Time Flies

Yesterday I woke up early and headed to the Airport in Raleigh,NC. I was tired. The drained in every way I could imagine tired. I grabbed my coffee and prepared to sit in silence on the plane. I love airports for just that reason. You can opt out of talking to people if you want, pretend to be busy working on a project or just to tired to talk. 

As I walked on the nearly full plane I headed to the back of the plane hoping to snag a seat on the aisle with no one in the middle. I managed to do just that. Almost everyone was seated on the plane and I was silently rejoicing on not having to sit next to a stranger and engage in small talk. Just as I thought I was in the clear a man was standing by my side asking if he could sit in the middle seat. 

A tall 40 something well dressed man now sat next to me. The woman sitting by the window kept her head down. She appeared to be a well educated women seeking the same thing I was after on the plane, silence.  The plane hadn't even taken off when I remembered what my husband had been trying to encourage me in, speaking to strangers. He's always reminding me that each opportunity I have with someone is a chance to share my life with them. 

I took a deep breath, and said hello to the well dressed man in the middle. The conversation flowed from there. The well dressed man now has a name to me, Abe. The educated woman clinging to silence by the window Carri. 

Our conversation flowed throughout the whole flight. There never was a moment of silence between the three of us. We shared our hearts and our lives with each other. We prayed over each other and thanked God for introducing us. 

Abe said to me as I got off the plane something that rang so true to me. He told me while support with finances is important what I truly am striving for is support from people's hearts. 

It's true.  What we are truly seeking for is your heart. We want you to stand up next to us and say I believe in what you're doing. I want you to let our family know that you are praying for us. Covering us with prayers and love. 

If you are willing to share your heart with our family let us know. Send us an email or Facebook message us. Let us add you to our list of prayer supporters. 

Also for those of you that share your heart with us already. Thank you. I can't tell you how much your prayers, love and support mean to us. 

-Carissa

Weekend Recap 110914

Hello all,
Adam here for an update on what's going on in the Hildebrandt family right now.  Carissa has been gone for almost a week at a youth conference for work!  It was a bit of an unexpected trip, as we just found out about the possibility about a month ago, but it was a great opportunity for Carissa, and it sounds like she had a good time.  In the meantime, Ella and I got a visit from my mom to help out for the weekend.  She watched Ella while I worked Friday and Saturday, and then we got to spend some time Saturday evening and today.  She was a big help and I always enjoy the time I get to spend with her.

Football season is wrapping up, which means we'll have a break for a couple of weeks.  It will be really nice to have some family time where we aren't having to do games all the time.  On the other hand, basketball will start in a few weeks, which is really the busy time.  This will be our third basketball season, but the first when Ella is mobile, so prayers for energy and strength would be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of Ella, she can walk now!!! She doesn't go very far yet, but if she doesn't get too excited, she can move her way all through the room.  It's so much fun to watch her grow and learn! I think I can speak for Carissa when I say she is the joy of our life.

I'll be trying to keep the blog more up to date as we go along.  Thanks for tuning in!

--Adam

Goodbye Summer

It's crazy how fast the summer went this year. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything that I saw and did. It's weird to say that I'm having a hard time adjusting since I spent most of my summer only 5 1/2 hours from where I live but I am. 

It's so different to not get hugged by Pastor Thompson every morning or to sit and have coffee with Ms.Joyce, our friend that we stay with when we don't have teams, on the weekend. There's no excitement of getting to meet a new group that is traveling long distances to pour into a city I've fallen in love with. 

Don't get me wrong I love being home. Having my best friend by my side everyday, Ella kisses, a comfy bed, Zeke licking my toes, and my favorite local coffee shop but I miss my friends. I miss Chicago, PuertoRico, and Costa Rica. 

That's all I have for now I'm still trying to write out my heart. (Is that even possible???) 

If you all could be praying for Adam and I during this transition of me being home more and him being gone more we would greatly appreciate it. 

Family Mission Trip!

Hello all!

Adam here, and I'm very excited because next week is our family mission trip to Chicago!  Ella and I will be joining Carissa to serve and help lead a group in ministry.  We already know that a homeless lunch ministry and VBS are both on the agenda.

