My turn!! :)

Wow, what a whirlwind of the last few months!  What joy it is to say we are healthy, blessed, loved, and overwhelmed by God's goodness! Since the last update, we have welcomed Noah Luke into our family and it has been so much fun! The kids are at such good ages and enjoy him so much.  When your "baby" isn't much of a baby, when you do welcome a little one you appreciate the small moments so much more.  We have enjoyed seeing him grow and the different stages, and so enjoyed the big kids loving and playing with him.

Right now, the kids and I are in Newnan, Georgia with our family missing Matt as he is in South Dakota.  He had to return for work and to be back with our church family.  We are enjoying the time spent with our family but do miss our home and family in South Dakota. We are so close to our families, and the kids are loving playing with cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and friends.  Our kids are 5th generation kids! They have a great-great grandmother, 3 sets of great grandparents, 2 sets of grandparents, and as  many of you know LOTS of aunts, uncles, and cousins!  The Hadden Family lost their grandmother in September, but we are so glad Jacob and Leah were able to know Maw Maw.  So for us, it's important that they have relationships with their extended family and that we make that a priority for them.

While Matt was in town we spoke at Lisbon Baptist Church in Fayetteville.  I got to meet the ladies Sunday school class that has been emailing us, sending cards of encouragement, and praying for us.  The following Sunday we had the privilege of speaking at Forward Church in Sharpsburg where my parents and some of our family attend.  Man were we blessed! Matt spoke, and I had the opportunity to lead in worship with my cousin Caitlin whom many of you met this summer. The anointing was amazing and we were so encouraged.  It's hard to leave Pine Ridge, you feel you are leaving things undone or that there are things that need to be taken care of, places you can minister. But knowing this first hand, coming back to a church who has a heart for the Natives and the Kingdom, and chooses to just love and encourage you, energizes us to head back with a refreshed sense of urgency and vision. It's so important that we take that time, and we are so thankful for all the church families who have taken us in so beautifully.

We have been blessed with a wood burning stove from a family in Mississippi. And boy have we needed it! Matt returned and was welcomed by 6 degree weather, and if any of you have experienced the South Dakota wind...you know it's brutal!  We are so thankful, our units weren't keeping up the the temperatures and we now have an alternative way to heat our home. 

In the coming weeks, we are going to celebrate Matt's 30th birthday (old!!), the Birth of Jesus, and Jacob's 7th birthday!  For me, I love birthdays!  I love to pour into someone on their birthday, especially my kids and husband.  It's a day we celebrate the birth and the gift of them coming into our lives.  We celebrate all the Lord has done in and through them, and it's encouraging to hear people say that have been impacted by you in their life. It's a day that is all about them. Some may say it's a selfish holiday (Matt, haha!), but every now and then it does need to be all about them. For Jacob, I want him to know that in all the ministry, and busyness, He is our priority, and I look forward to celebrating HIM on December 31st!

Also, we are sending out Christmas cards and if you would like to receive one and are not already on our email or contact list, please message us!  We would love to add you!

In the spirit of the season, and the gift of Jesus, take time to love on one another.  To give more than you receive and to pray for those that are missing family or loved ones during this time. We look forward to updating you again in December!

With love and thanks!

Amanda

 Jacob and Matt's brother, Nathan!

 

 

Jacob and his cousin, Isaac!

Leah and her cousin, Ansleigh who is only 6 weeks younger!

Matt and I also had the honor of celebrating our best friends wedding, Jake and Nicole!  This is the first time in YEARS all of us friends from Highschool have been in one place :)

 

Matt's parents with Noah!

Noah is getting so big and changing everyday!

Our Snow White!

Family game night with my mom, and their cousin Ashlyn!

Angel.

 

Amanda's Update :)

Yes yes...this isn't old news. I haven't updated in a while! Summer Camp at Chanku Waste Youth Ranch starts up and just about nothing else gets done.  We had a fantastic summer, and had some smaller numbers some weeks but we were able to see more one on one discipleship which was so powerful. He had a few come to know Jesus, and we planted seeds every day. During the summer, the kids get to hear the gospel everyday. And some weeks we slow down on the long bible studies, because the kids have heard, and more times then not, our actions, our love, our life living, shows them more of Jesus then what we speak.

