- Thursday, June 25, 2015
- 0 Comments
This week was the evangelical alliance prayer week in Lippstadt.
The goal and hope is that the body of Christ in Lippstadt comes together nightly at a different church every night to pray with one another.
Sunday morning Aaron had the pleasure of bringing a greeting from our church to a Pentecostal church around the corner,it started at 10am.
we arrived early as a family, but it was a very crisp cold morning..
unfortunately the doors were locked so while we were waiting to hopefully be let in we were getting cold. Nobody answered the number we hoped would lead to the doors being opened.
Thankfully just right down the street was the EV FREE church so we went over there to get warm and wait until it got closer to service time. That was pretty cool because Aaron was able to talk to another dad who happened to come from a city where Aaron had gone on outreach to in Kirgizstan. We got warm and returned to the church where Aaron was given the honor of teaching God's word.
Thankfully God's word never returns void, this we are confident. Translation can make a big difference. It is
At this church alone we spoke with people of a Ghanian, a Russian, and people who were Polish, Spanish, and Italian.
We went out to catch the last bit of sunlight before dinner time later this afternoon as a family. We walked through town like we usually do. On the way I was able to invite a mama with twins to the Mommy Playgroup.
We usually let Peyton play on all the toys throughout town as we go,
and we had stopped to play on this big wooden Viking style boat that swings.
Then walked up a Chinese family, with a 20 month old.
Turns out Aaron had met her and her son in the summer time at the park one day!
The meeting could have only been ordained.
To keep it short, they have both studied the Bible, and almost read it all the way through,
they are wonderfully curious about the things of God and Aaron was able to share the gospel with the husband. As I spoke german with the mommy she mentioned how they don't have very many friends(although they've been here 4 years or so) and she was going to send her young son to kindergarten so he would learn german. I invited her to the play group, even though he is supposed to be at kindergarten during the morning time BUT she smiled so big and said, we won't go to kindergarten on Thursdays anymore, we will play with you!! I hope she is as excited as she seemed :)
Please please please pray for this wonderful family, we are hoping that they can be apart of the home group that should be starting up soon! We spent about one hour watching the kids play and talking.
Our little social butterfly was also able to make more friends with some little Italian girls.
update on our outreach to the JW family: we ask you continue to pray; for us to have discernment & wisdom and for them to have their eyes opened to the truth.
The goal and hope is that the body of Christ in Lippstadt comes together nightly at a different church every night to pray with one another.
Sunday morning Aaron had the pleasure of bringing a greeting from our church to a Pentecostal church around the corner,it started at 10am.
we arrived early as a family, but it was a very crisp cold morning..
unfortunately the doors were locked so while we were waiting to hopefully be let in we were getting cold. Nobody answered the number we hoped would lead to the doors being opened.
Thankfully just right down the street was the EV FREE church so we went over there to get warm and wait until it got closer to service time. That was pretty cool because Aaron was able to talk to another dad who happened to come from a city where Aaron had gone on outreach to in Kirgizstan. We got warm and returned to the church where Aaron was given the honor of teaching God's word.
Thankfully God's word never returns void, this we are confident. Translation can make a big difference. It is
At this church alone we spoke with people of a Ghanian, a Russian, and people who were Polish, Spanish, and Italian.
We went out to catch the last bit of sunlight before dinner time later this afternoon as a family. We walked through town like we usually do. On the way I was able to invite a mama with twins to the Mommy Playgroup.
We usually let Peyton play on all the toys throughout town as we go,
and we had stopped to play on this big wooden Viking style boat that swings.
Then walked up a Chinese family, with a 20 month old.
Turns out Aaron had met her and her son in the summer time at the park one day!
The meeting could have only been ordained.
To keep it short, they have both studied the Bible, and almost read it all the way through,
they are wonderfully curious about the things of God and Aaron was able to share the gospel with the husband. As I spoke german with the mommy she mentioned how they don't have very many friends(although they've been here 4 years or so) and she was going to send her young son to kindergarten so he would learn german. I invited her to the play group, even though he is supposed to be at kindergarten during the morning time BUT she smiled so big and said, we won't go to kindergarten on Thursdays anymore, we will play with you!! I hope she is as excited as she seemed :)
Please please please pray for this wonderful family, we are hoping that they can be apart of the home group that should be starting up soon! We spent about one hour watching the kids play and talking.
Our little social butterfly was also able to make more friends with some little Italian girls.
update on our outreach to the JW family: we ask you continue to pray; for us to have discernment & wisdom and for them to have their eyes opened to the truth.
- Friday, January 17, 2014
- 0 Comments
This photo contains joy, thankfulness, and a prayerful investment.
