On the road again!

We are leaving this morning! It's been a while since I've blogged but just wanted to give a quick update. We packed up the truck and cleaned the house yesterday and we are all set. Thank you all for your help, we were really blessed to have so many people that helped and got it done a lot faster, thanks! We will be driving today to Cookeville, TN and staying with our friends parents. Then tomorrow we will drive to St. Louis, MO to visit and stay with some dear friends, which will be refreshing! Then we will land in KC on Thursday. We do not know where we are living yet but God knows! We will be staying with our friends (yay Pastor Chris!) in KC for 5 days and then we will stay with some more dear friends for another 5 days and hopefully by then we will find a home! Please pray for grace as we drive, Tom will be driving Kirk's van and trailer and I will be driving the car with 2 toddlers and a nursing babe. Also please pray for grace on the children as we stay at other peoples' houses and grace for this transition. We love all of you who are staying and all of you we will be seeing soon, thank you all for your prayers, may the Lord bless you!
~Hilary

So much on my mind

Have so many thoughts these days and don't really know where to start or what to say. We are leaving a place we've grown to love, a place we've sown in the Spirit, a place where we started our family, and a place where we've made so many friends. So we are sad but excited all in one. We are headed back to Kansas City, MO another place where we've sown to the spirit and have many loved ones as well. Excited to start fresh again. But still not understanding all of God's ways right now. So things have been crazy with cleaning, touching up the house, getting rid of stuff and packing all on top of the usual tasks of holding babies, chasing babies, changing diapers, doing laundry, making meals, loving on my Hubby, and spending time with the Lord. So if you can't tell I'm kind of feeling all over the place but know that God is good, He has a plan and that we are going to make it through this! So Tom is leaving on Wednesday for a week to go to Kansas City, Mo. IHOP-KC is having a special celebration for there 10 year anniversary so a couple vans full of people are going out. I'm really excited about it, I will be watching it online. Also Tom will be looking for a house for us. So there's kind of an update for ya, maybe next time it will be better written and not all over the place, thanks for bearing with me. Bless you all! ~Hilary

Moving to KC, MO!

Dear friends and family,

We wanted to let you all know that we are moving back to Kansas City, MO. Here's more info from Tom:

About a week ago ZHOP-Charlotte announced the completion of it's assignment here, in South Carolina. There is still a strong prayer community intact here that will continue to grow and thrive in the grace of God just not under the banner of ZHOP. Whatever ZHOP built in the Spirit will remain, and whatever was born of the flesh will die and needs to die. God says 'well done.' (BBQ term)

Our family (of five now) will be moving in SHORT ORDER back to IHOP-KC to submit to the leadership there and serve as full time staff. We are doing this in one of our WEAKEST SEASONS FINANCIALLY. We believe God would have us transition to KC IN STRENGTH. We are ON A COURSE TO RAISE $7,500.00 to do this comfortably with our children.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

#1 Way) We need Your Money
#2 Way) We need Your Prayers for Strength in Transition
#3 Way) No kidding We need your Money
#4 Way) If you reside in KC, you can be on the look out for affordable 3 bedroom homes to rent $750-$1100/mo.
#5 Way) If you reside in a KC home, you can provide an interim place for us to stay while we look for home, or anything you can offer that you know would help us.

Thank you for understanding this point blank and frank email and for prayerfully replying and acting fast.

Testimony!

