Greetings from Mama!

Hello friends! I am taking over the blog today. I apologize for the lack of new posts lately, and I thought I would share a little about what's been going on with us in the hopes that you will see why the postings have been slim lately...

First off, we have a huge praise - my Papa Don, who was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this year, is so much better. He did not have to have his last chemo treatment, and at his last appointment his doctors declared his cancer totally in remission! So thank you all for your prayers for him.

Tim, Sam and I made a trip down to SC to visit with family early in September. It was nice to see everyone, especially since I had not seen them since before I went to Africa. We had a fun-filled two days with grandparents and aunts and uncles. We even got Sam out on his first boat ride. Papa Metcalf took us out around Lake Cooley in the pontoon, or the "Party Barge" as we like to call it. We also got to visit with Sarah & Chase and PJ & Ashley, who will be getting married in May.

Debbie (also known as Nana) came up for Tim's 30th birthday, so we had a nice visit with her. She got to spend a lot of Tim with Sam, and then we had a yummy lunch at Cafe Carolina before she left on Saturday.

Tim and I are in the process of looking for a new Sunday school class. As many of you know, Tim and I taught a high school class at church for almost four years, and then this past year we really felt the Lord telling us to step away for a season. So now we are in search of a class for big people. We really like the idea of going to class and worship (in either order) during the 8 and 9:30 hours, but I must say it's not the easiest thing in the world to get out the door before 8am with a toddler. We do know that we are blessed to have several wonderful options for classes.

Did I mention that our house has been on the market for almost four months now? I know that in today's market this is really normal, but as someone who rarely makes her bed, having to clean the house every day is really a pain. Not to mention that it's even more difficult to pick up when there is a little guy who loves to destroy the house and a cat who scoots on the carpet. Anyway - we've had two almost offers, but we have run into a problem with our bonus room. I won't bore you with all the details, but please just pray that God will give us wisdom as we decide if/when to take the house off the market and how best to address problems left to us by the previous owner.

In addition to all of this, I have been opening a new office for work. I have had a lot of help from some of our volunteers, but I am the sole staff person there, so it's been a little hectic. And tense. And stressful. But this office is the result of almost three years of prayer and work by many, so the all stress aside, it's really amazing that we finally have a place. I work at a pregnancy resource center and we are expanding to downtown so that we can serve the over 36,000 college students in Raleigh. You all have heard of NC State, but there are four other colleges downtown, and they are all filled with hurting college students. So last week we officially opened Gateway to the public. My friend Amy (also known as Mycah's Mama) and I "birthed" the ministry along with our old boss. We picked the name Gateway because we really felt that it encompassed what we wanted the ministry to be - we are not the answer, but we are a way to get there. We are a little connector between students and Jesus. I could really go on and on, but you get the picture. Speaking of pictures...

Please also be in prayer for Gateway. As I said, I am currently the only staff person there. Please pray that God would bring in the other staff (director and admin assistant) to round things out.

Next Tuesday, Sammer will be starting one day a week in daycare. This was not a super-easy choice to make, but in the long run it will be better for us because I will be able to work one full day in addition to my two half days. This way my days off will truly be days off, not work-from-home days. Just please pray that Sam adjusts well (eats food and naps) to daycare.

Whew! I think that's about it for now. I don't know if you can believe it or not, but the little guy will be TWO in 21 days. It seems like only yesterday...

Y'all have a great week!