Time for rest...

I woke up at 8 am for the first time in a long time today. I actually got to sit with my huge cup of coffee and sip it slowly while watching the morning shows. This is what it feels like to be on break and I love it! How needed it was!

Update (because some have asked): The kids loved their lunchbags, but I think their parents were more impressed than they were. A handful brought them to school yesterday with their lunch or snack in them. They were so cute!

One of the perks of this job (other than a summer off) is the Christmas gifts. Yesterday I received a plethora of gift cards (the best being $50 to the mall), stationary, Carolina picture frame, and tons of candy. Most of all I got the sweetest letters about how much they love me. When you get so frustrated with them, it is time like this that remind you that you are making a difference.

So now its time to prepare for Christmas! We're leaving for RM today to be my family until Christmas day then will travel to Boone to be with J's family. I love Christmas! I love the traditions, the time with family, the music, the sights, the sounds....and well the presents too!

If I don't post again, I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas!

It is finished...

Ladies and Gentleman, I am estactic to report that I have finished all 21 lunch bags. The road was long and tough but I persevered and I finished strong. Here is a picture of just a few just to give you an idea. They are green and gold for our school colors and each is personalized with their name. You can't see it put inside there is clear plastic, in case of spills. They have velcro on them so you can roll them down and close them. (The middle one is open). Take a good look at them because they will not be repeated next year. :)

In other news, Jennifer Orr is now Mrs. Vincent! I traveled back to RM this weekend to witness the joyous occasion. Also this weekend, I am proud to say that Appalachian State won the I-AA Football National Championship again. They now have back to back trophies thanks to some awesome freshmen. I think it was totally because of the yelling of two rowdy fans who stood behind the field goal to cheer them on...haha Jeremy and BP. :)

Tonight we had the pleasure of having the Brookins over for dinner. Their newest addition is just the cutest thing ever. I had to take a picture of him and I've included it here for your viewing pleasure. :) He's so precious!

March 1997

What was going on in March 1997? Evidentally people were very busy making babies! This week I have had 5 kids with a birthday all in consecutive order. For those of you who don't remember, when you have a birthday in elementary school your mom sends in cupcakes for the whole class so yes you guessed it! We have had cupcakes for snack for the last 5 days!!! What in the world?! The kids are already hyper enough with the holidays and now you throw some more sugar on top of that!? Crazy times! Please Dec. 21st 4:00 pm, please arrive quickly!

Surprise weddings and unusual gifts

This weekend was one of surprises. Have you ever showed up to a party and someone was like "Surprise! We're getting married in about an hour!" Yeah I never had until this weekend. Tudor is quite the sneak and invited us over for a "Christmas party". As we arrived, we noticed that she was in a white dress and there was a lot of older people there but I never really thought to question the party. As Toot and I were talking, I asked her when the big wedding was and she was like, "Um...today!" I was like what!!! She said yeah in about 30 mins. I was utterly shocked to say the least! I felt so bad because I was getting ready to tell her we had to leave because we had to go to family function. So feeling incredibly akward, we tried to gracefully bow out before the ceremony started so that we would not be a distraction later. I felt so bad for missing the real meaning of the party and not being able to stay. So Toot, if you read this, I'm extremely sorry we missed your big event but we excited for you! Congrats!

And the surprises keep coming......so tonight we go to our Young Married Christmas party and as always play the Yankee Swap/White Elephant/Dirty Santa game where you bring a present and get a number and take your turn drawing a present. Well if you know my husband, he likes to play jokes and laugh so he decide we would bring an adult set of footie pajamas that glows in the dark. I mean these pjs were great when you were 2 but eventually grow out of them but not now! Thanks to Target you too can have a pair. Well they were hit of course and they were stolen and tried on many times. See the pictures below of Derek and Dustin trying them on.

Well the big surprise came when the Alipours came in with a gift that had to be refrigerated. We were like, "Yay a cake or maybe ice cream". So Spence being the bold one he decided to open the present. As he slowly opened the gift, the look on his face was priceless (after he realized exactly what it was.) To his surprise, it was a real live lobster with a leash!! Yes the Alipours brought a live lobster! It was awesome. See the picture! Needless to say it was a fun exchange and we ended up with awesome placemats and dipping bowls from Thailand. I was pumped!

It's now time for bed to rest up for another week of school. For those who are keeping track: 9 days of school until break and 7 more lunch bags to sew. :)

Tell me don't....

the next time I want to sew a Christmas gift for my 21 kids next year. A hobby that I loved has now turned into a big frustration. From jammed sewing machines to fabric that doesn't match... I have about hit my limit. I have about half of them done, which is good, but I'm about spent.

In other news, I am now a quarter of a century old and I had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to everyone who sent IMs, emails, and called to wish me a happy birthday. It meant the world to me!

Also, I am taking volunteers to come take over my class. With the holidays so close, the children have gone crazy and we are all just ready for a break. So anybody want to switch jobs with me? :)

Prayer Request

Please pray for one of my students Robert, whose mother tried to attempt suicide tonight. Pray for their family during this hard time and for me that I would able to help him through this.

Thanks!

Why do I take on so much?

The Christmas season is always a busy time of year but this year it seems over the top! We have an event every weekend (both nights) and sometimes more than one event a night. We all know I am such a planner but even I slipped up and planned 2 things on the same night.

Not only do we have events planned, we throw in Jeremy's exams, progress reports for me, and the normal planning. I made matters worse by trying to be super teacher. Let me explain, the kids are obsessed with the fact that I sew and have nagged me from day 1 to sew them something so I thought I would sew their Christmas present. So now I'm up to my ears in fabric and lunchbags. That's right..I'm sewing each of my 21 kids a lunch bag. It's really cute but I don't think I really thought about how long it would take to sew 21 bags when I started. Jerm has been a gem tonight and has helped me cut and iron out all the kinks I came across. We'll see how it goes...I post a pic when their done.

Jeremy also gets another shout out b/c he and my parents got a me a terrific birthday present. (My birthday is Tuesday, the 5th for those who care). Well my mom will be out of town on business this week so we celebrated early on Saturday. They got me the cutest little red IPOD nano. Now I wouldn't normally pick out a red object (as I tend to associate it with State and my heart yearns for the baby blue) but I love it!! By buying the red IPOD, Apple contributes $10 to the AIDS campaign in Africa. If you know me at all, you know how obsessed about Africa and how excited that my present can help in some way. So THANKS Jerm, Mom, and Dad!!! :)

In other news, BP is coming to stay with us this weekend and I'm excited to have some time to hang out with him. I love my little brother and it's funny how now I can't seem to hang out with him enough. It's funny how time changes relationships...when we were younger I couldn't stand being with him b/c he was aggrevating and annoying. Now I can't wait to see him again and hang out with him. (Mental note: another thing for the to do list----clean the house before Friday).

Alright, I've wasted enough time...back to sewing. :)

Missionary in your own town

As I wrote in my last blog, I've really been struggling with our future ministry plans. Scripture says "Go unto the world and make disciples of all the nations." Growing up in the church, you were made to believe the elitest Christians went overseas to be missionaries and still to this day in the back of mine I still feel this way. As our friends are talking about going overseas I feel like were not as "spiritual" as them because we haven't been called overseas.

