Remembering Felicia...

The home-going celebration for Felicia Eddie (Jermale’s mother) was today. She passed away on April 1st after a 2 year battle with stomach cancer. All though it wasn’t in this life, we know she still got her healing miracle and was victorious. Jermale and I have been in Michigan since April 2nd and we were able to help with all the final arrangements and spend quality time with the family. The service was a beautiful celebration. Felicia had told all of us that if she passed away she didn’t want a long, drawn out service that was sad and dry. We honored her wishes with up-beat praise and worship music, positive tributes, an inspirational message, and pictures reflecting happy memories. At the end, people were invited to respond to Felicia’s testimony and give their lives to Christ and many did just that. As friends and family said their final goodbyes, they were able to take flower seeds and fresh fruits with them such as apples, oranges, plumbs, and melons. Felicia loved gardening and wanted people to have something tangible to take in her memory. We really felt God’s presence throughout the whole day and thank all of you that prayed for the family. The weather was beautiful and the day really couldn’t have gone any better.

We will be in Michigan until April 18th because we originally had a trip planned for April 13-18 but came early after Jermale’s mom passed. We will be spending time with family and friends this next week and celebrating my grandmother’s 85th birthday along with mine and my niece’s birthdays. We are also having a baby shower while we are here. The pregnancy is still going great. We are 7 months along and time is going fast. Our “office” is taking on more of a baby room feel now that we have the crib, changing table and bookshelf set up. I am anxious to get everything ready. It is so fun to prepare, but overwhelming too because the more we get ready the more the reality of impending parenthood sinks in!

Impact has reached a new milestone as we are about to launch weekly Sunday services starting on Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, Jermale and I will not be at Impact for Easter Sunday, but we are excited to stop meeting every other week and begin weekly services. We have various volunteers in place now and we know that this consistency will help the church get more established and grow.

Love you all!
~The Eddies

March Update

Hi family and friends,

Well, we have good news and not so good news. The good news is that Jermale got the job at Lamar University! Not only is this good because he enjoys working with college students and it will help get him connected to the local college culture, but it is also some extra cash flow that will help as we prepare for the baby and because Anissa’s job (which was our primary source of income since the church is part time) does not offer paid maternity leave. So this is a huge blessing! It is an answer to prayer and t really gives us a feeling of security as we count down the baby’s birth.

The not so good news is that Felicia’s (Jermale’s mother) health has taken a turn for the worst. As most of you know, she was diagnosed with (a progressive) stomach cancer in the summer of 2007. At that time she was given less than 6 months to live. But, with a lot of faith and prayer combined with her will to fight the cancer-it has now been almost two years and she is still here. The cancer went into full remission on two different occasions, but came back both times within a matter of months. This last time has been the worst and at this point the doctors have done all they can do. She was told to gather her family together and make plans. Jermale and I got a call from his sister on Saturday saying we needed to come home, so we left Texas at 3:30am the next morning and drove to Michigan. We plan to stay here for the week. Thankfully my job and Jermale’s job have been very supportive and understanding (Jermale had only been at Lamar one week, but his supervisor told him not to worry about anything and take as much time as he needed).

Although Felicia has lost a great deal of weight and is in constant pain, she is doing amazingly well mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is such a blessing! She still talks about how much she feels God has blessed her and how thankful she is for the opportunities He has given her to bless and minister to others throughout this illness. She does not doubt that God can still manifest her healing in this life and that she could fully recover, but she also acknowledges that He may choose to take her home. She has peace and joy about either option and told us last night “either way I win”. To see this positive attitude and great faith is such an awesome example and helps us all have peace.

Jermale is helping to get paperwork together and prepare for final arrangements and we are both doing what we can to help around the house and just spending time with her. Our prayer request is that she might have relief from her pain and continue to experience complete peace. We want God’s mercy and timing for whatever will happen. We also are asking for prayers for the family most especially Jermale’s father. He is having a difficult time, but does not talk about it and it is hard to know how best to be there for him. It is really good that we are here, but we know we can’t stay long. It is very hard for Jermale to now live so far away and try to still support his family as much as possible. I also pray that I will be able to support Jermale through this time as he has a lot going on with the church, just started a new job and will soon be having a new baby. We know God does not put more on us than we can bear and we are trusting that He will bring us through. I am still feeling good with the pregnancy (6 months along) and I’m so glad to not be experiencing any complications. It is strange to prepare for a new life and a possible death at the same time, but God’s miraculous power can be seen in both events and we know He is in control.

