A Little About Clear Creek Baptist Bible College

I am trying to go back and post these entries "in order" but of course today's date is actually 4-24-12. The good thing about waiting this long to update the blog (only a month behind is pretty good for me people!) is that I have a lot more answers to some of the questions regarding our move!

Alex has officially been accepted as a student at CCBBC. This we could not be more excited (and a little nervous!) about. We are still blown away when we stop and actually think of the blessings of how his schooling and our housing will be paid for but we give all the glory to God on that one. Another small detail is that we have also been officially placed onto the "reserved" housing list...which means we do have housing in the fall...but we don't know when it will be available or which area we will be in yet...guess it's just another step of faith. I'm learning (SLOWLY) that I don't have to have all the answers up front, and God seems to be doing a pretty awesome job of making sure everything is being laid out just the way He wants it to be.

We aren't sure yet (because of housing) when the exact move date will be, but more than likely it will be the last week of July or very first few days of August. Orientation begins on August 7th and classes for the Fall semester begin on August 16th. We of course would like to get settled before school starts. As far as getting acclimated...well I'm told that you never really adjust to life in Pineville, Kentucky, but I'm quite certain it will be two years filled with stories and adventures to share!

I was able to take a ton of pictures of the campus while we were there. It is absolutely beautiful.

This is the view of the faculty and staff offices, as well as Library, Chapel, and student classrooms.

Sign out front with some of the single student housing and preschool located behind.

Kelly Hall. This is where the cafeteria and guest housing is located. We were able to stay here for the two nights we were on campus and are very thankful to Greg & Kay Jones for their amazing generosity that they have in running both the guest housing and cafeterie.

This is the first view of the campus as you turn off of 25E. 

Family Life Center - complete with indoor pool, volleyball, baskeball and gym. So even when it snows there is a place to hang out! :-)

This is just one of the many photos I took of Clear Creek. Somehow in my mind I thought it would be smaller, but everyone on campus kept telling us how low the water was because they had not had much snow or rain this winter. I guess little ole Florida girl me just thought a "creek" wouldn't be so gorgeous and wide. It's not a bad view from basically our future backyard tho!

This building is the student classrooms. I thought it was the chapel, but no its where all the classroms are located. Alex was actually able to sit in on a few classes while we were there and of course can't wait to be there full time.

A view of the Prayer Chapel which overlooks a small waterfall that runs down to the creak. 

I know this is the "last" picture in the post but I had to grab one of the sign you see just before you round the bend to see the actual campus. It's somewhat surreal that we will see this every day in just a little over 3 months time. We are definately ready to follow on this journey that God is placing before us as a family.

A New Journey

First of all, YES I'm still WAY behind in my catching up on our blog! I'll get right on that and for obvious reasons will need to be much more up to date in the future!

This post will be somehwat of a journal entry so that I can look back in a few months and be able to see All that God is doing in our lives! Alex and I have been praying consistently for over a year now on how God would lead us in regards to Youth Ministry...we knew something was about to change in our lives and come down the pipes but we had no idea what that might be. We kept doing what we could while Alex was working at Lowes, completing his A.S. through Liberty, working with the youth at Crestview Baptist and praying. Along the way and through circumstances God brought Shawn & Amy Skaggs into our lives this past August. They have become huge mentors in our lives and have graciously allowed us to serve under them at Crestview in the middle school ministry.

Both Shawn and Amy approached us with this school called Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, in Pineville, Kentucky back in the fall of last year. We of course blew it off and thought nothing of it (a quick word of advice - don't EVER tell God where you won't go!), but God continued to work on our hearts. We kept on praying and in December 2011 Alex requested some information from the school. Even throughout the months of December & January we felt that there were other opportunities that would play out. However, God quickly closed those doors and we were back at square one....again Shawn and Amy brought up Clear Creek and we began to pray over this once again. We reqeusted even more information from the school in February and put in an application "just to see" what would happen. We then began to plan a family vacation to the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina and felt like we should incorporate a trip to the campus in that trip. Funny how God works through circumstances....because the Skagg famly just happened to be going on vacation the exact same week and decided to take a detuour and go with us to the campus on Monday, March 19th. So, we made the plans, set the dates, made apts with Brother Billy Howell (Dean of admissions) and Mr. Sam Riesner (Financial Aid).

We had so much on our hearts and in our heads before we left. I personally had given God a "to do" list (which obviously was NOT showing that much faith!) of what I felt might need to happen IF we were to attend this school. HA! I guess God was laughing at me because He absolutely BLEW me and Alex out of the water while we were on campus. I know it sounds cliche' but I have never in my entire life felt more the prescence of God in a place, nor have I ever felt the calling of God on our lives more than we did over the two days we were on campus as CCBBC. God is showing us that He will more than provide fo us and this is exactly where he wants our family to be. Alex will be finishing up his BA in Pastoral Ministries with a calling in Youth Ministry.

We are still not for sure exactly how many credits will transfer from Liberty to CCBBC but at this time it looks like we will be at CCBBC for about 2 years. While we were on campus we were invited to a Bonfire on Holly Hill (more than likely the housing area we will be living at) and we met some really great families who have kids Emma and Ethan's age and also home school as we do. It was so encouraging to see our kids make friends right away and to know that they will have kids their age to play with and do school with while we are there. Sitting around that bonfire that night God just wrapped His arms around me as I heard story after story of His provisons in those families lives because they answered the call He placed on them. Encouragment just doesn't even encompass what we felt through those couples and famlies that we met, and we look forward to getting to know them even more once we move there in the summer. We are officially and finally surrending to the call of full time ministry and whatever that may mean for our future! We are all extremely excited and extremely nervous about what the future holds, but at the same time I have a peace like I have never experienced before and I know that God will provide and take care of us.

One of the verses that I have been holding on to the past few days is Dueteronomy 31:8 "The Lord is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Another verse is a much more popular one found in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I honestly believe that God works through circumstances and we never would have found Clear Creek Baptist Bible School if it weren't through friends who have prayed over us and for us during this last year. We know that for this time this is where God is calling us to...we don't know what will come after this stage other than prayerfully a full time youth ministry position somewhere.

For all of our family and friends who may be reading this we do ask that you join us in prayer as we begin this new adventure that God is calling us to. Pray that we continue to seek God in every decision that we make and that we always try to please Him and do His will above our own.

The Birthday Girl

Emma's 6th Birthday was the day before we left on our trip to the mountains. We had decided to wait until we returned to have her "Tea Party" Birthday but we just couldn't let the day go by without her having  a little special treatment.

Seriously I'm not sure what happened to my "baby" girl....my how time flies and now she is 6 years old! They say time flies when you are having fun right? It is so funny to watch our kids grow, especially when they are literally miniatures of ourselves...Emma is just like me when I was her age, of course with many of her own personality traits, and we are so blessed to call her our firstborn!

I decided that at the grand age of 6 years old it was high time for Emma to have her first Pedicure and Manicure. She was SOOOOO excited to go to the "salon" LOL! Mom, Jenny, Ashley, & Kaley went with us and it was a fun girls afternoon out. 

 Emma got her own special chair, and then ousted sitting beside me for Nana. Oh well, she has a pretty cool Nana so I can't say I blame her!

We all went to Olive Garden (Emma's choice) after our Pedicures. Alex had been at work but was able to get off and met us there for dinner.

The Birthday Girl with her special treat!

Since Alex was working Papa took Ethan to a baseball game at the Tiger Stadium. They had a ball (ha no pun intended) together and then met us for dinner afterwards.