June 2017 Updates

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Time is getting close to our departure for South Africa! We are really excited and probably more nervous than we realize. We are scheduled to take off on August 1st. Much has been done to get us to this point and we feel like we are closing in on one of the big mile marker moments in this journey.

Here are a few updates from our last Newsletter Update in May:

  • Visas – we need to be applying this week and praying that there is no issues with the consulate accepting and approving them quickly.

We did apply for our visas and had all of the paperwork and more they needed thanks for my organized wife!!! We have not received our visas nor passports back yet, but from all of those that have gone through this process before us have said that “no news is good news”. If there was a problem we were suppose to hear with in 14 days. We haven’t heard so we are assuming all is well! PLEASE KEEP PRAYING!

  • Trip to NYC to apply for visas with the SA consulate

You can read our latest blog about our New York trip here, The Big Apple Adventure

  • Putting our home on the market and selling the rest of our furniture, cars, etc.

The Lord gave us this house as a blessing and it continues to be a blessing. We did sell out home in a matter of 4 hours!!! We even got over asking price which is amazing! We know that it is all of the Lord’s doing. We are just about to close (Tuesday the 11th) and are currently getting rid of the last few things. We believe that life will feel a little less heavy after this is all said and done.

  • From our family’s prayer card, the letter T – Travel arrangements: purchasing the best plane tickets, cost, routes, etc.

We are purchasing plane tickets this week! Our church, Ridge Church said that as part of their support for us they would like to purchase our tickets! How cool is that!!! We even got a pretty relaxing schedule where we can spend a day in London as a family walking around between two long flights.

  • To have 100% of monthly support finalized and one time set up cost in

We have been blown away by the generous people the Lord has brought our way this past month. We have reached 100% in our monthly support! Praise the Lord! It feels so good and we are extremely thankful. We still would like to raise about $7000 in set up cost before we leave August 1st so please let us know if you would like to help meet this need.

Prayer needs for July:

  • Visas to safely and quickly get here in hand
  • The closing and moving out of our house to go smoothly (Closing is July 11th)
  • Packing essentials and things we will want in SA. We can only take 2 free bags each but currently have 4 extra bags ($200 each x 4 = $800!)
  • All of the goodbyes. There are many!
  • From our family prayer care we have a couple:
    • J-Joy, “Not to feel sad”, Ellyana
    • E-Everyones luggage will arrive safe and sound
    • K-Kids, Trusting God to provide what they need in each step of the journey and that they will recognize His goodness

 

If you would like to join our financial or prayer team you can check out how to partner with us by clicking here Partnering with us…. Thank you!

 

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

The Big Apple Adventure

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

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A couple of weeks ago we had to make a last minute trip to New York City to apply for our South African volunteer visas. Lara and I thought it was going to be just the 2 of us but it ended up needing to be all 5 of us. None of us had ever been to NYC so we were excited to see the city but nervous about the visa application process. We arrived early in the morning to ensure we could make it before they stopped accepting visa applications at 1pm. You should have seen us jogging from the train station, through the city, with bags in hand, in 95 degree weather, for as really long way. #touristbecrazy IMG_7785

We made it and only had to wait behind one person before it was our turn. Lara had done a ton of work to make sure we had everything they would ask for and had it in order which made the process a little more simple (not that there is anything simple when it comes to dealing with a government office!). She did ask us for a couple other documents but we were able to have them sent to us and printed at the local FedEx store (Thanks to all at East Mountain in South Africa for making that happen!!!). When we went back to the Consulate office the to deliver the documents you should have seen the ladies face. She couldn’t believe that we had gotten everything together and came all the way back to give them directly to her. Hopefully that helped us out some!

Now we wait. We have no way of knowing how the process is going, if we are going to get approved, or when our 5 passports may show up in the mail. So we wait and trust in the Lord to handle it. We are moving forward with everything else in life and planning on leaving August 1st!

If you would join us in praying that we would be approved quickly and receive our visas and passports promptly, we would really appreciate it! Be praying for the person that is reviewing and approving our application, that we may have favor with him. God has provided every step of this journey and there is no reason to not trust Him with too. He is faithful and trustworthy!!!

