Guatemala 2014 Photo Book

So, I FINALLY got around to compiling all of our photos (and some of our teammates') from our mission trip to Guatemala last July into a photo book! Shutterfly was having a one-day free photo book sale, so I told myself it had to get done today :)

The people in Chancò are incredible. They are kind, welcoming, hospitable, loving, generous and beautiful. And the children are absolutely adorable - and just as kind! We had the time of our lives, and loved getting to share Jesus with them. We most definitely hope to return!

Enjoy!
C + D

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2014 Round-Up

Surprise! I have blogged a total of TWO times this year. OOPS! I smell a resolution for 2015... But, ending the year didn't feel right without taking a moment to reflect on all that 2014 gave us with our annual Round-Up post! This one will have lots of pictures and might be pretty long - I have a lot of catching up to do!

2014 HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR!

(So great, in fact, that many of these categories have runners-up!)

Our Biggest Accomplishment: House Renovations!

So far, we've redone the kitchen cabinets and countertops, bought new appliances, removed carpet from almost the whole house, put hardwood in most of the house, stained and refinished the concrete floor in one room, and painted the main parts of the house (including trim and doors - which is very time consuming!) We still have miles to go, but we've loved making our house a home.

 

Not the greatest pictures, but you get the idea - they were dark
brown with beige countertops and brass fixtures before!

 

Also, our appliances were mix-matched - so
we finally got all matching stainless!

David hard at work on the floors. Carpet glue is no fun!

Before we put the wood down, we wrote scripture
blessings all throughout on the foundation! 

Preview of the gorgeous dark wood flooring!

New floors! And new blinds courtesy of my parents!

We think Moses likes it in here :)

Runner Up for biggest accomplishment was David starting his own company! He worked so so hard this year (outside of his full time job) - so that we were able to do these renovations... and even upgrade my ride ;)

Our Biggest Frustration: The Blue Jeep 

(She's healed and moved on now though, lol!)

It seems like so long ago now, but in the beginning of the year, we were STILL battling Holt Transmission to get my jeep running right! Finally after countless trips back and forth - and countless days driving David's truck to work - We decided it was time to bid her adieu, and upgrade! So in May, we welcomed this beauty to the family!

We did finally get the Blue Jeep up and running smoothly again - and were able to sell it to David's sister Rebecca. This way, if it has any future problems (which it shouldn't...) at least David can still help her out - it is under warranty for another 2 years!

Our Biggest Adventure: Guatemala 

In July - thanks to God many of our friends and family - we were able to go on a mission trip to Guatemala! This really deserves it's own post...but I'll sum it up in pictures below. We made friendships despite language barriers, spread the Gospel, and even had time for sightseeing in Antigua! It was a trip we'll both remember for a lifetime. (Hoping to post more about this in the future... though I'm already 6 months late!)

SO thankful to experience this together!

Afternoon siesta time :)

Precious Village boys. The one on the left drew David a
picture and gave it to him on the last day.

Always the goofball. 

The Whole Gang

Anderson was our adopted sibling for the week!

David and Tony our driver - these two formed such a great
friendship during the week. Two peas in a pod!

Runner Up for greatest adventure: Courtney's trip to NYC with Kristen! It was certainly an adventure - two southern sisters tackling the Big Apple in 2 1/2 days! But boy, did we do it all! Our favorite show, FRIENDS, set up a temporary Central Perk for it's 20th anniversary - so of course, on a total whim, (and thanks to two wonderful husbands for letting us go!) we packed up and flew out! We saw Central Perk, Central Park, Times Square, Bloomingdales, Rockefeller Center, Little Italy (with Cannoli's!), 9/11 Memorial and Museum (GO see that!), NY Public Library, Tiffany's, FAO Schwarz, The Met, Cinderella on Broadway, got a Cosmopolitan, and even tackled the subways and a tiny hotel in Queens! We totally earned our street cred - no chaperones! :) 

Caroline couldn't come - so we brought her a little blue box!

