The Byers

2012 is here!

2012-01-26T23:34:00.012-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011 was amazing. We received beautiful Moriah and we love being her parents! On February 9th we will be celebrating her 1st birthday…can’t wait to see those cheeks covered in cake! Moriah is fluent in baby talk! Her English words are: mama, daddy, uh-oh and Boo (for the dog, RIP as of this last week). She’s crawling everywhere, has 2 teeth and 1 more breaking through and currently loves tearing her Winnie the Pooh books into pieces.

As for Jason and I…we are tired! And having fun!

2012 is here and we have hit the ground running! We are hopeful that we will get to Thailand by November 2012. We have just really begun our Partnership Development with OMF International, we are praying for prayer partners as well as financial partners. We have some of both already, praise God! We trust God will bring everything together in His way and in His timing! Jason spoke at Ephraim Church of the Bible in Ephraim, Utah (the church we met at!) and will be speaking at our home church here in Park City this Sunday.

OMF International US put out an amazing video on their heart for Asia. It’s 4 minutes long, and definitely worth your time! Their video is also posted on their website: www.omf.org/us

HOPE FOR BILLIONS - OMF International U.S. from K H on Vimeo.

After our year of language school in Lopburi, Thailand, we plan to be church planters in Northeastern Thailand, known to Thais as “Isaan.” I found a video on Isaan with our future field leader in it. Marten Visser is from the Netherlands (most of our team is from there!). As I’ve read about the situation in the Northeast, there are a less than 100 missionaries in Isaan to date. 100
missionaries for 22 million people, about 1/3 of Thailand’s population…wow! Isaan is still pioneer work, and we are excited to go there!

Isaan - Northeast Thailand from Jennifer Tibbetts on Vimeo.

Hope you’re having a wonderful New Year! And as always, please write us and give us an update!

Love you all,

-Jenn, Jason and Moriah

Sweet girl!

Moriah and cousin Addison!

Pretty in Pink

Christmas in Mission Viejo, CA!

Crawling with cousin Caleb!

Hugs

First time seeing Santa!

Gunderson & Byers Family Photo

She didn't like the hat!

Appointed by OMF – WE ARE MOVING to THAILAND!

2011-10-29T15:21:00.005-05:00

New appointees at Candidate Course (and Moriah's babysitter!)

We spent the last 10 days at Candidate Course with OMF International, the missions organization we've been applying for…it was a blast! AND…they (OMF-USA) as well as the field (Thailand) asked us to join their team!

What does this mean? We will be moving to Thailand in the next year, spending 1 year in language school in Lopburi and then on to Isaan (the North East) of Thailand to begin church planting. WE ARE SO EXCITED! More information to come!

If you want to read about OMF International (formerly “China Inland Mission” or CIM), their website is: http://www.omf.org/ OMF focuses on reaching East Asia. OMF International has an amazing heritage, with J. Hudson Taylor as its founder. It’s a privilege to serve with this mission!

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to know the leaders. They are passionate, down to earth, loving, real, and servant hearted. During our training, we learned about partnership development and began planning for our future team. In addition, we learned that prayer is our number one support, and that we rely on God, not people, for our provision. We also explored different ways to encourage others to discover their unique role in missions, which is so much more than going or giving. We have an exciting journey ahead while on the “homeside” and even more excited about the ones that God will call to walk this journey with us!

Moriah had a blast in Colorado (see photos below). She was the “mascot” of the course and loved her baby-sitter.

We are always asking for prayer for Moriah's left eye. At her last eye doctor appointment, the doctor felt that her eye is doing pretty well and that she doesn’t need to be on medication for the time being. This is truly an answer to prayer. Please keep praying for her and for complete healing.

Oh yeah....on Friday, October 28 - we celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary!

We will be in touch. Thanks for your prayers and please send us an update!

-Jason, Jenn and Moriah

P.S. Thailand has had some serious flooding. A missionary with OMF made this video showing the devastation going on even where he lives (he even shows his kids SWIMMING in their living room!)

Flooding in Central Thailand 2011 - English from Ulrich Kohler on Vimeo.

At a Vietnamese restaurant - Moriah wanted it to be an authentic experience!

Jason and our friend Phil - who will also be going to Thailand with his wife Kate!

Picture day for Prayer cards!

Group picture at the Hideaway Retreat Center

Our girl

Summer 2011...and we've been accepted to Candidate Course!

