Merry CHRISTmas!

The year 2008 has been a year of change for the Meek's. As most of you know, in 2007 and 2008 we helped get Coram Deo church up and running in Reno, NV. Things were (and still are!) going great with Coram Deo and we LOVED being part of it and being in Reno but, by spring 2008, we began to feel God calling us away from Reno. Our giftings had been put to good use laying the foundational structure for the church to grow and we felt God telling us our time there was done. So, as of July, we began packing and preparing to leave Reno. As is always the case, when God closes one door, He opens another. We felt the door He was opening was Teri's hometown area of the Quad Cities in Iowa/Illinois. We made the long drive cross-country to Teri's parents' in Rock Island, IL and have been staying with our gracious hosts since early August. Steve began applying for LOTS of different jobs within the non-profit, higher education and secular realms but has not been contacted to set up even ONE interview! This is said not as a negative reflection of Steve because he has a pretty impressive resume but we just feel that God has been telling us that He has a bigger plan and we need to just trust in Him. We are waiting and trusting that the reason God brought us here to the QC's (aside from being closer to family) will be revealed to us in His perfect timing.

In the meantime, we have been attending Heritage Church's new Bettendorf, IA campus and have begun to really connect there. Steve has been volunteering 20-30 hours a week there as the Children's Ministry HUB (check-in/out, security, etc.) Coordinator while he waits on the job God is preparing for him. He is also working 20 hours a week as a lifeguard at a local fitness center.

Teri has been attending a women's study on Holiness at our church, working out at the fitness center where Steve works, spending time with family, volunteering in the Children's Ministry and, most importantly, being a stay-at-home mom for Judah.

Speaking of Judah, he will be 3 in just a couple of weeks! He is a very active, funny, smart, compassionate and caring little boy. He still loves his cars and has also grown to love trains, stickers, reading, playing with his cousins and helping daddy cook breakfast. He loves going to play with other kids at church and at the gym while mommy works out. He is our pride and joy and constantly makes us laugh. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to raise this precious gift from God.

Well, that about covers it for the Meek's and 2008. No matter what plans God has in store for us in 2009, we know that He loves and cares for us more than we could ever imagine. He cares so much for us that He brought you into our lives at some point in our journey and, for that, we are forever grateful. Don't ever doubt that God loves you infinitely more than you could ever imagine too. After all, He sent His Son to earth as a helpless child in order to bring you eternal peace and happiness in His presence. Today is the day to accept His gift of love and peace through His Son Jesus. After all, that's what CHRISTmas is all about.

Sharing God's Blessings...

This year for Christmas, we decided (both sides of our family) to take some of the money we would normally spend on giving each other gifts and send "gifts" to other families around the world that have greater needs than we do. Even though Steve has been out of full-time work for several months now, we really have lacked for nothing. God is so good to us and we wanted to share some of His blessings. There are so many worthy charitable organizations out there to choose from but we chose Samaritan's Purse. They do tremendous amounts of work around the globe to meet people's basic needs and share the love of Jesus with those who may or may not already know Him. By pooling our money, we were able to purchase a brood of 24 chicks to bring a family food and a source of income, a dairy animal (most likely a goat) to give a family milk/cheese and a source of income and also a water filtration system for a family/community that wouldn't otherwise have safe drinking water. These are all things that we, personally, take for granted each and every day. Giving such small amounts of money to help sustain the health of a family or community is truly humbling and makes me realize how blessed I really am. Thank you, God, for your faithful provision! Merry CHRISTmas!

Thanks Grandma & Poppy

We shot some video of Judah enjoying the musical Christmas card that Steve's parents sent him. Warning--you'll probably never want to listen to Frosty The Snowman ever again after hearing it in this video again and again and again. :)

Misc. Judah Stuff

Over Thanksgiving, my sisters and their families came to visit my parents to celebrate an early Christmas (unfortunately, my brother's family wasn't able to come!). Judah had lots of fun with his cousins, aunts and uncles. Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving time.

1. Judah and some of his cousins are using Uncle Matt for a horse with a little help from Grammy.

2. Judah and Mommy went to the Thanksgiving parade in Davenport, IA. It was COLD!

3-5. Judah went to Panera with Daddy, Grandad, Uncle Brad and Uncle Matt for a guy's breakfast. He had a REALLY BIG hot chocolate and behaved really well according to Daddy.

6. Mommy, Daddy & partially hidden Judah typically eat at Happy Joe's Pizza on Sunday nights before we go help out at church. Judah told us after the picture was taken that he had hidden behind Mommy. :)

Judah-isms

Judah has several things that he does regularly and I managed to snap a couple of pictures to share 2 of those Judah-isms with you. First of all, ever since Judah moved into his big boy bed, he has to have the 3 stuffed animals that he sleeps with in their proper places. Blackie and Pooh have to be in the top left corner and Hunny Bunny snuggles with Judah--typically on the right side of the pillow. Aside from each of them having their proper place, they all have to be laying FACE DOWN. They ARE sleeping after all! :)

Another thing that Judah has been doing since we've been staying at my parents' house is to load up one of the doll strollers with cars and push it around. My mom dubbed it "the boy stroller" since it is usually filled to overflowing with cars. Here is a picture of Judah with his boy stroller and a "trumpet" he fashioned out of a paper towel tube.

So long, Bob

I am sad to say that this week we said goodbye to our dear friend, "Bob." Bob has been there through the thick and thin and he's always managed to protect Judah from everything that came his way. Yes, Judah has decided that he is too big a boy now and that he no longer needs Bob's services... For those of you who have never had the privilege of meeting Bob, I'm sorry. He will be missed.

Okay, enough silliness. Bob is Judah's long-sleeved full-coverage bib. When Judah first got this set of bibs, he couldn't say the word, Bib. Instead he called it Bob, and the name stuck. Bob is still around but Judah doesn't feel he needs to use Bob any more and I would have to say I agree with him. Judah's eating skills have much improved and he really doesn't make much of a mess any more. He also has decided that he doesn't need his booster chair anymore so I guess our little boy is growing up.

Hey, Girl!

Last night I took Judah out to get a new winter coat (he never needed much more than a fleece pullover in Reno but the Midwest winter has officially hit and it's COLD!). After our purchase, I took him to Chik-Fil-A for a bite to eat and to play in the jungle gym area they have. After dinner, he ran into the play area and accidentally "grazed" into a little girl who was already playing in there. There was no harm done but I wanted to turn it into a teaching moment. So, as Judah ran back out to me, right after he bumped into the girl, I asked him if he told her sorry and asked if she was okay. He said, "It was an accident." I told him that I knew he didn't mean to run into her but that it's always nice to say you're sorry and to ask if the other person is alright. He said, "Okay." and then promptly ran into the play area to say he was sorry. Of course the little girl was oblivious to any of this and had started to climb back up the jungle gym. Judah was hot on her heels yelling, "Hey! Hey, girl! Sorry!" He made me proud and gave me (and the girl's parents) a good laugh as he chased after her to make things right.