This summer was also our second year as Camp Directors with TEAMeffort Missions out of Jacksonville, FL.  It's a mission organization that just celebrated  20 years of ministry this year! They organize youth construction mission trips. God has used this ministry so much for us personally with new relationships and friends, and also with getting so far in our construction aspect of the Kids Camp. A quick overview of what we accomplished with their help this summer: we built a storage garage behind the main garage, built an archery shed, enclosed the camp side of the garage for camp storage with shelving, accomplished SO much in the Motorcycle Ministry side of the garage, built a stage in the Chapel area and sound booth, helped finish drywall, painted the first coat of paint, painted the trim, built a nice food pantry in the green building beside the church, along with a few other small things! All of that Matt and a few other TE staff leaders organized while camp was going on.  We would not be where we are in the building without the servents of TEAMeffort Missions. We are so blessed by their ministry and all the groups that came from all over the country to serve our people. 

On a personal note, Leah this year was not stop at camp. Last year, it was a good day if she stayed to til lunch time. Which this year, has really been much more of a mild summer, heat wise.  We definiatly had hot days but nothing like last summer. At the end of the day, it was a challenge to get her to come back inside to rest.  Jacob was in his element!! He thrives in every area.  This year, we had a lot of chances to teach him examples of leadership.  Sometimes, our little ones get separated out because they are missionary kids, but the reality is that they are in the heart of ministry as well.  They go to camp everyday throughout the summer, and they get tired and overwhelmed just like us.  Matt and I were so proud to see our kids setting examples, and leading while still being kids. Jacob and Leah both start school on the 9th.  Jacob is in first grade, and Leah will start pre-k.  Sharing with a friend of mine, I stated that this school year is all about GRACE!! Adding a sweet little baby, traveling and speaking, I do not have unrealistic expectations of how it will go.  We will do what we can, and lean on Jesus!! haha! 

We are reaching 34 weeks on Sunday with our pregnancy.  It seems like it has flown by, but at the same time...now it seems time is slowing down for sure!  It is amazing how God designed pregnancy and allows us to bond with Noah even in the womb.  God is creating a love between us and him like no other. We get excited thinking about the changes, and the new things He will bring into our lives, and also enjoy thinking about how he will so much enrich our lives even more.  A few weeks after Leah was born, God gave me a vision of Noah.  I knew we would have one more son one day.  I know that God knows the beginning and the end, and everything in between, but it is so amazing to catch a little glimpse of that and be reminded that he holds every piece of our lives and weaving even the smallest details together. As with Jacob and Leah, I can't wait to see what God has in store for Noah and how he will impact the Kingdom.  I pray that our kids are always eternally minded. 

Matt has made some changes in his health over the summer.  He has decided to be intentional about his health and over the summer lost about 40 pounds total. We have been so proud of him! It's so neat to hear Jacob choose salad over something else with the reasoning of being more healthy like daddy.  "Things are caught by kids, not taught." Matt is leading by example and it has been a joy to see.  I am so thankful for Matt, we are celebrating our 8th anniversary on Aug 20th, and reflecting on where we have come from is overwhelming.  God has been so gracious in our marriage. I have seen so much growth in Matt over that last few years, and seeing him thrive in this ministry it is so evident he was designed, created, and called for this. God gives us the grace to grow in our marriage everyday and I am totally excited for the rest of our lives! Matt enriches our life so much and I am more proud to be his everyday. 

This week, which is why our blog is being updated, we are enjoying a vacation with our family in Branson, MO. My sister came up from Texas, and my mom and dad, brother and his new bride came up from Georgia.  Leah and I are heading down to Alabama for our cousins wedding then heading back up to South Dakota. After that we welcome Matt's family and some dear friends of ours to help build our room addition and get ready for Noah's arrival. Then we just get to rest, and be together as we wait for baby.

God has been providing in every aspect of our ministry.  He has been so faithful!  We don't even have time to question or grow concerned with how we will do it, He just does it! It has been so awesome to see that. We have no doubt he will continue to grow our faith as He follows through with His promises!

