Category Archives: Green Hills Church

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“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

July 1, 2010 – 2:22 PM

Meet Jenny & Elissa.  They’re a couple of my really good friends.  Because of our crazy schedules, we don’t get to spend as much time together these days as I would like.  However, they are a very important part of my life.

I knew Jenny when we all lived in Memphis and went to church together.  (Brad actually performed Blake and Jenny’s wedding ceremony.)  They moved to Nashville shortly after we did (or before – I can’t remember?), and we reconnected when they started coming to Green Hills Church.  I met Elissa about three years ago when she started coming to church as well.  Somewhere along the way, we started a Bible study together.  We called it our Monday Morning Mocha group, and meeting up with them was a great start to my week.  We did Beth Moore’s Esther study together, and then we read Jen Hatmaker’s “Ms. Understood” together.  During our study of that book and the discussions that ensued, God really began to burden my heart for orphans.  These girls (and one other friend, Mandy) were a part of my journey to adoption from the very beginning.  They would listen to my passionate rants and were supportive of what God was stirring up in my heart.

Fast forward to today, and Elissa has spent all week in the same city that our son lives in now – Addis Ababa.  Yep, she’s there right now with Visiting Orphans, and they’re getting ready to head to Uganda for a week.  Before she left, the three of us got together to make some bracelets for her to pass out to the kids (along with a bunch of other goodies).  It’s been fun to watch Elissa get ready for this trip, and I know she will come back with a changed heart and perspective.

I’m thankful to have friends who are passionate about caring for “the least of these.”  I’m thankful for friendships that sharpen me and push me to be more like Jesus.  Elissa, we miss you & can’t wait to hear all about your trip when you get back!  (Oh, and to top it off . . . Jenny’s husband Blake will be traveling to Addis Ababa in a few weeks with Visiting Orphans and Ordinary Hero to host soccer camps for orphans and street children!).  What is it with all these people going to Ethiopia?!  I love it and can’t wait until it’s our turn!

By Katie | Also posted in Africa & Ethiopia, Links, Media | Comments (0)

WHAT A DAY!

May 11, 2010 – 10:08 AM

If you’ve been following this blog long, you’ve heard me talk about Green Hills Church.  It’s a big part of our lives because it’s why we moved to Nashville.  Brad and our buddy, Mike, are co-pastors there.  BUT . . . you have to understand that I would choose to go there even if that wasn’t the case – even if I was single and on my own.  It’s just the kind of church we prayed about when we were getting ready to move here.  I feel so incredibly blessed for the people that make up Green Hills Church.  God is at work in our hearts, and I’m just glad to be a part of it all.

We had planned to have a big picnic Sunday, May 2nd at Percy Priest Lake to celebrate 10 people being baptized.  Well, in case you haven’t heard, the weather didn’t quite cooperate – we got a flood instead.  So, the picnic was rescheduled for last Sunday, and we had to change venues because the lake was still closed due to flood-related issues.  We met up at Tap Root Farm in Franklin instead. It was a GREAT day with beautiful weather – what a difference a week makes!

These are my girls Jenny & Elissa.  We like to talk and drink coffee together.  And of course, I had to get a picture of my boys . . .

Our friend Charity makes fabulous cakes, and she designed and created this masterpiece for our big day.  Everyone loved it, and it tasted so yummy, too.  If you ever need a cake, give me a call and I’ll put you in touch with Charity.  She does a great job!  (I’m pretty sure you all get the cake, but in case you don’t . . . remember we had a flood the previous week!).

If the day wasn’t special and fun enough already . . . Cole was baptized!  Here he is with his baptism buddy, Chris.

Talk about a memorable Mother’s Day . . . I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Everyone gathered around the pool to watch and celebrate together.  I love these people, and this is a day I will never forget.

It has always been our prayer that our children would come to know and love Jesus personally and that their lives would glorify God.  It is the most important thing to me as a mother.  I care so much about their hearts, and I hope and pray that they will always trust God and follow him without hesitation.  I can’t wait to see what God does in and through them, and I’m so grateful to be their mom!

I’ll leave you with a quote I heard a while back from Bonnie Jensen:

The greatest impression a mother can leave on her children is the message of her living faith, unwavering hope, and steady trust in God that will be engraved on their hearts forever.

By Katie | Also posted in Family, News | Comments (2)

flood cleanup

May 6, 2010 – 9:02 AM

These pictures really don’t capture what it felt like to drive through this neighborhood.  There are piles of furniture, wet insulation, sheetrock, ruined appliances, and wet rolls of carpet everywhere you look.  The road is covered with a thick layer of dirt that was left behind when the water receded.