Thanks in advance for the prayers!

Love,
The Eddies

It's a Boy!!!!

It has been a while since we gave an update on life in the South…It has been even longer since I (Jermale) has wrote anything. A lot has been going on over the last month or so; I don’t even know where to start. Well, as you can see, I have given up on dread locks. I’ve had my hair twisted and ready to lock for about a year and nothing has happen, except it grew. As you can see by my Tito Jackson picture, I had lots of hair. That hair prohibited me from swimming, leaning back on furniture and from sleeping on the “good” pillow cases at home (it put bees wax and oil on everything). Anissa was not happy with a brotha! So now its cut and I’ve been getting cold a lot quicker lately. I also don’t recognize myself anymore.

We found out that we are having a baby boy! I am excited. Now I have to get something together so that my first born can have an inheritance, besides student loans. We got some great ultra-sound pictures-you can see them on this link http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2520099&id=2247339&l=d41d5. I am now starting to feel the baby kick and move. Its crazy that God has used us to create another life…I know Mary (the mother of Jesus was more fascinated about that than I am). I find myself getting more excited everyday. I mean who would not want another Jermale walking around? Duh!

Last week I had a job interview at Lamar University for an Assistant Director of Student Activities. The interview went great…at least I think so. I was trying to look good in my suit, but I was hotter than a mug! I should hear something from them by next week. I am so excited to get back on a college campus and work with students.

On a spiritual tip, I am seeking God’s face and voice. I feel that I have been in a spiritual plateau and I am ready to go to the next level. I am ready to walk in the destiny that He has called me. I am ready to use the power that He has birthed in me for His will. I mean what good is a tree with no fruit, a car with no motor, a vase that does not hold flowers? We need to serve the purpose which we were created for. If something is useless then its time to get rid of it! I sure don’t want God to throw me away. I am also praying for the spirit of a true worshiper. I want to experience worship in every area of my life. I want my walk to worship Christ, my wave to worship Christ, my blink to worship Christ, my sneeze….ok a sneeze might be too much, but you know what I mean. I am also seeking Christ’s direction on fasting. I’m telling you, I am ready for another level! My prayer can be found in Psalm 104:34: “May my meditation be pleasing [sweet] to Him as I rejoice in the Lord.”

Ministry is going well. We have 4 worship services under our belts now. This week Anissa ran both the Impact Café (coffee shop) and Nursery. She is on the grind for Christ, for real. I have made connections with approximately 10 college age students who are interested in being apart of the Student Ministry, so I am very excited about that. Anissa and I are also starting a kind of support group for young married couples, similar to what we were apart of in Grand Rapids. We feel that it is good to be able to have support and hang out with people who are in or have been in your same situations. The Proverbs 27:17 says that “iron sharpen iron.”

Finally, did anyone see Whitney Houston on that awards show last week? I thought she was going to sing or something…I was bamboozled!

Peace Be The Journey!
Jermale

PS The pictures are of my hair, the church and Anissa & I on Valentine's Day

2009 Blessings

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the update delays lately! If you’ve heard any baby rumors lately – they’re true :) As you can see from the picture baby Eddie is on his or her way and growing fast. (the other pix are from Christmas in Michigan and our trip to Dallas). Our due date is June 24 and Jermale and I are super excited. I am 17 weeks along (a little over 4 months) and things are going well. We knew for a while, but waited until Christmas to share the news when we saw our families in person. Everyone was happy. The first 2 ½ months were rough. Although I never threw up (thank God) I was extremely nauseous, tired and emotional pretty much all the time. Jermale was amazing through it all. He took over all the cooking and cleaning, encouraged me to sleep constantly, found me an amazing expecting mother’s tea, and knew when to comfort me and when to dismiss me during my emotional episodes LOL He is already such an awesome husband and I know he’ll be a wonderful dad!