But today JD helped to remind me that we are all uniquely made and as well we all have unique calls. The Lord has called each of us to have a mission focus and to use our God-given talents and skills to further His kingdom. Did you know that 80% of the the countries in the world are closed to missionaries but are open to businessman, educators, artists, etc? We are to use our talents to spread the Gospel where we are. God uses us as His tools to spread the Gospel within our vocations. We don't have to be working in a church or overseas to be doing the Lord's work. We are to be a demonstration of how the world should be and what the kingdom of God looks like.

As I think about his sermon today, I also think about what am I doing to further the kingdom here in US? Why do I think it's so much easier to cross the ocean and tell other countries of Christ's love but I can't tell those that I work with what He has done in my life and how He has changed me. I think I need to change my focus now; I need to realize that I have a mission field right here and the Lord has called me to be a teacher and He is using me to further His kingdom.

I praise the Lord for His patience with me. I realize that like a child, it takes many repetitions for me to finally learn it. He never gives up and He pursues me even when I put up a barrier between us. Friends who read this, I pray that you know the Lord. I pray that you know that He loves you and desires to know you and to be known by you. He sent His only son to die for you and your sin. We are all sinners and are all in need of a Savior. I pray that you have found him. If you haven't, let's talk please.

Have a great night friends!

Everybody has a plan..

but us I feel like. As our time here in seminary continue to dwindle now, people are looking towards the next step. Many are being lead to the mission field or towards a certain region of the US. So you may be asking, "So Shannon, what are you guys planning on doing?" and I would say, "Great question, got any ideas?"

I, being a planner, want to know and have it all planned out, but the Lord doesn't want me to have it all planned out. He is teaching me to be patient and realize that His plan for us is great and He is going to use us in a mighty way.

Still it's hard for me to see friends (especially one I have gotten really close to) planning to leave the country. JD has been preaching these last few weeks on our global vision and reaching the ends of the earth with the gospel. He really challenged us to say, "Lord, I'm going to go unless you stop me" instead of "Lord, I'll go if you call me." I been thinking if I can really say that. I know also that I am part of team and that I don't make decisions just for myself. Jeremy and I have been praying about where the Lord is leading us and he doesn't feel like we are called to go overseas but sometimes I do. I would love for the Lord to give us a giant neon sign. I have to learn to be patient!

Not again!!

There is an epidemic going around.....yet another friend is pregnant. I know that it's the stage of life we are in but seriously how many more people can have a baby? :)

Congrats to Lauren and Jeff! We are really excited for you!

Sorry that I haven't updated on here recently. Life is crazy right now with the first quarter coming to the end. Assessments and plannign have consumed my life so much that haven't done anything but do that!

Fun news though...our church may have finally found land to build our new church on. We vote as a congregation on Sunday and hopefully if the vote passes we will have a new church home. Sadly it will take years to build the sanctuary and therefore we may never see it. We've been thinking a lot about what lays ahead of us after seminary. I'm so very impatient and would like to know now but it is not the time to know. It's all in the Lord's timing and we are willing to follow the Lord where ever He take us.

I'll try and update later after all the papers are graded and the report cards are written. Until then...

Evidence of the Lord's hand

God is GOOD! Over the last week, I had the privilege to hang out with some of my oldest and dearest friends. Each of them is dealing with different issues but with all of them I could see evidence of how the Lord is using them and stretching them. Right now when my life feels sort mediocre, its awesome to see big ways that the Lord is working. Two of my friends are pregnant and it was really cool to see how the Lord is using their experience to bring them to a greater knowledge of His love, grace, and mercy. I was so encouraged by them and I hope if they are reading this that they know how much they have blessed my life with their stories. I'm praying for both of you.

Their visits have also helped me to examine what the Lord has done in my life. One of my dates was with a friend that I've had since middle school. Our time together showed me how much I have changed and how much my knowledge and love of the Lord as increased in the last 10 years. I am amazed by how much the two of us have grown and how we continue to be friends after all this time. I praise the Lord for lasting friendships built on Him!

Col. 2:2, "that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ"

Totally surprised

Ok so I love surprises but usually I am good at figuring them out before they happen but this time Jeremy pulled one over on me. For weeks I have been wanting to go see the play the Lion King while it was playing here in Raleigh. I thought I was going with my mom but then my dad rearranged his business trip so he could go. It seemed like everyone I talked to was going and the whole time Jeremy kept saying how expensive it was. Little did I know...

Last night I came home from work starting to work on dinner, thinking I had to lead my girls' Bible study in about an hour. As we sat down to dinner and were discussing the evening, one conversation lead to another and Jeremy told me my plans were different than anticipated and we were going downtown to the see the play. I was absolutely shocked and so excited!! So excited in fact that I couldn't finish my dinner.

The play was everything I anticipated and so much more! It brought me back to my childhood as I sang along with the songs and it rekindled my love for Africa. The costumes and setting were amazing! It by far was the best play I've ever seen and definitely worth the late arrival home on a school night.

Jeremy definitely racked up some brownie points on that one! :)

Isaiah 55:6

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;"

I read this verse during my quiet time today and it just really struck me. What am I doing on a daily basis to seek the Lord? I feel like sometimes I get so stuck on my head knowledge of who God is that I forget that I still need that personal heart knowledge of Him. Do I seek Him on a daily basis? Do I look to know His character like I look to know others personally? The Lord has really convicted me lately that I seek joy and satisfaction in the things of this world rather than in Him... only later to find out that none of those can bring me true satisfaction (which I knew to begin with but still tried). That brings me to my other train of thought...

Does my life radiate the love the Lord? Do I radiate the joy He brings in my life? Am I experiencing the full joy that He brings for that matter? Sadly, I do not feel like. Joy is not based on circumstantial things and I know that I have an everlasting joy from the Lord that is not based on emotions. So many times I rely on my emotions to determine how much joy I have. Philippians 4:4 says to rejoice in the Lord always and that is something that I really need to work on. One thing that I desire most is that my life would lead others to Christ no matter the circumstance.

The best of intentions...

It seems like lately I have the best of intentions to do a lot of things and yet I always fall short. For the last two weeks, I have intended to spend more time in the Word and in prayer and then (like always) I find many other things to occupy my time. I also had all intentions to call some old friends, keep the house clean, stay on top of paper work, prepare for Bible study...the list really just goes on.

Where does my time go? Where are my priorities? Why is it that I can see what I need to do but yet choose to different? Always the best of intentions....

The 10 Commandments: Broken

A question to all you out there...How well do you feel like you uphold the 10 commandments? If you thought like I did you probably are saying, I do pretty well...I mean I don't commit adultery, murder, or steal... Today at church, JD's sermon was on rebellion and how people run away from God. He had a checklist printed for us and asked us to be honest with ourselves. As he read through the commandments (including explanation for each of them) I realize how much of a stinky sinner I am. I have never killed a person but I have taken the slightest pleasure in seeing harm done to someone. I have never stolen any material possessions but I have taken credit for something that was not mine. I try to honor my parents but I have disobeyed them one time or another. Though I am believer of Jesus Christ and believe in one true God, I have put other idols in my life that have given God-like status to.

