For those near and far who continually pray for us, I want to take a few moments to share with you about some of the things going on in the life of the Kittrells!
On the job front, Jason became Interim Pastor at New Hope Baptist Church in Pelion, SC, this past Sunday. We've been with them since January, but it's official now that we'll be there until we move for a full-time position or they find a permanent pastor! We have been incredibly blessed to be part of the friendly congregation there, and Jason has loved preaching twice every Sunday and now on Wednesdays. God has definitely used this time and this opportunity to stretch us in ministry that we had yet to experience. We are so thankful for the loving encouragement of the people at New Hope. They have embraced us with such sweet acceptance, and they love us as their own!
On the house front, we officially put our Lexington home on the market about 3-4 weeks ago. We have had quite a few showings, and we are expectantly looking forward to God answering our prayers for a sell with the right timing to coincide with an official job move. We are so grateful for those who have poured out numerous hours to help us during the process of preparing the house to be "market-ready!"
On the pregnancy front, I have continued to deal with some minor complications. Baby boy is healthy, though, and still scheduled to arrive on May 11 (C-Section) if he doesn't come earlier! I did find out today that I will be on antibiotics for the remainder of the pregnancy due to an infection that will not relent and could cause danger to the baby without antibiotics preventing it! While the thought of that bothers me, I know that I have to do what is necessary to keep baby healthy! We have still yet to officially decide upon a name, but we'll let everyone know when we do! (Though, please remember with Cale that didn't happen until we were in the OR!)
Cale continues to bless us each day with his precious personality. He is talking constantly and usually amazes us on a daily basis with something random he says. We have been so incredibly blessed by the time that we've had as a family over the last 4 months. Though many may see it as a time of trial and difficulty (and it admittedly has been in numerous ways), we are choosing to be thankful for the time. Quality time is not something that we can re-capture once the opportunity has passed. So we are thankful-- for every moment.
As for my family, we appreciate your ongoing prayers as we muddle through the waters of grief. As those of you know who have lost loved ones, it is simply a long, long journey. While I find the basics of life a little easier now, there are still moments (and days, even) of heavy grief, of wishing that he could simply return to us. This is all a natural part of grieving, and we are thankful for the love and support that so many have shown. The hard part isn't over, though, especially not for my parents and even my older brother, for whom the loss is indeed realized on a daily basis, over and over again, since they were with him all the time.
We are sincerely grateful for the walls of prayer that have surrounded us over the last 4 months. To say "thank you" doesn't come close to sufficing for how we feel. Our God has sustained us and sustains us still. We are blessed.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
In honor of my Hubby
Over the past 7.5 years, I've learned and observed many things about marriage. Sadly, one of the most obvious observations has been that in our society, it's far more common for spouses to denounce one another, both in private and in public, rather than support and encourage one another. When Jason and I married in October of 2004, I made a commitment of sorts to myself and to the Lord, to honor my husband with my lips. It is truly the desire of my heart to encourage him and build him up, whether I am speaking to him or about him to someone else. I'm certainly not perfect at this, but I do strive on a daily basis to continually work to be better! If you're married, you know the value of words and how much they can strengthen or damage your marriage! So, in light of that and the fact that today is Jason's 30th birthday, I'd like to publicly share just a few things that I am so incredibly thankful for about my husband! Feel free to read them or not! This is simply a way for me to honor my best friend, my teammate.
- He loves the Lord above all else.
-His love for me is second only to his love for the Lord.
-He is an admirable, loving, patient, and encouraging father to Cale, and Cale demonstrates how much he understands that by his deep love for "Daddy."
-He continually supports me and listens to me. If I approach him with something that's heavy upon my heart, he always listens, and always acts to help me in the ways that I request help.
-He is committed to purity. He diverts his eyes whenever we come in contact with a lady who isn't appropriately covered-- whether in person, on a movie, or in an advertisement. He has never used the excuse that it's "just a man thing to look." He honors me with his eyes, and I couldn't be more thankful.
-He constantly reminds me that he thinks I'm beautiful (even with a giant baby belly!).
-He has a deep, constant joy that I don't find in myself or in many others. He constantly sings and whistles. He trusts the Lord during the most difficult times.
-He works to let the Lord teach him more and more about the things he's passionate about-- marriage, fatherhood, ministry, etc. by studying God's Word, reading books by godly men, and by seeking out the counsel of older, godly men.
-His love for others consistently inspires me to love more deeply.
- He doesn't raise his voice to me. We decided before we married that we would always try to communicate calmly and with grace, and I am thankful to say that this has held true for 7.5 years-- even through stressful life situations and difficult trials. Not only are words important, but so is the tone in which they are shared. Jason always strives to honor me in this way. It really is possible to discuss things on which we don't agree without becoming angry and using harsh words or tones. If we don't feel like it's possible at the moment something angers us, we've learned to wait until we can discuss it calmly. This prevents us both from saying words that we later regret. Now, there have certainly been times of failure in this area, but we make it our goal to fight for each other, not against each other.
-He leads our family in ways that honor God, even if it's not the easy way (and it usually isn't!)
These are just a few of the things that I treasure the most about you, Babe! There are countless more. I am so blessed to have you as the one with whom to share my life! Happy Birthday! I hope it's a day of miracles for you.
Love,
Wifey
- He loves the Lord above all else.
-His love for me is second only to his love for the Lord.
-He is an admirable, loving, patient, and encouraging father to Cale, and Cale demonstrates how much he understands that by his deep love for "Daddy."
-He continually supports me and listens to me. If I approach him with something that's heavy upon my heart, he always listens, and always acts to help me in the ways that I request help.
-He is committed to purity. He diverts his eyes whenever we come in contact with a lady who isn't appropriately covered-- whether in person, on a movie, or in an advertisement. He has never used the excuse that it's "just a man thing to look." He honors me with his eyes, and I couldn't be more thankful.
-He constantly reminds me that he thinks I'm beautiful (even with a giant baby belly!).
-He has a deep, constant joy that I don't find in myself or in many others. He constantly sings and whistles. He trusts the Lord during the most difficult times.
-He works to let the Lord teach him more and more about the things he's passionate about-- marriage, fatherhood, ministry, etc. by studying God's Word, reading books by godly men, and by seeking out the counsel of older, godly men.
-His love for others consistently inspires me to love more deeply.
- He doesn't raise his voice to me. We decided before we married that we would always try to communicate calmly and with grace, and I am thankful to say that this has held true for 7.5 years-- even through stressful life situations and difficult trials. Not only are words important, but so is the tone in which they are shared. Jason always strives to honor me in this way. It really is possible to discuss things on which we don't agree without becoming angry and using harsh words or tones. If we don't feel like it's possible at the moment something angers us, we've learned to wait until we can discuss it calmly. This prevents us both from saying words that we later regret. Now, there have certainly been times of failure in this area, but we make it our goal to fight for each other, not against each other.
-He leads our family in ways that honor God, even if it's not the easy way (and it usually isn't!)
These are just a few of the things that I treasure the most about you, Babe! There are countless more. I am so blessed to have you as the one with whom to share my life! Happy Birthday! I hope it's a day of miracles for you.
Love,
Wifey
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