Walker Family

2011-03-24T17:06:00.003-05:00

Welcome to our website and thank you for taking the time to visit! If you are a ministry partner we hope that this site will help you stay better connected to us, our ministry and what is going on in our lives. If you are just checking us out, thank you for visiting and we hope that you will be encouraged to see how FamilyLife is strenthening marriages and families around the world by helping them set their foundation on the solid rock of Jesus Christ!

Why is FamilyLife Needed?

In just one generation our nation has turned from a culture of marriage to a culture of divorce.

- 50% of marriages end in divorce.

- Extra-marital affair rates have more than doubled over the last 10 years.

- Youth from broken homes are 3x more likely to drop out of school.

These are serious times. The family - the very fabric of society - is being torn apart. Nearly all of us have been touched in some way by the pain of divorce, either our own, or of someone we love.

People are desperately seeking answers to questions like: How can I make my marriage last? How can my spouse and I really love and understand one another? How can I raise godly children in an ungodly world? How can I encourage others in their marriages? If you are asking questions like these, you are not alone!

God is using FamilyLife to touch lives and change families for eternity! Through each of FamilyLife's outreaches, people learn Biblical principles to help them have a marriage that lasts and the kind of family they long for.

FamilyLife’s mission is to make every home a godly home. Because your marriage, your family, and the generations that follow are important!

If you would like to know more about any of FamilyLife's outreaches or you would like to find out about starting a marriage ministry in your church or community, please contact us, thewalkers@njwalker.com we would love to help get you started!

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed." Psalm 112:1-2

"If we reach the FAMILY, we reach the WORLD"

Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ.

FamilyLife is a marriage and family ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ

2010-11-16T17:02:00.033-06:00

Welcome to our website and thank you for taking the time to visit! If you are a ministry partner Jennifer I hope that this site will help you stay better connected to us, our ministry and what is going on in our lives. If you are just checking us out, thank you for visiting and we hope that through this site you will get to know us a little better.

Why is FamilyLife Needed?

In just one generation our nation has turned from a culture of marriage to a culture of divorce.

- 50% of marriages end in divorce.

- Extra-marital affair rates have more than doubled over the last 10 years.
- Youth from broken homes are 3x more likely to drop out of high school.

These are serious times. The family - the very fabric of society - is being torn apart. Nearly all of us have been touched in some way by the pain of divorce, either our own, or of someone we love.

FamilyLife’s mission is to make every home a godly home. Because your marriage, your family, and the generations that follow are important!

If you would like to know more about any of FamilyLife's outreaches or you would like to find out about starting a marriage ministry in your church or community, please contact us, thewalkers@njwalker.com we would love to help get you started!

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed." Psalm 112:1-2

"If we reach the FAMILY, we reach the WORLD"

Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ.

September 2010 Prayer Letter

2010-11-16T16:49:00.000-06:00

Last month our family attended a Family Mission Trip with our church. Ten families, about 40 people, were doing work for the Lord at Shannondale Community Center in Southeast Missouri. It was a wonderful experience for the entire family. We painted picnic tables, chopped wood, sang around a campfire, ate meals together and floated down the Current River - taking in all the beauty of God’s creation around us. Spending time with each other and serving God...it doesn’t get much better than that!

What is a mission project that is close to your heart? Is it visiting the elderly, cleaning up a neglected part of town, helping at an animal shelter, babysitting for the single parent down the street or delivering dinner to a friend that just got home from the hospital?

What mission project can you do together with your family or members of your church family? Matthew 20:28 says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve others.” When we give our time and talents to others, we are living like Jesus. A wonderful thing happens when we obey God’s command to follow Jesus, he blesses us and fills our heart with true joy.

Feel free to contact us to find out more about these great resources and how to get your family serving.
The Mission Minded Family, Ann Dunagan suggests activities for families to participate in together, as well as resources to help families develop the desire to be more missions-focused.
Growing a Spiritually Strong Family, Dennis and Barbara Rainey reveal ten spiritual seeds—practical uplifting tips and activities for you and your spouse that will nurture your families faith.

