Update

Hello All,

I am once again late in posting... sorry to my loyal readers.. all 2 of you!


This weekend was our last weekend in the Mirrored Hall. We held two services and the 11:00 service ran out of space both in the main service and in Mo Kids! Technically, I had over 50 kids in the 11:00. I thought that it would be good to show some before pictures of Mo Kids and after.


I posted these before pictures a while back, but here they are again.

Here are the after pictures from last weekend....

We are looking forward to only having 1 service at 11 this weekend. Shaun's youth ministry is going really well too. Last weekend was the last weekend that we held it in our home. This weekend it will move to In the Zone. Last weekend we had over 20 teens! Shaun is doing a series called Poser. This is the logo that he is using. The teens loved it!

This is my second week at work. It is going really well. Everyone is very friendly and I think that it will be a very good opportunity. There seems to be a huge need for counselors in the schools. I will actually be in my school starting on Monday.

Jan and Gary and the Boys came to visit this week. Shaun got to go with them on an airboat ride and a gator adventure. Gary has officially eaten way too much cajun food! I think that the final count was that he ate 5 oyster poorboys! The boys went fishing and it rained all day on them! We were so glad that they came and got to see everything. Gary and the boys even helped as we took down the church. I am so lucky to have such an awesome family!

Danielle and her mom came to visit this weekend too. It was great to get to meet her sister. I hope to get to spend some time with her soon. Danielle's mom is Preston's original mommy, so it was good to let her see the pup!

Thank you for the prayer! Please continue to pray for us and for Mosaic!
Love,
Jessica

Grand Opening Update

Hello Amigos y Familia!

I got totally wrapped up with everything this past weekend and I didn't get any cool photos! No worries... we will be making a video this weekend to promote Mosaic Kids (aka Mo Kids) and recruit volunteers.

So, here is the amazing story about the Grand Opening. We were up and at the church by 5 for set up. People started arriving by 8:45! We had 350 in the Main services between the 9:30 and the 11:00 services. And in Mo Kids, we have 35 and 39. In the Little Mosaics (birth-3), we had 8 and 10. Crazy good times!

The local news even came out and did a remote during the services. To check out Pastor Dustin's spot on the news, go to www. wlox.com. Search for Mosaic Church. Dustin also got to do a radio spot this week to promote this weekend.

Now the big news. We had 12 salvations that we know of this weekend! We also have now outgrown our current space and as of next week, will be meeting at In the Zone. This location is cheaper, bigger, and is a daycare/ skating rink so it is safer and we get the place all day!!

Shaun kicked off his student ministry(Cross Culture) Sunday night. We had 20 kids, not to shabby! The kids all seemed to like it and were very accepting of each other, that is huge! We also have some rock solid leaders to help with Cross Culture.

I started my paying gig on Monday with Biloxi schools. Yes, school started today here and teachers returned to school last week. We start earlier than in Texas, but we get off earlier. Did I mention that we get the week off for Mardi Gras as well as a week in April for Spring break.... and are off last of May.... sweet!!!

I am REALLY excited about this job. I will be housed at an elementary school and will service another elementary on Tuesday and Thursdays. This position is brand new and there are 3 others hired just like me. We are Elementary Mental Health Counselors. This week we are designing the protocols and procedures and next week, I will be placed in the school. I will work 8-4. Yeah, no early morning!!!

The Biloxi school district is one of the best districts in the state of Mississippi. They also are considered fairly progressive. I actually got to sit down and talk with the Superintendent and several other top administrators yesterday. I just can not get over how personable and down to earth they are, unlike most of the districts in which I have been involved with! Some districts, I never even got to meet the school Principals, much less the Superintendent!

Interesting thing about the schools here too is that they do not have guidance counselors or social workers in the elementary schools. So, the teachers have had to deal with extremely hurting children all on their own. They are so grateful to have us and I am glad to help! My Principals seem to be really sweet too. I can't wait to get started. As part of my benefits, I get a blackberry and a laptop. Fancy Fancy!!

