This past weekend, I took the first, of what I hope will be many, trip with my girls.  Emery is turning 6 in a few weeks and instead of a birthday party, she chose to go to the American Girl store and have a weekend with her cousins, aunt and Nana in Atlanta!  We had a blast, with a bit of girl drama thrown in, but still a great time.  Emery has always been our little mommy and she loves to play with dolls still, so this was right up her ally!

I am going to share a detailed post about our trip, but it will have to wait, because I left my camera in my mom’s van!

While we had a great weekend, I missed being at our church on Sunday.  I knew Pat was sharing some really exciting news and laying out direction for our global initiatives and I wanted to see it all!

I feel so blessed to be at our church and to see God moving in our midst week after week, is exciting.  I can’t wait to see how it continues.  There is so much gloom and doom in our world, our country these days, and it is refreshing to be reminded, each week, that His ways, His plans and His church are to be set apart, to bring Him Glory.   I have been asking what having my “YES” on the table looks like for me, our family.  I know that I am in a stage of life where I am looking and assessing what many of my preconceived notions of being a mom, having a family and the day to day of life and seeking if those line up with what God is revealing to us.  Or, is my YES just for the things that fit in nice and neatly to the life I have planned out?

I pray He continues to bust up all of our safe, content plans and shows us more of WHO HE IS and WHAT HE desires for us to be about!

What about you?

As many of you know, on Good Friday, we had a F4 tornado rip through Murfreesboro, which is just south of where we live. The tornado was absolutely devastating to many, life taking for a mom and her daughter, and damaging to thousands.
Yesterday, I had a chance to take a meal to a family in our small group, the Howards. They live amongst some of the worst of the damage. The area is closed to the public by the police, but I was able to get through to go see them. The neighborhood they live in is beautiful. This area of town was built in the 60′s and has been incredibly maintained and renovated over the years. It is right by our girls’ school and we drive through it daily. We even looked at several houses in this area before we decided to stay in Smyrna.

Needless to say, I was completely amazed by the devastation as I drove through.

I was nauseous by the time I drove up to the Howards house.

Their house backs up to a creek and WAS very shaded by hundred year old trees. Not any more. A huge amount of trees are gone. Bark ripped off of some.

But, what just about sent me to my knees, was seeing the path of the tornado. It literally came right up to their home, and turned to the right. The tops of trees to the left of their home are gone and their home was next, and then it turned.

Kara told me that she was in the hallway, her two daughters covered with a blanket and holding on to them. She said, “I thought we were about to go airborne. Then, it turned.”

Praise you Father.

This family is so dear to us. We have been in small group with them for several years now and they are such rocks. They are solid and Jason and I have said often that we feel like our family is their personal ministry. They have taken care of us in so many ways over these last 3 years. We are so thankful for them and how they serve all those around them. We are blessed to know them and I am forever grateful for how they were kept safe during the tornado.

I also listened to one of the teachers at Parker and Emery’s school, talk about all they lost. Their home has been condemned and they have already been moved to an apartment. She was saying that it was the little things, like her kids homemade Christmas ornaments, that make her the saddest. It truly is the little things.

Here is a glimpse of what I am talking about….

Today was a crazy day.

Basically, we had several tornadoes touch down all around us, especially in North Murfreesboro.  We are fine, but the tornadoes touched down where many of our friends live and very close to the girls’ school. I have no idea if it sustained any damage.  It hit several residential areas and the newly developed outdoor mall.  It is all very surreal.  Please pray for the families that have been affected, our church as we rally to help, our school and for all the people in our area who are without power and homes.

I had planned to go this afternoon and shop for family night.  But, because there were huge tornadoes nearby, that got postponed.  This is a very busy weekend for most of us, and very much so for our family with 5 Easter services.  Being married to a guy who is on a church staff makes most holidays take on a different flavor.  Most of the cool things we would do on Sunday morning, we were planning on doing tonight, so Jason is with us!  Parker has been struggling this week with the Cross and the death of Christ.  Being that she is 7, very analytical and wants to know all the answers, she is having a hard time understanding why Jesus had to die and how could he take the punishment of our sin, without Himself sinning.  Heavy stuff trying to explain that Jesus is our Propitiation (1 John 4:10, 1 John 2:2).  I sound smart using those big fancy words don’t I?  It has been interesting to explain it to her and see her try to grasp it.  I will think we are having a great, deep discussion and then her next statement is about if she can go watch Phineas and Ferb!

