Week 2

Sorry to be so long in posting again. It's been a full week! And thanks for asking - AIA went great. We had 17 students, which I think is a new high. We'll see what happens tomorrow night. Aaron and I were gone all weekend. Our region has a conference for wives/moms every January, and I always love going to that. Aaron went with a few staff husbands to have a guys weekend. They had a great time. I was able to connect with some dear friends and absorb wisdom from the other women there which I really enjoyed. So now we're in week 2. We had our student leaders meeting tonight. They've done such a good job - we're so proud of them. We hope you all are doing well and keeping warm! It's SO cold! The high this weekend is supposed to be single digits. So any of you in the South feel sorry for us, and we'll feel sorry for you in August when it's 100 and humid :).

Day 1

We survived the first day on campus :). Our staff team was able to talk to some new students, and we passed out around 350 gift bags and took as many surveys in the dining hall. So overall, it a was a good day. I know there were a few of you praying for me, because I'm usually nervous to start the semester and I felt incredible peace. So much so, that I knew people were praying for me because such a strong peace only comes from God. So thank you, I was so grateful for the Lord's tangible presence today. It's exciting to start the semester, because I really like what I get to do in the ministry this year. But it's really hard to go back to full time because that was never supposed to be the case. It's just another reminder that Payton is gone. Tomorrow night we have our first AIA meeting of the semster (Athletes in Action). I'm curious to see how many athletes come. From talking to the student leaders, it seems like there's some excitement for it to start back up again.
And so now, I think I'll put on my pajamas and look at the pile of dirty dishes and wait for Aaron to get home from Bible study on campus.

Bear Down, Chicago Bears!!!

That's how the Bear's fight song starts, and those are the only words to it I know :). But I sing it everytime they win. So even though I did NOT get to watch the game today (meeting with student leaders all afternoon...who I love), I am SO EXCITED that the Bears are in the Superbowl!!! Super excited. Currently routing for Indianapolis...close game. Anywho, on a sad note, it is the beginning of the end for our little 1988 Isuzu pickup truck. It was at the mechanic and has a bad head gasket. We've opted not to fix it and drive it until it goes no more. How long that will be, we don't know. We knew we'd drive our '98 Jetta and the truck until they died...but we just didn't think one would die so soon :). So we'll see what happens. Pray for us tomorrow if you think of it. The semester begins...

Starting up

I've tried a few times to post pictures from Christmas and the conference and have not had any luck. So sorry that there's no new pictures to view. There hasn't been a lot to report on. We've been working the last few weeks gearing up for the semester which starts on Monday whether we're ready or not :). We've been meeting with our student leaders for Athlete's in Action on campus, and I'm really excited to see what God does with that. In talking with the students, it seems like there's a lot of interest among the athletes they know. We'll keep you posted. We'll also meet with the student leaders for the main movement this weekend. It'll be good to see them after a long break.
We're still very much in the midst of the grieving process and continuing to realize it's not necesarily a "quick" thing. I've been thinking a lot in the last few weeks about the impact Payton had in her short life, and it continues to amaze me. She was a remarkable little thing :).
As campus starts up again, we'll probably have more to update you on, but for the past few weeks, life has been relatively mellow which I've appreciated. We hope you're doing well as the 2007 is in full swing. We'll let you know how the new semester starts out. much love, Aaron and Heather

I Tried

So I tried to post pictures from Christmas and could not get them to come up. So, no pictures for now. I'll keep working on it...

Home Again

It feels so good to be home after a long time gone. There's still some mail to sort and clutter to put away, but we've got groceries and are working and reorganizing and getting ready for the semester ahead. We had a great conference with the students. In some ways, I think it's the best one we've had yet. On the last night, the speaker gave a challenge to the students to fully surrender to the Lord and follow His leading for their lives. It was amazing to see 1100 students consider and pray about this. And as I've said before, I have dear friends on staff at other campuses, and it's a joy to see them...and their kids :). We're in that phase of life where everybody is having babies; so there were many little ones to meet as well. I was so tired by New Year's Eve that I sat in the back of the room with some other friends and watched the students excitedly ring in the New Year. I did however, manage to stay up until 2 or so, so that's pretty respectable I guess :)... I won't say how alert I was, but I was awake :). Hope you all had a safe and fun New Year. Much love, the Joneses

Traveling...

We've been on the road for the last week and a half...hence the long time of not posting anything. We had our end of the semester time with our staff team a few hours North of Eau Claire, then we were home for a day and a half before we went to spend Christmas with our families. Now we're at our Christmas conference with roughly 30 students from UWEC and 1100 students from our region. It's one of my favorite things that we do, and it caps off with a rousing New Year's Eve celebration. So we'll get home eventually :). We hope you all had a great Christmas and have a fun New Year. Much Love, the Joneses

Planning and Eval

We're wrapping up the semester and spent a good portion of the week thinking through this past semester and preparing for the next (I love the irony of calling it "spring" semester when it starts in January and there is NOTHING "springy" about it). I'm excited for it. We work with such great students, and we, as staff, really enjoy working together...have I mentioned lately that I just really love my job :). Aaron is currently participating in a men's event which he, of course, enjoys. Tomorrow we need to get some things done before Christmas, like most people I'm sure...primarily, the Christmas cards :). Hopefully many of you will receive yours before it actually is Christmas...