August 2010 Prayer Letter

2010-08-28T08:46:00.000-05:00

Last week was Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. One story in particular caught our attention. A man who says he was BLESSED by a bite from a 12 foot tiger shark. Todd Murashige, Hawaii Surfing State Champion, lived 15 minutes away from a popular surfing beach in Hawaii. Todd admits he was addicted to surfing. Every evening he sacrificed time with his family to be out on the ocean riding waves. One evening his surfing routine and the tiger shark feeding schedule collided. As he sat waiting for a wave, a tiger shark sunk its teeth into his leg and would not let go. After struggling a few moments, Todd was able to free his leg from the sharks mouth. He quickly paddled to shore only to realize a large part of his thigh muscle was missing and he was bleeding severely. Thankfully there was another surfer nearby who ran to help Todd and called 911. Todd gathered enough strength to make a phone call to his wife. He told her, “I love you!” His wife realized quickly that he was hurt and he was calling to say “Goodbye”.

Doctors who treated Todd said he was lucky to be alive, but said he would never walk or surf again. In the 2 months that followed the shark bite, Todd did a lot of thinking and praying. He realized how much he had neglected his family and how he was putting surfing as the first priority in his life. Todd decided to make a real life change by spending more time with his family and also going back to church to strengthen his relationship with God. Todd believes that God used the shark bite as a wake up call and His wife and children enjoy the change!

Today Todd has proved the doctors wrong. He is surfing again, but he only goes to the beach WITH his family.

Although God used a traumatic experience in Todd’s life to help him re-organize his priorities and to grow in his faith, many people just need a little reminder to help them check their priorities.

Go to www.familylife.com and click on Newsletters, sign up for the FREE Family Room eNewsletter. Find out how to make the most of your family time and make sure it stays a top priority by providing encouragement delivered to your inbox twice each month. Or check out some of the other eNewsletters available through FamilyLife.

July 2010 Prayer Letter

2010-08-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

Day two of our missionary training was full of new experiences. Since we were working to become missionaries our training leaders said that we must be comfortable sharing the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus, with strangers. They gave each of us a bus pass and said, “We will see you back in three hours and we want to hear some good stories.” Talk about being out of our comfort zone!

We ended up in downtown Orlando Florida in the middle of a huge outdoor shopping area. Jennifer thought she would attempt talking to the store workers, she figured they couldn’t run away from her. She entered a Hollister store and asked the clerk, Rudy, where the clearance section was (she is a bargain shopper all the way). They struck up a conversation and he asked her why she was in town. As soon as she mentioned the word FamilyLife, his eyes locked onto hers. He said, very intently, “Do you do counseling?”

Rudy went on to describe that he was in a serious relationship with his girlfriend but they were running into some serious religious issues. He asked if their relationship could work...if there was hope. Then the Holy Spirit took over Jennifer and provided her with an inspiring response, “I don’t know about your personal relationship, but I do know that if your relationship with Jesus is not in the right place, none of your other relationships will be.” Jennifer continued to share with him about how to re-commit and strengthen his relationship with Jesus. As they ended their conversation Jennifer offered to pray for him. He said, “Yes...please, I can use all the prayer I can get.” Jennifer prayed with Rudy by the Clearance rack in the Hollister store.

About four weeks later, Jennifer decided to call Rudy and see how he was doing and to let him know she had been praying for him. Rudy shared that things were not going well with his girlfriend and he could really use someone to talk to. Earlier that same week we had gotten word that FamilyLife had rolled out eMentoring. eMentoring is an exciting new outreach of FamilyLife that connects people with an “email mentor”. Participants can remain anonymous and share their struggles with a trained FamilyLife volunteer mentor who will encourage and provide biblical resources and help. Jennifer encouraged Rudy to go to eMentoring and he showed great interest in getting signed up.

We may never find out the end of Rudy’s story but we do know God is in control and He gives each and every one of us the opportunity to touch people with the Love of Christ.

