The Bobb Family

Samoa 2010

2010-10-05T08:03:00.000-04:00

Counting Down the Days!

2010-05-12T06:30:00.006-04:00

Greetings to all of you! Happy Spring!

As the smell of orange tree blossoms fill the air, it can mean only one thing, Boot Camp is just around the corner. It’s hard to believe it is so near! Big Top Day (the day we put up the large rally tent) is May 1. It is such an exciting time here in Florida as we prepare for all the kids that will come to serve on mission teams. Just think…hundreds of teens being commissioned and sent out around the world – spanning the globe in over 20 countries!!!! Our time here in Florida is very busy – we have several things that we are doing this year in celebration of 40 years of Teen Missions. We are working on some neat things for the Obstacle Course. We have a ball run that will be one of a kind and we are building a Noah’s Ark Obstacle Course. I have been busy building the Ark in the middle of a Florida swamp. I asked our director if I could have 120 years to build it like Noah had, but obviously he said it had to be done by Boot Camp. I guess I can meet that deadline because my “ark” is quite a bit smaller. It is amazing the opportunities that I get to do so many different things. It seems as if I am always looking back and thinking “that is why I learned that years ago!” All the skills I have acquired throughout the years come in handy around Teen Missions – from motorcycle training, working on chainsaws, and operating equipment, to working with the computer. God always knew what he was doing even when I was not aware.

We are just completing our fourth adult missions team that went out this year. I have had the opportunity of helping to pack and train these teams. It is a blessing to serve those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to GO and serve those in need. I have really enjoyed getting to know each of the adult team members and seeing the accomplishments done for God’s kingdom. The reports from the field are awesome and I wish I could go with each team as I take them to the airport, but I realize that my work is here in Florida for now, until God calls me elsewhere.

I also get a chance to pack and send things to the overseas bases that they cannot purchase in country. There are always interesting requests for things that are needed or desired overseas that are not available to purchase in those countries. This year, the adult teams helped take one printer with five toner cartridges, one miter saw, two motorcycle chains, a modem, text books, baby clothes, buckets of crayons, soccer balls, medicine, glasses, contact lenses, an Easter basket full of goodies, solar panels, Snickers candy bars, school supplies for staff kids, tents and not to be forgotten, precooked bacon – a real treat to those serving overseas!! It is always interesting what you can fit into a duffel bag.

Vikki has been busy learning all her new duties in the Personnel Department and keeping up with the kids and their many activities. She also teaches the two year olds at our church here, First Baptist Merritt Island, and helps with the preschool choir.

So much has happened since our last newsletter. The big news is Zoe prayed and asked Jesus to come into her heart!! This happened one night as we talked before bedtime. She was so excited that she could barely contain herself. She started signing her name as Zoe the Christian. She is growing up so fast. She is busy cheerleading in Upward Basketball.

Madison is really growing up. She loves to read and she reads everything she can find. When we first moved here, one thing that upset her was that when she went through the school, nobody knew who she was. It is not like that anymore–she is such a social kid. Madison is playing Upward Basketball and I coach her team. Our colors are blue and orange and we all look like University of Florida fans, which is quite painful for an Ohio Buckeye!

Canaan is growing up in many ways also. He is so much taller than me and , well, he is starting to sound like a man now. He will be 18 years old in July! He is looking forward to his senior year ind is facing so many important decisions. Please pray that he will earnestly seek God’s Will for his life.

Taylor always keeps herself busy with all her social obligations and she is loving every minute of her college years. She has almost completed her sophomore year at Asbury University.

They all have plans this summer: Canaan is going back to Russia; Taylor’s going to China as a leader on the team; and Madison and Zoe are going back to Samoa with us. Canaan said he didn’t feel like he did his best in Russia and said he wants to go back and do it right. Taylor is always willing to serve where needed, so she is going to China.

We are heading back to Samoa to help those who were displaced with the tsunami this past September. We plan to work in the villages that we visited when we were there. One thing that motivated us to go back to Samoa to help was a story that was told by the YWAM staff there. It is a story told by a young man who was also a victim of the Tsunami in Samoa:

When the earthquake happened, his grandmother immediately got up and started singing a popular hymn in Samoan. This hymn has five verses. The first verse goes like this: “When the sea of this life becomes rough, and we fail because we get discouraged and lack faith, but think of all the blessings God has blessed us with, we would only be amazed…” The family saw the wave while this old woman still sang all five verses of the hymn, and the family started to worry. The grandma’s sister and her husband ran for their lives at the site of the great wave before the grandmother finished praying. The grandchildren kept bugging grandma saying, “Nana, the wave, the wave” but grandma did not care. She finished all five verses of the hymn, and after that she prayed. By then the wave was getting closer and closer, but she kept praying, committing everyone of her family to the Lord naming them one-by-one. When she finished praying with the AMEN, this young man got up grabbed her and the children by the arms, rushed them into the car, closed all the windows and when he was about to open the door to drive away, the wave hit him and washed him up to the hills. As he was hanging there by a tree on the hill, he was wondering what had become of grandma and the children. He thought he lost them, when all of a sudden he saw the car floating and riding the wave and grandma and the children were sticking their heads into the top of the car where there was space for them to breathe some air. The car floated onto a tree where the front was leaning and the tail rested on dry ground. The young man ran over, quickly opened the car and water spilled out while grandma and the children were all safe without any injury. The sad thing though was that the grandma’s sister, who ran before the prayer was finished, was killed by the wave and her husband was fighting for his life in the hospital. The young man said in his testimony that never in his life did he really believe in the power of prayer and faith, but now, he knows that God hears prayer and he will never be the same again. (from the staff of YWAM Samoa)

Please remember us in prayer as we travel this summer. Please pray for our health and safety, but most importantly, pray for each team member that will serve on missions trips with Teen Missions. Please pray that each of them will commit their lives fully to the Lord and submit to His Will for their lives. That is the goal of our summer. We are always reminded that we are “building teens” not buildings.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. You are an integral part of our team. Together, we will carry the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the Earth.

Our Latest Newsletter

2010-02-08T08:29:00.007-05:00

I certainly wish I could send you greetings from warm, sunny Florida, but the first two weeks of January have felt more like Ohio winter days. This morning is was 25 degrees and we saw sleet yesterday! When we left Ohio, we were so anxious to get back to warm weather. Boy, were we mistaken! I have missed the warmth of my sister, Dawn's family room, and her wood burning stove. When it is this cold, there is such comfort in a warm fire! This is just like the Lords blessings that warms our hearts when we need to be warmed.

The cold has been really difficult on so many things around here. One thing that concerned our family was how the homeless would survive during the cold nights. Since returning from his summer missions trip, Canaan has had a real burden to reach out to the many homeless in our area. So, yesterday, we gathered blankets and sweatshirts from our closets and cooked hot dogs and then Shannon, Canaan, and some other folks from TMI delivered them to some homeless men. While there, they share their faith and asked the men if they knew the Lord.. Canaan then asked them what items they needed the most. He is working to collect some of the items on their list and deliver them soon. I am so proud of his compassionate heart and his courage to share his faith with others. God is doing a mighty work in His heart and I can't wait to see the plans He has for him!

We spent two and half weeks in Ohio over Christmas visiting with friends and family. Out trip to Ohio was certainly scenic this time. We started north on I-95 and in South Carolina, we received a call from my niece's husband that all roads north of Charlotte were closed due to a huge snowstorm. So we decided our only route was to detour to Atlanta and follow I-75 north. Our 15 hour trip turned into a 20+ hour one. We are thankful that we arrived safely and that we were able to dodge the bad roads and snow. We heard that some people were stranded for over 20 hours in West Virginia. God was certainly watching over us!

Our time in Ohio was such a blessing. We were able to visit several churches. We want to thank everyone who so gratously welcomed us and allowed us to share about the minstry of Teen Missions.

Our schedule included:

December 20th--Storms Chapel

December 23rd--Storms Chapel

December 24th--Christmas Eve Service at Bainbridge UMC

December 27th--Liberty Hill Christian Union AM service

Buchanan Christian Union PM service

December 29th--Oswego Community Church, Otway, OH

December 30th--Mt. Tabor Community Church

January 1sr--Buchanan CU Church Famine for AIDS orphans

January 2nd--Our "Thanks for Giving" Spaghetti Dinner

January 3rd--New Bethel Christian Union Church AM service

Bethel Chapel Christian Union Church PM service

We are so thankful for the time we had with so many wonderful people, but we wish we had more time because there were so many more people we wanted to see. - -they are at the top of our "must see" list for next year! :) We plan to spend at least three full weeks in Ohio next December.

We were blessed by the 92 people who came to our Thanks For Giving dinner. What a privilege to serve those who so freely give so we can serve the Lord here. Thank you so much for all you do for our ministry at Teen Missions.

The new year brings some exciting changes to our lives here at Teen Missions. Shannon has been busy packing bags and preparing for the adult teams that will be traveling to minister in Africa over the next few months. Shannon is also making plans to train our bible school students how to ride motorcycles so they will be prepared when they serve their one year internship overseas. He has also been "commissioned" to build an ark for an obstacle course here at the Lord's Boot Camp. I (Vikki) have been asked to oversee the Personnel Dept. here and attend to the needs of the many staff not only here in Florida, but overseas as well. It is an exciting opportunity, but a bit overwhelming also. I have also been teaching a class for the BMW school and cooking for the students on Friday's. Please remember us in prayer that we will honor God in all that we do.

