Catch up... :)

We crate in TWO days! Wow! I cannot believe how quickly all this has come up. We have been diligently working on our Visa paperwork, and the Lord has allowed most of it to be quick. Wes did get his birth certificate back from the State department of NC, telling him that they cannot validate his birth certificate, b/c it's too old. LOL! What in the world? I think if we hadn't been so stressed over the timing of this VISA stuff, we would have been rolling on the floor. The concept is just funny. What it they actually meant was that he had to order another birth certificate that was more recently printed. The good thing is that it's an easy fix. The bad thing is that it takes MORE TIME!

We found out that we had to send MY birth certificate to the county clerks office to be validated before the State would even look at it, so we are still waiting for that to go through. We do know it reached the county clerks office, so that's good. We are still waiting on getting a new copy of Wes' birth certificate, and then we will mail that to the dep. of state AGAIN. We've just received our VA docutments, so we are still waiting for the police records and Carolina's birth cert. from CA. So, that's where we are with all that. Most of it has been quicker than we expected, so please do keep praying!

We are in the midst of packing up everything we've been living with for the past 4 months, and deciding what clothes we will carry in our suitcases (well, dufflebags, is more accurate... they don't weigh as much as suitcases, so we can pack more in them.), and what clothes we will crate. It's been a MAJOR process, but we are getting closer! :) I could tell you so much about all that, but I want to go back and tell you about the last couple weeks of September. We missed those updates, b/c I didn't have much access to the internet.

First, appointment week was incredible. I think it was refreshing and relaxing to be with other like-minded friends. I don't think I can even put into words the blessing these friends have been to us. The Lord has knit our hearts together in amazing ways. When we went to Candidate Conference back in May, it seemed like most of the people there were either much younger or much older than us... but, by the end of the week, we had found a small group of our "30-something" crowd. We had just barely gotten to know each other before it was time to go. This time, we had the whole week to bond and fellowship. Wow. What a blessing the Lord has provided in these friends. There were 3 other couples that we somehow just gravitated toward all the way through the week. There were several nights where you could just find us sitting around tables in the lounge, or on the couches under the stars by the pool, just sharing our hearts... "ok, how are you guys REALLY doing?" It was so good.

I was scared to death the night of "appointment." Most of you know that I VERY MUCH dislike speaking in front of people, and we had to share a "testi-bite" (so nick-named, b/c it's actually much shorter than a "testimony"... we only had 90 words... literally.) So, I had to walk across the stage with my face on these huge video screens and speak into a microphone with spot-light on me... NOT my comfort zone. :) But, it really was amazing. I didn't trip, fall, or forget my lines. :) I think one of the highlights was worshiping with our friends... singing "These are the Days of Elijah" with hands lifted high and hearts overflowing with the power and majesty of our Savior. It was beyond words.

After such an amazing night, we came home to all our babies having the stomach flu. I won't dwell on that too much... it was interesting having all 10 people in one house sick one right after another. We made it through, but it didn't leave us a whole lot of time left (healthy) with Wes' family. We were bummed about that, but we did have Carolina's first birthday party together! She had her first cupcake, and Nanna decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons. It was too cute.

On our way back to VA, we stopped in NC again. We were able to visit a church plant, Revolution, on Sat. night. It's located in downtown Raleigh, right across the street from NC State. It was an amazing service. We loved how down-to-earth, yet how professional they were! It's an amazing atmosphere, and the people were so loving and gracious... and we got to visit with Mike (who is the pastor there) and Ginny Penry and their girls for a little bit. Mike and Ginny were friends of ours from before we were married, so that was wonderful fun. Wes had the opportunity to share a little bit and you can it check out at: www.revolutionraleigh.com. If you go onto their website and find the teaching titled "Uno" from 9/26/2009, you can hear Wes's testimony.

Then, the next morning, we went back to the Creek Church in Apex, NC. My parents drove in and we were able to dedicate Carolina Joy. :) It was so special. My sister Trisha and her husband Todd dedicated their youngest, Keira Starr McDuffee, as well. Matt Rice did such an excellent, personal time of dedication. It was a blessing for us. I think our hearts are fast feeling at home at this little church plant. It was wonderful to be among them again, and to feel their love and encouragement. Matt and Wes share such a similar passion, and they've made plans to sit down and map out a partnership over the next several decades.... yes, I said decades. This church has a VISION! It's exciting to be a part of that. They have really taken us under their wing and made us feel covered in prayer and loved. We are looking forward to seeing how God uses this partnership.

So, we are back in VA again. We are speaking in two small groups this week (well one down and one more tonight!), as well as finishing up all our crating! I will be so thankful when this is all finished. We've barely even had time to take a breath! :) It is exciting times, though. Thank you all for your continued prayers.