1,046 cookies, brownies, and muffins, baked by at least 14 people.

300 boxes assembled and filled with baked goods and Chapel Next business cards or handwritten words of encouragement, all prepared by 20-ish people.

5 barracks buildings and almost 300 soldiers uplifted and greeted by 15 people with heartfelt conversation and the love of Christ and community.

1 amazing and blessed first outreach by the Baking Brigade.

Sadly, there is only one photo of Alan because he was our photographer for the event.

I intended to blog about this earlier, but I couldn't find the right words to describe what an amazing, God-filled experience this was. I still don't have all of the words, but if I wait for "perfect," I'll never hit the "Publish" button.

The night before the Baking Brigade outreach, I prayed myself to sleep. I was ridiculously nervous and kept grabbing my phone from the nightstand so I could add quick reminders--don't forget scissors for cutting the twine, and markers for decorating boxes, and print off your notes for Sunday Morning Life Group!

So, while I was casting my cares on the Lord, I was also making sure that I was doing absolutely everything in my power to be prepared. You know--just in case. (read: I was really just paying lip service to God.)

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. -Psalms 55:22

I was afraid that we wouldn't have enough cookies, that even though the list of people who signed up looked decent, people would forget or not bother or not make enough. It was almost 1 a.m. when I toyed with the idea of getting up and making even more cookies (one of my closest friends down here arrived home on Saturday after visiting family on the East Coast, so we went to dinner with them and then they came over so she could bake muffins).

And I was reminded of Jesus feeding the five thousand.

I told myself that if Jesus could do that, then He would make sure that we would have enough to go around. His will would be done. I had to keep myself in check.

Sometimes, we have to live by faith and trust that God will provide. I told God that I was entrusting Him with the entire outreach. That if it succeeded, it was only because He is good and that all the glory went to Him. That if it failed, I knew that this was a me-thing, and not a God-thing. I asked Him to use me as a vessel to minister to others and advance His kingdom.

Coincidentally--or not--I taught about leadership in Life Group the next morning. Leaders have extraordinary faith because they trust that their visions will be fulfilled, as long as people are motivated and God will provide.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

And I thought to myself, "Wow, I wish I had that kind of faith!" Instead, I was too busy worrying, and had clearly forgotten the prayer I'd said the previous night. I wanted to end class fifteen minutes early, so I could check on cookies and one of the other ladies could go home to pick up a forgotten Children's Church lesson plan--we barely finished praying by the usual end of class. At that point, I decided to recommit my cares to God.

Would more people drop off cookies? Would we have twine to finish the boxes? Would enough people volunteer to package, to go to the barracks? Was I forgetting something? What if we didn't have enough cookies? What if, in spite of my heart for this mission and my excitement, it failed?

I sometimes get the impression that I--as a woman? as a young woman? as an introvert who hates to be acknowledged in the congregation?--am dismissed by some of the men, and if this failed, well, it would just be proof that women should sit down and be quiet and listen.

So, I prayed some more.

After Life Group, Alan and I went to the mall to pick up a classmate who'd volunteered to help (and, the day before, we drove to the university to pick up cookies another classmate had baked). We grabbed lunch in the food court and then returned to chapel to assemble 300 kraft boxes. Around 2 p.m., more people started to show up and we began to start packaging and talking about our plan for the barracks. And there was prayer. Lots of prayer.

The process went quickly with so much help, and by 3:30, we were ready to drive over to the barracks. We divided the boxes into three garbage bags to make everything easier to carry. It was awesome to see a caravan of eight vehicles pull into the barracks parking lot.

We met some really great men and women while we made our rounds in five buildings, and the experience opened my eyes to the fact that more of this is needed. More time. More conversation. More love. More community. More God.

Sunday was one soldier's birthday. A box of cookies was the first birthday present he'd received all day.

Two soldiers were so excited about the cookies that they opened their boxes and started eating while the four (some of us paired off) of us stood in their doorway, chatting.

Countless soldiers were in disbelief that someone was offering free homemade treats, that someone cared. One soldier desperately needed someone to talk to.

One soldier asked if it was finally his turn for a box of cookies, because he'd seen so many other guys with them.

Some of them asked if this was a church outreach. And, from what church? Where? When is service?

However, several knocks went unanswered. On the upside, the chaplain's response to that was to make this a monthly event--the soldiers will know to be home on the last Sunday of the month if they want free baked goods.

And who doesn't want free cookies baked with love?

stove not included

A chaplain and I reconnoitered the barracks on Monday in order to decide how best to go about this outreach.