Our other exciting news is that we finally had our first church service this past Sunday. I can barely describe how amazing it was to see it finally become reality after so much planning and work. We had about 100 people show up. Maybe 30 to 40 people came simply to support our first service, but there were a lot of people from the community as well. The best thing about the day was that God was there. It was so evident. It was our very first service, but by the end about 8 people responded to the alter call and many of them asked to become members right then and there. I felt so satisfied and at peace knowing that we are here for an amazing purpose and that this is just the beginning of what’s to come. The whole day was confirmation. I felt relieved in the sense that we tangibly experienced the reason we move here and for the first time I was 100% happy to be in Texas. I can’t wait to further engage into this ministry and truly impact the lives of people while I continue to grow and learn myself. I will try to post pictures soon of the church (especially the nursery and the coffee shop which were two special projects I helped with).

Christmas in Michigan was fabulous. It was wonderful to see family and even catch up with a few friends. I was feeling really drained before we went and being in Michigan reminded me of the support network we have still in place even though we are far away. The trip was spiritually refreshing for me as well. It was great to worship at Grand Rapids First again and I want to give a shout out to Jamon & Jasmine, Wes & Artina and Kim- the conversations I had with all of you gave me so much spiritual encouragement and helped me come back to Texas re-charged.

Life is good and 2009 is going to be incredible. We wish you all an amazingly blessed year!

Love,
The Eddies

Merry Christmas!

It is hard to believe that 2008 is almost over! This year was full of new things for us and it really flew by. We started the year by becoming homeowners for the first time. Although we only lived in that house for 7 months, we created a lot of great memories there and enjoyed that time. During that time, we also both adjusted to new jobs, got more involved in our church and were starting to feel established. Then everything changed with our move to Texas. We have had our ups and downs since August, but this experience has brought Jermale and I closer than ever and has shown us what having faith and trusting God really means. While we are still waiting for our house to sell or rent, we are extremely thankful to be settled into our apartment here and slowly Texas is starting to feel more like home (the winter temperatures in the 60s and 70s are helping with that transition!)

As far as updates, Jermale is in the process of applying for a teaching position at Lamar University in Family Studies (the area in which he has his master’s degree). There is still a possibility that he will pursue his teacher’s certification, but when he saw this job opening, he really wanted to go for it. We’ll see what happens… My job remains a blessing to have, but I am keeping my eyes open for another opportunity because it is a difficult work environment. I know I’m still there for a reason, so I am trusting God to use me there for His purpose.

Our first church service is around the corner- January 11th. Jermale is putting together final things like ordering offering envelopes, replacing light bulbs, hiring painters, etc. He even got an espresso machine so we can serve gourmet coffee drinks to our first visitors. I have been having a lot of fun getting the nursery ready. We will start out with 3 rooms – infants, toddlers and preschool. I have been able to pick out toys, order furniture and set up the rooms. It is a big task, but I’m enjoying it. It will be so good to have the church finally start!

It has been a little cold on and off (like low 40s), but I didn’t need a coat today and tomorrow it is supposed to be 75 degrees and stay in the 70s for the rest of the week. I love it! It actually snowed a few inches the other day and the whole area went crazy. All the TV stations had the snow fall as their top story. People let their kids stay up till 3am to play in the falling snow. Pretty much any kid younger than 15yrs had never seen snow in their lives. There were little snowmen and snow angels everywhere. All my co-workers came into work (late since they were scared to drive) with pictures of the snow and their kids in the snow. It was so funny. Jermale even got caught up and took pictures like he had never seen snow either (I posted the pictures). I thought it was hilarious when I saw the pictures on our camera, but I guess it was our first (and maybe only for a while) memory of snow in Texas. We fly to Chicago in the morning to spend time in Berrien Springs with Jermale’s family and then in Grand Rapids with my family. We are praying we don’t get stranded and that all our flights work out.

Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year everyone! Stay tuned to the blog for 2009...

