Layna on Display

Here's Layna yesterday showing off all her tricks. Enjoy

Passports have arrived!

I realize these are pics from Feb, but I know most of you don't care if I am sharing out of order. We had some warm days and the girls got to play outside some. They LOVE our little sandbox. They played so well together with it. I was very impressed. Another day they decided to do some gardening. And then I just put in a pic of Layna with her baby. I think she looks like a Precious Moments doll with her big sad eyes in that pic. She loves taking care of her baby dolls.



And a few fun pics of Layna playing in her rocking chair with her favorite hat. She is a funny girl. I am enjoying her more and more as she begins to show more of her personality. Her favorite words lately are "hallelujah" and "hi-YAH". She loves to play outside and give hugs and kisses :).



So, like the post title says, all of our passports have arrived! It's kind of crazy seeing Layna and Braelyn's pictures in a passport. This desire to "go" and share the gospel in a foreign land has been our plan for so long, but it has always been going to happen "in the future." NOW, the "future" has arrived and we are really going to do this! There are so many emotions, so many thoughts, and so many things to do that are always swirling around in my head. I struggle daily most of the time with not getting overwhelmed with "life". I am realizing how desperately I need to bring myself before the Lord each morning and confess my need of Him and ask Him to fill me up with His Spirit. One thing the Lord has been showing me lately is that some of my reactions and attitudes are not pleasing to Him. I think I justify my frustrations and my bad attitudes in a lot of different ways, but ultimately they are not pleasing to Him and therefore they are sin. I want to learn how to truly live and walk in HIS SPIRIT, and I know that should look much different. It doesn't matter if we go to another continent to be missionaries if I go in my own strength and let my "old self" control me. But if I can learn to crucify my "old self", my flesh, and let Christ live in and through me in the little details and big details of my everyday living......then it doesn't matter where I am in this world, or what I am doing, because I will be pleasing to Him and bringing glory to His name.
I realize learning how to live and walk by His Spirit is a lifelong process, and a daily, minute by minute process as well. But I want the Lord to teach me. Right now I am quoting Galatians 2:20 a lot and praying it. One thing the Lord has taught me is that there is power in His Word.

Well, on a lighter note....Aaron won 2nd place in the Chili cookoff at our church tonight! Woohoo :). We had a fun weekend of fellowship with our sunday school class saturday night and then the chili dinner tonight. We love our church family and are so thankful for them. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that I got to talk with both of the missionary women from Kapsowar this past week! It was really nice getting to talk with them and learn more about what our life will be like and just more ideas on what to pack. I will try to put a post up soon just summarizing some of the things that I learned. I am trying to make a habit of updating the blog on Sunday nights, so maybe next week. Hope everyone has a good week!

March Madness!

Being silly!
Knee pads and tutus....that's how we roll in the Jones house :)

Braelyn (aka "Supergirl") and Daddy rockin' out to some live music!

Thanks Mamaw for the cute dresses!


It wouldn't be March without a blog post of "March Madness!" Aaron and I noticed while looking back through the blog that each year we had a March Madness post, so now it has become a tradition :). My spotlight this year will be the last few days of which I have been working like a crazy woman trying to organize, sort, pack, and clean!! All in preparation for moving at the end of June and ultimately moving to Kenya at the end of August. Aaron's mom took the girls for a few days and the madness began :). In a good way.
I was happy to be able to pack up a whole van load of the girls' clothes (sizes not being worn), Christmas stuff, baby gear, and other random things. I felt like PROGRESS had occurred! Woohoo! Then Saturday I spent the whole day trying to CLEAN. I mean really clean. Unfortunately I did not achieve all my goals, but the house looked much better and my kitchen is the cleanest it has been in over a year!