Which, by the way, is still nameless.  But at least we're down to four names: Batter Buddies, Batterground (they were tied for first), Baking Brigade, and Bake.Pray.Love.

I had a hard time sleeping that night, because I kept thinking of what I saw in the barracks (or maybe it was the fact that I wanted to give my friend the night off, and babysat her toddler for 24+ hours with little sleep).

Seriously, it's worse than the honors dorm I lived in for three years of undergrad.  I didn't know that was possible.

They don't even have a stove (in the particular building I visited).  I kept thinking of the guys at the gas station when I stopped on post Sunday night.  The one who really left an impression had a frozen pot pie and a sports drink.  At the time, I thought, "That's so sad.  But maybe he just doesn't feel like cooking tonight."

Or, you know, maybe he doesn't even have a stove.  That was clearly my second thought.

Granted, I used the stove once the entire time I was in a dorm, and that was to bake cookies (I used the stove frequently when I lived in an apartment).  But it's the principle of the matter.

We chatted with a soldier in the orderly room to find out the best time to stop by and gauge how well-received this outreach would be.

And while I was happy to hear that it would really boost morale, it saddened me to hear that many soldiers don't have a lot of contact with family and support systems, that a couple of cookies from some arbitrary people would really show them that their commands care about them.

I mean, think about it.  Maybe you're 18, and you're away from home for the first time, but unlike orientation week at college, no one's around to send you off to mandatory fun and keep you from feeling homesick and you never get mail from your parents or hang out with your coworkers.  Maybe you don't have a car.  Apparently, you don't have a stove, either.  And your housing is so old that it's condemned, and if Air Force personnel would have to live where you do, they'd receive a higher housing allowance because of it.  (I mean, I used to complain because my dorm didn't have an elevator and no one held the door open for me when I traipsed up four flights of stairs with a laundry basket.)  And some free cookies and a sincere "hey, how are you doing?" would totally make your day.

I am more excited and ... rushed? (I think I feel rushed, or anxious, or ready yesterday, or something like that) than ever to get this underway.  People have approached me in chapel to ask when this is going to finally start.  More people have asked for information.  The colonel in charge of the second barracks we'll be visiting (the barracks that I visited today) is all for this.  And I want to bake some fresh cookies on Sunday afternoon so they can be delivered, still warm.  Except, the stove at the chapel is broken, and there are higher priorities.

bake. pray. love.

Ever since Sunday, this idea for a blog post has been rolling around in my head, but I couldn't think of words to adequately describe how totally blessed I felt and how overwhelmed I was with God's awesomeness.

And actually, I still can't think of the perfect words, but I still want to share this story.

A few months ago, one of the chaplains mentioned that two soldiers committed suicide in the same week.  I can't even begin to imagine the pain their families felt--and still feel, I'm sure--and it made me want to do something.  Why did they (and other soldiers who commit suicide) feel that suicide was their only option?  That thought stuck with me for weeks.  How could I help?  What could the church do?

In my grad school classes, I learned that sometimes people seek suicide because they feel they have no other option--no resources, no support, no help, no way out.  What if we could give them support?

I asked the chaplain (there are multiple chaplains at Chapel Next, but I'm referring to the same one in this post) if it would be possible to gather a group of people together to go dorm-storming in the barracks (housing would also be an option, but I felt that soldiers living in the barracks are more apt to be/feel alone).  We could say hi and connect with the soldiers there.  It could be a regular thing.  We could let them know that someone cares about each and every one of them, individually.  And we could take cookies or brownies.

Because, seriously, who won't open their doors for cookies?

The Sunday before Alan and I left for Pennsylvania, the chaplain met with me to discuss the plan.  I designed two fliers over the holidays, which were meant to gauge interest in the chapel.  I was beyond excited, but at the same time, fearful that no one would want to help.  Not that that was going to stop me--I put it in my mind that I would go by myself, door to door, if it came down to that.

But that's a lot of baking for one person.
                 
On Sunday, the chaplain approached me before I gave my little blurb about the Sunday Morning Life Group that I'll be teaching this quarter (it's on spiritual gifts).  He said that he'd like to make an announcement and ask people who were interested to meet us after the service.

Um, sure.  Because I'm already so thrilled to have to stand up in front of a crowd and talk about my class.  I would love more attention.  Especially after another chaplain points me out in the service because my husband and I lead Home Life Group.

If you ever want an example of an introvert, I'm a pretty good candidate.

