Day 25 My Best Physical Feature.

I would say my best physical feature is my eyes. I love my eyes especially when I am wearing makeup. I have learned that purple eyeshadow or even brown/goldish eye shadow.

Day 23 Pet Peeves

I guess these could be some of my worst habits as well. My number one pet peeve is the way people eat. I can't take it if it makes any noise. It's not just people it's myself as well. I hate the noise I make eating chips or anything crunchy. I try so hard to eat so quietly because it just drives me like irrationally insane. I know it's crazy and I usually don't say much because I know most people don't even know they are doing anything and they aren't that noisy in the first place. I actually did some research and there is a technical name for it; it's called misophonia. I couldn't believe it when I found that out. Maybe thats why I eat so fast and get done so I can get up and not listen.

My other pet peeve is if people offer to help me I like things done the same way I would do it otherwise I will do it all over again. I think this might be more a character flaw of not letting go when needing help. Oh well! I guess it's another thing I need to work on.

Day 21 Something I miss

I could list a thousand things and people I miss to narrow this down took some serious thinking, but I have decided to write about one thing I think I miss the most.


I miss when life was simple. As a kid life was so simple you got up and and went to school and came home and did chores and it was simple. Relationships were simple. The worst thing that could happen in a relationship as a kid was someone didn't played with someone else or your favorite toy would break. (I know realistically that a lot of kids there is a lot of things that can happen that are a lot worse) Life was so simple when we keep relationships simple. As we grow up relationships become complicated. Stress of life makes emotions to run high and people to over react. Several years ago family was all that mattered and families and friends worked everything out and stayed connected forever. Now a days it's not. People get so upset about petty things and get then things get complicated. There are so many things that pull you so many different directions as an adult that you don't have to worry so much about before you graduate high school. I look back and my biggest concern was passing my high school classes. As an adult there are bills to pay cars and homes to maintain. You get pulled in so many directions and life goes by so fast that if we don't take the time to simplify our life it we will wake up one day at the end of our life stressed out and exhausted.

Let's take our time now to simplify our lives. I think not only will you and your immediate family appreciate but everyone you come into contact with will be too.

Day 20 Where I want to be in 10 years

In 10 years I will be almost 40...Whoa lets just think about that for a minute. I can't believe that that makes me even a little more scared of turning 30 next year and thats turning 40 I mean I can't even wrap my mind around that it wasn't that long ago that I thought 30 was a long way off. So back to the topic at hand Where do I want to be in 10 years. I would love to be homeschooling our kids hopefully we will have 2 kids then. Our house should be paid off in that time. Maybe just maybe in 10 years we could look at still building a house, not sure how that will work. We love our house and Jeremy is adamant that he is never moving again until he's dead ha! I however would still love to build a house just for us (don't think it will happen though). I would love to have the ministry into it's own office building and reclaim our 5th bedroom in our house as a kids bedroom or guest bedroom or a joint office for Jeremy and I. I would love to maybe open an etsy shop in that time because I would love to say that I have had time to create and make. Another thing I would love to see happen is that the Jeremy and I can also travel speaking to churches and encouraging them. I would also love to start being able to ministering to wives who have a husband with "handicaps". It's been on my heart. 

It's a little hard to say where I want to be in 10 years because 10 years ago I was a young 19 year old girl. The only thing that is the same from 10 years ago is I live in Iowa. I never would have imagined 10 years ago moving back to Florida and get married and never thought I would be back in Iowa. To top that never thought I would have bought a house in Iowa either ever. 

I definitely believe in making plans and always having a goal, but I have always have learned that when you leave your life in God's hands nothing is predictable and it's the best adventure in life you can ever imagine. So while I have my ideas of where I want to be in 10 years God's plans and ideas are always better and always more fun!!!

Day 18 What am I afraid of?

This is a loaded question we all have fears. I have some normal fears like spiders; it is a lot better than it was when I was little now its more like I don't care for them not so much a huge fear other than brown recluse spiders. For a long time I have had a crazy fear of taking long car trips with just Jeremy and I. We had a van that was horrible it was always breaking down and we couldn't depend on it at all. We actually got stranded in a little town in Missouri for a week and no one could ever figure out was wrong with our van and it made me so nervous because when it would die it would just die with no warning. We could have been going down the interstate and it was such a safety issue for us. So I had a horrible fear after that. It has taken a long time close to 3 years to get over most of it but i am still hesitate to jump in the car and drive on a trip. I think another fear I have now that we live up north is getting in a bad accident in the winter time. I just don't do a lot of winter driving. I was in a bad accident when I was about 4 or 5 where we hit a patch of black ice. I am thankful though that a lot of my winter driving has just been around town and not any long stretched on the highway especially when its been snowing and icy. I guess thats the major ones. I try hard to not focus on them because they can control your life and I do not want fear to control my life, because the Bible says that God does not give us a spirit of fear.