We got another round of support letters sent out. Still have another round or two to go, but that's progress! I wanted to share a little bit about ways to support us and some benefits of supporting us as "monthly supporters" versus giving a one time donation. Of course, we are grateful and appreciate all gifts, but some of our friends have asked us if we prefer a monthly donation or a one time gift, or some other way. So, there are a few people who have already committed to become "monthly supporters" and each month when we get an update of donations/donors those people's names are always on there. And it GREATLY ENCOURAGES MY HEART to see those people's names and to know that they care so much about us and the ministry that God has called us to. It just gives a tremendous feeling of PARTNERSHIP and fellowship which blesses my heart. I feel like we are not going alone. It is a monthly reminder of God's faithfulness through YOUR giving. So, if you are debating about one or the other, I encourage you to become a monthly supporter and PARTNER with us. Another friend of mine has offered to supply us with things we need AFTER we get there, and this is encouraging as well. I am hoping to create a prayer team of people who will commit to praying for us on certain days of the week. I know that PRAYER is POWERFUL! And we want God to use us in a powerful way for HIS GLORY, so we are making prayer a priority, even now. Please don't underestimate how God might want to use YOU to make a difference in this ministry and these people that we are going to be serving. And if you are praying for us, please feel free to share that with us because it is SO ENCOURAGING to know that people are praying. This is the Lord's plan, the Lord's ministry.....we are just following Him.
Thanks for keeping up with us!

Progress

My Pretty Ballerinas!



Just wanted to give an update on how things are going around here at the Jones household. We are thankful that everyone seems to be healthy now. We had a long month of sickness that was quite exhausting for everyone, but the Lord was good to see us through it.
Layna has been quite the fussy girl lately and we are hoping that she is just teething and this is a phase that will pass soon. You know it's bad when her older sister is pleading with her to "be quiet and stop crying!" I struggle with patience. I know the Lord is trying to teach me how to turn my cares over to Him and not be so frustrated. Anyway....she is learning to feed herself with a spoon really well. I think she is very coordinated for her age. She tries to talk some. She can definitely communicate when she doesn't like something :).
Braelyn is very entertaining these days....well, most all time. She encourages my heart when she is kind to Layna and tries to cheer her up. She is a very loving big sister....most of the time. We have a few bible verses we are working on memorizing. I love to hear her say them. She really LOVES to sing and dance. Almost anytime we are in the car she is requesting specific songs on the CDs we have. She likes to do things by herself, which is fine with me most of the time.
Aaron is finishing up his last few months of residency. I am so thankful for him. He works so hard to take care of his family and he is such a GOOD daddy! And a wonderful husband as well! I am looking forward to being able to see him care for patients at the mission hospital. To see him at work :) Sometimes it is hard for me to understand what his day is like as a doctor because I have only seen him "doctoring" one time. That was when we went on a medical mission trip to Kenya in medical school and it was so amazing to watch him care for those people. I am very, very proud of him and give the Lord all the glory for the wonderful doctor he has become.
As for me......I stay busy taking care of the girls and trying to keep our house in some type of order :). I haven't been able to do the precepts bible study this session and I have missed it a lot. I am starting to clean out drawers and closets bit by bit. Trying to pull out all the stuff I can haul off to our local thrift store. We are trying to make decisions on everything, whether to get rid of it, store it, sell it, or take it with us!Lots of decisions to be made. I was excited to send a corner shelf back to my mom's house the other day with her. Felt like a step in the right direction :). If you think of us, a good prayer we always need is for WISDOM from God in all the decisions we have to make.

Some good news is that we finally got all our paperwork and pictures put together for our passports! We sent it all off in the mail this past Friday!! Another step in the right direction :)

And I wanted to let everyone know that we added a little feature to our blog so that you can follow us through your email. Just type your email into the box in the upper right corner of our blog and then you will receive an email each time we add a new post. We really appreciate those of you who are keeping up with us and supporting us through your prayers and encouraging words. They really do mean SO MUCH to us.

Feel free to leave questions for us in the comment box if you have any or feel free to email us. I am working on compiling a list of emails for people who want to get email updates from us.

