• The Change in Job:  I went from being on the hot seat for the manager's position at OfficeMax to being asked to become the Youth & Education pastor at a church in Harrisonville (Antioch SBC).  This happened in August with the official changeover occurring the first of September. As a result of this, Tonya resigned from Children's Place and is working as a teacher for a church-run day care program. 
• The Move to Facebook:  I must admit, I had never really done much of anything on any social sites.  But, the youth group had such a site through Facebook so I created a fresh site and have very busy keeping it up and running.  I have found Facebook to be a very useful tool in keeping track of students (and even some parents and adults in the church) and their friends.  It makes it easy to advertise events and study sessions, too, with a click of a mouse.  At last look my "friends" count was over 250.
• Getting back in the Swing of Ministry:  Antioch is such a unique ministry for our entire family.  The uniqueness of the makeup and purpose of this church places it at the top in strong potential for success.  Coming from previous experiences where each and every Sunday, Wednesday, and whatever other day you could get, was maxed out - making nearly each day a struggle for balance and sanity.  Under the leadership of Pastor Ernie and the Elders (that's another plus), Antioch's pursuit of purpose and simplicity is preventing it from strangling the life out of the young families that populate the church family.  The emphasis on family has led Antioch to only have Sunday School and morning worship on Sunday's - leaving the remaining day for families to regenerate for a new week.  This is a much welcomed change from previous experiences.  Our Wednesday evening programs is the only other structured time for continued Christian education. 
  This time is so strong that it nearly reaches the same strength in numbers as seen on Sunday's.  The biggest difference is the use of home-based small groups during the Wednesday evening offerings.  While the adults are in their small groups, the kids are enjoying Mission Friends, TeamKID and PULSE (Youth) at the church facilities.

Overall the last (nearly) seven months have been a breath of fresh air for us all.  It has been nearly three years since stepping out of youth ministry and the time away has given a rejuvenation needed to hope right back in to the saddle.  Hopefully I will be a little more focused so I can continue to drop some notes here for everyone to see how things are going in our family...maybe :)

You hear it on the tv or radio about people hitting deer with their cars.  I’ve even heard the bad stories of people getting seriously injured.  Well, minus the injury, Tonya did just that last night.  She hit a deer on her way back from Blue Springs last night.  I will add pics and more details a little later…..

Here is the link to the pictures of the van.. Sorry, no pics of the deer.

I could say "we're settled in," but it really all Tonya.  She has done an AWESOME job getting the house together.  Though I've painstakingly helped with the painting, she's done the vast portion of making the house livable.  She loves the hardwood floors in both the living room and master bedroom.  Things should calm down a little for me to take some pictures and video to post next week. 

With the pending move, there will be about an weeks break from the blogging until we can get all settled in.  Tonya and the kids will be going down to Harrisonville tomorrow (Saturday) to put the finishing touches on the painting and such.  We are still not for sure, but we may just sleep over (we have an air mattress and sleeping bags) so we can as much as we can done before Monday.  I will probably just come down after I get off work on Saturday.

The final touches have been done for the kids and their schools.  Austin had his records received yesterday and we got his schedule today.  They didn't appear to have all the info on Thursday evening (meet-the-teacher night) so that worried Tonya.  Now, that is all done!

As the day approaches, I am getting more and more excited about moving and being on staff at Antioch.  The opportunities are endless and there is much anticipation for the blessings that are ahead.  I can't begin to tell you just how excited Tonya is about this.  Even the issue with the pain has not squelched her enthusiasm.

Right now the house is in a mess with boxes everywhere, but that will soon change.  Our home Internet service won't be up and running until the 8th, so don't expect too much until then.  I will be checking my email and you can either send us a note vial US Mail or call us on our cell phones.

She will be undergoing some tests (Sonogram & Mammogram) today (Thursday).  The CT is concerning some abdomen pains she's been having.  They think it may be related to a hernia surgery she had a little while back.  Maybe the mesh has come loose.  Not for sure on that.  But, the pain is bad enough for her to complain.  Look, she has given birth to four kids with no meds, so it this hurts it must really hurt.  The mammogram is in response to some pain and a later lump she noticed about a week or so ago. 

Her tests begin at 9 am.

UPDATE:  The mammogram came back negative.  Still waiting on the Sonogram results.

