the milillo fam

ordination or bust!

2011-07-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, tonight was a huge night in the life of the Milillo Fam!

As of tonight, Steve is ORDAINED!!!!!!

I must admit that I teared up during Steve's ordination service when I looked around and saw rows of our family and friends that came from all over to support us, pray for us, encourage us, and celebrate with us tonight! We had people from all different areas of our ministry over the years come and love on us tonight. Steve is infectious. His love and devotion to God and his family is absolutely amazing and I was such a proud wife to get to sit there and hear other people describe just how amazing Steve and his calling is. Wow!!!!

The Steve Milillo "Dream Team"

All of our friends and family that were able to make it tonight! Wow!!!!
(pretend you see John and Jamie Anderson...they celebrated with us yesterday! Haha they were there in spirit with us!)

Alright, my friends, it's time for this wife-of-an-ordained-pastor to get some sleep! :)

We love you all and are so very excited at what God continues to do in our family's life!

Micah 6:8,

Molly

moving on...

2011-06-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Milillo Fam is officially making the move to Dickinson over the next week or so. We found a house a couple of weeks ago and it will be ready for us on the 12th!! While we are sad to leave the friends we've made here in Galveston, we are so excited for the opportunity God opened up in D-town!

God is continuing to do some amazing things in our hearts. We are totally in love with our new church and the students that God has blessed us with! We have so many ideas swarming around our minds as to what He wants to do through us in Dickinson...we are praying for the discernment to know which are HIS plans and which are just ours. ;)

The boys are adjusting pretty well to being in the nursery/preschool three times a week (sunday morning, sunday night, wednesday night). There's no baby class on Sunday or Wednesday nights so Zeek gets to have some "KK" time with Steve's mom! They are both loving that!

Malachi has had to make the biggest adjustment. He was away from us at our Galveston church for maybe an hour each week (and sometimes Mommy or Daddy was his teacher), so being away for hours at a time a few times a week has been a little rough on him. Although,. I will say that today was the first time that he didn't cry when we dropped him off in nursery! Praise the Lord!!!

Please pray for us as Steve gets ready to leave for Super Summer (and won't get to see the boys for 8 whole days!!). Molly is trying to finish packing this week and we hope to have enough help over the weekend to get most everything moved. While painting the boys' rooms is low on the priority list, it's still important to Molly so hopefully we can figure out a way to get it all done before the boys' first night in the new house! AHH!!

So that's what we've been up to! We hope to update more frequently...but lately we've been battling packing a house, a teething baby, a cranky toddler, and a nasty tummy bug....haha.

God is God. We are not.

the milillo fam

written by malachi and zeek...

2011-05-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Well hello there! We just wanted to let you know that since Mommy and Daddy have been so busy lately, Zeek and I decided to take it upon ourselves to update the blog.

Daddy started a new job this month as the Associate Pastor (and Pastor to Students) at First Baptist Church in Dickinson. We joined the church on Sunday and I made my grand appearance while the pastor was welcoming us in front of everyone...I ran across the church, up to front where Daddy was, and jumped in his arms while mine were full of Cheetos. :)

Zeek had a good time in his baby class on Sunday. I had an ok time, but towards the end I really missed Mommy and Daddy. I know it will take time for my new teacher to understand my signs but I was still kinda frustrated. Oh well. We go back tonight for church so we'll see if I can handle it better this time.

Tonight Mommy and Daddy are going to share their faith stories to the students. Mommy feels kinda "rusty" since it's been awhile since she's spoken in front of students...but she said she's WAY overdue to!

Daddy has been super busy this week but when he gets home, it's GO TIME!! He immediately chases and wrestles me and makes Zeek giggle. We love when Daddy comes home!

Oh, and I REALLY love where his new office is...it opens up to a basketball court!!!!!! WAHOOOOO!!!!

Ok, folks, that's all we can update as of now because Mommy says it's past our nap time...

Adios!

(you didn't know I knew some Spanish, did you?!)

-Malachi (and Zeek)

split second timing...

2011-03-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

split second timing...
that's what it took to snap this shot! LOVE IT!!!
Zeek, 5 months
Malachi, 2 years

To infinity...AND BEYOND!!!

2011-03-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

"To infinity...AND BEYOND!!" is Malachi's new favorite phrase in life. He grabs his little Buzz Lightyear figurine, runs full force to Steve or I, and throws his arms up in sheer excitement for us to say, "To infinity...AND BEYOND!!!"

Seeing the pure delight on his face when we say such a simple (and silly) phrase just makes us giggle! He knows that Buzz is connected to that phrase. He knows that Buzz will always go to infinity and beyond. We have claimed such a promise in our amazing Lord recently. He has promised to "generously provide all we need" and will give us "everything we need and plenty left over to share with others" (2 Corinthians 9:8). We have clung to that promise since October of last year when we stopped receiving paychecks from OM:G. I can't tell you how hard it is, as a parent, to not know where your next few bucks are coming from. It's absolutely a wild ride!! But we serve a God who will ALWAYS go to infinity and beyond for His children. And He has. Thanks to the incredible provision of our Father and His gentle leading of some of you to help us along financially in our journey, we are still kickin'! We're still stickin' it to Satan on the island! We're still pressing on to rebuild the homes and hearts of so many "forgotten" after the storm.

So, again, from the bottoms and tops of our hearts, we THANK YOU for your support!!

Spring Break brought over 300 volunteers to the island!! Steve and the rest of the staff (including some week-long interns) did an AMAZING job at lovin' on homeowners as well as the volunteers! We got the incredible privilege of having three of our former students, Jacy, Austin, and Blake, come intern for the week! It was a "proud parent" moment that Steve and I had seeing them live out their faith in such a way...alongside of us! After the week was done, we invited the three of them to our house for lunch so we could catch up and just enjoy each other's company. They are incredible witnesses of the taste they've had of our Lord (Psalm 34:8)!!

We could go on forever about the work that was done this month, but here are a few highlights: 2 of our newest homeowners (newest to our database) fell in love with Jesus, three volunteers met Jesus during Spring Break and were baptized in the ocean, lots molded sheetrock was torn out (imagine living with that for over two years), new sheetrock and frames were built, indoor plumbing was installed, tile was donated and installed beautifully, painting, painting, and more painting was done, and most importantly, Christ was definitely glorified!!! We are in awe!!

Please continue to pray that we can go to infinity and beyond these next two weeks!! (After April 9th, there aren't any volunteers until mid-May so we will get some time as a family before the crazy busy season is in full swing.)

In Him.
Steve, Molly, Malachi, and Zeek

**please also pray for Zeek right now. He's fighting some upper respiratory virus. Poor baby!! Also, Malachi returns to the ENT on April 8th for a new hearing test and evaluation. Thank you!!!!!!

God is God. we are not.

2011-03-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me update you a bit on what's going on with OM:G...

God is God. We are not.

Wow. The OM:G "base of operations" (where we house, feed, shower, etc. volunteers) is in the basement of a local church here in Galveston. As part of being there, OM:G has basically remodeled the entire basement to make it suitable for people to stay in. The pastor told Pete and Steve this past week that they had 24 hours to get liability insurance re-instated or else they had to get out on the spot. Wow!!! (Back story: OM:G did have liability insurance through December, then funds ran out and we didn't have any volunteers anyways so it wasn't a big concern.) While it didn't make Steve sweat a drop, it reminded us all of how fleeting things can be...especially the promises of man. We, thankfully, stand firm on the Word of God and on the foundation He lays for us...and He has promised us provision. After a pricey premium payment, OM:G was able to get the insurance we needed to appease the people in charge of the building we're currently in. Keep in mind, this all happened two days before over 300 volunteers were scheduled to come! AHH!! But, like I said, God is God. We are not.

Steve, along with the other OM:G staffers, has been working like a dog for a few weeks now. While we (me and the boys) don't get to see him nearly as much as we would like to, our prayer is that our boys grow up seeing their Daddy simply loving people...and that it will become so natural for them to do the same. He got to spend a lazy Sunday morning with us today before heading off to prepare for the 300+ volunteers. Yay for a day of rest (or even a half-day)!! :) Please be in prayer for the OM:G staff members, the 300+ volunteers, the homeowners whose lives will be rocked, the pseudo-interns coming to help for the week, and for the families of the staffers as we keep the peace at home and cover our husbands in massive prayer!
(If you want to pray for the staffers by name: Sam (girl), Sean, Pete, Steve...and various weekly interns)

Now on to family updates...

Malachi is rockin' the mo-hawk again! And this time it's thicker! :)

Which is which?!?!
(Zeek with a picture of Malachi...WEIRD, huh?!?!)

We got to take the boys to the Mardi Gras Parade a couple of weeks ago!!
Malachi LOVED catching the beads and throwing them back! Haha.

Zeeky enjoyed eating the beads...and his fingers. :)

Check back after Spring Break as we anticipate some incredible updates on the work being done this week!!!

Unworthy,

the Milillo fam

Was blind, but now we see...

2011-03-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

A simple thought occurred to me this morning as I was walking/singing my Zeeky to sleep. I was singing "Amazing Grace" in his sweet little ear and could just feel his body relax. While the words "Was blind but now I see" came along, I glanced up to my wall where we have a piece of wall art that says "FAITH"...man oh man...FAITH!!!

It has been FAITH that has kept us afloat since we stopped receiving income in October 2010. It has been FAITH that has shown us how to live an incredibly humbling (sometimes humiliating) life. It is FAITH that comforts this Mommy when she doesn't seem to have enough money to buy more diapers. It has been FAITH that sings me, Steve, Malachi, and Zeek to sleep each night. (Zeph. 3:17--The Lord's singing over us!) It is FAITH that has "ruined" our lives (in the world's eyes). It is FAITH leading incredible people to help support our family. It is FAITH bringing volunteers down to the island. It has been FAITH leading us and it is FAITH encouraging us as we pay each bill, buy each grocery item, and somehow clothe our ever-growing boys. But most of all, the thought that came to me this morning was...FAITH messes you up! :)

FAITH puts your own thoughts and desires completely out of the picture. It is not something seen, but unseen, that we are putting our hope in?! WHAT?! That sounds CRAZY!! Well, it is. We Christians should appear a little crazy to the world around us. We are to be different. We are to be "messed up". We are to have FAITH.

"Was blind but now I see..." Well, FAITH has made it's own line to the song. "Could see but now we're blind!" What I mean is that before we had embraced and enriched our FAITH in our amazing Lord, we were surrounded by what we could see and touch. The tangible life around us was all that we had. But now, we are "blind", meaning that we cannot see where money comes from every month, we can't see the immediate impact on a home owner's life, we can't see a lot of things...but I'm kinda liking being in the dark. It keeps us on our spiritual toes and you wouldn't believe the amount of humility that God is teaching us daily. HE is our strength and our song and we can't help but delight in the blindness He's letting us experience right now.

embrace amazing grace,
the milillo fam

Oh, the simple things...

2011-02-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

A few simple updates for our fam...

We have an amazing group of men here this weekend from Midlothian, TX (outside of Dallas). They came just a few weeks ago, fell in love with the homeowners (J&D) that they helped that week, and quickly made time to come back to continue working on J&D's house. God's grace and compassion is seen in SO many ways with what we do! The volunteers usually come expecting to minister to and love on the homeowners, but this weekend's group has really struck a chord with me. They are a group of Godly men that gave up their weekend, lots of gas money, and energy to come down to Galveston and work on the home of two people that really need to be loved on. They've gone above and beyond by buying food that THEY can cook for themselves, us, and the homeowners (we normally shop and cook for all volunteer groups). They introduced Sam, our fellow staff member and Wisconsin native, to the concept of pickles and onions on a pulled pork sandwich. They've seen Malachi throw a temper tantrum that could rival the Hulk and still wanted his company at the dinner table. They expect nothing and receive everything graciously. This is what the hands and feet of Christ look like--dirty finger nails, a few wrinkles, and maybe even some saw dust too.

It's the simple things that amaze me sometimes. Like simply answering "YES!" to the call to "GO!"

