Blessings Despite Broken Bones

"Hey, honey! Guess where I am!"
(You've only been gone 45 minutes.) "Okay, where are you?"
"Minor Emergency... I think I dislocated my finger."
(Yeah right.) "Stop joking."

John wasn't joking. But he was wrong. The right-hand ring finger wasn't dislocated, it was broken. The minor emergency care physician gave him the name of a hand specialist to call on Monday morning. He needed to be sure the bone was set correctly and to determine if he surgery was in order. However, when he called the specialist, they told him they couldn't see him for about 2 weeks!
But God provided a way for John to see a doctor. Our Sunday school teacher's wife works for a hand specialist, and she was able to get John in on Monday morning. The doctor did a great job! John doesn't need surgery, and he's just in a small splint for about three weeks.
Thank God with us for getting John into the doctor quickly and that he doesn't need surgery! Please pray with us that his finger will heal quickly and be restored to full movement and use.
For those of you who are interested, check out these broken finger pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/er.roettele/JohnSFinger. Just copy and paste the link into your browser.

Boxes, boxes everywhere....

We are in the moving zone! Our lease is up on our apartment, so John's dad is kindly letting us stay with him for the next few months until we leave Tulsa. (Thanks Bob!)
Last Friday, Elizabeth's mom helped start the packing extravaganza. (Thanks Roxanne!) We had to take a break on Saturday for my cousin Amanda's wedding in Yukon, OK. (Congratulations Amanda & Trey!) Sunday we continued-- we even went to Walmart at 1:30am to scrounge for boxes!
We have packed a lot, but it seems like there is still so much to do. We are packing some things for our time left in Tulsa, some things for Dallas, and some things to go to Grandmother's storage building in Pryor. (Thanks Grandmother!) The boxes have created a kind of maze and obstacle course in our living room area. =)
Please be praying for us that we can get it all done by Saturday so we can move all the big items. And if you're in Tulsa on Saturday, August 25th, and you are bored... let us know!

VOM

The best magazine that we read is VOM: Voice of the Martyrs. We'd encourage everyone to sign up to recieve this free magazine. Every month, VOM tells stories of the courage, perseverance, and faithfulness of followers of Christ around the world. They will give you opportunities to pray for specific people, send letters to Christians in prison around the world, and give towards furthering the gospel of Christ around the world. Not to mention, your heart will be touched and encouraged by those who do not consider even their lives of value as they follow Jesus. We always say that reading VOM puts our life into perspective! Check them out at www.persecution.com !!

Sk8fusion Shots!

Here are a few photos of Skate Church! Enjoy!

Below: Larry teaching the Bible study.

Please continue to pray for this ministry... as God continues to bless it, Satan tries undermine what He is doing. Lift up the leader, Larry, the small group leaders & volunteers, and mostly- the students. Ask that God would continue to pour out His Spirit and that the leadership would have wisdom in every situation.

Below: Some very talented boys showing off their skills!

Spring Break & Where We Are

Spring Break was a great week for us! While John enjoyed a few days of the bachelor’s life of video games, frisbee golf, and cleaning his wife’s car for her (that wasn’t really ‘bachelor’ was it??), Elizabeth flew to San Antonio to visit Sarah & Jesse Dubberly and their brand new baby Lindsey Elizabeth. She’s beautiful and precious, and we had a great time just hanging out and playing with her! Okay, okay, we managed to squeeze in some shopping as well. =)

We have some exciting news! John’s brother, Brian, and his wife, Jennifer, are expecting their first baby in October of this year! We are so excited to welcome a new child into our family. =)

This weekend is Resurrection Sunday, and it is our prayer that each and every one of you know to the fullest the love that our Savior has for you. Reflect on His sacrifice and death on the cross, remember His mission was to seek and save that which was lost, and REJOICE in His resurrection and life that gives us life and hope for eternity. If you don’t know Jesus, there’s no better time than now to seek after Him.

House Undivided

Video games are often a subject of much debate between husbands and wives. =) But when it comes to the Nintendo Wii, we are in total agreement! It's fun, active, and totally different from anything you've ever played before. If you haven't tried it yet- especially the sports games, you should. Or if you live near us, just come over and play!
John got the Wii for Christmas... well, really we couldn't find one until February. He drove all the way to Cleveland, Oklahoma to buy it. But it's been worth it, and we've had tons of fun having friends over to try it out.
Elizabeth finally beat John at boxing! Although he was playing left handed and not trying very hard, it still was a mighty victory!

Skate Church

Skate Church? As most of you know, we are NOT big skateboarders. But we have had the opportunity to be around a great group of kids who are. Sk8fusion meets at Jenks First Baptist Church every Monday night. Kids come, they skate, they hang out, they eat way too much sugar, and they hear the truth about Christ. We volunteer there 2-3 Monday nights a month with crowd control and concessions. We have watched in amazement as God speaks to these students right where they are, using the mediums that mean the most to them. One Monday night, 5 new believers were baptized. In front of their peers, they took a clear stand for their faith. As each one went down into the water and came back up, the auditorium burst into cheers! The Lord is blessing this ministry... He is so Faithful. Pray that God continues to reach out through this ministry and that it will not be hindered in any way. Pray for more volunteers. Check out more at their website: www.skatechurchok.com
So many people need to know that God meets them where they are, speaks their language, listens to their music... but mostly, that He loves them. Sk8fusion is just another reminder that the Lord wants to reach the HEARTS of His people, and He will go to whatever lengths it takes. Praise Him!

Happy New Year

Psalm 34
1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

We celebrated our one year anniversary December 17th and enjoyed a great Christmas season with friends and family.

We have hit the ground running already, and we are looking forward to a year that will be filled with challenges and probably many changes. We are excited to meet all that lies ahead!

Our favorite thing these days is the 15 week class we are enrolled in called Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. It is an awesome time of learning about the Lord and His purposes throughout the world. Even though there is a lot of reading and homework, we are really enjoying this study. We really are getting a new 'perspective.'