Memphis today and a story...

Memphis hasn't really changed much since the last time I blogged. We are still doing our Tuesday and Thursday night meetings along with ladies meetings every other Thursday morning, men's breakfast every other Saturday morning, and Gatherings every Sunday morning. All the meetings are going good. God is really moving in the Tuesday night meetings. He is bringing everybody closer in Him. Things are being brought to the light and things are getting discussed that people don't agree on. We are really seeing everybody's hearts there. I don't know what's happening with the Thursday night meetings because I am not there. I'm lost when it comes to the men's breakfasts too.

So lately, other than meetings galore, we have been doing school and the norm when it comes to house work. One funny story that happened this morning was when my brother went next door to watch some kids while the ladies had their meeting. He was trying desperately to entertain them and decided that it would be fun to have them tie him up. So he got out a rope and had the little three year old boy try to tie him up. My brother helped him by pulling tighter on the rope to tighten the knots and such. When the three year old was done, my brother couldn't move his hands because they were tied to his legs. He baby stepped around the house, and with each step the ropes got tighter, and tried to find someway to either cut the rope off or untie it. Nothing worked. Finally he decided to baby step outside to get some help. By then most of the blood was out of his hands and they were looking more and more rainbow like! He found someone and finally was free! It was actually pretty funny when he told us. If you know him, he likes to exaggerate to make it more interesting! Just the picture of a three year old boy tying up his babysitter makes me laugh!!!

What happened at the meeting last night???

Well, we got to Ben and Toni's around 6:30pm and ate dinner. We sang songs for awhile then there was some talking. Basically all the talk was about love and what the word love means. It ended up being a pretty good meeting even though like everybody was tired and fighting sleep the entire time. Towards the end of the meeting, my dad got directions to this guy Robert's house and he got our phone numbers. He wants to come to our house to see our life and we are going to his house. I excited about what could come of this. They are the ones with a seventeen year old girl who I've talked to a couple times before. I hope this will get us closer and I will get to know her better.

Meeting last night.

I'm fixing to leave to go to Ben and Toni's for the meeting there. Actually I have 5 minutes to get ready! I don't know any details about last night other than the fact that they were trying to save us and they didn't agree with us and neither we with them. There is a barrier there between us that doesn't seem to want to come down. We are praying it does!
Well, I have to go. Hopefully I feel up to blogging tomorrow about tonights meeting...hopefully!

Update on Memphis happenings

The people out here in the Memphis Gatehouse have been praying that God use us and show us what we are supposed to be doing out here. We have been asking God to bring the people to us that He wants us to talk to. For a while we prayed but nothing happened, but about three weeks ago, we have really been slammed with a bunch of things from God. We have had meetings at Ben and Toni's house every Tuesday night and having some really good talks with the people there, Memphis mom's ladies meetings every other Thursday morning at our house or at a park, meetings at our house with people from the village, Ben and Toni, and Thomas and Erica every Thursday night, a men's breakfast every other Saturday morning, and a Gathering every Sunday morning! It has been stressful I admit, but God has been with us every step of the way.

A couple mornings ago, Stephen, my brother-in-law who lives out here in the Gatehouse too, went next door to talk to some neighbors of ours. We've known them for a couple years now but have never really had any serious conversations about God. The day before Stephen went to talk, our next door neighbors lost a baby before it was born. They were devastated! So Stephen ended up talking with the dad for about an hour about all kinds of things concerning God and religion. There was a barrier between them that Stephen couldn't get down. After the talk he was pretty depressed because we love these neighbors and don't want them to totally close themselves off to us. We are praying that something happens with them to where we can see eye to eye.

People are sooo stuck in religion that they can't see God anymore. People believe that God doesn't talk to His people! God talked to His people in the Old Testament, why can't He talk to us now?!? He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! If He did it then, He can most definitely do it now!! I hate it when people misunderstand each other because of religion and doctrine. God is one God! He wants one church! He wants The Church! Why does the world have sooo many different doctrines and religions? Why can't people just love each other like they were commanded to by God?

Anyway, that's just a little bit of an update. There's more to come when I next feel the urge to type. :)

Life in general

Well, life seems to be slowing down a little. We've had loads of meetings lately and Thomas and Erica have been out here a lot. I think they are coming to Ben and Toni's tomorrow night for the meeting there. All of the Gatehouse will be there tomorrow night too. We are praying that things go smoothly and that we will be closer to them then ever. Ever since the men's breakfast last Saturday morning, lots of barriers seem to have fallen between the guys from Ben's group and our men. So I hope we feel more connected to them. Last Tuesday at the meeting at Ben and Toni's, I met a 17 year old girl named Ariel, not pronounced like my sister Ariel's name. At the end of the meeting I got up the courage to talk to her. We didn't really say much. She is very lonely and doesn't have any friends. I am really hoping to get closer to her. Maybe we can talk tomorrow night!

Thursday night meeting

Thursday night we had a meeting in our living room. Thomas and Erica and children came along with Ben, Toni and some adults from the village. It was a very good meeting. We sat around and talked about old times and Thomas and Erica talked about how they met and their lives from then until now.

Stuff...

Abby did remember that it was my camera that she had and she did send it back with some work guys today!! :) So I never did get pics of Ari's boys on my camera although I did take some of them with her camera for her.