Yes, we bought a dryer! And a new one. I couldn't believe it myself. We rarely buy anything new. Pretty much everything in our home is used or given to us, and that which was given was also used though sometimes new. Our kids have a mixture of new and used items almost all given to us. I don't know why, but there is a sense of guilt that accompanies this wonderful joyful purchase. One we prayed about and had peace about, we got a very good deal too. Really the only reason we even got a dryer was because hang drying the laundry in our house was literally making our walls wet to the touch.. To where my hand was shiny wet and we used a blow dryer to dry the walls. Thankfully only the corners not the whole room. Our old apartment has terrible insulation, and we have the whole winter ahead of us... We knew we couldn't keep hang drying inside while avoiding mold. That's how we got here... Now you know. :) I hope everyone can read this and thank God as much as me, I don't feel worthy to have a nice new dryer to myself, but I know God provided us the money for it, and we do our very bestest to be good stewards. May The Lord give our dryer many many years without problems. Did I say how we prayed over it before its first use? We did. And I know I will continue to thank God for it just like I do for all we have.. Isn't it all from Him? Every good and perfect gift.. It's all from Him. The used and the new. He has a way if providing for us right at the last moment... Like literally. One time I was sad cause I hadn't gotten around to buying a large skillet. I only had one small one that was given to us.. And it could only fit one piece of chicken at a time, which was fine cause Aaron is patient and flexible but JP was coming. And I knew one small skillet wasn't gonna cut it for feeding two Snyder men over the course of 3 weeks. But it was too late, stores are closed Sundays, and he was coming that night. I went to church that morning and sweet Erna had brought me a huge box filled with kitchen stuff cause she knew we'd moved into our new apartment with only our 4 suitcases and not much else just a few months before. And she thought we could use some stuff for our kitchen... Lo and behold, a HUGE brand new skillet, which I use now almost everyday! Just in time for JPs arrival! :) now it's just a "small" thing, but I could write many more stories of how our loving God provides for everything we need, as we need it. We didn't need a dryer when we moved in, or over summer, but this week. This week we needed one, and this week He provided us one! Thank you Lord Jesus for you grace and abundant provision. Praise be to Him for ever and ever. Amen. And thank you also every one of you who supports us on mission through prayer and financial giving. Thanks for joining us in Gods mission.
With joy filled and thankful hearts,
Merry Christmas!
keep Christ in CHRISTmas,
The Snyders
- Saturday, December 21, 2013
- 0 Comments
baby snyder number 2 is due in 2 weeks!
though this past week I've had at least two "here we go!" experiences..
unfortunately after having contractions at regular intervals for a few hours,
they eased up and no baby has come yet.
my last exam i was 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced
my baby bulge is mostly below my belly button now,
so clearly he has swam south, or "dropped"
though this past week I've had at least two "here we go!" experiences..
unfortunately after having contractions at regular intervals for a few hours,
they eased up and no baby has come yet.
my last exam i was 2-3cm dilated and 50% effaced
my baby bulge is mostly below my belly button now,
so clearly he has swam south, or "dropped"
we are getting so excited to meet him;
this waiting thing is getting hard!
this waiting thing is getting hard!
the ultrasound this weekend projected his weight to be about 7.5lbs
he's head down, and healthy.
i've gained about 18lbs and am feeling very good in the final stretch.
peyton is doing well, pray for the transition from a family of 3-4 people.
we are so excited and know peyti's going to be a great big sister!!
we are so excited and know peyti's going to be a great big sister!!
the english service seems to be coming quickly into a new season
we are now moving to a home group setting due to decline in numbers.
there are some who drop by to visit every so often,
and then many regulars were only in lippstadt for a short while
and have now left again to go back home.
others have work, school, prior commitments or relocation,
basically it's a transitional time for us.
we are praying to get some good contacts with the students at the university in town
once the fall semester begins.
we are praying to get some good contacts with the students at the university in town
once the fall semester begins.
please join us in prayer as we would love to meet and reach out to more young families.
we're the only couple with babies in the church,
there are 4 children who attend regularly but they're older.
aaron is playing basketball 2-3 weekly with the local team
and seems to really enjoy it.
he's been able to have real deep discussions with many of the guys on the team,
pray that God uses him as light and salt there.
it's really amazing how God provides for all our needs and more
people we've never even met have given us:
money, baby clothes, toys, furniture, appliances etc.
money, baby clothes, toys, furniture, appliances etc.
considering we arrived with 4 suitcases to our name,
its crazy to think we have a whole house full of stuff!
we are more than blessed.
we are beyond thankful.
and it is such a blessing to have
the continued support and prayer from you as well.
we can't express enough thanks,
and we are excited to what the future holds.
for all of you wondering..
yes, a trip is being planned to visit this fall,
details are still being sorted out
as to whether both california and ohio will be visited,
but we will keep you all posted.
pray for good flights, seats, and prices
thanks for checking in,
stay tuned for the arrival of little mr. snyder!
we are more than blessed.
we are beyond thankful.
and it is such a blessing to have
the continued support and prayer from you as well.
we can't express enough thanks,
and we are excited to what the future holds.
for all of you wondering..
yes, a trip is being planned to visit this fall,
details are still being sorted out
as to whether both california and ohio will be visited,
but we will keep you all posted.
pray for good flights, seats, and prices
thanks for checking in,
stay tuned for the arrival of little mr. snyder!
- Wednesday, August 14, 2013
- 0 Comments
Though we just recently sent out our last newsletter;
it seems more than fitting to send out yet another since so much has happened.
It's safe to say we had the biggest scare in our lives when our sweet baby girl Peyton lost consciousness, turned blue and seemed to not be breathing. Aaron frantically ran her down the stairs (while praying over her and administering cpr) and outside to get help while I tried calling 211, which does nothing, since 112 is the emergency number. We stood helpless on the street, not knowing what was wrong with our baby, and not seeing many signs of life. After screaming for help I ran into the street and stopped an oncoming car and some others successfully called 112; by the time the ambulance arrived her color had returned and she lie on a pillow on the sidewalk as if sleeping. The paramedics, totally calm, immediately assessed her and because of her 104 F temp (40C) they concurred she'd had a febrile seizure. Aaron was able to go get me some shoes and a jacket before we left in the ambulance. After talking with the doctors and also, Rolf (our pastor)who is also paramedic, we were very relieved to find out that little ones are very susceptible to febrile seizures and they most often have no longterm effects. In most cases it's a one time event. The worst part is that not 20 mins before her seizure I had mentioned to Aaron that we ought to take her temp, check online for how to help reduce it and we probably ought to also give her Tylenol... But she seemed so uncomfortable and whiney that I wanted to comfort her first so I got her binky and as we were sitting cuddling in the living room, BAM, everything went south! We spent three days and two nights in the hospital in town, and because Peyton had a fever she was bound to her little room. We were beyond happy to leave the hospital and cannot stop thanking God for preserving the life of our sweet girl!! Thank you again to everyone who was praying for us and Peyton. Jehovah-Rapha, God our Healer. The doctors don't know exactly what caused the fever, they think probably a virus of some sort, all we know is her fever came on that same morning, and we will be purchasing a very nice, easy to use, and accurate thermometer that this may never happen again.. a must have on every baby registry FYI!
