From Blogger to Wordpress

I have recently Changed from blogger to wordpress... I'm going to see how much I like this better. I can update stuff more easily from my ipad if I use wordpress as well I have been having trouble uploading photos on here, so keep following our journey at kokefamily.wordpress.com 

Hope to see you on the other side!!

October.... 5th!

I can not believe that is is already October 5th! Where has the time gone to? I am quite behind on my blogging and do not have any pictures to contribute to this post, but I thought I would give you all a quick update. Being harvest time I am on a crazy schedule between working at ADM and the Y! I go straight from one job to another. But I love harvest and love being at the elevator. Like I have said before it is something that I have grown up doing and harvest time would not be complete with out working at a grain elevator!

Things are going well, even though Chad and I only see each other on a passing basis or right before bed, it is good to know that it is only for a season. It makes us cherish the time we have together on our time off. Speaking of Chad, he has been preaching in churches! He is doing what he loves to do, and I know I am bias, but he is pretty awesome! We went to San Jose Christian Church the other day where Chad preached to a group of 18 people! Small church but it was great getting some practice under his belt. He is already booked to preach again at another church, and I am excited to see him grow! I love how so many of his stories comes from his Grandpa Koke, he has been such an inspiration to Chad to share the gospel! Chad also spoke at Leaders Club here at the Clinton Jr High. He is getting a lot of practice in!! I am SO PROUD of him, and excited for him!

No new news on the internship. I guess I will go with the saying no news is good news. We are hoping to hear SOMETHING ANYTHING ANYTIME SOON! I know God is really testing us, but we're waiting. We are actually heading down to visit the church he wants to be interning at and looking at places to live etc. Just want to have a feel of the place before shock roles around and I do not know what to do! Most of you know me I like to plan in advance. So yes I want to know where the nearest walmart is, dr office and all that good stuff! We're very excited to be going on this small trip, and thanks to my dad we get to stay overnight away from work and school! What an awesome treat!

As I always close with, please continue to pray that things just fall into place and for our patience's as we wait.
Until Next week....(Hopefully with pictures)

Harvest Time is Here!

The days grow shorter. The air grows cooler. Something special is in the air! The farmers have begun to reaps what they have sown. It is time for hooded sweatshirts and warm jeans. The leaves of the trees begin to change. Something special is n the air! the night grows cooler. The daylight grows shorter. The children are yet again in school. Their laughter fills the air. The smells of Fall begin to fill the air: the smell of a fresh wood fire, fresh apple cider, fresh baked pies, and fresh baked bread. Harvest time is here. ~ An excerpt from Chad Koke's Harvest Time is Here poem!

The old Waynesville Elevator

 I can not believe that Harvest time is here. This is my favorite time of year. School is back in session, leaves are falling, cool air with windows open, and my favorite hoodies and football games. Chad is back into school and I can not believe that this time next year we should be off on our own. I am so excited for a new adventure. Chad is loving everything about this new semester. He takes 2 classes or 3 classes a day and they are stuff they love. Challenging, but he loves it! I have started back at the grain elevator, yes a true sign that Harvest is here. It has been crazy but I love it. So balancing there, the Y, school, housework, and spending time with Chad has been a challenge, but it is only for a season. I love being out at the Elevator it is like home. I grew up at a grain elevator when my mom worked at one when I was little. I remember being there everyday after school and weekends watching cartoons. I helped test,  sign my initials on tickets, and  most importantly press the horn. Now I work at a grain elevator with my mom and it brings back all types of memories.

Chad and I will hopefully be visiting the church he will hopefully being interning at. We will be scoping out the area etc... be praying that everything works out and the right doors will be open. 

We will fill you in on the details as they come in. Also we have our vacation booked. We could not take one this summer, so we are leaving during Christmas. We are so excited 6 days and we are staying at a fantastic place!!!

Well as this week is winding down we will relaxing. Chad and I both have to work over the weekend but we always keep Sunday's together. Until next week ................

Promotion Sunday

  Today as I am off facebook, I see all the Jeff St kidos post about their first days at school. I cannot believe how fast the year has gone by. Chad and I have been working with the Jefferson St youth since summer of 08 and we've had a few promotion Sunday's to go through. It is hard every year to see them go into a new age group. These kids have been such an important part in our lives and we love seeing them grow throughout the year! It is going to be hard to move next year and leave Jeff St, but we are excited to start on our next chapter of our lives! 

