The Fantastic Four aka Mission Team from FBC, Rogers, AR

Well, after 2 delays, the team from First Baptist Church, Rogers arrived here around 7:00 PM last Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they were supposed to land at 4:00 PM, which is why I had arranged a dinner so that some families from NorthStar could get to know the group. I set reservations for 6:30, changed them to 7:00 when we discovered the plane was to land at 5:30 instead or 4:00 and then discovered, as I was leaving to go meet everyone at the restaurant, that the plane had been delayed further and wouldn't land until 6:59.
Some how I just didn't think that one minute would give them adequate time to get through McCarran International (one of the slowest airports to navigate), get their luggage, find the rental car desk, be shuttled to the rental car location and then travel 25 minutes north to our area of town.
Those of us waiting at the restaurant enjoyed our Bucca di Beppo, and Jake and the team arrived there as we were paying for our bills. At least they made it in time to go to the overlook of the city, where we had planned a brief prayer meeting. Each time I go there and look out over this city of 2 million it still amazes me. It seems so still and quiet from that elevation. All the twinkling lights, it looks as if you are looking down at the stars.
The team eventually got to eat dinner and got settled in at our house sometime after 10:00.

The goal of Thursday and Friday was to canvas area parks and shopping centers to get the word out about our Back to School Bash we were holding on Saturday. The temperatures were 108-109 both days, but they stuck it out. They were able to hand out close to 1,000 invitations to the party.


Thursday night we went downtown to the Rescue Mission, which is a homeless shelter. The shelter has free dinner every night of the week, open to anyone in need. Depending on the time of the month (earlier parts of the month don't have as many people because that's when wellfare checks are received) they serve anywhere from 150-400+ per night. The mission also has short-term housing--2 weeks, or long-term housing for those willing to enter their program.
The program consists of volunteering at the shelter, going to Bible studies, job training, etc. It really is a wonderful program that actually helps enable people, rather than just give them a free bed.


We served just under 200 people that night. I have never had the opportunity to go, because it is not safe for JD and Cora, but a friend offered to watch them for me. It really was an eye-opener. Especially when I saw a family come in with two small girls, about 4 and 5 years old, I would guess, a little boy who was barely a year old (and who only wore a saggy diaper) and a newborn baby, and by newborn I mean maybe a week or 2 old. I almost started crying. I wanted to take that newborn baby home with me.

How often do I complain because I have 2 house payments to pay and an electricity bill that shot out of the roof last month! Then I see that and it puts it all in perspective. I have 2 house payments because I have 2, yes 2 houses! God has blessed me with not one but 2 places I can live. I have an enormous electricity bill because God has blessed me with the ability to have air conditioning in a city whose temperatures sore well over 100 degrees during the summer months. I have a husband who has been blessed with amazing talents in the IT field, and therefore is able to work. Not only that, but for some reason God has chosen our family to serve Him as church planters in a city that many people have given up on. How humbling is that! Yes, our family struggles every month. I honestly don't know how I'm going to pay my 2 house payments coming up at the beginning of Sept., but He is faithful! He has blessed this family beyond words; well beyond what we deserve. And He has blessed you as well. We so often loose sight of this.
I would highly recommend finding your local shelter or food closet and volunteering there for a night. It really helps you find perspective. "Christ came not to be served, but to serve." We are called to do the same.

Saturday turned out to be a great success. The numbers weren't huge, by any means, but the contacts made were awesome. We were able to visit with and minister to several families. We had a water slide, a slip-n-slide, a giant bouncy castle, free food and snow cones. A good time was had by all.

Jake and Janelle (Pastor's wife) manning the slide, as Cora takes yet another turn

Hot dogs, chips, popcorn, water and snow cones were available under the tents

Two of our teenagers, Jordan and Harley, enjoying the giant bouncy-dog

In the end, everyone got in on the water play!

