Tasmania ... Home!

Thinking on this...
I have been listening to an album from Bethel Church this morning. While I was singing along to the Lord, I heard Him speak to me. He said, "you are to imitate me"... I want to be so much like God. His love never fails, never runs out, never ever ever gives up on us. So many times, I sing those lyrics and fall at His feet unworthy. But, this time, He wanted me to remember that I am supposed to look like Him. If His love NEVER gives up on me, my love NEVER needs to give up on Him or His people!

We have been in Tasmania for a month & a half now! Getting here was a story in itself. To be honest, God deserves all the glory for everything that has happened in the last few months & I hope that what I say will somehow produce praise & thanksgiving!

A few months ago, our dear friend Jess (& her family) offered for us to travel using a Delta buddy pass! -- Back track: on the day that they offered this, we were wondering how God would ever get to me to Australia. Considering the fact that neither of us were working full-time, in fact we were volunteering all of our time, we had no idea how we would afford to travel all the way across the world. Thankfully, Callum already had his ticket booked, from months before we were ever married. God kept telling me, "the money is on it's way"... and as much as I didn't know how to trust God, He allowed me to cling to that promise-- So, we rejoiced and agreed to use the buddy pass! With tears & gladness, we could feel God's hand and we knew He was using their family to fulfill His promises! The next day, Callum & I were sitting in Starbucks enjoying delicious coffee! While we were just enjoying the day, still unsure of how we would face the next couple of months with no secure income, Callum started to smile really big! He looked at me with such happiness and security and said, the money came through! His bank account went from a little under $100 to a few thousand more than what we would need to pay for my VISA (a spousal visa is roughly $2400). His tax money came through & let's just say, it was WAY more than we expected. God is our provider. So, in just a matter of a few days... we started to see everything changing for us! We started to see that God never ever speaks without fulfilling His word. The verse that says, "no word of God will ever return void," started to become a common theme! God is with us; He is with us, and we will never be able to deny that. All to say, everything was looking up.

We spent everyday preparing for the big transfer to Australia. The day that I was supposed to leave, I went to the airport and left my family (Callum included). My flights were going to take me from Alabama to North Carolina to Atlanta to Los Angeles to Sydney to Tasmania! So, in case you didn't notice... I had to fly all the way across America before I ever left! To me, that was amazing! The way the buddy pass works is, every customer that pays full price is going to get on the plane (duh) -- but, every person on a buddy pass gets put on a standby list. On the flight from Atlanta to LA, my name was roughly number 11. Thankfully, I got on. Then, in LA everything changed. The first night, I was pretty high up on the list; everyone got on the plane, except for me. The next night, there was one spot left; the couple in front of me had the choice to leave the ticket to me or to separate and let one of them go; after thinking about it right before me, they decided to separate. I started crying, hysterically. They told me that I was most likely not going to get on the next night either. After letting myself cry for a while, I started to realize just how perfect God is. Before leaving my mom, Alex & Callum, I asked God why I had to go into the promised land before my husband. I wanted him to go before me; I needed my husband to lead the way. The second night that I was in the airport, Callum wasn't allowed on his flight; they moved him to the next flight out, which had some delays and did not leave until 10 minutes after the plane that I was trying to get on left. So, all to say, God gave me peace; He showed me that Callum was going before me to make a way. How perfect & awesome is our God? That third day, I stopped thinking about if I would get on the plane or not. Instead, I found ways to bless God. I looked for opportunity to bring praise to Jesus in the airport. On that day, I talked with so many people. As often as I could, I shared the story of Callum & I. Everyone that I shared with said, "You need to write a book, your story is really amazing". It blessed me to know that God would allow me to share and inspire so many people after such a sad day full of tears. He always restores us & uses us, because He loves us. That day, an older woman (who was going to be flying to Sydney on the flight that I was hoping to leave out on) said that she was very cold (with broken english)... and so, I decided to let her borrow the quilt that my mom gave to me (you have to understand, the last quilt my mom gave me "disappeared" and so I am very attached to this new quilt). She was overjoyed and made a pallet on the floor next to me; she slept for at least three hours. While she was sleeping I looked over at her and the Lord spoke clearly to my heart by saying, "Just as you have covered her, I will cover you". How amazing? At that point, I did not care if I would get on the plane or if He was just promising to keep me safe. I was just glad to hear His voice so clear! Just a little while after, I went to the Delta desk & asked if there was any chance that I would be getting on the flight that night. The lady at the desk, who had become very familiar with me, said, "No, I am sorry, there is an over booking of 10 and you are already so far down on the list". As much as I wanted to cry, shout and explode right there- peace covered me and reminded me that God would be protecting me! So, I sat down & decided not to look at the standby list the rest of the night. Around 10:50 when the flight was about to leave, I went up to the desk and asked again. This time the response was totally different; the young woman said, "Actually, yes, you should be getting on Chynna. Because we were overbooked, we had to send a lot of customers to another flight. You should be getting on shortly!" I was so excited, I could hardly wait! I grabbed my backpack & walked right back to the desk. My smile was bigger than it had been in days and tears rolled down my cheek as she said, "LEE". I brought my ticket to her, and ran to the line. Wow! The one flight I definitely SHOULD NOT have gotten on, God made a way. All of my friends were praying. My husband was praying in Australia. God heard the prayers. He made a way when there was no way! Our God is good.

You better believe I was the happiest person on the flight that night! I didn't stop smiling the entire time (that's a long flight too, hehe). A few girls asked me why I was so happy- they were tired, and not wanting to be heading home- when I told them, they were also happy. God is good. He can use us to change the atmosphere, He can. If we are willing, God will use us.

