The Demarest Blog - Aley, Elizabeth & Nathanael

Nathanael's last 6 weeks before Benjamin arrives

2008-03-02T17:17:00.007-06:00

The countdown to Benjamin is really close now. April 19th is the due date and he is running around in Elizabeth's belly (I guess ready to play with his older brother).

In these pictures we have Nathanael baking Ghiradelli brownies for his teachers at school. We have a few shots from Elizabeth's brothers' families for a family night get together. We also have pictures from Michael Pursifull's birthday party, Nathanael's first big boy birthday party.

Mommy and me at the Pursifull's

Me and my buddy Hyland Rentz

The birthday boy

Me and my new friends

World Famous Pursiful Tacos

Posing in my new outfit by the door hoping someone will take me out to play

"Hey, you! Take me outside to play"

Family Night with the cousins

Hannah and Nathan Williams

Judah Williams

Caleb Williams

I love playing in the fridge. Where's my lunchables?

Making brownies for my teachers at school

A good cook always tastes before serving

Should I send this to Ghiradelli for endorsements?

Happy Birthday to my Princess!

2008-02-26T07:25:00.008-06:00

Happy Birthday to Elizabeth! She was surprised last Friday at a dinner put on by some of her girlfriends at Macaroni Grill. Here are some of the pictures from the night.

You'll have to check with them on the "doggie" bracelet.

Also, Happy Birthday to her twin brother Edwin (I'll have pictures later this week) and our nephew Hunter Jones.

Nathanael's First Steps Today! Pray for Natalie Spera

2008-02-10T19:38:00.000-06:00

Nathanael took his first steps today at church. Elizabeth and Christina Smith (his teacher) saw them. He is still tentative but I am sure it won't be long before he is all over the place.

We also had the honor of hosting Natalie Spera for dinner before she went off to Swaziland, Africa to work with Healing Place Church Swaziland. Please pray for her and the team as they reach out to the poor and hurting of Swaziland.

I am the cutest baby! Always smiling

Daddy fixed my hair...

My new outfit from Aunt Jenni and Uncle Edwin

Kristin Stutes and me

Kristin, Mark, Natalie and Elizabeth at dinner

Kristin gives me great presents (cousin Daniel Turner being silly in the backround)

My first king cake

Mommy gave me some chocolate (Aunt Jennie Jones must be so proud)

Nathanael almost walking - Benjamin 2 months away

2008-02-06T10:21:00.000-06:00

We finally sold our house. Thanks to Delaney Coulter and the Remax team for all of the hard work in getting that deal done. God really stepped in to get the house sold for us and get us out of our "not-so-nice" mortgage.

We are now living in Prairieville and are enjoying Nathanael and getting ready for Benjamin.

Here are some recent pics with Missy and Hayden.

Enjoy

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T14:51:00.000-06:00

What an amazing year 2007 was! My toughest year for many reasons but also one of the best ever for me. God has guided us to a place where I could not be happier with my life, my wife and my family. 2008 will be awesome and I am excited to see all that God has planned for this year.

Here are some pics from our 2 week family trip to Brazil to see Elizabeth's parents. Nathanael had a blast at his 1st birthday party and really enjoyed the Portuguese down there. We love them so much and had the greatest time. I will post some pics today and then a few more later this week.

This set of pics are from Nathanael's 1st birthday (Diego style), our boat trip on the Rio Negro, some of the best steak on the planet, and HPC Manaus.

I have a new camera-PraiseGod!!!

2007-12-04T10:40:00.000-06:00

OK, so I must explain the "slacking" in the blog posts: My camera had died and with everything going on I was not really thinking of getting a new one. However, my brother-in-law Edwin and his wife Jenni got us one for Christmas and our upcoming trip to Brazil so the blog should finish this year strong and 2008 should be even better.

Elizabeth and I went to the doctor yesterday, Monday, and found out that we are having a 2nd baby boy - Benjamin. We are still deciding on the middle name but may go with my mom's suggestion of Williams (my wife's maiden name).

Nathanael is excited about his baby brother, his trip to Brazil to see his other grandparents, and his 1 year birthday on the 14th of this month.

And Nathanael is especially excited that LSU is playing for the national football championship (even though his dad played at Tulane).

Meet Benjamin

I love my Grammy

Boppy shows me how to put on his hat

Now I'm just posing with Boppy's hat

Grammy's great at singing to me and feeding me at the same time

Are you sure you want to punish me with a face like this?

Caleb and I found the new "toys"

Go Tigers!

I know how to clap

My curls and my toys

Happy Thanksgiving! What I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T16:50:00.001-06:00

I thank God every day that I get to wake up and enjoy my amazing family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving.

And yes, that is an LSU shirt that Nathanael is wearing. When in Rome...

Photographic timeline of the growth of Nathanael

2007-10-26T10:55:00.000-05:00

Nathanael is now 10 1/2 months old and is getting more personality each day. He is pulling up and trying to walk and crawl at the same time. My screensaver runs all of my Nathanael pics and I thought it would be cool to see different shots from each of his 10 months.

I am always amazed at how much more I love him and my wife every single day.

December 2006

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

Big Boy Bath!

2007-10-10T19:58:00.001-05:00

Here are some recent pics of the now 3 toothed-little man. There are some pics with Grammy and her sisters at TJ Ribs. He is also now taking baths in the big boy tub with all the new toys that his mom got him.

Check out my new shirt

Eating dad's camera case

I really like my new car seat.

I love Grammy. She is the sweetest American grammy in the world

Hanging out at TJ Ribs with Grammy and her sisters. What fun!

Sitting up in the big tub...no problem

Thanks for cleaning all the tough spots, Mom

I'll put anything in my mouth

Our boy growing up fast - and still smiling!

2007-09-18T13:19:00.000-05:00

I doubled up on the pics of Nathanael this time to make up for the space in between posts.

He loves my ties so we thought he would like to have of his own. Fortunately his mom knows how to match the tie with the outfit early in the morning.

Nathanael is also "navy seal" crawling around most of the house. He loves the fireplace because he can see his reflection in the tiles.

He is always happy. He is so happy that we have a hard time telling when he is sick because he does not fuss. I know that many prayers have been answered because he truly has the joy of the Lord at 9 months.