Most importantly, Thank you all for your prayers! I wish we could thank you all individually.  Your financial support has been a huge aspect of us being here, and we are so grateful!  It takes the body of Christ to carry out ministry, and we could not do it without the obedience and support of the body of believers.  Thank you over and over!

In the coming weeks, we will have a website that will tie all our social media, contacts, updates, ect in one place and we will let you know that as well.  We love you all and are SO thankful for each of you in our lives!

Amanda <3

December Update

Hello Everyone,

As always I hope this finds you all well.

Seasons come and go. With each season comes change, past memories, the making of new memories as well as new feelings, some good and some bad.

Many of times I refer to what I am doing at that time as a season in my life. I would say that this time for Amanda and I is a season we are in. As the months and maybe years go by God will have us doing something different and we will be in a different season. With each one of those seasons brings the same as seasons of weather, (Change, memories, feelings) sometimes it is easier times than others but through any and every season we are in, God our Father says that His grace is enough. I find much comfort in knowing that. This season for us is easy and yet somehow hard. It is easy trusting that God will provide your needs, he has proven it over again many times, yet it is really hard because he does not do it how I want Him to or even in my timing. I believe many of you can probably relate to that.

I am learning to embrace the season that I find myself in and to be grateful in it.

As we have come into this new Christmas season, we as a family have so much to be thankful for. As I have been able to travel some in the last few months, I have seen how even in controversy over economics or politics that we live in a great country with a lot of wonderful people. I am proud to be an American and I hope and pray that we as a people would rise to the occasion that is set before us to demonstrate the goodness and love of God.

We have had a great time the last month, we were in OH a few weeks ago and had a wonderful time with our family there and were able to share some specific needs with them as they are planning a trip to Pine ridge next summer.

Last sunday and the next few weeks we will be around the newnan area in a few different churches locally.

Still planning our trip south to the gulf coast in Jan.

We will be having another benefit concert the last friday in January, which is the 25th. We are planning an amazing night filled with a great night of worship and some testimony from my Native brother Mike Brennon and from Amanda and I sharring about our time there last summer as well as casting our vision for the years to come that God has us there. I would love to encourage you to bring your church and families to this night. I believe it will light a fire in your heart for Native American people.

The following Monday (the 28th) two close friends and I will embark on a journey to the northwest territory to encourage a handful of pastors there and to minister some aid to the Dene people. Please pray for finances and cold weather gear for this trip, if you have some really cold weather gear such as coats and boots, we are in need of these things and would like to borrow some if possible.

In closing I want to encourage you this season of your life to love the Lord your God with all of your heart and embrace the relationship you have with Him. If you dont have a relationship with Him, there is no better season than the one you are in right now to start one.

We love you all and hope you all have a blessed Christmas,

Matt, Amanda, Jacob and Leah

Needs;

We are at %35 of our monthly support needed

We have some Dental work needed for Matt and Jacob

We will need tires for our van before we leave in February to head back

Musical instruments to start a music program in Pine ridge

Cold weather gear to borrow for Northwest Territory trip

Any support is greatly appreciated and can be made out to YES (Youth Evangelism Stratagies) and sent to

HCR 49 Box 242

Porcupine, SD 57772

Lets Ride into the Sunset...

What an eventful week this has been! I know I say this every time I post but thank you for being patient with us. I know you are waiting on updates and we are trying to find the time to get them  to you regularly. Hopefully, after this week we can get on somewhat of a schedule. Last Sunday night, we were packing away and spending time with family and friends. A special thanks to Kathryn, Daniel, and Liam for staying up late with me, and to one of my besties, Nicole, for having one last sleepover with me (for a few months anyway). We were checking flights and they looked anything but promising.  So, after talking about it for weeks, anticipating the chance to see Jacob and Matt, and the emotions of saying goodbyes to everyone had me on the edge of a healthy breakdown. haha!! The thought of not making it out on Monday got to me.  After a sob fest and pity party, I decided to try a little later flight and try my odds. It was all the emotions of the stage of our adventure. We have been apart for 3 and a half weeks, the exhausting task of packing for a 6 month trip, and the emotional toll of bringing a few family and friends to tears with us heading West. It was wearing on me.

