The Everitt Family

No, this is not a pregnancy or adoption announcement. But it’s big news for us! After years of praying, the Lord has told us the “time is now” to begin a new adventure. The Lord has opened the door for our family to join a church plant in urban Tampa.

Beginning on February 1, we will “officially” join the Redeemer City Church plant. Kevin will partner with three other pastors and their families to form the launch team for this small plant in the city of Tampa (specifically the Channelside/Ybor City area). Kevin will serve as the Worship Pastor alongside of Mitch Kuhn, the Lead Pastor, a Creative Arts Pastor, and a Next Gen Pastor. We’re very excited to reach the inner city of Tampa. For many years Tampa struggled to maintain fruitful urban churches, but in the past years, we have a seen a movement of Christ take hold. Successful church plants have begun to take root, and we are thrilled to be a part of this wave to share Christ with the millions in Tampa.

Kevin will be re-entering the banking world in February with the Bank of Tampa. He will maintain a full time “secular” career while working with RCC in the evenings and weekends. The other three pastors will be doing the same thing. We desire to pour available resources into the church. For the next few months, we are holding launch team meetings on Saturdays and Sundays with an official launch in the later spring! We’re very close to securing our building. Please be in prayer that all of the paperwork goes through quickly!

To learn a little more about the mission and vision of RCC, visit redeemertampa.com. The website is still in development, but you can catch the vision.

We’ve listed our home with a great real estate agent and are praying for a quick sell. We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, we will be house shopping in the Tampa area (Seminole Heights/Riverside Heights areas). If you know of anyone who is looking for a wonderful home in a quiet Ruskin neighborhood, have them check out our home. It’s well-loved and maintained since it was built.

Mallory and Tabitha will remain at Seffner Christian as it will actually be a shorter commute than the 70 minute round trip commute that they take each day to and from Ruskin. So the shorter commute will be welcome!

We covet all of your prayers as we embark on this new adventure. We know the Lord is faithful to supply our needs as we make all of these transitions. It’s an amazing emotion knowing that the Lord is actively moving you to a new work. However, we are sad to leave our ministries at First Baptist Church in Ruskin. We have made great friends who we love like family. We are thankful that we’ll only be a 45 minute trip down to see them often. We love and will dearly miss the church members and especially our kids in the EDGE student ministry past and present. We love them like our own kids. Our last Sunday at FBC Ruskin is January 31.

Now onto the next adventure God has prepared for us!!!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Our Annual Christmas Update

Every year since we were married, we have sent out a Christmas card and family update letter. This year, we thought it was time embrace more technology. We've still kept the traditional touch of a Christmas card that has been sent out to our friends and family near and far through snail mail. However, instead of the traditional letter, we directed you to our family blog (which you are now reading). This way you can see our year blow by blow through our posts. :)

As you can tell, we're getting a jump on things since Thanksgiving is just days away. This year has proved to be more busy than ever. So it was time to get ahead or get left in the dust of the holiday season.

The highlights of 2013 can be seen in the 7 or 8 blog posts below. Most importantly, we officially made it official with Tabitha. She took our name, "Everitt," and according to the laws of the land, she is ours forever and ever. Even though she was ours from the moment we laid eyes on her, we have the paperwork to prove what was always true in our hearts. We continue to thank God every day for His perfectly laid plans for our lives with all the hormones, drama, taxi stops, volleyball practices, cheerleading uniforms, homework hours, youth activities, "coaching" sessions, car conversations, and night time prayers. We are officially the parents of a teenager!!!

May this Christmas season bring you love, joy, and hope with friends, family, and our Savior.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. ~Luke 2:10-12

Friday, November 1, 2013

Happy Birthday and Halloween!

We have a girl who you could consider a "Halloween baby." She was born just 7 days before this fun holiday. One year ago at this time, we had just begun our unsupervised visits with T. We weren't able to celebrate her 12th birthday on her actual birthday, but had a little time a few days later to celebrate with her. It didn't feel like we could give her all she deserved for a birthday, since we were on such tight restriction in visitation.

This year was our first big birthday bash. It was T's first big birthday of her life and her first "friends' party." She was turning 13, but it was like a first birthday. :) Instead of an actual birthDAY, she got a birth4days.

The blow by blow of her birthday:

Thursday, Oct 24-
Breakfast in bed with the "celebrate plate." (the plate our family eats on special celebration days).
Cookie cake brought to lunch for her class.
Dinner of her choice (Genghis grill.... where we took her last year for her birthday).

Friday, Oct 25-
Birthday concert with friends (Ashlynn, Cayla, Mackenzie, and Molly)
Finding Favour, Hawk Nelson, The Afters, and Building 429
Aunt JoJo, Auntie K, and Auntie Steph came, too!

Saturday, Oct 26-
Mom-Mom and Pop-pop fly in from PA to spend the weekend with her.
Shopping spree with her grandparents
Joint family birthday party with her fave cousin, Micaiah. (They are one day and one year apart)
18 people gather at Spaghetti Warehouse for a big party!

Sunday, Oct 27-
T gets to spend the entire day with Mom-mom and Pop-pop all to herself!

Once her birthday weekend ended, we ramped up for Halloween. Gigi made her a BEAUTIFUL Princess Belle costume. Hours were put into that dress to make it look perfect. She wore her mom's Homecoming Queen crown for 2001, and Mammaw found a huge crinoline to wear under the dress. She really did look like a princess. This was her first major Halloween costume!

On Wednesday, she went to our church's trunk or treat and fall festival. On Thursday, she decided that she wanted to give candy rather than receive it. So she sat in the drive way and passed out candy to all the little ones that came through the neighborhood. It was so cute to watch.

To top it all off, T made straight As on her report card!! Proud Mom/Principal moment!

November 21st will be our official first anniversary as life as a family under one roof. We're looking forward continuing our family traditions that we began building one year ago around this time. It's amazing to look back at this astounding journey. God is the Master Designer, and this was HIS perfect plan! We thank God for the prayers He answered in unconventional ways.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, and this Sunday is "Orphan Sunday". Learn about ways you can be a part of caring for orphans even if you can not physically adopt or foster a child. www.orphansunday.org.