Happy Birthday Luke & Maddox!!

Well, the two new latest additions decided to come on the same day!! How exciting!! Congratulations Michael & Kelly on the birth of Luke!! Luke was born at 12:23 a.m. on Thursday Dec. 4. He weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. and is 19.5 inches long. He is a super cutie. (I witnessed this for myself....)

Also, Congratulations to Greg & Andrea on the birth of Maddox!! Maddox was born at 5:24 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 4. He weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. He is also a very beautiful baby. (I also witnessed this...:-)

We are very thankful that both mom's and babies are doing well. Our small groups are growing and we are very blessed. Aiden of course is excited that he is not the only boy anymore. Happy Birthday Luke & Maddox!!

-Andrea

Christmas Party!!

Christmas party time is here again!! This year our party will be on Sunday Dec. 14, beginning at 5:30 at Lance & Donna Askins house. We are just going to make it easy and do appetizer time stuff (you are free to do whatever.) I thought it would be easy if everyone just used the comment at the bottom of this post to sign up for what you want to bring. This way you can see what other people have signed up to bring, so we don't end up with multiples. (Corynn & I have brought the same thing several times, which you would think we would communicate on since we are in the same group but, whatever.....)

We are also going to play Dirty Santa so everyone bring a $10 gift. This is what makes the party!! Just let me know if you have questions!!

-Andrea

Thanksgiving Service Project

We talked about a Thanksgiving service project a long time ago, but I just wanted to remind everyone about it. We are meeting at the church building tomorrow night (Monday Nov. 24) from 5-8 to help the teens put together and distribute thanksgiving food boxes in our area. Some of us will also need to be prepared to drive several teens out to deliver the boxes. If you have any questions just let me know. We hope to see you tomorrow night!!

-Andrea

Baby shower

A few weeks ago, Cedar Lane had a baby shower for Kelli, Michael and soon to be Luke Wilson. I wanted to let everyone know that it went off wonderfully. Kelli got so many great gifts for her soon to be son, Luke. There was punch, cookies and other goodies to munch on while we watched her open her gifts. Kelli's mother, sister and mother-in-law came as well. It was great to meet them as well as some other of Kelli's friends we do not get to see on a regular basis. The ladies in our small groups (and some others at church) were able to get Kelli's stroller and car seat combo which we gave her at the end of the shower. The gifts ranged from diapers to onesies, to books, and even some bibs, blankets, and socks with Luke's name monogrammed on them. Kelli and Michael are such a vital part of our church (and small group). I am so glad they are apart of our church family and I know everyone cannot wait to meet little Luke next month. Not long now Kelli and Michael!!! We are praying daily for all three of you. we love you!

We need your help

I'm not sure how much help you guys can provide, but Deana and I are having an AWFUL time finding a church over here. We traveled about 2 hours via bus and train this morning to a Church of Christ on the other side of Tokyo only to find that the building it was in is now demolished. We couldn't find if or where they had relocated. Steve and Marla had told me that they know of a guy named Masa who had a church over here (also about 2 hours away), but his website is down and e-mails to him are being returned saying the account is closed. ARGGGHHHH!!!

I'll paste some of the websites down below that I have found and hope that maybe some of you more internet saavy people can help me find something that is right under my nose.

http://www.ochanomizuco-christ.or.jp/English%20home.htm
This was the church that was demolished

http://www.churchzip.com/countrysummary/JA
http://www.geocities.com/tachichurch/ejapanhps.htm
http://church-of-christ.org/churches/Japan/Japan.htm

Of the above websites, I have emailed to 4 churches that are within a 2 hour commute and so far 2 have been returned as closed accounts.

We live in Honmoku, which is a suburb of Yokohama for reference.

If someone could let Steve or Marla know that I can't get in contact with Masa, I would appreciate it. If any of you have some time to kill one afternoon and want to try your luck on some search engines...

Thanks!
Curtis

Thanks for the help!!

I just wanted to let everyone in our group know that the young woman we helped was very grateful for all the clothes that we bought for her kids. I wasn't able to visit with her long but she was very thankful. The little girls were so excited to get winter coats and the 2 year old boy just smiled at me the whole time I was there. His grin said it all and I felt very like we did a very good thing to help this woman out. It made me so thankful for all that we have in our lives. Please continue to keep her and her five children in your prayers. Thanks again for all the clothes that you purchased! It was a great effort that will not be long forgotten!

-Andrea

Recipe Books

Could someone please remember to get me 2 recipe books when they come out for purchase? We will be coming home for Christmas and I can pay whoever buys them back when we get in. Love to all!!! We really miss you!!! We look forward in seeing everyone and meeting the new additions when we get home.

Deana

Konichiwa!