Needless to say, it our night got started a little later than I would have liked, but  hey, we rolled with it.

While I was gone, Jason decorated the table.  Some of our bunnies suffered during the move, but it worked!

Next, the kids set out to help me get dinner ready!

We made Resurrection Buns!  Love this and it is super fun and easy!  You take a can of Grands type biscuits, roll them out- this represents the tomb. Next you mix, cinnamon, sugar and melted butter together and spread on the biscuit. We talked about the spices that were used on Jesus. Next, you put a marshmallow in the middle.  This represents Jesus.  You wrap the biscuit up, sealing the dough, just like the tomb was sealed.  Place it crease side down, spread with more spices and bake.  When you bite into it, the Tomb is Empty!!! Great, easy object lesson for the kids. We made a big deal about it and they loved it!

Since these are meant for breakfast, we made breakfast for dinner.  Easy, smeasy.

Next, we dyed our Easter eggs, but before we put them in the dye, we used crayons to write out attributes of Jesus.  The girls liked this and it was fun to hear how they described Jesus.

I loved these two- Eternal and Holy

I love seeing it even more in their sweet little handwriting!

The one where they are all looking!

I wish you could see them up close!  Jesus is written with a backwards J! So cute!

After we were done with our eggs, we sat down and talked about Jesus in the Garden and The Cross.   Even in the craziness and destruction that we experienced or saw today, nothing compares to His death.  It is hard to explain to your kids why Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, a broken, rebellious people.  Many days, I wonder myself.  But, my wondering does not change the fact that He did die for us.  He took our punishment.  He died a cruel death because of MY sin.

I pray I never take His cross lightly or forget the sacrifice He made.

I pray you feel the weight of your sin today…….and worship the Risen Lord this weekend.

This one is for all the locals!

A sweet, precious young friend of ours, Jordan Goen, is trying to raise support to go to India this summer, on a mission trip.  She is in the 8th grade and has a passion and heart for the “least of these.” She is also a PK, which I have a huge place in my heart for, since that is what my kids are , as well!  Jordan has been to Brazil on mission trips and is now planning to go to India and you have a great chance to help her out!

Jordan has teamed up with Chick-fil-A for a special night of raising support for her trip.  All you have to do is eat dinner at Chick-fil-A (Sam Ridley location) on Thursday, April 9, between 5-8 pm and 20% of what you spend will be donated to Jordan’s mission trip to India!  So, not only are you taking a night off from the kitchen, you get to support an amazing teenager is her desire to share the love of Christ with those in India.  I love it!

For Jordan to get credit for your purchase, YOU MUST PRINT AND TAKE THE SPECIAL FLYER that I have attached below!

Thanks so much for helping Jordan out and investing in her life, as well as those she will encounter in India!

download flier

I am officially returning to the land of blogging. I have been so inconsistent lately.  Writing my Africa posts took a lot of time and mental thought for me, so I took my sweet time doing it!  I have hardly posted anything about the family, so I am ready to get back to my fluff writing as opposed to my, in your face, go on a mission trip, share the Word, poverty stinks writing.

We have been busy, of course! The girls had two weeks of Spring Break, which was fun, tiring, and relaxing all rolled into one.  We were able to go see the grandparents in Kville and then went with our peeps, the Hales, to Chattanooga for  a couple of days.  We went to the Children’s Museum, an arcade, Coolidge Park, the Walking Bridge and swam in the indoor pool at our hotel.  It was so funny when we walked in, Parker asked, “Is this it?”  Yes, darling daughter, a one room hotel room is it for your one night away.  She is used to going to the beach and staying in a condo!  Funny.

I did have to jump in the pool with my clothes on (all my clothes, not just a bathing suit clothes) (I am not saying I swim in public places without clothes on normally) to save my daredevil son.  We were at the pool and we had taken his swimmies off (stupid parents) and he was in the hot tub with Jason and Nathaniel.  He, of course, hops on out and hops on into the pool.  I don’t normally freak out in these situations, but after the second drop, come up, gasp for air, I figured I should help the kid out.  Jason was on the other side of the pool, on his way in, but what can I say, I took one for the team and got soaked.  Swimming lessons are on the list for Bradley’s summer activities.