Loving simplicity,
the Milillo fam

January Updates :)

2011-01-21T11:47:00.000-08:00

One Mission: Galveston had two weeks of non-stop volunteers!! One of the groups was simply a group of students from NYU that just "wanted to come help". None of them were Christians (in fact, two were Muslim), but they got exposed to the power of Christ and the love He wants to show them. (And they LOVED Steve!!) In fact, one of the Muslim guys that Steve formed a relationship with (and is talking to on a daily basis) came to the realization that "something is missing". Steve asked, "Something missing in your experience at One Mission?" He responded by saying, "No, Steve, something is missing in my life."

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two homeowners who were having to move into their uninhabitable house after running out of money for a hotel were able to get one room complete in their home so that they were able to keep warm through this cold weather!!! Praise God!!! More work continues to be done as well as more work piling up awaiting volunteers. Some of the groups even brought some donation money to OM:G so that some utility bills could be paid!!! PRAISE GOD AGAIN!!!

On to the fam...

Our crazy little Malachi is turning 2 YEARS OLD on the 27th!!!! AHHH!!!

Zeek is growing every day!!! He will be 3 months on the 25th!!!! AHHHH!!!!

Malachi still loves to eat his sand...mmmmm......

Our baby Zeek demonstrating his newest trick: playing with his tongue! :)

We met with the NAMB director for Texas (North American Mission Board) and have filled out the necessary paperwork to possibly get accepted into their "Adopt-A-Missionary" program. We are awaiting someone to come back from vacation and process our applications. Please pray for God's hand to move quickly in this! We know His timing is perfect...we would just "prefer" it to be quick. Haha.

Keep checking back on the blog for updates! It's getting harder and harder to update right now, but I'm trying! As soon as I change one poopy diaper and sit down to start typing, I hear another poopy diaper being created from across the room...oh, the joyous sounds of two boys!! :)

Living and loving the call,

the Milillo fam

2010 wrap-up

2011-01-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

Well, friends, 2010 was an incredible year full of incredible things for the Milillo fam! Since the year's over now and a new one has begun, we wanted to give you all a brief wrap-up of the amazing things God did in our family over the course of 2010. Here goes!

2010

January--Our precious Malachi turned one and his daddy turned 28! Malachi's walking steps quickly turned into running ones. He gave up nursing and fell in love with a warm bottle of "moo juice".

February--We found out we had another little monkey on the way!! (Happy Valentine's Day to us!) We were ecstatic after finding out we were pregnant and in disbelief that it happened so soon! God is good!

March--After an inexperienced driver ran a stop sign, Molly, Malachi, and "the speck" were in a bad wreck, totalling Molly's car. Praise the Lord we were ALL safe and "the speck" checked out fine! Molly went down to Galveston with Steve to meet Pete and Lorie DeWorken (the founders/operators of One Mission: Galveston).

April--By God's provision, the insurance companies settled the wreck fiasco and it worked out for us to get a much more accomodating car for our family: a Mercury Mountaineer. After MUCH prayer, we made the decision to join the One Mission staff and both gave our resignations. Malachi's new favorite word is "Ball!"

May--After 7 months of constant ear infections, Malachi got tubes put in! Success! Malachi gave up the bottle, we celebrated five years of marriage, and Steve moved to Galveston on May 1st to begin working while Molly, Malachi, and "the speck" stayed to finish the school year and pack up the house.

June--IT'S A BOY!!! Molly goes on the annual family vacation to North Carolina but had to go without Steve this year. Boo! Upon returning, it's packing time! Steve found the perfect rental house for our needs! On June 25th we are back in ONE house as a family after two months of craziness! Welcome to the island!

July--Time to unpack! Steve was working practically non-stop at this point, running constant groups of hundreds of volunteers every week. Malachi began cutting his molars...AHHH!!! Molly and Malachi spent a lot of time on the beach!

(Malachi eating a tar ball after the oil spill)

August--The summer rush ended and we drove to Virginia to meet the One Misson Board and to spend some quality time as a family and with Pete and Lorie (they are from there). On our way back, we stop in North Carolina for a few days of absolute NOTHING (woo hoo!) and relax as a family. Upon returning to Galveston, we were greeted with enormous health insurance bills. Boo! Malachi discovered movies during this month! Disney Pixar...thank you!!

September--We painted Zeek's room and got it all set-up for him and finished getting things ready for his upcoming arrival. Molly had the unfortunate experience of a root canal this month. Malachi's all-time favorite word continues to be "ball!"

October--Ezekiel Kaleb Milillo arrives on the 25th!! 7lbs 7oz and a healthy 21 inches long! We bid farewell to income this month as did the rest of the One Mission staff. Malachi becomes a big brother and our family of four is complete (for now, at least).

November--Turkey time! Thanksgiving was a bit different this year: our families came to the island and we had one big Thanksgiving at the Mission! Molly had to sit out from her usual Black Friday shopping this year, but we received the news this month that we were approved for a new private health insurance plan that was less than half of what we had to pay for just Molly and the boys!! Wahoo!!

December--Malachi was approved for Medicaid!!! After getting his approval letter, we applied for Newborn Medicaid for Zeek. Our first Christmas on the island was truly impactful and amazing! Some incredible people (most of whom we haven't even met) blessed our family tremendously by providing not only needs for us, but they even fulfilled our wants!! Wow!!!!!! Molly celebrated her 26th birthday and Malachi's favorite word remains to be "BALL!"

The incredible outpouring of love from the Hastings Bible Study class at Bear Creek!

(taken at my mom's house before we brought it all down to Galveston)

So that's our 2010 wrap-up! Sorry it took us until the middle of January to get it done, but things have been nuts in the Milillo household! We will keep you updated with the happenings of 2011!!!

Keep checking back!

Living and loving the call,
the Milillo fam

Merry (early) Christmas!

2010-12-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

God is continuing to do amazing things here on the island! Steve and Sam (our amazing intern) are hosting two different groups: one today and the other Sunday through Wednesday. We really hope that the homeowners they will be working with really feel loved on! We still have hundreds waiting to be "adopted" so if you feel so led, check out our homeowner profiles on theonemissioninitiative.org!

Here's what we've been up to: Malachi got approved for Medicaid (which means Zeek will too...they just have to add him to the policy)!!!! WAHOOO!!!!!! Also, Santa Claus decided to come to the Strand last weekend so we got to go visit him! Malachi was NOT a fan and I'm pretty sure Zeek pooped while Santa was holding him...but it was a fun time! It was nice to go to the Strand and just hang out and have some family time! Malachi, of course, terrorized the poor life-size chess set...hahahaha! He knocked every single piece down over and over again! Good times!

Christmas is a week away and I'm excited for Steve to have some time off to just relax before the busy Winter Break season starts up in January...and then hundreds of volunteers are set to come in March over Spring Breaks. Woohoo!!!

Molly's birthday is Sunday (the 19th) and since Steve will be busy with a group, she will head to Katy on Monday for a night or so. Her mom is recovering from a knee replacement surgery so it will be nice to see her. :)

Here are some recent pictures of our crazy fam...

unworthy,

the milillo fam

**if anyone is in need of any photography needs, please contact Molly!!
(I put myself on photography "maternity" leave...now I'm ready for some shoots!!)

His Servants

2010-12-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

I was recently quite overcome with the amazing selfLESSness of a family at Bear Creek Church. Without seeking any attention or recognition for themselves, they found a way to get a card hand-delivered to us. Upon opening it, there was a very encouraging note inside as well as a pre-paid Visa card to provide what we need for our family right now. The signature was beautiful: it was signed His Servants.

It is both by the provision of God and the compassion of our fellow believers that we are still here on the island. Our bills are being paid, our fridge and freezer filled, and our hearts have never been more vulnerable yet gracious. So to all of His Servants that have helped support us since October, we thank you tremendously! While many of you have said how much we have ministered to you...it doesn't begin to touch on just how much you all are ministering to us and our family. It brings incredible tears to my eyes to think of the day when Malachi and Zeek are old enough to understand and be told the story of how God used other believers to support us through this time.

Let me provide you with a list of amazing PRAISES!!!

-We have received a couple of monthly support commitments for our family!

-We have started a new health insurance plan (with all FOUR of us!!) and it is less than half the cost of our former plan!! Praise the Lord!!

-One Mission received a $40,000 grant to cover food costs for the 2011 year!!

-One Mission is currently pursuing quite a few leads from businesses to establish monthly support commitments!! (including Chick-Fil-A!! Yum!!)

-Some of His Servants provided us with a Target and Wal-Mart gift card so we can get some Christmas presents for Malachi and Zeek!! (Another stream of tears!)

Please continue to pray for One Mission as we seek monthly support for the organization so we can continue to house and run volunteers and impact the lives of the homeowners here on the island. Also, please pray for continued monthly (and periodic) support for our family. We were sent a very generous gift to pay our rent for January (and our landlord even came down on the rent $100 a month!!!!)!! Wow!!!!!

We can't wait to update you on what God will do over the course of the next few weeks! We are living in a way as to expect our God to be Who He is...we expect miracles! He is BEYOND capable of such!!

"7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.

8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Unworthy,

Molly, Steve, Malachi, and Zeek

Just to make you smile...

EZEKIEL KALEB MILILLO

2010-11-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel Kaleb MililloBorn October 25th via c-section at 1:39pm
7 lbs 7 oz
20 3/4 inches long

Awesome.

Mommy and Zeek's first kiss!
(Ok, it was practically their millionth!)

Daddy being silly (and quite proud) that Zeek makes number 2 on the Milillo starting 5!

Yes, that's right...Malachi was rockin' the Big Brother scrubs at the hospital!!

After a rocky "first meeting" where Malachi grabbed at Zeek's face and laughed out loud, the second meeting between the brothers went much smoother...Malachi still laughed out loud when he got to touch Zeek but he did give him kisses and "pet" him. :)

My Zeek! (for some reason my children seem to be born without initial eyebrows and eyelashes...give him time! they will grow!)

I swear this was a yawn!

Exhausted Daddy and Zeek catching some Z's...

Malachi loves Zeek like he loves yogurt!

This was just plain funny.

Child labor! Love it!

Mommy and Zeek are doing great (although Mommy's body certainly tells her when she's done too much)! Zeek went for his first check-up and was 7 lbs 4 oz which means he is already almost back to his birth weight! Yay! He is nursing like a champ and loves to snuggle. Malachi is such a compassionate big brother and gets very concerned when Zeek cries (which isn't often). Malachi likes to poke Zeek's eye, laugh hysterically, and then give him kisses. If he sees Mommy and Daddy but can't see Zeek, he has to go "find" him! It's so cute!

Molly is recovering well from the c-section. Thankfully, her mom is staying with them this week to help her recover (you can't do anything for 2 weeks) until she gets the "all clear" to drive and to pick up the 30+ pound Malachi. Steve returned to work today (as if the past 8 days haven't been enough work for Daddy) and is fired up to get to work on the lives of homeowners! We are still completely depending on our radical God for our financial support during this time and thanks to the faithfulness of His followers, we have made it thus far!

Zeek is my constant reminder of God's aggressive strength. His name, Ezekiel Kaleb, means "God's strength is aggressive" and his little life has shown us such time and time again. Please continue to pray for us as we all adjust to being a family of four (and not much sleep), continued financial support, and that the floodgates would be flung wide open for volunteers on the island!!

Unworthy,

the Milillo fam

p.s.--if you want to be added to our monthly newsletter email list, please let us know (if you haven't already)! :)

...and here we go!

2010-10-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update...

We are about to leave for Katy for the night because in the morning we wake up, go to the hospital, and at around 12:30pm (if we stay on schedule) we will meet our precious Ezekiel Kaleb Milillo for the first time!!!! Please pray for the skilled hands of Dr. Sherri Levin as she does a repeat c-section on Molly and for the rapid healing of such a surgery for Molly. Pray for strength for Steve as he becomes Super Dad to two crazy boys! Pray for continued strength (and endurance) for Molly's mom, Susan, as she keeps Malachi during our hospital stay. And please pray for Malachi as he has NO IDEA what's coming! Pray that it will be a smooth transition from the only child to the oldest child. :)
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We love you all and will be sending out a monthly newsletter soon with updates and such. Check our facebook accounts for status updates on the delivery! (Steve Milillo or Molly Sendt Milillo on FB).

Ezekiel Kaleb..."God's strength is aggressive!"

-the milillo fam

In His grip...