It will be so nice to get to experience a week of work with Carissa.  Obviously, she tells me about trips all of the time, but it will be much easier to know and understand her joys and challenges after I've been through them as well.  And of course we're very excited for little Ella to serve on her first mission trip.  She's already been designated the lead nap taker.

As we prepare to serve, things are developing quickly at my job as well.  We found out last week that I will get to broadcast CMU games this fall after all, and I'm very excited for the college reps to still be there.  I'll even get to call a game against a Division-I opponent in week one!

God continues to move in our lives, and we see it more every day. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!

-Adam

Life Goes On

Hello again from Adam:

I have been doing my best to get Carissa into World Cup fever.  I don't think it worked much, but I'll start working on Russia 2018 now!  I'm still recovering from yesterday's loss like the rest of the US, but I'll get over it.

Meanwhile, thanks to the generosity of some people at FUMCBA, we get to have our dishwasher replaced sooner than expected!  Ours has been out of order for a few weeks, which is a much bigger deal when we're handwashing dishes for the whole family instead of just me.  This is a perfect example of the things we can only accomplish through a fully funded ministry.  A big thanks to the folks that helped out with that.

We continue to work on the fundraising effort, which finally got underway over the weekend.  Continued prayers for courage while we try to raise 1/3 of Carissa's salary would be helpful.  For an update on where we're at on the annual goal, or to donate, visit http://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/donate#support and find Carissa's name in the dropdown box!

Also, we finally get to get away as a family.  Carissa, Ella and I will join my family in Colorado next week for a little R&R before Carissa returns to the missions field for the following three weeks.  We're looking forward to some quality time before she heads off for her longest time span of the year.  On the bright side, we'll be with her for the middle week!

Thanks for reading.  God bless!

Good to be Home

Adam here:

Carissa and Ella are both home from their trips and its great to have everyone under the same roof again.  However, just because everyone is home, doesn't mean life has slowed down.  Carissa got a couple of days off from PPM for being on trips, so of course she used it to do more work.  Her photography business is growing and we're very excited!  I think she's very talented, and if she continues to work hard I have no doubt that it's only a matter of time until her business takes off.

We're also preparing for a well deserved vacation.  Colorado with my family is just a couple of weeks away, and I'm excited to get to Estes Park and be away from work for a week and not be using it to work another job.  Speaking of which, Sports Media Camp at OSU is this weekend!  It should be a good time as always.

I hear Ella waking up from her nap, so I better go get her.  Prayers for safe travels and continued family growth are always appreciated with our family on the move!

Thanks for reading, and God bless.

Home Update 6/17/14

Adam here:
It's been awhile since I've posted on here, so I wanted to get on and provide an update from the home front.  Carissa is in Puerto Rico, and Ella has been with the grandparents last week due to my business trip, and this week for VBS. 

It's been a bit lonely in Moberly, but work and golf have kept me busy.  Oh, and the World Cup.  Lot's of watching the World Cup.  Work is in a slow time right now.  With no sports to do, the most prominent part of my job has been the morning show.  Since the sports part of the job is what I love, that makes it a little monotonous at the office, so prayers for continued focus and passion for the rest of the job would be appreciated.

Carissa and Ella will be back this weekend, so I've very excited!  Carissa has a couple of weeks at home before heading to Chicago, and I don't have to send Ella to Tulsa while she's gone next time, so I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer. 

If I could ask for prayer in one spot, it would be our fundraising efforts.  Even though it is required by Carissa's company, we're not very good at it.  So prayers for confidence and courage in that area would be greatly appreciated. 

I hope everyone has a good rest of their week!  Thanks for reading, and God bless!

--Adam

June 11th, 2014

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've blogged!

Time is going by way to quickly. We've been celebrating weddings, graduations, birthdays, and so many other exciting things happening.

I just wanted to give you all a quick update about where we each are right now. 

Ella is in Tulsa with her grandparents. She gets to visit both Adam's parents and mine. We both miss her incredibly but from the daily videos it looks like she is thriving and enjoying the attention she gets from them her aunts and her uncle.

