Time Flies By

Wow, it has been so long since my last post I am sure many have assumed that I have fallen off the face of the earth! This is not going to be a long post because I have one particular little girl that thinks my laptop is her toy and wants to play with it every time I open it up. I hope to be able to post again soon to update those of you that may not be in touch with us as often, about the last several years....

To quickly sum it up until I can go into greater detail, God has been so good to us! On July 18, 2013 we were blessed beyond measure with TWO amazingly, perfect babies!!! Grace Elizabeth Cornelius & Elijah Harris Cornelius. Jackie was the most excited to have both her parents names represented by our children and that they are going to carry on the Cornelius name! Jackie was laid off from her job of 11 years just one month after we found out we were expecting these angels, which caused us a little concern, but again God blessed us and gave her the perfect job in December 2013 which not only allowed her to be off with me during my difficult pregnancy but also to have almost 6 months at home with the twinkies (our nickname for them) before she started her new career and He provided through it all!

Ready for a Road Trip

Jackie and I decided it was time for another road trip back to North Dakota to see her family. We will leave Saturday morning and drive as far as Salt Lake City where we will spend the evening with my family and celebrate the 4th of July (a day early).

Then we will head to Sheridan, Wyoming on Sunday to stay with Jackie's sister Debbi for the second night. Hopefully we will get to see some of her kids and grandkids and even Nicole and her family as well. I know it is a bit much for one evening, but the more the merrier right? :)

Then Monday morning we will get up and drive the rest of the way into Williston, North Dakota where 2 sisters, 1 brother and many nieces and nephews live. Jackie's other sister Mary lives not too far from there in Wateford and we definitely hope to see her and her many kids and grandkids as well. Glori and Jim and Timmy will be in Williston as well that week which makes seeing the whole family complete. Other than Sheree, but we are lucky enough to have her right by us all year round!

We are both really looking forward to this trip because we have had a decent length vacation since Jackie's father passed away in March 2008 and that wasn't really what some would consider a vacation. I hope to post a few pictures and updates of the road trip as we go, but that might be hoping for too much, seeing as I haven't done that yet in the history of this blog.

Here's to hoping!

Time for Prayer

Yesterday at church we had a guest speaker that is serving as a missionary in Ghana. She shared that at the age of 9 years old God spoke to her and told her she would be a missionary in Africa! Can you imagine knowing what God has planned for you at such a young age?? I was just blown away and so amazed by this woman's testimony. She has spent a total of 36 years doing missionary work in Africa, the first 6 years in Ethiopia and the last 30 in Ghana. She works in a small village in Norther Ghana which is a 16 hour drive from where she flies to!!!

After hearing her speak I felt a very strong desire to go and join her in her missionary work. There is a need for people whether short or long time in Ghana and especially a need for work to be done with the children's ministry there. All of my life I have had a desire to do missionary work and a love of children that is completely unexplainable to some people. I don't know for sure if I am understanding this feeling completely, but I believe the Lord has put it on my heart to go to Ghana and serve the people and their children.

At first Jackie and I thought that we should both go and we would go for a year or two, but the more we have thought about it and prayed about it, we are both feeling more at peace with the idea of me just going, but for a shorter amount of time like maybe 2 to 3 months. It is still very much in the early stages of thought and prayer and the Lord may reveal to us that this is not His will for me, but we are praying very seriously about it. And we would love it if those of you that might read this would also pray about it with us.

A lot would need to happen in order for this to take place so we will know for sure whether this is the Lords will just by things falling into place. We would need to come up with the financial costs of me flying out there and living out there for 2 to 3 months as well as the financial loss we will see from me not working during that time period. That alone is enough to deter almost anyone as it is quite a bit of money, but if it is truly the Lord desire for me to go and serve His people in Ghana then it will happen.

The picture above is a picture from the website of the organization that our guest speaker serves through and the organization I would serve through as well. Doesn't that little boy just make you want to fly out there right now and give him a big hug??? What an amazing experience and journey this would be if it is the Lord's will for me to serve!

My Brother Brandon

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything and I know I still need to post about the visit from Jackie's sisters Debbie and Mary, hopefully before Glori comes out to visit later this week, but I had to take a moment and brag about my big brother!

My brother Brandon has had a love and passion for cooking for as long as I can remember. He went to the Culinary Institute of America in New York and graduated top of his class. Then he moved to Texas to work for the owner of Six Flags, Texas in one of his restaurants for many years. He has worked with several different prominent people in his career but has always had the dream of one day opening his very own restaurant....

Well, on May 2, 2010 that dream will finally become a reality. For more than a year now, my brother has been faithfully working towards getting his first restaurant up and running, with many detours and roadblocks along the way. Nothing has deterred him and I believe all those detours and road blocks have made him even more persistent to reach his goal! I am so very proud of him and excited for him to begin a new journey in his life! Congratulations Brandon!!!

Jackie and I are very much looking forward to flying out to Dallas with all of my family for the grand opening!

Family

I'm soooo excited family is coming to visit! Jackie's sisters Debbi and Mary will be flying into LAX this Friday and will be here until next Friday! We absolutely love when family comes to visit and we are able to spend time with them. Life is too short not to spend as much time with family as you can. Last time Mary came to visit was July of 2008 and Debbi hasn't made a visit in quite a few years. I love being able to spend time with sisters and enjoy all the fun stuff we end up doing while they are here.

Also, my Auntie Wendy is driving down from Utah this Friday for the long weekend and will be staying with my mom. I believe she is bringing her granddaughter with her and we will be able to have a girls days on Saturday. I don't remember the last time my Auntie Wendy came down, but it sure is nice to know that family wants to come visit!!!

And for any family out there that reads this blog... our doors are always open!!! We don't have a large house, but it is always available and open to anyone that wants to come down to California! :)