Welcome Aiden!

So in my last post I mentioned that Sunday night we shared Father's Day dinner with the Fortners at The Brick Store Pub. Well, just a few hours later, Beth went into labor. At 12:05 pm June 16th, Aiden Whitman Fortner entered the world! What a miracle in so many ways... Because she was in her 9th month, Beth was unable to travel to Paris for Passion (despite doing more than her share of the planning!) and we were all praying that Aiden stayed put until we (mainly, her husband Aaron) returned home. This was certainly not a guarantee, as their first son, Ian, was 2 weeks early. Beth had Ian by emergency C-section, but she really wanted to avoid a C-section this time and experience the actual birthing process. I think even her doctors were nervous, but she did it! And did it beautifully... dilated quickly, 20 minutes of pushing, and there he was. Even the doctor told her she was born to have babies.

So today we celebrate this new little life and thank God for a healthy baby, mom, and this sweet growing family.

Happy Father's Day, Matthew!

We had a good Father's Day in the Rife house, I think. We spent Saturday with our good friends Matt and Candy Stevens, having what Matt R. called "Brewmaster training." I got him a beer kit for Christmas that has been sitting in the garage all these months, waiting to be brewed into the delicious pale ale it was meant to be. So yesterday, Matt S. shared his brewing wisdom and now we have a 5 gallon carboy of beer fermenting in the crawl space. What have I started? Today we had lots of family time, which felt long overdue. Church in the morning, an afternoon at home and playing in the yard with Holly, and then a spontaneous dinner at the Brick Store with Beth, Aaron, and Ian Fortner. It wasn't extravagant, but hopefully the little things added up to make Matt feel loved, special, and appreciated.

How blessed I am to have such wonderful fathers in my life - my own wonderful dad, a terrific father-in-law in Lew, my sweet husband, and my loving Heavenly Father. I love this Hallmark holiday.

Au Revoir

We arrived home last night after a whirlwind of non-stop days and sleepless nights in Paris. It's hard to believe I'm sitting in my kitchen right now, soon to pick Holly up from Nana's and Papa's.

Thank you, thank you to those who prayed for us and for Passion Paris. Because of your prayers, and the heart of our Father who desperately loves this dark city, the lights of Paris shone brighter than ever on Tuesday night. We had no idea what to expect, but as students started lining up around the building to enter, we knew that something special was about to happen.

As soon as the lights went down and the room erupted in loud applause, all the stresses of the day and the days (months!) before melted away. We watched as the students of Paris worshipped openly among their peers - many for the first time in their lives. The French are very private and reserved in nature, especially when it comes to their faith. I completely understand that...this is a place where it is illegal to have campus ministry or even advertise religious events on university campuses. In fact, this year is the 40th anniversary of the student riots of 1968 in which the nation's motto became "No God, No Law." These students are the same people that are the country's leaders and politicans today.

But Tuesday night, this new generation of believing students expressed their love for Jesus openly and powerfully. They jumped up and down with Chris Tomlin, went crazy when Matt Redman walked on stage, and danced in the aisles to David Crowder*Band's "I Law the Light" (yes, these Texas boys brought bluegrass to Paris!).

In the end, I am so thankful that the planning and waiting for Passion Paris was as difficult as it was. Our team was forced to be on our knees, totally dependant on our God to make this happen. When our registration numbers were low, there was the temptation to open it up to all ages, or to market it through mainstream media (which Passion avoids in favor of grassroots, word-of-mouth marketing). But our prayers were always answered with "Just trust Me." So we did. And God's faithfulness blew us away. God gets all the glory, and our faith grew immeasurably. Perfect combination.

(These photos were taken from the Passion blog.)

Countdown to Passion::Paris

It's hard to believe, but we leave next Thursday for Passion::Paris for our third and final trip in 8 months. We are praying hard that this building will be filled with university students from across Paris and France, united in worship of our Heavenly Father. There are still many obstacles to overcome in a short time, but we are trusting God and expecting great things. A few things to be praying about, if you don't mind:

- that registration will increase...and that if it doesn't, we won't be anxious
- that the staff and bands (who are in Brazil right now and Uganda next weekend) will have safe travel and smooth entry into the country
- that the crazy logistics of the day - and the many unknowns that come with doing this in a foreign country - will all work out
- that plenty of volunteers will show up... with servants' hearts and ready to work!
- that our partners and volunteers will be encouraged through this event
- that the students will see Jesus in a fresh way, and that this movement will grow and spread throughout Paris and France
- that we as a team will remember Whom we serve and why we are doing this
- for our families back home, and for Beth Fortner (one of our team leads who is 8 months pregnant and having to stay home); pray that her baby stays put while her husband is in Paris

Thanks in advance for your prayers and for being part of this with us.

(check out our facebook page)


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King and Queen of the Kitchen

I know I've posted a lot of pictures of Holly and Matt lately, but these were too cute not to share (plus, who else but Mom will take the photos?).

Holly is obsessed with cooking lately. She wants to stir everything on the stove, and constantly points to the pots and pans cabinet and says "cook!" It totally makes her day when I throw a piece of bread in her little pot that she can stir around.

A Happy Mother's Day it Was!

A big thank you to my sweet husband for a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. This was our only weekend home as a family in recent weeks, and the only one we will have until after Passion (we return from Paris June 6th). We promised ourselves we would enjoy every minute of it, and we did.

All weekend Matt took care of as much cooking, diaper changing, and Holly-feeding as he possibly could. We had an early Mother's Day dinner Saturday night at our favorite place, The Brick Store Pub in Decatur. Holly was perfect at dinner (you never know when you eat out...) and as we left to walk back to the car, we passed a concert in the square. Holly got a balloon which brought endless smiles (until she popped it), and we stopped by Jake's Ice Cream for some Brown Shugah Vanilla and Chocolate Slap Yo Mama scoops.

On Sunday we heard a great message on faith at church [to watch go to http://buckheadchurch.org/site/messages, click on the series Faith, Hope & Luck and select the message on May 11th]. We spent the afternoon playing outside with Holly's cool water toy from Nana and Papa. And I even got to take a nap! My first nap since Holly was a newborn.

They say motherhood is a thankless job, but I felt pretty loved and appreciated this weekend. I also thought a lot about our own moms, how much they do for us, and how thankful I am that we have them. So Happy Mother's Day Mom and Sandy!

Now I have a lot to live up to when Father's Day rolls around...

*a couple of videos from the weekend

Nashville Bound

Last weekend, Holly and I traveled to my parents' new hometown of Nashville to visit family. As I was driving, I heard Holly repeat "Heed" over and over. I couldn't figure out what she meant until I looked in the rearview mirror. She meant "Head." She proceeded to show me what each of her dolls and toys looked like atop her head. Don't ask me how I got this picture...

Here are some fun pictures of Holly with her cousins (third? fifth? I can't keep up). She's in the sandbox with Jordan, on the couch with Blake, and in the bath with Laura. Needless to say, these kids wore her out. She had a blast!