Did I mention that I got an iphone last week? So now I have two fancy phones, neither of which I know how to operate fully! The only reason that I got the iphone was because the motorola razor finally died.. I am sorry to say that she died a long, slow painful death.

Shaun is still working at the base and enjoying it. Several people out there have recognized him from the flyer and He is forming some pretty cool friendships. His job ends in January, but we have hopes that he will go on full time at Mosaic by then.

Shaun and I are both trying to finish up our summer classes in school. This is the area that has been the hardest to balance. I just can't seem to keep caught up! And fall classes start the 18th...yuck! But we are both nearing the finish line, so it will be worth it!

I will send picts of this weekend next week. Danielle and her family are coming to visit this weekend and she is bringing me shoes!! Love her! My family is also coming to visit. I can't wait or them to see the Church and eat at Phoenicia! Lucky Shaun gets to hang out with them all day on Monday.. I'm so jealous!

I also am getting ready to teach the Women's Bible Study tomorrow on Joy.. boy is that a tough crowd! And we are doing our home group and Cross Culture this weekend.

Please continue to pray for the people of the Coast and for our staff here at Mosaic. Seems like each of us is being attacked in some way shape or form!

We love you guys!

Jessica

Ordination

Hello All,

This weekend was amazingly wonderful and busy all at the same time. Shaun, myself, Casey, and Jeremy were all ordained Sunday morning during the service. It was very surreal. As our first responsibility, we handed out the elements for communion, after that I went into Mo Kids and finished up our series. Shaun has been helping me in there A LOT! And, I owe him big time! We were talking about No Need for Greed and Shaun helped me with the lesson. There was a chocolate pie and let's just say....... Shaun really took one for the team! The kids of course loved it!

Here are a couple of the pictures of Shaun and I from during the prayer that Dustin led the church in for our Ordination. I look so serious and mad, but I swear I was just trying to keep it all together!

More pictures will be coming soon...

Sunday evening was our baptisms, I think that we baptized 10, including Maddie and Alec, our kiddos from Texas. Visit the church's website to see all of the photos: http://www.mosaicchurchgulfcoast.com/ It is under events. Here are a few photos...

Alec After...

The Mosaic Crew...

It was a very busy weekend. Pete and the kids leave tomorrow, we pray for safe passage back home to Texas. We love them and are so blessed to have been a part of this with them.

Grand Opening Weekend is upon us!! We are getting everything lined up. 56000 people received the mailer last week and we had several new families attend because of that. Very Cool! Dustin was also on tv this week to talk about the church, how awesome is that?!?! To view the interview go to: http://www.wlox.com

Thank you for your continued support and prayer. We love you and miss you!

Jessica

J-O-B, that spells job...

Hello All;

I got a job!! I got a job!! And it is a good one... and it is a good one!!!

I accepted the position in the Biloxi school district as their new mental health counselor! This position is brand new and was created in response to the need in the elementary level. After the storm, there has been an increase in post traumatic stress, anxiety, abuse, etc. So, there is now a team of 4 mental health counselors. We will be designing the protocols and choosing the assessment methods, etc.

My first day is August 4rth. I will be stationed in one of the schools, but I won't find out which school until the end of August.

Thank you all for your prayer and encouragement!

I wanted to share with you that the mailer went out and the response has already been overwhelming.. in a good way! We have had several people already call and they will be attending this weekend. The continued pattern from the calls is that they have been praying for a church like Mosaic since the storm. God is so amazing! Please continue to pray for our church and the people that are hurting here on the coast.

Love,
Jessica

July 22

Hello Everyone!

What a week! I interviewed at Biloxi ISD on Friday, I should hear something tomorrow. This job would be right up my alley and would really work with the church schedule. So, I will keep you posted.

