the basye family

Three Kids 5 and Under...

2011-11-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today is November 1st, 2011. From time to time I will talk to those of you from afar (Memphis, India, etc.) and you comment about keeping up with our blog. I always think to myself, "Well at least you don't have to try too hard as I rarely write any new blogs, especially these days!" For those parents of one or two kids out there, wait until you have three, if you choose to have three. I had no idea how much more full our life could be, and in more ways than one! Did I say full? Hmmm... perhaps I meant challenging?!

In the last two months the Basye family has...

Fought two separate rounds of colds

Currently Elijah and Ellie are on the mend, however, now I'm sick and Aida's has turned into her first ear infection... those are always fun

Had a combined tally of 13 vomits from Elijah and Ellie

Did I mention that one of those times Ellie threw up in my eye? No joke, it really happened

Changed approximately 500 diapers

Yeah, it is time to potty train Ellie... thanks for trying Grandma JuJu
This is funny... Aida wears a size 3 (she is not even 6 months old); Ellie wears a size 4 (and she is 2 1/2!)

Driven Elijah to or from school approximately 40 times
Had perhaps only one week of out eight of uninterrupted sleep in the middle of the night

The other night, while Shelly was out of town, I clocked 2, maybe 3, hours of sleep as each kid was up at least once in the middle of the night

Swept the floor (to clean up crumbs below the island where we eat breakfast and lunch) over 100 times

My wife and the Houlihan's might say this is because I am a bit OC... maybe they're right!

I could go on but you get the point. As crazy as it is, Shelly and I try to keep these two things in mind: 1) it is a season (it is hard to believe that Aida is already 6 months in a few days and that Elijah is 5); and 2) children really are a blessing. Life is crazy, full, demands the sacrifice of our desires and wants, but how worth it they are. Would I rather be out fishing or hanging with my kids? I'll choose the kids. Besides, what can be more memorable and comical than your kid throwing up in your eye?

Quick briefing...

Elijah is currently attending a half-day kindergarten program and loving it. He is fascinated with anything along the lines of being a super hero - Batman, Spiderman, it doesn't really matter.
Ellie is asking to go to kindergarten (while she carries her backpack full of toys on her back) but we have insisted that she can't go anywhere until she uses that potty! As independent as she is, leaving behind the diaper is one things she is not eager to do. Kudos to JuJu who was able to get her to go once on the potty while the kids were at her house.
Aida is full of smiles and laughter, but she can also turn on a dime to the loudest screaming you have ever heard. She is a spitting image of Elijah, or should I say Buddha? She loves the chaos of the house and the other two do a great job of entertaining her.
Shelly is back to work after spending a week in San Francisco for a conference (I was able to join her for three days!). Those of you who know Shelly well will not be surprised by this - she is already planning our next trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in June.
And me? I'm currently trying to figure out how to squeeze in a couple of mornings to go shoot a deer... we do live in Montana after all!

Painted Toes and Knives

2011-09-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ansley & Aida

Yeah, it is official, it is only in our capacity to make Buddha babies! Aida is now 4 months and is keeping pace with Elijah when he was an infant. She weighed 15lbs 12oz. (90%) and was 25.25 inches long (90%.). While we were at the doctors I put Ellie on the scale... fortunately she still has a solid 10lbs on her sister! Aida has taken a turn for the better these last couple of months. Not to say that she can't be difficult, but she is a great baby, sleeps through the night and absolutely loves watching all of the activity at our house.

As hard as it is to believe, Elijah turned 5 this month and started kindergarten. Shelly has grown to have a real love for making special cakes for the kids. As their birthday approaches she asked them what they would like to have. For whatever reason, Elijah's "thing" as of late are pirates, so naturally he asked for a pirate cake. I've got to say, it turned out pretty darn well! Well done babe!

Being that Elijah's birthday is days before the school cut off, technically he could have started public school kindergarten. However, thinking that we will hold him back one more year we enrolled him into a kindergarten at a Christian school as his school day is half day as opposed to all day. So far he loves it and has really been doing well.

One night of the week Shelly and I try to spend special time with one of the kids after the other two have gone to bed. Last night we spent time with Ellie, and of course, she wanted to paint her nails! Ellie is truly a girly-girl and loves dress up, purses, lip gloss, and painted nails. However, it was really important to Ellie that not only mommy paint her nails, but daddy too. What is a guy to do? Of course I painted my nails (blue with sparkles) and it is still on! I have no shame. :)

If it makes any different, with painted nails and all, I took down a man last night with a knife trying to attack my neighbor.

My last bit of big news... Shelly chopped her hair today! Yep, she couldn't take it any longer. She told me that as soon as she got back in shape from having Aida that she was going to the salon. Well, Shelly is looking great (did she really just have a baby?) so the phone call on Friday to set up a hair appointment for today didn't surprise me at all. The whole family gathered as her hair was chopped and donated for a wig.

Just a few more pics for fun...

We might look alike

Blue eyes

Crazy eyes and cuppy-cake

Oh Canada...

2011-08-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are cell phone free, in another country, surrounded by monstrous mountains and we can hear a folk concert outside our window as we enjoy an evening in a quaint condo. Oh Canada, how much we do enjoy thee! This is Shelly's last week of freedom before going back to work (that is, if you can call it "freedom" to have been a stay-at-home mom of a 4 year old, 2 year old and newborn infant). What better way to end this time than drive 10 hours to enjoy the Rocky Mountains of Banff/Canmore, Canada? Well, this is our first night here but from what I've seen so far, WOW!

The family is functionally embracing life with three small children at home under the age of 5. I say functionally as I am the one lagging behind (Shelly has been a real trooper). I had imagined in my mind that going from two to three kids wouldn't be all that different. Well, at least from our account, boy was I wrong! Perhaps it is going from man to zone defense, or maybe the odd looks you get as you push one in the stroller, carry the baby in the Bjorn and practically drag along the four-year old. Whatever it is, it is BUSY, that is all I know. Kudos to all of you parents out there with more than three children. But by the grace of God, Aida is growing, she is becoming more of a baby and less of an newborn, thus, she is a bit more predictable and easier to appease... or something like that. I think God is continually trying to teach me something we all know I don't have - patience. It is a good thing that babies are so cute because they certainly are worth all of the trouble. First, it is that sheer dependence they have upon you; there is something comforting about this. And then they get to the point where they actually begin to smile, coo and maybe even laugh. And in no time it seems like they are Elijah and Ellie's age, full of life, energy, curiosity and so much fun to be around. Yep, it isn't always easy, but good things rarely are. At the end of a long ragged day, I'll take being a parent of three any day (as would Shelly, I am sure).

The DIRTY DASH in Billings, MT. This past weekend we were fortunate to see some good friends that drove up from Boise, ID - Kevin and Nicole. Kevin was one of my best friends growing up and continues to be a true friend as we weather life together, though living in different cities. It is especially fun to meet up with his family as his son is just a few days older than Elijah and their daughter is just three months younger than Ellie.

While they were visiting we ran a 5k mud run, more or less, called the Dirty Dash with the Houlihan's. Though I have never done boot camp, I imagine it was something like what we did - running, obstacles, jumping, diving, and let me not forget, mud, and lots of it! We had a great time minus the wound I suffered from my coconut bra (yep, you read that right) and Kevin losing his ring in the mud bath (from what I hear he wasn't the only one).

Alright, hopefully I will be better about this going forth. Enjoy... and I've got to throw in one more pic just because it is too cute to not include!

And Rhea Does It Again...

2011-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Great pics, Rhea. Wow... truly amazing!

CLICK HERE

Aida is doing well, getting bigger for sure. Elijah and Ellie are also doing well and love their little sister. Mom and Dad... we are well but confess that 3 is harder than 2!

Great Pics Rhea!

2011-05-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

A friend of a friend took these pictures the other day! Wow, they are excellent. Everyone is doing very well. Aida is sleeping through the night (for real, at less than 2 weeks) and is gaining both weight and length. She is a real champ and a great baby. Both Ellie and Elijah LOVE their little "Aida" and are very helpful with her (in changing diapers, putting dirty diapers in trash, the pacifier back in her mouth, etc.). Shelly is doing well and looking great, though she is ready to have some nice sunshine and get outside here soon! Come on summer...

Hope you all are well.

Welcome Baby Basye...

2011-05-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Shelly gave birth to the newest Basye family addition, Aida Shalom Basye. She was born May 4th, 2011 @ 4:11pm. Though she was born early at 37 weeks, due to Shelly's odd liver complication (which should resolve now that she has given birth), Aida is strong and healthy! She was 7lbs on the dot and 19.25 inches and came out screaming! Initially Aida looks a lot like Elijah, thus, a lot like Shelly (and the Ummel family). As Shelly says, "I guess your genes didn't win out again." Oh well, this is probably for the best! Aida doesn't have much hair, but what she does have is very light and blond... our red-headed grandmas argue that it is strawberry blond. Time will tell. :)

Shelly is also doing well and we have hopes of leaving the hospital tonight, once the 24-hour window is complete. Shelly was induced at 9am yesterday and went into labor about 3:30 or so. Good thing that labor went fast as the epidural didn't work! Not sure why, but she felt EVERYTHING. I feel sorry for all moms out there as birth looks incredibly difficult. But praise God that the end result was worth it, a beautiful little girl. Soon those memories of the pain will be long forgotten!

Both Mimi and JuJu (both grandmas) came to help out with the kids and welcome their newest granddaughter. Ellie and Elijah are having a great time and were very excited to see their new sister. Ellie loves to hold and kiss her while Elijah likes to take pictures of her with his camera.

Praise God for a healthy baby and mom!

Minutes after giving birth

Aida making a sad face

And We've Got Some Baby News...

2011-04-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Technically Shelly is not due until May 24th. However, for the past number of days she has had a constant and terrible "itch" all over her body. No joke! Sure enough, we’ve learned that she has something called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. In laymen's terms: the baby's got to come out early! After going to the doctor today for a checkup, both the baby and Shelly are fine, other than this odd liver deal. However, the doctor wants to induce Shelly early so as to reduce complications with the pregnancy. On Sunday, May 8th we'll be going to the hospital to meet the newest addition to the Basye clan. Happy Mother's Day Shelly... give birth to child number three! We’ll keep you all posted.

