Updates and Announcements

Chance snoozing on my clothes while I tried to pack by bags. 

It's been a while since I've posted on here, but it has been a whirlwind recently! The first week of June I went on a ministry trip to Forest Lake, Minnesota. There was a group of 66 students from International House of Prayer University that went up and partnered with Crossroads Church to start a house of prayer there. It was such a wonderful time for me to grow closer to the Lord and to get a little taste of my calling.

Of course, Chance couldn't come with me so he stayed with our friend - Marilyn - in our apartment. They had a really good time together, sharing a bed and hanging out until the wee hours of the morning. He did really well while I was gone, which surprised me. There was only one problem while I was gone. Chance stole half a steak off the table... Oops... That just means he needs a bit more training, but we've been working on it!

Chance and Marilyn enjoying a non-alcoholic
pina-colada! 

Speaking of training, Chance has been doing really well with his process. During meal times he sits, quietly at my feet and looks up at me while I eat. Before we started training he would whine like nobody's business while I was trying to eat. He is starting to understand that I am the pack leader and I eat first. If he's quiet and sits still I'll let him lick my plate, but only if he behaves through the whole meal!

Our off-leash training is going pretty well too. I took him on a walk with our friends Adam and Lily (Lily is the Great Dane we had over while her owner was gone for spring break). Adam rode his longboard and Chance and Lily chased after him. Chance did really well staying close to either Lily, Adam or myself. That was until he saw some Canadian geese. Being a bird-dog, he did the natural thing - he chased after them. The poor geese had a nest with five eggs in it that they were trying to protect, but the Cocker Spaniel in Chance came out and he chased those geese until he was sure they wouldn't come back! Thankfully for those eggs, once we left, the parents came back. It was amazing to see his hunting skills come out, even if he did almost get hit by a car (yes, I about had a heart attack).

I'm very pleased with his progress in training because that means when Trinity finally comes home with us, she will know the rules and all she has to do is watch her older brother!

Trinity will be joining the pack Tuesday, May 28th! I'm extremely excited to finally pick her up and bring her into our family. She will be two months old on May 10th, but she is already growing so fast! Compared to her pictures in the last post, she looks like a totally different dog. I can tell from pictures that she is going to be a sassy little girl. I'm not sure who will be the more dominate dog in the pack. Chance is a grumpy little butt, but Trinity seems to know she's a princess. As long as they know I'm the pack leader, it doesn't matter who is the more dominate one!

Look at that sass! 

I'm thinking of having a welcoming party for Trinity a few weeks after I get her. We would invite all the doggies that are healthy and have all their shots (so that she doesn't catch anything) for her to make friends with! I want her to be socialized as much as possible for numerous reasons. One, she is going to be a big girl! Second, a lot of people are afraid of big dogs and I want her to be calm, mellow and allow anyone to come up and pet her or pull her tail!

The other day, I took Chance with me to get some pizza and a group of five girls were out front of our apartment. They were about eight or nine years old and they all squealed when they saw Chance. Of course, I let them pet him, but one of the little girls grabbed his tail - whatever stub of a tail he has - and jerked really hard. I was so proud of him because he didn't yelp or even turn around to look at her! His nose was going a hundred miles an hour, sniffing the girl's popsicles. I think Chance didn't mind because I have messed with his little nub since I got him. It just shows how well training does effect dogs and how if they are used to something, they won't snap or even growl. I'm really going to work on that kind of stuff with Trinity because I'm sure little kids will want to jump on her back or pull her tail. I'm also going to work on touching her paws a lot and having other people touch her paws. That's something I need to work on with Chance, but Trinity is going to be different.

MY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

In August, Trinity, Chance and I will be moving to Orlando, Florida to join the Orlando House of Prayer! 

The Lord really moved on my heart during my Life in Ministry class. He really marked my heart with raising up houses of prayer to worship His name 24/7. I started asking Him around the beginning of February to fulfill that marking on my heart. I didn't put that burning desire in my heart to be in a Prayer Room for the rest of my life! That is totally the Lord and I told Him that. I told Him this wasn't my dream until He put it in my heart and He needed to tell me when to move, where to go and for how long. That was when my closest friends here at IHOP - Martin and Kellie - told me that they were moving to Orlando to join the house of prayer there. Something started burning in my heart and I knew soon after that I would be moving down to Florida. 

Martin and Kellie

Sampson with his ear over Delilah 

I met Martin and Kellie this fall playing powder-puff (women's football). Martin was my coach and his wife, Kellie, was the team captain. We bonded quickly and they became my spiritual mentors and best friends. We're still working on the planning, but I may end up living with them and their two dogs, Sampson and Delilah. Martin and Kellie are still figuring out their positions in OHOP, but they are called to this ministry just like I am. I am truly blessed to have my best friends moving down to Florida with me. God knows my heart really well! He knew I would need someone to help me with this journey and He chose the two perfect people! 

The housing situation is really funny! We have been trying to find a house that will allow four dogs, with two of them being Great Danes. (Sampson is a two year old, black Great Dane. Such a handsome stud! We are planning to breed Sampson and Trinity in a couple of years, if everything works out. That is a long time from now.) We've been searching and searching for a place that will allow Danes, a boxer and a Cocker Spaniel. It's been difficult, but we found a potential place in Winter Garden, Florida. It's about fifteen minutes away from OHOP. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we're hoping the Lord keeps this place open for us because, believe it or not, they will allow four dogs! We're completely trusting the Lord with housing, but I really hope I can share a house with my best friends and their mutts! I'm sure I will get many blog posts from our adventures living in a house with four dogs. 

I am in the process of trying to sell some of my things and figuring out how to get back to Ohio. I'm going to be going back home for the summer to work three jobs and connect with my family. It's going to be a fun summer! I have a family trip planned to go to the beach - Topsail Island, North Carolina - in June and then I will be heading up to Cedar Point sometime in July for a five day trip. Cedar Point is probably my favorite place in the whole world! I'm excited to go spend time with my two brothers and watch my two cousins. I'm also looking forward to laughing with my favorite - and only - sister ever, Kaitlyn! I'll have to make a post about my family members soon! 

Until then, Blessings!