After JD read the checklist, I realized that I have broken every commandments and continue to do so some days without even blinking an eye. Though we all try to do good, we inevitably are sinners. We were born sinners with an evil heart. But luckily there is good news and Jesus came to give us a new heart. Today I am so overwhelmed by the grace that God has given me. I continue to sin daily and He continues to forgive me daily. Who am I that He would love me so much and why do I forget that so often? I take the Lord's grace and mercy for grant so much. I think today was a definite reality check in the fact that I need to be more self-conscious of my actions.

On that same note, the Lord has been convicting me of the idols I have put in my life. Lately the computer has become an idol. As Stefanie pointed out one day, I am addicted to the internet...i.e. email, IM, facebook, blog reading. It has seriously become an addiction in where it is all I want to do. I come in the door and immediately want to get on. I spend more time on the computer than I do reading my Bible or praying. Stef says I need Internet Anononymous and while I laughed when she said it...I beginning to realize the truth in it. I really do have to get away from the computer, so this week I'm making a point to stay off the computer. We'll see how well it goes but for now I leave you with this.....the Lord is good, gracious, and forgiving more than I will ever fully fully comprehend this side of Heaven.

I want to go back...

Yesterday I had the privilege to spend the afternoon back in Chapel Hill to watch some Carolina football. Thanks to Daddy dearest, Jeremy and I have the honor to attend all the home football games (Except for J didn't go yesterday but that's a different story).

Ok I digressed, anywho...yesterday when we drove into town I realized how much the place has changed in 2 years. First there were like 5 additional dorms down on south campus making the skyline look completely different. Walking around inside the stadium, I soon realized that I didn't recognize the faces around me. Am I really that far removed?

As I sat watching the game and observing the students, I thought about my years at Carolina and how I missed them so much. It's amazing how fast those 4 years went and now how much I really wish I could go back. I know I could go back and do graduate work but it would not be the same. The people would be different, heck I'm different. It's amazing to see how much I've changed since I left there. I'm now in mid 20s, married, and a teacher. Most of my friends are pregnant these days or thinking about it. Some days I feel so old..and I'm only 24. Where the heck is the time going?

My day in CH this weekend really helped me to see that I need to slow down and enjoy the stage I'm in. I'm always so ready to move on but I need to enjoy where the Lord has me now. But still.....I don't want to grow up...

Can you teach common sense?

I really wish you could because today my 3rd graders needed it. I also wish I could teach them to open their ears because I swear I said the same the thing about 50x today. Why is that a 4 day week seems like 8?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Many of you know...I get bored easily. I'm always looking to change something whether it be the arrangement of the living room or my hair cut. Well now the blog needed a facelift so TA-DA a new look. It's still a work in progress so don't judge it quite yet...but suggestions are welcomed. :)Happy Friday

What a difference a school makes..

Like every good teacher is supposed to do, I sat back today to reflect on how the school year as been going so far. With 5 days under my belt, it is amazing the difference a school makes. I have a different attitude and a whole new outlook on the profession. This time last year I was already stressed counting down the days until the year would be over. I had IB, IEP, and ADD (love the alphabet soup, uh?) up to my ears and was seriously swimming. Today I feel very refreshed and loving my kids and the profession. My kids are polite, cooperative, and ready to learn. I am a much better teacher b/c I am actually getting to teach rather than spending my whole day solving conflicts. Don't get me wrong...all sets of children have thier challenges but I just feel like I can breathe this year.

So I like cheesy movies..

I guess it's part of the territory of being an elementary school teacher. The last couple of my days my students have being sharing stuff about themselves and almost everyone of them said their favorite movie was High School Musical. I was like what is this movie; I had never heard of it. So today one of my students comes in with the the movie and says my mom says you can borrow this! He really wanted me to watch it evidentally!

Being the cool teacher that I am, I brought it home and watched it. OK I'm going to make a confession here..... The movie was actually good. Now most of you would laugh hysterically at the cheesiness of this movie but I have to say that it is the cleaniest movie for kids I've seen recently. There was no violence, no sex or sexual anything (not even kissing) and everything turned out in the end. It promoted unity and the breaking of stereotypes. Overall I really enjoyed it despite the chessiness and the fact it was a Disney movie. (Google it if you're interested) Ok I'm going to bed...these kids are wearing me out. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Michels

Kristi and Lance got hitched this weekend and we had a great time catching up with lots of friends from Rocky Mount, camp, and church. The wedding was beautiful and fit their personalities so much. I mean really where else would the bride strike a pose before getting the kiss. The second picture just proves the goofiness. The bottom picture is of Lance who was so desperate to dance with Kristi's grandmother Dink that he got in her walker! Congrats guys...we're really excited for you!

And the fun has begun...

So yesterday was the first day of school...yes on a Friday. Why you ask? Well NC has passed a law that school can't start before Aug. 25 and Wake County thought, "Hey let's start school the first day we can." So yes we started school on a Friday. It was very awkward to say the least b/c you knew you couldn't really start anything b/c the kids would forget over the weekend.

Anyways, the kids all came in very excited and loaded down with school supplies. They were all very excited about their school supplies and mounds of tissues and ziplock bags. They are all very cute but as a whole they are the most talkative group I have ever seen. I was very surprised how talkative they were because half of the students were new to the school. But the positive spin on that...I'm glad they are all getting along and being nice to one another.

It was also nice to see a few familiar faces around school as a couple of my previous students had moved to my new school too. Overall the first day went well and I'm excited to see what the year will bring. Let's hope this optimism stays!

Classroom pictures

New school and another birthday

So it's that time year of again....the days are getting a little shorter each day... kids are getting restless and teachers are getting anxious. Yep it's back to school time. This year's back to school is quite a bit different for me. For those of you who don't know, I have transfered to a new school in my same system. This change has been very positive so far. The best part is the drive...its decreased my driving time from 25 mins. to 5 mins. :) In all honesty, the school as a whole is just a positive change. I have an excellent team who really works as a team to accomplish more. I have a principal who is personable and generally cares about her staff. Another change I wasn't expecting was the shift of social, economic and racial lines. Almost all of the parents (and all had a mom and dad)showed up for meet your teacher night and all of them want to come in and volunteer. It's crazy! I'll try and post some pics tomorrow (I left the camera at school) of my classroom.

Today was also Jeremy's birthday! Because of the school-craziness, I didn't put as much as effort into the celebration process. We did have an excellent dinner tonight at Rio Churrascaria, the Brazilian Steakhouse. I don't know if you have ever been to one of these places but it's awesome. First you have this awesome salad bar with a variey of exotic foods then they come around with these huge skewers of meat. They keep coming until you turn your little card over to red. It was yummy but I definitely over ate. I definitely recommend it!

Fun weekend ahead as Miss Kristi Riley gets married...I'll update afterwards

Our new car!

I am proud to announce that Jeremy no longer drives an old beat up, no power Saturn. As of yesterday, he is the proud owner of a 03 Toyota 4Runner. The Lord has blessed us tremendously lately with a full time job with benefits and free tuition for Jeremy. This blessing allowed us to replace his car which was seriously showing signs of aging.

We are excited about our 1st big purchase as a married couple and wanted to share it with you.

Pictures from South Africa

I've made a yahoo album of some of my S. Africa pictures. This is only a sample...there were just way too many to share.

Click on the title of this post to go to the pics.

Words could never adequately describe..

my trip to S. Africa. Here is but a summary...


