This boy makes me laugh!

My Noah is so delightful =) He makes me laugh!

Yesterday, he requested a certain thing to watch while eating lunch. It wasn't on. So, he was in tears, very sad. Shane and I couldn't help but laugh because he was sooooo cute. Our little man was crying about something neither of us have ever cried about.

"I want bull riding!".....yes, our son loves watching bull riding on Sundays. Too funny!

Many, many times a day, I get to hear the phrase "huggin the mommy" from a very cute toddler....his request for many hugs each day. I try my best to cherish each of these hugging moments and hope that he wants to "huggin the mommy" even when he's a teenager =)

And....tomorrow. Tomorrow we have a date. It's Tuesday and therefore time for grocery shopping. Today we were talking about the food that animals eat, since he has a strong like for hay. Somehow we ended up talking about what dogs eat. So......

Tomorrow we have an exciting date down the dog food aisle! I am going to show Noah the big bags of the food that dogs eat. He thinks there are taste testers but I'm trying to warn him that there are not. And yes, he has already tasted it before....from Jack's food (my mom's dog) =)

Ohhh....toddlers are a hoot!

God is doing big things!

It's pretty amazing!

YWAM Kansas City started out just over 2 years ago with a few staff and a Discipleship Training School (DTS), renting a building on a beautiful property owned by another missions group that has sent out women missionaries for decades across the USA.

2 years have passed and God has done a lot. We are about to start our 9th DTS and we currently have about 50 students between our DTS and Church Pioneering School (CPS) on campus. It has been quite a ride! God continues to add to our numbers through staff and students! It is so fun to meet new people each quarter and have new staff joining in a steady stream. God is bringing them in!

Thursday, February 13th, 2014, was a big day in our history. Not only is it my mom and sister's birthdays but it is also now YWAM Kansas City's anniversary for buying our property!!!

We are amazed and blessed. The campus we having been using and renting, is now ours! All 36 acres! All 10 buildings!

We believe the Lord is doing something big in this time in history! And He is doing something big in the area of prayer and missions, here on our base in Kansas City! He saw fit to bless us with a huge campus so we can grow and stretch in big ways! We trust He will bring the staff and the students we need to mobilize missionaries all over the world =)

As our second DTS of the year begins next week, please pray that the Lord brings every student He wants here. Also, as the take over of the campus is underway, please pray for the transition and the God-sent staff members that we need to run this place. These are exciting times!

Also.....if your heart is being stirred.....if you feel the Lord knocking on the door of your heart....if your heartbeat is starting to pound to see the gospel go forth in the nations....if you long for a season of focused time with the Lord.....

Come join us! Tuition-free DTS is happening all year because we believe the Lord is calling many and we don't want anybody to miss out! Check out www.ywamkansascity.com!

The Olympics

My husband and son are huge sports fans. The weekends are fun for Noah because Daddy is home and all kinds of sports are on! You can see him running around the apartment with hockey stick in hand, throwing footballs, soccer balls and basketballs around, doing the plank as he acts out snapping a football and all with a big, red bicycle helmet on and yelling "touchdown!" or "ready, set, go!" or something of the like. He is such a boy and I love to watch what he naturally loves =) Just like his daddy =)

So, it's fun right now that we have the Olympics to watch! He was in awe of the luge this afternoon and has been enjoying the skiing =) What was super cute earlier today was when he was saying a new word. It took us a few seconds to realize he was saying "olympics"! That is adorable!

Ready? Set?

Go, Noah, go!

The End of an Era...

It all started almost 7 years ago...May 19, 2007.

My facebook life began.

So many great moments and so many benefits. A ton of reasons why I wanted to carry on as usual...

And yet...I want more. More peace in my busy mind. Less burdens to my tender heart. More attention focused on the things that really matter.

The Lord spoke to me and gave me an invitation. It took me a while to decide so that I could do so with my whole heart, decided and at peace.

