FAMILY!!!!

Sweet Carolina, buh buh buh

I just have to say that I have been surrounded by so much beauty that is difficult to capture in pics and video. I wish you all could see what we get to see every day. All Spring we have been able to see at least one new plant, tree or flower bloom when we didn't expect anything else to come from them. If anyone ever plans a trip to the East Coast, please come our way and you will love the beauty... and we would love the Fellowship. :) You can out the Garner area at http://www.garnernc.gov/ . Have a great day! James 4:10

Fun at the Park and Duck Pond

Me and James at the park.

James on the tree swing that Greg made him.


These two are BFFs

Yesterday I got to hang out with James and we went over to the park and Duck Pond to feed the ducks and geese. There are two ducks of different types that are inseparable. So funny the way they are with each other. They saw me and James all the way from the other side of the pond and new we would probably have food for them. They are not fearful of people so I was able to get a super close pic of them.

There are also two families of geese and we even saw a turtle popping his head up. At this point we went to the park because the parents were hissing at us.

I love some of the faces that James did.

This pic cracks me up!

And so does this one. :)
James on the park swing
Yaya-here is your dinner. :)


On the jungle gym

Gotta Wear Shades

LIFE WITH A 2 1/2 YEAR OLD

Jamming on the guitar.
He already has his stance for leading worship. :)

This was what I saw when I came out of my room the other day. Made me smile. :)


2 o's :)

Hope Cafe and Greenbrier Pond

I just wanted to post a pic of where I work. If you want to check out the website it is http://hopecaferaleigh.com/ . I am very grateful how the Lord gave me this job and has already given me many hours and made me a shift lead. Please pray that I will be used here for His glory. The pond is in our neighborhood.

Stephens Family and Kinzer Family Blogs

Hey friends- here is the link for Greg and Angela's Blog. http://stephensfamilync.blogspot.com/
and also Anthony and Melanie's Blog. http://triplekinzer.blogspot.com/

End of May Update

The Lord is so amazing! I love Him and I am so thankful for His guidance and direction for me. He has given me an opportunity to be a shift lead at Hope Cafe and I am getting a good amount of hours. I just pray that as I have this position that I will do all that the Lord wants me to do while there. I pray that I will be an encouragement to my co-workers, to my Manager, to the Pastors and to all the customers that come in to Hope Cafe.

I am so excited to see FIREFLIES or LIGHTNING BUGS, whatever you want to call them. So glad to finally have them around. We have so many creatures and have continual growth of plants, flowers, and berries. We have a Mulberry Tree in our yard and have already tried the berries without dying. :)

We are so glad to have friendships that have been forming. We get to hang out on Wednesday nights having a bible study with Wes and Dianna who are expecting a baby in 4 months. Our neighbors on both sides are Christians and they are part of church plants at two different churches. Our good friends, Ben, Melissa and their daughter Alexis come on Sunday nights for our Home Fellowship and we are so glad to know them. Alexis is real good with Niah and James and I have a lot of fun hanging out with her.

Well, I just wanted to update you all and let you know I am glad to have you praying for us.

God Bless

LIFE IN NORTH CAROLINA

Well, we recently had a few birthdays in the house. Angela, Greg, Anthony and Niah. It's cool how life continues on here in North Carolina and time seems to be flying by.

Last Wednesday we went to a church to hear a guest speaker named Dr. Michael Brown. He has a show called askdrbrown on the radio and online. He wrote a book that will be pretty controversial and may cause a lot of people to pick a side that may be ultra popular or not popular at all. We were in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah was talking to the people and telling them to either choose to worship God as their God or if Baal is God to worship him as their god. Greg already has started reading the book and hopefully the rest of us will be able to read some of it as well before we give it back to our friend Wes.

Well, I should be adding more to this, but I need to get going. If you want to read Greg and Angela's Blog check out stephensfamilyNC.blogspot.com and the Kinzer's blog at triplekinzer.blogspot.com .

Each New Day

Our yard in bloom. :) Spring is so beautiful in North Carolina.





The difference of our yard by a month

GREENBRIER HOME FELLOWSHIP

(My first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. This is at Kure Beach in Wilmington.)


That is what we are calling our Home Fellowship for right now. A Greenbrier plant is a ground cover, so I told Greg maybe we could use it no matter what part of Raleigh that we are in. ;) We meet on Sunday nights starting off with dinner at 6pm and Bible Study at 7pm. We have been doing it since the beginning of February, but on January 20th was our first night in the Book of John. It has been a blessing that one of Greg's coworkers has been coming, bringing his wife and daughter. I look forward to what the Lord is going to do in them and through them.