This weekend our friend Steph came to visit. The trip wasn't too relaxing however. All of my nursery furniture came in, so Steph spent half a day putting the stuff together. She also helped with the set up and take down for the service on Sunday. We were so glad to have her here and hope that she comes back soon... maybe before school starts?!??

Yesterday, our Worship Pastor and his wife arrived from Texas. We spent the evening unpacking them. It was so great to have our church there to help. It is also great to have Casey and Chavon here.

Our mailer went out in the mail today. So, it should arrive in people's homes tomorrow and the next day. Please be praying for that it reaches those that need a church to love them. Mosaic Kids is growing, although we had a lot of our kiddos out last week. The nursery will be up this weekend. I don't' have any photos this update, but will next one.

This weekend is our ordination, as well as communion and baptism. We are baptizing 12 people!!! Including Maddie and Alec. Pete and the kids come in on Friday and we can't wait to have them here. Maddie and Alec will be the first people that Shaun gets to baptize, that is so amazing!

More to come soon.
Love,
Jessica

Closer to completion

Happy Wednesday!

I am a few days behind in updating the blog. We have had a couple of crazy days. We are getting closer and closer to being completely ready for the Grand Opening. I am still awaiting the arrival of my nursery equipment and then we are good. Our Worship Pastor and his wife arrive on Tuesday, we are looking forward to having them here and getting them settled in.

Good news on the job front. I had an interview last week at the local mental health center and I have a good chance of working there in the Children's program. The neat thing about that is that I can complete my counseling hours there for my degree..

I also have an interview THIS Friday at 8:00 at the Biloxi ISD for a Crisis Counselor position. This position is new and they are hiring 4 Counselors. This job would be awesome too because of the hours and Summer off to really focus on Mosaic Kids! Thank you for your prayers regarding my job. I hope to know something by Tuesday.

Shaun is still loving his job. He actually joined the bowling team that the guys he works with have there at the Base. The hours are a little weird, but it is nice the weeks that he has 3 days off.

Thanks to Stella's encouragement and generosity (Thanks Mom!), Shaun is going to have the surgery on his tooth that he needed. Mom always knows what to do to make the stubborn son listen! He will be having the surgery after the grand opening.

Shaun has started his student ministry. We held our first leaders meeting Sunday night. It officially kicks off on August 3rd. We are both in desperate need of volunteers to help with the continued growth in kids. This is a GREAT problem to have!

I don't have any pictures from the past Sunday. It was our first Sunday morning service and it went really well. I had 7 new kids! I do have a picture of the mailer that will be going out this week to 55,000 homes here on the Coast to encourage them to attend our grand opening. Now, this isn't the final draft, but it is close. We are hoping that 1 percent attend, at that rate, that would be 550 people in addition to our usual 100!

The dogs actually got new haircuts yesterday. There is a mobile dog groomer named Doug who comes to your house and grooms them in his van. He is a total dog lover and he did a great job on the boys. They got the short hair cut due to the heat. They went to the vet today and got their shots. Preston is on some antibiotic due to being bitten by several ants. The bugs here are insane! I just had to share their pictures, too.

Jackson is still pouting about everything!

We have several friends from Texas coming in over the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to see everyone!

Have a good week!

Jessica

First 4rth of July

Hello All,

I hope that you all had a wonderful 4rth of July. Shaun and I had the opportunity to go to one of the islands here off the coast all say on Saturday. One of the members of Mosaic has a boat, so we all went out for the day. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. The neatest thing is that on this island, you can walk across it and on one side is the bay and the other side is ocean. Pretty cool. We did get SUPER sun burned, but it was fun. Shaun looks like a lobster still. :-)

The fire works that the Casinos and the City of Ocean Springs had were over the top! The show lasted an hour and since there were 3 different locations, the entire region was glowing, and smoking after the show! It was a redneck Paradise!

I have been busy this week ordering all the supplies for Mosaic Kids. Children's ministry is SO expensive! We are so blessed to have the resources to make it the best that it can be. Our friend, Brad, from back home was kind enough to design the Mosaic Kids logo. Check it out.. how awesome is that?!?!

