Circle of Friends

I'M HOME!!!

2007-02-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

Well, it's only 7:30 am, I've been up for about an hour and a half, and I'm on my second cup of coffee. It's so good to be home!!! I got in yesterday around 5:00. My luggage didn't make it, and that's kind of a long story. The short version is :yesterday when I checked in in Bangkok, they said my flight home from Chicago to Allentown was cancelled, and they booked me on a later flight. When I got to Chicago, I found out it wasn't cancelled, so I changed my flight back. But there wasn't much time before my flight left. I made it through security, called home, and boarded the plane, so my luggage ended up coming on the evening flight. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful trip home. When I'm a little more alert I'll post some more about my trip, but just wanted to say I'm home.
Carla

Hey Stranger's

2007-01-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

Does anyone ever check this anymore? I chcek it a few times a week, but I've been pretty busy this past month (as I'm sure you all have been) so I haven't written anything in awhile. Plus we've been having problems with our internet. It will all of a sudden shut down in the middle of something. We were on amazon buying John's school books and it just shut down. That was annoying because you have to start all over!!
Anyways, I haven't heard from Hannah or SaraAnn in forever and I just wanted to say hi to everyone and see if anyone even checks this thing anymore.
So I'll talk to you later
Love,
Charissa

addresses

2006-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Carla and Heidi,
I have a christmas card for you but I do not have addresses for either of you ~ so let me know as soon as you can where I can to!!

Thanks

I hope you are all ok!! SaraAnn, haven't heard from you in awhile. Oh, Carla, I use MSN for instant messanger, that's all I have (Hannah does too).

Talk to you later
Love ya,
Charissa

Hello from Japan!

2006-11-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
Sorry that it has been forever since I've posted or anything. We moved last month (well actually this month) but our internet has been down since the beginning of October. I thought that I would die! But we got back online on Sunday!!!! We are still living in the same town, Karuizawa. But we have moved into our own house. My parents bought land here about 5 or so years ago and Dad has been slowly fixing it up. I'll have to post pictures of the house soon!
Last week I went to Guam to visit Megan for Thanksgiving. I had so much fun:) Harvest really is an extraordinary ministry. Dr. Herron and the staff are doing a wonderful job. And Guam is so beautiful! I went snorkeling for the first time and I saw a baby shark:)
SaraAnn I am so excited about your family. I was shocked and thrilled when I found out that they are Christians and that your parents married each other and everything! God is so good! I can't believe how much you and your sister resemble each other:)
And Heidi congratulations on getting engaged!!!! How exciting! I can't wait to hear more about him and see a picture:)
And Charissa it is awesome the way God worked things out for John to join the reserves. I think that you should come visit me when he is in training:) I love the picture of John with his football, he looks so thrilled!!
And Carla I have been praying for you as you are back in Myanmar. It is really special that you are able to work there.
I love and miss you all so much! And even though I don't write very often I pray for you guys all the time.
Hannah

Myanmar Update

2006-11-13T03:16:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe I've been gone for a month already. Sorry I haven't posted anything sooner. I'm going to try and put some pictures on, but I don't know how many I'll get to do. I was going to put on a slideshow, but the internet here is so slow that I don't think it's gonna work. Anyway, what have I been up to?? Well, this has been a really stretching trip for me so far. We spent two weeks working with the Falam people to establish some of their writing system and to begin creating a writer's handbook. It was a great two weeks, but by the end my brain was totally overloaded. I still haven't really processed all that we did, and today we started another language conference, so now I'm trying to do it all over again in another language.
Last we we had a teacher training. About 10 teachers came and we worked with them to teach them activities and ways to plan a lesson. We taught through an OT story book that BI has created for literacy purposes to be used before a translation has been completed. It was a great week, and I learned a lot of new things as well.
As a group we have been working through the Bible study called Experiencing God. It has been really good!!! We are only in the third week, but I have been challenged in so many ways. A lot of the ways I looked at life have been challenged. A big one is that my purpose on earth is to have a relationship with God above all. That thought branches out into so many other ways then that affect my time with Him, the way I look at activities during the day, and well I guess pretty much every part of life. So many times I get caught in the mindset of how much am I doing for Him? He wants me to know Him, and when I do that, the things that I do for Him will fall into place. If any of you have the chance to do it, or are looking for a small group study to do, please seriously consider using it.
Well, I am trying to upload my pictures for the second time, so that isn't going so well. Hopefully you'll see some on here in the next day or two. I know we all aren't very good at this blogging thing, but I expect to hear at least a hello from all of you :) Please remember our group. It's been a great month, but we are all getting worn out, and we have several months left. Love you guys
Carla

