It's just around the corner!!!!....

January 2013

Dear Friends and Family,

            We are writing to let you know about a big adventure that is coming up for our family. The Lord is calling us to move to Taipei, Taiwan to help plant a church and to make disciples!

            Natalie and I have had a heart for people of other cultures for a long time and have felt confident that God would be sending us to live in other countries at some point, but Taiwan was a big surprise! Our good friends, Clay and Rhonda Danner have known that the Lord was calling them to move there for many years, and we’ve often talked of visiting them after they go. However, several months ago Natalie and I both felt like He was calling us to move there as well. We told Clay and Rhonda and to our surprise, Clay said that the Lord told him about 8 years ago that we would be a part of this, but that he was not to mention it to us.

            I could write pages about how God has been working behind the scenes to make this happen. He has been setting this up for a long time! The leadership of our church, City Church Simpsonville, believes that God has called them to plant churches in other nations and to partner with ministries and churches that already exist. City Church Taipei will be the first international church plant and we are honored to be a part of it.  

            The plan is to move sometime in the beginning of 2014, and to spend this year (2013) to train, learn the language, and raise support. We will be sending out a more detailed letter soon about that endeavor, but right now we are asking for support for a week-long trip to Taiwan next month. We are going on a sort of “reconnaissance mission” to meet with people over there and to begin making plans for where we will be living and doing ministry.

            This trip is February 24^th - March 3^rd , and the cost for Natalie and myself is $4,000. If you would like to give money to help support us, you can give online at www.wearecitychurch.com and click on “Give”. You can follow the steps to submit a payment, but please make sure you specify that your dontation is for Taiwan (Dathers).   We’d love to talk to you more about our move to Taiwan, so feel free to contact us at any time via Facebook, email, give us a call, or stop by!

Thanks for praying for us and supporting our family!

Caleb & Natalie

Detox: Final Thoughts

The Detox for Women is a 30 day commitment.  I finished yesterday, so I thought I'd share a few thoughts about my experience.

-I lost 10 lbs (give or take a few).  I didn't weigh myself the day I started, so I'm just guessing how much I weighed on day one.

-I cheated pretty much every day. The majority of the time my cheating only consisted of a bite here...a bite there, but there were several days where I ate and ate and ate. (not proud...just keepin' it real) 

-Don't get discouraged when you cheat.  Forgive yourself and then jump back in!

-I feel a lot better.  :)

-I am encouraged to start working out now!  I need muscle, and this detox gave me the jump start I need to get moving!

-Don't be fooled...30 days is a looooooonnnnng time!  I didn't think it would feel that long, but good grief, it felt like 3 months!!!

-One of the biggest changes in the way I eat is in the morning.  The better I start my day off, the better I eat for the rest of the day.

-I look at food very differently now.  I don't think I could do this plan forever, but it has definitely made me think about what I'm eating (especially when I'm snacking).  

-Even though the detox is over, I'll still probably eat 75% of the way that I've been eating.  At least for another month.  I just feel so much better!

That's about it!  Feel free to message me with any questions. :)

Women's Detox: Day 11

Day 11: (out of 30)

Only 19 days to go!

-I eat WAY less food than I used to.

-I’ve lost about 5 lbs.

-I already have more energy! (I can’t wait to see how I feel at the end of this!)

-I’ve ‘cheated’ a few times: a bite here, a bite there…I’ve never just sat down and actually eaten a meal of something I shouldn’t have though.  Sometimes it just helps to have a bite of brownie in your mouth!!! I let it sit there for a few seconds before I ate it.  :)   (Before doing this detox, I seriously would have eaten SEVERAL brownies at a time.)

-Still drinking LOTS of water!

-I’ve had TONS of cravings over the last few days…which is why I “cheated” by taking a bite. J

-Tried a new veggie juice and almost hurled! (I’ll stick to my kale, celery, stevia, and lemon)

-Went on a date with the hubs last night and had AMAZING fish and veggies!!! (Eating fish for dinner is on the plan!!!!)

-I’ve started “rebounding”.  Natalia talks about this in her book.  It sounded bonkers to me, but after researching it, turns out that once again, she’s right!  It’s so good for your health!  So…I’m giving it a go.  (Rebounding is just jumping up and down on a mini trampoline.  Google it.  You’ll learn about different exercises as well as all of the health benefits. PLUS I can do it without leaving the house and can roll it out of the way when I’m done….that is, IF my girls aren’t jumping on it. J )

-Salads have gotten a bit old.  I’ve been roasting veggies more often.  I NEED to make new recipes.  I’m just nervous that they’ll end up tasting like that veggie juice I tried.

-I’ve had dinner at friends’ houses a couple times.  I just take my own salad/ dressing.  That part hasn’t been very hard.  (Although I did have to say ‘no’ to some AMAZING food sitting in front of me.)

-I’ve realized how much food I used to eat just because I didn’t want it to go to waste.  Apparently I took on the role of the family dog by eating the last few crackers, leftover bites on dinner plates, the crust on PBJs, etc!  That’s all stopped.  I refrigerate more of it, and just throw the rest away.  I’m still conscious about it every time I do it though.  I hear, “Natalie…there are starving children in Africa.” in my head, which is what my parents used to tell me to get me so that I would eat my dinner. Haha  Come on…you know you’ve all heard it from your parents, or maybe even said it to your own children!

Over all, things are going well.  J  I’ll keep you updated!  Feel free to email or FB me with any specific questions.  It’s been great hearing from several of you!

SIX months, people!!! 

That's how long it's been since I've blogged!  I honestly have just lost the interest and haven't had time to put into it. (Plus, to be honest...I have Instagram now, which plays a part in recording family memories while sharing them with others.)

