Jesus is With You

5 years ago I took 12 of the greatest girls I'll ever know to Young Life camp. Those girls rocked my world and changed my heart forever. I got to experience them experience Christ, some for the first time. They shared their doubts, fears, struggles and supported one another in the most beautiful way. It was real. Very real. They laid it all out. Some of them surrendered to the love of Jesus, all of them experienced an unforgettable week. I don't know the Lord's plan for each of them, but I know that it is good. They are in so many different places now. Some have graduated college, some have kids, some are married, some are starting new jobs, some are going to grad-school. One thing is for sure. Jesus has not forgotten them.

This last weekend I had the greatest privilege. I got to baptize one of them. She is a true picture of God's relentless, redemptive love. Her story is hard and very real. But the most beautiful part is that Jesus has redeemed her and she has been made new. 5 years ago at Frontier Ranch, she surrendered her life to Jesus. She walked away clean and renewed. She said goodbye to the old self and ran into the arms of Jesus. It hasn't been a perfect life but God has been faithful to be by her side. When people ask me how I know that God is real, I tell her story. God put her on that bus to YL camp with a great purpose and she met Jesus face to face. On Sunday, we remembered her story. She walked into the creek at New Life Ranch and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. She is a new creation in Christ and I'm so very thankful.

Girls, wherever you are, you are so loved. You may not know this but you are stamped on my heart forever. I think of you often and pray for you always. There isn't a group of people who have impacted my life more. I love you very much. When you feel lost, remember that He created you and knows your very needs. Wherever you are, Jesus is with you.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come." 2 Cor 5:17

Sibling Love

I've never had a brother. I always wished I had one. It seemed like such a unique relationship that I wanted so badly. And now, to watch Abe and Finley together, I am certain that the brother/sister relationship is so special. I truly did not expect him to love her, or even to acknowledge her existence. He's only 15 months old. But man was I wrong. Every morning Abe wakes and goes directly to "Dah Dah's" rock n play looking for her. He brings her a paci when she's crying, tries to feed her a bottle when he's drinking his milk, is full of kisses for her (only her), and always wants to be in mom & dad's lap when they are holding Finn. Don't get me wrong, I spend most of my day "protecting" Finley from Abe's "love."  Just the other day I caught him trying to feed her mangos while using her belly as his drum pad. She'll survive right?? We can only hope that they will learn great things from one another. Thank you Jesus for our two and the unique friendship they seem to have already started.

Finley isn't so sure, but Abe? Oh my. Instant joy. 

And Then There Were 4

It seems as if we've always been a family of 4. Everything changed in one night but it seems as if we've been this way forever. Two girls and two guys. I love it so much. Finley came into this world so perfectly. On July 2nd, I started having contractions around 8:00 pm. I'd been having contractions for several days but nothing very consistent for a long period of time. These contractions were stronger. Abe was sleeping peacefully in his crib and I told Rhett that he should probably pack a bag. I was picking things up around the house because what else do you do while in labor!?!? I went back to the bedroom where Rhett was, what I would call, pacing. I've never seen him like this. He looked at me and said, "What should I wear?" This coming from a guy whose wardrobe consists of T-shirts and more T-shirts. He was anxious to say the least. Anxious-excited, I'd say. We decided to head to the hospital around 11:00. Lauren came over to get Abe and we were off. We checked into the hospital and they put us in a triage room. Where we stayed ALL NIGHT LONG. No window, no comfy chairs and definitely no bed for Rhett. Poor guy slept on the floor. My water broke around 6:00 AM and things went pretty smoothly from there. They moved us to a labor and delivery room at 8:00 and my contractions began to start up again. The doctor came by at 11:00 to check on things and my contractions got very strong. I got my epidural at 12:30 (PRAISE JESUS). Around 2:00 I told my mom that it was time, she got the nurse and the nurse smiled and said, "Yep, It's Time."  She went to get the doctor but it wasn't my turn. WHAT?!?  He was delivering another baby and I had to wait!!! Tell a momma with a baby on the way to wait and "don't  push!" Worst thing ever. I was so ready to meet Finley and pushing was the only thing I wanted to do. FORTY MINUTES later, Dr. Thompson was ready and I finally got to push. I pushed for 8 minutes with Rhett by my side. (Apparently I squeezed his arm a little too hard - POOR RHETT. At least he told me this later and not during labor. Good call babe.) 8 minutes, THAT'S IT! It was perfect. So incredibly perfect. At the very end, I just started laughing with joy, I knew I was so close to meeting Miss Finley I just couldn't keep it in. She was born at 2:41 pm. They cleaned her up a bit and put her right in my arms. It was the sweetest moment I've ever experienced. With Abe, we had to wait awhile while they helped him breathe and it was so hard. With Finley, they just put her right in my lap. She was the sweetest thing. With her full head of black hair just like her big brother. She was beautiful. 6 lbs 14 ounces, 19 inches long. She's a gift that sweet Finley Hope Pierce. May she always know Jesus as her anchor, her savior, her father. "This hope we have as an anchor for the soul, a hope both secure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil." Hebrews 6:19

I hate when Summer ends.