I love my papi's ties

My serious, businessman photo

I love my cousin's bouncy seat, even though I am dressed for work

Eating breakfast at the "adult" table

The navy seals would be lucky to have me

Nathanael laughing - all day long

I pray to God for the same joy when I wake up

I am posing by the window with my cool shirt

Being clean makes my mom and me very, very happy

Brother Nathanael

2007-09-05T16:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I have update Nathanael's site. Elizabeth is going to the doctor tomorrow for her first checkup on Demarest baby #2. We are so excited.

Now, to the real reason you are on this blog - new pics of Nathanael.

Playing with Dad

I love my HPC hat

Now I want the hat off (but I still love it)

I like all kinds of foods just like my mommy

HPC Worship team 2019?

3 Year Wedding Anniversary

2007-08-13T20:24:00.000-05:00

What can I write about my wonderful marriage? I can not believe we have only been together for 3 years. Sometimes it feels like my life only began the day I met Elizabeth. I can only imagine how great the next 3 and the next 30 will be with my princess.

I am in awe at how much love has grown over the last 3 years. She truly is my princess and I hope and pray to always treat her that way. She is also the most amazing mom to our son and I thank God Almighty everyday for blessing me with the perfect partner for me to walk with while on earth.

Family Values

2007-07-31T20:31:00.001-05:00

I just read an interesting article from a financial planning book this evening that talked about the differences between "values" and "goals."

I know my 5 main goals: Spirituality (serving Christ with all my heart, soul, mind and strength), Marriage/Family, Fun/Friends, Health, and Love.

This blog confirms the love that I have for my wife and are amazing son. My love for both of them grows each day.

Thanks to all who view the blog.

My beautiful, amazing and talented wife and our baby boy - always laughing

Me and the little man playing on the couch

More fun...

How blessed are we to have such a beautiful and happy boy!

I think he wanted to hit me for using the football to hold the bottle. Sorry, mom.

Irresistible!

2007-07-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

I love my family so much. Here are some pics over the last couple of days. And, yes, football season is just around the corner.

Our little "chumbino" - Portuguese for little bullet

And I am supposed to spank him one day...

The loves of my life

Beijos (kisses) for the little man

What a blessing!

Pics from the 4th of July with the Massengales; Little Man is now 7 months

2007-07-24T13:54:00.000-05:00

I am just now posting the pics from the family trip on July 4th to The Bluffs in St. Francisville with our good friends Rick, Shelley and Camille Massengale. We had a great time and appreciated spending time with them and their family.
Rick, Shelley, & Camille Massengale

Elizabeth and Nathanael in his "mom-made" 4th of July outfit - Tribute to the Troops

I also have some recent pics of Nathanael who is now 7 months old. He went swimming for the first time yesterday and is still laughing constantly. Our love for him grows each day.
Dad and son

A rare Demarest Family shot

How cute is he!

Thank God he looks like his mommy!

Little Man

I love my son and my family

If you need a break please read below from Chris and Meagan Matt

2007-07-11T07:28:00.000-05:00

PLEASE READ THE NOTE BELOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING AN AMAZING COUPLE FROM OUR CHURCH GO ON THEIR MISSION TRIP:

Chris and I will be auctioning ourselves off on July 21 to raise money for our Italy missions trip. We will be working 4 hour shifts and the auction bidding will begin at $100 each. We would so appreciate it if you would post a blog (since thousands of people read your blogs) letting people know about this fundraiser. Chris will be available for yard work and other general man labor. I will be offering house cleaning, organizing, office work, babysitting, or anything else someone may need. Available shifts are 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm. Please give my email address and work phone number (753.2273 ext. 257) to contact me if they are interested.

Happy 4th of July - We're proud to be Americans! One nation under God

2007-07-04T11:39:00.001-05:00

My wife is absolutely amazing - she orders a couple of cute outfits from E-bay, looks at them and immediately thinks "I can do that." She calls my mom and leans how to sew in one day and has already made Nathanael 2 outfits and is working on a third - IN TWO WEEKS! I love my Proverbs 31 woman.

I finally got pictures of Nathanael's bottom 2 teeth. He is absolutely hilarious. He is always laughing and happy. As soon as we go in to get him after a nap he is just beaming from ear to ear.

I often think that God wishes we would wake up that happy and stay that way all day - maybe that is what Jesus meant we he told us to have faith "like little children."

It's amazing to be challenged spiritually by a 6 month old.

Happy 4th of July

Nathanael's getting teeth!

2007-06-25T10:05:00.000-05:00

I don't have any pics of the teeth but Nathanael has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom. He is now 6 months old and is eating plenty. He is also wearing 12 month clothes.

Fortunately for him his mami pics does all of his shopping.

He also has great fun whenever he visits grammy and boppy.

I love the face he makes when he sees the camera.

A little golf, the little Man with his shades, Meghan and Chris Matt, my family, and some great friends at Chap's wedding

2007-06-19T20:40:00.000-05:00

I have really been slacking with the updates on the blog. Actually, believe it or not I have been slacking in the picture taking department. That is very unlike me. I am not sure who I can blame for that but it has to be someone else's fault.

In this installment I have some shots of the HPC Men's Golf Life Group, some shots of the little man with his shades and my family's visit to BR. We also had an amazing couple from HPC, Meghan and Chris Matt over for dinner. And there are a couple of shots from Doug and Amanda Chapoton's wedding this past weekend - cool sunset.

And I had to put in the pics of our cool man "lounging" on his mami's leg. Cool dude!

Later

Amazing 6 months

2007-06-04T13:22:00.000-05:00

We are almost at the 6 month mark with Nathanael. We have had such a blast watching him grow and learn and soon he will be crawling. He is close to rolling over right now. He is also learning how to make noises and communicate and he definitely let's us know when he wants Mami to hold him.

In this round of pics are a visit with Grammy and Luke's birthday party. Luke is a HUGE Spidey fan and the boys are also starting early on golf (Great choice!).

You will also notice that Nathanael digs hats.

FYI: I did not pass my first try at my Series 6 investments test. I am trying to push myself to learn on a faster curve than necessary so I will just have to keep studying and try next month. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and they will work when God is ready.

Thanks to everyone who reads this and keeps my family and our families in your prayers.

I'm studying...so it's a good time to post some new pics

2007-05-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

I am cramming right now for my investments license test (series 6)next Wednesday. In the meantime, I figured I could post some new pics of the little Chumbino (as him mom calls him).