We have also started soccer! Parker is back with her pals, Evan and Peyton for another season.  We also have added Morgan, whom we know from church, to round it out!  Fun times.

Emery decided to give it another go.  She is also taking dance and we are normally a one activity at a time family, but we made an exception, because we so love sports.  We will see how she holds out!

Today the girls both had games and I would have pictures, but I am still not happy about the theft of our amazing camera and I am protesting by not using one at all.  Maturity is my middle name, in case you were wondering!  They both did really well and mixed it up!  They also both scored and played hard, so it was a great day for the Stew girls on the soccer field!  They are both on good teams, so it should bring up their game.  Bradley, of course was filthier than the girls were by the time we left the park.  He is such a boy….. and I love it.

We rounded out the day by going to sister’s house to celebrate Morgan’s birthday.  She is my niece and she turned a whopping 11.  I can’t believe how old she is getting.  She is a beautiful, fun, kind big cousin.  She does a great job of loving on Parker, Emery and Bradley.  I am so proud of her and the young lady she is growing in to.  She is a blessing and I am excited to see how God uses her for His Glory.

So, there is our life, in a brief synopsis.  Kids, school, church, soccer, dance……..

Our last day in the villages were amazing.  I remember sitting in our third village, surrounded by these beautiful, African people and felt so tangibly, the Lord saying, “Take this in.  Look at them and see beyond any physical need, their need for ME.”  He alone is the Living Water who can quench our thirst.  I wanted to sear their faces in  my mind, to see them and realize they are all sinners, separated from God, unredeemed by Jesus Christ.  I looked and realized, their eternity could be spent separated from God.  This was a thought I kept at bay most of the trip.  It is hard to look at them and see their spiritual needs, when the physical ones seem daunting.  The enormity of their lostness did not hit me until I was home, in my church, while worshipping the Living God.  The bleakness of their life, without the hope of Christ, hit me.  And, in that moment, I realized again, that their greatest need is for salvation that comes only through Jesus Christ.  Not food, not clothing, not electricity or running water.  And that, my friends, is why we go.  God is drawing people unto Himself in this beautiful country and although the harvest is not ripe, nor the workers many, the fields are ready for sowing the seed.

As we drove back across the country for 12 hours, I chose to not sleep, so I could take in this place and for a few more hours, be apart of this culture.

I will never be the same.

Thank You, Jesus, for that!

After our first village, we left to go down the road just a mile or so to the third and final village.  Because of time, we knew that we wouldn’t be able to share using music this village.  This village was huge.  I had no idea when we passed through the day before that it was so large, but it went on forever.  It was also incredibly hot.  We had tried to salvage as much water as we could, but we were all, running out.

When we arrived, we walked quite a ways to the chief’s home.  He lived in a courtyard of sorts and D and I were surrounded by kids at least 5 rows deep all the way around.  I think a lot of it at this village had to do with thier 8 year old daughter, K, who was with us.  She has blonde hair and blue eyes.  The whole time we were in this village, we were surrounded my  kids.  On all sides, pressed up against it.   The funny thing was that it seemed to bother Penda more than us!  There is a prejudice of some sort that can exist between city Africans and village Africans.  Ironic, huh?  You don’t have to travel far to see it displayed in all cultures.

We went through the greeting with this village and again were told that they also were not expecting us.  Evidently, neither of our messages from a week ago or the day before had been given to the chiefs and elders.  We went through the whole process of explaining why we were there, why the message was not received, etc….  It was during this time, that I noticed a little girl that I still picture in my head almost daily.  She was around 6 or 7, which is my girls age.  She was beautiful and had her hair braided.  The striking thing to me was that she had her little brother strapped to her back.  He was around 9 months old it seemed and he was a healthy looking little guy, weighing at least 15-20 pounds.  She on the other hand, was a skinny little thing!  Her brother also did not have any clothes on.  I had a picture of her that I wanted to share and it pains my heart that I can’t share it with you.  I would love for you to see her face.  We were in this village for close to 3 hours.  She carried him the entire time.  I know my 7 year old weighs 47 pounds and to think of this little girl who was around Parker’s age and size carrying around her brother, brings me to tears.  For some reason, this sight brought all the hardships that these young children face into focus for me.   I love that she helped take care of her brother.  I loved that she took that responsibility on herself.  The stark reality of it is that she carried around, for hours, a child that weighed almost half as much as she did.  One time, she sat on the corner of the bench I was sitting on and after a few minutes, an adult made her get up.  I know for me carrying around an infant for that long would be tiring, but for her, I know it wore her little body out.  The life they face, as children, is much different than the life our face.  It reminded me again, that their children are OUR CHILDREN.  They just happen to live in a different continent, in a different culture, but they are still kids who deserve our best.

