Aug. 30 was Evie's birthday!!  She is now officially 2, although I'm pretty sure she thinks she's just as big as her sisters...

We had lunch at the park.

Evie and her sisters love the park.

 We celebrated in the evening with some family and friends

Our little baby is growing up so fast!  She is so much fun.
Evie gives great hugs, and when she says "I wub oo" it just melts my heart.

We pray that God would make her passionate about showing the enormous love in her heart to all people for His name's sake.

We love you, Evie!

Girl Stories

This post will be made up of some exciting stories about our girls that you may or may not be aware of.

One Sunday morning about two years ago we were all preparing for church like any other Sunday.  Melissa had just gotten out of the shower and I had just gotten in and Melissa walked into the bedroom.  What did she find? Briley had the lids off of three bottles of cologne, and it was puddling all over the headboard. Melissa's first thought was to sniff Briley's mouth to see if she had drunk any, and of course her mouth smelled like daddy...  So Melissa yelled to me in the shower that Briley drank cologne and jerked Briley up to get her phone which was downstairs.  I came running down wrapped in a towel and dripping water all over the place as Melissa dialed poison control.  They asked if she was breathing ok, and, upon hearing that she was, told us that the she might act a little "inebriated" but she should be ok.  So we continued our Sunday morning preparation but had to tell Briley's Sunday School teacher to keep an eye on Briley because she might act a little drunk.

When Evie was a little baby she had some Eczema issues and we had a prescription cream to put on her skin.  Logan decided, for whatever reason, that the cream looked yummy.  So she squirted out a large amount and proceeded to consume it.  Melissa called poison control... Two weeks later at our friends, Joe and Sarah Salinas' house, Logan disappeared for a little while.  She appeared out of nowhere and came up to Melissa pointing at her mouth saying, "yucky, yucky."  She had been playing in the bathroom earlier, so Melissa knew it couldn't be good.  Logan took Melissa back to one of the rooms and showed her a table that had a puddle of Lysol.  Apparently she had made the puddle, stuck her hand in it, then licked it off her hand.  So Melissa called poison control...  At another time, Logan found some Tums under the oven.  Melissa caught her eating it and immediately fished it out of her mouth.  This time, Melissa didn't call poison control. We decided Logan could do with a little less indigestion.

The summer when Logan was two, she was in her high chair eating a hearty breakfast of Cheerios and Craisins.  Melissa was at the table doing her Bible study when Logan piped up, "Mommy, I got canberry in my nose." Melissa looked for it and saw it, but couldn't get it out.  Every time Logan tried to blow it out, she sniffed instead. Melissa came and got me and we looked with a flashlight, but we still couldn't get it out.  So, Melissa took her to Cook Children's Hospital. By the time the doctor saw her, Logan had sniffed it up so far that the doctor couldn't see the cranberry. Melissa, the doctor, and a nurse could not hold Logan still enough to look into her nose; so they ended up having to sedate her.  The nurse still had to fight her to keep her still after the sedation, but they reached in with some long forceps and got the craisin out.  Unfortunately, because of the sedation, Logan didn't remember the trauma of the whole event, so a couple weeks later she put a cheerio up her nose.  Luckily this time Melissa was able to squeeze her nose and it popped right out.  However, a few months later Melissa and Logan were back at the ER because of the back of an earring in her ear.  This time there was no sedation, they strapped her arms and legs down to a papoose and Melissa had to hold her head still.  Only problem with this little outing was that the doctor couldn't find the earring back anywhere in either of Logan's ears.  We found it on the kitchen floor later that day.  ER trip for nothing.

