Thursday, December 31, 2020

As We Say Goodbye to 2020

In a year that's been hard for the whole world, it's been hard to see any purpose. To be honest... It feels like this year has been three. I was just reflecting on this year and scrolling through my photos, and I seriously thought twice, "That happened in 2020?! That was a lifetime ago". January-February I spent hopeful that somehow, someway, something could work out and we'd stay in SC. March-July were so uncertain and stressful, and we just hoped we'd be able to find a home in VA and be done with it all... And then August-October were just as bad as I'd hoped they wouldn't be, with more thrown at us than I'd thought to worry about. I remember standing in the kitchen on October 14th (specific, yes 😂) and just having a complete breakdown, and I knew something was going to have to change. I've had to be honest and raw with myself and others in ways I have avoided from sheer stubborn idealism and fear over the past several months. I've had to admit I can't be the one who has it all together, and while I wish I could be 14 again and at least feel like I had the potential to be, I'm going to guess that's never going to happen... And that's okay, because it means I have to trust God to work through me instead. I've had to give up some things, and other things are being changed.


But since October, as I've spent a lot of time in deep consideration, one thing I'm becoming convinced of. 2020 was not for nothing. God is working. I don't see everything that's being played out, but I can see how some of it has been used. I've seen how some of this might be used in the future. And my heart is slowly wrapping around the head truth that God has a purpose for everything he ordains.

2020 is going to leave us with two more precious members of the family, since we welcomed my cousin Kali, the first baby girl in the family in almost 10 years!!!, and our wonderful, family tie breaker, "solid 10 out of 10"  brother, Philip. Honestly, any year would have been worth the safe arrival of these two people 💕.

While I've felt like all of my hopes to get where I think I'm being called to serve have met roadblocks and discouragement at every turn, especially through the past year, I've found a promising lead that I'm going to be able to look into over the next couple of months, and 2020 also turned out to be the year that my writing was first officially published and sent out in physical form to people I'll never know in the recently started Anchored magazine, and that's a very real first step to something I have pursued for years!

I had the privilege of finding two little kittens a home this year. And while I might have wanted nothing more than to keep the second in my own home, I'm so very thankful for how everything worked out and how God used Merci and "Miss Grace" (forever Raspberry in my heart) to plant little seeds in mine and others hearts that I pray will bear fruit for many years to come.

We were provided with a home here in VA, and we're all together again this holiday season. No matter the down sides, the fact that God had planned it all - four years before, when He crossed our paths with the church friends who ultimately found this home we now reside in for us - was something amazingly obvious.

We brought home Mango, and it's been the best thing for Misty... And me. In all the pain September held, you couldn't have prepared me for the comfort I'd get from my little green "baby" bird, when I wasn't even sure I wanted him.

I was blessed this year to meet in person for the first time my penpal/dear friend, Alyssa! She lives in FL, and I lived in SC... But it took me moving to VA to finally work out a visit, haha. She has been a constant in this journey of upheaval, and so sympathetic and encouraging, so getting to sit and talk face to face was a joy! And I was blessed to truly solidify some precious, precious friendships this year. Moving and being so far away from everyone has only made me more intentional to find ways to stay in contact. It's been a year of reconciliation and deepening of relationships, of realizing how important gospel-centered hospitality is to me, of seeing how much I value gospel-centered vulnerability. I have been forced to take the time to reflect on things that I have conveniantly avoided in the busyness of life for too long. I have found comfort in not being able to be the strong person, and, instead, seeing others step up and uphold me with truth. Pour life into everyone you meet. But find the people you can trust to pour life into you, and cherish them so, so hard.

I was able to advocate for Quincey, one of the orphans on Reece's Rainbow Christmas Campaign this year, AND see my little sister join me by advocating for Bruno! We had an amazing year. So many people shared and donated and prayed and helped. Some of the children were found by their families. So many children made it PAST their goal! And *all* of the children made it at least to goal this morning before we had a chance to wonder if it would happen today - something never done in the past, that left us advocates asking each other at 9:30 in he morning, "well... what do we do without our annual New Year's Eve wrap up party tonight?!" 😂❤️

If 2020 has taught me one thing, it's not to wait until the perfect moment... Don't punish yourself because God's path is different than your plan. Pour yourself into gratefully and joyfully living life here, where you are, because nothing is guaranteed, and there is no better place than here to find something to smile about. Care for plants, drink some tea, snuggle down with a baby, learn how to make bread, start that project you've always wanted to do, even if you don't have time to finish it... You'll be that much closer to the finish line. Don't wait for an hour block of time to make a phone call that never happens, give that loved one a 15 minute phone call instead, whenever you can, and  it turns out to be more in the long run. Burn your candles you've saved for a "cozy moment" and make one. Buy that special paper for your Christmas gifts, don't wait for next year in case things might be more fairy-tale like. Take twice as long on a bible study as you "should", if that's the only way you get to it at all. Don't let your ideals of doing everything keep you from doing anything. Live life where God has placed you to the very fullest.