These pics just went to both grammies (yes, all the way to Brazil). Nathanael is already Going Global.

Have a great weekend.

Nathanael's new hairdo? (not approved by mommy). Fun time with his cousins at the Mall

2007-05-09T20:37:00.000-05:00

While Elizabeth was at the Shine Women's Conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Fl over the weekend, Nathanael and I spent some time with Grammy and Boppy and Missy, Hayden, & Molly.

Today, after my haircut and color, Nathanael wanted to style his hair like mine.

He is really excited for this first Mother's Day and hopes his mommy will be happy.

Not only can he read books but we're working on reading defenses too

2007-05-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

Little man is already reading (mommy busted me taking pictures of him reading his book this morning). I also planted the football in his hand right before he took a nap. (Please note that he had the ball in each hand so there is no indication if he is a righty or a lefty yet.)

He also had fun for Aunt Jenni's birthday and his cousins Caleb and Judah. Big thanks to Uncle Reuben for starting the boys out on worship lessons.

There are also a couple of shots from our good friend's Jonah and Kristen's wedding shower. They are such an awesome couple and are getting married next month. We know that God has great plans for their life together and we are happy to know them.

In case you could not tell, this is really Nathanael's Blog - I just manage it

2007-04-30T13:29:00.000-05:00

While Jesus is the center of our lives, Nathanael James has definitely taken over this blog.

Included in this round of pics are some cereal eating shots, his cousin Luke at Hannah Williams dance recital yesterday, and his new friend Camille Massengale. But mostly Nathanael.

He is also enjoying his "tummy time."

Demarest Family Time

2007-04-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

We had an amazing weekend last weekend with all of the Demarest crew in New Orleans for Brody and Hunter's christening. The number of babies is amazing.

We always have a great time with my sisters and their families and with Mary and Big Al, of course.

Thanks to my sisters for the pics as I am in need of a new battery for my digital camera.

How Great is our God!

2007-04-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

Coming off of a wonderful Easter weekend I went picture crazy for the joy that is our Nathanael. He is such a blessing and already has an amazing laugh at 4 months old.

Yes, there are many other things going on in our lives but none are as much fun and joyous as our little man.

HAPPY EASTER! Christ is Risen

2007-04-08T18:43:00.000-05:00

What an amazing Easter weekend! I am not sure how many people came through the 7 services at HPC Highland or any of the other campuses but today was awesome. Many people came to the altar to commit their lives to Jesus and surrender their hearts to Him.

Our little man did great today and is winning the hearts of everyone at the church. (He had our hearts the moment he arrived and we love him more each day.) We even got a shot of the Demarest Family - very rare indeed.

We love being a part of the HPC team.

Preparing for Easter

2007-04-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

We are excited about Easter week. Elizabeth will be teaching tonight at HPC Wednesday night service. This year has been so amazing and we know that it will only get better.

Of course, our little man is getting bigger and bigger. He is smiling more and is DEFINITELY MOMMA'S BOY!

At HP Women on Monday night he heard Elizabeth over the speakers in the front foyer and his eyes almost bugged out of his head trying to find where his mom was.

Happy Easter!

What a Life!

2007-03-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

We just have the greatest life. Elizabeth's parents headed back to Brazil this week as Reuben is getting around now on his own. We had a wonderful evening with my parents and my in-laws before they left - and, of course, Nathanael, prince of Wheatsheaf Drive.

We are having such a blast with him, as you can probably tell from the pics. He really loves going to HPC, too. And he loves all of his friends from "school" (HPC Nursery), especially his "teachers."

Thanks so much for the love and support.

What a blessing Nathanael is!

2007-03-03T20:15:00.000-06:00

I had to post the latest pics of our boy Nathanael, now 2 1/2 months and getting bigger by the moment. We love him so much and are grateful that God entrusted him to us. He has now learned the "pout" lip and is also laughing much. We are amazed at how much he learns and how many expressions are part of him and how he communicates with us.

Also, Reuben is home and is on his way to a complete recovery. Thanks to everyone for the prayers. He needed and used all of them and will need many more until he is totally back on his feet but he is definitely well on his way.

Please Pray for my brother-in-law Reuben

2007-02-14T17:14:00.000-06:00

For those who are not aware my youngest brother-in-law, Reuben Williams, was involved in a serious motorcycle accident this past Monday on Highland Rd. He is in critical but stable condition at OLOL Hospital in Baton Rouge. The good news is that he is young and healthy and should be able to make a complete recovery. However, this will take some time.

Please continue to pray as this only unifies the body of Christ in prayer and in one accord of faith. As always the victory is the Lord's and everything along with it. Reuben has many great gifts and talents that God will use for His Glory and we are grateful that he will have a chance to fulfill his destiny.

Thanks to HPC and all others who have been covering Reuben and his family in prayers.

P.S. - Of course the only pics I have of Reuben he and everyone else is laughing

Dinner with the Melancons

2007-02-04T12:07:00.000-06:00

We had a great dinner the other night with Bryan, Tracy and Elijah (11 months) Melancon. We all worked together getting the Donaldsonville Dream Center Church off the ground a few years ago. That was such a tough and hard working season of our lives and I don't know if we ever got to stop and spend any relaxing time with Bryan and Tracy.

We had a great night and look forward to many more visits with them. They are great friends and are committed to serving Christ and Healing Place Church. What an awesome family!

Here are a few of the pics.

Latest Pics of Nathanael

2007-02-01T09:29:00.000-06:00

Nathanael's Dedication at Healing Place Church

2007-01-22T14:25:00.000-06:00

What an amazing weekend our family had. We dedicated Nathanael to the Lord and committed to raising him up in the teachings of Jesus Christ. My family was able to attend as well as Elizabeth's and Pastor Dino was very kind in his words about each of our families. We had a blast and here are some pics.

New Shots of our boy, Nathanael

2007-01-17T17:31:00.000-06:00

We are having such a blast with our "little man." He is now starting to follow us with his eyes and even starting to make some facial expressions. We are having the best time learning about our Nathanael and the great life that God has planned for him.

We had some visits with Grammy and Boppy (my parents) and some bath pics with his vovó (Elizabeth's mom). Also, got a visit from my great friend Doug and his fiancee' Amanda. They are getting married next year and are an awesome couple. There is also a shot with Colleen Thorp, a great woman of God who is pumped to hang with Nathanael.

