After spending much time in prayer and talking to a lot of different people, Ryan and I have moved back to Grand Rapids. We realized we needed to step back and let the Lord lead our lives. We wanted so badly to finish our second year at school but financially it wasn't feasible. Ryan and I plan to take time off of school to work full-time and save money to continue later.
Within less than a weeks time we had to find a place to live in G.R., figure out how we were going to move our things with little to no cost, and find jobs for each of us. The Lord has provided once again. We found a place to live, friends lent us their trailer to move, and Ryan was able to transfer his job at GFS to a marketplace near our new home. I am still looking for a full-time job if anyone knows of any open positions (I have experience in customer service and office work).
It was hard to say goodbye to all our friends at school but we trust the Lord will use us as his servants while we are back in Grand Rapids.
If you want to come visit or say hello, please feel free to stop by, call, or write. We'd love to see you.
O-10868 26th Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49534
(616) 970-4376
Friday, August 22, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Desperation
Once again I have neglected keeping you informed on the happenings in our life. I will start with the fun news and go from there.
This summer has proved to be busy and chaotic, yet relaxing and fun all at the same time. Ryan and I celebrated our one-year anniversary in July. We went camping for the weekend and Ryan ended up in a car accident to finish the vacation off. (Don't worry, he's fine and the car wasn't damaged too badly.)
Ryan has been working hard at Gordon Foods, taking on extra hours and putting in late nights. I'm so thankful God has given him his job. I, on the other hand, have been doing odd jobs for families such as house-sitting, babysitting, cleaning, ect. We've managed to keep our summer packed full.
My grandpa passed away unexpectedly in July. I spent a week in Grand Rapids with my family. It was definitely a shaking week as I have very little experience with funerals and losing family members. God is still good even in the midst of pain and loss.
As we are approaching the fall, Ryan and I find ourselves in a bind. Unfortunately Ryan's job and my side jobs didn't bring in enough money to pay for our semester down payment. Whether it be poor planning on our part or simply God's way of directing us elsewhere, this next semester is more expensive than the past ones. Because of this we find ourselves $900 short, needing to find a place to live in G.R., in need of jobs there as well, and wondering how and when we are going to be able to move our things back.
Please pray for us as we have extremely huge decisions to make, and very shortly (within the next week). We are so sad to be leaving, wondering what we could be learning this next year but anticipate what God is going to do with us in the meantime. Any prayers, comments, and suggestions would be so greatly appreciated. It's a very scary place to be when you are without a job, without a home, in the middle of moving, and not knowing where you will end up.
This summer has proved to be busy and chaotic, yet relaxing and fun all at the same time. Ryan and I celebrated our one-year anniversary in July. We went camping for the weekend and Ryan ended up in a car accident to finish the vacation off. (Don't worry, he's fine and the car wasn't damaged too badly.)
Ryan has been working hard at Gordon Foods, taking on extra hours and putting in late nights. I'm so thankful God has given him his job. I, on the other hand, have been doing odd jobs for families such as house-sitting, babysitting, cleaning, ect. We've managed to keep our summer packed full.
My grandpa passed away unexpectedly in July. I spent a week in Grand Rapids with my family. It was definitely a shaking week as I have very little experience with funerals and losing family members. God is still good even in the midst of pain and loss.
As we are approaching the fall, Ryan and I find ourselves in a bind. Unfortunately Ryan's job and my side jobs didn't bring in enough money to pay for our semester down payment. Whether it be poor planning on our part or simply God's way of directing us elsewhere, this next semester is more expensive than the past ones. Because of this we find ourselves $900 short, needing to find a place to live in G.R., in need of jobs there as well, and wondering how and when we are going to be able to move our things back.
Please pray for us as we have extremely huge decisions to make, and very shortly (within the next week). We are so sad to be leaving, wondering what we could be learning this next year but anticipate what God is going to do with us in the meantime. Any prayers, comments, and suggestions would be so greatly appreciated. It's a very scary place to be when you are without a job, without a home, in the middle of moving, and not knowing where you will end up.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
"My Grace is Sufficient For You"
For those of you who have not yet heard, we lost our baby this week.
*Sensitive material to follow*
I began spotting which quickly turned into bleeding on Sunday this past weekend. We went in to have an ultrasound to check what was going on. I had a regular ultrasound and a vaginal ultrasound because it was hard to tell what was going on.
Through a series of tests and a 3 hour appointment we discovered we had lost the baby. The yolk sac was filled with blood and already starting to be rejected by my body, no heartbeat was found, and the development of the baby was only at 6 weeks (it should have been at 10). This means the baby died around the sixth week. I began bleeding heavier that same day and cramping started as well.
Because it was taking my body so long to reject the remains of the baby (approx. 4 weeks) we scheduled to do a D and C to avoid the possibility of infection occurring.