This summer, we have been asked to lead a team back to Samoa to do tsunami relief. The Island of Western Samoa was devastated by a wave of three tsunamis in October 2009. Many of the areas we visited and work-in were completely destroyed. We hope to help to rebuild this nation and share God' love with those hardest his by this tragedy. Canaan plans to travel back to Russia. His team will help to run a boot camp to send out Russian teams on missions work. His team will also use soccer and volleyball as an evangelism tool in nearby towns and villages. Taylor will be an assistant leader on team to China where they will do building projects at a Christian camp. Please remember our family in prayer as we prepare for our summer ministry and raise the necessary expenses for our children to serve on their summer teams. We will need to raise over $10,000.00 for the cost of our four children.

Night Shuttle Launch Feb. 8, 2010

2010-02-08T06:48:00.002-05:00

News From YWAM Samoa--Tsunami Story

2009-11-04T21:54:00.002-05:00

YWAM SAMOA TSUNAMI RELIEF & REBUIDLING

It has been over a month since the day the Tsunami devastated Samoa. The first phase has passed and we are already in the second phase of this tragic disaster.

YWAM Has been very involved since it happened on September 29th, 2009. We had the Rescue Net and Marine Reach during the first phase. What a wonderful job they did in Samoa. They really served well and really opened the eyes of the medical professionals people here in Samoa on how to be thorough in doing medical help.

After these two teams left, more teams and individuals arrived to help out. It has been not only a great blessing to Samoa but also a great encouragement to us here in YWAM knowing that you, our family and friends are behind us as we help Samoa recover well. We have a DTS team from Adelaid Australia, a team of counsellors from YWAM Fiji, Claire from Family Ministry at Matamata, We have more people arriving on Friday and Saturday this week and later on this month, and others coming later this year and also 2010.

THANK YOU SALVATION ARMY
While we are working at the Tsunami affected locations, Salvation Army NZ Director Bryant Richards and the Salvation Army Director for International Relief from USA, George, purchased a Toyota Dyna Truck for YWAM to help our people with the relief and rebuilding work at the Tsunami affected locations and use for other YWAM work. Salvation Army also donated 2 chain saws to help with the clearing of lands for victims to build their houses. Thank you Salvations Army.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.
We also like to thank all of you who gave financially to help with the relief and rebuilding. Individuals like Tielu & Helen Petaia, Mark Tillman, David Skeat, Celona & Naomi, just to mention a few. Also organisations lie ARMS, Tasmania community represented by Jannelle and Shari, individuals represented by Isabel Betts, to mention a few.
Our friends Andy & Leone Forsgren and their families who donated 4 chain saws, and all of you who have given in all kinds of ways including prayer etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STANDING WITH US AND SHOWING YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT TO OUR SAMOAN PEOPLE AS WELL AS YWAM SAMOA.
We pray that God will remember you and make His face shine on you all the time.

YWAM'S APPROACH TO THE REBUILDING
We are forming a more or less a Holistic type approach to the affected areas. The rebuilding is not only a physical one but all areas of live inclusive of the spiritual, emotional, mental, etc.

So as we go to the affected locations, the whole team consist of a medical team, Team to minister to the kids, Team to visit with adults, and a team of strong and weak men and women to play with chain saws, axes, machettes, hammers, etc., to clear big trees and help build shelter for families to await the government promised building for the all the victims. The truck and the pick up truck would drop off the teams for their specific roles and then the truck is then used to transport material from the people 's ruined houses (timber and iron roofing) to where they are now building new homes.

All of us who go to minister to these people wish we have the strength of a thousand people to help these people and millions of dollars to get these people on their feet. But with what we have we will serve these and bring glory to our Lord.

THE LORD HEARS PRAYERS AND DELIVER THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM.
Here is A great story to encourage you, told by a young man who was also a victim of the Tsunami Samoa.

When the earthquake happened, his grandmother immediately got up and start singing a popular hymn in Samoan. This hymn has 5 verses. The first verse goes like this : "When the sea of this life becomes rough, and we fail because we get discouraged and lack faith, but think of all the blessings God has blessed us with, we would only be amazed..." The family saw the wave while this old woman still sings all 5 verses of the hymn, and the family started to worry. The grandma's sister and her husband ran for their lives at the site of the great wave before the grandmother finished praying. The grandchildren kept bugging grandma saying, "nana the wave the wave" but grandma did not care. She finished all 5 verses of the hymn, and after that she prayed. By then the wave was getting closer and closer but she kept praying commiting everyone of her family to the Lord naming them one by one. When she finished praying with the AMEN, this young man got up grab her and the children by the arms, rush them into the car, close all the windows and when he was about to open the door to drive away, the wave hit him and washed him up to the hills. As he was hanging there by a tree on the hill, he was wondering what had become of grandma and the children. He thought he lost them, when all of a sudden, he saw the car floating and riding the wave and grandma and the children were sticking their heads into the top of the car where there was space for them to breath some air. The car floated onto a tree where the front was leaning and the tail rested on dry ground. The young man ran over, quickly opened the car and water spilled out while grandma and all the children were all safe without any injury.

The sad thing though was that the grandma's sister who ran before the prayer was finsihed was killed by the wave and her husband was fighting for his life in the hospital.

The young man said in his testimony that never in his life did he really believe in the power of prayer and faith but now, he knows that God hears prayer and will never be the same again.

2009-11-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Where there is no doctor....

2009-10-13T14:54:00.003-04:00

This email came in from Zambia. It is an amazing example of what our Rescue Unit facilitators deal with.

> Greetings,
> Yesterday I sat in the office listening to Mike Monze and Mathews Shikishi and just shock my head. The plight of the people when there is no doctor is just tragic. Mathews said that last week a lady came by the Mukema unit for medical help. She had walked about 7 miles to come to the unit, crossing two rivers. She couldn't really say what was wrong just that she was having pains. Mathews wasn't really sure what to do as she didn't really share anything that he could recognize as wrong. He referred her to the clinic at St Mary's and she left. Her younger sister was with her and also a young boy. They hadn't walked but a short distance from the unit when they had to stop because of the pains. They went behind an ant hill and found a place for her to lie down. While there she delivered a baby. Out in the open, with only grass and leaves for a bed, there was no doctor not even a mid-wife. Mathews helped her and they got her to St Mary's clinic. The mother and baby come by the unit the next day and thanked Mathers for his help and the new mom left to continue the long walk home. Just another day where there is no doctor.
>
> Mike then shared that recently people brought a lady to Luswishi on a bicycle ambulance. She had just delivered a baby and the baby was fine but she hadn't delivered the placenta. The lady was in pain and extremely weak, unable to talk. While they were trying to assess the situation the lady stiffened up. They saw her eyes roll back into her head and she became limp. Queen rushed up to her and began praying, rebuking death and commanding life back into her body. They immediately prepared her and began the long journey to the clinic. Queen continued to pray. Maybe about half way there the lady opened her eyes and seemed to revive and short time later she began to talk and shared that she had died but now was feeling fine. I don't know how true, in fact, that was except that is what the lady shared. They did get her to the clinic but the clinic wasn't able to help her either and they took her to Kitwe where they were able to remove the placenta. The mother and baby have since returned to the unit and they are indeed fine. Life and death can hang in the balance where there is no doctor.

Latest Video

2009-10-12T07:54:00.001-04:00

Check out this video of our summer in Nicaragua!!!

http://bit.ly/4btBkv

Soccer and Glamour

2009-09-27T12:48:00.005-04:00

Saturday, Maddie and Zoe both had soccer games in the heat! They played hard! Afterward, Zoe was invited to a birthday party at Snip-its for her friend, Kenya. They girls enjoyed getting their hair done and dressing up! It was a fun Saturday.

Home at Last!

2009-08-15T10:31:00.006-04:00

After 4 weeks of boot camp, 4 weeks in Nicaragua and 1 week at Debrief, we are home at last. It's amazing to think how much work was accomplished on the church in Nicaragua and how many new friends we made over the summer. The pastor and his family that we stayed with were so warm, welcoming and fun that it was very hard to say good-bye to them. The friendships we made there will never be forgotten. Here are a few pictures---I hope to blog more about the summer later.

BOOT CAMP!

2009-07-05T06:47:00.005-04:00

Mustard Seeds

2009-06-17T19:27:00.009-04:00

Well, we are halfway through the boot camps now....early boot camp teams leave on Sunday and our team arrives this Friday. Zoe just finished up her Mustard Seed Team. Taylor and Canaan shared duties as her chaperone. She had an awesome time and loved every minute of it!!! It was a great four days for her---she really liked having her "own" team. Please pray for our team as we get to know each other over the next few days and train together. We leave for Nicaragua on July 8 and return August 11. You can keep up with us through updates on the Teen Missions website...www.teenmissions.org and click on the Team News tab. Thanks for all of your prayers and support....we can't wait to see what God does in and through our team this summer! Adios!!!!

2009-05-19T20:55:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that we are only a few short weeks away from the start of Boot Camp! We have started putting up the Big Tops this week and May 2 is “Big Top” Day when the main Big Top Tent will go up! This will be a family event where we will all work together to put up “Big Top 1!” It is very exciting to see all of the tents going up and boot camp starting to take shape.