Sawubona! (Hello!) Thank you so much for your prayers and support for my trip to South Africa. The Lord used this trip to teach me more about Himself and give me a deeper passion for seeing others come to know Him.

From the very beginning of the trip, the Lord began to teach us that our ways are not always His ways. He stretched us and made us fully rely on Him. Our first day the country experienced record lows and received its first snow in 20 years! Due to the weather, we were unable to do any of our planned camps. Being a person who loves to have things all planned out, this was a stretch for me. The Lord provided as always and we were able to take time to learn more about the people of South Africa and the effects of the Apartheid on the culture. Again the Lord showed His faithfulness and provision the next day when we were finally able to minister in the Simunye community. We were well received by the children and as our time progressed we gained more and more kids. Saturday we held a soccer camp and had over 400 kids come out! We were able to present the gospel to them over 5 times, even in their language. Sunday we were blessed to attend worship service led by one of our Zulu brothers and to help him host a Sunday school where over 200 kids showed up!

For the second half of our trip, we were able to work at another primary school in a different community. We had fun teaching the story of Jesus, singing songs, and making crafts with over 200 kids! During this time, we were able to present the Gospel more than 10 times and we saw one adult and one child come to know the Lord!! The harvest is ripe in South Africa and the children there are so hungry to know who God is! Please continue to pray that the seeds we planted will come to fruition.

Personally, the Lord used this trip to take me out of my comfort zone and stretch me to rely on Him for everything. Though I have been a Christian for many years, it is still difficult for me to share the gospel with others easily. Boy, was I broken of this during the trip! I had the chance to share the gospel daily in front of huge crowds with a climax of 800 students one morning in an assembly.

This trip was truly life changing! I have fallen in love with the people of Africa and hope one day that I might be able to return. Thank you for the part you played in this trip; I could not have had this experience without your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for me as I go back to teaching this week. Pray that I will be as bold in my witness here in the States as I was in Africa.

I'll post pics too above

Sawubona!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am safely back in the US after an amazing 11 day trip to S. Africa. I don't have time to update you now but I wanted to let you know I am safe and back (yes, we flew back yesterday during the crazy would be terrorist attack and yes I was in JFK for it all...super fun!)

I'll update later. PS Sawubona means hello in Zulu which is one of the many languages we encountered while we were there

It's almost time...

3 1/2 days and counting till my departure to Africa. Last night it became even more real as I went to church to weigh in my bags. If you don't know, the airliners have changed weight restrictions now and your checked luggage can only be 50 lbs. You still get 2 bags but on this trip we were to reserve one suitcase for the missionaries. I was very nervous about my suitcase b/c I tend to overpack but surprisingly last night I was 15 lbs. under! I was stoked! I'm going to go back through my bag and make sure I have everything.

I don't think the reality of the trip has really sunk in. I feel like I'm just packing for a vacation. Because we're going to be in the middle of a huge city, it doesn't fit the mold of my thought of Africa and so really I just don't know what to expect. I also feel very inadequate for this trip. Though I know the Gospel and know what Christ has done in my life, I feel very ill prepared to share it with others.

On that note, if you wouldn't mind, would you please pray for me on the following things while I'm gone:

1) Safety: Pray that everything with the trip would run smoothly and safely including our luggage.

2)Health: I usually have serious issues with my ears and the change in pressure. Please pray that this wont be an issue. Also I am starting to feel the effects of a cold which is not fun. Pray for that our bodies will fight off any foreign agents and we will remain healthy.

3) Our missionaries: Kurt and Janna Kay and their children, pray for their ministry and their church plant. Pray that our time there will be a refreshment of home as well.

4) Our ministry there: Pray that children will come to our our backyard Bible camps and that we would be able to love on them and share the Gospel effectively with them; pray also for our evangelism training with the nationals

5) Boldness for myself: Pray that I would be able to step out of my comfort zone and really share the love of Christ to those I encounter

Thank you for your prayers!! They are vital to our time there! Have a great 2 weeks and I'll post again upon my return (Aug. 10th). :)

I heart CWR

I mean I really do. Everytime I go back to visit I am reminded of the Lord's presence there and how the Lord has worked in my life. From the time you pull in the driveway of camp you can feel it and I love that that feeling hasn't gone away. Saturday I had the privilege of going back with 2 of my favorite people, Robin and Claire. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the dock and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the boat with my brother and some of our other friends. One thing I love about camp is that everyone is so vunerable with one another about what the Lord is doing in their life. I mean where else would you sit down with someone and they immediately go into what the Lord is teaching them and how they are falling more and more in love with Him. I just love that! Anyways, it was a great day and I enjoyed catching up with my brother, Alicia, Gabe, and Catherine.

Being at camp, also convicted me of how on distant I feel from the Lord. The distance has been created because I don't spend time in the Word like I should. You would think with all the extra time I have this summer, I would have really used the time to dive into the Word and prayer but I have actually spent less time than I do during the school year. JD's sermon on idolatry yesterday made me realize that I have put different idols in my life to satisfy me and therefore am not looking to the Lord to satisfy me. I heavily rely on the the relationships in my life to satisy me. My identity is found in the friends that I have and the persona I have created in their image. I spend more time consumed on building my relationship with them than finding my identity in Christ. Human relationships will let you down and they have. I will never be fully satisfied with what another human can give me. I need to take my friends off their pedistal and return the Lord to His proper place. My identity and satisfaction come only from Him!

(Ok I'm sorry if this didn't make sense. Listen to JD's sermon on the link above and it will make more sense. Also I'm not the best for always being able to write exactly what I am thinking so please forgive me.)

Exciting news!!

No we're not pregnant but it seems like if you tell someone you have good news these days they think you are. Our big news is that Jeremy got a promotion! He will now be a full time designer for the seminary. Now you're probably like what is so great about that? As a full time employee of the seminary, you get free tuition and healthcare. This is very exciting b/c it elevates some financial burdens and may allow us to get a new car. This may not be exciting to you but we're pretty stoked!

In other random news, did you know that your turn signal control level (in your car, left of the steering wheel) can fall off? Well evidentally it can and mine did. So now I can signal a turn and have difficulty turning on my lights. Fun stuff uh?

FYI, 2 weeks from today I'll be in Africa!

The Evolution of Dance

My sister in law and her husband came to visit us last weekend and showed us this video. I thought it was awesome so I passing it on to you. Enjoy!

2 years as Mr. and Mrs.

Wow! We've been married for 2 years now. The time has flown by! Yesterday was wonderful and while we didn't do anything over exciting it was nice to just spend the day together just focused on the two of us. Last night we went to the Melting Pot which was super fun and very filling. We came back home and watched our wedding video again. Pros: We got to relive the day, see our family and friends, etc. Con: I realized that we have both put on some weight. I really need to get back into working out. You know it's always weird to watch yourself but as I watched the two of us on the video I remember back to how I felt that day and how I was so in love. At the time, I thought I knew Jeremy so well but now I feel silly because I know him so much more now. At the time, I didn't think there was anything new to know about him but he continues to amaze me each day. I really am blessed to be married to such an amazing man who loves the Lord so intensely and who is so compassionate in every area. I look forward to getting to know him even more in the next 78 years. :)

Pass the Pigs, Africa, and a Pay raise

Last night we went over to Gary and Natalie's with Matt and Cheri and decided to play some games. Cheri was insistant that we play Pass the Pigs so Gary got it out and I was instantly taken back to my childhood. In Pass the Pigs you roll 2 rubber pigs like dice and depending on the way the pigs land you get a certain number of points. I know it sounds weird but really it is fun; you can click on the title of this post and play an online version. Brandon and I used to play this when we were younger just to pass the time. It's funny how over time things become more fun.