I pray you each have a joyful 2021! And I pray you see the good in 2020, even though it hurt.

Rejoicing in Christ and with love to each of you,
Ambrielle ❤️

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Hello, friends

It's been a while. I really, really thought that I was going to come back to blogging at the beginning of this year. But covid, and moving, and September hit me off my feet one after another, and I decided Instagram was good enough to keep people updated. But the past few weeks, it's been different. Thanksgiving, actually... I started a post for instagram and realized I'd rather have written a blog post. And I've slowly realized I'm aching to get back to writing since then. This means more to me than you know. And I do want to share some things with you all in the next few months (I'll be realistic... even wanting to write will not cause me to do so quickly until I'm caught up in all areas of my life...), but first, I have a shameless request to make for some people very near and dear to my heart.

Every year, I join Reeces's Rainbow, an adoption advocacy site that helps special needs orphans, in their Miracle of Adoption Christmas Campaign. Each year, they try to raise $1,000 for each child on the "tree" to help with their adoption costs, and they try to get these children seen by the families who have opened their hearts to welcoming these children as sons or daughters. This year, I advocated for Quincey (https://reecesrainbow.org/128122/quincey)...



Quincey made it past goal last night!!! But he still needs a family.

And all of these babies...



They haven't made it to goal. And they don't have a family, either.

Can I ask a favor for these voiceless ones?

Go to this page: http://static.reecesrainbow.org/macc/

Find one baby who has less than $1,000 in their adoption funds.

Donate 1 to 5 dollars to their account today.

And then share their page with someone, somehow.

There are so many easy ways to do this straight from the child's page; email, text, facebook, instagram.

Just share something simple, like, "I saw this child who needs a family, and gave a bit to their adoption fund, I wanted you to see their sweet face too!"

We never truly know the impact that this could have on a child's life. Each dollar raised is one more worry taken off of the family that may want to start the adoption process. Their family may see them because you saw this blog post and let them see a face that was meant to be in their family pictures next Christmas.

We have 3 more days before this campaign is over, and I'm praying we see ALL the babies hit goal, including the ones who have families coming for them. I would love for more to find their family, too. 

Go to the MACC page (http://static.reecesrainbow.org/macc/).

Donate $1-5 to one adoption fund.

Share their profile with at least one person.

It might take 3 minutes.

But it could change a life.

Love, Ambrielle

Monday, March 16, 2020

What should we be doing about the coronavirus?

bible has answers christian meme
First up, can we just appreciate everyone who uses YouVersion getting this
as their verse of the day a few days ago? Not a few of us have been laughing!

It seems at this point, no matter where you turn, all conversations ultimately lead back to one thing: Coronavirus. It's all over facebook, comes up in our texts, is being constantly noted at workplaces, it's all over TV (one reason to be thankful not to have cable, LOL!), it comes up at our dinner tables. It's taking the world by storm; and I don't even mean physically. It has taken hold of the thoughts of every single person, whether infected with the virus or not. An epidemic has been started, and I don't just mean corona; it's an epidemic of fear, and illogical solutions (and a shortage of toilet paper).

I've seen people bring Lysol wipes to clean their own tables when dining out, but then eating food prepared by strangers. Opening doors with their shirt so as not to touch the door handle, but then wearing that shirt with anything it picked up for the rest of the day, rather than being able to wash it off immediately, as they could their hands. We have people calling for schools to be closed, but then using their free time to catch up -in person- with friends. Refusing to stand too close to another person, but disregarding the fact that this same person just touched the loaf of bread they are buying and taking back to the house to sit on the counter for a week as they slowly eat it. 

Items are running low. The elderly, who can't get around as easily and are more susceptible to this virus, are having to go to store after store after store to find basic necessities, because we have items flying off the shelf in the event that it's not safe to go out and get them later. One of my friends has told me she can't get her baby's formula anywhere, and because of some potential hereditary allergens, she can't just give him whatever is available. Mama went shopping for the weekend for our family of 12, and got stares from people assuming she was "one of those people", when in reality, this stuff isn't going to last us a week.