2010-10-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Please send up some serious prayer for our family right now. The promise of a paycheck is literally no more. We're attempting to have the faith we've talked about for so long. There is so much to be done on the island and One Mission is making a way to help more people come serve...unfortunately for now that means no paychecks.

God is our sole Provider and we know He won't drop us from His hands...but we'll be honest and say we're scared out of our minds. Please pray for our hearts to be open to how God wants to provide for us and that we would have the patience (even though bills are due in two days...) to wait on His provision. He won't let us go; we are forever in His grip. But right now is a scary time, especially since Zeek is less than two weeks away!! Please pray also for the provision of the Mission and the staff. We are all a big family here on the island and right now our family needs help. Thank you!

Unworthy of this calling,

the Milillo fam

Cooler weather = Back to the beach!

2010-10-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Everything's bigger in Texas...and evidently everything's even bigger than that in Galveston!
While opening Malachi's HotWheels storage truck to get some cars out, we were greeted by the (thankfully dead) body of this enormous spider! AHHH!!!!

A few weeks ago Steve got the privelege of speaking at First Baptist-Katy. This is Mommy and Malachi smiling because they were so proud of daddy!

Watch out...we have a new contender for the world's cutest kid!!!

Having some fun with Daddy in the water!

Doing his part to keep the Mission clean! Haha!

I love this one simply because Malachi is just captivated by watching his Daddy.

Let's play a game...WHERE'S MALACHI?!

With less than three weeks until Baby Zeek makes his appearance, we are feeling somewhat frantic trying to get everything "ready"...but are you EVER really ready?! Haha. One Mission has a group of volunteers this week!! Yay!!! First Baptist-Katy is coming on October 16th for their church-wide serve day so we are praying for lots of willing hearts that day! Steve will be going with some of the other staff members to the Youth Conclave Conference in Dallas from October 10th-13th. They will have a booth there for all the different churches from EVERYWHERE to get to see!! This means major exposure for the need that is in our city! Praise the Lord!!!! Please pray during those dates for not only their hearts to be completely transparent while speaking with youth pastors, directors, etc. but also pray that the hearts of willing servants come to see what One Mission: Galveston is all about! There is such a great need and this is an amazing opportunity to share that need with churches across the country! God is never ceasing to amaze us at the follow-through factor of His will. We still don't know what will happen financially on the 15th, but we are seeing some incredible blessings come our way through the support of His people!!

MAJOR PRAISE...ONE MISSION IS NOW OFFICIALLY 501-3C!!! This opens up HUGE opportunities for more donations, grants, etc!!!! All donations are now tax deductible!!!

Baby Zeek was doing great at this week's check-up and is still head-down. He's riding pretty high still (he hasn't dropped yet) so it's making it a little tough for Mommy to breathe like a normal person but no complaints here! This pregnancy has, by God's beautiful grace, been so healthy and we can't wait to see God's aggressive strength come to life in our sweet Ezekiel Kaleb! (His name literally means "God's strength is aggressive!") We wanted to include some fun pictures on this post so it's not all "business". :) We hope you enjoyed our little blurb of an update! Please keep praying and checking back!

Unworthy,

the Milillo Fam

FAITH THAT IS SEEN IS NO FAITH AT ALL...

2010-09-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Since our last two posts, we have been taken to a completely new level of humility. One Mission is still struggling financially while we are desperately seeking out volunteers to come and serve. It's hard being a volunteer-funded organization (especially during the "slow season"). But, the staff at One Mission continues to thrive in their ministry efforts on the island. While they don't have the man-power to physically do the work on homes right now, they are doing assessments each week for homeowners new to our database who are just now reaching out for our help. They are also broadening their ministry scope here on the island. Steve's been having a couple of different meetings a week with different ministry opportunity connections on the island and it is beyond refreshing to see that "ministry spark" back in his eyes! I think we all let stress get in the way for a little bit.

While we still have no promise of a paycheck past this Friday, we are holding on to the hope that we claim as our own: God will provide. He will provide the means for our family to make it financially. He will provide the volunteers we need to support the Mission and continue to rebuild the island. He will provide!!

Please continue to pray for us. Some days are great, strong-in-our-faith days, and to be honest some days are really tough. (Granted, my pregnancy hormones don't help!) But, to look at the innocent and pure trust that Malachi has in us (he doesn't bother worrying about, well, anything) is testimony to the true childlike faith we are called to have in our Savior.

Baby Zeek update...

This past weekend was my baby shower in Katy. Susan Pitman, Jamie Anderson, and my two sisters Dana and Rachel threw an incredible shower full of honest love for me and my family. It was a great time dedicated to celebrating the incredible blessing that Zeek is and will be to our family! It was great to have everyone I love in one room and to just hang out and relax!! Yay for relaxing!! (The incredible cookie cake that Susan made certainly enhanced the experience!) I got to peek at Zeek at my last check-up and he is currently head-down and ready to go! I am 35 weeks today and we are still scheduled for a c-section (for medical reasons) on October 25th at 12:30pm!!!!! I received all sorts of blessings at my shower (including God's hand protecting my mom in a wreck on the way home) and can't wait to hold my sweet baby!!! I spent last night putting together the last piece of furniture for his room and Steve's mom, Kathy, was kind enough to come entertain Malachi yesterday while I got to work organizing the chaos that is the nursery. Malachi is thrilled with Zeek's room simply because he thinks it's his second bedroom. Haha! He might have a hard time sharing (especially sharing mommy and daddy) when his baby bro gets here, but looking at his compassionate heart, I know he was made to be a big brother! He will do great!

I go back to the doctor weekly now (only three more visits until Zeek's here!!!) and will certainly keep you updated! I will definitely be packing my bag soon just so there's no surpirses! :)

Unworthy of this calling,

Molly

the milillo standard version

2010-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

According to what's available on biblegateway.com, there are 23 different versions of the Bible (in English at least). While you may have experienced God's word in a few of these versions, I have an entirely new one to present to you...

THE MILILLO STANDARD VERSION (MSV)

Yeah, yeah...I know it's not a "real" version, but I think God can rewrite His words to each of us in our own little languages, contexts, and personalities. And this is exactly what He showed me Sunday afternoon.

While Steve, my dad, and Malachi were enjoying some manly bonding time on Sunday watching the Texans game, I ran away to run an errand. While I was out and finished with my errand in less time than I had anticipated, I had this overwhelming desire to go to Panera Bread. The growing baby inside of me directed me to order a chocolate chip bagel and honey nut cream cheese but unfortunately they were out...I had to settle for a cup of decaf coffee (fine by me!). Anyways, I was reading Psalm 40 a few days earlier and before I could finish the chapter, I had to stop Malachi from jumping off yet another piece of furniture. So, I took my time and really sunk my teeth into the chapter while sitting there in Panera.

God, in His unique personality, egged me on to kind of "translate" a few of those verses into my own words. So, this is the BEST way to give you an update as to what God's doing in our lives...

I present to you PSALM 40:1-5 in the MILILLO STANDARD VERSION

"We've done our best trying to be patient and to wait on God--and now we know that He hasn't turned a deaf ear! Every tear was counted! He took us away from ourselves; He pulled us out of selfish ambition and desires and threw us into an ocean of true humility. He then calmed the waves so that we could drift freely with His steady flow. Our lips and lives are singing an entirely new song now--one that carries with it an incredible and unique melody coupled beautifully with His harmony (see Zephaniah 3:17). We can only hope that people will see what HE is doing in our lives and put their trust in Him. We can't even describe the peaceful joy that comes with living out trust in the Lord! While it's been incredibly scary, it has also been incredibly captivating! Our sweet Savior, YOU have done great things! Your plans for us are just beginning! There is no one and no thing like You. We could start listing everything You are doing and have done in our lives but our voices would fail us before we ran out of words." (Psalm 40:1-5, MSV)

Like I said, this is just a fun, creative way that God led me to share what He's been up to with us lately. Feel free to do the same in your own time with Him...translate some verses into real, "what's happening in my life right now" words. If nothing else, it will be awesome to look back on and remember what great and mighty things He has done!

Unworthy,
the milillo fam

found out the real price for insurance is $878 a month after all... so...

2010-09-14T17:04:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, Molly, Malachi, and I recently (May2010) took a huge step in our lives and our journey of faith by diving head-first into full-time mission work down on Galveston Island. The Mission Organization we serve as a part of is called OneMisison: Galveston and we're dedicated to restoring homes to livable conditions for homeowners that had their property destroyed or damaged during Hurricane Ike exactly 2 years and 1 day ago. For many in the United States, this storm went relatively unnoticed nationally and even locally although it was and is the 4th largest and costliest disaster in US history. There are more than 400 homeowners in our database that have asked us for assistance and more than 15,000 that are still in need of help and waiting on someone to help them. Many of the homeowners on the island did not have insurance and while some would say that is foolish on their part and they must reap the consequences, we believe differently and that Christ loves them unconditionally and wants their lives to be changed. We use construction for His glory and for Him to penetrate their hearts. I could tell you story after story about the homeowners and people we've met this summer that have met Christ and had their lives changed as a direct result of the volunteers and ministry going on through OneMission: Galveston.

Let me be very transparent here. This ministry is 100% volunteer funded. Without volunteers it's nearly impossible to help the 15,000 that need it. Without volunteers we have no funding as well. Without funding we cannot pay rent, put food on the table, etc. As we've trusted in God's provision thus far, He has provided. However, volunteers have not been through our facility in more than a month, with none expected to come for at least one more month. Bills are piling up and in our flesh we're a little scared. We know God will provide, and sometimes he provides through His people loving those dedicated to His full-time service. This is difficult for us to ask or even think about asking. In 2004 I had to raise support to spend my summer in NYC to work with a church there. I have made the uncomfortable ask before but only for myself. This time it involves my family. My wife. My son. My soon to be son on October 25th. As a man and a dad, I want to provide for them. I want God to provide for them. We need your help.

Would you pray about supporting us financially with as little or as much as God would have you send our way? A one time gift or a monthly gift would go a VERY long way for our family as we attempt to live frugally here on the island and spend our time loving the islanders. We DO NOT receive any funding from anyone or any church at this time and are in desperate need of someone or somebody to be on this journey with us in prayer and in support. In the back of our minds,we fear that as missionaries who raise support we will be financially insecure and we'll put our family in jeopardy. The truth is that at times we will. Jesus spoke from his own experience when he cautioned a young aspiring missionary, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). Paul explicitly asked other Christians and churches for financial support."When I go to Spain...I hope to have you assist me on my journey" (Rom. 15:24). The original language here confirms that Paul was asking for monetary assistance. Paul also encouraged churches to support other believers financially who once worked directly with him (Rom. 16:1-2). So as uncomfortable as it makes us, we make our plea to you for your assistance.

If God lays it on your heart, then we thank God for you and will do all that we can to communicate our gratitude to you and keep you updated on what God is doing here. If you feel unable to, thank you for praying for us and we would never hold it against you--we're well aware of the financial burden in this economy. Please simply consider it, give us a call, or send us a message so we can get you our information!

Love Wins,

The Milillos

"test me in this..."

2010-09-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

"Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."(Malachi 3:10)

I read this verse on my dear friend Andrea's blog a few weeks ago. I have gotten the amazing privilege of getting a front row seat to watch all that God has prepared and is currently accomplishing through her, her husband, and their sweet Elli Kate. After reading this verse, it stuck with me. I printed it out on a big piece of paper and taped it to the back of my front door. Every time I would leave my house I would be struck with this promise from God. Let me now tell you just how mighty our God is to provide...

The first part of this verse (I didn't include it) talks about tithing and bringing what you have before the Lord. I must be honest, I have always struggled with tithing...not giving, that's different to me, but tithing. It has been a hard topic for me. Have we been faithful tithers over the past few years? Yes. Have I always done it with a joyful and non-judgmental heart? Heck no! And there was my problem. I would get bitter sometimes when I would look at the budget and try to plug-in numbers that just didn't fit. I would get bitter at having to decrease my grocery budget or my eating out budget in order to get bills paid. Too many times (more than I'd like to admit), I've been tempted to "adjust" our tithe amount so that I wouldn't have to cut out something else. This has really been where Satan has been tempting me lately! Grr!