How about those kicks from Brazil? Too bad he outgrew them in the first week.

GO SAINTS GO!

2007-01-15T16:02:00.000-06:00

Man, what a game. I was fortunate enough to get invited to the Saints vs. Philly Eagles game this past weekend and it was amazing. I was impressed by the attitude of the fans who cheered more for the Saints than against the Eagles. What an environment! It's amazing what leadership and leaders can do in even the toughest of circumstances. Here are some shots from the game with my buddy Rich and his dad, Rico.

Nathanael is here!

2007-01-04T13:47:00.000-06:00

I am finally catching up.

2 major, major events to report. First and foremost is the arrival of our little man Nathanael James on December 14th. We are having so much fun with him. Everyone who told me it would be the greatest event ever and that I would never experience love like I would for my son was spot on. I can only imagine how much love God has for each one of us.

The other event is that I am now working and training to become a financial planner. I will be self-employed but working under the covering of Scully Financial here in Baton Rouge. I am excited about this opportunity but more excited about what it will do for me and my family 10, 20, 30 years from now.

Thanks for all of the prayers and support. And for anyone who has yet to come visit please come when you want (just call first).

Isaac's Birthday Party

2006-11-29T19:19:00.000-06:00

We had a party for my brother-in-law, Isaac, who is in town staying at our house with his wife Carol. They will be with us until the end of January when they will leave out to Mozambique, Africa to pastor the HPC/Children's Cup church.

Here are some pics from the party.

Precision Works LLC

2006-11-16T20:38:00.000-06:00

I have been working the past few months with my brothers-in-law Bryan and Reuben. They have their own contracting/remodeling business and are excellent at what they do. I would put the quality of their work up against anyone in Greater Baton Rouge.

Here are some pics from a recent job - some before and after shots.

DCC Women's Blowout - Fiesta! - You never know what seeds you might reap when you sow the love of Jesus

2006-10-30T19:38:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth and I went back to the Dream Center Church for their monthly women's ministry blowout party. Ms. Alicia and Ms. Mary did a great job of organizing a night that had 105 women from the community come out to fellowship and hear a brief teaching by my beautifully 8-month pregnant wife (there were also over 50 children there learning songs and scripture teachings). She spoke about the power of our words and how we need to speak life to each other and to our situations. Tell our problems how big our God is not vice versa.

I had 2 great revelations that night: First, as I walked around the Dream Center that night I listened as the kids were singing songs about praising the Lord. I watched 105 women show up to fellowship and learn about the word of God. (The men's ministry also had a great turnout at Lowery Middle School across town.) I reflected on how Elizabeth and I were a part of the Dream Center Church from the day it opened. We came back from our great honeymoon and started working for 2 years. Elizabeth was at the Dream Center for all 5 years. I am so thankful for the 2 years of hard, hard work we put in there. To see all that God is doing in people's lives and that community is awesome and we are grateful to Pastors Dino and Pastors Mark for allowing us to serve there.

The second revelation was that you never know what happens to the seeds you sow. Elizabeth spoke with a woman on our way out who she met a few years ago at the Dream Center (the woman in the picture sitting with Elizabeth). She was going through a tough time and Elizabeth prayed with her and had not seen her since. The woman came that night and told Elizabeth that she had not been back since that day a few years ago. When she heard Elizabeth speaking about the power of positive speaking she knew that she was supposed to be at the Dream Center. Her mom was asking her why she was so negative so she decided to the women's blowout. Elizabeth and I were blessed by her story and thanked God for the opportunity to be a part of such a great testimony.

Good Golly, Ms. Molly!

2006-10-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

How precious is my newest niece! Elizabeth and I went to visit Ms. Molly who was actually due this week but came a couple of weeks early. We had a blast with Missy and Chris and Hayden, who absolutely loves his little sister.

Caroline's Birthday

2006-10-22T19:52:00.000-05:00

We had a blast with our friends Caroline and Trini for her birthday. We went to Champps which had a great hamburger and the biggest dessert I have ever seen. Check it out in front Elton.

Happy Birthday Caroline and good job Trini almost surprising her.

Nathanael's Second Baby Shower

2006-10-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

OK. So I have really been slacking with the updates but we have many changes to our blog. We changed the name and the focus of our new blog will center around our new baby boy that is coming in 2 months.

Nathanael James is coming in the second week of December and we have had 2 amazing baby showers. The first was thrown by my awesome, sweet sisters in New Orleans. The second was here in Baton Rouge this past weekend.

We have been so blessed by all that my sisters and mom have done and all of our friends and family members. We are anxious to meet Nathanael. He is very active and healthy to date.

Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the pictures.

My Burnlounge

2006-08-24T20:25:00.000-05:00

I just registered as a retailer for an awesome company called burnlounge.com.I own my own retail store (www.burnlounge.com/kingdomwork or www.burnlounge.com/brazilianchick) for downloading music or selling it to anyone else. Check back with me in a few months. If you are interested in owning your own store or finding out more about the company then click on "watch the commercial" at the bottom of the pages.

It's been so long...

2006-08-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

I apologize to the people who regularly look to this blog for updates. I have had so much going on the last month and a half but that is only an excuse. I will do my best to give a summary of this time and hit on the high points.

My wife and I are expecting a baby boy in December. Nathanael James is due December 17th and we could not be happier. Elizabeth is showing but I do not have any recent pictures (and most of you can figure out why).

I made a trip to Oxnard, California to visit with my buddy Dave McHattie and his wife Laura. We had a blast and played some golf. He is a great salesman who worked with me at FindLaw.com.

Elizabeth went down to stay with her mom and dad in Manaus, Brazil for her baby brother Isaac's wedding. She went down there with a great friend of ours, Paul Solomon, who came back having met and become engaged to his future wife -- HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD! Take note single people, when God is ready, He's ready.

Here are some pics and I will keep up better.

Aley

Mighty Men of God - MEN AT WORK - Construction Night Blowout

2006-06-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

What a great night for the Lord we had last night at the Dream Center!

Over 85 men came to our Men at Work - Construction night. We had an amazing time of competition and worship. The games were are huge hit. The worship was strong and the men were excited about the message that Pastor Mark Stermer delivered from God.