After our meet and greet, our huge posse made it a short distance to hang out with some ladies.  We were again very cramped but we were able to share the story of Creation with them after a while.  D shared each day and wanted to hit on the fact that each of them was special to God and that He knew them even though they lived out in this village.  After this, Penda says, “Don’t stop there, you have to tell them about the serpent and getting kicked out of the Garden.”  I totally lost it laughing.  Our Muslim translator wanted us to share the Fall with these women.  She called us out!  I loved it!  So we shared with them about the serpent and Eve and the separation from God that we face without Christ.  So cool!

During this time, I was holding one the newest village members, a little girl 2 months old.  She was a cutie.  Her mom then asked if I would take her home and raise her and them bring her back when she was old enough to work.  I don’t think she was really serious, but I know that they think all Americans are rich and compared to them, we are all LOADED.  I thought to myself, I would take her in a heartbeat, but not bringing her back! In the previous village, Jason was meeting with a chief and he asked Jason if he had children.  Jason said yes, two girls and one boy.  He asked if he would give our oldest daughter in marriage to his grandson.  Jason said, no in America, we let our children choose and we bless the union as parents.  He then tried to sweeten the deal  by saying we could have his 2 year old granddaughter in exchange.  We have laughed about it, but it again shows several things: the difference in culture, the value of children and their need for Jesus.  Many people have asked or insinuated that Jason and I would feel the burden to adopt after our visit.  That is not something that we feel led to do at this time. I will say, the need is great.  I will also say, the children we saw were not orphans and our perception of what they need, is different than what an African mom would say they need, in many cases.  Not because our love is greater but because the Africans we saw had quick smiles and a contentment that you rarely see in America that comes from appreciating what you do have instead of a focus on what you do not.  A kids toy there was an old tire being rolled with a stick.  Not an Ipod or a Wii.  Are there things we should be doing to aid these amazing people, YES.  Every human deserves clean water and medications to cure the simplest of diseases. Do these parents want the best for these kids? I think in most cases, YES.  But, while I was there, I did feel the desire to help, not just one child, BUT MANY.  What can I do to help support the children in one village or help bring about change in the lives of hundreds of African children.    These are the things I am still processing.

When we got back together before we left, we had an interesting visit with the elders and chiefs.  P asked Scott and Jason to share their testimony.  They both did and used the name Jesus about 50 times, it was great!!  Except, one man got extremely hot that they were sharing about Jesus.  He kinda went off and then P retaliated by saying, if you don’t want to hear our stories, that is fine, we don’t have to come back.  This sent the chief into a 10 minute speech during which time he is pointing at Scotty and then Jason and t hen P and then back to Jason.  Come to find out, after Morey, bless him, had to translate all of it, the chief was smoothing the ruffled feathers.  He was referring to how Jason and  their Iman were “brothers” and even though they are Muslim and will be Muslim, they welcome us to their village.

We then gave them the machetes and soccer balls.  In this village, they told us that we didn’t bring enough!  They needed more machetes.

Your welcome.

I don’t know if we will go back to this village in the future.  It was easy to see where God was at work in these villages and where people of peace were located.

After our drive home, P went straight to bed. He was feverish and did not feel well.  We all set out to make dinner.  It was a team effort and a great way to end the week in KonKon.  We had a visit from several other missionaries that night and got to spend some time with one particular guy.  He had a lot of insight into the Muslim faith and how they view Chrisitanity.  It was really great.

We then began to pack up and get ready for our 12 hour drive back across the country with one sickly driver!