For example, the first packet I received about my and Malachi's health insurance (going onto COBRA) came about a week ago and stated our cost would be $878 every month!!!! AHHHHH!!!! I was FREAKING OUT!! How in the world could we pull practically another rent payment out of thin air every month AND handle the added expense of a new baby soon???!!!?!? Satan was tempting me BIG TIME about using our tithe money to off-set some of that cost...

"Test me in this..."

I remember very distinctly telling God that I was letting go of this fear I had (the fear of not being able to pay everything we needed to) and "putting Him to the test". Over and over again He has shown Himself to be Provider, Healer, Sustainer, Giver, Father, Friend, Peace, Patience, and Savior...yet it's like I conveniently "forget" the one attribute of His that I currently need Him to be. Stupid, huh?

Well, we "put God to the test" as this verse declared...

...and my eyes are filling up with tears at how He's thrown open the floodgates of blessing for us!!!!!!

When we got home from some errands today, I went to the mailbox to check the mail and saw a letter from Cy-Fair ISD with red letters: "Employee Benefits Information Enclosed". I was thinking, "Oh crap! What form didn't I fill out?!" Well, it turns out that our monthly premium will NOT be $878......

It will be $514!!!!!!

Hormones or not, I'm sitting here crying like a baby because a HUMONGOUS weight has just been lifted!!! You have no idea what a spiritual battle I've been having lately and this beautiful piece of paper from my mailbox just reassured my meager faith. Praise our Father who throws open the floodgates of blessing to His faithful ones...even the faithful ones who aren't always so ready to trust!

WHEW!

unworthy of such blessing,

the milillo fam

movements, mo-hawks, and more!

2010-09-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we are definitely settled in from being gone for 2 weeks. It's so much nicer right now with Steve's work schedule being more flexible ("normal" hours as opposed to 16 hour days)...but unfortunately, that means there aren't volunteers right now. As much as Malachi and I love and cherish more time with Steve, there is still such a great need on the island. The last estimate was 20,000 homeowners still in need of our help. That's a tall order to fill when volunteers are scarce. So, as I always urge...we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ and if you haven't found an outlet for you to do so yet, please come down to Galveston--even for a day--and love on some hurting people and their homes!

Enough of my rant...

I am learning a LOT about God's provision. The fact that we are "missionaries" is often overlooked (by me especially) since we're "only in Galveston". But, our current financial needs are kinda my wake up call to rely even more so on the God who has promised us the desires of our hearts. My desire is not stress, so why do I let it creep into my heart and steal my joy?? Grrrr! I need your prayer to stay focused on the goal: to see people fall deeply in love with Christ...and to be willing to do whatever is necessary to make that happen. Steve is currently ministering daily to the other staff members. We have 3 interns, 3 other full-time workers, and are hoping to bring on a full-time Project Coordinator asap. Seeing Steve's heart first and foremost for our God is insanely uplifting to me and then seeing his love for Christ play out in his love for people is convicting for me to do the same.

Please continue to pray for us as we are stepping closer and closer every day into welcoming our new son, Zeek, into our family. We are still set for October 25th for my c-section...it's so soon!!!! Ahhh!! We still have a ton to do but I'm really trying not to feel overwhelmed with it all. Having a baby is such an indescribable experience that I refuse to let get cloudy with "details". :)

Oh, and if you're wondering what I meant by "mo-hawks", I will explain: Steve just gave Malachi his first mo-hawk!!! It's a real one this time...no "faux" necessary. As soon as I can get a picture, I will certainly post it! Oh, and "movements"...can anyone who has been pregnant before please tell me if it's normal to feel sharp, stabbing, incredibly painful pains randomly in your cervix-ish area?? It tends to happen when I've been standing for a little while. It's really weird and I plan on calling the doctor tomorrow because seriously, it's painful when it happens. Granted it's only a few seconds, but sometimes they come right after another....ouchie!! Anyways, if you've been preggo before, please let me know if my body's nuts or not. Thanks!!

we're crying out to our Provider...

2010-08-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

well, we are back from vacation!! unfortunately, we were immediately greeted with the realities of, well, reality as soon as we got back. looking through our mail, i finally received the letter i've been dreading: the amount of my and malachi's insurance premium for continued coverage. since i don't work anymore, i would either lose my coverage (including maternity benefits) for me and malachi (and soon zeek) or we would have to pay 102% of the premium out of pocket. well, it was beyond my worst case scenario. i just don't understand how it can cost that much! the only brightside is that it won't be any additional charge to add zeek in october. i will be looking for a new plan to start as soon as my maternity visits are all over--private policies do NOT offer maternity coverage (fyi). AHHHHHHHHH!!! so please, on our behalf, cry out to our incredible Provider that He would once again provide the $400 we will be short every month as well as open the doors and windows to an insurance plan that will allow all four of us to be insured (steve's going without right now...it freaks me out). i am REALLY trying not to panic or freak out, but the numbers i'm plugging into our very tight budget worksheet just aren't agreeing with me.
Lord, help us stay faithful in giving for Your cause and help us remember that You are faithful to give us our needs!

unworthy,
molly

"i'm not dead yet...i feel fine! i'd like to go for a walk!"

2010-08-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

Don't mind the title for this entry. It is simply a line from the hilarious Monty Python and has nothing to do with this post. :)

Just to let you know, we (the Milillo fam) are still alive and well! We have been on a MUCH needed vacation the past week or so. We headed to Richmond, Virginia on a 22+ hour car ride in which Malachi was amazing!!! He really impressed me with his vehicular tolerance (the DVD player we borrowed from Molly's sister Dana was a necessity)! We went with our friends and fellow One Mission staffers the DeWorken's. It started out as a crazy trip since, upon arriving in Richmond, we found out that Pete and Lorie's basement (the DeWorken's--and where we were planning on staying while in Richmond) had flooded and was covered in mold. We were literally a mile from their house when they called to tell us (they got there first, thankfully). Lorie's mom and dad who we've never met were gracious enough to let two crazy strangers with an even crazier toddler crash their house for a night. :)

We were blessed enough to get to meet the board of One Mission: Galveston and coincidentally Pete and Lorie's friends while in Richmond. It was great to see the other hearts supporting our cause and to get to share a little of our lives with them. After a few days in Richmond it was off to Tappahannock (sp?) which is on the river about an hour and a half north of Richmond. One family river house was kind enough to hold Molly, Steve, Malachi, Zeek (he counts, trust me!), Pete, Lorie, and their 3 girls (5, 7, and 9). Whew! Oh, and Corven the dog. It was great to be so close to water that didn't have seaweed in it! ;) Steve got to play on the jetski while Malachi, Zeek, and I enjoyed some nappage!! After two nights at the river, it was off to North Carolina!!!! YAY!!!!

Steve didn't get to make the initial visit to NC earlier this summer so it was extra special that we were able to come independently as a family this time around. After another 8 hours in the car to get from Virginia to NC, we were ALL ready to just stop and be in one place for awhile. So, we are here until further notice...well, until we run out of food or money or both. :)

It is BEYOND relaxing to not have anything to run back to at the moment. To take time as a family is priceless and so dear to my heart. We have needed this time together (and away from the rest of the world) for some time now. This summer was one of the hardest ones yet for me (Molly) since Steve and I were living in two different cities for half of it. The other half was spent packing and then unpacking a house, feeling guilty that I don't have more energy for Malachi, and Steve working crazy hours for the good of the gospel in Galveston. I am not complaining in the slightest, don't misunderstand me....I am simply stating the beauty of time spent as a family. Enjoy your family! Enjoy the moments you get each day...even when one of you barely makes it home to kiss your little one goodnight! ENJOY IT!!!

We are praying that as soon as we get back to Galveston the groups start booking!! The island needs so much more unrestrained love and compassion...we need people to come! Even a weekend trip...at $35/person/day, the impact you will have will be unforgettable and priceless. I'm not trying to be a saleswoman here, I just wanted to express the need that we still have each day on the island. Ok, I'll get off my info-mercial now. :)

I will definitely be posting pictures when we get back!
Oh, update on Zeek...he is a VERY active little dude! To say that he kicks would be the understatement of the year. He's started to do this weird movement on top of my bladder that actually hurts instead of tickles...he must stop! I go back for my 30-week (really my 30 1/2 week) check-up on the 30th. Pray that my blood pressure will be normal! (Maybe vacation will help!) :)

-the milillo fam

cankles, here we come!

2010-08-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update...

This was the week of family visitors! :) Dana, Ryan, and Drew decided to come play on Thursday and my parents got to spend Friday-Saturday with us! Yay! It is ALWAYS nice and relaxing to see familiar faces!

I have been hit with the realization of IN TWO AND A HALF MONTHS I WILL HAVE ANOTHER BABY!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! Not a bad realization...just a BIG motivator to get stuff done! (Zeek's room is still the default pink color the former tenant painted it). We are getting to go to Virginia with Pete and Lorie and their girls (the head honcho's of One Mission) and meet the board for the organization. We are driving the 24+ hours so pray hard for our sanity (and my back!)!!!! We will be leaving in a week and can't wait to get to relax a little!!! Steve certainly deserves a vacation...and we deserve some VERY needed family time!

As I think of more updates, I will try to post them! Gotta go chase a naked child running around the house...

-Molly

Root canals, roach updates, and traumatic beach experiences!

2010-07-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on our happenings lately...please excuse the quality of the pics--they are from my cell phone. :)

I (Molly) had my root canal yesterday and God (as always) helped provide a way for us to pay the first payment for it. I wasn't worried about the actual procedure at all--it was my jaw I was worried about. If you don't know, I have horrible TMJ and degenerative disc disease in my jaw and actually had a jaw reconstruction surgery a few years ago to try to help the symptoms. It certainly has worked so far! I can't keep my mouth open like at the dentist without it really cramping up and hurting. So...I was worried about that part. Of course, our faithful God made not only the numing shots virtually painless, He comforted and held my jaw pretty relaxed the whole time! Dr. Timothy Molloy in Friendswood is AMAZING!!! I would highly recommend him if you live in the area!

Just what everyone wants to see waiting for them in the morning...BLAHHHHH!!!!!
We are still housing homeless roaches on the island. There is currently a roach that is stalking me. He's either dead or incredibly awesome at staking me out. He's been in the highest tip-top corner of our living room ceiling all day long--hasn't moved at all! I tried to throw some balled up socks at him and knock him down but he didn't budge! STALKER!

Although it's blurry, this was the "action shot" of my little man demonstrating his newest skill:
Climbing backwards into the cabinet part of the entertainment center. Nice, huh??

Malachi's Ghi came to play for a few days (Molly's mom) and we went to the library today! We got a library card, Malachi picked out 7 books, 6 dvd's, and fell in love with this cool puzzle! He was hard at work! This was truly an epic moment--he was still and focused for a full few minutes!! WOW!!!!

More fun at the beach!

We went up to see Daddy at work and coaxed him into taking a break to go across the street with us to feed the seagulls. Not only did we "just happen" to have an extra swimsuit for Malachi in the car, it was cooled off for the day and some of the other staff and their kids came too! Yay for impromptu beach trips!
Alas, there was a traumatic experience for Malachi this time...
While walking along the beach, he saw this random wooden staircase that just went up a few steps and then down the other side. Steve went with him to climb on them. I know what you're thinking--Oh no! He fell off! Well, you would be wrong. His balance is stupendous. Unfortunately, he put his hand right on top of a piece of beach glass while he tried to climb one of the stairs. Ouch! It only cut two little spots on his pointer finger and thumb, but the way he cried you would have thought he lost an arm. Poor baby! Much to his dismay, we put bandaids on his "wounds" until they stopped bleeding. (FYI--baby fingers can really bleed!) All is well and all was forgotten after about 15 minutes.

All about One Mission: Galveston

2010-07-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I don't think many of you know or comprehend the magnitude of what One Mission: Galveston involves...we don't even comprehend it all! :) I wanted to share a letter with you written by Pete DeWorken, the founder and "main man" of OM:G. This will let you in on what OM:G has been up to and what we hope to continue to do with your help and God's providing hand!

Our OM:G friends,
We are just days away from the end of our summer volunteer rush--what an AMAZING summer! We've settled into our new home at Island Community Church, seen over 3200 volunteers so far this year (that's freakin' awesome), and we've watched God move through this community in mind-blowing ways.