So I'm now 3 weeks away from my departure for S. Africa. We had another meeting on Thursday and I'm getting even more excited. Each member of our group is supposed to be in charge of one aspect of the Bible camp and guess what part I'm doing? The music! It's very ironic since I have no music ability whatsoever but they liked that I knew all the kid songs and music. I guess working at camp for 2 summers really helped. :) It's going to be good though and I'm really excited about teaching these kids about Jesus. J and I got some practice on Friday when we went with our church into a low income neighborhood and helped with a backyard Bible camp. It was a real stretch for me because I was totally out of my comfort zone having to solict people to come and then trying to motivate them to participate. It was a great opportunity for me to get a feel of what it is going to be like in Africa. It also helped me to see what worked and what didn't. I'm so ready to go!

This week the NC Legislative approved the 2006-2007 budget which included a 8% raise for NC teachers! The budget is now on Gov. Easley's desk for his approval and knowing that he's a big advocate of education I'm certain it will pass. 8% is huge! that's like and extra $2400 a year! Sadly, with the raise, we will still not be comparable to the national average. They wonder why NC is so low in education it's b/c of the work conditions we endure for the low cost we get paid. Personally, the amount of money is not problem, it's the amount of stuff teachers have to put up with, from discipline to the mountains of paperwork. I heard lately that the new teacher coming in only averages 2-5 years in the profession. I can totally understand why and if things keep going the way they are, I might be part of that stat.

Ok enough of my soap box...have a great weekend!

Just call me Suzy Sewer...

It's been raining all day so to occupy my time I pulled out the sewing machine that was collecting dust this school year. The pictures above show my lovely projects. The first is a lovely paisley style purse and the second is curtains for my new classroom. I love sewing purses, as many know, but this is a new style for me which was rather tricky at first. Surprisingly it turned out well! I'm proud of my curtains (shown up close so you can see the pattern)because I didnt have a pattern and had to do them myself. I think they turned out lovely and I look forward to seeing them in my new classroom rather than modeled in kitchen.

Dogsitting

Dogsitting...honestly its one of the dumbest concepts. Unlike babysitting where you actually play with the child, feed it, put it to bed, etc..when you dogsit you go on with your daily life and let the dog out when she needs to go. I mean really we're just sitting here in my parents house, eating their food, using their stuff, and playing like it's our house. There are perks to this dogsitting job... they have a convertable, jaccuzzi bath tub, and digital cable. :) The hard part is a dog who doesn't like to be by herself and will bark when you want to sleep. Now my parents have called and due to a union strike were delayed getting to their next flight and will now be spending an extra night in NY. SO we're here an extra night without another set of clothes (for once I didnt pack one!) and undaunting task of getting up early to get to Wake Forest then to Durham for church by 9.

I'm sad too b/c now we'll be back in Durham before my parents arrive so therefore we will not get to see them and all 500 some pictures of Spain. Also we are here bored in RM without anything to do. It's sad that I've lost touch with everyone I knew from here (ex. Allison which I had a great lunch with on Friday). Remarkable RM is not quite so remarkable after all.

We're hunting crocs..

So today I gave into yet another trend in footwear and bought a pair of Crocs. (I have included a picture of my new purchase for those of you who may have no clue what I am talking about.) I know what you are thinking.."They are ugly!" "They look like gardening shoes". But you can't dis on them until you put them on and then you'll never want to take them off. They are extremely comfortable and weigh only ounces. I could name a bunch of reasons for you but www.crocs.com does a better job.

After the seriously long debate on whether to get them, the even harder debate was what color to get them, I mean there are like 20 colors. After 3 hours of shopping, Cheri finally helped me to decide on Carolina blue, based on my wardrobe and my favorite fall activity (cheering on the Heels in Kenan Stadium.) So there it is I have now fallen to another trend from Rainbows to Sperrys and now Crocs.

FYI, I have raised all of support money for my S. Africa trip! I am now fully funded and immunizated. I'm ready...bring it on!

Another one bites the dust...

Again another one of our couple friends announces they are pregnant. We are way excited for Matt and Cheri and look forward to seeing baby Windley! I believe there's something in the water here and those of us who aren't are far and few between now. With everyone getting pregnant, people are like when is your turn. FYI to all those who want to know, we are not planning on having one until Jeremy graduates which is a year and half. Ultimately, it's not up to us but we are not planning on have one until then.

Also fun news, we are way excited about the Hurricanes' Stanley cup victory! Congrats Canes!

The Brevity of Life

This past weekend I have been thinking a lot about the brevity of life. First on Friday night, Jeremy and I watched the The End of the Spear. It is a movie about the Saint family whose goal in life was to bring the Word of God to the Waodani tribe in the Amazon. This family knew how fierce and violent these people were yet they never gave up their fight. In the movie, Nick Saint, a pilot, and his 4 friends (Jim Elliot to just name one) traveled into their village so they could meet the people and form a relationship with them. In the end, the end up getting killed because of a miscommunication in language and a lying man. Nick was a young guy and he had 2 young kids when he died. He died doing the Lord's work but still his life was cut short.

Then all weekend I was reading a book called P.S. I love you by Ceceila Ahern. In the book, Holly's husband Gerry dies at the age 30 of a brain tumor. The whole book is Holly's struggle to go on with her life. She is stuck with his memory and their dreams that will never come true. Gerry knowing that he was going to die writes her list of 10 things she is to do. She gets an envelope each month containing a task that he wrote her. As I was reading this book, I couldn't help but think of Jeremy and I and our future. So many times we think we have all the time in the world and we'll live to an old age together. Too often we get stuck in our day to day activities and take each other for granted. We don't live like tomorrow could be our last day. We have these dreams of a family and a future but we are in no way guaranteed these things. Many times as I was reading I was brought to tears thinking about what if this were me. (Great book, you really should read it!)

I think these two mediums have really helped me to reexamine where I am right now and what my priorities are. Remember to never take your time on Earth here for granted. Live each day like it is your last. On that note, make sure also that we spread the Gospel like people do not have another day. I know I don't live that way so I'm challenging myself...what about yoU?

The Baptists and the Rain

It's been a crazy week so far... Monday started the beginning of the end of my days at Millbrook. I packed up my life as a teacher thus far and moved it over to my new school in Wake Forest. The staff was very warm, inviting, and helpful at my arrival which made a good first impression. I unpacked the car into my new room and the size of it scares me a little so I'm going to have to be creative with my decorating.

Tuesday I arrived at school to find that I had quickly been kicked out of my space. My replacement dove right in after my leaving, pushing the rest of my stuff out in the hall and then started rearranging the room. It was hard at first because it is not my space anymore and its like life went on without even a blink. I know my replacement is just anxious to get started as I know I would but it's like I couldn't even get out all the way before she took my spot. My team has been very supportive of my move and were very generous to give me a gift certificate to the teacher store to help restock my new classroom. In my hurry to get to my lunch date, I ran out without really saying goodbye to anyone outside of my collegues in any of the other grades. Whoops!