Christmas time

We're finishing up the semester on campus, and it has been busy! I did some Christmas outreaches on campus last week, and Aaron was meeting with numerous students wrapping things up with them. Then we went to Rochester this weekend to visit some friends. It was great seeing them, and we were also able to stop up to the ICU to see some of our favorite doctors and nurses (Hi to the Mayo staff!). Everything there was so familiar, and it was a little wierd to be there without Payton there. That's where she spent most of her life. But I'm still glad we stopped and were able to visit for a little bit. I so miss my Sweet Pea, and it's hard to come up onto these "firsts" (like Christmas) without her here.
We hope you are all doing well. Christmas is always a busy time of year, but this year I feel a renewed appreciation for why we celebrate Christmas..."for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior"... We pray that the truth of this Savior (and what He came to save us for) is real to each one of you...And not just knowing it, but making Christ - His life, death, and resurrection - a part of your life. much love, the Joneses :)

Ponderings...

It's been a busy past few weeks - as I'm sure everyone is with Christmas drawing nearer. We're doing Christmas outreaches on the women's side of the ministry, and I've been running with those.
There are two things I'd like to share with you. The first is a poem I got in a booklet someone sent to us. I just really liked it.

There is a new lamb cradled on Thy breast tonight,
A sweet small lamb, so lately mine
I scarce can keep my arms from reaching out
As though to snatch her back from Thine.

These arms of mine are wonted so to her, dear Lord,
They curved about her little form
So sweetly, and from dawn of time my breast want meant
To be her pillow, soft and warm.

What does one do with aching arms and empty hours,
With silent rooms, and dragging days?
The things I knew before will not avail me now-
Teach me new lessons and new ways.

Take Thou, I pray, these idle folded hands of mine
Which can no longer busied be
With dear, familiar tasks for her ...In mercy, Lord,
Fill hands and heart with tasks for Thee!

by Martha Snell Nicholson

The second thing I'd like to share is something I read last week. I did a training time with our interns, and we read an article by A.W. Tozer (EXCELLENT Christian author - I highly recommend him). The article was from the book, The Knowledge Of The Holy. Anyway, we read an excerpt from that book, and I've been thinking about it all week...what do I really believe? So I thought I'd share a few quotes for you to ponder as well :).
The following are direct quotes:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, "What comes into your mind when you think about God?" we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the Church will stand tomorrow.
That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our creedal statements are of little consequence. Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.
Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.
Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration, and that civilized peoples are therefore free from it. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.

Tozer always makes me think! Hope I didn't bore you :).

The Club

One thing that has been interesting through all this is you find out how big this exclusive "club" for bereaved parents really is. We received numerous cards from people we didn't know who had also lost children. It's this desire to reach out to others when you know the hurt they're going through to try to help and alleviate it in any way possible. I know I'll probably do the same from now on whenever I encounter another parent who has lost a child - and also any parents with a heart baby. There's something to be said for having someone there that knows what you're going through. Right after Payton's first surgery we called friends who also had a heart baby. They were probably the biggest encouragement and really helped calm us that first night after her first surgery. I remember hugging her when they came to visit, and it was almost a tangible feeling of sharing the load, someone else knowing what you were now carrying. It's been so encouraging to see the heart of people to just be there. We have such a great community around us that we're so grateful for.

Thanksgiving

I know you're waiting on the edge of your seat to hear about Aaron's hunting expeditions... no luck :(. I felt so bad - he really wanted to get a deer. But he did have a great time. He said on the way back to Portage last weekend he saw more deer on the drive than he had in the woods that day. I wish I had a picture to post of him in all his gear...actually, I wish I had a picture just so I could see him in all his gear :).
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We bounced back and forth between our parents homes, but it was fun to see the fam. During the week we had an opportunity to see, yet again, how the Lord has taken care of us through all of this. He has met our needs and taken care of us and provided for us in so many ways. So though this is a little late to post, that was one of the main things I was thankful for this Thanksgiving - the goodness of the Lord as our Provider. Feel free to post if there's something you're especially thankful for. I'd love to hear it :). Much love, Aaron and Heather

A hunting we will go...

So if our car gets out of the shop today, we'll be heading south so Aaron can hunt this weekend with his uncle and cousins. He's REALLY excited about it. It's been a few years since he hunted last. We'll let you know if he gets anything.
The athelete's Bible study on campus went really well. There were 14 students Tues. night which was great! It's harder to maintain consistent attendance because of their schedules/road games, but hopefully it'll continue to grow. I was also able to attend the sophomore study (my freshmen from last year), and it was great to see them. I'm looking forward to being a part of that again - AMAZING to see how they've grown in their knowledge of and relationship with the Lord.
We hope you all are doing well. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week already. Being in the hospital with Payton for 8 weeks, I feel as if I've jumped from early August straight to late fall. I need to go for now, love, the Joneses.

