Friday, May 31, 2013

Mission Friends 2012-2013

A couple of Sundays ago, we had a big Missions Program to mark the end of this great year in Missions for our FBCV kids...and what a GREAT year it has been!

Three other ladies & I teach our church's Mission Friends (Age 3-Kindergarten kids). Why do we need 4 teachers you ask? Why, because we have upwards of 18 children on any given Wednesday night!

In Mission Friends, we study many exciting Bible Stories to learn:
-The different kinds of people God uses to do His work (Abraham, Ruth, Joshua, David...)
-God can use ANYBODY.
-We were created so that God can use us!

Here are a few pics from Sunday night & a few from throughout the year.


For the story of Abraham we got to eat s'mores & hear our Bible story in the dark under the stars. (We had LOTS of glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.) Then we got to paint the sky with glow-in-the-dark paint!


We snacked on fruit & made chain snakes for the story of Adam & Eve.




We learned about how God made us all to be different, so that He could use us to do lots of great things for Him! We took pictures, answered questions about ourselves, & for snack time we decorated a "man" cookie with icing! (WOW...)


At Christmas, we had a birthday party for Jesus.


And here are some pictures from our missions program.


The GAs did skits & a song, the RAs did a missions rap, & the Mission Friends sang a song.



We sang "Jesus Loves the Little Children" a cappella :)
Soloist: Neely (& Jax thought we needed some drums)



Here's Jax modeling our Mission Friends shirts.


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Bro. Floyd

Last Friday, the man who was my pastor all of my life (other than Dustie) finished his race & went to meet the Lord that he served his entire life.

Today was his memorial service & was much like a reunion for the many lives he impacted throughout his ministry.

Bro. Floyd was a member of my family before I was. I honestly think he attended more of my family's Thanksgiving & Christmas Eve dinners than I did. He was my Mom's Youth Pastor (yes, she has some great stories). I secretly called him "Uncle Floyd" to my family. :)  Dustie & I even named our firstborn after him! (Jax's middle name is Davis. It wasn't intentional, but what a wonderful namesake! It would be my joy for my son to be such a mighty man of God.) He's been a part of my life since before I was born, he was there for my Grandparents when my Mom eloped, when my brother & I were born, he preached my Pappaw's funeral, he performed my wedding, he was a steadfast part of my life.

Since Friday, I have reflected on a few things. One thing was how loved he made people feel. Much like I felt as if Bro. Floyd was a member of my family, so did many others. He just had a way in his ministry of truly loving you & doing life with you. Another thing I thought about was what an impact he had on the lives of so very many as their pastor. I have an entirely separate appreciation for that as a person in the ministry. He was an amazing example to any pastor that knew him & definitely a mentor to D. He was a successful & wonderful preacher, teacher, leader, administrator, & he truly lived his life above reproach. 

While I will miss him & am sad for my "home" church family, I can't help but be excited that I'm sure he has already heard his "well done" & is having a great reunion with his parents, my Pappaw, & many other loved ones that have gone before him.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Take Me There

An oldie, but a goodie! I'm loving this song lately.

You can listen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDcAi6pb9Vk

It doesn't matter where I am...even if it's in the bathtub in the bathroom in the middle of a tornado, I know I'm where I need to be if it's with the Lord!


Take Me There - Watermark

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
 I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here,
I just wanna be where You are

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here,
I just wanna be where You are

You have buried my sin in the depths, my Lord
And You covered me from the furious storm
And You kept me in the cleft of Your rock
And You loved me there right from the start

So take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here, 
and I just wanna be where You are

You have buried my sin in the depths, my Lord
And You covered me from the furious storm, yeah
And You kept me in the cleft of Your rock
And You loved me there right from the start

So take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here,
I'd just love to be where You are

You are here and I can feel You
And I'd just love to be where You are
Hide me in Your shelter, hide me here'
Cause I'd just love to be where You are

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
I just wanna be where You are
Well, hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here, 
and I just wanna be where You are

Take me there to the place where You are
Take me there, take me there,
and I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here, 
I just wanna be where You are

Where You are
Just wanna be where You are
Just wanna be, just wanna,
I just wanna be where You are
Take me there, take me there
Take me there to the place where You are
I just wanna be where You are
And hide me in Your shelter
Hide me here, hide me here,
I just wanna be where You are
Where You are

The following are pictures of me, John, & Comet after some really bad weather & a tornado warning while at my parent's. (One of my big fears is of tornados.)



Sunday, May 26, 2013

Dunn Fun in the Sun!!

We've been having a great weekend! We stayed the weekend in Shreveport w/ my parents while D has been away for school, so we have been taking advantage of my brother's pool.






We sure miss Daddy, but we're being super spoiled in the meantime!