Because of all the canvassing done by the team and the great effort put forth at the Bash on Saturday, we had 5 families visit our church on Sunday! The children's area, which usually has no more than 10 kids (and 5 of those are staff kids) had 21 kids!!!
Total we had 69 people in attendance. That is the highest attendance we have ever had on a "normal" Sunday (as in non-holiday). It was so awesome to immediately see the fruits of labor. Jake, Mike and David are working this week to make contact with every visitor. Please pray that good contacts are made and that we will use the opportunities given to us to minister to those we are contacting.

Sunday was the last day of our VBS, Cactus Canyon. To celebrate, our pastoral staff dressed as cowboys. Don't they look good?From left to right, David Kanizar, Worship Leader,
Jake Bridges, Missions Pastor, Mike Ellis, Senior Pastor



The Fantastic Four with NSBC Staff and their families
To the left, the Ellis family: Thomas, Mike, Janelle, Alexa and Nathan
Back row: Darin Harryman, Jim Risenhoover, David Kanizar, Elaine Bridges, Chad Pratt, Cora Bridges and Lisa Kanizar. In front: Iris Epting, Jake and JD Bridges


The Fantastic Four with our familyFrom left to right: Iris Epting, Elaine Bridges, Darin Harryman,
Jim Risenhoover, Jake Bridges and Chad Pratt. In front: Cora and JD Bridges

I want to just take this time to thank the team for coming out. I hope they realize what an awesome impact they had. Also, thank you First Baptist, Rogers, for allowing them to come and for your support through prayer during this past week (and always). We would not be here and could not do what we do without the support of FBC!

Wednesday night, when we went to the outlook to pray over the city and for the upcoming week, Jake shared a brief message with the group. His references were:
Luke 9:51-56 and Acts 8:4-17
Summing them up, in Luke Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem through Samaria, but the Samaritans refused them. James and John wanted to call down fire on the city. Jesus, however, did not allow this. Jesus knew the future, He knew that in time the area would come to believe in Him. In Acts 8, they did just that. Phillip was in the area and began to preach the gospel of Christ to them and they accepted it. Multitudes came to know the saving grace of the Lord.
Had James and John been allowed to destroy the city, hundreds of souls would have perished without ever getting that second chance.

In the same way, many people today have given up hope on Las Vegas (and New Orleans, and San Francisco, etc.). They believe that it is so full of evil that it should be destroyed. God, however, sees the big picture. Only He knows how many souls in this town need that second chance, need to hear about His love and grace. If we just give up on Las Vegas, how many thousands of souls will be lost that could one day be rejoicing with us in Heaven?

Don't give up on sharing the gospel of Christ. You never know what God has in store down the road!

Birthdays and Such

While Jake's parents were here we took them up into Cold Creek to look for wild horses. We saw some just a little ways off the road, so we got out to get a closer look. There was a small ravine between us and the horses and I told the kids not to get any closer...Then suddenly...

A horse started walking right up to JD and Cora. I've never seen two kids stand so still in their lives! JD said, "Cora, don't move!"










She didn't move an inch!














This is actually how close she got. I didn't have to zoom at all for this one.














Our family with Jake's parents, Jimmy and Belynda, in the desert just outside of Cold Creek.
















I never put pictures of me on here, so I thought I'd share one of
Jake and I up in Cold Creek, in the Spring Mnt. Reserve.





















The kids got home on Cora's 6th birthday. We went to Cozymel's, a Mexican restaurant in town, to celebrate. Happy 6th Birthday, Princess!














For JD's birthday he wanted to go to Redrock and do some hiking.




















Happy 7th Birthday, buddy!
























Just as a last kick I thought I'd show you the price of gas in Las Vegas! I took this picture of the price the person just before us paid. Fortunately gas has been coming down the last week. We were just about having to take out small loans to fill our tanks!








I hope everyone if having a great week. Next week a small group from FBC, Rogers, is coming. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them. Look for pictures from their trip in about a week and 1/2.
Please be praying for the mission team as they prepare to come and for their trip, that many will be reached for the Lord. Pray for our church family, that they will be bold in their faith and in sharing with those around them.
Please also remember to continue to pray for our house in Rogers to sell.