As 2013 ended, I stopped my usual relationship with FB. No more scrolling down the news feed and getting my own type of entertainment fix. And it has made a HUGE difference in my world. Looking back over the past 5-6 weeks, things are calmer on the whole in my head and heart. It is so awesome to hear my husband tell me what a difference he's noticed and it makes it worth it.

That brings me to today. The final step in the shutting down process. It is complete. Done. Yay!

We're Not in Canada Anymore Moment - Episode 5

I'm sorry, my Canadian friends, but it's just true...

You know you're not in Canada anymore, in the midst of an intense winter, when you sit on the couch, enjoying a quiet evening and you can hear the rustling of dry leaves outside the patio door. No folks, that is not what you hear in winter in Canada. I feel for my dear northern friends this year. What a doozie!

But, you know you are in the midwest when on one day you are outside in a t-shirt and the next, you are bundled up and the bus won't start. The extremes are bizarre!

I must say though....I far prefer the dry, freezing cold temperatures of the north versus the wet, damp cold temperatures of the midwest. I'd take snow over freezing rain, for sure =)

Stay warm everyone!

Surprise!!!

Uploading pictures suddenly works again! Yay! Now I can make blogs a little more interesting again =)

For a test run, here's two pics from our night away the other week! Family fun!

Night Away Success!

We had such a nice time at the hotel for 26 hours alone! It was glorious to turn off the phone and simply enjoy one another and have fun! We ran up those stairs countless times to enjoy the water slides together over and over =) It was fun to hang out and do something fun with my best friend =)

I even stayed in bed until.....not 5:30 or 6:30 or 7:30.....but 8am!!!! Wowzers! I am so used to Noah sleeping in the same room as us that when I heard a noise as I was falling asleep, I automatically thought "oh, that's just Noah flipping over in his crib". But no it wasn't....he wasn't in our room that night! What a treat =)

Then, once we were checked out and after Noah's nap, Steph and Noah joined us at the water park for a few hours! The nice thing is that you have access to the water park until 9pm on the day you check out! So, we got a great get-a-way just the two of us for 26 hours and then we got a fun family outing out of the same deal =) So sweet!

Thank you Jesus for breaks away from the everyday! How refreshing!

A Night Away!

I'm so pumped =) Starting tomorrow around noon, I get about 27 hours alone with my husband!

We are so blessed to get to take a night away without our adorable toddler and enjoy time just the two of us! We are going to have fun and say good-bye to the usual things that get our attention and enjoy one another's company in a focused way!

I said fun....yes, we are going to have fun! We are heading to a hotel for the night with a very fun waterpark! Waterslides and hot tubs, here we come!

I'm going to try not to think toooo much about Noah and how much fun he would have if he were there. We would LOVE it if we could stay a second night and have him join us for that =) Oh well, maybe another time! He will have tons of fun with Nana (his auntie) and they will get a good amount of quality time before she heads back to school on Monday =)

Yay for celebrating marriage!

A New Year with New Adventures....

One of my new adventures for 2014 is getting back in the books! I'm excited for it! I'm a little strange in that.....I actually enjoy writing multiple choice tests and having the accomplishment of getting a mark back. I haven't written a test in a while and am looking forward to it!

I am preparing to write the NCLEX exam (American Nursing Exam) and hope to write it this spring. Up to this point, I've felt closed doors every time I pray about pursing getting my nursing license in the USA. Peace to go forward came into the process/prayer this fall and I felt the go-ahead to start the application process and start studying for the exam. I can't see past that so one step at a time =)

So, this week marked a new schedule with my first study evening! To break open the study season, Shane encouraged me to go get a special drink and do my first study night out, just for fun. So that's what I did....though the slight extrovert in me had a hard time paying for a drink when it wasn't for the purpose of connecting with someone but just by myself =)

I've got a lot of work ahead of me! I wrote the Canadian nursing exam 8.5 years ago and I need to relearn a bunch of information I haven't used in a while =) Yay for exciting adventures!

Onething 2013!

Well, Onething is here and already half way done for another year! It is always great to have many people in town visiting for the occasion!