3 Words Describing My Trip...

2011-04-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I had the opportunity to visit a Christ-based organization doing work in South Asia as a part of the Fellowship House. I asked my intern to answer the following question in reflection to her trip: What 3 words/phrases best describe our recent trip to South Asia? My answer to this question was as such…

1. RESILIENT – The primary focus of BYFC (the organization we went to visit) is that of working with children. The country is largely a Muslim/Hindi country (98%) with very few believers. As a result of their work focusing on children, we saw a lot of them! Sadly, 1 out of every 15 children in this country is on the streets. Either the parents have passed away, they have been abandoned, or mom and dad simply are not able to provide for them. Imagine, one child of your community out of every 15 without a home, proper food, clothing or parental care! This means that out of 100 children, 7 are left to fend for themselves on the streets. However, it gets worse. It isn’t like these kids on the street are teenagers even. Granted, some are, but many are as young as 3 years old! I can’t tell you how many 3-4 year old children we saw wondering the streets late at night, walking in the busy streets, begging for money or trying to sell some odd item. Imagine, when other children are at school, these homeless kids are on the street, digging through trash, doing whatever cheap labor they can find. I witnessed young boys (by young I mean 8 years old) doing construction work, bending iron, crushing bricks, or other hard, back-breaking jobs… jobs that few adults in the US would venture to do. Just reflecting on this reminds me how sickening all of this is.

One thing that BYFC has done, among many things, is providing children who typically are not in school opportunities to be in school. Additionally, they recently opened their 4^th orphanage where they take these children in as their own. The children are given a warm home, food, and a believing family lives with them to serve as parents and mentors. These were some of the most precious children ever… they truly melt your heart. How I wish that we could adopt them, but for various political reasons the country’s government won’t allow foreigners to adopt their children (primarily fearing that those would adopt them would pollute their minds).

The word RESILIENT… the reason I chose this word is that whether they are cared for or not, in a home or on the streets, well-clothed or without clothes, children have a God-given ability to find great joy in life. Though they have been neglected and abandoned by the world, these children have enough resiliency to find happiness, friendship, a kind smile and laughter. Wow, what a gift from the Lord. But as they get older, they become less resilient, as we all do, and slowly their hard world begins to chip away at their personhood, destroying any sense of self, leaving a rather cold, empty and hopeless shell of a person. How my heart grieves over this bondage and decay of His creation! But I thank HIM for His work despite the chaos and brokenness, and for raising up people like Peter (our friend) to commit their entire lives to meeting the needs of these youth and introducing them to the life-changing person of Jesus Christ.

2. CHRIST-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – I am thoroughly impressed with the work of Peter and YFC. As Peter and I had many discussions, the theology of the “holistic gospel” (or as I would say, “preach and heal”) drives every aspect of what they do. They involve themselves largely in forming relationships from which they meet needs, empower individuals, provide homes for homeless children, schools for uneducated children, job training and life skill training for not just youth but families too, savings programs, health programs, drug treatment education and rehab centers, HIV/Aids training and awareness (they even teach these things in Muslim madrasses… schools for young Muslim boys), all of which allows them to fully live out and proclaim the gospel as well as foster transformation through discipleship. Literally, all of these things and many more are the works of YFC. In my mind, they are really doing “Christ-based community development”. While in South Asia I learned that Peter has a PhD in Economics (masters from US and doctorate from UK)! Here is a native of this country who himself grew up in the country (spending much of his life in poverty), who through the transformation of the gospel of Jesus Christ has committed his entire life (and that of his family) to the effort of seeking first His kingdom among his own people. Praise be to God for doing a good work through the person of Peter! Praise God for Peter’s and BYFC’s example in not just talking Jesus, but doing Jesus too!

3. ANT HILL – Perhaps an odd thing to say, but there were SO many people in this country that no matter where you went, there were people. So many people that it reminded me of a busy and bustling ant hill! The capital of this country has 15 million people and is the densest city in the world! Though it is a smaller city than many others throughout Asia, in is jam-packed and overflowing to say the least. Every day approximately 2,000 people move from the countryside to the city, thus, it continues to grow at rapid speed.

While in the country we also visited the northern part of the country, in the villages as they would say. Driving 6 hours North (which was an adventure of its own), there was not one time where there was a break from the people. No matter where you were, there were people working the rice fields, flooding the road, working the streets and flowing out from every which direction. Personal space is by no means a reality there and can come as somewhat of a surprise to a kid who grew up in Wyoming with less than half a million people in the entire state!

"It's spring, this isn't fair!"

2011-03-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

With the official coming of spring, which was this past Sunday if you didn't know, we did it right in Montana! It was a beautiful, sunny, big sky day for us here in Billings. All the snow had melted, I had even raked the yard, and almost every day for a week Elijah was wearing shorts. Well, today Elijah experienced spring in the West! As he came down for breakfast I mentioned to him that it was snowing outside. With an exasperated voice Elijah said, "It's spring, this isn't fair!" Welcome to Montana, little guy.

So it has been a LONG while since I last posted a blog. Sorry, what can I say? Life is busy? But isn't it busy for us all? Let's see, here is a brief rundown on where the Basye's are at these days. Ellie turns 2 yrs old in one week (the 29th), can you believe that? In preparing for the new baby Basye, Ellie started sleeping in the big girl bed this month! She has really done a great job. She is a squirmy little thing and typically is out of the covers and near the end of the bed, but at least she stays in bed, at least most of the time. The first night we thought we had it licked. Not a sound from her. Shelly and I were downstairs watching a movie when we heard steps. We thought for sure it was Elijah, but no, it was Ellie! Nearly after an hour after putting her down she must have been playing in her room and finally ventured down the hall and down the stairs. I couldn't help but laugh.

Shelly is now 7 months pregnant and miserable! Overall she is doing well and both she and the baby (another girl) are healthy. Her due date is sometime around the end of May, so we are slowly getting closer. Shelly is certainly in the "nesting" mode as we have moved the crib to the baby's room and she is planning on decorating it in some form or fashion. The plan is that she will work up to the point of having the baby and then take a few months off, which will be great, and probably much needed. All I can say is, "I'm glad I'm a guy!" Sorry ladies, I sympathize and am quite grateful. (PIC - This a picture of Shelly and her really good friend from California. Once a year they try and meet up some place new for a little visit. This year it was Arizona. Just so happens that they are due within two weeks of one another! Which one is further along??)

Elijah is all boy as usual. He has been attending the YMCA pre-school this year three half days a week and has really come to enjoy this time. His favorite part is doing rock-tumble-roll on Wednesdays and seeing all of his friends. Here is something funny. Elijah LOVES Sundays because that is when we have church at our house and lots of kids come his age (typically anywhere from 8-15 or so). For whatever reason Elijah has in his mind that he has to pretend to be some new superhero on church day so he'll say, "Dad, when is it going to be Sunday because I want to the the Hulk!" or whomever. Quite funny. Needless to say he is well. (PIC - This was the weather on the Saturday of the St. Patty's day parade. I'm telling you, it's been like summer here!)

I now have a paying job, which is kind of nice! Beginning February 1st I took over as the Executive Director of a community development corporation called CLDI. The beauty of this is that I still get to do the church and neighborhood gig as the mission of CLDI is more or less the same thing - seek the transformation of an under-resourced neighborhood through the gospel and person of Jesus. I'm able to do this 3-4 days per week which works well with Shelly and me balancing life, schedules and the kids. We're really grateful that we get to spend so much time with the kids as this is a real gift.

Below are some fun pics from the last two months... yes, from sun and blue skies to lots of snow!

Wishing You the VERY BEST This Holiday Season!

2010-12-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays from the Basye’s in “Magic City”, otherwise known as Billings, Montana! For those of you who are more involved in our day to day life, sorry, this blog isn’t intended for you as much as those who are less involved but feel free to read it nonetheless.

As you might recall, Shelly, the kids and I moved to Billings, Montana from Memphis, Tennessee in October of 2009. Wow, 2009. We have really lived in this city for over a year. That is hard for me to believe only because I pause and wonder, “Where has the time gone?” When we first arrived to Billings, Ellie was just 6 months old… a little baby. She is now approaching 21 months, can walk and run, has a full head of hair, is able to put together two word phrases and certainly looks and acts more like a little girl than a baby (though we do still call her Baby Ellie sometimes!). Man, how time flies. We joke around that Ellie is our southern girl as she does not seem to like the cold! If she is out too long in the snow, she’s cold. If we don’t put the heater on in her room, she’s cold! It really is quite funny. She is doing well, full of life, absolutely loves her brother, and Shelly would say she is a Daddy’s girl (that might be trueJ).

And then there is Elijah. As I look back over our time since being in Billings, I’m not sure he has changed in personality so much as he simply keeps getting bigger and bigger. Though he just turned 4 this past September, he very easily wears 5T clothing and even those aren’t big enough for him, so we go to the 6T. He is doing “pre-school” at the local YMCA three half days a week and absolutely loves it (well, most days I should say). He continues to be the personable and outgoing boy he has always been, but if anything is different he is more imaginative. He loves playing pretend and especially loves when I make up stories or songs for him (typically I have to make up songs as I can never remember the lyrics; I’m just glad someone appreciates this talent of mine!).

Shelly, or should I say Dr. Basye, has been working at Billings Clinic (it is a hospital; don’t let the name fool you) as a hospitalist (a "doc" that works in the hospital) for over a year now and absolutely loves it. Not only does she really enjoy the work, which is shift work so a much lighter workload than residency, but she also enjoys the team of providers she works with. Just last night we hosted her work Christmas party as we filled our house with some 20 adults and a good 10+ kids. It is always an enjoyable thing when not only you get along with your co-workers, but also when they are your friends. We are both very grateful for her work and the relationships it offers both of us.

If you haven’t heard, we are expecting a child sometime in mid to late May! Each day Shelly looks more and more pregnant, but absolutely stunning, of course! In just the last few weeks she has really started to show and we have begun to feel the baby move around too. We will find out the sex of the baby in January because who are we kidding, we could never wait to find out! Elijah and Ellie are quite excited about this new baby. And as you might guess, Elijah is pulling for a boy, but we’ll see.

