Jose Daniel

A little Orphan from Honduras that has captured mine & Greg's heart.

My Family

Meet my class

14But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Romans 10:14-15

God has blessed me with the privilege of teaching Sunday School at our church. This month we are focusing on learning about missionaries. Above is our memory verse for the week. We recently learned about GCM missionaries in The Netherlands, Ukraine & Poland. We tried perogies, and hot cocoa (made with real cocoa and whipped our own whip cream). Here is a photo of one of our classes.
Enjoy!

Back to School

Well, I am back in school - learning Spanish with 5 of my favorite friends........ the 5 middle Groff kids. It is a blast, I go over during my lunch for our 1/2 hour lesson daily taught by Cecilia - a native Honduran. I don't know that I will know much by the time I go to Honduras, but perhaps if God leads me to go back in 2007 I will be more knowledgeable of the language.

Graduation Day

This past weekend Buckeye graduated from his intermediate training class - we are so proud of our now 1 year old puppy! We hope to in January sign him up for the advanced class with the goal of him reciving his Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) title. To lean all that Buckeye will need to continure to work on for this check out http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cgc.html.

Hope you enjoy these fun photos!

Is it ok to be sad?

There is so much to share, so many amazing things God has been doing in my life. So many "Divine" appointments I have had and a lot of God helping me continue to overcome my fears......even small one's that I had come to see as part of my life & who I am, not fears.

For example, I have been killing spiders, and the size of spiders I have been killing is getting bigger & bigger. The other day I was in my car and a nasty spider was crawling on the inside of my car & I just took a napkin & squished it - yes especially for my sisters & parents I hope you are proud, as you were there in my younger years as I really struggled with spiders. Some may not see this as anything big, however I see it as God fulfilling His promises to me, not only in the large fears I face, but also the seemingly small ones.

Another cool fear he has broken for me, and I laugh as I right this, but......not plugging my nose when I swim under water (fearing I would drown if not). I have all my life wanted to be able to swim under water with out plugging my nose & tried & tried, but never could. Well, the crazy thing is the other week at the pool I tried it a few times & I can do it.

Now some of you may be thinking I have gone crazy, however I believe that God is providing me freedom in these small areas of fear as well as the large ones. How cool is God that he loves us in all these ways!

So, what is going on with me today?? Well, God is trying to teach me that it is ok to be sad. I am now understanding why this is something I struggle with so much, but yet still have a hard time thinking that being sad is a bad thing.

Why you may ask am I sad? Well, I feel like my last 2 years have constantly been a time of say good-bye to people & here I am again. My former boss is leaving GCM to go back and practice law. He and his family are moving to Indianapolis. Over the last 2 years going through a lot of hardships at our office, working closely with him, and getting to know his family, it is affecting me more than I thought it would.

I am sad, but is it ok? My role in life has always been to make people happy, encourage & get a smile out of them. So, yes, I know it is ok, but are other people ok with me being sad?

Which brings me back to the thing God has been trying to get me to believe for the last year.....................that I am enough.......not what I do, who I encourage, how my attitude is, just me....where I am at....how I honestly feel....that is enough........... but why can't I believe that? -

-c-
p.s. the photo is of Aaron & Abi - 2 of my bosses kids - this is from a recent even we had at H20.

The Handsomest Hubby in the World!!

If you lived in Europe where would it be?

Well, I am going to Amsterdam in the fall and recently saw this on my friend Jenni's blog, it is cute and interesting & I am sure that Grandma Meyer would be happy to see that according to my personality, if I lived in Europe, Dublin would be the place for me:)

Feel free to click the link below and see where you would most likely enjoy.

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

In my time with God this morning I created this to express some things I am feeling and the promises He is giving me .

Isaiah 58: 10-12 (The Message)
10 If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down--and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places--
firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

12 You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.

Well as many of you know things at the office where I work are a bit crazy. We currently have 4 people leaving and I just found out of one more that has yet to be announced.

Yesterday was Priscilla's last day, Priscilla has become not just a friend to me, but a fellow soldier in this spiritual war. Through out the last year and a half when either of us struggles or fights off the enemy's attacks, we have been committed to daily fighting along side each other through prayer. This is a very unique relationship, Priscilla is 34 years older than me, it is uncommon that our paths would cross and a life lasting friendship would form.

Priscilla is getting married this up coming week - I have had the honor to help with many of the details and am going to miss the daily updates of what married life will look like for her and Jack.

However, I am also very excited about the obedience Priscilla is showing to God. She has taken huge steps in breaking down stronghold in her life and preparing her self whole heartedly for marriage.

You may wonder how this all relates to my experience at the office......well, I feel right now God is asking people to be obedient to him, work through any strongholds in their life, and allow Him to prepare them for the next step, regardless of if it is at GCM or not.

Last night one of my favorite people in Orlando, Peggy Dunn, shared the verses above with me.
I am praying for God to
-Show me my place in all the transitions
-allow me a fullness even on my sad days of feeling loss
-allow me to be a well-watered garden
-and amaze me how he rebuilds things from the rubble.