2011-09-14T23:53:00.025-05:00

Dear Friends & Family,

Hope the summer has treated you well! I am happy to say that it is not currently snowing here in Park City, Utah…but come October, we will see snow again.

In June, we celebrated 2 high school graduations…Congrats to our baby sisters Amy Byers and Jordan Gunderson! While in California for Jordan’s graduation, we got to meet Jenn’s nephew Caleb Hurley Gunderson for the first time. It was so fun having Moriah and Caleb TOGETHER!

In July, Jenn’s parents came out and we spent some time at the Sundance Resort. Sundance is quite picturesque! A highlight of our time together is when we went on a lovely 3 mile hike down the mountain…it was a little harder than expected, very beautiful, and memories of Terri sliding down a snow bank will probably never leave our minds. But we survived the adventure! They have come out to visit again since then…they just can’t seem to be away from Moriah for too long!

In August, Jason went as a leader on a Young Life (the Christian organization that I now work for) backpacking trip in Colorado. They roughed it for 7 days with only a few pairs of clothes and no showers. This was Jason’s kind of trip; rugged mixed with deep talks about Jesus.

While Jason was roughing it, Jenn and Moriah got on a plane again to CA to make a “surprise visit” to her dad. The doorbell was rung, and my dad came down the stairs to find a little baby on his doorstep. He was definitely SURPRISED!

Exciting Byers family news- We have another beautiful niece! Jason’s sister April and husband Jason had their baby, Kaili Ann Scarbrough, born on July 29, 2011 in Hawaii.

Moriah, or “Chew bug” as we have nicknamed her is now 7 months old and just as cute as can be. She says “mom,” is trying out different sounds, laughs, is captivated by the dog, is most likely teething (hence the nickname) and enjoys doing her little “motormouth” for all to hear. Please pray for healing for the hemangioma over her left eye. It’s growth is supposed to be less aggressive now, but it may continue to try to grow until she’s a year. She’s off the prednisolone (steroids - some pictures you’ll notice that she is REALLY chubby) but might be going on a different medication soon. We patch her good eye for two hours a day and we try to get her to wear her glasses as much as possible (Moriah has decided that glasses are yummy…so they do not always stay on her face for very long!).

We have been accepted to Candidate Course for OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) in Colorado! The 3 of us will be going to the 10 day course on October 17-27th (only a little over a month away!). It is after that training time that we may or may not be accepted to join their organization. As we’ve asked before, please pray for God’s continued leading and provision for this huge step in our lives. We are VERY excited!

As always, please keep in touch. We love and miss YOU!

-Jason, Jenn & Moriah

Moriah & Caleb hanging out in August

Jason preaching on John 9 @ Creekside

Grocery Shopping!

3 1/2 months

2011-05-29T00:20:00.009-05:00

Jenn says:

Greetings from Park City, Utah! Tonight as I write this it is….snowing outside. Yes, snowing. It is the end of May, but Park City just doesn’t seem to care!

Moriah is now 3 ½ months old. Time has flown and her cheeks have GROWN! She’s become a chunky baby. She babbles a lot now, loves her bath time (usually cries when we take her out), takes incredibly short naps (30 minutes usually), sleeps around 9 hours straight at night (lucky mama!), and never ceases to make us laugh! Our only health concern has been her eye. She developed a hemangioma (vascular birth mark) over her left eye area and is now on medication to make it stop growing and to hopefully shrink it. From the mass pushing on her eye, she has developed an astigmatism and will be getting...pink glasses! Please pray for her little eye and that the mass will go away completely with the medicine that she is on now.

The ski season ended so Jason had to start job hunting…he found a new job! He is now working the front desk at the Best Western right by our house. The location makes it very convenient for him to come home and eat dinner. He is loving the hotel industry, seems to be a family thing.

I am now doing administrative work for Park City/Wasatch’s Young Life organization. It is my first experience working for a Christian organization and it is awesome! I am able to do the majority of my work…FROM HOME! We have nothing against putting children in daycare when it’s necessary, but we feel extremely blessed that we get to keep Moriah at home with us.

In June…our baby sisters are graduating from high school! After we attend Jason’s sister Amy’s graduation here in Park City…we will be going to California for my sister Jordan’s graduation in June! We are super excited for our trip and I can’t wait to take Moriah to the beach! We will also be meeting our new nephew, Caleb Gunderson (Justin & Jennifer’s baby) for the first time as well!