We are seeing lives changed right in front of our eyes. Rick, one of our most recent homeowners, has discovered a renewal in his faith after years of turning his back on his church family. He is finding healing in his hope and faith through the efforts of volunteers helping to restore his home. He actually went back to church last week for the first time in years!
We have also seen an amazing timeliness of our efforts impacting homeowners lives too! We have had teams show up to houses where homeowners had just recently lost their jobs, or had a heart attack, or had been in the hospital. Allowing the Spirit to direct the movement of our ministry has placed our volunteers in amazing situations of opportunity to serve some desperate people with dire needs.
We have had new opportunities presented to us to serve in a wide variety of ways. One Mission: Galveston volunteers were written up in the local paper for their involvement in a school-sponsored, federally-funded summer school program. It was a leadership development program that allowed our faith-based, mission-minded organization closely work with and lead these at-risk kids in a month-long program. Many of these kids heard about Christ daily, and were loved on and prayed over by Spirit-led OM:G volunteers. WOW!
We have also been feeding, serving and loving local children in their low-income apartment complexes and neighborhoods. We have recently seen some of these kids not only come out of their shell, but also come to know and accept God's grace through Christ! By reaching out to these kids, we have also had opportunities to connect to their struggling families, and are working to get them connected to local churches like Sunrise Baptist Church. With God's grace and love, we will see entire families come to love the living, moving and working Jesus Christ.
As for the staple of our ministry, disaster relief-related construction projects, we are receiving more calls than ever for help now.
Homeowners are learning they do not qualify for federal funding and are calling us asking if we can help them instead. They are turning from trusting in the government and its money-machine, to the grace and generosity of the body of faith working though One Mission: Galveston. Additionally, we are receiving emails and calls from FEMA asking if our volunteers will pick up where the Feds left off - helping people move into their new homes, tearing down dilapidated houses to avoid fines, etc. Even City of Galveston employees are contacting us almost daily with another new homeowner that they cannot find funding for, or that they have found after slipping through the cracks. The "system" is failing, and Galveston is hurting.
Rather than seeing a reduction in people seeking help from One Mission: Galveston, the need here is becoming more and more apparent. The people of Galveston are receiving a harsh dose of reality...help is not on the way from the Feds...money is not flowing freely...and they may be on their own to find a way back into their homes.
While One Mission: Galveston was actively working on over 18 homes in mid-July, the local paper was reporting that the city's federally funded program just finished its FIRST home affected by Ike. There are hundreds of homeowners that will eventually get their homes finished by government programs, but because of your contributions of time, work and money to this ministry, One Mission: Galveston is helping people TODAY.
OK, so that's the pitch. Here's what we need:

One Mission: Galveston is heading into the "slow time" of the year. Without youth groups and student ministries flooding into our new facility to serve the people of Galveston, our ministry will most likely wind down to a crawl. If you know us at all, and have ever heard or understand our call to serve the people of the island community, you know that is unacceptable to us. We have said every week this summer, "we have not come here to run a summer camp". We are missionaries, and we bring volunteers here to join us in serving God as he has called us to do so. Our goal and hope is to bring volunteers here to serve along side our staff as missionaries, if even for a short time. Our prayer is that God breaks your heart for his purpose in your life, so you too will seek to follow his will in your life more fully when you go home.
We refuse to sit back and accept that the fall and winter will be slow and fruitless, and that we will just have to resign ourselves to run student ministry camps during school breaks. We believe that this ministry should thrive year-round, serving those in need consistently regardless of the time of the year. Even more importantly, we believe that missions trips are not exclusively for students and their brave student leaders. Serving on the mission field is a commandment for all Christ -followers.
We want to take this "down-time" and make it a ridiculous demonstration of the obedience of God's people and his call on them to serve the people he loves so much here. We want to bring adult teams, student teams, church staff teams, retirees, deacon teams, missions teams, men's groups, women's groups...you name it...we want it! We want you to come to Galveston again before the end of the year! Heck, before the end of fall...and again before the end of winter
We believe in this opportunity for you to serve as a missionary so much that we have hired on an entire, full-time staff of mission-minded Christ followers to keep One Mission: Galveston rolling as far down this path as God will take it. We have all committed our lives, our families, our livelihoods and our careers to serve God here with, for and through your efforts. Don't let this be for naught.
We need you back in Galveston right away! Come down for a couple days, a weekend, a week of vacation, or just whenever you have time. If you are waiting for the right time...you found it...its NOW. Bring as many as you can, you cannot out -do God's grandeur. He's got big plans down here just waiting for you.
Please log onto OneMissionGalveston.org to register a new group to come to Galveston. You can also email us at info@onemissiongalveston.org to let us know what dates during which you would like to secure your trip.
We are here. We are ready and waiting for you to come help and serve with us!

If you think you have a good excuse to put off coming back to Galveston, call me. If you think you have a reason to not come here to help those in need, call me. If you think you are the one who God has called to just serve inside the church walls, call me. I have all the time in the world to tell you the stories of lives that have been changed here. And I don't mean just our beloved Galvestonians...I mean our OM:G vols...I mean you. Let's talk! Let's discover what God has in store for you here.

COME ON!

Lovin' you guys!
Pete DeWorken
One Mission: Galveston

Some Funny Happenings...

2010-07-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I just wanted to update you on some funny happenings going on here lately...

The most recent is concerning our cockroach problem. It's not the little ones, oh no, it's the Big Kahuna's!!! AHHH!!! These are some SERIOUSLY GIANT tree roaches!! They are at least 2-3 inches long with antennae that are the length of their nasty beetle-y bodies. YUCK!!!! I have seen the occasional one around the house, but recently they have been trying to "Beetlejuice" me out of my own home! Two days ago, I was lying on the couch watching tv (waiting to get sleepy for the night) and in the dim light of the living room lamp, I see a shadow crawl across the room...EEEWWWWW!!! It was a HUGE 3-inch roach!! AHH!!! I finally found a shoe nearby and smushed the dweeb. Yesterday morning, one had the audacity to come out during the daylight and walk in my living room! Oh no he didn't! I found another shoe and got a close up of his bug guts. Then, I went to the bathroom and saw (thankfully a dead one) in there by the toilet! AHHH!!!!

The icing on the cockroach cake happened last night...

Keep in mind that Steve's average day is 13-14 hours of hard work so he comes home so tired...he's a trooper!

Steve had gone to bed pretty early last night. I stayed up to finish the latest DVR-ed episode of Burn Notice (I love Michael Westin!). I decided it was time to hit the hay so I went to the bathroom first (to save me yet another trip during the night). As I open the door to leave the bathroom, round the hallway, and go to our room, I see the spawn of Satan just waiting for me in the top corner of the ceiling right outside the bathroom--READY TO JUMP ON ME! His stupid ugly eyes were seriously having a stare-down with me and his nasty antennae were waving to and fro. He was HUGE!! He had to be the twin of the late night livingroom crawler I killed the day before. AHH!!! What was I to do?! I tried to find something big enough to throw at him to make him move (he was seriously gonna jump on me if I walked out the door) but small enough to not make a loud noise and wake Malachi up...all I could find was a thing of dental floss.

I threw the dental floss at him and it just misses him. He didn't even flinch! Stupid roach! I try to call Steve's name out (the bedroom door was SO close and it was open) but he is the world's heaviest sleeper. I knew he would most likely wake up to his cell phone buzzing so I was an evil wife and rudely awakened my sleeping husband. He answered the phone without a word and I said, "I'm trapped in the bathroom. Come out into the hallway. There's a HUGE roach that's gonna jump on me!" He, of course, was VERY cranky and confused, but stumbled out of bed regardless. He knocked the roach down, killed it with a paper towel, threw its body away, and saved the day! Yay for my HERO!!!!

That's the latest happenings around here. Unfortunately they all involve roaches. (I can handle ANY other bug in the world...roaches are my kryptonite!)

So if anyone knows some GREAT roach-ridder stuff, please pass along the name!!!

cringing,

molly

root canal?! REALLY?!

2010-07-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

So I finally got into a dentist to get my painful tooth looked at...DANG DANG DANG!!! Of course, my luck would have it that not only do I need a crown, but I need a whole root canal first! AHHHHH! It's not the pain I'm worried about (although it KILLS my jaw to keep it open like that for an extended period of time)...it's the money! Yes I have dental insurance still through Cy-Fair but it only covers certain percentages of procedures. The grand total that I have to pay for the whole root canal, build up, anchors, and crown is $980!!! AHHHH!!!! It's scheduled for Monday morning (we had to do it quickly so it doesn't turn into an abcess) but we owe HALF the money that morning! CRINGE!!! The other half is due when my crown comes in. Dang it!!!!

In Steve's word, "Brush your teeth!" (Nice sympathy, huh?) Well, FYI...not only do I brush twice a day and floss regularly, I just have crappy weak teeth. :(

So now we have to pray for it to rain Benjamins at our house...Lord, You are the Provider for our every need. Make a way for this treatment and payment!

cringing,

molly

24 week (really 25 week) update...

2010-07-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I went to my ob/gyn yesterday for my 24-week check-up and everything is going GREAT!!! We (Zeek and I) are so healthy and happy this time around and he is moving like crazy every day! We are still scheduled for October 25th but we know that things can change at the drop of a hat! :)

Dr. Levin said we will continue to monitor my blood pressure as we get closer to the "big day". (Malachi visited us two weeks early due to my sky-rocketing bp). It was slightly elevated this visit, but nothing to cause any concern about. She said to take it easy and enjoy my toddler! We go back in 4 weeks for the dreaded diabetes screening where I get to drink that liquid "crack"...it tastes like pure orange fanta syrup and it makes the baby go NUTS!!! It's not as bad as people make it out to be, though. Then, after 28 weeks, it's time to see her every 2 weeks! AHHH!!! ALREADY?! We don't have ANYTHING done!!!! AHHH!!!

Zeek's room is still the deafult pink color that the former tenant painted, all the baby stuff is in the attic, we have NO ROOM in our bedroom for the cradle, and MUCH MORE TO DO!!! (Including unpacking the last few boxes we shoved into "the pink room")....So if anyone is dying to be productive these days, PLEASE COME HELP!!! I still need to pick out nursery stuff, register for stuff, and ahh...soo much to do!

Thankfully, our God is a God who created PEACE!

unworthy.

molly

oops...

2010-07-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update...

In case you are one of the people who has been trying to call or text me in the past two days, let me explain my absence...

Yesterday morning, Malachi managed to somehow knock my cell phone into my cup of coffee literally as I was lifting my cup up to take a sip...????? I have NO idea how it happened but it was all in slow motion and I just couldn't react quick enough. DANG IT!!! But as the picture frame Steve got me for Mother's Day reminds me...The best things in life aren't things. :)

Thankfully we have the replacement insurance on it and a new one will come Monday. Unfortunately, until then I am black-ed out from communication! It really unsettles me because Malachi and I will be coming into Katy Sunday night for my 24-week ob/gyn appointment Monday morning. This should be interesting! :)

baby zeek, big boy malachi, and other updates...

2010-07-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

First, here are some pictures to update you on how our boys are growing!

I must say that, according to this first picture, Malachi is turning into quite the HANDSOME HEARTBREAKER!!! He stayed still long enough for me to fix his 'hawk and I even got it on camera! Yessss!!

I don't think it's just a mother's bias...this kid is HANDSOME!!!!!

This is what a sweet little boy looks like when you try to take his picture when it's nap time.

Some of you (Mel!) have been wanting a "belly pic" to see how Zeek's growing...here you go!

I liked this one in black and white because it's almost like Where's Waldo...haha

A close-up of Zeek :)
(As of this week, over a pound and almost 12 inches long!)

Malachi was testing the strength of the fence...he really wanted to play in the neighbor's yard.

And this is what a heart attack looks like! (Well, the heart attack came when he proceeded to climb on the windowsill as I put my camera away!) AHHH!!!! CRAZY BOY!!!!!! (but at least he has superb balance!)

Here are a few more updates on Malachi...

-He continues to grow taller every day! Rockets' scouts should be calling any day.

-His favorite foods are currently Pringles Sour Cream and Onion chips, Velveeta Shells 'n Cheese, and guacamole.

-Words he says: Mama, Dada, down, hot, BoBo (the dog), there, ball, more

-Signs he loves to use: "more", "help", "please", "eat", "trash/yuck", "play", "all finished", "where"

-Favorite activity: Hotwheels cars and anything involving the waterhose

-Current milestone: learning new words and trying to say them!! Yay!!