Noah and I went the last 2 mornings and it has been so nice to be a part of the worship. Noah has been talking a lot about "worship...dark" since he loves that the room is dark with all the fancy lights =) He's been praying, singing and dancing nonstop the last few days =) It is so special to hear him praying and saying phrases like "more Jesus, more worship". Love it!

On the same note, 30,000 people and loud music = an overstimulated toddler who finally crashed after talking and jumping in his crib at nap time for 1.5 hours. But, sowing into his spirit was worth it!

I'm looking forward to spending the evening with Jesus at home as I send off the fam (my hubby and sibs) to encounter Jesus at Onething. I'm so glad He can encounter me just the same in my living room =) He's faithful to meet me too and I'm thankful for His grace in the different seasons of life.

Happy New Year!

We're Not in Canada Anymore Moment - Episode 4

Except....this is going to be a "But we still are from Canada Moment" really!

On Christmas Eve, we had a lunch with the staff who stayed on base for Christmas. I had Noah in my arms and bumped into another toddler. So, I patted her head and said sorry for bumping her.

A few minutes later, Noah was sitting in his high chair as we prepared to eat. One of our staff guys went by in a hurry and bumped Noah's high chair. Noah responded "Sorry Kent!". And repeated it. He was apologizing for someone bumping into him.

Now, as I sit here, I hear Noah playing with his tractors and little people. I can hear "Sorry man!" as part of the play dialogue.

Well, that confirms it. My son is definitely Canadian. The "sorry"s reveal it!

Blogger Book Review - Unveiling Grace by Lynn K. Wilder

Unveiling Grace is a autobiography and testimonial about the Wilder family who was deeply enmeshed in Mormonism and the story of how they found their way out and into the saving knowledge of the Jesus of the Bible. The book is written by Lynn, wife to Michael and mother to the 4 Wilder children, now adults, and takes you on a journey through decades of their story and lives.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very eye-opening to the world of Mormonism and the beliefs they hold. It gives me a better idea what kind of gospel Latter Day Saints are sharing as I've often seen people with LDS name tags walking the streets of my neighborhood back home. I really enjoyed reading the life story about the Wilder family.

The biggest take-a-way I received personally from reading this book was that it provoked me to read the Word. It increased my desire to want to read the Word as I saw the different family members dig into the Scriptures to find the truth. Their hunger and passion for the Bible stirred my heart. If ones that didn't know Jesus personally at that time could be that hungry for His Word, as one who knows Him and loves Him, I want to hunger more for His Word!

I would definitely recommend this book to others! Actually I have a friend borrowing it already =)

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Last Few Weeks...

It's been a good few weeks since I last posted! I'm a little behind on my usual posting because of our lovely 12 days in Canada!

Noah and I had a WONDERFUL time in Canada, soaking in quality time with all the different sets of grandparents. We spent the majority of our time resting with family and making memories. I got to catch up with a few friends as well, which was delightful =) My wonderful in-laws babysat a sleeping Noah a few nights for me which was a blessing!

When my heart was dreaming of the idea of a trip home, I envisioned restful, quality time with my parents and parents-in-law. It was just that. I thoroughly enjoyed time with all my parents =) I miss them already.

We returned last week and went right into birthday celebrations for our 2 year old! Noah turned 2 on December 4 and we had a wonderful day filled with celebration! A lunch party with some little friends at Chick-fil-A (who put on a GREAT party!) and a supper celebration with the things Noah requested a while back...aunties and mowers. A friend made an awesome mower cake for the occasion! So much fun!

This week on base, our outreach teams are leaving and a number of staff are heading home for the holidays. This place can go from bustling to quiet in a few days! I love the bustle of schools and students but I also look forward to the quiet times on base =) It has an element of solitude in the midst of community living =) Please keep our 3 outreach teams in your prayers! They will be on the field until the end of February.

Love and blessings from the Farrows!

5 days!

Noah and I will be on our way to Canada in 5 days =) I'm looking forward to seeing our family and friends in Canada again!

