Oxford Visit

Around the House

Christmas Morning....

 

First Week of School and MORE...

So, we have LOVED our first week of school!  Kierra is enjoying 7th grade.  She has a locker and changes from one class to another.  She is a BIG girl now! Raegan loves her second grade class.  They have 4 new students in the class and she has become friends with one of the little girls.  Jon has been a busy guy, as he assist 7th grade Bible and 8th grade Bible AND working on ALL the IT stuff.  I LOVE my sweet 5th graders!  They are precious...my hands will be full this year.  I have 14 students, 4 girls, 10 boys!  OH MY!  Pray for ALL of us as we continue to adjust to the school year.

We were also blessed to move into an apartment just a couple of minutes away from the school.  The girls love coming home early and not having to be at school so early.  We are pretty much settled except for TWO very important things...our washing machine has not been working since we moved into the apartment (2 weeks ago) and the HOT water has not been working....so we ask that you pray for these simple, but oh so important things to get fixed.

We have made new friends with the new teachers that came in this year.  They are all AWESOME, hard working people!  Pray for their transition her to Rio.

Thought I would share some pictures of our happenings....

Our first weekend back to Rio, we went on a hike in Copacabana.  We actually went to the Copacabana Fort.  It was beautiful!

Along the way, Kierra LOVED taking pictures of the cute little monkeys.  

Beautiful views from the fort.

Copacabana Beach

New teachers and old... :)

Raegan lost her FIRST tooth!!!  She wouldn't let Jon pull it, but she let one of the cleaning ladies at our school pull it! :)

First day of school!  Kierra - 7th Grade, Raegan - 2nd Grade

My 5th Grade class!  They are a silly bunch! :)

Thank you for all the LOVE!!! Summer '12

Summer FUN 2012

     Over the summer we have seen many people, driven to many cities, and what we have ALL been in awe of is how EVERYONE has loved on us so.  We have been blessed with HUGS, HUGS, HUGS, school supplies, medicine, prayers, MANY dinner dates and COFFEE BREAKS!  We want to THANK everyone for your Southern hospitality. There were several friends and family that we didn't get to see, but know you are in our thoughts!  We ask that you continue to pray for us as we have a busy next few weeks.  We will be moving into a new apartment (CLOSE to SCHOOL, PTL!), we will be in MANY, MANY meetings, helping new teachers find their way around RIO, and then STARTING CLASSES around the 20th of August.  Please pray for Raegan and, especially, Kierra who are having worries of not having any friends in their new classes.  Pray that they will TRUST the LORD because HE is Sovereign!  We will keep you posted on our new mailing address and as always, if you would like to support the NICS mission...check out their website. (www.nics.org) You will also find a place on the website to donate...just find our families name!
Blessings,

The following is a quick snapshot of the people and places we saw this summer....

The "Three Musketeers" reunited again!

Yeah, she is from the SOUTH!!!  Loves the four-wheeler!

I (Rachel) had the honor of working with the kid's program for NICS - PFO.  

Teens at the Civil Right's Museum

I even ran into JUSTIN BIEBER!!!!  

Fun Times at the ZOO with NICS PFO kids!

Headed to Hardy, AR with the McGonagill family for some relaxation.  Paige and I found a way to cook...without a stove!  

Praising GOD STILL for all the school supplies and meds that LIFEPOINT women provided for our family!  We were so BLESSED!!!!  Thank YOU!

Homemade screen projector at the Witt's home.  They use this as they sing the song with their small group!  It was such a blessing visiting with this precious group of people!

Mike and Kathy Witt....blessed by your hospitality!

Love "redheaded Ethan" ...as Raegan calls him.  Blessed by another Witt family! 

Raegan and Lex rockin' out at Uncle Joseph and Aunt Sara's house in Mobile.

Yummy dinner at Harmon's Catfish.  Blessed to visit with my family...including my 90 something year old Aunt Pearl!

My Mawmaw....one of my spiritual roll models.

Dinner at Rio Lindo!  YUMMY!!!!  Love my Lifepoint small group!  Sorry, the picture was taken after some of you left! :S

Hanging with the Pillstroms.  It was a JOY to see Lynleigh for the FIRST TIME!!!  

Kierra got BAPTIZED this summer!  Wow, to see her really owning her PERSONAL relationship with the LORD...AWESOME!  Uncle Brandon and Aunt Bridget came to witness her baptism.

Out to dinner with some old high school friends in the big town of OXFORD! 

Hanging with one of my besties at Kierra's birthday slumber party.

During Kierra's slumber party, we decided to silly string them...little did we know how it would end....WE got stringed!

Some of Kierra's BFF's!

Emma holding Kierra's hand while she got her ears pierced for her birthday...

Kierra is so proud of her new earrings...and she didn't even cry! LOL!

Homemade pizza night with Aunt Bridget....

and Uncle Brandon...

The Isbell brothers and their mom, Linda.

The Isbell brothers with their better halves... :)

Raegan and Kierra with their cousins, Eli and Nick.

Jon TORE apart some ribs....oh, Southern food how he missed you!

Raegan is doing what she does best...giving away hugs!  Aunt Pearl is LOVING IT!

Mawmaw with Kierra, Raegan, and their cousin Evelyn.

All the pretty ladies... Mawmaw, Mimi, Rachel, Kierra, Raegan, and Evelyn.

As you can tell we LOVED every minute of our summer vacation.  There are SO MANY people and places (like New Prospect Baptist Church) that we visited, and we received the BEST Southern hospitality! You just got a snapshot of all the HUGS and LOVE we got.  Thank you ALL for taking care of us and filling us up for our mission here in Rio.  Keep us in your prayers.

Blessings,