It finally feels like fall around here! I've been really enjoying the crisper weather, and of course the holidays are right around the corner!

A couple weeks ago my parents surprised us and came to visit. We had a great time showing them our favorite parts of Fort Worth and they also went to Dallas to see Dealey Plaza and all there is to find out about the J.F.K assassination. It was quite possibly the fulfillment of my dad's lifelong dream. And we got to see some Texas high school football which was fun....although Byrnes vs. Dorman will always be more fun!

Chillin out at a Heights high school football game

Aren't they cute?

We're so predictable....

But they also got to see Maggie "bird dog" notions. She really enjoys treeing squirrels.

Lucky for all of us, it's finally time for soup and pumpkin carving weather! (and pumpkin muffins at coffee shops....)

Our jack-o-lantern!

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Thanks for praying Josh through midterms! He did really well. It's always nice to see him get rewarded for studying so hard. The semester continues on and school is always lots of work, but it's really rewarding to see how much he has learned and been able to apply already in working with FishStix.

Josh's cousin, Jesse, is in town for work and we are so excited that we get to see some family for Thanksgiving! We are really enjoying the start of the holiday season!

Autumn Showers!

Howdy Folks,

Just wanted to let everyone know that today has been a beautiful rainy day! We are finally getting some of the rain we need. It's a great feeling, and since it's a little cooler today it feels like the perfect day to curl up under a blanket with a good book....granted that typically means textbooks in our house, but books none the less.

Texas Tea :)

Everything here is going well. This week was fall break for Josh so it was great to have a little more time at home and time for him to catch up on schoolwork before classes. Our schedule's been really busy this semester, so it was refreshing to have a little down time. And of course, much of that time involved food...

Spritz Cookies...very unhealthy but delicious!

My new talent...egg flipping

Other than baking, we're just still trying to understand Maggie's personality. She's a rather interesting dog. But she does have a fascination with sleeping close to the desk. I think she likes to study with Josh.

Maybe she likes Josh's feet???? No clue.

Anyway, not I really don't have much new news to tell. But I did want to share a few of the newest pictures. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

Fall Greetings to Everyone out there! I am proud to announce that it's finally cooling off in Texas!!!!! Yes, most days are still hot, but at least it's better than over 100 degrees every day! I'm excited about fall. Can't wait for sweater weather!

Things have been insanely busy during September. We went home to visit family and see Gunkin's wedding, which was fantastic! We also housesat/babysat for a family in our church, which was really fun. So we ran three kids and three dogs around for five days. Man big families are fun but exhausting!! I also had a bake day at my house with some of the sixth graders from church. We had a great time baking bread for our neighbors and muffins just because. They really got a good taste for serving others and having lots of fun doing it! And as always, it's a grand time packing out our little house with preteens!

Working hard

Well...maybe not too hard

My "neat" bakers :)

Everything girls need...music, snacks, and a recipe

The center of attention as always

Here's some pictures from Gunkin and Christin's wedding in SC. I probably should've taken more pictures, but I was having too much fun catching up with everyone to worry about it until right before I left...here's my family!

Siblings...we're still cute :)

Josh looking all spiffy

My parents looking snazzy

Maggie came along for the trip home, which was quite an adventure. She really did pretty well, but the drive clearly wore her out!

Excited about the car ride 

Very bored of the car ride

The way home - You might be tired if you use a box as a pillow

Also on our way home we drove through a forest fire, which has really been a problem in Texas right now. Although we have gotten a day of rain since our trip, please continue to pray for rain here! The drought has really caused a lot of agricultural trouble. Thousands of people have lost their homes due to fires, and the crop and cattle industries are really suffering.

View from a distance

The fire's right behind this house and pasture

On a much lighter note, tis the season for college football! Go Clemson! Beat Florida State like you did Auburn! We don't have cable at our house, so our good friend Brett usually lets us crash at his apartment when we want to watch games. He lives in an apartment with 4 other college-aged guys so it's the sports lover's dream.

Yep, 4 different games at once.

