It’s official!

We’re on our way to Dallas! This week we’ll be organizing, packing, and moving to our new home in Dallas, Texas to begin classes at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Here are some ways you can pray for us:

EMOTIONS: We are excited, thrilled, nervous, and sad all at the same time! Both of us have spent most of our lives in Jenks, Oklahoma. Although we’ll be joining John’s mom and sisters in the state of Texas, we’ll be moving away from his dad, as well as all of Elizabeth’s immediate family and grandparents. We are looking forward to seeing friends in the Dallas area, but as you can imagine, we will be missing our good friends in Oklahoma at the same time. Pray that we will be joyful in the Lord. Pray that we will be able to maintain good communication with everyone we will be moving away from. Please pray that we’ll make good friends among our fellow students soon.

CLASSES: We will be taking a full load of graduate level courses in the area of applied linguistics. Classes begin January 9^th. Please pray for diligence in our studies, ability to retain all that we learn, and good grades. We are eager to learn and really desire to honor the Lord by doing WELL in school.

FINANCES: We are moving out in faith, trusting the Lord’s leading that it is His time for us to begin our training. In addition to living costs, we are also responsible to pay for our tuition, books, and fees at school. We are blessed to see His hand of provision for us DAILY. The stories we could tell you… just ask! He reminds us all the time of His knowledge of our needs by providing in ways we could never think of. Please pray that our financial partnerships would continue to grow. Please pray that the Lord would guide us in making wise financial decisions. Praise Him for His faithfulness and pray for His continued blessing on our lives.

SPIRITUAL LIFE: We are facing busy, challenging months. Please pray for our continued personal times studying the Bible and in prayer. Please ask the Lord to help us grow in Him as a couple. Pray for our marriage- that it continues to grow stronger. Pray that He will teach us NOW how to be a family that worships Him together. Please pray that we will find a solid, Bible-teaching church with a heart for missions at home and around the world to be a part of and serve in while we are in Dallas. Ask for our protection on all fronts.

We are so thankful to be surrounded by your love, prayers, and encouragement. May you all have a Happy New Year!!

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!