Here's a pic of our little 8 month old before she headed for her stay in Tulsa. 

Adam has been traveling and will keep it up through the weekend. He had a conference for sports broadcasting in North Carolina on Sunday and Monday. From what I hear it was amazing and he can't wait to go back next year. I'm so thankful for the help and support we received from family to enable him to go on this trip. 

 I hope Adam doesn't mind that I'm sharing this picture he sent to me but he looks so good and he even shaved!! He sent this for me before a little gathering the first night he arrived. 

Now where am I... I'm sure most of you know from Facebook and Twitter  but for those of you that don't, I'm currently in Puerto Rico. We have a Tennessee and Alabama group here working this week.  It has been so amazing to watch these groups of previous complete strangers become close friends and work together to accomplish so much for the church we are partnering alongside. 

We have been doing a VBS in the morning at Emanuel Methodist and then working on projects and cleaning in the afternoon. We also have been able to help the new pastor clean up the parsonage as his family prepares to move. 

Pastor and his wife are phenomenal!! They have a 6 year old daughter and a 9 month old son who I've gotten to love on when I miss Ella. You can see God all over this week and I know he came before us to prepare the hearts of the people and community. 

Here's a few quick pictures from our week so far. Enjoy!

Thank you all for all the prayers for our family as we travel and live the crazy lives God has called us to!

May 12th,2014

I miss home. We all do. 

Our families. Our friends. Our favorite Mexican food restaurant.

When I agreed to move anywhere the job would take my husband I had imagined fun, big, college towns, or at least places with over 20,000 people.  

Instead I live in a quite old train town. Full of people who don't know how to properly say that they would like a Frapp or Frappuccino.  There are no such thing as thin crispy tortilla chips.  I can't call my mom and ask her to come help hold Ella. My father in-law can't pop on with the fish he caught for dinner.

I do have though... A beautiful house and neighbors who think I'm working on projects all the time. An amazing church that grows me every time I step through the doors. One of the nicest parks in the state 3 blocks away.  A comfy couch to sit on and read a good book. And sometimes I even get an Oklahoma rain storm to remind me that home isn't to far away. 

If it is God's will some day we'll end up back in Oklahoma and if not I'll get to keep making lot's of road trips home. 

Today I eased me home sickness with calling and talking to churches back home about Praying Pelican. It might sound silly but I think it helped. They get me when I talk about the smell of the sweet rain in the spring. I can even ask them to meet me for a plate of cheese fries and they know the place. 

I am blessed by God no matter where I am.  

He prepares my path everywhere my feet take me. 

He comforts me when I am overwhelmed. 

I am so thankful to be created by God and to be used to further his kingdom, whether in Moberly,MO or Tulsa,OK, or anywhere he leads me. 

April 28th, 2014

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. 

Adam and I were blessed to go spend the weekend with my family. There was lots of love shared and laughter and of course delicious food. 

I can't wait for future years when Adam and I get to host big family meals. 

I love the idea of throwing parties for my friends and family. I guess that also means I would need to put the laundry away and not let it just continue to lay on the couch but after working, taking care of Ella, and doing all of the other things that must be done maybe I'll just leave the family gatherings to someone else. 

As you may have guessed our family is tired! There has been so much traveling. Ella and I are currently sick. Plus the last full restful night of sleep I got could have possibly happened before I went to Costa Rica last summer but I'm to tired to remember. 

Sorry for my ramblings. 

Here are a couple pictures I grabbed of Olivia this weekend. 

Thanks for helping be my model Lou. 

(Also please still love me for calling you Lou :))

April 17th, 2014

I'm a little late but Ella is 6 months old now. 

I can't believe our sweet baby is getting so big. She weighed in at a whopping 13.1 lbs and is 26 in. long.  She still wears 3-6 month clothing. She can roll over both ways and is very good at scooting backwards. She can hold herself up on things while standing. She loves to talk to us and tell us all about what she thinks. She has such the sweetest demeanor and is a very easy going. 