We challenge you today. If you know someone hurting or struggling in their marriage or family, encourage them to visit www.familylife.com and click on the “Get Help” link. Give it a try! We would love to hear your good stories.

June 2010 Prayer Letter

2010-08-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how God works in our times of need. Jennifer and I were reminded of this recently as we checked into our hotel in Orlando Florida for our New Staff Training with FamilyLife.
Our trip to Orlando started off well. We got to the airport on time, our luggage checked in and we passed through security. However, when we got to the gate we found that our flight was delayed. Normally this wouldn't be that big of a deal but we were already flying late in the day and we were going to be rushed to get to the hotel for a good night sleep before our training early the next morning. Thankfully, we had an uneventful flight but as soon as the plane landed and we turned our cell phones on, calls and text messages came flooding in. “The church is on fire!” What? Surely it had to be a joke...but no...lightning had struck our church and it was on fire.

Our minds were reeling as we tried to gather our bags and get to the shuttle that was to take us to our hotel. It was a long shuttle ride, but we finally got to the hotel, or so we thought. We drudged to the front desk only to discover that they did not have our reservations. We were at the DoubleTree Hotel but there were two DoubleTree Hotels in Orlando and we were taken to the wrong one. We contacted the shuttle company and they informed us that they would send us a taxi in 15-30 minutes. Two minutes later a bellhop announced that a taxi was outside for the "Velker’s", and then the taxi left. After 30 minutes of waiting we realized that we must be the "Velkers". As the shuttle company started the process of dispatching yet another taxi, Jennifer sat on the couch in the lobby and prayed. "God, please send us encouragement and send it to us in the taxi driver that is coming for us."

When our taxi arrived, God prompted Jennifer to strike up a conversation with him. He informed us that he was from Haiti, he was there during the earthquake and said, "By the Grace of God I am alive". When we told him that we were in Orlando for missionary training with Campus Crusade for Christ, he paused and said "You are here for CHRIST?". It was like a fire was lit inside of him. He started sharing stories of hope and transformation that are coming out of Haiti. People who were far from Christ and practicing Voodoo were surrendering their lives to Jesus. We arrived at our hotel, and Jennifer told him that we were glad we had a chance to share with him about our Lord. He said, "I just love talking about Jesus!" Wow, shouldn't we all have that attitude!

The next morning we woke up thinking, we are so blessed! Even though our flight was delayed, our church caught on fire, we were taken to the wrong hotel and we missed our taxi, we have so many reasons to praise God. Our driver experienced horrific devastation and loss but he only spoke about hope and joy because of Jesus. God showed up in the taxi driver from Haiti!

Spring and Summer Pics

2009-09-26T22:34:00.004-05:00

Lucas' first day of preschool.

A trip to the science center... the kids loved doing "Build A Dino"

A backyard campout... Lucas' said, "This is the BEST NIGHT EVER!"

The Cousins - Mother's Day at our house

These are some of the cutest smiles ever!

Lucas is showing off a carrot, we grew in our own garden. I was not planning on growing carrots, but Lucas said that it would not be a real garden without carrots, we needed a garden like "Rabbit's" on Whinnie The Pooh.

Vacation at Lake of the Ozarks

This is the first time Lucas had ever been fishing. We visitied our friends, the Kazmaier's, at their lake house and went fishing off their dock. I love the looks on the kids faces... this is a typical reaction to a new experience... Lucas carfully studies and learns before he formulates really how he is going to feel about the situation. On the other hand, Allison is smiley and excited about everything!

Lucas riding his bike with no training wheels!

2009-02-12T15:43:00.000-06:00

Life at the Walker House

2009-02-12T13:31:00.000-06:00

Lucas making his own tent and campsite.

I made a family of ducks out of playdoh, A daddy, mommy and baby.

Allison loves pretending to play house, anything with a mommy and a baby. So she loved playing with the family of ducks. She cried when it was time to smoosh them and put them back in the container.

Daddy peacefully sleeping after putting together Lucas' train set.

