Book Club Invite!

I just sent this e-mail out earlier this morning, and would like to extend the invitation to all you readers out there as well!  If you want to join in the fun just let me know...This has been God's prompting from the beginning, and those always lead to exciting places!!!
_______________________________________________

Hello to some very special ladies in my life :)

So - God has been speaking to my heart about the concept of community.  Since we've been back, I'm realizing how isolated we are as American believers, both from each other and from our fellow believers abroad.  Biblically, this is not how God has intended us to live.  Enter: an international book club :)

Mostly I see this as being a reason/excuse to gather together in community, learn about other cultures, pray for the nations and consider how our lives could be given in service to our brothers and sisters both here and abroad.  Only the first and last books in this list are officially "Christian" books, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, scripture, and "Operation World", I figure we'll do just fine.  :)

Here's the list so far...

"Radical", by David Platt (America)
"A Fine Balance", by Rohinton Mistry (India)
"Curfewed Night", by Basharat Peer (Kashmir)
"Wild Swans", by Jung Chang (China)
"A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World" (Tibet)
"Three Cups of Tea", by Greg Mortenson (Afghanistan)
"Stones into Schools", by Greg Mortenson (Pakistan)
"Revolution in World Missions", by J.P. Yohannan (Native Missionary Movement)

I've included books about the areas that God has placed on my heart over the last year and a half.  Hopefully this can be a starting point, and as we grow together, God will continue to bring the world into our homes through each others' hearts. 

I've included some people that aren't physically near to here - I thought it'd be neat to get different perspectives and increase our community beyond our local area, maybe via a blog where we could just post our thoughts?

For those of us that are around the Ames area, I'd love to meet together before we start reading - for those of you that are interested, what does next Wednesday, March 2nd look like?  It'd be neat to talk through and pray over this together with those of you that would like to jump in with me and process. :)

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.  Especially for those of you in the area, I really don't know many women in the area, so feel free to invite!  My hope is that this would be a time to encourage, challenge, and push each other in local community, FOR global community.

Much love, Nicole :)

Paperwork is IN!

It's official!  Our foster care paperwork has been sent in and received!  Chris and I definitely have some strong emotions about this process, but we're taking it all in stride pretty well.  We really don't know what we're getting into, and it's always easier to "step out of the boat" when you think you're stepping onto dry land. :) 

We're waiting for fingerprinting to go through, and then will get signed up for a 10-week training class.  We said that we're willing to foster any age, but no sibling groups (due to the fact that we only have 2 bedrooms in our house, and we're in one of them!). 

We've been realizing that we actually know a lot of people involved in foster care, and it's been fun to see how God is raising up a support system for us.  More to come later!

Top 10...in the World!

My cousin just showed me this article...and it makes me really happy. :)  

Woodstock is the school we worked at - and it is DEFINITELY one of the best!  

Miss you all!

Gospel for Asia

God is continuing to do a big work in my heart for India...I don't quite understand it yet, but it'll be interesting to see what happens.  I'm currently re-reading "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan.  At a Main Event in college they handed them out for free, asking only that if we take one, we read it.  I read it soon after, and remember feeling encouraged and challenged...but the difference between that first read and this one is dramatic.  Having been to India and learning it's stories, knowing people to shrink the staggering statistics, hiking through the "unreached northern villages" that he talks about...the Truth in the book is coming alive, and I can feel God's spirit of compassion moving as I read the stories.

Gospel for Asia is the ministry started by the author of this book.  100% of donations go to support national missionaries in Asia - and the stories of change and conversion are amazing.  Thousands of people are coming to Christ, people are being healed, demons being cast out, people are being raised from the dead.  It's like Acts all over again!  The Spirit of the Lord is galloping through Asia...and I want to be a part of it!