We are still in the process of applying with OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship). It is a pretty lengthy process. We hope to go to their Candidate Training Course this October. We still have a lot of paperwork to do before then! Thailand is still on our hearts. Please be praying for us as we work through this process and that we will be extra diligent in paying off our student loans!

Please continue to stay in touch! Miss you all!

Love,

Jenn, Jason & Moriah

Favorite pictures of Moriah from Week 0 - 3 months

Professional Pictures of Moriah (Hancock Photography)

Moriah's Birth Announcement !!!

2011-03-04T17:26:00.008-06:00

Jenn says:

Moriah has arrived!

Moriah Lynn Jordan Byers was born on Wednesday, February 9th at 7:30p.m. She weighed 7 pounds 14 oz and was 20 1/2 inches in length. Mom is almost recovered from that eventful delivery day. All I can remember saying about her while we were at the hospital was "She's so pretty!" I love looking at her little feet and thinking about how many times she kicked me with them...babies are such miracles!

We live with Jason's parents so she's gotten to spend time with her grandparents, cousins Ayden & Addison, and aunts and uncles on the Byers' side. We have a ton of support out here! We've also had the Gunderson clan out to meet little Moriah as well as Great Grandma Ethel! My mom stayed here for a few weeks after Moriah was born...WHAT A HUGE HELP! I never realized how much support you need after a baby is born! We also celebrated Jason's 26th birthday on February 22nd, as well as my sister Jordan's 18th birthday on the 26th AND my dad's birthday on February 27th. LOTS of February birthdays in this family!

More pictures can be found here in my facebook albums, just click on the week(s) you want to see:
Week 0
Weeks 1-2
Week 3
Some fun things about Moriah:
1. She makes lots of different "faces" in her sleep (smiles, frowns, it's very entertaining!) and makes some very SWEET sounds when she's awake and asleep.
2. When she's done eating, a lot of times she tucks in her bottom lip to say "Don't feed me any more!"
3. She loves hanging out with dad when he gets home.
4. She does not like having her clothes changed.
5. She sleeps pretty well at night (lucky mom!)
6. She doesn't like to burp after meals but she toots...A LOT.
7. Her changing table is one of her favorite places to be! She looks up at her picture of 2 elephants on the wall and at the seahorse that is on her little mirror. She is fascinated!

Only 2 1/2 weeks away!

2011-01-16T17:54:00.002-06:00

Jenn says: We are getting so unbelieveably close! Still have a few last minute things to do (testing out the car seat being the most important of them). My parents' bags are almost packed and they are just waiting for the phone call!

Meanwhile, I wanted to show some prego pictures we got done by our good friend Alan Hancock. He posted some on his blog, enjoy!

Hancock Photography Blog - pics of Jay and Jenn

6 more weeks until Baby Moriah!

2010-12-24T15:57:00.018-06:00

Sweet ornament from my (Jenn) parents

Jenn says: We're at 34 weeks of pregnancy...only 6 more weeks to go if we make it to 40! Other than an achey back (especially in the mornings!), some heart burn, and one of the toddlers at church mistaking my tummy for a "ball," I feel pretty great! The baby's movements can be pretty large, I think she's running out of room! She now likes to kick my ribs...that part is not too fun!

I'm feeling pretty good about the labor/delivery part too, I've chosen not to worry. We are planning to not use an epidural (though of course this could change!) and will probably have the aid of a doula during the birth. The comments I get about "going natural" are always funny - some think it's crazy and very "earth mother" and then others think it's very normal and encourage it. When it comes down to it...this is the best decision for us! I think what I'm dreading the most is the "no sleep" part for the first several weeks after she is born!

Jason is excited. This little girl is going to be WRAPPED around her daddy's finger! We keep wondering what she'll look like, act like. She definitely has the potential to act VERY goofy (should we blame this all on her dad???). "Kid watching" has always made us giggle, but now it's taken on a new meaning!

The days ahead I think I will be reading a little more fervently and getting things done a little more quickly... things will be happening soon!

Little socks are so cute!

Organizing a lot of her clothes on the pool table...can we say PINK?!

34 weeks along!

The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father

2010-12-24T10:41:00.004-06:00

Every Christmas I am reminded....that Jesus is God !

Isaiah 9:6
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (King James Version)

The WORD = Jesus. I think it's so amazing how God came and hung around people, even though He was God! Definitely shows me how much he loves people.

