HOMEOWNERS!!

That's right! Nick and I are officially homeowners! We bought a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Valencia behind Granery Square! We are super excited, and only one street away from our cousins and great friends, Kurt, Kellie and baby weston!! We can't believe how blessed we are, and how much God has provided with giving us this house. We are in awe of his goodness!!! We painted this weekend, and moved everything in thanks to the help of our wonderful family on Nicks and my side! They are all so wonderful, and we are so thankful for them!! Our home is beautiful, and I will try to put some pictures up when it is all finished. Looking forward to settling in, and hopefully getting a dog soon!!!!!

India

Nick and I felt like as soon as we landed in California on August 3rd, that we hit the ground running. I can't believe how crazy life has been for this past month. There is so much going on, that requires alot of processing and adjusting that it has been so tough to process through India and all of our experiences over there and what God has and is teaching us from that.

WOW, I can't believe we spent 6 weeks in India this summer! Time came and went, and here we are back in America in a somewhat normal routine.

What an experience India was. It was beautiful, difficult challenging and fun all at the same time. I feel like there are so many stories and experiences that I can't even begin to put them into words. So many people left an imprint on my heart and now I feel like I am worlds away from them because I don't see them everyday, and I really am on the other side of the world.

So many faces are a blur across my mind as I think of them and wonder how they are doing; praying for them and thinking about their lives. So many beautiful faces, some that truly know and love the Lord and some that are lost in the darkness of a polytheistic religion.

The Lord is doing an amazing work in India and Nick and I were blessed to witness all that He is doing over there. There are so many different hands and feet that are working as part of the body to reach those who are have not seen the Light.

I try to ponder and process what exactly did God teach me over there. So often John 15: 8-13 was on my heart about what it means to Love one Another. How do we do that on a daily basis? How do we put others needs above ourselves?

God showed Nick and I how much of a practical dependence our Indian friends had on the Lord. THe joy of the Lord flowed out of them and was written all over their faces, because they were always dependent on Him. Wow, do I have the same dependence on the Lord. Is the joy of the Lord written all over my face? What do people see when they see me? What am I a reflection of?

We went to a land filled with people who did not have very much, and yet they did not live in need. They used what they were given, and got by just fine. Now we have returned to a culture that is me focused and material centered. How do we take what we have seen in India and what we see here in America and figure out how to live? It is difficult. I find that it is incredibly easy to fall into the lifestyle of focusing on things, because we are constantly surrounded and bombarded by it...everywhere we look. I don't want to live in such a way that I am so similar to the world and the culture that I live in. Can someone look at me and see that something is different? Do I reflect something different, or do I reflect myself...a focus on this life, on myself and on the things I can have in this life.

One of my biggest prayers and thoughts while being in India was that I did not want to come back and be complacent in my faith. I want God to be involved so directly and intimately in my life that talking about Him flows easily from my lips. That He is truly my primary focus, not just because I say it is so, but because it is how I live my life, to serve and glorify His name above all else.

Wow....looks like I have much to process through still!

We're back!

Hey everyone! It's been a loong while since I have updated our blog. We have been in India the past six weeks, and it was difficult to get time to sit down and think about what I would want to blog about our experience. Let me tell you that it was a challenging, amazing, and blessing of an experience. God stretched us and challenged us. The schools are amazing, the children are amazing, and the people are amazing! The food, and the climate...not so much. The joy of the Lord is shown all over the faces of the people you meet there. It makes me wonder what people see when they see me. Do they see a reflection of Christ? It makes me think about what I am living for. Coming back has been wonderful to see our family and friends whom we missed so very much while gone. The transition back to our culture will be somewhat difficult. America tends to be such a materialistic culture, and now that we have been somewhere else in the world that just does not focus so much on possessions, it is difficult to come back and figure out how we want to live in our culture. There is so much to process through right now, in the midst of going through jet lag.

In the midst of coming home, there is a lot going on. We are living with Nick's family right now as we begin the process of looking for a house! Very exciting, and already feeling a little stressful at times. Nick is starting a new job at Golden Valley High School. It is strange to be home, but not really home anymore. Our apartment in Pasadena is gone, and all of our things are in storage. It is strange to have picked up and now live in a completely different city. Most of Nick's family lives here which is awesome, and it will be good to spend some more time with many of them.

I will try to keep our blog updated more with all the things going on in life right now. Hope everyone is well!

Today's the day!!!

Hey everyone,

Today's the big day!! We are officially moving out of our apartment this morning, and this afternoon we fly to India for the next six weeks!! God is doing some big things in our lives right now, and we are so excited!!! Please pray for us with all that is going on! Pray for us physically, mentally and spiritually!! Pray that we would be culturally sensitive and servant hearted. We love you all very much, and we look forward to sharing stories with you when we come home!

