Help Needed

Hi Everyone-

I am really sorry I am waiting to the last minute to ask for help, but moving the week after we were gone for a week as thrown me off of my organization a little bit. Many of you have asked me how you could help, so here is my list. I am going to post this on facebook. If you think you might could help, please reply to the facebook message so that others can see what needs are being met and what needs remain.

Need 1: On Wednesday evening after 6pm - I need 2 guys to help me move the things in the attic to the second floor.

Need 2: Jason Sampler - can you still help put up closet shelving and if so...could you help tomorrow night?

Need 3: I am painting one room tomorrow night (Tues)...I need one more person to help with that so we can knock it out quickly. (Michael Hitch...if you can help with this then we have it covered.)

Need 4: I need someone to be here at the house on campus between 3:30 and 4:00 on Thursday afternoon to pick up the girls from my sweet friend, Desi, and keep them until around 6 or until the movers call it quits for the day.

Need 5: On Saturday, Dave and Chelsi are coming to hang pictures and I need a place for the girls to take their naps right after lunch. (1pm-3pm or so).

Ok, I think this is all. I really, really appreciate each one of you. I appreciate any help that you can give me this week even if it is just praying that we get moved in quickly and with as little stress as possible. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful friends!!

We Are Home Owners!!

The keys to our new home!!!

How Exciting!

After 3 and a half hours of signing a HUGE stack of documents for myself and for Page and waiting on USAA to give permission to release the money, the little house on Telemachus officially became ours yesterday afternoon.

God has a sense of humor. He decided that since I had a captive audience for over 3 hours that He wanted me to share the gospel with them. I was able to share our family testimony of why we were moving into mid-city (the church plant) as well as a little of our adoption story. The part of our story that the group seemed to be the most interested in was how I have handled this house buying process by myself. The door flew wide open for me to share how God divinely led me to our real estate agent who "just happened" to meet James, the then owner of the Telemachus house. I then begin to explain how I was looking for a number of specific things in a house outside of the house itself due to the fact that we were going to be planting a church. Tammy, our real estate agent, told me when we first started looking that finding what I was looking for would be really hard. However, this house had almost everything I was looking for we got it for less than we were expecting to spend. When the house was appraised, it was appraised for $10,000 more than what we paid for it and with a VA hospital being built in the area, the market will only go up. Didn't God use His money wisely? (All you Harbor folks will appreciate that!)

We should not have been closing yesterday. The city has still not gotten their act together and sources close to the situation say that the situation might not be fixed until after Mardi Gras. Because we are only the 3rd owners of this house built in 1905, there was not much information to look up. The title company already had the information when they went through the buying process for James. Because we used the same title company to close, we were granted permission to go ahead with our closing. God worked this out as well.

After the conversation, the insurance agent told me that she was really interested in coming to our church meetings to find out more about it. From our conversation, she seemed to be interested in finding the Person that has given me the strength to make it through this year and be able to buy a house on top of it. I am not sure what I am more excited about....the house being ours or the opportunities to share that the Lord allowed me to have yesterday.

I am headed to Tifton next week to spend some time with my family over Thanksgiving. The girls and I will come back and move into the house the first week of December. Page will be home in 4 weeks!!!

Hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! May the Lord pour out many, many blessings on you and your families!!

Let me introduce you to: Our New House....hopefully!

The shutters are actually closed on the house, so you cannot see the windows. The house is formerly a double shot gun home that was renovated many years ago into a single. It was recently (as in the last few months) renovated again to look like a brand new home on the inside and out.

I wanted y'all to see the new house we are in the process of purchasing. We were suppose to close tomorrow (Nov. 15), but the Orleans Parish computers crashed last week. This crash made it impossible for the titles of over 30 homes in the parish to be cleared for closing. They are in the process of getting things cleared up and we have been given a tentative date of Nov. 19th (this coming Friday) for the closing. We are praying that this date is a keeper. I would really like to go to my family's for Thanksgiving. If the house does not close until next week, I might not get to go Tifton.

This house has been such a blessing from the start. It is completely renovated. It is in a wonderful section of mid-city. We are within walking distance of some fabulous restaurants and the street car. We are street car ride away from city park and even the aquarium if it is a pretty day.

The aspect of this house that excites us the most is that it is right in the heart of the area we feel God has led us to plant a church. This mid-city area has about 40,000 residents and no evangelical church. This community, or faubourg (pronounced foe berge) if you are from New Orleans, has residents who have lived there all their lives or most of their adult lives. They accept you as one of them only if you live in their community. This fact is true for most of the fough bourges. The population is culturally diverse. There are African Americans, Hispanics, White Americans, and other ethnicities living in the area. Economically, the people are either lower middle class or higher upper class. There are very few in between. As in most of New Orleans, most of the community comes from a Catholic heritage.

