I have been hearing many thoughts.....

I’ve been hearing many thoughts come out of Jay’s mouth recently. Things like…..

“Babe, have you seen this website about this RN in Kenya who has opened a hospice center? Maybe the Lord wants to use us there?”
“Guess what…only 17 more weeks until graduation, then I will officially be an LPN!!”
“Babe, I have three tests tomorrow, I have no idea how I will do.”
“Guess what, I made 88%, 84%, 92%. It was all God I have no idea how I did that in one day.”
“Babe, have you been on Restoration Gateway’s Website lately? There are some amazing things going on in Uganda! Maybe the Lord wants to use us there?”

I have been hearing many thoughts come out of Melissa’s mouth recently.  Things like...

“Honey, I heard about this guy, Grant, working in Sudan, they need a male nurse you should check it out. Maybe the Lord wants to use us there?”
“I can’t wait until you’re done with nursing school so that I can see your entire face not just the top of your head while you’re studying!!”
“Honey, trust the Lord he will give you the strength you need to do well on those tests.”
“I read the Huffman’s in Kenya blog today, you need to read it. They have a new nurse helping them at their children’s home.”
“I had a dream of holding a baby who was dying because it needed food.”

As most of you know we are facing a season of change as we navigate through this incredible journey called Life!

We have learned so much through the Bighouse ministry. God has used our time as we have worked with teens who have great emotional need to soften our hearts toward those in great physical need. As we read God’s word, pray, worship, & learn more about needs around the world we continue to be drawn to the needs of East Africa.

This coming July Melissa and I are planning a discovery trip to East Africa to see the work being done by these three organizations. We have been praying for God to show us which organization he desires us to work alongside so that we will be able to look after the orphan and widow to the glory of God.

“What does the Lord require of us: To do justice, to love mercy
and to walk humbly with our God.” Micah 6:8

Please pray for our trip:
-Safety while traveling.
-Safety for JT and Claira while they staying behind, this time.
-Unity and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.
-Our long term purpose in E. Africa  to be revealed.

Financial Support:

-2 plane tickets $3,000
-2 weeks room & board in Kenya $1,000
-2 weeks room & board in Uganda/Sudan $560
- 4 week van rental $400

Total Trip Cost: $4,960

Mail Tax Deductible Donation To:
New Heights Church

P.O. Box 8668
Fayetteville, AR 72703

*Please write Gresham’s on the memo line.        Thank You!

He has Risen! He has risen, INDEED!

On Saturday I was reminiscing the Easters from my childhood. I remember how excited I was to wake up on Easter morning, put on my beautiful custom dress made by my talented mother that had been taunting me all week long. Then I would go outside to  have a  picture taken with my siblings and then head off to church where we would chant the phrase. The pastor would passionately say, "HE HAS RISEN!" and we would all chant back, "He has risen, INDEED!"

Throughout my childhood  I may have experienced Easter in several different churches but, there were still many things that stayed the same. I still woke up to my hand made dress, had my picture taken with my brother and sister, and then went to church where we would all chant, "He has risen, INDEED!"

What does this mean? This is what I kept thinking about Saturday. I was wondering, "Is it just something we say because it is the "Easter" thing to say?" As I was reflecting on  what Easter  means to me now at this point in my life I realized it is the response to this statement that I have never really taken time to understand.

Yes, Jesus has risen. But, can I say he has risen, INDEED?
in·deed

 /ɪnˈdid/ Show Spelled

adverb

in fact; in reality; in truth; truly
(used for emphasis, to confirm and amplify a previous statement, to indicate a concession or admission)
Yes! I can!
Indeed- he has healed hurts that wounded my heart deeply
Indeed- he allowed me to be raised by parents you taught me the ways of Jesus
Indeed- he showed himself to me at a young age
Indeed- he brought mentors that have shown me his truths
Indeed- he gave me a husband who loves me unconditionally because he seeks the Lord
Indeed- he comforted me when I miscarried and then blessed me with an amazing son, JT, whom I   get to show how to be a follower of Jesus
Indeed- he comforted me, again, when I miscarried and then blessed me with an amazing daughter, whom I get to show how to be a follower of Jesus
Indeed- he has brought light into the very dark places of my life
Indeed- he has showed me that my identity is in Him and not man
Indeed- he place on my heart to give up my materialism so that my time could be spent reaching out to at risk teens through Bighouse (I still struggle with materialism but God is my strength!)
Indeed- he has provided for our financial, medical, transportation, education and housing needs since we have lived on support for the last six and half years
Indeed- he has caused my heart to break because of injustice, to learn to love mercy and to strive to walk humbly with him. (Micah 6:8)
Indeed- he has given me the strength and desire to say, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. " (Luke: 1:38)

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012. I woke up, put on a skirt that I have owned for five years, meant to take a picture of all of us but didn't because I forgot, can you imagine! We arrived at church early knowing it would be a busy Sunday. I saved four seats but I was unsure that JT would sit with us because he had spent the night before with his friend, Grady. As the music started to play I reflected on the words of the songs. Phrases like... my Redeemer Lives, Every one needs Compassion, Let Mercy Fall etc.. Hearing Claira's voice sing was like standing next to a heavenly angel. JT came and set by me. He hugged me and whispered in my ear that he loved me. When Jay was done with his ushering duties  he came and joined the rest of us.

