Here is a copy of our article that ran in the Opelika-Auburn News recently.

  Recently we received two phone calls out of the blue from old friends in Colorado. Neither of them had talked to each other in years and neither call was related. One call was from Gayle Lammers, a former colleague of Chris' when we lived in and worked in Battlement Mesa, CO.  The other call was from Ron Cloninger, the owner of the company they both worked for when we lived there in 1982-1986. They were all contracted to Exxon Corp to start up and operate the water and wastewater plants on Battlement Mesa.  Shortly after we moved there, Exxon shut down their Oil Shale facility they were developing and laid off 2000 workers on May 2, 1982. We didn't know what we were going to do for a while, but we wound up staying in the area for several more years.

What a beautiful area to live in. We owned a little house (little is no exaggeration, it was 800 sq. ft finished!) Here is what it looks like today (Thanks, Gayle for the updated pictures) :

When we lived there and look out our rear windows, this is the type of view we saw:

Truly beautiful! The area has an abundance of deer and other wildlife. Some mornings there would be 10 or more deer (big mule deer) in our yard. There was also several spots where wild asparagus would grow in the spring. We would take the kids down to the riverbank and pick 30-40 lbs of asparagus and freeze it for later. Yummmm!

Shortly after Exxon shut down, we moved to Rifle, CO just a few miles down the highway. While we lived there Brenda operated a licensed child day-care in our house. It was great getting to know everyone in that small community. At one point she had children from several teachers, the Garfield County School District's Superintendent, a local police officer, a city council member, the local County Health nurse and the local game warden. We knew everything about everybody!!

In 1986 we moved to New Jersey for a year while Chris worked in Philadelphia. In 1987 we moved to Alabama. For the next twenty years we lived in our house in Pelham. Earlier this year we began a new chapter when we moved to Auburn and started our business in Opelika. We love living life in a small(er) town environment.

We've only been here a few months but have fallen in love with the area. The people, the history, everything - we just love it. We are set for the next twenty years!

Our business is going well, we are still very much in the start up phase but getting calls on a regular basis so we are very excited and encouraged.

Last Thursday night we went with Rhiannon, Kali and Kassidy to a play about the life of Laura Wilder. The performers were all students, elementary to college, but they did a wonderful job. Kassidy was quite excited to get the autographs of several of the actors after the play.

We've also enjoyed Music in the Park and Noon Tunes in downtown Opelika with Elisha, Daniel and Anjali and Jaiden. They are both growing up so fast!

A couple of weeks ago we were very excited to get a visit from several old friends, Greg & Renea Karr, Matt & Jessica Powell, Ron & Debbie Powell and George & Kathey White came down on a Sunday morning to visit. We were able to go to church together, then out to lunch at Good ol' Boy's restaurant. After lunch we took them to our office and we just hung out for most of the afternoon. We really enjoyed their visit.

Things are still going great at the church. We still have to pinch ourselves occasionally to make sure we are really able to be a part of what God is doing in Auburn/Opelika. We are very excited about the upcoming series called OnePrayer coming up in June. If you are not aware of what that is, you should check it out at OnePrayer.com. It's really very exciting. We are going to use it as a basis for our small groups during the summer semester.

So, that's a quick update for now - more later.

Play Time

Rhiannon with Kade, Kassidy and Kali

Anjali & Poppy

Anjali swingin' with Mica

Anjali & Poppy in the Park

Poppy & Mica with Kade and Kali

Kali Rose 

Jaiden, our little Chunky Monkey

Wow - Just saw this on Craig's blog it was too good not to pass on:

Accountablity:

When the gospel first came to Africa, some of the early converts became so passionate about prayer that they built their own private prayer huts. Each hut was set aside for just one person, and a path used only by that person led up to its door.

If someone neglected the loving discipline of prayer, guess what happened. Grass would begin to grow on his or her path.

The straying brother or sister’s best friends were those with the courage to say, “I love you, and I see there’s grass growing on your path.” In other words, I love you enough to correct you. You’re not doing what God has called you to do.

Who loves you enough to point out the overgrown paths in your life? Who will help hold you accountable with your New Year’s resolutions?

Israel Jane, Matt Campbell, Dan Atchison, Shawn O'Brien
(Unfortunately, Tal Hayes could not make it.)

Back to the beginning! Four members of Birmingham Master's Commission very first year. Once an MC, always an MC - they all gathered together to go visit Pastor Sims in the hospital after his operation.

What a great Christmas. In addition to the event mentioned above, we were able to get all the kids and all the grandkids together at our house this year. With our planned move, this will be the last Christmas we will be in this house. (After 20 years here!)

We actually celebrated Christmas on the 26th - everyone arrived at different times during the day. We cooked all day and ate a fabulous meal, then just enjoyed our time together. After dinner we all opened presents, it was great fun watching all the little ones squealing in delight as the gifts came out. Finally things settled down and we all crashed. With our three children, their three spouses, six grandkids, Brenda's parents, and us, we had bodies lying everywhere at bedtime!

The next day, Chris had to go back to the project in Selma but everyone else stayed. Later that day, Sean took Kali and Kade home with him and Rhiannon and Kassidy stayed for the weekend. Late that afternoon Elisha, Daniel, Anjali and little baby Jaiden left for Opelika.

Israel, Erin, Ava, Rhiannon, Kassidy and Brenda all headed out early Friday morning for Krispy Kreme to have a warm and healthy breakfast (complete with the little hats!) Later, Rhiannon, Brenda and Kassidy left for a day of shopping and Israel, Erin and Ava went to have lunch with Austin & Shaunda Brown. Late that afternoon, Chris returned from Selma to join all the fun. That evening Dan, Matt and Shawn came by for a few minutes before they all headed out to the hospital. Pastor Sims is such an important figure in all their lives (and hundreds of others!) that they knew they had to show up to support him. The rest of us stayed home and watched Christmas movies.

