ATTENTION LADIES!!!

SHOPPING FOR CHILDREN'S NIGHT AT CHRISTMAS!!!

Thursday, December 18th

6:30

Anthony Z's (beside Coldstone on Main Street in Madison)

after we eat, we will go shop for the 3 children that we have!

hope you can join us!

Sunday, December 14th Prayer Requests

lisa/geno
remember the wallace family - their mom (a friend of lisa's) was killed in a car wreck a week ago. she leaves 2 daughters - 1 is about to get married and the other is a 10th grader at madison central

brandi/david
david's cousin's child committed suicide. they are agreeing on house stuff (praise)! david's mom - spot on her breast

chasity/brad
friend of chasity's family (stanley hayes) has stomach cancer - while undergoing surgery, he suffered from kidney failure. van (chasity's brother) is going to be a father in the spring.

kim/paul
kim's grandfather - lymph nodes removed

mary/lee
lee passed the series 7 exam!

jennifer/ty
a friend went to the MEA for bronchitis - had a reaction to the rocephin. a friend's mom died. ty's mom died 6 years ago and this time of the year is hard.

suzanne/tommy
a customer of tommy's died in his sleep (32 years old). some of tommy's family had their home broken in to.

erin/mike
erin's mom - lung disease, but not as bad as what they thought. sunday was erin/mike's 6 year anniversary!!!

susanna
expecting baby #3!

beth/shaun
engaged!

remember ryan goolsby (mom and dad are vicky and jerry). ryan is a senior at mra and is in our youth group. he has had some heart issues and had a procedure on tuesday, 12/16.

A PRIZE!

we were with mindy and denny the other night after church and were talking about the blog. i told them that i never know if people are reading (i know some of you do read regularly) and nobody says anything when i don't update it, so i assume that it's not being read or missed!

SO - we decided that we could give a prize to the first person to leave a comment!

this prize is simple - just a little something. but i may continue these prizes!

so if you want it, you need to post a comment!!!

tommy and i will be out of town for care sunday tomorrow. but next week, everything will be back in full swing. december is loaded with activities, so please remember to slow down and remember the REAL meaning of CHRISTmas!

from allison mcgee

"Today" (this was monday...) "I went to George Elementary School to Mrs. Brasfields class (1st grade) and hosted their Fall party for our lifegroup. They were so sweet and appreciative. I also gave two prizes away one boy prize and one girl prize (it was hello kitty and spongebob electric toothbrushes and both a pumpkin flashlight) I told the class I was a "Dental Hygienist" and asked if anyone knew what I did at work everyday as a dental hygienist and then asked if they know how many teeth they had and gave out the two prizes and then gave them instructions about their oral health. Kim Sims the one helps us going to George told me to see if our lifegroup class would contribute money towards the party I gave. I spent $75. I made cupcakes, punch and treat bags. I also had strawberries and cheese puffs. I was helping the 3 years old this Sunday and forgot to tell Geno to collect money, but if you would post the party and ask to bring money next Sunday that would be great!!!!!
allison"

so, class, come this week prepared to give, again! i know that there are several things we have been giving to lately, but consider it a blessing that we are able to give!

don't forget, too, to be working on your SHOE BOXES!!! if our class JUST did our part, it would be almost 20% of the entire goal!!!!

be praying, too, about giving to the children's night at Christmas. we are going to start taking up money so that when the time gets here, we will have it ready!

i will post this week's prayer requests tonight - i'm sorry that i didn't do it sunday afternoon.

arrangements for jenny's mom

arrangements for jenny's mom (barbara forrest) are as follows:

visitation: thursday, october 23rd
5:00-7:00
riles funeral home
vicksburg

funeral: friday, october 24th
10:00
first presbyterian church
vicksburg

if some want to get together and ride, please post a comment below and we'll see what we can arrange!

update

cory sent me a text a little while ago to let me know that ms barbara passed away this afternoon around 2:30.

i will post arrangements when we find something out.

please keep their family in your prayers!

update.....

tommy and cory were texting a few minutes ago - cory said that they have called the family in and ms. barbara continues to decline.

please pray for comfort for jenny and her sister leeann, as well as the rest of the family....

i will update as we hear....

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

please, please keep jenny, cory, and their family in your prayers.

jenny's mom, as you may already know from yesterday's prayer request, has taken a turn for the worst and is in the hospital still. the doctors have said that she has 48 hours left - short of a miracle (which we know can still happen!!!).

right now, lisa has parker and jenny is at the hospital. cory had gone to the coast with work and he just sent me a text to say that he is 5 minutes south of jackson.

i will update the blog again as i know information. just stop RIGHT NOW and pray.

Authentic Relationships...Week 3

1 Samuel 18:1-9

Intimacy - closeness. Society has made intimacy to mean sexual relations

God created Adam for a close, intimate relationship. He was lonely.

3 types of friends:
1) proximity: work, neighbors, school
become friends by talking, spending time together, etc.
2) like minded: political, etc.
become friends because we share similar interests.
3) true friends: intimate
kind of slide past the first 2! cry together, sacrifice, spend time, confide in, and are vulnerable around.
***proximity friends are those you spend time with, like minded friends are those you can get angry with, and true friends are those you can cry with (thanks, jeremy!)***

To build an intimate relationship, you must give some of yourself to your friend! Jonathan gave up his identity for David - his robe (the prince's robe), tunic, sword, bow, and belt. Do you have a friend now that you would give ANYTHING to?

As a child, we made friends in some of these ways:
let them in our tree house, share toys, "egging", sharing bracelets - necklaces - etc, blood brothers/sisters
As we got older, some of the ways we made friends:
speaking pig latin, through fraternities/sororities (certain handshakes, etc)

Satan's #1 took that he uses to destroy intimate relationships is jealousy!

To build an intimate relationship, you have to share things that you don't necessarily want to - being completely honest - even in the flesh. If you don't, eventually there will be a problem.

If you're going to have friends, you have to trust them! One way to do this is through listening!

In building true friends, you must have these 3: trust, time, vulnerability

Geno's challenge this week:
~share something with someone this week
~entrust someone to do something you do well - help teach them!
~give a gift to someone that says something about YOU - yes, even the guys!!!

next week is care sunday!!!