Day 15 A timeline of my day!

My timeline of my day varies from day to day. So I am going to give you an outline of my week.

Monday: Jeremy has his aide come and help him which makes it an easy day for me. I like to try and catch up on laundry and straighten the house.

Tuesday: It's Jeremy and I all day long. Usually I catch up on anything from I didn't get done on monday or any other day.

Wednesday: Jeremy's aid comes again. I have Bible Study with my Grandma and my aunt during the day. We also have Church on Wednesday night.

Thursday: This has become one of my favorite days. We go over to my grandmas house to play cards and eat dinner with her and my grandpa and a family friend.

Friday: Jeremy's aid comes again. My weekly schedule is fluid in the sense that I might have errands to run or dr appts to take my aunt or my grandma too. I have even started picking up little projects like sewing and my blog and shortly doing a diy on our dining room table.

Saturday: I usually do my lesson plans for childrens church and get ready for church on Sunday.

Sunday; We have church sunday morning and recently we have been going to my grannys house on sunday afternoon after church and lunch. Than its an early relaxing night at home for us.

Day 12 If I won the Lottery

This is kinda an interesting topic considering the recent powerball was $564 million dollars. Whoa! Can you say lots of dough!? Ha I don't even know what I would do with that much money seriously. I know what I could do with maybe around 100 grand. I think the first thing we would do is tithe of it. Jeremy and I made a commitment a few years ago that no matter what any money we get in we tithe off of it. So that takes care of the first thing. Next would be pay off our house and than I would want to splurge and buy me a really nice new car. We would put money into savings a good chunk. We would tithe again off of it to the ministry we run right now that we would give a lot of it away I think in the long run. I would also love to take a nice vacation maybe overseas. Than we would give a lot of the money away to people who needed it mostly I would think it would be close family and friends. I think we would make sure that our household would be taken care of and then kinda go from there. However though it's really hard to win the lotto when you don't play the lotto so heres to pipe dreams.

Day 11 Most Proud Moment.

I don't know that I could just pick one proud moment. I guess what I thinking would actually accumulates a few moments in time. My high school graduation would probably be the first one of my proud moments, than it would be moving into my apartment, than getting married, than selling our house and than buying our house here in Iowa. I think those are my most proud moments because for me it represented so many "adult" life changing moments. I remember getting ready to move into my own apartment and the fear I had about what happens if I fail or I can't do it. However I did it I had my own apartment for 3 years before I meet and married Jeremy. Getting married it was definitely one of the biggest decisions I have ever made. When we decided to move to Iowa and all the stuff that comes with moving it was a big deal. Than going to the bank and getting financing for our house and being able to do that without having to have anyone co sign for us was huge for me and picking out our house and buying it was another proud moment. I think these are the ones that stick out the most because each one of them were the opening and closing of chapters in my life.

Day 8 An old Picture of me

So you actually you get two older pictures of me. The first one was taken about 6 years ago and the bottom one was taken about 26 years ago. 

Day 5 My Guilty Pleasure

I really had to think about this one and I would say it is getting pedicures. I got my first one about 7 years ago and its been a bad habit ever since. It is so nice to be pampered that way. I love it and I know its an expensive way to get your toenails painted and before I got my first one I would have never ever thought in a million years I would be that girl that spends money doing it. For me it is one way that I can take time for myself and I don't have to go get anyone or go anywhere or be needed it really in that time is all about me. Now that we have moved to Iowa they have definitely not been as frequent but I do enjoy them when we go back to Florida. It's just not the same having your toes done than having to cover them up with tennis shoes or boots. In Florida you can get away with wearing flip flops just about year around.

I would also say in the fast few days another guilty pleasure would be my blog. I have neglected it badly in the almost 5 years I have had it and so I decided this year I would make the time and effort to put into it. Thus the 31 day challenge. I hope to continue doing my blog and maybe will just start doing 30-31 day challenges every month. I have been enjoying the past few days.

Day 2... 20 Facts About Me!

