Please pray ...

These last few months have been filled with tremendous joy ... and quite a lot of pain. It's only through God's grace that we are able to get through this beautiful and painful journey of life, and we are experiencing that full well right now.

We have prayed for and sought to have another child for quite some time now, and due to medical reasons had to go through a little more than with Hayden. About 5 weeks ago we found out that our second baby was on the way. As of Friday, we were just under 2 months into the pregnancy. On Saturday, I began to feel cramps and other symptoms characteristic of a miscarriage. Yesterday, the thought of a miscarriage became a reality. I know miscarriage is a part of life...I know God is completely in control and His sovereignty is far superior than I can imagine. We know our little baby is in a better place and will have a life more perfect than we could ever dream of with his/her Heavenly Father ... and we will meet our little one someday.

We ask for your prayers as we grieve this event. We have never felt such extreme emotions; from the thrill of a new life and planning and discussing and dreaming of this little person every moment of the day ... and then it's just gone. It will take time and God's grace to help us heal. I'm sure many of you who read this have probably experienced the same thing, and I do know we will look back at this and value how God was moving in this situation, and what an incredible ministry opportunity we are so privileged to share.

God Bless You,
Kate

If you wonder...

Does God care about our individual lives...meaning, does God really listen to our prayers? I have recently been reminded how easy it can be for my mind to become trapped in "life" as I put the essence of my faith way back in my thoughts and then move only my current circumstances to the front...allowing them to dominate all that I do.

Most of you are now well aware of the battle Josh Buck is waging right now. Actually, I need to word that differently. I wonder if Josh is simply the center of the battle while we're seeing what seems to be the nation coming together in prayer and fasting on Josh's behalf...almost as if we're declaring a spiritual war on his ailments and fighting this in some united way.

My faith in my Lord has been increased today as I learned of Josh's physical developements. I wonder if this is how the disciples felt after Christ had been crucified and they went off to hide...then they encounter him 3 days later...I feel empowered by what I have read, yet I also see how weak my faith had become.

If your faith is weak, and you really do wonder if the God of the universe would care about the desires of your heart. And, if you wonder if prayer has any power...please read the post here: www.greenhouseministries.org

Living with increased faith,
DK

Please pray

Josh Buck, the Best Man in our wedding and one of my very best friends, had an incredibly serious diving injury involving his vertebrae (his C5). I don't know many details, but I do know the seriousness of this goes without saying. He is currently in a drug-induced coma.

For additional information: www.greenhouseministries.org

If you pray, please pray to God that He would intervene.

07' Update

07’ Update

It’s been awhile, so here’s the latest:

Katy – She’s back into the swing of things in managing her classroom of what seems to be an abnormally well-behaved group of sixth-grade students. Just this past week, Katy started in on two of her first online Masters classes through Emporia State University. She was born to be a student, so her excitement is hard to miss. It’s fun to see how giddy she gets as she organizes her assignments and responds to her classmates.

Hayden – He jumped right back into school without a hitch. Actually, his teachers were amazed at his speech progress over the 2 week vacation time. He came back saying so many new words in complete sentences…he still jabbers a lot in some alien language, but he’s finally showing a desire to talk which is exciting for us.

David – I don’t go to bed with a weight of stress consuming my mind. I’ve been done working at Big Brothers Big Sister for about a month…I have yet to entertain a single thought of regret. I bring Hayden out to our church office during his naptime which gives me a good amount of time to accomplish things.

The semester is really on the move…our nights without meetings or events have seemed to dwindle down each week, but in some sick way…we enjoy it.

We’ve got some good pics that we have yet to put up here…hopefully we get’em to you soon.

It's over

For almost 3 years I've wanted to type: "I'm done working at Big Brothers Big Sisters". Well, I'm done working at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Man of the Month: Bing Crosby

Road Trip...
It's almost been a month since we last posted...it seems like a lot of blogs are struggling to update more than once a month. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the travelling in-between...life enters warp speed.