A Game of Kill BALL!

Dustin, who will be leaving us to High School, we will miss him!

One of our original jr high kids...Love Elijah to death... he's volunteered to babysit when we have a kid lol

Chad and Steven! Steven as well is heading to Highschool

Jr High & High School Group Picture

Our original group minus Dustin. 

 

 

We sure love these guys!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Luck to all our kids in School, we are always here for you guy!

Family Sunday...

  Last week we were blessed with talking with the guy that Chad will possibly be doing his internship with. It is quite exciting to know that things are finally starting move forward. Chad and I have been waiting and praying, and to see some progress is so exciting. I've already started planning out how to pack and when to start. Yes you all might think I am crazy, but I'm going to make this the easiest move because I will know right where everything is. Chad's dad, Mike, thinks I'm a tad bit crazy. Other than that exciting news nothing new has taken place this past week. 

  Chad is finally done working everyday for the state fair, so he will be back on a normal schedule. As well he will be starting school tomorrow. It is his last first day of school, its a sad but exciting thing! This past weekend I've also not been feeling the greatest. I have a pretty sensitive stomach as is and with sinus and a stomach problems, well they didn't go well together. Despite a pretty rough weekend with my stomach Chad and I were able to spend a great Sunday with his Dad and Grandma. We visited with them over lunch as well at their house. I was able to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening with them while they were at work. I really appreciate them taking care of me while I was not feeling the best the other day. Chad's Dad and I watched NCIS and the sports center for most of the afternoon into the evening followed by the Cards/Cubs game. Its great to be in the same house with Mike and Grannie, Mike is a Cub's fan and Grannie is a Cards. They both bicker back and fourth about the game, and yes I love baseball but I could care less who wins, I just love the game. My loyalty lies with the Anaheim Angles! 

  Chad spent a late night at work Sunday night so I ended up staying there later than I expected. Grannie stays up late anyway (because of her long naps) so she stayed up and we had a FANTASTIC visit. Grannie has so many amazing stories about her life. She told me about her childhood, about the Koke family, and so many other amazing stories. One of the best things is she talked so much about Chad's Grandpa, Papal. It was great hearing about him, since I did not know him that much. I also told her about my own grandpa. It is so awesome to think the could have possible served together in the military. Our grandpas did so many things alike. It is great to reflect on the memories of those who have went before us. 

  One more thing about Grannie, as I stayed with her that evening she did something that I admire very much, I saw through her the Body of Christ! You may be asking what I am talking about well let me explain. She knows a family that is in a situation that needs some help from people. Situations that I pray you or I never have to face, but these people are facing them and they need help. Along with another lady, Grannie visits this family on a weekly visit or as much as she can. She as well took time out Sunday night to search phone books, and make phone calls for connections to help these people. Through her I see the church at work, reaching out to those who need it and taking the time out to make the effort to help another person. She didn't have to visit this family or help them in any way, but as apart of the Body of Christ she is helping them. I don't know if I could do what she does, she steps out and helps those who need a hand. I know I have been guilty of thinking, Oh Someone else will take care of that, or That is just not my gifting. Grannie displayed to me a prime example of how the Body of Christ should be working, seeing a need and fulfilling it in any way that they can. I pray that through her example, my own life will reflect how shes lives out hers. She has some Crazy Love for people...but I'll leave the Crazy Love portion for another post! 

That's it from the Koke house hold...until next time

answered prayers

A few posts back I made some summer goals, I am not happy to report that I did not reach 1000 miles on my bike, or finish all the chronicles of Narnia. I've had a few set backs being sick, busy with school, just life in general. So I decided to redefine some of my goals. I took a class in being a transformational leader and one of the things we've discussed is making goals, and sometimes we've got to stop and re-evaluate the goals that we have made, and tweek them to better fit our life style. I've made some little adjustments to these goals, they do not have a deadline, but are more of a daily goals. First I want to dedicate myself to reading. I want to broaden my mind, I want to read a chapter a day out of the Bible, as well as some other readings like CS Lewis to challenge the expansion of my mind. As well instead of setting 3 months to ride 1000 miles, I'm going to bike 30mins a day. Followed lastly by a physical goal, NO SODA. Now I am not much of a soda drinker but I go in spurts, no soda for me. I also wrote these goals on my white board in the kitchen to remind me daily what I should be doing. I think this will help me to keep focused. 

