Wednesday, June 15, 2011

61 Days!

Our trip is getting so close! We are getting so excited! I want to first start by thanking you a million times over again for your support! With your help, God has supplied us with every penny we have needed! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I recently went to Florence to attend our orientation. Here's what we know so far!



  • We will be staying in a local church, where we will help repair damages from the harsh winter.

  • Tuesday- Thursday, we will be going into the villages and working with children. Sort of a VBS for the neighborhood. In the evenings, we will return for what we're calling "park parties". We'll serve hot dogs, have bounce houses and face paint. It will just be a fun time to hang out and love on some kiddos and their families

  • When we're not working with the villages or working on the church, we will get to do a few tourist things. We'll get to go fishing. We will also get to go on a boat ride up to a glacier.

These are just a few details. We will be busy, but it will truly be a trip to remember! So excited! Won't you pray for us? Pray the Holy Spirit would go before us and prepare our way, prepare hearts.


Sorry this is so short, and has been so long, but know we are always so thankful for your support! We love you all more than you know!


Forever His,


Norman and Emily Jo

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Alaska Update!

We are officially signed up for the Alaska trip! We're so pumped to see what God has in store. I want to take the time to thank all of you who have supported up financially so far. Your donations mean the world to us! Thank you for being apart of this!

We still have quite a ways to go with our fundraising, so Norman and I have started making Survival Bracelets. They are made out of military grade 550 Parachute Cord. They are indestructible. We have black, hunter green, blue, yellow, red, hot pink, grey, neon green, orange, camo, purple and white. We can mix up to three colors into one bracelet. If you are interested in buying one, please feel free to email me your color preference, wrist size and address to eklingsick@yahoo.com. We would love to send you one! All the proceeds will go to our Alaska Fund.

Thank you so much for your support! Our first meeting will be on May 21st, so we will have plenty more details to share with all of you! I hope you're having a wonderful Easter! HE is risen! HE is risen indeed! We love you all more than you know!

Forever His,
Norman and EmilyJo




Thursday, March 17, 2011

Our Story

For all you faithful followers of my blog, I would like to apologize for being gone so long! Life has been crazy... let me fill you in!

The biggest news would be my wonderful boyfriend, Norman Trotter. We met at GA Camp over the summer. I was going with a group from my church and he was on staff as the lifeguard. My fourth grade girls were obsessed with him! All week long they were telling me how cute he was and how they wish he would sit with them at all our meals or would come to the pool when we were there. Finally, on the last day of camp, we were sitting quietly eating our breakfast when all of the sudden all my 4th graders get up and start running across the cafeteria for find "the lifeguard". They asked him for his number and he replied, "If Miss Emily wants my number, she needs to come and get it herself". I was far too embarrassed to go back into the mess hall, so when my girls found me, they stole my phone and ran back into the cafeteria, with me chasing after them. By the time I reached the group of girls, basically the entire camp staff and the lifeguard, he already had my phone in his hands. I stole it from him and retreated back to my safe hiding place outside. We were trying to get the girls to take some pictures, this being the last day of camp, but they kept going to the window and torturing him, begging for his number. I went to get the girls away from the glass, in doing so, I ran into a pole. The next thing I know, the girls are screaming! He had written his number on a napkin and stuck it out the door. They went CRAZY!

My plan was to quietly place the napkin in my purse and not ever think about it again, but my 4th graders had another plan! They would not be quiet until I text him. They were already planning our wedding and naming our children. So, I text him apologizing for the embarrassing display, and the rest is history. This is our ninth month together, and we couldn't be happier! We are complete opposites! For example, Norman grew up a country boy, perfecting the art of living the rugged cowboy life with the boots, hat, belt buckle and torn jeans. I, on the other hand, had never spent the night outside, made a smore or taken the four wheeler out for a spin on the dried up lake bottom. Norman's best friend is truly his dog, Remi. My best friend is my iphone. I enjoy staying in and watching tv on my days off. Norman likes to fish and hunt. The list goes on and on! One of the things we do have in common, is we both prefer our birthday cakes to be strawberry with strawberry icing! Norman is so patient and so kind. He truly loves me for who I am, not what I look like or what I do or will do. He's quietly brilliant and hilariously funny. He takes care of me. He knows exactly how to push all over my buttons and give me a hard time, but he also knows exactly how to make me laugh and how to encourage me. I am truly blessed to have him!

The Lord has blessed our relationship in ways we never thought possible. We had our first date on a Sunday, then I left for Romania on the next Wednesday. Both of us were unsure of how things would go from there. When I asked him what he thought of our relationship he replied with, "We'll pray about it and leave it in God's hands. Where He leads, I'll follow. I just pray He leads me to you". Now, 9 months later, we are embarking on the greatest adventure yet...

Here's the exciting part! Ever since we started dating, we have joked about fleeing to Alaska and starting a new life up there. We were recently invited to join a team from FBC Florence Texas to venture out into our own backyard.. kind of! We will be going to Anchorage, Alaska July 31-August 6. We are beyond excited to not only see how God uses us in Anchorage, but to see how God strengthens our relationship. I finally get to teach Norman something! This is his very first mission trip!! I'm excited to show him the ropes as we prepare to go, you know, the little secrets you don't figure out until your second or third trip.

This trip will be an exciting one! We'll be participating in backyard Bible clubs, VBS, working in nursing homes, food pantries and really anything we can get our hands on! Won't you pray for us and our team! Details about the trip will follow as we receive them! If you would like more information regarding our trip, and how you can help support us, please feel free to email me at eklingsick@yahoo.com

We are so excited to be Christ's hands and feet in Anchorage, Alaska! We love you all more than you know!

Forever His,
Norman and Emily Jo