Well, I got to Sydney the next day & hoped to jump on a plane to Tasmania. Unfortunately, while I was standing in line to book the ticket, the flight that I needed to get on went from being "open" to "closed" right before my eyes. This is when I started to cry again. Another night without my husband? Another night alone? All I knew was that I would not be spending the night in the Sydney airport. After ten minutes of trying to figure out how Australian phone numbers work, I called my husband and told him that I missed the flight out. It was all okay. He booked me a hotel very close by (a nice hotel- a very nice hotel). I went straight to the hotel, took a long long long bath, changed into clean clothes and fell asleep until the next morning! I woke up very early that morning & headed to the Airport earlier than I needed to be there. On the shuttle over, I met a young woman named Jo. She was so pleasant and offered to help me to get to the flight, because she also was headed to Tasmania. We both needed to weigh our bags, because we were not sure if we packed too much or not- so, eventually we were sent to a counter that was empty. The lady who was checking our bags asked if we wanted to go ahead and check in, which was such a blessing! We said yes with so much joy. She then asked if we wanted to sit next to each other! Jo was so happy to answer, saying that would be great. When the young lady got to me, she was super glad! She said, "you're American, what are you doing here?" I told her that my husband was Tasmanian and I would be visiting with him for a few months- I briefly told her my story and she was so happy! She said that earlier that morning she was praying that God would speak to her directly that day & that He used me to do so- she has a heart for America & desires more than anything to be married. God is so sweet. Well, she ended up giving Jo & I REALLY good seats because Jo had recently been bitten by a spider and needed extra leg room! It was awesome! Jo & I enjoyed each other the entire flight over. Once we made it to Tasmania, I was so ready to see my husband! When I saw his face, my heart started to beat so fast. I couldn't think about anything else! God was so sweet to let me be with my husband!

I met his mum & dad face-to-face. Apart of me felt like I knew them my entire life, probably because we've kept in touch over the last year, but apart of me felt like I had no idea who they really were. I still feel that way. They are great people and I am glad that we are all family now.

Within the last month, a lot has been happening. At first, Callum & I spent some time relaxing and enjoying the town together. Then, Callum was called back to work at Cash Converters. He has been hoping for full-time work and his job has been very good to him. Although many days are hard, he is able to work and provide for us! God is good.

Most days lately, I knit while Callum is at work. Recently, I have spent time with some new friends (which has been really good for my heart). I also take long walks to town and just enjoy the city.

The truth is, I am so happy to be here with my husband. I wouldn't trade anything in the world for this. Callum is the most exciting, gentle, precious, genuine, humble and honest man I know. He is constantly finding ways to make my stay here more comfortable. Being with him is the best gift I have ever been given.

One thing that was overwhelming us, and making it hard for us to think about getting our own place, was the thought that I had to leave Australia in January (because that is when my ETA expires). But, just this week we found out that I can extend my stay & it will not interfere with my Partner Visa!! This means that when my Partner Visa is about to be approved, the government with notify me and I will leave the country- when I leave the country, they will approve me and I can go back to Australia with a more permanent Visa! How good is God? Instead of being separated from my husband for months, I will only be separated from him for a few days! We may not even be separated for a few days, because we have considered going on a vacation during that time! :) So, all is really good. God is answering every prayer and making a way for us to be together.

If any of you are wondering the hardest part so far, it is being away from my family. I have the most precious mom in the world; she is gentle, patient, very quiet, and polite in all that she does. My mom fears God; she never assumes herself above anyone and always finds a way to be an example of humility. I have a lovely mom. Being away from her is VERY hard, but I am thankful that God is with her. I am thankful that God keeps reminding me that there is no distance in the spirit. Another important one that we miss is Alex. Alex is the most intelligent, wise, forgiving, hopeful, quiet young man we know! We have been blessed to know these two & being away from them is hard. Every day, it does get a little easier. God is giving both of us peace by reminding us that we can pray for them & that we will always be family- no matter how far we travel.

We are currently staying with Ms. Deb, Callum's mum. Ms. Deb is lovely. She really does give as much as she can to make sure that we are comfortable. It is not every day that you find someone willing to let two 21 year olds live with them. We are thankful to God for her.

Our hope is to find a place in town! We want to find a home with two bedrooms, so that we can have guests from the States come and stay whenever they can! If we can, we are going to rent for a little bit. Once we know for sure that this is where we will stay for a while, we are going to look into buying a house here.

Please pray for us in this season. Everything is new, but all is good. We are more than blessed! Thank you to all who have been so supportive in this change! To our friends & family back in the States, we love you and thank God for you all.


<3 Chynna Reece

True Life.

... & We only have a few weeks left in AmericaAs our time at Camp Baldwin comes to a close, we are growing more thankful for the friends that we have made and all of the opportunities that God has presented to us. We really are blessed beyond anything that we could have asked for. There are so many blessings that we have received and we have receive them all with joy.

For the last month, we have established a few friendships that are really special; friendships from the past have been growing lately, as well. We have been going to Abiding Love Fellowship every Sunday and Wednesday, also.