I am doing quite well also. For this past year I have been working on planting our house church in our community as well as have started a nine-month urban internship called the Fellowship House. Come this New Year I will continue to do this work as well as take over as the Executive Director of Community Leadership Development, Inc., a non-profit that has been at work in our community since 1979. I’m excited to have a more direct role with CLDI and am grateful for the platform this provides us in serving this community as we desire to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom in both word and deed.

In closing, allow me to share what I have been thinking about most this holiday season. Beyond the layers of this thing we call Christmas is a deeper, more significant celebration and that being the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though this is absolutely amazing, this isn’t where my thoughts have been. The Bible teaches us that just as Christ came once (to die on the cross, be buried, raised from the dead and ascend into heaven), He will appear a second time. When He comes again God will establish a new heaven and a new earth… He will fully establish His kingdom, the Kingdom of God. Here is what the book of Revelation has to say of this kingdom:

“Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Imagine such a kingdom… one free of sin (and separation from God), free of sadness and pain, sickness and death; a kingdom where only joy is known. In this my heart rejoices and gives great praise to God for the gift of His Son. As we enter into 2011, our hope and prayer is that we all grow in our admiration, love and devotion to our King Jesus Christ. If you already know Him, I pray you love Him well. If you don’t yet know Him, I pray you experience Him who is LOVE.

Blessings and love to you all!

the Basye's

And Here Comes Winter...

2010-11-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today this is what downtown looked like at about 4pm. Granted, not a LOT of snow, but snow nonetheless. Right now it is a mere 11 degrees outside and it is only getting colder as the weekend goes along. By Monday and Tuesday we are looking at negative temperatures in the mornings and highs of just 8 and 10 degrees! I think it is fair to say, winter has finally come to Montana! It is cold enough that I had pity on Jack tonight (who was out in the chilly garage) so as to warm up by the fire. He's loving it!

Shelly is doing a night shift tonight (6pm-6am) which means that I can't sleep no matter how tired I am, thus, I stay up late doing things that I rarely make time for - paying bills and updating our blog! Here is a quick blurb about the Basye's...

Ellie is doing quite well. As you can see she is FULL OF LIFE with lots of energy, smiles, passion, and yes, attitude. I told a friend tonight that I can hardly imagine the attitude she'll have when she hits her teens if she already has this much at 19 months, but I guess I've got some time to prepare myself! In all seriousness, this little girl is such a blessing to our family. A family saying is that we love Ellie and Elijah so much it hurts. Sounds odd, perhaps, but I can truly say our hearts long with great affection for these kids. They really are great blessings to us. Ellie can now say a number of words, her favorite ones being "no!" and "mine". Yeah, that is the attitude thing coming out. :) She absolutely loves her brother Elijah, playing with Jack, being outside (except for when she gets too cold), dancing and anything that plays music.

Elijah... equally full of energy and zeal. This kid never seems to stop from the time he wakes up (7am) the time he hits the pillow (8pm)! Elijah has been attending pre-school at the YMCA three half days a week. Though the first week or two were somewhat difficult for him (most of the other kids in his class are an full year older than him), he has transitioned well and really does enjoy school. He is forever telling us about what he is learning, practicing his letters and writing his name, coloring or telling us about what Mrs. Shannon (his teacher) has been teaching their class. Elijah absolutely loves people (no surprise there if you've ever spent 5 minutes with him), playing pretend (tonight it was sword fighters and pirates), watching Cat in the Hat on PBS and helping daddy do "man jobs" like chop firewood. Recently, while the weather was still good, I took Elijah fishing at a friends lake and their pedal boat. We had a lot of fun though we didn't catch anything, perhaps because of Jack swimming alongside us the entire time! I also took Elijah hunting which was a lot of fun. Though we didn't get to shoot, we did see some deer and Big E got to play with a knife! What could be better than guns, knives, and a father and son?!

Shelly has finally made it out of the "sick" stage of pregnancy and is doing much better, though she is still quite tired. At her second doctors appointment they thought she was measuring a little big so they called for an ultrasound (twins run in Shelly's side of the family). I was outright HOPING and PRAYING for twins, but to my avail Shelly was just further along than they first expected, much to her relief! Her new due date is May 18th. Lately she has been able to feel the baby move around, especially when she is sitting still or laying down. Though she still looks amazing, slowly she is beginning to look more and more pregnant, but with a "glow" of course!

My excitement? This past month I had the opportunity to go hunt with my dad in Wyoming. We had a great time hunting and we were even able to get ourselves a 5-point elk 10 miles up in the wilderness. Fortunately we have some great family and friends that were able to give a lending hand to pack it out. Otherwise, balancing family and work, I honestly just feel incredibly busy. I enjoy what I do, I'm just busy. Lately I have been spending time with my good friend Roy, my former Hells Angel buddy who is now a follower of Jesus. He has been battling cancer now for almost ten years and slowly it is taking a toil on his body as it spreads in his spine and throughout his body. I'm grateful for this friend and our time of getting cappuccinos, going on a Lowe's run or as he instructs and challenges me in my thinking about God, the life of following Jesus and the Church. Yes, I give great thanks for this friend. May God's peace be with him.

One-Year Anniversary in Billings, MT

2010-10-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

I want to take a moment and reflect upon our year in Billings. I can hardly believe that the 10^th of this month marked our one-year anniversary to Billings (well, at least that was the day that Craig and I pulled into town with the cars; this also being the day that Steve totaled his car outside of Sheridan!) As I reflect over the year, here are a few things that come to mind:

The Lord provided a new car for the Houlihan’s…

As Steve was driving to Billings, without Tasha or Isaac thankfully, things took a turn for the worse as he was driving through a snow storm outside of Sheridan, Wyoming, just two short hours from Billings. On the interstate he hit a patch of ice, slid, turned and flipped his Pathfinder! Fortunately Steve was okay but the car was not… it was totaled. After looking all over for the right car they were able to find a Mazda that they really liked in Denver, Colorado. It has this great green color and I am sure it is the only one in Billings!

The Lord provided work…

November 2^nd Shelly began her work as a hospitalist at Billings Clinic. What a blessing her work and co-workers have been! Her boss is a believer, and a good friend of mine. Of the 10 providers 6 are believers! Shelly has also really enjoyed the work as it has been challenging and rewarding.

Steve was also provided a job working with Dave Hagstrom and FINE Housing. What was supposed to be 6-month job turned into a full-time job. Not only that, but come the 1^st of January, Steve will be taking over as the President of Koinonia Housing Construction Co., the for-profit construction company/job training that is owned and operated by CLDI.

Tasha was kept busy watching the Basye kids a couple days a week as well as being a stay-at-home mom. This September Tasha began taking classes at MSUB in pursuit of her MA in Counseling… something she hopes to have accomplished in the next 2-3 years. School is paid for my her work-study program, she is still home with Isaac a majority of the week, and when Isaac is at day care he absolutely loves it!

I kept busy immersing ourselves in the South Side, building relationships and planting the church. This led to spending time with such people as Charlie, Rex, Sherri and many others. Additionally, this led to my involvement with Larry Gaalswyk and his work with guys coming out of prison as I teach a weekly study at the Rescue Mission. During this past year I also had the privilege of starting the Fellowship House, a nine-month internship for college age persons that is part of CLDI. Lastly, come the New Year I will be more involved with CLDI as I transition into the role of Executive Director, continuing to be involved in both the church as well as the Fellowship House.

The Lord provided housing…

First there was 3617 2^nd Avenue South. This was the brand new, four bedroom home that we lived in with the Houlihan’s. We lived in community with the Houlihan’s for 6 months while our house was being built. This proved to be a very beneficial time as we were all living in a new city, trying to immerse ourselves in the South Side and plant a church together. The kids absolutely loved being around one another and we adults had many opportunities for date nights (it was easy to leave the kids for a date when you live with another couple)! It really was a blessing to live together in community.

Our home was finished at 407 South 31^st Street. The very first part of April our house was finished and we moved into our new home, built by KHCC, on April 12^th. We love it as it has been a great blessing and wonderful place for our family. Additionally, Shelly did a phenomenal job designing the house such that it is a great place for hosting church!

The Houlihan’s close on a home the same day as us… and right next door to us! God works in some amazing ways. The house next door, that used to be a drug house, was in the midst of being foreclosed on and the Houlihan’s were able to buy this four unit property (two houses, each with an upstairs house and full basement) for a steal. So, not only did God provide them a house right next door to us, but He also provided them extra income as they can rent out the other three units and pay for their mortgage and utilities!

The Lord has provided friends…

The Lord has provided us with some amazing people here in Billings. Though we will never be able to “replace” our friends from Memphis, He certainly has brought some amazing people into all of our lives. How grateful we all feel that we are not alone in doing ministry here in the South Side, but much to our surprise, we are surrounded by many like-minded folks!

The Lord has planted Billings Fellowship Church…

From our first meager gathering in the basement of our home at 3617 2^nd Avenue South last October (this simply being the Basye’s and Houlihan’s), the church has grown considerably. In November of last year we began meeting at 316 Jefferson Street in a home owned and operated by CLDI that functions much like a safe house. After meeting there for several months we began meeting in our new home in late April. We have been blessed with fellow brothers and sisters such as the Emerling’s (and their two kids), the Porrett’s (and their four kids), Roy, Murray, Cody (and his girls), and many others. Honestly, it is hard to believe what God has done in a year. I give great thanks and praise to Him.

The Lord has allowed us to establish many relationships in the neighborhood…

Through meeting such people as Charlie and Dave, we have been provided the opportunity to meet many of the people in our community and build relationships with them. In many ways, our immersion into the South Side has been much more rapid than I would have imagined as the community has graciously welcomed us all as part of the community. Our friends that have visited from Memphis have been shocked by the relationships we (God) has established in our community in just one year. I agree… what took at least three years in Memphis (in terms of breaking down walls and getting to know our neighbors) has in a large part already happened. Again, praise to Him.

