Gearing Up

I am finally starting to get ready for our mission trip and I am so excited! We have had so many people bring us things to take out to the reservation and have had such an outpouring of prayers and support for our trip, it has been overwhelming.

I was so blessed to have read "The Shack" before this trip. It has changed my life - literally, and I hope that this will help how I see and react to others on our trip. I know from talking to a couple who have been out there before that this trip may leave us depressed and discouraged because of the depth of poverty and addiction in the area. Please pray that we will be a shining lights to others on the trip and the Lakota Indians and that we will not allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work to do and the amount of unbelief there. I pray that I will see these people as children of God and be given the opportunity to minister to them.

We leave June 12th and plan to return June 22nd. We are praying for safety getting there and back and also for a donation of lots of Benadryl for the kids in the car! HA!

Melissa

Hudson Griffith Nitsch

Born Sunday, May 25, 2008 weighing in at 5 pounds 11 ounces and 19 inches long! My first great-nephew. Congratulations Marcie and Nick!

Abby's 5th Grade Graduation

Burma and China

I just finished listening to a live webcast from the director of World Vision in Burma. If at all possible, I highly encourage you to go to http://www.worldvision.com/ and give what you can. The condition there is just horrific, but World Vision was already in the country with 400 workers, so they are actually able to help because they were already there and had Visa's. 1 out of 3 children were orphaned by the cyclone. Also, there is huge fear of a cholera outbreak in that area.

Emma is 10!

Okay, my baby has left the single digits and is officially a preteen. I am sad......

She is gorgeous, smart as a whip, quick-witted and very detail oriented (don't know where she gets that from). She is also very messy - I DO know where she gets that from (CDB). Oh and I guess she has high self-esteem considering I found this picture on my camera............

Happy Birthday Baby Girl,

Momma

Note of Interest: My water broke while howing my garden on May 14, 1998. I waited 2 more hours before calling Chris and telling him we needed to go to the hospital because I wanted to finish up. Wow - to be young again!

Mission Trip Update

Thanks to our wonderful, awesome, incredible church family, we have raised the money needed for our mission trip to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. We will leave June 13th and be back sometime around June 22nd. We are very excited to have the opportunity to serve the Lakota Indians and let them see the love of Christ through our family's service to their communities. We have had many people ask what they can send to the families on the Rez and mostly what they need are school supplies and children's clothes. If you are interested in sending either, just let us know.

Also, Jacob's soccer banquet was tonight and here are a couple of pics - yes, I know I look bad in this pic, but this is called the running on 3 hours a night look because of a GAZILLION end of year field trips, parties, etc. I am worn out!

Love,

Melissa

Challenger Center Chattanooga, TN

Abby went on the Franklin County Enrichment Program trip today to the Challenger Center in Chattanooga. She also went to the IMAX theater. Chris went with her and here are some pics. She LOVED it. She DID NOT love Daddy following her around taking pics!

Update

Well, I went to have my biopsy done on Friday morning. Chris drove me to Murfreesboro and my sister picked me up after the procedure - actually, the NONprocedure. When I was prepped and ready to go, the doctor decided that I had too many nodules and that the largest ones were too close to my carotid arteries for him to biopsy. SO, I am having a thyroidectomy as soon as we get back from our mission trip to South Dakota (June 15-20). Basically, the are going to go in and remove my entire thyroid gland and cut it apart and biopsy it in the Pathology lab. I will then be on Synthroid (thyroid replacement medication) for the rest of my life. I am very relieved to have a plan of action and to know what needs to be done! My niece's shower went off wonderfully Saturday night and I think I did okay speaking in all three services yesterday. It was a little nerve wracking, but the Lord gave me a sense of peace and guidance as to what to say. My online testimony may be put off for a little while due to a very busy schedule right now and also some things that I am praying through before writing. Thanks for everyone's prayers and concern. I am off to work at a charity golf tournament this afternoon and am really looking forward to that! Have a great day! Love to all - Melissa

National Day of Prayer

Written by Dr. Ravi Zacharias for the National Day of Prayer:

Holy Father, in a world where so many are hungry, You have given us food in abundance.
In a world where so many are hurting; You offer to bind up our wounds;
In a world where so many are lonely, You offer friendship to every heart;
In a world longing for peace, You offer hope.
Yet, we are stubborn and resistant. Have mercy on us, Lord.

Our nation is at a crossroads this year; we look to you to be our strength and our shield.
Please give us the guidance to elect one who will honor you and to respond to the widom from above so that our hope may be renewed and our blessings be treasured. In God's Holy Name.

Intro

I have felt for a long time that the Lord has been leading me to share my testimony on this blog. "Why?" you might ask. Well, I am hoping to have the privilege to speak at the next Walk to Emmaus this Fall and I am looking forward to that because I know that there are several experiences I have had in my life that can be used to help others. So many of us hide behind family situations, things we have done and the Lord does not want that for us. The truth will set us free and I fully believe that we stay in bondage (i.e. depression, anxiety, addictions) when we can't freely talk about the bad choices we have made in our lives. People, we all have skeletons in the closet. We all have made poor choices. We have all hurt others by things we have said or done. Those who feel they don't have issues are the ones we should worry about and pray for the most, for they are the ones with a deep-rooted issue of pride (trust me, I have been there).

So with that being said, I pray that the Lord will lead me to say the right things and I pray that the Lord will give us all an attitude of humility and love as I share the wonderful journey the Lord has brought me on and that I continue to walk.........