PS – NYC was awesome! We loved sight seeing, eating at cool local spots on the street, and meeting some people. It is a big city with tons to do so we will definitely need to go back and stay longer!

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May 2017 Newsletter Update

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

 

May has been a whirl wind of a month for us at the Rousehouse. Busy busy busy! Thankfully we are holding up well and have experienced the joy, strength and peace that the Lord can give. Thank you for all of you who have been praying for us. KEEP IT UP!!! Let me catch you up on a few prayer points from last month to start…

  • Decisions on what to do with our home. Rent it or sell it?

After many conversations, prayer, wise council, weighing the options, and moments of grieving we have decided to sell our home. We love our sweet little house and realize that it was given to us by the Lord for this short season to enjoy and that is what we have done. We will always remember this blessing from the Father!

  • Finishing up fundraising, 100% by June 1st

Almost everyday this past month was filled with meetings, speaking opportunities, and lots of conversations. We are now super close to being at our 100% monthly financial goal!!!! We are in need of just $200 more a month! PTL! If you would like to help get our family across the finish line check out how to partner with us here or email us at spanky.rouse@gmail.com. We do still have some set up cost needs too so any special one time gifts would be very much appreciate as well.

  • Ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to know the Father’s leading in every plan and decision as we prepare to move

This season has been tough but priceless, for sure. I don’t know that we have every heard from the Lord clearer, seen Him at work, and experienced His presences like we have recently. We are reminded that His plans for us are the BEST and that He desires to care for us more than we could ever imagine or ask. We are learning that you get to experience this part of the Father the most by going through tuff stuff which in the moment isn’t too fun but we are learning is worth it.

  • Successful silent auction fundraiser and all the planning that goes into it.

Lara killed it! She worked really hard and it paid off! It took a lot of work on her part to put it all together and I am grateful for her! We also had some amazing people that donated a whole lot of awesome gifts and packages for auction. Lara and I wanted to keep all of them for ourselves because they were so great! Thankfully we had many of you come out and bid on them instead. I had a really fun evening with our friends and family celebrating my birthday as well as we were able to raise over $3100 to go towards purchasing plane tickets and vehicles in South Africa. Definitely a great night!

  • From our family’s prayer card, the letter J – joy: That we may be filled to an overflow of His joy. Romans 15:13

Some fun events this month have been celebrating our 15 year anniversary, Elly’s dance recital and 2 weddings.

IMG_3093I can’t believe that it has been 15 years since we got married! Definitely the best thing that has ever happened to the both of us and yes we are more in love today than ever and have so much fun in together! This is the only way we would choose to do life. We were suppose to go out of town for the week but ended up spending the night and next day sitting under a tree in the grass in the small town of Davidson. It wasn’t the week we had planned but it was just what we needed…it just needed to be much longer!

Elly did awesome at her recital! We could really tell that she has improved from the time she first began a couple years ago. Masterpiece Dance Studio is amazing and we will miss all of them especially Mrs. Jackie! Elly’s favorite dance was the Jazz dance because it is fast and she gets to “shake her booty”. She gets her dance skills from her mom for sure! It was a bittersweet time as well seeing Elly and two of her bff’s dancing together for a special ballet piece. Great memories and we got the DVD so we can watch it over and over and over.

Prayer points for this month:

  • Visas – we need to be applying this week and praying that there is no issues with the consulate accepting and approving them quickly.
  • Trip to NYC to apply for visas with the SA consulate
  • Putting our home on the market and selling the rest of our furniture, cars, etc.
  • From our family’s prayer card, the letter T – Travel arrangements: purchasing the best plane tickets, cost, routes, etc.
  • To have 100% of monthly support finalized and one time set up cost in
  • Strength: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual 

 

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalms 28:7

Snap, Crackle and Pop

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Snap, Crackle and Pop…

This is probably the sound that you think of when someone says, chiropractor. For me, when I thought of this type of doctor I thought it was an additive to real medicine, pain relief or good health. Not a necessity or priority. Come to find out it is so much more than popping your stiff back and twisting your neck real hard.