Sunday, October 19th prayer requests

jerry welch
has been throwing up since yesterday. geno asked that we pray for him to get well and for none of the rest of the staff to get sick!

jenny & cory
jenny's mom is back in the hospital. the bad cells are back and she is dehydrated. they are trying to regulate everything with medicine.

susanna
her husband's cousin lost their 7 year old child in a car wreck

lori & kris
pastor of lydie's church (kris' mom) possibly had a heart attack - they are doing more tests. also, lydie's health has gone down - she is praying about a new position. she is a music leader at a church and would like to be able to just play instead of leading the music. lori's friend, dani, needs prayer.

robbin & todd
robbin's best friend, sue, lost her dad

adelle & jeremy
adelle is talking to her boss this week about possibly going part time. there has not been a part time worker there in YEARS. they will need someone on wednesdays to keep ella (cheap!). pray that this will all work out!

wendy & roger
roger's mom and grandmother traveling back home to memphis this afternoon

suzanne & tommy
suzanne's dad will be traveling in the next month - going to orlando and then when he gets back, he and her uncle will be going on their motorcycles to california for about 3 weeks

kecia & corey
expecting baby #2!!! due april 24th

keep the turkey mission team in your prayers.

from tommy & suzanne

please pray for our friends (and "charter" members of our lifegroup), holly and neal mccoy. it was confirmed last week that they were pregnant with their third child, but yesterday they had a miscarriage. please also pray for their two boys, mac and south, as holly and neal try to explain this to them. mac is four (old enough to understand that he was going to be getting another sibling) and south is two.

from brandi mccay

"My friend Brooke that lives in my neighborhood is going through a very hard time. When I was in New York last week, I called her she seemed like she was doing fine. She got into an argument with her husband about his daughter from a previous marriage. (She said it wasn't a huge argument) She hasn't seen or heard from him in 5 days. He turned his phone off; however, he did call his mother once and told her not to call him that he would call her and that he was "fine". He has drinking issues, and they fight about that as well due to the things he says while intoxicated. Please pray for them!
Thanks,
Brandi McCay"

News....

please scroll down below to read several things that were announced last week!

add to that:

~FALL FESTIVAL~
candy is needed!!! placed individually wrapped candy in the bin in the foyer! we don't want the kids to be disappointed!
also...pick up a "ticket" or pack of "tickets" for the fall festival and give them to friends! what a great outreach opportunity!

Authentic Relationships...Week 2

today was another good lesson!

verses for this week were RUTH 1:1-18

what are some times when friends have come through for you?
deaths, divorces, etc

what keeps you from having deep relationships?
busyness/time, pride, risk involved

even God doesn't like to be alone! deep down we all have a hunger for those deep relationships!

why was ruth so loyal to naomi?
how she was treated, naomi's character, naomi's love, loyal to the dead (her husband/naomi's son), respect, compassion/empathy (ruth lost her husband, but knew that naomi lost her husband AND 2 sons)

what do you think of when we say home?
security, safety, love, belonging

culture vs. blood ties:
culture:
~friends:
1. co-workers: don't always see outside of work, see them more than anybody, common thread
2. church family: breaking bread. common thread
3. neighbors:
4. married-in-family:
blood:
sometimes hard to show love, respect, loyalty, etc., to family. however you have no choice in blood ties!

how do you show ultimate loyalty?
death, sacrificing time, giving of self

there is a blessing that comes from loyalty!

***the rest of the story (after ruth 1:1-18): ruth remarried a true man of God who was also wealthy. she had children and was the great-great grandmother of king david and the great x-grandmother of Jesus!***

CHALLENGE FROM GENO:
read ruth. how have you sacrificed for your friends and/or family?

***REMEMBER THAT THE VERSES THAT NEED TO BE READ FOR EACH SUNDAY ARE LISTED TO THE RIGHT!!! THE VERSES THAT ARE BESIDE THE DATE ARE THE VERSES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSED THAT DAY - SO READ THEM THE WEEK BEFORE!***

Sunday, October 12th Prayer Requests

mary & lee:
lee's last trip was last week!!! mary's brother/sister-in-law are going to counseling - mary sent them the love dare book!

lisa & geno:
michael (lisa's brother) got married yesterday! pray for lisa's family from up north as they travel back home after the wedding. also, the closing on geno's mom's building was this week - and his mom is 70 today!

joanna & john:
pregnant! due in march

demetria & kevin:
kaden will start light box therapy for the psoriasis. he is also on new meds. please remember russ as he deals with anxiety issues.

susanna:
sister involved with a married man (she is divorced).

jenny & cory:
jenny's mom is still doing o.k.

jessica:
court was thursday. she is now jessica CASE again! she thanked everybody for their prayers through this and stated that she was on stand for about 8 hours thursday.

jennilee & brad:
brad's department was layed off this week. pray for a job (per geno, around here!). brad asked that we keep the older guys in his department in our prayers - the ones that were close to retirement...

we have a mission team leaving this friday for turkey

remember everyone through this economic depression that we are about to go through - but especially those individuals who are in their 50's and 60's who have lost so much of their retirement

from robbin hensley.....

Update on my cousin - Jared is home recovering from the gallbladder surgery. Tests on the liver biopsy came back good - non-malignent. He has a f/u visit with a heart doctor regarding his "mild heart attack". Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers!

Another prayer request, if you don't mind. I spoke to my mother over the weekend. They have been doing lots of tests on my Granny (in Ohio). She has only 1 working kidney (it has been that way for years), which now is not working so well. They are planning to start sending her to dialysis. I had no idea what that meant until now. I didn't know what it was, how involved it is or how long it takes. Also, that will make it more difficult for her to travel. Thank goodness we took that cruise this year!

Thanks again!

Authentic Relationships...

today we started a new study - this one will take us through the end of the year! it is called "Authentic Relationships - being real in an artificial world".

geno had bookmarks typed up with verses on them (and a letter from him on the back). the verses correlate to the date that we will be talking about them. i have decided that it will be easier to keep a list of this over to the right - so go over and scroll down.

be sure to read the verses for the next sunday during the week. see what God is telling you through them instead of just what He is telling geno!

today we talked about John 15:9-17 "Being a Real Friend".

some of the questions that came up were:
~do you have a friend that you can just stop by and see anytime (i.e. on your way home just decide to "run by" and visit)?
~what drew you to your best childhood/high school friend?
~did your friend ever sacrifice for you?

we talked about apprentices and said that if we are going to be "real" friends, we need to see how it's done - to be an apprentice of the BEST friend - Jesus Christ!
5 things that we said Jesus did for His friends:
1. He got on their level
2. He spent time with them
3. He showed compassion/empathy
4. He prayed with and for them
5. They ate together - A LOT!

in closing, we noted qualities of a good friend:
~reveals thoughts & feelings
~respects their friend's wishes
~sacrifices for each other
~encourages their friends to develop and use God-given talents.