Ryan took me to the hospital Wednesday morning for my surgery and we were able to go home later that evening. I feel severely drugged and absolutely drained and exhausted. I just wanted to share what has been going on in our lives this past week since many people have been asking questions.
I can't even begin to explain the emotions we are both feeling right now. I am grateful to not have any anger, bitterness, or fear. We know that God's hand is in our lives and that His desire is always and only good. I'm thankful for the 6 weeks of life our baby had and I'm excited to meet this little child in heaven when I die.
God's timing cannot be any more perfect. While no one can really ask for miscarriage to happen, God knew what would be best for us. My family reserved a guest room here at school over a month ago and it's only by God's grace that they were here to be with me while we are going through this trial. I'm so thankful that even though we are going through such a hard time, God is not forgetting us. He had given us everything we need.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Please pray for both Ryan and I are our hearts are saddened by the loss of this little life. Pray for healing emotionally for both of us and physically for myself. And thank you to all our friends and family who have been caring for us. You're friendship is greatly treasured.
*Sensitive material to follow*
I began spotting which quickly turned into bleeding on Sunday this past weekend. We went in to have an ultrasound to check what was going on. I had a regular ultrasound and a vaginal ultrasound because it was hard to tell what was going on.
Through a series of tests and a 3 hour appointment we discovered we had lost the baby. The yolk sac was filled with blood and already starting to be rejected by my body, no heartbeat was found, and the development of the baby was only at 6 weeks (it should have been at 10). This means the baby died around the sixth week. I began bleeding heavier that same day and cramping started as well.
Because it was taking my body so long to reject the remains of the baby (approx. 4 weeks) we scheduled to do a D and C to avoid the possibility of infection occurring.
Ryan took me to the hospital Wednesday morning for my surgery and we were able to go home later that evening. I feel severely drugged and absolutely drained and exhausted. I just wanted to share what has been going on in our lives this past week since many people have been asking questions.
I can't even begin to explain the emotions we are both feeling right now. I am grateful to not have any anger, bitterness, or fear. We know that God's hand is in our lives and that His desire is always and only good. I'm thankful for the 6 weeks of life our baby had and I'm excited to meet this little child in heaven when I die.
God's timing cannot be any more perfect. While no one can really ask for miscarriage to happen, God knew what would be best for us. My family reserved a guest room here at school over a month ago and it's only by God's grace that they were here to be with me while we are going through this trial. I'm so thankful that even though we are going through such a hard time, God is not forgetting us. He had given us everything we need.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 says, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Please pray for both Ryan and I are our hearts are saddened by the loss of this little life. Pray for healing emotionally for both of us and physically for myself. And thank you to all our friends and family who have been caring for us. You're friendship is greatly treasured.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wow, wow!
We have experienced a few weeks of a lot of different (exciting) events being thrown in our direction.
Ryan was hired at Gordon Foods and happens to love it! Praise God. He is working anywhere between 20 and 30 hours a week. This is bringing in just enough to pay our school bills. Please continue to pray for him and the perseverance to balance work and school.
Stephanie has been having problems with her food allergies. Senior year in high school she was diagnosed with food allergies to wheat, soy, milk, eggs, and nuts. Only recently has she been experiencing a reaction to eating foods containing these ingredients. This has caused a slight strain on our food budget as finding ingredients and foods without these items is expensive. She is becoming quite the cook having to learn to make things from scratch.
Ryan's mom was gracious enough to purchase a digital voice recorder so we can record our lectures and classes. Ryan plans to take bits and pieces of these lectures and post them on iTunes as a podcast so friends and family can get a preview of what we are learning. It's in the very early stages but can be viewed by going into the iTunes store and searching for Ryan Warnock.
And now the best news of all. We are expecting our first baby this November! Yes, we are pregnant. Can you believe it? We sure couldn't when we found out. We are very excited about bringing a little one into this world. Stephanie is only about 5 weeks along and has only had one doctor's visit so far. Please pray for both her and the baby as time progresses. We are hoping for a strong and healthy baby. Stephanie will have to cut back on her classes this next semester (from taking 17 credit hours to only 7 credit hours) but will still get a certificate of completion for the mission program. Pray for wisdom as we are a learning and growing with our baby.
If you ever want to get in touch with us, please feel free to call, write, or e-mail anytime. We'd love to hear from you.
1210 E. Michigan Ave. #10
Jackson, MI 49201
(517) 796-5424
Ryan's Cell: (616) 970-3949
rswarnock@gmail.com
Thank you for continuing to pray for us! God is doing some pretty amazing things in our lives.
Ryan and Stephanie
Ryan was hired at Gordon Foods and happens to love it! Praise God. He is working anywhere between 20 and 30 hours a week. This is bringing in just enough to pay our school bills. Please continue to pray for him and the perseverance to balance work and school.