1. Today is my birthday 2-11 I am 29 years old
2. I have 5 siblings
3. I love to read anything and everything (seriously I would read the cereal boxes in the morning just so I could read something as a kid)
4. I have been married for 5 years this October
5. When I was little I named my pets after food (popcorn the goldfish, and pancakes the cat)
6. I currently live the farthest north of all my siblings
7. I am horrible at being surprised doesn't matter I always figure it out (just ask Jeremy) I think the only time he really surprised me was our first married Christmas he bought me a necklace and I wasn't expecting it
8. Molly is the first dog that I have ever owned
9. I use to want 10 kids now 4 is the most I think I want
10. I have always wanted to open and own my own florist shop
11. I was 16 when my little sister was born (I always wanted a sister growing up; I had severe denial when my little brother was in his way)
12. I am the second oldest female in my family (only my granny is older than myself)
13. I graduated as salutatorian of my high school class (it was awarded on a point system and I just barely missed valedictorian) 
14. I have moved 13 times in 29 years and none of it was for the military
15. I am the 3rd generation of my dads side of the family to be born in America (my great grandpa came over from Ireland before my grandpa was ever born)
16. I have always wanted to adopt 
17. I was a pastors kid
18. I love my in-laws (no messy mother in law/daughter in law drama here)
19. I want to travel to Ireland (dream vacation)
20. I once wrote a multi chapter childrens book about a bear named macaroni and a little girl lost in the woods.

AN Update on whats going on

The easiest way to do this is to just copy our newsletter that our ministry just sent out to let everyone know whats been going on and everything that is changing.



Greetings In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

I (Katie) am writing you today to let you know about some exciting changes happening in Pastor Jeremy and I’s life as well as changes to Jesus Saves International Ministries. We are very excited about the changes coming in the next few months and years.
Personally, Pastor Jeremy and I (Katie) are excited to announce we are moving to Iowa. This was a long thought out process. The idea of moving to Iowa was put on our hearts 3 years ago when we went to visit right before we were married in the fall of 2010. We have patiently waited for doors to open if this was the right decision. Fast forward to June of 2013 and the biggest obstacle standing in our way was removed in such a way that only God could have done it. We are excited to step into this new chapter in our lives and everything that God has for us.
Changes for Jesus Saves are amazing and scary and faith filled all at the same time. The first change is we brought Pastor Juan onto our board of Directors as our Chief Financial Officer. We also are able to hire Pastor Juan as an office assistant. Pastor Juan served as assistant youth pastor at Harvest Christian Center until 2014. He also has several years of ministry experience. Angela will be stepping down from our board after 2 years of faithful service.  The biggest change goes hand in hand with us moving to Iowa. Pastor Jeremy and I have been praying about how God would use us in Iowa and the new community we will be in. That’s when God began to lay a vision on our heart for the community and how we can reach out and minister in a very real and tangible way.
The vision God has laid on both of our hearts is to open up a community center. We are looking at a building that is currently empty and has been empty for a couple of years. It is a 10,000+ sq ft building with a gymnasium, commercial kitchen, showers, and several classrooms. It is currently zoned as residential which would allow for “civic” activities. We are currently in contact with a local building official who is helping us figure out what we are allowed to do without having to change the zoning and would allow us to live on the campus. The reasoning for us living on campus is two-fold and that is one to be able to watch over the building and two; security. Also depending on how we purchase the building one option is to use the money from the sale of our house to buy the building which is why we would also live on campus. The second option would be to try and get a grant to purchase the building. Right now we are looking into grants. I have been talking to a friend who wrote grants as a job and they were honest and let us know that it is almost impossible to find grants large enough to purchase the building. We also would like to get a grant that would help with payroll and expenses for the first year or at least until we can gain some income from the community building. The payroll grant would go to Pastor Juan as he is prayerfully considering joining us in Iowa and partnering with us in running the community center. He would also live on campus as the 24 hr maintenance man.
Two things you can do for us right now; Number 1 pray, pray, pray, it’s the most important thing; Number 2 is donate money. We hate always asking for money but unfortunately ministry takes money and God has given us big dreams and visions. We know God can provide for what He calls us to do and we know that ultimately He is who will sustain us. I know God never gives vision without provision. Thank you so much for your prayers we covet them daily. Thank you for your support; your funds go to support sending out our daily devotions right now and also sending out salvation packets via mail or email. We truly couldn’t do it without you. You are our biggest partners.
As always please feel free to email anyone of us with any questions.
Pastor Jeremy: jlempie@jesussavestoday.com
Katie Empie: kempie@jesussavestoday.com
Pastor Juan: jlagrandeur@jesussavestoday.com

Until All Hear His Name,

Pastor Jeremy & Katie
Pastor Juan