Preach It!
At the end of July, Eric was blessed with the opportunity to preach all three Sunday services (two in the morning and one in the evening). One thing I loved about the messages God had Eric preach, is that they touched on some of the same topics that the college girl's Bible study had just finished talking about, but Eric did not know what we had been talking about. That doesn't just happen: God does that! You know, that exact thing has happened the entire time Eric and I have been at Kennesaw First Baptist Church. It's very clear that God is at work, because the Sunday morning messages, the music, and the Sunday school lessons all go together, but it is not planned that way . . . God just does it! I love that about God! I'm so thankful God is active and involved in His creation!
My parents were able to come to hear Eric preach at the Sunday night service. It was such a treat to have family there not only for the service but also for dinner at Moe's with our college students! Eric and I are so thankful for the support of our families!
Mom Eller's Birthday
My mom has an end-of-July birthday. I was so thankful we could celebrate it with her. Here are some pictures from her birthday time at our house.
Here are some pictures from our birthday gift to my mom. We took her to Smith-Gilbert Gardens. When I took my Bible study girls there earlier in the summer, I knew I had to take my mom.
August
College Mystery Mission Trip
At the beginning of August, Eric took 17 college students on our first mission trip with them: a mystery mission trip. They only knew bits and pieces of information as the trip progressed. Eric would show a video for each segment of the trip to reveal the next task. Here is a brief outline of our trip:
Day 1:
- Mall of Georgia for lunch
- Truitt McConnell College in Cleveland, GA (unloaded food and found out our first task)
- To downtown Helen to wash windows (asked businesses if we could wash their windows, washed their windows, then went back inside to ask business owners for prayer request)
- Dinner at Truitt McConnell's BCM building (we cooked our own meals)
- Devotion time at the BCM building (talked about being servants through window washing, Eric spoke, we all went to different parts of the room to read about Jesus washing the disciples feet to reflect on Christ as a servant and how we are to do the same, the leaders washed the hands of the college students)
- Worked on preparation for Day 2 (created a puppet show and decided on games)
- Lights out! (We stayed in the Truitt McConnell dorms)
Day 2:
- Breakfast together at the BCM building
- Morning devotion (individual time with God)
- Half of the group went to pass out bottled water in Helen. The other half of the group walked down the banks (and some of us in the water) of the Chattahoochee River and a nearby park to clean it up (we found all kinds of interesting trash).
- Lunch at a church in Helen
- Mobile Home Park: games with the kids, snow cones, cookies, and a puppet show
- Short break (the girls made button bracelets)
- Dinner at the BCM
- Listened to guest speaker: Dr. Ed Pruitt (He spoke about missions. Eric and I knew him from Southeastern, but now he is on staff at Truitt McConnell College)
- Devotion (more of a share time about what learned and what God had done) and Prayer Time (which included time to look at the big world map to see all the countries that need to hear about Christ)
- Party time! (We played games and the college students tried to teach me and another leader how to dance.)
Day 3:
- Time with Jesus
- Breakfast at Truitt McConnell while we listened to the president of the college share with us
- Construction project: painted college apartments and some of the guys helped a professor move in
- Lunch at the Truitt McConnell College cafeteria
- Finished construction project
- Loaded up and headed home (dinner on the way back at The Mall of Georgia)
Eric and I were so proud of all of our students! They worked so hard. It was such a blessing to see them grow closer to Christ and to each other. As one of the college girls said, "God really showed up!"
Here are pictures of the trip.
Visit from FriendsSome of our friends from Stony Hill Baptist Church in NC came to visit. We were so thankful that they took time in their trip to visit with us. Of course we had to take the to The Whistle Stop Cafe. It's a good thing we did because the whistle stop recently burned up inside! Spending time with the Browns was extremely refreshing for us - a true blessing at just the right time!
Promotion SundaySince a new school year was beginning, our church had promotion Sunday. That is the day when people move up classes if they need to (this is mostly from infants through college age). Eric and I were so excited to have the new college freshmen come and be a part of our college class. Here's a picture of our Sunday morning class. This also lets you see the room where we meet for our college Bible study on Wednesday nights.