-Cutest thing he does: he will give "the baby" (mommy's belly) kisses and hugs...SOOO SWEET!!

-Favorite person on the planet: His daddy!

-What he sleeps with in his crib: 2-3 mommy shirts (his lovies!), Giant Monkey, bear, tiny lamb, Scout, Taggy Dog, a binky, and another stuffed animal of his choosing.

-Favorite book: The Daddy Book (we read it at least 3 times every night!)

-Bedtime: between 7:30-8:00pm

-Wake-up time: 7:30-8:00am

Well, I think you know all you need to know about our sweet little monkeys! Malachi is seriously getting to be such a little boy and so much less of a baby every single day! Zeek is VERY active and moves around constantly! Just last night, Steve was fascinated at how much Zeek likes cake...it makes him go nuts!!!!

Attemping "Radical",

The Milillo Fam

the official first trip to the beach!!! YAY!!!

2010-07-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

We've been here a week and after being stuck inside all week due to the rain, we finally got a chance to take Malachi to the beach today!!! Yay!!!

He was a natural! He LOVED it!!! He also loved Steve having the whole day off...hooray!!!! It was so nice to spend the day hanging out, eating, playing, and napping as a family. I absolutely loved today!

Just to update you all, I am now 22 weeks pregnant (in case you didn't know just how pregnant I am haha) and feel little Zeek move and kick all day every day! He is SOOOOO active!!! Steve is working hard and pouring his heart, soul, and energy into One Mission and God is rewarding him greatly. It's an adjustment to not have him home nearly as much, but our last few months in Katy he had to be gone a lot, too so I think it was God preparing me for "the busy season". The group from Bear Creek comes to One Mission on Monday and I can't wait to see them! Yay!

We are still unpacking boxes as we get around to them...although I am debating whether we even NEED the stuff that's still in boxes since we're clearly surviving without it all! :)

Well, I think that's all the news for now...oh wait, I have a video from the beach today. Notice after Steve picks him up, Malachi signs "all finished" because he wanted back down in the water! Haha!

Enjoy!

-the Milillo fam

beware of the BOOGEYMAN!!

2010-06-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

i think it's every parent's worst fear for someone to break into their house while their innocent family is sleeping...well, we didn't have someone break in, but i was ALL FREAKED OUT just the same!!

so i'm in the middle of a great, relaxing dream when i swear i hear the back door open (it squeaks a little) and then suddenly my wind chime sounded like it was in the same room....hmm....

it took me a second to realize i wasn't dreaming this and my back door really was just opened!! AHHH!!! i hit steve a few times to get him nice and awake, told him what happened, and he went on the prowl! armed with his daddy instincts, he patrolled the house and yard and made sure the boogeyman was nowhere in sight (or out of sight). that is a bonus of a small house...not many places for a boogeyman to hide!

we have double back doors and it turns out that one of them wasn't latched all the way...so when the hurrican alex precursor winds came last night, it blew our door right open!! CREEPY!!!! i, of course, went to go check on my sweet baby and he, of course, was sleeping soundly--void to the world. WHEW!!!!!

after an adventurous night, we are off to katy today due to the crazy rain we're supposed to get here from alex. while we shouldn't see "hurricane conditions", the water's already rising and the rains are certainly on their way. so, steve said he would feel better if malachi, zeek, and i took our crazy selves to katy for a day or two. (i have a feeling i should just keep a "hurricane bag" packed...)

radical,
the milillo fam

WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!

2010-06-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was the official move-out day for the Milillo fam. We started packing around 8 am and didn't load the last thing and pull out of the driveway until after 9 pm...WHEW!!!! Thank you SOOOOOO much to everyone who helped us (Kristi, Kali, Zack, Brett, Papa, Ghi, and Zeek)!!!!!! We couldn't have done it without you! We had a few casualties on the move...a broken bookshelf, the crib snapped and is non-inhabitable, and the bottom to the changing table fell out...but other than that, it was a pretty uneventful trip. It took us a little over an hour to get to our new home (Molly took a little longer...she had to stop for milk and Cinnamon Toast Crunch for the next morning). We pulled in just before 10:30pm to find One Mission's interns faithfully waiting to help us unload...the only problem was they had all fallen asleep watching a movie at our house waiting for us. Hahaha....

So after a rude awakening and a big pot of coffee, they all GRACIOUSLY took 2 hours from their already hectic days and unloaded the entire 24 foot HUMONGOUS truck! Thank you soooooo much!!!!

I must admit that I was quite overwhelmed with all of the boxes in our house. We went from 1600 sq. feet down to 900. I am not complaining at all, in fact, I love our new house even more than the old one, but it was a shocker to see a larger houses' capacity try to be shoved into a smaller house.

We finally sacked out at about 2 this morning, woke up at 7 and spent an entire day (still going) unpacking and putting things away...(And can I just say that putting away an entire kitchen is NOT my favorite thing in the world!!!!!)

Thankfully, Steve and I worked hard this morning putting everything that needed to go in the attic in its proper place. Whew! (That was half the load right there!) Steve's mom came today to help, along with my parents. We are so loved and they were all such HUGE helps!!! I don't recommend moving houses (or cities) when you are 5+ months pregnant, but with amazing friends and family to help you, it hasn't been all that bad. :)

I still have some schoolwork to somehow get done before tomorrow night...please pray for my body!! I am EXHAUSTED!!!! And I know Steve is too!!!! And Malachi's a little confused....but he's a quick adjuster! :)

We are striving for "radical"...
The Milillo Fam

back to reality...

2010-06-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

we are back from our vacation and although it was AWESOME to be with family and in the mountains, it was REALLY hard this year without steve. i missed him so much and each time malachi watched his uncle play with his cousins, i got sad (and am getting teary-eyed now thinking about it). i know malachi misses steve SOOOOO much more than he even understands! soon, my loves, we will back in one house (in the same city)!!! we are officially moving out of the katy house the weekend of the 25th so feel free to come help us!!! :) no really, we would love to see all of our friends and love to show them where we will be moving!!

of the 16 hours we drove in the car from north carolina to katy, malachi slept almost 15 of them. i know your first thought is "niiiiice!" but i know my child and that's just not normal for him. we got home, took a shower, then i took his temp...104!!!! AHHHH!!!!! he was BURNING UP!!!! he slept the rest of the day away yesterday and was simply miserable. after doing an ibuprofen/tylenol rotation and his fever still not breaking, i was getting worried, i called his doctor and was reassured that it was a virus (he had no other symptoms). after cold drinks, cool clothes, and some lovin' from mommy (and daddy!!! he drove in just in time!!), his fever went down to 102 and has stayed around there today (as long as ibuprofen and tylenol are involved). thankfully, he has returned (mostly) to himself today. he woke up and asked for his morning milk and a ball. hahahahahaha. i love that kid!

we are trying to pack like crazy over here. our house is a war zone and it's almost impossible to pack boxes while having to keep an eye on a VERY busy toddler (who is an avid climber now). so...if anyone is just dying to pack a box, swing by!!!

exciting upcoming things...
june 21st--20 week ultrasound to see what our precious sequel is!!
june 25th-27th--move out of katy house and down to galveston...finally!!! ONE family!! ONE house!!

**with our new living conditions down in galveston, we are in need of a home for our sweet bailey. she is almost 3 years old, a boxer/black lab mix, and FULL of personality. my parents were gracious enough to agree to "borrow" bo from us until we are in a house that dogs can enjoy. so, if you would like to see if bailey could possibly fit into your family's home, please let me know. it breaks my heart to have to part with her and bobo...even if it's for a short time or not. we just don't know. :(

we long to be so captivated by this Christ we serve that we abandon everything else to pursue Him....
unworthy,
the milillo fam

made for so much more...

2010-06-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

david platt's book "radical" has really been messing me up. steve has been on me to read it for weeks now and to be honest, upon reading the first few pages, i was scared to go on. let me explain...

this book is written with brutal honesty and will easily knock you off your comfortable Christian rocker! the entire book is based solely on the sheer truth and honesty of the call Christ extends to all of us to "go to all nations and make disciples". it is not based on opinion, bias, or personal belief. it is tragically beautiful. i say "tragically" because it calls you to a personal tragedy of your own--killing your "old self". without being a spoiler, i will just say that the hearts in the milillo household are being COMPLETELY renovated!!! (and it is tragically beautiful to see!)

i wanted to include a little blurb from some of the pages i have been reading. don't keep reading unless you want to hear some tragically beautiful truth...

if you want to know how to pray for us, it is that we fully embrace and live out these words in our lives...and we raise our children to do so as well.

(from david platt's "radical")

"We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be reassured of our eternity in Heaven, but we are saved to know God. So we yearn for Him. We want Him so much that we abandon everything else to experience Him. This is the only proper response to the revelation of God in the gospel."

unworthy,

molly

SURPRISE!!

2010-06-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

this is my sweet boy!!! what a happy camper!!! (in his swing, of course)

you know what else makes him so happy?? daddy came for a surprise visit!! steve had to take a fellow staff member to IAH and "stopped by" for the night so malachi will have quite the surprise to wake up to tomorrow morning! (he's been snoozing...has no idea daddy's home yet hee hee)

this pic is from a few weeks ago (before it got bloody hot).

i call this one "a man and his dogs" :)

my happy boy struttin' his stuff! watch out, ladies!

well that's really it for now. i just wanted to give you a fun little update tonight. tomorrow is my last day of work followed by a road trip with family to north carolina!!!! trust me, there will be TONS of pics and vids from the trip soon!!!!

unworthy,

molly

Help!

2010-05-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

"I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who tells you, Fear not; I will help you!"

(Isaiah 41:13)

Oh my goodness!!!!! God has been showing off for the Milillo household over the past few days!!! Ahhhh!!!

Let me start by saying how incredibly great the God we serve is...and how too often we don't expect Him to fulfill His greatness. Shame on us! God has been renovating my entire concept of faith and has shown me that I need to display enough to live in such a way as to expect miracles. Expect God to be Who He says He will be. Expect greatness.

Greatness has come in many forms over the last few days. God's hand picked out the perfect house for us in Galveston--perfect by necessity standards, not by selfish ones. He has opened doors to allow Steve to be an even stronger witness in Galveston, especially while forming relationships with the staff. He has provided a way for us to pay certain expenses that hit us all on this last check. He has blessed Steve with an amazing friend, Zeek, who before being asked volunteered to help drive Steve back to Galveston tonight. He has provided a way for me and Malachi to still go on vacation with my family later this week. And now for the main event.....

(I'm crying as I write this part...)

He blessed a couple with such selfless hearts that they heard we had one car and simply drove over to our house today to give us their used van. I can't put into words what a relief this is for our family!!!!! Having one car and Steve trying to come back and forth between Galveston and Katy has been stressful. I really can't hold it together while writing about this...this is truly a miracle from our Father Who lavishes His greatness upon us if we simply get up and go. We have answered the call to love Him so much--to be captivated by His love so much--that we abandon what we know and follow His leading. This is faith, my friends. I am not here to brag or boast, just to provide a real life example of God showering His miracles on one of His silly little children. :)

Whew...man, with pregnancy hormones, once you start crying you just can't stop! Haha.

God is our Helper. He is our Miracle Worker. He and He alone must be our greatness.

Expect miracles.

molly

abbreviated reunion! :)

2010-05-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

steve surprised malachi and i MAJORLY by showing up friday night (instead of late saturday)!!!! YAY!!!!! we spent an entire family day together saturday and it couldn't have been more wonderful! sunday morning was dear to our hearts as our church bid us farewell with a breakfast and love pouring from our leaders and kids at bear creek. we will be there one more sunday and i still can't believe we're really leaving! wow! it's crazy!!

malachi and i joined steve back on the island from sunday until monday. God's beautiful hands orchestrated the perfect house for us and we signed the lease monday night!!! WAHOOO!!!! steve will be set to move in to it on june 1st! malachi and i will join him by the end of june. :)

God is really changing me...and i LOVE it!!! He has taken a callused, cold heart and completely melted it with the reality of the call He's given us all----be like Christ. the "Christ" in my head for so long was MY version of him, not who He truly was. He was so much more than we give Him credit for and was completely selfless. upon steve's urging, i am reading the book "Radical" by david platt and within the first few paragraphs, my heart was already dripping. i am completely humbled by the God i am getting to truly know and amazed at just how much He genuinely cares for me and my precious family.

as for now, i must go...a certain little boy decided it's NOT his bedtime....hahaha. joke's on him!

truly unworthy,

molly

unity, stress, & His glory

2010-05-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

It's Steve. I've been on the island since Sunday night here at OneMission Galveston. Thank you to Zeek and to D-Rut for hooking me up with a ride down here! I love you guys and appreciate it SO much.