We have moved our services to Sunday mornings. So this weekend will be our first Sunday Morning service. Fun! Our grand opening is set for August 3rd, where we will have 2 morning services and possibly and evening service.

Shaun kicks off his youth ministry this Sunday night. One of the members here works for the big paper on the Coast and he designed Shaun's logo, it is awesome.

We have also started having home groups through out the church. Shaun and I will host our first home group on July the 29th.

On the job front, I am still unemployed! I have an interview with the local mental health hospital tomorrow at 3. And I have been in talks with the CAC here, but have yet to confirm. I am kind of thankful for this time due to the fact that I have been so busy with the church stuff, but we really need that additional income. Please continue to pray for us.

On another note, thank you for the prayers for my Jidi. He is recovering well, although he is in a lot pain. We hope to hear the results of the testing sometime next week. For those of you who didn't hear... the only hospital in Wichita Falls, where my family lives, had over 1800 patients become infected with a serious bacteria due to the fact that the hospital was not sanitizing the tools used for operations! Sadly, Jidi was one of those 1800. The worst part of all of this is now, Jidi has to live the rest of his life in severe pain due to the hospital's negligence. I feel so sorry for all of the other families that this has affected as well.

I am attaching a few pictures from this week's Mosaic Kids. This week, we learned how to make fear disappear. As part of that, the kids had to make the worms disappear out of the whip cream pies! Note to self, next time have baby wipes ready for this game. The funniest part was the little boy who stuck his entire face into the pie! Kids are so funny!

Thanks for your continued encouragement and support. We miss you guys!

Love,
Jessica

Official:1 month in MS

Hey there!

I hope that everyone is looking forward to July 4rth weekend! We are looking forward to some rest and some sun!! We have officially been in MS for 1 month! Can you believe it? It still doesn't feel like home, but it is getting easier.

We went to New Orleans on Monday to fly Maddie and Alec back home to Texas. We had such a wonderful week with them here.....Minus Shaun's face and tooth incident. He is off of the antibiotic and his face, eye swelling and for the most part pain is under control. He still needs to have a minor surgery on his sinus to fix the problem... but he is being stubborn and putting it off! Ugghhh Boys! So please email or call Shaun and give him a hard time about this. He needs to get it over with!!!

Sunday night, God did the MOST amazing thing! We had the privilege of praying with Maddie and Alec as they prayed the prayer of salvation. We were on the beach Sunday night looking for crabs after church and they started asking us a bunch of questions about God and what it felt like to have Jesus living inside you. Kids are so smart!

This kiddos are like our own and now they are our family forever through Christ. They will be coming back on the 27th of July for our ordination and that night they will be baptized on the beach. They will be the first people that we get to baptize. How amazing is that?!?! Another awesome part: this happened on their dad's birthday!

Shaun is getting adjusted to his job at the base. As part of his job he gets to work out at the Rec Center where he works. He even went bowling for 2 hours one day! I am still anxiously looking, but it will come.

I have to share with you some pictures... Jackson and Preston have discovered how to climb our tree in our backyard! I told Shaun about it the other morning, and he didn't believe me, so I had to get some photographic evidence...

How crazy is that?!?! Tree climbing dogs!??!

I also wanted to give you an update on Mosaic Kids. I have 20 kids ages 1 and 1/2- 12 right now. They all got their very own First Edition Mosaic Kids Worship CD this past Sunday and they were so excited! I am still working on purchasing supplies and developing a logo, but I wanted to show before pictures so that when the room is done, you can see the transformation. I also included a couple pf pictures of the kids during one of our activities. We are doing a series on the ups and downs of life and the feelings they bring, last week we focused on joy. This week the message was Hide from Pride. So, the game was to hide their team mate in the crepe paper. They LOVED it and really caught the message. It is amazing to see them catching on and actually learning and worshiping! Too cute!