We helped Mary, who was evacuated from her home by boat.  She’s lived in the house less than a year.  The guys cut about 4 feet of sheet rock out of the bottom of the entire house. The hardwood floors were ruined, so the tedious work began of tearing it out. And I’ll just say that it didn’t really “tear” out. It was glued down reeeaaalllyy well, and it had to be chipped away one little plank at a time. The guys worked SO hard and got (maybe) half of it done. Some of the girls hauled debris out to one of the piles outside and took down a bunch of wallpaper (on the upper portion of the walls that remained). Meanwhile the homeowner and her her daughters cleaned out cabinets and sorted through what was left. They spent a lot of time trying to salvage old photographs as well. It was so good to get out and help. I’m just sorry their loss was so great.

[Photos compliments of Mike & Tabitha Harder]

By Katie | Also posted in You Can Help | Comments (2)

a little of this, a little of that

April 30, 2010 – 8:25 AM

The past few weeks have been busy, busy.  I’ve had lots of blog post ideas swirling around in my head, but I haven’t had time to sit down and type them out.  Until I do find the time, here are some things that have been going on with us:

1)  We traveled to Atlanta last weekend for Barry & Leslie’s wedding!  Barry is Brad’s brother, and we are so happy that Leslie is now an official part of the family!  Their wedding was beautiful (Brad performed the ceremony), and the reception was fun with lots of delicious food!  They get the award for best wedding cakes ever!!

2)  I’ve taught ESL two days at the Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE).  My first day was Monday, and I went back Wednesday.  I’ll be teaching every Monday and Wednesday morning.  Both days I’ve had five students, and they are from Somalia, Sudan & Burma.  They already know some English, and we’ve been working on things ranging from basic grammar to how to write a check.  I feel right at home with them, and I’m thankful to have the opportunity to help them in whatever way I can!

3)  I’m reading a couple of books right now: So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore & One Million Arrows by Julie Ferwerda.  They’re both good.  I’m especially enjoying One Million Arrows.  It just goes along perfectly with what God’s been doing in my heart and in our family. I’ll be discussing my thoughts on both books in later posts.

4)  Green Hills Church will have our 2nd Annual Picnic/Baptism at Percy Priest Lake this Sunday.  Last year it rained, and the water was COLD . . . but we still had a great time!  It looks like rain will be joining us again this year, but I’m still praying that it won’t.  Either way, it will be an especially sweet day for our family because Cole will be baptized!  I’ll try to post a few pictures of the celebration next week.

5) No new information on the adoption front, but I check the mailbox in anticipation everyday.  Our social worker said that she thinks we should receive FBI fingerprint results in the next couple of weeks, so we’re hopeful.

6)  We met our neighbors (three houses down the street) last Sunday afternoon.  Their oldest son goes to school with the boys, and I’ve been wondering for months if their family was from Ethiopia.  I found out that they are from Eritrea, which borders Ethiopia.  They’re very nice, and we plan to have them over for dinner sometime and let the kids play.  Their kids (2 boys) are SO handsome!  Almost every day I look out the window to see Riley, Cole and their son walking down the street from the bus stop after school.  It just melts my heart every time because it gives me a picture of what our family might look like soon.  I seriously almost tear up every. single. day.  It’s sweet and ridiculous at the same time!  I know being a multi-cultural family will have its fair share of challenges, but I’m honestly so excited about it!

7)  The boys have field day at school today, and I’m heading over there soon.  I can’t believe tomorrow is MAY, and summer break will be here soon.  I’m trying to think of some fun, new things to do with the boys while they’re out of school.  I think we’ll be doing some art projects, but I’ll post more about that later.

I hope all of you in blogland are doing well.  I’ll try to post again soon!  Have a GREAT weekend!

By Katie | Also posted in Family, Links, News | Comments (3)

a little of this, a little of that

January 21, 2010 – 11:52 AM

Sunday we sang a song at church called “Marvelous Light.”  I’ve sung this song many times, but it’s never hit me quite like it did that day.  You see, I’ve never sung it as a mom whose heart is connected to an orphan in a far away place.  A little boy I don’t know yet but love dearly.  The song starts with these words: “I once was fatherless, a stranger with no hope.”  It’s not necessarily a song about orphans or adoption, but that line just grabbed my heart.  I’d never heard it that way before.  When you start the adoption process, little things jump out at you like that.  You’re keenly aware of the plight of orphans and anything that has to do with them.  As I sang that song, I couldn’t help but remember that I once was spiritually “fatherless – a stranger with no hope.”  Thankfully God pursued me and won my heart, and I now can say that I’m adopted into HIS family!

Today I volunteered in Cole’s classroom at school.  When I left I headed to the Starbucks at Nipper’s Corner (otherwise know as the NCSB by us regulars!) to get some work done.  It’s an overcast, rainy day here in Nashville, and I thought I’d be more productive there than at home.  I’m wearing THIS shirt today, and the barista asked me about it.  I told her that we are adopting from Ethiopia, and she looked at Mimi (another employee) and said, “SHE’S from Ethiopia!”  You have to understand that I go to this Starbucks all the time.  I know the employees by name, they know my drink, etc., etc.  I knew Mimi had a really fun accent and that she wasn’t originally from Nashville.  I’ve chatted with her briefly countless times over the counter, and somehow I never asked her where she was from.  And lo and behold, she’s from the exact same city where our son lives!  She was almost as excited as I was, and I was able to ask her some questions about Ethiopian language and culture.  I had just thought a few days ago that I hoped to meet someone from Ethiopia soon.  I just thought it would be neat to talk with them about some cultural things I had been studying.  And I already knew someone and didn’t even realize it!  It’s a small thing, but I’m so thankful that God provided just what I had hoped for!  That’s just like Him, isn’t it?!