It's great. But not in the way that you might think. Yes, the ocean is within walking distance from where I call home right now. Yes, the sunset is breathtaking. But God has been confirming the decision for months and months and even more so as I've stepped smack dap in the middle of it. He has been revealing His plans for this ministry, it's staff that I now hold spiritual direction over, and our lives in tangible ways through open doors, situations, and ultimately His Word.

We've got a group of Canadians down with us this week doing some amazing work getting the facility ready for more than 1500 volunteers to make their way through OneMission this summer. The task ahead of us is staggering but we couldn't be more excited and humbled to rely on His provision and witness the impossible through what He will do.

The residence search is on trying to find a place for us to call home for the time being. The search for a ride back to Katy on Saturday is on as well. It's difficult being away from Molly and my little precious boy, Malachi. More than I thought it would be. I can't wait for them to join me here.

And by the way, I've never been more tired in my life. I like it.

More later...

Hurricane of Love

2010-05-14T18:33:00.001-07:00

Well it's official. We're off to Galveston Island. God has opened some enormous doors for us to take a step of obedience into full-time mission work.

We're partnering with OneMission Galveston and a great couple (Pete & Lorie) to love on 25,000+ homeowners who still haven't received any help since Ike hit almost 2 years ago. It's more than rebuilding homes, though. It's obedience. We're saddened to leave our church, our friends, our family, and our house. But He is faithful. It's His provision that is essential and nothing else.

"If you do not give up everything you own, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33

Some may look at this as crazy, radical, or stupid. God has taken us on a journey to react in complete surrender to His global purpose of loving the unlovable, the forgotten, and the least of these to show them the radical nature of God. What a call! And while bitter sweet, we are excited beyond comprehension for our family to be marked in this way.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

Please pray for our family as I (Steve) head down to Galveston for a few weeks w/out Molly (and sequel), and Malachi. As well as God's provision in hammering down a place for our family to live on the island while we serve Him there. There are some transportation issues associated with the separation as well since we only have one vehicle. Molly and Malachi will have our only vehicle while I will be stranded on the island. There are many deadlines and crazy things ahead, but stress isn't even in the picture. Please pray.

more later...

tube-age...

2010-04-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

today was tube day for mr. malachi!

we were a little concerned that they might cancel the surgery because of his chest congestion, but since he was only asleep a whopping 15 minutes, it wasn't a big deal.

this is what a toddler looks like when they get rudely awakened three hours too early! (but look at his too cute teeny tiny hospital gown! adorable!)

we had seen the pre-op nurse, the or nurse, the nurse anesthetician, and the anesthesiologist...
while waiting on dr. morgan to come give his blessing, malachi couldn't take the early morning awakening any longer...he sacked out on mommy's lap! (look at his necessities...mommy shirt? check! "tough guy" binky? check! cell phone? check!) haha!

God really answered my prayers! the tubes went off without a hitch (I knew they would). I was NOT looking forward to them taking him away from me. I thought he would cry and fuss and that would've made me feel horrible...but since he fell so deeply asleep on me before they came to get him, he stayed asleep as I passed him to the nurse and his recovery nurse said he practically stayed asleep through them putting the "gas mask" on him! what a sleepy boy!

after a whole 9 minute surgery, he was surprisingly zonked out! (we ALL needed a good 3-4 hour nap when we got home). so, we all climbed in mommy and daddy's big bed and sacked out for a good while, dead to the world. steve grabbed some lunch for us while I waited with the sleeping giant for him to wake up. steve brought back good ol' wendy's and i swear malachi smelled it...he opened his eyes, popped right out of bed, and said, "MORE?!"
hahahahahahahahahahaha...

he's on antibiotics for another week or so to clear up his infection and congestion and will need some ear drops every day for a week. this surgery was so simple and quick! (i just wish it didn't cost an arm and three legs to have a 9 minute surgery)!!!

God is good and has proven this to us again today!

unworthy.
steve and molly
(and the sleeping giant...who can hear much better now!)

tubes!!!

2010-04-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

malachi had his pre-op for tubes today. even though he presently has fluid in one ear and a full-blown infection in the other (along with some nasty chest congestion), we are ON for tubes friday morning! we have had non-stop ear infections (at least one in each ear per month, sometimes multiple ones) since last october and we are FINALLY going to get some relief!

we have to be at the hospital at 5:30am...whew! haven't had to do that since they induced me with malachi...haha!

please pray for the tubes to take effect immediately and let my little man get some VERY needed relief!

we will keep you posted! :)

unworthy,
molly

malachi: the sequel!

2010-04-22T12:56:00.001-07:00

here "it" is!!! we've named it "sequel" as we are SURE it will certainly share some attributes with its older brother. :)

sequel is scheduled to come on october 25th by c-section with the incredible dr. levin!

we heard the heartbeat for the first time today and my mom was blessed enough to get to come listen! it's heart is beating strong and it was swishing and swooshing all around (we could hear it, i can't feel it yet)! it's an active little one!

malachi is still obsessed with anything to do with a ball and steve and i are so excited at what all God is putting on the near horizon for us!

check back later because i really want to update more often!

unworthy,

molly

updates, updates!

2010-03-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

we have been busy in the milillo household lately!
daddy's being a great daddy, mommy's finding me all sorts of new stuff to play with (even my favorite...wooden spoons!), and i am busy poking out my fourth top tooth (sixth overall). i have been struggling with ear infections so mommy's taking me to dr. morgan, an ENT, on the 25th. he's the same doctor who helped her when she was so sick while i was in her tummy. we will see if he thinks tubes are the way to go.

i LOVE my teachers, ms. annie and ms. charlotte, at mother's day out. i learn so much in class and have so many baby friends! i used to cry when mommy dropped me off, but now i throw my juice down in excitement and hoist myself straight into ms. annie's arms! haha!

i have recently accquired a sand table, water table, and a swingset!!!! it's like having my own park in my backyard!!! and if i'm awake, i'm outside!

i played with my friend hailey anderson today and we had so much fun! she was quite flirtacious! her laugh made me smile and playing at each other's houses this week has been awesome! our mommies said we spent last st. patty's day together too but i don't remember that so they must be crazy!

here is what i've been up to...

yee-haw! this was western day at MDO. mommy was supposed to take pictures that day but she was at home sick with the stomach bug going around. i still had fun though!

giddy-up!

i LOVE daddy's hat!
(and mommy LOVES this picture of me...dirty face and all!)

this is how i get my nap on.

relax, man...just relax!

well that's all for now, friends!
check back later for more updates!

-malachi

being sick is NO fun!

2010-02-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

it seems our little toddling malachi has 2 ear infections, an upper respiratory infection, high fever, an overall feeling of crumminess, and a bad case of the "i only want mommy"s. dr. gonzalez checked him out today and put him back on his inhaler for his nasty wheezing, another antibiotic for his ears, and we thankfully still have some numbing ear drops left over from last time.

he WANTS to feel better but he is just feeling poorly tonight. he went to bed early after falling asleep with some mommy snuggles and seems to be sleeping peacefully so far. we're praying that his ears will clear up and his breathing will stop wheezing! i can deal with all the other symptoms but high fever really freaks me out.

keep you posted!

unworthy,

molly

the results are in...1 year check up!

2010-01-28T20:13:00.001-08:00

today our little monkey got his one-year check up with the BEST pediatrician in katy (dr. alex gonzalez @ TCPA)!!

here are his new stats...

HEAD: 50th percentile (means it's perfectly normal)

BODY: 31" long (or would he be "tall" now that he walks?!) above 90th percentile

(means he could be Yao's son...tee hee hee...)

WEIGHT: 26 lbs 3 oz, above 90th percentile

(he actually is still a few ounces less than he was a few weeks ago, BEFORE he caught the nasty stomach bug going around...means he is a beast. plain and simple.)

so, there you have it! despite having three ear infections in the past two months, his ears FINALLY got the all-clear today!!! yay!!!

T-MINUS 36ish hours until his party so we've got A LOT to do! ahh!

(Party is Saturday at 11am at our house if you want to swing by!)

unworthy,

steve and molly

broken feet, first haircuts, and more!

2010-01-26T17:41:00.000-08:00

it has been quite a week here in the milillo household. let's recap...
-mommy has been limpin' around on her right foot for a couple weeks now. she realized it wasn't getting any better and finally went to the doctor today. turns out she BROKE it! stress fracture in the middle of her foot...and by walking on it for 2 weeks, the two bones next to the broken one fractured too. (so now she's in a walking cast/boot for 5-6 weeks)

-kai turns ONE YEAR OLD tomorrow!!!!

-kai got his FIRST HAIRCUT tonight!!!

-kai is WALKING!!!

-daddy and kai founded "bachelor's delight" as the meals they enjoy while mommy's not home. for example, sunday's dinner was fig newtons and french fries.

enjoy the pics!

here, mommy, i got you a binky too!

walking fool!

GODZILLA!!!!

BEFORE

BEFORE 2

(during)

what happens if i pull THIS?!

AFTER! what a looker!

having some great fun on the changing table!

the boot.

hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our week!

unworthy,

the milillo fam

the many jobs of malachi...

2010-01-16T14:37:00.000-08:00

malachi is a rather busy little man. he has decided to open his options for later in life by exploring a variety of jobs now. so, on a lazy tuesday morning, i got the privelege of being there to capture genius at work! let me know what your favorite career path is for him!

chocolate taster (look closely and you can see him throwing a piece that didn't pass inspection)

zoo keeper (he is currently taming "Bruno" the giant monkey)

author

basketball superstar/model (lebron WHO?!)

dog walker

butter churner

professional texter.

future blockbuster employee (even though they won't exist much longer)

photographer/assitant photographer (that's my camera case)

dry cleaner

well there are his options thus far. let me know what you like the best!

unworthy,

molly

random pics

2010-01-10T12:10:00.000-08:00

malachi goin' back to his italian roots

he decided to shave the 'stache off

his cousin drew bullyin' him in the bath

my computer was being weird and wouldn't give me the option to rotate this pic, so here it is...
this is how malachi helps mommy and daddy do the dishes.

hope you enjoyed the "catch-up" pics from the last few weeks!

unworthy,

milillo fam

back to the daily grind...

2010-01-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

today i went back to work. honestly, it wasn't a bad day at all. the kids were glad to be back and i even got to sneak away during my lunch to see my little man at home for a few minutes! malachi had been in the GREAT care of dawn buckelew (buckelewfamily.blogspot.com) while his ghi was recovering from knee replacement surgery. ghi is recovered and she was back on duty today! i think they both loved it! dawn is going in for some major brain surgery tomorrow so please check out her blog and pray for God's will to shine through all our human insecurities!

on a much lighter note, kai has an ear infection (he's had it for 2 weeks...hasn't really gone away yet). he's on round 2 of anti-biotics and goes back in a few weeks to make sure everything's cleared up. AND...his birthday party is coming up!!!! it will be on the 30th so save the date! (invitations to come)

i can't believe my baby will be ONE YEAR OLD in a few weeks! saying God has changed me in the past year doesn't even do the transformation justice. God is God and we are not. plain and simple. :)

unworthy,
molly

merry christmas to all and to all...an awesome singing shopping cart!

2009-12-25T18:15:00.001-08:00

merry christmas!!!

this year, we adopted a new tradition: 3 gifts. steve, me, and malachi (and all other future children) each get 3 gifts. we figure that it was good enough for Jesus so it's certainly good enough for us. also, it has really helped with keeping us in budget...AND it made us put so much thought into each gift since we only had "3 shots" to get it right! haha.