Thursday was going to be a long day.  We were going to go to two villages.  After the length of time it took at one village, I was curious to see how this was going to play out.

I was feeling much more at ease and prepared to go today.  I had spent sometime in prayer and my goals were simple:  Share stories of Christ, love on some kiddos.

We drove out over the bridge again but this time, we had to wait on the bridge for about 20 minutes while Morey finished up work.  We got stop crossing because a huge truck came across from the other side while we were going across. It had to back up so we could get by.  This is where having people direct traffic would have been nice!

We rode out to the first village and when we arrived, we were again surrounded.  It was wild. This village ended up being my absolute favorite.  It was smaller and they were so friendly and open to us being there.  After we got out, they sent us to the soccer field down the road.  They wanted us to go because the group from our church who had come the previous June had brought them soccer balls.  We walked and saw about 20 young men playing soccer.  They all had matching jersey that they had bought in the market.  Their footwear was interesting.  Many were barefoot, some had cleat type shoes but the most common was a sandal made of “jelly” material.  Imagine jelly shoes in a buckle type sandal.

We watched them play for about 10 minutes and then they came and greeted us. This village was obviously prepared for us and it was obvious in how they planned for us.  We walked back and then circled up to meet with the cheif and the elders.  We were under an amazing tree, which is a precious commodity in Africa because of the shade it offers!

We went through the whole greeting process, that I referred to before and it again takes so long!  They were very open to us and they also had musicians that could play for us.  When the group broke up, the women immediately came up to D and I and started talking.  They were so friendly.  My most interesting experience was this woman who kept smacking me in the “chest” area.  She would talk and then hit me in the chest area.  Evidently, this is a way of asking if you have children.  The “chest” is considered life giving and very powerful in the African culture.  Trust me, we saw a lot of “chest” usually with children attached to it, but not always!  I am all for breatfeeding and their is no attempt to hide what the good Lord gave you when nursing in Africa!  I kept praying that I wouldn’t stop in mid-sentence or get wide eyes or let my mouth drop.  I was playing it cool or at least  hoping I didn’t look like an adolescent boy looking at a National Geographic!  And, hello, I have nursed 3 children and been in the presence of many of my friends as they have nursed, but we are usually well covered even then!  I was looking at video the other day and as it was panning a crowd, there was a woman nursing and I thought, probably shouldn’t put that one on the ol blog!

Anyways, it was cool how being a mom gave me the ability to connect with this woman.  That was what she wanted to know about me- if I had babies back at home.  They were quick to tell me I should bring them back with me next time!  I loved this!  A mommy is a mommy  no matter where she lives, what gear she has, or how big a house she has.  That was  a big common denominator for me with the ladies in this village.  At this point, I was missing my kids.  We had not had any conversations with them since we had left Smyrna.  We had only been on the internet one time since arriving in KanKan.   Later that day, I told Jason that I needed to know my kids were okay. It wasn’t about writing a blog or twitter update, I needed to feel connected to them.  Most of the time, I honestly did not worry about them or even think about them a great deal.  I had prayed that God would allow me to serve and experience Africa and pour me out like a drink offerring.  I was also so busy processing everything else and emotionally whipped that I didn’t have the brain capacity to think about much else!

D and I walked with a lady who was very friendly and went to her courtyard.  While in her courtyard, we did a little work and helped grind some kind of powder! Not totally sure what it was but it was for seasoning.  We met her family and her sister wife.  Multiple wives is fairly common. Penda, our translator, is actually the third of four wives.  Her parent refuse to let her divorce him even though he has refused to feed her child and take care of him. She currently lives with her parents because he refused to let her go to university, so she left because that had been apart of thier marriage contract that she could attend.  Our first day out with her, she asked Jason if I was his only wife.  Can you imagine?  He told her that I was and one was enough!  He told her that the Bible tells us to have only one wife and he has found the Bible to be trustworthy in teaching us how to live.  She said to us, “One wife, one problem; two wives, two problems; three wives, three problems; four wives, four problems.”  Not a great view of marriage, but it was interesting that when I asked if her father had more than one wife, she got a look of horror on her face.  She said no, only her mom.  This was a great reminder that God’s Word not only provides for our salvation, but also teaches us the way to live that brings us peace.

