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Hello!!!


I want to say thanks to everyone!! It has been great to hear that so many people that we love have decided to partner with Laura and myself (either finically or through prayer) in sharing the gospel with the city of Denver. Also, I want to let you know I have been working with a great friend of mine at FundTheNation.com  to design a t-shirt to help raise the $750 needed for the trip. Here is how the fundraising process works. The shirts are Pre-order purchases that will be shipped out on June 14th. Each shirt will cost $20 of which I will receive half ($10) of the proceeds after the cost of the shirt and shipping are taken out.Then on June 14th all of the orders that have been received will be shipped. However, don't wait to the last minute to buy. There are more deadlines that have to be met before that day, and processing the orders takes time. That being said thank you so much for your support and prayers as Laura and I continue to live out the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20) So, ORDER NOW and help me get to Serve Denver to share the gospel!!!!

Birthday Week

So my birthday was Tuesday and it was a milestone of a birthday.  The big 3-0.  That's right I turned 30, although I must say I don't feel any different than I did at 29.  In our home we like to have a week long celebration so here we go.

Tuesday, I had to be at school extra early for a staff meeting (always fun on your birthday).  After getting out of the shower I smelled something wonderful coming from the kitchen.  Aaron made me breakfast, waffles and fresh strawberries.  Delicious!!!

Birthday Breakfast

The only people at school that knew it was my birthday were my students, and boy did they make me feel special all day long.  When I changed the calendar over to May I put my birthday on the calendar, all of the kids were super excited and reminded me daily of when my birthday was.  We had a fantastic day!

Sweet Birthday cards and presents from my students.

During the staff meeting I was awarded the "Staff of the Month" Award, which also happen to fall on my birthday.  Pretty nice surprise if I do say so myself.

After a long day at work, Aaron and I headed to Chick-fil-A for dinner.  You see it was also Teacher Appreciate week and Chick-Fil-A was honoring all teachers (on my birthday) by giving them a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich.  I love Chick-Fil-A, a great giveaway, and it was my birthday.  Excellent dinner with my favorite dinner date.

Once Aaron and I got home, the real fun began.  I opened my presents: Les Miserables, a pedicure gift certificate, and a sweet hand written note.  Aaron did such an amazing job.  I am so looking forward to getting my toes done and watching a FANTASTIC movie, maybe I'll sing a long this time.

Then the real birthday fun began.  You see as long as I can remember I have had a banana cake with seven minute frosting for my birthday.  I am not really sure how the tradition started but I love it.  I am not sure that my friends were always excited about the cake but I sure was.  So when my birthday came around I told Aaron that's what I wanted and I would get the recipe from my mama.  Well my sweetie of a husband decided he was going to make the cake for me (of course I didn't know this at the time).  He talked to my mama, got the recipe, read it, and then determined he wasn't sure he could make it by himself.  He told me all of this Monday, so Tuesday, I sat at the kitchen table and read the instructions to him, while he made the ENTIRE cake and frosting BY HIMSELF.  I was simply there for moral support.  He had a fantastic job.  And it tasted just like I remembered.

The cake fresh out of the oven.  The house smelled heavenly.

Frosting the cake.  We had to be super creative because you make the icing in a double boiler and we didn't have one.  No problems, Pinterest had a solution for that, DIY double boiler.

Finished cake, looks so yummy!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

A nice slice of banana cake. 

Wednesday, we had small group and look what my dear friend surprised me with, an ombre' cake.  Oh my stars, it was so moist and the icing was AMAZING!!!  I wish I had taken a picture of the inside.  It was a four layer cake and each layer was a different shade of pink as well.

Ombre' Cake made my the very talented Elizabeth Sirven.

 Thursday - special mail

Sweet and funny birthday cards from the siblings and Granny and Pop.

Loved my card from my parents.  Aaron's comment: "That looks just like your mom and dad, and wait you too."  The wonders of Hallmark's Card Studio program. 