Circle of Friends

2006-11-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I figured I would try and update everyone a little bit since in about 2 weeks I'm not sure how much I'll be able to access this for a while. Well, first I guess I should start out with my big news......I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!! Now I know that you are all probably a little shocked with this one, and Carla, I know you were a little skeptic with this before, but I am sure that this is what I want and I'm also sure that this is what he wants. And I don't think that we are really rushing into things at all, cause we aren't getting married until next december, and I know that it is a long engagement and I never really wanted a long one, but right now that doesn't really matter to me as much as I thought it would. So anyway, it wasn't really anything fancy how he asked me or anything, and actually, he had kind of given me the ring a couple of months ago, because he got a really good deal on one, but we couldn't really say anything to anyone because he hadn't asked my dad yet, but then when I got in my accident, I had the ring in my purse cause I had been playing basketball and somehow it flew out of my purse(cause it was in the front pocket) and I lost it. trust me I was so upset, and I felt so bad cause i really liked that ring. Fortunately he hadn't spent alot alot of money on it, (he got a bunch of discounts on it) so it wasn't like hundreds of dollars down the drain, but anyway, now we don't have any money cause we are moving, so I don't have a ring right now, but he did get me a necklace so I have something. but anyway, when he asked me it wasn't really anything fancy just cause I work so much, most weeks before this week I worked about 12 a day 4 days a week, so I would leave around 9 and not get home until about 11, so we didn't really have a lot of time to do much, but he just asked me one night after I got home from work and we were talking about stuff. (he emailed my dad too and got my dad's blessing, which was one thing that we weren't sure how it would go, but my dad is okay with it!)
anyway, the other big news is that we are leaving November 20th to go out to arizona, we are going to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle, and my grandparents will be out here for that too, and then we are driving out to arizona, charissa i don't think that we will be able to visit this time around cause it would be a little far out of our way. but anyway, if you guys could, i know that you probably have already sent me this stuff, but if you could send me your addresses cause we are going to mail out christmas cards and officially announce our engagement when we get out there, so I'm not sure what I did with your addresses, so if you could mail me them again, I would appreciate it! I'll try and post a picture of us, but it probably won't be till we get out to arizona. oh, speaking of, we are going to be living with my grandparents for the first couple of months, and then he is going to get an apartment, and i'll stay with my grandparents then until we get married next december! I hope you all are happy for me (and Charissa I was just remembering that I caught the boquet at your wedding and look at this!--I still have it by the way!) anyway, I'm very excited, and his parents are okay with us moving out, oh yeah, he's going to finish school out there!
anyway, I think this is has gotten long enough. can't wait to hear from ya'll!!!!
I love you all very much and miss you! and can't wait to get together again. I hope you guys can all make it to my wedding.
Take care
Heidi

I found this!!

2006-10-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

I found this picture and since Hannah doesn't write anymore, I thought I'd put it on here for her. CKM

2006-10-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody, I just wanted to let you all know that we are here safe and sound. We arrived Sunday night with only a little delay. We lost one suitcase on the last leg of our trip, but thankfully it arrived yesterday. We have no idea where it went from Bangkok. There airport code was BLR, and we haven't looked it up yet to see where they sent it to.
Otherwise we are all doing well. A little jet lag to deal with, so right now we're just trying to make ourselves stay awake, but that will pass in a few days. The rest of this week is just a prep week for me. Next week starts everything full swing, so please think of us often.
Also, SaraAnn I wanted you to know that the coffee thermos you sent me works great. I'm enjoying a great cup of coffee every morning. Thanks so much.
Well, I expect everyone to keep me posted on what's going on. It looks like I'll be able to access this okay. I don't know about posting pictures, so we'll have to see. Love you guys!!! Carla

I'm in Bangkok

2006-10-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Well, I have a few down moments, so I wanted to let you know that I am in Bangkok. We arrived late last night, so we were able to get a few hours of sleep before we were up again today. We have most of today to relax and organize ourselves before we leave for Myanmar. Our flight out is around 6:00 tonight and I'm having a hard time figuring out what that would be for all of you. I'm a little messed up with the whole time thing right now. But I'm doing well. Hopefully once we get to Myanmar I can post using my laptop so it will be easier to put up some pictures. Thanks for your prayers as we travelled. Love you guys.
Carla

Just trying something

2006-10-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I was just trying something, so that I can try to post in on my other blog.
Have a good day!!
Love you guys!!

Carla - I Hope You're Flight Went Good, or Is Going Good I Should Say. Write When You Get a Chance.

SaraAnn - I Can't Wait To Hear From You And Find Out How Everything Went. I Love Looking at Your Pictures and Seeing You With Your New Family. Ever Since We Became Friends Our Freshman Year, I Hoped That You Would Decide To Meet Them Someday!!

Hannah - I Hoped That You're Still Alive And Well. I Haven't Heard From You In Awhile.

Heidi - I Hope You Also Are Still Alive And Well. Carla Said That You're For Sure Moving Next Month. Let Me How That's Coming.

Virtual Going Away Party for Carla - Use Your Imagination!!

2006-10-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

FYI

2006-10-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Carla!

Green Bay Packers
Founded in 1920
Total Wins: 616
Total Losses: 492
Total Ties: 36
Total Wins Since 1933: 516
Total Losses Since 1933: 419
Total Ties since 1933: 20
Total Championship Wins: 12
Total Championship Wins since 1933: 9

Philadelphia Eagles
Founded 1933
Total Wins: 478
Total Loses: 526
Total Ties: 25
Total Championship Wins: 3

(These stats are through the end of last season.)

GBP vs. PE
1933 - Oct. 2, 2006
GBP- 22 Wins
PE- 12 Wins

YOU DO THE MATH!!

E-A-G-L-E-S

2006-09-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

So with only 4 days until the fateful day for all Packers fans, I would like to take this moment and say GO EAGLES!!!!! I know there are several of you out there who are in denial who think the Packers will actually beat the Eagles. But please remember they will be in Philadelphia, and there is no hope for that situation. You have to go a ways back to find a time when the Eagles lost to the Packers!!!!! So see you Monday night 8:30. May the best team win :)

New blog

2006-09-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!
In case you didn't get the e-mail that I sent this morning, I just wants you to know that I have a new blog for John and I. So feel free to check it out. It is http://jcmcnally05.blogspot.com
Well I'm off to church, actully, I'm helping with AppleFest!! Do you remember Melissa Holloway (she went to NBBC for a year), well she lives in SC now, but her parents and younger siblings go to our church. Mrs.Holloway heads up the wednesday night childrens program at church and she also does the landscaping on campus, her husband is the camp director here.
Anyways,
Have a good night
Love,
CKM