The winning group....

Main Room for Mosaic Kids

Soon to be nursery, ages birth to 3.

Entrance to Mosaic Kids.

The other team... it was a close game!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and prayer. We are are so blessed to have you in our lives and to be a part of this amazing journey!

Blessings,

Jessica

New Week!

So, once again we have had a busy week. Shaun has gone through the in-processing portion of his training at the base and he starts work on Tuesday.

On Saturday we drove to Louisiana and picked up our neighbors from Texas. Maddie and Alec are staying with us until Monday. They fit right in at church on Sunday and everyone here loves them! We went to the beach today and tomorrow we tackle a buffet! Here are Maddie and Alec outside of the Beaurivage Casino. We went there to check out the arcade and the fountain!

My friend Danielle was also here. So, we got to talk and talk and talk... we are so good at that! She gave me the most awesome birthday gift! She painted a picture for me! I also got to meet her grandmother and several other family members today. It was so fun! Danielle also agreed to take our photos and work them up... so beloved readers we will have a good picture of us on the church website soon... yeah!! Check out the amazing painting! I now have 2 original paintings!

Here is one of the pictures from the digital camera. We can't wait to see the finished photos!
Church went really well this week too. I had 16 kids and several of the "regulars" were out on vacation. We are gearing up for our grand opening on August 3rd when we will move to Sunday morning services at 11:00. Shaun and I will also be ordained on July 27th during the service. I hope to have everything purchased and set up for the kids by July 13th. This week I am going to go and purchase some big things.. so we are getting closer.

I am still unemployed, but hopeful! I have applied at the school and the Community College, so we shall see! Shaun woke up this morning with a huge tooth and sinus infection. He is going to a dentist here tomorrow. So, please pray for him for health and employment for me.

Also, please pray for Mosaic Church as we prepare for our grand opening and for the people that are coming each week.

Blessings!

Jessica

PS: Thanks Brad and Leah for the wonderful house warming/ birthday gift! We are cooking the burgers this week for the kids!

Weekly Update

Hello All!

Happy Monday!

Here is a brief update for you! Shaun accepted the position at the air force base in their fitness center. He starts on June 24rth.

I interviewed Friday at the Children's Advocacy Center here, it went really well. The Executive Director was very open and friendly, and she had great shoes! Always a good sign for me(especially around here)! :-)

If I accept the position, I would start in two weeks. I also applied at the Biloxi ISD and hope to hear something soon. That position as a crisis counselor would be ideal! So, please keep me in your prayers.

Church went really well last night. Matt, Heather, and the girls were here from the Met. It was so great to see them and hang out. Abbey came in with me to help with the children's service. We did it Met Kids style! It was so awesome and funny to see the kids reaction. We started to do worship: We won't be quiet by Crowder. I explained the reasoning behind the song and told them that we could yell the chorus. They had never even heard the song and were floored that they could yell in church! They had such a good time! I am making all the kids Mosaic Kids Worhsip CDs so that they can have the songs at their house. Several of the kids also don't have their own Bible, so I will be ordering those as well. It is awesome to be a part of this!

Shaun did a great job last night meeting and welcoming the new visitors and he did the announcements and prayer. No one ever sitting through the announcements, but Shaun did it in such a fun way, that it was awesome! He will be teaching the Men's Bible Study this week.

We are hosting the Women's Bible Study tonight here, so I have to go for now.... lots of cleaning to do...

But, I will update again soon. Danielle will be here this weekend for my birthday and she is going to be taking our pictures so that cheesy picture on the church website will be updated soon! Yeah!!

Thank you for your continued encouragement and prayer. We miss everyone dearly: so come see us!

Love,
Jessica

We are connected!

Hello Everyone!

We now have internet and cable at the house... yeah!!! You don't realize how much you depend on it until you don't have it for a couple of weeks.

The house is coming along very well. We spent the day with repairmen coming in to fix the air conditioning, the door and several other things. We are almost there.

