It's beginning to look alot like....

Christmas! I started listening to my $0.30 Bing Crosby White Christmas thrift store cassette tape a month ago. Now, everywhere is decorated and this month brings friends and family together. 

Micah 5:2
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past."

 

 Our house is decorated!

 

My Bible study group goes bowling!

 

 Dinner party with friends

 

 Christmas Club at YoungLife

 

 Rainer telling the Christmas story

 

Christmas present from Rainer -

a getaway to Greenwood!

 

We had the opportunity to light the

advent candle at church on Sunday

 

The biggest news of the week is Loretta Belle Jones

Kit & Jeremy welcomed a beautiful baby girl on Saturday

Today is Kit's birthday, what a birthday gift -

Congrats Kit and Jeremy, praise God for this blessing!

 

 

Wedding!

Brent and Tori are married! It was a beautiful wedding on November 30th. Now there is another Mrs. Powell! We are so happy that God brought them together and we are excited that they will live here in Clarksdale. They are off to Antigua for their honeymoon.

 

We had a great Thanksgiving with the whole Powell family. Hunting, football and lots of food! What a blessing to be with loved ones and enjoy a huge feast - honey baked ham, scalloped potatoes, dressing, broccoli salad, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, butter beans, fried okra, purple hull peas, yeast rolls, pecan pie, sweet potato pie, chocolate chess pie, pecan cheesecake- whew!

 

 Mr. and Mrs. Brent Powell

 

 Brothers - Rainer, Brent, Boyce, Chandler

 

Rainer reading Genesis 2:18-24 in the wedding

 

The Powells and The Powells

 

Chandler and Boyce escort in Janis

 

It was a fun night!

Packing food up

 

 Yum!

 

 So many choices!

 

Ready to eat

 

More Greenie time

 

 

Sleepy baby

 

Chandler, Aubrey, Paul, Boyce, Brent, Rainer

 

 It's Christmas time

 

Our first stockings... with Rainer's favorite snack

 Rainer's been waiting months for these!

 

 

Pregnant...

I always knew I wanted to have children one day, but when we got married I did not feel excited about getting pregnant or having children anytime soon. Then, when we were traveling for 6 months doing mission work, I heard someone say something that really changed my perspective. Pregnancy is one time when we are given the opportunity to help God with a miracle. My feelings about pregnancy changed from that day forward. I have 100 days left until due date and feel very blessed every day to have this opportunity. Praise God for this miracle.

Speaking of babies, we got to hold our niece Greenie this week! What a blessing and sweet baby girl.

Another exciting family event from last weekend was my grandmother's 90th birthday party. Alice "Babbie" Mitchell turned 90 last Friday. She is as smart, quick-witted and kind as ever. It's amazing, her mother was born in 1895 and she was born in 1923. Meredith, my sister-in-law, asked her what the best invention was over her lifetime and she said probably the internet, however she doesn't use it much.

For Mom's birthday, we gave her a t-shirt that says,

"Yes, they're fake, my real ones tried to kill me"... she loved it!

 Family party in Chattanooga for Babbie's 90th birthday

 

Babbie opening presents

 

My dad (on right) and his identical twin brother, Charles,

with my cousin Craig's twin boys, Sawyer and Jackson

 

 Before the State vs. Alabama game, Mullen and Saban talking

 Uncle Rainer

 

 Aunt Lindsey

 

Sweet baby Greenie

 

Sleepy babe

 

The 10th Annual "Turkey Bowl" at YoungLife

 

Bowling with a frozen turkey!

 

Art project this week- watercolor resistance paintings

 

Carrying the cross

A couple weeks ago Rainer got to participate in the  Mississippi Glowing For Christ project with Lee students. This wooden cross was carried through all 82 counties in Mississippi.

Over the past two weeks we went to Nashville for a wedding and Little Rock for a quick getaway trip. This Sunday Rainer had the opportunity to preach again at two churches. He spoke about how to become a Christian and the confidence God gives us about our salvation.

 

I've been doing marketing projects for clients, cooking and teaching art. Rainer has been busy with local ministries, lots of teaching opportunities and putting together recruiting opportunities for our ministry.

 

Congrats! Aubrey and Tom had a little baby girl,

Greenie, on Nov 1st. We are an aunt & uncle!

 

 Rainer and Kirk carry the cross over a mile on the highway

Lee students carry the cross through the county

 

 We got on the field before the Miss State vs. Kentucky game

 

 Got a pic with David Pollack

 

 It was a fun game!

 

 We drove to Nashville by taking the Natchez
Trace, we stopped to hike along the way

 

 Dinner in Nashville with our friends Mark & Cali

 

Rainer's high school friend Tate, the groom

 Newlyweds Chelsea & Tate

 

 We had fun dancing at the wedding, it was
the same band we had at our wedding!

  

 YoungLife Club game with whipped cream pies

 

 Rainer talks about Christ's compassion

 

 Almost all the cotton has been picked around town

 

 Art project: Fall trees
 

 A quick trip to Little Rock

 The Band of Heathens

 Got a pic with Rainer's favorite band

Beautiful Fall colors for the trip

 

We visited Bill Clinton's presidential library

 

The "oval office"

They had an "Oscar de la Renta" exhibit

 

Rainer preaching at church