Saturday morning Israel, Erin & Ava had to head back to FL - a long drive. Rhiannon and Kassidy stayed over one more night. That evening, we took Rhiannon and Kassidy to the movies to see Enchanted. We all enjoyed the movie and the fun.

Sunday morning we all loaded up and headed to Auburn for church. We had a great service, Billy Hornsby, Pastor Chris' father-in-law spoke and the message was great, as always. After the service we went to Sean & Rhiannon's for lunch, then back home.

As the holiday season winds down, we look excitedly toward 2008 and all that God has in store for us this year. Chris has already submitted his resignation, effective January 11. Then we will head to Dayton, OH, to the Comfort Keepers headquarters for training for our new business. Once we get back from that we have a little over a month to pull everything together to get this business going. We also have to sell our house and buy another during this time, so there is much to do, but we look forward in gratitude for all that God has done. We also are thrilled with the prospects of being in close proximity to five of our six grandchildren (and at least closer to Ava!)

God is good, all the time. And now, the Christmas pictures, 2007:

Little Baby Jaiden, Our best Christmas present!

Big Sister, Anjali in her reindeer best!

Ava & Hannah Montana (Kassidy)

Erin, Ava, Israel

Carson & Juanita (GG Pa and Marmie)

Elisha and Jaiden

Anjali & Daniel

Kassidy and Ava (tuckered out), GG Pa and Marmie

Present time!

Elisha, Daniel & Anjali

Rhiannon, Ava, Israel and Kassidy - chillin' with Christmas movies!

THE Tree!

Frosty!

CHRISTmas blessings from our family to yours. May you have a blessed New Year.

ANNOUNCING!

Our miracle grandbaby - Jaiden Aticus Juarez was born on December 4 - weighing in at 5lb, 15oz.
(Gotta love the hair! )

Proud parents: Elisha & Daniel Juarez

Thank you, Lord! Although little Jaiden was a few weeks early, and gave us a little scare the first few days of his life. While his weight was very good for a preemie, he had a little trouble getting enough oxygen and was breathing very rapidly. After a few days the Dr.s were concerned enough that they were considering sending him up to UAB for further treatment. But we called in the big guns - prayer support - and literally overnight, God touched his little body and put all things into order. A few days later he was released to go home with his mom & dad. A few pics:

Big sister, Anjali is fascinated by her little brother.

"Mica" has hardly stopped smiling since he came home.

Anjali making sure Mica is holding him correctly!

Now, on to our other big news! Something we have been wanting to share for a while now but had to get a few things in order first. Years ago, when we were involved with a marriage ministry, the Directors of the ministry, Mike & Marilyn Phillips wrote an article titled, To Everything There Is A Season. That article changed our lives. In part they said:

 “For I am the Lord, I do not change . . .” Malachi 3:6  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
     “Change is never easy. There’s just something in us that yearns for things to remain constant. Maybe that is why it is so important to know that our God is unchanging.
     The older we get, the more we appreciate these scriptures. All other factors in our lives change. Our marriage changes, our children change, our jobs change, the weather changes, our bodies change, and our thinking changes. The Lord is the only constant in our lives.
     Someone once said that it is easy to serve Jesus as long as you can see the shoreline. But, when Jesus says, “Let us go out into the deep,” and the shoreline disappears, total trust and commitment must be in our hearts.
     Long ago the Lord told us, “Know what to embrace and what to release.” That is the key to leaving the shore.
     Each one of us must face that decision as we stand upon the shore. Were we saved that we might enjoy the beach, or were we created for good works in Christ Jesus? Too many ships are moored in the harbor while their occupants frolic in the sands of comfort. Although the beach is fun, the real adventure awaits those who are willing to slip their moorings and glide out into the unknown waters.
     Change is inevitable. How we handle it is what determines the depth of our character. With each step of obedience, the waters will grow deeper. The winds will change, the waves will change, the weather patterns will shift, and the crew will turn over again and again. Only our Captain will remain unchanging as He faithfully teaches us to navigate the unknown.
     To some it too frightening to even risk trying, to others it is too dangerous to venture. But, to those who have sailed the high seas at His direction and have known the challenge of faith and the exhilaration of victory, nothing that the shore offers can ever again compare.”

These words encourage us again now as we take another step out into deeper water. Chris has submitted his resignation to the company where he has worked for the last 20 years (!) and we have listed our house in Pelham for sale and are preparing to move to the Auburn/Opelika area early next year, where we will start our own business. Wow – talk about change!
      But we know this is the direction that God has called us to and we are confident in His leading. And, even though we will be moving over 100 miles from where we now live, we won’t have to change churches! That’s a definite plus.
     So, we will keep you informed through future posts as to our progress. If you are interested in knowing about the business we will be starting in Auburn/Opelika you can click here. If you would like to read a recent article about the business from the Birmingham News (an article about the owner of the same business in Alabaster) you can click here.
     Life with Christ IS the Great Adventure. Oh, some other words that have encouraged us through the years were written by Elizabeth Elliot after her husband was murdered by the very Indians he came to minister to: 

 "The frontier lay before us.  "Therefore have I set my face like a flint" were words from Isaiah which held me steady when I first decided to go to Ecuador, and they held me steady this time as well. Obedience to God was the reason for this journey.
      It was a good thing for me to remind myself of the reason because, on top of everything, it was really great fun.  It was an adventure and held the thrill of adventure, and if I put my mind on the things set before rather than on the things that were behind, I had no sense whatsoever of gritting my teeth and doing the thing I disliked.  It was the thing I was made for and I was full of gladness."