Hello Everyone! We just wanted to say hello and that we miss you all very much. We hope that all is well there in Tullahoma. Please keep up the prayers for us as we will continue to pray for all of you there. Though we are enjoying the experience, it is still difficult to live here so far from home.

Love to all!
Deana

Small Group Service Projects

Hey Everyone! We have been talking about starting service projects to help out those in our community, but as of yet we haven't started anything. We would like to do something at least every other month, however with the holidays approaching I think we will find that we have the opportunity to reach out to those in our area more than just once. We have talked with Gary Johnson and have volunteered our groups to help the teens distribute food to the needy in November for Thanksgiving. They will be preparing the boxes on Nov. 23 and on Nov. 24 they will be taking them to some of the families in our community. They could use help getting the boxes together (and maybe buying some items they are missing) and they also have a big need for drivers on the 24th, since many of the teens cannot drive. If you are interested in helping with this effort please let Joel or I know.

There will be many other opportunities to help with the holidays coming up and Joel & I are looking for other things we can do. If you have an idea please let us know. We are all blessed with everything that we have and this is a good way for us to help others who are not as fortunate as we are. Benevolent request are going to be on the rise over the next several months so if you hear of something, think of a way that we can help! God has richly blessed us so lets see if we can do the same for others.

-Andrea

"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

Worship survey request HELP WANTED

Steve Grubbs emailed me and requested that our 2 small groups did not have a good representation in the recent survey. They had ONE response in the 20-29 age group and only 5 in the 30-39 group. Please take the time to fill out the questions and get those back to me, Mike Fitzgerald, or Joe Fann. The elders really want to hear from our age group. So PLEASE, PLEASE fill out as many of the questions that you can. I will talk to as many of you on Wed. night as possible. If you never received a form or were out of town, I will get you one. Thanks Greg

Welcome Baby Katelyn!!

Congratulations to Jimmy & Deanna on the birth of Katelyn!! (Most of you already know this, but some of you might not.) Katelyn was born on Saturday Sept.13 and weighed 6 lbs and 9 oz. Everyone looked really great at the hospital on Sunday. We can't wait to welcome Katelyn to small group!! (At least Aiden has Mason so he isn't the only boy in our group.)

The Brewer's Information

Hello everyone! I just wanted to let you all know our blog information where we will be posting our journey if any of you want to travel along. We will also be visiting this site as well to say on top of what is going on here.

We have truly been blessed with the family that our small group has provided. We are going to miss you all very much. Please keep in contact with us and keep us in the family. We will be anxious to return to you all.

Also, some of you know that we are having a birthday party for Avery this Sat. the 20th at the church gym at 1:00 and lunch will be provided. You are all welcome to come and we would love to see you, but please do not feel obligated. I just wanted to make sure to extend the invitation.

Deana

deanabrewer@yahoo.com (my e-mail)
curtisdeanabrewer.blogspot.com

Just wanted to say "Thanks"

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped me with the cookbook Sunday night! I mailed it off today! It has been a lot of work but, any money we can make for teamAREAQUIPA will be awesome! We ended up with 742 recipes! WOW!!! I ordered 500 cookbooks and 200 have already been reserved! If we can sell all 500 we will be able to donate almost $3800 to teamAREQUIPA. TeamAREAQUIPA only needs $5000 to complete their 2009 budget! Please, help me sell as many as possible! They will make great Christmas gifts! They will be $15 each and they are BIG and really nice cookbooks! So, hit up your friends, family, and coworkers! They will be here at the beginning of December! I might be busy with a new little one by then so, I will need lots of help!!!
Thanks!!!
Andrea Muse

A little party for a precious girl...

Last night both small groups met at the Muse's for finger foods and a little party for Katelyn, Jimmy and Deanna's baby to be. Jimmy and Deanna are getting ready to have their second child, a little girl. Katelyn is due very soon, and Mason seems so excited for his new baby sister. While Deanna was holding Cambree (Ed and Corynn's baby), Mason came up to her and said, "Hi baby." He asked to hold her. It was so sweet to see him 'holding' the baby. Great idea to practice Mason! We can't wait to see Katelyn!

I am so glad to see God blessing our small group by giving us so many new little faces to gaze at. I pray that we use these blessings the way he intends, to his glory!

Diane

Little eyes are watching you

A wonderful thing happened this weekend. Football season started. Many of us spend hours watching games and routing on players and teams (Go Vandy! We own those Gamecocks now). We manage player’s stats in an online game called Fantasy Football and we keep this up every weekend until the bowl games get here, where we all sadly turn our attention elsewhere until the next season starts.

Saturday morning I was watching pre-game shows and my attention was drawn to an unusual place. The Florida Gators (I know it’s a dirty word for me too) and a young man named Tim Tebow. Andrea and I have a little in common with this guy. He was homeskewled growing up ;). Tim has been getting A LOT of media attention lately and I have no idea how much pressure that has put on him, but in looking at what he has been up to during this past summer, I’m impressed and inspired.

