The girls

 

 

We made an unexpected trip into Tulsa today and it was such a beautiful day we decided to take some pictures at Woodward Park. These cuties are such a blessing!

The Conference Call

Yesterday was a big day. God's picture of His desires and plans for our family is slowly showing more and more details. Dustin had a conference call with Shannon (the guy I happened to sit by on the plane home from Kentucky), Mark (the former lead singer for Audio Adrenaline and Founder of the Hands and Feet project) and Roger ( a coordinator for the HAF project). They were all excited to see how the Lord had orchestrated us all together so perfectly. Shannon said that just the day before he got on the plane a friend and big donor for the HAF project called him. A very short call. He told him that he had just read this book "Not a Fan" and that Shannon needed to pick it up and read it. The next morning he boarded the plane and I was sat next to him and I was reading the book. Our two hour conversation started from the comment "Are you reading "Not a Fan"? My friend just told me I needed to pick it up and read it."...God is so intentional. God is the master weaver of believers. So yesterday... the conference call. What an exciting time to hear their hearts for the Lord and the vision He has given them to be the Hands and Feet of Christ as they love, provide for and train up these orphans for the glory of God in Haiti. So where do we fit in that picture? They need a medical director to oversee care. They currently have no one. They currently have 100 children in 2 facilities that have no regular care or provider. They only rely on occasional missionary relief in physicians and dentists when they come to Haiti. They need someone to help in planning trips and providing a more regular scheduling of teams of physicians and support team members to come and take care of the children. We believe the Lord has placed us exactly where He can use us to help HAF. To help these children. To share the love of Christ with them. What exciting times! Dustin will also be helping with developing and implementing a protocol for what to do medically when things arise. Would you join us in praying? They have asked that we join them January 7-10 in Haiti for a quick trip to tour the grounds, pray with them, and discuss where to go from here. We are so thrilled with the opportunity but we are unsure as to God's timing. Our home is still awaiting the right buyers but Dustin doesn't have to start in Kentucky until January 14th. Please pray that the Lord will continue to work all of the details out. That He will continue to confirm to us what He would like for us to do and how He can use us. They have told us that the travel and airfare will be taken care of if we can just come. Listening to my husband share yesterday was so very thrilling to me. I find such joy that the Lord has truly given Him, us, the desires of our hearts to see Him, join Him, and serve Him! So last night we did some research on the group Audio Adrenaline. We knew their name but not really who they were. We recognized some songs: Big House and Hands and Feet. When the band started at Kentucky Christian University in 1986 we were 7 years old! How cool is that? The Lord was working in us even then preparing us for works He already knew beforehand that we would walk in. Our God is totally overwhelming at times with His goodness! If you get a chance I challenge you to go to the website and watch the video about how they were obedient to be the Hands and Feet of Christ and join in His vision for these orphanages in 2005. www.handsandfeetproject.org. Maybe the Lord is already working in your heart as you read my words and what He is doing with us! Maybe you will one day join us as we help coordinate teams to go and take care of and love these children. He has great things in store if only we will trust and obey! What a journey when you walk with Jesus! 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

 

  The link to their song "Hands and Feet". I love the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFHyVdugFEM

 

I want to be your hands
I want to be your feet
I'll go where you send me!
I'II go where you send me!

And l try, yeah I try
To touch the world like
You touched my life
And I find my way
To be your hands! 

 

That is the Cupp Crew's Prayer for sure!

 

 

 

Funnies from the Election

Andrew and Carson had a vote at school yesterday for Presidency just like the real election. I asked them who they were voting for and they both said Romney. I asked them why they chose Romney and they answered:
"Because Obama talks bad about oil and he doesn't want anyone to smoke..." -Andrew Maddox

"Obama already got a turn." -Carson Wayne

They were both quite disappointed to find out Romney lost but we got to talk about Jesus being King...the ultimate victory is His..and that all things on this earth do not last...not even another four year term...Jesus is the only thing that lasts! I am thankful for that!!


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Saying Goodbye..letting Go

Monday I had lunch with some dear friends. Ladies the Lord placed specifically and intentionally in my life that would come together with His vision for a ministry in Cushing for Moms. It has been such a good season here in Cushing. Times have not always been easy but God has been gracious to teach me and use this ministry to mold me into what He wants me to be: A Mom after God's own Heart. Lunch was sweet but sad. I am sad to be leaving these precious ladies. I facebooked a post earlier this week in my month of thanks that I love the saying that friends are the flowers in the garden of life. I am truly and genuinely thankful that the Lord put such lovely and radiant flowers of friends in my garden of life, my season in Cushing. It has been hard for me to let go and to pray for these ladies and this ministry as I step out. They gave me this sweet gift above. A picture of Proverbs 31:30. I am so greatly honored that they would bless me with such a kind gift. It is perfect. I know that the Lord has the perfect home in store for us and the perfect place for this picture. I will think of and pray for these ladies on leadership and the many faces we have seen through this ministry. What a privilege it has been to serve alongside of them and I am so thankful the Lord allowed me to be a part. I pray that as I step out that they will continue to be steadfast in their walk with Him, that they would continue to see Cushing as their mission field and that they would continue to reach Moms and connect Moms to Christ through this ministry. God has great things in store..in this I am confident.