Well, that's a pretty good overview of all the picture-worthy things going on in our lives. We are also really enjoying hosting a small group this year. We have 4 other couples who meet with us and we are working through a series our church is doing about obscure Old Testament characters. If you want an awesome story about how God keeps His promise to protect and bless the Israelites, check out the story of Balaam and his talking donkey (sorry Dad, Shrek was not the originator of the talking donkey) in Numbers 22-24. Please pray that all 10 of us in this small group will really dive into God's Word and discover more about His promises and His character.

Here are a few other things you can be praying for. Pray for our ministry with 5th and 6th graders. Sunday night small groups started this week so pray that the kids will really be able to open up and discover what they really believe. Pray that they can understand the Gospel and how it changes their everyday lives. Also be praying for the kids to develop servant's hearts. As a group, FishStix is starting to support a child through Compassion and I am praying that this will be a great opportunity to show the kids that they can help those in need even before they are grownups. Another big prayer request is Josh's classes. Seminary is definitely not easy and his classes are really difficult this semester. Most of his free time is spent studying, and I know he is craving a break. Pray that he can persevere...and master speed reading in the process! We really feel blessed to have a chance to serve God in Texas and even though we miss you all, we know that you keep us covered in prayers! Thanks so much and as always, we pray for you every day!

Josh and Tiffany

Popsicle Jokes

Did you know that popsicle sticks now have jokes printed on them? You normally would have to eat the popsicle to see the answer...but I'll just make you read our blog. Why shouldn't you play hide-n-seek with a leopard?

While you're thinking on that...

A lot has been going on here. Summer has been crazy, but thankfully it's fall and we are getting a little more of a regular schedule around here. Josh has finished his summer classes and started up classes for the fall. It's the start of another semester!

Maggie and Josh goofing off. We have a crazy family.

This summer has been hot that's for sure, but as close as we were to breaking the record for days over 100 degrees, we didn't quite make it. Still though, the inside of my car definitely points out that it's still hot!

Yep. 120 degrees. Poor Alyssa,

Since I last wrote we also celebrated our first anniversary! We took a weekend "away" and stayed at a fancy hotel downtown here in Fort Worth. It was a fantastic staycation! We lived the high life for a couple days which was really fun. And they had a pool which was great! But don't worry, we've still just a bunch of country folk living in a city...there's pictures to prove it.

Classic

Ridiculous

????

That's us for you!

Carrie also came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was such a blast! It's always good to see family and to get to hang out. We got to hear her stories about Camp La Vida and of course make some new memories while she was here! Adventures wandering around Cabela's, seeing Eli Young Band at Billy Bob's (where we almost got in a fight because of crazy girls...pun intended), and watching the Rangers beat the Red Sox were some of my top picks. And of course Farkle (Josh's new addiction) was fun too. It's the perfect game that doesn't require much skill, which is why I love it!

Random food update...we made shrimp n' grits for the first time. Delicious!

Yum!

Overall everything has been going good. The new group of 5th graders at church has been really fun. It's a ton of names to learn, but it's also another great opportunity to share God's Word with more kids this year! And we get to go see our camp brother Gunkin get married next weekend. Can't wait to see some family and friends and get to celebrate together!

Because you'll be spotted!

Crazy Summer!

Hello long lost friends! It's been forever since I've written, but I am quickly finding out that summer is by far the busiest time in student ministry. With Josh working and taking summer classes and me being bombarded with summer mission trips and VBS at work, I just haven't gotten around to writing. This will probably be a short blog but I just wanted to make sure you all know we are still doing well!

First of all, it's so hot in Texas! We are sweating and I really wish we had a pool, but most people do not stay outside for long during July and August. It's best to be out early or late and stay indoors during the rest of the day.

The Temperature gauge in my car today. :-/

Josh is doing well in school and is still taking classes. He will finish summer classes right before fall begins so keep him in your prayers. I know he is praying for diligence and to not get burnt out on studying. Work has been stressful the past couple months trying to plan summer events. Keep me and the ministry team in your prayers as mission trip details are getting ironed out. Mission Navajo Nation leaves next Tuesday (July 12th) and so pray for the 7-9 graders going on that trip especially. Pray that despite all the very last minute details that have been out of our control, God will really impact the Navajo people they are serving in New Mexico.