Zeke is by far Ella's best friend. She loves to reach out and pet his soft fur. 

She wasn't a fan of her first bite of banana.

She like to touch mommy and daddy's face. 

Singing is one of her favorite things to watch other people to. 

She has very first little cold this week. Poor girl. 

Oracle & Sells,AZ

I was so blessed to spend my past two weeks around Tucson,Az. 

I got to hang out with some fabulous coworkers, great teams, and amazing pastors. Even though things got batty, we literally hung out with bats, sometimes I wouldn't have changed a moment of God's plans. 

  Playing some cards.

Sells,Az

Making new friends.

 Sells,Az

Pastor Jay and Michele talking about the future.

 Sells, AZ

Cleaning and reorganizing the clothes closet.

Sells,Az

Even the littlest ones helped in beautifying the church. 

Sells,Az

Helping build a new ramada. 

Sells,Az

Block party night during VBS. 

Sells,Az

Inviting people from the community to Kid's Club.

San Manuel, Az

Recreation morning.

Father Kino in San Xavier

North of Oracle, Az

Evening worship.

Sells,Az

Sells,Az

Sells,Az

#PelicanWidow

So the rumor is that #PelicanWidow is a thing, although I'm yet to see any evidence of such.  The idea is for those of us who have loved ones on mission trips with PPM to be a support group while they're gone.  I've put Carissa on the search.  Anyway, I'm plugging along "wifeless" until Carissa returns in a week.  Ella stayed with the grandparents this week, but returns tonight.  That was a tough decision to make, but it turned out to be a blessing as I ended up working some surprise extra hours doing radar coverage and 2am breaking news.  Since I was playing the role of bachelor this week, at least work has kept me busy.  I'm trying to continue to grow as a husband and father by keeping the house clean and what not, so hopefully there will be a noticeable difference when Carissa gets back!  Sorry if this post is a little scattered.  I'm working on roughly 3.5 hours of sleep, so I'm not really on top of my game right now.  Anyway, have a blessed week!  And please continue to pray for our family whilst we are apart.  God Bless, Adam.

April 3rd, 2014

Imagine a place sinking from drugs.

Children feeling lost. 

Churches empty.

Hearts broken. 

That's what we came in to in Oracle, Az.

A beautiful broken community.

This week I was blessed to be able to partner alongside First Baptist Church of Oracle. 

And help lead a group of youth from Livermore,Ca.

Sunday morning in worship there were about 20 people in the congregation joined with our 43 students. The students led worship and shared their hearts with this church filled with an older generation.  They sat down to lunch together. 

While the people of the church shared their vision for the town you could see something not only being sparked in the students but also in the people of the town. 

When the students came they had imagined all of the people that they would lead to Christ. 

The children that would show up for VBS. 

The funny thing is that's not what God had planned. 

God wanted to see this community restored. 

The students worked all week in graveyards, cleaning parks, landscaping at local schools, and playing basketball. 

God's plans for this week were about the partnership that they could create with in the community. 

The people that they would teach to trust the church again. 

The friends that they would make on the basketball court. 

And restoring this community to a beautiful place. 

The more I do missions the more I realize that God is in control. 

We can send itineraries.

We can talk through every last detail but that doesn't matter. 

God has the plans drawn out for us ready to reveal them at just the right time. 

A heart shining through from the net on a basketball court that we prayer over. 

The cross at the top of the cemetery where we talked about what legacy we would leave behind.

Our deceased bat friend we made while cleaning out the church. 

We also befriended several lizards who had passed about 20 years ago. 

The students from Livermore,Ca. 

March 29th, 2014

Today our team comes!!!

I'm ecstatic for this group from California to arrive!

We will be working in Orracle, AZ about 20 minutes outside of Tucson. 

It is a little town of about 5,000. 

If you all could help us cover this town in prayer it would be greatly appreciated. 

You can follow the team and see what we're doing here.

Here are some pictures of sometime we spent around Tucson.

Dinner at the Hub our first night. 

Staff lunch at La Botana. 

It was delicious!

Have a great weekend everyone!