In the Spring of this year, Melissa had just come back from the grocery store and was letting the girls play outside while she unloaded the car.  Melissa had taken everything into the house including her keys, so she had come to the door to tell the girls to come into the house.  Evie obeyed immediately, Logan did not.  So as Melissa turned around to encourage Logan to hurry, Evie slammed the automatic-lock door closed while her back was turned.  Melissa went around to all the windows and none were unlocked.  She happened to still have her phone on her, but I didn't answer at work and my dad was in Charleston for the weekend.  He called my aunt who owns the house to come unlock the door.  Evie was confused and upset because her mom and sisters wouldn't come in.  Melissa tried to keep her occupied and happy by playing peek-a-boo through the laundry room window.  After a total of twenty minutes of frantic mommy and sad toddler, Aunt Emily arrived to save the day. Now we have several keys and multiple back-up plans.

About a month ago, at the beginning of July, Melissa was getting the girls in the car to go to the library for story time.  As she was turning around from shutting the back door she saw Evie face plant down the stairs onto the sidewalk. Melissa bandaged her up a little with the first aid kit in the car and continued on to the library.  Briley and Logan sat with Danielle and their cousins while Melissa took Evie into the bathroom to clean her up and get a good look at it.  That's when she realized how bad the cut on her head was.  Evie ended up having to have the cut glued together at the ER and had scabs from her hairline to her chin on one side of her face.  It was quite pitiful.

Those are just a few of our little escapades.  Ok, maybe the more traumatic ones, but still.  They make for great stories now.

Thanks for reading!

From Startex to Greensboro and back again

Over the past few weeks we received news that Melissa's grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer again.

We asked many of you for prayers and honestly were very concerned.  So we made plans to go visit Papaw, Grandma, and Aunt Jill.

Boy, are we glad we did!

Before we get to Greensboro, however, we went to church.  I got to lead worship for FBS' Refuge ministry. This is the second time I've led worship for this ministry that invites the homeless of Spartanburg in to take showers and have a hot meal before a small worship service.  This time I was much less nervous and truly got to worship with those wonderful folks.

We left shortly after church and arrived in Greensboro at roughly 4pm.  When we arrived we were greeted not only by Grandma, Aunt Jill, and Papaw, but also by Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Louis.  The girls almost immediately fell in love with both of them, and we had a great visit Sunday afternoon.

We played outside on the swings and slide.  We ate some very good chicken and dumplings.  And we ended the evening by doing some praise and worship outside by the fire (with some hymns and southern gospel thrown in for good measure).

We had a great visit today and a fairly uneventful trip home until Ashley decided to drop by for dinner : )

This was an absolute blast of a weekend.  We're all exhausted, but we had a great time.  On top of it all, we found out that the doctors were unable to locate cancer on the CAT scan that they thought Melissa's Papaw had.  We're not out of the woods yet, but I can say he looked better than he's looked in years!

Thanks for your prayers.  Another update to come soon...

Getting Ready

What has happened to the Pattons in the last few years?

Briley, Evie, and Logan at G'ville Zoo

Well, we now have three children: Briley (4), Logan (3), and Evie (2 in August).

• I graduated with an M.Div in Church History in 2012

We moved to Wake Forest for 4 months, then moved to South Carolina.

We have started the process for going overseas.

I am now Assistant Minister of Missions at First Baptist Spartanburg.

We're living in a rented house in the metropolis of Startex, SC.

Life for us over the past year has been essentially one big change.  Whenever we begin to get settled into any semblance of normalcy something else happens to keep us on our toes.  We moved to Wake Forest so that I could pursue a PhD in Historical Theology; however, because of the job market we ended up leaving before any schooling actually took place. 

I took a job with a Miracle Hill Thrift store in Spartanburg, SC.  It was basically the only thing available, and God used it to move us to a position where we were willing and wanting to go overseas.  About the time we settled our hearts on going overseas God opened the doors to this job at FBS.  Right now I am in a part-time position working with the church's national and international teams. 

We are continually grateful for God's provision and faithfulness.  

Thank you all for your patience, and we'll be working on posting more frequently as we are a bit more mobile and not bogged down in schoolwork.

