BelovedLamb's

First, Why did I change my page name? Well, my full name is Amy Rae...but I've not always liked my middle name. Until my dear husband found out that it means 'Little Lamb'....so he has started calling me his BelovedLamb ... and now I love it. It also reminds me of the FIRST BelovedLamb, Jesus, who became the sacrificial lamb for our sins so that we might not have to live in eternity separated from Him!

Who is Amy? Well, I'm wife to Eric (12 years and still going strong), Mommy to Jimmy (4.5) and Jeremy (3). There are other ways I could describe myself but these are the roles that fulfill me and to which I feel called! I have had jobs that gave me more money, more prestige and honor but knowing that I may be the only one praying for and encouraging my husband that day and that I am molding two small human beings is the ultimate career choice for me!

Do you feel that being a Mommy is the most important thing you do? Do you have a website? I've created an award for Christian Mommys on the Web....if you are a Christian Mommy and you have a website…or if you would like to visit the sites that have already received this award, please click here.

Besides my family, there is one other group of people that are near and dear to my heart: Pastor's Wives. After Eric and I had been married for about 16mos we moved from Woodland, CA to Portland, OR to attend Seminary at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary. Eric wasn't sure what direction he would go upon graduation but that this was where he needed to be right then. I had a great time while he was attending school....I had a great job that allowed me a lot of flexibility to learn new things, took classes in the Wives program at the Seminary and got involved in Women's Ministries on campus, and grew closer and closer to my husband. During this time we were trying to start a family which was frustrating and painful...but the adoption of our sons was one of the best things we ever did. You can read that story here. But while we were at Seminary, I realized that I did not feel a personal call to ministry. I was pretty worried about this until just before Graduation when I realized that I was called to be Eric's wife and my calling was to support him any way I could.

Within two months of graduation we had a ministry position just 80 miles from Portland. The long and short of it was that we felt lead to move on after 2 years. We had hoped that we could remain there longer but it became apparent that Eric's vision from the Lord for the church and the member's vision were not compatible. It was a very painful, discouraging time. We needed to stay in the area in order to complete our youngest son's adoption and the Lord blessed us by allowing Eric to be hired as the Administrator and a teacher at Sonrise Academy. UPDATE: The Lord allowed us to return to pastoral ministry! PTL!! We now are living on the Oregon coast and ministering at Harbor Baptist Church (CBA) in Winchester Bay, Oregon. God is Faithful!

All that to explain why I started the PastorsWives Email List. One of the hardest things about our time at our first pastorate was the isolation. There were no women my age and I didn't have any friends in the church or community with who I could share my thoughts and fears. When I looked at the future pastoral positions, I grew discouraged and anxious. I feel that the Lord placed this ministry on my heart to meet the needs of PastorsWives like me who are feeling alone, discouraged or simply need a friend. It is a great group of women who I am blessed to called friends and sisters!

In June of 1999 we had our first anniversary and the ladies surprised me with an anniversary page. They shared what the list has meant to them. What an encouragement it was to me!