Do you want to see pictures of people we knew at NBBC

2006-09-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Beth (from high school) e-mailed and let me know that Caleb Widmer and his wife Sheena had a baby last week and that they have a blog and gave me their blog address. So I was visiting their blog and I went into the comments and saw one from Carissa Belford (Calebs sister) and Christine Cummings (used to be Edmundson), so I ended up visiting their blogs and when you go into theirs, they have a list of all of their friends who have blogs and you can click on the persons name and see their blog. So I saw Kelli and Hestons, and Nate and Shyla's and bunch of other peoples. So I just thought I'd let you know. Caleb Widmers is www.jacksonwidmer.blogspot.com
and I think I gave you all Kierra, Christina, Jen, and Sharons when we first started ours, that's where I got the idea for this. But theirs is www.friend-to-friend.blogspot.com
Anyways, it's kind of cool looking at the pictures and seeing what they are all up to and seeing who has kids now and everything.
Well have a good day.
CKM

Sorry

2006-09-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not sure what happened. I tried to post the first one before church, but it wouldn't post and I had to leave for church, so I just got out of it and went to church. So after church I got on and it wasn't there, so I wrote a new one. So now this morning I checked and both of them were there. So sorry!! :)
CKM

Hey

2006-09-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Well John is oficially part of the West Virginia National Gaurd. He passed his ASVAB on friday with a 67 (31 is passing - it has things from mechanical to math, geometry, to electrical to reading comprehension). His recruiter told him that if he could make over 50, he'll make sure that we get $200 more a month when we start getting the GI bill (which will be after he finishes AIT the summer after next, and only while he is a student). He passed his physical yesterday morning and then I got to watch him swear in yesterday around 1:00!! He will leave on May 30th for nine weeks for Basic training. So if anyone needs a vacation or wants to come visit me here in WV, you can come anytime, but from May 30th till the beginning of August, I'm sure I would love the company!!!
Well I was suppossed to get a call by yesterday on the Dr's office job and I didn't. So I guess I didn't get that one. I had another interveiw on Friday for a payroll clerk at a mining company. They will probably call sometime in the next two weeks if I get the job. Tomorrow I am going to go Harper Dr. (there are all kinds of motels, hotels, and restaurants there) and just go from place to place and apply. I'm at the point where I just need something!! Besides the money part, I'm getting bored!!!
Well we finally found a church!! So that is good news. We went last sunday and wednesday, and today. The pastor is really good. He preaches from the Bible and he has a good balance between Biblical Theology and application - he isn't shallow!! Although that is what a preacher should preach, it was very refreshing to find after a few of the churches that we tried out!! Our friends Matt and Amy and their two girls go there as well. So that is kind of nice.
Anyways, that is all I have to tell right now!!
I'd love to heaere from all of you!!
Have a good day!
Love ya all,
CKM
The pictures are of John swearing in, shaking hands with the guy who did the swearing in (I forget his rank), Jonh and his recruiter, and me and John with all our new, cool, national gaurd stuff (minus our t-shirts) :)

Hey

2006-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hey,
well John passed his ASVAB on friday and he also passed his physical yesterday and I got to go watch him get swore in to the West Virginia National Gaurd. The first two pictures are of him swearing in, the next one is him and his recruiter and then the last one is me and him when we got home holding our cool new national guard stuff (minus our t-shirts).
Anyways, he will leave May 30th for Basic for nine weeks. I must not have gotten either of the jobs because I did not hear back from anyone. I did have another interveiw in friday, so we'll see how that pans out.
We found a church!! Anyways I have to run, we're leaving for church.
Have a good day!!
CKM

News from the McNallys

2006-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you know what's new with us. Due to the fact that we quit our jobs in CT over a month ago now and have not started new ones yet, our savings are kind of dwindling. Therefore, we have been looking into ways to at least get John's school bill paid (we were not able to get any federal aid b/c we made 'too much' money)some other way. Well after ALOT of thinking,talking, and praying, John has decided to join the National Gaurd. Since he was little he has always wanted to be in the military (namely, the Marines). But he knew that God wanted him to be in the ministry (and get married)and full time military duty would interfere with that. He has also for quite awhile now thought about having a military ministry in the future (not a chaplain, but kind of like what my dad did - have ministry through a local church for the military). The National guard is considered active, but they only drill one weekend a month. They are going to pay for his school right away, he will start his weekend drills right away (the armory is less than 10 miles away from us), so he will be getting a check each month for that. He will go for 9 weeks in the summer for army basic training (that is the part that neither of us are looking forward to. We are going to try to find someone to live with me for those weeks, maybe a girl from school that can't go home for the summer or something). Then he will come home and conintue with school like normal in the fall. The next summer he will go to his AIT schooling (speciaty training, but I will be able to visit him during this one and it will probably be a base in Kentucky only 5 hours away from here). Althought the National guard is used primarily for disasters in the US (i.e. hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, etc.), they have started to call them in for service in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, because we have been there so long. We both realize that is a possibility (it would not happen until after his training in finished, so at least 2 years), but we both also know that God knows what is going on, He is in control, and he protects his children b ut also that He does have a time for each of his children to die. So we are just going to trust God to get us through that if it were to ever happen.
We told our families about it this past weekend, but we have not told anyone else yet. John's parents were a bit taken back. I think that they thought that getting married had gotten the military out of his system :). His mom's main thing is that he might get sent to Iraq and he is her little boy, so that is understandable. His dad's main thing is that John and I will be apart for nine weeks (or possibly longer if her ever got sent out of the country). So they do not think it is the best idea because of those things, but they will be supportive of what we decide. My parents were all for it. But the thing we have to remember is that my family has a huge military background and his really has none. My dad was in the military and my brother is now. My dad has a real passion for the military and would be ecstatic if God called him back into a military ministry. Both of John's grandfathers were in the military and even in war, but it was before either of his parents were born. So they never saw military first hand, whereas my family has.
John goes this friday to take his ASVAB test (skills test) to make sure he can actually get in. He will stay overnight there and on Saturday he will have his military physical to make sure that he is medically ready. After all of that is taken care of, then he will have one last chance to back out before he signs the papers.
God has used many different things and people to show that this is what he wants for us (well at least to try - he does have to pass his test and physical this friday first). One major one was giving me a peace about it. At first, I was totally against it, but God has worked in my heart, and even I am already having a hard time knowing that we are going to be apart for 9 weeks next summer, God has given me a peace and calmed my heart about it and I am trusting Him to get us through it, and I know He will.
So if you guys think about it, we could use pray for a few things.
1. Pray that John's parents will not only be supportive, but realize, that if this is what we think God wants for us, then that is why we must at least try.
2. Pray for John this weekend, that God will give him a clear mind during his test.
3. Pray that God will glorified though all of this.
4. Pray that God will be John and I next summer while we are apart and keep our marriage strong.
5. Pray that John will have opportunities to share Christ with the guys he will be working and drilling with.
6. Pray that there will be at least one other christian with John while he is in basic next summer.
7. Pray that we would both trust God.

