Thursday, October 13, 2011

My New Love...

I have just discovered pinterest! I'm hooked. I had heard about it before, but didn't really see the point of it. If you want to be inspired or get creative, that's the place to look! I have already seen so many pictures of desserts that I want to try, home improvements I want to do, party ideas for Landon, clothes, shoes, crafts, etc., etc., etc. The list could go on and on. Whoever came up with this is a genius. Why can't I ever think of anything like that?!
In other news, I have started planning Landon's 2nd birthday party! I can't believe he is almost 2 years old. The time has gone by unbelievably fast. The theme is Blues Clues, but I don't want to overdo it. I'll have a few obvious Blues Clues items but I think the rest will be subtle. I'm so excited about it. I have some pictures posted on pinterest (told you I'm in love) if you want to check them out!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

God is So Good!

Wow! God has been so good to us! It amazes me more every day how much He loves and cares for us even though we have done nothing to deserve it. My husband and I were talking about this last night. Our bellies were full, our pantry is full, and our closets are full of clothes (and shoes). What have we done to deserve this? Nothing! I'm about to start preaching.
The church has been doing great! We have had a visitor every week so far. Two families are still coming that were at our first service. We have already had a baby born in the church (she is absolutely gorgeous, by the way!). The men are on a canoeing trip today and the ladies are taking a trip next Saturday. We have definitely been busy, but it's a good busy. Again, God has been so good to us!
I have already learned alot about being a pastor's wife in just the five weeks that I have been one! 1) My husband and I can't do everything! It takes alot of people to make Sunday "successful" if you don't mind my using that term. I am so thankful for the people God has given us to help us in this ministry. I don't know what we would do without them! 2) My husband needs me in a different way, now. I don't really know how to explain this, but I'll give it my best shot. He needs to know that I will support him in whatever he does. He needs to know that I am always willing to listen to him and his "bright" ideas. :) And that I won't laugh or joke about them. He needs to know and feel that I am always praying for him. He needs me to encourage him when he is discouraged about something. He needs to know that when he comes home, it is a shelter, a safe haven, for him. I know, I know. This sounds like what any husband needs, right? That's true, but I think it is so much more important for a Pastor to know these things about his wife. He has to stay encouraged and feel supported so that he can go out and do what God has called him to do. I pray every day that God would help me to be the wife that I should be. It's a hard job, but with God's help I can do it!
Well, this post turned out to be longer than I intended. I'll post more next week, or at least I'll try. :) Praying for all of you!




Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Getting Ready for the Church

It's been long time since I've posted anything! I've been super busy with being a wife and mommy, babysitting, getting things ready for the church and my newest thing...selling Thirty-One! Yep...I've taken on something else. :) I really love it, though. If you've never heard of them, check out my website www.mythirtyone.com/lesliesmith

The start date for the church is getting really close! We feel like we still have so much to do and very little time to do it in. We still need a piano, nursery equipment, plants, and we still have 10,000 John/Romans to stuff into bags and pass out. That will be our big project this week. We will be stuffing bags with the John/Romans and a flyer about our special September 11 service. Please be in prayer for this service.

Time is flying by! We were able to spend July 4 with my family in South Carolina. We had a blast! Landon loved the pool (mommy did, too). I wish that we lived closer to them so we could see them more often, but I know that if we weren't here we would be miserable because we would be out of the Lord's will for our lives.

I'll try to post more often, especially when the church starts. I can add one more title to my name...pastor's wife. :)

Monday, May 23, 2011

What Would You Do?

Okay...I found this crawling on  my ceiling earlier today! This picture makes it look alot smaller than it actually was. If you know me at all, you know that I am terrified of spiders and will not get close enough to them to kill them. So, I just sat on the couch and watched it crawl around for about an hour, then it went behind the curtains and I haven't seen it since. Yikes! I want to know what you would have done if you saw this on YOUR ceiling! I decided that if it went on the floor, I would find a box or something to throw over it. I would have had to have really good aim, though! I probably would have been standing on the other side of the room, screamed, then thrown the box and run away. :) Leave me your comment telling me what you would have done!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Back Home