No more peace and quiet

So it's been a month since I returned from Arkansas (and updated this blog) and I have accomplished...nothing.
The kids got back on Wednesday night, which means my opportunity to complete the tasks I had set up for myself has passed. I am now, once again, in the world of "mommy". And since they haven't seen me in 4 weeks, they feel they have a lot (and I do mean a lot) of talk-time to make up.
But, it's good to have them home. Boy did they grow while they were gone, and Cora is so tan! She has this beautiful olive skin-tone that would make anyone (and by anyone, I mean me) jealous. She also lost her 1st tooth while she was gone. I hate that I missed that, but she mailed me the tooth, so it would be ready for the tooth fairy when she returned. (Both JD and Cora lost teeth while in AR., and decided that the tooth fairy may not know where to find them, so they chose to wait until they got home to put their teeth under their pillows...Speaking on behalf of a very money-conscious tooth fairy, I think the fairy could have found them in AR...our at least the fairy's mom could have, lol)
I did get our newsletter completed. If you did not receive a copy via email and would like one, or would prefer to have a hard copy mailed to you, please let us know.
I've started job-hunting. I hate this. I don't want to work. Really, I have zero-desire to have a job, and yet I find my self on monster, putting in search criteria. Yuck. I am praying fervently that our house in Rogers will sell with in the next 3-4 weeks. My once dream house has become a thorn in my side. I refer to it as "that stupid house" more and more often.

Cora turned 6 on Wednesday. It's hard to believe my baby is 6 years old! JD will turn 7 next Saturday. Where does the time go? Just yesterday when we were in the car Cora said, "Mommy, I want to be older; not too old, just about your age" (I really appreciated the "not too old comment", by the way). I responded, "Sweetie, you'll be there before you know it." (Let me just blink another couple of times.)

So now comes the tedious task of getting them back into some semblance of normalcy. No telling how long this will take. We've spent the last 2 days spending their birthday money they received from family and friends back in AR. This has not helped my case. But, at least I know I won't be bored between now and when school starts back up.

Our Trip to Razorback Country

Well, I had a great time being back in Arkansas for a few days, but after seeing some friends and family and being at FBC for church service I was ready to be back home...and when that thought hit me late afternoon on Father's Day my second thought was, "I actually want to be back in Vegas? Strange!" But, that's where Jake was, therefore that's home. Driving around Rogers the 1st couple of days actually didn't even feel like home to me anymore. I got into town Thursday night (6/12) and ran to Wal-Mart after dinner with Jake's mom. It's set up very much like my local WM and for a moment I actually thought I was in Vegas. Silly.
I really enjoyed being able to see friends and family, though I didn't see as many people as I had hoped. Church was AWESOME! It was wonderful to be able to hear Pastor Wes preach and the choir sing. The men's group that did a song at the end for Father's Day was absolutely amazing. I also enjoyed hearing Wade preach the second Sunday I was there. Being in FBC felt more home to me than anywhere else did while I was there.
I will be glad to be back at NorthStar this Sunday, though. The people there are my family now. We are a close-knit group, and I enjoy that. I don't think I would be able to survive out here if it weren't for my church family.

Just a few quick "funnies" to share from our trip back east....
We were about to land when Cora looked out the window and in a voice that was quite loud said, "look at all the grass and trees!" Everyone around us busted into laughter. (It was a direct flight, so they all knew where we came from)
Then, on our drive into Rogers we were passing through farm land and Cora starts yelling, "Mom, look, look, look!" I said, "What!" To which she responded, "COWS!" Ah, the things you forget about when you're living in a desert!
JD and Cora were so excited to see their friends at church. Apparently one adult overheard JD tell some of his friends, "I'm finally back home." Poor kid. He's going to hate the summer ending. I'm so thankful they are able to spend some extra time there and I really hope that if you are reading this and you have kids that are friends with JD and Cora that you will get in touch with my mom or Jake's mom and arrange a play date.