We are already starting to pack and prepare for our summer. It takes a lot of time to pack 5 people to travel overseas for a month. We (Shannon, Vikki, Madison and Zoe) have been asked to lead a team of teens to Nicaragua this summer. Our project will be to continue construction on a church that was begun by a team last summer. We have been trying to learn some basic Spanish before we go so the language barrier is not so hard. We have also started praying for our team members and assistant leaders as well as for ourselves. Spending extra time in prayer and in reading God's Word is essential to preparing our hearts to lead the team each summer.

Canaan has chosen to serve on a team that will travel to Papua on the island of New Guinea. He originally wanted to go on the Orphan Angels Team to Zambia where they ride motorcycles, but has to wait a little longer to get his driver's license. He will soon reach the “6 month seizure free” milestone and can then be cleared by his doctor to get his license, but his doctor does not think it is safe for him to be on a motorcycle at this time. He is very excited and can't wait for summer to get here. His team's project in Papua will be to construct the first building for a brand new Bible School that Teen Missions will be opening there. This will be the sixth bible school that Teen Missions has in Indonesia and the 28th world wide.

Taylor will be staying in Florida this summer. She is looking for a summer job to earn money for college. She will also be helping at the Teen Missions base during Debrief, when teams return to Teen Missions for classes before returning home.

Finally, we would like to thank all of you who came to volunteer this winter! So much was accomplished and we are so grateful for your help! At one point, there were so many Ohioans around here working, it seemed almost like home! We hope you all come back real soon and hope to see even more of you next winter!

We are all doing well as we work daily to support the global mission of Teen Missions. We are doing well health wise except for Shannon he has been struggling with disc problems in his lower back but recently he has been feeling better.

Thank you again for all of your faithful support, encouragment and prayers! We are truly blessed!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!!

Prayer Requests:

Financial support for the kids summer expenses.

A summer job for Taylor.

Safe travel over the summer.

Safety and good health for Canaan.

Healing for Shannon's ruptured discs in his back.

Big Top Day!

2009-05-04T11:55:00.009-04:00

Saturday, we set up the Main Big Top at Teen Missions. It was an all-day, family event! The day went really well and everyone finished the day tired, but safe and injury free...Praise the Lord. It was a great day of fellowship and working together. It's hard to believe that Boot Camp is only one month away!!!

2009-05-01T21:23:00.002-04:00

This is Zoe singing Francesca Battistelli's song "I'm Free to Be Me" at the Preschool talent show. She loves singing this song!!

Adult Footwashing Team

2009-04-07T07:52:00.012-04:00

This is a picture of the team with Chief Mumena

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Thank you so much to all of you who donate shoes. These are the shoes the adult team took over. They are getting ready to sort them into sizes and distribute them. 450 pairs of shoes and socks were given to the orphans through this team of 12!!!! Praise the Lord!

Teen Missions sent it's first Adult Footwashing Team to Zambia last month. The teams sole purpose is to wash the feet of orphans and give them a pair of shoes and socks. For most orphans, this is the first pair of shoes they have ever had. Their feet often are infested with a parasite called "Jiggers" that eats away at their toes. The only way to cure this is to wash their feet with kerosene. The shoes and socks will help prevent a re-infestation. Some of the orphans have wounds on their feet that won't heal because they walk around in the dirt barefoot. The team will treat the sores with anti-biotic ointment. Some of these orphans will die from an infection from these sores if not treated. The team had a great trip and the Lord opened many doors for them to share their faith. There were six team members from the Ohio Christian Union Churches and six other adults from different states and denominations forming a team of 12. Approximately 450 pairs of socks & shoes were distributed. Some team members enjoyed sharing Bible stories, playing games and singing songs with the orphans while they waited for shoes.

Here is an account of one of their experiences:
A meeting with chief Mumena is planned for Saturday afternoon. A group had gone to visit the chief to arrange for the teams coming to the palace and even that was an experience for them. The chief warmly welcomed them even insisting that they not bow down. They told him what they were doing in his area and when they said they were washing the orphans feet he said you're doing what. They repeated they were washing the orphans feet and giving them a pair of socks and a pair of shoes. He said you mean you a white person are washing a black orphan's feet. He began to cry. He said never has such a thing been done. Chief Mumena is the president of the House of Chiefs in Zambia. He is the number one chief of the whole country.

Another praise is for "Fred." Fred was a teacher in the school in Mibende where Shannon went on his adult team. Fred was not a Christian. After Shannon's team left, Fred accepted Christ as his Savior through Richard, the facilitator at the Rescue Unit. Fred then attended our Bible School in Ndola and is now a facilitator at one of our Aids Orphans Rescue Units. Praise the Lord for the work he has done in Fred's life!

To Learn more about Aids Orphans...visit their webpage at www.teenmissions.org and click on the link on the left side for the Aids Orphans Ministry.

Latest News from Our Newsletter

2009-02-27T12:49:00.005-05:00

What an exciting time here! New summer team registrations come in daily and we are busy making preparations to make this the best summer yet! Overseas Boot Camps are going on at this time and amazing stories are being told of how God is working in the lives of people around the world. It's also an awesome time to live in Florida...warm days around 75-80 degrees, NO HUMIDITY, very few mosquitoes and citrus fruit literally dropping from the trees. Does it sound good? Well then, come on down and see for yourself! We'd love to have you come visit and volunteer some time at Teen Missions!

We enjoyed at wonderful Christmas and New Year's in Ohio. It was such a blessing to visit with family and friends and enjoy time together. The highlight of our time in Ohio was the “thank-you” spaghetti dinner that we hosted for all of our supporters. It was a wonderful time of fellowship! …..... We are so grateful for everyone that came and hope that many more will come next year! Yes, we hope to make this an annual event—we are already working on a menu!

It seems like it is always a busy time for us. We keep thinking that things will slow down, but it never happens! Canaan has kept us busy lately. He joined the wrestling team and we have been going to his meets. It's so nice to see him participate in sports again. I always enjoy watching the kids play. He had a slight setback when he first joined the team. The first day of practice, he had a seizure, but it didn't stop him! He was determined to be a part of the team and went right back to practice the next day. He even won his first match....his first win ever! It was amazing to watch. He has also been busy with high school and college classes. He has completed his first semester as a high school sophomore and a college freshman. He likes to tease Taylor that he will graduate college before she does! (She doesn't seem to find that funny.)

Madison just finished science fair and enjoyed being a real “scientist”. She loves to learn and is doing well in school. She also loves to be a helper to anyone in need. Her teacher told us that she is a real blessing (but we already knew that!) She is starting Upward Basketball this year at church. She is also part of the Children's Choir.

Zoe is loving preschool! She has a wonderful teacher and enjoys her classmates. She is in the Preschool Choir at church. She seems to grow taller everyday! Madison and Zoe enjoy playing with the other kids on Heavenly Street. They are outside every afternoon looking for new adventures together.

It has been so nice to have Taylor with us over the holidays. It sure is strange not having her laughter in the house. We are able to talk to her on the phone often and we sometimes “video chat” so she and her younger sisters can “catch up.” She is doing great in college and has been elected to a leadership position in her class. She is slowly adjusting to winter again and loves everything about Asbury College. God has been so good to provide the opportunity for her to go there.

I (Vikki) have started teaching the four-year olds at Sunday School. They are such a blessing and always make me smile. It's been good to be teaching again. I have missed it. I have had the opportunity to teach classes at “First Step”, a week long seminar for potential new staff members at Teen Missions. I really enjoy getting to know each of them and sharing what God has done in our lives.

Shannon has been VERY busy. On Sept. 26, Shannon left for Ohio with the BMW ( Florida Free Bible, Missionary and Work Training School) students to work on a church in Dayton, Ohio . Their original plan was to be gone for two weeks. Two weeks turned into one month! There was so much work to be done. Due to extensive water damage, the entire basement had to be refinished including ceilings, wallls and floors. It was hard work, but very rewarding. Several people in the neighborhood stopped in to see the progress and said how much they needed a church in the neighborhood again. One lady across the street who shared her bathroom with the students brought pizza for everyone the last night they were there. Our prayer is that the church will be re-opened and be a "lighthouse" in that community. Recently, he has been packing supplies for the adult teams to take overseas. He really enjoys preparing for the adult teams and helping to “send them” overseas.

We are leading the teen team to Nicaragua now! We are very excited about this opportunity! Our project will be to complete the second story on a church building that was started by the Teen Missions team last year. We are working on learning some Spanish before we go so that communication will be easier.

Canaan has had to switch teams, also. His first choice was to go on the Orphan Angels Team to Zambia, however, his neurologist has not cleared him to get his driver's license. Therefore, he has decided to go on the Papua team. His team will build the first building for the new Bible, Missionary and Work Training Center on the Island of New Guinea. He is very excited for the summer to get here!

Shannon has been having quite a bit of back pain since he injured his back last summer. He had an MRI and found that he has four ruptured discs in his lower back. He will be going for a series of cortizone injections to help with the pain. Please pray for a complete healing of his back and for relief from the pain.

In closing, I thought I would share a testimony from one of our BMW students in Siberia. This testimony was particularly touching since Canaan spent his summer their preparing the building to start the BMW.