I ran to my lunch date with Kat which was a great time and I enjoyed catching up with her. I then flew to Greensboro to try and make it to SEBTS presentation at the Southern Baptist Convention. I made it with 30 mins. to spare only to release I no money to pay for my parking pass and I wasn't dressed appropriately. I drove around G-boro and finally resorted to changing clothes in a dark corner of a parking deck (yeah, great idea I know!). I made it just as Jeremy went on stage and spent the rest of the evening with him.

Today I swore I need Noah's ark to make it around. Lovely TS Alberto made its presence known in NC and we were drenched. I was soaked on more than one occassion trying to walk through a parking lot. Our neighborhood has a river following through it (literally the creek has turned into a river and some cars are underwater.) Poor Crabtree mall is flooded as well. :( The one fun thing of the day is that I got to hear Condolezza Rice speak at the convention. She spoke a very optimistic speech that led to over 5 standing ovations.

Hurricanes are scheduled to play in 2 hours. (GO CANES!) Hopefully they'll take home the Cup tonight! Question for you: What do fans do when the Canes win? Tarheels know to go to Franklin St. but what do we do when the Canes win?

Stick a fork in me..

because I'm done! (ok that was cheesy but I had to do it!) I think this school year has been one of the hardest of my life but now it's over and I'm extremely thankful that I get several weeks off. Tomorrow I'll pack up the last of my classroom and load it up in my dad's truck and take it over to my new school. It's so bittersweet but I'm excited for the change.

Today I once again changed roles in the children's department at church. This is the 3rd position I've had in the last year. I've moved from the 2 year old teacher to the third grade and now to the babies. I love the babies and I think it is only increasing the baby itch that has started inside of me. Jeremy still says it's not the right time and I know deep down he's right but still I have the desire.

Also today I went to Ro Rap to help my grandmother celebrate her 72nd birthday. As always, the whole extended family was there and the talk turned to religion. Being the only Baptist in the group, I am constantly patronized and questioned for my beliefs. I hate being but on the spot and I always seem to stumble over my words and look like a dork. I'm going to take it as a challenge this summer to really study up on my doctrines.

Another exciting tidbit of info...I've raised $1700 of my $2200 for my S. Africa trip so far! The Lord has really blessed me and I can see His hand at work. I'm so excited about this trip!!!!

FYI, its thunderstorming really bad outside and I really hate thunderstorms. I think living in NC my whole life in hurricane country has made me scared of natural disasters. I know I'm a big baby but I've seen the repercutions (sp?) of storms from hurricanes to tornandos that I'm fearfully. Now that you know a little inside tibit of me I'm going to sign off. Until next time...

Mixed emotions

With 2 days left with the kiddos, I have mixed emotions. I am so ready for the year to be over with and to have a break, but once it's over it's done. I'm done with this group of kids, all the paperwork, and most of all Millbrook. As hard as these past 2 years have been, there were many wonderful things that have happened. I have developed amazing friendships with my collegues who have supported and encouraged me through the first 2 years of my career. They have listened to me cried and offered assistance in any way they could. I feel like Millbrook really gave me a supportive atmosphere as a professional to grow and learn. I'm in such a rush to get the year over with that I have forgotten what I will be leaving behind. This in mind, maybe I'll take more time to cherish the time I have left.


P.S. I've add a link to my pictures from my trip to Nashville below to the Music City, USA post. Enjoy!

Almost there...

EOGs are over. Praise the Lord! I had a little motivational song for my kids inspired by a little train from our childhood we all know and love. "I know I can, I know I can..." was what I kept telling my kids about the test and now I'm telling myself the same thing about school. "I know I can, I know I can" get through the rest of this year and mountains of paperwork. For those of you not in the education world, teachers have a lot of paper work to fill out at the end of the year. Due to Bush's No Child Left Behind we as teachers have to document and redocument everything we do. Therefore as the year rounds out, I have approximately 5 documents to fill out for each kid. Multiply that by 23 kids and I have approximately 115 pieces of a paper to fill out. I have to say that I like Bush and his idea was good in theory but in reality there are a lot of things about it I don't agree with. This being one of them!

Other than that, things are trucking along. Jeff and Lauren moved yesterday and it was a lot harder than I thought it was. I had become attached to them very quickly and will miss seeing them across the parking lot everyday. We'll have to go through the same thing 2 weekends from now when Josh and Brooke leave. That's what hard about seminary...you become involved in the lives of these people and they are only here for short time. I know the Lord has amazing plans for each of them, but in some ways I just wished they were the same for us all. (I know I'm selfish)

By the way, I read a great book this weekend and if you haven't read it you really should. It's called The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers and it's about a girl who gets raped her freshman year in college and becomes pregant. It goes through her internal struggles with the ordeal as well the struggles those around her go through. It's crazy to see it through the eyes of the person who it happened to. I am definitely pro-life but it really made you stop and think what would I have done if I had been in that situation. Any way, its a must read! This book also proved to me why I don't read books for pleasure during the school year. I became so involved in the book that I couldn't put it down therefore getting less sleep and introverted the whole weekend. It's funny how I get so involved in the plot and the character's life that I feel like I'm in the story and cannot separate myself from what is written to my real life. It affects my emotions and the way I treat others around me. I'm also so attached that when I'm finished I feel a sense of lost as my time with those characters are over. I want to know how their story continues, what became of them. I know I'm weird...it's ok...I admit it. :)

Ok enough for now...have a terrific Memorial day!

Four Square rules the night

Tonight had to be one of the most fun nights I've had in a while. It started very innocent plan of going to eat Mexican food with the Mingees. This has become quite a tradition with them and we always seem to joke about eating the Mexicans. Well after our last trip we realized that our beloved restaurant had a B sanitation grade! So tonight we attempted to try Fiesta Mexicana Restaurante Mexicano (yes that is the real name, hence the reason we thought it would be fun to try it). Once we get there (with our coupon) we realized they were not open and after many attempts to pick a new place to eat we settled for our B grade restaurant where we meet 2 of our other friend couples. (FYI: they have since been upgraded to an A, which we were relieve to find out!)

Dinner was normal and very fulfilling. We then go through the painful process of deciding what to do next. Gary Snuffin (yes that is his real name) played his normal teacher role in telling everybody to sit quiet and think for 30 secs. on something we could do. I'm laughing so hard at this point that I'm crying. The boys then get the bright idea to travel to Wal-mart to see what kind of games we can find to play outdoors. After mauch persuading and compromises, we decide on a kickball. We travel back to our house where the boys pull out the duct tape and make a four square court. At first it was all pretty normal, until they decided to make up stupid rules. We played several rounds where we had to make animal sounds or name state capitals. The boys (ages 22-25) have now become obsessed and play for 3 hours straight, making up dumb new rules. The girls got tired of playing and ran to Starbucks and they were still playing. They then made us play couple four square; I'm telling you they were obsessed. I have to admit it was all pretty hilarious and we all worked off our dinner calories from laughing so hard.

I needed a night like this...so many times I get bogged down with being an adult that I forget what it is like to be a kid. It's nice to cut up and enjoy myself and not be in charge of someone. Let's all go back to being kids, uh?

The Curse

My sorority sister Kathryn wrote this on her blog and I felt it was so true that I had to post it here too.