(3 gifts from mommy and daddy, the stocking is santa's doing...he can get what he wants)

anyways, the 3 gifts tradition was a refreshing success! malachi's first christmas was one that we will never forget (although he will since he's too young to remember anything that happens). we spent christmas eve with steve's younger brother and his wife (and malachi's KK [grandma] in spirit since she was VERY sick at home) and ate our traditional frito pie (YUM!) and played games until it was technically christmas morning.

christmas morning was spent at our home with our family time and then it was off to malachi's "papa duck and ghi's house" (his other grandma and grandpa). of course, by the time everyone was ready to open presents, kai was down for a nap. (i'm ALL about keeping his napping schedule!! trust me!!). his cousins, aunts, uncles, and ghi and papa are all so special to us and to him. kai was surrounded by so much love (and unique humor)...it really was a GREAT christmas! oh, and steve was very excited that it was our debut at being "santa". (of course you know he's lying because there is a real santa, steve just wants the credit)

here are some pictures from the day...

(especially for you, KK!)

oh my goodness!!!!!! my baby looks like such a little boy in this picture!!! ahh!!!

kai preferred the tags on the cars rather than the cars themselves (at first).
and i don't know why his hair looks red in this picture...it's VERY brown.

multi-tasking! daddy was on the camera and mommy was on the video camera!
(complete with bed head and nightgown)

present #1: xylophone/piano thing! he LOVED it!

present #2: talking/singing shopping cart
he didn't stop walking around with it until we pried it out of his little crusty fingers!

present #3: drop 'n roar dinosaur (thank you, craigslist!)

kai was more than willing to "help" mommy and daddy put the shopping cart together!

and...we're off!!!! (complete with tag-in-mouth)

like we said, christmas was such a special day and we know it will only continue to get more and more so each year. hope you enjoyed the pics!!! merry christmas!!

unworthy,

the milillo fam

WE HAVE A SIGNER!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

ladies and gentlemen...WE HAVE A WALKER!!!! yesterday, in honor of my birthday week, malachi officially signed "more" for some snacks today!!! he is such a smart boy (but seems to have his "firsts" with his daddy instead of mommy!). since i don't like posts without pictures, here's some to catch up on... here's the illusive Houston Snow from a few weeks ago!!

steve's impression of malachi behind the gate. HA!

oh geez...as i'm typing this, i can see malachi climbing OVER the dogs to get the dog food...GOTTA GO!

unworthy,

molly

he gets older every day...

2009-12-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

our little santa baby has been quite the busy bee lately. here's a recap of our week...

SUNDAY--mommy and daddy went out for mommy's (early) birthday and came home to a very sick baby...103 fever and diarrhea everywhere! yuck!

MONDAY--still fever and diarrhea (fun fun fun!). mommy stayed home from work.

TUESDAY--no fever but still diarrhea. mommy stayed home again (had to be fever-free for 24 hours). starting to feel better!

WEDNESDAY--spoke his FIRST WORD!!! Malachi said "BYE BYE!" in context and waved and everything!!! YAY!!!!!

THURSDAY--TOOK THREE STEPS by himself in daddy's office!!!! (mommy missed it but is on guard to see it at all times!)

FRIDAY--mommy's last day of work until Christmas break! yay!!

SATURDAY--happy birthday, mommy! family dinner at good ol' Casa Ole! (Ole!)

SUNDAY--daddy is off work and it's FAMILY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

unworthy,
steve, molly, and malachi

the money shot!

2009-12-12T19:17:00.001-08:00

here it is...the money shot!

if you are in need of a good santa to see, go to bass pro shop at katy mills!! it's free and they pritn out two different shots for you! if you want the download right to your pic, it's only $1.99!! malachi was too little to really participate in the "winter wonderland" they have set-up, but it would be fun for toddlers on up!!

only 13 days to go...

unworthy,

molly

santa, baby!

2009-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

the milillo household has been busy!! (when are we NOT busy!)

mommy and daddy are both working hard to "keep a roof over my head" (whatever that means) but they always make time for me! i absolutely LOVE spending time with mommy AND daddy at the same time! it's like a ping pong game. i go back and forth, back and forth between them. i love it!

anyways, we have been super busy. i had a crazy virus and was really sick for about a week. i got nasty blisters all over my face and body and the skin on some places is STILL peeling off (it's been three weeks). God has continued to bless my family and continues to provide for us daily. i am learning so much about faith from my mommy and daddy.

i wanted to post some pictures of what we've been up to...well, what I have been up to. afterall, it's ME that you want to see pictures of, right?! well, enjoy!

here i am humoring mommy's santa hat idea...oh, and i'm eating her lens cap...yum!

i really wanted to hold the camera myself but SOMEONE wouldn't let me!

mommy was getting up at 2:15am on black friday so i wanted to help her create a plan of attack the day before

eat your heart out, gerber baby!

some people eat appetizers for a pre-thanksgiving meal snack. i prefer sleeves. (that's my papa duck holding me!)

mommy caught my "tongue of determination" on camera!

me and my best friend...daddy!

go organic....eat leaves!

crawling in my ghi and papa duck's backyard on thanksgiving

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! (it made me pee a little!)

i love black and white pictures with mommy!

i skinned this animal all by myself! (with a little help from bass pro shop)

who are YOU lookin' at?!

mommy, what in the world are you doing standing over there?! i'm done!

there IS a good picture of me and this "santa clause" character but mommy needs to download it from bass pro shop's website. don't worry, i will make her post it!

oh, before i forget......
I HAVE A TOOTH!!!!!!! (and another almost poking out too!)

thanks for lookin' at my life!

-malachi

Halloween, MS 5K, and Eating Dog Food...

2009-11-17T07:14:00.001-08:00

Let me just start by saying a belated "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!"

I know it's a few weeks too late, but life has been pretty hectic in the Milillo household lately. Let's recap. Two amazing photo shoots for Molly's photography business with her bff Jamie (jmeportraits.com), lots to do (including painting a gym) for daddy at work, 9-month check-up, and a mastoiditis scare for mommy (don't worry, we're in the clear!). Whew! Now for what you've missed... Happy Halloween! Here's our little monkey!

Here's the Milillo/Kellum/Nordlander crew...
(from left) Alli, Malachi, Jacob, Drew, and Spiderman, I mean, Ryan.

Mommy had some fun with an "action" picture of monkey destroying some blocks.

What a happy boy!
He's happy because his 9-month check-up placed him above the 97th percentile on his weight and height. Keep growing, monkey, and you'll be King Kong!

Sunday was the MS 5K downtown at the Aquarium. Erin is a great friend of Molly's and she happens to be directly affected with MS. Molly joined her WALK BY FAITH team and together with all the members of the team, they were some of the top fundraisers for MS research! Malachi got into the spirit and showed up in a team t-shirt and MS bandana too! (And he helped mommy finish the race!)

Look at that happy face in his stylin' bandana!

Daddy was there to support us too! (And he was roped into walking alongside us!)
Malachi is thinking, "I have an ear...and it's sooooo funny!"

Gangsta. Malachi's first "ink" (for a good cause)

During the walk...

We finished! (If you look closely, you will see that someone didn't exactly make it through all 3 miles)

Molly and Erin (one of the most amazing women Molly knows)...
oh, and a sleeping Malachi.

I have the "my child won't nap" solution...THE MS 5K!!

Malachi's new favorite hobby...the dog food caper!

"WHO?! ME?!"

Well there's the last few weeks in a nutshell. Things are still crazy in our household. Malachi's precious body has been taken over with some super virus that has created horrible cold sores not only all around his mouth and lips but inside his mouth, on his tongue, and down his throat! He started a body rash today (due to a super high fever the past two days) but the doctor assured us that a rash like that is normal after high fever and a virus like he has. Please pray for our little man to feel better! He freaks out when he sees me get the medicine dropper. He is on four different medicines and hates every last drop! His poor sores make it impossible for him to swallow most of the time so it's hard to keep him hydrated! Thank you for your prayers!

Unworthy,
Molly, Steve, and Malachi

Happy Fall!

2009-10-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

every year, we corral the grandkids together and take pictures at a local pumpkin patch. this year was vastly different because instead of three grandkids, we needed to photograph FIVE!! a picture with everyone happy and looking at the camera is practically impossible with two 9-month-olds, a 3-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a 6-year-old. here is my favorite shot of them all...HAHAHAHA....

like i said, HAHAHAHAHA...

since this is the "milillo fam" blog, i am going to post some pics with just us in them. the rest of the grandkid pics will be up soon...

here's my baby boy, looking all grown up on the bench by himself!

picking grass! what great fun!

nothing makes this boy happier than being flung into the air by his daddy!

eat that grass, malachi!

mommy and kai

more mommy and kai

here's my honey!!

"so, uh...is someone gonna get me or what?!"

THE MILILLO FAM!

i honestly have no idea where he got this face...we had never seen it before today! it's almost like he should be cackling very creepy-like..."MWA HA HA HA HA!!!"

so precious!!!!

gumming that lip while picking out a pumpkin

oh my goodness!!! for some reason, this is one of my FAVORITE PICTURES EVER!!!

what a nut!

mommy LOVES black and white pics!

to quote one of his singing toys, "i'm a boy, a happy boy, a happy boy, a friendly boy, i'm a boy, a friendly boy, won't you play with me?!" (sorry, i hear it ALL the time!)

well there's the milillo pumpkin patch pics. like i said, i will try to post the rest of the crew soon. thanks for checking out what's goin' on in our lives!! we love you and can't wait to post some halloween pics!

unworthy,

molly, steve, and malachi

Ladies and Gents, WE HAVE A CRAWLER!!!

2009-09-27T18:53:00.001-07:00

as recently explained, we have been insanely busy!! we are soooo sorry it's taken us THIS long to post some decent pictures of what's been going on! ahhh!

new milestones...september has been a VERY busy month for malachi. he has learned to whistle (inhaling), sit himself up, eat meat, eat puffs and melt-aways, and as of thursday night, HE CRAWLS (video to come)!!!

that was the most recent milestone, but now we need to back-track a bit. like we said, we've been slackin' on the posting so take this post as our peace offering!!

here's our curious little monster "in position" about two weeks before he actually crawled.

i don't care what kind of mood you're in...this little guy will make you SMILE!!!!!

malachi started Mother's Day Out this month. mommy works in the 2 year old class so she's close to him during the day. he LOVES his baby friends and is surrounded by the pure love of Christ throughout the day! we LOVE his teachers ms. annie and ms. charlotte!!!! this is malachi's snazzy outfit for "meet the teacher".

mommy and malachi before meet the teacher.

PUCKER UP!!!!

this is monkey on his first day of what we call "baby school" (mdo)

going to school is HILARIOUS!!

a true photographer's child...trying to take the camera and do it himself!

favorite pasttime: eating daddy's finger.

being silly with mommy.

LOOK AT THE FLANNEL PANTS!!! (thanks, ghi!)

the poor, neglected dogs never get their picture on here so today is their day.

kai is posing for a shoot. he is the new spokes-baby for "snugghi's"...the BEST baby blankets handmade by his grandma! (check out the blog at snugghi.blogspot.com!)

monkey having fun in mommy's classroom at mdo (waiting for her to finish cleaning up)

TRUE STORY...steve got REALLY busy with work and didn't really get to see much of malachi for 4 or 5 days. monkey REALLY missed his daddy and was throwing a little hissy fit to "climb" on the couch (he's pulling up on EVERYTHING now!). i helped his chunky legs climb up there and sat him up. he ended up dozing off five minutes later in the same exact seat that his daddy always sits in!! SOOOOOOO cute!! he wanted his daddy!

that's all for now, friends! keep checking back!! we are trying to be better about updating!!!!

unworthy,

steve, molly, and malachi
(oh yeah, and bo and bailey too)

WE'RE BACK IN ACTION!

2009-09-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

since you're here on this page now, you have realized that we have moved!!! not houses, don't worry! we moved blogs!! we figured with all the happenings with our family now, it was time to make a FAMILY blog with a FAMILY name. malachi voted for us to change our blogspot to themilillofam.blogspot.com instead of just using his name. he is so selfless!
it is molly's goal to post pictures and update this blog as much as possible! working three jobs and going to school is pretty time-consuming (every daylight hour while at home is MONKEY TIME...no interruptions!) but she really has the desire to update it more!!!! so...hang tight and let us work on posting some updates!

-the fam