(i will try to take notes each week and post them here during this Authentic Relationships study - stay tuned!)

~**NEWS**~

**READING AT GEORGE ELEMENTARY**
kim sims still needs people to read to children. if you have time on a friday, please e-mail lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com and i will get the information to you!

**LOVE DARE BOOKS**
this is the book used in the movie Fireproof (which you NEED to go see if you haven't already!). there are books available for purchase at the welcome center or through the education office. the cost is $10 (they are $15 if you buy them at lifeway!)

**FRIDAY FELLOWSHIP**
meets friday mornings from 9:00-11:00 in d201 for breakfast and Bible study. childcare is available!!

**FALL FESTIVAL**
october 31st! we will be doing trunk-or-treat again. be ready to bring individually wrapped candy to drop off. we usually have about 300 visitors here - SO - this year, the monday after the fall festival, 100 people are needed to go visit these visitors. contact us at lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com if you would like to help out and were not in lifegroup to sign up!

**OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD**
y'all, really. our goal CHURCHWIDE is 1,000 boxes. the challenge is to do one for each member of your family. if our WHOLE CLASS did this - we'd have 118 boxes just from the adults (i did this from an old class roll - so i figured people who come most of the time - not ones who have moved, etc.). this does not include children! so relaly, we could have about 150 shoeboxes JUST from the lucaslifegroup!!! i can't tell you how much my family enjoys this every year. i CHALLENGE you to do the same!

**GROWTHGROUPS**
wednesday nights at 6:00. there are some awesome classes to choose from and it's not too late to jump in!

**A CALL TO PRAYER**
each sunday in d201 from 5:30-5:50, you can join others in a special time of prayer for our pastor search committee and for the man that God has chosen to serve as pastor of chbc.

**FAITH**
a second fall FAITH begins on tuesday, october 14th. for more info, please call the missions and evangelism office.

Sunday, October 5th Prayer Requests

jenny & cory:
continue to pray for jenny's mom. she got a good report friday!

lori & kris:
lori's mom lost her job a while back and does not have insurance. they are trying to get her on tennessee's version of medicaid. she has diabetes and the insurance is much needed!

brie & t.c.:
brie doesn't have a voice! also, reagan has a rash that keeps coming up and they don't know what it is from! keep brie's mom, susan, in your prayers as david travels driving a big truck

wendy & roger:
there is a little boy harrassing gracia at school (4 yrs old). also, remember the family members/friends of the madison central student who committed suicide.

demetria & kevin:
kaden has severe psoriasis. the canton flea market is this thursday! russ is having an extremely hard time coming to anything at the church - he is in pre-school at chbc.

mary & lee:
mary's brother/sister-in-law are separated.

emily & jeff:
emily's sister (who divorced in december) is getting married this month.

lisa & geno:
the closing on geno's mom's office building is this week. also, lisa's brother is getting married this coming weekend and geno is officiating! lisa's cousin has been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer.

suzanne & tommy:
tommy's bank - merger (we don't know if it is with citibank or wells fargo!). suzanne's great-aunt - omega marvil - is in the hospital with diverticulitis.

From the Hensley's.....

What's going on with the Hensleys, you ask???

It was a very chaotic summer! We were out of town a lot and the baby (Aliza) was sick a good bit of the time. Now, trying to get past all of that, we are working very hard on the weekends to ready our house for the market (copying the Rapers, hopefully with the same success!). Todd and I can barely move from the physical labor - as we are now both desk jockeys. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, eh? Anyway, we apologize for being so out of touch this summer and are working to get back on track.

More importantly, I have an urgent prayer request at this time. My very close cousin, Jared Reviea, is in the hospital. He was having pain and difficulty breathing. They ran tests and found spots on his liver. They said that the spots would have to be removed as soon as possible, but in the meantime, they continued to run more tests. They determined that he had a heart attack. While on the testing machines, he had another heart attack. The cardiologist came today and said that he has an enlarged heart and heart valve. They are doing more testing and an MRI to determine what needs to be done for this issue. Jared is 28 years old. He was just married in May and is helping to raise his 2 step daughters. Please say some urgent prayers for him and his new family.

FIREPROOF!

on september 26th, chbc is renting out a whole theater for the showing of fireproof. per geno, this movie is about a fireman who puts everything into his job and neglects his marriage. it is made/produced by the same people who did facing the giants.

here is a link to the trailer that was posted on youtube. it looks awesome!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5lSu6GkC2k

Sunday, August 31st Prayer Requests

~tommy/suzanne~
friends from greenwood, lauren & claire green, had twins - ann grace and mamie. ann grace is struggling more with a heart condition. both are a little over 2 lbs now. their blog is http://laurenandclairegreen.blogspot.com

~geno/lisa~
lisa is sick (throat) and can't talk. also, she is going to be home alone for 10 days while geno goes on the mission trip to peru.

~jeff/carly~
carly was sick sunday (and is pregnant, SO she can't take medicine!). also, they had a wreck this week, but are o.k.

~jessica~
getting things ready at the base to aid when gustav hits

~lee/mary~
hurricaine evacuees

~melissa
cousin-in-law just got back from kosovo. he was at a bonfire and something blew up in it. he is burned really bad - and is a newly wed. his name is kevin kennedy.

~wint/allison~
wint's brother in law who lives in mobile (he has been our coast guard person in the 4th of july program) - helping with hurricaine issues

***remember our troops

***shelters at broadmoor and vida abudante

shan and jenny

i got the prayer list from church and it said that shan's grandmother passed away. please keep them in your prayers.

by the way - if you want to get the e-mail every day from church, just call and ask the receptionist to add you to the daily prayer e-mail! it's a good way to keep up with prayer requests that are needed at chbc!

News............

