Life has been really good at the Yates household.  Our little guy is now 1 month old.  We are starting to get into a new "normal".  He has truly blessed our lives so much.  There are still times when I look at him and can't believe that he is really here.  He is getting bigger every day.  We took his 1 month picture on Friday and he was able to hold his head up on his own. He has even found a way to roll over on to his side.  It freaked me out the first time but now I am just impressed at how much he is learning and how strong he gets every single day.  Everytime I hold him it feels just like the first time.  This month we are also celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary, Brandon's first Father's Day, my 25th birthday and Brandon's 27th birthday.  I still have a month and a half of maternity leave before I go back to work and I am enjoying every single day of it.  It amazes me that before Jude was here I couldn't imagine what our life would be like with him and now I couldn't picture our life any other way.  We are so in love with him.  

The New Adventures of Peanut Butter & Jelly

On Tuesday, May 8th at 2:08PM our lives were forever changed by the arrival of our beautiful son, Jude Michael Yates.  I never imagined that I could have so much love for anyone until the moment I met my son for the very first time.  He is so much more than I could ever have imagined and I am just overwhelmed with love for him.  Jude has only been here for 1 week and already I see him changing and growing.  I take in every little breath, every smile and every little whimper.  We have been so blessed by our little man look forward to every moment we get to spend with him.  We couldn't be happier!!!!!

To My Son

To My Precious Little One, 

As I patiently wait your grand arrival into our lives I can't help but to think over the past year and 9 months.  I am reminded of the countless prayers.  The conversations I would had with God asking him to give me a child.  The nights that I would cry thinking it would never happen and then a promise that I help on to for so long.  I remember the night I dreamt of you and knew that it was from the Lord.  That is was a promise to me that one day I would see your face and hold you in my arms.  I knew that one day I would be blessed with one of life's greatest gifts.  I remember praying over you even before you were conceived knowing that even then God had a great plan for your life.  And now, after months of preparation and lots of prayer, I sit, patiently awaiting your arrival.  Awaiting the moment when my life will forever be changed.  When I can hold you close and tell you how I have waited for you.  How I love you so much.  How you are an answer to my prayers.  My little Jude, I already love you more than words can express.  I am excited for the new adventure that you will bring to our lives.  Always remember that we love you so much but more importantly, that God loves you so much more than we ever could and he has set you apart for greater things.  You have been called and chosen for something great.  Never turn away from God and he will continue to make your path straight.  I love you and I can't wait to meet you.  

"I prayed for this child and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him" 1 Samuel 1:27

What's In Your Bag?

I, like most women, carry my purse with me everywhere I go. It holds everything I need to get through each day. My wallet, cell phone, car keys, lotion, hand sanitizer, pens, check book and other miscellaneous items. I probably do carry around a lot of unnecessary items but they are all things that I feel I cannot live without. I would be so lost without any of the items I put in there, but in reality my well being is not dependent on the items I carry in my purse.

I just recently learned about a group of women in Uganda that also carry a bag around with them. They too carry around a lot of items in their bags. The difference between my bag and theirs is that within their bags, they really do carry items that can mean life or death for a person. Many families in their surrounding are so desperate for what these women carry around but they cannot afford to obtain these items for themselves. So, who are these women and what is it they carry with them?

Uganda's poor recount how Living Goods has changed their lives and improved their health. from Living Goods on Vimeo.

These women belong to an organization called Living Goods. They are the 639 female leaders that make up the Community Health Care Promoters team. And what is it they carry around. Some of the items are: 1) Household water filtration kit 2) Malaria nets 3) Solar lanterns 4) Medicines: cough syrup, amoxicillan, malaria treatments, deworming pills, vitamin A 5)Mama Kits: bedsheets, rubber gloves, antiseptic and a razor blade to cut the umbilical cord.

Living Goods is an organization that is recruiting and training female leaders to become Community Health Care Promoters (CHPs) in their local communities. These women earn an income selling affordable health care products. Every minute, 3 children die because they lack access to simple medicines that cost less than a cup of coffee. Living Goods is working to put a stop to this. They currently have 639 CHPs in Uganda caring for approximately 700 people. They also make house calls to pregnant mothers and small children. Their goal is to have 5,000 women across multiple countries in the next 5 years. This would allow them to care for approximately 3 million people. The CHPs not only care for the families and sell them affordable medical supplies, they also educate them on health care basics like washing your hands. They are making an impact in their surrounding areas and, with your help, can one day make an impact on the world. How can you help?

The Adventure Project is teaming up with Living Goods and helping them raise money to train new CHPs and provide them with their own supply bags. They are selling these very cute bags to help Living Goods accomplish their goal. I just ordered mine today and I can't wait for it to arrive! It's my way of giving back. So what are you waiting for? Check out The Adventure Projects website ( http://theadventureproject.org/ ) and get informed. Also, don't forget to spread the word!

Moving On......

I feel as if now is a good time to update everyone on all of the changes going on in our lives. It really has been an adventure but through it all God has once again reminded us of how great He is and how much He truly loves us.

