Popcorn in my Belly!

My greatest moment of pregnancy happened last night!!! (Well, 2nd to when we found out what Baby B-Cad was going to be:)) I was sitting in small group, and hoping that this child would move.. nothing! Once everyone left, and I was laying down, I not only felt him move, but my blanket moved too!!!!
   It was the 1st time that Brett got to see him move in my stomach.. he was going crazy! My stomach looks like one of those air pop popcorn machines:)

    I'm now 25 weeks... LOVING everyday of pregnancy!  I cannot wait to see this lil guy.. but I know that I'm going to miss actually being pregnant!  We just had a Dr. appointment.. and the Dr. said he is measuring BIG! She had "he has definately hit a growth spurt, but should slow down a bit about 30 weeks. I think he is about 2 pounds!!... Brett and I are starting to wonder if Baby B-Cad is going to take after his Pawpa Neier!!!!

Ordinary, yet Extraordinary!

  Brett and I's small group is made up of 5 couples.  Each of these couples are very ordinary people.. but have huge hearts!  Each year, we have focused on a specific area where we can grow.. the first year together, it was Fellowship.  Each couple was new to Noblesville, and had no other friends or family in the area... so we spent a lot of time fellowshipping together.. last year, our focus was study. We dug into the word and grew more on a spiritual level.. this year, we tried to take the focus off of ourselves, and try to give more back to our community... 
 I in no way, want this to sound like we are patting ourseleves on the back, but rather as accountability that we will continue this mindset...
   We have done various things around our community that in small ways might impact others.  We adopted a single mom, and have helped her wih her girls, along with moving out of a bad apartment.  About every other month we will have a lunch-in after church and donate the money we would normally spend on an after church meal, and use the money instead to help someone in the community. We provided Christmas for a family, helped a boy (who was the first to go to college in his family), purchase items he would need in he dorm, and most recently, we saved up some money to buy gift bags to take on our next little adventure...

   We not only wanted to help in our own community, but to expand this midset into our country.  We decided to go on a short mission trip to the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, an area very effected by poverty.  We found an organization called "God's Love from a Diaper Bag."

  Going on a mission trip, you think that you go to "Change" or "Help" them in some way.. and maybe in "some way" we did... the guys did some small construction projects (the girls tried to help), and we got to do some neat things in the community, like pass out the gift bags at a nursuring home.. and spent the afternoon visiting, we passed out pizza to elderly in apartments, and passed out school supplies to kids on Halloween... but after we left this place after a short 3 day trip.. we realized that we didn't do much.. instead we came away from this place inspiried and challenged...

     Bessy & Lester are the founders of "God's Love From a Diaper Bag." You could go on the web and try to find more info on this, but you will find none.  They don't even have an email address they use consistantly.  They are the most kind-hearted, sweetest people you could meet, yet they are very ordinary.  This ministry began by Bessy giving away diapers out of her truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot.. and because she has been obedient to the Lord, and has heard his calling, He has used Bessy in such a mighty way to impact her community.  Lots of people and various churches have come by her side and helped her and this ministry.  They have donated lots of diapers, other baby products, and their time to help the people in this community.  The people in this area can come day or night and recieve diapers, formula, blankets, clothes, medicine, etc for their babies.  She has baby showers for groups of 20 women at a time, and they have begun construction and are adding on to this mission.. when the contruction is completed, she will have a couple dental offices to help people with dental problems.  She has no day off, and works long hours and even lives in the same place they do their ministry.  She would be nobody special to someone in the next county over, but to those who have bennifited from this ministry, she is a celebrity!
  I could go on and on, about how amazing this ministry has been to the people in Jenkins, KY, but my point is simple.. We are all such very ORDINARY people.. ordinary yes.. but if you are willing to go outside your comfort zone, and invest some time.. you can become extraordinary... 

   Allow Bessy & Lester.. a couple 50 year olds with no special talents to be an inspiration.  I know that Brett and I have thought and talked about this a lot.. we don't know what the Lord has in store for us.. but we are excited to find out!