 |
| Napping, trying to break the fever, IV pumping fluids |
 | |
| Daddy reading to his girl |
 |
| Having some milk |
 |
| Starting to feel much better with her fever gone! |
 |
| Big smiles before going home!! |
The past week or so Aaron had been pursuing getting a German drivers license. The most ridiculous part is that Germany does not recognize CA along with many other states (OH not included!) as having qualifying standards and further tests are needed. Since Aaron moved from Ohio to CA he obviously had to give up his OH license and have it replaced by a CA one due to change in residency.. The German government first said, this will not due, you must pay and take classes and tests blah blah blah. But awesome Mama Joy(my MIL) got some proof of license paperwork from OH and after first rejecting it, this morning he traded in his CA license for a German one, and it didn't cost a few thousand euros!! Hallelujah! Perseverance really payed off! God is so good!
As we mentioned in our last update we've been meeting with some Jehovah's Witnesses.
Our next meeting is this coming Saturday. It has been so neat to dig into the scriptures and look at all the evidence proving Christ's diety, and support for the triune Godhead. Really, I've been loving it! Our goal this weekend will be to reason from the scriptures that Christ indeed is God and not the Archangel Michael... The husband actually said if we can show him from the scriptures that Jesus is God he will convert... so please pray for their hearts to open, soft, and that the Holy Spirit would speak through us in love! We are praying for their salvation, which comes through Christ alone!
Our English Service is going well,
we have a man from Romania, here on business, attending for the next 4 weeks.
We also had a woman come who had read about it in the newspaper!
We're praying for continued growth and that people here would long to know Jesus,
and the hope that is found in Him.
As we mentioned in our last update we've been meeting with some Jehovah's Witnesses.
Our next meeting is this coming Saturday. It has been so neat to dig into the scriptures and look at all the evidence proving Christ's diety, and support for the triune Godhead. Really, I've been loving it! Our goal this weekend will be to reason from the scriptures that Christ indeed is God and not the Archangel Michael... The husband actually said if we can show him from the scriptures that Jesus is God he will convert... so please pray for their hearts to open, soft, and that the Holy Spirit would speak through us in love! We are praying for their salvation, which comes through Christ alone!
Our English Service is going well,
we have a man from Romania, here on business, attending for the next 4 weeks.
We also had a woman come who had read about it in the newspaper!
We're praying for continued growth and that people here would long to know Jesus,
and the hope that is found in Him.
Lastly,
And as of today(tuesday the 16th) baby boy Snyder is due in exactly 6 weeks!
We are so thankful that after much prayer and petition;
he has left the breech position for head down! :)
such an answer to prayer!
We are so thankful that after much prayer and petition;
he has left the breech position for head down! :)
such an answer to prayer!
The ultrasound showing he had flipped head down
Baby bump 34 weeks
she loves her baby brother :)
we're only half way through July,
can't wait to see what else God will do!!!
thanks for reading
love, the snyders
we're only half way through July,
can't wait to see what else God will do!!!
thanks for reading
love, the snyders
- Tuesday, July 16, 2013
- 0 Comments
our meeting with the visa man went pretty well,
as in, we should be able to pick up our visas in 3-4 weeks!!!
YAY!
such a relief, though of course, we don't actually have them in hand yet,
it's still pretty cool that they're on their way to processing in Berlin.
Rolf even did a happy happy joy joy dance.
-no video at this time-
BUT we do have a video which we are very proud to share,
our beautiful smarty pants baby saying Jesus' name for the first time!!
-swoon-
-swoon-
-and hopefully laugh-
(not animals were injured in the making of this film)
thanks for reading, and for all the continued prayers and support!
hope you enjoyed the videos too!
lots of love from germany,
the snyders
- Monday, February 25, 2013
- 0 Comments
we hope you all forgive us for the minimal updates,
we are literally, after one week were getting adjusted to the time..
i (amy) can say wholeheartedly
i've never experienced such terrible jetlag
worsened because our one year old had jetlag too,
and worse than us.
this included middle of the night family parties,
from about 1am-4am;
then trying to go through a "normal" day.
anyways, we're now functioning "normally",
but that first week was a hard one.
i write this update, so thankful
quick review of our first week:
we arrived at 12 noon thursday the 31st
we had our first 3 meetings with the bank, health insurance, and visa
at 8 AM friday morning...
not ideal... but we survived.
we were approved for health insurance.
we established a bank account.
we are registered with the city.
but.. we had to return a week later for more visa work.
we were told today that he still isn't totally satisfied
with the amount of money in our account..
BUT he said that we can cancel our return flights,
and we shouldn't have problems with getting our visas!
YAY
*clap clap*
so therefore, we've been unofficially accepted.
we are now going to try to find someone to "hire" me
to teach english, because the visa man said that if i also had a small job
that he'd feel much better.
he said he wants us to have about 1600 euros/month...
thats like $2000..
anyways, we trust that God will continue to provide for us,
and to make the paths straight, as He's done so far.
we were all blessed to hear Aaron preach this past sunday,
he spoke on Matt 5:1-7 the beatitudes.
he did a phenomenal job!
some of the german attendees said he should just preach in german next time,
but i think he'll wait awhile before attempting that.