Stephanie has been having problems with her food allergies. Senior year in high school she was diagnosed with food allergies to wheat, soy, milk, eggs, and nuts. Only recently has she been experiencing a reaction to eating foods containing these ingredients. This has caused a slight strain on our food budget as finding ingredients and foods without these items is expensive. She is becoming quite the cook having to learn to make things from scratch.
Ryan's mom was gracious enough to purchase a digital voice recorder so we can record our lectures and classes. Ryan plans to take bits and pieces of these lectures and post them on iTunes as a podcast so friends and family can get a preview of what we are learning. It's in the very early stages but can be viewed by going into the iTunes store and searching for Ryan Warnock.
And now the best news of all. We are expecting our first baby this November! Yes, we are pregnant. Can you believe it? We sure couldn't when we found out. We are very excited about bringing a little one into this world. Stephanie is only about 5 weeks along and has only had one doctor's visit so far. Please pray for both her and the baby as time progresses. We are hoping for a strong and healthy baby. Stephanie will have to cut back on her classes this next semester (from taking 17 credit hours to only 7 credit hours) but will still get a certificate of completion for the mission program. Pray for wisdom as we are a learning and growing with our baby.
If you ever want to get in touch with us, please feel free to call, write, or e-mail anytime. We'd love to hear from you.
1210 E. Michigan Ave. #10
Jackson, MI 49201
(517) 796-5424
Ryan's Cell: (616) 970-3949
rswarnock@gmail.com
Thank you for continuing to pray for us! God is doing some pretty amazing things in our lives.
Ryan and Stephanie
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Spring Semester 2008
Wow! Life has been moving increasingly fast for Ryan and I these past couple months. This entry will be longer than most in order to include all the important (and not-so-important) news from the past two months.
Ryan and I headed back to Grand Rapids mid-December to visit with family and to save on rent money. We left with $17 to our name and a terrible financial burden on our hearts. In order to continue schooling at NTBI for the Spring Semester we needed a down payment of $1500. Two weeks left to find jobs and make enough money for school and we still didn't have the money. But I am sitting here now, in our apartment at NTBI Jackson, rejoicing as once again THE LORD HAS PROVIDED! Ryan and I were contacted by a friend from high school during break needing help taking inventory at a family member's company. We were able to make a couple hundred dollars working for a day and a half there. Ryan was hired by family members to help tear down wallpaper and clean and repaint a basement for the remaining time in G.R. I was called in as temp. help at my old job (Crossroad Bible Institute) to help with office work for over a week. We also had family members step in and help us out a bit as well. We can't even begin to express the thankfulness in our hearts for all the supp
ort and help we received from these people. Thank you, for working in our lives the way you did.
Over break we were able to spend a significant amount of time catching up with our families as well as visiting with our new niece Jillian. (To the Left: Jaelee and Jillian) It was a joy being there.
The spring semester has been going for almost three weeks now and we are happy to say we are still loving our classes and learning more than we ever imagined. The work load as picked up a bit and we are spending more time reading and doing homework than last semester. We are also getting into more challenging and interesting areas of study such as "Biblical Principles of Handling Conflict", "Spiritual Warfare," and "Hamartiology." Ryan and I also took over a ministry for married families called Food Cart. Twice a week the cafeteria opens up a portion of the left-over food for the married families here at school to take. Ryan and I are responsible for setting this up and coordinating who runs it each week. It has been such a blessing for the both of us.
Ryan has finally found a job here in Jackson. He just finished his second interview today and begins working at Gordon Food Services this week as a Sales Associate. We are very excited to see how God will use him at his new job. I am still looking for work which is finding to be a little more difficult as we only have one vehicle. I have been finding odd jobs such as babysitting and working at conferences which seems to be working out well. Please continue to pray for our finances as we are still not making enough to pay our school bills.
We also want to thank the anonymous sender of a Meijer gift card to our address here at school. We aren't sure who you are but want you to know that we are incredibly grateful for your generous gift and we were so surprised when we received it.
Our hope is, that in some way, you were encouraged through what God has been doing in our lives here at school. We love you all and are so excited to be a part of your lives!
Stephanie
Ryan and I headed back to Grand Rapids mid-December to visit with family and to save on rent money. We left with $17 to our name and a terrible financial burden on our hearts. In order to continue schooling at NTBI for the Spring Semester we needed a down payment of $1500. Two weeks left to find jobs and make enough money for school and we still didn't have the money. But I am sitting here now, in our apartment at NTBI Jackson, rejoicing as once again THE LORD HAS PROVIDED! Ryan and I were contacted by a friend from high school during break needing help taking inventory at a family member's company. We were able to make a couple hundred dollars working for a day and a half there. Ryan was hired by family members to help tear down wallpaper and clean and repaint a basement for the remaining time in G.R. I was called in as temp. help at my old job (Crossroad Bible Institute) to help with office work for over a week. We also had family members step in and help us out a bit as well. We can't even begin to express the thankfulness in our hearts for all the supp
ort and help we received from these people. Thank you, for working in our lives the way you did.Over break we were able to spend a significant amount of time catching up with our families as well as visiting with our new niece Jillian. (To the Left: Jaelee and Jillian) It was a joy being there.
