Our pretty crib!

I'm so excited! We finally got our crib in the nursey. Now we are ready for Karis!

HCA shower!

These are my two co-workers who threw me a wonderful shower at my work. We played fun games, had yummy food (including a chocolate fountain :), and I got some really great gifts! Thanks so much Heritage Children's Academy!

My first shower

Here's a pic of Mark and I at our first shower. We were incredibly blessed by our friends' and family's generosity and love. Mark kept us entertained as he kept opening baby things that he didn't know what to do with :) Isn't Karis getting big? its so exciting.

So fun to be an uncle!

We got this awesome Domino truck for Jack, our nephew, for Christmas. He loved it, but I actually think Mark and his brothers enjoyed it more. :)

Christmas 06

Christmas update 06

Dear Friends and Family:

Merry Christmas! Its hard to believe another year has flown by. This year has been difficult at times, but very exciting and rewarding. We are eager to share what we have learned and how God has blessed us this year.

This past semester was undoubtedly the most challenging for Mark academically, as he really dove into the Greek and Bible classes. He took Greek Exegesis classes in both Philippians and Colossians, as well as a class in Methods of Biblical Interpretation. Although these classes truly stretched him, they were incredibly beneficial and he feels much more prepared to minister God’s Word to others. Mark is looking forward to learning more as he takes a full load next semester as well. Meagan took a class on the Ministry of Christian Education to Children, which she greatly enjoyed and looks forward to putting into practice.

Last February, we began attending Messiah Baptist Church, a wonderful church where we have really been able to get involved. Meagan has been playing the keyboard on Sunday mornings and Mark as been given the opportunity to preach several times. We are very excited about this church because we feel like we are given much opportunity to learn the Bible and grow in various ways of ministering to others. We also really love the people in the church who are so willing to share their lives with us.

Although we enjoyed living in our duplex, in July, God made it possible for us to buy a nice little house! It feels like we are out in the country, but it is only about 15 minutes away from school. We are truly enjoying the beautiful area, as well as the much-needed extra space! We even found two little adorable kittens to adopt and have really enjoyed their company.

One of the reasons that we desired a little extra space was because we were praying for God to bless us with a baby. And He did!!!!!!!! Meagan is now about half-way through her pregnancy. We are so excited to share that sometime next May we will have a beautiful baby girl! We know that this will change our lives completely and we covet your prayers and advice as we begin this new stage of life.

Mark has continued to work at UPS part-time. He is excited to be a supervisor now because he feels like he can minister to the guys more easily and get to know them better. It is still grueling work, but we are grateful that God has blessed him there and given him favor. Meagan is still working at the Children’s Academy and she has really grown to love the children there. She will continue to work there as long as she is able. Although she loves her job, Meagan is really excited about stopping once the baby is born and fulfilling her full-time job as wife and mother!

As the new year begins, please feel free to e-mail, call, or write us to let us know how you are doing and how we can pray for you. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for us next year.

Love,

Mark, Meagan, and “Baby” DeLong

Mark's Study Buddies!

I know its hard to believe, but this is how Mark spent most of his time studying for his Greek Vocab exam -- with both cats curled up on him. The kitties love exam time because Mark is actually still long enough at his desk for them to snuggle up to him.

Practicing for baby :)

I bought some of those "sling rings" so I could make slings to carry my baby around in. So I tried it out with my snuggly kitty, who is really a big baby himself:)

Baby "D"

On our 2nd anniversary, we had our first ultrasound done and saw our baby! I cried when I saw the heart beating. It was absolutely amazing. I think I still found it hard to believe I was pregnant and there was really a baby inside until I saw that heartbeat.

Telling Mom :)

This picture perfectly depicts my Mom when we told her I was pregnant. She raised her fists in the air and yelled "YES! YES! YES!" We were both teary-eyed because we were so happy.

There's a reason for the big smile!!!!

We just found out that we are pregnant!! Yippeee!!! In May we are going to be brand new parents. We can't wait!!!!!