So, here I was with my husband, who I adore, and my two incredible children, who I had prayed for, at my sides, a rare treat since they are usually in their age appropriate services, and it happened. Our pastor and dear friend, Lee, takes the stage and says passionately, "HE has RISEN!" and we all four reply, "He has risen, INDEED! For the first time in 36 years I was humbled and completely amazing at the phrase.

 Ineed, he has risen!

We are ALL on SPRING BREAK!

No school, work (except for JT), homework, small groups, meetings etc.... Just fun, relaxing family time!
We started the week of by watching a movie Sunday Night:

The Gresham's give this movie 4 thumbs up! The animation was excellent and Jay loved the "Indiana Jones" style of music.  Movies are one of the ways we love to spend time together. We are all movie lovers, so we decided that this Spring Break we would wrap up our day by watching a  movie every night! Thank you Red Box!

MONDAY:

I wasn't happy about this picture of me first thing
in the morning but it is reality of the way it is.

Jay and I slept in until 8:30! Yes, that is sleeping in considering that during a normal week we wake up between 4:30 and 5:00 depending on the day. We stared the day with our coffee time. Coffee time means that Jay sits on the couch across from me. The first cup we each read our bibles separately. The second cup we talk about the day. These are very large cups of coffee so this time can easily take up a glorious hour to hour and a half!

JT is our official researcher for
our Red Box movie selection.
I think he found a comedy!

Claira was able to play with her friends Katie Anne and Emma today. Jay worked on taxes and mailed some letters. I poured my creativity into sewing and JT did some yard work for Woodway (the apartments we live at) until the rain came.

JT learning to sharpen lawn mower blades.
Benny said he did a great job.

My three hour makeover for the living room.

Calazones for dinner! This is a family favorite. I prepare all of
the stuff and then everyone makes their own. For the recipe
follow this link:
http://myfavoritecookbook.blogspot.com/2011/06/calazone.html

We did something we NEVER do during
the school year.

Braum's Run at 8:30 pm!

Back to the house for our second movie of the week. The Gresham family gives this one 4 thumbs up! We didn't start it until 9:30 and it kept my attention. This is a big deal considering I am normally the one who falls asleep.

Day 1
of
Spring Break
2012,
SUCCESS!

It rained off and on the rest of the week so we had to do some improvising.

JT borrowed some comic books from his long time friend Grady. He was amazed that this one was written the year he was born!

Nothing like fresh baked French Bread on a drizzy (? I guess I just made that one up) day! It was so nice to have the time to bake bread! The things I use to take for granted when I was a stay-at-home-mom. Looking forward to more of this in the future!

Claira was able to spend some time with her friend Miriam who taught her how to make
duct tape headbands. Super Cute!
Claira we should "Pin This"!

Thank you Alice Walton! We are so fortunate to now live 45min. away from an incredible art museum. Alice Walton ( Walmart Walton) has brought some culture to NW Arkansas that we all didn't know we need but I think we did. We loved our day at Crystal Bridges American Art Museum. The best part, IT'S FREE! The art was amazing and the grounds were stunning. We will visit this place often.

                                                                     Captain America!

This marks the craziest thing we did all week. We went the the mid night release of the Hunger Games! Claira took a photo of her ipod right at midnight. Every theater was packed. We showed up an hour and a half early and still had to sit on the front row! Great memory!

We wrapped up our week off with a picnic at the park! The sun came out just in time for us all to go back to work and school!

Dear Spring Break,

We can't wait for next year!

Love,

The Gresham's

Christmas Letter 2011: The Journey Begins

   

Merry Christmas! I can’t believe another year has passed, and believe me, a lot has happened since last Christmas. Bighouse has hit its five year mark and the 2011-2012 school year has been our best yet. We have had incredible teens participate and more volunteers than ever before. As many of you know, last January I was accepted into nursing school. Melissa and I both knew God was putting tension on our lives again in the same way he did when I quit AT&T to start Bighouse. When applying for nursing school our prayer was, “Lord, help us glorify you most.” We desired to continue working at Bighouse if that was going to glorify him most, but if his plan was for me to pursue nursing then I would get accepted into the program. Out of 300 applicants that applied, I was one of the 50 that were chosen. God had answered and we knew we were facing another transition so that He could be glorified.

This Christmas finds us on the tail end of this transition. We have had some challenges. Melissa, along with extra volunteers, has taken on a bigger role in the day to day operation of Bighouse so that I can continue with my nursing education. We believe God is going to use my medical training and our hearts for the lost and broken people who are made in his image, overseas one day. We had no idea where God was eventually leading us when we stepped out in faith to open Bighouse, but we now see that he was preparing us for a ride like no other. Opening Bighouse was an act of obedience, and in keeping with our call to be obedient and to glorify him, we know God is calling us to get prepared for the next step in our journey, full time medical mission work overseas.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27(NIV)

God’s call to care for the orphans and widows has been stamped on our hearts in a way that can’t be ignored.