After the message we ate "sausage dogs" (MAN FOOD!) and even had a Jesus sausage shaped like a "J."

Thanks to Adam Hymel and his team of volunteers for putting on an awesome night for Jesus. Thanks also to Derek Smith and the guys of Ascension House who oversee the events and the facilities.

What an awesome Pastor and Leader!

2006-06-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

Every time I mention that I am affiliated with or attend Healing Place Church the response I hear almost every single time is: "Your Pastor is Dino Rizzo, right? He's a(n)...awesome pastor, great man of God, amazing speaker, good teacher, etc." Without fail the person that I am speaking with always has something positive to say about Pastor Dino.

And I could not agree with them more. The Wednesday morning men's breakfast meetings at Frank's in Prairieville are the only times during the week that I get to hear Pastor Dino in person. This time is a great time of food and fellowship and I enjoy hearing the vision that God has placed on his heart to be a healing place for a hurting the world. I also know how hard he and his staff works as unto the Lord to accomplish this vision of God.

I am so thankful to be a part of such an amazing church lead by such a great Pastor and his family. I can not say enough how much respect and appreciation I have for all he does for me and my family, for the HPC community, and for those around the world who are touched in some way by HPC.

Thanks, Pastor Dino.

Step Out Program - Mentoring

2006-06-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

For the Step Out program, we mentor our clients every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. The meetings have been going great and the clients are really responding to this format. Donna and the rest of the team do a great job with preparing the teaching for the night and then leading the small group sessions.

Great job, Step Out Team.

Healing Place Golf Tourney - Santa Maria

2006-06-17T12:02:00.000-05:00

My mom, dad and me played with Paul Solomon in the 3rd annual Healing Place Church golf tournament. We shot even par 72 at the Santa Maria golf course. We had a great time and the tournament was a huge success. The proceeds went to HPC athletics and helps with all of the programs that the kids enjoy at church.

Thanks to Kerry Wilkerson and his team for all of their hard work.

We had a blast and look forward to next year's tourney.

THE SALAD!

2006-06-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

I had my staff over for dinner the other night and had to put a picture of the salad that Michelle made (or cooked or designed). Thanks to Michelle's mother for her help.

We all enjoyed the most beautiful and creative salad any of us may have and will ever eat.

Thanks Michelle.

We love Hillsong - Kiev, Ukraine - Pastors Zhenya and Vera Kasevich visit the Dream Center

2006-06-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth and I had the honor of hosting Pastors Zhenya and Vera Kasevich and their kids, Roma and Dianna, at the Dream Center this past weekend. They are the pastors of the Hillsong Church in Kiev, Ukraine. Pastor Zhenya spoke about living a life of "significance" by discipling fellow members of the church. It was an amazing weekend for us as we went out to dinner at the Grapevine after service last night. They are an amazing family and pastors of a 3,500 member church in one of the poorest area in the Ukraine (see Dinorizzo.com)

We were blessed to host them and will continue to pray for them as they return back home. I got along great with the guys because we talked about rock guitar. Roma is supposedly a serious player and got to play at the Highland Campus Sunday morning. I wish I could have seen him play.

Thanks to Pastors Dino and Delynn for allowing us to serve their vision at the Dream Center and letting us meet such amazing men, women and families of servants of Christ. What an awesome year this has been so far!

Family Photos - Williams Family Party

2006-06-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

We had a family get together with my wife and her brothers. We got together at our home and ate hamburgers and french fries. We also had some homeade deserts and ice cream. We had a wonderful time.

Church United Update

2006-06-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

Church United is doing an amazing job touching hurting people in the Baton Rouge community. We had our most recent staff meeting at United Collectibles which is the thrift store of Church United that is located on Airline Highway. Here are some great pictures of the thrift store and the new four-plex being built for homeless women and their children.

Step Out Program - Family Awards Banquet

2006-05-24T09:42:00.000-05:00

We hosted out first Family Awards Banquet for all participants of the Step Out Program, the prisoner re-entry initiative that I am the coordinator for for Church United. We had a wonderful turnout out for some Curtis "Big" Mack burgers and fellowship at the Healing Place Church trailer. Over 30 people showed up and we were very thankful to God for giving us great weather and a great time of fellowship.

I could never thank my team, Colleen, Donna, Michelle, and Curtis for all of their hard work and effort in helping our clients have the successful life that God intended for them. They are an amazing team to work with and I am honored for the opportunity to work with them for the Kingdom of God.

Grocery Giveaway - Dream Center Church, HPC

2006-05-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we gave away groceries to the community. This is something that we do on a regular basis as God blesses us to be a blessing to the community. The beauty of this day was how the local community (mostly ladies - come on, guys, where are we?) took over and ran the event. Derek Smith and his guys from Ascension House were a tremendous help (as they always are) in getting the food where it could be loaded into the cars and then our DCC members took over.

Here are some pics of the great day of service.

Great Weekend at DCC

2006-05-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

What an amazing week and weekend at the Dream Center Campus. Pastor Mark Stermer was out of town traveling to Israel, Mozambique, and Swaziland so we had 2 guest speakers for the weekend services. We had a baby dedication, we recognized our high school graduates, and gave away groceries on Friday afternoon.

On Wednesday night, Elizabeth (my beautiful wife) preached about not being a "dum-dum sucker (lollipop)." She spoke mostly to the Refuge (youth) Ministry and the singles of the church about staying pure and waiting for the perfect spouse. She noted that even if you had not been living for God up until that night that God could still put the wrapper back on the candy and make it brand new again for your spouse.

The Saturday night service was amazing as Pastor Scott Bledsoe, lead pastor of Household of Faith church in Sorrento, La. spoke. He delivered an awesome word from God from the book of Titus about how God is a God of order. 25-30 people came to the altar at the end asking for prayer from Pastor Scott and to help get their lives in order.

On Sunday, Pastor Mike Davis, Director of PRC Compassion spoke about the secrets we know being servants of God. He delivered a great message from God that the true servants of God know details that no one else does.

Later that night we hosted our volunteer Dream Night. Pastor Mark returned in time to share the vision of the house to all of the leaders and the volunteers and then we broke bread together and fellwoshipped. Over 90 people show up for that night.

Praise God for another amazing weekend at the Dream Center, HPC.

DCC Women's Blowout - ROYALTY NIGHT!