THE Orange Couch - Just call us Rachel and Monica :)

A little rain couldn't stop us!

These are just a few pics from the trip - for a whole bunch more, click here!

Other great adventures included: Hilton Head for Valentine's Day, Columbia to see Kari Jobe and Rend Collective in concert; Cape Coral, Florida for Thanksgiving; Clemson for a football game; and Spartanburg for Kerri & Aaron's Wedding!

Now, onto the 2014 lists...no real pictures go with these :)

Our Favorite Restaurants: 

They're all tied for first!

Sesame for Burgers, Miyabi Sushi Bar, Moe's, and The Shelter for Sunday Brunch

Our Favorite Music: 

We both love Elevation Worship!

David: Mumford and Sons, Lumineers, Rend Collective, Citizens

Courtney: Kari Jobe, All Sons and Daughters, Frozen Soundtrack

Our Favorite Books Read: 

David: The Tombs, Clive Cussler

Courtney: Return to Tradd Street, Karen White (Runner Up: Beautiful Ruins, Jess Walter)

Our Favorite TV Shows: 

We both LOVE Family Feud!! And Grey's Anatomy on Netflix!

David: The Walking Dead (Runners Up: Impractical Jokers and Prospectors)

Courtney: Tie between Friends and Revenge (Runners Up: Nashville, Hart of Dixie, Gossip Girl on Netflix)

Our Favorite Hobbies: 

David: Learning more on Electric Guitar, Blacksmithing, and still camping, even though we didn't go once this year!

Courtney: Hand Lettering, Painting, and crafting of any kind!

On the Calendar for 2015? 

Cruisin' the Pacific Coast Highway in June! 

More details to come as we begin to plan - suggestions welcome!

That about sums up our year!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and will have a very Happy New Year!!!

With Love & Blessings, 

C+D

We're going to Guatemala!

Hello Dear Friends & Family!

As you may or may not know, David and I will be traveling to Guatemala in July. We will be going with a group of about 8 others from our church, led by Kristen & David Patrick (It's a family affair, y'all!). 

David has been on a few international mission trips before, and said that they were lifechanging experiences for him. He has traveled to Panama once and Nicaragua twice. Courtney has never been out of the country on missions, but has participated in several trips stateside, which have also been incredible. Since going on those trips in the past, both of us have had the itch to go back. 

We've known our church goes on several trips a year, and the desire to go was always in our minds. We have just been waiting on the "Go" from the Lord, trusting that He would tell us when He wanted us to go. It was actually a very quick decision! David and I both just thought one day, "The July trip. That's the one". Since making the decision, God has perfectly aligned everything for us to go on this trip.  David had to renew his passport, and it came in earlier than expected. We both got approved for the full week off work... paid! He has already begun to reveal himself to us - and we haven't left U.S. Soil yet! We feel so blessed to be called into the global mission field. We can't wait to get outside of our "home" and spread the good news of Jesus Christ! 

We will be serving a small, unreached people group called the Chorti, in a tiny mountain village named Chanco, high in the Mountains of Guatemala. We don't know the specifics of what exactly we will be doing yet, but we're trusting the Lord. Another team from our church is actually returning from the same village soon before we go, so we look forward to getting some more direction, suggestion, and guidance from them.

Here's where we need YOU! Will you prayerfully support us? Please know, that our number one request is prayer. To cover us and our team in prayer as we travel and serve - that God will protect us and bless our efforts as we minister; and to cover the Chorti people in prayer - to have open ears, eyes, minds, and hearts to the grace and glory of the Gospel. We serve a BIG God who LOVES hearing from His Children - so please pray for us!