A new friend that Callum made at Starbucks is Gaston. He works at Starbucks and makes really good coffee. The friendship Callum has with him is truly a blessing. Gaston is neat; he spent three years in Australia and as you can imagine, talks with an Australian accent. For Callum, it is good because talking to Gaston strengthens his accent (who would have thought, an American helping an Aussie get his accent back). Another really awesome fact about Gaston is that he will be going to Australia in October, which is AWESOME because we are heading back in October. How awesome is our God? He provides us with friends that can relate to us, so that we are always surrounded by people that support us and help us to get through our times of waiting. Gaston is a good friend for us to have during this season!!!

Being at Starbucks so often has allowed us to get to know some of the people on staff. One sweet young lady, Summer Franklin, is a shift manager & she is my favorite. It is cool, because I think of her so often as if we are good friends. Tonight we were able to talk a bit, and that blessed me so much. I am thankful for Summer.

Two friends that I have appreciated a bunch lately are Mrs. Susan Poos (who works in the office at Camp Baldwin) and Mary Cate. They have been around to support me and bless me. Mrs. Susan recently blessed me with a ring. She was wearing a gorgeous cross ring in the beginning of the week & I mentioned it yesterday at lunch; I told her that her ring was very pretty. She then slipped it off her hand and gave it to me. How precious? It is not very often that you find selfless friends; she said that ever since she bought it she has been trying to justify getting it. Giving it to me blessed her and she made that clear. I am so thankful for her and her gift. Many people know this, but for those who do not, two summers ago Susan made me a prayer shaw; that prayer shaw has been the most special gift to me and I have brought it with me every where that I have gone. Just as the shaw reminds me, the new cross ring reminds me, Jesus died for me and His love and provision cover me in all things. Amen.

We have been attending Abiding Love Fellowship on Sundays and Wednesdays. The church is really the place for us to be. If any of you are wondering why we are going there, or what led us there, I would love to tell you. Our friend Rusty invited us when we mentioned being in a place that called for "damage control" when someone fell out in the spirit. He said it sounded like we need to do some damage control ourselves. For those who do not know, Callum & I feel very strongly that the gifts of God are for our time. We even feel strongly that EVERYTHING the Bible says is true. Nothing that has been given cannot be given again. God is not a respecter of man (Romans 11:29; Acts 10:34-48; Romans 2:11). His Word stands firm from generation to generation (Psalm 33:11). For us, believing that every Word of God is true means that we leave NO room for unbelief. While others are debating the meaning of the gift of tongues, the truth behind the words "heal the sick", or the foolishness in dancing before God... We are praying quietly in tongues, laying our hands on the sick & watching them be healed, and dancing alone before God. Others have tried to force their beliefs on us, but we never trusted man to begin with, so we choose not to start such irrational behavior now. You see, both Callum and I are in love with God. We are not in love with man; we love man, because God loves man. Our decisions are not made based on pleasing man, because the only outcome that ever had was bad (ex: the death of our Saviour- check out Mark 15:15). Honestly, we are disgusted with the thought that so many Christians are led astray by other Christians. I believe that the only things that have been stolen from me and lead me away from God, where things/disputes within the church (1 Corinthians 11:18- seems to me that this age is not the first to experience such things); as terrible as it sounds, I lost more within the walls of the church than I did in the world. See, Satan has no hold on me. There is no way for him to reach in and steal from me, because I stand against his ways & disagree with all that he has to say. Now the church on the other hand, they are the ones I trusted- my safety- and sure enough they are the ones that made me question what I believed. Thankfully, our God is stronger than the opinions of man and has faithfully reminded me of who I am. Something you should know is that I have not always been faithful to God, nor was I raised in church, and no man taught me what I really believe. My mother faithfully prayed for me my entire life and lived a life so quiet and hidden in Cheist, that even when I was against her, I desired what she had. After years of rebellion and death, I asked God to save me. A group of friends laid hands on me and prayed for me. That night, I received the Spirit of God; no matter how many people tell me not to add this detail, I will stand firm in making Gods power known- my body shook when I received Holy Spirit. From that day, I have seen so many miracles, that I could not write them all down. Since that day, I have felt the Spirit of God lead me and protect me in all things. My God is strong- our God is strong! People try to tell me that God doesn't heal cancer today, or that He used to heal the sick by the laying on of hands, or even that the gift of tongues is not intended to be an unknown tongue, but a known tongue (if your under that impression, I suggest you read 1 Corinthians 14:2 & pray to God- ask Him to show you truth). It's embarrassing to think that the body of God attempts to control what God can and cannot do. As if that wasn't enough, they make assumptions that what God did 2,000 years ago ---> He won't do today! In prayer, God tells me over and over again "I love my Bride the same" ... And if He remains the same ALWAYS (Hebrews 13:8), why would His love be so limited that He would not heal today? Heartbreaking thoughts. Our God is still love. Our God is still healer. Maybe it's not that God won't do it, but maybe it's that your faith is not strong enough to see Him do it? Because, I see Him do it ... Callum sees Him do it. We know many people who have let go of control & let God be who He is--- and as we provide the faith, He proves faithful! Every time. All to say, we believe in God and we are so blessed to be surrounded by others who trust in Him the same. We are so blessed to be around people who see fruit when they pray. We are so blessed to be around people who seek God. We are so blessed to be around people who love God. Worship is good. Corporate worship with Abiding Love Fellowship is good! From all the churches we have attended, we have learned and grown. God always shows up and reveals Himself to those who seek Him (Proverbs 25:2).

Just the other day, Callum said to me "I promise you there are more people out there who really love God," and as I sat there crying I remembered there are. I invisioned all of the special moments with Gods children that I had from 2010-2012 & remembered that the faithful do exist. He told me that church in Australia is different- people are expected to love God & it is okay to express that in worship! The thought of going to Australia with my husband really blesses me and has been my hope these last few months.