Noah has been talking about "plane & sky" and "mama & bappa"! He knows we are going to be flying on a plane and going to see his beloved grandparents. So special!

I'm thankful for this time and that it is just before his 2nd birthday and the Christmas season. It makes it even more special =)

If you are praying for us next Wednesday, please pray for our flight. I'm hoping and praying that my active toddler will be able to sit on my lap well =)

3 weeks away...

A few weeks ago, I started thinking a lot about the idea of visiting Manitoba again. I think it had to do with looking at a photo book every morning with my toddler of our trip in July. It made me want to see all my parents again. And Grandma Helen got a new play structure and wanted Noah to see it. I wanted him to see it to.

One night, Shane throws out the comment that maybe I should go with Noah on one last flight before he's 2 in December. And my heart and mind snatched the idea and ran with it that evening and the following days =)

In the last few weeks, we started to realize our original plan to return for Christmas wasn't going to happen for a number of reasons. But the idea of coming for a visit in November was still on my heart and in my prayers. It was looking impossible financially but we kept praying about it.

Well, last week it came together. The peace dropped in our hearts. $400 came in toward a ticket. And I book it =) We're going to see our family again in 2013 =) Yay! Thank you Jesus!

3 weeks today at this time, I'll be hanging out in Manitoba at one of our parents' houses and enjoying some family time =) And I'm guessing I'll be cold in the "northern" climate again =)

Family Time!

I sure love family time =) My boys are such a joy to me and I LOVE spending time with them!

Today we visited our first pumpkin patch! I don't remember hearing about pumpkin patches in Canada...though they may be there. But they sure seem big here in the midwest.

Last year, we went to a corn maze with some free tickets and right next door was a very cool and fun looking pumpkin patch! I wanted to do that next year! So, next year is here and I have a very energetic toddler that loves animals, tractors, trains and pumpkins these days and all these things are found at that pumpkin patch! So, thankfully I found a steal of a deal (free admission) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-6pm! So we went!

Noah LOVED the train. He LOVED the tractors and went on his first hay ride! And he squealed with delight feeding the goats from his hand =) That was possibly the best part to watch =)

Yay for fall! Yay for family time!

22 Months Now!

My adorable little boy is 22 months now! Only 2 short months and we'll be celebrating his 2nd birthday! I asked him the other day what he wants for his birthday party. He said two things...aunties and mowers. So we will try to invite his favorite KC aunties and have a mower-type theme =)

Noah is learning new words daily! He surprises us! His vocabulary is already at 75-100 words and he's starting to say phrases and it is so adorable!

The other day, he woke from his nap, sat up, sighed, smiled and reclined, folding his hands and said "Let's pray!". Hilarious! I asked who we should pray for and he said "Nana!" (that is the only person he suggests we pray for....Nana is Auntie Stephanie). He usually suggests we pray for her and then waits quietly while I do the praying. This time, he prayed along with me out loud =) So cute!

Noah is growing and growing! He is growing out of a bunch of his clothes and is already too tall for the sleepers we bought in Canada in July! Wow! Others around the base have been making comments that he seems to be growing inches over night these days!

In celebration of 22 months, I weighed and measured Noah. He is a whopping 23.5 lbs now and 33.25 inches (2 feet 9.25 inches). Such cuteness to me!

He continues to show us so many parts of his personality and character. He is smart and very perceptive. He is tender and compassionate, especially if he hears someone crying. He is super duper friendly, loving to talk with strangers and saying hi to everyone he passes. He has a gift for names...amazingly remembering the names of some people he's only met once. He has more energy than anyone I know. He has a strong love for mowers, cars, trains and animals these days. He also loves bedtime. Glory!

Happy 22 Months, little guy! You are a joy to our family!

Blessings from the Lord as a woman, wife and mother...