Bethel church has closed it's "healing ministry" in the wake of this epidemic, as the spiritual healing movement always does when faced with any health issue or disability that you can prove wasn't healed. Ironically, they give their reasoning as the fact that they don't want to catch coronavirus. While those of us who truly know the gospel of God already know that their ministry is built on greed and false doctrine, it is mind boggling to me that they would tell us, in essence, "we don't trust our healing methods to heal ourslves from the coronavirus, so we are going to put our own lives before yours," (a definite opposition to the calling of a believer!) "and refuse to heal anyone who might be dying of something we could catch!" and still expect us to believe their teaching and claims. What is even more mind boggling, and completely breaks my heart, is that there are people who *will* continue to believe them. 

I'm not talking about how bad this may be. It might be a cold, or the black plague. It doesn't really matter, because people are going to fear it no matter what at this point, no matter what we learn through greater study of it. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't be taking every precaution we can to avoid it's spreading; as a bit of a germaphobe myself with some germaphobic friends, I know two things: one, even germaphobes know that there are plenty of things you just can't do with perfect sanitation and you have to pick your battles, and two, there's also a lot of gross things to deal with in this world that other people just do not seem to notice, and if this helps them notice some of these things, it's cleaner world for all of us. Human hygiene is just common sense that we should all be using, every day, to stay clean and get good nutrients and be good stewards of the time, health, and wealth that God has granted us here. It's even natural to up our efforts when outbreaks are more likely; we all do it every winter, and it's definitely something to be encouraged.

But what should our view on the subject of corona, as Christians, be? Two things come to my mind (along with "did that person who claims to be paraniod about this virus really just do that and not think it was gross and life threatening" and "what is happening to us that my mom and best friend and I are tagging each other constantly in toilet paper memes").

God is completely sovereign, even in this situation. If you can trust Him to get your sinful heart restored to His righteousness and give you eternal life, you can trust that you are going to be taken care of. This doesn't mean that we, as a church that has been much talked about among my coworkers, just "name and claim health" are magically made immune. God doesn't work like that; when the bible says to trust in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart*, trusting in the Lord aligns our will with His, not ropes the God of the Universe into fulfilling our whims. It does mean, that no matter what happens, you can rest secure in the fact that God has ordained the outcome of your life. We as Christians can say with Paul, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain."* *If* we get this corona and, by some chance, it ends our life, guess what? That was predestined before the beginning of time by God. And we get to stand before His throne much earlier than we anticipated, and we will spend the rest of eternity rejoicing! And if it's not our time to die; nothing, absolutely nothing can change the events God has set into place before the world began, and this virus can't change that.

But there are a lot of people being affected by this pandemic who do not know the security of abiding in Christ, and that brings me to what I think is the most important thing that should be on our minds during this time. There is so much opportunity right now to spread the gospel to those around us. There is so much fear that needs to be calmed with eternal confidence. There is so much panic over "what ifs" that needs to be set at rest with truth. There is so much discouragement that could be turned to rejoicing just by knowing Christ and Him crucified.

People's minds are naturally turning to the purpose of their lives right now. They need strong, biblical answers to what meaning their life has in the midst of all the mess around us. Our purpose is to live for Christ and glorify Him forever - whether here or in heaven, it doesn't matter. That purpose gives us security and joy, either way. People are looking with fear to the future, and so they are looking with regret to the past. They don't need a soothing voice to tell them, "you've done the best you could, even if you never get to do more, you should be proud!" They need a gentle, firm voice to tell them, "You're right. You've done some things wrong, and your life is covered with sin. And you'll never be able erase that. And as a Perfect, Just, and Holy Being, God can't erase the need for sin's required payment. But He did do something merciful and beautiful and wonderful for you... He sent His only Son to pay that debt for you, thereby satisfying justice while giving you hope. Christ died a horrible, terrible, substitutionary death, worse than anything this corona could throw at us, for you, because He loves you. And God's got a purpose for all things that happen, good and bad. And maybe, now, His purpose for this spread of illness is so that you and I would be having this conversation right now, as the means God is going to use to open your heart to His glorious, precious gospel, so that the illness of your soul could, through this, be completely and forever healed, by recognition of your brokenness, repentance of your sin, and acceptance of the gift of eternal righteousness Christ bestows on you when you believe His efforts, and not yours, are the means of your worth."