Although we believe in the extreme, we are still very practical people. We are very human. There are things that bother us and we are capable of being exhausted. Through all, I feel confident in saying, God lifts us up on wings like eagles! He makes us strong when we are weak (Isaiah 40:29-31).

Saying so, I would like to discuss a few things. Two to be exact. One has to do with cleaning up after yourself and the other has to do with, well, cleaning up after yourself.

How many of you have never cleaned a toilet? How many of you have never gotten on your knees and scrubbed a bathroom clean? How many of you have? Well if you have, I will assume that you would never leave a restroom a mess. Working at the camp has been a lot of fun at times, and at times it has been VERY nasty. I am once again embarrassed that the body of God would leave such a mess. Regardless of where you are, if you are at home, on vacation, visiting a friend, at school or out eating- if you are not cleaning up after yourself, someone is!! I suggest that any woman wanting to be a wife should learn to clean before ever entering a relationship. If you want kids, learn to clean. If you want to have guests over, learn to clean. Learn to enjoy cleaning. It's important to really enjoy cleaning. Growing up, mom was all about making me a "house keeper". She wanted me to enjoy cooking, c,earning and serving as much as she did. At the time, I did not understand and even rebelled against her gentleness. For the last two years, I have thanked mom & praised her for her patience! Cleaning has really become something I rejoice in. I have realized these last two years, that while you are cleaning, you can pray over each area that you touch. You can pray over beds as you make them, showers as you scrub them, toilets as you clean them and mirrors as you windex them. You can pray over every thing! When God first taught me this, I rejoiced. Can you imagine praying over a room that whoever stays in it would receive salvation? A running your hand across the bed and praying for dreams from heaven- all to find out the next morning that the person staying in that room received Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? There is no way to explain it other than GOD ANSWERS US WHEN WE PRAY! God loves when we partner with Him- it blesses God when He can answer your prayers. Saying so, it's very important that we pray in all things. It's very important that we rejoice in all things! Even in cleaning, it is crucial to learn to pray!

God loves when we partner with Him. What would a relationship be if it lacked a partner? It would not be a relationship at all.

More to clean!!! The more I work in retail, the more I see that people should not be allowed to ship unless they know what they are doing! :) If you have never worked in retail, you have no idea the work that it takes to keep a store clean. Every time that I am at work, I see some one pick up an item off of one rack and leave it sitting on another. It doesn't make sense. Callum & I have come up with the idea that if you wish to shop you must have a shopping license. How do you obtain such a license you ask? Well, you must be trained in retail for an entire month before ever being allowed to shop. As you enter a store, you must show your license :) hehe! Okay, okay, it's not practical-- but you get the point, like I said before LEARN TO CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!! If you are not doing it, someone is! Learn to clean up with joy!!! It'll change your life!! Pray as you shop, pray for the employees, for the store and for the shoppers. It'll change you. It'll bless God. Learn to pray!!

Callum & I have agreed to teach our kids to clean early on. We hope now & pray that they will bless God & others with all they do! Oh & while I have your attention- for ALL who have asked- WE ARE NOT PREGNANT! When we are, we will be sure to tell you & we will be so joyful!!!! :)

Thanks for letting me catch you all up- think you for following! Thank you to all who have been praying! Enjoy this day! Enjoy The Lord! :)

Safe & Sound.

NOW, NOW, THE STORM WILL ALWAYS PASS, MY DEAR

There will always be a storm,
But to those who choose to look away, there will be a calm breeze and some fallen leaves
Look not at what damage has been done, but instead on what rain has come
The rain will carry healing and nourishment to those in need
Keep focused on the rain, not the storm


We have come to the conclusion that Isaac was more of a blessing than a curse. Truthfully, we have received so much joy and hope- All thanks to the storm that came! Praise the Lord, our God, for providing for us; He has proven Himself to be rich in love through this storm. Thankfully, the weather is back to beautiful. Honestly, nothing bad happened where we are. Really, we were able to do a lot more than we were able to do before the weather got "bad". For instance, we were able to dip our feet in the bay. Every day we go down to the pier to pray, dance, dangle our feet from the pier and play hide-and-go-seek. During our days off, the water had risen so much that we were able to sit at the end of the pier and our feet were soaked! How awesome? To us, it was precious. The only thing that we were not able to do because of the storm was play hide-and-go-seek, because Rusty moved the boat ;) But, honestly, we have been fine!!! :)

There have been more blessings than we can count! Many of the blessings that we have received, we will not mention but rather thank the Lord. In time, we will tell how we have been richly blessed and provided for. Ah, our God is good.

You know, God IS GOD! My spiritual mother always used to say that to me, "God is God" over and over again- she would repeatedly remind me that God is really who He says He is. I will never be able to explain how important that phrase has been in my life. It is the most truthful thing that has ever been said to me and the most truthful thing that I have ever said. See, God is God. No matter who thinks He is, He is who He is. There is nothing more true than that. We, as humans, do not have the power to make God who we want Him to be- yesterday, today and forever more He will be the SAME! Praise the Lord! Wow! With that said, when we go to God (in prayer, in listening) believing in Him for who He is, we receive so many blessings. In just believing, we receive the fullness of His blessing. Many times we will labor with tears, groans, prayers and requests that seem to be much bigger than our little minds can handle- BUT- the moment we surrender and recognize that God is still God and He can handle anything, in that moment, we are setting ourselves up to receive blessing. Think about it, the last time you prayed, did you get what you asked God for? If so, did you really trust that God was God? If not, did you really trust that God was God? Your answer to that question may answer a lot-- think about it. If you have trouble trusting that God is God, then start reading the Bible. People may say the Bible is just mans word, or mans opinion of God, but after studying the Scripture for three years as a Theology student, I have come to the understanding that there is NO WAY that man wrote those books without God. Each word is ALIVE AND ACTIVE! If you do not agree, I am confident enough in His word to say that you must not have read it enough-- either that, or you have not asked the Spirit of God to reveal Himself to you-- because His Word is TOO powerful not to convince you of His character and truth!!! Truth is convincing. God is convincing.