We are so very excited about the number of diversities in this area. We have felt very strongly that God is leading us to plant a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-econimic church. If you are not familiar with church planting, these churches are the hardest to plant because of the number of differences. However, Page and I feel very strongly that these types of churches are the most Biblical. We want to see God's will here on earth as it is in Heaven. In Heaven we are going to be worshiping with every nation, tribe, and tongue. We would love to see a little of that here in New Orleans.

We are praying specifically that God would use this little house on Telemachus (pronounced Tell u makus) to be a light in this community. We are praying that God would show us how we can minister to our neighbors and open up our home as a place of hope, comfort, and healing. Please pray with us that God would go before us into this community and that the hearts of our neighbors would be prepared to hear the gospel. I would also appreciate your prayers as we plan to move before Page gets home. My goal is to be in the house the week after Thanksgiving. Of course, this is the second time I have laid out plans and I do realize that God's plans are much better than mine. I will try to wait patiently.

We are definitely in the last few days of this very long year. I think we are down to 32 days (this is if the Army does not change anything) and counting. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! God has been and is so faithful. Thank you for your continued thoughts, support, and prayers.

Welcome To the Family Emma Claire!!!!

Emma Claire Nalls

6lbs 9oz and 19 inches tall

We are so excited that the Lord saw fit to add this little bundle of joy to the family. Although we haven't met her yet (and probably won't for a long time) we are glad she is here. ISN'T SHE SO CUTE!!!

I am a very proud Aunt and Page has expressed his excitement over being an Uncle again. Karis and Thia have been talking about the "Five Girl Cousins" and all the adventures they are going to have the summer that the Nalls' family has on furlough. They are SO GLAD Emma Claire is a girl. :-)

Katie is doing well. She is still recovering in the hospital in Jo-burg, South Africa. Her mother, Carol, was able to be there to help take care of Abigail while Chris takes care of Katie and Emma Claire at the hospital. I wanted to end this post with a letter to my new niece.

Dear Emma Claire,

The Brooks' Family is so excited you are here. We are praying for you and your Mommy, Daddy, and sister Abigail. God chose your Mommy and Daddy especially for you and chose you especially for them. We are praying that they will have wisdom to know how to parent you in a way that will mold you into the young lady God created you to be. God has such a special plan for your life. We can't wait to see how God chooses to use you.

He also chose Abigail to be your big sister. You may get mad at her some times, and she may get mad at you too. However, she will always be your sister. Having your sister (or other siblings) as good friends is such a blessing, Sweet Heart. We pray that you and Abigail will be the best of friends.

We love you so much and we haven't even met you. I (Aunt Ashley) can't wait to hold you and kiss on you and tell you funny stories about your Daddy. I don't have any on your Momma, but your Uncle Russ can tell you those. Your cousins, Karis and Alethia, cannot wait to meet you either. Karis has already told me about the many adventures y'all are going to take around PopPop and Nana's Eight Acres. She wants y'all to find the foxes, deer, squirrels, and owls that hang out around there. She and Thia also like to watch and feed the horses and cows too.

Sleep and eat well for your Mommy and Daddy. We love you!

Aunt Ashley

Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman

I was surfing Amazon about 2 weeks ago when I ran across this book, Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman. Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my all time favorite artists and I remembered the tragic accident involving their youngest daughter, Maria, and I was intrigued to find out what she would say. I was expecting for the book to be strictly about their struggle with the loss of their daughter. While much of it was about that loss, Mary Beth opened up about much more than just aspect of her life.

I was so blessed by reading this book. Mary Beth was very real and open about her struggle over allowing God to orchestrate her life. She talks candidly about how she had a plan for her life that did not include much of the aspects her life entails today. She talked about her struggle with anger, depression, stubbornness, and fear. She also speaks honestly about questioning God about His choices for her life.

I was impressed over several aspects of this couples life. I am drawn to the adoration, affection, and love that this couple outwardly displays for each other. I am inspired by the passion they have for orphan ministry. I am challenged as a parent when I see the type of parents they are and the children they have raised. I told Page that if I could choose any mentors in the world for us as a couple, it would be Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman.

If you haven't read this book, I would encourage you to read it. You will cry and laugh through the entire book, but in the end you will not have just read the story of an incredible woman, you will be challenged to become one yourself.

Our Ballerina and Baby Giraffe

I wanted to give you a quick look at the girls costumes for Halloween. I am hoping to get a few more pics up here of our trip to Trunk or Treat, but I don't have them uploaded to the computer yet. This picture was taken at church on Sunday by Mrs. Meredith. Meredith's pic was the only one I have of Thia's entire outfit while she is standing still. Neither one of them have the idea of standing still for pictures quite yet. I guess I just need to get a high speed camera so that it doesn't matter whether they move or not. Maybe I'll just teach them to stand still and save myself a little cash. Hope you enjoy!