On a lighter note, Maggie has been loving life at the Forrest's. She runs with me most mornings and acts crazy basically all the time. She loves to chase birds and squirrels, and recently treed a cat, but she always appreciates the air conditioning. Also on a light note, for the first time I cut Josh's hair into a mohawk (I doubt it will be the last time!). It seemed the summer-y thing to do.

Trying to look sweet and innocent.
Don't let her fool you!

You can kinda see Josh's hair here.

On a tastier note, Josh and I discovered sweet potato fries! We already liked sweet potatoes, but they are so good in fry form. All the grocery stores around here sell them along with tons of other specialty foods. There are lots of health-conscious people in Fort Worth so you can find organic, diet-friendly, and sometimes even local foods.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
You should make some!

Well like I said, it's a short one today. I can try to add some more detail in the next post and give you a more interesting update of life in Fort Worth! But for now, enjoy the air conditioning!

Meet Maggie!

Well as usual it has been crazy around here! We don't slow down much. Haha. We moved April 1 so that was a busy start to the spring! I guess instead of spring cleaning we decided spring moving would be more effective. Thankfully we have a little more space now and so we won't need to move again any time soon!

Packing...I was sure glad when it was over

Josh - the solution to stressful moving!

The second week of April, Josh turned 23 and we adopted Maggie. We are so excited to have added a dog to the family! She is pretty entertaining and fairly calm...except around birds and squirrels. I guess she just loves to chase things. But we are excited to have her around and she is a great way to meet new people too. We live in a dog friendly are and so our street seems to be pretty social. Lots of dog walking going on!

Maggie Forrest! :-)

Josh is almost finished with classes for the semester (exams are next week), so we are gearing up for summer now. I've been busy at work getting ready for all the summer student ministry, and Josh has been getting ready for the transition with FishStix for the summer too. FishStix is getting a new pastor this summer so we are excited to have Ryan and his wife, Jordyn, coming in June! The current 5/6 pastor is transitioning into the college ministry.

One really fun part of our ministry with FishStix this spring has been University Little League. We have had a blast going to baseball games and cheering on the boys and getting to know their families. We have a lot of kids in our church that are involved in ULL so it's always great to go hang out with them and encourage them and their parents. And as always, when we go to encourage others we leave very encouraged ourselves!

One of our many talented pitchers from FishStix

In our spare time, we always find random fun things to do around Fort Worth. We've made it a point to keep "dating" since we got married so that gives us an excuse to do a lot of cool things. Here's a couple of our favorites. We went and saw Josh Turner in concert. He is my absolute favorite artist and I was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time! It was awesome! And Josh was so sweet and got up early to get us amazing seats! Another fun date was going to see the Rangers play. We are both quickly becoming fans and so it was really exciting to get a good deal on seats and be able to go! (Although we were really far up so foul balls were completely out of the question. Haha)

Josh Turner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ear-to-ear grin at the concert

A gospel choir singing the National Anthem at the Rangers game.

Well that's about all for now. We will be headed back to visit SC at the end of May so we are getting excited about a trip home! Can't wait to have more to tell you about soon. Thanks for continuing to pray for us. Remember Josh as he is finishing classes next week and for the summer classes he will be taking starting in June. Also be praying for FishStix in this summer's transition of leadership. We are praying hard that this will be a smooth transition and that Ryan will bring about great changes and that Ben will be really effective in the college ministry. We are praying that this change really helps these kids to understand what a Christian is like and how God can use them if they are willing to accept Him. Thanks for keeping up with us!

Update #5 (Wednesday)

Hello to All,

Brother Cal and I spent most of the afternoon visiting people who used to attend the church. We have been encouraging them to come back to the church and to especially come tonight to the revival. It has been a great experience and I learned a great deal about pastoring a church and caring for the people and the community.

We had youth night tonight and we had a great crowd. There were no decisions, but we feel as if God moved and hopefully those people will talk with someone about what God is doing in their heart. I loved my experience and I would love to go come back to Rock Falls, Illinois and preach any time.