To the woman He said,
'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to your children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."
-Genesis 3:16-

And as almost an afterthought (but nothing really is an afterthought with the Lord), the Lord spoke again...

"And you shall carry your extra weight in your hips, butt, and thighs. We shall call you thunder thighs and ghetto-booty. And you shall have to do cardio every day to manage your inner thigh chafing and junk in the trunk...

And when you slack off, you shall jiggle."

Do you think it was the curse we just didn't get to read about?

Counting them down...

Only 17 more days of school! They can't come fast enough. The children are so disrespectful to one another and cannot stay focused. The sad thing is that we have EOGs next week and they need to stay with me mentally. I'm really praying for the Lord to give me wisdom and strength. I want to glorify Him and I want to show them Christ by my attitude but I fail so many times. Praise the Lord that He is faithful and strong and we are more than conquerors!

Support raising is coming along nicely. I'm about a 1/4 of the way so far but am getting nervous as the majority of the money is due on June 4th. I really feel as though the Lord has called me to the trip so I confident in knowing that He will provide.

The sad part about going/living in seminary is that people come and go out of your life so quickly. One of my closest friends' husband is graduating next week and they are moving the next week back to their hometown. My other good friend Lauren's husband is about to get offered a youth pastor's job and they will be moving next weekend. I'm sad because I've become attached and its going to be hard to let them go. It's so hard!

Sweet Revenge

This is so good that I'm taking my lunch time to type it....

For once I was backed up by one of my parents (in my class) and a child finally got what they deserved. This one girl in my class is a big pain in the butt; she is very mouthy and all attitude. Well this morning she decided to pout because she didnt get the job she wanted in group work so she sat not doing anything. I, in return, gave her a choice of doing it with her group or individually in another room while I went over the answers. She got all bent out of shape when I tried to send her to a new room and she made me physically pull her into the room. Another teacher ran to my rescue to help me and we got her situated. I came back into my class now all flustered. Well lo and behold, 5 minutes later I get a knock on the door and its her mom! I hadn't called her (though I thought about it) but she randomly shows up to volunteer. I have a short conference with her and she is like "Oh no she didn't" and walks to go get her child. Next thing I know I'm hearing yelling in the bathroom and some smacks. The mother had gone and spanked her child in the bathroom across from my room!!! The mom came back and was like "You shouldn't have any problems with her today; her behind should remind her!" I was in shock and inside jumping for joy! For once, this child got put in her place, something she very much needed. If more parents would show up like this unannounced and take care of their children, we might have better behavior in schools. It feels like justice was served!

Music City, USA

This week I traveled a short little plane ride across NC and TN to the capital of honky tonks and country music. To celebrate our mothers, my mom, grandmother, aunt, and I traveled to Nashville, TN for a girlie weekend of sightseeing. A fun time was had by all as we traveled through the history of country, past the capital building, and the Parthenon (yes they have a full scale replica...why..who knows?). We did all of this on a lovely tour bus where I was the youngest by 20 years. The best part was our trip to the Wildhorse Saloon where I learned to line dance and heard a band sing about a corn dog. Quite honestly, it was hilarious. The Grand Ole Opry was quite a treat but I have to say that new country is much better than old school country. Overall, we had a great time but I made two conclusions..... 1) I realized that I could never sleep in the same room with my mom again as her snores vibrated the whole bed and 2) the older you get, the slower you walk. :)

Sorry this post is not very exciting but I felt the need to update the blog. I would post pictures but really they are probably not of much excitement to the rest of you. If you want to see them you can go here: http://photos.yahoo.com/shannonpcox

What would it be like to...

• live in a place where you couldn't say the name of Jesus out loud?
• live in a place where you couldn't worship God?
• have never sinned?
• never have to plan another lesson for my 3rd graders?
• never stress over money again?
• to go to work every day and enjoy it?
• to not be tired?
• to never compare yourself with your peers?
• to feel secure in who you are?
• to be fully content in where the Lord has you?

These are just some of the questions I've pondered lately.

Seriously...

lacking motivation to teach right now. We have about 3.5 weeks until the EOG (End of Grade) test and my kids are off the wall and so not into doing anything that requires too much thinking. Because of their lack of interest, I have a lack of interest. I don't feel like spending all my time planning great and creative lessons if they aren't going to pay attention. I just really want summer to be here. Only about 30 some days left...I can do it... maybe I need to give myself the little pep up song like the little train who could did..."I think I can, I think I can.."

PRAISE THE LORD!

A huge praise! Wednesday I was offered (and I accepted) a teaching position at a new school for next school year!! I'm soooo excited because I just really needed a change after the year I have had. There are many perks to this new school; first, it is like 5 minutes from our apartment instead of the 25 I drive currently. Second, its a smaller school with no IB magnet program! There is usually only 2 classes per grade and on top of that they team teach so I could potentially teach math and science all day and my teammate could teach the language arts block. It makes planning so much easier! The principal and the staff are extremely down to earth and inviting.

I'm just really excited about the change and feel like it's going to be a breath of fresh air after the year I have had. The Lord's timing and plan is perfect...He continues to remind me how He provides for our every need.

Also another praise, the Lord has open some wonderful opportunities for me to share information about my trip and faith to others. Many want to support me in any way they can so I feel confident that the Lord will provide the money needed for this trip. I also have applied for my passport and am working on getting my shots. Things are falling into place nicely! :)

Easter 2006

Happy Easter! Can I just tell you about much love Easter! First is that it is a celebration that Jesus Christ rose from the dead! I'm grateful that today we get a chance to remember what an awesome sacrifice He made for us. I also love that its a time to get together with my family. To the left is our newest family portrait taken on the steps of my aunts house. What you can't see very well from the picture is that all the boys together would make quite a lovely Easter egg. :) We all have on new outfits because hey my mom is old school and everyone must have a new Easter outfit. I'm not complaining though b/c she bought me the dress.

Today was a wonderful day of family and food! You may not know but I'm currently obsessed with my family and enjoy being with them any time I can. It's funny how your perspective changes over time. As you can see from the picture here, Dad and I enjoyed a nice nap together this afternoon with me sleeping on his shoulder. What can I say, I'm still a daddy's girl!
I hope you enjoyed your afternoon as well. Happy Easter!

South Africa Bound!

So it's been decided...I'm South Africa bound this summer! I'm so excited as this is my first overseas mission trip. :) I'll be going with my church to Johannesburg to serve beside 14 other people serving the Lord! We'll be doing a vacation Bible study and a children's leaders training.


Quite honestly, I'm just amazed on how the Holy Spirit has changed my attitude toward missions. Growing up our church was never really into missions and I thought it was only for the "real Godly" people and that was not me. This change in attitude has not been an overnight change by any means; the Lord has been working on my heart since I first started college. Throughout college, the Lord revealed to me through different people just how important it is to share the Gospel to the lost. I have heard so many stories that have made me realize how easy we have life here. We are free to speak and worship as we please. So many people here have at least heard the Jesus and speak of God. We are the fortunate ones but others have not been. Romans 10:14 says"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" Someone has to go and teach them! Someone has to share the good news of Christ with them or they will never know. As this realization has come about, I realized that I have a part to play. I need to tell others what Christ has done for me. He came to earth to pay my penalty, my sin! He died on the cross that I may have everlasting life! This gift is there for all and it my responsibility to tell others about him. This has given me motivation now to go overseas and tell them about Jesus.