Did you know that the body was designed and able to heal it’s self from many of the common issues we are having today with out surgery or medicines. I had no idea! I also am not one that relies on medicines and prefers a natural way of medicine or healing. This is why our family tries to regularly eat a clean diet (this is a whole other topic I could talk on for a while) and use alternatives to medicines like essential oils. Therefore, the idea that chiropractic adjustments can boost healing for my whole body not just bones and joints, intrigued me a lot.

“As a neurologically based chiropractic team we focus on the master control center for the body. We remove pressure from your nervous system with specific, scientific, chiropractic adjustments, which allows the body to restore mental and physical health. More families are choosing principled chiropractic because no one is too young or too old to live at their optimum health.” – Greater Life Chiropractic

Lara and I went to Greater Life because of an immediate need that was causing regular problems that were more than just some pain. After going through the initial consultation and sitting through an engaging 30 minute class by Dr. Grant on the benefits of chiropractic medicine we knew we had to give it a try. They even use this really cool, state of the art scanner invented by NASA to get a picture of our spine. This helps them to determine problem areas you may be experiencing and plans for correcting these issues. This was really interesting for sure. The Process

Does it work? After a few weeks I can say my shoulder, knee, ankle, and wrist pain and problems seem to be minimal if not gone in some areas. Most of my back problems are gone too, other than when I try to lift weights that are too heavy. Lara’s pains and problems with her neck that were causing nausea and constant headaches seem to be gone too! We are excited to see all of the health the benefits of regular adjustments over more time as well! Here are a few results of health concerns that have been overcome by chiropractic help, Health concerns and research

As for the Greater Life staff , Dr. Grant and his wife Sam, they are awesome people! You will feel cared for and like one of the family before you leave your first visit! They also have the coolest doctors office ever, for real! Greater Life Chiropractic is one of the fastest growing pediatric chiropractic offices in Charlotte and NC which means they are good at what they do because even children enjoy going to the doctor! I promise they are not one of these services that try and talk you into any thing or scare you into believing you need their services. They are to the point and honest people that we trust!

I would strongly encourage YOU to just go check them out! I am definitely not doing them or chiropratic justice so please just check it them out and see for yourself. Greater Life . If you mention the Rousehouse you will get a complimentary evaluation which includes the scan of your spinal cord to see if there are any problem areas as well as they will build a custom plan that is specific for you and your needs. (We do not get paid to promote them either, just in case you are wondering :)) You will not regret getting to know them and learning more! Greater Life 2

Will you be a Finisher!

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Hear where we are in our fundraising goals and just how close we are to 100% of our monthly support raising goal! Will you consider a monthly reoccurring gift to support us? If so, please let us know at spanky.rouse@gmail.com or click on Partnering with us… to go ahead and sign up. June 1st is our goal date and we need your help to get there! #finisher

April 2017 Rousehouse update

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Spring has sprung! The Rouse’s love the warm weather, blooming flowers, and outdoor activities. But we hate the allergies that come along with it!!!  This year we are trying to enjoy every moment of Spring with the idea that we only have a few more months left until we leave for South Africa. The past few weeks have been a lot of fun but super busy. Spanky ran his second Spartan race, Mac joined the social media realm (IG), Spring Break arrived just in time, we went to see our favorite band in concert, Lara is working hard on our silent auction event, and fundraising is moving along well!

123_1Over Spring Break Mac had the chance to go to the mountains with some friends from church. From all of the stories that he has told us it was lots of fun! He went hiking, zip lining, shopping, junk food eating, stayed up late, and played games. I think his favorite part of the trip was saying up late and hanging out in a hot tub in the cold mountain weather.

IMG_7565Oh yea, Mac also got his own Instagram account. It’s a new season for us as parents but thankfully our first teenager is a remarkable guy, therefore social media doesn’t seem too scary…yet! His Instagram name is causing_wonder incase you may want to check out some of his posts. He chose that name because he wants his life to cause people to wonder, why is he different? I think it is a very accurate description of this young man. I am constantly in wonder of this guy, he is ridiculously awesome!