2006-05-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

The Women of the Dream Center Church hosted their May Blowout Night with a Royalty theme. Pastor Elizabeth Demarest spoke about how each woman is a bride and princess of the Lord Jesus and how they should all act that way. The team showed a clip from Cinderalla and even had a couple of slow songs to dance to - with Jesus. Over 100 women from the Donaldsonville and surrounding areas came out for the night of great fun, great food, and awesome fellowship.

Great job, Women of Destiny. This was another great night for the Kingdom of God.

Dream Center - Family Series and Worship

2006-05-11T10:51:00.000-05:00

My wife and I have so much fun at the services at the Dream Center. I love HPC so much for the atmospheres that are available for all types of woship. Our campus in Donaldsonville is smaller and more intimiate because of the size of our building. We love the intimate setting for Life U. and for the weekend services. Here are some shots that might be able to give an idea of what it's like. There's even a rare picture of me (playing bass) while Wayne W. tears up the "axe." Spice is on drums.

AMDG - Ad Majoreum Dei Gloriam - For the Greater Glory of God. This was the mission statement of my high school - Jesuit High School in New Orleans. I love living for Jesus and am grateful that His mercy endured with me even before I realized it.

We love Dr. Cherie Leblanc

2006-05-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

Dr. Cherie Leblanc is an internal medicine physician at HPC who dedicates her time to a ministry that travels throughout Baton Rouge to provide medical care for people who do not have insurance or the means to get to a doctor. Her ministry has also started travelling into the FEMA trailer parks around Baton Rouge to provide services for the evacuated New Orleanians.

There are not enough blogs on the internet to sing her praises and the praises of her team for all they do.

Dr. Gary Chapman - The Five Love Languages

2006-05-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday my wife and I attended our second seminar with Dr. Gary Chapman. We had a great time listening and learning from one of the best marriage teachers in the world. I love being part of HPC who is always giving the members of the church the best opportunities to grow in Christ and in family.

I also thought it was great that a Catholic priest felt comfortable enough in his skin and with HPC to come to the conference. That's really cool stuff!

Trying to keep up...

2006-05-02T14:02:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest pics from the last couple of weeks. I am finding out just how difficult it is to keep up with a blog on a regular basis. These pics include the weeks after Easter service at the Rivercenter. Over 7,000 strong worshipping and over 200 committing their lives to following Christ. I also included some Dream Center baptisms. We are having a baptism revival as over 40 people have been baptized in the last 4 weeks! I also included some pictures of Pastor Mark Stermer preaching to the church at Life University as well as to the Mighty Men of God Blowout Night. Anyone who has not been to a Dream Center service is missing out on an amazing move of God.

We had a guest apprearence by Keith Staten. We had a graduation from our spiritual formation class. God is really showing up every service at the Dream Center.

Elizabeth and I are so thankful to be a part of this. Please come visit us. Our services are Wednesday nights at 7 p.m., Saturday nights at 6 p.m., and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. I promise it will be a church like you've never done church before.

I really, really, really, really love my wife

2006-04-20T14:28:00.000-05:00

Words will never be able to express my love for my wife. I am in awe of her every day we spend together. She is beautiful, Brazilian, bold, strong, focused, sweet, and loves the Lord Jesus with all her heart. And I know she loves me too!

Colleen, the greatest Administrative Assistant in the history of the PRI Step Out Program for Church United in Baton Rouge

2006-04-20T14:22:00.000-05:00

I promised shots of Colleen and here they are. I also included a picture of the duck cake she made.

My wife and I love Colleen and her commitment to Jesus.

Good Friday BBQ - Dream Center 2006

2006-04-20T14:10:00.000-05:00

We held a BBQ for the community of Donaldsonville on Good Friday. We had over 350 come out for some hamburgers and hotdogs. We brought the leftovers to Wal-Mart and into the projects later that night where the people had been partying all day. They received us well and were very thankful for all that the Dream Center is doing in D'ville.

Here are some shots from the day and from the outreach that same night. The staff and volunteers did an amazing job putting this together and the day was a great victory for the Lord.

Golf with Big Al

2006-04-20T14:04:00.000-05:00

I try my best to golf whenever I can. I have about 2 half-days per week that I can try to squeeze some golf in. I never can seem to get enough golf and I really love playing with my dad, Big Al. He is an excellent golfer with a smooth, consistent golf swing. We had a great time playing at Pelican Point in Gonzales. He reminds me of Retief Goosen because he is always relaxed, has a smooth tempo to his swing, and is always dressed sharp.

I love my pops.

(Moms is a pretty good golfer too.)

EASTER 2006 - at the River Center in Downtown Baton Rouge

2006-04-20T13:53:00.000-05:00

What an amazing week at the Rivercenter for HPC and Easter2006! Over 7,000 came out to worship the Lord and praise His holy name. We loaded 4 tour buses full of people from the Dream Center. All of the other campuses joined us at the Rivercenter as well.

We love Pastors Dino and DeLynn. We love Healing Place Church. We love being part of a Holy Spirit-led church. We love being a part of the Dream Center. We love being a part of all that God is doing in Baton Rouge and Louisiana.

What a great day!

Mighty Men of God - Fun at the Stermer's

2006-04-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

Pastor Mark and his family welcomed the Dream Center Mighty Men of God to a night of fellowship at food last week. 44 men came and enjoyed a brief scripture teaching (Ezra 7:27-28) from Pastor Mark and some sausage and boudin courtesy of Leblanc Sausages. Each man received his green Mighty Men of God DCC shirt with "In training" on the back to remind us that none of us has arrived and that we are always in training to be better followers of Christ.

911 - Dream Center Lifeline

2006-04-11T08:18:00.000-05:00

Posted by Elizabeth Demarest

A week ago I met Joyce for the first time. She was not hesitant to share with me that she had been struggling with drugs and had all of her kids taken away from her because of the addiction. She has 10 children and another one on the way. She told me she wanted to change her life around but was not sure how to do it. I prayed with her that day and she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. I told her I hoped to see her in church soon.

