THE END...or is it?

This blog is at an end.  I'll leave it here for now, but we are no longer the "Mississippi Bonners in Illinois".  
We have a BRAND NEW blog now, check it out here:

www.bonnerlife.blogspot.com

Please keep up with us! 

Love,

Brittany (for all of us)

Laugh Out Loud Quote

Luke: "Hey Mom-there's smoke around the bathtub because it's hot. I think you're trying to 


cook us alive!"

And then we got to Mississippi

We spent a little time there, settled in somewhat...

Aaron's present from his dad

Our house

deck

back view

beautiful front yard tree

THEN we (Brittany, Luke, Joel and Aunt Em) went for a visit to Texas...

Amanda and Joel in the pool

Addy driving the golf cart with her homemade seatbelt

all the kids on the hammock with Brittany pushing

kids driving with Grandpa

The Boys

Cody helping Joel eat a popsickle

2 generations of boys: Cody with his nephews

going to Momma Nell's house

Joel driving Addy on the tractor

Grandma with her Granddaughters

Grandma shooting the hose with lots of help

playing in the sprinkler

Olivia's smile!

Movie Night!

 We had lots of fun!

Stay tuned...

These pictures are from during our period of leaving Illinois:

Missions Night After-Party and our near empty house

Senior girls getting their gifts from us

Aaron's last Summer Wednesday, they celebrated by beating him up!

Out to eat with our Hensley girls

the amazing volunteers who came and helped us with our last minute cleaning up and repairs and then they loaded our truck for us! Thanks guys!

On our way to Mississippi.  Sad and exciting. 

I love these pictures. I'll put up some more later so stay tuned!

Aunt Em's Visit-working

 Aaron and Emily doing some of the painting in our house as we prepare:

And BONUS picture, our new floors!

 Good job Aaron! And thanks to Jim and Ryan!

Aunt Em's Visit-Play Day

Philips Park Zoo

Mastodon Lake

Fun or Frightening?

Throwing rocks in the Fox River

Lazy swing

Luke

Joel

Emily

Yes.

(the Holy Spirit) "helps me to do what is right and to not be afraid to do what is right."
-Luke

Changes

As I type this I am surrounded by equal parts empty space and boxes.  We are packing up life in Illinois and though the accumulation of six years and 2 kids later will fill the U-Haul, we find that we are leaving much behind of ourselves with the people of Central Bible Church with whom we have loved and invested ourselves.

Six years ago, after much prayer and waiting, God called us to Illinois to be on staff at Central Bible Church for Aaron to fill the position of Youth Pastor.  Much has happened since then, barely a month after we arrived the Senior Pastor, Ken Weddle, was diagnosed with cancer and died a mere 2 months later.  Around that time we discovered we were pregnant with our first child.  We grew in our ministry, our marriage, as individuals and in so many other ways as we learned ministry while the church grieved and was refined through the pastor search process.  One more son and senior pastor later, we were watching our first class of 7th graders in their Senior year when the Lord began to tug on Aaron and mine's hearts individually toward our next step in His will for our lives.

Again, with much prayer, we are responding to His call on our lives to serve Him at the ministry of Friends of Alcoholics in Jackson, Mississippi.  This is, of course, the ministry where we both grew up, our parents serving at F.O.A.  While as Youth Pastor, Aaron led his youth group in two missions trips to the ministry of F.O.A., and last year had the privilege of leading a teaching conference there as well.  Though F.O.A. has always been so much a part of our hearts, we were not expecting to be called there to serve and while we are sad to leave the people at Central Bible Church, we are delighted to be able to see God's clear direction for our lives and to be walking in that.

Please pray for us when you think of us-we anticipate moving very soon.  The drive, the settling in, the selling of our current house all need prayer.

Please pray for CBC as they search for a new Youth Pastor.

Also for our family as we adjust to our new life/ministry in Mississippi. 

Please visit F.O.A.'s website at www.friendsofalcoholics.blogspot.com and explore and acquaint yourself with it's amazing ministry!

Thank you!

Brittany (for all of us)

P.S.-Also, we will be needed a new blog name-any suggestions?!

Character share

Our favorite villainous sidekick:

LAMPY

Dance with me Lampy!








From Veggie Tales' Larry Boy.

Quote

Joel to Mommy: "I love you all the time."