Spanky ran his second Spartan race with a team from our gym, Carolina Sweat. They had been training hard and it paid off. The team came in the top 5% of all teams and Spanky came in the top 2.7% of participants on Saturday. It was muddier than normal, cooler than he would have liked, longer than planned but invigorating! Next we are going to try another mud run as a couple in June! Couples that get muddy together….

My buddy Justin and I jumping the fire at the finish line!
Carolina Sweat Team – before the mud
Mac hung out with us old men but had fun

We found ourselves needing to take a break from the regular routines of life which is why we were so looking forward to Spring Break this year. Breaks like this one offer us the chance to forget bed times, ignore some of our responsibilities, soak up the sun and forget the diets. Spring Break 2017 was a success! On Monday we went on a nice looong (Elly, “I’m not going to make it”) hike up Crowders Mountain. We started the hike off with excitement and energy but come 6.5 miles later we were so glad to be in the car heading to Rita’s Italian Ice for a nice reward!

We also had the chance to head to the beach for 2 days with RuRu (Lara’s mom). We LOVE the beach! We are immediately refreshed by sitting on the beach with our feet in the sand. The weather was perfect but the water was freezing. That did not stop the kids though from going in head firstIMG_7551. Our kids seem to have a different internal thermometer than we do.

An update on where we are in preparations and fundraising for our big move to South Africa…

We have begun to realize that our time for departure is coming near, and fast! We are thinking about and actively working towards selling our furniture and other home furnishings, applying for visas, figuring out plans for our home here in Piney Grove/Charlotte, ordering school supplies, picking out the limited amount of clothes we are taking and working on roughly 1 million other items that are on the check list. Even though Spanky helps others move over seas regularly as a job it never seemed like that big of an ordeal until we started going through it ourselves. There’s a whole lot of work that goes into it. We are constantly being reminded and are so grateful that God is at work for us.

Fundraising Update: Things were slow-moving for a few weeks even though we keep having great meetings with great people. During this time we were hearing from the Lord a lot and He was constantly shaping our hearts. Over the past two weeks it has really picked up and we are very thankful! Support raising initially was this dreaded necessary evil that we knew we just had to endure to pursue this passion of ours. Today we can say that we are actually enjoying it, well just a little more than we use too. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our story and passions with other people. The best thing about support raising, donor building, fundraising, or whatever you want to call it are the relationships that are formed, for sure! God is raising up people who have a real heart for our family, believe in us, and desire to bless us and be apart of what He is doing all over the world. We can’t express enough what this means to us and how this community fuels our tanks! If you are currently one of our “people” we say a HUGE thank you for playing such a great role in our lives and journey!

We are currently at 67% of our monthly funding need. We NEED to be at 100% by June 1st (FYI, that is my birthday if you didn’t know)! We have a bunch of asks out there that we are waiting to hear back on but are still needing to find a few more families, individuals, or churches that would be willing to support our family and ministry. PLEASE get the word out and connect us with those you may know! If you would like to become one of our partners you can learn how here.

In lieu of my birthday we are hosting a silent auction fundraiser on the evening of June 2nd at a fun venue from 6-10pm. Proceeds will go towards our set up and travel expenses. STAY TUNED for more details and an announcement coming soon!

Things you can join us in Prayer about:

  • Decisions on what to do with our home. Rent it or sell it?
  • Finishing up fundraising, 100% by June 1st
  • Ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to know the Father’s leading in every plan and decision as we prepare to move
  • Successful silent auction fundraiser and all the planning that goes into it.
  • From our family’s prayer card, the letter J – joy: That we may be filled to an overflow of His joy. Romans 15:13

Fundraising update as of April 1st

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

I get the question all of time, probably daily, “How is support raising/fundraising going for you guys?” I am thankful that I have plenty of people who care enough to ask us how things are going but I really get tired, to be honest of answering that question. The good thing is God that is providing some amazingly, generous people!

I have recently gone to part-time hours at work so that we can focus the other half of our time on meeting with people for support raising and working on all of the millions of details that go into moving a family of 5 across the world. Knowing that I have the freedom to share my time allows me to have the margin I need. We are very thankful for this time UWM is offering me.

