I know this has been a long time coming, so thank you for your patience. There is so much to update; I'll try to get it all in. Our falltime went well. Tim received some exciting business news last October that even though he was still considered a "salary" employee, he would now be eligible for overtime pay as well. This is a huge blessing for us since Tim works through his hour lunch break almost everyday.
Tim was given the opportunity to organize and teach at the High School Halloween Alternative night at church and it went very well. There was lots of good feedback from kids and parents. Thank you Lord.
The Molter house saw another successful Thanksgiving. This year we had about half as many guests and after I proved (mostly to myself) that I could prepare an entire Thanksgiving meal last year, this year I allowed help with the cooking/baking. It was a good time and we had much to be thankful for.
One Thanksgiving blessing was that we welcomed the arrival of our new niece, Lily the week prior. She is a happy, healthy little girl who is much loved by her family, especially big brother Beau who is very protective.
During this time I continued to be a Pampered Chef consultant. But with so much going on in the High School ministry and with our families, it was becoming less and less of a priority to me. I began to be in prayer about some very specific things regarding my continued involvement with Pampered Chef and the Lord began to very specifically answer each one of my prayers. So I made the decision to resign from the Pampered Chef. I am very thankful for the time I was able to be a consultant. Not only was I able to bring in a little extra income, earn some great products and learn some tasty recipes, most importantly I got to meet and minister to some very special women. But the real deciding factor came in mid December when Tim and I learn that we were expecting our first child! Yay!
I found out that I was pregnant about 10 days before Christmas. It was hard to keep it a secret but it was fun and special for Tim and I to have a secret that was all our own. We decided to wait until Christmas to tell all of our family. We had already planned to be with most of Tim's family on Christmas Eve and then my family on Christmas Day so it worked out perfectly. It would have been a great Christmas with family regardless but this year our special news made it that much more meaningful.
And then after Christmas, all the first trimester symptoms hit big time. I had extreme exhaustion and regular nausea. Thank God I only got physically sick just a handful of times. But Cheerios three meals a day was a regular for quite a long time. Coco really liked the fact that I was sleeping all the time because that meant she got to sleep in the bed with Mama. I am now midway through week 13 and the symptoms have improved greatly. God is so gracious though. During the first trimester we had several big youth events and the Lord sustained me through those times. He has also blessed me with a husband who cares for me very much and desires to serve me during this time. After working all day, Tim would often come home to a messy house with no dinner prepared. Tim would fix himself something to eat, get me my Cheerios and then do any necessary housework. He is a true blessing to me.
Tim again had the privilege and opportunity to teach for the High School New Year's Eve party. It went very well. After an evening at the church, the guys and girls split up to spend the night at different houses. This was a great time for the students to get to know each other better. It was great for us leaders as well. I was able to stay up until about 3 AM but then I had to go to sleep. I think most of the girls stayed up all night. Tim later said the same for himself and the guys.
A few weeks later, Tim and I were blessed to attend a youth workers conference in Southern California. It was a great time of refreshing and hearing from the Lord. Tim had many burdens and thoughts confirmed and we were both very encouraged by the things we learned. It was encouraging to both of us to see so many young couples with their children and babies in attendance with them. I was only eight weeks along at the time and felt concerned about how having a baby was going to change our role in ministry. Our role will change slightly but it was encouraging to see that it certainly can be done. That was a large relief to me.
After returning from the conference, two weeks later it was time for the long awaited first appointment to see our OB and see the baby for the first time. Dr. Mellum is an amazing doctor. He came highly recommended to me by several friends. He even prayed with Tim and I in the office for the health and development of the baby. We got some great sonogram pictures of our very photogenic baby, which Tim posted a few weeks back. It was amazing to see the baby dancing around on the screen. No wonder I was always so tired. That little baby is dancin' up a storm in there! My next appointment is next week, so look for more updates then.
Last week Tim and I and most of the other youth leaders took about 40 of the high school students up to the mountains for a winter retreat. The theme of the retreat was "Truth." It was a great time for the students to really be challenged in their faith and know what it is they believe in. We have already seen some changes and fruit in the lives of some of the kids. Starting in March, Tim will be mentoring one of the young men as he leads his own home fellowship Bible study for other students. And again, I praise God for giving me the strength and endurance to get through the long weekend with little sleep. I am so thankful that I am not working at this time so I could have the whole week to recover!
Things continue to go well. God provides for us daily exactly what we need to get through that day. Tim and I are so blessed. We can't believe the wonderful love, grace, mercy and patience of our Heavenly Father toward us. Thank you all for your patience with us during this time as well. Now that I am beginning to feel much better, I will try to be better about posting baby updates and all other updates regularly. God bless!