I know the months to come will be a challenge, however I am also trusting God to care for me completely.

Health Problems and the Royal Family

As many of you may know over the past 4 years I have struggled with Irritable Bowel disorder. Upon discovering this and trying to control it, I have had to visit numerous doctors. Also, upon moving to Orlando, 2 years ago, I have constantly been looking for quality new doctors. While this process has been a pain, God reveled to me this past Friday how he has been using these appointments for people to hear about Him.

I had an appointment with an allergist on Friday - yet another new doctor, since I have developed allergies since we moved and am finally making an appointment to get tested. So, as usual the doctor is going over my chart and asks what I do for a living, I was then, as usual, presented with the opportunity to share about my job and things that God is doing through GCM. Well, this Doctor was a Christian and very excited about my job and God's calling on my life. As she left the room she commented, “it’s always nice to meet another member of the Royal Family."

I had never thought of it this way. I mean, I know that I am God's daughter; however I never looked at it from the view of being a King's daughter. Wow, it was a pretty amazing concept for me, as God has been teaching me a lot about my value over the past 8 months; this was another reminder of how valued I am.

It is good to be Royalty.

New Truck

Here are some fun photos of Greg & the new truck. Also a few with his buddy Andres, a 5 year old in our church who LOVES Greg - it is so cute! And me with Karina - one of Andres 8 sibilings!!

Divine Disappointment

Psalm 142:2
I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

Well, things have been a bit crazy lately. My parents were in town 2 weeks ago, and it was great to see them and for them to get a taste of what our life in Orlando looks like. However, during that week I learned at work that our Managing Director, Greg Guevara, is stepping down from his position. I was Greg’s assistant for about a year and still work closely with him on our Communications.

While I am excited for all that God is doing in his life, I am also tired of all the change. Since I started working in the GCM office about a year and half ago, I have had to say good-bye to at least 9 people that I directly worked with. Now there are 4 others leaving two of them being directly involved with my position.

While I am confident that God has a divine puropose for not only these peoples lives, but also for the GCM office, I am currently at the point where I just want to complain and not be excited about it. It is good to know that I can pour out my frustrations and complaints to God. However I also trust God to do things that he could not other wise have done if things stayed the same. I trust what God tells me in

Isaiah 55:8-9

"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

So, I will continue to process, trust and have my days of a stubborn heart, yet in the end I will continue to depend on God and his plan, as I know it is always the best for my life.

I look forward to sharing all that he will be doing in the months to come.

-Caroline

Dependence

Well, God is teaching me a lot about dependence on Him. This past week God has brought 2 challenges into my life. They both have positive spins to them, but also require faith & dependence.

First of all Greg and I have decided that we are going to have a 20 year old guy live with us for 6 months starting in June. He is from one of our sister churches in Colorado and will be in Orlando going throughout the BMW STEP Program. We feel confident in God's leading about this, but also realize that there will be sacrifices. However, one of our goals with moving to Orlando and this last summer purchasing a home is to allow our home to be a home to whoever needs one. A safe haven for people to grow in their walks with God. So, the adventure will begin the middle of June. I am sure once we get to know our new housemate photos will appear on the blog.

Also, yesterday I found out that my boss is going to move on to another job. He has been involved with GCM for 15 years, and has in the past 6 months played a key role in challenging me to face my fears. While I realize God has a plan, there is sadness and many things to process.

Thus again God brings me back to depending on Him. I believe this will be a life long lesson for us all, but I hope as I grow that it will become more natural.

I love Orlando, but I am still looking for my secret get-away "God Spot"
in Orlando - I think this is the first place I have lived that I have not had one - however I know God will reveal this just when I need it most.

P.S. My parents are hopefully coming to visit the 2nd week of April - hopefully all you locals will have a opportunity to meet them:)
-C-line

Blooming

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

As I set out to work on Thursday praying as I drove, I noticed the small green buds & new growth all around me. The things that were dormant and appeared to be dead were "waking up." As I continued to talk with God, I realized he is doing the same thing in me.

It is spring in my heart. There are small buds stemming from my heart. The fears that have held me back for almost 5 years are beginning to be broken.

As many of you know 5 years ago in a 6 months period I lost 2 friends. One a girl in the Bible Study I lead, and the other a guy who was like a brother to me. After experiencing the shock and reality of the frailness of life, I did not realize the lies that Satan began to root in my life.

Well, 5 years later, I still have my struggles, but for the first time I am acknowledging my fears & trusting God to free me. This means taking huge scary steps of faith - but in an odd way I am at peace in doing so.

To some who have never lost someone really close to them, they may not understand the way your view of life changes, and for those who have lost someone close, you may understand my struggles.

So, let the buds flower God, teach me to live a life of dependence on you, and to live a life of freedom and not fear.

Please pray for me as I daily trust God to provide me FREEDOM!!!

Fun Photos

Greg and his Dad (Ken) building shelves in the garage when his parents came to visit. We had a great time & they did a lot of handyman work. Our shelves ROCK!