Rail Nabiullinâ'ss testimony, a student at the new BMW in Siberia: I was born on March 10, 1985. My parents are from a Muslim background. When I was 7 or 8 years old, people came to distribute Christian literature. I was so glad to get a gift from those people with kind eyes. I brought booklets back home and shared my joy with my mom, but she took them away from me, threw them away and beat me. I still remember her words: "You are Muslim! Our God is different!" I could not understand her reaction, and I had so many questions. Who is this God?

My parents were heavy drinkers and argued very often. Then they got divorced. My father did not beat me, but was just indifferent to my life and me. My mother got married again, and was afraid of her second husband. She would feed me in secret, because he would not let her feed me. My stepfather practiced witchcraft. He would be in a “trance” for 4 or more days. He terrified the whole family. After one of his trances he took his life. I started trying to practice black magic, following my stepfather's example. Our lives were becoming worse and worse. My mother was drinking even heavier than before. I wanted to be set free but I did not know how.

One day, my cousin shared with me the good news about Jesus. After that he would remind me of Him often. In 2003 I invited Him into my heart as my Lord and Savior. But after a while I started to backslide, and started to drink and smoke again. But when I turned away from Jesus, He was faithful and never left or forsaken me. In due time I was drawn back to church, to Jesus! He has forgiven all my sins and given me eternal life. He gave me peace and joy that I have never experienced before. Joining BMW Training Center in Siberia has changed me. I want to learn how to serve God and glorify His name through my life. John 6:44.

We want to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude for each one of you. Your prayers, encouragement, cards and financial support are overwhelming. We feel so unworthy of our calling, but so blessed to be called (if that makes any sense). We love you all and pray for you! Thank you so much for making our ministry possible.

In Christ,
The Bobb Family

Family Pictures

2009-01-11T18:16:00.008-05:00

We went to the beach on Saturday to get some family pictures taken. We needed a new one for our prayer cards and our newsletter. These are a few of my favorites.

Holiday Highlights

2009-01-08T16:52:00.008-05:00

These are just a few of our favorite moments. One of the pictures above was taken at the Bainbridge United Methodist Church. I had the privilege of leading the "Children's Moment." We always enjoy our "ROOK" games at the Anderson's house. A short trip to the Creation Museum turned into a long, icy, trip back to Bainbridge. Family game night is always so much fun...especially when Justin plays! (hahaha) However, the Highlight of our trip was definitely the "thank-you" spaghetti dinner that we hosted for our supporters. It is a blessing to serve those who do so much for us!

Our wish for all of you is a happy, healthy, blessed New Year!!!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2009-01-08T16:28:00.004-05:00

For those of you who shop online....

2008-12-08T16:41:00.002-05:00

We have been listed on the website www.sendthemforhim.com
This is a website that provides charitable donations for missions from your online purchases. No need to register or to login. Just visit the website and choose our name from the list of missionaries/ministries to support. Then link to the website where you want to shop from the alphabetical listing. The companies on the list will donate a percentage of your purchase to our summer travel expenses. There are over 400 merchants listed including Target, Walmart, EBay, American Eagle, Sports Authority, Champs, Apple.com and even iTunes. It's a cool way to support missions while doing your normal shopping.

Thanks for your support and check out www.sendthemforhim.com today! You can even see how much has been raised for our ministry!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Date Change on the CBS Special!

2008-12-04T21:38:00.003-05:00

DECEMBER 27 at 9:00 P.M. ON CBS 48 Hours

The documentary "The Lord's Boot Camp" will air again. Be sure to watch and tell all your friends!!! What are you doing next summer????

Teen Missions Samoa Trip Video

2008-12-01T06:24:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone watches this video that was created by Tyler Randolph who led the Samoa team with us. It is amazing and captures all the great moments of the summer. Thanks, Tyler, it is amazing!!!!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEXT SUMMER???

2008-11-23T08:02:00.006-05:00

The 2009 teams have been listed on the Teen Missions webpage!!! http://teams.teenmissions.org/

Check them out and register today!! We can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do through the lives of teens this summer!

I also wanted to let you know that CBS is going to re-air the 48 hours special "The Lord's Boot Camp" on December 13! Be sure to watch!!!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!!!

Zoe's New Favorite Song

2008-11-17T18:38:00.001-05:00

Just needed to Share

2008-11-02T20:20:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to express how much I LOVE this bread! I tried it this week and is awesome!!!! If you haven't had it yet, go out and get a loaf and buy and extra one to put in the freezer for me! (I know this may seem silly, but I just wanted to share!)

Shannon's latest project

2008-10-23T06:25:00.008-04:00

I know some people have been curious to know what Shannon has been doing in Ohio for the last month. The following pictures are before/after shots of the church in Dayton they have been working on. These are basement rooms. Hopefully, he will get to start home today, but last night when I talked to him they had found several more leaks in the plumbing.

One cool story that came out of this trip is about a lady who lives across the street from the church. The students knocked on her door the first day they arrived and asked to use her bathroom since there was no water at the church and all of the bathrooms had been ripped out for repairs. When the students left for Indiana, she prayed that they would return. When they did, she was so excited that she bought pizza for all of them for dinner! What a witness this work has been in that very rough neighborhood in Dayton. Please pray that those seeds can take root and grow and that this church can become a "lighthouse" in that community!

Also, pray for Shannon and Mike's safety as they travel home...HOPEFULLY today!

Samoa Part 3---What I Miss the Most!

2008-10-01T12:47:00.004-04:00

Sure the scenery was beautiful, the weather was ideal and the ocean was breathtaking, but what I miss the most is the friends we made. I miss my team members and I miss the daily sharing. I miss the YWAM staff and the way they made me smile. I miss the friendships that will last a lifetime even if we never see each other again until Heaven. Ray Boltz's song "Thank you for giving to the Lord" really hits home.

Onasai...you always made us smile and your laugh could be heard across the base!
Davita...you were so patient, kind and peaceable. You showed me how I should be the same.
Antonia....I miss your music so much!
Chubby, Mika, Malachi and Fiji Bill...you all have such special gifts that you use for the Lord. I am so glad God let our paths cross.

And for my team...You all are awesome. Watching you grow in the Lord, work hard and encourage each other and us was a special gift from God. I think of you every day and when I do, I always smile. It seems the smallest things remind me of you...we shared so much that it's hard to believe we are all living separate lives now. Stay strong, be bold and never neglect your quiet time with God. You are in my prayers.

Each summer is a life changing experience. I can't wait for the next adventure and I will never forget this one! Fa'a Samoa! May you bless the Lord in all that you do!

Samoa Part 2

2008-09-26T21:08:00.006-04:00

When we first arrived in Samoa, we really didn't have a work project. We thought we were going to build a large structure for group gatherings, but that was not the case. So, until we could figure out our main project we did some small projects to get started. First we pulled weeds around the property--we cleared all the fences and pulled weeds around the rocks and buildings. Then, we went into the town to help the YWAM staff clean up a building they are going to rent for a coffee house and offices. It was a rainy, muddy day and it was very dirty work, but the team worked hard and did not complain. We were able to really clean up the building and get it ready for painting.

It is a policy for teams to maintain a "prayer closet" during all hours that the team is working. The team members take turns praying for 1 hour shifts for specific requests, for all other teams, for the Samoa staff, for family at home, and for safety for the team. It makes such a difference in the success of the team and the project. God answers prayers in such visible ways. Prayer is the foundation of teen missions and is essential to maintaining our walk with the Lord.

Another special time is daily devotions. We have 30 minutes of personal devotions every day. This time with the Lord is such a blessing. God's voice is so clearly heard during these quiet times. It's amazing to watch the spiritual growth that comes from daily prayer and bible reading. I sincerely hope that all of our team members are maintaining his/her devotion time now that they are back home. Prayer is the key to the victorious Christian life.

Coming soon...Samoa Part 3: The Construction Project

Samoa Part 1

2008-09-23T17:07:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I have been putting pictures together for a DVD that we can share with all of you and looking at the pictures has helped me to relive the special moments of this summer. I hope to share our summer with you in the next few posts. This is part one! :)

First, we left Boot Camp and headed to the Orlando airport to spend the night and fly to LA the next morning. When we went to check in, they informed us that they could not check our bags all the way through to Samoa (because we had a 12+ hour layover in LA). This meant we would have to claim our bags in LA and re-check them at the Air New Zealand counter. Sounds like a minor aggravation, huh? Well...picture this 44 duffle bags weighing 50 lbs each along with 22 carry-on bags. If you have ever been to LA you have to know that it is the worst planned airport ever. We had to push those 44 bags on carts nearly 4 blocks and when we got to our terminal, we realized they had to go up the escalator (we waited on the elevator for 20 mins. and finally gave up knowing that it would take hours to get all of our carts up at that rate of speed). When we finally got them all checked in (after several cart spills on the way) we were off to eat at In-N-Out Burger. If you have never been to In-N-Out Burger, you are missing a treat! It was so good (even better than What-a-Burger!). We enjoyed our food, watched jets fly over head, and played in the trees. We then went back to the airport and waited to catch our 11:30 p.m. flight to Samoa. It was about 11 hours long. We arrived in Samoa at 6:30 a.m. We were amazed at the beauty of the island. The houses were so colorful. There were chickens and pigs roaming everywhere. It was so different, we wanted to take in all that we saw. We arrived at the YWAM Samoa base at about 8:00 a.m. and were greeted by the staff (after we woke them up and got them out of bed! LOL) My first thought was feeding the team. We were told that we would have to go to town to purchase propane for the stove, the electric was pre-paid power, they had two vans but both were broken down. I had 16 kids looking at me and asking me "What's for lunch?" I bowed my head and said, "Lord, what's for lunch? There was a microwave, but when I plugged it in, it sparked and smoked, so I knew that wasn't going to work. I dug around and found a rice steamer and knew I had some soup mix. We set up the water filter and filtered water, mixed up the soup and cooked it in three batches in the rice steamer, opened a can of fruit, and at a delicious lunch! :) It took a few days for my nerves to calm and "settle in." I don't know why I don't trust God from the first. I always waste time worrying before I turn everything over to Him. I waste so much time and energy. He is faithful and never leaves us alone. He reassured me of that so much this summer.