On a random note.....Braelyn just came downstairs and said "William Carey", so of course I started asking her who that was....she proceeded to tell us that he went to "India" and he was a "missionary"! she got a little confused at times and said he got swallowed by a huge fish :) but overall, we were VERY encouraged to hear that she learned about a missionary at church this morning! although when asked if she wanted to be a missionary she replied, "No, I don't think so, I just want to be a friend."

First Baptist Powell on Mission videos

Persisent prayers from CompassionNet on Vimeo.

Persistent plowing from CompassionNet on Vimeo.

Just wanted to share these videos of Aaron's dad's church in Powell, TN. It is motivating and encouraging to be persistent in our prayers for those dark and unreached areas of the world.

Comparing Africa and United States

I saw this on another blog one time and thought it was very interesting. I did not realize what a huge difference in size there was.

Updating the blog!!

Hey everyone! As you can see we are in the processing of updating our blog with some new changes. This is a work in progress so keep checking back for more updates. Hopefully we will have a new family picture made soon that will also be used for our prayer card. Let me know if you have any ideas for any other information you think would be helpful to have on here. We are trying to figure out how to make the picture at the top a little smaller :) And how to fit the verse in better. Like I said, a work in progress........time to go on a dinner date with my hubby!!

Power of the gospel

Our associate pastor at church posted this video to facebook and I just wanted to share it with you all. It really blessed my heart and encourages my heart to see new believers in places where the gospel had not been heard come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. In this man's testimony you can really see how God has revealed the truth of the gospel to him and how it has impacted his life and thinking. They are in Papua New Guinea.



I can't help but look around us here in America, at all the people who claim to be Christians, but yet Christ has no place in their lives....He has no impact on their thinking......they have no testimony of the redemption and transformation that God has given them in His Son. This saddens my heart for many reasons. Maybe some are Christians but have never grown in their walk with the Lord. Maybe they are deceived into thinking they are Christians for all the wrong reasons because they have never seen or truly understood the gospel. I heard someone say that being a Christian is not just about a decision, but a DESIRE. If we are Christians, our hearts desires should be His desires. I pray that we, who do know Christ, who have experienced His power and His salvation, would live in such a way that people around us would have no question about WHOSE we are......

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And that by doing so, maybe those who have never grown in their walks, or have never truly known Him would see what it looks like to live surrendered to the Lord and walk in His truth. Sometimes people don't know that there is more to the Christian life than going to church and "being good" because they have never been taught the truth of the His word and understood who He really is and the intimate relationship He desires with us. THAT is AMAZING, that He desires to have a relationship with US.
I say all these things because I have been in the place of not understanding and knowing that there is SO MUCH MORE to our "being a Christian" and I praise God for revealing to me through His word, His Holy Spirit,through pastors, friends and even the places that God has allowed me to live in. I really didn't plan on posting all this. And I don't claim to have all the answers or be a perfect Christian.....really there is no such thing. I struggle to live and walk by His Spirit daily, but I know without a doubt that my heart belongs to Him and I want my life to glorify Him as much as possible because that's all that really matters here on earth. Living for Him.....longing to bring Him glory in all things.
May God continue to reveal to each one of us more of Himself and more of His word so that we may love Him more.

Videos of Kapsowar

Here are some videos that just share some more insight into where we are going to serve this fall at Kapsowar Mission Hospital in Kenya. The video below features Dr. Kyle Jones and the work he has been involved in there. Lord willing, we will be serving alongside him and his family this fall. Please pray for them as they are back in the US right now after finishing their two year term. They plan on returning to Kapsowar in July. They are currently raising financial support for their return. If you would like to learn more about their family or how you can support them their blog is www.joneshousehappenings.blogspot.com

Please continue to pray for us as well. Pray that the Lord would prepare our hearts for this next step and for wisdom in making all the decisions in preparation to leave. Thank you!!

Layna is one year old!!