Our other need is financial... Any trip out of the country is costly, so we are asking our family and friends to consider helping us out a little! Would you consider making a small donation to help fund our trip? A donation of any size will help! You can donate online by clicking the "Give Now" button at the top right of this page, or you can mail checks to First Baptist Church Mt. Pleasant, 681 McCants Drive, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 and include "David & Courtney Irvin - Guatemala" in the memo line. Either way you would like to donate is great with us - we try to make it easy. 

We are so grateful for our huge support system of family and friends! We thank you sincerely in advance for your prayers, your donations, and your love. 

With faith & gratitude,

David & Courtney

Innovative Climate Control

(Warning: Proud Wife Blog coming up!)

I'd like to take a minute to introduce you all to:

David is now a fully licensed HVAC Business Owner! 

In the past month, he's become a one-man band doing full service Residential HVAC work. It's already been such a blessing to us! By word-of-mouth alone, he's already got a full plate and is keeping himself very busy. I'm so proud of him for really going for it, and pursuing something he's so passionate about. He's still working full time for Carolina Chillers, doing commercial HVAC, but this way, he still gets to do residential work as well.  We're excited for this new adventure!

So, keep him in mind when you need any Heating & Air Conditioning work done!

You can contact him at (843) 864-4908 or innovativeclimatecontrol@gmail.com. You can also check him out here! 

2013 Round-Up

2013 HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR!

Our Biggest Accomplishment: Becoming Homeowners!

We bought our first home back in October. It was definitely a lot of work...and I think several trees were killed in the process (SO much paperwork!). We are now beginning the long road to renovating & updating. Will try to be better about blogging and posting before and after shots as we go! 

(...thanks, Google Maps...)

Our Biggest Change: Church Switching

Earlier this year I blogged about leaving LifePark and heading back over to FBC Mt. Pleasant. It has been a huge adjustment, but we are happy, growing spiritually, worshipping more than ever and definitely feel confident that the Lord has us where He wants us. We still miss our LP family though!!

"The Foundation" - Our LifeGroup at FBC!

Our Biggest Adventure: Jamaica!

We went on several little trips this year - Myrtle Beach, Columbia, etc. as usual, but our one big trip was our Honeymoon/First Anniversary week in Jamaica! It was the vacation of a lifetime - we climbed a waterfall, snorkeled, danced, ate great food, enjoyed fun drinks, visited Negril, shopped, and most of all relaxed and enjoyed quality time together!! It was everything we hoped it would be!

Sunset over the water, Rick's Cafe, Negril

Our Biggest Frustration: Holt Transmission

I probably shouldn't state their name on here, as they still have not fixed the problem we took to them a MONTH ago. Seriously, I have not had a car for the whole month of December. We took it in with transmission problems and they said they needed to rebuild the transmission, which would take about 3 days. You'd think, by the name of their company, they know how to do that (You had one job....). Don't let the name fool you, they have no idea what they're doing. Bonus, they'll break your AC for you while they're at it!

I do have it now, although it needs to go back for a third time, but I'm just being stubborn and refusing to give it back just quite yet. It's ok that is shakes while in reverse, and sometimes cuts off, right? (Kidding...I know that's bad.)

Our Favorites:

Bands: The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons

Worshipers: Kari Jobe, Rend Collective, Elevation

Restaurants: Still Miyabi Sushi Bar! And The Shelter on Coleman for Brunch

Worship Songs: Give Me Faith, Elevation Worship; Steady My Heart, Kari Jobe

TV Shows: Grey's Anatomy, Duck Dynasty, The Walking Dead (D), Hart of Dixie (C)

Book read this year: The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak (C); Caliban's War, James S.A. Corey (D)


On the calendar for 2014? 

Guatemala - July 2014
We are going on a Mission Trip (My first one out of the country!) for a week in July with our church. David's always had a love for global missions, (He's already been to Nicaragua and Panama), and I've always wanted to go out of the country (My US missions trips have been phenomenal too, though!). Pray for us in the months leading up to our trip. We're SO excited!!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family!!