The Lord has grown our families…

We came here as two families with three kids. Come late February the Houlihan’s will give birth to a second child, a beautiful little girl I am sure. The Basye’s will give birth to their third child in late May… I’m hoping for twins, but we’ll see what happens!

The Lord has provided health and joy in the lives of our kids…

I can’t thank God enough for this… our kids are healthy – Isaac, Elijah and Ellie. Not only are they physically healthy, but they are happy, loved, joy-filled and their hearts are sensitive to the workings of Christ. What a gift each of these children are to all of us.

The Lord has provided enjoyment of Montana weather and culture…

What can I say? We love the weather here! Never too hot, nor has it been too cold, though last winter was a little colder than I would have expected! Many times this past summer, when everyone else was complaining about how hot it was, I was thanking God that it didn’t seem hot at all and that we had essential no humidity (especially compared to the deep South). And culturally we love the people. Dressed up here is a newer pair of Wranglers, some scuffed up cowboy boots and a bottom-up shirt. Now that is what I am talking about! People love the outdoors, hiking, hunting, camping, fishing, traveling… yeah, I would say it is indeed a fit for the Basye’s.

The Lord has provided great support for the work we do…

In every regard the Lord has surrounded us with people that not only have a vision for Christian community development, reaching the poor and making disciples, but He has also provided us with people, churches and organizations that are excited about the work we are doing and are in full support. This comes as a great source of encouragement, especially to me.

I am sure there is so much more that the Lord has done that I am simply forgetting to mention. Thank you God for leading us to this place. I praise You for not sending us alone, but sending us with companions and friends as we sought to immerse ourselves in this community and plant a network of house churches. May none of us ever fail to give glory and praise to You for all that you have done and will continue to do. I simply thank You that you have blessed us as you have and that we get to participate in what you are doing in this city and the world abroad. All glory and praise to you, my King!

Got a Guess?

2010-10-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

Below is an email Shelly sent to her co-workers this week:

"So, I’ve been thinking of a way to get a 6 week sabbatical. I’ve finally come up with a plan…

I think May 2011 would be a good month. Although my 6 weeks of leisure will come at a high cost - nausea, vomiting, fatigue, getting fatter and fatter, insomnia, leg cramps, etc. etc. And my 6 weeks off will probably not be all fun filled… instead of fishing and camping, I’ll be waking up several times a night and changing endless diapers."

Yeah, you know what she's talking about! It is early on but things have gone well thus far. We'll keep you all posted.

Lot's Going On in September...

2010-09-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

This month has been a busy one for sure, but as I stop to think about it, aren't they all busy? I think so! Nonetheless, we have had a lot of fun. Though September isn't quite over, we have enjoyed celebrating Big E turning 4 years old, going to Chicago for CCDA with Brittany (yep, it was a "kid-free" trip as they spent time with the family in Wyoming) AND, this one is hard to believe, Elijah started pre-school!

The big 4 year old. Elijah is LOVING being four... it is almost hard to believe that he was every three. His most recent fascination is with Batman, as you might be able to tell. In addition to the shirt and cake, he was also given a big Batman toy that he plays with. He enjoys playing "pretend", as anyone here can attest to, and is often heard saying, "Pretend you're...".

A group effort to make a "Batman" Cake!

What a cake and what a friend!

Without a doubt, this IS E's favorite shirt!

Enjoying the party!

The "Bean"

Going to Chicago. This fall also marks the start of the Fellowship House, an urban internship I have been working to start here in Billings. We just so happen to have the greatest intern ever, Brittany, who also happens to be a cousin! The three of us had a great time in Chicago, visiting Aunt Wendy and living it up downtown Chicago. Oh yeah, we were located right by the Bean. I mean seriously, is this not the coolest thing you have ever seen?

Saying goodbye

Going to school. Yep, it is true, our little boy is growing up! Returning from his trip to Wyoming he started pre-school, though he also had the privilege of going to school with his aunt who is a pre-school teacher in Jackson (which he loved, I might add). Though it was a rough start at first, he assured us that he really like school and was having a lot of fun. I think we took a turn for the better this week, praise God!

Here's What We Do For Fun in Montana...

2010-09-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

This has become a new favorite of the boys!

Life in Montana...

2010-08-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, here is a recap (with pictures) of our last month or so in Montana.

First off, the kids are doing great! Elijah and Ellie are wonderful kids and so much fun. As Shelly has been working the last few nights (and I have had dad duty of putting kids to bed), I find myself going back into their rooms before they are asleep to simply look at them, hold them and tell them again how much I love them. Elijah is all boy and loves people, dirt and pretend play. Ellie is our little "stinker" as we call her as she is one of much passion, and dare I say, a strong will!

One day last week I had the great privilege of taking Elijah fishing. He was very excited about his fishing pole, tackle box, and of course, the worms! We "caught" two fish but they came off the hook before we were able to bring them to the dock. On the way home Elijah said, "Daddy, how come we aren't any good at fishing?" Man, kids can be funny... and brutally honest!

This summer has been one with lots of visitors... one of our latest visitors was my friend Steve. Elijah used to prayer walk with Steve and I in Memphis every Friday morning. Of course, Elijah remembered him as "Big Steve" as he is quite tall!

Elijah and Ellie with Papa Frank in Wyoming as they helped him let the horses out to pasture. Ellie LOVES the horses!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to climb the Grand Teton (the highest peak in the picture below) with two friends from Billings, Steve and Tye. Our "guide" was a well-seasoned veteran and friend of my mom's who has climbed the Grand over 40 times (needless to say, he was a mountain goat up there!). I on the other hand was perhaps the most scared I have ever been. I remember coming around a place called Wall Street where you have to step out around a rock (with an exposure of ~2,000 feet below you) to get to the other side. Did I mention that we weren't even roped in at this point? I had a momentary breakdown. I immediately looked at Steve and Tye with a look of terror in my eyes and said, "I can't do this! Why am I doing this? What is this for?" Yeah, I was petrified to say the least. Fortunately our leader wouldn't let me back out and pushed me along. I'm glad I did it though I still get knots in my stomach thinking about what we climbed, how exposed I was to the 2,000 feet below me and how just one slip could cost me my life. Man, it was both terrifying and awesome.

Today we were able to have a "family" day. Of course, between Shelly's work schedule and mine, our weekends are ever changing, so today was our Saturday. We enjoyed a morning hike above the city, a stroll through a local nursery, swimming at South Park, and of courses, washing the cars (or should I say tricycles?)!

Drive-By Shootings and the Kingdom of God...

2010-08-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

On the morning of August 2nd I woke up early to see strange flashing of lights on my neighbor's window. As is my routine, I headed downstairs, opened the blinds and windows to let in the morning coolness. However, this morning was different. I soon realized that the flashing lights that seemed so out of place were coming from several police cars right next door. I then noticed the police tape from my house all around the neighbor's house. Realizing something was wrong, I stepped outside to ask a policeman if everything was alright, to which he responded, "If you mean a kid getting shot, then no." I couldn't believe it! After probing a little more I learned that there was a drive-by shooting that night at 3 in the morning. Somehow Shelly and I slept through that one.

Since moving into our house April 1st, this was the second act of violence to take place right next door, literally. Reading my Bible that morning I was meditating on Isaiah 60:18 - "Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders. But you will call your walls salvation and your gates praise." Sitting on the front steps, watching the police action before me, reflecting on this Isaiah passage, I was struck by the realness of the kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of this world is broken and far from God. It is a kingdom bent on serving ourselves and living for our own glory. It is a kingdom where we think living for ourselves and the promises of this world will give LIFE, HOPE, JOY, SATISFACTION, but we are never satisfied, only left longing, hungering, and starving for more.

Notice the pictures below... I didn't capture the scene as well as I would have liked, but this particular morning was a reminder to me of the war between these two kingdoms. This house next door is falling apart... weeds grow in place of grass except for the dry dirt patches where not even weeds will grow... there is suspicion, violence, and chaos. But if you could look close you would notice that on our side of the property line there is grass, life, order, and creativity. Now I say this with some amount of hesitation as my intention is not to exalt ourselves and degrade our neighbors. I share this to offer a real picture of the reality of the Kingdom of God. For me, I was encouraged in my heart that this kingdom, the one of this world, is not worth living for and that my family and I will strive for the Kingdom of God. I was encouraged to believe all the more that Jesus truly does offer the things the world promises to give , but only He alone can deliver. It is in Christ that we find LIFE, HOPE, JOY and SATISFACTION... and not the world. If only we will open our eyes we will see the reality of this world... hunger, sickness, brokenness, shame, disease, death, crime, empty promises... you get the point. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

I am happy to say that the young man that was shot will be okay, or so we hope. I hope and pray that this event will lead to a greater longing and hunger for the Kingdom of God...

RV'ing to Yellowstone!

2010-06-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Last week the Basye's (minus Ellie), Cook's and Houlihan's had the privilege of RV'ing from Billings through Yellowstone en route to Jackson Hole and back to Billings. It was a great trip with good friends, a frenzy of kids (and chaos) and memorable times. Ellie has a trip of her own as she hung out with Grandma JuJu and Papa Frank for a few days.

Here are some things I'll remember from the Cook's time in Billings:

During church last week we experienced our first tornado in Billings (the first one since 1958!). It was about a mile a way and shredded what was known as the Metra Park. I've got to say that we Memphians considered it no big deal when we heard the tornado sirens while the Billings folks were calm (not knowing what the sirens were) or completely freaking out.
The sweet 1 ton Dodge diesel truck we borrowed from a friend... SWEET! Thanks Tye!
Seeing a grizzly bear a few hundred yards from our camp site. We learned after the fact that on the same day a guy was mauled in the park by a grizzly. Could it have been the same bear??
Grace vomiting in her high chair at my favorite breakfast place in Jackson (poor thing!).
Watching Nathan ride a horse!
Taking all of the kids riding on Buck and Smoky.
The rodeo in Jackson... someone died while riding saddle bronc. I've never seen such a thing and hope to never see an event such as this again. Tragic.
Elijah left for his very first trip by himself as he flew with the Cook's to Nashville to visit Mimi and Papa.
The absolute quietness after everyone left, including my son!