Snow and such

Well, for those of you who don't have the privilege to live in the "North" we had 7 inches of snow in Eau Claire on Friday and other areas had up to 16 inches! We, however, didn't see a snowflake fall because we weren't in Eau Claire but west of the Twin Cities in Spicer, MN for a training time. However, we did come home yesterday to the slushy, white stuff.
For any of you who know me, what I'm about to say will be very funny. In a half hour I'll be attending an athletes Bible study on campus. Aaron is working with a football player to start and AIA group on campus (Athletes In Action). It's a ministry within Campus Crusade directed to (who else) athletes. And so those of you who know me know how incredibly athletic I am and the irony in this. (To give the rest of you some perspective, I'm fairly certain than in playing volleyball EVERY year in gym class from 7-12 grade, it was grade 11 where I finally hit a serve over the net - really, I'm not kidding.) But despite a tremendous lack of athletic ability, I'm really excited for this. I get to work with Aaron and be a part of a group where there's women who want someone to encourage them.
Our training time and the men's/women's conferences went really well this past weekend. I continue to be reminded about how much I love my job. What a privilege to do what I do. And if you can get through support raising :), you get to work with the most amazing people - I consider it a "best kept" secret about this job. I get to work with such fun people who are also dear friends. The students were really challenged, and it was fun to hear some feedback of what they learned and how they grew in their knowledge of the Lord.
I'm learning that it's a challenge to leave home for a few days and then come back home. The leaving and being somewhere else can divert my attention, and then I come back home and "reenter" the grief - the missing her. I'm getting close to finishing the book A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows through Loss. Again, I highly recommend it not just for the grief process but just processing loss in life. It's been very helpful and given Aaron and I some great things to think through as well as some great perspective on death and suffering.
I guess that's about all for now, much love, the Joneses

Newsletter

For those of you who get our ministry newsletter in the mail, this will be a repeat, but I thought I'd post the letter I wrote to our ministry partners. I talk a little about Payton, and since most of you did not have the chance to meet her, I thought it would be good to put it on the blog as well. It'll be a few days 'til the next post as Aaron and I will be attending a staff training time and then men's/women's conferences. I'll bring back the report :).
Yesterday was one month since she died. It was a harder day. I miss her so very much sometimes. Life goes on, but for me the re-entry is a little slower. I'm so grateful for the friends, the church, and the life God has given us - great people that add so much joy to life. But there's still the loss of such a wonderful little person that can't be replaced :).
Here's the letter:

Dear Ministry Partners,

As many of you are aware, at about 8:30 a.m. on October 6, our sweet, baby girl went home to Jesus. She received the heart transplant she needed but rejected the new heart. We want to express our deepest gratitude for the overwhelming love and support so many of you have shown us. Thank you, first of all, for praying. We know it was not for a lack of faith or prayer that the Lord decided to take her home. Thank you, also, for so many cards and expressions of sympathy and encouragement as well as such kind gifts toward a memorial for Payton. We’re currently praying about what to do as a memorial for her and will let you know when we’ve come to a decision. We’re grateful for you, our ministry partners. Thanks for standing with us during this time and as we ease back into our life and work.

Aaron and I are doing okay. We always miss Payton, and sometimes it hurts more than others. She had a long road in front of her filled with doctors appointments, surgeries, and therapy. We’re grateful she’s been spared from that struggle, but we still miss having her with us. She was such a beautiful baby who endured so much, and from what some of the hospital staff told us, she was so strong and patient through all of it. We realize most of you did not have the opportunity to meet Payton so we’d like to share a little of her life and personality with you. She was a good baby who only cried when she was uncomfortable. She loved to be held or to be in her bouncy seat. When we put her to bed at night she would cuddle down and either play with her hands for a little bit or go right to sleep. Then she had to sleep with her arms outside the blanket; if they weren’t she’d push the blanket down until her arms were free. Before she went back into the hospital in August, she was trying to find her thumb, and when she was happy, she’d kick her legs and move her arms. She was beginning to engage with people more and smile. Initially she hated her baths, but she was starting to get used to them. However, she always loved being naked. It was always so sweet to pick her up in the morning and take her out to the family room. She just looked up at us and seemed ready to start the day. Mornings were her happiest times. She was a sweet, sweet baby who was dearly loved by her family. Aaron and I were so proud of her and how strong she was throughout all of this.

The Lord has taught us so much through Payton. He has again shown himself as Faithful and Provider through the ways that He abundantly, abundantly met our needs. Throughout her short life we saw so many ways that He protected us, provided for us, and stayed close to us, not only financially but through the people He brought across our path. We have again been reminded of how precious life is and how much God values life. Each day is a gift. We have seen the power of prayer and the bond that exists between fellow followers of Christ, whether we knew them or not. We have seen, through no effort of our own, the Lord take a small baby girl and point so many back to Himself through her life. And we have seen with hard circumstances and deep pain the Lord bring forth so much beauty.

Again, thank you so much for your love and support. We look forward to continuing to update you on what the Lord is doing at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

With Jesus’ Love,

Aaron and Heather