It was a busy Tuesday for the whole family.  It all started with Tonya having a

The kids were all enrolled at their schools as well.  Each of the older kids has their own school.  Alexis

will be attending Harrisonville Elementary, Alan-Michael will be attending McEowen Elementary, and Austin will be attending Harrisonville Middle School.  It tool us nearly two hours to drive to each school and fill out all the paperwork.  Tonya will be taking the kids back down on Thursday so they can participate in the "Meet the teacher" event.  The schools just went through some major renovations this summer.  You can view some of the pictures by clicking here.

The biggest item was signing the lease on the house.  That is done and Tonya will be picking up the keys on Wednesday.  She will be doing some measuring as we get ready to purchase a stove for the house.  The hardwood floors will be refinished Thursday and Friday, so we will not be able to do any painting or wallpaper until Saturday.  Tonya and her parents will be at the house Saturday to work on the painting and such. 

Our moving date has been set.  Though it is a holiday, Monday, September 1st will be the day!  I believe we have some volunteers from the church coming up to help out.  The Litle's have been gracious to provide lunch for us and the moving crew on Monday.  I am sure we will all have big appetites.

Tonya went back on Saturday for a planning day at the house and had Alan-Michael take some pictures of the house.  Also, there are a couple of pictures of the city pool located about two or so blocks from the house.  Take a look at the photo album for more details.

Another cool tool was found!  Google Earth has a 3D tool that you can use to and you can record multiple locations and play it back as an animation.  Well, I figured it would be cool to try it out.  Now you can take a quick tour of Harrisonville to include where our house, the church and the schools the kids will be attending.  Later, I may do one to include other interesting locations within the town.  ENJOY!

Well, I have a web cam, so why not use it.  I had been thinking about this, but after the Chapmen loss I started thinking more seriously.  Now with the move I figured "Why not?!"

It was finalized this morning!!  The Royal family will be moving to Harrisonville, Missouri at the end of the month.  An official offer was made and accepted for Mike to be brought on staff at Antioch Southern Baptist Church as Minister of Youth & Education.  Mike's official start date will be September 7th.

God has been steadily at work in this whole process.  We are so excited about this ministry opportunity to be a part of Antioch and the city of Harrisonville.  We already have a place to live.  It was awesome!  It only took us a day to find this great house just blocks away from the city park and the high school and less than 2 miles from the church and schools for the kids.  Right now, you can still contact using our cell phone numbers, current email and the address provided below.  We will update the contact information with new home numbers later.

Pray for the kids and us during this time of transition.  Our kids have started school already in the Fort Osage School District, but the Harrisonville School District doesn't start until September 2nd for middle school and younger.  Tonya will be enrolling the kids on Tuesday, the same day we sign the papers on the house and Tonya interviews for an awesome opportunity with a local Christian day-care.

Keep posted here to find out the big news coming soon.  Some may have received an email alert, but will be delaying any blog/site postings until all things are finalized.

The kids are off to school today!!  Austin starts 7th grade today (I hear the gray hairs screeming!!!) while Alan-Michael starts the 4th and Alexis starts the 2nd.  The house will somewhat silent - again.

TONYA:  She has a job offering contingent on Mike's job situation.

MIKE:  Has been called back (along with one other gentleman) for a second interview with a local church.  This will occur on Sunday, August 17th at 5 PM.

PLEASE PRAY FOR/WITH US!  We want to be IN HIS will.

TONYA:  Still waiting to hear back from the City of Blue Springs, but Tonya is not holding her breathe.  We got a letter the other day from them showing that they had completed a background/credit check and that gave us a little hope.  But, Tonya noticed that the position had be re-posted so now we don't know what to think.  UPDATE:  Tonya will be staying with The Children's Place for a while.  She did not receive an offer from the City of Blue Springs.

MIKE:  I had an initial interview with a church close to home for a full-time youth/education position.  It was an enjoyable time but I have some concern that the sticking point might be their ability to provide an adequate financial package.  They have already interviewed two other candidates and now the wait continues. 

At work, there is the potential of a promotion for me.  It's kind of hush hush and probably will not be made public probably until next weeks corporate visits are complete.  right now nothing is for sure, but the possibility is strong.  It would be a big move for me on the retail side, but my strong preference would be on staff at a church rather than retail.