Last weekend was our first Missional Woman's Conference here at YWAM-KC! It was fun to participate as part of the team and see and experience the Lord blessing us as women and mothers. I had the great privilege of heading up the personal prayer ministry and I LOVE seeing women encounter Jesus, feel His nearness and hear His approval over them. What a blessing to be a part of that! The messages were good with a big focus this year on family, generational blessings/curses and making your home a house of prayer for your family. Worship was awesome =) I'm already getting ideas for next year's conference!

One big treasure was having some lovely Winnipeg gals join us for the conference. I was so grateful to have a connecting girls day lunch with Jacquie, Corrie and Stephanie, just like girls day back in the homeland, but in a different place =) We got to take them to Henry's Tea Room, which is such a feminine place and unique experience, away from the normal places you may go! It was awesome to see them, receive from the Lord in the same room and see the Lord envision and encounter my friends. It was so great to have them see in real time, where we live, the people we work with and some of the things we do =) So neat!

Then to top it off, I got to go to the IHOP Moms Gathering this last Thursday. I feel so blessed. Linda Hackett spoke and Carol Hall did worship and the Lord met me in a number of ways that evening. I feel blessed by the Lord to be here in Kansas City as this stage of my life as a mom of a young child. He is so kind and knows just what my heart needs.

The 1st Missional Woman's Conference is almost here!

On Friday, YWAM-KC is having our first and hopefully annual Missional Woman's Conference! It is going to be an AWESOME time of teaching, learning, worshiping and encountering Jesus together as women! I'm totally pumped about the speakers, topics and worship that we will partake of! Check it out www.ywamkc.org/mwc!

The next few days are busy ones as we prepare our campus for 200 women to join us!

Please pray for our team this week as we prepare and for every women who will be here this weekend! We want to encounter Jesus in an incredible way!

We're Not in Canada Anymore Moment - Episode 3

...except this is actually going to be a "Wow. We are back in Canada" moment from our trip in July =)

I'm getting a little fuzzy on all the moments I first had back in the homeland when I remembered I wasn't in the USA anymore, but I'll try to remember a few of them because they were interesting!

First of all....the speed limit. Driving around Winnipeg, the general signs you see say 60. I've gotten so used to looking at the small numbers in miles on my speedometer that it took some getting used to to switch my eyes back to the kms. 60 miles down St.Mary's would NOT be a good idea! I had to get used to the switch because I found myself going a little fast at the beginning.

Second....the roads. I loved driving around Winnipeg! There are only 2 lanes of traffic in one direction...not an interstate of many, many lanes. I know how to get everywhere and everything felt so familiar =) I could get to most places (the mall, Starbucks, church, grocery store, etc) in 5 minutes or so. How wonderful!

Third....poutine. We went to the mall and had poutine for lunch on the first day. Enough said.

Fourth....the license plates. I felt a little culture shock looking at the all the license plates around me as I drove. I'm so used to seeing Missouri and Kansas and suddenly everyone has Manitoba plates! I still have one too but I never see it when I'm driving =)

Fifth...the money. Yes, I love loonies and twoonies and the different colored bills =)

Six...the atmosphere. Canada just plain feels different. It felt safer. It felt cleaner. It felt smaller. I really liked all these things and never noticed them before. Ahhhh....I love Canada.

Seven...perogies and farmer sausage. I love this food and we can't get it here =( My neighbors have no clue what farmer sausage even is! Noah LOVED the farmer sausage but would hardly even try the perogies for some reason. We ate a lot of it during our 3 weeks =)

Eight...the people. Canada is so multicultural. I love seeing all the nationalities!

Nine...the temperature. Well....the lack of humidity really. It felt cold at 28 degrees when you weren't in the sun! Strange! I like the dry heat =)

And let's see if I can remember a tenth....

Ah yes...Superstore and all the brands I am familiar with and prefer! It was great to walk through the store and stock up on things I like and can't find in the USA....like creamed honey. And Sweedish Berries. And Oreo baking crumbs for cheesecake. And D drops for Noah. And a few articles of Joe clothing from Grandma =)

Wow. We were back in Canada! And hopefully it won't be too long until we can come again!