life update.

woah, where has the time gone?

we got back to tuscaloosa about 2 weeks ago, but it feels like we have been back 10 minutes. so much has gone on in these days. 

we are still blessed to be living in our friend catherine's house this summer as we explore options for the fall. unfortunately things aren't looking too good. lots of options were either destroyed by the tornado or are already occupied by other tornado victims. still trusting God for His perfect option. we are checking into the possibility of buying a home, which kind of freaks me out. i wish this was as easy as HGTV makes it look...

we are deeply thankful and in awe of everyones generosity to us. we have been praying for replacement vehicles and are blown away by how quickly He answers those prayers. we are now the proud owners of two SUVs....the families who gave them to us will never know how much of a blessing those cars are.

our employer, Campus Crusade for Christ, established a disaster assistance fund to help replace our possessions, help towards housing needs and cover our expenses before insurance money comes in. we deeply appreciate all who have donated to us in that way. we have been so blessed by the donations received through this fund and thankful for anyone who feels lead to give through the fund.

throughout the post-storm recovery, justin and i have clung to Romans 8:28. 

"and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose"

God has a plan and a purpose for this storm and we are glad to be a part of Him working in tuscaloosa and the community. 

for those who haven't seen our Fox news interview, here is a link.

what i'm reading...

some friends recommended this book to me. 

"same kind of different as me"

by: ron hall & denver moore

I had high hopes for this book and they hit all of them. It is based on a true story [aren't those always the best] and tells the story of Denver & Ron as their stories intersect and lives are changed. 

I won't spill too many details, but it will have you in tears. It is such a heart touching story, one that I won't forget.

The last line of the book rung true to me...

"The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or something in between, this earth ain't no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless-just working our way toward home."

june 4th.

this weekend justin and i went back to our neighborhood for the first time since we moved everything out of our town house.
it has been almost 40 days since the tornado. i am blown away by how our city has responded and already made a huge comeback.

it was an emotional morning as we drove the streets we walked so often. the tree lined streets are now crowded with debris and rubble.

it was eerie as we pulled up to our townhouse to see something so familiar but not the same as we remember it being. the massive trees that were in front of our home have been cut down, therefore it was extremely hot as we walked around our house.

someone tarped our house and boarded it up. it appeared as if our house was caving in much more than when we left it, yet other than that it was all the same. we peeked behind the wood in the back and our house smelled like mildew [might be one of the worst smells i have ever smelled]

while it was tough to go back and see our town house, it was good to remind us of God's providence. He is good and has a purpose even in tough things like a tornado. i feel like we both have a much better sense of closure.

greek summit 2011

we love our job. 

this may we spent few weeks with 80 fraternity/sorority students from around the nation to help them walk with the Lord and learn how to be a light for Him in their Greek house.

cosmic bowling.

justin & christian.

blue family group.

kailey, me and lissa handley.

alabama students at greek summit.

Greek Summit is packed with lots of teaching and training in the morning. In the afternoon students usually hang out on the beach and experience genuine Christian community. At nights we have fun things planned ranging from Bible study to bowling. 

So thankful for this trip to help take our minds off what was going on back in Tuscaloosa. 

We were so blessed to serve on this summer project. Many students started walking with the Lord during this project and it was so encouraging to hear them share their testimonies with each other of what God is doing in their life.

little update on life

Here is an email we sent with more information about what is going on with us in these days since the tornado. I appreciate your love, comments and prayers for us! 

Dear Family & Friends, 

We wanted to take a brief minute to update everyone at once. We have tried to return the many forms of media contact everyone has lovingly touched base with us, but we know we are deficient at best. For those of you on our support team a more thorough prayer letter should be arriving to your home soon.

As most of you know it’s been a long six weeks with the tornado destroying our home, most possessions and both cars on April 27th in Tuscaloosa. We are still in awe of God, that we would be spared as we cramped into the downstairs bathroom as the tornado tore apart our home. Alana and I trust God more than ever. He is more than worthy to be loved, worshipped and trusted even in difficult times. We have clung to:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 

-Romans 8:28 

We had been praying before the tornado that we would suffer hard things in our life, so that we would know Christ further through the suffering, build deeper character and be of more use to God in ability to serve & lead others. We just didn't the hard things would come so suddenly, but yet we rejoice. 

We have just returned to Tuscaloosa from Greek Summit Mission Project (we did what we could to recover and serve the 2 weeks after the tornado until it was bulldozer time, then left for mission assignment) and are now trying to put the rest of our life back together. We are working hard with insurance, finances, planning, cleaning and organizing. We are so blessed to be living in a student's house for the summer. She graduated in May and her house was going to be vacant...what a provision!

Last week a couple on our support team donated a car to us! We are so thankful for this! We are working on finding a second vehicle and a home starting in August when our temporary situation ends. Thank you for the overflow of love, prayers, support, gift cards, gifts to the special fund for us and everything else. The response towards us has been overwhelming and is deeply appreciated.

Prayer Requests:

•We would continue to be a light even in these tough circumstances.

•Guidance and provision for a second car. 

•A suitable housing situation in Tuscaloosa for the fall, an affordable option for a couple like us in a rough current market. 

•For the students who attended Greek Summit!

Justin and Alana Karl