To answer your question you may be wondering, “How is support raising/fundraising going for you guys?”…

Short answer is, we are at 62% of our monthly needs and goals! This leaves us with a $3400 gap we are still working on. We have also had 35% of our set up cost donated already in special one time gifts!!! Lara and I are super grateful!

We have enjoyed sharing our story, passion, and vision for ministry and our family in South Africa with so many over the past couple months. Through this we have gained some great relationships with new friends along with new monthly financial supporters! We are thankful for these opportunities and people the Lord has been putting in our path.

Our goal is still the end of the summer so please be praying that the Lord will surprise us with irrationally generous people, churches, and businesses that would love to partner with the Rousehouse!

Thank you for asking the question! (wink wink)

 

Be still, Wait on the Lord, & Watch Him do it

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

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For the past couple of years I have tried to pay attention to the themes I believe the Lord is wanting me to learn or hear from him. Last year, for instance, was “I am His beloved son”. Those lessons learned changed my perspective on a lot in life and I believe will empower me to run this race of life better, for sure!

It is now close to the fourth month of the year and I am just now starting to see clearly (clear as mud currently) what this years theme might be from the Lord. “Be still, wait on me (God), and watch me do it!” I like the last part of this theme, “watch me do it” but the previous two points frustrate me to be honest. Maybe this is why He has chosen to teach me about them.

 

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Be still – In my personal experience over these past couple months I have since the Lord saying, “CHILL OUT! REST! Let me refresh you!” I love to rest and vacation but I think that there is a time and place for that. So when I hear this part of the my yearly theme (Rest) over and over it frustrates me. Most days I feel like I have 1 million things to accomplish therefore if I don’t do all that I can the world is going to fall apart, right???

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10

 

Wait on me – Again not a topic that I excel in. I like action. I am a head down, check off the task list, don’t get in my way kind of person. This idea that I am suppose to not only be chilling with God but now I am suppose to stop trying to figure life out and make things happen makes me feel like I am going insane. I have crazy questions rumbling around in my head like, “How long do I wait? God are you paying attention to the time table I have set? How far behind are we going to be, if God ever shows up and gets started”. Don’t judge me I know you have all thought these same things before, I just said them out loud. **BTW, I think God is ok with us getting real and asking our stupid, off the wall questions. He may even enjoy it when we get this honest. What I perceive to be the real meaning for me behind “wait on me” is trust. He wants me to trust that He is good and in control as I rest in Him and wait. IMG_1993

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. Psalms 33:20

 

Watch me (God) do it – This one isn’t too developed in my head, heart or life just yet but I LIKE IT! I know that He likes to show off His glory and I believe that there is nothing too big for God to do. At least in my head I know these truths so maybe His point with this one is to get it in my heart. The thought I keep having is what is “it” and how big is He going to show up doing “it”? I’ll keep you posted on this one.

I know that my God is moving in great ways and I know that He deeply longs for me to trust him and let go of the steering wheel. The funny thing is, when I do the opposite of these three I don’t enjoy life as well nor do the people around me. I believe that the Father is trying to lead me in my life in such a way that I will thrive, be refreshed, enjoy the fullness of Him and be a blessing to all of those around me. What a surprise, He does know what is best for me (said with much sarcasm).

He is good and is pursuing us with a great passion! Let’s pay attention today to how He is working and loving us! Stay tuned. I know that I will have much more to learn over these next 8 months of 2017.

 

What’s happening, March 2017

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

I can’t believe that it is already March 2017! This is the busiest season of our family’s life ever, I think! It seems like time is just flying by and we are trying to soak up every moment and event. There is a lot happening around here and we want to catch you up on all things… family, transitions, preparations, kiddos, etc. So here we go…

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Elly and Brinley getting their ears pierced

Elly has just taken a big step in growing up. She got her ears pierced this past week along with her bff! It was her best friend’s 6th birthday so they decided to go together and get their ears done. It was a memoriable experience for these little girls to have got to do this together! I think it hurt Grey and Daddy way more than it did Elly. Our little baby girl is growing up!

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Greyson doing what he does best…chilling in the sun!