Aaron also began taking a weekly german course,
and he's already improving so much!
thanks for reading, we'll post again soon.
for more info on how to be a part of the work here in Germany
follow this link...
CLICK ME
CLICK ME
now, some pictures!
baby all bundled
on a walk near pastor rolf's house
the view from our bedroom window(at rolf's home)
mama & baby
another sunset view
a little bit of the city
that's all for now;
we'll add more pictures/ stories/ and updates later
may you be richly blessed.
-the snyders
- Tuesday, February 19, 2013
- 3 Comments
we the snyders are very happy
to announce that we are expecting a
SECOND child!
:)
the newest blessing is due
around late august of 2013
we are overjoyed,
and feeling so very blessed.
in comparison to the last pregnancy
there hasn't been any throwing up,
there has been nausea but even that can't compare to before.
THANK GOD!
we are so excited also because
we are confident that peyton is going to be
such an amazing big sister.
she loves babies, kids, cleaning, and helping mommy.
it's so exciting to see her growing into a wonderful girl!
the babies will be around 21 months apart,
and perfect playmates.
Gods timing is glorious.
all this being said, we will most likely not be returning as we had earlier planned.
we are now planning to stay once we leave at the end of this month.
baby snyder to be born in Germany.
this will save on finances, and the stresses of many time changes/
travelling/and unnecessary stress on mama and both babies.
we are sad though because we were really
looking forward to ministering in ohio more,
but the Lord is good, and His ways are higher than ours.
anyways, hope you all are as excited about the surprise as we are!
may God bless you all!
love, the snyders :)
- Sunday, January 27, 2013
- 0 Comments
happy new year everybody!
we are still visiting family in ohio
and are really enjoying the time here.
sadly we will have to move on once move come mid january
and then it begins...
at the end of january we'll fly to germany
stay for a 7 week vision tour
fly back to california mid march
-unknown til may/june-
move to germany in may once our apartment is finished
and we have our visas approved and such of course.
and THEN we can begin to have a "normal" schedule.
i am very looking forward to that.
all this moving and travelling and change
brings mixed emotions;
it's
uncertain but exciting
tiresome but motivating
unstable but hope-filled
unknown but inviting
tedious but adventurous
long but so very fast
"Wherever you are, be all there."
"Live to the hilt that which you believe to be the will of God."
-jim elliot
all in all, we cannot be more excited, because thus far,
we really believe this is what the Lord is calling us to.
thanks for reading, we'll continue to update as things progress.
T-25 days til departure to germany!!
if you'd like to read Pastor Rolf's take on our whole experience;
click the link below:
CC Lippstadt, re:the snyders
if you'd like to read Pastor Rolf's take on our whole experience;
click the link below:
CC Lippstadt, re:the snyders
mrs. snyder
- Saturday, January 05, 2013
- 0 Comments
But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Beloved, I urge you as pilgrims and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
the Bible says:
we are sojourners, pilgrims,
aliens, not of this world
and oh, how the Lord likes to reinforce this
truth to us snyders..
track back with me awhile to when we first got married.
we honeymooned for one month.
in that month we visited california
3 locations in ohio
and also florida
then we were living in germany for 3 months
and we moved 4 times,
and i was pregnant with severe morning sickness.
in the past 1.5 years we've moved 3 times;
though we had our own apartment for over one year.
and now, we are on the move again.
potentially in the next six months
we will move/ or relocate for more than a few weeks
over SIX times.
not gonna lie,
that totally makes me nervous.
how will baby P react?
will the time fly by?
will it seem to never end?
i already miss having my own place,
thankfully with all the travelling we won't be with any one family
or person for an extended time.
BUT, God in all His goodness;
has given us hope by revealing to us our (hopefully)
future apartment..
here's a sneak peek,
it's going to be renovated,
but i love it even in its current state
green bathroom!!
hallway
view #1
our future suite :)
our room from hallway
view from stair well of yard
the stairwell
and another view :)
my favorite
so in our little apartment, we will have:
2 bedrooms
1 bath
1 living room
1 kitchen
1 kitchen/dining nook
and we found out today that our fundraising totals have dropped!!
PRAISE THE LORD!
we now only need to raise about $450/month
woot woot
the point is, is that I know God will provide for all our needs.
we already have an apartment selected for us.
Aaron has a job.
and most of all, we've been called by God.
so yes we are sojourners, and pilgrims
but the Lord has been so faithful.
I have really been encouraged by the verse
"where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
and because of the consolidation/liquidation process
we don't really have any possessions to our name...
sooo let's just say, the Lord's making it pretty easy
to not have our heart set on the things here on earth.
not easy in the sense of... "la la la this is sooo easy!"
but in the sense of,
practically we cannot keep the things we've acquired
and peace/trust knowing God will provide for all our needs
just like He did when we moved back from Germany last time.
it's an amazing adventure.
thanks for reading,
mrs. snyder
- Sunday, December 16, 2012
- 0 Comments
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
Each man's life is but a breath.
Psalm 39:5
Wow, it's already December the 14th
the day the Lord blessed us with sweet baby P.
This is will always be a special day for us.