Dustin and Natalie were in Texas this past weekend, so we served along side the other members here at Mosaic for Sunday's service. We had 5 new people and several new kids. I attended my first ladies Bible study and it went really well.

A couple of the girls came over and helped me decorate the new place. You guys know that I am not a nick nack type of gal, so Korman and Twila brought some of their stuff, and we went out and bought a few things. My house looks like something out of a magazine! I would never hade been able to do that on my own. They were so gracious to do that for us. I am attaching the pictures of the house.

Please keep us in your prayers, as we are still looking for jobs. I know that God has them all planned out for us. It is in His time. We appreciate everyone's support and prayers as we continue on this journey.

Blessings,
Jessica

Mississippi

Hello there,

I just wanted to let you guys know that we made it. We arrived in Ocean Springs around midnight on Saturday. We got to attend the Sunday service at Mosaic and meet everyone. It was AWESOME!!

We are waiting on our things to arrive in the Pod, supposedly sometime today and hope to move into our place tonight. More to come...

Love,

Jessica

Ps: Here is a picture of our last meal in Texas.... of course it was Taco Casa. Shaun was in heaven! We got to enjoy our lovely meal with the Moore's. We love you guys!

Last Post Before the Move!

Hello All,

We had a great weekend! We spent the weekend with family and had plenty of time to relax before we move. We had lunch on Saturday with Memaw and Glen, thanks ya'll!! We also stayed with Grannie and Angie. Shaun got to eat his favorite pizza: Ken's pizza. Jackson and Sebastian are staying with Grannie while we work the last two days. Stella and Dennis are watching Preston.. we pray that he is good!

We also got to spend some time at the Lake with the Crouch clan. It was awesome! As usual, I got injured, but the bruise is on my arm and not my face {unlike last time:-)}.

The pod was picked up on Friday and should arrive to MS on June the 2nd. Right now Shaun and I are staying with the Moores while we work our last two days.

We will head back to Wichita Falls on Thursday to pick up the pups and to help my Jidi and Siti move into their new apartment at Rolling Meadows. Then we head to MS on Saturday.

I took a few pictures of our house as we emptied it. Check out the size of the pod. Now you can see why all of our stuff didn't fit! So... we will be pulling a covered trailer to MS. I can hear the banjos now....
Next post will be from Mississippi!!!!

Love,
Jessica

House Sold!!

Hello All;

So, Shaun and I closed on the house today at 9 AM. It has really hit us that we are moving! We spent the past 2 nights packing the pod, which wasn't big enough for all of our stuff.....

So, we are storing the rest of our belongings with the Moores until we drive back through DFW next week to leave for MS. The Moores have also been gracious enough to house us as we transition. They are good friends and we are excited to spend the last of our time here with them.

Many thanks to our realtors, Linda Jean and Roger Paschal. They are like family to us and we are so grateful for all of their kindness, honesty, and generosity... Oh yeah, and patience!!! God Bless Them!

The next week is going to be even MORE crazy.. We are both working until the 28th and then we go back to WF to pick up the pups before heading back down here to pick up our other car and our stuff from the Moores.. Did you catch all that? Me neither!! Did I fail to mention that we are both in summer school and have papers due? It is all good though! God grants strength in our weakness and boy are we going to need it!

We are very excited about the opportunity that is in front of us. Although there are moments of sadness and frustration. After we closed on the house, we were both pretty sad. We started remembering all the things we did to fix it up, all the good times through the Home Group, and the great friendships we have with our neighbors.

Everyday, we receive a devotional from David Jeremiah's Turning Point Ministry. His Ministry has blessed us so much in the past, I encourage you to check it out: www.turningpointonline.org.

Anyway, below is today's. Just as we were feeling so down, it came at the perfect time, amazing how God does that!