But on the flip side, I feel convicted that I am so eager to go overseas and share the Gospel but I'm afraid to speak out for him here in America. I'm so afraid of what would happen....the akwardness that could result with my coworkers. I think it comes down to my own pride. Why am I more concerned with my glory than His? I need to care less about myself and more about making Him known. Mark 13:10 says "And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. " This is all nations, including my little town to the ends of the earth.

So on that note, I also have to raise my own support. The trip is estimated at $2,500. I've never had to raise support but I'm confident that if the Lord wants me to go on this trip that He will provide the finances. He has shown me time and time again how He can provide for our every need. I'm excited to see Him in work in this situation as well. (if you would like to contribute, send me an email :) )

I'm just really excited!! can you tell? :)

Always looking to the next step...

My dad used to always tell me, "You're never happy where you are. You're always wish you were somewhere else." The more I go through life, the more I realize it's true. I am constantly looking to what comes next. For instance,

• When I was in elementary school, I couldn't wait for middle school.
• When I was in middle school, I couldn't wait for high school and to be able to drive.
• After that I couldn't wait to graduate and go to college.
• In college, I couldn't wait until I found Mr. Right and could get married. I couldn't wait to graduate and get married and start my life as a teacher.
• Now that I'm married, I can't wait to be a mom.
• I can't wait until Jeremy is done with seminary so we can start a family.

My life has been one continous state of looking on to the next step. Why is that I can never be content with where the Lord has me? Why can I just sit back and enjoy the ride? So many times in my life, I say I'm going to be content and enjoy the season, but that's all it really is..just saying it and never doing it. I've tried and tried. I've continued to pray about and talk to others about it but I still struggle with it. Any suggestions?

A sense of comfort...

Tonight J and I traveled the lovely highway 98 for 45 minutes to eat dinner at "home" with my parents. I love going "home". Yes I still call it home because I still consider it my home. I know I'm married now and J and I have a great apartment here in Wake Forest, part of me will always live in Rocky Mount. As much smack as I talk about the "City on the Rise" it is home. I lived there for 17 years of my life; I can tell you everything about that town. I amazes me how the place never changes and I can feel like I've never left. I was presently surprised tonight though as I was driving in how many changes had taken place. They are actually catching up with the rest of the world in terms of shopping.

What I love most about Rocky Mount is the sense of comfort I feel when I'm there. It is all so comfortable to me. Walking into "my parent's house" just feels safe and relaxing. I don't feel the need to do anything or go anywhere, I can just be. I realize now how much I appreciate and love my parents. I take them and their close proximity for granted so much and its nice to just be with them. Ok I've been sappy enough tonight...

Once again Duke shows how classy they are..

As I'm sure you have heard, Duke's lacrosse team has been accused of gang raping a "exotic dancer" last weekend. While those of us who weren't there don't know what really happened, I think this thing is incredibly ridiculous. First the girl should have been smart enough to know that this was not a good situation to get yourself into: group of horny college guys who were probably drinking watching you dance. Did you really think that nothing would happened? Girls need to have some common sense about the places and the situation they get themselves into. Second, the news has been ridiculous about it...if the boys are innocent, they have basically been proven guilty by the media who refuses to give up the story (I mean really, they say the same thing over and over again at 6 am, 12 pm, 5 pm, and 6pm) . Personally I'll just be glad when it's all over with.

Finally....

it's Spring Break! This week came with much anticipation and it was much needed. I sit here now sipping some tea and watching tv. How nice to just sit and do nothing!

So to check you up on the world that is ours... (because someone told me I had to...sorry if you're bored out of your mind)

March has been a sad month as both of our teams have exited the tournament. Carolina did better than any anticipated but still it was sad to see us bow out early esp. when you lose to a team like George Mason. (who by the way are kicking butt...I'm rooting for them now...I hope they go all the way). I have to say, unlike my husband, I'm very excited to see Duke get their butt kicked. I hate no despise the ugly cocky rat-faced Coach K and his little sidekick JJ. I literally cheered as the buzzer sounded on their defeat. So go Patriots!

Other news...I'm currently searching for a new job for next year. This year has made me question whether or not I even want to be a teacher...before I get out, I think I just need a new setting. I've put out applications to 5 schools here in Wake Forest and a couple of private schools. I had an interview today that went really well and I have another next week. I'm praying that the Lord will give me wisdom and open doors as to where He sees fit.

So in some fun news...room 104 now has a new class pet. His name is Bernie and he's a cute black and white guinea pig. My kids won $50 to do whatever they wanted with from being the top selling 3rd grade class. They voted on a class pet and it just happened that one of my students wanted to get rid of hers. The kids have been great with him and he's actually worked well as incentive for good behavior.

Ok that's enough for now...I'll update more later

What a week...

it has been! I had 5 kids suspended...all for fighting. This is just one more indication of the year I've had. I come home so frustrated and so fully exhausted that it's affected every aspect of my life. My world seems to revolve around school because even when I'm not there I'm thinking about it or planning for it. It never ends! Brooke reminded me today that its only 14 more weeks and we are in the home stretch but 14 weeks seems so long. Let's try a small milestone first... Spring break is only 2 weeks away. Spring Break will be low key since of course my Spring Break doesn't match up with Jeremy's.

I just have so many questions right now. What do you have for me Lord? What are you trying to teach me through this experience? Am I supposed to continue doing this? If you think about it...just pray for me and that the Lord will give wisdom. Hope each of you are doing...(though I'm not sure if anyone is reading this)

I'm taking over....

due to inactivity. Jeremy's been really busy with school and has been slack about keeping this blog up so I've decided to take it over. We're revamping the style and purpose of the blog to hopefully keep you up to date on the Coxes.

So what is going on with us you wonder. Good question...we are super busy. Jeremy is now in his second year of his M. Div program and is constantly stuck in a book. He is working in the PR department on campus for the experience/pocket change. He loves what he's doing and we love that the Lord is using him.

I'm still trucking along with the 3rd graders. The 2nd year has been harder than the 1st year and I think it's because the class I have this year. I have quite a unique bunch with quite some unusual names. Let's see...there is Matches (yep, like a box of matches), Cashmiere, and Sapphire. Each of them brings on their own unique challenges and it's just trying to find the right approach to help them. I know the Lord has put me here for a purpose and I constantly have to be on my knees. Currently I'm praying about what to do next year. I have put out some resumes for some schools actually here in Wake Forest and I'm looking at some private schools. So we'll see what happens.

Other than that, we're just here hanging out in Seminary land, Pleasantville as we like to call it. It truly is out of a movie from a time long time ago. People leave their doors unlocked, they hang out on their porches, and they congregate in the yard. I absolutely love it! I love that everyone here is in the same boat so you don't feel bad when you're broke and your entertainment is watching a borrowed movie. I love that I know my neighbors and we can just walk right into each other's house at any given time. I love that there is always someone to walk with and always someone to give advice. The only thing that scares me is the sheer amount of pregnant women! I believe that I live in a baby factory; they say it's in the water. We're currently filtering the water. :) No seriously, we both love children, but just don't have the means to provide for one right now. Have no fear...things will change!

So that's it for right now...I promise there will be more regular updates and funny classroom charades. Have a great night!