So, if you wonder why we pray & believe in God, our answer is that we have found Him to be true in all things. People fail us, yes. Possessions fail us, yes. Jobs fail us, yes. Money fails us, yes. God NEVER ever fails us. We are so convinced that God is true, because He has shown us His love our entire lives. There are times when our closest friends really let us down & God remained with us. There have been times when our family disappointed us and treated us unkind, but God showed up and reminded us of His love. In the quiet times, we have seen God. In the lonely places, we have found God to be the one that sticks closer than a brother! Hopefully if you are reading this, you know that GOD IS GOD.

We have said it before & will say it again; we are blessed.

Just so you all know, married life has been fantastic. It has been amazing. We are so thankful to get along so well, communicate so thoroughly and love so deeply. Some days I wonder, "wait, isn't this supposed to be harder than it looks?". Then I remember, "our God is protecting us because we trust Him to protect this marriage!". At the church we have been visiting one of the worship leaders came by us and said, "you two are newly weds and I can tell by the way you act!"... when she said this my response was, "I hope we always appear as newly weds!"... our love is so strong! Thankfully, we really really love each other.

Our days are filled with laughter, singing, dancing, and smiles! Really, we daily laugh and laugh hard! We daily sing and sing loud! We daily dance and dance wild! We daily smile and smile big! Our love keeps us joyful! Our fellowship keeps us glad! God is good to provide us with such loving helpmates. Wow, God is good.

When times are painful, it is never the other... but, rather, circumstance... and thankfully, we have each other. We constantly remind each other that God is good & that He will provide. As we remain faithful to God, He remains faithful to us!! Yes, He is faithful. Wow, we are blessed!!

We hope you enjoy our pictures & our love!!!

Sitting Down By The Pier During Hurricane Isaac

Driving To Work At LMT During The Storm

Us, Hanging Out "Like A Pair Of Pearls"

The Best Of Times

Silly Times During The Storm

The Cutest Man

Always.


Thank you to all who have encouraged us, blessed us, given to us, helped us and prayed for us!! We thank God for you all!

Keep seeking truth!!

We'll be back,

<3 The Reece family

Hurricane Isaac

HURRICANE ISAAC IS COMING OUR WAY!

For all of those keeping up with us, you might have noticed that there IS a storm coming our way! If you are unfamiliar with Alabama weather, this is common. Although the last time that we had to board up the windows, move the beds to the middle of the house and stock up on yummy goods was a while ago, we still consider the possibility of a hurricane hitting our land every year. Thankfully, we have not had a serious storm since Hurricane Ivan (year 2005).

To be honest, Callum and I have been extremely relaxed with the idea of a storm hitting us. Yesterday, I went to work at Little Monkey Toes (Callum came with me). While we were in the store, many of the customers mentioned the seriousness of the storm that was hitting. Even with the mention of it, we did not worry.

Something really awesome happened yesterday. While we were at Little Monkey Toes, Callum mentioned cleaning up the back of the store (to help out and make sure that the stock room was a safe place). With permission from the owner, we started cleaning up around 2 p.m. At five, when the store was to close, we were not any where near finished. So, we continued working in the back room until 7 p.m. When we got home around 7:30, we rested until we received a message from Mrs. Susan. She said that there had been an emergency evacuation and that the store needed to be prepared for the hurricane. We both jumped up, put on our shoes, and headed out the door (this was a little better 10 p.m.). From 10 p.m. until 2:30 in the morning, we worked hard & fast. Together we secured all of the clothes & shoes. The entire store is safe and ready for Hurricane Isaac. All to say, if we had not felt the need to clean the back room earlier that day, there is no way we could have finished the task that Susan set before us that night. It would have seemed impossible. Thankfully, God put in both of us the desire to work hard during the day and help out as best we could! Amazing. We are so blessed to serve such an awesome God. For those of you who have not understood God as the God of order, please know that our God IS orderly! He is so cool to put a desire in our heart, and strength in our arms, so that we could be prepared for whatever storm hits (literally). Our God is good to look out for His children!

Today, after getting in around three a.m. and falling asleep around four a.m., we started work at Camp Baldwin around ten. When the managers found out we had only gotten a few hours of sleep, they said to go back to our room and sleep. There were ten rooms that needed to be cleaned and mattresses & box springs that needed to be unloaded off of a truck. Although we were weak, God provided energy and joy for us to work! We worked very hard. Billy noticed around one that Callum & I were very tired, so he let us off early.

We have spent the rest of the day preparing for the hurricane. As we mentioned in earlier posts, we live right on the bay. Being so, when we walk out of our room we see many boats that have been anchored in. It is neat to be here at the camp during hurricane season. Although many would see being by the water a little more dangerous than other situations, we feel so safe and ready. Something that Brother Mitch, a camp director, said is that we are all in this together. It's always good to hear that others are in the storms with you. Not that you wish any one else would have to go through a storm, but just to know that we all have each other no matter what comes our way!

