Hello From FLORIDA!!!

It's our spring break and I am in Florida with our Discover Church plant team! We just arrived this morning (Saturday morning), after driving through the night. I am not afraid to say that I am just exhausted but I am so thankful to finally be here to see the area! If you don't already know, Benj and I will be moving down here to Jupiter, FL to help plant a church right after graduation and getting married! We have come down here to check out housing possibilities and to simply get to know the area and maybe check out job opportunities too. Please keep us in your prayers as we spend time together as a team and as Benj and I (and the other team members) look for housing and jobs! God has already begun providing and I know that He will continue to lead the way for this new church. I am so excited to finally see where we will be starting our lives together and sharing with the people of South FL. the love of Christ!!! I hope to be blogging several times this week to keep you all updated on the things we are doing.

I suppose I can begin with today...
Today was my Birthday and I had a wonderful day overall! Benj took me out to the Cheesecake Factory and then we explored the area a little. We came back to our host's home and they had a surprise party for me :) I am so thankful for such great friends! Tomorrow we will be going to the church that our lead pastor and wife attended for years and hope to do some more exploring!

Exciting news this week!

Hey Everyone!

I am hoping you all are well and I am excited to see many of you during Easter Break!

A small update from Virginia....
Wedding plans are going great and we are getting ready to send out invitations! I would love for you to visit our wedding website at the address below. I love how easy the plans are going for the most part and I can't even begin to explain how much God is providing! I think it's funny how making decisions is my worst nightmare, but as soon as they are made, I'm happy! And on top of it all, I am so thankful that Benj is such a help with the whole thing, especially keeping me calm! He is so good to me!

http://www.mywedding.com/benjaminandstephanielitter

For our Church Planting preparations, we recently went a few hours from school to Fredericksburg, VA to a fairly new church plant called Lifepoint Church. This was the second "Exposure Trip" we have taken as a team and the weekend was wonderful! We were able to see and experience some great ideas and we were also able to me some wonderful people that are doing such a great job with their church. For Spring Break we will be traveling down to Jupiter, FL to check out our soon-to-be home! There are about 7 or 8 of us traveling down together so that we can look at apartments, job opportunities, and just to enjoy and get to know the area (Yes, the beach too!). Please pray that God will grow us as a team and provide places to look at for housing as well.

We will also be emailing out newsletters each month and if you would like to be on our mailing list, you can go to our website and email us so we can add you to our mailing and prayer list!

thelitters.com

Our Future Plans.....

Hello Friends and Family!

I know it has been some time since I've updated and there's so much going on this semester. Wedding plans are coming together quickly and God is providing so much! Benj and I are also preparing for our lives in ministry and God has given us an amazing opportunity that I want to finally share with you. Through much prayer and God showing His plans to us, we have joined a church plant team to help plant a new church in Jupiter, Florida called Discover Church! We are so excited about what God is doing in our lives now and we can't wait to see how God will work in preparing us to do His work in Florida. The excitement is just overwhelming and God is so good!

Benj and I want to give you the opportunity to join us in this ministry to South Florida. To check out what we are doing, check out our NEW website at www.thelitters.com We know that God has placed you in our lives and we are so thankful for the prayers, support, and encouragement that we have received from so many of you! We would not be where we are with out that kind of support and we pray that you will be blessed and be able to participate with us in continuing the journey!

I look forward to hearing from you and updating you all on upcoming wedding plans!

May God show you Himself this week,
Stephanie

thelitters.com

More Pictures of Baby Isaiah...

I've also added an album of some more pictures on the side bar with all of My Pictures....here's the link for some more pics....

Baby Isaiah

Isaiah Bonds--3 days old!

I have a new nephew!!! Isaiah Thomas Bonds was born Tuesday, February 3rd!!! He is just perfect and they say he is very calm and laid back. I can't wait to meet him and I just wanted to share my excitement with you!!!! Enjoy!

The Final Semester!!!!

Hey Friends and Family!

I just wanted to let you all know, the first week went really well. It's great to be back to work and I think I'm going to really enjoy my classes this semester! Praise God, it looks like I will graduate and walk in May with only two classes to take online this summer! He is providing so so much!!!

Not much happened this week other than being able to get back into a routine and get settled, hang out with great friends, and be able to rest from all the traveling and unpacking! This semester will be an exciting and a busy one with all the wedding planning, school, work, much more to share with you soon!!! As far as the wedding plans go, Benj and I have registered at Kohl's and Target and will register with Bed Bath & Beyond later this week too! I hope to hear from you all soon, and be looking forward to some ministry updates coming soon!

~Steph

Thoughts from today....

This morning I asked God to teach me or show me something new. I just want to share with you what He has shown me today. This applies to me just as much as anyone else and my prayer is that I would be able to learn more and live this out.

Today I was reading a book, Simple Church by Rainer & Geiger. The introduction to chapter 4 began with a story about Jesus asking His disciples a simple question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” After a response He asked His disciples one more question. It comes out of Matthew 16, and what the authors take from this passage ignited something in me that could only come from God. It helped me ask questions of myself and sparked a need to share it with others. This is what they had to say:

“Jesus then asks the disciples the same question. He wants to know what they think. “Who do you say that I am?” (v. 15). Peter, of course, speaks for the entire group. He replies, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).
Jesus loves his response. He calls Peter blessed. The words Peter spoke came not from man but from God. Jesus then says, “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18 NASB).
The gates of hades will not overcome it. Hell will not be able to hold back the church. Jesus says he is going to unleash a movement that will be so powerful and intense that it will be unstoppable. This movement is the church. It is not an institution, a building, a program, a creed, or a doctrinal statement. This movement is people. Jesus started the church, and the gates of hell will not be able to contain it.”

As I read, I began to ask “If the Bible, the very words of God, say that the gates of Hades will not overpower the church, then why are we so afraid and unprepared to share Christ with others?” Instead, this should be an extreme encouragement for believers.

Is it because Satan is really more powerful than the living God that dwells in us and speaks through us?

Or is it because we are not prepared and don’t have the confidence or the know-how to be able to share Christ in the most effective ways?

When we learn how to do something, we gain the confidence and ability to go do it. And more times than not, when we learn new things, like how to “evangelize” (or share the message of salvation), God will spark a passion inside of us so that it is our desire to see lost souls come to know the eternal, loving, all-powerful God that will never let the gates of Hell overpower His Church!

Please pray that I will learn more and gain more confidence to share Christ with others. It’s not an easy task. God has ignited in me the desire to see people come to know Him, and it’s our responsibility as His church to carry out the “Great Commission” (Mark 16). We must invite others to know Him, instead of being stuck, not knowing where to begin.

As a tool, I soon hope to read the book “Share Jesus without Fear” by William Fay, and I hope this may be a help to some of you. It is designed to help us share our faith with others in practical and effective ways!

May God light a fire in you to bring lost souls to HIM!