April & May 2014 Recap

Hey there! I have been neglecting the poor ole' Gardner blog lately. I am going to attempt to do a month recap using a lot of pictures and very few words! Ready.. Set.. Go!

Gray and I are learning very quickly that summer time in student ministry is CRAZY! It seems like most of the summer we will be living out of a suit case as we bounce around from camp to camp with different students. We are very excited and are praying that the Lord uses these camps to draw our students closer to himself. We are also hoping to build deeper relationship with the students who attend the camps.

My sweet in-laws came to visit us! We had a wonderful time showing them around our new home. They are coming back in October and we can't wait!

Every year the student ministry participates in the 30 Hour Famine where we fast for 30 hours in order to raise awareness for world hunger. We spent the 30 hours doing different activities to spend time together and to keep our minds off of being hungry. I really enjoyed doing this because you get a tiny (and I mean tiny) glance into what so many people across the world face daily… hunger and not knowing when your next meal will be. This challenges me to be more thankful for what I have and to pray for those who often go without food.

We celebrated our first Easter Sunday at FBC on April 20. One of our pastors hosts an annual Easter lunch and egg hunt at his house. They invite people in the area who do not have family near by to attend. We had a wonderful time! It was so nice to be with "church family" on Easter. :)

On May 15 we hopped on a plane and traveled back to our old stompin' grounds, also known as South Carolina! We were there from Thursday-Monday and it was a whirl wind of a visit!

I enjoyed a night with my mom, sister, and her boy friend. We had a great time connecting and playing countless games of UNO. :) I love them dearly.

On Friday I got to spend sweet time with my Grandparents. They have been so influential in my life and mean so much to me. I love you Papa and Donna! ;)

I had the honor of being in one of my high school best friend's wedding on Saturday! It was so great spending time with her and other old friends. When we were leaving on Saturday night I got a little homesick. I love those people and wish I could see them all more.

After the wedding Gray and I spend Saturday and Sunday with Gray's family! We celebrated my father-in-law and brother-in-law's birthdays. Our time together went by too quickly!

Last but certainly not least, we got to meet our best friends, Dustin and Avery's new baby Elliotte Claire. Let me tell you, that baby girl is LOVED. Her parents are doing such a wonderful job caring for her. We got to spend a few hours on Sunday with 3 day old baby Elliotte, her mommy, and daddy. I was soaking up every minute. They are seriously such gifts from the Lord to us. We love being Aunt Jen and Uncle Gray! :)

I mean is she not the most beautiful thing your have ever seen???

On another note, I recently accepted the Receptionist position at Midlothian Heritage High school beginning in August! MHHS is a brand new high school in town. It will just be a 9^th grade center next year, but adopt a new grade each year until  there are two fully functioning high schools in Midlothian. I am very excited about meeting more people in our community, being around students, being on the school schedule, (hello summer off!) and helping contribute financially. I am thankful for the Lord’s provision in this area!

A few prayer requests:

• Pray for this summer as we have a lot of intentional time with students. Pray that we would be faithful to share the love of Christ with them. Also, please pray for strength as I am sure we will be tired!
• Pray that our relationship with Jesus would grow more deeply as each day passes. 
• Pray for our marriage and that in this busy season coming up we would remain close keeping Christ at the center. 
• Pray that I would be able to trust God in all circumstances, situations, and regardless of outcomes. I know he is a faithful, sovereign, and a good God but sometimes its hard for me to put that trust into practice when times are tough. 

That's all for now! Thank you for your prayers and love.