God Bless,

Joshua Forrest

Update #4 (Tuesday)

Hello to all,

One of the members of the church, Wallace, and I went out visiting today and we were able to share the gospel at every house and we led Mike Grieve to Christ. Mike needs prayer and encouragement. It was amazing to see how many people have their hearts turned off, and in the middle of it all God opened a heart and we rejoice at how amazing God is. Praise and glory be to God for all that he does.

God moved in the service tonight. I preached on the characteristics of overcoming the world tonight and God opened hearts and convicted two ladies about holding grudges and being obedient to God. God gets all the honor and glory, I merely delivered what he already had planned.

God Bless,

Joshua

Update #3 (Monday)

Hello to All,

Today was a great day. Pastor Cal and I went to visit people who the church is praying for to accept Christ. Most of the people we went to see were not home, but we were able to share the gospel with Jack Ludwick and Sarah McCoy. Neither accepted Christ although they both admitted to knowing they need to and that they know how to become saved. They just don't want to at this time. The sermon tonight was good and directed at the believers to become active in sharing the gospel with the youth and lost of the community. No one made decisions, but our hopes and prayers are that this revival isn't the end of changing lives in Rock Falls, IL but only the beginning. Please continue to pray for lives to be touched.

God Bless,

Joshua

Update from Josh - #2 (Sunday Night Service)

Hello,

God is so amazing and I have been calm and collected in the pulpit and He has given me the words to speak and the believers in the church are being encouraged and are encouraging me. I found out that this church has lost many members a few years ago and is slowly beginning to grow again from that loss. We had no decisions again tonight, but God has a perfect plan and the impact may be weeks from now. Brother Cal Reynolds and I are going door to door tomorrow to meet with people in the community that need encouragement or that need salvation. My prayers are for them and for this church to become infected with the love of God and then take that love to the community.

God Bless,

Joshua Forrest

Update from Josh - #1

Hello to all,

I hope this finds you well and fired up for God. I had some good feedback from the church members about my sermon, but no one made a decision for Christ. I was very encouraged though, considering it was my first ever sermon to people over the age of 12. I know that God is going to do something amazing in this church. Just have to keep praying and giving Him the glory and when He's ready to move we will be waiting and so very encouraged.

God Bless,

Joshua Forrest

And the Forrests go "March"-ing On

Titles aren't my forte...so I thought I'd think of the cheesiest one possible. Haha. I think I found it.

Anyway, things are going well in Fort Worth. It's been busy for sure as we're getting ready for Josh to leave Saturday for his week of preaching. He is working really hard to tweak his sermons and get spiritually prepared for next week. Please keep him in your prayers and pray that God uses him exactly how is needed. (And if you have extra time you can also pray for me since I'll be home by myself for the week.) We are so excited to see how God is going to work through Josh. We know our God is always full of unexpected surprises so we can't wait to see what He has in store!

Catching up....here's a couple pictures I meant to put up earlier...

ESPN in downtown Fort Worth - filming live for the Super Bowl

Shayah, Matt, and Josh in the snow!

Enjoying the cold...actually I couldn't wait to get inside to the heat!

At a Mavs game - super fun!

More recently, Carrie came to visit! We had such a great time! It was great to see Carrie and we got to go see all the sights too. We went to everything from the Stockyards to a honkytonk to a rodeo. But mostly boot shopping! There's a lot to do here and I wish we could have had more time, but hopefully she will get to make another trip soon!

At Billy Bob's

Carrie's new truck....

Yay Longhorns!

At the Rodeo

Aren't they cute?

Other than a crazy fun week with Carrie things have been relatively quiet but busy around here. Just trying to keep up with work and school and packing. We are moving to a new apartment April 1 (I'm not exactly sure how we ended up moving on April Fool's Day). We are moving just a street over, but we're headed to a dog-friendly area so we can get a dog at some point in the near future. So if anyone feels like helping out with moving let us know! Josh is grilling steaks for the moving crew!

Before I go, here's a few food pictures.

Stuffed Peppers

Pork tenderloin, rice and black-eyed peas.

Well folks, that's all for now. I will try to keep you updated as I hear from Josh when he's preaching in Illinois. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!