 We got to the airport after an emotional goodbye with my Grandparents and Nicole. Ugh.  It's never a good feeling.   We got the the airport with all our 7...yes 7 bags, unloaded and the Lords favor was on us from that point on. Small things, we were able to check the bags at the curb, which they dont do for standby passengers, and we were escorted to a 'behind the scenes' attendant that gave my parents gate passes to help me get through.  Which is almost unheard of.  They helped me through security and we were able to spend that much more time together. I cried at every opportunity that day I think!! And I'm unashamed! lol! I cried when I missed the first flight, I cried when I was told I'd probably get on the next one, I cried at the thought of having to head home. Long story, hopefully shorter, We decided to head to Memphis, then to Minneapolis, THEN to Rapid City, and hope I made all my connecting flights. I didn't think I got on the flight to Memphis, so I went up and said "is there anyway we are getting on? If not, we will head home and try again tomorrow." "You got on!" And then came the tears. Wow...I sound like a crazy person, but this was my flight out of Atlanta, if I got stuck in Memphis, it didn't matter. I was on my way to Matt and Jacob. I walked back to our seats where my parents had Leah and I just sobbed.  My mom put her sunglasses on so she could cry and not worry about it.  That was tough.  It's a short time to be gone, I understand. But we are embarking on new territory, leaving what's comfortable, leaving our support, and Trusting in Jesus like never before. Leaving my parents was the worst. We had the Gate attendants in tears, and the flight attendants once I got on the flight. Leah didn't understand and fought leaving Noni, which was so hard on me. She cried and we just had to pull her away. This has been tough on her, she doesn't understand quite what is going on.

 Don't get me wrong, it was joy and excitement as well, but that's the only thing I had the energy to do. After that, we were well on our way.  We made every flight and made it to South Dakota for our wonderfully perfect reunion.  I am so thankful that we don't have to be apart like this often. My military friends and family, I have so much respect for you and I'm grateful to not be in your position.  You are strong women!! Truthfully, this was a journey Matt and I started months and months ago, there was an urgency in our hearts to be there, as a family.  So I was ready, but it was very bittersweet!  And I'm sure we will have family and friends visit before we come home in Oct but the unknown is always an uneasy place to be. Praise Jesus He is the calm in the storm and our sustainer!

Ok, bear with me...almost time to wrap this up! We got to Rapid, and joined our handsome men, enjoyed a nice dinner, got to see Pastor Mike and Monica, and headed to our new home. Matt had made it sound rough, so I didn't have any expectations.  He didn't share with me that a ministry a few hours away had come and painted our house, helped decorate, and deep cleaned so all would be perfect when I got here.  Which was one of the sweetest things! I told Matt if I had any more tears to cry I would have cried when I walked in! haha!! The house is perfect for us, it's not in excellent condition but it has everything we need. I'm so thankful, God did this. He provided this home for us, which He knew was important to me. He cared and listened for the minor details, and once again poured His blessings out on us. On Tuesday we opened camp for the summer, so it's full swing ahead. We have about 70 kids a day and we are growing. We feed them, sing with them, teach them Gods word, play with them, and for Jacob and Leah it's a playdate everyday with tons of kids. They have made themselves known and Jacob is known as the football player...Leah is known for simply being adorable at anything she says or does. Blessing #5289451645641....Our children are flourishing!!  Another blessing, we get to work with Daddy everyday.  He is never far away and we have the fun of playing with him alot. We are so humbled friends.  We can't express the thankfulness we have in our hearts. God is so faithful and He is doing an amazing work here through this ministry. We miss our family and friends, but God has truly covered us in Peace and we pray that for our family back home as well.  Jesus wants to be evident in our lives.  He wants to be known.  The little things we do everyday make a difference and we want to strive to be Jesus everyday to these children.  Please pray for us, we do need that more than anything. You have all been so wonderful and we look forward to chatting with you more about the work here.

From the first day of Camp Chapel.  We had a wonderful group from Mississippi come to serve.

Our little ones on the front row, taking it all in :)

With love.

On the Road again.

