Summer Travels

Summertime.  

Road trips, sun hats, bare feet.

Butterflies, flower gardens, sandy toes, homemade ice cream.  

Porch swings, playground swings, long walks, campfires.

Baby pools, cousins, hammocks.

Our summer was a lovely collection of memories wrapped up in family, friends, and travels.  



First Stop.  Pennsylvania.

We were blessed to travel to Pennsylvania to see our dear friends Dan and Lauren, introduce our children, speak at their church, and see their ministry to the city of Reading.

  

Dan and Lauren are a powerhouse of talent and vision.  Over the years we have known them, we have seen the impact of their faith and their many strengths and skills.  We're now excited to see how God is weaving together their passion to serve and their gift of music into ministry through The Revive Project.  

We also happen to be in talks about arranging a marriage between their sweet son Andy and Lily, and now we have the iconic bathtub pictures to prove it.  

We are so thankful to have a friendship with their family that thrives despite the separation of distance and time.  It is funny to think that Dan and Andy met over seven years ago already.  Visits tend to be few and far between, but we are so blessed by the opportunities when they come.  Dan has been a photographer for a while now and was kind enough to give us a little family portrait session in Lancaster.  You can find more of his fantastic work at Dan Smith Photography.

Next Stop.

Virginia Beach is home to the Jeter family.  To be more accurate, it is home to a portion of the Jeter family, at the moment.  Some members of the Jeter family are currently making documentaries in Nepal, working with international students between trips to Southeast Asia, photographing Jerusalem, and preparing for ministry to refugees and victims of human trafficking in Europe.  They know a thing or two about international missions and world affairs.  Here are Laura's Aunt Rhoda and Uncle Stan.

     

At the coast, somebody took her first dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

And caught a few waves.

It was great to be with Laura's family, as well as present about HCJB Global to the "7 Ms"... The "Monday Morning Missions Minded Mobilization & Munch Meeting."  It was a gift to share with individuals from many different churches and ministries in the area.  It's a beautiful rarity to see a group gather at 7 AM at the start of the work week to pray for the lost, equip and send workers, strategically meet needs, and seek the Lord.  What a godly group of people with such a global mindset and passion for God's work around the world!  Here are the members of the Jeter family in Virginia Beach at the moment - Laura's cousin Daniel, who stopped in to meet Lily on his way from Ecuador to South Africa.

And Michelle, who has been a part of serving God in all manner of amazing ways and places, and currently works with Fresh Start, helping people live in the forgiveness and freedom of Christ.

The last stop on our East Coast tour was to visit Andy's cousin and our dear friend Karl just outside of Washington D.C. and catch up over brunch.  We considered sticking around a little longer to watch the 4th of July fireworks at the Capital, but the 106 degree temperature and lack of parking encouraged us to hit the road and head home.

In all, we covered over 2,000 miles and spent 35 hours in the car.  
Our Lily handled it like a champ.  

A few weeks later we headed off to Michigan!  

The Olson Family Reunion was full of cousin fun and cuteness.

We had a wonderful time with four generations of the Olson family represented, joining all the way from Nebraska, Michigan, and Oregon.  

Each of the cousins participated in the Orchard Olympics, swam at the beach, went blueberry picking, and took on Andy and Grandpa in a water fight.  It was a time of rest and conversation and a flurry of fun activity all at the same time.  



This picture of the grandchildren won't stay current for long.  We look forward to the arrival of two more cousins come January!




Such a full and happy summer!

Happily Ever After x 4

May 30th, 2008

May 30th, 2009

May 30th, 2010

May 30th, 2011

May 30th, 2012

What A Difference Four Months Makes

Dear Lily,

We have told you this before:  you have changed our lives forever and in every way, always and only for the better.  We always anticipated you and loved you, long before you made your entry into this world.  Even still, we could never have imagined the magnitude of love we would have for you or the way it would deepen all the time.  

We didn't know the way your smiles could transform a day, or that the sound of your laughter would swell our hearts to a completely different capacity.  We had no idea the levels of exhaustion at which we could still function, or that joy itself could have chubby fingers and fall asleep on our chests.  

We didn't know how beautiful your Daddy's eyes would look on you or how much laundry you were capable of creating.  We didn't know how much more earnestly we would pray or just how much we have to learn.  We didn't know how many hours could be so perfectly spent watching your every move or how incomplete we would feel looking back to a time before you.  

We didn't know how much more fully we would think about the love of God after holding you in our arms for the first time or how much affection it's possible to have for someone so helpless and tiny.  We know now.  We know we will miss these days, that they go by far too quickly, and that our Father gives such gracious gifts.  You are a treasure.