John 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (New American Standard Bible)
John 1:14
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (New American Standard Bible)

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-12T21:14:00.003-06:00

Below is the link to our Christmas letter! Click on the link and then you will have to log in to facebook. Let me know if you don't have a facebook and I can send it to your email address. Christmas is only 2 weeks away, woohoo!

Christmas Letter

Thanksgiving with BOTH Families!

2010-12-04T18:53:00.017-06:00

Jenn: My family drove out from CA/flew out from Missouri to spend Thanksgiving with us in Park City!

Hanging out at the hotel with my sister Jordan, brother Justin, and sister-in-law Jennifer Lynn (we have the SAME name, so my family fondly calls her "Jenn 2."

Thanksgiving was a blast! We got a Byers/Gunderson family shot. We're only missing April and Jason!

The sibs, hubby, and my cousin Brit and her hubby Devin.

Looks very much like a "family photo," but we adore our little niece Addison, who will soon have our little Moriah to play with!

I am a very proud Auntie of this little girl!

She is precious!

Showing off the bumps, and I suppose, getting the cousins acquainted! "Jenn 2" is due on Cinco de Mayo, 2011 !

For more photos of the Thanksgiving week, click HERE

Baby Shower in California!

2010-11-10T15:14:00.002-06:00

We went to Jenn's home in CA for her baby shower!

Click below:

More baby shower/CA pictures

We snuck down to Laguna Beach Sunday morning, it was very pretty!

Summer 2009

2009-06-10T16:55:00.001-05:00

It has been FOREVER since we've posted! I updated our family albums (a lot of the links changed) and added some new ones.

Family events since we last posted:

1. We celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on October 28, 2008.

Branson- 1 year anniversary photos

1 WHOLE year together album memories! photos

2. We visited Jenn's family in California for Thanksgiving. We got to see Terri and Bill renew their vows for their 25th wedding anniversary!

Thanksgiving 2008 - Mission Viejo, CA photos

3. We visited Jason's family in Utah for Christmas. We finally met our nephew Ayden and attended Jason's sister April Byers Scarbrough and brother-in-law Jason Scarbrough's wedding reception!

Christmas 2008- Missouri & Park City, UTAH photos

4. Jenn's brother Justin got engaged to Jennifer Krinke and will be married this August 1, 2009!

5. Jenn has completed 1 year of teaching- it was a TOUGH year!

6. Jason has completed another year of school and has 1 more to go!

7. Jason went to Utah to visit family during the first week of June. This was a blast for him. While Jason was in Utah, Jenn went to visit family in California. This was truly restful and so much fun!

Summer update:

We are both thrilled that it's summer! While we don't have a lot of "activities" planned, summer means no teaching for Jenn, and no studying for Jason. LIFE IS GOOD. During the summer months Jason is working full time at Home Court Advantage and reading Christians books and listening to sermons. Jenn is waitressing 1 day a week at Smith's restaurant, planning lessons for next year, finally reading books/studying Thai again, finally cooking again, and will be taking 5 weeks of classes at SBU.

Being with family and friends from back home was such a blessing for both of us. It's hard being away from people you love. Thank God for the phone, email, and facebook! It's so much easier to stay in touch.

Please send us an email and update us on your lives! We have a little bit more time as it's summer so we'd love to hear what's going on! Jenn doesn't like forwards so please don't send her any :)

Jason: forthecauseofchrist@yahoo.com

Jenn: mrs.jenn.byers@gmail.com

October!

2008-09-15T20:18:00.001-05:00

Hello friends and family!

It's been a long time since we've posted an update, so here is a quick update!

We've really settled into our Missouri home. I (Jenn) was not so enthused about the idea of living out in the middle of nowhere back in January, especially living in an old farmhouse. Surprisingly...it's grown on me! It's absolutely beautiful and peaceful. The air is pretty chilly now and it won't be long until (freezing!) winter.

East side of the house

I started teaching August 11th and the last 2 1/2 months have flown by! I never knew how fast paced and busy the life of a teacher really is. I feel like I'm running from 7:45am-3:00, only still to have massive amounts of work left to do! On the positive side, I'm really gaining the respect of the kids, even the tougher ones. I pray for opportunities to share Christ with them. I have kids from kindergarten all the way to seniors in high school, and I usually enjoy all of them! I'm really loving getting back into Spanish again. I've been passionate about the language ever since my parents put a Spanish picture dictionary in my hands as early as Kindergarten.