Tuesday, May 21, 2013

9 Years Ago

Nine years ago today, I married Dustie Dunn. I am so happy that I can say that I love him more today than I ever have. Everything in life is more fun when we experience it together. I just love doing life with him.

What I love about him:
-he's a secret nerd
-he's a ninja :) (but for real)
-he miraculously sleeps on one square inch of our mattress every night, (because at least one kid always ends up in our bed!) & still manages to wake up hours before the sun to fit in his work out
-he knows me better than I know myself
-he's fun
-he's hilarious
-he's a strong leader
-he's NEVER complacent
-he's the voice of reason & steadiness to this crazy Filipina (he's the balance in our home)

Really, I can't explain our relationship much better than I did in this post.

Today I'm thankful for 9 years of life (the good, the bad, & the ugly!) with Dustie Dunn & I'm thankful for many more adventures to come!









Saturday, May 18, 2013

MDO Teacher Appreciation

Our church MDO doesn't really have a Teacher Appreciation week. It has always bothered me because I see all the hard work the director & teachers put in. Their class time on Tuesdays/Thursdays is only a small fraction of the work they really do.

That said, the parents of our MDO kids decided to give them an Appreciation Week. Their breakfast & lunch were provided on both days & parents sent small goodies for the teachers.

Here are a few pics.

My friend Anna & I did Thursday's breakfast. We had fun!






Sunday, May 12, 2013

It is a HAPPY Mother's Day

I love a Sunday!

It was a great day at church this morning & Sunday School may have been the most interesting yet!

My precious boys spoiled me & got me a watch I've been drooling over for more than a year! 

Jax also made me a sweet card in Sunday School (with his name HE SIGNED on it) & gave me some Bath & Bodyworks shower gel. He has the greatest teachers!

Right now, I can hear Jax playing & I'm snuggling John for nap time. :)

I am very blessed & "happy" on this Mother's Day!





Saturday, May 11, 2013

My Mom on Mother's Day

I can't pass up this fine day without showing some love to one of my best friends-my Mom.

I am so thankful that the Lord gave me to my Mom. [Carried 8+ months & after hours of labor; (so I hear) contrary to what many may have thought. She has blonde hair & blue eyes. I...don't. ;)] 

She has modeled what an amazing Mom should be like: loving, selfless, patient, prayerful & she raised me to love the Lord.

She has many other qualities that aren't necessary for all Moms, but they make her my best friend. 
-I can count on her for anything.
-She's a wonderful Mimi to my boys.
-She'll pray for anything for me...especially when I lose something & need to find it.
-She's adventurous & crazy fun.
-She's hilarious, sarcastic, & dramatic. (What a great combo!)
-She & I have a ton in common. So what's NOT to like?! ;)

I can't imagine who I'd be if it wasn't for my Mom. Thank You Lord.

Happy Mother's Day y'all.


My Mother's Day

When Dustie & I were dating, he had an "inkling" that we were supposed to get married. He wondered & over-thought about it, & one night he prayed that God would let him know if I was his future wife. Directly after, D picked up his Bible for his quiet time & that day's passage was Proverbs 31. He immediately knew that God's plan was for us to be together.

He didn't tell me about that until later on in our relationship, but when he did I was first, excited that he finally figured out that we were going to one day be husband & wife; (I knew before we started dating-see "So Romantical" post.) second, I was overwhelmed because I knew I had a LOT of work to do to become that Proverbs 31 "Wife of Noble Character."

Almost 9 years, a Hootie James, & 2 Little Dusties later, I am still on that sanctifying journey. I want D to have confidence in me. I want to make him better. I want my mouth to be filled with wisdom & loving instruction. I want it to be evident that I fear the Lord. 

On this Mother's Day I am entirely grateful for my two little boys who call me Mommy & my Husband for trusting the Lord & leading me in this journey.


Friday, May 10, 2013

Enjoying the Small Things

One of my friends is always posting sweet pics of day-to-day things that she takes the time to really enjoy...savor...make the most of. I love that. Talk about living in the "right now."

Today was a typical Friday. Aka: busy! While I was out running errands for work, we were near a little restaurant I like & I had a random idea to take Jax out for a fun little lunch. 

It was yummy & when we were walking to the car he told me, "I sure had a fun time with you!" What a sweet baby.

Thank you Jesus for every little moment I get with my little ones.

Here are a few pics. Yes, I take pics anywhere & everywhere we go. Just ask D. He LOVES it! ;)

My fave pics are the bear pics. While we were eating, I told him I wanted to take a pic of him with the bear before we left. He wasn't too sure about that. He had a LOT of questions about the bear. When it was time to take the pics, he would NOT get close! (He WAS curious about what the bear had in his bag for lunch, but he was not turning his back to him!) These are as good as it gets.