We're back home! It was so nice to be gone for a few days, but it was also nice to get back home. Plus, we only had one day of work, and now it's the weekend. It's like two vacations in one. :)
We had a great time at the mission conference in Baltimore. The people there treated us like royalty. I spent 4 1/2 years on full time deputation with my parents and don't remember ever being treated as well as we were at High Point Independent Baptist Church. Everyone was so nice and made us feel right at home. On Monday, all the missionary ladies went on a shopping trip. We went to a HUGE thrift store where I found a few things for me and lots of stuff for Landon.
Wednesday, we hit Washington, DC. That was an interesting trip. After two hours of simply trying to get into the city, and an hour to find a parking place, we walked about 1/2 mile in the rain to get where we wanted to be...the Holocaust Museum. When we made it out of there, it had finally quit raining. We then made our way to the American History Museum, where we spent most of our time. We had to keep an eye on the time because we had to be at the car at 4pm so that it didn't get towed. We left the museum at 3:15 to make our way back to the car. After walking around in circles, we finally found it at 3:50. Then, for icing on the cake, I spilled chocolate milk all over the seat of the car right before I got in to sit down. We were glad to get to the hotel that night.
After our experiences in DC, we decided to just stay at the hotel for the evening and order pizza for supper. The next day, we went to the Prime Outlets in Hagerstown, MD where I found a few more things. :) I still have some birthday money left over, though. I'm going to try and spend it tonight. I'm sure it won't be too hard. I'll keep you posted.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Baltimore

We're going to Baltimore tomorrow!! I'm super excited about this trip! We will be at a mission conference Sunday through Tuesday, but Wednesday and Thursday are vacation days! We have no idea what we're going to do, and we really don't care. :) We will probably check out the Baltimore zoo because we can get in for free and probably do some shopping along the way, of course. This will be the first "vacation" we've had since we've been married (three years)!
Pray that the church we will be presenting our ministry to will take us on for support. We hope to be a blessing to them while we are there. That is always a prayer of ours. Even if the church we visit decides not to support us, we still hope that we have been a blessing to them and we will always stick out in their memory as a family who loves God and wants to do His will in their lives.
I will take lots of pictures on our trip and will definitely put them up on facebook, maybe on here too. 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mother's Day

This day is quickly becoming my favorite day of the year, not just because my husband does everything for me (although that is pretty nice), but because if really makes me so thankful to be a mommy. Think about it...God has given us a little human being to teach, nurture, love, and enjoy. What a responsibility he has given to us! Sometimes I see moms at the mall or somewhere and I wonder why on earth they even have kids. It's like they're completely oblivious to the precious child pulling on their shirt to ask if they can have an ice cream. Some mothers need to wake up and realize that they have a wonderful gift from God and they are to raise this child in a way that is pleasing to Him.
Raising a child is the most important job anyone could possibly have. It is also the most rewarding, but it's certainly not the easiest. You are teaching your child to grow up and be a responsible adult. It seems like an impossible thing to do, but with God's strength, we can do it.
Just last night as I was putting Landon to bed, I was cradling him in my arms, just looking at him. He was looking up at me with those beautiful grayish eyes and I just teared up. Even now as I write this, I am emotional. I thank God every day for the gift he has given me. I want more than anything to be the kind of mommy Landon deserves. I don't know that I ever will be, but I'm sure gonna try! I never knew that it was possible to have so much love in your heart for such a little person.
Mommy loves you, Landon!!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Easter Weekend

I hope that all of you have had a weekend like mine! It was wonderful! Dan and I were both off work Friday, so we had a long weekend together. Those are the best. :) It rained all day Friday, so we just went shopping and got some much needed clothes for all of us. At Once Upon A Child, I bought Landon 12 outfits and 2 pairs of shoes for $38! Love that place!
It was supposed to storm all day Saturday, but the Lord held back the rain and made it an absolutely beautiful day! We were able to go the zoo and take some spring pictures of Landon. He had a blast at the zoo. His favorite animals were the turtles and the seals. We let him walk around in the aquarium. He found a turtle inside one of the tanks and kept trying to touch it. It was so cute!
Easter Sunday was wonderful! We had great services at church and had lots of visitors. Pastor gave a very clear salvation message. We're praying that someone there was saved or will get saved. I missed being with my family, but I'm very thankful for a church family that I enjoy being with. I am going to miss them all when we start our church in Cranberry!
It's been a while since I've posted, so let me catch you up on a few things. We now have a building to meet in for the church. It is a community center, only two years old. It is the nicest building we have found and it is also the cheapest. The Lord has answered that prayer! Our Bible study is still going good. We haven't had any new people show up, but the ones that do come have been faithful. One couple hasn't been in a couple of weeks because of work.
I have begun babysitting a new girl. Her name is Nadia and she is very sweet. She's two years old. Pray for her mom, Jill. She just found out that she has cancer. They say that they can just go in, get it and be done with it. Pray that the Lord will use this to bring her to Him. It's not a coincidence that the Lord put them in our lives just two weeks before she was diagnosed. Please help us pray that we will be a testimony to her and her family.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Weekend Trip