Friday - Granny sent me birthday money with instructions to go out to eat, so who could refuse.  It had been a long week at school so not having to fix anything for dinner sounded like a grand plan to me.  Off we went to eat Moe's and enjoy some ice cream from ColdStone (thanks mama and daddy)

Saturday - I spent most of the day cleaning and doing laundry, normal Saturday events.  It was quite a relaxing day, Aaron studied and I cleaned.  Aaron had to leave early for church because he was playing, I would follow later, and then we would both head to Jaye and Aimee's for dinner.  Great plan and nothing strange about that at all.  So after church we head to Jaye and Aimee's for dinner but we weren't having dinner with just them.  Oh no, our entire small group had gotten together and thrown me a surprise birthday party.  So many secret conversations, text messages, secret emails with a special code, special menu items just for me, a cake change after I told Aaron I only liked banana cake once a year and I didn't know anything.  It was fantastic.
 I can't even express how loved I feel, knowing that after Aaron sent out one email telling everyone his plan, friends just took the idea and ran with it.  They spent time and effort to make me feel special.  There is no better gift than that, my love tank is overflowing.

All the yummy food and cake, Chocolate and Peanut Butter .  Delicious!

More yummy food.  Why yes those are cucumber sandwiches.  Thank you Aimee for making them for me.  They are one of my favorite summer time treats.  All the lovely decorations were done by my dear friend Elizabeth.

Some of my sweet friends enjoying each other's company and eating delicious food.

Thanks Aimee for capturing more photos of the evening.  It was spectacular!

 

So that's my birthday week!  Looking forward to what the year holds.  Until next time...

Serve Denver!!!

Hello everyone! If you are reading this it is because you love the Turner family and you love telling people about Jesus. I wanted to take just a few minutes to tell you about something God has placed on my heart and I would love for you to partner with me in making this happen.

Laura and I have been attending The Summit Church in Raleigh, NC for almost a year now. One of the reasons we felt called to be apart of this body of believers is what the church calls the “sending capacity.” This means as a church body we distinguish our success based on the number of people that we send out to share the Gospel with others. It’s not about our seating capacity but our sending capacity. The result has been we are consistently making disciples for Christ, in hopes that they will go out and share with others what Jesus has done for them.

So how are you able to partner with me? Last week I was asked to go to Denver, CO on a mission trip with the Summit Church. This mission trip will be an opportunity for us as followers of Christ, and this means you as well, to share the gospel message with those living in Denver. The strategy in place for this trip is one built for long-term success. We will be partnering with an established church in Denver, Summit Denver, to come along beside them to help as they reach out to their city. Just to give you an example of the fruits from this type of strategy, here is an account of what happened last year during this same trip.

A few Summit members who were sent to Denver last year were assigned the task of cleaning a local gym with the hope of evangelizing with the employees and owner. That week the owner of the gym was very blessed by the hard work and was so moved that though he had never been to church he decide to give it a try. As a result of this strategy and the work of the Holy Spirit, the local church members were able to continue in reaching out to the gym owner. Now this man, and a few of his staff, have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and are active members in that church body.

It’s amazing what Christ can do with our small efforts. This is just one of many fruits that have grown from this project called Serve Denver.

So I am asking that you would partner with me in getting out to Denver, and serving this church and their community by sharing the gospel. This is an opportunity for you to become an extension of the church and indirectly take the message of Jesus to Denver. Sometimes we are called to go, and sometimes we are called to send. So I ask that you join with me through either by committing to pray for our trip or helping me raise the support needed to make the trip to Denver.

If you would like to pray for me during this trip the dates are July 14-18. I ask that you would commit a portion of your daily prayer, or as I come to mind to pray for the gospel to be proclaimed.

If you would like to give financially let me give you a few details of what’s needed. The trip cost $750 total. This amount covers airfare, hotels, and meals while in Denver. Because the trip has been off to a late start we are working hard to find airfare quickly. I have been given a deadline $500 by May 14^th (next Tuesday)…I know that is quick, but I know that it is very possible. If you would like to mail a check you can do so by mailing it to: 2335-114 Presidential Dr. Durham, NC 27703, with a copy of this support letter (please do not write my name on the check’s memo line). Also you can go to www.summitrdu.com/connect/give and indicate “name of trip (Summit Denver Trip) at the request of my name” in the “others” column. All gifts are tax-deductible expense.

One final option is to Click here to make a direct donation through us for the trip. The link will direct a page that will allow you donate via Paypal. 