Thunder Up!

Sunday we took the boys to see Thunder play! What a fun night! I asked Andrew what his favorite part was and he said, "I liked it all..except for losing!"

Moms 31 Ministry

A fun morning at Moms 31 Ministry. I am so thankful for the opportunity the Lord has given me to be a part of His plan and His desires to reach and encourage moms in Cushing. We are currently doing a bible study by Elizabeth George called A Mom after God's own Heart. It has been such a wonderful study. This week we talked specifically about Psalm 1: 2-3.




"You thrill on God’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom."
I love the picture of planting myself near the river of God's goodness and thrilling on His word. Chewing on it constantly like a cow so it can nourish me as only He can. I desire to be like that tree filled with abundant fruit in every season. I challenged the moms and myself to seek the best thing: Spending time with the Lord. Building Relationship with Him. Worshipping Him. Letting His word truly be a lamp unto their feet, their families feet because He desires the abundancy in our lives through Him and Him alone not just for eternity but for right now.
John 10:10 "Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly." May we be bold & courageous enough to cast off all things from our lives that hinder us to draw near to Him!

Yes, Lord! (Part 2)

Today the Lord has given me a bit of time to share a little more about what He is doing in our lives. Shortly after we got back from Kentucky our computer died and so we have been researching and trying to decide what would be best to purchase, but we are back in the swing of things today and feel incredibly blessed by the provision of a new computer that when we ordered it didn't know it was touch screen but to our delight we received it and it was indeed an added bonus! I love how the Lord seems to give us just what we need sometimes even when we do not know it! So the story continues. As we packed our bags on Sunday to return to Lexington to fly home it was a really peaceful feeling to know that with complete confidence the Lord wanted us to be joining St.Claire Hospital in Morehead, Ky. In my quiet time that morning the Lord gave me Psalm 119:60 "I will hurry without lingering to obey your commands." We started to pray and think through what that looked like for us. How we were to get our "ducks in a row" to serve the Lord in Morehead. Isaiah 50:4 "The sovereign Lord has given me His words of wisdom...morning by morning He wakens me and opens my understanding of His will." I really felt like I was living out this verse. Every morning it seemed like the Lord was giving us a clearer picture of His will for our family. We drove to Lexington and on the way there I checked us in on my phone. Strange thing. Our seats had been together when I had looked last but now it said it was reassigning my seat. At first I was bummed...really, a plane ride next to someone else when my husband is flying with me! As we checked in the rental car I began to wonder why the Lord had changed my seat. When we boarded the plane I found my seat..the first row! Lots of leg room! And I met Shannon. At first just a pleasant hello. As we settled in I began to start the book Dustin had just finished "Not a Fan". He saw me reading and asked if I was reading "Not a Fan." I said yes and he told me that a friend of his had just told him that he needed to read the book. I asked Him if he was a believer and the conversation flew from there....the next thing I knew He began to tell me about a non-profit organization that he was called Know Hope Foundation that works to support the Hand and Feet Project in Haiti....He told me, "I think you are supposed to come to Haiti with me this year." I looked at him and knew exactly why the Lord had switched my seat. I believe it was a blessing from obedience. Our hearts to serve overseas...St.Claire providing us time and encouragement to do that and now here sat Shannon right next to me now for a two hour flight telling me about what God was doing in two orphanages in Haiti, 100 orphans, showing them the hands and feet of Christ..raising them up as warriors for Christ in the hopes of changing Haiti. My husband had served in a relief trip in Haiti right after the earthquake and so we seemed to already have a tie and a heart for the destroyed country. As I listened and asked questions, I started to understand that the Lord was providing for this foundation by partnering them with us. I asked Shannon what they needed. What were the medical needs of the orphanages. What an exciting plane ride! I began to wonder and pray specifically about what the Lord wanted us to do. As we de-boarded the plane we only had a few moments to catch our other flight but I was able to introduce Shannon to my husband and tell him all about what we had spoken about. Dustin said I saw you were talking the whole flight....and let me tell you, it was the shortest two hour flight I have ever been on! We told Shannon we would pray and check out the websites and see what the Lord had in store. We continued home to pick up our children in OKC. It was fun to share a little bit of what we felt the Lord was telling us and how He was leading us with Dustin's family before we headed home. In the car we decided to start to prepare our children's hearts for the move. We started by just sharing a little about our trip and reminding them about the story of Abraham and sharing with them how the Lord was reminding us of how sometimes God calls us to do things that may be kind of strange but that He knows best....the coolest thing ever happened! The