SUPERBOWL BOUND INDIANAPOLIS COLTS!

How excited am I? How excited is Ryan to see that "other team" meet the Colts in Miami? Most commentaries so far predict the Colts to win...feel free to write in your ideas for a friendly spousal "wager" over the results of the game! :)

Finishing Well-Women's Bible Study

Although I am so excited for God's new season of ministry and growth in each of our lives, I am sincerely grieving the completion of our women's small group. The consistent and authentic friendships of each person who came into my home has blessed me as I struggled to grow and learn; as I grieved and rejoiced; and as I knelled to pray for them and felt the prayers in reciprocation.

Our History:
Desiring to be a part of a women's Bible study that would offer authentic fellowship centered around Christ, yet never too full to "close" our group to visitors, I sent out an e-mail inviting women in the young adult Sunday School at College Park to join me for the study at my home.

August 18, 2004 we started studying "The Power of Femininity: Rediscovering the Art of Being a Woman" by McKinney Hammond and continued on to study:
Experiencing God by Blackaby (Spring 05)
Holiness: The Heart God Purifies by DeMoss(Fall 05)
Celebrating Life by Swindoll (Spring 06)
Extracting the Precious from Isaiah by Partow (Fall 06)

Each season we would seek God's direction for our group and our role in it. Every season God led some women away and led some women near.
Our group has consisted of:
Natasha Kempson (Boyce)
Kim Brown
Bethany Gee (Foland)
Kara Glascock
Nicole Hatfield (Kuhn)
Katie Anderson (Ramsey)
Amy Grissom (Standish)
Ginger Reed
Heather Boyce
Alicia Fishers
Amy Stowers
Jen Weigle (Fox)
Crystal Walter
Colleen Rodriguez (DeShong)
Lori Anderson
Kristi Dearing
Shannon Gardiner
Laura Reinhart
Lindsey Roberson
SooAnn Fox
Darcy Wiley
Julie Moline
Me-Gretchen Corn (Landon)

As our group exploded to 15 women this fall, my heart grew burdened for God's direction for our group again. Surprised at where He directed, I realized that this was a season to die AND to be born.

In John 12:24, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

As the rich time of growth, friendship, learning and blessing is coming to an end in the form of my women's Bible study, I am THRILLED that both Kara Glascock and SooAnn Fox have prayerfully accepted responsibility as the shepherds of two new women's Bible studies! The baton has been passed and both women exemplify the character and knowledge necessary to facilitate these growing groups.
Although I hate goodbyes, I am excited for the new season God has opened in my life with my perfect provision: Ryan Corn. As we desire to grow as husband and wife to reflect Christ's love to each other and the watching world, we realized IT'S A LOT OF WORK! :) Being interdependent doesn't "just happen" and we continue to grow in our recognition that we need Christ's power and truth daily to develop our marriage into a reflection of Him and His love and unity. Thankfully, we are not alone in this! We both have dear friends that desire to walk this new journey with us and (after we catch our breath), we'll embark on a couple's study based off of Campus Crusade for Christ's marriage ministry's (Family Life) curriculum.

I am comforted by the truth in

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."

I will miss our Tuesday ladies night very much and thank God for the blessing of walking alongside these women during the last 2 ½ years of my life.

Christmas Pictures 06

After our flight to Denver, CO was cancelled, the Corn family graciously rescheduled their Christmas with us and came up BEFORE we left for Colorado!

Mom & Dad got us a mini-dvd handycam...hopefully I'll get videos up here soon. It came in handy with all our adventures in Colorado!

Our flight on Wed (12/20) was rescheduled to Sat (12/23) Denver was in such dire straights that the Red Cross came in and set up cots for people to sleep on and brought food after all the airport food vendors were sold out! We're glad we didn't get stuck in that mess. Instead we flew from Indy ---> Chicago ---> Dallas ----> Colorado Springs! Yikes! We had the happy coincidence of running into friends, Mike & Rachel, from church at the Indy airport. We had a layover together in Chicago and shared lunch before heading our separate ways! Small world! ;)

Ryan made his family's traditional spaghetti & meatballs for us all on Christmas Eve before we attended the Christmas Eve services at the Nagel's church.

Looks like Todd found something to snack on while Ryan works on dinner ;)
This awesome pine tree came from the Nagel's wooded lot.

Sophia LOVES to be a princess (her sister does too as a matter of fact)



Nana & grandad help roll dough for cutting sugar cookies. (High altitude baking is tricky)

Uncle Ryan is a HUGE hit with the kids-Sophia (5), Benjamin (4) and Amanda (7).

Nana & Grandad refurbished Nana's childhood dollhouse for the girls to play with. They were rather shocked to find the boys pirate action figures attacking them (per Ryan's prompting) ;)

Truly amazing...these puppy dogs actually give WET KISSES! ;)

Jennifer got a plaque from me saying "Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt"....Benjamin later earned the right to pose with the sign! :0


Even Cricket (the dog) had a good Christmas with candy cane shaped bones to bury!

On Christmas day we went hiking in Red Rock Canyon...just down the road from the Nagel's home in Manitou Springs, CO.

Ryan and I snowboarded while my Dad and Jonathan (9) were on the double planks at Monarch Mountain on 12/27...we got home just in time for the second blizzard in a week! We were then snowed in for 2 days. Fortunately the porch can serve as an additional refrigerator when there are several feet of snow!