Thank you so much to everyone for your consistent prayers and support for Laura and I. We are blessed daily by how much we are loved and we love each one of you.

Sharing in Christ,

Aaron and Laura Turner 

Weekly Photo Update

This past week has been crazy busy, with something planned for every night, and from the looks of the calendar it doesn't look like it is slowing down any time soon.  Enjoy the photo journey of our week.

After a quiet relaxing Sunday, Aaron and I hit the ground running with several projects and events for the week.  Elizabeth and I had been asked to decorate for Ladies Night at The Summit on Wednesday.  We actually began preparing for this the previous Friday but Monday and Tuesday were super busy making last minute preparations.  Monday night, Aaron and I wrapped 100 forks, tied jute around them and placed a small white flower in the bow.  I am so grateful for Aaron's willingness to help out because I may have never finished.  On the bright side, we stayed up later and got to enjoy some extra t.v. shows we don't normally watch.

Tuesday = Flowers = becoming a Florist = tons of flower arrangements = Gracie becoming a jungle kitty.  Tuesday night Elizabeth came over with all of the flowers from a local florist and we began getting to work.*Side Note:  Elizabeth invited the florist to Ladies Night, she came, and then her entire family was at church Saturday night.  Love the way God works.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

In the corner you can see the forks, never did take another picture.  Here are just some of the flowers.

All of the flowers have been taken out of their wrappers and grouped.  Elizabeth was hastily getting all of the vases ready so we could start arranging.  We made such a mess, but had an amazing time.

Unused flowers.

All of the bouquets, minus the five baby's breath bouquets that were already packed and ready to go.  Gracie had a wonderful time poking her head through the flowers and chewing on the jute.  She was a tiger in the jungle.

Wednesday, Elizabeth and I loaded everything in the car and headed to church to set up.  We had an awesome night hanging out with the ladies and learning about intentional evangelism. 

Putting the finishing touches on the table before the ladies arrived with the food.

The sign-in table.

The ladies enjoying all of the tasty treats.

Chocolate Fountain, need I say more.

Ladies Night, North Raleigh Campus, The Summit Church

Thursday, we finally got new windows at the apartment.  We were the absolute last people in the entire complex to get windows.  Apparently it was a noisy process and Gracie did not appreciate the workers disturbing her morning nap.  Here was her hiding spot.

"Just put the blanket on me so no one can see me please.  I'm trying to hide."

She spent most of the time on top of the washer covered with her blanket.

After several hours, Gracie finally felt safe enough to come out of hiding.  She found Aaron and flopped at his feet.  She was in need of some serious attention.

Thursday's Veggie Meal - Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Steamed Cabbage with Bacon, and a homemade Biscuit
 (which I later ate with sliced strawberries, reminded me of my Granny's and breakfast).  All of the produce came from our CSA pick-up.  We have really enjoyed having fresh fruits and veggies every week.

Friday night was our traditional pizza night.  We were able to use some of our fresh tomatoes and green onions as toppings for the pizzas.  Having fresh veggies around is so wonderful.

Saturday morning Aaron headed out for a bike ride and I headed to run errands.  Saturday night church service is truly a blessing.  We enjoyed pizza leftovers and a couple of episodes of "Shark Tank" before we called it a night.

Sunday = Sabbath Day = Rest - Since we went to church last night I was able to get some serious rest today, which is much needed after a week like we just had.  Aaron played at another church this morning, so I had the apartment to myself.  I spent the morning/afternoon canning tomatoes and storing salad greens for the coming week.  I didn't have tons of tomatoes to can but wanted to see if it was something I could actually do, which thanks to Pinterest, it is.  Now I'm just in search of a canning pot, mainly because I think it will be easier than using my soup pots.  Canning Tomatoes Link  I love spending time in the kitchen.  It is so relaxing to me.

Beautiful Tomatoes from our CSA.

Jars are sterilizing and the tomatoes are ready for a cold bath to remove their peeling.

Peeled and cored tomatoes.  Ready to be diced and placed into jars.

Finished product.

Yet another full week in the Turner Home, and looking at the calendar, this coming week promises to be equally as busy.  Looking forward to sharing more adventures with you.  Until next time...

Hey everyone!!! Aaron just posted a great biography of Robert Murray McCheyne. Hope you enjoy!!!