Peyti is such a smart, smiley, funny, talkative,
compassionate, independent, and loving baby.
her favorite things to do lately are:
taking roxy, the family boxer on walks
dancing
playing with other babies/kids
blowing kisses
saying "dog"- all things wonderful are dogs
giving "love" (hugs/kisses"
trying mommy and daddy's food
playing hide and go seek
playing chase
being mischievous
getting into shoes and books
some special memories from her first year of life:
when she was 5-6 months old she began saying "mama"
and "dada" and she would chase me around the house crawling
and saying "maaama!" "mama!"
when she first learned to wave she would wave at every person we saw..
even non people...
recently she's been waving to mannequins with no reply...
she now does her "all done" baby sign,
with one hand twisting, one opening and closing
and she also does it when she is tired/
wants free from stroller/
or is just "done" with something
one time, in the church nursery
another baby was very sad and upset
and i was told that peyti was so concerned for her
and she'd go to the other baby and pat her, to comfort her
when aaron first returned to work,
he came home, and went to the shower right away
and peyti crawled after him, sat at the bathroom door
and cried hitting the door saying "dada"
she was only about 6-7 months old
i could go on, but i won't.
as someone once told me,
"the days are long, but the years fly by"
i have enjoyed this past year so much.
i can't imagine missing out on all of peyti's special moments
i'm thankful to God for every laugh, smile,
cuddle, the time spent nursing her,
cold, fussy day, challenge, frustration
for all that these moments, i wouldn't trade any of it
and i'm so glad for the blessing of being at home
with my baby girl peyti..
- Friday, December 14, 2012
- 0 Comments
-proverbs 29:18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.
two months ago we were like people without vision, at least without a
long-term/passion-filled/Lord-leading/heart-stirring vision.
but then, we attended the Calvary Chapel Church Planting Conference.
the one we'd been waiting for
the one we'd stayed in california to attend
the one that we hope would give answers to our questions
and it was
AMAZING
better than we could of hoped.
the speakers were great
the location was amazing
there was great food, fellowship,
and focus.
it was at this conference that we met, Pastor Rolf
he's from Lippstadt, Germany
his church plant is about 5-6 years old
they have around 30-40 regular attendees
(50 at Christmastime!)
but they are still struggling a bit
that's where we come in!
we spent a lot of time with Rolf,
probably the majority of our freetime..
it was great, speaking german, walking, talking, praying.
he shared the needs of his church
and we stood there in awe thinking
"is he referring to us?!"
because seriously, as he spoke,
it was like he was describing us!
so blah blah blah, after lots of prayer and details...
we are now planning a six week vision tour to Lippstadt
the hope is that Aaron will become their Assistant Pastor/youth leader
and I would help in the women's ministry and children's ministry.
it's so amazing because the Lord has already worked out so many details!
we know we are eligible to receive german health insurance,
which we couldn't get last time around.
our flights have been purchased graciously by our home church here!
THANK YOU LORD.
and Rolf may just have found us an apartment, right above the church
in the center of town!
so, on our "vision tour" we are praying to receive visas, with the option to work,
to secure an apartment
to make good connections with the church in Lippstadt
and to make sure this is the will of God.
this is our Macedonian call...
the one Aaron prayed for.
[read acts 16]
our asia, was Hamburg
our Mysia, was L.A.
and our Macedonia is Lippstadt.
God is so good.
and He knows exactly where He wants us!
as a prerequisite to acquiring visas we must show proof that we will have regular contributions
because we are legally forbidden to work/earn any money for our first year.
right now our monthly expenses are estimated to be about $1000/month for our whole family;
we have faith that God will provide for our every need.
anyone wishing to help meet this goal can give to:
long-term/passion-filled/Lord-leading/heart-stirring vision.
but then, we attended the Calvary Chapel Church Planting Conference.
the one we'd been waiting for
the one we'd stayed in california to attend
the one that we hope would give answers to our questions
and it was
AMAZING
better than we could of hoped.
the speakers were great
the location was amazing
there was great food, fellowship,
and focus.
it was at this conference that we met, Pastor Rolf
he's from Lippstadt, Germany
his church plant is about 5-6 years old
they have around 30-40 regular attendees
(50 at Christmastime!)
but they are still struggling a bit
that's where we come in!
we spent a lot of time with Rolf,
probably the majority of our freetime..
it was great, speaking german, walking, talking, praying.
he shared the needs of his church
and we stood there in awe thinking
"is he referring to us?!"
because seriously, as he spoke,
it was like he was describing us!
so blah blah blah, after lots of prayer and details...
we are now planning a six week vision tour to Lippstadt
the hope is that Aaron will become their Assistant Pastor/youth leader
and I would help in the women's ministry and children's ministry.
it's so amazing because the Lord has already worked out so many details!
we know we are eligible to receive german health insurance,
which we couldn't get last time around.
our flights have been purchased graciously by our home church here!
THANK YOU LORD.
and Rolf may just have found us an apartment, right above the church
in the center of town!
so, on our "vision tour" we are praying to receive visas, with the option to work,
to secure an apartment
to make good connections with the church in Lippstadt
and to make sure this is the will of God.
this is our Macedonian call...
the one Aaron prayed for.
[read acts 16]
our asia, was Hamburg
our Mysia, was L.A.
and our Macedonia is Lippstadt.
God is so good.
and He knows exactly where He wants us!
as a prerequisite to acquiring visas we must show proof that we will have regular contributions
because we are legally forbidden to work/earn any money for our first year.
right now our monthly expenses are estimated to be about $1000/month for our whole family;
we have faith that God will provide for our every need.
anyone wishing to help meet this goal can give to:
Calvary Nexus along with, Aaron or Amy Snyder in the memo of check.
thanks for reading, we are so grateful for you all...
the snyders
stayed tuned for posts on:
Lippstadt- the city// the people// the purpose
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
thanks for reading, we are so grateful for you all...
the snyders
stayed tuned for posts on:
Lippstadt- the city// the people// the purpose
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"If God wills the evangelization of the world, and you refuse to support missions, then you are opposed to the will of God."
