A surprise visit from an auntie and cousins made for a VERY happy birthday for Thing 2!

The boys attended a Farm Camp nearby where they learned about farm chores and practiced horseback riding and roping! 
They had sooo much fun!

Eclipse Viewing

Well, summer seems to be fading away and we're looking forward to our first fall in our new home.  This year we took a "real" summer break from homeschooling (we typically school year round) but we're back in the swing of things again.  This week is our second week of easing into homeschooling.  Next Monday we have our first day at our new homeschool co-op.  A good portion of the boys' academic studies will be coming from that co-op, so the last week and a half has been a lighter work load.  It's been nice to gradually adjust to our school routine and the discipline required.  We're also hoping to start BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Monday evening.  I've never done BSF, but have heard only wonderful things about it.  There is a group that meets out our new church, so we're going to go try it out.  They also have a school age program at the same time which is exciting!

That brings me to a huge praise!  We have a new home church!   After months of visiting many, MANY churches and lots and lots of prayer, we finally feel like we have found the church body that God has called us to.  We are so grateful and relieved!  Thank you for those of you who have been praying for us about this for the past several months!
One of the things that is most exciting to me about our new church is their strong emphasis and commitment to reaching out to the community!  From the moment that we made the decision to have the boys and I stop traveling with Josh, I have been praying for and thinking about how we can still maintain a strong missional attitude and lifestyle. Josh and I believe we are called to be domestic missionaries and despite the fact that the boys and I are no longer traveling, we still believe that is our call!  I look forward to being actively involved in the outreach opportunities with our church and I'll be sure to keep you posted about those.  In the meantime, please pray specifically for four neighbors that I have begun to build relationships with and am praying for opportunities to tell about Jesus!

While the boys and I go to our new church each weekend, Josh continues to travel all over sharing the Gospel and encouraging believers through music and the word.  I don't usually have pictures of him, because I'm not there to take them, but rest assured he's as busy as ever.  He's made several trips to Montana this summer and will be headed back to California in the fall.  If you want specifics on his schedule, go to www.joshsnodgrass.com.  Also, keep praying for the work on his book.  We are confident God has a plan for additional ministry through the book he is writing, but the process is slow as he seeks God's direction while he writes in between traveling, practicing and booking.

That's the most recent Snodgrass Family news. :)  I'll leave you with a few more fun pictures from our summer!  Please continue to pray for our family to have listening ears and obedient lives as we seek to follow our Master!

My first attempt at canning! :)

Epic Fort Building

Fun in the river with visiting Montana friends!

Sitting in my drafts folder are several attempted blog posts from the past few months.  I have been absent from this blog because I have been unsure of what to say.  This transition has been far more difficult than I anticipated.  I have spent the last few months feeling like I'm stumbling trying, to find my way.  While we have experienced countless blessings in this time of settling into our new home and way of ministry, we've also struggled through some significant challenges, set-backs, and heartaches.

Josh and I are very emotional people, and we are used to deeply felt ups and downs in life.  This year though, has felt like an emotional roller coaster of epic proportions!  It has left us exhausted from the adrenaline rush and a bit shaken up and queasy . . . but with trembling legs, we keep getting back in line for more! ;)

This week my baby celebrated his ninth birthday.  His older brother was kind enough to remind me, that means his little brother is only one year away from double digits!  If you knew me a year and a half ago when T-1 turned 10, you will remember it was very hard for me.  So thinking about T-2 turning 10 was not a welcomed thought. However, as I sat reflecting on how quickly time passes, I opened up my laptop and found an encouraging email from our home pastor in Renton.  While we haven't regularly attended that church for a few years, they are our family and I am grateful to be included in church body emails!  This one was particularly meaningful.  Pastor Dan shared encouragement about the growth of their church then he referenced and included an email from my husband sharing the story of a "prodigal son" who came to Christ at one of Josh's ministry events a couple weeks ago.  Of course, Josh had shared that story with me when it happened, but reading about it again was a striking reminder of the significance of it!

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now am found!  Was blind!  But now I see!"  Praise Jesus for a young man turning from addiction and running to the arms of the Savior.  As the angels rejoiced, so do I!  This is why we do, what we do.  There is nothing more important.

And so, as we continue to try to find our way in this new life, please continue to pray for us.  Pray for souls to be saved and hearts to be encouraged as Josh travels all over the western U.S. continuing the work of One Hope One Truth Ministries.  Pray that the boys and I will be a light in our new neighborhood, that we might also share Jesus with this lost and hurting world. And pray for direction in our day to day life, as we miss Josh when he's away, find our place in the homeschooling community here, and try to find a church home where we can grow and serve.

I know there have been a lot of you anxiously waiting for an update on our move with pictures of the new house.  It has been a whirlwind of a few weeks.  Even now, as I sit at my desk in MY OWN HOME OFFICE, knowing that there are boxes still stacked in various places throughout the house, I am amazed at all that we have been able to accomplish in the past month.  Certainly the Lord has blessed the work of our hands and we are grateful!  In addition, there were several people who helped us move and we know that many continue to lift us up in prayer as we transition into a new season of ministry and family life.  Thank you to all of you!