Also, just so you know, I had an interview this past saturday for a medical office (she is a gynecologist) receptionist, I will find friday or saturday if I get the job (it would be a great job, I think I would like it, and the doctor is very nice). So if you think about it, you can pray about that as well:)
Anyways, that was a lot longer than I had planned, so I'll say bye now.

Hey Everyone!!!!!!!

2006-09-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

hey everyone.....i know it's been forever since i wrote, and that seems to be the story for a lot of us! honestly, it's mostly cause i'm working all day 3-4 days a week (i mean all day! starting at 10 and working till 9:30-10!!!) and since it takes about a 45 min to get home depending on traffic, by the time i get home, i just want to relax (plus the fact that my sister laurie is on the computer most of the time when we get back!!!!!) but anyway, i'll try and write more often, but my life is pretty boring, i work and come home and sleep and then go back to work! although i guess i do have a little bit of news, you all know we are moving out to arizona and that we were plannin on moving out there next year, well, more than likely we will be moving out earlier, as early as thanksgiving. there are a bunch of new job openings out there and most of them are going to be gone by december....and they pay a lot better than what i'm making now, and it would be easier for jon to get a job out there too, but it all kind of depends on some things....for instance a car, i'm still driving jon's station to work and back!i'll have to get a picture of it and put it on here. also, we went up to new york on tuesday for his birthday and laurie took a bunch of pictures of us, so i'll post some of those too so you all know what he looks like! (carla, it's been so long that i understand if you forget what he looks like!!!!)
so anyway, about the car, there is a guy i used to work with who is selling me his car, so as far as i know it's in good shape so we are just hoping that everything goes well and that it will make it out to arizona! i don't think that it has a lot of miles on it, so that's one good thing! anyway, nothing is for certain yet, but that looks likes what we are going to do. oh yeah, he turned 18 on tuesday, so no one can make fun of me anymore!
i think that's all i have to say right about now. everything is going well. just pray about moving out there and that everything will go well.
i love you all very much! take care and saraann, how did the meeting with your parents go? or did you go yet, i can't remember what date it was supposed to be. i really am going to try and keep in touch more with you all. have an awesome day everyone!
Heidi

ok

2006-09-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well I am not going to take the kitchen job. It just wasn't enough money. So yesterday I went throught the mall directory (there is a mall about 2 minutes away from us) and called a bunch of stores to see who was hiring. One of them seems promising, so I'm getting ready to bring the application back right now. So we'll see!! I'll let you know what happens.
This picture is from when my family came to drop Charity off at school.

SaraAnn . . .

2006-09-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Mulder,
I have a quick question . . .
I am applying to work in the kitchen on campus and they actually go through a food service company. Because of that I will actually be able to make more money than I would if I was working for the school and probably for quite a few other jobs that I have applied for. Also because I have experience, they will give me more pay. So since we worked together at Shepherds, I was wondering if I can use you as a referance as a co-worker. I won't put you down until I know it's ok with you. The lady won't be in until Monday so that is when I will be turning this in, so If you could let me know by then that would be great!!
Thank You!!
Love ya,
CKM

Dead or Alive?

2006-09-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well I'm going to assume that from the lack of response I got to my last post making sure you were all alive and well and the fact that haven't heard anyone but Carla in almost a month that you are all dead. I know that if you were alive and were reading this, you'd want to know that I'll be taking the next few days to mourn.
It was nice knowing you.

Hello Everyone!!

2006-09-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hi, I just wanted to say hi. I have not heard from anyone but Carla in quite awhile, so I just wanted to make sure that you are alive and well. Continue to pray for John and I. John did find a job - 2 actually. I, however, have not found one yet. I did get a job offer, but it was low pay and only 30 hours a week. Even if I have to settle for that low of pay, I can at least get a 40 hr. job. It's looking like I may have to get a part time job as well anyways. Also, we have not found a church yet. We have visited 6 churches now. But we are going to be here for at least 2 years and want to find a church that we like, fit in, and can get involved, not to mention one that preaches the Word of God (but I think that's a given). With both of us being pastors kids, this something that we have never experienced. However, that does give us a little advatage on what to look for in a church besides the obvious. Anyways, thank for your prayers already. I love you all and miss you all. Carla, I will give you a call tomorrow. I got your message the other day, but I didn't have many minutes left, so I was waiting until the weekend. Then some things came up yesterday and I was busy most of the day. Then today my sister was over all day (well between church) and I was helping her with a speech. But I will call you back I promise.
Have a good week everyone.
CKM

Possible Job opportunity!!

2006-08-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

I just found out about a possible job opportunity on campus which would be so nice!! Another student wife is going to talt o her friend who works in the office that possibly needs someone and find out for sure and let me know tomorrow. So pray that it is open and that it will pay enough.
thanks bye

Pictures of CT apt.

2006-08-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of the apartment in Connecticut that we just moved from. I don't think I ever showed any of you pictures of it. These pictures are from when we first moved in right after our honeymoon, so we have gotten more furniture since then. Anyways, I just thought you might want to see a few pictures. It was a garden apartment, you walk into the living room, the kitchen is to the left, the bedroom is straight ahead when you walk in, the laundry and bathroom are down the little hallway. I'll send pictures of the inside of our house now soon.