Changes

2008-09-14T16:52:00.004-04:00

We are still adjusting to changes in our family this fall. Taylor moved out of the house and started school at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky. She absolutely loves it there and is doing very well. We are still amazed at how God provided for her to be able to go. Asbury gave Taylor a very generous financial aid award that we are so grateful for. She told us all last year that Asbury is where God wanted her to be and God proved that to be true.

While our oldest started college, our youngest started preschool. Zoe is enjoying going to school every day like a big girl and really likes her teacher, Miss Bridget.

Canaan started college classes this year. He likes to tease Taylor that he started college before she did. He is enjoying his psychology class most of all.

Madison is now in the third grade. I can remember like it was yesterday when Taylor and Canaan were in the third grade. That seems to be the landmark year in our family. That was the year that Taylor went to school (at Highland County Christian School) after homeschooling her for kindergarten, first and second. Third grade was Canaan's first year at Paint Valley after going to Highland County Christian School.
I wonder what this year will hold for Madison??

I hope to start some posts about our summer soon. I am still reflecting and gathering my thoughts about the summer, but it will come soon..I promise.

Changes...they are bittersweet.

God Bless Samoa!

2008-08-28T12:41:00.002-04:00

Isaiah 42:10;12
10 Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.

12 Let them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise in the islands.

Go ye therefore into all the world....

2008-07-06T06:00:00.004-04:00

Commissioning Day is here! Tonight hundreds of teens will go literally around the world and share the gospel for the next 5 weeks! Teams are going to China, Cambodia, Siberia, France, Zambia, Madagascar, South Africa, Wales, Iceland, Australia, Samoa, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Malawi, Ireland, Egypt, Belgium, Greece and more. It will definitely be an amazing day! Please remember all these teams in your prayers until we all return in Mid-August. You can watch the Commissioning Service Live on the internet tonight tonight starting at 7:30 at www.teenmissions.org. Click on Webcasts.

Our addresses for the summer are:

Canaan:
Teen Missions Team 08015
Canaan Bobb
Ul. Zelyonaya Roshcha, 15
Krasnaya Niva
Shadrinsk District
Kurgan Region
RUSSIA 64180

Taylor: (Turns 18 years old on July 12)
Teen Missions Team 08016
Taylor Bobb
PO Box 93
GPO Siem Reap Angko
CAMBODIA

* Note Here is the Indonesia Address for the Cambodia team (we will be in Cambodia until July 26 which means that can write until July 12) and will be in Indonesia until Aug. 8 so mail by July 25.

The Indonesia address is:
TMI Team 08016
Taylor Bobb
Desa Namomirik
Kecamatan Kutalimbaru
Kabutpaten Deli Serdang
Medan-Sumatra Utara
INDONESIA 203454

And the rest of the Bobb's:
Teen Missions Team 08020
Bobb Family
c/o YWAM
PO Box 435
Apia, SAMOA

An International letter costs 94 cents.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CANAAN TODAY! HE IS 16 YEARS OLD!

Have a great summer!

2008-06-23T15:09:00.004-04:00

This is a picture of Madison at her Peanut commissioning. She had a great time and made many new friends. Last night was Early Boot Camp commissioning. 6 teams left to start their projects overseas. It was a perfect night and an awesome service! Please remember those teams in your prayers--especially Kayla Graves who is going to Malawi. Also remember my friend, Amanda Evans, who has graduated from our Bible, Missionary and Work Training School in Florida and left last night to do her one year internship in Malawi. Amanda and I worked together in the finance department and she is very special to us. She has overcome great obstacles in her life and is eager to start work at one of our Matron Units in Malawi. Also remember the Houten family who left last night with their team to Belize. They will remain in Belize for a year after the team leaves to coordinate our base there. They have three children---Thad, Maddie and Gwen. May God bless them with health, safety and a boldness to share the Gospel!

BOOT CAMP!

2008-06-03T07:20:00.003-04:00

Boot Camp time is almost here! We have finished our 38 days of prayer and the first "wave" of leaders arrived yesterday. It's hard to believe it is here already! Please remember our teams and leaders in prayer. Pray for their safety. Pray that their relationship with God will be strengthened during this time. Pray for the leaders for strength, wisdom, discernment, endurance, patience, mercy and compassion. Pray that these teens can impact their world for Jesus! It's an exciting time!

Also, pray for us as we try to re-erect Big Top 1 this week. It went down in a storm about a week ago and several poles had to be repaired.

Tours started yesterday at the Old Testament Tabernacle replica in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pray for that ministry as well.

Finally, remember the orphans at our Aids Orphans Rescue Units in Africa. Pray their their stomachs would be filled and their souls would be fed. Pray for the facilitators that they would be refreshed today. Pray that not one orphan would be forgotten.

Have a great day today! Serve the Lord with gladness and enter into his presence with Thanksgiving. The Lord he is good and worthy to be praised. Praise the name of the Lord!

Graduation ISLAND STYLE!

2008-05-30T23:46:00.005-04:00

I just wanted to share a few photos from tonight's graduation at Merritt Island High School. It was a beautiful night and a very proud moment for us! It was also amazing that Tristan and her family were able to come down and be here for graduation! It sure is fun to spend time with them! Thanks Grubb's and Hinshaw's for coming to Merritt Island!

Graduation

2008-05-27T07:05:00.003-04:00

What an amazing whirlwind of a weekend. We went to Ohio to celebrate graduation and visit with Shannon's parents. I think we attended 5 graduation parties, 2 church services, and played a great game of Rook with the Anderson's (the girls won by the way...CAW, CAW!!!) I realized this weekend how truly blessed we are with such an awesome support network of friends and family. It is so humbling to realize how unworthy we are of God's blessings, yet He blesses us anyway! We were definitely overwhelmed by the love and encouragement we received. I just wish I could give back in some way. Thanks to everyone who made this weekend special. Be confident that you are in our prayers! Your partnership in the gospel is such a blessing!

It was a great graduation present for Taylor to be able to spend the weekend with her friends and family! I was so proud of my niece's Breanna and Savannah and their achievements. Breanna gave the farewell address at graduation and did so well. I still can't figure out when they grew up. My favorite quote of the weekend was from one of Taylor's friends, David Lazar. He was looking through Breanna's scrapbook and the pictures of Taylor and Bre as they grew up. He said, "Boy, Taylor and Bre had some rough years, didn't they?" HAHAHAHAHA They sure did, but they have grown into beautiful young women with a real love for serving God. What more could we ask for?

When did she grow up?

2008-05-11T22:03:00.003-04:00

It seems like just yesterday she was rollerblading around the campground, having sleepovers with Tristan and learning all those math facts. Now she is a beautful woman ready to spread her wings and soar towards all her hopes and dreams. I know it sounds sappy, but it's the truth. I can remember when she was just entering her teenage years and she would cry every time she heard "Butterfly Kisses." I can't believe she is about to graduate and prepare to leave for college. This summer is going to be the hardest ever...knowing that when we return, she could possibly be moving away to start college. Time is so short..but thank you Lord for the time! Thank you Lord for allowing us the privilege of being her parents. We are truly blessed!!!

Prayer Request

2008-05-10T10:50:00.002-04:00

We found out this week that my(Shannon's) dad is in the hospital with kidney failure. He has scar tissue in his kidneys that has caused them to fail. Next week he will go to Mt. Carmel for a port to be placed in his arm to start kidney dialysis. He will need dialysis 3 days a week. Please pray for him and my mom. This will be difficult for them. Also pray that the Lord would become very real in their lives.

CBS SPECIAL SATURDAY!

2008-04-08T14:51:00.003-04:00

CBS has posted a preview of Saturday's Documentary about The Lord's Boot Camp here at Teen Missions. You can click here to view it

We are all so excited to get to see this 48 Hours Special. Be sure to watch on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. on CBS. Pray that this special will have a postive impact on the ministry here at Teen Missions and that it would honor God in all things. Don't miss it!!!!

I also wanted to post a link for the Christianity Today Article. You can view it at:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/february/28.60.html?start=1

Piercing Words

2008-03-29T17:45:00.002-04:00

At times our sinful actions are so loud, that people can't hear what we are saying about God. OUCH!!!!

I heard this quote in chapel on Friday. It reminded me of my wonderful Grandmother and the time she limped out of church. She told the pastor he had stepped on her toes so much that she could hardly walk! :) Seriously, it made me think. What do people hear from me? Do my actions speak so loudly that they drown out my words? I pray that my walk and my talk both line up with God's Word.