It's been over a year and two months since we posted anything here, so we have some changes to tell you about. : )

I don't even know what you don't know so I'll just update on what we're up to now.

So, my (drew's) family is coming to Fort Worth Monday and we're excited that we get to do touristy stuff around where we live, since we usually only do life stuff like Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, church, and school. We're planning on Babe's, the Fort Worth Zoo, and a Ranger's game, so we've got more room if anyone has suggestions of things to do in the DFW area. This will be the first time my brothers and Erin (Philip's girlfriend) get to see Logan, even though she's over three months old now.

Melissa and I are teaching the 9th and 10th graders at Hulen Street Baptist Church and loving getting to know them. I've also started leading worship on Wednesday nights for the youth and am having a blast teaching the worship team how to truly lead their peers in worship.

As far as Briley goes, at 16 months she is in the throes of the rite known as toddlerdom. We're experiencing all the fits and attitudes, yeah, but this stage also has a ton of cognitive developments that most people just completely leave out when talking about toddlers. She's picking up new words everday, learning how to do new things constantly, and turning into a little girl. She is such a joy to be a parent to, honestly. Logan, likewise is an absolute dream baby. She constantly smiles and coos at us, and seems to be a more easy-going baby than Briley was, which we thought was an impossibility. They're both absolutely beautiful...

We are busy beyond belief, but confident we’re in God’s hands. Melissa has two Bible studies, one Monday night and one Thursday night. I work (for security at SWBTS) 2^nd shift on Tuesdays, lead worship on Wednesday evenings for the youth, work 3^rd shift Thursday night and Friday night, work a swing shift on the weekend (either Saturday evening or Sunday morning), and over the summer I’ve been working 3^rd shift on Sunday night too. We’re teaching on Sunday mornings and trying to find time to hang out with friends all while trying to give our girls the love and attention they need. It’s exhausting, yeah, but awesome!

Anyway, I'm sorry its been so long since we've updated. Perhaps we'll be a little more consistent, all I can say is we'll try. We love you all, please let us know what's going on with you and how we can pray for you.

Drew, Melissa, Briley, and Logan

Merry Christmas!!!

So it's Christmas once more.......

This is our first Christmas as a married couple, and boy is it busy!! We have family things all over South Carolina, then a trip to Greensboro, NC, then we get to drive to Maine for a friend's wedding! All within a week!!!

But wait, two days after we get back from Maine we leave for Texas and seminary!!

Amid all of this busy-ness, however, we get to experience many firsts with each other and our new families. I (Drew) have been able to spend the last few days with Melissa's family in Pageland. I really feel like they've accepted me into the family, which is amazing!! My family has always been loving and a great Christian influence, but now I have another family who didn't have to accept me because I was born into it. They accepted me simply because they love me. That's really cool!!

We leave tonight (Christmas Eve) from Pageland to go to Lyman for two days. This is the last "extended" time we'll get with either family until they come visit us in Texas. It's a rather sad time, even though the holiday excitement is definitely infectious.

To all of our friends that we're not gonna get to see, we are really heartbroken. We want you to know that we love you desperately and hope to keep in touch, please!!

To all of our friends who are overseas, we love you too!! Please do as good a job as you have been at keeping in touch. We promise to make ourselves more available as our lives slow down just a bit, maybe even for skype convo's and blog posting.

We're incredibly excited about the new things our Father is doing, you just don't even know!! We cannot wait for school. We've missed writing and reading and lectures so much! Please pray for us as often as you think of us. We need your love and your prayers now more than ever.

Thanks and Merry Christmas to all!!

Melissa and Drew : )

November 7

17 Days!!!!!

This past week has been.....normal. Well, as normal as our lives can be. : )

Wedding plans are going well, but we're definitely on the verge of insanity. Our Father continues to be faithful. We're both growing and learning more about Him. He seems a lot bigger and stronger than I thought.