We are online!!

2006-08-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! Our move went really well. We got here wednesday afternoon around 5:00. It only took about an hour to get the truck unloaded. We spent the rest of the evening unpaking and getting things set up. We still have stuff to unpack but we have majority of our boxes unpacked and put away. On Thursday we went to Walmart for a big shopping trip (there were a bunch of things we needed for the house), and Joanna and I went to an anitique mall (I bought a shelf to put our shot glass collection on -very cute- it's an old wooden Pepsi bottle holder), then we all went to the New River Gorge Bridge (it is the longest arch bridge in the western hemisphere, John and I went there for an afternoon on our honeymoon as well), then on friday, we went the WV state fair all day (that was a lot of fun, we ate alot and saw horse races and horse pulls and Brett rode a bunch of rides - we are all broke now, but it was a lot of fun!!), then saturday we slept in and Ryan, Joanna, and Brett left around noon, then today we went to church and began our hopefully not too long process of finding a church around here, then we went out to The Outback Steakhouse for our 1 yr. wedding anniversary, then we stopped at staples and picked up the cord that we needed to get online and WaLa - We're online!!! So tonight we are going to try out another church and then tomorrow starts the, again,hopefully not too long process of finding jobs!! So please pray that we will find jobs soon. I will e-mail you all my new address, but my phone number is still the same.
SaraAnn, I finally was able to hear your big announcement and I am so excited for you - I have always hoped that someday you would get in connact with them and now you finally have!! That is so exciting!! Carla and Heidi, I do not think that we actually went thru AT, we were on 81, I only saw one sign for it. But just so you know for future referance, it is really easy getting down here 81-64 - that's it!! Hannah, so have you been praying about what you are suppossed to be praying for??? Let me know!! I'll talk to you all later. I love you all!! CKM the picture on me and John is from today, our anniversary, this is me and John on the steps of our new house, and next is me,John and Brett at the New River Bridge.

IT'S FRIDAY

2006-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

As I write I am listening to Circle of Friends. As soon as it came on the radio, I thought of you all. Of course, I can't remember why it's so funny (that's convenient memory loss for ya!!!!) Hope you all have a great weekend. Charissa, I hope your move goes smoothly. Love you guys
Carla

Last day of work

2006-08-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, today is my last day of work! We move on Tuesday. So after today I will not have internet access until we get it set up at our new house, I do not know how long that will be. SaraAnn I got your e-mail, but I probably won't have time to write today, so I'll write you back after we move. Oh, I also was not able to open your last post, so I still have not read that. I can't download things here at work. So anyways, I hope that you are doing well and I will write and let you know how our move went.
So have a good weekend!!
I love you all!!
CKM

Exciting News from SaraAnn!

2006-08-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture for our announcement!
This may take a couple min. to download
if it did not download, after a couple min. then click here to view it.
(Make sure your computer has quicktime on it, if not download it at www.quicktime.com)

I'm going back to ASIA!!!!

2006-08-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I have a ton of new to catch all of you up on. First of all. Two weekends ago I was out in Minneapolis visiting SaraAnn and Reuben. It was unbelievably hot, but we had a really great time. It was so good to see them again. We drank lots of coffee (our favorite past time) and caught up on what's been going on. Sadly we didn't really take any pictures. I have a couple on my phone, that i have to get off of there, and I'll try to post one sometime. I also got to see Georgia. She has a picture that she's supposed to forward to me, so whenever I get that I'll put it on.
SaraAnn got me hooked on the game Settlers of Cataan. It is the best board game I've ever played. I'm gonna have to buy one I like it so much.
Well, now on to my news about Asia. I decided this weekend to head back to Asia in the fall. You all know that I really wanted to go back, but for a little while I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Connie told me that they didn't really have work for me in India, so I would only go for two months to Myanmar. Well, on Sunday a man from church came up to me and gave me an envelope with some money in it for my next trip. That was God's gentle confirmation that He wanted me to go, and a reminder that He would provide the finances (one of my major worries). Today I received an email from Connie about going along not only to work, but also for her to mentor me some and teach me about the different aspects of the literacy ministry. I'm waiting to hear back from her, but I'll keep you guys posted. We'll be leaving the middle of October.
Well, I will close my book for tonight. I have more to say but that is enough for one post.
Carla

Sad Story . . .

2006-08-02T05:43:00.000-07:00

Sad News - but may bring you a smile. Please join in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs.Butterworth, HungryJack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, two children, John Dough and Jane Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart. The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

YES, THAT'S MY COUSIN!

2006-08-01T20:24:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYBODY, IT'S ME AGAIN! I HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING FINE. I'M GOOD, JUST TIRED, WORKING LIKE CRAZY LIKE USUAL! AND THANKS FOR PUTTING THAT ON THERE BECAUSE I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO GET A HOLD OF HIM, I WASN'T SURE WHERE HE WAS. I DID KNOW THAT HIS DAD HAD PASSED AWAY CAUSE IT HAPPENED WHEN MY PARENTS WERE UP HERE AND THEY WENT TO THE FUNERAL. AND YES, THAT IS WHO HE WAS DATING BUT WE ALL KNEW HER AS CARRIE, I DON'T THINK SHE EVER USED HER FULL NAME. CHARISSA, WHEN EXACTLY ARE YOU MOVING AGAIN? YOU GUYS SHOULD TRY AND STOP BY HERE ON YOUR WAY DOWN IF YOU HAVE TIME. WE'LL HAVE TO KEEP IN TOUCH ABOUT THIS. ANYWAY, I'VE GOTTA RUN, OH, PRAY THAT I CAN GET THE REGISTRATION FROM MY CAR SWITCHED TO EDIE'S CAR SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO KEEP USING JON'S CAR, AND ALSO PRAY THAT I CAN FIND A NICE CAR THAT IS NOT TOO EXPENSIVE, ONE THAT CAN STAND A TRIP OUT TO ARIZONA NEXT SUMMER!
WELL, EVERYONE HAVE A GREAT DAY OR NIGHT DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU READ THIS.
I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU!
HEIDI

Heidi, is this your cousin?