Love at first sight (Lydia our niece & Buckeye)........ Buckeye continues to grow & love kids! He has become the "church dog" all the kids from church who wish they had a dog come visit & provide Buckeye with lots of fun & exercise.










Carol & I spend a day at Leu Gardens in Orlando - and amazing must see botanical garden. The roses were in full bloom. It was a relaxing time soaking in all of the beauty around us.












While we don't know of any kids on the way for us yet, this is a photo of Greg & Bauer - our friends adorable son. Don't you think he will make a good day some day? I do!

No broken bones

Well, it has been a while since I posted a update - here is the latest

1. I am going to Amsterdam on a mission’s trip - along with this I am choosing to face my fears and follow God. The journey has been good so far, but the spiritual attacks have all ready started. Please pray for me & Jenni as we co-lead the team & for the planning and details.

2. Monday night around 10:15 - I slipped and feel & severely sprained my right ankle. After 12 hours of sitting in the ER waiting room I was finally able to see a Doctor. Nothing is broken, but I am homebound & it has been frustrating for me. God is teaching me about learning to rest & allow others to serve me, however this is very difficult for me.

3. In general I am down today - the ankle thing plays a large part I am sure, however just prayer for my spirits would be good. Greg works the next 3 days so I will be by myself, pray that I will use the time wisely. More to come on all that God has been teaching me in regard to the Amsterdam trip - he has spoken much to me through scripture in the last month.
Until Later,
Caroline

Drink, and I'll water your camels also???????

As I continue to dialogue with God about Amsterdam, I have felt Him speaking to me through various verses. Some in regard to protection from the evil I fear & some in regard to the need.

Below is a summary from my morning "minute devotional" that I received in my email. I read this passage about 4 nights ago during my "God Time" and feel it is no coincidence that today it appeared in my inbox. I am asking God to speak to me, and He is.

So, is God calling me to water the camels? Is the prompting I feel in my heart, in regard to Amsterdam, God's response to the prayers of the missionaries in Amsterdam and their cries for encouragement from GodI have not a clue, but wait expectantly for what God will unveil.
-Caroline

Rebekah - A Servant's Heart
Selections from Genesis 24
"Let the girl to whom I say, ‘Please lower your water jug so that I may drink,' and who responds, ‘Drink, and I'll water your camels also' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac.
"Before he had finished speaking, there was Rebekah. Then the servant ran to meet her and said, "Please let me have a little water from your jug." She replied, "Drink, my lord." She quickly lowered her jug to her hand and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, "I'll also draw water for your camels until they have had enough to drink."

She had no idea who was approaching her that hot, thirsty afternoon, or that such a chance encounter would change her life forever. But you never know what kind of opportunities will arise when you start with a servant's heart. You know those times when someone seems to pop into your mind out of nowhere? You tell yourself you should give her a call, jot her a note, ask her to lunch. Or maybe it's not a particular person but a ministry area that you continue to sense God drawing you to. Who's to say, as Rebekah discovered, that God isn't prompting you for service out of response to someone's prayers? Try making sure you follow up on those uncanny occurrences. They seem like nothing, but only eternity can measure their significance.

Amsterdam or Bust

Well, there is much to tell about our holidays & how God worked in my heart during Christmas; however I will save that for my next entry when I have photos to include.

So, at the beginning of this year, I asked God that during the course of this year that he would free me from my fears. That the things I fear would not hold be back from living life as he desires me to. I told Him that I am willing to do what it takes and enter into the hard & scary places, trusting that he will provide me freedom on the other side.

In some ways this is hard for me to share, I feel so weak admitting that ”I don’t have it all together.” But do any of us really? We may appear like we do, but we all have something we are dealing with/hiding. As I was talking with a good friend the other day and expressing the importance of bring our struggles to the light that we can better expose and work through things, with others & believing God’s truth, it hit home in my life.

So, I have no idea how God is going to work in my life this year, but it seems that there is something brewing……….. I have the opportunity to go on a mission’s trip to Amsterdam in March. My initial thoughts are of excitement however then the fears of anxiety attacks & my IBS problems overwhelm me. How could I ever go to a foreign country and serve others? But if God calls me how could I not?

While I am not clear at this point if God is calling me to this or not (it has only been 3 days) I am praying about it and seeing some slight openings of doors. For instance 2 of the families over in Amsterdam are people I did ministry with during college. Also, the team that is going over there is a team from my old college, so I will know a handful of people. As well as one of my co-workers and close friends would be part of the trip too, a strong support team. There is also the hope that I may get to minister in my most passionate & gifted areas – ministering to the staff there – caring for them, providing some rest, relief & encouragement.
If you want to learn more about our church in Amsterdam (Zolder 50) check out this link. http://www.amsterdam50.nl/

So, I ask would you please pray these 3 things for me?
1.That in 2006 God would teach me how to live a life not constrained by fear.
2.I would clearly feel His prompting for me to go to Amsterdam or stay here.
3.That I would be obedient to God, despite my fears