Tim is the son of a missionary family and has not left his roots behind him to be trampled by the excitement and prestige of football. He spends his time during the summer talking to prison inmates about Jesus and participating in mission trips to help spread the Kingdom around the world. He is positively affecting and infecting all people around him with the Gospel. His football coach Urban Meyer was so inspired that he took his family (wife and three kids) on a mission trip this past summer to the Dominican Republic. They visited orphanages and fed the hungry all while spreading the news of Jesus Christ.

As I read up about this man with a mission, I learned that he has a poster in his room with the following poem on it. I think we all have much to learn from this college student who has a heart for God.

Joel

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little boy who's dreaming
of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and do;
He will say and do, in your way
when he's grown up just like you.

There's a wide eyed little fellow
who believes you're always right;
and his eyes are always opened,
and he watches day and night.

You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little boy who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.

Ok, last time I swear. Some of you were going to be out of town on the 19th so we are going to have it on the 21st. It is a Sunday at small group time. This is the last opportunity for Curtis and Deana before they start staying in Murfreesboro. I hope this date is good with everyone. I know Deana and Curtis are very much looking forward to seeing everyone one last time before they move. Hope everyone is having a good weekend!!

Kelli

Ok, sorry guys, but the 12th will not work either. When I got home this afternoon I had an invitation in the mail from a neighbor who is giving them a going-away party on the 12th. Anyway, I talked to Deana and she said the 19th would be good also. So check your calendar's for the 19th.

Kelli

Hey guys, hope you are all doing well. September 14 isn't going to work for the Brewer's going away party. Avery's birthday party is that day until about 4. They are having some family come down, so I am not sure if they will be able to make it or not. I was thinking about September 12, which is a Friday. I don't know what everyone's plans are so if you could get back to me as soon as possible so I can get a date set in stone that would be great. We will be doing finger foods, so let me know what you want to bring so I can make sure we have a variety. See you guys soon!!

Kelli

Upcoming Small Groups

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to let you know what is coming up over the next two weeks in the small groups. This coming Sunday night Sept. 7 both groups will be meeting at the Muse's house (everyone bring finger foods or whatever Andrea tells you to bring...) Next Sunday night Sept. 14 we will be meeting for one last small group together before the Brewer's move to Japan. That will be at the Wilson's house (again finger foods or whatever Kelli tells you to bring....) Just let me know if anything changes. I can't wait to see everyone again. I feel out of the loop!!

-Andrea

News from Arequipa....

Just in case some of you have not heard yet, Team Arequipa has made it to their destination. They have all started language school and it sounds like all are excited about learning about their new home a little better. They are staying at the hotel where the language school is right now after being unable to make arrangements to stay with a Peruvian family. Last Sunday during the Lord's supper I thought of our family in Arequipa who were taking the Lord's supper at the same time. I was so encouraged by those thoughts.
I just wanted to take a moment today to give God thanks and glory for giving the Smith's and McKinzie's a safe trip to Peru and the wonderful missionaries who have been so helpful in providing information and resources for them as they arrived in Lima and now Arequipa. If you all have not looked at their website I encourage you to. It is very informative and is a good way to keep up with all of their news and experiences. I know they are so thankful for all our thoughts and prayers. They also love to get emails, even if it's a one-liner. I encourage everyone to send them an email this week!

Diane

working out the kinks....

It's so good to see everyone posting things/making comments! For some reason our name as "team arequipa" was coming up as our sign on/off name after comments and things. (not that we aren't 'team arequipa', but it's just not what I thought we would use to make comments). It happened on accident from the way that I had it set and didn't know it. Anyway, I have figured out how to correct this, hopefully. Some of this is still very new, so you'll have to be patient as some things may change. Feel free to mess around and add things onto the blog that you have found or think should be there! I'm so excited and hope this really helps us become closer in our daily walks with God.

Diane

Small Groups

Hello everyone! This is a blog for the 'young families' small groups at Cedar Lane. As many of you know, some of those in our small group are moving, or have already moved to different parts of the world. This blog is designed for those who left as well as those who are left. This way we can stay in touch with each other's lives better no matter where we are.
Our main goal as God's people, particularly two small groups, is to be living examples of God's kingdom. There are two different small groups within the Cedar Lane congregation that make up the young families. We all have the same goal...to do everything 'for His name sake.' In our small groups made up of an average of 5 families, we are able to form very close relationships with one another. We hope, as small groups, to be used as His servants of others who need to see His glory.

To our small groups....
This blog is designed for 'us' to send each other encouragement, prayers, thoughts, ANYTHING! If there is a particular story/verse you have heard/read, please share! This is just one more way for us to glorify God!