The long awaited announcement.... we are moving!!
God has graciously provided a house that is more than what we asked for and has blessed us with a perfect time to buy. Another family on staff at Cornerstone is moving into a smaller home in the neighborhood - their 5 children are quickly growing and moving into different phases of life. They have offered to sell us their home in the price range we were looking for!!
It is located about two or three blocks away so it is still within walking distance of the church and we will know many of our neighbors. The home is 3 stories and it has 5 bedrooms...yes....5! We will probably be using 3 of them as actual bedrooms with a playroom and an office in the others. There is one full bathroom and 2 half baths. 3 toilets!!
The plan is to settle and sign papers within a few days and move in about 2 weeks! As I packed boxes in our apartment today it started to feel more real. Things are really moving along and this dream is becoming a reality. We have a group of friends from a supporting church coming that weekend to help with the moving festivities.
We are thanking God immensely and are grateful for his faithfulness and provision. We recognize that there will be more work ahead and challenges to face as we make this major transition with the kids, but we know that God is near us and that He is walking with us. We will be sad to leave our apartment. While it is small and cramped and there is usually a revolving line for the bathroom at any given time - we have gone through a lot while living here and have experienced many life milestones in 3 short years.
Please be praying with us that the process and the transitions go smoothly. Updates and photos to come!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Surprise Wedding!!
We love to celebrate at Cornerstone. We even coined the phrase "Cornerstone Clap" because people clap and shout about everything that happens. Right before Valentine's Day we got to celebrate something very special - a SURPRISE WEDDING!
A woman that has been coming to our church for a long time (I posted her poem a while back, a beautiful story of how God redeemed a broken woman) met a man that she fell in love with. He had yet to commit his life to Christ and while they had a lot in common they had different religious views. Through various circumstances they came to live together and were trying to live life under the same roof. As she talked more with him about this God that she loved he became more interested. He started to come to church and gave his life to Christ.
He learned what baptism was and decided that he wanted to pursue it. He asked Jonerik if he would baptize him and Jonerik's response was, "not yet". There were still some things that needed to be dealt with in his life and as they talked this man was convicted. They realized that they we not putting God first in their lives and living in disobedience to him in their current situation.
They made arrangements to live in separate places while they worked through some premarital counseling. The church supported their desires to be obedient to God and it was inspiring to see fresh passion to honor God. On the Sunday before Valentine's Day, one of the pastors at Cornerstone preached about what true love was why marriage was so special to God. At the end of the service, this couple got married!! They had a reception for everyone afterwards and a small group from the church surprised them with a night at a hotel in center city!
God cherishes marriage as a sacred covenant - to bring glory to his name.
Here is the church service/wedding. Skip to 32:00 if you want to get to the wedding!
A woman that has been coming to our church for a long time (I posted her poem a while back, a beautiful story of how God redeemed a broken woman) met a man that she fell in love with. He had yet to commit his life to Christ and while they had a lot in common they had different religious views. Through various circumstances they came to live together and were trying to live life under the same roof. As she talked more with him about this God that she loved he became more interested. He started to come to church and gave his life to Christ.
He learned what baptism was and decided that he wanted to pursue it. He asked Jonerik if he would baptize him and Jonerik's response was, "not yet". There were still some things that needed to be dealt with in his life and as they talked this man was convicted. They realized that they we not putting God first in their lives and living in disobedience to him in their current situation.
They made arrangements to live in separate places while they worked through some premarital counseling. The church supported their desires to be obedient to God and it was inspiring to see fresh passion to honor God. On the Sunday before Valentine's Day, one of the pastors at Cornerstone preached about what true love was why marriage was so special to God. At the end of the service, this couple got married!! They had a reception for everyone afterwards and a small group from the church surprised them with a night at a hotel in center city!
God cherishes marriage as a sacred covenant - to bring glory to his name.
Here is the church service/wedding. Skip to 32:00 if you want to get to the wedding!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Celebrations and Rememberances
Since my last post we experienced whirlwinds of celebrating and moments and days of remembering.
So in case you lost count our kids are currently:
Gigi - 6
Damian - about to be 8 in Feb.
Bub - 11
Dante - 12
Lymarys - 14
The holidays proved to be very different this year. It was the first year without our dear sister Limaris and we missed her party planning, life of the party presence. There were moments that we stopped to remember her and how different life is. The grief was still present and was stronger at different times for all of us. We are so grateful for a God who holds and comforts us each step of the way.
Celebrations!
- Lymarys turned 14 in November!
- We also celebrated Thanksgiving with family, thanking God for his faithfulness and love over the past year.
- Christmas and Thanksgiving were both celebrated in our home (we borrowed the neighbors house for Thanksgiving this year) and we created some new traditions and memories and we kept some of the old.
- Gigi celebrated her 6th birthday on January 11 and lost her two front teeth right before Christmas!
- The most exciting celebration that we quietly rejoiced over was December 4th. Jonerik and I received full custody of Limaris' children! It was a year long process with some obstacles thrown in our way, but God has blessed us with three beautiful children and we couldn't be prouder. We have maintained good relationships with family (which was a goal in the process) and it is a relief to have things officially set. Thank you for all of your prayers over this, your encouragement sent through email, cards and in person. I never imagined God would call us to something so difficult and so beautiful.
So in case you lost count our kids are currently:
Gigi - 6
Damian - about to be 8 in Feb.
Bub - 11
Dante - 12
Lymarys - 14
- We are still in the process of buying a new home. That will deserve a post of it's own when things get closer and solidified. Our hope is to move in April!
The holidays proved to be very different this year. It was the first year without our dear sister Limaris and we missed her party planning, life of the party presence. There were moments that we stopped to remember her and how different life is. The grief was still present and was stronger at different times for all of us. We are so grateful for a God who holds and comforts us each step of the way.
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