Life is good.

There's a big chance that this storm could be a little bit of wind, some rain and a fallen tree... but, regardless of what happens... I am glad to be married, safe and in love. God is so good to us. Thank you all who are praying! We are joyful and dependent on God. He is providing all that we need! Even the things that are unseen, He has them taken care of. There are no worries here! Only joy!

Being young and married is precious! It is sweet to see how God connects all of the little things in our lives. You see, two years ago, when I first came to Camp Baldwin, God showed me that I would have many children. As time when on, He made it clear that my first son was to be called Isaac Samuel (because of the laughter he would bring and because of the longing I have for a son; Isaac means he laughs & Samuel means "God hears"). Now, being married and more than ready for anything God brings us (even children), I am thrilled with the Hurricane being titled "Isaac". Little things are keeping me joyful lately. It will be such a sweet moment when I am able to tell my son Isaac Samuel about Hurricane Isaac that came through Alabama the year that his daddy and I got married. God is funny :) He knows just how to make us aware of Him!!! God is good.

Life is good. Love is good. Being in love is good.

Callum & I are having fun! We are enjoying the days and making them count! Many memories are being made.

Hope you all are doing well. Hopefully this mini update comforts and blesses you all.

<3 The Reece family

Truthfully, Loving Our Lives.

How could we be so blessed?

We wake up every morning between five and six a.m., at that time we get ready for the day. Following showers and breakfast, we pray and read the Word. All throughout the morning we exchange hugs, kisses and sweet words. The mornings are sweet. As eight thirty rolls in, we make our way to the office for coffee. Callum makes sure to get a nice big cup of the strongest coffee available & depending on how I am feeling, I get the same as him. Once coffee is in the system, we head out to find Billy. Billy is the housekeeping director here at Camp Baldwin; something that you all should know about Billy is that he is not only in charge of housekeeping duties, but he manages and serves in every way that the camp needs him. On any given day he could be cleaning out the dorm rooms, setting up motel rooms, cleaning sheets, lifting heavy furniture, finding a way to carry loads of camp tools back and forth on the camp, or even managing a team to make camp life happen; Billy is a good guy, we are glad to be friends with him. Billy usually assigns us to a pretty intense assignment. From eight thirty until twelve, we work out in the heat doing anything/everything that needs to be done. We take a lunch break from twelve to one. For lunch, Callum & I go to the old dining hall (a small kitchen that was previously used a lot more at the camp, but here lately just Callum and I use). Our appetite is satisfied with rice & beans or pasta & marinara, and sometimes quesadillas. If you do not already know this, we are REALLY simple eaters. Thankfully, Callum is super easy to please when it comes to lunch. Goodness, we are blessed. After lunch, we go back to work. From one to five, sometimes we get off earlier, we are hard at work. The work here is hard, but rewarding. Some days are much harder than other days, and for that I am thankful. Having hard days makes the rest days so much more enjoyable. When work is over, dinner follows shortly after. Our dinners are pretty simple for the most part, unless we go out (even then, we are simple eaters). Being down here is such a blessing. We work hard, yeah. But, we are finally able to be alone and out of the way. Every day when work is over, we are not expected to do anything... all we are required to do is love God and rest! Wow, how could we be so blessed? Thankfully, we are even able to go down and enjoy the pier right outside our room. The sunsets are beautiful and the Bay is a kind reflection of God. Our experience here is outstanding; we are so blessed to be here.

We are enjoying volunteering at Camp Baldwin. Honestly, it is the best decision we could have made and God is blessing us for following Him (even though others were telling us to do otherwise). There is something really peaceful and special about giving our time and energy to the people here. They never take from us, but instead do the opposite. Instead of expecting us to do everything for them, they realize we are to work as a team. This place is very special; the team here is more than we could have ever asked for. Thank You, God.

Recently, I have been training at Little Monkey Toes in Gulf Shores. Last year, I was working at the Bell Air store; now, I am going to be spending some time working at the boutique down here. It has been a learning experience. The days that I have off at the camp will be spent at the store, for the most part. God is good to provide for us while we are here. It is more obvious every day that I am alive that God has plans to provide for my needs. There is never a time when it seems God is not providing; God always proves Himself to be the great provider. We trust God to provide for us, especially when people tell us not to. God is good and He NEVER FAILS! God's Word promises that God will provide for those who diligently seek Him, so we keep diligently seeking Him & He keeps providing. Hallelujah! We love our God.

We have been going through a lot these past few weeks. Nothing has been too hard for us to handle, really. God has given us the strength each day to press in and pray. As we pray, our trust in God grows. Our trust in people decreases. There are many people who do not understand the decisions that we have made these last couple of weeks. Many people have said hurtful things and even dishonored Callum & I. They say and do things that they have no idea are corrupt and untrue. Fortunately, God continues to remind us not to take too many things too seriously. When others throw hurtful words and sayings around, we know to look to the kind and steadfast voice of God. Goodness, our God is good. The voice of Jesus is so peaceful and true. As children of God, we are learning to daily test the voices around us and trust only the voice of God. He is so good to allow us to discern what comments are from Him and what are not. Pray that we would rely on the voice of God and brush off our feet every time that others try and guilt us into trusting their lies.