- Oswald J. Smith
- Saturday, December 01, 2012
- 3 Comments
wow it's been awhile.. but there's a reason why! we had visitors in town, then, we moved, which included packing moving unpacking (and we're still unpacking :) ) but oh it feels amazing to be pretty much moved in! it was pretty sad to say goodbye to our apartment though.. i mean it was our first real home, and it's where we brought baby p home to, so that was a little sad to move away from but we are really loving our new home! our great friends (reesie and mr. t) bought a sweet house so we are renting two rooms from them :) good times.
this has proven to be immensely true, we have found that there are all sorts of things we'd love to do, take on, all sorts of plans we'd like to make but in the end it's what God's planned that comes through. we spend and have spent so much time thinking about what "might/could/will" happen, and God already knows! we spend a lot of time making "plans" and then.. only one or none come to pass. but we take rest knowing that what God has planned is best, we end our prayers with "Thy will be done" truly and 100% we mean that, for to be apart from the will of God would be the worst thing for us. and so now we wait, patiently (sometimes) hopefully(often) expectantly (very) knowing the Lord will be faithful to reveal His plans to us. stay tuned as we will reveal them as they happen :)
hopefully and expectantly waiting,
mrs. s
p.s.
if y'all haven't noticed, i removed all of the pics for safety reasons.. sorry about that, there may be a place you can view more pics, if you'd like to know more, email me!
it's kind of an odd situation though, as we can't fully unpack to fully settle in since we're only planning on being there about 2 months. our hope and prayer is to find a place in los angeles so my mr. can be close to work= less drive time, more time for family, ministry, sleep etc.
^^^ so i wrote that a few weeks ago, hehe, and here we are. great news though, our family will be attending a church planting conference this coming week! yay! please pray that the Lord really reveals to us our next steps.. we have some difference options and sometimes its hard to discern what the "right" decision is.
and as this post is titled from proverbs 19:21
^^^ so i wrote that a few weeks ago, hehe, and here we are. great news though, our family will be attending a church planting conference this coming week! yay! please pray that the Lord really reveals to us our next steps.. we have some difference options and sometimes its hard to discern what the "right" decision is.
and as this post is titled from proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
this has proven to be immensely true, we have found that there are all sorts of things we'd love to do, take on, all sorts of plans we'd like to make but in the end it's what God's planned that comes through. we spend and have spent so much time thinking about what "might/could/will" happen, and God already knows! we spend a lot of time making "plans" and then.. only one or none come to pass. but we take rest knowing that what God has planned is best, we end our prayers with "Thy will be done" truly and 100% we mean that, for to be apart from the will of God would be the worst thing for us. and so now we wait, patiently (sometimes) hopefully(often) expectantly (very) knowing the Lord will be faithful to reveal His plans to us. stay tuned as we will reveal them as they happen :)
hopefully and expectantly waiting,
mrs. s
p.s.
if y'all haven't noticed, i removed all of the pics for safety reasons.. sorry about that, there may be a place you can view more pics, if you'd like to know more, email me!
- Sunday, October 14, 2012
- 0 Comments
yesterday my mom calls me in the late morning to see what miss peyti and i were up to, we were just hangin out...
then she offers to come over and help clean!
i say:
so she came over, and we really had such a delightful time, some good ol' mother-daughter time!
while she was over we conquered the dish mountain, the living room, and the bathroom, and she helped herd the baby from wherever i was trying to clean by playing with her and distracting her.
anyways, i just wanted to say how truly thankful i am to have such an awesome-thoughtful-hardworking-loving-selfess-caring-wonderful mama!
it was so nice to have her pop over out of the blue and help me out. she also gave me some practical advice for avoiding dish mountain which i've already been putting into practice. to finish off the awesome day, that night she watched peyti so aaron and i could have dinner and hangout alone after he was off work! we had such a fun time! i love my husband, he's a crack-up. we enjoyed a yummy homemade chicken pot pie and some sparkling white grape juice.. even though we only had an hour and a half free, it was a much needed and appreciated lil date!
and another shout out to my awesome mother in law, mama joy, who always rescues me in regards to cooking (at least the recipes she taught me how to do) thanks mama! i love you too!
la la la i love naptime..
the mrs.
then she offers to come over and help clean!
i say:
YES/ of course!/ why ask?/ please come!/ YOUJUSTMADEMYDAY/ i love life!
so she came over, and we really had such a delightful time, some good ol' mother-daughter time!
while she was over we conquered the dish mountain, the living room, and the bathroom, and she helped herd the baby from wherever i was trying to clean by playing with her and distracting her.
YIPPEEalso, she was able to teach me more about sewing, and cutting out patterns, etc. she's making peyton some cute dresses and wanted me to be able to do it myself too. yay more sewing skills for me :)
anyways, i just wanted to say how truly thankful i am to have such an awesome-thoughtful-hardworking-loving-selfess-caring-wonderful mama!
it was so nice to have her pop over out of the blue and help me out. she also gave me some practical advice for avoiding dish mountain which i've already been putting into practice. to finish off the awesome day, that night she watched peyti so aaron and i could have dinner and hangout alone after he was off work! we had such a fun time! i love my husband, he's a crack-up. we enjoyed a yummy homemade chicken pot pie and some sparkling white grape juice.. even though we only had an hour and a half free, it was a much needed and appreciated lil date!
and another shout out to my awesome mother in law, mama joy, who always rescues me in regards to cooking (at least the recipes she taught me how to do) thanks mama! i love you too!
la la la i love naptime..
the mrs.