So why now?  Why am I writing again?  I've started a 30 day detox and thought I would just record my thoughts/ how things are going.  Sound boring?  You're totally welcome to un-follow me.  However, there are several people out 'there' who are wanting to change the way they eat...to juice more...and to take control of their eating habits.  If that's you or you just want to read about MY experience, then stick around!

This next month of blogging will not be fancy, gramatically correct, or full of fun pictures. (Although I do hope to have a 'before and after' body pic by the end.)  It is what it is....enjoy!

Detox for Women:

I started the cleanse (I'm doing a modified version) 3 days ago…January 1, 2013.  So far it hasn’t been that bad.  I’ve been a bit under the weather (flu like symptoms) but surprisingly I’ve still enjoyed eating a new, healthier way.

Easy things:

-drinking water.  The first day I drank over 4 liters.  The past two days I have had a little over 3 liters.

-LOVE that I can eat LOTS if I want to.

-I can eat chicken!  My body needs the protein.

Kind of difficult:

-I should have been more prepared before I started. (stocked up on foods, planned recipes, read book before starting, tested the juicer to see if it actually worked!)

-juicing…only bc I ran out of ingredients (mentioned above in the “should have been more prepared”.  It's fun to see how many people are juicing though!  I posted a pic of my first concoction and got tons of feedback/ recipe ideas.

-need something sweet (also falls into the “should have been more prepared”.  NR says I can eat dark chocolate and a certain type of ice cream.  I just need to go get it.)

-not taking bites of what my family is eating.  (although I have cheated some, and I've totally released myself from the guilt)

Really hard:

-nothing at this point

Reasons for starting:

-Body image! Still hanging on to (and GAINING) weight after baby #2!

-Need.  More.  Energy.  SERIOUSLY!

-Deal with food issues. (I eat for the wrong reasons…stress, emotions, taste.)

-learn portion control

-Get healthier and learn to take care of my body!

-30 days, as well as still being able to EAT, seemed like an attainable goal.

-And my friend, Liz, had done it before and had great things to say about it. Plus, she's doing it again with me!

See you soon!!! (not in 6 months!)

Nat

Women: Just do it...

I've wanted to write A LOT over the past two weeks.  I've wanted to share thoughts, questions, encouraging words, etc.  I've wanted to share testimonies and celebrate Father's love.  But I just haven't.  No time.  Or at least, not the RIGHT time. :)

I'll leave you with this today:

KNOW...KNOW that you are righteous.  Not because of what you do, have done, or could ever conger up in any way...but by GRACE alone.  

Know that you are SPECIAL.  Know that you are LOVED.  Know that Father's heart for you is overflowing with goodness.  His heart is to prosper you and not to harm you.  Believe it.  Receive it.

Know that you NEED community.  (Not a bazillion friends, but a few intimate good ones who will encourage you, love on you, think about you throughout the day and pray for you.)

Know that you are not alone in ANY thought/ feeling that you have.  Talk it out with someone...you'll see. :)

Know that the girl who seems to have it all together may be the one who needs someone to love on her the most.  

Know that you are created to GIVE and POUR LIFE into other women.  Speak encouraging words.  Listen.  Love.  Learn. (This may look like an afternoon with someone, a simple text, a smile, or asking questions to allow them to share what's on their heart.)

And don't feel like you have to wait until you "have it all together" before you can begin. 

Just do it....LOVE!

P.S...Thanks to those of you who talked to me about the last post.  It just re-affirmed that this is definitely something that needs to be talked about and that needs to change. :)  LOVE Y'ALL!

Women...we're more alike than we know!

It's been a long time.  Like for real....a LONG time.  I haven't written a post since February 12!!! That's over 4 months ago!

So much has happened in those 4 months! Maybe I'll catch you up later...and then again, maybe not. :)

I decided to blog today because I feel blessed.  A LOT has been on my mind lately, but through it all Abba has really loved on me in the way I needed it most.  What did that look like today?  Two different conversations with two amazing women in my life.

I've been thinking a lot about women.  About the fact that so many women don't feel special or struggle with feeling left out, unsure about themselves, not good enough, etc.  It's something that, having felt those feelings myself, I want to play a part in changing that.

So I'm hoping my blog will take a shift for a little while.  If you are a woman and need encouragement, I hope to post at least one thing a week that will make you feel loved.  And if you have something that other women need to hear, PLEASE let me know!  As women, we need to speak truth about how our Father sees us.  We need to encourage one another.

Let's start by texting/ calling one woman in your life this week and letting them know that they are special to you. That you appreciate them.  You have no idea the effects this will have on them.

Ready....GO! :)

Goofballs...

I have a LOT of blogging to catch up on:

E.G. got 2 haircuts

Mia turned 2!!!!!

E.G. turned 4 months

Charis' bday

E.G.  rolls and rolls

We have fed the ducks a few times :) :) :)

Redeemed Furniture (I'll explain more about this later) moved into our new booth!

E.G. eats cereal now!

Mia moved into her new room (and so did E.G.)

After 4.5 months of no dairy or soy, I ate a piece (okay several pieces) of pizza!

We got a letter from our insurance company about my birthday coming up. ha! (more on this later)

And more!

As I was downloading pics to the computer, I came across these from Caleb's phone.  They made me smile, so I decided to share them with you today. :)

Caleb usually gets Mia ready for bed.  Even if I bathe her and put her pajamas on, he always brushes her teeth.  These two can get pretty silly when they get together.  

I hope you enjoy these pics that they took of themselves making silly faces in the mirror!...

The "surprised" look is my favorite, because that is the sign for "surprised" in sign language. :)

I love these goofballs! :)

Hopefully I'll catch up on blogging.  And if not, it means that I'm too distracted and busy with my fun family of four.  :)