Ryan didn't LOVE snowboarding and has decided next time he's gonna ski.

Mom & Dad have to leave a day early to get out of Colorado before they closed the roads out (which they did right after their "escape")

Darfur, Sudan

So often my heart breaks over the thousands of lives lost in this violent genocide. Hundreds of thousands are living in tents in refugee camps (which does not ensure their safety either).

If you don't know the history, the extremity of the situation, or how you can help-please ask me...I'm always happy to talk about it with you.

My organization, Church World Service, works in Sudan and had this update to share today...

DARFUR
400,000 dead,

2.5 million displaced,

10,000 dying every month
Sudan--Hopes that the signing of a Darfur peace agreement in May 2006 would help settle one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises have been dashed. Instead, the situation in Darfur has deteriorated steadily.
Since July 2004, CWS has supported the work of the Action by Churches Together (ACT)-Caritas coalition, a joint ecumenical operation that combines the efforts of more than 60 organizations in responding to needs in Darfur.
Successful CWS-supported efforts in the last three years include: construction or rehabilitation of 22 clinics and two rural hospitals (all providing mother and child health care), 240 wells, and 34 schools; delivery of non-food packages to over 65,000 households; supplementary feeding for children and pregnant or lactating mothers; and psychosocial and counseling programs.
In 2007, CWS will be helping ACT to assist displaced families in a number of ways, including constructing 82 new water points and rehabilitating and maintaining others; constructing 1,150 latrines and rehabilitating 2,025 others; and mobilizing communities to manage their own environment and sanitation.
Conflict-affected communities will have access to ten ACT-run clinics in camps, one in a host community, and two mobile clinics, and up to 12,000 children and 8,000 lactating or pregnant women will receive nutritional assistance.
And plans call for more than 5,000 households to participate in trainings in improved farming methods. They’ll also receive seeds, tools, and assistance in creating and maintaining 31,000 trees in community-owned nurseries--trees that will be distributed mostly to female-headed households.
Plans are also underway to build seven schools and rehabilitate and maintain others, along with the provision of school materials, recruitment of female teachers, training for administrators, and encouragement for female students.
Emergency response and preparedness training for local partners is also planned, along with assistance to communities in dealing with trauma, taking charge of their own protection needs, and supporting them in working towards building a sustainable peace.
For more information on CWS response to the Darfur crisis, visit
www.churchworldservice.org.

SaveDarfur.org has a post called "Multimedia" that's worth checking out...

Video…

My Favorite Things

Rain drops on roses and
whiskers on kittens,
bright copper kettles and
warm woolen mittens :)

OK-I like some of those things, but here are some others...

Playing cards and drinking with Oscar (he's a bad influence) ;)

Watching Smokie play with the nature in our back yard (she's clueless she's on a turtle)...

and Emmy enjoying the "Lisa Dahlias" named after my late friend from high school, Lisa Hunt.

Since moving to Indianapolis, I've enjoyed watching the Colts games on Sundays (except for recent Sundays) :X

I love that there is a Macy's en route to and from work!

I love that I can meet Ryan for lunch at La Hacienda when he's free- WAY better than when he had to drive 2 hours to be in the same town as his wife!

I love that there is a canal that runs behind my office for walks during lunch in good weather.

I love when my friends and family come to visit us OR when we have an opportunity to visit them!

What are your favorite things?

BABIES BABIES BABIES

Ryan & I are getting a kick out of all the babies being brought into the world by our friends/family! CURRENTLY WE KNOW THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE TO BE EXPECTING:

Ryan's Friends

Mick & Angela Bockstruck (Chicago area)

Due Jan 07

Kelly & Justin Parker (Champaign)

Summer 07

Laura & Brad Boyd (Robinson)

Dec 06

Kelly & Ryan Bryant (Robinson)

Summer 07

Gretchen's Friends

Jenny & Tim Stadlemann (Chicago area)
Dec 06

Darcy & Craig Wiley (Indy Bible study)

Summer 07

Kim & Josh Brown (Home church)

March 06

Eric & Rachel Rutherford (Evansville friends now in Louisville)

March 07

Births in the last month:

Jeff & Cheryl Folz (Evansville)

Dan & Delphine Swingley (my cousin from PA)

CONGRATULATIONS ALL!

WE ARE HAPPY FOR YOU &

MINDFUL OF OUR OTHER FRIENDS

THAT LONG TO BE PARENTS

AND SHARE YOUR JOY!

Indy Zoo Date

Saturday night Ryan and I went to dinner at his favorite downtown brewry, The Ram, and then on to the Indianapolis Zoo to see all their lights! We love our zoo pass that lets us pay once and go "free" the rest of the year.

The lights were SO cool! They were in the shapes of giraffes, otters, snakes, eagles, monkies...every animal seemed to be recreated in Christmas lights.

We especially enjoyed watching the polar bears and brown bears at night in this cold weather. They were more active than we used to seeing!

We took a GOOFY trainride around the zoo and listened to an "elf" DJ W-Mas 1225 on the zoo's "Christmas radio"! UGH...we probably would have been very imporessed had we been 4 years old. BUT all in all, it was a fun way to spend the evening together.