Our lives as three families in one has been good, I think, for all of us. There are trials and there are joys, but the only way this could work is because of the Lord. So He totally gets all the glory for keeping us unified and loving toward one another. For those who don't know, I live with Greg, Angela & James Stephens along with Anthony, Melanie & Niah Kinzer. :)

I am blessed in seeing Greg and Anthony spending time in the Word, in prayer and in fellowship. Greg continues to reach out to his coworkers and has even given some of them a small new testament and a Case for Christ DVD. Anthony is also getting involved with prison ministry. It's so cool to see how God brought all that about for him. We as a family were able to go door to door in our neighborhood to let them know we are available to help them with anything they need, or if they have prayer requests. We also invited them to stop by anytime they wanted. We pray that they will take us up on it. We have all been attending the Wednesday night Bible Study at Hope Cafe and this last week, me and Angela were able to do the childcare for them. Greg, Anthony and a brother named Wes are going to be starting another bible study at the same time, which is the heart of Pastor Jack. He is encouraging it and desires to see Hope Cafe used in this way every day.

Anthony has been actively seeking a job, submitting via email and in person his resume and making phone calls. Please pray that the Lord will provide a job for him soon. For me, I have also been looking, and finally I have been offered a part-time position at Hope Cafe. I am so excited. I can't wait until I can begin training after the 9th of March. It is not only a business, but also a place for ministry. I am very grateful to Pastor Jack and Gayle for helping me out.

I have been reading more in the Word and also have been reading the Lord of the Rings. It's nice to read on a regular basis again. I also have been taking pictures, buying vegetables to try planting, and I have been exploring. On February 24th I took a spontaneous trip to Wilmington to go to the beach. I also was able to go to the Aquarium which is by Fort Fisher, an old civil war battle front. It was a nice drive and it was so cool to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Also, I changed my phone number to a North Carolina number since I will be the point of contact for ministry here in Raleigh. Please email me at newcreation139@hotmail.com if you would like to have it.

North Carolina is beautiful. I love all the different OLD trees and birds. I kind of feel like I am in Middle Earth and I am a hobbit...hahaha...that's for those who know the Lord of the Rings. Right now the trees are blooming and all the little creatures are out and about. Including BUGS... Please pray for those who are going to have a hard time with them. I am ok with them, but I am like anyone else in that I don't want to wake up with one on my face. :)

I am going to be flying to Vegas this week to see my family and friends. I am really looking forward to it. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I couldn't keep it a secret anymore. :)

I pray that you all are blessed and encouraged today. Also, I want to suggest getting out and meeting your neighbors. You often find that people appreciate it and say that they have been wanting to do the same thing.

If anyone would like to send mail to me or the other families our address is: 4405 Greenbrier Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

Greg, Angela and James Stephens: stephensfamilyNC.blogspot.com
email: stephensfamily.g@gmail.com (Greg) stephensfamily.a@gmail.com (Angela)

Anthony, Melanie and Niah Kinzer: triplekinzer.blogspot.com
email: 3stranded@gmail.com

ONE MONTH

Tuesday, January 18th was one month since I arrived in Raleigh. Pretty crazy how it feels like time flew by and also how it seems like I have been here forever. I still have not taken my driving test, so that is a priority for me....soon... :)

Our dear friends, Anthony, Melanie and Niah Kinzer arrived on Saturday, January 8th. What an awesome blessing to have them. It's funny, because we all still feel like this isn't real. It's like we all are in Vegas still just hanging out. :) It's good to be here with friends.

We are all living together right now and it is working out well. Totally the Lord!!! We eat together, watch movies together, play with the kids, have good conversations, and keep the house clean together. :) We could for sure use the prayer for continued Love and Unity among this Body of believers. I wonder how they did it in the days of the early church like in the book of Acts. Probably always in prayer.

On my birthday, Greg, Anthony and Melanie took me to see Tron in 3D. Pretty cool movie. I love talented people who can make movies like that. Angela watched the kiddos and then after we scooped them up and went to Applebees. It was nice to go out and do something as a group.

We have been attending the Bible Study at Hope Cafe on Wednesday nights and then on Sunday nights we meet together. Hopefully we will be able to have guests over soon that would want to spend time in the Word with us after eating dinner. Please pray for more opportunities to get to know people so we can invite them. Greg has some people he works with that hopefully will want to come over soon. Tuesday nights will be our prayer nights as a group and if we have anything important to discuss.

Thank you all for your prayers for us. We just want to do whatever the Lord has moved us here to do, so please pray that we will see where He is guiding and hear His voice.

Love you all... Holly

If you would like to read the Stephens Family or Kinzer Family Blogs here are their links.

http://stephensfamilync.blogspot.com/ , http://triplekinzer.blogspot.com/