WELCOME RECEPTION

for Dr. John Bisagno and Mrs. Uldine

~~~homemade ice cream~~~

sunday, august 24th

5:00 p.m.

------------------------------

LADIES PAJAMA PARTY

thursday, august 28th
6:00 p.m.

$7
~if you need childcare, this must be pre-registered~

------------------------------

MOMS & MORE
monday, august 25th
6:30

mrs. dianne will be speaking!

------------------------------

GROWTHGROUPS FALL 2008

:Bible Study Made Effective
:From Now to Eternity
:Project George,
Beyond the Microwave
:Six Secrets to Lasting Love

Sunday, August 24th Prayer Requests

~Shan/Jenny~
they got a message during church to go to the hospital - shan's grandmother isn't expected to make it much longer. also, jenny's sister amber is on her way to california (michael is driving her out there) - she is going to be a travel nurse.

~Prentiss/Laura~
a friend found out he has prostate cancer

~Brad/Jennilee~
friends just lost a baby and are pregnant again. a guy that brad works with is going through a lot (is being audited at work, just lost his dad, and his mother-in-law is terminally ill)

~Cory/Jenny~
ms barbara

~Jeff/Emily~
both are sick

~Geno/Lisa~
geno is going on the peru mission trip in 2 weeks

~Tommy/Suzanne~
will be traveling the next 2 weekends.

~David/Brandi~
brandi is traveling. she had a bad pap smear a few weeks ago and will have follow up testing this week.

Sunday, August 17th Prayer Requests

~Lee/Mary
lee is through with his masters and has a real civilian job!

~Hal/Megan
hal got a promotion!!!

~Scott/Mollie
mollie has to fly for work

~Kevin/Demetria
kaden starting kindergarten this week

~Geno/Lisa
geno's sister was found last night drunk on the side of the road. a chbc member found her and got her to geno's mom's house.

~Shan/Jenny
shan's grandmother had an mri and the tumor has not shrunk - hospice is going to be coming in

~Cory/Jenny
ms barbara - her counts are staying pretty stable. the shots are helping

~Corey/Kecia
kecia's mom - her body is not producing red blood cells and they don't know why

~Wint/Allison
wint's mom, jane, has a dr's appt tuesday

~Brad/Chasity
the hollis family in columbus lost their daughter-in-law to colon cancer (mid-30's with 3 children)

Jonah Matthew Thomas

JONAH MATTHEW
was born monday at 11:34 a.m. weighing 7 lbs and 10 oz. He is 20 ½ inches long, and is welcomed by his big brother, kaleb. Erin is resting comfortably at woman’s hospital and is doing great. We would like to start meals this Saturday, the 9th. If you would like to sign up to take them a meal, please respond to demetriaraper@bellsouth.net.

***DATES ARE ON THE RIGHT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP!***

Sunday, August 3rd Prayer Requests

~erin and mike~
erin will be induced in the morning with baby jonah! a link to their blog is on the list to the right....

~jenny and shan~
shan's truck has not turned up (was stolen). also remember shan's grandmother - she has a brain tumor

~jenny and cory~
continue praying for ms. barbara as she battles cancer. she is taking a chemo shot and is at home

~demetria and kevin~
demetria's aunt was diagnosed with cancer. also, her cousin/his wife went through invitro and lost the baby. continue to pray for the sale of their house - it's on the market!

~jesica~
her mom has a lump on her breast

~ashley and kurt~
her grandfather (mom's dad) has a cancerous spot on his head. they are going to test it to see the size, etc. also, remember her siblings (alyssa, will, andrea) as they will all be starting new schools

~suzanne and tommy~
tommy has hurt his knee again (the one he just had surgery on) when he stepped in a hole and twisted it. also, remember the family of suzanne's uncle who passed away. mary peyton had a bad week this past week (bite on leg that got infected & has light case of staph, fell & hit head on the corner of a door, etc).

~laura and prentiss~
teachers reporting back to school tomorrow!

Sunday, July 27th Prayer Requests

Jenny & Cory~ Jenny's mom is at home now, receiving platelets and a chemo shot weekly

Roger & Wendy ~Roger's Uncle Joe in hospital

Demetria & Kevin ~Trying to sell house; her brother is interviewing locally for a job, she wants him to seek God's direction and not just take the first opportunity

Jessica ~ friend lost 9 month old baby

Shan & Jenny ~ Shan's truck stolen

Tommy & Suzanne ~ Suzanne's uncle passed away Thursday

Just a few years ago....

FOUR years ago this past may, to be exact, this was most of our lifegroup.

WOW.

how things change........

The Girls
back: suzanne barnette, jan haas, haley teague
front: holly mccoy, kecia ray, robin holliday, lisa lucas

The Boys
back: tommy barnette, geno lucas, harry holliday

front: corey ray, will haas, neal mccoy, ben teague

The Crew:

back: suzanne and tommy barnette; nathan, geno, lisa, and jonathan lucas

middle: corey and kecia ray; holly and neal mccoy

front: haley, ben, and campbell teague; landon, jan, and will haas; robin, lily, and harry holliday

Our fearelss leader???

i meant to add this last week, but had checked the e-mail at work and didn't have time. our very own WINT MCGEE took this master portrait in class and sent it to me. just thought i'd show off his talent! he is available for portrait appointments - if interested, please leave a comment!

Updated Breakfast Schedule

i have updated the breakfast schedule to the right!!!

so far, we have signed up through the end of september (the end of the 3rd quarter!) - and the only open weekend is AUGUST 31ST. if you want this weekend, please post a comment and i will add it.
~~keep in mind: you will be signing up for labor day weekend~~

Sunday, July 20th Prayer Requests

Lori Vick--Going to Wisconsin for work (She HATES to fly!); her mother lost her job

Lisa Lucas--May be having car troubles, the "check engine" light came on

The McGee's--Sick baby

The Ray's--Sick baby

Mindy Cobb--Denny's out of town for work

Shan Winstead--Grandma is at CMMC with recently diagnosed brain tumor

The Morris'--daughter is having dizzy spells, CAT Scan was clear though.

Tommy Barnette--Grandfather hospitalized

***special thanks to brie for sending these to me. my uncle passed away last week, so wednesday-sunday (yesterday), we were completely out of pocket!***

Sunday, June 22nd Prayer Requests

Emily/Jeff~
emily announced that TREASURELAND NEEDS SOMEONE TO WORK THE CHECK-IN DESK FROM 9:00-9:30 from july to some time in august. there is someone starting in august....

Lee/Mary~
sunday was their 6 year anniversary!!! they have a friend who just left for iraq (who is a newly wed and also has a baby on the way). also, a friend of their cousin was found murdered (he was married and had children)

Brie/T.C.~
friend's baby who was born needing a heart transplant - the prognosis is not good.

Ashley/Kurt~
PREGNANT! 6 weeks... also, pray for the israel trip. ashley is not going to go (as planned) - alyssa will be going in her place.

Robbin/Todd~
robbin will be traveling - todd will be home with the girls!

Patrick/Jill~
have friends who are doing in vitro

Joanna/John~
friend had her baby and the baby is doing well, but her friend has toxemia

Jessica~
going to germany for 2 weeks

Tommy/Suzanne~
tommy's mom having kidney problems. right now, her kidneys are functioning at 20%. if it gets down to 15%, they will start dialysis. also, suzanne's uncle was diagnosed with cancer.

Demetria/Kevin~
at the beach this week

News.....

WEEKDAY GREETERS NEEDED!!!

ladies are needed to volunteer to work in the welcome center at the church one morning or afternoon a week (or every other week). if you are interested/available to serve in this area, please call karen farhart at 601.427.0732

BIBLE STUDY MADE EFFECTIVE

wednesday nights at 6:00
our classroom!

jerry welch is leading this class - come learn how to study the Bible for yourself!

FREEDOM CELEBRATION

sunday, june 29th
8:00, 9:30, 11:00

~~*NO LIFEGROUPS WILL BE MEETING!!!*~~

join as p/33 presents "freedom celebration"!