Our little Layna girl is now one year old!! Her birthday was January 12 and we sang Happy Birthday to her that morning and gave her a birthday donut (her first donut) that afternoon. She LOVED the donut :). She started walking around 11 months and is a pro now. She loves to play with her big sister and they are having lots of fun together....most of the time. She is my active child, always climbing or exploring. She has learned to sleep much better now and we are so thankful for that! Everyone says she looks just like her Daddy. She can say "ma ma" and "da da", but just prefers to babble most of the time. She can blow kisses and wave bye bye. She LOVES to cuddle with her lovey and any stuffed animal she can get her hands on. We look forward to watching her grow and learn so much more this next year. We thank God for the beautiful gift He has given us in Layna Aleese Jones.


Birthday afternoon....


Layna likes to color like a big girl....just have to watch out for her taste testing the crayons :)


This was our "mini-celebration" for her birthday since we weren't sure when we would get to have a party. She wasn't sure what to think about the candle, but Braelyn was more than willing to help her blow it out. She had no problem with the donut and even shared a little with her big sister. She went for her one year check up yesterday and weighed in at 17.15 lbs, which is the tenth percentile for her age group. She was in the 30% for height, and 90% on head size!! What a brain she is growing :) She is very petite, but very strong and LOUD! Don't be fooled by those big blue eyes.

Hopefully we will be able to celebrate with family and have a birthday party in the coming weeks.

Thankful for a Christian Heritage

Last week my Granny Hasty passed away. She was 87 years old. We went to middle TN this past weekend to be with family and for the funeral. We thank God for the long, blessed life that He gave her. She did not have to suffer long, only a couple of months. Of course we are sad that she is no longer with us, but at the same time it is of great comfort to know she is with Jesus. One of the things that was said at the funeral about her was that she loved to laugh. And that was so true. I am thankful for the love and laughter she poured out into our family and the wonderful example she left.

After being with family all weekend, I just realized what a blessing it is to have a Christian heritage. I am so thankful to my Granny & Pop for the example they have set in loving the Lord and each other.
My Pop was with my Granny at the nursing home and the hospital, and never wanted to leave her side. They have loved one another and loved the Lord for as long as I can remember. They had been married for 68 years! What a legacy. I know he will miss her dearly, but I trust that the Lord will comfort him and guide him through each day.
While we were there this past weekend I was helping my Pop clean off some things from his desk and we came across some blank Christmas cards that had been sent as a gift from an organization he supports. I asked him if he wanted to keep them and he said, "Well, since they don't really say anything about what Christmas is about (Jesus)....I don't think I need them." (The cards were just "holiday" cards, nothing about Jesus) I was thankful I got to listen as my Pop said that because it showed me, again, his heart for the Lord. Also on his desk was his Bible, opened up.
I feel so extremely blessed for the family God has placed me in. I hope and pray that Aaron and I will be able to continue this heritage the Lord has given us with our children and (Lord willing) grandchildren someday.

Psalm 145

1 I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable . 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. 6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and merciful ; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. 9 The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. 10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, And Your godly ones shall bless You. 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power ; 12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. 14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

Christmas Videos!

Here's a video of Braelyn at her preschool performing "The Colors of Christmas". Super Cute in our opinion!

Here is Braelyn at our church as a part of the shepherd choir. Thankfully Mr. Rick is blocking Braelyn at the beginning while she is picking her nose constantly! Then the whole time she is trying to balance with her foot on the step behind her. And for some reason she feels she needed to step up when the shepherds are speaking the first time. Enjoy!

Love this song!

Christmas pics at church

Random Pics from November

Braelyn and her best friend, Madelyn, playing dress up.

Daddy dancing with his girls.....they LOVE it!!

The blue hippo is one of Layna's favorite toys.....she loves to just stand in it and step out, step in and stand in it again....over and over. I think it makes her feel independent. :)

First time the girls have worn matching outfits. Thanks Mamaw for buying them :) They looked so cute. Braelyn was so excited to be matching with Layna.

Visiting my Granny Hasty on Thanksgiving. Hopefully she will get to go home soon.

We made a quick stop by Michael & Katy's on our way home.

Sweet cousin love!!