I was hoping to come on tonight and post some adorable pictures of my girls all dressed up for Easter.  Don't we all want to show off our put together, picture perfect moments?  I know I sure do.

But lets face it, getting both of them to be awake and happy at the same time, dressed up with tights and hair bows, and not covered in spit up and ready to smile on cue?  Well, it's just about impossible. All of you moms who accomplished that today- kudos to you!

I love my girls, I love my role as a mom, I love this stage of life.  But I'll be honest and say. It's really hard.   I have two precious girls who can do almost nothing for themselves which means I'm caring for 3 people full-time. 

When Ellie was a baby, I knew it was a lot of work. I look back and remember what a huge adjustment it was to have to schedule my life around someone else.  I remember feeling like I couldn't get out of the house before noon and I couldn't seem to find a time to take a shower. But she took naps, I got breaks, and she couldn't move.

Now we have a baby AND a little girl.  Ellie is learning and growing and doing so many new things all of the time, but at the end of the day... she needs me to do 99% of the work in her little world.  She can't dress herself, she can't undress herself, she can't climb into her carseat or highchair or crib. She needs me to change her diaper, get her a snack and feed her meals (not to mention clean her up!) Thankfully she is doing awesome with her walking (and as of late can walk all the way around the block without being carried!!!) but she depends on me for so many things. And so does her baby sister. 

Last week saw us in Whitewater, Wisconsin visiting our soon-to-be new campus.  It was a bit surreal for me to be back in the place where my Nav staff journey started.  Driving into town, I reflected on driving into town in 2006, car packed with all my belongings, ready to begin an adventure of trusting God as I served on the campus.

Now, I was driving into town, this time with a minivan, a wife, and two kids!  And our assignment was in some ways very different (directing the campus ministry), and in other ways very much the same (an adventure of trusting God)!

Our first meeting with students was at their weekly large-group meeting, NavNight.  They actually met in the same room we had NavNight in when I was there six years ago!

I spoke to the students from Isaiah 61, sharing about the redemption that Jesus brings to us and wants to bring to the lost around us.  As I was speaking, I realized that where I was standing was the exact spot (literally same spot on the carpet) where I had given my first NavNight message six years ago.

It's amazing to look back and see how far I've come, as a speaker and bible-teacher, and in every other way.

Thank you for how you've stood with us throughout all these years, praying and investing in our work.  It's incredible what the Lord has done in and through us as a result of your faithfulness.  We look forward to what this next chapter will bring.

On a side note:  we're close to purchasing a house in town, pending only financing.  Would you please pray that the financing would come through?  We'd love to tell you the story of how God led us to this house.  It's pretty amazing, and we're very excited about it.

As you reflect on the death of our Savior this weekend, may you be drawn closer to Him, and may your heart be filled with gratitude and awe for His great love for you.

-Noah

This week I met with a dear student friend Kaitlyn for coffee.  She shared with me that she had started memorizing scripture, and wanted to quote a verse for me.  She then quoted Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I looked at Kaitlyn (not her real name) through tears and said wow-- I was speechless.

I met Kaitlyn 4 years ago in the fall of 2009- our first fall here.   She joined the Navs, attended my Bible Study, and we began meeting one-on-one.  She had gone to youth group growing up, but wanted to take walking with Jesus to a new level.  

On one hand she was growing growing growing. She delved into the scriptures- reading John her personal quiet times,  faithfully attending Nav Night, small group, and our one on ones. She even broke up with her non-christian boyfriend as she wanted to be single-minded to pursue Christ. 

On the other hand- she was running from God.  She joined a sorority, and got very involved in a whole new lifestyle afforded by her sorority.  By the end of her freshman year she told me that walking with God felt like being in a cage- she was saying no to so many things she didn't want to let go of, and not happy at all. Walking with Jesus was anything but full of life.

While God continued to give me open doors of relationship with Kaitlyn and a really deep love for her, her desire to walk with Him diminished and all-but disappeared.

Throughout the highs and lows of her life, we continued to meet.  We read through The Reason for God by Tim Koeller, we went out to lunch, we had deep talks, we talked on the phone during hard times, we laughed in coffee shops during good times.  The Lord continued to give me an incredibly DEEP love for Kaitlyn. Even when I had to bend over backwards to fit in our time together, I always wanted more time with Kaitlyn. She is full of joy, life-giving, refreshingly honest, open and so very FUN! She was openly not interested in following Jesus, but welcomed a continued relationship with me.

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So this week when she quoted Ephesians 3:20-21 for me, all I wanted to do was say AMEN!  She is the proof that this verse is TRUE! 

Over the past 2 months, the Lord has gotten a hold of her.  Kaitlyn has gone back to church for the first time in years.  While listening to the sermons, she is writing down all of the verses that are referenced and studying them throughout the week. She's (by the grace of God) making major changes in her lifestyle.  She's attending a Bible Study and challenging other members to commit to a whole new level of inductive study. She's writing verses on notecards, putting them in her pocket and reading them as she walks across campus. She's finding Hope in God's word. She's kneeling and praying and asking the Lord to lead and guide her life. She's clinging to Jesus, she's holding on to truth. She's telling me that she knows that everything else leaves her coming up empty, but holding on to Jesus gives her eternal hope and joy. 

She're reminding me that God pays for what he orders. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, more patient than we can understand, more loving than we can fathom. He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  He has done this. He is doing this. He will continue to do this forever.

And all I can say is AMEN! Hallelujah. Praise the Lord!

For any day that my job feels hard, daunting or not worth it, Kaitlyn's life alone is proof that it couldn't be more worth it.  Thank you LORD!

Ellie LOVES to clean! I'm not sure if it's being a first-born, or just her personality, or the fact that she's learning from me ;) but she LOVES to clean!! My dear friend Dana has always called Ellie the "cleanest baby on the planet" because she is one of those babies who NEVER spit up, almost never hard crazy diapers, and just was always very clean. She recently suggested I call her "Cinder-Ellie" :) Perfect! Here are a few stories.

Between diapers and sweeping up crumbs, spit up and snuggles, reading books and tucking little girls into bed.  I find I do a lot of the same things over and over and over.  I guess that is a lot of what being a parent is about!

It has made me appreciate my parents in a whole new way!! The fact that someone loves you enough to take care of you in every way for your first few YEARS of life is incredible! 

It often forces me to think about those who are homeless, or parent-less, or lacking love.  Someone carried them throughout a long, challenging pregnancy.  Someone loved them enough to give birth to them and care for them enough to keep them alive.  And now they find themselves alone. It doesn't make sense to me. It breaks my heart.

We pray that our girls will always know how much they are loved and have courage to live for Jesus and love others, to be lights in this very broken world.

Katie and I get this question often, and sometimes it can be hard to answer.

Josie has gone to bed by 8ish pm.