We love you, little girl.

Mommy & Daddy

Update

What a gorgeous blur life with a new baby is.  We have been overwhelmed with gratitude for each day.  Many people have asked where we are along our journey to Ecuador so we wanted to provide a much needed update.  

First things first.  We are beyond thankful for the support we have received from so many.  Lily's arrival obviously impacted timing and the funds necessary for our departure.  Thank you for faithfully giving to continue the work of HCJB Global during this interim time.  Andy's work schedule at the studio has been incredibly busy.  We are thankful for God's provision in many ways.  Not only is He supplying our needs while Laura is home with Lily, but the constant flow of recording and mixing projects has been so beneficial for Andy as he looks ahead toward the radio ministry he will do in Quito.  It has been such a vital learning time and he's seen his skill and experience grow.  God has provided opportunities to work and assist on projects in Spanish.  We've also been reading and attending church in Spanish to build our knowledge and practice the language.

Because of your generosity, we currently have just under 40% of our monthly support pledged.  Also, we are steadily building towards the outgoing expense budget that covers our language training, our plane tickets, and all the necessities to begin ministry in another country.  We are encouraged to see God working!  And so thankful for all of you!  Thank you for joining us on this road.  If you'd like to know more or join our team, click the Contact Information tab.

Spring in Nebraska

This week, we traveled to Nebraska to share with a wonderful church about HCJB Global and our role in ministry with them.  We have a long and sweet history with the Evangelical Covenant Church in Wakefield and were blessed by the congregation's enthusiasm and prayer.  Thank you for having us!  This trip held a series of new experiences for Lily including her first road trip (of over 1,000 miles), her first visit to Great Grandma's house, her first trip to the family farm, her first introduction to cows, and her first time in a tractor.  Naturally, she was quite impressed by it all.

  

On a visit to a family farm we had the chance to speak with a farmer and his wife and learn about the process of planting and harvesting.  So much about that way of life is different and foreign to those of us who haven't lived in a rural setting.  We asked all sorts of questions and they were more than willing to explain things to us.  Something that was particularly interesting was how this farmer and his brothers (who each have their own land to farm) work together to harvest crops.  Timing is critical.  It is important to gather the crops quickly at the proper time.  In order to maximize efficiency one of the brothers works out in the field driving a combine, while another makes continual trips back and forth in a semi-truck to carry the harvest to storage bins.  Another will bring fuel out to the machines in the field.  These things allow the one out in the fields to continue working without the need to leave in order to refuel or unload the crops.  Everyone had a particular job in the process that was just as valuable to the end goal of harvesting the crops.  

God has laid out a similar plan for harvesting a different type of crop.  He asks that all of His followers be involved in spreading the Gospel, but He has given each person unique roles in that process.  In the case of foreign missions, he doesn't ask that everyone go, but perhaps He has called you to still take part.  Just like a farmer needs others to work alongside him to keep him out in his fields, a missionary needs people back home to support them and keep them in their field.  By financially supporting missionaries, you enable them to continue their work of spreading the good news.  To those who have already decided to stand alongside us, or other missionaries, in this way we say thank you.  Through you, the work of missions is being done.     

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

James 5:7

The Arrival of Lily Grace

It is with great joy that we announce the birth of our daughter Lily Grace Shoemaker.  We welcomed her into our little family just over two weeks ago.  She weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long.  Labor and delivery went smoothly, and both Laura and Lily are healthy and happy.  Laura did an incredible job and I am so proud of her.  We are thankful for God's blessings in all aspects of the process from pregnancy through birth and the precious days since.  He has given us a very wonderful gift!

I may be a biased father, but I think that our Lily is the most beautiful little thing I have ever seen.  We chose Lily's name because of Jesus's words in Matthew 6 which remind us that there is more to life than what we see in this world, that what he gives us is far greater and more valuable than what we can create ourselves, and of our need to trust in God for provision and seek him above all things.  Her middle name, Grace, is a reminder of how God demonstrates his love for us in such amazing ways.
    

Love, Andy, Laura, and Lily

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air:  they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, 
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself."

Matthew 6:25-34, ESV

Oregon

From Arizona, we were on the move to the Pacific Northwest.

It was so wonderful to get to spend a week in Oregon with the Olsons.  This is some of the last traveling we will do before we stay grounded in Chicago to wait for baby's arrival.  We loved getting to celebrate another birthday, go apple picking, be with our wonderful siblings, hike along the coast, explore near the ocean, and have fun with our nieces and nephew!

The Oregon coast and the views from the Heceta Head Lighthouse were gorgeous.