On March 18, we drove away from this trailer that has been our home for 3 years.  It was bittersweet for sure, but we are so grateful for the new home we moved into! :)  God was generous in providing a buyer for the trailer who paid what we asked without any negotiating!  The sale of our trailer will allow us to get a second car to make travel more fuel efficient for ministry within driving distance and enable the boys and I to have transportation when Josh is away.

On Tuesday March 21st we got the keys to our new home!  We filled the pickup with our first load of boxes, moved them into the house, and then hung curtains in all of the rooms.

On Wednesday, we brought another truckload of boxes, made a couple runs to Home Depot for misc. stuff, and my appliances were delivered!  We had our first dinner in our new home that evening!

Thursday was our official move in day.  I managed to not get any pictures of furniture being loaded or unloaded, so I guess you'll just have to trust me when I say it's all here at our new house now! :)  Thing 1 and Thing 2 worked so hard.  They cleaned, packed, and carried boxes.  Then they helped unload and unpack.  I was so proud of them!  My "little" boys definitely worked like men!  Josh and I have moved eleven times in our thirteen years of marriage, and every other time I've hurt my back at some point in the process.  But not this time!  My three boys and some friends did all of the heavy lifting and that kept my back healthy!  Praise God! :)

It's funny how organization and chaos seem to alternate when you're unpacking and getting settled.  We unpack a few boxes, spread stuff all over, find homes for those things and then unpack and distribute again.  It's a process for sure, but slowly but surely we're working our way through the boxes and "setting up home."

I spared you the pictures of the garage, storage room, and Josh's studio because they are piled high with boxes and not nearly as interesting! ;)  (Besides, this way I can pretend that my house is neat and organized and live a few minutes in denial of the massive amount of boxes I still have to unpack)

Our house has a partially finished basement.  There are two "bedrooms" - one which we'll use for storage for now and the other is Josh's studio.  There is also a laundry room and wood shop (We feel so spoiled!)  Then there is one great big "entertainment" room...A.K.A. Giant LEGO Explosion/Fort/Noisy Boy Room! (as seen above)

So there you have our "Home Sweet Home"!  I'll continue to post pictures as we get unpacked and situated! 

In the meantime, Josh is in California this weekend, doing 5 ministry events in two days!  I talked to him this afternoon and he was really excited about the work that God has been doing through these events.  I miss him, but I'm so thankful for some peace and stability and honored to be married to a man who continues to follow wherever the Master leads!

Please pray for our family as we begin to get to know the people in our neighborhood and strive to shine and share Jesus with them as well!

Here are just a few updates on our family & ministry! :)

- We are currently in northern California on a two week ministry tour.  We had four church services last weekend and have three this upcoming weekend.  It was a gift to connect with two new churches and we look forward to future ministry opportunities with them.  On Saturday evening, there were several people who attended from the rescue mission.  It is always exciting when Josh has the opportunity to share his testimony and the Gospel in settings such as that!  We also were able to minister at two churches we've been to in the past.  The familiarity and welcome as family is always refreshing!

- Sunday night, on our way back to the trailer, our truck began to have transmission problems.  We took it into a shop in town Monday morning and were grateful to have it back by yesterday afternoon.  The repair was more expensive than we would have hoped, but we were thankful to not have to replace the transmission! :)  It could have been much worse.  God is a faithful provider and we are rejoicing that the repair did not require a long wait for parts!

- Tuesday afternoon, a mobile notary met us here at our RV park so that we could sign the papers to close on our house!!!  This is the fruit of months and months of prayers and waiting!  We are beyond grateful for God's provision of a home of our own!  Thank you to all who have joined us in praying for this!

- Monday we posted a listing to sell our trailer on Craigslist.  In response to the transitions in our ministry (you can read more about those here and here), we've decided it is best to sell the trailer and then purchase a small fuel efficient commuter car.  We would love to sell it while we're down here in California simply to make the drive home easier, but if it doesn't sell this week then we'll just take it back to Washington with us and sell it there.

- Between the travel and the stress of the move, we've managed to catch a nasty cold.  The boys aren't too bad, but it's hit Josh and I pretty hard!  We'd appreciate your prayers for a speedy healing, especially before this upcoming weekend.

- Today we are celebrating Thing 1's 11th birthday!  Oh my goodness, how did that happen?!?!  T-1 is an awesome young man who loves the Lord and loves his family!  We are so grateful for the gift that he is to everyone he meets!

- After this weekend of ministry, we will head back north.  Our hope is to be back in Washington by Tuesday afternoon.  We will then go pick up the keys to our new home (YAY!!!) and begin setting up house! :)  We will officially move in next Friday with the help of several new friends in the area!  We praise God for His continual hand of protection and provision on our family!  Thank you for all of your prayers!