This past weekend we had the opportunity to present our ministry at Ripley Baptist Temple in Ripley, WV. We had a wonderful time and were so blessed by the meeting there. The music was amazing and the people were so friendly. After church, we went to Wendy's with the pastor and a few other families from the church. It was so good to be around God's people and get to know them a little better.
We stayed with my in-laws for a few days. Landon had a great time playing with his cousins and getting spoiled! :) He never sleeps very well while we're there, so this morning he slept until about 9:15 and he's already getting sleepy again!
I will begin babysitting a new little girl Monday! She just turned 2 and is alot of fun. I think she will be a good fit for my little crew. I am so grateful for the families that I babysit for. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be able to stay home with Landon. Thank you, Lord, for your many blessings!!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Savor the Moment

Landon is 15 months old today! It has really made me think about how quickly time goes by. This has me thinking...we need to savor the moments that God gives us with our family. It all goes by so quickly and we can get so caught up in the "busyness" of life that we forget about savoring those precious moments with our loved ones. All too soon, Landon is going to be going off to college and beginning a life of his own. I don't want the next 17 years to pass me by and I look back and say "Why didn't I savor those moments I had with him?!" We need to treat every day as if it is our last.
Our weekend was extremely busy. I was absolutely exhausted Sunday. I'm sure people at church were probably thinking, "What in the world is wrong with her?" I was completely out of it. Landon and I both came home and crashed in our beds. And that night, we had no problems going back to sleep! Now, I am ready for the week. Bring it on!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

What a Week!

Wow! It's been one of those crazy weeks and it's not even over yet! We haven't really done that much, I guess, but it seems like we're all exhausted. Tuesday and Wednesday I babysat a two month old little boy plus the other two I babysit and Landon. This house was crazy for a couple of days! I can handle three, but add that fourth one and, man, am I tired. I guess I had forgotten how much work a baby is. Especially when it's not yours. Of course, it doesn't help that he is spoiled rotten. 
Our Bible study went well last night. We found out that all of our regular people are going to be traveling next week. Our pastor spoke to a lady who said that she would be there next week. We'll see what happens. Hopefully she will come. 
I wanted to share with you something that I read in my devotions this morning. In Isaiah 22:11 it is talking about how the people were trying to protect Jerusalem and how they built ditches to make it more difficult for the enemy to get into their city. The last part of the verse says, "but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago."  How often do we try to do things on our own without any consideration that it was God who gave it to us in the first place? We must never forget God and His blessings and gifts. God was the one that created the city for these people, yet in their haste to protect the city, they didn't even ask God for protection. They seemed to completely forget about Him and did things on their own. This was a real blessing and challenge to me this morning. Even in the small things, remember God.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Party

Our party went very well, I think. The kids seemed to have a good time. We watched How To Train Your Dragon. I'll have to watch it again, though because I wasn't really able to watch it.
So...time change was yesterday. Guess what happened to me?! I use my cell phone as my alarm clock. Every other phone I've ever owned has automatically switched over. Well, not this one! Finally at 8:00 Dan asked me if I was ever going to get up. I said "It's only 7, leave me alone." "No...it's after 8!" I didn't believe him until he showed me his phone which had switched over. I jumped out of bed and got ready as fast as I could. Our Sunday School starts at 9:45...I didn't make it. He had to go without me, then come back and pick up me and Landon! Needless to say, it was an interesting day. And, next time change I'll be prepared!!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Lots to Do!

So much to do today...Will I have enough time?!
Tomorrow we are having a party for our Little Ambassadors class at church. Pizza, games and a movie. I still have to find some games to play and tonight we need to go out any get some prizes. I have to clean my house, too. It's a mess. That reminds me of a story of myself when I was little. We went over to my grandparents house one night. I walked in the door and saw that a chair was out of place and began scooting them back into place while saying "This house is a mess!" Anyway, I also need to figure out what kind of dessert to have. I think cookies or brownies will be fine. Something easy.
I have a sick kid at my house today. One of the little girls I babysit has a fever, but I told them to bring her anyway. Is that being a bad mother? I'll try to keep her away from Landon as much as possible. That will be huge part of my day. :)
Oh, and for you moms out there...don't ever use the Johnson's diaper cream. It doesn't work! I've been putting it on Landon for about three days and his rash just kept getting worse. Finally, I said "We're going to get some Desitin." I put it on him last night and this morning his little bottom is just as white as can be! No more redness!
I'll post about our party sometime tomorrow or Sunday. Hopefully the kids will have a great time!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Family Kindness