On Wednesday we were able to visit a church down here called Abiding Love Fellowship. Our dear friend, Rusty Davidson, mentioned that we needed to come to his church and receive healing from any hurts that we had picked up over the last year. You see, Rusty has known me since summer 2010 when I worked at the camp; he knows that Holy Spirit is my best friend and that my faith is rooted in the truth of God. Seeing me desperate for God's touch, he was thrilled to invite us to join his congregation. Finally, we made it Wednesday. When we first got there, the church opened up in worship. Before they ever started singing, they had a slide show going. Everyone was standing. The slide show contained words that reminded the church of the God that we serve; the words were humbling and truthful. All of the people cheered, clapped and called out to God with a voice of thanksgiving. It was beautiful. Then we sang a few songs, including Happy Day. It was amazing. Worship was free!!! Everyone was free. There was not a single person in the building standing still reading words off a screen, but instead there was freedom and true worship. The people sang with joyful hearts. Hallelujah. When the preacher spoke, he delivered a message about sowing and reaping the Word of God. His words were simple, but true. God is good; God has blessed us so much. The service was exactly what we needed. God is good to remind his people of His truth. Rusty was right to invite us to his church. We are so thankful and will worship with them again.

Everything is awesome around here! Thank you to all who pray for us! We have recently sent out personal prayer letters. If you feel led to pray for us and would like a letter, please send us your mailing address and we will get a letter in the mail asap! We love you all and pray that you are drawn closer to God's heart.

<3 The Reece family


Being With My Man Fills Me With Joy


This Was Supposed To Be Of Us


More Successful Picture Of Us


Callum Man Being A Cutie As Always, Yeah He's Mine

& this is our happily ever lasting!

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and become united to his wife, the two shall become one flesh."
Genesis 2:24


What God has done for us is beautiful & our hope is to share the love of Christ with everyone within our reach!

On Saturday, July 28th at 6:00 p.m. I married Callum Anthony Reece, the man of my dreams. Everything about our wedding was perfect and holy; we were able to worship God freely (through oath) with the support and witness of many of those that love us. The ceremony was exactly what I wanted and more than I could have ever imagined.

Let me tell you about how it all came together...
A little over a month ago, Callum & I shared the plans we had to get married with Mrs. Blanche Spinks (who I was living with at the time). Once she had thought through our beach wedding ideas, she suggested something more homey, a backyard wedding. We were thrilled with the idea and ran with it. She mentioned having it in her yard and using her home for the reception. Everything seemed to be coming together. Later that night she went to the Phillips house (a couple from our church) & while she was over there she called us and asked if we could come over. When we showed up at the Phillips, they had all planned out our wedding as if it would be at their house. Something you should know about the Phillips house is that it is very large and beautiful; their home should be in a magazine & should win awards for being so gorgeous. There were many times this last year that I would walk by their house and think "if I was their daughter, I would get married in their backyard!" How amazing is God? He took my little thoughts, hopes and dreams and turned them into reality. Beautiful, He's beautiful! If offering their home was not enough, Mrs. Phillips offered to make my wedding cake! I was overjoyed that night and amazed at how willing they were to serve us. Both Mrs. Blanche Spinks and Mrs. Sandra Phillips offered to work on the food for the reception. They kept my thoughts secure that our wedding would come together and that it would come together beautifully- one thing that Mrs. Phillips said that I will not forget is, "If you guys want to get married, we want to help you!" We are so blessed to know such wonderful people. When I contacted my bridesmaids about the plans, they were all so excited and ready to do whatever they could to help-they trusted that my decision was one that was rooted in prayer and did not doubt anything that we had planned. Once again, we are so blessed to know such wonderful people. While we were in Guatemala, the girls bought their dresses and anticipated the big day- my friends are the best! We mentioned to our friend, Mariah Walker, taking the pictures for our wedding- she agreed to do it with joy, which is brilliant because she is one of the most skilled photographers we know. While we were in Guatemala, my mother sent the invitations out. She was so thrilled to help us! The invitations were handmade and beautiful- there was nothing in the stores that suited us better than what my mom & I came up with together. She bought party favors, without spending much money at all. When we got back in the States, there were a few things that we needed to get done in only a weeks time. As much as I wanted to stress out and rush around trying to work out the details, God reminded me daily that He wanted to plan my wedding and bring it together for His glory. I let Him have control & He did everything He promised. Within two days of being back we were able to have a marriage counseling session with Rob Hilbun (a friend and minister who married us), work out the order of the wedding, find someone for music, get the flowers situated, find the remainder of our outfits, get everything together for the flower girl and work out the rehearsal dinner. It all was done without me doing a thing, really. During marriage counseling, Rob gave us a sheet of paper with the entire ceremony mapped out & we talked over the details & it worked out beautifully. The main concerns I had were with music & flowers. That night after church, we went to Sonic. My friend Samantha Binkerd came up and rejoiced with me. She asked if there was anything that we needed. I told her that I couldn't think of anything- she offered to get my toes done as a gift to me for our wedding. I was so blessed by her offer and accepted. Before she left, she asked if her and Jack Binkerd (her brother) could do the music for our wedding. Jack had played the wedding march on the guitar before and had been practicing it that week- amazing! In my opinion, Sam & Jack are two of the most talented people in Thomasville- so, to have them handle the music for our wedding was the greatest, most outstanding gift. God is so good to us. I know it has been said twice, but three times the charm.... We are so blessed to know such wonderful people. Like I said before, God did not let me stress one bit- He worked out the music worry within an hour after it was brought up in the counseling session. Then, the next time that we went to Walmart, we ran into Ms. Adrian (a member of our church & a friend who was in Guatemala with us); she offered to put my flowers together for me, because that is something she is skilled in. How kind? We are so blessed to know such wonderful people. Look at that, no more worries. There was nothing else that needed to be done on my part, because my maid of honor Miss Alicia Conn told me that I could not worry with the rehearsal or dinner plans because the bridesmaids were making the rehearsal dinner. Wow, we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

As you can imagine, friday came quickly... we ended up tying together little ideas last minute & everything turned out perfect. Friday was the rehearsal. Alicia Conn took charge and helped everything to flow well. That night, my bridesmaids made an awesome spaghetti dinner with salad and delicious ice cream! Everyone was full and blessed. We were prayed over by some of the most precious people in the world. The rehearsal & dinner were amazing! Thanks be to God for such wonderful friends & family.