CBS Special

2008-03-27T20:05:00.003-04:00

Mark your calendars! Set your VCR's and your DVR'S!!!! Teen Missions on CBS! On April 12th at 8:00 PM EST, CBS will air a one-hour documentary on short term missions. A film crew from Loki Films came to Boot Camp in 2007 and followed two teams to their project sites in Indiana and Africa, respectively. PRAY with us that this will be a positive documentary that will honor the Lord and will encourage others to be involved in missions. Be sure to watch!!! The film crew followed the Preteen Team to Indiana County Fairs and a Teen Team to Zambia (Foot washing team).

Also....Check out the article about Teen Missions in Christianity Today magazine! Experience Boot Camp and the mission field with the team members from the Zambia Foot Washing '07 team. Read about their experiences and how their lives were changed forever by the orphans they met during their summer ministry.

Endeavor Launch

2008-03-12T16:46:00.003-04:00

This is the view we had of the shuttle launch on Tuesday morning at 2:28 a.m. ( the view is from Teen Missions looking toward the Print Shop). It started out beautiful with the sky illuminated but just seconds later, the shuttle went behind the clouds and our view was blocked for the rest of the launch. It was a big disappointment! The noise was even muffled by the clouds. Oh well, maybe next time. I keep thinking that but there are not too many next times. The shuttle program is in its last days. Life on Merritt Island will certainly be much different then.

My Son, the Poet

2008-03-05T22:31:00.003-05:00

Canaan has been writing poetry for his English class. I think his teacher has required them to write nearly 15 so far. This is the last one he wrote and I loved it. I love the memories that he shared....

Where Im From
By Canaan Bobb

Im from sawdust,
fresh from a long day of sawing.
Im from ashes from our furnace,
still red-hot in a bucket.

Im from fall leaves,
covering the valley.
Im from copperas mountain,
red from the setting sun.
Im from the creek at the bottom of the hill,
catching minnows and playing in the clay

Im from Orange Clean,
gritty and smelling like citrus.
From the despised Woodmizer,
Orange and muddy all around

From Dad’s great sayings,
like “That’s for doin’ nothin’ so don’t do somethin”
or the famous 3 worst things
“Lying, being lazy and lying about being lazy”

Im from my Uncle mark,
and him telling me how cars work, at his automotive shop.
Im from Nan telling me stories
of my uncles when they were my age.
Im from cousin Tyler,
and our first true obsession,
everything Batman.

Im from my Elway rookie
on my 10th birthday,
Im from my collection of all things sharp,
from Swiss Army Knives to my machetes.
From my very first gun,
my beloved .22 rifle,
shooting squirrels in the front yard.

Im from the stories of how I got my name.
It’s a long story,
but basically my parents decided to be jerks.
From the origins of my Dads nickname, Shag.
He had some nice hair in high school,
if you know what I mean
Im from the woods behind my house,
all 40 some acres of mostly oak and maple,
where I would go on hikes with my rifle,
hoping to kill anything,
maybe even a bear.

Im from many things,
all memorable,
that made me who I am today.
It’s a pretty sad story isn’t it?

Staff Video from Bootcamp '07

2008-02-29T14:52:00.001-05:00

This is for those of you who don't have a facebook account. I wanted you all to be able to view the video of Teen Missions Staff last summer. Enjoy!

Teen Missions Staff Video

2008-02-22T23:20:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine at Teen Missions made a video of the staff here. It's a really great video. He posted it on his facebook. Here is the link http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=8707527991. It's called "Worth it All." Go and watch. He is supposed to post it on youtube so I can add it to my page here. It made me cry. You must watch it! :)

2008-02-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

Winter Fun!

2008-02-02T21:58:00.001-05:00

We thought we would share this photo of a Florida snowman! We built it on the beach today. It was a beautiful clear day in the 80's today. I thought I would miss snow and winter when we moved here, but now I'm not so sure I miss it at all! Have a great day and enjoy the winter...spring is on it's way! :) We love you all!

A Three Hour Tour on the SS Minnow

2008-01-25T14:55:00.000-05:00

I love this picture of Dawn and Breanna. Dean, Dawn, Tyler and Breanna came down to visit last weekend. Although our time together was very short, we sure did enjoy them being here. We were able to take out the pontoon boat on Saturday and it turned into a beautiful day. We saw dolphins and manatees and had a great cookout. I sure hope they come back soon. It was so hard to say good-bye. I miss my sister terribly, but luckily we get to talk at least once a day!!!
I can never thank them enough for opening up their home and letting us stay with them over Christmas. We were there for 18 days! That's a long time to have our family around! LOL It was such a wonderful time together --I hope they feel the same! :)

The next picture was taken on the beach on Tuesday. We picked up Shannon from work and surprised him with a picnic supper on the beach. He has been working so hard and we wanted him to relax a little. It was a great evening!

We are starting to make our plans for the summer. We were asked to lead the teen team to Samoa. It is a little scary to think of raising the cost for the kids to be on teams this summer. It will cost $ 6000.00 to take Maddie and Zoe with us. Taylor and Canaan's cost for their teams will be about $3000.00 each also. That's $12,000.00!!! I get worried everytime I think about it, but the Lord keeps telling me to trust Him. I know He is faithful and He will supply our every need. It's my desire for our whole family to be a part of the ministry here at Teen Missions. The summer teams are the main focus of the year here in Florida. We are trusting the Lord to provide. We are planning some car washes and looking for ideas to help raise the funds. If any of you have any ideas, please share them.

Tonight we are planning a movie night with the BMW students. Nacho Libre is on the must see list! HAHAH It should be an entertaining evening! Staying up all night sure is hard when you are over 40! LOL

It is about time

2008-01-22T21:09:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted. Vikki usually does the posting after I say I will get around to it several times. Well we have been busy the last few weeks at TMI. We have a bunch of buckeyes here from Shiloh Christian Union busy working on building a new tabernacle that will travel around the US the next few years. We have been very busy with the adult teams that have now left to serve in Malawi and Cameroon. We had a chance to spend some time with Danetta Newland and Josh Leeth before they left for Malawi. Danneta has been such a blessing to our family giving us advice and tons of laughs. It was good to see Josh again and it was funny to watch him and our computer department talk about our network all the while I had no idea what they were speaking. It was great to see my old team members from when I went to Zambia. I got to pick up Karen and Sheila at the airport it was cool to see the look on their faces when I showed up. I got to see Roger, he hadn't changed a bit. He was fired up and ready to go to Cameroon. He was excited about building a rescue unit and that the team had 14 members. I can't wait to hear the results.

As I was traveling back from the Miami airport last night after droping off the team I realized I am very blessed with great friends and a great ministry. God has put my family in a very special place and I am thankful. Everywhere I turn I see people wanting to serve the Lord and serve each other. I answer emails almost every day of young people that want to serve the Lord and become part of our Bible Missionary School. I get emails and calls from youth leaders wanting to bring kids to or base and work during spring break. It is amazing what can be accomplished when Gods people get together. I meet tons of new people each day that just want to uplift the kingdom of God and do it with a smile on their face.

The other cool thing is we get a lot of visits from our friends in Ohio. I think that is because when it is like 75 degrees here it is like 5 degrees in Ohio. I am still excited from our time in Ohio during Christmas break. We had a chance to see some friends during our visit but several friends we did not see. We had a chance to share what God is doing in our lives but we had a chance to see what God is doing in Ohio and it was awesome. We visited several churches and got to see how God is blessing them and how they are growing. We got to finally see Hayward and how God has changed him WOW. We got to spend time with Bill and see how God is taking care of him and celebrate with him. We also spent time with a dear friend that has now gone to be with the Lord. Bob was always there to encourage us while we lived in Greenfield as a neighbor friend and teacher. I still remember the look on his face when we told him we were going into missions, that was encouragement when I needed it the most. Every time I turn in my driveway I remember Bob by the stone he gave us several years back. You could never out give Bob.

Most of all I am blessed by my family and what they mean to me. I have been busy the last few weeks and today after work. I was coming outside for the prayer that we have to end the day at Teen Missions and I see Vikki coming down the sidewalk with my swimming trunks. She said change your clothes we are kidnapping you and taking you to the beach for a picnic dinner. It was a blessing and exactally what the Bobbs needed.

As we travel back in the dark tonight with Maddie and Zoe we are singing to the top of our lungs off key but very loud to David Crowder you make everything Glorious. That is when I truly realized I am Blessed and he makes everything Glorious. God Bless

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-01-02T09:33:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone from Ohio! We had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. We were saddened by the death of my father's brother, Glenn Hall. He fought a courageous battle, but was taken home on December 27. He was a kind, giving man and he will be missed! His funeral was on a cold, clear morning in Kenova, West Virginia. I enjoyed being back there. Many childhood memories flooded my mind as we drove the streets of Ceredo/Kenova with my dad.

New Years was quiet. We woke up today to snow and COLD weather! Schools are closed! The kids are anxious to get out and play in the snow!

Have a great day!!!!

The Belizean Loggers!

2007-11-26T06:44:00.000-05:00

Shannon, Mike and the students all arrived back safe from Belize. Thanks so much for your prayers! Shannon has promised to write about his trip soon! They all worked so hard and accomplished far more than they thought possible. All the trees were cleared, the fence was fixed, 47 stumps were removed and the turbine is up and working! Praise the Lord!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T13:32:00.000-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for! God has been so good to us! He has provided for our needs---most often even before we knew of them! We have been so blessed! However, I am most thankful for God's mercy and grace. He loves me even when I am most unlovable. He loves me in spite of me. I am so thankful for the hope and peace that only He can give! How can I not be thankful! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!!