What an amazing journey this has been so far. Not even being in South Dakota yet but just the planning, praying, seeking, packing, and rejoicing has taken us through an amazing adventure.  Matt, Jacob, and our cousin Kam, who happens to be an amazing videographer, left out on Thursday morning about 4 am Georgia time.  With the trailer, a 5 year old, and a dog, they made a few stops!

Made a stop at the Gateway Arch in St Louis.  This is Charlie walking Jacob :)

Our sweet RUNT of a man got to go swimming at the hotel Thursday night. The ultimate mans road trip wouldn't be complete without a few show muscles and the slaying of wildlife....

Matt hit a pheasant on the drive...he was pretty excited!!

and FINALLY crossed the South Dakota State Line after a 2 full days of driving!

The boys went caving today!

Meanwhile, Leah and I are home holding down the fort without our men, just TRYING to make it through each day! haha!!

Some things we have been doing...

Like having lunch with some amazing friends, and taking Leah to experience Japanese Hibachi, and learn a few new trick from Nicole.

and making sweet memories of our own.

We are so richly blessed.  God has provided every single need for us this far and we know he will continue to do so.  The weeks leading up to us leaving were really encouraging.  A lot of time with family and friends and making some God appointed connections.  As of now, they are staying not far from our soon to be home for the next 6 months, and will be moving in soon.  This blog was started with the purpose of keeping you updated on our ministry and everyday lives.  So you can expect the pictures and posts will keep coming! Thank you for supporting us friends, you mean the world to us.

Learning to serve the Lord,

Amanda

Oh the joy!

So for one...I have GOT to get my camera fixed! I am missing all these amazing moments and my blog is looking a bit drab.  My phone SM card isn't working either so I can't take pics on my phone.  So in the next week (hopefully) be looking for some posts with some pictures :)

So today has just been fabulous!! Other than the allergies that I'm fighting, it has been beautiful.  My sweet niece, Ashlyn, is here visiting from Texas so my grandparents picked him up from school to visit with her. So I've been here all morning with my sweet Leah.  I get asked alot if we are going to have more kids or not.  When I think about this I have this wonderful feeling of JOY. Yes, when I think about managing it all, I get a little overwhelmed at the "todos", but what greater blessing or joy?!  No jumping to conclusions, haha!  JOY has been resounding in my heart for weeks now and I have prayed for more times to feel joy and recognize joy in my life in the little everyday moments. I have been wanting to get fit, lose a few or more pounds, and feel good about my body again. Doing something for me, with MY hard work, and MY determination. No one can do it for me. So I was outside doing jumping jacks, and stretching, and here is this beautiful angel beside me doing everything I am doing.  Counting up to as high as she can then starting over. We stretched and did the "jumpy things", then started on our walk to soak up this day.  I prayed in my heart that I would find joy in every moment, and that's what I found.  We were walking and she had a hold of my finger and she was just jabbering away!  I can pick up her words but this was a special conversation. Something was so exciting that she was talking a hundred miles a minute.  I had to stop her and say "leah, baby, slow down!"  She looked up and said "I love you more mommy"....brought tears to my eyes!  This is something we hear all day long.  She loves so much!  And she tells us often.  She wakes us up in the morning to "i love you daddy, or I love you mommy".  But this was just so precious, and unexpected.

So we walked and we sat down for a while and laughed at everything! She was so giddy!  I sat there wishing that I took more moments like this everyday.  Throw out my schedule or to do list, stopped working, and took a second to love and spend time with my kids. The work of a mom is exhausting.  And No, men will NEVER get it!! Matt can clean the house top to bottom in a few hours and wonder why it takes me so long. Don't worry Ladies...he has NEVER said anything like that, because he knows that wouldn't end well, but sometimes I feel like he's thinking it. Then I think, why is it so hard for me to get things accomplished around the house.  My job description is not to just cook, clean, and look fantastic at the end of the day (bahahahaha!!).  It includes incredible amounts of teaching, disciplining, inspiring, and loving.  I would love to have more kids, and we do hope to adopt one day as well, but If God blesses us with more children, I can't wait to pour out our love on them! It is a powerful thing!!