The nap didn't last long, Allison woke him up with one of her famous "wake up kisses".

Our Lovely Princess Allison.

And our lovely Princess Lucas. Allison made dressing up look like so much fun, Lucas had to try it out. Don't worry, he still wears his super hero costumes more than the princess costume.

When one is having fun, the other just can't stand it, they have to join in too.

They love their cozy robes they got for Christmas from Grandma Seeley.

Lucas was so excited to get a "real Bible" like mommy's. I guess he fell asleep reading it to his baby at nap time. I went in to wake him up and found this adorable sight!

Captain Lucas is heading back to earth after picking up 2 red-headed aliens.

Oh the fun you can have with a cardboard box.

Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas

2008-12-09T12:37:00.000-06:00

The kids really enjoyed getting out the Christmas decorations this year, and they loved these hats!

Allison enjoys playing with all her dolls and stuffed animals. She loves climbing in the cradle she got for Christmas last year.

All the Seeley grandkids at Thanksgiving. We can never get them looking in the same direction at the same time, but look at all those cute faces.

Lucas loves working on his "projects" just like daddy.

He has to have all of his "tools" too, pencil behind the ear and those are his workgloves sticking out of his pants. He didn't have pockets so he stuck his gloves in his pants.

I love fall!

2008-11-05T13:56:00.000-06:00

Playing in the leaves... the all-time best Fall Fun!

And it can't be fall without pumpkins!

2008-10-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday!

Lucas snatches a gumdrop off his castle cake before we could even sing to him.

I can't believe that Lucas is 4...

And Allison is 2!
Hannah and Grandma Walker enjoying themselves at the birthday party.
Papa and Josiah sharing some cake.

We celebrated the kids birthdays with a trip to the Zoo with Uncle J, Aunt Ann, Hannah, Grandma Walker and Josiah.

For the 4th of July we had a backyard BBQ party. Uncle J, Aunt Ann and Hannah were able to come to town and celebrate with us.

Lucas was soooo excited to camp out in the backyard with Uncle J and Daddy!

Finally an Update!

2008-10-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

For Halloween we were THE INCREDIBLES!

Lucas loved his costume soooo much he wanted to wear it to school, to church and to bed.

Good thing we have 4 dress up Halloween parties to go to this year.

This is Lucas and Allison playing Hide and Seek with mommy and daddy. Very creative spot to hide!

Sir Lucas and Princess Allison had a castle theme birthday party this year. I did one cake and decorated both sides. It is hard to believe they are 4 and 2 already!

Jason and Ann just sent us more birthday pictures so I hope to get more up here soon.

This is my favorite family picture from our vacation at the lake. We had a fabulous time swimming, hiking, going to Big Surf, riding the Train at Miner Mikes, playing mini golf, riding go carts, and just spending quality family time together!

Allison still talks about the "Train Train" and Lucas still tells stories "Remember that really fun time we had at the vacation house...."

Extended Family

2008-03-17T15:24:00.001-05:00

Walker's

Seeley's

2008

2008-03-17T15:01:00.000-05:00

Say Cheeeeese, Allison

Say Cheeeeeese, Lucas

Lucas loves giving Allison a stoller ride,

Allison loves getting a ride!

We had a lot of SNOW DAYS!

Allison loved the sled rides from daddy.
She laughed and smiled each trip down the hill.
After each trip down the hill we asked,
"Do you want to go again?"
Each time we got an enthusiastic
"Yeah!!!"

Lucas making snowballs to throw at daddy.

How sweet, reading a book together.

An Indoor Snow Day.

An Indoor Snow Man.

Jack came over to play dress up.

Check out Peter Pan and Spider Man!

Winter and Christmas of 2007

2008-03-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

Daddy's Big 30th Birthday.

Mommy tried to make a 2 layer chocolate cake.

The key word is tried, as the cake cooled

it started splitting in half so mommy tried to

keep the cake together using bamboo sticks

and shoving oreo cookies in the cracks.

Needless to say it didn't work too well.

