No news is good news?!

We have a saying in my family that "No news is good news." This means that by and large, the Bradshaw's are pretty bad about communication, unless of course there is an emergency. When something bad happens then we light up the phone lines and get on the horn. In fact, that is the sole reason we have a phone line, in case something bad happens. All of that to say that while we haven't posted in a while, everything is going pretty good.

Last weekend, I took 12 people to Juarez for 3 days. It was a very fruitful trip due in large part to the skill and willingness of the team members. I was excited to see how much we got done in such a short time. We even got to attend church service with 100 other people at the actual church we have been working on! It was awesome!

However, there is another side of the story. My poor wife DID NOT have a great weekend. She was part of a parade of bad events culminating in one stressed out spouse. In one weekend, she had to deal with a cable guy, a fickle router and internet connection, ran into my truck with hers, had the smoke alarms going off at all hours of the night, and tried to finish unpacking the rest of the boxes. While none of those things themselves seem too harsh, the culmination of all mentioned events, as well as those I left out, were too much to handle.

All of that to say that when I returned home after a glorious mission trip, I was not met with the love and affection I had expected. By far, the most difficult thing for us in this move and transition is adjusting to the schedule. Everything at this time moves SO fast, and just when I think I can let my guard down and recover, another event is right around the corner. SO, here is what we are learning:

• Even when we serve the Lord, we are at risk. We are targets when we are useful and must always be mindful of the struggle going on around us. I cannot pray enough for my wife when I am gone and now know that she is not immune to the attacks of darkness.
• Especially when we serve the Lord, we are at risk. Romans 12 reminds us to:"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." This is not just a reminder but should be a lifestyle.
  
• Even when we serve the Lord, we need help. Often, we believe we as Christians that we can do everything like John Wayne. But God has designed us to need each other. This weekend, Char learned to call for help and to not be too proud to admit when we can't do it ourselves. Thank you to Moses, Debra, Justin, my Dad and countless others who sacrificed their time to help when I couldn't. I greatly appreciate your help and you all serve as great reminders that we are not alone.

So, in summary, we are doing well despite our very wild weekend. We hope you are blessed by hearing about our struggles. Hopefully, you too know that we are here for you when you cannot do life alone. Thank you everyone.

Hey everyone! How's it goin'? Matt and I just got back from a short trip to Farmington to visit the family! We were glad to be able to get away for a couple days and get a family fix. Everyone seems to be doing well. Just plugging away! Our niece, Micaylah, just turned 8! We can't believe she's getting so big! She had a quite enjoyable gymnastics party! Mark celebrated a birthday as well. We got to see his hot rod in the making. It's come so far! Looking pretty fancy! Kate turns "Sweet 16" today. Wow, how time flies! Happy Birthday, guys!

This Friday, we will be closing on and moving into our home! We are so excited! So, this week, we will be packing up the little that we brought to the apartment in preparation! The rest of our stuff is in storage waiting to be moved! We're looking forward to being into our new home! I can't wait to have you all over!

Church life is still wonderfully crazy! God is doing so many amazing things through the church. It's so fun to watch Him work. We are so grateful to be a part of it. We're involved in some type of mission event 3 of the 4 weekends of each month, but seriously, it's a blast! There's nothing more gratifying than serving! You get such a high from it! If you all ever want to join in, let us know! We'd love to serve with you!

Matt started his semester of online classes a couple weeks ago. It seems to be going pretty well. He watches DVD's of the lectures and has his assigned reading to do. The hardest part for Matt is finding time to do it. But...he'll get 'er done!

Gotta go for now. Hope you all are happy and healthy. Call or write when you get a chance. Oh yeah...if you want our new contact information, e-mail us. We don't really want to put that info up on the blog. Some crazies might just do something with that info. Ya never know!

Love you guys,
Char

Enjoy the pics! (Some of the words got cut off! Sorry!)