We’re heading to Chicago in the morning! All 3 (4) of us Schmoyers are taking 6 amazing youth workers with us for a fun filled deep learning, re-energizing weekend with hundreds of other youth workers from around the states. The conference doesn’t officially start until Friday night, but we’re getting there tomorrow so we can join in on the pre-conference seminars all day Friday. I’m glad we’re heading down early too with Hannah coming along. That way we can get into our hotel room and settle down and get all of her stuff organized for taking care of her throughout the weekend. I love going to youth ministry conferences and bringing leaders who haven’t been to one before and see how excited and pumped up they get with everything they learn and head back to our local ministry to implement new ideas.

Pray for us. Pray that our hearts will be open to what God wants to teach us. Pray that God will use this time to draw us and the leaders closer to each other. Pray that we will bring back what we learn and not leave it in Chicago. Pray for Tim and I as we figure out how to juggle Hannah between each other for the weekend. Tim will be leading a few seminars, so I assume I will have Hannah for the most part, and I think Tim has volunteered to skip out on the general sessions to stay with Hannah since she doesn’t handle loud noises very well. Pray for Tim and I to have open communication with what we each need with Hannah. And pray for Hannah to do well traveling and in a hotel for a weekend.

Yesterday I struggled when I got in to our worship service at church. We just came up stairs form Sunday School where Tim told the junior highers about his trip to Haiti, and we watched a video and saw how sincerely the Haitians worship God. They dance in the streets and are so passionate.

When we walked in to the service the praise band was full of energy singing and the congregation was sitting. I turned to Tim and asked why everyone would be sitting. Why wouldn’t anyone stand and worship God? I didn’t want to sit. I really wanted to stand, but for fear of looking weird I sat. I’m not sure if the congregation was told to sit back and enjoy the music, ’cause to my knowledge it was a new song, or what the reason was for everyone sitting. We’ve come so accustomed to sitting and standing when we’re told. Thankfully one of the singers told everyone to stand and join in, I just wish I did from the beginning. Why was I timid of worshipping how I felt I needed to? Would it have been a hindrance to people if I stood?

This bothered me like crazy and I felt like I let God down for not following my heart and worshipping God like I needed to. Instead of focusing on God I focused on what others would think of me. We’re not a conservative church as far as worship style goes. People clap, people raise hands. After all the singing was over I continued to think of what I didn’t do. No one tells us when to raise our hands or not. Why is standing any different? Because I haven’t seen anyone in our congregation stand to praise God in song when no one else does. I’ve gone to churches like that, and I enjoyed them. I like feeling like I have the freedom to sit or stand when I want. Is this just a personal struggle, or does it have to be accepted by a church before it’s okay? Do churches become okay with that when people just start worshipping how they want? Or does someone have to announce “You are welcome to worship how you want.”?

And Tim is in Haiti. I’m glad that Hannah and I get to spend this week with my side of the family while Tim is gone. It doesn’t make this week easy, but it makes it better. It’s nice to have lots of help with Hannah. Especially since she started teething and is not doing well with that. The day we arrived in Texas I hurt my back trying to lift our big bag into the back of my friend’s vehicle. I was thinking the bag was pretty heavy, but didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until the middle of the next day that I was in a lot of pain. My back hurt with every small breath I took and every slight move I made. I called my OB and she wasn’t in the office, so I called our family doctor’s cell and left a message for him asking what I could do. He called me back soon after and talked to me about the options. Luckily there is a great doctor in my dad’s church that he was able to call and get a prescription for a little stronger Tylenol than we had and that was still okay for me to take with being pregnant.

My back is still hurting a little. Hannah didn’t have a fever today (as far as I know), at least she wasn’t acting as miserable as she was the other day. Tim has been able to contact me in one way or another at least once a day. It really helps me to follow him and the rest of the team on twitter. I’m missing him more and more each day. I thought I’d be distracted most of the time while here at my parent’s, but I can’t even count how many times I check my computer for twitter updates and look at people’s pictures hoping to see a glimpse of my husband for the day.

I can’t wait for Tim and us to fly back to Minneapolis on Wednesday and I get to hear his stories of this week. I’m thinking it might be a quiet car ride home though at Tim will still be processing everything he is seeing and learning while in Haiti. It’ll be wonderful to get to wrap my arms around him again and hold each other. I miss Tim like crazy and I know Hannah does too. It’ll be fun to see them reunite also.

I love you Tim and am proud of you for following God’s will for you this week. Be open to all that God has to teach you and open to all the ways he wants to use you to help those in need.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since Tim and I made the decision that he can’t pass up this opportunity that God has ordained for him to go to Haiti. All the details are public now as to who all is on the team going with him. Luckily one of Tim’s jobs while there is to communicate by blogging, tweeting and youtube. So every day I should be able to know what he is up to by following him and the other people on his team.

When thinking about how God has lined everything up there is no mistake that God had everything planned way far in advance. Tim and I bought tickets back in October for us and Hannah to go to Texas February 9-17th. And the dates for Tim going to Haiti are February 11-17th. If I didn’t have my ticket for Texas ahead of time, then Hannah and I would stay in Minnesota by ourselves while Tim goes to Haiti. I think by the time Tim would get home after us spending a week alone I would be a total wreck glued to the computer constantly worrying about what is going on. But with the opportunity of spending the week with my parents and siblings to help out with Hannah, and me keeping busy so I don’t constantly worry about Tim, I will be much better off. Now I’m just a little nervous about what it’ll be like traveling with Hannah alone, but I know it wont be bad.

Tim has been blogging about Haiti for a little bit. His newest post was today. Go check it out.