How many of us have considered supporting a national missionary from Asia?  Did I mention...it only costs $30 a month.  WHAT?!  These missionaries often have no home, eat a cup of rice a day, walk shoeless from village to village, and can live on less than $1 a day.  (since these are the standards of living they're used to and surrounded by, this is normal!!!!).  AND - they are infinitely more successful in spreading the Message than western missionaries could ever be.  AND - we have the resources (and probably MANY MANY MORE) to make this possible.   I don't know about you, but I think it's time American Christians jump on this Spirit-powered band wagon...'cause the train's leaving the station with or without us.

****Easiest way to donate: Change your search engine to GoodSearch - you can select "Gospel for Asia" as your charity of choice, and every time you search for something online, money will be donated.  Pretty effortless!

Oh, for the love of family...and Christmas...and God things...and bargain shopping!

Today was a great day!

Actually, this whole weekend was great.  We finally had our family Christmas, and it was wonderful.  I LOVE having everyone together, and it was also the first time that Matt was at our family Christmas!  It's so fun to have a growing family, and especially fun that we're all here together. :)

First event to report - Matthew's home from Chile!  He got home Thursday morning, and by Thursday afternoon he and mom were in my music room, playing xylophones and woodblocks with the first graders.  It was SO much fun to have them there, and I'm realizing how much I've missed just having him around.  We haven't "lived life" together for 6 years....I'm so glad he's back for a while!

Second event - Family Christmas!  We went over on Friday night, had our Christmas with "Iowa Aunty" Cindy Shearer, then played games all night, and laughed Stellmaker-style.  :)  For those of you that haven't experienced this Stellmaker event, I'm talking roll-on-the-ground, can-hardly-breathe, make-fools-of-yourself laughter.  Can't get much better!   "Santa" came Saturday morning, then we hung out, played with the dogs, flew Chris' model airplane, opened presents, and watched movies.  GREAT TIME!

Third event - Church this morning was crazy cool.  We ended up going to the early service in Story City with my family, and then the second service at Cornerstone...and both sermons focused on living your life with the end in mind.  My favorite quote of the day: "What would your 'dash' say?"  He was talking about the dash on headstones in a cemetery - every life is summed up with a dash between being born and breathing your last breath...and if your dash could talk, what would it say?  Chris and I are both going through a little quarter-life crisis as we're refocusing our lives and passions, and working to align our dreams with what GOD has for us instead of what OUR dreams are.  Today was such a neat confirmation to keep searching!

Fourth event - also about church. :)  Last week at church we randomly sat next to a man named Tim.  It ended up that he was on staff at Cornerstone, and had just gotten back from a mission trip to India the day before, where he had taught the book of Titus to 40 rural-India pastors. Today, the sermon started with them playing a video about the trip, and as he spoke about his trip, he talked about how Cornerstone is beginning to "ramp up our efforts to minister to India".  Ah, okay God.  We get it. 

He talked about how awkward the trip had been at times, how they didn't understand the culture, how it was difficult to navigate the systems...and I got PUMPED.  No matter how many times you go on short-term missions to India, you'll never quite "get the hang of it."  It's a HARD country to figure out!  And - Chris and I know how. :)  We know the culture, we know how to dress and what foods to eat, how to get a taxi and how much money things should cost.  And suddenly my mind was whirling to leading short-term mission groups, trips to the Landour language school, making long-term connections with Indian orphanages...maybe this is why we're home.

AND - we made a connection with a family that went through the foster care process a couple of years ago, has adopted through them, and has lived overseas.  Hmmm...coincidence?!  I think not!

Fifth event - Today we went to this sweet furniture sale for the friends of family of this rich business man in the area...a lot of the great stuff had already been bought by his family, but we did make two great purchases!

We got a...baby crib!  I know it's a little silly (since we're not pregnant OR even trying yet!), but it was such a great deal!  We saved about $300 on what it would have cost new...isn't it cute?!

 And, we got dining room chairs!  I would have liked if there were a few more, but now I can find some other fun fabric chairs that contrast. :)   Cheap and DEFINITELY an upgrade from the black folding chairs!