One thing my kids will always be able to say is that they felt loved by Matt and I.  They hear it often, we hug them often, and make sure they know that.  I hope when they have their own families that they love even more than we did! Jacob and Leah both are quick to tell others that they love them, and I hope their love for others grows more and more everyday.  Love it the most powerful thing in the world!! And I hope they feel it always.

Take time out of your day and love on your kids! You'll miss these moments when they grow up!! :)

From this....

To this.....

 

and this....

To this....

I pray that I find JOY in every single moment.

Mi Amor...

Valentines Day oh Valentines Day....there were years that I hated you...and now years that I love you.  In our busy schedules, we dont go out of our way everyday to show our love in special ways.  We get home from work and just want to get to bed.  We have busy days where we just want to be alone with our bubble baths, music, candle, and our own peace and quiet.  Yes, Valentines Day should be everyday,  but in reality...other things take priority most days. So what is this concept?  That we should take time, 5 min out of our day to show love and affection to the people who love and adore us?  Yes.  I'm guilty of this for sure.  My schedule, my demands, my priorities are sometime out of wack, and sometimes my affection suffers. Good thing my husband has the love tank the size of a peanut or we would be so in trouble.  haha!

Today what makes me thankful, more than anything...is that the creator of the universe loved us so much that he wanted to bless us with the opportunity to feel love.  Did he have to?  Did he have to create Eve for Adam? Did he have to create nature so that we could grasp the very definition of beauty? Did he have to design marriage? or the desire for a relationships and friendships?  No, He didnt. But He LOVED me.   He wanted me to feel love, to know love, to experience love, to show love.  He wanted us to know and understand the love that He has for his children, so he gave us the gift of parenthood.  So we could have a tiny grasp of the love between a mother and a child.  He wanted us to feel the intimacy that comes with a strong marriage so that we could grasp the intimacy and anticipation of Christ and His bride. He loved us so that He blessed us with the opportunity to love and feel love.  There is no greater gift.  Love is the most powerful thing in this world. It's the most powerful emotion.

Thank you God for loving us enough to give us the greatest gift of all... Your Love.

Love today, and everyday.  With every emotion.  With every moment.

And so it begins....

 Wow!!! Welcome to my first blog post! I have been wanting to do this for a while and thanks to a wonderful friend of mine Ashley Slater of Adventures of Newlyweds for designing this BEAUTIFUL blog for me!  Check out her blog as well. 

Thank you for joining me in this adventure!  I knew this would be a great way to keep all my friends, family, and supporters in the know about life in the open range.  You can keep up with our ministry, our family, and our great adventures that we plan to have!  For our first post, I'll give you the Big Picture of our history.  I must say....I am a richly blessed women! I have a wonderful husband, beautiful children and A LOT OF FAMILY!! I have amazing parents, Dean and Angela Taylor, a sister, Crystal, and a younger brother, Daniel.  When I married Matt, I gained his 11 brothers and sisters and his loving parents! Not to mention all our nieces and nephews.  That's JUST our immediate family!

Dad, Mom, Crystal and Ashlyn (missing her husband DJ), Daniel and his wife Kathryn (who are having a baby boy any day now), and our family!

This is the Hadden Family!

well hello gorgeous... :)

My little Indian, Jacob!!

Our beauty queen :) Leah.

Matt and I married, and my whole life changed. Family is everything. It's the greatest gift. It's truly humbling and we should forever be grateful.  As we get to know each other you will get to know more about all these people.  You'll fall in love with them as much as I have!

My purpose is simple.  I hope to encourage you, as I learn, as women, mothers, wives, and followers of Christ.  I hope in some way to inspire you to be a better version of your self. I pray that through this Gods glory is revealed and his mercy and love overflow the pages of the blog.  I know that if we believe in each other and the power of the spirit working in us that we can CHANGE the world.  We can be a part of eliminating modern day slavery, abortion, and truly do something that stands for something.  I have a lot to give... I have alot that I believe in....I know that we have the power in us to do something remarkable for the kingdom of God!  We are the body of Christ, which means we are in this together.  So lets team up and encourage each other in this thing called life.

For HIS glory,

Amanda