Mommy assured daddy this was in no way an

indication of what life will be like now that he is

THIRTY!

A green monster truck!

Mommy and Allison

Lucas started Pre-School at the YMCA
in November. He is cute as can be at
the Christmas Party.

A BIG Yellow Dump Truck!
Can life get any better for a 3-year-old?

Daddy refinished the baby cradle that

mommy slept in as a baby and Mommy made new

bedding. Allison loved it, she sat in it for almost 2 hours

just rocking her babies.

Lucas had a blast in the first snow of the year.

Allison, not so much.

Big Walker Family Vacation

2007-08-15T22:16:00.000-05:00

Lake of the Ozarks, August 4-11, 2007

We went with the whole Walker family (Grandma and Grandpa, Jason and Ann, Jesse and Cynthia and cousin Josiah) and stayed in a 4 bedroom condo with a great view of the lake. It was really nice and we all had a wonderful time together.

Unfortunately we only remembered to take our camera to one place. Miner Mike's it is like an indoor mini amusement park with an arcade. We spent 3 cool days here in the air conditioning when it was over 100 degrees outside!

We didn't even have to pay a quarter for Lucas to play in the arcade.

Allison liked walking around and checking out all the bright lights.

They had this runaway mine train roller coaster. The track wa probably only about 50 yards long and just ran in a little circle, but man it was fast and fun!
This was actually pretty funny. The first time he rode the bumper cars he was all by himself on the track so he just drove all over having a good time and pretty proud of his driving skills. Then the second time he drove there were a few more kids and they were bumping into him. He just gave them his really serious stare like, "What do you think you are doing?"

Lucas got everyone to ride the bumper cars with him, even Grandma

And Daddy!

(Lucas, Allison, Josiah)
This was also really funny. The train roller coaster was right above us. So just as we were trying to get a picture the roller coaster started moving, the kids could not keep their eyes off it as it went around and around.

Finally the ride stopped and we got them all to look at us, well sort of.

The great part about vacation is the kids get really worn out. Lucas had his own room (mommy and daddy's closet). We brought an air mattress for him but he spent most of his time sleeping in the crack between the wall and his bed. Go figure.

Summer Pictures

2007-08-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

All smiles!

Do those taste good?

Lucas is a big helper feeding Allison her yogert.

Who else could be so happy in their underware in the rain?

Allison liked the rain too.

Our family vacation to the Lake. This is pretty much how we spent our time, daddy outside the pool, mommy holding Allison, and Lucas underwater!

This was one of our projects this summer. A waterfall for the backyard.

It looks pretty cool at night too.

I love these smiling kiddos!

This was our Seeley family vacation to TroutLodge.

(Lucas, Tyler, Carrie and Baby Evelyn, Allison, and Jaden)

Allison loved the beach, she kept trying to drink the water. Yuck!

Lucas made a GREEN superhero cape.

Allison showing her USA spirit.

Look at that dimple!

Our camping trip to Meremac State Park

Lucas is standing proudly in front of our '66 Applebee Camper

Allison can't hardly handle all the excitement from her first camping trip!

Lucas' first time feeding Allison.

Josiah's 1st Birthday Party, Barnyard Bash!

Doesn't she make a cute kitty.

Spring Pictures

2007-04-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

We are so blessed to have 2 beautiful children.

We were getting ready to go to the

First Baptist Church Easter Egg Hunt.

Daddy and Lucas making Easter Eggs.

The finished product!

Allison's 6 month picture.

Lucas and Allison having fun!

2007-04-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

Allison taking it easy swinging in the tree.

Lucas is such a big helper.

Allison loves boucing while mommy takes a shower.

Lucas reading, "I'm a Big Brother" to his bear.

Allison can spin herself all around in her play saucer.

Allison's 4 Month Picture

2007-02-19T15:20:00.000-06:00

Allison's 4 Month Picture

Lucas was 'helping' me take Allison's picutre. When I was done he asked me to take a picture of him. He had to do it just like Allison, he took his own clothes off and posed on the blanket, just like Allison.

