NCHEA 2012

It has been another year of prayer, action, preparations, and watching the Lord's faithfulness along each step of the way. With nearly 300 children attending the 2012 NCHEA Conference, we were so grateful for the many answers to prayer and ways we saw the Lord at work. Here's a video slideshow from the weekend:

"I love you, O Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

I call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 

Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Jehovah, and I will sing praises to Your name."

Psalm 18:1-3, 49

Welcome Arianna Mae!

It is with great joy and thankfulness that we announce the arrival of our new little niece --

Arianna Mae Beasley

born to Dan and Bethany

April 25, 2012

7 lbs, 12 oz

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Couple's Shower

On Saturday we had the treat of another shower -- this time, a Pampered Chef shower hosted by my sweet sisters in our home area. They made it a 'couples' shower in order to include Alan in the fun -- and, of course -- I was thrilled! Since we are starting with very little in regards to our home needs, it was such a blessing to be able to purchase our stainless steal cookware through this shower, in addition to so many wonderful kitchen gadgets. We have such kind friends!

Most creative guestbook ever! Ruth printed off a calendar for the first year of our marriage, complete with all the birthday/anniversary dates from both Alan's & my side of the family. It included tons of pictures from our 'getting-to-know-you' time and engagement period. Each guest then wrote a short note on one of the pages. Amazing keepsake! 

And we were challenged by one of my favorite 'couple-games'! Dad read several questions and we had to answer by lifting the appropriate shoe. For example: "Who has the wackiest family?!" And yes -- we both agreed it would be mine! *smile*  As you can probably imagine, we had lots of wonderful laughs!

Oh yeah!

Hmmmm....having to think about this one a bit!

Then, we headed to the kitchen to help demonstrate the Pampered Chef tools by cooking together. Alan did a fantastic job -- not only did he showcase his skills in the kitchen, he also enthralled and entertained the group by his lively, animated storytelling! I will never tire of listening to him tell our love story! (Thanks for your patience -- it IS coming in written form!)

My handsome man in the kitchen

Working on the final details together.

Mission accomplished!

Asher was a delightful, darling addition to the crowd. 

And when Ruth plans a party, the food is fantastic! This was no exception! 

Alan and I have SO much to be grateful for! The kind notes and messages from you blog readers have been such a personal blessing to me. When I randomly decided to start this family blog, I had no idea that it grow to encompass such a large, sweet circle of friends! Through the years you have laughed with us, cried with us, rejoiced with us, and upheld us with your prayers. We sincerely thank you! It is a special treat whenever we're able to meet our readers in person. It's encouraging to know that, in some small way, the sharing of our imperfect lives has been a blessing. 

Alan and I are still talking about how involved we'll be with blogging after our wedding, but even if we don't start our own blog, I'm sure I'll pop over here for a 'Kansas Farming' update! *smile*

Because really, this adventure called 'blogging' is simply a sharing of what the Lord has been doing and working in our lives. And that is a journey that continues on! 

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:34-35

Bridal Soiree

I walked in the church fellowship hall and almost couldn't believe my eyes. My dear friends and sisters had transformed it into a darling wonderland of pink cuteness! Was this for real?! My very own bridal shower? 

I am continually in awe of the fact that the Lord has so beautifully brought such a godly, sincere, fun-loving, hard-working, handsome man into my life. That he loves me with all his heart. And that I get to be the lucky girl to become his wife. Wow. 

And if that alone isn't enough, we have the most incredible, dear family and friends who are rejoicing with us and so generously have showered us with gifts for setting up our home. This past weekend we had two bridal showers -- one with our church family in Omaha, and the other in our hometown community. Such fun! Kori so graciously and skillfully captured lots of pictures to share, so here's a glimpse of the festivities: 

The decorating crew

As if that sign in the background isn't completely-adorable enough, they also created a 'Make-Your-Own-Fruit-Pizza' buffet. Delicious! 

And speaking of delicious?!!? Enough said!  

It was such a treat to have our grandparents join us for the weekend!

[Love you BIGGER!]

Joanna and Charissa had a blast playing together -- as always! 

Opening gifts. Seriously, people's generosity is completely humbling and overwhelming. Alan and I talk about how MUCH we have to be thankful for -- so much kindness in helping to set up our new home!

More gifts

Love how this card was addressed!

I enjoyed that my sisters gathered 'round to watch me open each gift. 

My dear friend, Anna, was a marvelous hostess for the evening. She kept us laughing!

Sister smiles

"So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, 

Will give You thanks forever; 

We will show forth Your praise to all generations."