I just can’t tell you how thankful I am to be in Nashville at Green Hills Church (you’ll probably get tired of hearing me say that if you follow this blog much).  We moved here to help start the church (Brad is one of the co-pastors), and I constantly find myself thanking God for the people He’s brought alongside us.  Brad preached a powerful sermon last Sunday, and I just sat in my little chair in awe of how good God has been to us.  Our small group is reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan right now.  It had been on my list for a while, and I’m glad to finally be reading it along with some of my favorite people.  If you’re a reader, I think you should add it to your list.

I didn’t take many pictures at Cole’s birthday party sleepover.  I constantly battle wanting to “capture the moment” AND/OR be “completely present” at the same time.  I opted to just be “present” at the party (plus it was dark, and I can’t stand using my flash..ugh!).  I did get these Monday morning (hence the bed-head hair and still-sleepy eyes).  That’s what happens when little boys stay up past midnight.  Brad projected the PS2 on the dining room wall, so they pretty much played video games the whole time (meaning we’ve had to spend some time detoxing this week!).

Well, that’s all I have for now.  Hopefully I’ll have more adoption news soon as we’ve submitted all the paperwork for our home study.  Thanks for reading and walking with us on this journey . . .

By Katie | Also posted in Adoption, Africa & Ethiopia, Family | Comments (4)

I love this place!!!

December 30, 2009 – 10:26 AM




As many of you know, our family moved to Nashville in May 2007 to help start Green Hills Church. We left the security of a familiar town, a growing church, wonderful friends, an expanding clientele for my photography business, a great elementary school that Riley had attended for a year, etc., etc. We knew that God was calling us away from all of that into a new phase of life, but everything seemed very uncertain. We weren’t going to an established church with a working budget and the security of a paycheck, and we knew very few people in Nashville. But we knew that it was our next step, and we were excited (nervous, but excited!). I remember leaving Memphis and driving to our new home with a trailer behind my Envoy. Brad was in front of me in a huge yellow moving truck. The boys were in the backseat, and I could hardly see for the tears welled up in my eyes!

Now it’s 2 1/2 years later, and Nashville is home (actually it became home very quickly – we love this city!). Our hearts are so connected to the people that make up Green Hills Church, and we’re amazed at all that God has done in our hearts since we’ve been here. He’s definitely on the move at Green Hills, and we are so incredibly thankful to be a part of it all. Just this morning, I read this blog and this one, and I was moved to tears again at how much I love these guys and what they’re allowing God to do in and through them. I’m so proud of them and thankful for them!

We certainly haven’t done this alone, either. Mike and Brad are co-pastors, and we feel blessed to do life with him and Tabitha. Tabitha has sat with me at Starbucks and listened to my heart as we considered adoption. She has cried tears with me and for me, and I just couldn’t be happier to have her on this journey with me. She’s graciously offered to help in any way possible as we work to bring our little boy home, and you can bet that I’ll be taking her up on it!

As I said before, God is teaching us at GHC a lot right now, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in 2010! We’ve started caring for “the least of these” in our own community here in Nashville, and the ripples are going out across the world. I continuously hear of possible mission trip opportunities, Compassion International sponsorships, having conversations with members of the homeless community and taking steps toward meeting some of their physical needs, and just thinking beyond ourselves in general.

Just tomorrow, a group of us will spend our day ministering to a struggling family. Their house is in rough shape, and the one bathroom they share is barely functional. We’ll spend our New Years Eve day cleaning their house, painting, doing laundry, buying groceries for their family, and renovating the bathroom. It will be a lot of really hard work, and we’ll get our hands dirty . . . but I CANNOT think of a better, more satisfying way to bring in 2010.

I don’t say any of this in a prideful way at all. I say it because I’m completely humbled to be a part of this church family. If any of you are reading this, please know that I love you from the bottom of my heart, and I’m so grateful for you! I tell Brad all the time, “I would definitely want to be a member of Green Hills Church even if you weren’t one of the pastors!”

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” – 1 John 3:17-18

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
- Isaiah 58:6-7

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:35-40

It’s my prayer that we will live in light of those verses this upcoming year and that God will do things through us that we could never imagine to do on our own.

[P.S. - Go here to listen to a few of Josh's songs (Josh is our worship leader at church). I like them all, but I think my favorite might be Wake Up.]

By Katie | Also posted in Family | Comments (2)