhile, Andrew, Samford and I are enjoying are summer back in America... catching up with friends and family and getting prepared for the fall when all the students will be back! We can't wait to see them again!

The Nook

2008-07-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

This past Friday night, Andrew and I had the pleasure of revisiting the place we first met: Camp Marannook! It truly was a joy as we both count our summers there as some of the best in our lives. The teaching we received, the friends we made, the values we solidified, the reality of the gospel were all priceless benefits of this brilliant place nestled away in the woods of Lafayette, Alabama (of all places!)

We were able to volunteer on Friday to help with the camper pick-up and the program/dinner thereafter. It was a blast! Stepping onto the trail that leads to Manna Deck feels just like stepping on my driveway at home in Kentucky... like I've never left. I was reminded, again, of how blessed those children are to attend and made a mental note to start saving for our future children to go!

It was also a blessing to reconnect with friends! Andrew got to visit with one of his best friends, Matthew (a fellow Murray State Racer, in fact!) who is a vital part in keeping the camp alive. And me... I had a real treat! Two girls that I had as campers for two summers in a row are now at the Nook as counselors! It made me feel old... but it also made me so proud of them to hear about how they are thriving there. The first thing they said as they ran up to me was "We are so thankful for you!" They went on to tell me the frustrations of trying to talk about the Lord with the girls as they in turn are more content talking amongst themselves about which boy is cuter. I had to laugh, and they did too, because they knew I had the same frustrations with them. My infamous line with Ramsey was always "Where is your focus?" and she said she had found herself using the phrase numerous times this summer!

It was fun to think of how Andrew and I were there together FIVE years ago (sounds like forever)... and we were just friends. We like to joke about what we would think if you told us five years ago that we would end up married. We would think you were joking.... funny how the Lord works. I'm totally glad He's in charge and not me!

... And after that we were off to my Old Kentucky Home! It was really great to visit with my family... we went because I thought I was saying goodbye to my old house, as they had put it on the market! However, the "Cottage" they were hoping to buy has been taken off the market (by a college student... don't get Mom started on it!) So it looks like for now we will return back to 138 Flint Rd. I'm happy with that. :)

Stop the bandwagon please, we'd like to join!

2008-07-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

In the beginning there was email.... then there was the discovery of instant messenger, followed by the short-lived xanga craze and wrapped up by what I thought was the end-all: facebook. I was wrong! It seems that now the flavor of the week is a blog. And we have given in!

Actually, Andrew and I are very excited about what we hope will be a great way to keep all of our friends and family updated on our lives. We truly hope to be committed to this.... but that's what we said about our webpage, too. We'll see what happens!

So, a quick update: We are so glad to be back in America! We just spent six weeks in East Asia leading a summer project of 10 amazing students. Living in dorms, learning a new language, practicing our kung fu, and sharing the gospel with those who had never heard were the elements that made up our lives for the first part of our summer. We saw 5 students experience the love of Christ in salvation, and over 60 heard the full gospel! It was truly humbling to be a part of God's plan to make Himself known to every nation.

Not only did we grow in the Lord, we just had a ton of fun! Eating with chopsticks, getting stared at and feeling like movie stars, walking on the Great Wall, playing nerts every night, reading hilarious "translated in English" signs.... who could ask for more?

The whole gang on a field trip

The girls on our project

But now we are back in the USA... eating with forks and drinking tap water. We love the summer! We especially love weekends at the lake. This past weekend we had the joy of spending time with both of our families at the Harwell's lake house. My parents and Allie came down, as did Andrew's brother Patrick and his family (Leslie, Madelyn and Brooks). We had the best weekend skiing, tubing, eating, and even doing some crafts. We love our family and it's so fun to watch sweet Madelyn and Brooks grow. I love being "Aunt E"!

My favorite little girl, Madelyn