It was especially neat to find these sales after the messages at church today.  We need to be willing to "give what you have to the poor and follow Christ."  I thought about which things in our house would be hard for me to 'give up', and the only things that came to mind were our nice leather couches and our T.V. - the things we've bought new!  While I'll be working to give these things up in my heart, I also want to work at being a bargain shopper.  I never want to be ruled by stuff, and it feels SO freeing to know that even though these were great purchases, I could give them away tomorrow and never look back. :) 

And on a lighter note...

I just bought this hat today, and I'm TOTALLY in love!

I saw one just like this at Carlos O'Kelley's the other night, and Chris had to physically restrain me from ripping it from the girl's head and running out the door...but I was looking on Etsy for some (late!) Christmas presents today, and just stumbled upon it.  YIPPEE!  It was meant to be! 

And - after I wrote that last post, I went to the doctor and found out I have strep throat.  

That deserves a "I'm sorry you have strep" present, right?!

Our complicated life

So, today I'm sick. :(  I came down with the flu yesterday, and swear that my tonsils are touching right now - they're so swollen!  But, despite being relegated to my bed because I'm too weak to stand for more than a couple of minutes, I'm already really enjoying the time off from life.  We've had a lot going on lately, and it seems like a good day to "just process". 

Still Transitioning...
Yesterday Chris made the comment that he feels like he's been "ruined" for life here in the U.S.  There are definitely many moments that I agree.  Life here is so completely incompatible with everything we saw during our year in India.  And the most frustrating part is that we don't know what we can do to help the transition along.  Grr!


Perspectives...
Back and forth, back and forth, but we've finally decided to take (and stick with!) the Perspectives Class offered through Cornerstone.  It's an intense study of God's Mission heart, and how he has ALWAYS (even in O.T.) been a God with a heart for the nations.  We've only been there one time, but met some really great people that are living for the nations from right here in Ames. :)  

Professional Development...
This year I'm up for license renewal - which means that I NEED some serious credits!  In Iowa you need 6 Continuing Education Credits before you can renew, so I'm finally getting after it...and it's exciting!  I like that I have to take classes.  They're so expensive that I know there would always be a reason to put it off...but I can't anymore!  Big question right now: should I just get some certifications (Work toward Kodaly Certification through Drake), or should I start a master's degree?  Both are basically a 3-summer commitment, but the certifications are only 10 days/summer, while the master's degree is about a month.

Foster Care...
We're moving ahead to get our Foster Care certification.  In all honesty though, I have NO idea what this will look like for us.  We're contemplating starting our own family in the somewhat near future, and our home right now has only 2 bedrooms...which would make it impossible to have a baby and a foster child.  There are some other things we're processing, but we're going to get certified and then go from there.  At least then the doors will be open!


Debt...
Is NOT going so well.  We've had so many expenses since moving back that we literally are living paycheck to paycheck...and neither of us are spending much money on ourselves!  Okay - take that back - I guess I did go visit Matthew in Chile. :)  But other than that, stuff seems to steal our money, and we can't do anything about it.  Hopefully things are almost settled and we'll be able to use our money the way WE want to!

My Job...
I couldn't love my job any more than I do.  I've finally gotten to a good emotional place where I'm able to do the best I can right now, while being able to acknowledge that I could get so much better.  And then, it's just exciting!  It's SO much fun to see a first grader get a concept that I never thought they'd be able to grasp...and then see them do it without any help from me!  And having a kindergarten student tell me in the hall, "Mrs. Farley, I sang Little Bunny Foo Foo for my family last night at supper!" melts my heart.  Not quite sure why, but I'm kind of in love. :)

Church... 
We decided to settle at Cornerstone Church for now.  We had been going to Grand Avenue Baptist for a while, but in the end decided that Cornerstone would be better for our transitioning period.  The biggest problem: it's HUGE!  Community doesn't happen organically, and we're having to put a lot more effort into making friends at Cornerstone than we did at Grand Avenue.  We're visiting small groups right now though, which helps us to meet people.  Hopefully we'll find one that's a perfect fit and get plugged in fairly quickly!