I will be graduating from nursing school in June 2012 and starting to gain medical experience to prepare me for working overseas. Melissa and I will be stepping down as directors of Bighouse this coming June. We covet your prayers for God to bring the perfect person or group of people to carry on with the Bighouse ministry in Prairie Grove. God has reminded us over and over that Bighouse isn’t ours, it belongs to him. He gave us the idea, he has provided the money, the building, the teens etc… and he will continue to provide for the teens of Prairie Grove because they belong to him and are dear to his heart.

Due to the economy and other circumstances, some of our monthly supporters have not been able to contribute anymore. My most humble request is this: As we move forward for the rest of this school year could you pray and consider making a 6 month commitment for our personal support. By the grace of God, we have raised enough money for the operations of Bighouse, but unfortunately our personal support has decreased. God has always provided for us in unexpected ways and we, in the past five years of living on support, have never gone without. Join us as we pray for God to continue to provide through June. If God leads you to help please fill out the donation card included in your letter.

We not only get the privilege to work with teens at Bighouse we now have a teen and pre-teen in our home! That’s right, JT is 15 and Claira will be turning 12 in February! JT, through sponsorship, (another way God provided in a very unexpected way) has been attending Providence Classical Christian Academy for his 9th grade year. He loves the interaction with teachers and peers. It has challenged him some but we have seen him grow in his faith and character through this great experience. He continues to become more and more talented on mandolin, banjo, and guitar. He is skilled at video games and knows more about computers and technical stuff than Melissa and I. JT has been blessed with some incredible friends and mentors in his life. We are so encouraged to see him seek God as he navigates through his crazy teenage life.

Claira, being homeschooled, gets the privilege of becoming educated in everything from academics to menu planning. She loves being “big sister” to the children in our apartment complex and developing her abilities in sewing, crafting, cooking and art. She has also developed a fashion senses that comes in handy when Melissa is having a “clothes crisis.”  Claira is our prayer warrior. She loves God and prays earnestly for his will in our life. We are so blessed by how he is using her.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, support, encouragement, and hanging in there with us through the thick and thin.  

   

Fall 2011

Claira played soccer this fall for the first time ever. We were impressed with her fearlessness at the beginning of the year considering the fact that she was on a co-ed team that played against 14 yr. Old boys! As the season went on her motivation decreased due to the fact that she could pass around 5'9" 14 year old boys!

JT spent the day at a local corn maze with Coley.

This year we hosted our 8th annual Pumpkin Carvin'Party at Nonna & Poppa's. JT and Claira were a huge help in everything from setting up tables, filling candy bags, setting out food, showing guest where to park etc... I couldn't have done it without them. Jay missed the party because he had the incredible privilege of caring for Grandpa White as he left this world to be with Jesus for all eternity. October 8th 2011 will forever be remembered.

 JT dressed up in "Steam Punk" Style, Abby is a groovy girl and Cody chose to be a Priest.

On Halloween Night JT went Trick-Or-Treating with some friends from school. He did a great job becoming Kipp from Napoleon Dynamite.

Claira Cooks!!! Claira took it upon herself to make pancakes for breakfast one morning. I was so proud of her for serving the family in this way. The pancakes were excellent!

Look how beautiful the tree outside our bedroom window is!!!

The famous trebuchet! JT and Mason took first place in the
Providence Pumpkin' Chunkin' Competition.

The Master Wizard Pumpkin' Chunker and his Knight & Guardian Mason.

Callie, Claira, Amy, Dean & Michael braving the rain to support JT, Corey, Mason, & Jay
during the launch. 350 feet! WHOO HOOO!

Our day at Wilson Park

Things we did the Summer of 2011

As the weather is getting colder I am reminded that summer went so fast! Although I am excited about the cooler fall temps I don't want to forget all the fun we had the Summer of 2011!

Playing Washers in the court yard

Looks like I almost got a Ringer!

JT & Uncle Doy playing Bluegrass at Grandpa & Poppa Jerry's

My beautiful Mother's day hanging basket from my sweet mother-in-law kept
me and the Humming Birds happy all summer!

Claira playing Chicken with her cousins at Grandma & Poppa Jerry's

All we need is Becca to make this family photo complete.
This was taken on the front porch of our apartment.

This was fun. While JT was working a Camp Barnabas the neighborhood got creative.
The McCollum Girls and Claira had all of our neighbors decorate a care for JT. We taped them
together and made an accordion style book out of it. Then mailed it to him at camp.
We have nicknamed it "The Longest Card in the World"

Claira and Mackenzie playing dolls

Claira on 4th of July

The braces are off!! JT requested a burger from Hugo's to celebrate.

Claira got brave and had her burger with vegetables and liked it.
It was a picture worthy moment!

Thanks to Joe and Rosie we spent a wonderful day at the lake.
JT and Jay tubing.

Claira and JT on the boat