I Don't Like the Dirt!
I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you . . .Jeremiah 29:11 The Message


A little girl walking in a garden saw a particularly beautiful flower and promptly picked it because she felt it was too pretty to be in the dirt. She then took the flower home and rinsed the dirt off with water. Shortly thereafter, the flower wilted and died. When the owner of that garden saw what the little girl had done, he exclaimed, "You have destroyed my finest plant!" "I'm sorry, but I didn't like it in all that dirt," said the girl. The gardener responded by saying, "I chose that spot and mixed the soil because I knew that only there could it grow to be a beautiful flower."
Sometimes we become like that little girl, fixated on the dirt of our life instead of seeing the beauty and growth that will emerge in time. But once we have experienced seeing the hand of God in our life, we have assurance that we can trust Him in His sovereignty. So, if it feels like nothing good will ever come out of what you are going through, be patient and steadfast, knowing that God "plans to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

God has chosen each of us for His purpose and His plan... May we all take courage and not focus on the dirt!

Many Blessings!
Jessica

Lebanese food

I forgot to add that I fixed Lebanese food for Shaun...

I sure hope they have an ethnic food store in Mississippi! Otherwise we will be having the family ship it to us. We can't survive without our comfort food. :-)

Last Weekend in DFW

This weekend was our last weekend here in DFW. I can not believe how quickly the time has come!

Shaun and I decided that since it was our last weekend here, we should do something 'tourist-like". There were so many things that we have not done because we always put them off.

So, we went to the Dallas Aquarium. That is such a neat place! The monkeys and the sharks were amazing to watch. They have penguins and flamingos too. But, my opinion of penguins is forever changed! Those things SMELL! Seriously, they smell so bad that I thought that I was going to throw up! The Flamingo area was just as bad and the birds were spraying people!

Also,I DO NOT recommend going on a Saturday, unless you want to get pushed out of the way by a crazed mom and her infant stroller! Also, note to self: not a good place to visit if you are slightly claustrophobic!

I have attached a picture of me and behind me is the manatee that they have there at the aquarium. He or she was my favorite. We also got to have dinner with two very special friends, Rachele and Patrick. They cooked an amazing steak dinner for us! We really enjoyed just relaxing and talking with our friends. I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while! Rachele and Patrick, we love you guys!

Sunday was also our anniversary! We were too busy to really do much, but can you believe we have been married 6 years! WOW! So much has changed in such a short time. God is so good to have allowed us to be married and to have the opportunity to work together at Mosaic Church. We are so blessed!

Lastly this weekend, our neighbor Virginia was kind enough to host a going away/ welcome to the neighborhood party for us and for our friends the Plemons who are moving into the house. The theme was Tex-Mex meets MS. So, we had plenty of Mexican food, margaritas, and in honor of Mississippi: Mud slides! Our neighbors are so kind and really made us feel at home when we first moved here. I am glad that Brian and Jessica got to come and meet them before we left and they moved in. We close on the house this Friday! So, Shaun and I are busy packing everything up to have it loaded in the POD by Thursday night.

Shaun and I are both working our last full week with our employers this week. Please continue to pray for us as we attempt to wrap all these things up and still do well in school. Did I forget to mention that we are both in school right now? Crazy!

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement.
Many Blessings!
Jessica

More weekend fun!

In addition to the Sunday night event, we had quite the busy weekend.

Shaun and I got to play mom and dad for a few days. We had Katlynn and Natalie for a fews days. There were softball games to go to, soccer tournament, school, bathtime, dinner... it was good to spend some time with the girls. I wish that it had been a little less busy. We spent lots of time transporting and watching games, so we didn't have a lot of free time to just hang out and have fun. We are really going to miss seeing them and being right down the street!


Shaun's sister graduated college this weekend.. yeah Carla! And Shaun's parents had a fish fry Saturday night for everyone to get together. The food was delicious and it was great to spend some time there and spend some time with Dub and Melissa and Shaun's family. Dub has been Shaun's buddy since kindergarden. Dub and Melissa are expecting their first son, Colten, soon and it was funny to hear Shaun and Dub tell of all of their adventures and misadventures growing up.