Halfway through this past Saturday night's service Joyce came in, walked to the front row where I was sitting and sat down next to me. She seemed very upset. I noticed she was holding my card in her hand. It was the same card that I handed her a week ago when I met her. She leaned over to me, crying, and said, "Mrs. Elizabeth, I have been trying to call you all day. Why haven't you answered your phone?" I held her tightly in my arms and explained to her that I was very busy all day getting ready for service, but that everything would be OK now that she was in church. She could not stop crying. In between sobs, she said the words I so long to hear from a hurting and lost soul: "Mrs. Elizabeth I want to get saved and baptized." At that moment I wanted stop the service to tend to her request. Inside I wanted to scream and shout and praise God with all my might - there was such an urgency in her voice that she was desperate for God immediately. I gently whispered in her ear that today was the day of her salvation and that Jesus Christ was coming to abide in her heart forever because she believed and wanted Him.

At the end of service she was baptized and as she came out of the water God touched her and filled her with her presence. All Joyce could do was jump, shout the name of Jesus, and lift her hands in the air with the uncontrollable joy of a child at a birthday party. She was smiling from ear to ear.

The next day my husband and I had lunch with Joyce at her home. We were honored to be her guest and she laid out the red carpet treatment for us (check out the plates of food photos). In our conversation we discovered that she had also lived in "The Shed" (look at the other blog story) at some point. She remembered one day when I had visited her and had given some candy to 2 of her kids. I invited them to come to the Dream Center for a visit.

People are relying on us to get them to God. I never thought that giving some candy and a business card would lead to this amazing story. She truly believed that the call she placed to my cell phone was her 911 lifeline to saving her life and her soul. We are not only called to be God's 911 Lifeline for Donaldsonville but to each soul that is hurting and does not yet have a relationship with God.

Life University - Dream Center Style

2006-04-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

We had our first edition of Life University last night in D'ville. Over 140 people came to experience a night of going deeper with God. After a brief worship time, Pastor Mark taught on the choices that we each have as children of God: to do good and receive his blessings or make wrong choices that do not please God and face the consequences. We also learned about not falling into the traps of the devil and what those traps look like. Pastor Mark pointed out that the traps are always enticing just like the tree of good and evil to Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Service begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday nights and we finish at 8:15 p.m. Please come and visit us on a Wednesday night Life University as we become better students of God's word.

2 great men of God

2006-04-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

I am posting this picture of 2 great men of God. Dean and Melvin work together across the street from HPC at DMC. They are great soldiers for the Kingdom and are committed to living the life that God intended.

Building on the Rock - Men & Women at Work

2006-04-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

Building on the Rock is a ministry of the Dream Center campus that was the vision of Kevin Lalonde. The ministry consists of men volunteering to visit homes of our church members and leaders to do home repair for 4 and 1/2 hours every Saturday morning. We recruit 5-10 men and send them to a location to perform whatever needs on the home to bless those in our community. We hope that this ministry will grow and we can one day have multiple teams in multiple locations on Saturday mornings.

This past Saturday we did yardwork, cut down some small trees and changed out some lightswitch fixtures. (Please note that I take most of the pictures for a reason - though I can cut a mean lawn.)

Please e-mail me or contact the Dream Center if you would like to volunteer any Saturday morning from 7:30 a.m. until 12 noon. We provide lunch for the team and I personally make sure we are off the job on time.

I always reflect on what Pastor Dino says: "We are blessed to be a blessing."

Step Out Program - Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative from the Department of Labor

2006-03-31T10:22:00.000-06:00

I wanted to add a shot of my team that works the Step Out Program with me. Curtis, Donna, and Michelle work with released prisoners to help them get stable employment, healthy home environments, and plugged into a strong church community. They do such an amazing job and work tirelessly to ensure the success of their clients and their clients' families. (Not pictured is Colleen, the number one administrative assistant in the history of the Step Out Program in Baton Rouge - ever! I will get a pic of her up soon.)

Our focus for this Department of Labor Federal Grant is to help be a "safety net" for our clients who are often released with the clothes they came in on and nothing else. Our success will impact the lives of our clients and their families, the communities to which they return, and our workforce in the state of Louisiana. We are excited about working with our clients for the upcoming year. Please keep my team and our clients in our prayers as we hope to impact over 200 families from now until March 2007.

Women of Destiny March Blowout

2006-03-31T09:56:00.000-06:00

The Women of Destiny Ministry at DCC held their March 2006 Blowout last night in D'ville and the turnout was amazing. They refused to let the men top them. 103 women showed up to hear an inspired teaching by Pastor Mark about waiting for a true man of God to come into their lives. After the teaching the women enjoyed a "pot luck" dinner. Along with the 51 kids and 10 staff, we had over 160 people for a Life Group meeting at the Dream Center!

My wife, Elizabeth, and her team, Alicia Bennett and Mary Nicholas, have done an amazing job raising up, encouraging, and developing women leaders in Donaldsonville and the surrounding areas. The Women of Destiny Ministry has met weekly for the past year and a half and always averages over 60 women per meeting. Her team works hard with volunteers from the area to put on amazing services that have the women of D'ville buzzing with the excitement and expectancy of the move that God is doing in their city. Elizabeth has anywhere from 5-15 ladies who come and volunteer their time and talents throughout the day to make sure that everything at the Dream Center is run with excellence and as unto the Lord. That is really cool that so many people just come to volunteer their services on a daily basis.

The women were also excited last night to know that the Mighty Men of God had a strong turnout the previous night. They have been praying for the men of the city to rise up and lead God's Dream Center Church into the next level of what God want to do.

Elizabeth thanks everyone that has helped and prayed for her team and her and asks that you continue to pray for them as they press on to a deeper level of ministry and relationship in this hurting area of Louisiana. She also invites anyone to come and visit our weekend services - Saturday nights at 6 p.m. and Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. We will also begin Life University on Wednesday nights starting next week at 6:30 p.m. The experience will bless you and your family and you will not forget when you see all that God is doing at the Dream Center.

DCC Mighty Men of God - 2006 Father & Son Blowout

2006-03-30T14:33:00.000-06:00

The Dream Center Campus had an amazing celebration last night for the Mighty Men of God ministry. We had 85 men and young men attend a night of worship, games, teaching and fellowship. This night was organized by campus pastor Bryan Melancon and his team of leaders who worked many hours to make this event huge. The theme of the night was "Fishers of Men." Scripture passages with references to being "disciples" and being "fishers of men" were posted throughout the church. We also asked the men to bring their sons with them. The night was a great success.