The spring semester has been going for almost three weeks now and we are happy to say we are still loving our classes and learning more than we ever imagined. The work load as picked up a bit and we are spending more time reading and doing homework than last semester. We are also getting into more challenging and interesting areas of study such as "Biblical Principles of Handling Conflict", "Spiritual Warfare," and "Hamartiology." Ryan and I also took over a ministry for married families called Food Cart. Twice a week the cafeteria opens up a portion of the left-over food for the married families here at school to take. Ryan and I are responsible for setting this up and coordinating who runs it each week. It has been such a blessing for the both of us.
Ryan has finally found a job here in Jackson. He just finished his second interview today and begins working at Gordon Food Services this week as a Sales Associate. We are very excited to see how God will use him at his new job. I am still looking for work which is finding to be a little more difficult as we only have one vehicle. I have been finding odd jobs such as babysitting and working at conferences which seems to be working out well. Please continue to pray for our finances as we are still not making enough to pay our school bills.
We also want to thank the anonymous sender of a Meijer gift card to our address here at school. We aren't sure who you are but want you to know that we are incredibly grateful for your generous gift and we were so surprised when we received it.
Our hope is, that in some way, you were encouraged through what God has been doing in our lives here at school. We love you all and are so excited to be a part of your lives!
Stephanie
Friday, December 21, 2007
Desperate Need
Our final semester wrapped up with happy hearts and sad goodbyes as many families left to visit relatives in their hometowns. Ryan and I are back in Grand Rapids (staying with Brian), catching up with our family and friends. We are thoroughly enjoying making up for the missed fellowship from this past semester.
As our break continues, we pour our hearts out with a desperate need for prayer and support. Ryan and I need to come up with a lot of money in an extremely short amount of time in order to go back to NTBI to finish our schooling. With the cost of semester fees, tuition, and housing, we will need a down payment of $2000 by Jan. 1st. We had a difficult semester finding jobs in Jackson to help with our next semester's costs which means we are basically starting from scratch money-wise. While we are here in Grand Rapids Ryan will be doing odd jobs for family and friends such as painting and house sitting and I will be going back to my previous job to do office work for a day. However, these little jobs are not even close to coming up with the amount we need to go back to school.
We know that the Lord has His hand in our lives and if He wants us back at NTBI in January He will find a way to get us there. Even if we aren't able to go back in Jan. we intend to continue our schooling again in a year. Our hope is that you will join us on your knees in prayer that God will provide the necessary funds to get us back there, whether this year or next. Our hearts cry out to you, our friends, for support as we both are deeply saddened at the idea of having to move again and not return with our classmates.
If you have any ideas or suggestions on jobs or ways of making money in a hurry, please let us know. We are open to any and all ideas. Thank you for being a part of our lives and our continuous ministry.
Stephanie
As our break continues, we pour our hearts out with a desperate need for prayer and support. Ryan and I need to come up with a lot of money in an extremely short amount of time in order to go back to NTBI to finish our schooling. With the cost of semester fees, tuition, and housing, we will need a down payment of $2000 by Jan. 1st. We had a difficult semester finding jobs in Jackson to help with our next semester's costs which means we are basically starting from scratch money-wise. While we are here in Grand Rapids Ryan will be doing odd jobs for family and friends such as painting and house sitting and I will be going back to my previous job to do office work for a day. However, these little jobs are not even close to coming up with the amount we need to go back to school.
We know that the Lord has His hand in our lives and if He wants us back at NTBI in January He will find a way to get us there. Even if we aren't able to go back in Jan. we intend to continue our schooling again in a year. Our hope is that you will join us on your knees in prayer that God will provide the necessary funds to get us back there, whether this year or next. Our hearts cry out to you, our friends, for support as we both are deeply saddened at the idea of having to move again and not return with our classmates.
If you have any ideas or suggestions on jobs or ways of making money in a hurry, please let us know. We are open to any and all ideas. Thank you for being a part of our lives and our continuous ministry.
Stephanie
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Family Visits
This past week we had the joy of celebrating Ryan's 21st birthday. Ryan's parents and brother had the opportunity to visit this week and my parents and sisters will be coming next weekend. It's been a lot of fun spending time with everyone and being able to show them what goes on in our lives from day to day.
If you are ever interested in visiting us here at school, please do. We can reserve a guest room at a very cheap cost. We'd love to show you around!
Stephanie
If you are ever interested in visiting us here at school, please do. We can reserve a guest room at a very cheap cost. We'd love to show you around!
Stephanie
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