Life goes on....

These past weeks have been pretty normal witha few exceptions.

We had our first trip to the ER for an injury... Gideon wasn't watching where he was going and walked right off a pair of concrete steps... as Greyson says, he fought the sidewalk and the sidewalk won. Here's a picture of his first shiner...

Greyson is taking homiletics right now and so he's learning how to write and present a sermon. He has been working hard in that class. His other classes are going well too. And he's just thrilled that baseball season has started! Go cubs!

This morning, I was getting ready to take the kids to spanish class (taught by a missionary here on campus) and I told Gideon it was time for spanish... he said, "no mom, it's baseball season!" Greyson had to explain that we can still take spanish lessons during baseball season! The kids really do say the darndest things!

Easter is quickly approaching. Easter is my favorite holiday of the year and I am really looking forward to celebrating this year. I have been in charge of an Easter breakfast for the past 7 years and it was fun, but I'm really looking forward to just being with my family and worshipping at church this Sunday!! We will be celebrating Easter in Quincy this year with easter egg hunts and all!

Another funny story, yesterday it was snowing in the morning when we got up. Gideon opens the door, sees the snow, and says, "Mia!!! look! It's the first snow!" I told him that hopefully it's the last snow! We've just had so much nice weather and been outside all the time and now that it's snowing he thought we had gone full circle!

I've been taking a cooking class on campus with the head chef of the kitchen here. It has been so much fun! Once we have a real kitchen with a little more space, I have some things I want for Christmas! :)

We visited a preschool yesterday that I believe Gideon will be attending in the fall. I think he will have fun and really excel, but we'll see. pray for us as we make this decision!

I can't think of much else new going on. God bless you all!

Belize Trip

Greyson had the opportunity to go to Belize the end of Feb. "It was an incredible trip and I learned a lot about ministry and missions around the world. I had originally thought it was going to be a regular old mission trip with lots of witnessing and construction work, but I was mistaken. It ended up being a learning trip with us seminarians doing a lot of leg work for the organization that we went down with, CALMS, Central American Lutheran Mission Society under the direction of Pastor Steve Hughey. We spent three days in Belize City partnering with Lords Bank Community Church and their pastors, Jimmi and Sandra Lee Jones. I gave a Sunday School teaching workshop one night and Pastor Dar Karsten presented a evangelism workshop another night. We also met with several other pastors from around Belize City in fact finding meetings looking for other partners and opportunities to work with congregations in Belize City. It was a great time and an eye opening experience it terms of what full time ministry sometimes entails.
Next we headed inland to the Belize-Guatemala border and spent three days in San Ignacio where we did some work at a home for the aged, the Octavia Waight Centre. It was great to be able to serve the elderly living there by sharing devotions and conversation, but also by digging a new septic tank hole, painting part of the facility and covering over a walkway to keep the staff out of the rain going to the laundry facilities (which was the project I was in charge of). It was a lot of hard work but also very rewarding to be there. We were also able to visit a Mayan ruin, Xunantunich, as well. What a magnificent view from atop that man-made mountain that was the citadel there at Xunantunich in the middle a lush valley.
Finally we headed to the southern coast of Belize to a long peninsula called Placencia. It was home to a village called Seine Bight. It was here that we were supposed to do another construction job, the moving of a shelter from one area of the village to another, but village politics ended up nixing that plan. We did teach the upcoming VBS curriculum to the aides that will help this summer and witnessed to at least two hundred kids from the village using an evangelism bracelet Pastor Karsten brought along. It was a surreal experience mostly because Seine Bight is the voodoo capital of Belize. I can’t say that I felt threatened or in danger at all, just a since of despair that hung over the village, in part because of the poverty but also the palpable presence of evil. But the kids were amazing and soaked up everything that we talked about readily. I was also happy to learn that a Christian man and his wife from California had moved into the village and were working with the kids in a youth group ministry. While there we also met a missionary and his family from Guatemala who was living in the village as well. Both seem as if they can be real partners for future work in the village.
I have to take this opportunity to thank my in-laws, for financing a large part of my trip. It was a Christmas gift I will not ever forget. But I also want to thank all of you who are continuing to support my family and I while we are at Seminary. It is an incredible thing to know that so many care about us and want to support us. May God bless you as you continue to be a blessing to us and to others."

Greyson had a great trip! While he was there the kids and I got to spend some wonderful time with our friends in Rockford. It was so great to see everyone! And to meet new babies!!! :)

I won't wait so long between posts next time! :)

Been awhile...