So far this week, we have: bought program paper (for which Drew should probably be writing out the program), written thank you notes for our last shower. We are preparing for our two showers this coming weekend. Oh, and our rings came in yesterday!!!!

We were accepted into the degree program for which we had applied, now we simply have to receive academic counseling and sign up for classes! We are both really, really excited about moving to Texas and settling down into a place for at least a little while. Melissa hasn't lived in one place for more than two months since she graduated school. And Drew is still living with his parents, but well, lets just say that that wouldn't work so well after he and Melissa get married. We're really excited about going where Dad has told us to go and knowing that He will provide for us.

Thanks to all who read and speak to the Father on our behalf. We are remembering you as well.

If anyone actually reads this, please tell us if there's anything you'd like to hear about our lives.

in love
Drew and Melissa

October 31

So the countdown is now 23 days!! Yay!!! : )

Life is crazy and continues to get crazier, but Dad is faithful. He daily shows reminders of His plan and His hand in even the small details. The last week and a half has been eventful to say the least. I (Melissa) had some roommate troubles and had to move out of my apartment. The next day, however, a friend and her family graciously opened up their home for me to stay until the wedding. Things have been going great there, and I'm so grateful for their hospitality and friendship!!

We have been getting the final details and arrangements for the wedding taken care of. There are so many things we never even had thought of before concerning wedding planning!! We thank Dad for His provision. Most of the decorations for the wedding and reception have been provided for free and so have all the bubbles!! : ) Dad has provided a place for us to live for December before we move. It's free and close enough that we both can continue working for two more weeks after we get back from our honeymoon!!!

Another exciting thing that happened this week is that we got out housing assignment for Texas!!! We have a two bedroom apartment. It is unfurnished, but Melissa's parents have agreed to let us borrow quite a few pieces of furniture to take with us!!! That works perfectly because we really didn't want to buy anything since we'll be leaving the country as soon as our schooling is complete. : )

Please continue remembering us to Dad. As we can promise we are doing for you. Keep in touch!!! We love you!!!

Drew and Melissa

October 18

So Melissa and I are getting married in a month and eight days!!!!

Well, 36 days to be exact : ).

Our Dad has definitely been moving and its so amazing to see how much He loves us even in the minor details!! I mean, everything has come together the way that Dad wanted it to, and we couldn't be happier. Everything from bridesmaids getting their dresses, to wedding showers, to napkins, and everything in the middle. The only thing we're really having to work on right now is a place to stay for the month of December, and we have options for that too.

Our Honeymoon was mostly provided for way back in August.
The cake was given as a gift by the caterer, and the catering was provided for by one of Melissa's aunts and Melissa's parents.
Melissa already has her dress.
The Bridesmaids already have their dresses.
The Groomsmen are getting their tuxes.
We found the program paper we want at Michael's.
We have four showers planned (one has already happened).
One of our professors agreed to do both the premarital counseling and the ceremony.
We have a violinist.
My bestman and one of our bridesmaids is going to sing during the Unity Candle ceremony.
We ordered personalized napkins and they came in about 4 days later.
We got our rings at like 85 percent off at Kohl's.
David's Bridal has worked with Melissa TWICE doing things they wouldn't normally do.
All the serving and decorations have been donated (time and materials).

Of course, we've had our struggles and there are definitely storms along the way. But even in those things Dad's hand has been more than evident.

We've both already been accepted to Southwestern and we're in the middle of applying for their MA Missiology program. We have only a little over two months here before we move out to Texas, and we're both very excited about that! We're really rather nervous about leaving all of our friends behind (so much so that we haven't ceased begging them to come along ; ) ) but we know that this is Dad's plan for us, so we're going. We're both increasingly excited about settling down again and getting back into school. We'd like to say thanks to those of you who talk to Dad on our behalf, and we'd really like it if you wouldn't stop! Know that we talk to him everyday about you as well. I'll probably start updating more often, especially when we get to Texas.

Love ya'll,
Drew and Melissa