Family Pictures

2007-02-19T15:03:00.000-06:00

Lucas loves to make Baby Allison laugh.

Allison loves to smile at her Big Brother Lucas.

Maybe we have a future CFO on our hands.

Allison's first food, rice cereal with bananas (YUMMY)
Daddy gets to feed her for the first time!

Swimming at the YMCA

Allison's first time in the pool, she did great.

Hopefully she will be a fish like Mom and Lucas.

Lucas and Allison

2007-01-16T23:08:00.000-06:00

Lucas - 2 years old

Allison - 3 months old

January Pictures

2007-01-16T23:02:00.000-06:00

Allison is wearing the Baptism gown that her mommy wore.

This gown was made by Grandma Seeley (Sharon)

I can't believe we got a shot of both

smiling and looking at the camera.

Family Christmas

2007-01-16T15:21:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning at our house!

Christmas at Grandma Walker's

2007-01-04T23:59:00.000-06:00

Cousin Josiah, Lucas and Allison

Daddy (who isn't quite awake yet) and Allison (just like daddy)

Making a ginger bread house...

Finally we are done!

Check out our beautiful house!

Christmas at Grandma Seeley's

2007-01-04T23:36:00.000-06:00

Lucas, Cousin Jaden, Allison, Cousin Tyler

Lucas, Say Cheese!

Awe, what a sweet big brother!

Allison with Grandpa and Grandma Brown

Allison's Big Smile

2007-01-04T23:30:00.000-06:00

The duck blanket Allison is laying on, Jennifer made when she was 13 years old. It was a mission project for our church, everyone was given $10 and we had to find a way to "grow" our money and give it back to the church. So I made baby blankets. This blanket was bought by Jennifer's God Parents (Bill and Terry Brown). Bill and Terry kept the blanket with the intention to give it back to Jennifer when she had her first child. So when Lucas was born they brought it as a gift to the hospital to surprise Jennifer. What a special blanket!

Allison's Baptism Group Picture

2006-12-09T22:04:00.000-06:00

Allison's Baptism

November 26, 2006

Rev. Deeker officiated

Jason and Ann Walker are her sponsors

(Nathan's Brother and Sister-in-law)

Click on "Allison's Baptism" on the right to see more pictures.

Pictures with Santa!

2006-12-09T21:47:00.000-06:00

YHTI hosted pictures with Santa at Hillerman's Nursery.

Allison went first, she sat very pretty with Santa.

Then Lucas said, "I no like Santa"

We tried to get Lucas on Santa's lap,

when we came within 3 feet of Santa

Lucas screamed, "I no like Santa!"

So daddy showed Lucas it was fun to sit by Santa.

(Daddy was being just A LITTLE goofy)

Lucas still said, "I no like Santa"

So we went home.

Lucas wants to be just like Daddy

2006-12-09T21:44:00.000-06:00

"Not now mommy, I playing baseball."

Allison's Close Ups

2006-12-05T22:23:00.000-06:00

Snow Days!

2006-12-05T22:19:00.000-06:00

All strapped in and ready for a wild ride!

Daddy and Lucas playing "Follow the Footprints"

Cute Kids

2006-11-28T14:14:00.000-06:00

Cute Kids

Lucas taking care of his baby

Allison with a big smile

Big Brother giving Allison a hug

Allison's Baptism

2006-11-28T13:32:00.000-06:00

Allison's Baptism

November 26, 2006

Jason and Ann Walker are her God Parents

I guess you never get too old to act like a kid!

(Uncle Jeff riding the Alligator with cousins Tyler and Jaden)

Halloween 2006

2006-11-28T12:59:00.000-06:00

Halloween 2006

Lucas is a Handyman from "Walker and Son and Son"

Allison is just plain cute in her "Ghost and Pumpkin" sleeper

Our Family

2006-11-28T12:47:00.000-06:00

Our Family

Lucas, 2 years and 9 days old

Allison, 6 days old