If even one soul came to abide in the truth of the gospel through these events, it would all be worth it. And it would be in God's plan. And we have been given the responsibility - the privilege! - of being His designated ambassadors. We can't dare to neglect to share His gospel right now, when people are so actively seeking answers to the questions the gospel answers. These people are *going* to find answers, whether we speak up or not. But they aren't going to be answers of truth, unless they come from the Word of God Himself. 

So wash your hands. Stay hydrated. Love and protect the people around you. Take care of them.

But don't neglect to come to Christ for cleansing from a heart set on evil. Keep your spiritual thirst satisfied by pursuing the Word of God. Love and protect the people around you with the truth. Take care of their souls.

Rejoicing in the hope of Salvation,
Ambrielle

*Psalm 37:4 *Philippians 1:21

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." -Proverbs 19:21

"I preceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before Him." Ecclesiastes 3:14

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Romans 1:16

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Looking back on 2019

Where am I supposed to start?!

To begin with - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you! I hope that you all had a beautiful holiday season <3.


It's been a year since I sat down and blogged. It wasn't EXACTLY my intention. I told a friend (hey, Alyssa ;)!) that I meant to "catch up on blog posts and then take a break for a few months". Except I never caught y'all up. And I was gone for more than a few months, if you couldn't tell. To any of you reading this after I left you all hanging for so long, I appreciate you! I honestly considered just not blogging anymore. Life has been busy, my computer is slow, I started running a social media ministry with a friend (hence I didn't need to blog to share theology type posts), and so it just wasn't a priority. But we're looking at another move (more on that later), and that means two things: I'm going to need an easy way to keep a lot of people updated at the same time (because I have been really bad at emails and texting real updates lately), and I'm absolutely going to find myself in need of a place to write again. Blogging is good for me - it's a productive way for me to process things. I might delete half the blog post before I publish it, but that means I've been able to sort out my thoughts through the writing process, which helps me, and then what I DO leave and publish, keeps everyone up-to-date, so it feels like a productive way to do so. Plus, I'm in process of buying a new computer (I had one too many meltdowns over mine this December, lol), so I'm hoping that will take care of that issue. I can dream anyway :P.


For those of you who would like to see what I have been posting while I've been "missing"... this is the new social media ministry that my friend Claire and I officially opened up April 16th, 2019! Everyone should get themselves a Claire <3. She and I "met" when we both started working for KBR ministries a couple years ago. When KBR closed, we weren't ready to be done serving the Lord together... we took the same time and skills we'd been putting into KBR, and decided to turn it into Down the Narrow Path. I feel like 8 months later I'm still kind of figuring this out (again, a truly working computer is going to help this, haha! The past three months have truly been rough in that department :P...), but I'm so grateful for the way Claire inspires, and encourages me through working with her (and inspires and encourages other girls through that work!), and how even though we don't get a chance to sit down and chat very often, I can always know it will be an edifying, faith strengthening time when we do. I'm prayerful that the Lord will use Down the Narrow Path to bless those who find it, and I am hopeful that it will continue to grow over the coming year :)!


This past year has been a busy, changing one for the whole family. It's going to be hard to do it justice in one blog post! Lol. Tori turned 18 this fall, and we celebrated her birthday with a trip to Savannah <3. It's been our favorite vacation spot since Daddy worked with FCS, and so it was a blessing to get to go again, take the boys to the beach for the first time, walk the squares, and just enjoy some time together. Tori also graduated right before her birthday, and got her permit this summer... it's been a busy year for her alone! She's taken on a lot of responsibility and babysitting since I started working, and the bond that she and Isaac have is so absolutely precious <3. They sit and listen to classical music together all the time... she said she wants to give him a good foundation before the others teach him to like Veggietales music, haha ;). She's seriously going to make an awesome mom, she gets such delight out of teaching Isaac and seeing him develop <3.


Bethani is 14 now. I can't tell you how many times in the past year I have said "I want to be Bethi when I grow up"... haha! She's got so much confidence, but not obnoxious confidence ;), and she stays so motivated and busy. She SAYS she's not a very organized person, but I just want to be about half as on top of things as she is right now, lol! She's been working so hard this year, began to write stories, and now is writing her first novel!!!  I can't wait to read it, but APPARENTLY she has to edit it first. Haha ;)!