- Saturday, July 28, 2012
- 0 Comments
WOW! it's finally happened, D began working at LAX, the job we had prayed for, the work we had prayed to come, and in abundance. quite a transition from spending a lot of time together to about 2 hours a day.. even Baby P has noticed his absence. when he came home from day one (sat) he went in to shower and she crawled after him, and hit the door crying! so sad, yet cute at same, time, anyways i stood in there and he talked to her over shower (cuz he's nice and tall and can look over hehe) but ya it's just crazy and amazing to think, its over. being unemployed is over with. into a new season, a busy one, a fruitful one. and so amazing too because our first instinct has been, how can we be a blessing! it was harder before, yet possible, but harder because of a real lack of financial resources, but now it's like a world of opportunity. woohooo and exhilarating yet! it has been quite nice to have the time around the home though, it was weird while he was out of work, because it kind of felt like i was too. even though, my job (homemaker) was still very needed etc it was like my motivation was gone and i didn't really know how to fulfill my role while he was around, but the moment he works, its like i go into workin mode and the house gets clean, good food gets made. its a good feeling! by the way i feel like i shouldn't have been so unmotivated i wish i would've stayed the same, but for some reason it didn't happen. like an epidemic! even if he had a day of work, it would happen. weird but that was my experience. the provision God provided over those past 6 months was purely glorious! i dont believe it was chance, or coincidence, but God. His word declares He will supply all of our needs, that He feeds the sparrow and clothes the lily and we need not worry for we are of far greater value than they. matthew6:33 declares, "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food clothes needs etc) will be added unto you." and i believed it for my life as a single, i believed it for my wedding planning, and we believed it as a family! and the Lord does not lie, we never lacked a single thing! we had everything we needed when we needed it. men may place dead lines or set time for things but Gods timing is perfect. I once heard, "God is rarely early, but never late." it's a beautiful thing to take Gods word at face value and tell Him, Lord your word says_____________ex: you will provide. so Lord, I am going to give you the first fruits (the best and not leftovers) of all i have! my time, talent and treasure. and Lord, I trust you will provide for all my needs.
See that He does not respond when this is done with a pure heart! He loves His children more than we could ever fathom. it is written
i say amen. it is true. the most valuable precious thing God could have ever given us was His Son Jesus. why would he withhold anything else?
have you had any personal experiences with this! please share your favorite story!
-with a thankful heart,
mrs. s
See that He does not respond when this is done with a pure heart! He loves His children more than we could ever fathom. it is written
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
i say amen. it is true. the most valuable precious thing God could have ever given us was His Son Jesus. why would he withhold anything else?
have you had any personal experiences with this! please share your favorite story!
-with a thankful heart,
mrs. s
- Wednesday, July 25, 2012
- 0 Comments
staying at home with baby has been positively one of the best things ever! ya know, something i've realized is that somebody needs to raise your children. why not you? i mean, why have children if only to pass off the work to somebody else? I am not talking about every now and then because, obviously it's important to get a break, but full time is something different. How glorious to raise up godly children! What a delight to know all the hard work you put in, will someday hopefully have an eternal payout! I know some people think it's "not possible" these days... but it is. Mr. S and I are living proof. yes, there will be sacrifices, like maybe you won't be able to buy a brand new car, or have every possession you desire, but you will know your children are being raised to know God, they will know they are loved, and isn't that worth the sacrifice of "things"?! but i don't even know if "sacrifice" is the right word, because the blessing is far greater! aaron and i have not lacked a single thing by me staying home, and it's even more beautiful/glorious/amazing because he hasn't had work since february! and yet STILL the Lord provides :) but it's really our responsibility in the end, as in, we have to make good choices now, or else yes both parents do need to work due to financial commitments made. now for example, before making a big purchase, example: a new car, determine, is it going to be possible to carry on such financial burdens when a child comes (without both parents working)? if eating out is something that is regular, consider... eating in. take the time to prepare your breakfast lunch and dinners. it's amazing the amount of money saved, and add onto that the time you have to search out good deals because you aren't at work, tired, and in a rush to just eat anything. you can meal plan, bargain hunt, and add that special ingredient to all that's made... love. it really is a blessing to be able to serve up a warm meal to your husband after he's been gone working all day. though there are definitely challenges. planning out the week's meals ahead of time is such a help to the 'what should i cook' question, and that is both time and cost effective! being a stay-at-home mom doesn't mean you don't do work, not at all! it's just your work is in your home. there is nothing wrong with a wife/mom who does side work/part time even on the side. in fact that's what we see modeled by the proverbs 31 woman. the point is more rather, is your full time job outside the home? the Bible teaches us to be good stewards of all our resources, our time, treasures, and talents. how is the Lord teaching you to be a good steward? are you being faithful with that which has been entrusted to you(money, care of your home, and children)? i hope so! i don't write any of this to condemn anyone or to say there is one right way, but i think it's something important for women and parents to consider... i'll leave y'all with this verse
until next time,
mrs. s
"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." -colossians 3:2
until next time,
mrs. s
- Tuesday, July 17, 2012
- 0 Comments
I realize its been way too long since I wrote... in fact, I've only written one other time, but I figured I'd start sharing here what amazing things the Lord does in our life rather than in my personal journals. So I will do a quick catch up from last July to now so bear with me and enjoy! {stories shall be placed in brackets}
July 2011- we came back to the usa from germany. moved to cali with mrs. s' parents [see previous blog for explanation of that]
August 2011- mr. s began roofing for webco, moved into our first apartment together as a family!
Sept 2011- amy began taking 3 unit class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
Oct 2011- still adjusting to life in ca, ended month with baby shower
Dec 2011 Baby Number one is born!
Jan 2012- grandma joy comes to visit us and baby p for the first time!