Jason says: "I am going to school and working." He is a man of few words. Since his wife is not, he is very much enjoying his classes and spends a lot of time studying Hebrew. His favorite class currently is History of Christianity. He is still working at the boys' home and he says quote "I like it a lot."

We are looking forward to the fast approaching holidays coming up. We will be in California with the Gundersons for Thanksgiving and with the Byers for Christmas. We can't wait to see family! We're also very excited to meet our now almost 5 month old nephew Ayden in Utah.

Speaking of family, we've had a few family visitors in the last few months! Justin (my brother) moved to Springfield in September...wow is it nice having him close by! My dad helped him move out and we had a fun weekend together. Then the next weekened, Andy (Jason's brother) came down from his school in Iowa to hang out with us. Having family visit (and live here) is awesome!

Miss you all. You are more than welcome to come visit anytime!

Financial Peace

2008-07-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

Jenn says: We’ve been in Mexico for two weeks, and the time here, spiritually for me has been unreal. I have had a lot of time to reflect, and have found some of my attitudes and perspectives less than Christian.
I am the worrier of the relationship, especially when it comes to finances. I’ve monitored our finances and worked on our budget several times since we’ve been married. We’ve talked a lot about having faith that God will provide, but have I really had faith? I have often wrongly measured my faith in God taking care of us according to my own ability to strategize (i.e., come up with a good budget). Really, I’m trusting in my own ability and effort. In the midst of that supposed “faith,” blessing others with money when the Holy Spirit is prompting has been ultimately cut out. “Not now,” I’ve murmured God, “once I start getting paid more and Jason is out of school, then we can give. We’ll do fine as long as we don’t give anything away.” And these words are being murmured by someone driven by missions! My thinking has been so wrong! I’ve been greatly mistaken.

I have been reminded now that the Christian life is not about me, it is about God. Our money is ultimately His. I cannot get caught up in the American Dream, as the Christian mentality looks drastically different than that. As we live in a country of great wealth and potential for success, many American Christians (me included) don’t like to hear that. We can budget, be cautious, get out of debt, and save wisely what God has given us…but when God calls us to give it away, we gladly and faithfully give it. It’s not 10%, it’s 100%. Jason said that to me once when we were dating, and he made me really mad…but he was right! God is our Provider. His blessings are abundant. With our own money, I am finally resting in the fact that I can really trust Him for the money coming in and the freedom to bless others. What a stress reliever! These verses blessed my heart today and brought me to peace:

“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more.
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.
The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.” Psalms 11: 24, 25, & 28

Jesus’ words: “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven where no thief comes near or moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:33-34

Some others that have come to mind:
“Each one of you must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:33-34

La Misión, Mexico

2008-07-03T20:31:00.001-05:00

We are spending this month in La Misión, Mexico at Door of Faith Orphanage. To see our updates, please go to our missions blog: www.thebyersjourneys.blogspot.com/

Our Grandmothers

2008-06-25T16:04:00.000-05:00

We just found out that my (Jenn) Grandma Ethel has breast cancer. Jason's Grandma Byers has been suffering from breast cancer as well. Please keep them in your prayers!

Nephew Ayden Mickal

2008-06-18T17:31:00.001-05:00

We have a baby nephew! He was born on June 13 to parents Jeanda (Jason's sister) and husband Mike Kinsinger. This is my (Jenn) first nephew and Jason's also! We are so excited! We will be meeting him this Christmas in Park City, Utah.

Our little Cal

2008-06-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

(June 8, 2008)
Hello from Bolivar, Missouri!
I (Jenn) don't like being new at things, like blogging. But I am giving it a shot.
My dad called today and informed us that our little Callie Gunderson, our little dog, is being put to sleep today. Callie and I were never the best of friends, she knew it and I knew it. Oddly enough, I was the one who named her. Secretly though, when no one else was home, her and I would hang out, I would even let her into my room! Nonetheless she was our first family dog. She was part of the family. She is in every album of pictures. One of my favorite memories is during Christmas, we'd put a bow on her head and watch and see how long it would be until she tore it off! I always thought Cal was cute, but was often afraid of her biting me. This is a sad day, another saying good-bye to childhood. I will never forget Callie's greeting when I would come home from being away at college or wherever. Rather than running up to lick me, she would take 1 look at me and run in the other direction :) I will miss you Callie!