C+D

Thankful Thursday 8.8

Today, I'm thankful for having a long weekend coming up! That's right - Friday AND Monday off! They won't be spent completely relaxing - gotta squeeze a little work in there tomorrow and Saturday ;)

Which leads to our next bit of thankfulness...

We're thankful for all the side work we've been getting lately (as well as our full time jobs) because we've gotten a good bit of extra income.

Which leads to our next bit of thankfulness...

We're thankful for that extra income, because we're in the early stages of maybe possibly buying our house! (Well, not our house, Aunt Sharon's house, but the one we live in). So pray for us! It's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time.

I'm also thankful for David, who knows me so well, he made and brought me "Sleepy Time" hot tea to help me sleep last night, since he knows I haven't been sleeping well. (Yes, that's shameless bragging on my hubby. I can't resist sometimes - he's just SO good to me!)

David's thankful for getting Monday off so we can relax together all day!

I'm also thankful for being on this earth for 27 years now (Well, on Sunday.)

Happy Birthday to me! :)

Peace & Blessings

C & D

Making a Switch

You all know that David and I have been very plugged in to our church, the Church at LifePark for the past few years. We've been student ministry adult leaders, worship team members, student band leaders, bible study members and I do a lot of design work for the church.

But in recent months, David and I have really been wrestling with where God wants us. We have been questioning where we can do the most good in ministry. Where we can be used best. Where we will grow the most. We've been asking and searching for a clear vision of where the Lord wants us in this season of our life. The idea of changing churches began forming. Is LifePark still the best fit? Should we go back to McCants? Or, should we search for a new church all together, maybe closer to home? Are we really open to what the Lord is asking? What is He asking?

Since then we've felt a stirring that God might want us to go back to our original campus, First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, (aka McCants) in the Old Village. So we began to pray. Unbeknownst to us, so did a few of the staff members. How COOL is it, that while we were praying about this decision, a few of the staffers were also chatting about us, and praying about us. (FYI: That's a God thing.)

After all this seeking and waiting and praying and resisting and accepting and second-guessing and getting excited and questioning and committing (yes, we ran through all of those stages), our answer was clear: go back to FBC McCants Campus.

We feel the Lord leading us to be foundational in the young adult ministry that's springing up over at McCants. (Check us out on Facebook and join us!) We have been a part of a small group for a while now, and have really loved watching it grow. We also know we can bring our gifts in worship to McCants, and step in there when needed. You all know our passion is worship, and we feel God calling us to help further the worship service over there, in whatever capacity we are needed. 

We feel like we helped plant LifePark, and were a part of getting it off the ground a few years ago, and we hope we have helped to further the Kingdom out there. I have no doubt there are people waiting in the wings to fill our void. But at the end of the day, we really feel confident in our decision to commit to McCants, at this stage in our life. We feel the call, and feel confident that we're being obedient. We love LifePark, we just aren't sure it's where we're supposed to be serving in this season. After speaking with Julianna yesterday (LifePark worship leader, my role model and my buddy) I felt her blessing and a peace. Then we spoke with Chip last night (McCants Associate Pastor, another role model and friend) and felt even MORE confident in our decision. Still, it will be a major transition, and we will miss the relationships and people and environment and everything out at LP. Mainly the relationships. It makes us sad to think about not seeing all of our friends and loving on each other each week. (So pray for us in that, will you?) Although we've already formed really great relationships back at McCants, we'll still miss our LP family. 

So for the LifePark-ers who may be reading, don't worry, we'll still be around, and will definitely pop-in every once in a while. And if you miss us, we're still a phone call away! And remember, we're one church, with two campuses, so we're still the same body. LP Ladies - keep me in the loop! :)

And for the FBC McCants friends, we hope you'll be ok with seeing our faces a lot more often. We can't wait to do life with you!

Will you pray with us and for us? We're so excited for this coming season. We're excited to be on board with what God's doing in the local church!

Peace & Blessings,
C & D