Andrew grew up this year. Like, that's not even an understatement, haha. At the beginning of this year, he was still shorter than me. By the fall, he was my Dad's height. Literally six weeks later... he was an inch and a half taller than Daddy, at 13. He tried to put on my work shoes the other day as a joke, but it looked like the ugly stepsister trying to put on Cinderella's slipper, haha! He and Isaac have this fun new thing they do together... Andrew holds Isaac on his shoulders, and Isaac can touch the ceiling. Isaac thinks it's the coolest thing! I've definitely called Andrew my big brother on accident before, and he won't let me forget it ;).


Abbi turned 11 this year, and she's decided that when she grows up she wants to work with blind children just like Aunt Tessa. This isn't just an idea, either - she's actively working for it right now, teaching herself braille <3. She got a braille writer for Christmas, and it was absolutely the most exciting thing for her! She and Emmi have also taken to writing, inspired by Bethani, and Abbi worked hard to participate in NaNoWriMo this year :).


Emmi is 9 now... It's so weird, for the family who used to be "all girls", for our baby girl to be less than a year from her double digits. How did this happen, y'all?! Along with writing stories and keeping up with Abbi, Emmi loves to read and just absorbs knowledge... she reminds me of Tori at her age, and she usually has an answer to the questions the little ones might ask. It's not uncommon to hear "Emmi, how do you spell...?", haha :).


Our little sweeter Peter... he's 7 now, and he still instinctively knows when someone needs a hug <3. Peter learned to read this year! He learned in his own time (we think that,w so many people to read to him, there was little motivation to read on his own, haha), but now he amazes us with how quickly he can read when he wants to.


Josiah is 5 going on 45... of course, he's been going on 45 for 5 years now, so there is no surprise there ;). The biggest thing that happened to Josiah this year was that... he got glasses! I scheduled Mama an appointment when I scheduled my yearly this year, and though she complained that she didn't need it enough to want to go, after seeing what a huge difference her glasses made, she insisted on getting everyone in for a check up. Abbi came out with distance glasses, Peter came out with reading glasses, and Josiah, little bud, came out with a full on, whenever his eyes are open he wears them, prescription. Apparently his vision is second only to mine in how bad it is, haha. I think I was far more excited for him than he was, knowing myself how much it had changed my life to get glasses, haha. He also grew out his hair... my mom has always buzz cut his hair, as it is easy and he never shared a preference... until Tori overheard him tell Peter, "I wonder when my hair will grow like yours." She told him that his hair DOES grow just like the other boys', but it gets cut shorter, and he was a little indignant, lol!


Noah is 3... and I call him my little Imp. He's our true "Abbi like an Andrew", but also a Bethi Jr.... and extra sassy and cocky to boot, and he keeps us constantly on our toes and constantly laughing! His commentary on life is absolutely hilarious, and Mama has said multiple times, she wishes she could attach a camera to his head for even just one day, it would be irreplaceable footage. Every time I go to work, he reminds me, "Don't forget to bring me home ice!" Then when I come home, he'll often tell me "You are the RIGHT Bri!"... because I work with two other Bris, and it was the most unsettling thing to him to meet one of the others this fall, haha! He's my little snuggle bug... if I get to stay home late in the mornings, I can be sure that he's going to come climb in bed with me, and I always look forward to it <3.


Isaac is 16 months already... the past year has just gone by so fast. I mentioned earlier that he loves to listen to classical music with Tori...but he also loves the song Baby Shark, so, he has conflicting music tastes, haha. I was tired of this song before my family heard it, hearing it enough at work, but it's totally his favorite thing, hahaha. He also loves sea turtles. And food of all kinds (except bananas?! Which is unusual for our family). He's a big little guy... his growth curve has him slated to be 6'5" when he's grown. That's crazy, lol. He has curly hair, which he got cut for the first time in December. He looked so much older instantly, it was very bittersweet. Thankfully, he's still got his curls, they're just a little shorter. He's beginning to really talk... and it's absolutely precious <3.


As far as our little pets go, our birds are still as naughty as can be, and quite temperamental...but I have gotten them to let me hold them without biting me... as long as I am offering food ;). I'm hoping to really work with them more this coming year. We are considering getting their wings clipped again, which will help, and I'm having more success with Misty, now that Dawn accepts me grudgingly and doesn't set her on edge. We also acquired two little frogs, birthday presents to Abbi in August, which she raised from tadpoles... these little guys are already as tame as the birds, eating from her hand nightly, haha!


