Road Trippin'

Knowing a road trip was ahead of us, I have to say I was nervous. Especially with a four and a half month old baby along for the ride. During our trip I knew for sure people where praying because the kids did so well on our 15 hour drive up to Wisconsin! We were packed in like sardines, but we had zero car problems, and the kids were content for most of the trip. Made it to Wisconsin in record time, with one stop in Ohio where we got to spend a little time with my sister. It was beautiful to drive through the Blue ridge Mountains as the sun was coming up. This picture does not really capture the gorgeous sunrise, but at least I tried! God is a great artist for sure. 

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This is how Gideon kept himself occupied during the trip:

He 'shot' everything from Ohio to Wisconsin and I'm sorry to say they probably have no trees left and many cows and horses were 'injured' along the way. Such a funny kid. 

We arrived in Beloit, WI on Friday. Then on Saturday we went up to Wisconsin Rapids (Another 2 1/2 hour drive which felt like nothing after the last trip) to stay with Nathaniel's Aunt and Uncle and speak at their church the following morning. 

Pastor Milt at Baker Street Community Church was so kind to let us come and share with them what we will be doing in Hawaii. We had a great time there and we are now back in Beloit, resting from all the driving! 

Thank you again for all the prayers!

Salt and Light

Seasons change, life changes, people change... We have gone through so many changes this last year, and as 2016 starts, we find ourselves rolling with the tides of change once again. On March 8^th we will be hopping another plane, headed back to the University of the Nations in Kona Hawaii! I prayed for favor when looking for our plane tickets, and God did even better than just giving us a good price for tickets (we found a great price!), but we also found out that our miles covered two tickets! So blessed and thankful. Last time when we flew to HI it was with two little kids in tow. This time, we have three!

In September of 2015 Nathaniel finished the film school and internship at the U of N, and when we return we will both be staff with this school. I have no experience working with film but I can help in the areas of mentoring or administration. As we have described the vision of being in the film industry, and working with people who are in that field and do not yet know who Jesus is, the word that we are called to be Salt to the Earth and Light to the World is brought up over and over. This is what the School of Digital Film making is all about. Teaching people how to be good at what they do, but also how to be in that industry, making a positive influence on those they work with. Also how to make good quality films that reflect Godly values. Being staff, Nathaniel will get the chance to gain even more experience working in film and of course help the students as well. Our plan is to be there a year and from there, who knows!? Psalms 119:105 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.' If you think about it, a lamp doesn't shine very far ahead, but it shows you your next steps, and that is just what we need. Because when we know God is guiding our steps, then we know we will end up in the right place. Our journey is never boring and sometimes challenging, but it's exciting to be traveling in the will of God.

Here is where I ask for prayer. Please pray for our trip back. This is about 18 hours of traveling and will be Alinah's first time flying so... lots of prayer is needed! Also prayer for grace as we transition once again. We will miss being with my mom and dad and closer to family. The kids especially will have to adjust again to the different time zone and living quarters and that can be rough. Nathaniel will need to find a job on top of everything, and we will be looking for a car and eventually an apartment off campus. Another prayer request we have is for more monthly supporters. The more financial support we have, the more Nathaniel will be able to focus full time on the ministry and developing new projects.

We have been so grateful for the support and love we have received during this time we have spent back on the mainland. It has been such a good time for us to adjust to being a family of five and for our kids to get to know my parents better. It was also really special to be able to have our baby here, with my mom delivering. As hard as it is to leave, we are really excited about getting back into the ministry, and settling into our new routine. It's always a new adventure and we love to take you guys with us though the journey. It's always amazing to see what God is going to do next and such a privilege to be able to be a part of it! I pray that in this new year you will see God's blessings each day. Each day is a new start and His mercies are new every morning!

Blessings from the Tracy Family!

Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Kaleigh, Gideon, and Alinah

Send offerings and support to:

Good News Christian Center, 2293 Prairie Ave. Beloit, WI 53511.

Make checks payable to: GNCC with the memo saying 'support for Nathaniel and Elizabeth Tracy'.

Or go to www.paypal.com, press: 'Send Money' and enter: soccer_g_p@yahoo.com

The Blur Comes Into Focus

I apologize for the huge gap between posts. I don't mean for this to become the norm! After my last post, the craziness of packing, saying 'see you later' to Kona, and hopping on a plane, took over. The last two months have truly been a blur. On the 22nd of September we started our trip. Three plane rides later, our tired family flew into Chicago and then made our way to Wisconsin. We packed as many visits as we could with friends, family, and church family, into those five short days. Bittersweet to see them all but not know when we might see them again. It's rough on my emotions. And poor little sensitive K who struggled with all of the goodbyes. We packed ourselves and all our belongings into our minivan. Oh how I missed having a vehicle!! I wanted to hug and kiss that van. But that would have been gross, so I refrained from doing so. 

We spent a night in Chicago with a friend who blessed us with a great double stroller! We squeezed that into our van and then made our way to Ohio and spent some time with my sister. After a great time there we were on the road again, headed for Virginia Beach to visit Nathaniel's sister. Hitting Washington D.C. Rush hour traffic was a mistake we will hopefully NEVER make again! Eventually we made it there and had a good few days to visit. We made it to my parent's house in North Carolina on the 8th of October. Nineteen days before my due date. This gave us a little time to settle in to our new home. The RV in my parent's driveway. Although we mostly just run wild in their house, we sleep in the RV. Haha. On the nineteenth of October we had our last outing as a family of four. Along with my parents, we walked all around the North Carolina state fair enjoying the exhibits, food, and the kids enjoyed a couple of rides. 

I'm convinced that all this walking is what started the journey to becoming a family of five. 

The morning of Wednesday the 21st of October, I was talking to my friend on the phone. I remember telling her that it just felt like it would happen imminently. I was so achy and sore and felt so much pressure. That evening contractions started. Nathaniel was at work and by the time he got back at 9:00 things were starting to move along. He put the kids to bed and we realized we had no way to know if they woke up during the night, so he quick ran to Walmart for a baby monitor. The contractions were still only about six or seven  minutes apart but they were getting long and hard. I leaned heavily on Nathaniel. And then all of a sudden it hit me like a freight train. No time to rest, contractions came one after another. I told my mom (my midwife!) that if she wanted her assistant there to call her quick. She didn't make it. 

The water birth tub wasn't even filled all the way, but our baby wanted out! She was born after a few pushes into the loving hands of her Grandma. So special and it was all so perfect. Our little A is here and she is the piece that fits perfectly into our family puzzle. 7lbs. 13 ounces of cuteness, born at 2:06am on the 22nd of October. She quickly picked up on nursing, and after a while Nathaniel brought K out to meet her baby sister. She was so tired but deliriously happy to see her. Oh I'll always remember her smile the first time she saw our baby. So much love. My dad heard the baby cry and woke up to meet her. It all went so well and I'm just so grateful that we were able to come here and have this time. God has been good to us. Our family is adjusting to, and loving on, our new addition. Our hearts are so full! Meet our newest little girl...