Pretty Little "Sheba"

Our New Kitties!!!!

I am soooo excited! Mark agreed to let me have a kitten -- then, when we went to pick one out, we just had to get both of them because they were so cute and sweet. The black one is a boy, the runt of the litter, so we call him "Squirt." The white one is his sister and she takes care of him. We call her "Sheba" because she is so pretty. I love my new kitties!

Cute little "Squirt"

In shock :)

Mom and Dad are in shock because my brother and his wife just told them that they are pregnant! Sometime at the beginning of April Mark and I will be an aunt and uncle!

Our new house!

Although we enjoyed living on campus, we are so excited that God has allowed us to buy a house! Now we have room for family and friends to come visit us here in NC and room for a baby if God blesses us in that way. We are so excited to have our own place!

Mother's Day 2006

Gavin and Casey's Wedding!

We had so much fun watching our friends, Gavin and Casey, get married! It was absolutely beautiful and we are so excited for them! We also enjoyed seeing our friends, Mary and Samy whil at the wedding and reception.

 
 
 
 

Surprise!

Mark stayed up after work to make me my favorite birthday cake! I woke up to find it sitting on the table so I had delicious strawberry cake for breakfast! My husband is full of surprising talents :)

A piano!

Ever since we moved to seminary and had to give up my old piano, Mark has been trying to find me one we can afford to buy. We finally found this one and it is so much nicer than the one I had before! God has truly blessed us!

Christmas 05

end of semester update -- Christmas 05

Dear Friends and Family:

Greetings! We’ve now been living at school for nearly 6 months and although we miss our mountains, we are still enjoying the quaint, but rapidly growing town. Our move in July was smooth and painless thanks to the help and support of our friends, family, and church.

The purpose for leaving our beloved hometown, family, and friends was to pursue further biblical training for our lives and the ministry opportunities God gives us.

We’ve been blessed immensely through our involvement with a church family here in our new area. We’ve been truly challenged by their commitment to the Bible and the family. Mark has enjoyed meeting with the men and boys to prepare the “preacher” for the Sunday message and Meagan has enjoyed getting to know the women of the church.

Our new neighborhood of school families has also been a blessing to us. It has been wonderful to live so close to other families who have similar goals in mind. We’ve also enjoyed seeing all the kids running around in our backyards. It truly is a neighborhood where we feel safe, which is nice since Mark has been working during the night.

We are thrilled to have a semester under our belts! Meagan took a full-time load of classes and even really enjoyed Greek :) She also took a class on Equipping the Wife of the Minister, which was very insightful. Mark took classes in Ethics, Greek, and Church History and thoroughly enjoyed his professors and their academic challenges. He found them to be very practical for developing devotion to the Lord and personal ministry skills. We especially enjoyed taking a class on Biblical Counseling together. It truly impacted our view of the Scriptures power and practicality for everyday life.

Meagan has been working at a Children’s Academy. It is an affluent daycare/school for infants through 5th graders. She has enjoyed the experience with the babies (yet wishing they were home with their mothers) and co-teaching the pre-K class of 18 kids. Her hands have been full as she attempted to share God’s love and compassion in a non-Christian environment.

Mark, on the other hand, has not been training kids, but tossing boxes (gently placing). He has been working the third-shift at UPS. It has been a fun way to be challenged and apply the Scriptures to his everyday life (i.e. – stress, work ethic, anger :), and love). He enjoys the challenge of being a light for Christ both in word and deed to his fellow employees. God has given him many opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers.

We are really excited to see what God has in store for us next semester! We are taking a Marriage and Family class together, as well as Greek. Meagan has decided that two classes are enough so that she will have more time to do housework, laundry, and cooking :) Mark will also be taking the second part of Church History and Theology.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little update on what we’ve been doing since we moved and would love to hear from all of you and find out what has been going on in your lives. We miss our friends and family, but are excited to be in this place where we are learning so much.

Our Little Christmas Tree :)

Some wedding pics

A day that I will always treasure!

Our First Anniversary