However!  It was all for a good cause.  Over 20 people signed up for more information!  We have access to at least three barracks and some really good bakers/cooks, and people who want to go and chat with the soldiers!  One of my friends--my closest friend down here--went up with me for emotional support, and I was just so overwhelmed to see so many people willing to help.

I emailed a spreadsheet with the contact info we collected to the chaplain, and we're planning to start this outreach toward the end of the month.  I'd like to call it "Bake. Pray. Love.," but we'll see what everyone else thinks.  I think the name appeals more to the late-teen and early twenty-something group we're trying to reach, but maybe it's too feminine.

ministries

We are busy.  Busy and blessed.

"The Case for Christ" is going to be good, we can tell--we're breaking the sessions in half because of the involvement in and debate around the discussion questions.  I think one of our struggles will be the fact that we are all fairly strong in our faith, so the best way to approach this study will be to gain knowledge in order to answer those tough questions we might not expect (but that might be the opportunity for us to be fifteen).

The fall quarter of Sunday Morning Life Group ended today.  Teaching is a little overwhelming, sometimes, and I've really stepped out of my comfort zone (I am a fan of my introverted tendencies and I strongly dislike praying aloud, but I've done it for the past eleven weeks).  However, I would like to continue teaching.  Classes and teachers typically change every quarter (granted, this is only the second quarter that Chapel Next has offered Sunday Morning Life Group), so I would like to be able to offer a stable class that people can count on.
I'm just not sure if I should offer it for women (PWOC meets on Tuesday mornings, but I know that not everyone can attend), or if I should offer something similar to "Captivating" meets "Wild at Heart"--a class where men and women can learn about themselves and each other, and how to relate to one another in a Christian sense.  Or maybe something completely different.  I brought this up with a friend Monday night at dinner--we talked for two and a half hours about this and that and life in Texas and ministry opportunities, and it was a blessing.
Meanwhile, Alan keeps busy with Children's Church, which he teaches on the first Sunday of the month.

This was my first week off between semesters.  With God's help and direction this semester, and much support and love from my husband, I earned a 4.0 and believe that this is exactly where He wants me.  One of my professors said that she would "strongly encourage" me to go for a doctorate after this program, because she believes that I have "a brilliant writing style" and sharp skills--both of which are generous blessings from God and just the message I need to hear (and remember) during those times when I feel inadequate.

busy + blessed

I've started so many posts (and finished them and left them sitting in draft form for weeks), but since Alan and I wanted this to be a joint effort, it's sometimes difficult for us to coordinate schedules.  And by that, I mean that I usually write during the day, and then forget to tell him that I wrote something I'd like him to read/add to/edit so we can post it, so nothing ever happens.

The house is looking a bit more homey--Alan hung some of our wedding photos in the entryway and we strung some Instagram photos in the hallway.

We wrapped up "Resilient Warriors" on Friday (we moved our home life group to Friday evenings, since we have a penchant for staying up until the wee hours talking) and will start studying "The Case for Christ" next week--we decided to take a break this week to relax after Thanksgiving--we provide dinner each week, so preparation can be a bit exhausting.  We're (the ladies' class) also preparing to wrap up the fall Sunday Morning Life Group sessions--there are only a couple of chapters left in "Captivating."

Work- and school-wise, we're both doing well, even though our dream job is to be attached at the hip every day and somehow manage to still earn an income.

Unfortunately, we still have yet to figure out that one.

life is full of blessings!

Life has become so full, and we have been so blessed over the past few weeks!

+ Alan was supposed to be "in the field" this week, which would have meant that he would have been sleeping on post all week, but plans were changed, so he's been home every night.  We love being able to see each other in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and spend time together in the evenings.  It's especially nice on Thursdays, because Thursday seems like the weekend for me (because of grad classes) and he gets off early on Thursdays.

+ I'm (Elizabeth) a graduate student!  It's challenging and stimulating, and I've met some really great people in the program.  There's a Chinese student who's been in the country for two weeks.  We met at the graduate student welcome reception--she asked where I was from and seemed a little disappointed that I wasn't Chinese, but I asked if she spoke Mandarin (in Mandarin), so we've been practicing our English and Mandarin together, and I've been trying to get her off campus and out and about.
I've also met two women whose husbands are serving in the Army.  One is writing a novel and one works for the Army as a civilian.  Last night, I went to the writer's house and we talked a lot studied together.  She said it would be cool if I visited her church and she visited mine.
Lastly, I met two women at the reception who seemed really nice.  We started a conversation and were rather gregarious and extroverted ... and then we all admitted that we usually aren't so outgoing, that we'd much rather just sit in the corner and eat our food and people watch.  Immediate bond?  I think so.
Here's to the introverts of the world.