Today while thinking about these goals, I've had other things on my heart. I've went back to Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount has been on my mind a lot today. It could be because I remember having to memorize it for a class, to recite out loud. It could also be because my last class I had to write a 10page paper on it. Or it just could be because the Sermon on the Mount is so applicable to our lives today. Matthew 7.7 is entitled in the NIV as ASK, SEEK, KNOCK (I'm only going to touch briefly on this)

 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

As many of you know Chad and I have constantly been asking for prayers for the next chapter of our lives, this scripture has been coming to my heart a lot lately. It is all about asking, seeking, and knocking. We need only to ask, we only need to seek for the answer and we only need to knock. How many times have we just expected things to happen for us, how many times do we think we'll God knows my needs, He says he will provide. How many times will we just let things slide by and let whatever happens happens. I know sometimes I've been guilty of just throwing things up in the air hoping they will happen. With Chad's internship I know my heart has been changed. Chad and I have been persistently seeking God's direction for our lives. I know we have felt at times that we were knocking and no one is answers, asking but hearing no response. I think God can teach us through this scripture to persistently seek God's will, don't just wait for something to fall into place. We must ask, and God does provide. So I guess my whole point is, all you have to do is ask because God does answer prayers. It may not be in our timing or in the way we want things answered but he does ( now that can be a whole different topic!)

God has answered a prayer for us, Chad has heard back from an internship we have been praying for. The answer is not yes, but the answer is not no. God is funny in those ways, never reviling the big picture all at once. But we have got in touch with this ministry in Indiana and making progress! Things are looking good, and we will keep asking God, for further direction! We're praying that the situation will pan out into our favor. We continue to ask for your support through prayer that doors will open as we knock! Not only for Chad and his ministry, but for my career path, and one day for our future child! 

Thank you again for all your prayers and support we will keep you posted!

Fall is right around the corner

This week the temperatures have been amazing. It has been the first time in a while that we have had the air off and the house open it has been fantastic! We are just getting over some horrible colds so having the house aired out has been helping a lot. Not much has happend this week so I believe this will be a pretty short post! 

Tuesday I finished up another class, still waiting to hear back on my grade and I started another class. I can not believe how fast everything goes. But I only have this year left and should be done by August! It is so exciting to be almost done. Chad starts back at school in a few weeks and he is really excited to be back in a routine. He is well is almost done. Finishing up this year and then heading out to internship. He has been working like crazy at Guzzardos. State Fair is this week so he has had to stay at the restaurant while others go down there to work. I have been missing him like crazy it is so weird not being able to see him on our days off. I guess we must get used to it because I will be starting soon working at the grain elevator and for the next few months I will be on a crazy schedule as well. 

Saturday we had a great rain storm, the clouds were crazy and there were beautiful rainbows. I wish I had my camera I would of had some awesome shots! I also saw my Uncle David, he came down for a quick visit. It was good to see him. Chad's dad and grandma took me out on a date that evening as well. It was fantastic to spend time with them. We ate at Ted's Garage in Clinton followed by Cowboys and Aliens! The movie was actually really good! I think we're going to make it a new tradition to have some date nights occasionally it was great! 

We start a new week this week, filled with homework and work! I can not believe how close it is to fall and I really hope the temperatures stay this way. 

There has been a song on my mind lately and Chad's as well it is called "While I'm waiting" 

Chad and I have been impatiently waiting to hear back from his internship. Internship determines where we will go the next phase of our lives. Once we figure out where we are going then I will be able to make a career change and start looking for a place to live. I am much of a planner and the fact that it is only 9 months away and we still don't know 100% for sure where we are going is driving me nuts. We both are excited to start a new chapter of our lives but waiting is the hardest part. We have been praying hard to find out where God is calling us. We fell in love with a church in Newburg IN and are praying that this church will open up for us to go. God has been teaching us to be patient and listen for direction. It's hard for both of us to stay quite and wait! But while we wait we will serve! We will be taking a risk by leaving, but we know God will take care of us. Please be praying as we continue as well for direction. We desire to start a new chapter and to start a family, but for now we are waiting. Will you pray with us?! 

For now that is it from the Koke household until next week........