2006-07-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

This was on the Alumni e-mail too. I'm pretty sure it's your cousin, but for some reason Carolynne doesn't sound right for the girl I remember him dating.

Jeremy Rice (’03):

Jeremy Rice graduated in 2003 with BA in Youth Ministries and is now senior pastor of Northfield Baptist Church in Northfield, NJ, where his father Barry pastored until he went home to be with the Lord due to a massive heart attack on January 1st, 2006. Pray for the family. It is a small work and the Lord has been blessing.
Jeremy’s wife Carolynne attended Northland in 2001 and 2002 and is doing well in the role of pastor’s wife, along with caring for their 5 month old boy, Paul.
jerryrice99@juno.com

In case you do not get the alumni e-mails

2006-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

Here are the results from Sara (McGhie, ’05) Varghese’s surgery last week (from her husband John):
I just wanted all of you to know that the surgery went well this morning. They did however have to remove ONE of her ovaries. It is great that God's immaculate design involves spares - I love it. She does have pain, which is expected, but other than that, my "trooper of a wife" is doing great. They drained 7 liters of water from her stomach. She is SKINNY. I didn't have a chance to talk to the doctor who performed the surgery but once I do, I will know more details.
It is just AMAZING to see God at work right in front of your eyes, right from the first diagnosis to the scheduling of the surgery yesterday, which was confirmed before we even knew it. Couple with that with an extremely competent doctor and prayer support, and what you have is a "plan that comes together".
We sang all the way to the hospital this morning and God did part two of His wonderful work. What actually blows my mind is the fact that while we are worried about what will happen, He's just waiting to show us a glimpse of His sovereignty.
Without any exaggeration, this was His key phrase to me during this trial..."Watch me work" and all I could say was, “Amen!”
Please continue to pray for us as part three plays out for the next few weeks. We have a great God!
Varghese2GO@t-online.de

SaraAnn . . .

2006-07-27T06:57:00.000-07:00

The last time you wrote was almost 2 weeks ago and you said that you had some exciting news to fill us in on. I don't care how often you write, but you can't say that and then not write for 2 weeks!! :) I mean I'm trying to guess and my guesses are going from "She's pregnant" to "she got implants". So you might want to let us in on your exciting news, otherwise, my imagination will just keep running!! :)

In case someone doesn't get the NBBC alumni e-mails

2006-07-27T05:42:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Sara (McGhie, ’05) Varghese, who will be having surgery in Heidelberg, Germany tomorrow morning:

I was just diagnosed today with a large cyst that extends from the bottom of my rib cage to my ovaries. I am relieved that this thing I've been carrying around in front for awhile is not just fat, as I have lost weight without the cyst decreasing at all. After a lot of discomfort and pain, John took me to the doctor today. Though the doctor was not very gentle, he did know what he was doing and has shown decisiveness and urgency in getting surgery done right away -- tomorrow or the next day. I was overwhelmed at first and cried, but then John prayed with me in the doctor’s office while I was injected with glucose and other life sustaining elements. I can't explain God's grace and comfort, but it's there.

The doctor's first impression is that it has something to do with my ovaries. I am praying that I will still be able to have children when this is all said and done. The reason this has to be done so quickly, from what I've gathered in my English language, is because the cyst is pushing my other organs to all other regions of my body; the doctor had a hard time finding my gall bladder, for example, and I've noticed that sometimes it's hard for me to breath.

I have surgery tomorrow; I'm the first one. I met with the anesthesiologist and a surgeon today. They were very nice and explained EVERYTHING. It is going to be a simple procedure to remove the cyst; there were just a few things they wanted to go over with me. It seems that the head surgeon comes in between 1 & 2 as being the best in the world, according to his colleague. However, the best surgeon in the world can't beat our God.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers, God has met needs in so many ways.

Varghese2GO@t-online.de

Hey

2006-07-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd write and say hi. I'm doing good. I can't wait to start packing. I'm planning on starting a week from today. That'll be two weeks ahead. I think that's when the move will start to feel real!! Joey and Julie are here visiting until Friday. So we were over at John's parents a lot this past weekend visiting. On Sunday John and I helped Ryan and Joanna paint the garage at the house they just bought (it had to be done by Monday because there was an inspector from their finance company coming to look at everything). We were pretty sore, but it was fun just the four of us. Well I should get back to work. Have a good day!! Carla and SaraAnn (thanks for the picture of all of us, by the way, I tried to put it on here, but it wouldn't let me) have fun this next week or whenever it is you're going to be together! Heidi, Be good! Hannah, eat some of those really good Japanese cracker things that I really like for me!! :)

HEY EVERYBODY

2006-07-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, i don't know how long this will be, but i have somethings to tell. ijust talked to charissa today so she knows a little bit, but i'm moving from the house i was renting with my sister and another girl. a bunch of things happened with edie moving down to argentina for now, and things just went really bad there between me and cassandra (the other girl) and it just kind of climaxed. i was planning on being out by the end of the month, but some issues came up and i'm moving out this weekend. anyway, just so you guys know, jon's parents have an extra room so i'll be staying at their house, and yes, jon does still live there, but his mom already told both of us that i'll be treated as a daughter, and obviously there will be rules to follow, like i'll prob have a curfew again! but hey, i'm saving money because they said that i could stay for free, i just have to pay for gas for work. that way i can pay off my credit cards (don't worry, i'm not like thousands of dollars in debt!) but this way i can get almost eveything paid off by the time we go to arizona. anyawy, that's the latest with me, and carla, i promise to try and call you sometime and figure out when we can get together, it's definately going to be a little harder now cause i'm up near tamaqua, but we will figure something out. and charissa, i would love to be able to come up there, but honestly, i don't know if i will be able to with work. i'll look through my pictures and see if i have one of all of us, and if i can i'll get it to you, hey if anything, you and john can stop by on your way down to west virginia. well, i still have my cell phone but it doesn't really work up here yet, idon't get much service, if you really need to talk to me, during the day i'm at work, i'll get any messages, if not the number here at the house is (570) 386-3024, it's jon's house phone number. anyway, i'll talk to you all later, this was longer than i expected! hope everyone has a great day! Heidi