Last night our family devotions were about kindness, especially kindness amongst family members. Sometimes we are kinder to strangers and acquaintances than our own family members. I hate to think that I am guilty of this, but I know that I am. I know that my family knows that I love them, but I need to show them more than I do. Not only in words, but in actions. As we all know, "Actions speak louder than words!" So, I'm going to challenge you...This week attempt to do seven things (that's one a day) that you would normally not do for a family member to show them your love for them. I'm going to try it, too. I think it will help make our days better and our relationship with family better.
Last night we went to the grocery store (again). I was all excited because I was going to get two weeks' of groceries for a really good deal. You see, our grocery store here sometimes has really good deals on meat. This week (or so I thought) they had pork chops on sale, buy one get one free; also, pork roast, buy one get one free. The pork chops would last us about a week and the pork roasts would last us about another week. Well, I got there and none of that stuff was on sale! I didn't look at the date on the ad I got in the mail! The sale starts Saturday! I was so mad at myself. So, I only got enough food to last us about a week. Anyway...next week I will get enough food for two weeks. Lesson learned...always look at the date on the ad before you make your grocery list and menu!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Tax Return! :)

We got our tax refund yesterday! Praise the Lord, we are now debt free and we had enough left over to buy Landon some clothes and do some stuff around the house that we have been wanting to do. God is so good to us!
We got Landon some of the cutest clothes. Just little rompers for the summer, but I can't wait to put them on him. One of them says "Major Hunk" and it's camouflage! That's my favorite. We also got him some new shoes, which he desperately needed.
Afterwards, we went to the dreaded grocery store. I hate going there. It always puts me in a bad mood. Anyway, tonight's trip was pretty entertaining with my husband and Landon along. As soon as we walked in the door there was a group of people standing there laughing. Landon thought that he would join in and started laughing right along with them. Then, Dan would push Landon down the aisle, then run after him and tickle his legs. Landon thought that was just hilarious. At first, I was embarrassed. I just knew people were thinking, "Look at that guy acting like an idiot in the middle of the grocery store!" But, then I decided that I really didn't care. They were having a good time and they weren't destroying anything or  hurting anyone. Sometimes we worry too much about what people think about us. I know I do! But, especially with kids, we just have to relax and let them have a good time (as long as they're not hurting anyone or anything, of course).
I'm looking forward to church tomorrow. Can't wait to see what God wants me to learn from His Word!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Last Night's Bible Study

We started a Bible study in January to hopefully get s core group of people before we start the church in September. It's usually just us, our pastor's family, and another couple from the church we are attending right now. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but we were really praying for someone from the community to come out and visit us one night. Well...it happened last week! A couple from Cranberry came and visited and they came back last night, too! We are rejoicing in what God has done and will continue doing. We talked to them for about an hour and a half last night, just getting to know them better. They are a great couple who truly love the Lord and want to serve Him. Please help us pray that the Lord's will be done. We are still hoping that we will have even more people come next week!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Introduction To Me

I finally have a blog! This is something that I've wanted to do for a while, just have never done it. I'm not going to promise that I'm going to post every day or even every week, but I'll try to update as when I can.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a full time wife and mommy and I love every minute of it! Like many moms, I imagine, I babysit so that I can stay at home with Landon (my son) and be the wife and mother that I feel God wants me to be. Some days are better than others, but I wouldn't change a thing! Anyway, back to me. :) I was raised in a Christian home...yep, I was in church every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday night, and any other time the doors were open. I thank God for my parents every day and that He allowed me to be raised like this. My parents answered the call to full time mission service when I was seven years old. We spent 4 1/2 years on deputation trying to get to Germany to give the Germans the Gospel. We finally made it there when I was 11. I spent 7 years there, then came back to the States to go to Crown College. I went there with the intention of getting my associates in office administration and (I have to be honest), my MRS. :) I finally met the man of my dreams in April of my sophomore year. I then decided to go another two years and get a bachelors. We called and texted over the summer, then when we got back to school we began to "officially" date. This was in 2006. During this time, the Lord was working on my future husband's heart about planting a church in Pittsburgh, PA. He asked me to pray about it, and I did. I felt the Lord giving me burden for the area and church planting as well. During spring break of our junior year, he brought me to Pittsburgh for the first time (his parents came, too so don't freak out!). We went out for a romantic dinner and he asked me to marry him on top of Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh. Of course, I said yes and we were married in December 2007. I have to say, that I had the most beautiful wedding ever! In March 2009, I found out that I was expecting our first child! We were so excited and thankful for this little miracle that God had given us. In December 2009, God gave us our first child, Landon. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for him. We moved to Pittsburgh in March 2010 and have been here ever since. We started a Bible study in January, and are looking forward to starting Vision Baptist Church in September 2011. We can't wait to see what the Lord has for us here in this great city!