Since our last post, we travelled to Marion, Indiana to celebrate Thanksgiving with both sets of my grandparents and extended family. We look forward to this trip every year...our family is fun.



Last Month...
When December 1st came, that meant I was officially in my last month at Big Brothers Big Sisters...no words explain the good emotions we're all feeling about this.

Unexpected News...
Many of you know this, but a couple of weeks ago my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Shocked...stunned...scared...sad...shocked again....all emotions we've felt. Now, we know that cancer is unfortunately a part of life for a large majority of people. We also have a peace that our Lord is a part of these circumstances and He'll definitely take care of my mom, but that doesn't erase the natural emotions of fear and shock that anyone would feel.

We're in the "waiting period"...wondering what is next in regards to appointments, treaments an solutions. Many of you have e-mailed and called...some calls I haven't returned just yet...give me some time :)

So...please pray for my mom.

Horizon Award...
The Kansas Department of Education has an award given to a first year teacher who has shown outstanding perfermance. My wife just received unofficial news that she will be one of the recipients of the award. In February, she'll travel to Topeka so she can recognized for being the best teacher in the entire world...yeah...the entire world. (To me, anyway!). If you look at the numbers, Katy has been deemed one of the best new teachers out a pool of thousands of teachers!

Parties...
I believe we have 5 or 6 Christmas parties...is that weird?

I hope you're enjoying the season...if you're like me, you've got the "All Christmas Music" station programed in your car...you've doctored up your MySpace to reflect snowflakes...and you've already had more Christmas cookies and candies than you'd care to admit.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
DK

Wow!

Time cherishing every minute of it! Hayden has continued to amaze us with his countless words and neverending chatter that makes our hearts leap with excitement, and he is (finally) out of the pull-ups (during the day, anyway), and loving his THOMAS the TRAIN undies! His favorite things right now (other than preschool and his new movie CARS) include lining his cars up on the fireplace, riding the Gazelle, being a handyman and jumping in leaves! He's also very proud of his new big boy bed! :-)

a good read...

Check this out "In Touch with Jesus" ... HERE

Make sure to leave a comment about the article here on our site.

The Season

It's 9:20 pm here on my couch (and many other places). I just turned to ESPN to catch the last quarter of the West Virginia - Louisville football game (two incredibly good, undefeated teams playing each other). Katy is with a co-worker/friend getting fitted for a bridesmaid dress and Hayden is in bed. Abby (our dog that I wish would run away) is asleep at the other end of the couch.

Everything seems normal, doesn't it?

Let me rewind about 140 minutes to what I believe to have been a monumental moment which will culminate in April...yes, just over 2 hours ago my beloved Kansas University Men's Basketball Team launched their season of inevitable triumph against a local university. Folks, college basketball is here!

Rather than systematically break down how incrediblely good my Jayhawks are this year, I believe this year's statement will be made as my team takes over the world. However, because of some recent taunting by family and friends, I think it's necessary to directly address some of you who have been led astray by evil.

UNC Fans - You define bandwagon...you're probably a Lakers or Bulls fan too.
Hoosier Fans - Candycane pants...seriously, I'm hurt for you.
KSU Fans (that's Kansas State to everyone outside of Manhattan) - 3 words: Little Man syndrome

I think that covers everyone who has yet to see the light of goodness.

There is one key concept to grab ahold of if you wish to enjoy some of the greatest things in life. If you want the best pizza, go to where it was invented. If you want the best buffalo wings, go to where they were invented. If you want to watch the best basketball in the world, go to where it was invented. Where was basketball invented, you ask...at Kansas University by Dr. James Naismith. We invented it and perfected it. North Carolina, Indiana and everywhere else...all you can do is learn from us.

I welcome any comments, questions or theological debates about this issue. Please know that in the end, I'm right.

Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk...Go KU!

Trick or Treat!

We had a great time on Tuesday ... Hayden went to a pumpkin patch with his preschool, and then we went to the mall to show off Bob the Builder! Hayden got some great treats in his little toolbox!






















Here some more pics from our visit to Kerby Farms!