***What a wonderful weekend! Greg and I are taking the ALPHA course through our church and this past weekend we were able to getaway for a full weekend to immerse ourselves in God’s word and learn more about the Holy Spirit. Friday evening, Greg got home from work, everything was packed and ready to go (I was very eager as this was our first weekend away on a trip like this together!). Our first stop was to drop off the dog at a friend’s house. Buster was very excited as they had a dog as well and lots of land to run! The next stop was dinner and then dropping Jacob off at his best friend ‘saiahs house. This was his first overnight trip at a friend’s house. He has spent nights away with family, even a month this summer with my mom, but this was his first sleepover with a friend! Oh boy was he excited. We got to the Terry house around 9:30 ( a little late, but the kids were still up so it was ok), dropped him off and were on our way. We were spending the weekend at Alton Bay Christian Center. It is only about 45 mins from our house, but it was amazing! So beautiful and peaceful.

(Great discussion on missionaries, Old Testiment traditions/laws, and much more!)

***Our first talk Saturday morning was on “Who Is the Holy Spirit?” (looking back on my notes I can tell I was not very awake as there are not that many!) followed by “What Does the Holy Spirit Do?” (now my notes are much more extensive on this session!). We also covered “How Can I Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?” and “How Can I make the Most of the Rest of My Life?” over the weekend. We enjoyed amazing food and great small group conversations! And of course lots of Apples to Apples! If you have not played that game, I strongly suggest planning a game night with some friends, you are guaranteed lots of laughter and conversation!

(Getting ready for worship and discussion time!)

***What I gained most out of this weekend was finally accepting God as the Father. I haven’t had a strong relationship with my father, and was let down greatly by both my father and stepfather, and have had a hard time accepting God as Father. This weekend I finally was able to do that! I realized that He is so much more than anyone here on earth and that He will not disappoint me, hurt me, or let me down! That He is the Father I have always wanted! For the first time I was able to pray, “Father…”!

(Greg, Jodi and Michelle in talent show)

***Greg was convicted of being a stronger spiritual leader to our family. It isn’t that he isn’t a good one, but there is always room for improvement and he feels he needs to.

***We took Chloe with us, as I am still nursing and well, just wasn’t ready for a weekend away from my baby girl!  She was amazing, and we were blessed with many hands to help watch her so we could focus on the different sessions and on what God was telling us. Although we were exhausted by the time Sunday afternoon rolled around (two late late nights of Apples to Apples, emotional prayer times, and early breakfasts) I felt very refreshed! I hope that we are given the opportunity to help next year with the ALPHA course as leaders!

(Chloe's crazy hair!)

***Tonight we have another ALPHA meeting, and I am so excited for it! If your church doesn’t have ALPHA, look into it. It is a great tool for the community to spread the gospel in a friendly way, along with offering the opportunity for all who have questions to do so in a very safe environment. Our church has had proclaimed atheists go through the program and come out accepting Christ as their savior and now leading others to Christ. If you are already a Christian, it is a great tool for witnessing and learning the questions that some may have and how to answer them.

***So for the rest of this week, I am working on putting together a devotional post for our new Blog Hop~ Iron Women of the Word. I am very excited, yet nervous at the same time, and will need to do a lot of studying! I am also going to be working on my budget (we started listening to Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover- thanks Terry family!!!!) and my cross in my pocket projects…