Psalm 79:13

Day's Work

Guess who walked in the door last night after a 14 hour work day?! Yep! What a muddy, smiling, hard-working, tired and hungry team. All in a day's work!

"Man goes out to his work, And to his labor until the evening."

Psalm 104:23

Random News

Yes, its been awhile. Our family has been enjoying a very full and active home life the past month. What a joy it is to share life, ministry, joys, and challenges together! The theme of "work-hard, play-hard" has certainly been a theme of our days. Here's a quick glimpse of what we've been up to:

Long, sunny, irrigation days! With Matthias and Stephen moving up to 'foreman' positions this year, they have been doing an awesome job at keeping the five of us girls busy and motivated - and running circles around us at the same time! We've enjoyed the challenge of working to get the installation process completed ahead of schedule! For a more detailed post about what this work entails, visit here.

We're also gearing up for another big Kid's Conference which will be held April 27-28th. Our theme this year is "SHALOM!", focusing on the early church era. Matthias, Stephen, and Alaythia are all in the drama and have been diligently practicing their roles. I've also enjoyed working on staff again this year, helping to edit the drama, curriculum, and writing the schedules and music. We're excited about the message for this year. Stay tuned for more pictures!

The unexpected has happened. My ever-faithful, always-used computer had a fatal hard drive crash last month. Ouch!! Yes, that means we lost almost everything - our family pictures from the past 2 years, email addresses, ministry files, and so forth. I'm still trying to explore the options and find someone who is skilled on Mac hard drive recovery. But for now, we're trying to piece together the small shards of information we were able to salvage! If you've contacted us sometime in the past year or so regarding a singing/ministry opportunity, please get in touch with us as we'd be sorry to loose touch with you!

And finally -- yes, wedding planning is well under way, too. It's been a joy to look through our engagement photos and plan our print materials. I just proofed the wedding invitations and started addressing the envelopes. Such delightful fun! Planning reception details, music, clothing, food...and almost having to pinch myself to realize that all this planning is for OUR wedding! I'm still and forever in awe of the Lord's goodness!

Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens;

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds."

Ps 36:5

Florida Smiles

The LORD reigns; Let the earth rejoice;

Let the multitude of isles be glad!

The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

[Many of you have noticed Hannah's haircut. Yes! She donated another 10" of her hair to Locks of Love. In addition to the benefit of helping these children who are fighting cancer, we're enjoying her cute, new look!]

The heavens declare His righteousness,

And all the peoples see His glory.

For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth;

You are exalted far above all gods.

You who love the LORD, hate evil!

He preserves the souls of His saints;

Light is sown for the righteous,

And gladness for the upright in heart.

Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous,

And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Excerpts from Psalm 97

Where is Rachel?

Many of you faithful, dear blog friends have certainly noticed a change in our blogging -- or lack thereof -- over the past few months. You have very possibly wondered aloud, "Where IS Rachel?"

Yes, I know. My life and thoughts have not been revolving around the online world as of late. And the joyous new season of *engagement* has been filling my days with wonderful distractions. This trip was the longest stretch Alan and I have gone without spending time together in person since we first met last fall. Six weeks can seem to last forever!

But this past week we had the delightful pleasure of seven whole days together as Alan flew to Florida to spend time with our family. Our days were filled with long walks, starting our wedding registry, engagement pictures, bike rides, snorkeling, moonlit campfires, and lots of conversation. I'm so grateful for this godly man who diligently seeks the Lord and encourages me in truth!

Thank you for your patience with me. This is a delightful, new season and I'm learning so much, which I hope to share as we write out our love story. [Now with engagement pictures done we'll be digging into that project soon!]

So, if you notice a lull in the semi-regular posting around here, its possibly because I'm enjoying time with my man. We're currently working on getting the younger ones involved with photography and sharing, so thanks for sticking around as we embark on this new adventure together! For now, here are a few pictures captured from this past week:

Poolside chats

Taking pictures of the younger kids

Bike rides

Bonfire picnics

Tropical delights

Having fun with Alan's sporty rental car

In the orange groves

"The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it."
Prov 10:22

Susanna

Happy 15th Birthday Susanna!

Personal highlights from the past year:

• Having an adorable nephew
• Work in the irrigation fields last spring
  
• Getting and taking care of our chickens
• Being able to stay home last summer and have a large garden
• Getting to tease Alan (Rachel's fiance)
• Going to the Husker's red-white game
• Enjoying time with family and friends

"And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation."
Psalm 35:9