Feb 2012- first family trip to ohio, mr. s turns 24, becomes unofficially unemployed. job hunt begins. start learning how faithful God really is...
Mar 2012- celebrate 1 year anniversary, continue trusting the Lord
Apr 2012- busy being parents continual work search, mister s received one week of work with the carpenters union, woohoo!
May 2012- jp and vero come to visit at end of the month, we had so much fun with them both. we went to santa barbara, l.a., did some museum exploring, some coffee shop discovering, stayed in a yurt in the sb mountains... it was a great time.
June 2012- GODS PROVIDES just in the knick of time!
{so, we were running out of our savings, due to rent and other needs over the past almost 5 months, and we knew God either needed to provide work to make money, or provide money to pay our upcoming bills because after submitting our rent check we were pretty much out. it was pretty awesome as well, because a month earlier we had felt God encouraging us to give to some brothers and sisters in central asia, the amount was $100. then last month calvary nexus decided to do an experiment so to say, by giving away $10,000 to 100 people with the hopes to further Gods kingdom and to teach people to be good stewards of Gods money. (really teaching, all is Gods money. be a good steward of all you have!) so we wanted to participate and we took our $100 and matched the $100 from calvary in hopes to send $200! so cool. it took longer than hoped to figure out how to get the money to our friends, but we finally sent it out, completely in faith too because that was literally our last $100... leaving us with about $30 or so in our account..scary! but we knew God would come through! we just knew it! amy celebrated her 23 birthday and received some money during that time which was helpful indeed, but not enough to really cover the bills, but it was encouraging. and then it happened, we received the news that we were very loved and a check would be coming to us in the mail because somebody had given us some money. when we got home that day, indeed there was a check in the mailbox, anonymously given, for $3000!!!!! i share the specifics so that God may be glorified and magnified! can we just take a moment to glorify and praise Him!?
selah
so this is written to share that God knows our every need. He knows when to provide. see, we didn't need money for next months rent, because, well, it wasn't due yet. we didn't need money for tomorrow, because tomorrow wasn't here yet and we had/have everything we needed for today. it was once said, the Lord is rarely early but never late. and in these past months, we have not lacked one good thing.
July 2011- we came back to the usa from germany. moved to cali with mrs. s' parents [see previous blog for explanation of that]
August 2011- mr. s began roofing for webco, moved into our first apartment together as a family!
Sept 2011- amy began taking 3 unit class called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
Oct 2011- still adjusting to life in ca, ended month with baby shower
Dec 2011 Baby Number one is born!
Jan 2012- grandma joy comes to visit us and baby p for the first time!
Feb 2012- first family trip to ohio, mr. s turns 24, becomes unofficially unemployed. job hunt begins. start learning how faithful God really is...
{we had decided to use our savings to pay off mr's school debt, and this was a huge step of faith for us but we knew having money set aside as savings was kind of false security because we also had this sum of debt, so in faith we paid off the debt, and simultaneously we received notice our tax refund would actually be more than the amount of savings we had had in our bank account! it was such an amazing blessing and testimony to Gods provision, especially since we had decided to leave having children completely in Gods hands. it was just so beautiful to experience His provision for our new family. }
Mar 2012- celebrate 1 year anniversary, continue trusting the Lord
Apr 2012- busy being parents continual work search, mister s received one week of work with the carpenters union, woohoo!
May 2012- jp and vero come to visit at end of the month, we had so much fun with them both. we went to santa barbara, l.a., did some museum exploring, some coffee shop discovering, stayed in a yurt in the sb mountains... it was a great time.
June 2012- GODS PROVIDES just in the knick of time!
{so, we were running out of our savings, due to rent and other needs over the past almost 5 months, and we knew God either needed to provide work to make money, or provide money to pay our upcoming bills because after submitting our rent check we were pretty much out. it was pretty awesome as well, because a month earlier we had felt God encouraging us to give to some brothers and sisters in central asia, the amount was $100. then last month calvary nexus decided to do an experiment so to say, by giving away $10,000 to 100 people with the hopes to further Gods kingdom and to teach people to be good stewards of Gods money. (really teaching, all is Gods money. be a good steward of all you have!) so we wanted to participate and we took our $100 and matched the $100 from calvary in hopes to send $200! so cool. it took longer than hoped to figure out how to get the money to our friends, but we finally sent it out, completely in faith too because that was literally our last $100... leaving us with about $30 or so in our account..scary! but we knew God would come through! we just knew it! amy celebrated her 23 birthday and received some money during that time which was helpful indeed, but not enough to really cover the bills, but it was encouraging. and then it happened, we received the news that we were very loved and a check would be coming to us in the mail because somebody had given us some money. when we got home that day, indeed there was a check in the mailbox, anonymously given, for $3000!!!!! i share the specifics so that God may be glorified and magnified! can we just take a moment to glorify and praise Him!?
selah
so this is written to share that God knows our every need. He knows when to provide. see, we didn't need money for next months rent, because, well, it wasn't due yet. we didn't need money for tomorrow, because tomorrow wasn't here yet and we had/have everything we needed for today. it was once said, the Lord is rarely early but never late. and in these past months, we have not lacked one good thing.
psalm 34
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
this verse have i clung very tightly to (thanks jamie) it is a beautiful thing when the Lord allows you to go through situations where really your only good option is to trust in Him, His Word, and His faithfulness and love. }
hope you all enjoyed our little (HUGE) update. sorry it was so long!
grace, peace, and joy,
mrs. s
hope you all enjoyed our little (HUGE) update. sorry it was so long!
grace, peace, and joy,
mrs. s
- Sunday, June 10, 2012
- 0 Comments