I Need Help

2006-07-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

I need a picture of me with all of you (minus Hannah - not because I don't like her but because she wasn't there :) from my wedding. I never got one. I really want at least one to put in my wedding book!! Please help me!! Thanks!!

More pics of Rowan

2006-07-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Slide Show from SaraAnn

2006-07-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,
I am so excited that we have found a way to stay in touch with each other! Heidi, I just read your post and I wanted you to know that we are praying for you. I am so glad you are ok...I am sorry about your car. Well, everything is going well here in Minneapolis. We just finished our first ever family reunion last week. We all met at Dave and Esthers and stayed there througout the week. Reuben and I and Dan headed back to the cities differant days to work. Matt and MaryBeth were able to come up too. This is the first we have seen them since Reub and I's wedding. We had an awesome time. We camped out, had camp fires, played volleyball, and just enjoyed us all being together. Both of the twins are canidating at churches to be assistant/youth pastors, so I think for all of us, it was special to be together one last time before people move. Dad and Mom and KJ even made it up! I don't have pictures from it yet, my brother has them presently, but I will try to put some up eventually. I do have recent pictures from John and Sarah Corbin (Brackett)'s wedding. It was so much fun to go out a day early and hang out with them! Reuben and I were there witnesses, but there was no official wedding party. It was truelly a special day. John's sister came with her husband and 3kids, Steve and Ruth Sauers came with their new baby, Haven and then Amber Hines came over from Michigan. It was beautiful outside. They got married up in Sturgeon Bay. This is where John works for a yacht company. Sarah walked down the aisle to "For A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson. She looked stunning!!! We are so excited to be a part of their lives! God is doing incredible things in John and Sarah's lives! Our church is doing great! We are so excited to see God bring in new families constantly. At times the Pastor and Reub and I are overwhelmed by all the needs they bring with them. We have a church full of baby christians who are all very spiritually hungery. We feel blessed that we God has brought us here to learn first hand of His grace on lives! Please pray for us. We are so thankful that God has brought Amy Boyd to the cities as well. She joined our church and has jumped in with us to serve by teaching and music. I never relized what abilities she has in both these areas and we are blessed to have her here! I have so much to say but I thought I would start here. I will fill you all in on some very exciting news on my next post, but for now I will say goodbye. I hope you like the pictures (Reuben helped me put them on, I was a little lost how too). I love you all and pray for you. Hannah, how is the family? What are you up too? Carla, I can't wait to see you! Charissa, when is the baby due? :) Heidi, take good care of yourself!

Erica had a boy!!

2006-07-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

Here is an e-mail that I received this morning with pictures from Josh Burrill.
The long awaited day has arrived!!! It seems like everything happened days ago, but the big event was only this morning. We wen't into the hospital around 7:00 pm thursday, July 13. Erica was dilated half way and then all the way by about midnight. The baby was facing the sky instead of the bed though so it made for hours and hours and hours of pushing. Finally at 5:35 am Atlantic time, Rowan Joshua Burrill entered the world much our delight and the releif of the relatives sleeping all over the waiting room. He was bigger than I expected, weighing in at 8 pounds 7 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. He has had to spend the day in the special care nursery just to get his breathing rate slowed down a bit so he won't have any trouble with feeding. We look forward to having him in our room tomorrow, but it has been nice to have a bit of a break before the real work begins. I'll send along a few pictures from in the ICU. We hope to get some better ones in our room tomorrow. He is quite a pleasant little guy although he can get a wicked pout when he wants to. We'll have to work on that one. He seem pretty content most of the time though which is great. I'm struggling to keep my eyes open while I finish this and head from my office to home, so I better go. Sleep is goning to be hard to catch the next while. I'll keep in touch. Feel free to offer feedback on family resemblances. I think he looks a lot like me (Josh). Have a good weekend all.
He sent more pictures, I'll put them on or e-mail them later if you want, but they are all about the same, these are the best ones. So I'll let you know when I hear more or get more pictures.
Have a good day!!

Bored

2006-07-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at work and I am very bored. I have a few things I could do, but I have to talk to my boss before I finish them and I cannot get ahold of him at the moment, therefore I am bored. I only have 27 days until I am done with work!! That means 30 days until we move!! So anyways I am ready to be done! This is a praise . . . John's company, Ovation Guitars, shuts down for 2 weeks every July (it's a paid vacation for the employees, but all at one time), so John was trying to find something to do during those two weeks, you know to make a little extra money. Finally a couple days ago he got in touch with a guy that is a friend of a friend who owns a construction business, and he said that he could definately use the help these next two weeks. So that will pay for our move!!! Plus he'll be getting paid from ovation these next two weeks, which will pay for the down payment for school!! So that was exciting!! So tonight we are going to the drive-in to see Pirates of the Caribean, (the new one) and The Break Up with John's sister and maybe a few people from church. So that should be fun! It brings back memories of me and my friend Amy almost scaring the pants off of our good friend who had just come back from a missions trip to Japan (I won't mention any names), then the next night we blind folded her and turned on the theme song from mission impossible as we drove to the Drive-In near Kenosha (I think) as a "welcom home" surprise!! That was a lot of fun and it makes me think of the time that a few of us kidnapped that same good friend on her birthday the semester that she sat out of school!! That was a lot of fun as well!! Oh the memories!!!
Oh, Carla and Heidi, time is running out for you to visit me while I am only 4 hours away!! :) (I know you are both pretty busy, I'm just teasing - but if you can make it up before we move, I'd love to see you!!)
Have a great day everyone!! It's a great day to be alive, I know the sun's still shining when I close my eyes, there are hard times in the neighborhood, but why can't every day be just as good~~~