Home Sweet Home

Three months later, we have finally left our Econo Lodge room behind for the 6 month old 2-bedroom duplex we found. We are so excited! We moved all our things from the hotel over to the new spot on Friday evening. We bought an air mattress, a sheet set, paper plates and cups, plastic silverware and borrowed two towels from Pastor Noble. Then today, Jermale got a card table and 3 folding chairs from the church. So, we are set for a bit. We are still working out the details of getting the rest of our stuff from Michigan, but it will all work out. We are just so happy to have a place that will be “home”. It makes a big difference. Above are some pictures. Obviously it is still really empty, but we are very thankful!

Thank you for all the prayers!

Love,
The Eddies

Keep the prayers coming!

It is getting more and more important to remind ourselves that God brought us here for a reason and that He is in control! Although it has been great to be past the worst of hurricane season, it still feels like we are facing various “storms”. First of all my job has become quite stressful. I was initially so excited to find what seemed to be such a perfect fit in such a short amount of time. However, after the first few weeks, it became apparent that there are quite a few underlying issues going on here that cause it to be a tense and often negative work environment. It is still a blessing to have a fulltime income and I am using new skills and learning a lot, but I am not enjoying it. I don’t want to go on and on with the details, but please pray that God will use me in this work and show me His full purpose for me in this position. I believe He brought me here for a reason and I want to stick it out until that reason is revealed and fulfilled.

Then there’s the housing situation. We have had some interest in our home in Michigan, but no offers yet. Since it had been on the market a while, we decided to pursue the option of renting it out. We figured if we had the relief from paying our full mortgage then we could move out of the hotel and at least get an apartment. But, apparently there have been new rules established since the financial crisis on Wall Street. As of October 2008, homeowners are only allowed to rent if they have 25-30% equity in their homes (which we don’t since we haven’t even owned it a year yet). Also, if we were to try to buy a home here with our home in Michigan still not sold, we would have to qualify for two mortgage loans and we would not be allowed to consider any rent being paid to us as income. So, basically renting was not an option for us and our realtor actually suggested that we begin proactively negotiating with our lender to see if we could set up some sort of a short sale arrangement. This would mean the bank would loose money, we would loose money and we would possible have our credit damaged. We are holding off on this and waiting for God to come through.

On a positive note, we spoke to the district superintendent with the united Methodist Church about the situation with the house and he approved us to get an apartment. The church will pay the rent until we can take it over after the house is off our hands and it will actually cost them significantly less than the hotel. It was crazy trying to find an apartment that was vacant because so many already stay pretty full due to all the plants and factories around here and then there was a huge demand after hurricane Ike since a lot of people lost their homes. It was discouraging for a while, but we knew God had the right place for us. Finally, we found a 2-bedroom duplex about 10 minutes from the church. It was built only 6 months ago and someone had to move suddenly due to job re-location. It will cost the same as our Michigan mortgage to rent it, but the church approved it and we can make it work in our budget after our house sells. It should be ready for us to move in by the end of this week! Now the dilemma is figuring out how to get all our stuff from Michigan since we have no furniture, dishes, warmer clothes, etc. We are still figuring that part out, but we plan to be totally settled in with all our stuff by the end of the month and we are very thankful for this!

The last “storm” has been in the area of benefits. I am nearing the end of my 3 month probationary period at my job and will be eligible for benefits on Nov. 18. I met with the insurance lady yesterday and found out that my job will not cover Jermale - we would have to pay out-of pocket to add him and it’s expensive. Plus, it isn’t even a good health plan- it is actually pretty terrible. My deductible alone before the insurance would cover anything is $3000 a year and then they cover 70%. It is a $30 co-pay for a regular Dr. appt. I know this is better than nothing, but we have never had such a bad policy before so it is pretty frustrating.
As far as Jermale, the church progress is moving a long and the first service will be Jan 11th! Jermale is also getting lots of substitute teaching jobs and that is going well. We are meeting more people and building some friendships, but we still have a long way to go before we will feel like we have a true support network similar to what we had in Michigan.

Again, that is why we have to continually remind ourselves that God is in control. We also recognize that at this point the stage is set for an amazing testimony. It is tough to go through the storms of life, but God is strengthening us through them and we know we will never be going through the storms alone. Please keep the prayers coming and keep in touch with us :)

Love,
The Eddies