2007-11-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
Weather: The weather has been great most days, Tuesday and Wednesday we had rain. Tuesday the skies opened up and let it pour down, by the end of the day, all were wet and muddy!
Students: All are doing well, with I believe seven people now victims of chechem (the poison tree). Jillian got the worst of it, but is now improving. One day she was down and out (with help of Benadryl) just to keep from scratching, and to help her sleep. They are still hard at work and their attitudes are great. The stump removal aspect has slowed down a bit, as they are working on some large ones. Most cutting and clearing has been done, both on the campus and in the Boot Camp area. They have also been working on the fence. By the end of the week, most, if not all, the fence will be repaired. The repair has been a bit slower than anticipated. A crew has been pouring concrete at the fence as well. Most of that should be done, but doesn't look like we'll get it all done. Shannon has been working with a crew on the turbine. Wedensday the turbine crew began to put the pipe together and attach cables and making adjustment. The 40' pole bends at about the 30' area, so there some things to work out in order to get the winch to successfully pull it up. Lots of trees have been cut up and brush piled. Things are looking great and Bill is happy with the work that has been accomplished. I (Mike) have worked on replacing the damaged roof, putting up the siding on the end of the dining room and making a door for a tool storage area. I asked the students tonight how many were ready for Publix manna......Matty K. has been joining us for evening group devos and he raised both hands and said, "Oh yeah, I am ready for it!" Seems the students are hooked on Cindy's manna. The students enjoy being here with Bill and Cindy and learning from them as well.
Sight Seeing: We had planned on Wednesday to go for sight seeing but with rain in the forecast we held off for Thursday. A few wanted to go to the Mayan ruins via boat. The rest of us opted for the cheaper tour.
Church: Sunday morning the students shared a presentation and Dan Martin preached the Word at a Mennonite church. Sunday evening the students shared their presentaion again at Ben's church. We were able to see the work the 2004 [team] accomplished in their conctete work. The church building is coming along, but needs more work for its completion.
Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity.

More from Belize

2007-11-08T22:10:00.000-05:00

Location Teen Missions Belize,
Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
BMW STUDENTS: All are doing well, in good spirits and positive attitudes. There is no sickness in the camp except for Allie who is not feeling well, and says she gets sick every trip she takes overseas. She is taking medicine but hasn't seemed to help. They have been accomplishing a good bit of work. This evening in group devos a count was taken of the number of stumps removed - 18, in 2 with 10 people working on them. We have had excellent working weather, cool evenings and mornings with warm afternoons. Bill enightened us with a Belzian weather forecast of the weather, "It will be sunny unless it is cloudy; will be dry today unless it is raining...."
They have been working 8 hours with rise and shine at 5:30 am and quit time at 3:30 which gives time for clean up after work before supper as it gets dark at 5:30. Sunday we plan to attend 2 churches, one being a Mennonite in the morning and Ben's church in the evening, with presentation at both churches. Next Wednesday we have arranged for sight seeing day, some want to take the recommended Mayan tourist area, and most going to the cheaper Mayan ruin location. The team has been cutting down trees as well as digging out stumps, some being the poison trees. Praise the Lord we haven't had any major outbreaks yet, although Danny Stuckey has become victim of the poison sap.
They are eating very well and Cindy was happy with the food that was sent with the team. With quitting time at 3:30, we have been starting our prayer closet at 11am, then after lunch 12:30 until 3:30. Water is being purified through bucket purifier. Some have been a bit chilly at night as most only brought a sleeping-mat, expecting it to be all warm all the time, however the evenings cool down very comfortably.
STAFF: Matty K is doing great and has been having Dan Martin help him repair the fence around property. Matt thinks by the end of the week most if not all the fence should be repaired. Shannon has been cutting down trees, clearing area for the wind turbine. The chain saws available on property didn't quite make through the day on tuesday, so a few trees were axed down! Mike helped cut and remove a poison tree on monday, and tuseday repaired the roof. We have been running Bill in circles with all the questions of where things are that we need for jobs, and which trees are poison, and where to pile the brush. The Griffins have been great hosts, we are enjoying serving with them here.
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Rise and shine @ 5:30am
Work 6-8am
Breakfast 8-8:30am
Devos 8:30-9:00 am
Work 9:00am-12pm
Lunch 12-12:30pm
Work 12:30-3:30pm
Clean up/Laundry/Free time 3:30-5pm
Supper 5:00pm
Group Devos 6:30pm
Lights Out 8:30pm
The Belizian Loggers send their greetings to the staff and their fellow students! Thank you for praying for us and allowing us the opportunity. Lord bless you, on behalf of the Belizian Loggers

Update from Belize

2007-11-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

Shannon sent in this email today. It was so good to hear from him! I wanted to share a little of what he is experiencing in Belize.

Keep them all in your prayers!

Everything is good here, I hope everything is well there with the kids and all. I've been praying for you. The weather is good and it is very cool at night. This is the first time that my feet have been cold since Ohio. We have been cutting down several trees. We have quite a crew of stump diggers. You thought you had ants in Florida, they have been eating me up every day. I duct taped my pants today and it helped a little bit. I am getting to be quite a chainsaw mechanic as I am in practice on an hourly basis. It is beautiful here, we went to Honey camp lagoon and I picked up some shells for the girls. It is very comfortable here with the cool nights and a very good shower that is refreshingly cool. We had a flock of parrots flying along the bus as we came in, it was pretty cool. We find tarantulas everyday and scorpions but they don't harm you as bad as the ANTS. The tarantulas are very friendly and do not sting or bite. I hope all is well I burned my arm on a chainsaw muffler but it is fine, I put some silvadine on it. Mike has been fun and Cindy and Bill are good to work with.

Shannon is enjoying the Caedman's Call CD and he mentioned that he really likes the song "Sacred" I thought I would share those lyrics with you. If I haven't mentioned it yet, we love the new CD...it's called "Overdressed". I recommend you all go and buy it right now! :)

Sacred
The house is a good mess
It's the proof of life
no way I would trade jobs
but it don't pay overtime
i'll get to the laundry
i don't know when
i'm saying a prayer tonight
come tomorrow it starts again
could it be that everything is sacred?

and all this time
everything i've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes
the children are sleeping
but they're running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind
my cup runneth over
and i worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from You
I can feel the banks harden
Lord make me like a stream
to feed the garden
Wake up little sleeper
The Lord God Almighty made your mamma keeper
So rise and shine, rise and shine

TWO WEEKS IN AFRICA

2007-11-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share the words to a song by Caedman's Call. I bought the CD for Shannon before he left for Belize so he could put it on his MP3 player. It is such a great song. Taylor and I both have cried while listening to it. I think it should be one of TMI's theme songs...along with "Go Light Your Candle." I hope you are blessed by this song.

Two Weeks in Africa

by Caedmon's Call

Johannesburg to Capetown,the plane had barely touched down.

She was taking photos for the friends back home.

This was always where she felt her heart belonged.

She was finally here,the sky was bright and clear.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

Johannesburg to Houston,she came home on a mountain.

But school was starting, things kept moving on.

Before you knew it, seven years had gone.

She found a picture of her,standing, smiling,arms around the starving kids.

She swore not to forget,she swore not to forget...

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

And if we follow our dear sunto where the stars are not familiar.

Faces turn to numbers,numbers fall like manna from the sky.

Why, oh why?Oh Father, why?

One village in Malawi now has water running pure and clean.

One church alive in Kenya's full of truth and love and medicine.

We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing.

He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hands in.

So we can see, His love is bigger than you and me.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

2007-11-02T19:55:00.000-04:00

When did they grow up?????

My Little Songbird

2007-10-29T11:14:00.000-04:00

The Children's Choir at First Baptist Church, Merritt Island had their Fall Concert last night. Maddie auditioned and had a speaking part. The kids all sang so well! It was a very good concert! Madison loves to sing! Zoe has her "Wee Praiser" Fall Concert next week and I can't wait to see it. All four of the kids will have parts in the Singing Christmas Tree this year. I am so thankful for this church because it has helped to fill a void that came with the move to Florida. It can never replace Storms Chapel---that church will always be home. We miss our church family so much!!!

This is a view from above!
And here is some more singing for you to enjoy:

Our "Heavenly" Home

2007-10-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

We thought we would post some pictures of our home here. We live on Heavenly Street!! We just finished painting the kitchen and living room. Taylor says it finally looks like "The Bobb's live here!"

October in OHIO

2007-10-09T06:24:00.000-04:00

I was reminded this weekend of how long it has been since I have posted to this blog. I admit it...I have been lazy, but we have been so busy lately. We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Ohio for the weekend. One of my wonderful, talented, beautuful nieces was married. It was such a special ceremony and a beautiful day. It was nice to be reunited with family and friends even if for a short time. The ceremony was sweet and the weather was perfect. The day was such a celebration!! I am so thankful that I could be there. I hated to miss Chelsea and Matt's wedding in July.

We went to church on Sunday and that was so good! It felt so good to be back at Storms Chapel with our church family. It's hard to find a church that fits us like this one. I sure have missed them all. Maddie and Zoe were so excited to see Katie and Hope! I didn't think I would get them to leave and Brad...make sure those Rook cards are warmed up and ready in December because Angie and I will definitely be beating you and Shannon!!!