We have a gathering at our house every Tuesday night and we get together and worship, hear some one's testimony and have a meal together. Each week we choose someones name out of a bowl to see who speaks next week so my name got picked this week and I got to share my testimony. Thought I would share it with all of you too!
Grew up in a non Christian home didn't go to church, parents were divorced was I was 2. Then fast forward I was about 21 I wasn't into drugs or alcohol was pretty much a "good girl" trying to please everyone but had been seeking for love, just really wounded and hurt and ended up in a bad relationship with a guy. He was a gambler and into drinking and drugs. I was a waitress and worked and worked to give him money. Took out loans for him etc. He would say he was going to pay me back and then didn't. Each time I believed that he would, I thought he was going to change. I really believed I was going to get love in return for doing this for him. I was super deceived at the time, not knowing who I was or what I deserved or that I was even loved. I just was super hurt by people and it was getting to the point where I couldn't trust anyone. It was getting pretty bad and I was really depressed. Then I thought most of my Christian friends are always happy oh I should go to church then. Searched for churches then found this church and went to it for a while. Just went by myself and sat in the back then left real fast because I was so afraid to talk to people and that I would get hurt. One day I filled out this connection card and I checked the box that said I have questions and would like someone to call me. So the pastor called me and we started meeting weekly and I had my list of questions for him about what was being taught and about the bible. Finally one day(Valentine's Day) when I met with my pastor I gave my heart to the Lord!(Bless you Pastor Chris!) At that time I was still in this bad relationship I would have weekly meetings with one of our pastors and he would coach me through how to leave this guy. Finally left him and from there started a process of healing with the Lord. About a year later I started getting hungry for the Lord and for His word, the word was coming alive. I would stay up late at night and read the bible. I had a white board of all my friends and family's prayer requests and would just prayer over each person. Started enjoying being around people making real friendships which I was scared about before. They started having prayer meetings at our church where we were learning prophecy and learning about the Holy Spirit. During this same time is when I met Tom, he was the leader of my small group. Tom and I started meeting and going out for coffee and just reading the bible and going after John 15:1-5 all about abiding. Then I found out about IHOP and the One thing conference and raised money to go. I had never been around so many young people loving the Lord and had never experienced this kind of worship. At the conference I decided I needed to do an internship and I felt like if I didn't go right then, then I probably never would. So raised money and with in a week went to do the internship, moved and Tom and I were together at that time and did a long distance relationship for 8 months. There I grew so much, living in community, learned how to pray, first time learning about end times and stuff but the big thing was I learned that God really loves me actually He likes me. That it's not about petitions it's about a friendship a relationship. Found out who I am in Him, that I am beautiful in His sight, that I am lovely and His delight. All this was new to me, I always longed for an identity and finally found one in Him. My prayers were being answered one after another with provision and heart issues. He did all this because He loves me and that's it He love us guys! I mean it's not just some saying He really does. I finally came to that place of being able to receive His love and once I received His love I was able to pour out my love whole heartedly. And now this is the kind of life I am called to live is be a radical lover of God, my husband is and we are raising are kids to be radical lovers of God. I challenge you to be one too! I pray that He will strengthen you with His might, that He would root you and ground you in His love and that you would truly know the depths of His love for you! In Jesus name, Amen!
~Hilary

Stories

Sorry it's been a while trying to figure out how to keep this blog up, hope I still have some readers out there! Thought I'd share some stories about what it is like being a Mom with 3 under 3yrs. old. Today for instance I needed to wash Samuel and Trinity's blankets. They both have become very attached to them lately and I was making them keep the blankets in there bed but with Trinity teething this week I let her take it around the house for comfort but in doing this it has gotten super dirty. So I put them in the wash and for 45 min she through a fit, no kidding. Crocodile tears, red face, lots of screaming and crying. I tried to give her another blanket but didn't work. During all this Samuel is running around screaming "Cadia Cadia" that is what he calls her. And Esther was sleeping and got woken up by all this. We got through it though and she has a clean blanket now, yay. The other day was a little crazy I tried to go the store with all 3 alone. So I put Esther in this snugly carrier thingy on me, put Trinity in the front of the cart and made Samuel sit in the cart. It actually went pretty well the only thing that was hard was when Samuel had to pee twice and I had to lift him out while holding Esther. People were giving me some looks one lady asked me if I was babysitting. I said no these are all mine, she said I pity you. Didn't know what to say but Oh Thanks!

Well I know it does sound crazy but there has been a special grace with having 3, I'm still trying to figure out how to organize my time though. I want to get up early and pray but sometimes the baby wakes up early too so I pray with her but I really enjoy just me and God time! Also trying to figure out when to cook, clean and do laundry, I mean I do it when the kids are pretty much running around at my feet but then something usually comes up like a diaper needing changed, or nursing, or spit up. But in all this I'm feeling the Lord's delight over me. I've been finding myself chuckling when something crazy happens or one of the kids go bazurk and I just say oh Lord you delight in me and it feels like He is smiling over me, love it! Well there ya go, have a blessed day!
~Hilary