Summer Has Arrived!

2010-06-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

As I was going through the pictures in May, trying to pick some out for the blog, I realized just how much we have had going on lately. Visitors, family days, life, ministry, work... it all adds up and before you know it, another week gone. Good or bad, I'm afraid this summer won't be much better with friends visiting, a family trip to Michigan, climbing the Grand, going on an international trip,,, and so the story goes. Though we are busy, I can honestly say, I truly enjoy our life. We have been blessed by a great community, some amazing people and a great church, just to name a few things.

Enough rambling. Here's what you really want to hear about. Elijah and Ellie are doing very well. Elijah is all boy. Either we are playing swords, wrestling being ninjas or just playing in the dirt. He loves reading (especially since his mom has started reading him Little House on the Prairie at night), going to the park, playing at the mall, and of course, playing with friends (typically he'll find another boy and ask if he wants to be Robin because he's Batman!).

Elijah reading comics as we take a family walk!

Ellie... man this girl is cute! She has a personality all of her own, that is for sure. She simply loves doing her own thing, whether it is taking things out of boxes, playing her with toys, looking at books or just going up stairs to play in her closet (it is really funny watching her go up and down our stairs!). She also loves her brother Elijah and loves when they play chase as she runs from him with her little walker. She can walk, I guess you could say, though she would prefer to crawl. She is starting to babble a lot a say things like Jack, baby, daddy, and momma.

Ellie LOVES getting into the little rocking chair that JuJu bought!

Shelly and I are doing well. She is well adjusted into her new job and enjoys the work... she also enjoys the time she gets off, which is nice for all of us. I too am doing well and stay busy with the church, neighborhood, guys at the Mission and getting ready for the Fellowship House. The house is coming along well... a few weeks ago Shelly and I laid sod with a neighbor, planted trees, and bushes. It is just nice to have grass! We haven't had grass since we left Memphis last October (no joke).

Some random pics from the month of May...

Elijah's FIRST bloody nose... from wrestling with dad!

The Crazy Weather of the West...

2010-05-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a slacker, this I know. My excuse is that we moved into our house a month ago and I have been busy on the project list!

I have missed the crazy weather of the West. Last week it was cold, in the low 30's every morning. Woke up one day last week to a couple of inches of snow on the ground! Just this past Wednesday I took a friend to Red Lodge... in a snow storm. A good 2.5 feet on the ground of fresh white stuff! BUT THEN comes today... great big open blue skies with temps around 70! Can't go wrong with that! Man, I've missed the West.

In light of my "laziness" with blogging, here are some pics with a little blurb. Enjoy!

Easter morning... great day, just cold! Elijah enjoyed finding all of the eggs with candy and eating not only his, but his sister's as well!

In April I ran a half marathon with Kevin and Corey, old buddies from Jackson, in Boise, Idaho. The race is called the Robie Creek Half Marathon and is the hardest in the Northwest, or so they say. I would have to agree!

Elijah and Harper, just a few weeks apart, absolutely LOVED being together! Their favorite game was basketball which ended up being more like a rugby ultimate fighting match!

A pic of my friend, a fellow brother in the Lord I have come to know and cherish since our time here in Billings. This is the friend I went to Red Lodge with... along with the snow!

Ms. Ellie... man, this girl is cute! As we like to say, she has some real attitude!

Elijah and Ellie today... prior to enjoying the great weather outside! The other pic is a neighbor girl that loves to come over and play with the kids.

Are You Serious?

2010-04-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

I apologize as I have not updated in some time with any new news or pics of the family. That will come soon, I promise!

However, this week, 6 months and 1 day since we moved to Montana, we moved into our new house (this past Monday)! We close on the house this upcoming Tuesday. That's not crazy, but this is... the Houlihan's (the family that moved with us to start the church) are closing on the house RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO US ON THE SAME DAY!!! Literally, we are as close to one another as we can possibly be apart from continuing to live together. Coincidence? I think not... I give praise to our King for yet again confirming our move to plant a church in the South Side of Billings.

First Day of Swim Lessons...

2010-03-02T09:46:00.001-08:00

Today Elijah had his very first swim lesson at the YMCA! As expected, he loved it as he was able to learn something new with other kids. This is Elijah flexing his big muscles before going to the pool.

Last week was a lot of fun for us all as "Mimi" was visiting from Nashville. In addition to just being with Mimi we all toured the dinosaur museum in Bozeman, went to a fun restaurant called the "Garage" and to Chuck E Cheese with the Houlihan's.

The house is coming along very well, though it still is not finished. We are still hoping to close sometime in April. It is finally warming up here so the snow is melting and the ground is thawing, which is good because we need to pour the driveway, patio and sidewalk still!

Just for fun...

2010-02-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

A few more pictures.

Elijah skiing with mom and riding the magic carpet with dad!

The Basye House and More...

2010-02-13T06:58:00.000-08:00

Some of you have been asking to see some pictures of the house, so here you go! Everything inside is painted, trim is going up, the fireplace and ceramic tile are done, doors are being hung... it is starting to look like a house! They will be installing the hardwood floor next week. We hope to close in April so we are still a couple of months out.

#1: The sun room; #2: living/dining room (looking out the front of the house).

#3: Looking from the living room into what will be the kitchen (that is the door to the garage); #4: from the living room looking to the dining room, front door and stairs.

#5: the fireplace (and our electrician); #6: Elijah's room

#7: the master bedroom

Reflections on Life in the South Side...

2010-02-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

Today I attended the funeral of a 16 year old girl. She shot herself on her mother’s bed this past Saturday. I had come to know this young woman only briefly since we moved here in October. In fact, she helped us with our store we put together during the holiday season for the community. She helped price the items we sold as well as served as our cashier. Just this morning I saw a picture of this girl in our family photo album. Weird to think that she is no longer with us. How I pray that this tragedy in the lives of her family and friends will result in hurting people coming to know the life and purpose found in Jesus Christ.

This is my neighborhood, the South Side. This is our new life here. I find myself surrounded by “broken people”. They are no more broken than me, it just reveals itself in different ways. Here, among those I spend the most time with, this brokenness is seen in drug addictions, alcoholism, depression, homelessness, dysfunctional relationships and broken families.

Tonight, in just a few minutes actually, I am going to go spend time with 6-8 guys that I have the honor of meeting with weekly at the rescue mission. These guys profess to know Jesus and they want their life to change. Every morning they gather at 7am to read the Bible together, pray and talk. They are part of a Christian-based program to get back on their feet, get a job, be free from their addictions, and eventually, move back into the real world. The wounds these guys carry are deep. They involve a life of being surrounded by addictions. Lives of abuse and neglect. Lives of incest and sexual abuse. As you can imagine, this has only led to destructive lives for themselves and everyone else along their path. But the gospel has changed and is changing them. Though they now know Jesus and have begun to experience new life and purpose, they still have a hard time reconciling their pasts. What about the children that they have brought into the world but don’t know? What about the women that have scarred in their past, women they have loved? What about the laws they have broken and the hardship they have caused others? These wounds still hurt. They are still being healed.

In speaking to the disciples, Jesus says, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34-40).

I love my community. I love where we live. I love and cherish those God has brought into our life. With sincere heart I say, I am truly blessed. There is much to this passage that brings both challenge and conviction to my life. Yet, I find encouragement in Jesus and the life he lived. I find encouragement in knowing that He is a God of justice, thus, we are to be a people of justice. I find confidence and joy in knowing that just as Jesus changed a sinful and broken man as myself, so can and will He change the lives of those I am fortunate enough to encounter on a day to day basis. The gospel truly is good news of the kingdom of God. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me more about the life of a disciple and Your kingdom from our neighbors and friends. May this gospel, this good news, be advanced. May Jesus be known and praised. Amen.

Twenty-ten in Big Sky Country!

2010-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

Now that the holiday season has come, I finally feel like we can "settle" into our new home and life here in Billings (by new home I mean Billings, not the home we are building!). Around mid-December the Basye clan flew out to Michigan to spend Christmas with Shelly's side of the family. This was a lot of fun, and as usual, was quite "active" being that there are nine grandchildren, all under the age of 8!

During Christmas we headed down to Jackson to spend a few days with my family. On December 26th Elijah experienced his first big day of skiing! He did great... in fact, after three hours of skiing, he wanted to keep going. I hate to say it, but we called it quits because my feet were killing! After skiing we also took Elijah sledding, which was a lot of fun. During his run pictured below, he insisted on going by himself and ended up wiping out big time, such that he scraped his face. Did I mention that I ran over Elijah skiing? Yep, it's true. Total accident, of course, and he was fine, aside from the blood oozing out his cut lip! Regardless, he insisted that we keep going. What a stud!

The Fam and More...

2009-12-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of life in Montana. It is COLD right now... below zero. Ellie is just now getting up on all fours and rocking... I think she'll be crawling soon!

Isaac trying to give Ellie a kiss... he succeeded, several times! Let me also add that he does this on his own initiative... I think he has a crush on our little girl!

Ellie up on all fours (taken today) and the kids taking a bath.

Here are some new pics of the OUTSIDE of the house. The roof is on and soon the rest of the siding will be put on. They will be putting in insulation and sheet rock up soon as the electrical and plumbing is done. There is a lot to do still, though. We hope to be in the home by the end of March.

This is in the living room/dining room, looking out to the front of the house. We are excited about a new wood burning fireplace... I started it for the first time yesterday! I would take more pics of the inside but it is hard to tell what is going on with all of the framing and whatnot.

The "Presidential Streets" in the South Side... also known as the town homes. This is where 316 is located, the house where we have been meeting for church.

Expressive Baby Ellie

2009-11-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

Living It Up in Big Sky Country...

2009-11-08T13:02:00.000-08:00

Some of you have been asking how "life" in Montana has been. In short, it's been great! We live in what looks to be a small white house, but when you go inside it is quite spacious with lots of living space and 4 bedrooms. The space is needed, though, as we are living with our friends - Steve, Tasha and Isaac - who moved to Montana with us from Memphis. Though we hope our new house will be finished sooner than later, we are enjoying living in community with these friends.