dr. h.d. mccarty (brother mark's father-in-law) will be speaking in brother mark's abscence

THE GREAT MARRIAGE EXPERIENCE

august 8-9th

see flyers/posters around the church for more information.

"CARE" SUNDAYS....

the last sunday of each month (or in the case this month, our last sunday to meet...), geno has decided that we will break into caregroups and have "care" sunday. our class has gotten so large that we need to break down into smaller groups so that we can get to know each other better and minister to one another!

DON'T FORGET!

below are directions to emily's house for
JESSICA'S WELCOME HOME GIRLS ONLY GET TOGETHER!
tuesday, june 17th

6:30 p.m.

~~*bring an appetizer*~~


#155 Covey Run in Lake Caroline

Take the Madison Exit (#108) and go Left over the interstate
Take your 2nd Right onto Bozeman Road
Go through the red light and the 4 way stop
Drive about 1 ½ miles past the 4 way stop and turn Left onto Stribling Road
Turn Right into the 2nd Lake Caroline Entrance (Caroline Crossing)
Take your next Right onto Caroline Crossing
Take your next Right onto Covey Run (turning into Mill Ridge)
Our house is the 1st house on the Right. It is a corner lot so the side of our house is facing the street you are on.
#155 Covey Run

There will be balloons on the mailbox.

from paul & kimberly

hey all, i might have sent this to a couple of you already, sorry if you get it more than once. we have a great friend that is riding in a Tour de Cure to raise money for diabetes. and he is riding in Kimberly's honor!! he'll have her name somehow tagged on his jersey even. anyway, i thought i would pass this along if anyone is interested. thanks!!

http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC355418030?pg=personal&fr_id=5038&fr_id=5038&px=4205210

from kyle and lee ann

So we have made it here. Last Monday the truck loading went pretty well and thanks so much for the help. We visited our families and friends and then we started driving. Very good, uneventful trips. We are not doing a very good job of unpacking, but we have only found one casualty of the move--a plastic pitcher.

We have new phone numbers and a new address and I am working now. Kyle is staying at home looking for jobs and cars, and unpacking.

5710 Arringdon Park Drive Apt 1126
Morrisville, NC 27560
Kyle: 919-413-2783 ; einwolf@hotmail.com
Lee Anne: 919-889-6282 ; gilgal80@hotmail.com

Thank you so much for your friendships and prayers. We will miss you guys so much.
Lee Anne and Kyle Tadlock

a time to help!

this request came from geno yesterday....kyle and lee ann are moving to north carolina - we will miss you!

"Help Help… Kyle and Leanne need HELP… loading the truck as they move way out to the east coast. Anyone who can help please call Kyle at 601/466-2450. They are loading up Monday morning starting around 9:30 and it should not take more than two hours. "

Prayer requests from last week....

Again, here are prayer requests that have come in via e-mail (since we really haven't done any in class).

From Kimberly and Paul:
hey guys, we have another request. this past friday paul's parents next door neighbor, Henry Swann, had a massive heart attack. as of today he is in the hospital and on life support. he really isn't doing very good, but there are little glimmers of hope here and there. he's been my parent's neighbor since i was 8 years old, and they have become very good and trustworthy friends of my family. please keep he and his family in your prayers. thanks so much.paul, kimberly, and ruby

From Erin and Mike:
I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers this week! For those of you that don't know what I am talking about, let me fill you in.Thursday morning at around 2am I woke up with pain in my belly. When Caleb got up we noticed that he was covered in head to toe hives (I knew it was probably strep- yet again). So while I headed to my doctor, Mike was on this way to the pediatrician with Caleb. When I got to the office the doctor sent me over to Woman's to make sure it was not my appendix. After having two ultrasounds and blood work done, we found out that Jonah is doing great and that I was not in labor. My appendix and gallbladder looked good but my blood work showed that I was severely dehydrated . I was kept overnight for IV hydration and to recheck my blood in the AM to make sure nothing was going on. Everything checked out and my doctor is guessing that I may of had a stomach virus. I am doing great, I just feel like I have done a million sit-ups (and yes, drinking tons of water). Jonah is also doing great- kicking and dancing like crazy. Caleb is still dealing with the strep with a low-grade fever and hives. And poor Mike is happy to have a weekend at home.Again, I want to thank everyone that jumped in to help and pray for us. After making one phone call to Lisa, within the hour, childcare for Caleb was lined up for the night! I cannot express how blessed we feel to have friends and a church family like this!
Thanks,
Erin

About Brie and T.C.:
Reagan McKinley Clark weighs 7 lbs. 5 ozs and is 20 ¾ inches long. She was born Tuesday, April 29th.
these updates are from the church daily prayer e-mail:
She is still in the NICU and may be as long as Saturday before they can go home. She has an air pocket…not in her lungs, but just somewhere. It will go away on its own, but could take a few days and that’s why they may be in the hospital longer than usual. The good news is that Brie was just able to feed her and it went very well.
Brie Clark just called…they decided to keep Reagan’s IV in for now, but the are going to let her come into her room in about an hour and see how it goes. She’s eating well and the air pocket is smaller. The air pocket has to be completely gone before she can be discharged so they are still saying both she, and baby, will be there until Saturday.
(Thursday 5/1 3:30 update). Susan (grandma) just called and said that the IV has been discontinued on the baby (Reagan) and that she is in the room with her Mommy. They will, still, probably go home on Saturday. Brie said “Thanks for all the prayers, they worked!”

Prayer Requests from this week....

since we didn't get to do prayer requests, here are some that have come by e-mail (and then our own...)

from tommy and suzanne:
mary peyton fell saturday and had to have a staple put in the back of her head! pray for us friday when we go to get it out. also, please remember the family of patsy castle - she went home to be with the Lord on 4-16-08.

from kimberly and paul:
Here it goes:
1. The couple that Paul mentioned going through the in-vitro procedure found out that it did not work. Shortly after that they had to put their dog down. Pray that they get through this hard time.
2. I have been diagnosed with Graves Disease and will have my thyroid killed radioactively this coming week. Ruby will be staying with the grandparents while I am toxic. So, pray it goes smoothly and with no side effects!
Kimberly Buford

from dan and jennifer lynch:
Hey guys,Hope everything's going well! A couple of things: My dad has had a couple of kidney stones for about 2 years, and one moved on Saturday. Monday morning they crushed it and everything was successful! But he is still really weak so just pray that he continues to pass the remains of the stone with little pain and that he will regain his strength soon. My mom is being marked today for radiation and will actually start radiation tomorrow. She'll go every weekday morning for about 6 weeks. We hope there will be no adverse effects. Visiting the church in Bogalusa was really great on Sunday, and we'll find out about that in a couple of weeks!Thanks for your prayers, Jennifer Lynch

check to see when you're signed up!

please check the lists to the right (you may have to scroll down...).

i have updated the breakfast list and have also added the meal list for bob and susan.

it's a baby shower!!!!!

Please join us to shower

Jenny Winders

as she prepares for

Parker Cole Winders'

arrival!

Sunday, May 4th
2:30 p.m.
Mary Miller's home