Dreams (or lack thereof?)...
I've been reading the book "Radical", and spending lots of time reflecting on the statement "to live is Christ and to die is gain."  What does it truly mean to "die to yourself?"  He points out that if we are dead, we have NO dreams, NO aspirations, NO goals.  Being a SERIOUS dreamer, this is a hard pill to swallow, and I'm suddenly aware that maybe my mouth and actions haven't always lined up in devotion to Christ.   Have I bought into the "American Dream" version of Christianity?  Hmmm...


Ashamed...
I have a serious confession to make: sometimes I think I am ashamed of Christ.  I can tell that slowly, slowly, I've become less able to make definitive statements out loud.  "Christ is the ONLY way", "This is a sin in God's eyes", things like that.  My heart still believes, but my mouth seems to be rusted shut by our culture's message of tolerance.  And if my mouth doesn't say it, can my heart really believe it?

All about "The Journey"...
And during all this, there have been many moments where it's just gotten to me and I've become seriously stressed out.  Then one day, I remembered my cousin Christine's advice. :)  We were traveling together in Europe, and I found myself getting anxious about utilizing our time to the fullest and seeing everything we could.  I expected that I wouldn't come back to many of these places, and didn't want to miss a thing.  Having been much more traveled than I at the time, she said "Nicole, it's all about the journey.  Just enjoy it!"  That's always stuck with me, and came back to me a few weeks ago as I was fretting about paying off our debt and becoming financially free to go where God wants.

And so I had to remind myself: there is no "finish line" in this lifetime.  You'll get There when you get There, but until then...do your best, and enjoy the ride! 

10 + 1 = 11 GOALS!

Allrighty - here are my 2011 goals!  

BEGIN IMMEDIATELY
1. Catch up on scrapbooking
      * I have 1100 pictures currently waiting to be printed...this is a SERIOUS goal people!
2. Become active/involved at Cornerstone
     *Really excited about this one, and kind of already started!
3. Get trained in foster care
     *We've gone to the informational meeting - now we just have to get our paperwork in and get fingerprinted, and we start the waiting game!
4. Become conversational in Spanish
5. Save up to buy a nice bike
     * Ragbrai anyone?!

SUMMER
6. Have a garden/do some canning
     * BRING IT ON!
7. Work through my elementary curriculum
8. Level 1 kodaly certification

FALL
9. Finish a marathon
     * I've been contemplating this and going back and forth, and am just going to go for it.  Note: I said "FINISH", not necessarily "RUN".  :)

YEAR-LONG
10. $18,000 of student loans paid off, $4,000 in savings
     *Oh, debt.  How I loathe thee!

AND: the +1....
11. Be more intentional with communication/interaction.
     *This is my big one that's going to be on-going and focused.  My goal is to e-mail quick e-mails more, facebook more, maybe get texting (I know I know, step into the 21st century lady!), call people more, celebrate events more, invite people over more....just focus on people.

______________________________________________

With the encouragement of my dear friend Katie, this year's focus is....

Bearing Fruit 

______________________________________________

P.S. I can't fit this into the 11 goals...but I do want to read one more book this year than I did last year.  Thanks for the inspiration Kelli B!

A Week in Chile

Wow, what a trip!  It was seriously a whirlwind, but a very pleasant one, filled with great "Dad" and "Matthew" time.  I haven't spent so much time with either of them in a VERY LONG TIME, so it was WONDERFUL!  I felt like I got to know both of them all over again, and it was great!


Amy and I left the Farley's house (straight from that Christmas celebration) on Thursday, Dec. 23rd around 4:30.  We made it up to Story City, then proceeded to drive up to Minneapolis through a winter storm.  Got there around 10:00, had a quick night's sleep, then made it to the airport around 6:30 AM on Friday, Dec. 24th.

Dad smiling in the airport :)  Note: this was BEFORE the 27 hour trip!

We went to a Christmas service/dinner at Matthew's church.  It was such a special night, and everyone there was SO welcoming and friendly.  We loved getting to see Matthew's Chilean faith family.