Shelly started work last week as a hospitalist at Billings Clinic and has really enjoyed it thus far. I started doing work this past week as well and am focusing on our church plant - Billings Fellowship Church - as well as being immersed in our community, the South Side. Family time involves hikes up on the rims that sits above the city, going to McCormick's Cafe (a new favorite breakfast place), or simply going across the street to one of our great parks. Personally, one of my favorite times of the day are in the late afternoon, just as the sun is heading down. All I can say is that God gifts us with a beautiful sunset nearly every night!

In living here for a month, we've determined that only in Montana...

will your kids not only get candy while trick-or-treating, but they'll also get to watch a fish being gutted over a 5-gallon bucket
are the streets nearly as wide as the state
can you accidentally leave your keys in the ignition and not have your car stolen
will new neighbors welcome you to the community with gifts of deer steaks and freshly caught trout
will you dive past a 4-wheeler on a major road
will you scrape frost off your windshield in the morning and be wearing a t-shirt by noon
are there casinos on every corner
is your car perpetually dirty, no matter how many times you may wash it
does it get dark at 4:30pm in November

Just a few more random events:

Ellie can now sit up and say, "da da" (no joke!)
I (Eric) did not shoot an elk yet, though I did find a dead one (see the picture)
Elijah can now "wipe" himself - yippee!
Shelly isn't working 80+ hours per week

the basye's

Reflecting Back and Looking Forward...

2009-10-06T05:43:00.000-07:00

As I write this entry I am sitting outside of a Starbucks downtown Franklin, Tennessee on a beautiful sunny fall day. In preparation for the big move out West I had to have the alignment done on Shelly’s car, thus, a 1.5-2 hour wait. A perfect excuse to sit outdoors, enjoy the weather and write!

Our lives have been a whirlwind these past couple of months. As Shelly worked to wrap-up her medical residency, we were also busy wrapping up our life in Memphis, the place we have called home for the past 7+ years (8+ for Shelly). This involved packing up and selling our house, making preparations for Billings, finalizing Ellie’s adoption, and saying goodbye to good friends, our church and community.

Officially Ellie Magdalene Basye. This past Friday, October 2nd, Shelly and I finalized our adoption of Ellie. Though the birth parents had already surrendered their rights, Tennessee law states that a child’s adoption cannot be final until 6 months from the time the child is brought home. How sweet is the timing of God? Born March 29th, we brought Ellie home from the hospital when she was four days old on April 1st. Her adoption was finalized that last business day Shelly and I planned on being in Memphis (6 months and 1 day to the day of her adoption). Had we brought Ellie home any later we would have had to delay our departure from Memphis in order to finalize her adoption. Again, the timing of God is truly amazing!

How we praise God for Ellie. She is a precious little baby and truly a part of the family. I remember wondering how I could ever love another child as much as I love Elijah (and throw in the added fear that I might love her less as she is not our biological child), but I have experienced that not only is it possible, but also very real. How we love both of our children with a love and devotion that can only come from God Himself. Lord, I do praise You for these very special gifts!

In 4-6 weeks Shelly and I will receive a new birth certificate for Ellie, stating that she was born to Eric and Shelly Basye at the MED in Memphis, Tennesee. Additionally, she will receive a new social security number as she is legally given a new identity. I can’t help but think of our adoption as sons and daughters of God when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” By the blood sacrifice of Jesus, we also become adopted children of God, given full rights as His children, and granted a new identity for all eternity. Again, how greatly He is to be praised. Just as our love is as real for Ellie as it is for Elijah, how much more does God pour out His perfect love for those who become His adopted children?

Leaving a place we’ve grown to love. Our family decided to stay in Memphis an additional night to attend a wedding of two friends that actually took place in our old backyard (well, the reception was there at least). One reason for doing this was that we wanted to see this young couple as they committed themselves to God and to one another. Additionally, many of our friends would be in attendance so it was a great way to say goodbye to many we have come to love. That night, hugs were shared, tears were shed... it was real, we were really leaving Memphis.

I truly love Memphis. I love the ghettos, I love our church and I love our old neighbors. How blessed we were to be a part of this city for such a significant time of our lives. Shelly and I will never be the same. We have been changed, transformed and empowered with a fresh vision of Christ, the gospel and the Kingdom of God. As I like to say, our lives have been ruined. We are unable to live a regular life, even one that is supposedly “Christian”. No longer are we content with the status quo. We have been challenged to consider how we may live as His disciples, forsaking all things for Christ and the gospel, even at cost to ourselves and the livelihood of our family. We have begun to learn how to live with Jesus Christ as our treasure and no longer for the fleeting and temporal things of this world - money, status, comfort, leasure, safety, security and the such. “O, taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). This is the prayer for my family... that we may taste and see that He alone is good, such that we will live our lives unashamedly for Jesus Christ our Lord.

Memphis has ruined us, but for the better. I am grateful and praise God for the many people that had a role in shaping our lives. As we leave for Montana in pursuit of casting a vision for this reality we have experienced in Memphis, so do we hope to be faithful to our Lord in living our lives fully for His purposes. In doing so, I hope and pray that we make you proud, Memphis, for if we do, I am confident we are doing the Lord’s work. You know who you are... one of the many lives that touched our lives in Memphis... thank you for impacting us. We love you all very much and will be missed tremendously.

Facing the unknown. Leaving this Friday afternoon to make a 2.5 day trek with Shelly’s dad, I will arrive in Montana Sunday night, as will Steve (the husband of a family that is moving with us from Memphis to work with us as we seek to start a church and live in community in a poorer part of the city). There are many unknowns for both families, but also much excitement. We are confident in one thing - that He is sending us - and that is all we need. As to what life will look like, how life in the South Side (the community where we will be residing) will pan out, or what kind of work we all will do, there are speculations, but not much more. In faith we go, seeking to trust Him as we step from this boat.

Until next time...

the basye's

Saddling Up For the West!

2009-08-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a little while since we last updated our blog! What can I say? Being that I am no longer employed by SOS I suppose that I am really without excuse as I should have all sorts of time on my hands! (In all honesty, I'm doing this for YOU Ellen!)

In just a little over a month Shelly and I will be moving to Billings, Montana with our friends Steve, Tasha and their son Isaac. As I was reading, praying and journaling this morning, I wrote down that I feel ready to move today. Our time in Memphis has been an amazing seven years (eight for Shelly), most of which centers around our time in the inner city. Of the many things we will miss about Memphis, our friends (and community of faith) and the actual neighborhood we live in will be greatly missed. God has used this place to truly change and transform our lives forever, and how grateful we are! But now we are in transition… in between this place and that. Our hearts have been readied to go and begin new lives in Billings. Though much will be missed from Memphis, we anticipate our new community where we will be living and being used for His purposes there.

Just a quick update on the kids. Elijah is doing well and is excited about turning 3 years old next Sunday (September 6th). He is especially excited because his grandma JuJu is going to visit and he is certain she is going to bring him a surprise (and I’m sure he is correct about this!). Elijah loves playing, spending time with his friends, swinging and lately loves having me tell him stories about adventures in Montana!

Ellie is also doing very well. She has grown so much it is amazing, and has a great personality to go along with it (she just turned 5 months). She absolutely loves her brother and is simply entranced by him. Wherever he is she is bound to be staring and smiling. This past week we started to try and feed her some real food – yogurt, rice cereal and bananas. However, she’ll have none of it! We are lucky if we get any food in her. Most of it ends up on her bib which in turn ends up all over her face, hands and hair! Oh, how much fun it is to feed her! Shelly and I were commenting last night how different she is from Elijah in this regard – Elijah ate anything and everything, but she is quite content not eating at all!

We finalize Ellie’s adoption the first part of October (hopefully either the 1st or the 2nd). From what I understand this is a pretty simple process. We’ll go to the court house as a family, either in the court room or in the judge’s chambers, go over the legal ramifications of adoption, sign some papers and it is done! We’ll receive new birth certificates for Ellie with our names listed as the parents… it is really quite crazy. Man, to think of life without Ellie – I can’t do it! Both she and Elijah are such blessings and gifts to both Shelly and I.

Alright, there’s a brief update. Shelly will officially be done with residency September 30th and how excited we are! Enjoy the pictures!

the basye’s

As October Approaches...

2009-07-05T05:38:00.001-07:00

The Basye's move to Billings, Montana is truly just around the corner as we will leave Memphis the first part of October. Shelly will officially end her residency Wednesday, September 30th, allowing us that weekend to pack up the house into the moving van. Though we will stick around the Memphis/Nashville area for another week, the shipping container will leave October 2nd for our new rental home in Billings!

Ellie Magdalene Basye...

This little girl continues to be such a blessing to our family. As I write this post Ellie is now 13 weeks old. She is a great little baby and becomes more and more interactive with smiles and laughs each and every day. Much to our amazement, Ellie is already sleeping through the night (typically from 8pm-8am)! She loves her big brother and he truly loves her. In fact, it was only Elijah that could make Ellie smile initially. Shelly and I are very grateful for our children as they are both precious gifts from Him.

407 S. 31st Street...

We are one step closer to beginning the building of our new home at 407 S. 31st. A few months back we had the old burned out home torn down and just recently finalized our building plans and construction budget. Shelly did a tremendous job designing the home... I can't wait to see what it looks like once it is all finished. Currently we are seeking to lock down a construction loan so that we can officially begin building, though our friend and builder, Dave, has already begun to dig for the foundation! I'll be heading to Billings later this month to secure a place to rent while we are building as well as check in on the progress of the new house.

I'm pretty sure that we have communicated this in the past, but if not, we have some friends that are moving with us to Billings when we move - Steve, Tasha and Isaac Houlihan (Isaac is 13 months younger than Elijah). Over a year ago we approached this family from our church to consider relocating with us for the sake of moving into a poorer community and starting a house church (and to do anything else He might lead us to do). Much to our delight they said yes! Our plan is for all of us to rent one home in the South Side of Billings, close to 407 S. 31st, until our home is finished. We feel very blessed to have these friends share in this adventure with us!