Everyday I'm amazed and so thankful that the Lord's plan is far better than what we could hope or imagine. I love the life the Lord has given us. Waking up in the woods with a short walk to camp, is just one of the many blessings I'm thankful for every day. We spent most of our summer down at camp helping Rhett work or watching camp happen (I bet he was SO  thankful for our "help".)  I loved having a small group in our home and truly enjoyed our Monday night SAL nights (we ate ice cream and french fries almost every week- a perfect combination if you ask me!). I hate when summer ends, I really do. Yes, it's so nice to have a normal schedule again and to have Rhett home in the evenings, but I get sad every summer. The campers leave, the staff go home and to me it feels empty, as if something is missing. I love summer. I was made for summer. (Until winter comes, and then I'll tell you that I was made for winter.) So for now, I thank the Lord for summer and that he allows us to live in serve in such an incredible way. Goodbye summer. 

 Block Party! One of my favorite nights of staff training! 

 Post Bath Abe :) 

 End of Summer Banquet. This is another one of my favorite nights celebrating all that the Lord has done in the lives of the staff..

A very fun 4th of July.

 Sock Hop anyone!?

 Rhett and I snuck away for a night with the Royals. Big thanks to Nonni for keeping Abe on his first slumber party. 

 Catching up with these highschool friends was definitely a highlight of the summer. 

A night at Wicked. Love wicked. Love these girls even more. 

Pierce- Party of 3

I'd like Abe to hear the story of his birth someday, and since I have a horrible memory, well to the blog I go. April 23rd, 2013 I woke up around 3 am with contractions. I was able to fall back asleep until it was time to get up for work. By the time I woke up, my contractions were much closer together but Rhett & I (in our tired, sleep deprived stupor) decided I should go to work. As I drove to work, pausing every few minutes to breathe through contractions, I thought we might have made the wrong decision. I powered through and was able to teach that morning, in between contractions. Let's just say that my students were very attentive that morning. Around 10:00 though, I was struggling so I called Rhett whose great advice was to call my mom who promptly told me to call my doctor.  Long story short, my doctor sent me to eat lunch and then head to the hospital.  We had a pretty relaxing day (after the epidural!). Friends and family stopped by to visit until it was time for Abe to appear. At 10:24 pm, Abe entered the world at 7 lbs 7 ounces and 21 inches long. That hair. Those eyes.  We were in love.  We didn't get to hold him right away because he was struggling to breathe, but the second we got our hands on him we melted. Right away, instant love. We spent the next two hours snuggling, getting pictures with the family and soaking it all in. I experienced Jesus' love all over again. I understand his love for me in a whole new way. Thank you Jesus for Abe.  I couldn't get over the fact that there were 3 of us now. Now we're a party of 3.

 It was only a few hours later that everything changed. Around 2:00 am, the doctors woke us up to tell us that Abe was struggling. He was breathing about 100 breaths a minute and he'd need to fly (yes, fly) to Tulsa to the NICU. Our quaint little Siloam hospital was not equipped to help our son. We immediately went to our knees. Jesus is big. He's got this. We always knew that Abe was the Lord's not ours, but this news made that more real than anything.

Around 6:00 am, Abe was flown to Tulsa in a helicopter, I was discharged and Rhett and I (along with our families) headed to Tulsa. The next 5 days were a whirlwind. Abe improved everyday getting better and better. He had more visitors and prayer warriors than we could have ever hoped for. I was overwhelmed by the support, love and encouragement we got while we were in the NICU. Thank you Jesus for community. The lobby of the NICU became the Chalker/Pierce campground for the week and of course my sweet momma knew everyone's story and everyone's baby by the time we left. On Monday April  28th, Abe was discharged and they let us go home.  We made the drive (where I of course rode in the back to keep my eyes on our precious cargo) to the ranch. Just the three of us, to begin our new little life together. What a strong boy he is. We couldn't have been prouder. Thank you Jesus for Abe. What a gift he is to us.

Abraham Allen Pierce. Born on April 23, 2014 at 10:24. 7 lbs 7 ounces 21 inches long. 

Ready to go home. 

A New Baby, A New Life

I just wanted a place to record our little life. So, here it is, a blog. We have a precious new baby, so we begin our precious new life as a family. Everything is different now. The way I think, the way I love, the way we live our life. Abe changed everything. It's harder and better. It's more interesting and more complicated. He's teaching me how to be a mom. It's an incredibly refining process. A process that  I assume will continue for the rest of my life. I want to be clay in the Potters hands. I don't want to believe that I have in someway finished. That I am who I am and there's no changing that. No. I want to be moldable, changeable, and ready for what the Lord has for me next. I want to be a good mom. I've never loved Rhett more and I never knew I'd be so in awe of our own little man. I'm ready for this journey.