We got a Mac!

Nolan and I both had broken Dell laptops from college, so for the past months we had no computer of our own to use. We have been wanting to become trendy mac users for a while now and knew someone who was selling his so we took advantage of the opportunity! We are still learning to navigate the computer, but so far we love it. This means we will be able to do more from home and hopefully be able to update this more too! We can also take silly pictures which is always a plus!

Current Happenings

Life is very busy right now...and it seems that it will only get busier for the next few months. Nolan started his new job this week which is really exciting! He is working at the Pittsburgh Project in the Northside of Pittsburgh in a mentoring/leadership program for local high school kids. He has already met a lot of people and I think it will be a really great experience because he is so good with high schoolers!

This past weekend was fun because we went to Geneva Homecoming. Eventhough we see a lot of our friends often, it was fun to walk around campus and to see some people who we haven't seen for a while! On Sunday night Nolan and I took some of the youth group kids to see Toy Story in 3D and that was really fun! It's refreshing to watch a movie that really requires no thought and is just silly sometimes!

I have two retreats coming up in the next month: one with the middle school students and one with the high school students. We are also looking forward to going to Florida to spend Thanksgiving with Nolan's family and hopefully go to the Gators game! That's pretty much an update from us. I am also loving fall and my drive to and from work because the leaves are so pretty!!

Reading

So Nolan and I have both been on a major reading kick lately. I think it is partly because of the chilly fall weather...there is nothing better than relaxing on the couch under a blanket with a good cup of coffee and a good book! I love Fall! I recently stumbled upon a book that was an old favorite of mine, The Giver. I probably read it in 7th grade and remembered loving it, but I didn't remember why. So on Saturday afternoon, I read the whole thing! I never remembered how weird this book was! If you haven't read it, it is a very interesting and quick read. It takes place in a "community" where everything is controlled and everyone is the same in their structured and loveless lives. It raises some very mature questions about humans ability to love and to make choices. I enjoyed reading this with more life experience under my belt!

Mt.Carmel Road Rally

A few weeks ago, Mt. Carmel had their annual Road Rally. This is the first time I have ever participated in a Road Rally, and it was really fun! There were about 20 teams of people all different ages. You had to follow a map which took us all over Beaver County, all the while looking for activity stops along the way. At some of the stops you had to complete a task that corresponded with that stops Scripture and you also learned more about one of the missions that the church supports. It was a long, but exciting day. I competed with some of the high school girls and our team name was "Pretty Young Thangs." Nolan was on a team with some of the middle school boys. Here are some photos from the youth teams:

Forgotten God

After reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love, I was thrilled to read his new book Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. Just as his first book was, this book is challenging, honest, and truly convicting. I love how Chan bases all his arguments in Scripture and sometimes even tells the reader to put down his book and pick up God's. This book talks about how misunderstood overlooked the Holy Spirit is in the church today. Chan is honest in challenging us to really look at our own faith and he is not afraid to make us umcomfortable with this honesty!

He reminds us that the Holy Spirit lives in everyone who believes and talks a lot about what we should do about it, "The way of the Spirit is not a gentle downhill grade. Often, walking with the Spirit is an uphill trudge through all sorts of distractions and difficulties" (page 93).

If you want to be challenged in your faith and if you need a reminder that God is actually living in you through his Spirit, I encourage you to get a copy of this book!

One of the most powerful parts of the book that has stuck with me is this one: "To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying. However, when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit's leading, is even more frightful" (page 126).

Gloomy Day in Pittsburgh

Monday mornings are always rough. Rainy monday mornings even tougher. But rainy, cold, monday mornings after a weekend of Pitt losing and the Steelers losing....that's a bad day.

Youth House Renovations

Towards the end of the summer, we decided to make some changes in our youth house at church. We are so lucky to have our own space, but we wanted to make it a little more fun and youth friendly. Here are some pictures of the new renovations!

We painted the kitchen and made a coffee/tea spot

The middle school boys worked hard putting together Ikea furniture!

This chalkboard/magnetic wall is everyone's favorite change

We tore out the old carpet to find beautiful wood floors!

New couch covers, rug, lights, and accessories

Yeah...I'm a Regular

Getting married and moving to a new place has been an exciting adventure and a lot of changes. It has been an adjustment in some ways to make this new place our home, but today I felt a little more at home than usual. I walked into Starbucks to get my morning coffee and the girl behind the counter had already prepared exactly what I get! It feels good to be remembered...and to be a "regular".

Update on Life

Today could be a big day...Nolan interviewed a few weeks ago for a job at the University of Pittsburgh working in their leadership development office and will hopefully hear back today! This job really is a dream job in a way for him because he would be working a lot with Greek life on campus and a variety of other student groups, which is really where his passions lie! In the meantime, he applied for an after school teaching job at the Pittsburgh Project, and he got an official job offer in the mail yesterday! He would be teaching inner-city 1st and 2nd graders in the North Side of Pittsburgh...I know, so cute! He was really thrilled about the job, but unfortunately it's only 20 hours a week, so we are waiting on the Pitt job! Thanks so much to all of you who have spent hours praying for us and supporting us! The support from family, friends, and church members has been overwhelming during this time!! But keep praying!!

As for me, work has really been picking up as the fall is beginning. I miss my youth group kids though now that they are in school and busy with all sorts of activities. We had our kick-off to Teen Community Bible Study this past Tuesday and it went very well! We did a "carnival theme" with popcorn, sno-cones, cotton candy, hot dogs, and games. I am the teaching director for Teen CBS this year which means I will be teaching a lesson most weeks and also doing a lot of behind the scenes work and encouraging the small group leaders. I am very excited because we are studying the book of Genesis this year, so there shouldn't be a dull moment!

I am currently sitting at Brueggers eating an apple bagel and waiting for Nolan to get off work so we can go to the driving range. I love Fridays!

Angels of a Lower Flight by Susie Krabacher

I just finished reading this book written by a former "playmate" turned humanitarian. Susie describes her tragic childhood and her time in the world of Playboy as a model in the beginning chapters of the book and how these years led her to travel to Haiti. The suffering and dying children of Haiti became her passion and she committed her life to work there.

This is a story of overcoming extreme obstacles to help the children of Haiti, and it is an inspiring story. I love reading about what is going on in different parts of the world, and it is always a blessing to know that there are people out there loving "the least of these." Although it is not the focus of the book, Susie talks about her journey with God, and how she ends up relying on Him and His Word to serve the people of Haiti.

Susie's organization called Mercy and Sharing has a website: www.haitichildren.com