That's our life in a nutshell. I'm busy finishing my work with SOS as the Academy Director and Shelly is enjoying a lighter work schedule. Hope you enjoy the new pictures!

the basye's

Some Recent Pics...

2009-05-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

Face Painting Day...

2009-05-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

The other day Elijah was using his water colors and we decided to paint his face. While I went to grab the camera, he had already begun the process! Fortunately water colors clean up very well!

Family Pics While Eric's In India...

2009-04-25T02:13:00.000-07:00

How I miss my family! Just a few more days and I'll be home...

Too funny to not share...

2009-04-24T01:41:00.000-07:00

So, I am in India right now. I was reading an email from Shelly at an internet cafe and read this story about Elijah that made me die laughing among a group of strangers. This is really funny... to the embarrassment of my child, I've got to share!

From Shelly's Email:
Another funny happening...last night, Liska stopped by to get her Elijah and Ellie fix and was playing with Elijah while he took a bath. He started cry and I heard Liska saying, "It's all right, you're not in trouble." So I went back to see what had happened. Liska was wiping Elijah's butt like he had pooped, and he was crying with a look of horror on his face. I picked him up to comfort him and looked in the bathroom...he had pooped in the bathtub, gotten freaked out, jumped out of the tub and pooped on the floor of the bathroom too. He looked at the poop and said, "That's my poop? What's it doing?" It was all I could do to not laugh at him. I tried to use it as a way to get him to go in the big boy potty, but I think all it did was freak him out. So, both mom and Liska were looking at me, I said, "I'll clean it up." and they both heartily agreed with me! Good thing he didn't have diarrhea!!

Ellie's 2-Week Check Up...

2009-04-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today was Ellie's 2-week check up. When she was born she was 6lbs and 19 inches... today she was 7.5lbs and 20 inches! However, she is still in the 25% for height, weight and head circumference. She is nearly the exact opposite of Elijah who was and has been in the 95% for all of those things!

Baby Ellie Update...

2009-04-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

Fifteen days ago, April 1, Shelly and I brought home a baby girl from the hospital. If this is news to you, sorry! The birth mother signed her surrender of rights on April 6 and we have been waiting anxiously for the 10 days to pass, this being the allotted time the birth mother to change her mind.

Well, the 16^th has come and past. What this means for us is that baby Ellie is one step closer to being legally adopted into our family! It won’t be until the first part of October that we will be able to finalize the adoption in court as this takes place six months from the time the baby first comes into your home. How crazy is this – we get baby Ellie right before Shelly’s planned vacation (we spent all last week at the beach… great first trip for a week old!) AND we finalize on our adoption days, literally days, before we leave Memphis for Montana. Absolutely amazing. God’s timing truly is astounding.

Things with baby Ellie have been going amazingly well. First off, Elijah has been extraordinary. He is everything we could hope for in a big brother. When we first brought Ellie home Elijah had a pretty bad cold so we told him that he was not allowed to touch the baby, at least until he got better. Sure enough, any time Elijah sees someone (regardless of whether they are a friend or stranger), he’ll take them by the and say, “I want to show you something.” He then drags them over to Ellie and says, “See? Baby Ellie! I don’t touch her!” What can you do? It is really quite funny.
Elijah loves helping out with baby Ellie, whether that means putting on her socks or putting her pacifier back in her mouth. He loves to go and lie beside her and put his face next to hers as he gently rests his hand on her stomach. One night last week, while at the beach, Elijah was watching Ellie as she lay on her back. After a minute he also laid on his back and began to flail his arms and legs as little babies do. He looked at me and laughed as I of course was laughing at him.

Ellie has also been great. Thus far she has been a very easy baby (knock on wood). If she’s not sleeping she’s either eating or taking her new world in with eyes wide open. Currently she wakes up only one time during the night! For Shelly and I this has been amazing as Elijah woke up every two to three hours to eat until he was seven months. So, yeah, Ellie has been taking it easy on the two of us.
Each day she only gets cuter, especially as she begins to fill out as babies do. We had to determine a full name today so we settled on Ellie Magdalene Basye. We praise God for this precious and beautiful addition to our family.

Enjoy the pics!

eric and shelly

The Tear Down Has Begun...

2009-02-10T17:58:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if anyone even reads these blogs, but if so, here you go! As I mentioned in the last blog, we are now the proud owners of 407 S. 31st Avenue in the South Side of Billings, Montana! We have been very fortunate to become friends with a fellow believer, community developer and contractor who is coordinating the tear down of our house so that we might start fresh sometime in the nearby future. All that said, the house has been stripped of the asbestos siding and will be torn down sometime within the next two weeks! From there we'll have a sight plan done, we'll finalize the house plans Shelly designed and then we'll be ready to build!

the basye's

A little news with lots of pictures...

2009-01-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Shelly and I closed on a property in Billings, Montana - 407 S. 31st, 59101 - in the old historic downtown of Billings, otherwise known as the South Side! I'll spare the long story, but in a dumbed-down version, this is the house I saw when Shelly and I were interviewing in Billings this past April. While driving through the South Side (in trying to determine if this was the city where we were to move), I saw this burned out green house and it hit me - 1. move to Billings; 2. move into the South Side; and 3. buy this house. Once we had officially decided for Shelly to accept the position as a hospitalist at the Billings Clinic and move to Billings, we contacted someone I had met along the way who was a realtor. For the first 6 months the property was virtually lost in a sea of foreclosures, but finally in October, our realtor called and said he had located the owners of the property - Chase Bank in New York, of all places. After a long process of communicating with Chase Bank, we closed on the deal the 14th of January.

Soon the house will be torn down as you can see it is truly burned out. However, there is a little back house (more like an efficiency apartment) that we'll keep and hopefully get a renter in soon. Again, there are so many ways in which God has moved to confirm our move to Billings, but I'll spare the details. He is good, we are grateful for the many people He has already put in our path and we are looking forward to being a part of the South Side come October.

the basye's

The Winter Season...

2008-12-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

Winter has finally set in here in Memphis. Compared to my years of growing up in Wyoming, my perception of "winter" is much different now that I live in the South. In the South this means: temperatures in the 40's, perhaps even as low as the 30's (but it really does feel cold, especially in our old 1920's house with no insulation in the walls!); gloomy overcast skies; the occasional downpour of rain (it really rains here in the South); and lots, and lots of leaves.

Shelly's fourth and last year of residency has been significantly better than the previous three years. We often look back to just a year ago when it wasn't uncommon for Shelly to work 80-100 hours per week for months on end. How grateful we are that these days are over! Elijah and I have really grown accustomed to her being home more. Though it seemed strange at first, we have actually had weekends together as a family (meaning that Shelly has been getting two days off per week in a row!). Wow, we are glad for this season of residency to come to a close. Though it would be incredibly hard to go back to the early years of residency again, we are grateful for His provision and grace that protected our marriage, grew our family and truly blessed us with our life here in Memphis.

I continue to work with SOS part-time as the Academy Director. I thoroughly enjoy this work and consider it a great joy. Though I love having the opportunity to spend so much time with Elijah and serve as the primary caregiver, I'm grateful to still be engaged with SOS as I lead and guide our interns. By far, this is one of my most favorite activities here in Memphis. This April I'll be leading our eight interns to work in Kolkata, India and then we prepare for our grand finale to host four weeks of camp together through a new initiative of SOS called SOS114 (http://www.sos114.org/) to work in Orange Mound. Come August my role with SOS will come to a close and I'll spend the remaining time preparing for our move to Billings, MT in October.

Elijah continues to be a blessing to Shelly and me. Though he loves being active, going outside and tackling, he also has a more studious side that loves reading books and playing pretend with his animals. Lately he has really enjoyed when I tell him stories that I make up on the fly regarding the adventures of Elijah and Caleb (Caleb being his best friend). Typically these stories involve a bear or lion and the two boys teaming up together to wrestle the bear and save the day. It really is quite a joy, for both of us!

Still no word on the adoption. We are just waiting and learning to trust that it will all happen in His timing, if it is indeed His desire for us to adopt. We'll certainly keep you all posted as soon as we learn of anything.

Enjoy the wonderful holiday season.

A Little Change of Plans...

2008-08-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

A little over a week ago Shelly and I were at the Memphis Zoo with Elijah and some other friends. While we were there, I looked at Shelly and said, "We need to be as open to adopting a little girl as we are to adopting a little boy." We had been thinking about this for some time and finally decided that we needed to act on it. Though we felt certain that we were to adopt a boy, Shelly and I both realized that in trusting God for this adoption we need to trust Him in all regards, leaving such things as to whether or not we adopt a boy or girl in His hands. So, one week ago today we called our adoption agency and asked them to begin showing our profile letter (the letter about our family that the birth mothers make their decisions from as to who will adopt their child) in hopes that we will have a child soon!

From the very beginning this adoption has been in His hands. It is God who gave us the desire to adopt and it is God who will give us the child He intends for us to love, nurture, parent and grow to a caring, strong, God-fearing individual. What a blessing this child will be! As you think of it we ask for you to partner with us in praying for His timing, preparation for our family and for the birth mother and our soon-to-be newborn infant!

the basye's

Did You Know...

2008-07-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

...That the Basye's Are Adopting?

Through some of my recent conversations with people, I have come to realize that not everyone is aware of our upcoming adoption, which could be as soon as this next month (August)! Going back to the earliest days of our marriage (as if we have been married SO long... though, we are 6 years going on 7!) we have always desired to "adopt" children as well as have them biologically if we were able. This desire was only grown in our hearts as we have been surrounded by many other family members and friends that have made adoption a part of their way of life. Seeing these families and hearing of their motivation for adoption (most ultimately as an act of love in pursuit of justice for the most helpless - a "orphaned" child), we too have grown to understand that this is one small way, yet a very significant way, in which our family can also participate in loving our Lord Jesus Christ as we seek justice and restoration in this world.

In the winter of 2005, Shelly and I had begun the adoption process. However, returning from our trip to Venezuela with SOS, we had learned that Shelly was indeed pregnant and expecting in September. Thus, we had not given up on the idea of adoption by any means, but rather tabled this hope until a later time.