kids were recalling the story so well....they knew all the details and were chiming in at every comment....we looked at each other and I asked "What did you all talk about this morning in Sunday school? They had gone to church with Mimi and Papa that morning in OKC. You know what they had studied?....Yep, the story of Abraham and how He listened to God and obeyed and How God was faithful to Him and protected Him. Amazing! We didn't need to prepare our children's hearts on the car ride home because God had already done it!! Seriously, what an awesome God we serve!! Jeremiah 7:23 says "Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Only do as I say and all will be well." All will be well for sure. In talking with them more specifically about the Lord's plans for our family to move to Morehead, Ky Carson was the one who got upset and started to cry. He was sad to leave his friends. We are sad to leave our friends too. But what we were able to share with our children is that friendship is not determined by proximity. Friendship is a blessing from the Lord that can and will continue wherever we go. The next morning I let them sleep in and we talked a little that morning about the Hands and Feet Project. Dustin and I had been on the website and praying over the children still needing sponsorship. That morning we sat down at the computer and decided on four children to invest in in Haiti. Four children that we could love and take care of, the least of these, because we knew that the Lord wanted us to be a part. So above you will see our children in Jacmel: Darbens, Wadley, Naidine and Luca! Aren't they just beautiful!! They are all so special but Luca and Carson actually share the same birthday but Carson is a year older. We printed off their pictures and put them on our coffee table that morning and began to pray. What an amazing thing how the Lord has began to meld our hearts together with these children. We have family rooms with them on facebook so we get funny pictures, stories and even a few videos of them. Truly, what a blessing this has been! We have continued to pray and talk with Shannon and are still waiting on the Lord to paint that picture completely but we believe the Lord wants to use us maybe once a year to do annual checkups and immunizations for these 100 orphans in Haiti. They support trips to the orphanages year round. You can find more information here if you are interested: www.handsandfeetproject.org . We are praying that Lord willing we will see our children in Haiti this coming year. Oh, what wonderful things the Lord has in store! He keeps bringing back this scripture to me again and again Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." So we came home from our trip and are moving to Kentucky and now have four more children in Haiti! At times here recently I have found myself overwhelmed by His goodness. His plans. His provision. He has shown His face and His hand in so many of the details so far and we are so grateful that He truly is the Great Shepherd leading us. Continue to pray for us as we walk in faith with Him, as we continue to wait on Him to bring the right people to buy our home in Cushing. I am learning more and more to lean into Him. Phil 4:13 message translation says "Whatever I have, whatever I am, I can make it though anything in the One who makes me who I am." Thinking through moving...get my ducks in a row...preparing my heart to leave Cushing and the Moms 31 Ministry has been hard. Talking through and praying with my children about moving has been hard but God is teaching me that all I have and all I am is in Him and He will sustain me. He will work it all out for His glory for that I am certain because His word tells me so. I have been praying for a friend over a year now that the Lord would provide a safe place for her to grow in her walk with Him. Just this week I rejoiced to see how perhaps the Lord even bringing us here to Cushing over two years ago and how the things He put into place since that time and now our obedience to step out in faith and follow Him to Kentucky has finally provided her a safe place. For this I am grateful. I am grateful that I serve a faithful and living God who is continuing to work all things out for His good and for His glory. There have been times that I have felt myself wander especially with the house still for sale. I start thinking about things maybe that I am missing that I need to do so the Lord can move. My feelings sometimes get the best of me. I am so thankful for His word and my relationship with Jesus. That He continues to speak to my heart when I tend to lean on my own understanding. In quiet time this week through my bible study "The Frazzled Female" it said: base your faith on God's word, not feelings. Storms, doubts, and confusion can intimidate you. In times of trial your feelings are unpredictable and unreliable but God's truth stands unchanging. Abraham, yes Abraham again, stood in his faith. "No unbelief or distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God." Romans 4:20. That is my prayer today that you will find encouragement in my words and our journey. That you would not be distrustful or unbelieving in the promises of God. That you would never waver but instead receive much power through your faith in Him as you give Him all glory and honor for all that He has done, is doing and will do in the days to come! He alone is worthy!

A really cool video and song by Audio Adrenaline at the Jacmel Orphanage (We spotted 2 of our kidos) I pray that you will watch and let the Lord speak to your heart.
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=WDGYYGNX