We also got to hang out with Carter. Although, hanging out at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Wichita Falls is not a good idea... we learned that the hard way: sorry Carter! We are looking forward to Memorial Day weekend were we can spend some fun time chilling at the lake with Carter and the rest of the Crouch gang!

We also got to spend some time with Wayne and Cindy. It was good to catch back up with them and they really encouraged us. Thanks guys!

Lastly, but not least.. it was Jude's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Jude!!! We got to have blue slushes, cupcakes, and spend some time with our friends from Colonial where it all began for Shaun and I.

Oh yeah... and it was Mother's Day, so we got to spend some time with the ones who poured so much into us.

Our trips back home are always so busy! But, we wouldn't have it any other way! Of course we had to eat Taco Casa in WF as we left for back home.

We loved spending time with everyone and look forward to Memorial Day when we will back up there. It will be our last time before we leave for MS!

Heighland Heights Baptist Church

What an AMAZING weekend!

Shaun and I had the opportunity to go and share our story and the mission of Mosaic Church to the members of Heighland Heights Baptist Church in Wichita Falls. Thanks to Sandra and Frank for setting this up! And Pastor Stubblefield for having us!

My friend from Colonial, Jamey, was gracious enough to come and play guitar for me so that I could sing and Shaun could speak. It works best that way.. Shaun can't sing and I don't preach! :-) Anyways...

The church members were so kind and friendly. They layed hands on us and prayed for us, Mosaic, Dustin and Natalie, and the 180,000 people that need to know the power and grace of Jesus. They also took up a love offering to help us on our way. Shaun and I are moved beyond words and can not really express how grateful and overwhelmed we were by the entire experience. What a blessing! One of the members there was actually from Ocean Springs, MS; and was even saved there 11 years ago!

I saved the evening bulletin for our keepsake box!

New do for the Boys

Shaun took all three of the dogs to the groomers this weekend. They got their "summer" haircuts and their last haircut before the move to Mississippi. They are always so pouty after they come back from the groomers, especially Jackson! I couldn't resist sharing their pictures.

Sebastian always looks so sad after going to the groomers! His 4rth birthday is on Monday! He is a Cinco de Mayo pup!

Jackson pouted all day today, he wouldn't even sit with Shaun!

Preston was the least upset, but he was just excited to get a new toy. He is getting so big! He is up to 10 pounds now and FULL of energy. Our 12 hour drive to Mississippi should be quite the challenge with him!

Thank you Danielle!

My fabulous friend, Danielle, AKA: Preston's aunt, is an amazing artist. She paints, she sculpts, and now she welds! She has even welded a most fabulous lamp. She totally suprised me with a much appreciated gift today. She welded Shaun and I a Cross!! It is absolutely gorgeous!

I feel so blessed to have Danielle as a friend. Poor thing even burned her hand making this for me! Thank you Danielle! The cross is perfect!

What a Weekend!

Time is just FLYING by! First let me say, Happy Birthday Kathy!!

And now I'll fill you in on all the details of the weekend. Shaun and I spent Saturday boxing up the house. Of course, I cried! I started crying because it became more real to me that hey, we are moving! This house was our first home to own and we put so much work into making it ours and now we are are leaving. So, after my mini melt down, Shaun and I decided to celebrate the move with dinner at Joe T.'s. It was gorgeous weather and it was nice to have some down time.

Sunday was our last weekend at the Met. It was also my last weekend to sing. I held it together for the most part until I went to tell some people good bye and then a few tears slipped. The Met has been such a wonderful place for us and I will truly miss the friends that I have made there. I will also miss singing and serving the kids there. They are AWESOME! The kids actually led worship in the main service this weekend and I was so proud to see how so many of them have grown so much. What a blessing to have been a part of that!

I look forward to being a part of Mosaic and serving the children there.