We met a young man in the courtyard that was very interested in us.  He brought out several literature pieces, including Luke and Genesis, that he had been given before by the missionaries we work with in KanKan.  They were in Maninka and he was learning to read.  The materials we bring are a great motivator for many villagers because they want to learn to read, practice reading or want to read about the stories of Jesus. He wanted as much as we could give him.   Their language aslo has a script type alphabet and we gave him those translations as well.  We were able to share several stories and they shared a potato type dish with us. I took one bite which is all we really needed to take!  It was a great time.

We then gathered back again and listened to their drummers and saw their musicians.  It was a much more relaxed, laid back atmosphere.  It was kind of a free dance where any villagers could come in the circle to dance.  I hoping to add some video, but I am proving to be challenged on WordPress!

After this, the chief took us to his village.  They had prepared us a meal and it was rice and chicken.  I managed to eat a few bites of rice but no chicken.  I did better today!

The chief then shared with us the things he had learned from listening to the Genesis tapes and how it is important to forgive your brother.  We later learned that in the Muslim faith, they believe there is an angel writing down all your good deeds and your bad deeds.  They record these at your funeral where people stand and can say how they feel about you, good, bad or ugly.  To them, forgiveness from God is a given, but forgiveness from your friend plays a huge role in your eternal life.

P shared the whole creation to Christ story with him and he informed us that this village is muslim, always have been, always will be and you can’t be both.  We all still since that God is at work in this village based on everyone’s experience at this village.

I loved this village. It was easily my favorite.  I was able to spend some time with some little ones taking their picture and loving on them.  I needed that so much more than they did!

I would love to share my pictures with you, but our camera was stolen out of our locked, checked baggage on the way home.  We had not downloaded the last two days.  Our video camera was taken as well.  I guess there is one wealthy African in the capital city because of our camera!

I can’t believe that I just wrote that.

He has been such a huge blessing, joy and completion to our family.

I remember so much about the day he was born, the nine months before that, the devestation of a miscarriage before that, and always the hope and prayer that God would give us a healthy baby.

We are so glad He gave us you, Bradley!

In this past year, you have continued to capture our hearts. You are all boy and everything you do is with energy and motion!  You love cars, trains, and any kind of ball.  You love to be outside and can often be found playing golf or shooting hoops!  You are full force and do not do things half hearted.  You love to wrestle with your daddy and the sisters when they will indulge you.  You refuse to go #2 in the potty.  This has shown your extreme stubborn side.  You are strong willed when you  have made your mind up about something.  You are a talker, as well. You talk all the time, in a deep voice, in a way that will probably require speech therapy!  But, I love it.  You can’t say your r’s or your l’s and it makes me melt.  You LOVE your mommy.  You give great hugs and sweet kisses.  You especially like to pray and always thank God for mommy and daddy.  I am so glad God ordained you to be in our famliy.

We celebrated Friday with my family since they were going out of town.  We also threw in a few friends and called it a birthday party!

I decided on a golf theme because recently, he has been a tad bit OBSESSED. He kept telling us he wanted blue golf clubs and white balls.

We found him a golf bag that is blue, since he really doesn’t need new clubs to replace his mini Nike clubs!

Here are some pictures:

The table setting..

My centerpiece- golf balls, tees and some shredded green filler! Bradley wanted his yellow practice balls thrown in, as well!

Trying out his new bike

Green and brown cake- I went for cute!

Checking out the candles, which were golf balls on tees!

His groupies....

Today, we went bowling!  Jason even dropped in at lunch!  He also had a few friends come and hang out with him to bowl a round!

He had to carry his own 9 lb ball..

Bowling was a big hit for the 3 year old boys! Bradley, Mason and Jonah were all about rolling the ball down the ramp!

Hanging with his Dad

He's a natural...

Quick picture of Jason and I with Bman.

Happy Birthday, Son!  I pray that you will be a lion chaser who leads this next generation to love God and serve others.  I pray that you will be bold in your love for Him and have a heart for the nations.  I am praying that you will reek of integrity, character and loyalty.  I am praying you will be a man who leads leaders, your family and those around you to a deeper walk with Christ. Love you Bradley!