Matthew has spent the majority of his time in Chile building two fishermen "huts".  Unlike the U.S., a lot of the wood had to be prepared by the workers, so this is the wood shop that Matthew has spent a lot of his time in.  Esteban is in the middle, and he and dad were immediate "buddies".  Dad doesn't speak a word of Spanish, and Esteban speaks even less English -  but they both had their Carharts on, so they were BFFs right away.

Matthew is fortunate to be surrounded with a Chilean "family", and we got to go over to his "grandma Aida's" house for dessert one night.  Hmmm...so good!

This is Matthew's building site.  Way to go brother!!!

The boys on a short hike to a great view near Matthew's building site.  See the two buildings in the back?  Right between the two construction men. :)

WHOA big rhubard!

The resort where Matthew is staying is called the "Cliff's Preserve", and is focused toward the very, very wealthy.  We would have NEVER been able to afford staying there...except that during this visit, we got to stay there for free!  Our accommodations weren't ritzy or anything, but we did get to do a bunch of the things available for the guests...one of which was horse-back riding along the beach!  We didn't even need a guide, it was so fun!

Dad's inner child surfaced during our trip, and he became "Brad the Explorer".  My inner adult surfaced, and I spent the whole time fretting they were going to slip and die.  Seeing how close they were to the water, I realize now that I could have calmed down a bit.

Matthew wanted me to take this picture to try and trick mom into thinking he was really high...

does it look real?!

Another stop on our explorations.

Matthew worked his magic and got us a free boat excursion out to see the penguins in their natural habitat.  It was AWESOME, such a fun experience.

Fishermen out to sea.

Mateo in his goofy penguin outfit.

LOVED spending time with this boy...it'd been over a year since we'd seen each other!!!  WAY too long.

PENGUINS!

The Chilean/Iowa posse. :)

Brother/Sister :)

We visited the Laguna Verde....hmmmm....

Our last day we decided to take a trip to climb up the local volcano...and surprise!  There was snow!

And a SWEET view...

And a ridiculous daddy...

And snow snacks.  :)

It was a WONDERFUL trip, filled with great talks, laughs, new friends, and long-lasting memories.  LOVE YOU DADDY!  LOVE YOU BROTHER!  Thanks for a great time. :)

Top 10's of 2010

10 Words to Describe 2010...

     1. Intense

     2. Fun

     3. Crazy

     4. Adventurous

     5. Confusing

     6. Travel-filled

     7. Teaching

     8. Transforming

     9. Great

    10. Transitional

____________________________________________

10 Things Learned in 2010...

     1. God is a BIG God.

     2. God is a POWERFUL God.

     3. Chris and I are a great team.

     4. I LOVE little kids. :)

     5.  I can't WAIT to be a mommy. :)

     6.  It's great to see the world, and it's GREAT to be home, near family.

     7. As long as I have a goal and am learning, I will be happy.

     8. As long as I am in God's will, I will be JOYFUL.

     9.  Elementary music is pretty great.

    10. I have an amazing husband, an amazing family, and a great God. (I guess I already knew that....but I re-learn it every day!)

_______________________________________________

10 Great Memories of 2010...

     1. Visiting Jason and Christine in Hong Kong, and getting to experience their life there.

     2.  Baby Ben (first nephew!) joining our family!

     3. Having Amy visit us in India, and spending 6 whole weeks traveling with her!

     4. Trekking in the Himalayan mountings - experience of a lifetime.

     5. 5 YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!  Love you baby!

     6. Amy getting engaged...to my husband's brother! :)

     7. Farley Family vacation in Ireland - another experience of a lifetime!

     8. Getting a job in my hometown and moving back in with my parents.

     9. Moving to Ames and getting re-settled...feels so good!

    10.  Visiting Matthew in Chile, and getting to experience his life there.

___________________________________________________________

10 Fun Pictures of 2010...

More reflections to come...but that's what I've got for now!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!