please e-mail lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com for directions.....

In other news..........

BIBLE DRIVE

april 19th and 20th
bring new or used Bibles to the church to be distributed around the world!!! please place $1 in the front cover of each Bible to help cover shipping costs

WORK PROJECT

april 18th and 19th
come help reroof portable H! if you can help, please call geno at the church office

SEND-A-KID TO CAMP

envelopes are available in lifegroup or in the foyer.
you don't have to give the entire amount that it costs to send a kid to camp - every dollar helps! the average cost is between $200-$250.
if each couple in our class just skipped going out to eat 1 time in a month (or about $20), our class could sponsor 3 children!!!

SPRING LADIES EVENT
thursday, april 24th
6:30 p.m.
worship center
$7 per person (childcare available for $5/child - deadline is april 20th)
"bloom where you are planted" - vicki spring and denise beacham will be sharing!!!
come join us!

Sunday, April 6th and 13th Prayer Requests

Suzanne & Tommy
~knee surgery was friday, april 11th (torn lateral meniscus). it went well. he is just sore, but that is to be expected.

Chasity & Brad
~jude was saved on april 2nd. he will be baptized on april 20th.

Jeff & Emily
~package for jessica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dan & Jennifer
~(4/6) jennifer's mom had surgery - the tumor was benign - may have to have treatment
~(4/13) today was their last sunday. they are going to start the move to picayune. also, they have gone to a church in bogaloosa to interview for a youth pastor position and the church wants them to come back next sunday!

Hal & Megan
~hal is going on a mission trip to honduras at the end of may

Adelle & Jeremy
~management development position at adelle's work - she put her application in! also, a chance to have jeremy's tution for his phd paid for!!!

Clay & Christy
~moving this week.

A new baby!

i got this in an e-mail from susan just a few minutes ago! wanted to share it!!!

hey suzanne, just wanted to let you know that bella is here and doing great. she was born at 1049am, 8lbs 12oz, 21 inches. we would have called you or lisa, but we didnt have any phone numbers with us. anyway, just wanted to let you know and to keep us in your prayers. as for the meals, we would prefer that to start the week of the 14th, bob will be going back to work then and would help me out more that way.
talk to you soon.
susan

THIS WEEK'S NEWS....

Moms - and - More

Monday, March 31st

7:00 p.m.

D201

Speaker: Jamie Ransier

~~*You won't want to miss this*~~

Bible Drive

April 19th and 20th

Bring extra Bibles that you have or go buy new ones (they sell them at the dollar tree!). PLEASE put $1 in the front of each Bible to help with the cost of shipping. Per Geno, these will be shipped all over the world!

~~*you can also drop off other Christian books and literature*~~

Package for Jessica

please bring items for a care package for "our" soldier to Emily King. Jessica has specifically asked for socks (size 8) and they need to be tall enough to come up in her boots. we can always get lotions, fingernail polishes, etc., too. and the men are wanting mach3 razors.

~~*e-mail lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com if you have any other questions*~~

WOMEN:

don't forget to be doing your daily (with 2 days off!!!) study of For Women Only! this is going to help us to be the wives that our husbands need us to be!!!!!

Sunday, March 30th Prayer Requests

Suzanne & Tommy~
tommy is having knee surgery (torn meniscus and possible torn acl) on friday.

Chasity & Brad~
chasity is doing well and thanked everyone for praying for her during the past few weeks. she is having an ultrasound tomorrow to check the spot on her liver.

Susan & Bob~
having a baby girl this thursday!

Christy & Clay~
moving on april 19th - pray for their house to sell! having another open house this afternoon and it is the last one before they have to list with a realtor. also, christy's sister, amy, is having heart issues already and is 21 weeks pregnant. keep her husband in your prayers, too!

Brie & T.C.~
brie's sister gave up a child for adoption when she was 14 and has been contacted about reconciliation

Kimberly & Paul~
friends going through IVF have a dog who has cancer (the husband is VERY attached to this pet). paul does not think that either of them are saved.

Lisa & Geno~
traveling this week for lisa's brother's graduation from boot camp.

Lori & Kris~
lori's parents still looking for a home

Joanna & John~
a friend (assistant district attorney) is 27 weeks pregnant and has been put on bedrest.

From Bob & Susan

"Susan's father passed away early this morning. Please pray for Susan and the family. "

this was sent on friday, march 14th.

CARE PACKAGE TIME!!!!!

o.k. everybody......

next Sunday (MARCH 16TH), we will be collecting things to send to jessica again. she has specifically said that she needs SOCKS. so i'm sure if she needs them, others do, too, so it doesn't matter if we get too many - we'll send them anyway!!!

e-mail lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com if you need more info on what to send!

JUST SOME NEWS....

here are a few things that will be going on that everyone needs to know about!

~~*PALM SUNDAY (March 16th)*~~
6:00 p.m.
P/33 will present
Power of the Cross
you won't want to miss this!!!

~~*EASTER SUNDAY*~~

services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00

the 9:30 service is typically the most packed, so if you can come another hour, it would be great.

***NO LIFEGROUP***
***NO SUNDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES***

~~*Geno and Lisa will be out of town on March 16th (m-i-c. k-e-y. m-o-u-s-e). Scott will be teaching in Geno's abscence*~~

~~*ATTENTION LADIES*~~

Saturday, March 29th
Plan to go to Geno & Lisa's house sometime that morning (10-11ish) for just us ladies to get together to pray before we start "For Men Only" and "For Women Only". More information to come on this!!!

~~*"For Men Only" and "For Women Only"*~~

this 6-8 week series will begin the sunday after Easter. you won't want to miss it!!!!!

Sunday, March 9th Prayer Requests

kecia & corey~
traveling this week - going to las vegas (with corey's work...). leaving tomorrow and will be back next saturday. madilyn will be here with her grandmother...

denny & mindy~
mindy's mom will be having gallbladder surgery tomorrow. pray for a quick recovery - mindy's dad had a stroke several years ago and her mom is his primary caregiver.

jenny & cory~
jenny's mom's counts are in the normal range! but her kidneys are still not functioning on their own. they need the kidneys to start working so that she can start eating more so that she can go home!!!

chasity & brad~
chasity is getting better! still sore and a little weak.

adelle & jeremy~
adelle's parents are moving this week to their new house in lake caroline. they are moving from a house that they have lived in since adelle was 5 - so this is hard emotionally!

mary & lee~
lee will be back next sunday

david & brandi~
traveling this week

Prayer Request from Kimberly and Paul

i got this on e-mail.....

"we just got word today that one of our good friend's sister in st. louis had turned up missing last thursday, and was found saturday night. her name is dora magrath, she was a 22 year old college student. i've heard suicide, but i'm not sure. we know our friend (and probably her husband) are not Christians, so we need to remember this as well, that they will start to question their own hearts through this. thanks.
paul, kimberly, and ruby"

Chasity

Just wanted to update you so that you will be praying up!

Chasity will be having surgery TOMORROW - Friday, February 29th.

Please be in prayer for her, Brad, and their families, as well as the doctors/nurses/etc.

Ch Ch Ch Ch Changes!

o.k. so now that i have that song in my head from Shrek, here's the CHANGE!

BRIE'S BABY SHOWER

SATURDAY, MARCH 1ST

1:00 PM

