Needed: Prayers for William
William started getting sick last Friday night. He has not been able to eat and has felt awful. We actually spent all day Monay in the hospital. The doctors have ruled out his heart and now think that it is an ulcer. So now we are trying to regulate is meds.
Needed: Prayer for me: So Vacation Bible School is this week. It has been awesome, but we have had alot of late nights. John and Clara Grace get to go to a real class and Rainey helps me with the Bible Stories. We have done some really cool things: walking on water, healing the blind, ect...
So, as of now I am doing my job, William's job, and taking care of the kids!
Pray for rest, decreased stress, and William's health!

Ichthus. What an amazing time. We got to see David Crowder Band, Casting Crowns, Leeland, Family Force 5, and Needtobreathe....just to name a few. Justin Lookadoo, who we had seen at Behold in January, was our favorite speaker. He actually had someone skydive in ontop of the crowd of about 20,000!~ It was incredible! With the exception of Friday night, the weather was great. Friday night got cancelled due to severe storms. I will say that I have never been so hot for so many days in a row...I will say in my entire life! Thank goodness we did not camp out. We got to go home to air conditioned dorms at Asbury College! I don't camp... we will just leave it at that. I think the exhaustion of it all kept me from worrying about my kids as much. I missed them terribly and was so excited to see them come Sunday. Now it is time to wash clothes!

Packing for 5 People

So it is amazing how much stuff has to be packed for 5 people. Three of those being small children. How many times will the kids wet their pants, how many times will they have food all over their clothes, will it be hot, will it be too hot, hat, bathing suits, sunscreen, and list goes on.

So we are leaving the kids for 4 nights and almost 5 full days. Why do parents have so much guilt about leaving their children. I am not speaking for William, not that he won't miss him. I think it is a Mom thing. Every night when I talk to them they will say they miss us and want to see us....it breaks your heart. I love my kids with all I am, but , honest to God, I need a break. I don't think that this trip is going to be the break I am looking for, but I know it will be easier than traveling with 3 little kids.

We are going to Ichthus...pronounced ik-thuse...it is a Christian Concert with a ton of different bands and key note speaker. (David Crowder Band, Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Family Force 5, MXPX, Justin Lookado, Leeland.....) We are staying at Asbury College in Kentucky. All I can think about is the heat. I will probably be more tired when I get home than now. I know it will be a ton of fun though and can't wait to leave tomorrow.


http://www.ichthusfestival.org/

Intoduction

William and Jennifer met when they worked at SouthTrust Bank in 2002. After a year of akward flirting and secret crushed, we had our first date ( March 2, 2003). Falling in love did not take much time. We decided to elope via an email conversation while we were at work. We left on a trip to the beach on a Friday and came back the next Tuesday...married!!! ( Ocotber 14, 2003) No one could believe it ... yes, people asked to see the marriage license. We did not tell anyone what we were planning. By February we found out we were pregnant and by May we found out we were having twins. We had a rough pregnancy, but on September 21, 2004, John William Murray Jr. and Clara Grace Murray were born. Within 3 weeks we moved to Cullman and started a life there. Seven months later...guess what.. we were pregnant again. On March 6, 2006, Rainey Elizabeth Murray joined the clan. I hope for more kids in the future, but it may take William a while to agree. We have had many blessings, as well as many trials. Love can endure anything . So, William got a chance to have his dream job...only it was in Anniston(my hometown). With faith in Christ, love for my family, and excitement of a new career...we moved to Anniston. Later to be known as ....The smartest decision we have ever made, with the exception of having babies. William is the Youth Director and the Contemporary Worship Leader for Anniston First United Methodist Church. We love being apart of this church family..as staff and as members. There are so many opportunities before us and we can't wait to embrace them. Nothing is surprising to us anymore.
Our purpose now is to raise our children to love the Lord, be Fishers of Men, show the love of Christ in everything they do, respect authority, love each other, and always find therir way home. The life that we have been blessed with is amazing. There are many times I want to pull my hair out, but for everyone of those moments, there are hugs, kisses, and I Love Yous that out weigh the rest.
1 Corinthisns 13: 4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails

Jeremiah 17: 7-8
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."