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

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

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

I can't do this alone, God I need you to hold onto me...

So the more I think about Romania, and the more I tell people about it, the more my heart is just burdened. I mean, it was such an awesome trip full of laughs and inside jokes. But our purpose of going there was to shine His light to the people of Constanta. I truly believe we accomplished that. However, the images of the children begging on the streets and the doors that were slammed in our faces when we tried to tell them the good news haunt me. The hardest part of the visitations was walking away from an angry resident, knowing they were going to hell. Knowing that could have been their last chance to accept this free gift of life. Knowing they would never feel the joy I feel. How can you walk away from that experience and not be moved?

The other parts I dwell on are the faces of Bhara and her family. I don't even need to look at the pictures. They're permanently in my memory. Sad children, losing hope, abused with no one and no where to call home. I feel so guilty being home with my loving family, in our nice home with AC and my nice car while they struggle to survive. I know our God is sovereign, so my prayer is that He would reign. I pray, that against all odds, those precious children would grow up to be godly men and women that strive for change. That long to see their family and community open their eyes to what God has done and will do.

This trip has touched me on a different level than any of the other trips I've been on. I can't explain it, I just know God has something big planned for Constanta, Romania. I fervently pray that the seeds we planted would be used to better His kingdom, that our work was not done in vain and that He was completely glorified through our efforts.

Thank you a million times over again if you committed to praying for our team! We felt those prayers all the way in Romania, and I thank you for that! It feels so good to know I have such an awesome support team behind me. I ask that you would continue to pray for Constanta. Especially for Bhara's family. I pray your hearts would be burdened for them as well.

Now, how can I pray for you guys? I want to return the favor, so to speak! I hope you guys have an awesome week! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Home Sweet Home!

Hey guys! We made it home late last night, and thanks to my awesome parents, I got to sleep in my own bed for the first time in over two weeks! They surprised me in the Austin airport and drove me home instead of having me spend the night in Florence. I think we are pretty much all exhausted from the 26 hours of traveling. I'll update more as the jet lag wears off! Praise be to Him for all the lives that were touched this week! I love you guys so much for supporting us and praying for us. We could feel your prayers all week!! Be looking out for pictures and different ways you can continue to pray for Romania! I love you guys more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

Leaving on a Jet Plane

O what a week it has been! I want to quickly update you on Bhara's situation. CPS is in the process of taking the kids away from their mother. It's a bittersweet time for all of us. They will be pulled out of their situation and homelessness, however, they will be put in an orphanage where they won't get any attention or love. They will merely exsist until someone wants to adopt them or their mom gets them back. It's a catch 22 type of thing I suppose. Please pray for those precious children! Pray they would somehow defy all oods and become incredible, godly men and women.

The past few days have kind of been just for relaxing. On Saturday a few of our new Romanian friends took up around the city. It was so cool because we got to see the city the way they do. They took up through all the short cuts and all the cool places. We shopped around and ate lunch, then it was straight to the hotel to get ready for the baptism service. It was honoring an 83 year old woman. It was such an incredible experience, and I am so thanful we got to be a part of it. Her and her husband had tear soaked faces as she made it public that she loves Jesus. Such a mighty and awesome God we serve!

I am currently sitting in a hotel in Bucharest. We have an extremely early flight in the morning. Please pray for the day ahead. It promises to be very long and draining. Pray for low frustration and stress levels. We are all so tired and SO ready to be home!

I love you guys so much! Thank you a million times over for your prayers and support. Your encouraging thoughts and emails have meant so much to our team! I wish I could have written more, but as you can imagine, our week has been completely draining! I can't wait to upload pictures on here and share them with you!

Thanks again! I love you all more than you know!
Forever His,
EmilyJo

A Call to Prayer!

So there's a family that I've mentioned on here before that lives on an empty lot under a house made of all kinds of scrap material. The house belongs to Bhara, her mom, aunt, grandma and 12 brothers, sisters and cousins. The lot they are living on is just an empty lot full of rocks. This morning the owner of the lot kicked Bhara's family off and they were forced to take down their home. They are currently taking up residence on the small strip of sidewalk in front of the lot. All 16 of them get to sit side by side far too close to the street. On top of all these unfortunate events of the day, it is raining. Not just a light afternoon shower. It's pouring and has been for about seven hours. The city is quickly beginning to flood. While my team and I are cozy in our four star hotel, Bhara and her family are sitting on their sidewalk with a piece of tarp wrapped around them. There aren't any shelters that can take them. The Day Center rented them a room, but the mother refuses to take it, so they sit. They sit hoping the rain will stop, hoping it doesn't rain for the rest of the weekend as promised, and hoping to make it through the night. CPS has called asking the mom's to drop off the kids two different times and they refuse. So now we just wait until CPS takes them away.

This is a call to prayer for all who call upon His name! Bhara's family is in desperate need of a Savior! These precious children are being exposed to a life that no one deserves to live. My heart is completely broken tonight. Won't you pray with me? Fervently pray that our Savior would choose to deliever them from their hell. Pray they would realize just how much Jesus loves them. Pray they get out of the control of their family. Just pray!

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that God, in all His infinite power, would deliever Bhara and her family.
• Pray that the flooding ceases.
• Pray the rain scheduled for Saturday would not come. We are doing a baptism service in the village we've been working with and rain is promised for the whole day.
• Pray for peaceful hearts as we are burdened with the news of Bhara and her family.

Other than that, the day was pretty good. We went door to door at an apartment complex. After a few doors getting slammed in our faces, we were feeling a little discouraged. Please pray that the seeds we planted would be good and God would use them for the harvest.

It has been an incredible week so far, and we still have three days to go! Thank you all so very much for your prayers! To Him be the glory! I love you all more than you know!

Forever His,

EmilyJo