Circle of Friends

2006-07-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Circle of Friends
hey guys, well, charissa i agree this is a great idea! and well, unfortunately, i have some bad news to post the first time i'm doing this. i'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well, carla i will call you sometime soon, i promise! i've been meaning to call you, but haven't gotten the chance, charissa it was great to talk to you before, and saraann, i hope we can get in touch sometime, and hannah, it's been forever since we talked. anyway, i don't have much time, i'm jon's house, for those of you who don't know, he is my boyfriend! when i get a chance i'll try and put a picture of us on here. anyway, since i don't have much time cause i have to leave to go to work soon, i guess i'll tell you my bad news. on sunday night i was going home from bringing jon home and i came around a corner and cut it a little too much and my car started sliding and it spun around backwards and i went into the woods alongside the road and sideswiped some trees which spun me back around, then i went off a little bank and landed square ontop of a drainage ditch. my front wheels were on one side of the bank and my rear wheels on the other side with nothing under the tires. thankfully i wasn't hurt bad, i just hit the windshield with my head and actually cracked it, but i just had a bump and a slight concussion but it didn't amount to anything. anyways, in the end my car is totalled, the frame is totally bent in half on the drivers side, they told me i was lucky to walk away from it unhurt. the car looks pretty bad, basically the only thing i could do was scrap it. so now i'm using my sisters car which i was trying to sell, but hadn't sold it yet, which turned out to be good i guess. but i'm going to try and save money now to buy a new car, so just pray that i will be able to save money and the i can find a nice car for not too much!
anyway, gotta run, i'll check this as much as i can, but i don't have internet at the house, so we'll see.
love you all and i'm glad we can do this!
have a great day!
Heidi

Family Reunion

2006-07-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

Well, here's my first post on our blog. We had our family reunion this weekend. We actually had a nice day (for the last two years it rained.) My cousin and her husband are in town from Washington, and we got to see their little girl Zoey. It was the first time I got to see her. We played volleyball, played games with the kids and just hung out. It was a lot of fun. The picture is of most of my family. This is my dad's side of the family. My nana wasn't there, and one family wasn't there, but everyone else is there. And the other picture is of Charlize a.k.a. Charlie. Isn't she just adorable. She's gonna be the flower girl in Val's wedding next year.
The only down part of the day was that I hurt my neck somehow. I think I did it while we were playing with the kids on the jungle gym. Then today at work, I made it worse b/c I almost fell down the stairs. When I caught myself, I pulled my neck even worse. So now I can't turn my head much at all. And right now I have a heating pad tied around my neck that looks like a cape. So on that note, I'm gonna get going. I hope you guys are all doing well.
Carla

In case you don't know already . . .

2006-07-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

I can't remember who I tell what to. So I thought I'd just make sure that everyone knows . . . John and I are moving to WV August 15th. We were able to get the campus housing. We are excited about that because it is a town house with 3 bedrooms and 1 &1/2 bathrooms, upstairs and downstairs, a little porch on the back. There is not washer or drier and no dishwasher. I was really spoiled this past year because I had all that. So now I'm going to have to wash my own dishes and I guess I'll just get washboard and wash clothes in the tub!! :) Neither of us have jobs yet. But God already has that taken caren of, so we're not worried. We found out a few weeks ago that we are not going to be able to get federal aid - they said we made too much money last year - which I think is hilarious! But oh-well, again, God will provide. Anyways, I think that's about everything that is going on that I may not have told everyone.
Oh, in case you are wondering. The picture is my brother's ship. The USS O-Kane. He is stationed in Pearl Harbor, HI!! He's been there since April. He's there for 4 years (so I'm hoping to be able to visit!!). He already went on a 6 week cruise to Alaska. Now they are out in the middle of the ocean for 3 weeks playing war games with other Navy's (from other countries). They will be going out on a six month cruise in February to places like Bahrain and Australia, and a bunch of other places. Ok, now I think that is everything!!

Hope this works...

2006-07-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

well, here I am posting for the first time...i hope that this works!!! by the way this is Hannah (or chscH):) This is going to be fun-Great idea, Charissa!

I am doing well here in Japan. It's rainy season now, so on the downside is that it rains all the time and we have a typhoon coming this weekend; but on the upside it's beautiful!!! Everything is so green and lush:) Oh! My mom just asked me if I wanted to go to the onsen! Maybe I shouldn't post that on a public blog... ;) I can't wait to hear how everybody is doing. SaraAnn-we just haven't written in way too long. It's probably my fault so I'm sorry, but I'm excited about keeping in touch this way! And Heidi-where are you now? Are you back in the States? And Carla- thanks for always sending your updates. I LOVED getting them and especially seeing the pictures:)

Well, I don't want to over-write just in case I can't figure out how to post...

We are up and Running!!

2006-07-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, feel free to change anything. I e-mailed you all the information that you will need. I am looking forward to hearing from someone soon. When we move in August I will have internet at home, so then I will be able to post pictures but until then you guys can post pictures and I will look at them!! :) I would like to get a picture of all of us on here somewhere. But I don't think we have one of the five of us. So we may have to do two - C,C,S, & Heidi, and C,C,S & Hannah. Oh, if you do not already know the story behind the Circle of Friends, ask Carla and if she doesn't remember (she tends not to), then ask me or SaraAnn.

ENJOY!!