THE KIDS:  The Fort Osage School District begins classes on August 19th.  That is less than a week away before the three oldest start school!!  Austin begins his trek into adolescence when he starts 7th grade.  Alan-Michael will start 4th grade and Alexis the 2nd grade.  Now, if we can just get Alayna into Pre-K....  The biggest change will be Austin's involvement in the youth group and church now.  It's hard to imagine my oldest is going in the youth group.  Where has all this time gone?   This is a reason why being a full-time student minister on staff at a church is my biggest desire.  I want to be involved in this part of Austin's life.  Maybe this potential change in retail will allow more flexibility, but it doesn't compare to student ministry.

Well, everyone is still healthy.  Alayna is growing so much.  She is completely potty trained (an accident occasionally) and we are rejoicing!! 

Well, it was quite a big weekend for us.  We were planning a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks for a fun weekend, but issues with work schedules for a couple of the family (including me) kept us in town.  So Friday and part of Saturday we spent time at Bass Pro Shop.  We were going to a fun park on Saturday morning, but rain washed out those plans.  Sunday was the biggest.  It started out with Alexis getting baptized.  Tonya's side of the family was present including one cousin and her husband.  It was cool.  Afterwards we went back to the fun park for our reserved time from Saturday.  I may have some pictures from the fun park later, but I do have a few from the baptism.

The church presented Alexis with a certificate and a Bible at the end of the service.

Mom and Dad made the trip from Louisiana this week to spend time with us.  Tuesday,  we took some time to visit Dad's favorite place - Bass Pro Shop.  They built one close to us at I70 & I470/291 and we had never been.  So we took the opportunity to visit.  Dad was impressed.  Every time he comes this way, he stops by the original store in Springfield and he says this one top any he has seen thus far.  Alayna was with us and she enjoyed the fudge and boats.  Here are a couple of pics from our day.

Well, you know about the email from that one church.  I did send out to a couple of other churches, one of them in this state.  Also, this coming Thursday is when I will find out about my job status at OfficeMax.  I am sure I will have a job, it just a matter of whether I stay at my current store or if I will be relocated to a store closer to home.

Tonya, though, had some potentially good news show up the other day.  She had applied for an Assistant Manger position with Build-a-Bear at the mall a month or so ago.  The interviews went well, but they felt they could not give her the hours she was looking for.  Well, both the manager and district manager came into the store and offered her a full-time job at one of their stores in north Kansas City - in the Zona Rosa shopping center.  It would be about a 35-40 minute drive for her.  She has delayed her decision until we find out about any changes in my job.

UPDATE:  Mike gets to keep his job.  The new title and some newer responsibilities begin June 29.

Well, I lost my "office" downstairs to Alan-Michael.  With the room adjacent to the boy's room, we converted it into a room for Alan-Michael.  I will add some pictures later, but his room has the hint of a military theme.  We've been talking about this for a week or so and he was so excited at the thought of having his own room. 

Austin, now going into the 7th grade, has his own room with - you guessed it - a sports theme.  Tonya and he went and bought some frames so he could put some of his sports pictures and cards on the wall.  He is also the recipient of the computer desk and computer - more of a studious look :). 

The girls were not left out of this whole makeover day.  They had an armoire put in their room with a TV/DVD player.  Now Alayna can watch Dora anytime she wants.

I will update this entry a little later with pictures or video - not for sure which one I will do.

I received an email from the pastor of the church with which I interview several weeks ago.  The search committee is continuing on with another candidate, but my resume will be held over due to level of interest should they need to reconsider candidates.  I sent my resume out to several additional churches in Missouri and Kentucky prior to this email arriving.

We continue to seek God's direction for our family.  With both of us working retail, we desperately want to have one of us in a job that is more family friendly - allowing at least one of us to be available for the kids without worry about work.  My heart is still focused on finding a church to settle in and minister at.  I know the workplace can be a place of ministry, but right now both Tonya and I cannot continue for much longer in our roles as management in retail stores.  We know the freedom that comes with being on staff in a loving church.  We wish to have that again.

In this time or initial rejection, we ask your prayers for us that we do not become bitter or angry toward God.  Instead, we want to become more open to His direction.  More sensitive to His still small voice.  More pliable to His will.

Now, if any of you know of a loving church looking for an older youth/recreation minister, please feel free to download my resume and forward it to them.  If you do, drop me a note and let me know.

Mike's Resume