The King's Academy: Back in Session
School started back a week after the mission trip. Students returned on August 17th. That's all the explanation you need for why I am having to play catch-up again. :) A few weeks prior to school starting, I gained two more classes because another teacher left. I am now teaching 9th and 10th grade on Monday/Wednesday and 10th and 12th grade on Tuesday/Friday. I am still adjusting to this type of schooling, so I have had much to learn. Starting over is a good way to look at it. The work environment is amazing and the students are great. It is very time-consuming right now since it is new, but having an assistant for each class has been a life-saver! I love so much being able to use Scripture in class and freely talk about Christ, although I did love the challenge of sharing the love of Christ in a public school setting. Here are some pictures of my school and classroom.
First Century Ministries
First Century Ministries came to our church for a special presentation. In the morning service an image of Christ was carved and at the evening service pottery was made. If you would like to learn more about them, visit their website: http://www.firstcenturyministries.com . Mom, Dad, and Pop came to watch the pottery service, and then we all went out for some dinner. It was truly a treat to see them. Pop coming was a total surprise, and I loved every minute of it!
Mom Miller's Birthday
Eric's Mom and Dad were able to come up and spend time with us for Mom Miller's birthday. Celebrating the life of such a sweet mom was a blessing. Happy Birthday, Mom Miller! 
I made her a flip-flop gift since she LOVES some flip-flops!
I made her a flip-flop gift since she LOVES some flip-flops!
September
College Football Game Day
My friend Stephanie set up a birthday gift for Eric. She worked it out with her friend Ross to allow us to accompany them to College Football Game Day in downtown Atlanta, followed by the Chick-fil-A Kick-off Game at the Georgia Dome. We had the treat of sitting in the Chick-fil-A Supersuite which was SUPER SWEET! The chairs were nice and comfy and the food was delicious! Eric even got to go on the field! We were so blessed to spend time with Stephanie and Ross. Thanks, Ross and Stephanie, for Eric's special 30th birthday treat!
Atlanta Motor Speedway: Let's Go Racin' Boys!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric and I had another blessing of time with friends. We went to the NASCAR race with some of the staff from our church. They were great company to be with and so much fun! Here are some pictures from the race.
From left to right: Us, Evans and his wife (Evans is the music and administration pastor), Melanie (one of the church secretaries - her husband is on the far right), and Sherri (Eric's secretary) and her husbandIn addition to Eric turning 30, my grandmother had a birthday. We went to Pop's house for Labor Day and to celebrate the blessings of Eric and Grandma. Here are some pictures from our time together.
I love this video of our nephew Noah wishing Eric a happy birthday.
Eric Turns 30!
As a way to continue the birthday celebration, Eric was sent to Dave and Buster's the Friday night before his birthday. There he was surprised with dinner and arcade games with his friend Coop.
On the day before Eric's birthday (Saturday), Eric went to Athens with a friend to watch the Georgia/South Carolina football game. Thanks, Chris!!!
On Sunday, Eric turned 30! Eric's parents, my parents, my sister, my sister's boyfriend Justin, and my sister's friend Brian came to church with us. Following church we went to Red Lobster for lunch so Eric could have some crab legs. Our parents then came back to our house for cake and presents. This was the first time in about 12 years that Eric has been with family on his birthday, so that was a special treat. For all of you that sent birthday messages for Eric's book, thank you so much. Each note meant so much to him! Here are some pictures from Eric's big day.
The Corn Maize
Eric and I accompanied some of our college students to Cagle's Corn Maize in Canton, GA. Cagle's Corn Maize is exactly what it sounds like: it's a field of corn stalks that has had two mazes created in it. It was a MAZE to get there because of all the stops we took to get there (we picked up some students), and it is aMAZing that we made it there at a decent time. We actually made it to Cagle's at a great time - before it was dark and before the big crowds came.
Bridal ShowerAlthough I will not be able to make it to her wedding this weekend, I was blessed several weeks ago with the opportunity of attending my cousin Ashley's bridal shower. Since I've been out of town for such a long time, it was nice to only have an hour to drive to be with family. My cousin Ashley has such a sweet and fun personality. I am so thankful for her. We all had fun laughing, dancing, telling stories, creating toilet paper wedding dresses, and watching Ashley open her gifts. Congratulations, Ashley and Tim!
1 comment:
WOW you guys have been very busy!! It was great to have an update! I miss you guys ALOT! :0(
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