We had two great meals at Nanny and Papaw's house and we got to spend time with his family. It's amazing to see how much things have changed, but also how much they have stayed the same. It was a comfort to see that Kay is doing well after her heart surgery. We have been so worried about her.

God is so good! It will be soon be one year since Canaan had his last seizure. He is doing so well and I am so thankful for God's protection over him.

I am also thankful for Dick and Helen Boulis who opened up their home to us this weekend. They invited us to stay with them while we were home visiting. They own a beautiful log home and have dedicated their home and their lives to the Lord and you can see God's blessing on them. They were so gracious and hospitable. It was so peaceful there that we hated to leave! Thank you Dick and Helen for a wonderful weekend!

It's hard to express just how much we love and miss everyone back home without getting all teary eyed and choked up. We are so blessed!!!!

Back to School

2007-08-21T13:53:00.001-04:00

Taylor, Canaan and Madison started school yesterday here in Florida. It really hit me hard...kind of brought a stark reality to our move. I have spent a lot of time in prayer for my kids and their schools and teachers. It's hard to put them in a school where you know no one but I know that they are in God's hands. They all had a pretty good day and liked their classes for the most part. It's hard to believe that I have SENIOR this year. I hope I don't cry every day of her senior year, but I know I probably will! LOL

Things are quiet around TMI now. The last debrief group left today. It is strange to see the place so deserted. But even though the teens are gone, the work goes on...and I sat at my desk and watched all of the work going on outside. There is hardly any down time around here. Soon, we will be mailing the brochures and receiving registrations for next year's teams. I can't wait to see where God takes us next!!!

Today, we received two thank you notes that really blessed us. One was from Lee, one of our team members thanking us for leading him to Iceland and to Jesus! What an awesome privilege! The other was from the parents of a team member thanking TMI. Their son was saved during boot camp and was on our team. They are amazed at the scripture he quotes and the change in his life. This is the same boy that at struggled at first to learn his memory verses and was so frustrated. He said he could see no use in learning all those verses. We kept encouraging Him, helping him and reassuring Him that He would use those verses every day! It was so awesome to watch each of these kids grow in the Lord this summer and acquire and thirst for God's word. God is so good!!! Everyone says that we gave up so much to come here and it is such a difficult decision, but if they only knew how blessed we are, they would all be here! It is truly a privilege and I feel so unworthy. But it is amazing that God can use me in spite of myself. I keep reminding myself that He is made perfect in my WEAKNESS. I could never give the Lord enough to repay Him for His love for me!

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!

Back from Iceland!

2007-08-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken on Commissioning Night--the last night my family was all together before heading out to different parts of the World! We arrived home from Iceland last Friday. It was an amazing summer! Boot Camp was awesome and Iceland was so beautiful. We had some great kids on our team and they all worked hard. We saw four of our team members accept Christ for the first time this summer, one team member has committed to starting a Bible Club in her school and another feels called to be a missionary. The Lord taught me so much this summer and I feel so privileged to be able to serve Him at Teen Missions.

Taylor arrived in Orlando tonight and it was so good to see her andHUG her. I missed my kids so much this summer. Canaan will be home on Friday and I can't wait to hear his stories. They both have had amazing summers, also. I have posted some pictures from Iceland in our online photo album (the link is at the bottom of the page). Just click on the "Public Albums" tab and you will see the Iceland album. It was so beautiful and I did not do well capturing the beauty. I wish my talented niece could have come along to document the summer in pictures. She has such a gift for capturing life in photos. I have enjoyed looking at her pictures from Chelsea and Matt's wedding. It must have been such a beautiful day. It was so hard to miss it but I prayed for them as I flew over the Atlantic headed to Iceland.

It is so good to be home!

Another day in the Life

2007-06-13T06:37:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share the latest victim of the Bobb Family "curse! LOL Zoe fell and hit the bridge of her nose on the edge of a glass table. She had two nice black eyes....she looked like Mike Tyson only lots cuter!!!! She is healing fine and the bruises are fading.

We are in the middle of boot camp now. It is amazing! Just watching teens on fire for the Lord and ready to share His love around the world is awesome. We also have Mustard Seeds (ages 4-6) and Peanuts (Ages 7-9) here now. They are so cute. Their leaders have a sort of "glazed" look to their eyes, but they are doing a great job. It is such a privilege to serve the Lord and help teens shake their world for Jesus. We are anxious for our team to get here and get to work on our project. Our team arrives for boot camp on June 27 and we fly to Iceland on July 8. We will return to the U.S. around August 3. It is going to be an awesome summer! I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do.

There are pictures of Boot Camp posted on the Teen Missions website and you can watch rallies live there at 7:15 p.m. Be sure to check it out!

Zambia

2007-05-31T22:19:00.000-04:00

Today in chapel, we heard a couple of songs that were recorded in Zambia. A family went to Zambia over Christmas and recorded some songs written and sung by orphans. They are producing a CD to sell to raise money for AIDS Orphans. It was so touching to hear the orphans sing. Their voices are beautiful. Naturally, I cried! :) Shannon found this you tube clip of some children in Zambia singing. Be sure to click on the link and listen. I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face and a prayer to your lips---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec64G1JvMN4
We saw some current photos of the rescue unit that Shannon went to last year and were shocked to see that the school is in terrible shape. The mud walls have crumbled and all that is left is the support posts. These kids need our prayers and our support. They have nothing. Their facilitators need prayer, also. They care for these kids day in and day out. They are parents, doctor, gardener, teacher, friend and hope to these kids. Pray that the Lord will refresh them daily and give them contentment and compassion. You can sponsor one of these orphans and help them for only $12 a month. This will provide medicine, grain, school fees and much more. It's a small price to pay to help a child. Just follow this link.....
www.aidsorphans.org
Make a difference in one child!

The Power of Prayer

2007-05-18T17:59:00.001-04:00

Well...just one week to go until the "Boot Camp" mode kicks in. Things are starting to take shape around TMI. It's getting exciting and scarry at the same time (it's becoming a familiar feeling in our lives!) I am praying daily that God will equip me to be a good leader. I am praying for WISDOM, mercy, compassion, love and discernment. I really want to impact these pre-teens and help them develop a personal relationship with Jesus. We had a day of prayer Wednesday. This was really cool. The entire staff of TMI met for chapel at 8:00 a.m. and then we had a time of testimonies and praise. Then we had a time of prayer where people shared requests and we prayed for each request individually. Then, we went out to our team tent sites and prayed for Boot Camp and for our team members individually. I am so amazed at how much time is spent in prayer here! Prayer is definitely the foundation of the ministry. It was such an encouraging day. Hearing how God is at work in individual lives is always a blessing. I feel so privileged to be able to serve God here. God is definitely blessing our lives. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!! Remember us in prayer that we honor the Lord in everything we do!

THE VIEW

2007-05-09T22:52:00.000-04:00

THE VIEW ON THE TRIP TO FLORIDA!

WE ARE HERE!

2007-05-09T22:41:00.000-04:00

WE ARE HERE!!! We made it to Florida with no problems at all! We are all settled in and have begun work at Teen Missions. Shannon is working in the International Operations Department. He helps to manage the Aids Orphans and Street Children Ministry, the Overseas Boot Camps and the Old Testament Tabernacle. He is enjoying his work. I am working in the Finance Department and I am enjoying learning the ministry of Teen Missions. We are also working hard to prepare for The Lord's Boot Camp that starts in less than a month. We expect about 850 team members this summer. We are so excited to finally be doing what God has called us to do. God is so faithful and has completely met our needs. His presence is so real in our lives and we are so thankful for His guiding Hand in our lives. Please remember to pray for us as we look for a church and for the kids as they try to make friends. I thought I would share a picture of Zoe helping to unload the moving truck.

2007-04-26T16:38:00.000-04:00

I am blessed

2007-04-26T15:50:00.000-04:00

This week I was reminded how blessed I am to have such a great circle of family and friends. First, Taylor and I went on a college visit to Asbury College. We got to spend lots of time with Cassidy, Cathy and Caralee and Caitlin Campbell. Asbury was awesome! I never thought Taylor would find a college that would compare to Cedarville, but she did. I was so proud of Cassidy. She has grown into a beautiful and talented woman of God. It was great to spend time with her. I don't get to see her much anymore.

Then today, Dawn came to help me pack (a job I have been putting off way too long). She was so much help. I can finally see the "light at the end of the tunnel!" It's hard to believe that you can fight with your sister so much growing up, but end up best friends as adults. I don't know what I am going to do when I live a thousand miles away from her! I am so thankful for cellphones and email! Dawn and I had lunch with Whitney today. I had a wonderful time! Whitney has grown into an equally beautiful, talented woman of God. I came home and I just had to spend some time thanking God for the people in my life.

It's almost time!

2007-04-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that in a few short days we are going to be leaving in a rental truck headed to Florida. It's hard to think of leaving everything you've ever known, but we are excited to see what God has in store for us. When I went to Teen Missions International in November I felt like I had finally come home! I have longed to be there for so long and now I get to go!!!! I can't believe that I get to do something so awesome for the Lord! I have a lot of "worries", but I know that God is in control. I am learning to trust Him more each day. His love is amazing!