JD and Cora with their cousins, Addie Mae, Brooks and Wesley

JD and Cora with their friends, Grace, Presley, Tori and Neil


Cora was excited to get her hair done. Aunt Karyn did a wonderful job, as usual. Cora really wanted "pink" hi-lites. We settled on what can only be called, "rupple" (that would be reddish purple); and only on the very front. The other hi-lites are just blond. Yes, my not-quite 6 year old has hi-lites and colored hair! It's a combination of her having 2 aunts that are colorists, her vivid imagination, and the effects of us living in Vegas, I'm sure. :)

An up-close of Cora's new hair color


Jake is going to be traveling a lot over the next few weeks with his "day job". I was hoping to go with him to Miami while the kids are away, but an extra bill came in and took my plane ticket money away...so it looks like I'm going to be home alone for a week. Yippy! (note severe sarcasm) I was really looking forward to spending some time relaxing on the beach and having evenings with Jake. We haven't had a vacation together in over 2 years, and he doesn't have vacation time until next year, so this was going to be the closest thing to it. Oh, well.

Continue praying for our VBS coming up in July, and for the mission team from FBC, Rogers, that will be coming out in mid August.

I promise I'm going to settle down and get a "real" newsletter out within the next week or so.

Until then...

Lions and Flamingos and Dolphins--Oh My!

I have a few prayer requests to mention:
-The kids and I are flying back to AR on Thurs. (6-12), pray for traveling safety
-Jake is preaching this coming Sunday, please pray for him as he prepares his sermon and as he is home alone for 1 1/2 weeks
-A member of our church has been in the hospital with breathing problems. He is being released today, but is having to make some drastic life-style changes and will have to wear a mask at night for sleep-apnea
-Pastor Mike and his family will be traveling back from Wynn, AR this weekend, pray for traveling safeties for them
-A couple of unspokens

Once I get back from AR I PROMISE to get to work on a "real" newsletter and get it sent out the 1st part of July. I am sorry I have been negligent in getting them out. Moving 2ce in 5 months, along with all the other day-to-day "stuff" has really been something.


I've been trying to keep the kids busy since school's been out. I decided that we can't be in the house for extended periods of time after they tried to kill each other on Thursday. So, we've been to see lions, tigers and dolphins at The Mirage, we've seen flamingos and other strange birds at The Flamingo, we've had an up-close encounter with MGM's lion, we've met the blue M&M at M&M World, we've watched dancing fountains, we've walked through a tribute to America at The Belagio...all-in-all I'd say we've had a pretty good 1st few days of summer. I've included just a few pictures of our experiences over the past few days.

We went to The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage on Friday


A Siberian Tiger...absolutely beautiful!


The dolphins loved having their pictures taken..and even came up and watched you if you had a camera





We also went to The Flamingo's "flamingo habitat"


A Black Swan--isn't it beautiful?



Flamingos


A really strange bird we saw


The MGM lion


I know it's hard to see...but this is the lion's foot as he walks over our heads. Just a thin piece of plexi-glass between us and him, and he's looking down at us with this look in his eye that simply says, "hmmm...lunch!"


JD and Cora with the Blue M&M


The Fountains at Belagio (with The Eifle Tower in the background)


The Belagio's tribute to America...complete with model trains, bald eagles and Mt. Rushmoore

Here's a picture of Jake and the kids...yes, I believe JD is kung-fu fighting, and Cora has apparently grown a horn...but what can you do?

One of these days I'll get a picture of me on here...maybe. It's not me you want to see anyway, it's the kiddos, so I'll just keep putting them on here.
That picture on our title is up on Mt. Charleston, by the way. It is so beautiful up there, and usually 10-20 degrees cooler than down here in the valley--bonus!
I purchased the plane tickets for the kids and I for next Thurs., so I guess our coming back is a done deal. The kids are excited to take their 1st plane ride. I'm just glad I don't have to drive 1300 miles with 2 kids asking me "how much longer"! Plus, the scenery gets pretty boring after awhile. There's only so much of I-40 you need to see before it all starts looking exactly the same; I can't hang my head out the window to take pictures while driving--all my fun's been taken away! And seeing that you have to take out a small loan to buy gas these days....well, flying just seemed like a much better idea all around!
Looking forward to eating me some good chips and salsa!!!

One of our favorite parks to visit