We are learning a little bit of Afrikaans (one of the major languages spoke in South Africa) as a family in preparations for our big move. Lara has come up with this creative board that hangs in our kitchen that tells the days of the week, date, and weather. We have fun talking about these items and trying to pronounce these foreign sounding words each morning over breakfast. I wish I could record it because it is hilarious! Lara and I try to make everything sound like Spanish and Grey is our leader in language learning. He does really well and seems to have a natural ability to learn languages. He can say all of the days of the week, months and count to 10 on his own already!

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Rugby…rain or shine

Mac is enjoying all things middle school and is always busy! This guy just finished up his first rugby season in which he did really well. He is not the most athletic guy on the field but he is a hard and disciplined worker which granted him the title of “team captain”. Mac is also doing judo and is in a robotic/science club after school. He is way smarter than mom and dad, and knows it! When he has a question with his homework the conversation usually ends with, “Google it”.

img_8949Lara and I are staying busy with all of the millions of details around moving to another country, raising support, and transitioning all areas of our family’s life. We never knew there would be so many todo’s. You just buy a plane ticket and go, right??? Everyone just recieved passports in the mail last week, which is really cool. We can travel the world as a family now! We are currently at 60% of our monthly financial support needs and 25% of our financial set up goal. This is wonderful and we are constantly looking for, asking, and seeking God for more generous people to help meet these needs and goals. And we believe He will! There is still a lot to do like apply for South African visas, finding renters to move in and take care of our beautiful home, figure out what we are taking with us and what we are selling, while continuing to pray for God’s vision for the work in South Africa! We actually made a list of many of the details we have been praying about in the form of a prayer card with the kids. We love passing these out and inviting others to come alongside us in praying for these.

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Current Prayer Priorities:

Strength and joy – This will be what sustains us as well as enables us to enjoy this crazy and busy season of life as we prepare to move.

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirt – We want to hear, see, experience, and be lead by the spirit of the Lord.

Wisdom and understanding – to see what He sees to know what we need to give our time and attention to each day.

Financial supporters – We are asking the Father to raise up in the heart of more people irrationally generosity. People we know to ask and people that we may not even know their name yet. We still need about $4000 a monthly commitments. If you would like info on how to partner with us, check this out… Partnering with the Rousehouse

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Certified Fitness Trainer, What?!?!

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

cftFour years ago when I began this journey of better health I never ever ever thought that this day would come nor did I set out to achieve something like this. I simply wanted to lose a little (lot) of weight and be able to keep up with my kiddos. To be able to say that, I am officially a Certified Fitness Trainer seems so cool! Couldn’t have imagined that I would ever say that.

Why? Well, I enjoy learning about fitness and nutrition in all forms. From stretching, to lifting techniques, to multiple forms of cardio, to all of the many details of nutrition. I actually think that it’s fun learning about the effects of glucose, resistant starches, and clean foods have on my body. Weird, I know. So, when I was asked if I would be interested in getting my certification and helping fill in at my gym (Carolina Sweat), I immediately said yes. I think I might had even said at one point that I was going to go back and read a few chapters for fun. And I have done just that, a few times.

I took 31 quizzes, one after each chapter I read. I then took a 160 question exam (only missed 9!), wrote 7 essays on different topics, and lastly did 2 case studies where I had to build workout plans and nutritional guides for new clients. It was a ton of reading, lots of writing, and a bunch of studying but I did it!

Lara and I talk often about how we can serve others better. We like the idea of having multiple tools in our “tool bag” of life that we can use to help and bless people. We know that we all are holistic people and if one area of our life is out of balance then everything will be out of balance. We can’t just pay attention to one area of life and expect to be healthy in all areas, much like fitness. You can do biceps curls all day everyday and have great looking arms but that will never help you have strong legs or good cardio. I have learned that when I physically feel better I also feel stronger mentally and emotionally.

Helping with the physical fitness side of life could very possibly lead to helping someone become spiritually, mentally, and emotionally a healthier person as well. That is the best reason I have for pursuing this hobby as a Certified Personal Trainer.

Much thanks to Lara for supporting me in this and Sarah Pay for pushing me to do it!