30 at 25

Hello friends and faithful followers,

With only a month left (wow, 30 days!) until we depart for China, we are doing everything we can to get all last minute details in order. We are still lacking both prayer and financial partners, so we are launching a campaign to have our full budget pledged before we leave on July 27th. We are calling it 30 at 25 and what that means is that we are asking 30 individuals or couples to commit to donating $25/month. The length of your commitment is totally up to you, but we are hoping for a year long commitment. We know that it is by the prayers of the body that our ministry in China will flourish! We appreciate you and are thankful for the relationships that we have formed through our various phases in life. We have already had our first person make a commitment, praise God! If you are unable to commit financially, but would like to pray for us - let us know, we would LOVE to hear from you! If you are wanting to commit, please contact us:

amber.parker77@gmail.com
812-320-7639

The Parkers: Where are they now?

So, I acknowledge the fact that it has been forever since we've updated the blog. For our faithful follower(s) out there, we are truly sorry. Lots has happened in the past month! The first exciting event was that we had family photos taken and we love them all, but here are a few of our favorites (for more, you can check out Amber's facebook album...) 

Lyla was in a bit of a grumpy mood due to her missed nap but Emily Kathryn, our photographer, did an awesome job capturing the moment! The next major and even more important event was that Amber graduated with her Bachelors majoring in Bible and Managing Nonprofit Organizations on May 7th! We wasted no time and the next morning moved to Bloomington, Indiana to spend the summer with Amber's parents before moving to China. Logan had his first week of work in Indiana this week, he is working with a pool instillation company and learning some tricks of the trade, Amber hopes that knowledge will prove beneficial in the future when they get a pool of their own...or maybe that is just wishful thinking :) We will be staying in Indiana until July 27th when we fly to China, so this will be a time of intense preparation and of enjoying time with family. 

God has proven faithful with our funds for China, and we have recently been blessed by several people partnering with us for our time in China. Our goal is to raise $1500 / month and right now we have $700 / month pledged with all of our one time expenses (plane tickets, language school, and visas) covered! If you would like to partner with us in this ministry either through prayer or financial support, you can e-mail us at amber.parker77@gmail.com Every donation makes a difference and takes us one step closer to living out the vision God has placed in us to accomplish. Donations are tax deductible and can be given online. We hope everybody enjoys their week-end!!

Precious Moments

I'm not sure I realized how {un}eventful our lives were until I started writing a blog. With that being said I have a couple fun things to share. The first is that Lyla has been teething and for all you babywise people out there, you know what that means...no sleep! Last night I was cuddling with her in the rocking chair and as I sat there and watched her sleep I realized how precious babies are when they sleep. She kept smiling and I couldn't help but wonder what she was dreaming about {me, of course...but which fond memory.} Then a funny thing happened, she started babbling in her sleep! For all of you who know me well, you know who she gets this from. It was a moment I was happy to be there. Life is passing so quickly, I'm thankful for every happy moment I get to share with her. As I write this, she is crying because she just woke from her nap so, until next time...

Hindsight

For all our followers, the idea of this blog is to help us communicate our passion for the future and keep all those who love and care for us updated on our lives. This blog helps us to constantly strive forward toward the prize that God's called for us. Every decision we make is in faith that God cares for us and has an incredible plan for us, despite what we may feel or think at that time. We trust that any trip or fall we make will be met by the arms who so carefully placed us here.

My deepest desire is that everyone would know the love and passion God has for us. As I look back over my life, I see the dangers that I placed myself in. Seeing the hazardous situations that I would never put Lyla in, understanding the consequences of the actions I felt I had to take; however, it was all worth it. As it was portrayed by Robert Frost...

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference." 

To those we meet along the path, I pray that we can make a difference; and to look back on our lives...satisfied. Calm and peaceful with the steps we took. Thanks for the hindsight, Barry.
                                                                                                                                           -Logan

911 Please state your emergency...

Yesterday turned out to be quite an eventful day. Logan had the morning off so we spent that time relaxing, running errands, and just playing around. Once Logan left, Lyla and I continued the playing; we played dress up (more to my amusement than hers)



Lyla left the hat on for about 30 seconds



 and enjoyed some of her favorite toys. Finally it was dinner time so I prepared Lyla's food and put her in her high chair to eat while I did some dishes. I turned to check on her frequently but one time I turned around and saw her leaning over the side of her high chair immediately I paniced and ran to her but didn't make it in time. I literally saw her fall head first onto our kitchen floor. Here is where the hysteria set in. While I knew I should stay calm, I felt completely unsure of what to do. I managed to get my mom on the phone and Lyla and I went straight to Children's Hospital. By this point Lyla had stopped crying and was in a pretty good mood. While waiting for the Dr. she played as if nothing had happened. We praise God that nothing was wrong, not even a minor concussion. I am so thankful for a country where I can rush my child to the hospital in emergencies and for a God that truly is our protector. This was a situation where I had no control and had to trust God to take care of her, I am thankful the my God never fails. For those of you who are still perhaps a little shocked and concerned, here is Lyla today...

My long-term vision

So this was originally sent as an e-mail to just a few of my closest girl friends but I felt like God wanted me to share it. Habakkuk 2:2 says, "Then the Lord replied: 'Write down the revelation and make it plain on tabliets so that a herald may run with it.'" I think it is so important to write down your vision and while it may change, it serves as a daily reminder of why we do what we do...it is all for His glory.

I was trying to do some homework and research on the Greek word paraklesis and I found this blog by "mistake" but I don't think it was a mistake at all. Take just a minute to check out the blog post Guys, this is my passion, this is what God has for me I know that I know it. Not in Uganda, but somewhere there are children out there that will call me "mommy" and for these children I will leave all the comforts of home and everything I know in order to make a difference for His kingdom! I believe our upcoming ministry in China will be effective, it will be great for us to get experience on the mission field and under some amazing Godly people. Orphans are what breaks my heart and I know God will use China as a stepping stone to take us to what He has for us. Please stand in prayer that God will continue to reveal His plan to me as He sees fit and also pray that I will have the wisdom to walk in it.

This is Julio, the boy that started it all, he will forever be our Mexican son

                                                             Julio turned 15 three days ago!! 

Growing Strong and Moving On

I can honestly say that this week has been good. Last Saturday we celebrated Lyla's first birthday and it was so much fun watching her check  everything out, she had a great time playing with the other babies and though it took minute she really got into the cupcake!

After her birthday was over, it really started to sink in how close we are getting to leaving Knoxville and moving to China!  This is an exciting time in our lives and we are thankful that we have so many friends to share our experience with. Speaking of which, we had our first person pledge to donate to our ministry on a monthly basis. This happened at the exact time I was needing some encouragement, God is so good!

Another major event this week was taking Lyla to the dr. They are amazed at how much she is growing. Her height is in the 3rd percentile, her weight has moved up to the 5th percentile but the real shocker is, wait for it, her head circumference is in the 50th percentile! This must be a sure sign that she will be as smart as she is beautiful.

The third and final event that happened this week was that I passed my kidney stone that I have been working on for months. I am so proud it has now passed, I was getting worried that it was too big, and for good reason....check that baby out!

Believe your eyes, that is a kidney stone that measures 1/2 inch. That's worth celebrating, right? We thought so too so we went and got some frozen yogurt that was delicious. That's all for now, enjoy your week!