In December of this past year we once again began down the path of adopting a child. Some close friends of ours had adopted their son through a local adoption agency here in Memphis (it is a Christian crisis pregnancy that also happens to be an adoption agency). They had a very positive experience with this organization and encouraged us to consider them as we moved closer to adoption. Shelly and I completed the application process, along with the home study, the month of April but decided that it would be best for us to wait for placement of a child until the end of the summer, the soonest being August, as Shelly has had a very difficult summer with long hours. However, come the end of July, Shelly is on a stretch of just 14 months left of residency, and of these 14 months, only 2 of them will be the crazy work-ya-till-you-drop kind of months! Therefore, for the sake of her sanity and mine (as well as Elijah's), we figured the wise thing would be to wait until at least the end of the summer before potentially adding a new child to our family.

So, the two questions we often receive are: 1) Do you know anything about the baby you are adopting? and 2) When will you be getting a baby?

First question, what we know about the baby we are adopting. Really, not much! However, as we have treaded down the path of adoption, one of the things we have learned is that African-American children, as well as bi-racial children, often have a more difficult time being placed for adoption (even greater injustice to an already unjust situation). This being the case, and being that Shelly and I are driven to be a people of justice and reconciliation by our love for the Lord Jesus Christ, we have specified two things: 1) that our child be a boy (we just believe that this would be the best fit for this stage in our lives, not to mention that we believe Elijah will really love having a brother); and 2) our child will not be all Caucasian (as he may be African-American, bi-racial, Latino, Asian... you get the picture). Other than this, we know nothing of the birth mother or father at this time or even when the child will be born.

Second question, we don't have any idea as to when we might get this child. When Shelly and I first began the adoption process, there were two African-American babies waiting to be adopted and no potential adoptive parents. However, there is good news currently at our agency in that there happen to be a number of families that are waiting for an adoption much like ours. This being said, our being placed with a child is in the hands of the birth mother (as she is the one who determines the adoptive parents), but ultimately, it is in the hands of our Lord. Again, we are ready for placement this August, so we could potentially get a phone call any time, but it might also be months down the road. Being that we have specified a desire to adopt a boy, our "profile letter" (that is what they call the letter that they show the birth mothers) cannot be shown until they know for certain that the mother is having a boy. Thus, we inevitably are moved further down the waiting list but we are confident in His timing. When we do get that phone call, there will be roughly a 2 week waiting period (after the birth of the child) before we are able to bring new Baby Basye home.

We'll keep you all posted. As you think of it, please pray for His timing in this adoption, as well as the child He has for us, and that we might be patient in this wait.

the basye's

Post Residency Update...

2008-06-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

It has been decided through much prayer and seeking. Upon Shelly’s completion of her Med/Peds residency (end of September, 2009), we will be moving to build a new life for our family in Billings, Montana. Needless to say, our interview in late May was quite amazing. We loved everything about the city – the job opportunity for Shelly as a hospitalist, both the people Shelly will be working with as well as people as a whole in Billings, the communities of need and potential for Christian community development efforts, the “western culture and mindset”, the fact that Billings is a city (approx. 130k people) but very much exudes a small town feel, and need I say it, the mountains that are nearby!

While Shelly was busy with her interviews, I too was busy meeting different pastors in the city, realtors and people living and working in some of the more poor neighborhoods of Billings. In many ways I felt like I was seeing my neighborhood here in Memphis. Of course, there are certain differences between the two communities, but there are also many similarities. One of the things that I quickly picked up on was the sense of pride and community within what they call the South Side (the original downtown of Billings, late 1800’s, that is now the poorest neighborhood of the city). Given what I have researched about the South Side, as well as witnessed with my own eyes, I believe there is much potential for me to find my niche in this community as well.

Not only are there neighborhoods such as the South Side, but it just so happens that Billings is also the home of two colleges – Rocky Mountain College and Montana State University Billings. That said, we hope to stay engaged to the college community. It is my hope to continue incarnational living (meaning that we live among those we seek to serve) in the South Side as we seek to establish intentional Christian community while also reaching out to college students so as to expose them to this way of life.

As excited as we are about this move, we will also be quite sad to leave Memphis for many obvious reasons. By the time we leave this will have been our home for over 7 years (8 years for Shelly). We have been blessed to be part of an amazing church (www.xcommunity.org), incredible friends, people living as witnesses as to how we are to live as disciples of Jesus, amazing work opportunities and a rich community life in our neighborhood Binghampton. We are very grateful for our time in Memphis and the vision God has planted and allowed us to be a part of in the inner city. It is our hope to cast this same vision to the communities of Billings.

The Basye’s

The Three Criteria...

2008-04-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

First off, yes, this is long overdue! My apologies! I often wonder how anyone finds time to do such things as "blog"... obviously it is not high on my priority list. Yet, I must confess, this is a great way to communicate to the masses so as to update folks as to the recent events of our lives.

I've titled this blog, "The Three Criteria", as a way to inform everyone of our recent thoughts regarding post-residency (Shelly will be finished with residency in the fall of 2009; October 3rd, 2009 to be exact!). As odd as it may sound, many people begin the search for jobs 1-1.5 years out of finishing their residency. Guess what? Shelly finally falls in that category!

For quite some time now Shelly and I have pondered where or what we will be doing once residency is finally finished. Some of you might recall our decision to stick around in Memphis for residency a few years back... this was not our original plan but we felt for certain that this is what He was leading us to do (in fact, this was very clear to us). Looking back we have no regrets for this decision and are very grateful for the extra time we have had here in Memphis. We have now lived in Memphis nearly 6 years (Shelly one year longer than I), lived in the inner city for nearly 5 years, as well as been a part of our house church plant since the very beginning (also approaching 6 years). We have been blessed with many friends that have demonstrated the life of discipleship to us as they live their lives for God's glory, justice and missions (something I hope to blog about later). We joke around that we have been ruined by the call of discipleship in that no longer will Shelly and I be content to simply live mediocre Christian lives. Rather, we desire to live as He has called us - as radical, passionate, sold out followers of Jesus Christ!

Leading up to where we are today, Shelly and I are slowly beginning to learn how to hear and discern the voice of God. In making the decision of whether or not to stay here for residency (back in the spring of 2005), Shelly and I learned that the best thing for us to do is to go where He leads us, not just where we think we might want or should go. Through this we have learned about dying to ourselves and submitting to Him... but even more important, we have learned that this "submitting to Him" is actually the most fulfilling and joyous decision we could ever make. Again, we have no regrets about obeying Him to stick around in Memphis. Therefore, leading up to the decision that is upon us - where do we go once we are done with residency - we have learned to ask Him what He would have us do and for Him to make His will known.

In that spirit, I truly feel that we are acting within His grace and will to consider moving back West (something many of you know we have desired to do for a long time). However, in order to not leave behind all of the things we have learned here in Memphis, we have put in place three criteria that we believe will help guide us through this decision-making process (these three things being something we have prayed about and cannot neglect wherever we are to live). Thus, any place we consider for a future home must meet ALL of these criteria. I think it goes without saying that Memphis clearly meets all criteria, but again, the purpose of these criteria is for determining if other cities are or are not a good fit). The criteria are as follows (in no particular order):

A job of great interest and passion to Shelly. The plan is for Shelly to work as a medical doctor for a time so that we might pay back our medical school loans in order that we might be freed up to head overseas (going overseas is still our long-term vision, serving somewhere in the 10/40 window to take the good news of Jesus Christ to those who do not even know the name of "Jesus"). Ideally, Shelly would like to do hospitalist work using both her internal medicine training as well as her pediatric training.
A college present in the city. For nearly the past 6 years I have been blessed to work intimately with college students. Both Shelly and I have loved this aspect of ministry and pouring into the lives of others. In regards to doing community development work (that of living and working among the under-served), planting house churches and calling men and women to take the gospel to the unreached nations, we have found that college students are the most receptive to being truly challenged in their faith and doing something about it.
A population of poverty as well as neighborhoods of significant poverty. Obviously, living in the 'hood of Memphis the last number of years, this has been an important part of our life and is not something that we can leave behind. Thus, if we are to move, it is incredibly important to us (non-negotiable in fact) that we would continue to live in and among an impoverished neighborhood for the purpose of loving and serving God through loving and serving our neighbors (especially those who have been marginalized by society). Of of our three criteria, this is the one that has caused us to look most critically at potential cities and truly evaluate what needs exist in each city. If we don't feel these criteria can be met, enough said, it is no longer an option.

With these criteria in mind, we have become very interested in Billings, Montana. At the end of May we are flying out to interview with one of the hospitals there. While Shelly is doing her thing, I'm planning on meeting with people that live and work in some of these impoverished areas to see if what we are looking for might exist in Billings. We are looking at a couple other places as well, but at this point, Billings has most peaked our interest.

So there you have it... an update on the Basye family! We would love to hear from you all. If you think to pray for us, please pray for our decision about what to do once Shelly is done with residency.

eb

Elijah is 1 ½ years old! (march 6, 2008)

2008-03-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe how quickly time goes by but “Big E” (as kids in the neighborhood call Elijah) is now 18 months old! We measured him the other day and he is now 33 ½ inches, putting him in the 90% for height. Though we haven’t weighed him in a while, he has got to be a good 30 lbs as he certainly is a workout to any bicep!

What is he up to these days? Well, he continues to talk up a storm and has just recently begun putting together 2-3 word phrases. Some of his favorite words/phrases are – “Jack outside”, “up, down”, “more please”, “I don’t know”, “play, daddy, play”, and “bye bye.” Also, he is now beginning to repeat things you say, thus, you’ve got to be very careful what you say around him!

He continues to love – reading books, playing outside, riding Jack (yes, I literally mean riding Jack, our dog), going to the playground, taking a stroll as daddy goes running, playing with his friend Caleb, doing puzzles with mom and hanging out in the SOS office (mainly because everyone gives him candy!).

In late February my mom came from Jackson, Wyoming because she missed her little grandson so much! Being that Shelly was busy working during a difficult month, we headed to Nashville to hang out with the other grandparents. Below are some pictures from Pinkerton Park in Franklin, Tennessee.

Elijah and Daddy having some fun!

2008-03-06T10:50:00.001-08:00