Unexpectedly Expecting

We weren’t exactly planning on it…but we’re having a baby! We’re already 3 months in and yesterday we had our first ultrasound!

The bright white is just the flash from my camera. But you can see the little hand next to the mouth. You can see the leg and foot, and the other “leg” in the middle is actually the umbilical cord.

The little thing was SO active! Flopping and kicking and jumping all around! I decided to call it our little Mexican jumping bean! Then my good friend dubbed it a “frijole”. So that’s it’s new little name! Our little frijole! Woo Hoo!!

Baby Stengele is due October 1st. Three months after his little cousin Bobby (Robbie and Stefs little frijole) arrives! This Christmas we’ll be full of babies at the Hunter house!

What joy!

Baking Rolls for T-Day!

Homemade rolls fresh out of the oven!

So…Last year was my first attempt at homemade rolls without the presence of my mother.

This year, I attempted them again. But this time I had a Kitchen Aid! I was nervous because when making them by hand you can feel the texture of the dough and adjust the flour accordingly, you know? But I ended up taking it out of the Kitchen Aid early and finishing by hand for that human touch.

Cooling rolls and Joe in the background.

They came out beautifully! Joe has already eaten two and I ate one. Looking forward to celebrating with the Stengele Family tomorrow!

Our 1st Niece’s 1st Birthday

Joe and I with Caliana. You can't see her face well so...

Caliana Noel turned ONE this week! How fun to have a little one in the family! And…I was even able to be at the hospital with Joe when she was born last year! (We were only dating…but the family let me come!)

Here's a better pic of her cute face!

AND…we’re going to be auntie and uncle to a wee one on my side soon too! Robbie and Stef are pregnant and due next June! Hooray!

Speaking at Soma

Speaking at Soma

Speaking at Soma today went well!

It was a strange dynamic for me as I was speaking in between teaching sessions to a group of people that I had never met. Usually I speak to people I have some connection with, even if that connection is made a few minutes before going on stage.

Anyhoo, after I spoke Caesar Kalinowski (one of the main Soma dudes) got on stage and just raved about Vision Nationals and the work we do in India. It was really encouraging to hear him push it so hard. In a way I can’t as a representative of the organization.

He basically got on stage and said “If you are not involved in church planting and caring for the poor on a global level then you need to be. And you need to going through this organization. They are doing it, guys. You’re not throwing your money into a vortex. These folks are changing lives by hammering the gospel and discipling nationals, and you need to be involved. Rather, you GET to be involved.”

So yeah. That pretty much rocked! Cause I can’t exactly get on a stage and yell “You guys need to be supporting US!” But Caesar did just that! Praise Jesus!

Connecting at Boot Camp

Last week Joe, Arjuna and I attended the Acts 29 Network Seattle Boot Camp. I was so thankful for Joe and his intensity in helping me work our booth! His business mind is a great help to me in all this!

We were able to reconnect with pastors from around the Mars Hill Church communities and campuses, pastors from Soma Communities in Tacoma, and even met the community life pastor of Epiphany Fellowship – Eric Mason’s church in Philly!

Please pray with us as we continue to speak to people about Vision Nationals and our church planting initiative – Vision 2030! We are excited to see men being resourced to plant churches in Asia, and we’re praying for more and more individuals and communities to get on board and support these men.

My Life is Back

Snorkeling in Honduras

We are back from the craziness of the summer! (Marriage, Honeymoon in Puerto Rico, Summer Camp, Serve Week, Kids Adventure Camp Week, Honduras Missions Trip.)

It has been quite a journey…marrying a youth pastor at the beginning of summer and jumping right into a TON of events and youthful craziness. What a blessing to be married through it all and not planning a wedding through it all.

Settling into the fall I am looking forward to drinking tea with friends and getting to know our students at church better. I’ve also been praying a lot to meet friends who don’t go to church. It’s strange when you work with all Christians and your husband works with all Christians…This city is full of people who need to know Jesus and we live life with the small few who all know Jesus!

God answered that prayer the other day, though, when we befriended a couple we met on the Red Hook Brewery Tour last Friday! We have plans to hang out again. Thanks Jesus!

So you can pray for us too. That we intentionally get out of our bubble, love our students and people in this city, and take the time to drink tea together and continue growing closer as a married couple!

Assuming A New Identity

Well folks, I’ve been a highly undisciplined blogger these last months. I’d like to blame it on the wedding planning, but truth be told the slackage began long before the engagement.

Recently, I have begun (thanks to Linda, my friend and fellow worker at Vision Nationals) to gain a greater understanding of the power of social media for spreading the word about your cause. In my case, Vision Nationals and the Vision 2030 campaign that is needing lots of support at the moment.

So I am picking up this blog again with the intention of focusing it more on my work with Vision Nationals. But at the same time, throwing in stuff about my life too. Like this most recent story about the adventures of a newly married woman…

On Thursday my husband (Hee hee! I have a husband!), Joe, and I arrived at Summer Camp with a handful of our students from North Seattle Alliance Church – our church. I was handed a name tag that said “Lauren Stengele”. And honestly my first thought was “Cool, there’s another Lauren at camp. I better find her so we can switch name tags.” Then I realized, “Oh wait. I am Lauren Stengele. Weird.”

Pray for Open Doors!

Today I sent out many many emails to pastors in the greater Seattle area who I am connected to in one way or another to let them know about Vision 2030 – Vision Nationals new initiative to plant 10,000 churches throughout Asia in the next 20 years.

We are hoping that many small groups/community groups will partner with us to resource church planters in Asia. Please pray that doors are opened for me to share about Vision 2030 with the small group/community group leaders in these churches!

Thanks!

January Update Post

Dear Friends and Family,

Much has happened since my last post! I spent Christmas with my family in Colorado, then Joe met up with all of us for a few days in Boulder before he and I flew back to Seattle to catch New Years with friends in the Emerald City!

Robbie, Stef, Joe and I on Pearl Street, Boulder.

January was quite a crazy month. The Vision 2030 Website is up and running! Linda is updating the blog regularly so be sure to check it out.

One of the highlights of January was attending Soma School with Joe to learn about the Gospel as story and being the church (as opposed to going to church). I will be returning to Soma on Feb 21st to speak to 40 of their missional community leaders about partnering with Vision 2030. Pray God would bring a response and we would see their communities partnering with us!

I will also be speaking to a large number of Mars Hill Church’s community group leaders in early March. Please pray that God would continue to open opportunities for me to speak to leaders of small communities about Vision 2030, and that He would burden many of them to gather together and resource these pastors.

Looking towards February, Arjuna will be in the States again in the middle of the month, and I will continue pursuing opportunities to share about Vision 2030 with churches and small group leaders.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Peace,

Lauren

Going Tribal

Arjuna arrives in the US on Wednesday for his annual fall trip! On his speaking agenda for this trip is the new Tribal Ministry Vision Nationals is getting involved with. There has been a movement among the Tribal people and many are coming to know Christ. Vision Nationals is networking with these new Tribal christians to train and support them as they live among their Tribes as missionaries, proclaiming the Gospel to their families!