+ Alan and I are going to start leading a home life group, which is like a home Bible study.  We'll be studying Resilient Warriors.

+ I (Elizabeth) am going to start teaching a book/Bible study on Sunday mornings at chapel.  When we first arrived, Chapel Next had only just started life groups (the chapel's version of Sunday School), and they were for both men and women.  I really missed the cohesiveness that I had with the ladies class in Pennsylvania.  (Also, I had attended the same church for over two decades.)  While we were undergoing training to lead a home life group, I asked if something like a women's group was available, or if one could be started.
I think there's a need for a women's group (especially because not everyone can attend PWOC on Tuesday mornings), and I've been wanting to teach ever since I took an inventory on spiritual gifts at my home church in PA.  The home life group leader mentioned it to the chaplains, and now we'll be studying Captivating.

+ I (Alan) would just like to say that the lord our God has brought us together and is pouring out his blessings around us. As for me and this house we will serve the lord. Our cup runneth over.  For Christ's sake . . . for when I am weak I am strong.

miscellany wednesday

+ Alan made a delicious chicken and pineapple pizza for lunch on Sunday.  We dipped it in sriracha.  I love it when food is made from scratch + love.

+ Chapel Next hosted Date Night with Dr. Gary Rosberg on Sunday evening.  It was entertaining; I definitely enjoyed the fellowship and Alan was glad to know we're on the right track--for example, when we scored ourselves on our emotional and physical connections, we both seem to be doing the right things.  When we read the suggestions to improve our connections (i.e. text throughout the day to communicate or affirm your spouse), we realized that we're already doing those, too!

+ The temperature has been in the low 70s all week, with rain off and on.  It's been so cool that we haven't used the central air for the past two days; we've been content with keeping the windows open (usually, it starts getting warm around 2 p.m., so I close the windows and turn on the air).  We finally have grass that looks like grass.
Last night while we were sweeping the cracked cement slab that passes for a patio or something like that, Alan said he could buy some weed killer at Lowe's that, according to other people in the area, will kill the weeds and not the grass.  I told him that I thought half of our grass was comprised of weeds. ...

+ The dogs have taken over the pergola bed.  For a while, it was just a frame, and we could take out the futon mattress or a comforter when we wanted to use it.  The dogs didn't climb on it because they were afraid of falling through.  But, Alan recently came home with some sleeping pads that the Army was throwing away, so he stuck them on the frame.  We haven't tested it with the pads yet, but the dogs have.
And, he recently added an old quilt to make the dogs more comfy. :)

miscellany wednesday

We were going to post a Miscellany Monday post.  And then I realized it's already Wednesday.

+ Alan had a four-day weekend, and we spent part of it at a chapel retreat in Waxahachie.  The topic was "Guard Your Heart" and focused on the Proverbs 4 passage.  Not only did we learn more about the passage and its application to our lives, but we really enjoyed spending time together as a family (or partially together--most of the time, the boys wanted to spend time with their friends from youth group) and fellowshipping with friends from the Soldiers' Hospitality House.  There would have been photos, but phone reception was horrible, so our phones were constantly drained.

+ Aside from the regular chores the boys may choose to do to earn money, C mowed a neighbor's lawn with Alan's help.  The neighbor paid him 50 percent more than what he asked.

+ Following the retreat's topic, the youth group leader is running a session this week on anti-bullying and guarding yourself.  He apparently served in protective services during his Army career, and is leading self-defense with a spiritual perspective.

look what came in the mail!

Along with a pretty sweet key chain and car decal.  And let me tell you, any university that sends you a key chain and car decal is a pretty cool university.

Anyway.

This Friday, we're leaving for a Chapel Next retreat at Lakeview, which we're all excited about.  This weekend is a four-day weekend for Alan.  Aside from the sessions (the retreat focuses on family), C has repeatedly mentioned that he can't wait to try the zip line, and T is excited about "the blob."

We're hoping to stop by UMHB on the way to Lakeview so I can register for the fall semester.  I am so excited to start grad classes (I can't wait to buy books!) and be back on a college campus.

C found a sea urchin fossil near the house yesterday.  We went fossil hunting and the boys returned with a rucksack full of fossilized seashells--we're going to put some of them in our aquarium.