We had many first time visitors and gave away fishing poles, tackle boxes and even a fishing trip with Pastor Mark Stermer. Wayne Wemberly led the worship team to start out the night and set the tone for what would be a great night for our men. I did the announcements and encouraged the men to get involved in a few key areas:

- The Building on the Rock Ministry led by Kevin Lalonde. This ministry goes throughout the community of Donaldsonville every Saturday morning and performs home repair and maintenance for those in need. We really need 10-15 guys from anywhere to commit one weekend per month to helping the needy of our church community.
- Life University starts at DCC starting next Wednesday. This will be a tremendous opportunity to go deeper with God. We will have worship and then in depth teaching about growing in the Word of God.
- Free guitar and drum lessons at 3 p.m. every Saturday at DCC.

Pastor Mark taught about now being the time for the men of DCC to step up to take the church to the next level. The men were excited and encouraged by the message. After the message from Pastor Mark, the men enjoyed baked chicken and beans and some great fellowship.

The men's ministry of DCC will be having blowout meetings on the final Thursday of every month this year. The theme of the next event will be rolled out to our leaders the first week of April.

What a week...so far!

2006-03-28T17:49:00.000-06:00

We celebrated the wake of Marcus Johnson last night and the funeral today(I added a picture for you to see how cute he was). In all over the last 4 days we estimate to have had over 1,000 people come through the doors of our church...and we are not done yet. We have Refuge Youth Ministry tonight where we have been averaging between 70-80 young adults who want to go deeper with God. Tomorrow night we will have a huge Mighty Men's ministry blowout. The theme for tomorrow night is "Fishers of Men" and men are encouraged to bring their sons along with them. Then on Thursday, the Women of Destiny are having their monthly blowout celebration. Those 2 nights will have anywhere from 150-200 more people visiting the Dream Center.

We might have over 1,200 visitors come into the doors of the Dream Center for events and services. Can you say Jesus Revolution?

We are excited and the staff talked today about our willingness to labor if God wants to have a revival here - we want to make sure that we count the cost because God just might answer our prayers. And we all know that his answers are much greater and larger than our wildest dreams.

Keep us in your prayers. I hope to have pictures of the next 3 nights.

The Shed

2006-03-28T14:24:00.000-06:00

Posted by Elizabeth Demarest

This story has captured my heart and the reason why we do what we do in Donaldsonville as part of Healing Place Church:

I heard a rumor going around in the community about a girl who got beat up by her "boyfriend." Now, it's sad to say this, but physical abuse is very common and thus we usually do not visit people who are abused as spouses. There are too many cases for us to go around the community so we help the ones that come to us. For some reason the staff and I felt compelled to go after this particular young lady. We've never met her but we knew we needed to find her. After a few phone calls and asking around we found out where she was living.

I did not know what to expect when we arrived. I have been working in D'ville for 4 and 1/2 years and it seems like there is always something new happening. I drove up knowing that I just needed to totally rely on God. I was really afraid of her rejecting our help.

We walked into the house where the girl was staying and she was lying on the couch, tall and slim and 5 months pregnant. She had yet to be to the doctor to check on her baby. Her lips were swollen, her head was cut with some scratches, and her cheek bone was fractured from her "boyfriend" beating her the night before. Her shirt still had the blood on the front as a reminder of the previous night. She was so determined to escape the night before that she did not have time to grab clothes. She also had her 2 year old daughther with her in diapers and with a lung infection so bad that the baby was breathing heavily.

I asked her if we could go to her house where she had been brutally abused to change and get some clothes and she told me that we could because her "boyfriend" was in jail.

As we arrived at the place I was in total disbelief. I saw what appreared to be a poorly built, small shed in the back of the house. I followed her as she walked toward the tiny little box and could not believe that she was going to show me that this was her home. The door was made out of plywood with a wooden latch. I could not believe what I was seeing. I have been in this community for many years and thought I had seen it all but nothing prepared me for this.

She was living in the shed with no running water, no bathroom, and little electricity run from the house in front. There was a small bed, a small TV and some pieces of furniture crowding up the remaining space. She went in and grabbed about five pieces of clothes for her and her baby. That was it. And the shoes that she grabbed did not even come close to fitting her feet - maybe 3 sizes too small.

I was in awe of the poverty and was moved for this victim of such abuse and such a degrading life.

We got her to her mom's house for the night. However, as if the situation could not get worse, the mom's boyfriend came home that night and put this young lady and her baby back in the streets. The next morning we all prayed that somehow we would find her and God answered our prayers.

We have started the process of helping this young lady get cleaned up and on her feet. It will take time to get her restored and healed both physically and emotionally. We are looking at getting better housing for her and her family right now. We have gotten her daugther to the doctor and are working on getting them both healthy.

This story describes to me what Jesus meant when he said,"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be release, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." Luke 4:18-19.

Thank God for Healing Place Church in Donaldsonville, La. We love the fact that he has trusted us to be a healing place for a hurting community.

Intro to a new level of life and ministry

2006-03-21T10:17:00.000-06:00

I am believing that this blog is another means of communicating the work my wife and I steward for the Kingdom of God here in Baton Rouge. We are both members of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge and are the campus pastors of the Donaldsonville Dream Center Campus.

(I am blown away at how much I want to post in order to get everyone caught up with what we actually do on a daily basis but that might take a while and I do not know if I will remember enough to make it worth reading.)

My wife is actually the ordained pastor and works everyday for the church in one of the poorest communities in our country. Donaldsonville is a small town with an average household income of $7 K per year. 2 grammar schools were shut down last year for "lack of students." This town is very poor. My wife has been working there for the last 5 1/2 years. I do not know anyone who deals with what my wife and her 3 staff members deal with on a daily basis. For example, we are actually beginning preparations for a funeral this weekend for a 2 1/2 year old boy who was killed yesterday by a drunk driver. We know that he is in heaven and that the mom had commited her life to Christ just 2 weeks ago. There is always something going on at the Dream Center.

I am working right now for the non-profit arm of our church for an organization called Church United for Community Development. I am program coordinator of the Prisoner Re-entry Initiative for the Department of Labor called "Step Out." My team consists of 3 case managers, one office assistant and me. We will work with over 200 families of released offenders over the next 12-15 months to help them get jobs, assist in housing options, reunite families, and encourage them to get into a strong bible based church. The program is in the beginning phases but is starting to pick up now.

I will fill more in later once this blog is up and running. Until then, pray for us.