Never did hear any details about what exactly happened at Ben's Tuesday night. I do know that the people in their group are loosening up more towards us.

Nothing really to say. We are stilling looking every day for God's will for us that day. The main thing that's happening is the meeting every Tuesday night at Ben's. Ben and Toni, along with whoever shows up from the village, meet with us, I think, every other Thursday night. Ben and Toni couldn't come tonight because Toni wasn't feeling too good.

Thomas and Erika are going to be coming out next Thursday night. We shall see what happens with them.

Sadness :(

Abby borrowed my camera to take pictures of Kelly and Neharah on Saturday and never returned it, so now I'm stuck with three of my nephews out here and no camera to take pictures of them with!! :( Aaaarrrgggg!!! Oh well, there really isn't anything I can do about it now except complain to this computer. :)
Last night only Stephen, Ayala, Joel, and Austin went to Ben and Toni's for the meeting. Rushi was home with both her boys sick so she couldn't go and Ayala decided to leave her kids with Ariel. I haven't heard what happened there last night but only that it was awesome. They want all of us to go out there starting next week every week.
When I learn more about exactly what happened I'll get back on...if I have time...and blog it.

Nothing new...

Today was just like any other normal day really: school, library, exercise, eating etc. Ariel and kids are coming out tomorrow afternoon and staying until Wednesday night. I'm looking forward to it and hope to get some good pics of her boys. I miss them sooo much!! :)
Tomorrow is the mom's group meeting along with a meeting at Ben's house with his group. Joel, Stephen and families are going to that tomorrow night. Toni is coming out tomorrow morning for the mom's group meeting. I'm excited about what might happen with all that.

Last night's meeting

The meeting we had last night was really encouraging!! Abba read an email to us that a guy had written him and his answers to the guy's questions. It was about discipling people and being a disciple yourself. He also talked about us out here and how we need to be doing more in the neighborhood. He said it is too easy to become complacent and just fit in with the world, but that's not why we are out here. If our life only consists of working and making a living, then we are supposed to come back to the village because that's not why we were sent out here.
It really got my brain to start spinning its wheels. How can I as a teen be a help to God's work out here? What can I do to show the life that we have? The guys work all day and the ladies are at home so the ladies are going to get more chances to meet people here in the neighborhood then the men, but how can they if they don't go out of their houses? I know I've been inside a lot lately for the past couple weeks and that has been somewhat because of the rain, but even that doesn't need to be my excuse. Everyone knows that I'm not like the friendliest person to people I don't know much less people I do know, but maybe that's why God has me out here...to grow and get bigger in that area.
The whole meeting was very good! It's hard living out here with like zero encouragement or meetings. Abba only comes out here maybe every other week. I haven't been to any of his teachings out here at all because I usually have dance Thursday nights. I was very glad that I was there last night!

Sisters...

Thank goodness for no school!! :) This sleeping in thing has been the most amazing thing ever!!!

Well, Alaina, Abby and her kids came out last night to spend the night and Lain had voice lessons today. Abby just came for fun and her husband is working out here in Memphis tomorrow. They got here around 10pm and staid up until midnight writing songs! They were so tired that they were laughing at practically every single thing that was said!! I staid up with them only until 11pm and was like sooo tired after that.

Today Lain and Mic went shopping while the rest of us Memphis people, and Abby and kids, went to Shelby Farms for a picnic lunch, to talk, be outside and plan menus. Lain and Mic met us there later on. It was a very nice day and didn't rain here at all!! There was a very nice breeze which kept us from boiling too much, all though I don't think we could've because the sun was like non-existent today. Mic and myself took the kids for a walk around the lake while Ho lied on a blanket with Corby and the ladies talked. It was a very strenuous workout for me because the path around the lake is like one and a half mile and I carried a sleeping Sabria the whole way while walking very slow because all the kids couldn't keep up!! :(

So now Abba, Doug, Eli, Blue, Ms. Mala, Ben and Toni are here for dinner and a meeting. I hope the meeting, or meetings, don't last too long! I'm still tired and my cough that I got rid of a week ago is coming back to haunt me. :(

Another day....

Last night my family and Joel's family went to Ben and Toni Holt's house for dinner and a meeting. We got there around 7pm and had some chili and bread sticks then just sat around and talked for about an hour. There were a couple other families there who Ben usually meets with on Tuesday nights. Two other families didn't come though. After we talked, Ben played the guitar and we sang some of their songs and then sang some of our songs, which was refreshing. :) A older man started to teach out of the Bible next. He read and explained about Sampson and his life. He talked for what seemed like hours. Finally everybody left. We tried to leave but Ben wouldn't let us. He wanted us to stay and talk. It was sweet of him. :) Thanks to Hosanna I didn't get bored the whole time. She made me and Mic laugh! So at about 11:45pm, Ben let us go home. :) We were all dead tired!! It was quite an experience going there. The families out here in the Gatehouse are going to trade out going to Ben's every other Tuesday night I think. On the Tuesdays we don't go there I think we are going to Thomas and Erica's. Pray for us that we know what to do and say!

So nothing much happening here besides that. Still getting ready for Amy's wedding. Trying to figure out what we're wearing...well, what I'm wearing.
My family is still trying to go to Hawaii. We aren't going this month any more because of the money but we are trying to go toward the beginning of December. I'm still praying it happens sometime this year!!!
Well, that's it for today.