Hillside Fellowship Church

When we were in Oregon I really wanted to visit a Vineyard Church while we were there. I did find one in Portland, but it would have been a 30-45 minute drive to get there from Aurora and after all the other driving we had already done we were feeling like another drive would suck and we wanted to go some where closer.

Shane's neighbors across the street have been doing a non-denominational church thing for a little while and they meet at the American Legion on Main Street in Aurora. I was reluctant because I knew it would be pretty small, we hadn't met his neighbors and we wouldn't be able to blend in. Everyone would know we were visiting. I know it's funny that I mention that, but as an introvert I really prefer that attention not be directed to me. In the end we decided we were both desperate for Jesus (not because the trip was bad but more because we hadn't been able to listen to Christian music or really talk about Jesus or faith, except with Adi when she brought him up, which was always a welcomed conversation from my perspective. I love talking about Jesus with Adi, and trust me, she likes to ask lots of questions about him. It's marvelous!

So off we go on our 3 block jaunt to church Sunday morning. When we got to Hillside Fellowship Church we were about 8 minutes early and no one else was there except Brian the worship leader, Zach the pastor (and neighbor) and a woman setting up who didn't tell us her name (shame on me for not asking --- I was nervous). We were so grateful that Zach greeted us as soon as he realized we were there. We chatted, met Brian and before long several others had arrived. I didn't do a head count but I'd say including children there were about 3o people there, give or take a few. It was teeny. But very homey.

They did things a bit different. We didn't worship until after the teaching which felt strange at first but it was totally amazing and well worth the wait. The teaching felt more like a bible study (which is how the church got it's roots) and it was fabulous. Zach acknowledged Cam and I during his teaching (and it felt OK - we were honored), he was animated, anointed and full of life. At the end while we were praying for the community they prayed for a safe return trip for us back to Iowa, again we were honored. We learned so much in such a short time. We took the super long way home so we could talk more about how God was stirring in us. Cam calls it the highlight of the trip. It was that good.

This experience gave me hope and inspired me. It showed me that a church doesn't have to be big to be alive (not that my church is that big at around 200). As I've gotten bits and pieces of feeling like I will one day be involved in a church plant, I felt like attending Hillside Fellowship was very much a part of God's plan to show me what a church in it's early phases can look like and I feel a lot less nervous about being a part of something like that some day when the time is right.

So I thank God for my trip to Oregon. I thank God for my family and for positioning Shane and his family exactly where they are. For connecting a few dots and leading Cam and I into an experience well worth telling about. I pray for God's favor on Hillside Fellowship Church, for more people to experience Jesus through them and blessing on their ministry, in Jesus' name.

Portland

Oregon Coast

When my brother Shane was making plans for us to come out for the holiday he asked what we wanted to do. The only thing I cared about was making sure Adi got her first chance to visit the ocean. So, the day after Thanksgiving we all piled into a vehicle and drove and hour and a half to the coastal town of Lincoln City, OR.
The weather was perfect for strolling about on the coast, taking in the enormity of the great Pacific Ocean.Surprisingly, Adi wasn't really interested in the seashells. The tide was super high when we first arrived so there weren't many to be found, aside from the occasional broken clam shell. Even though they were pretty and shiny inside, she preferred the smooth round pebbles instead.
Here's Papa and Adi. Nana and Papa took turns taking walks with her. Adi and I could have stayed forever, not everyone else was so convinced. Especially after...Nana and Papa were walking together with Adi when a huge wave came in above their knees before they could get out of it. Luckily Adi was held high and didn't get wet, unfortunately I didn't have the camera with me when it happened or I would have had a very funny video to post ;) Below you can see Nana and Papa have wet jeans. From left to right: Cam, Shane (my brother), Nana (my mom), Adi, Kris (Shane's wife), Papa (my dad).After the tidal incident, we all went to Bi-Mart so Nana and Papa could get some dry clothes. Adi and Nana also picked up some rain boots so they could wade in the water together. Adi was pretty excited about that!The ocean is such a fun subject to photograph. I love taking photos with sepia.A pretty picture of my little girl.On our walk back to the car Adi was a bit chilly so she climbed into my really large fleece jacket like a little papoose. It was very cozy.
And we couldn't resist taking photos of some of the flowers that were blooming at the coast. This splash of color was so wonderful!

First of Many Oregon Posts

First I have to say Happy Birthday to Grandma Marsha (12/1) and Uncle Travis. We thought of you on your birthday but completely failed to call... please forgive us!


So here Adi is on her first plane ride on our way to Oregon to visit my brother Shane and his family (wife Kris and step-daughter Maddy). We knew my parents were planning on being there for Thanksgiving and we didn't tell them we were coming... complete surprise for them! And woo hoo, somehow we pulled it off. They had no idea we were coming. It was hard to keep the secret so long!!