To start out, there have been a lot of changes in the youth ministry. We have hired a new middle school director, Andrew. He is totally awesome and loves youth. He is a friend of Nathan and Brooke's from Texas. He is just graduated from Christ for the Nations and we are really excited to welcome him to our team. With Andrew joining us, Brandon and I are moving from middle school to high school. This is an exciting and challenging change for Brandon and me. I know for me personally this transition has been challenging me more to seek out my role in the ministry and to really develop myself more as a leader. During my quiet times with God, He has really begun to speak to me and give both Brandon and me direction in our next step.

With the changes in the youth ministry, we have been going through a transition in our home. Last Monday morning I met with my boss and resigned from job at Shur Sales & Marketing. After much prayer and thought, Brandon and I both decided that it was time for me to move on. I really wanted to have more time to spend in the youth ministry and I really felt God tugging on my heart to take this step. Coming to this decision was a huge test of trust for me. I knew it was something that I needed to do but from a financial aspect it really didn't make much sense. I really fought God but in the end it really came down to how much I truly trust Him to provide. And he really did!

Which leads me to the other change. As I am writing this I have goosebumps. God totally provided for our family. Within a week of giving my 2 weeks notice, I found and awesome job with perfect hours. I will be a nanny for a family I just met. They have 2 very sweet children ( a girl and a boy). Along with that, a good friend of ours offered me a job helping with his web design company. I can't even expressed how overwhelmed by God's goodness I am right now. I don't thing I have fully taken it all in yet. It still feels like a dream.

Our final transition (for now) is that Brandon is going back to school. I am very excited about this as I know he is too. He will be attending the The Rock School of Ministry starting in September. I am so proud of him! I know he is so excited to go back to school. It has been something that he has talked about and dreamed about for a while and now he actually gets to do it.

All of changes and decisions did not come easy. Looking back to the beginning of all of this, there have been so many prayers and tears over the past few months. Our lives have truly been an adventure. Change is both sad, scary and exciting all at the same time but I am so glad that God knows more than I do. My old youth pastor said something once that has really engraved itself in my heart. The Bible tells us that God is the lamp at our feet. David (my old youth pastor) explained it this way. If you think about a lamp, it only lights up a few steps. It doesn't necessarily light up the whole road. You may not be able to see the end of the road but sometimes those first few steps are all you need to see. As you take each step, another one is revealed. I know the desires and passions that God has placed in my heart. I know what He has called me to but at times its scary to take just that one step that He has revealed because I can't see the end. Each step has its own trials, challenges and scary moments but I have found that after taking each step, my reasons that were holding me back seem so small and unimportant. I end up with a stronger faith and things become more clear. As long as I continue to trust Him to be my lamp, and I keep moving forward, He will always show Himself to be faithful. He is always watching out for me and He always makes things work together for my good. He loves me. Even if I take a step in the wrong direction, He is there to guide me back to the right path.

"This I declare about the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him" - Psalm 91:2

WORLD WATER DAY 2011: TypeTAP

Have you ever thought how simple water is? How easy it is for you to go to the sink and fill up a glass of cold, clean water? Have you ever thought about the millions of people who don't share that same luxury? Well, they are out there and many of them are dying due to diseases caused by unclean drinking water.

The Middle Schooler at our church have seen this need and have decided to team up with The Adventure Project to help fix this problem. They have not only raised $1000 in 2 months, but they have been and ispiration in our church. I am in awe of how the "tweens" have stepped up to the challenge and realize that they can make a difference. They are changing the lives of people in India who they will never meet and you can too!

Since today is World Water Day, The Adventure Project has set a goal of rasing $10,000 to aid in bringing clean water to the people of India. If you would like to help them make a difference click here and make a donation today or you can click here to purchase a bar of soap. All proceeds will go to help bring clean water to villages in India.

Thank you all so much for your support and for caring for the "least of these". Happy World Water Day!!!!!

Footprints In The Sand

This week has been a very stressful and emotional week for me. On Saturday night my dad came in from Texas with his wife and their kids. I knew that this visit was coming and I was fine with the idea of him being here but on Sunday morning when I actually saw him for the first time since I married (2 years ago) all the emotions came flooding back. I was a wreck. All I could do was cry. My situation with my dad is very hard for me. He did so much in the past that hurt me deeply and everytime I see him I am reminded of all the hurt he caused. The thing that irritates me the most about him being here is that I have overcome all the hurt that I had. I have come a long way in the last few years and I know that I have my Papa God who will never leave me. I know this deep down but it feels that when my dad is around, I take steps back and I let him get to me. It's like I am back in that place again and I am hurt all over again.

During worship on Sunday, a poem came to my mind that I as sure you all know. It was the "Footprints in the Sand". While I think this poem is a little cheesy, it is exactly what I needed. During the time in my life when I was dealing with all the crap in my life, God really was carrying me through everything. I was reminded that even though my earthy dad wants nothing to do with me, my Heavenly Father wants nothing more than to spend time with me and hold me in His arms and tell me how much He loves me. This just overwhelmes me. He reminded me that I have overcome through Him. Even though things in the past still hurt a little and I still cry every now and then, that doesn't mean I am still in that place. It just means I am human. I have emotions.

Just like the poem, when I look back on my life and see that there is only one set of footprints, it's not because God walked away from me, those are the times when he carried me through. When he was my strength when I was weak. I thank God everyday that He loves me so much. I pray that my dad would one day understand this love that God not only has for me but for him as well. I do hope that one day my dad and I can have a relationship. That we can reconnect. But until that time, I know that my God will be by my side always.

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."