My sister

Sam is due May 17th. About 10 more weeks to go. I can't wait to meet my new nephew.

Money

This post may make you uncomfortable. But sometimes God's truth will do that.

The best way to get a grasp on your financial situation is to give money away.

Are you in shock, you need more money, right? How could you possibly give some away?

First,
It is all God's money. It is not your money or your spouses. It is all God's.

"When you tithe you are aligning your attitude and actions with God, the great Giver (Matthew 10:8; 19:21; 20:28; Luke 6:38; 12:32; Acts 20:35). Tithing reflects the unselfish, giving nature of our Creator and Provider. Through willing and cheerful giving (2 Corinthians 9:6-8), we honor God while supporting the physical means of preaching the gospel. Jesus Christ said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)." -to read more click here

Second,
God calls us to give the first portion of 10% back to the church. Remember it's all His. If he gives you $100 and asks for $10 back who are you to say, "no."

"Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9-10).

Third,
The 10% is a starting point. After that He wants us to give love offerings. That could be to a friend out of work, a single mom struggling, a stranger, a reputable organization, the list is endless.

"And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."" -Matthew 25:40

The reason why giving is so important is because it is a trust issue. Do you trust that God will provide as He promises? Do you trust God is Lord of your life and finances or do you leave Him out of your finances?

So today I challenge you to:
Pray about giving back 10% to the Lord and how you can even go above that.

If 10% is daunting, start with 1% of your income. Make that a priority. God wants to show you He can handle your finances as well. Give them over to Him.

Also, don't take my word for it, take some time to read other verses about God's thoughts on money from the Bible. God is the ultimate financial expert.

-Becky

Cool Contest

I found this family who is fundraising for an adoption and is having a really cool blog contest. Check it out here.
Also pray for this family as well.

-Becky

Passport Problem

I got my passport, but not Jason's. There is a glitch. I need prayer about how to precede. One solution involves court, not sure I want to go there again. Oh the joys of dealing with the consequences of our sin.

It was exciting to get my passport though. I feel so grown up. And so official.

-Becky

Amazing Photography

Check out my friend Courtney's great pictures at her ETSY shop.

-Becky

Decisions

I am writing this to ask for prayer and to type up some options so I can see them in black and white. I also would so appreciate constructive ideas and thoughts. Maybe you guys have a better idea. But keep in mind my priority now is my boys, not work and making lots of money.

God already knows what road we will travel. I just would like to know too.






I have some decisions to make about homeschooling, one of our co-op groups, and work.

First, I am committed to continue out the year homeschooling. So no changes will be made in that regard until Sept. But I am unsure what God's will is in Sept. And knowing that will help me as I need to find a job by then.

If kids are back in school I can work 9:15-2:15 (aren't I an employers dream?)

If we are still homeschooling I will either do daycare in my home again, do childcare in someones home (with my boys), or something else.

I have run the numbers and working full time (like 8-5) with boys in school full day is not an option. I would have to pay before and after care for Josh. Find somewhere for Jason to go as the school does not provide care for a child over 5th grade (and he is not ready to be home alone 1 hour in am and 3 in afternoon.) Plus I would need care all the days school is closed, and in summer. Also, I would have to take off for all sick days. Finding a job that would accommodate all that would be a miracle. Plus the pay would have to be really high. Unfortunately the most I could make would not cover child care and such.

The best job if kids go back to public school would be as an aid in the school, but since we are a small town this is hard to come by, plus the pay is not that great. They are paid hourly so do not get paid on holidays, and summer.

As of right now I am leaning towards continuing homeschooling. I love that my kids are bonding, and them being home, and having say about what and when they are learning.

If that is the case childcare is always an option, but would be alot to handle on top of homeschooling. But working a few nights a week or weekends elsewhere requires needing childcare. Both have pros and cons. AHHHHH!!!!

I know God will provide work for me. He always has. I just sometimes don't like not knowing. Plus I want to do what is best for my boys (the best I can do anyway.) I want to make sure what I think is best is aligned with God's will for our lives. Plus I want us all to be growing in Him daily.

I also have an immediate decision to make regarding the two groups we are participating in. They both have been great and have been a tremendous blessing. Both have filled a need at some point. But the one co-op I feel is no longer doing so for Jason. It has gotten so large it is more like a school. Once you have so many kids you have to have control of class, but it is harder to do the hands on stuff Jason learns so well from. And I am not that impressed with his History curriculum. The one they did last year was great.

I love all the people and they really try to help us so much; but we are there 10-3 Tues. & Thur. and I feel like almost that entire time is wasted for Jason (except for Science.) That is two whole days that are wasted. It is half hour away, so we leave at 9:30 and get home at 3:30, by then we don't want to do other schoolwork.

Josh does get alot from co-op. Plus I love teaching the preschoolers; so this is a really hard decision for me. I will say that it is more relaxing when co-op has a break or is called off for a snow day. I am not sure if that is my answer or not.

So those are some of the decisions weighing on my heart lately. I would ask you to please pray for me. And if you have any thoughts, I'd appreciate those as well.

-Becky

June Mission Trip to Dominican Republic

I am going to post this once a month until we leave. Thanks!

Dear Family & Friends,

Hello! I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to share with you a very exciting opportunity Jason and I have planned for this summer. In June our youth group here at Calvary Baptist Church is planning a mission trip to Dominican Republic. We plan on going for ten days. Lord willing, we will be ministering to youth and adults.
We will have a variety of opportunities and responsibilities while in Dominican Republic. We hope to work in an orphanage providing love, daily care, and helping with some maintenance. We also hope to run a VBS type program for the older children. Other opportunities may be to minister to the children through a sports program. It is our prayer and hope that God will use us in Dominican Republic to bring hope and salvation to some children and / or adults we will minister to.
We need your help in serving God and the people of Dominican Republic. We are writing this letter to ask for your prayers on behalf of the rest of the group going to Dominican Republic. We would ask if you could pray for three things for me and for the group we will be going with.

1) Pray that our team will be unified and organized as we prepare to go to Dominican Republic, as well as when we are in Dominican Republic.
2) Pray that God would open the hearts of the people we will be serving so that they might come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
3) Pray that we will be able to raise all the money we will need to go to Dominican Republic.

Prayer is the most important thing in every person’s life, and we are asking you to devote a few minutes of your daily prayer time to our endeavor to serve Christ in Dominican Republic.
In order to serve Christ in Dominican Republic, we need to raise $1250 per attendee. This includes the cost of lodging, food, and transportation for the entire ten day trip. We are pray fully hoping you would consider a financially supporting us in this opportunity to serve Christ and the people of Dominican Republic. If you are able to support us financially we would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Please send contributions to or donate below:
Calvary Baptist Church
491 Lloyd Rd.
Aberdeen, NJ 07747
Please make checks payable to:
Calvary Baptist Church and write mission trip and our name on the memo line. Thank you!

I look forward to seeing what God will do in Dominican Republic through your prayers and financial help. I also look forward to sharing with all of you what God did in our lives and the lives of those we served. May God bless you!

In Christ,

Becky & Jason