Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Ephesians 2:7-10 The Message

Sunday, April 19, 2009

What a Great Day!

Today was a wonderful day. First off, the sun helped tremedously. I love spring, with the flowers blooming. We mowed the yard yesterday (well, Grady did) and I love the fresh cut grass smell. A lot of people are burning their brush piles from the winter and from spring clean-up and everyone is getting out in the sunshine. It makes our evening walk take a little longer but it is nice to be able to visit with people over the fence.

This morning we had a guest during worship. A Country Christian Musician by the name of Charlie Walker. He was very encouraging as he shared his music and life stories with us. We took him to lunch after church and several people from church were there too so it gave us a chance to also get to know some more of our congregation.

I took the kids over to the store to get ice cream and visited with the owner for quite awhile. He gave me an earful of history and once the snow is melted told me he'd tell us some areas where we can go exploring.

Tonight at Bible Study we had a great time in Philippians and sharing with each other. And then of course the fellowship afterwards. Butch is all fired up now to get his WA Driver's License so he can get his hunting license. One of the ranchers wants Butch to go Turkey Hunting with him. We found out the season goes until May 31. Our new DL will be a snap to get since it's only been 3 years. We are still in the system so they won't have to take a new picture or anything. We just have to prove residency which is the challenge:)

So the news from Glenwood is good. We are excited to be here and look forward to growing our ministry here as we get to know people. We have been well received by the people in the community and look forward to the many opportunities to get plugged in.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Jen's Scrappin' Spot

In an effort to compartmentalize (is that a word?) my life I have created a blog for my Close to My Heart business. This new blog is called Jen's Scrappin' Spot. For those of you who are interested in Close to My Heart products and information about my business, please save this site in your favorites.

In the coming months you will find lots of exciting things, as time allows, including an online craft club where you can win prizes while using your Close to My Heart products.

Look for pictures of my current projects as well as information about Close to My Heart specials, such as the current Tickled Pink special for National Scrapbooking Month, which starts today!

This new blog is still in its infancy so bear with me as I get it going, dial-up is slowing down the process greatly. As is meeting lots of people in our new community:) We all have busy lives and it is my prayer that even in the midst of busy-ness, we would each remember to take time for ourselves. Creating is a passion of mine and as I carve out time to create, I hope that you will too!

Blessings

Monday, April 13, 2009

Pictures from Glenwood

I posted these on facebook and then remembered not everyone is on facebook:) More will come soon. On dial-up it takes a little longer to upload!



After taking a picture of this sign, we found another one where we might be able to get Mt adams in the background. The next sunny day...

Mt. Adams (we can also see Mt. Hood from our yard)



The Parsonage. It's a stick house, yay!!!!
The church and the sign that welcomed us!

The restaurant across the street. They have good food, a small store, gas station and a motel.


I'll take pictures of the inside once the rest of the boxes are out of the way. I just have a few left.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Adjusting to life in Glenwood

I don't think it has completely set in yet that we are here to stay. Sunday I actually got to just "Go to church". I know it won't last but at least for a little while I get a rest from any Sunday morning duties. We have been busy getting to know our new congregation.

Today an older gentleman took us out for a tour of Glenwood. He showed us where a lot of the church people live, gave us some history of the valley and showed us some sites we might not have found on our own. It was an enjoyable day.

The kids started school today. I think even though we tried to prepare them for the smallness, it caught them a little off guard. There are 7 6th graders, 5 9th graders and Grady wasn't sure how many 10th graders. Grady's math is messed up because he was taking Geometry and they only offer it here every other year. I'm not sure how that will work out! There are 6 or 7 kids they said in the High School band, and Becca said there were about 14 or 15 (pretty much all the middle school) in the Middle School band.

Becca decided to try track so we'll see how that goes. The coach said she has potential for Pole Vault. Today she tried high jump, shot put and javeline.

Our house is nice and big, with a recent major remodel. I am finding joy in some of the smallest things, water that tastes great out of the tap; the washer on the left of the dryer so the dryer door is out of the way; green grass and big pine trees; a breathtaking view of Mt Adams and a peak at the top of Mt Hood when I look outside. Wal-Mart is only an hour away and I can shop at Fred Meyer once again. Winco, Costco and Kohls are only 2 hours away in Portland.

The dog and cat seem to be adjusting well although we thought the cat was lost. I had taken him out on the cat leash a couple of times, then I took him out and stayed with him. Then he was being a pest Saturday night so out he went at 1:30 AM. We didn't see him until Sunday evening just before bed time. Sandy is eager to make new friends with everyone who walks by our house and there are a couple of dogs next door who have greeted her!

I have been taking pictures and so has Butch so my goal for tomorrow is to load my photo editing software on his computer so I can make the pics smaller an share them. Since we are on dial-up for now I have been putting off uploading pictures because I know it will take forever!

Thank you for praying or us durng this transition.God is certainly in the midst of it. We are looking forward to what he has for us here. Our first task is getting to know our new church family! Look for pictures in the next few days.

Blessings