~~~AT THE ANNEX~~~

(not at the address previously listed...)

~~*MAKE A NOTE OF IT*~~

Prayer Request

i am sorry that i don't have sunday's prayer requests....we were out of town.

chasity called tonight and asked us to pray for her. she had a colonoscopy yesterday and a polyp was found that was too large to remove during the procedure, so she will be having surgery next week.

she was about to go back to work (since sanders was born) and will now be off an additional 5 weeks or so.

please pray that they are able to remove the polyp and that everything goes well!

What do you think?

o.k. so since NOBODY leaves comments on this (you can leave them anonymous and just put your name at the end of the comment so i know who you are - you don't HAVE to have an account!!!), let's see who all really reads this.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU READ OUR LIFEGROUP BLOG!!!!! if nobody is reading, this isn't exactly a very effective way to get news out, you know? but for us, it's the easiest and quickest way to keep everybody up to date!!!!!

~suzanne

Reminder!!!!!!

FICTION: You have to go around the world to serve in missions!

FACT: You can be involved in Jackson with your only cost being your time and your gas!!!

As most of you know, our church - and our class - does work down at George Elementary School. Last week some of our class went down to help with a Valentine's Day party. Lee shared some of the thank you notes with us this morning that children had given him.

These children need us to be there to mentor them and to tell them about Jesus!

Please e-mail lucaslifegroup@hotmail.com if you want to know more information or have a specific question. If I dont' know the answer, I will find out!!!

BABY SHOWER!!!

Baby Shower for Brie Clark

Saturday, March 1st
1:00 p.m.

501 Pinebrook Cove
Brandon, Mississippi 39047
601-201-0955

From Lakeland Drive or Spillway Road, turn onto Hugh Ward Boulevard. Turn into the "Pinebrook East" subdivision. 501 Pinebrook Cove is on the corner one block past the stop sign.

Brie is registered at Wal-Mart, Target, and Babies-R-Us

CLASS FELLOWSHIP!!!!!!!

WHAT??? class fellowship

WHEN??? saturday, feb 23rd
5:00 p.m.

WHERE??? mississippi coliseum

OTHER INFO??? concert: Jam Tour '08
Mercy Me, Skillet, Barlow Girls, Mandisa, and others...
$10 at the door

Sunday, February 17th Prayer Requests

jenny & cory~
jenny's mom is in a medically induced coma. the anti-rejection medicine (they think) caused her kidneys to start shutting down. dialysis has started and they were able to remove 2 liters of fluid. today is day 11 (the drs had said that they could start trying to take her off of the anti-rejection medicine after day 10 if her counts were up). her counts have not come up, so she has to stay on the anti-rejection medicine. jenny's mom is barbara forrest.

lori & kris~
lori's dad went home this week. is still on a lot of meds.

lee ann & kyle~
kyle's best friend's (will tony) mom has been sent home with a terminal illness. kyle says that she has about a week left.

mary & lee~
mary is sick!!!!!

lisa & geno~
nathan's hand - he hurt it in a basketball game yesterday.

brie & tc~
brie's mother-in-law's husband is losing his job at the end of the month. 10 people are living with brie & tc right now. brie's father-in-law flew (was very fearful of flying) - the plane was struck by lightning and had to have an emergency landing.

kimberly & paul~
ruby starts daycare tomorrow! kimberly's grandfather is in the ER right now.....

mindy & denny~
her brother is in the marines and is being sent to columbia for 1 year (had originally thought it would only be 6 months)

suzanne & tommy~
suzanne's mom having surgery on tuesday

jenny & shan~
jenny's mom is taking a shot for hepatitis. she has to take the shot EVERY day. if it helps, she will need to take it every day for a year. the shot has side effects similar to the flu.

