the launching pad

Oh me, oh my!  One day, in the not too distant future, God is going to download the skill set to keep blogs updated.  Until then, wellllll...thanks for journeying with us through extremely infrequent posts.  To update you at this point would take me so very long because a good update would require loads of pictures and they are scattered over multiple computers and external hardrives.  (Organizing those is a life dream of mine!)

Here's a super fast update:

We have FOUR amazing children.  Yes, FOUR.  There are times that feels like an entire village.  Other times it feels like a herd.  Most often, if feels like a circus.  Always though, it is a blast.  Incessant fun and laughter (with the occasional bustyoureardrum scream) are the main ingredients of our days.

We left our sweet friends in Norman, Oklahoma.  We loved our 3.5 years in helping with Antioch's church-plant.  It was such a place of rest and peace for us!  Our family thrived, we built life-long friendships, we learned about snakes and OU fanatics on game-day.  So many, many cultural experiences to share. ;)  So many sweet memories we take with us.  Prior to moving we started a breakfast/lunch restaurant named syrup.  Our dream was that Kingdom principles would be implemented in the workplace and people would be discipled through their job, connect with their co-workers and live LIFE with one another, giving to one another as they have need and joyfully celebrating each other for WHO THEY ARE, not just what they bring to the table.  Man, even writing about it gets me excited!  syrup. is an amazing, joy-filled, peaceful, hopeful & FUN atmosphere with smokin' good pancakes, French toast and some of the best coffee on the planet.  If you ever have an opportunity to go, please do!  Our hope is that in a few years down the line, syrup. will support local churches & humanitarian projects as well as serve to support missionaries around the world!

We moved back to Texas.  Yeehaw!  Just kidding, so cliche.  We moved back to Waco after being "on the field" since 2005 to do team-building for our next adventure, raise financial support, and get a little downtime.  Upon moving to Waco in September we have moved THREE TIMES!  Yep, three times in six months.  Enough already, we are beginning to behave like drug addicts.  I'm absolutely certain our children's schools are questioning what in the world is going on.  We have been hospitalized more times than we can count and we had a baby!  WOOHOO!  Despite the crazy situations, we are more at peace and thrilled with life than ever before.  Seriously, journeying with Jesus only gets sweeter!

We are MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA!  Now, if you're reading this and you have known us for any.time.at.all. go ahead and stand up and shout a big 'ol "FINALLY!" on our behalf.  For me personally (Ashley here.  Jason would NEVER use nearly this many exclamation points!) this has been a 21 year promise in the making!  GOD IS A PROMISE KEEPER!  (Strange that I associate that characteristic of God with large gatherings of men rather than GOD & rainbows...or something...yep, peek inside my head, did ya like it!?  It's frightening at times!)
We are moving soooooo soon and we couldn't be more thrilled.  Our kids are excited about the many changes on the horizon including homeschooling, being around "so many chocolate friends," church-planting with some of our best friends and learning new languages!  We will be reaching out to university students on the University of Cape Town campus and we are stoked!  Our hope is to move in May once we raise the remainder of our support.  Isn't God SO NICE!?  Answer: YES!  On top of getting to move to paradise Cape Town, we get to do this alongside five of our dearest friends!  We LOOOOOOVE team and we are quite biased and obnoxiously unashamed about saying we have the best one around!  Pray for us and our friends as we journey into the next church-planting adventure together!

A few things we would LOVE from you as we move across the world.

Be our friends!  Pray for us, skype us, email us, text us...okay, you can call us too.  :)  Besides, Jason LOVES to talk on his phone.

Pray for us!  Seriously, it matters.  It changes things dramatically.  It protects us.  It encourages us.  It builds the church!

Pray about joining our monthly financial support team.  Help us fill in the tally marks so we can get out of dodge.

THE KENNEDYS LOVES YOU!  Thanks for reading the caffeine-induced blog post.

A few fun links:

Our church:
Ashley's blog: (mostly mommy stuff and opinionated commentary)
syrup. 
This.  Seriously, click on it.  I can't stop laughing.

two down, one to go...

Jason just finished the last final of his second year of law school.  REALLY!?  How could it have gone by this quickly?  I am immensely proud of my husband.  He is the most amazing man I know.  He has an insane capacity.  He works so hard without ever complaining.  He never has a bad attitude.  He works, goes to school, is generating a new idea by the second and always, always gives 100% the moment he enters our front door.  I never feel like we receive the leftovers of his day.  He is always happy.  Seriously.  All. The. Time.  He is a man of such deep, bubbling over joy.  Seven years in and I still think he's one of the funniest people I know.  And smartest.  I love the way he leads me, loves me, pursues me, fathers my children and more than all of that I love the way this man loves Jesus.  He is unrelenting in his pursuit of God's heart.  I could not ask for more...I love you, babe!  I am so proud of you! 

I found him snoozing the other day.  He has plenty of reason to be tired!