Sorry it's been so long. Life just gets crazy. So, where do we start...

Gideon had his very own Valentine's Day party. He made the invitations, decided who to invite and helped me hang streamers. The kids did relays, made hats, played games, decorated cookies, and learned about the first Valentine's Day and the love of Jesus. It was so much fun!

We have discovered that we love St. Louis weather. We have been able to play outside a lot. it's been very nice!

We did take a whirlwind trip to Colorado. Greyson's grandmother went to be with Jesus. It was a long, quick trip, but we are very glad we went. It was good to see our family and to celebrate Grandma's life, and now her new life with Jesus.

Greyson and I attended the annual winter ball here at the seminary. Gideon and Mia thought I was a princess! It was fun to get dressed up and have a nice dinner and dancing with so many of our new friends here at the seminary.

The day after the ball my brother Chad received a Heartsaver Heros award from the governor of IL, Pat Quinn. It was very cool to meet the man that Chad had saved. He had had a heart attack while driving, his wife crashed the car in order to stop, Chad arrived and hooked up an AED and performed CPR in order to save his life. I'm so proud of Chad!!! We drove to Quincy to be there for it. As you can see the ceremony was in a fire house, which of course, the kids LOVED!

Tomorrow break begins, the kids and I are heading to Rockford for a week. WOOHOO!!! Greyson leaves Saturday for Belize for a mission trip. Please keep him and his team in your prayers! We'll have lots to update when we get home!

A New Year!!!

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe it's 2009. We've been here at the Sem now for 6 months, Greyson and I have been married 8.5 years. It's just crazy how fast time flies! We headed home from Denver on the 27th and drove to Hays, KS, where we stayed the night so that we could attend church in Larned, KS. Grace Lutheran church is a little church that has blessed us so much! We are so thankful for them. From there, we headed to Kansas City to spend some quality time with Dan and Jenn, two of our dearest friends, and Mia's God parents. We had a great time swimming, hanging out, exchanging gifts, and just being together. Gideon was so sad to leave them, he told us he was going to miss them, and he had tears in his eyes. We love them lots!

We arrived back in St. Louis on the 29th, just 2 hours before Chad & Erica and Rusty arrived to spend some time here. Rusty brought his Wii, a favorite of Gideon's! Tuesay was gorgeous outside and we spent a lot of time playing outside. Mom and dad came down that evening when we had Christmas dinner and exchanged gifts. A wonderful time was had by all!

Erica, Chad & Rusty headed back to Quincy while mom and dad stayed to ring in the New Year with us! We played games and enjoyed a little Champagne while waiting for 2009 to arrive.

2008 was a wonderful year filled with lots of change, but overall good change. Nate joined us, we followed God's call to the sem, on a sad note we left friends behind in Rockford, but have kept in touch with them all. We welcome 2009 with open arms anxious to see what God has in store for us this year! :) God bless!

Christmas Eve

Well, it's Christmas Eve!!! I hope everyone's shopping is done! The kids are so excited about Christmas. We are here in Denver and we have hung out at Grandma and Grandpas the last few days getting our Christmas cards done and watching fun disney movies. Gideon fell in love with 101 Dalmations! I think we've watched it 3 times already.

Our drive was uneventful getting out here except that we told Gideon we would go swimming and at the hotel the pool was closed!!!!

Today we're heading out to a mall just to walk around and get the kids out of the house. Maybe we'll find some good deals too! :)

I can't wait until the candle light service tonight!!!! It's the high-"light" of my Christmas season! :) Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Christmas Cookies

One of my favorite things about this time of year is making Christmas cookies! Yesterday, the kids and I had friends over to make and decorate sugar cookies! The kids had so much fun. We ended up with a few beheaded angels and broken candy canes (Stacye and I got to eat broken ones!!!) but the kids had a blast!

What else has been going on? We had the campus tree lighting ceremony. That was pretty cool. Everyone progressed around campus and we would stop at each tree for a reading and hymn and then they would light them up!

The kids are so excited about Christmas! We have been so blessed with gifts from area churches. The kids had a "little Christmas" yesterday (we won't have room to transport very many gifts to Denver...), it's been so much fun! We leave Friday to head to Denver for Christmas! It should be an exciting drive with 3 little ones! :) We are really looking forward to spending this Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa Grenz! :)

Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

Snowglobe

Scroll down to check out our snowglobe at the bottom!!! :)