Adi's response to take off was, "wow, this is fun!" The trip on the airplane was so much more fun with Adi's excitement and enthusiasm.She didn't sleep on the first flight to Minneapolis but she finally gave up her fight against exhaustion on the 3 hour flight to Portland. We had all been up since 1:30 am Thanksgiving morning so we could get on the road to Des Moines where our flight left at 5:00 am. Sheesh, that was rough.
Adi spent a lot of time just watching the clouds and the view from her window seat. She's a big fan of flying, though she'll tell you that she didn't like the pressure part, gum didn't always help.
Boomer and Adi got along really well, it took a while for Adi to realize that not all dogs are crazy like our Ihry and she could actually pet and cuddle with Uncle Shane's dogs. Poor kid, it really made me wish we had done a better job training Ihry to behave better, especially with Adi. Maybe there's still time...Cousin Maddy's dad was in town so we only got to spend one day with her, but Adi really enjoyed the time she did have. She told me, "mommy, I really love Maddy". So sweet.

Advent Conspiracy

If you decide to spend less and give more but don't know where or how, here are a couple of my favorite organizations:

World Vision
Samaritans Purse

Giving and Ressurection

On Friday night Adi and I went out to dinner with my parents to a local restaurant. We traditionally have dinner with them on Friday nights, pretty much ever since Adi was a new born. As we left the restaurant, they had one of those cardboard boxes with lollipops sticking out and a quarter slot to donate to whatever cause it's representing. There was a couple there with an adorable little boy who so badly wanted one of those lollipops but his parents didn't have a quarter. If you are a parent or can recall being a child desiring candy you know what a big deal this can be. I wished I had a quarter to give them but I had no change, but my dad did. And he didn't even hesitate to give the child's mother the quarter just as his father went back into the restaurant to get change.

When I talk about the feeling I get when I have been so blessed that I have an opportunity to give, I don't even think about what that might look like from the outside. But Friday night I got to see it in my father. He absolutely glowed as he handed that quarter to this family, a small gift but so deeply appreciated. And my dad instantly became joyful! And as we left the entryway he looked back in time to see the father come out and wave to him in thanks. My dad glowed, and I felt proud to have him as my father, and to have him as Adi's Papa, leading by example. It was such a small event but it somehow felt like it was much bigger than it seemed. I saw this smile on my dads face, and witnessed a genuine connection between him and these strangers as he reached out to them in kindness. It was beautiful.

OK, so I was completely inspired and had Saturday all planned out to be a great family day full of giving cheer as we prepared the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes together... as a family. Here's what really went down:

Cam was irritated that I didn't wrap the shoe boxes ahead of time, because to be honest wrapping the box and lid separately is kind of challenging and time consuming. Something a 3 1/2 year old doesn't readily engage in, unless you count bonking mommy on the head repeatedly with a wrapping paper roll while mommy wraps the boxes as engagement. It kept her from steeling the gifts that were divided into individual bags according to age group and hiding them under chairs while giggling hysterically. Kinda cute and funny but not when I'm trying to also keep scissors and tape away from her so she doesn't stab someone (Mojo) or waste what little tape we have on taping the boxes shut (not exactly the idea behind wrapping lids separately!)

So where was Cam during all of this? I told him to go away after acting grumpy which threatened to ruin my holiday cheer. His tolerance level was low and I can handle either grumpy hubby or wild and crazy child but not both at the same time.

Some time later, maybe around box three of six --- there's no magic in the number 6, there were 3 age groups to choose from and both boys and girls so I chose to bless all six --- so Cam comes upstairs to inform me that there's cat puke and poop on the rug downstairs. Great, thanks for telling me.

When I finally get done, all boxes wrapped and packed (this took at least a couple of hours) I decided I'd go clean up the rug. Wrong! Cam had thrown the area rug, poop and puke and all outside in our breezeway. I had no idea of knowing where poop was originally or puke for that matter so essentially the entire rug is ruined because I don't have a carpet steamer/cleaner to clean the entire thing. By now, I'm furious because Cam didn't just either clean the crap up himself and use spot cleaner to save our rug or just wait for me to take care of it. Instead, he spazzed out and virtually throws our rug away.I was so pissed I told Cam to call our friends whom we had plans with later that evening to tell them not to come. On top of that, I realized that part of the reason I was so upset and now bawling was because I had PMS, which meant that once again for yet another month I am not pregnant. This sets me off every month and often causes a downward spiral in my mind. Sheer crappiness.

So after Adi went to bed and I was downstairs enjoying a much deserved beer, I kept eying Adi's easel which we had set up earlier in the day for her to paint (she chose to paint a burning bush, yep, the Moses kind - ha ha). I'd take a look at the easel and then look back at the t.v. that I wasn't really paying attention to because I was too irritated to do much of anything. Finally I decided I would paint. A few days ago I found photographs of the last two pieces of art I did and I realized a lot of things about my 12 year artistic quiet period... then decided it was time to break the artistic silence.

I just started painting. On regular paper. Using washable acrylic red, orange, green and blue. I had nothing in mind, just started painting freely and it was like therapy that kept getting better and better as I went. Finally Cam says, "it looks like a peacock" and of course that irritated me and I snapped, "it's not a peacock!" because it wasn't anything. But as I stopped and looked at it I realized that we were both right in a way. It wasn't a peacock but it was a bird... in the end I had painted a phoenix. I couldn't believe it.

The phoenix is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and resurrection. After living hundreds of years it engulfs itself in flames and rises again from its ashes. It is immortal. For me, it is connected to who I am in so many ways. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my name Stacey comes from Anastasia which means "resurrection". Once I saw what I had painted, not setting out to paint anything in particular I realized how close God is right now. That He sees me and is guiding me and He knows me. God took my crappy day and redeemed it.

Good Stuff