Saturday was our wedding day. I slept a total of two hours the night before, because I was so excited!!! Early in the morning, I ran last minute errands with my dear Alicia Conn. We were able to find the flowers for the girls at Walmart (being there is no other shopping centers in the little town of Thomasville, AL); although they did not have the white daises that I wanted, they did have beautiful roses that matched the girls dresses. I ended up making the bouquets later that day with the help of my best friend Lulu Gomes and our dear Mariah Walker; they turned out beautiful. That morning we also printed off pictures that we used as favors, fixed my eyes (they were extremely irritated the entire week before the wedding) & cleaned out my car together. It was good to spend one-on-one time with Alicia Conn. When we got back to the Spinks house, all of the girls were awake. We all got cleaned & straightened our hair, then we headed to the Phillips house. There, Mrs Phillips shared a word with the bride (me) & blessed me more than I can tell you in words. She read a short story by Beth Moore which opened my eyes to how blessed I am to have someone with me through all of the times that are to come- easy & hard alike, I am glad to have Callum Anthony Reece. The day flew by & everything came together beautifully. At three thirty, we all took photos- just to say so again, Mariah Walker is an awesome photographer & she did an amazing job capturing every moment. At six, I was ready to marry Callum. As my little brother, Alex Dudenhoeffer led me outside to be married, I got super nervous/excited & was shaky; to be honest, it was the sweetest feeling. I was so free and ready to say "I do". Our wedding lasted 16 minutes & those 16 minutes were the sweetest. Rob opened up with a word about marriage & he prayed over us. Then, we agreed to be with one another. Mary Cate McDowell prayed over our marriage. Rob Hilbun & Alicia Conn sang one of my favorite songs as Callum & I prayed with one another; that was beautiful. We recited vows, exchanged rings and kissed! Beauty. It was truly beautiful to me. To be honest, my eyes were only on Callum the entire service & I had no idea who was there until the reception. The reception was inside at the Phillips house & it was amazing!!! There was food, drinks and two beautiful cakes! To be honest, it was the most perfect wedding I had EVER been to! There was nothing I would change. God has blessed us with wonderful friends and family.

Thanks be to the Lord, our God, for providing all of our needs & making our wedding day the most special.

Thank you to...
Michele Hall (my momma) for serving us in every way that she could & making sure we had everything we needed.
Mr. & Mrs. Spinks for offering their home for the rehearsal dinner, for my friends to stay, for making so much food, and providing many other services for us.
Mr. & Mrs. Phillips for offering your yard, home, food and two beautiful wedding cakes.
Alicia Conn for being the maid of honor, orchestrating the rehearsal & dinner and everything else you did for us.
Alex Dudenhoeffer for being the best man, holding the rings, walking me down to Callum, and providing wedding favors.
Taylor Troha, Melinda Peckham, Lulu Gomes, and Ashley Hilbun for being the most peaceful and loving bridesmaids a bride could ask for. Y'all are so special to me and will always be a reason that I thank God.
Mary Cate McDowell for praying over our marriage, looking after my precious mother before, during and after the ceremony and for being flexible.
Mariah Walker for taking the most precious pictures, helping with the flowers and for supporting us in all that we have done.
Sam & Jack Binkerd for providing amazing music & considering the brides hopes. I love y'all more than you will ever know.
Sage Smoker, Joey Luker, & Christian Boyer for being apart of our wedding and loving Callum so well. You men are so important to us and we know that you are all blessings from the Lord. Thank you for coming last minute & supporting us with joy! Y'all are awesome!
Jess Rexrode for coming all the way to Thomasville for our wedding, watching after the children all day, taking photos, loving and supporting us in all that we have done.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bonner for making cheese straws for us & being so joyful in our decision to get married.
Ms. Adrian for arranging my flowers so beautifully.
To EVERYONE who has been with us, supported us & helped make the wedding possible. It is obvious that without you all, our wedding would not have been possible. Thank you for your support. May God bless you for all that you have done for us. In Luke 6 verse 38, we are told "Give and it will be given to you, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together will be poured into your lap. The same measure you use will be used unto you." Be encouraged in knowing that God sees all that you have done for us & in your time of need, He will return unto you all that you have done for us. God bless you all!!


So, as you can all see... we have been blessed beyond what we could have ever asked for! Everything was given to us. God orchestrated the entire weekend & made everything possible. We continue to rely on the Lord and look forward to all the days that we will share together. Thank you to all that support us! Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to seek the Father in all that we do! We love you & consider you family.

Be glad & stay encouraged. God is with you and will provide for you if you look to Him. He knows all our your needs. Hand every worry, every thought over to Him that can see all things.

"Finally my brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Philippians 4:8.

We love you all & pray for you as we continue this journey with our eyes on the truth. Blessings, grace and peace to all.

<3 the Reece family