I had planned to take the classes to get certified as a special needs caregiver this fall, but because Daddy was looking for a new job and we expected a move, there was no guarantee that my certification would transfer over to whatever state we ended up in. So, I have continued to work at CFA in the meantime. I'm going to miss the people I work with when we leave, and have been offered multiple places to live if I wanted to stay, but as much as I don't look forward to a move, I want to stay with my family, and while I'm grateful for the sentiment that prompted the offers, I am definitely moving as well (it's always everyone's first question when they hear my family is leaving, so I thought I'd just answer, lol!). I did get my driver's license this summer, and have taken some practice caregiver tests which I've passed, so I'm excited about jumping right into getting certified after we move!


About the move... it's been a wild, slow ride, y'all. Back this spring, we had a friend over for a two week visit. The first week she was here, Mama tore her calf muscle, and was on crutches for a week. Before Mama was back on her feet, we found out that, instead of closing *some* of the stores, as we had been told, LifeWay was closing *all* of their stores. Their reasons aside, this came as a major shock to everyone, and my Dad's store, which was one of the top stores in the company, was also one of the first to close. He was given a recommendation to apply to Tractor Supply Co. by one of his former bosses, and he set up an interview right away. He had two interviews, and was told they were definitely interested in hiring him after his store closed. The Tractor Supply 5 minutes from our house has been available twice since he started looking for a job, but they've been too quick to fill it both times, lol. After his store finished, he came back to Tractor Supply, and also applied to various other companies; he was even interviewed by Bye Bye Baby, but that ended up falling through. The day before his last severance check, he saw that the Tractor Supply location he had applied for had been filled, and he started filling out more applications; immediately started filling out applications, and was in the middle of that when he got a call from Tractor Supply, saying they couldn't tell him what store he was getting, but they were willing to take him on as a manager, being paid more than he was asking, and full pay from the beginning, rather than MiT pay, if he was willing to take the job. With the timing and how everything played out, Daddy accepted the position, and has been training out of state since November. His training is over in February... we don't know whether we'll know where we are headed before that, or not, so that has been nagging at all of our minds, haha. It's definitely going to require a move, though, as he must be placed within the district he was hired in. It's going to be hard to leave... we had expected our last move to be our last, we have a wonderful church that it will be disappointing to leave, and, if I'm honest, for me personally, SC is home. I remember, back when Daddy had a chance to transfer back here from VA, I bawled my eyes out at the thought of moving and started over again. We had settled in in VA, most of my old friends from SC had moved as well, and I hate change (even for the better, sometimes, as silly as that is). Daddy didn't get the transfer that time, and I thought I was relieved, but then, when the manager LifeWay had meant to send here ended up not working out, and the same opportunity was available just 6 weeks later, I had thought about the idea enough that I was excited about it, hard as it was to leave VA. When we got back here... I realized just how much this was home to me. We passed the Toyota car dealership, that I hadn't thought about for 4 years, on our house hunting trip, and I cried because it was so familiar, haha. After we got moved and settled in, we stopped at Lowe's home improvement store, I stepped into the garden center, and I felt like I was 8 years old again and Daddy and I were getting some yard supplies for our weekly Wednesday afternoon yard work. It's just been little things like that... plus, since we've been back, I've put down even more roots, maybe more than I have put down anywhere ever before, and it's just going to be hard. But every move we have ever made has brought it's blessings along with it, and so I'm trying to be content, if not excited, this time. Prayers for the next few months as we make this transition are greatly appreciated <3. We are grateful that Daddy has been able to make frequent visits back home!


I took part in the Reece's Rainbow MACC again this year. It was an absolutely AMAZING round this year!!! I was advocating for Jeremy, and not only did he reach goal... *All* of the babies either met goal or found their families!!!! And early in the evening, last night, too... It was the best, getting a front row seat to watch God using the generosity of so many people to touch the lives of these little ones! I'm already so excited about next year! It was neat, too, just to be working with a lot of the same advocates that were involved last year (and years before that, but last year was my first). Once you get involved in this, it's so hard not to want to continue!

That's a quick, short, very undetailed "newsletter" catch up on the past year... And that's what you'll have to be content with, because a year is a really long time to catch up on ;). I don't know how often I'll be posting, or even what I'll be sharing, because I have some ideas but nothing really solidified yet... But I'm grateful for each of you who care to take the time to read, and I hope your 2020 is full of Christ's work in your life bringing hope and joy no matter what the year holds <3.

Rejoicing in the hope of salvation,
Ambrielle <3