Until then,

Nick and Jenny

Sweet Scripture

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen"

Ephesians 3:16-21

Our first apartment

As I look around our packed up apartment, so many thoughts run through my head. This place holds a special spot in our hearts. This was mine and Nicks first home together. We came back here on our wedding night to an apartment filled with candles and roses. We bought our first furniture and got to decorate exactly as I wanted it! We had our parents, grandparents and friends over for dinner to see our "home". We celebrated birthdays here! We had people over and packed out our apartment, and walked to watch the Rose Parade. This place holds a ton of memories of our first 2 years of marriage! I can't believe how fast time flies! God is soo good, and we are blessed to have had such a wonderful place to call home for our first two years as man and wife. It is sad to leave, but there are exciting things ahead to look forward to! Nick's job out in Santa Clarita means that when we get home from India we will begin to house hunt in finding a new place to settle down some roots in! It is an exciting adventure to partake on, and we look forward to establishing a new home and making new memories that we will store in our hearts as well.

I know this is kind of sappy but we will always hold a special place for Pasadena in our hearts:)

Packing!

Keep us in your prayers this week and next!  We are just a tad bit overwhelmed with all that we have going on.  Trying to finish up the school year, move out of our apartment and pack for India is keeping us crazy busy!!  But at least we are still smiling!!  We leave for India in 9 days!  WOW!  Not much else to say...better get back to packing!

Napa!!!

So I have been told by my cousin that our blog is too boring, and I need to do some more updating, so here goes!!

Nick and I went to Napa a few weeks ago, and had a great time!  Before Napa we made a stop off in Visalia with our friend Colleen to visit and celebrate Katrina's 25th Bday!!  We hiked a huge 

hill, played some grass vball, and went to a great dinner!  Best of all we got to see Kat's new house and have some much needed friend time:)  

After V-town, we drove up to Napa and had the best 2 days of relaxation!  We found that upon arrival our hotel was overbooked and had to send us to Holiday Inn for a night.  With all the free stuff and upgrades they gave us I think we got the good end of the deal!  They paid for our breakfasts both mornings we were there (amazing food by the way).  I got a massage at their spa which is literally in a cave underneath a vineyard.  They allowed Nick to use the mens side of the spa with jacuzzi and steam room, and amazing showers.   Nick said and I quote "I took the best shower of my life"!!  The showers had the nozzles on every side so you didn't even have to move and water would hit you from every direction!  A little piece of paradise!!:)  

That afternoon we drove up the highway and went to two vineyards and went wine tasting.  Definitely liked Sutter Home the best!  We came back to our upgraded room with a balcony overlooking the pool and the vineyard and relaxed before dinner out on the town.  

All in all a great trip, and very much needed before the crazyness!

BIG Life changes!!

WOW!!  Where do I begin with all that is going on!!???   Nick and I found out that he got hired to teach math at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita next year!  Praise the Lord!!!  Nick and I are very excited, but are incredibly overwhelmed, because we have sooooo much to do!!  We are going to pack everything up and move everything out of our apartment into storage while we are gone in India.  That will save us a lot of money, and allow us to prepare to hopefully buy a house once we return from India!!  

I just started packing up like 8 boxes tonight, and I feel like I barely made a dent!!!   Needless to say we have 2 1/2 weeks to get all that done, while at the same time Nick is transitioning to a new job, finishing up school with Azusa, me finishing up with MSA, and all the while getting ready to spend 6 weeks in India!!  Crazy, but also very very exciting.  Please keep us in your prayers over these next few weeks.  

I can't believe summer is almost here, I am just about done with my first year teaching!  Wow, it has flown by!!  and best of all...I survived it!!!  I am excited to get year 2 under my belt now:)  Officially today I completed year 1 of my BTSA program and had everything signed off by the head guy at the district office!  That was very exciting!!

Nick and I had so much good news this week we decided to hit up the melting pot tonight for a splurge on some great food!  We had a wonderful time!  I am trying to enjoy my last few weeks of living in Pasadena, although I am incredibly excited to move to Santa Clarita, this was mine and Nicks first apartment together, and it holds so many special memories:)...it will be hard to say good-bye.

PS If I didn't make it sound as though we are busy or anything, our good friend Tim is getting married to Nena this weekend, and Nick is in the weddding!!  We are so happy for them to begin their lives as a married couple.  Good times!  

I will try to blog once more before we leave for India, hopefully by that time our apartment will be completely packed up!

Spring Break!

So sad that we don't have the same Spring break:(  Mine is this week, and Nicks is next week.  However, since my 25th falls at the end of the week, my wonderful husband is taking Thursday and Friday off of school and we are going to Las Vegas to celebrate!!  It will be a fun birthday to remember, especially because we are going to see The Blue Man group!  I can't wait!!!   I will definitely post pictures of our fun trip in my next blog.  

Other new news...not much else going on actually.  We are continuing to prepare for India, and have a long book list to be reading as we prepare!!  

Good news about Nicks Job.  The Azusa district took back all the pink slips given out about a month ago, so it looks like Nick has a secure job with Azusa next year.  

That is about it for an update with us, more to come soon!