OTHER:
~deployed soldiers (including jessica spears and michael farhart)
~patsy & glen castle - patsy fighting renal cell carcinoma. she has had fluid drained off of her lungs and now has some clots in her lungs and a bleeding kidney. pray for their grown children: brad, caroline, and lindy.

from jessica

i got this from jessica on valentine's day and thought i'd put it on here!!!

HAPPY (belated) VALENTINE'S DAY,
JESSICA!

Sunday, February 10th Prayer Requests

here are last week's prayer requests............i promise to put today's up before i go to bed tonight.....

jenny & cory~
jenny's mom's transplant was done on 2-5-08. she was sick (weak, etc), but that was to be expected. jenny said that she will be in isolation for a few weeks

lori & kris~
lori's dad fell off of scaffolding (kris' dad did the same thing 3 years ago). pray for healing!!

lee ann & kyle~
a friend of their's was pregnant with twins that had to be taken at 29 weeks.

ashley & kurt~
ashley's brother, will, had a wreck, but is o.k.

OTHERS:
~please remember jessica spears, michael farhart, and others deployed in our prayers!!!
~glen & patsy castle as patsy fights cancer

Sunday, January 27th Prayer Requests, Etc.

Cory & Jenny~
jenny - 101 fever, sore throat. also, today (sunday) is the last day that she could see her mom for a long time because her mom is about to start all of the prep work for the bone marrow transplant.

Tommy & Suzanne~
cousin, roseann (walker), and her family in the death of her grandmother, rosa hamby. roseann and rivers were sick with the flu and not able to go to the funeral.

Roger & Wendy~
gracia fell hard last saturday night on the tile - looks bad! gracia did get well after a 'bout with the flu. roger flew to florida on monday (28th) and will be back at the end of the week. he is going to see larry while he is there.

Clay & Christy~
christy's sister (amy) has felt her heart "acting up" - she is 12 weeks pregnant. they will start house hunting next weekend. christy had the flu last week. feb 7th is going to be the MS healthy marriage luncheon.

Kris & Lori~
lori's sister is going through a divorce

David & Brandi~
friend in florida with cancer not doing well

Kevin & Demetria~
kaden at home - has a bad cough

Geno & Lisa~
michael (lisa's brother at boot camp) is doing well.

ALSO REMEMBER:
in iraq: jessica spears and michael farhart

Mitch, Susan, and Kyle Boleware~
kara grace passed away jan 23rd - funeral was the 25th at chbc

Sunday, January 20th Prayer Requests, Etc!

Jenny & Cory~
jenny's mom did well with chemo, but her counts are down. CORY & JENNY ARE HAVING A BOY!!!!!!! parker cole winders

Lori & Kris~
lori's oldest sister was saved last sunday (13th)

Erin & Mike~
had something scary happen with erin - erin is still concerned with the pregnancy even though the doctor told her the baby is fine. pray for a healthy baby!

Corey & Kecia~
corey had a wreck, but is o.k. kecia going for job interview on monday (21st)!

Tommy & Suzanne~
tommy's step-sister's little boy, layton, was bit this week by a raccoon

Jenny & Shan~
jenny's mom has hepatitis and is on interferon. she is very sick right now.

Lisa & Geno~
they have a water leak under the house, but it is covered by the home warranty!!!!! also pray for lisa's brother, michael, who is at boot camp.

REMINDERS:
1/25-1/26: REWIRED MEN'S EVENT!!!
at CHBC - pay when you get there!!!! jackson academy football coach joey hawkins is going to be leading. call the church office (956-5000) for info. pay at the door!!!

FRIDAY FELLOWSHIP: for women, sorry men....
starts 1/25!!! 9:00.

~~~~a note from me.....
sorry that this is just now getting posted - we lost my book (sunday night was crazy - ask me in person if you want to know) - and i just found it!
suzanne

Sunday, January 13th Prayer Requests

*****DON'T FORGET THE CARE PACKAGE FOR JESSICA!*****

Jenny & Cory~
jenny's mom's strong chemo starts this week. they find out thursday (17th) what they are having!!!

Brie & TC~
having a GIRL!!!

Bob & Susan~
coworker of bob's - wife possibly has leukemia. another coworker was killed by a drunk driver - the son of the man killed is ordained and did the service

Clay & Christy~
christy is sick with sinus stuff. they are moving to the tupelo area in mid-may. clay will be working with his dad's company.

Jill & Patrick~
jill going back to work on monday (14th)

Lisa & Geno~
michael (lisa's brother) is at boot camp (marines)

Adelle & Jeremy~
adelle went back to work on the 7th - still hard leaving ella!

Shan & Jenny~
praise: avoided wreck! it happened RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM! go to her blog to read all about it....

Emily & Jeff~
custody of children involved in her sister's divorce

others.........
Glen & Patsy Castle~
patsy was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma.

about what to send jessica...

as all of you who were in lifegroup know, we are planning to send a care package to jessica next week. bring things on sunday, january 20th!

here is what lisa sent me concerning things that they need:

"Speaking of things we need, I have had a few people ask what kind of stuff we need from the church so if you don't mind passing this along:
Shower gel, lotion and body spray (they have absolutely nothing for women here)
ProActive face wash/toner/moisturizer (everyone is broken out)
Cheap-O (wash cloths)
Bath and Body works hand sanitizer (we use a lot of Germ-x)
and of course pictures from the kids

For now that's all I can think of.

Keisha Newsome is having a birthday on 29January and I am trying to do something special for her. Do you know if Peggy can tell you where those cookies came from...Maybe we could get her one that say's "Happy Birthday Keisha" with camouflage? Peggy might enjoy a project like that. I'd also like some birthday hats...I'm trying to make a big deal of it for her because this is her first deployment. So see what your class or mine might like to do. Maybe the kids can make her some birthday cards and I will e-mail them pictures back. She isn't a christian from what I can tell. She see's me reading my Bible every morning before the shift changes and she's asked a few questions about God and War. I'm struggling with how to respond to her so I am letting my actions speak instead of my mouth."

this was from jessica. as big as our LIFEGroup is, there is no reason we should not fill at LEAST 1 box - more if needed! it's such a small way to show support for men and women who are defending our freedoms and ways of life!

and i think that she was writing to her mom about keisha's birthday (the cookies, etc.), but we could also include our own notes to keisha telling her happy birthday. if she isn't a Christian, as jessica thinks, what a great way for us to show her God's love from far away!