Ok Lord... just knock me over the head...

 

Do you ever have those lessons that it feels like you have to learn over and over again?

 

Sometimes I feel like I need the Lord to just knock me over the head so that the lesson will stick... that I won't forget what I have learned again...

that I will recall and be able to bring back to mind that lesson learned in the heat of the battle of everyday life... when I need to use what I learned...

 

Ugh... sometimes it is frustrating...

 

Sometimes it is actually sweet to learn that lesson again... and again...

 

This past week I experienced that sweet part of the Lord gently reminding me of lessons I have learned before... but need to keep remembering, especially now as we settle into a new home...

 

 Sweet reminders of focusing on HIM...

 

I am so fortunate to be involved in a women's study at church.  We are doing Beth Moore's

David:  Seeking a Heart Like His

 

I have done other Beth Moore studies in past... and  the Lord has used EVERY SINGLE ONE to speak to my heart. 

I remember doing the Esther study the summer after Samuel died, the summer that Joel died, and literally feeling like she must have written specifically with me in mind... truly, the Holy Spirit used her study to reach down into my broken heart and minister to me in deep grief, loneliness and despair... Wow... the healing power of His word. 

 

So even in the midst of the Lord being so faithful with this recent move for our family... it is still tough at times...

Transition for my kids has been my biggest concern and has weighed heavy on my mind... (they have done so well over all... but honestly, there are still hard moments and tough discussions...) 

 

This week my study hit on 3 points that have totally stuck with me... ones I need to share with the kids...

1.  We need to Take God's word over the opinions of others...

What a great reminder as we all seek to make new friends, and as we make first impressions... that ultimately we need to focus on the Lord's word and His desires for us... Who He wants us to be,  not what others think of us... we need to live for that audience of ONE.... him alone....

 

2.  We need to Measure the size of your obstacle against the size of your God...

Even when sometimes the obstacles we might face daily seem big, REALLY BIG, or sometimes not so big... In our own strength it is so easy to be overwhelmed, but knowing our faithful God and how mighty and powerful He is gives me such perspective as to how to look at the small and big daily struggles we face...

 

3. We need to Acknowledge an active and living God in our lives...

As easy as it is to get caught up in our schooling... (because you know that does need to get done each day:) The most important thing we need to focus on each day is helping to instill that firm foundation of our Father in our kids Lives... He is a living, breathing, active part of our lives... When we remember him parting the red sea for the Israelites, we need to remember that he wants to part ALL  of the Red Seas we face each day... Our times of devotion, Quiet times, scripture memory, Christian character development, Prayers is ultimately the most important... not that we NEED to do it all... but because as a result of all He has done for us... it is what we want to do... 

 

Life goes so much more smoothly when we at least can try to get our priorities straight. It always seems to be something that needs adjusting often... when refocus is needed:)  

 

If you haven't ever had a chance to do a Beth Moore study... I would highly recommend it!  She is so good and digs so deep into scripture, I always learn so much! Her videos are amazing... but even if all you can do is go through one of her studies on your own at home... You will be blessed! 

 

Just a few pictures of the kids lately:)

 

Levi on the new pogo swing our neighbors gave us... he and Hope LOVE it!!:)

 

Levi and Anna:)

 

Jojo chilling on the hanging bed doing his reading... he is loving the Little House books he and Anna are reading this year...

Jojo and Anna with a cabbage I got in Michigan... BIGGEST cabbage I have ever seen!:) 

My sweets...

 

 

Couldn't resist posting these pictures of our sweet Levi...  What a rascal, with eyelashes that could kill and the sweetest shaped eyes...  You can see his missing tooth in the picture below... (poor boy!)

 

He is one of our biggest blessings.  I don't think I have mentioned that we had the opportunity to meet both of Levi's biological grandmothers this summer.  What a sweet opportunity for us.  We loved having them in our home... and enjoyed getting to know them in person...

 

Surprisingly, when we moved here, we ended up moving closer (really pretty close) to Levi's biological dad's family.  And much closer to his biological mother as well.   I am thankful that we will have more of a chance to spend time together whenever it might work out versus just while we made the long trip up from Oklahoma...  We are so blessed!

 

This is his typical cheese grin!  So so funny! 

CAMP ARCADIA

 

THIS WAS TAKEN IN SOUTH HAVEN MICHIGAN... OH MY GOODNESS... MICHIGAN IS BEAUTIFUL AND I NEVER KNEW IT!:)



 

THE INN WE STAYED IN, AT CAMP ARCADIA!

 

FREEZING OUR BUMS OFF RIGHT ON THE SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN...



 

 

LAKE MICHIGAN GIVES YOU SOME BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS THAT IS FOR SURE.  THE WAVES CRASHING ON THE SHORE WERE SO PEACEFUL AND THE SETTING THERE IS DOWNRIGHT GORGEOUS!  

 

Tonight I am thanking God for His safety and protection while I was away from Greg and the kids.  It was an absolutely delightful time. 

 

Camp Arcadia is so beautiful, the setting in unreal... right on the shores of Lake Michigan...

 

I went to school right on Lake Michigan, on the Wisconsin side, and it was beautiful... but being able to see it, experience it, and appreciate it as an adult is a whole new ball game. 

 

I was so blessed to be there with 7 other women from our new church and it was such a treat and blessing for me to get to know each of them better.  It really was a special time and I am so very grateful that I had the opportunity to go with them.  It was a great time of growing in our faiths, drawing near to our Father, and to do it together was precious to me...

 

The main speaker was so precious.  She was African American... and I couldn't help but think of my hopie while I was listening to her.  It gave me such a sweet spot in my heart for her and a precious time of thinking of all the ways that God has gifted Hope, with her spicy spunky personality, and how the Lord is going to use that in her life.  The speaker's name was Monique Nunez and she was transparent, honest, hilarious, and challenged us in our walk with our Savior... I loved her... I couldn't help but when I saw her in the bathroom, give her a big hug and declare, "You are just precious!"  She probably thought I was nuts... She even led an exercise class that had me in stitches a lot of the time:)

 

I am so thankful to be back safe and sound... This morning was rough getting things rolling with school... but we got through it and I am really excited for the rest of the week... the weather is gorgeous here... I think it will be homeschooling in the great outdoors this week...  (We may need to keep the bee bee gun with us... today we had a coyote watching us out back for a long while as we schooled... he was harmless, but seemed a little too comfortable with us in my opinion....)

 

Never a dull moment around here that is for sure!:)

 



Sweet night...

 

So today I will do something I don't do very often....

 

I will head out and leave these 7 behind in the care of their very capable father...

 

I have the opportunity to attend a women's retreat with a group of ladies from our new church...

 

I am really excited to have the opportunity to ...  get to know some of the ladies from our new church, have a little time away, sleep, and of course spend some much needed time drawing nearer to my Heavenly Father...

 

It should be beautiful, the retreat center is right on the banks of Lake Michigan...

 

As much as I know I will enjoy the time away, ultimately, I know my place is home with these 7 that  I hold so dear to my heart, and of course with their daddy!

 

Last night, I returned from Bible Study and they had such a nice present for me... the house was CLEAN!!!  Because I will be away over my birthday, they had a Sam's cookie cake (I am not really a cookie cake fan, but Sam's makes the yummiest cookie cakes... it was my one request for my birthday) for me and a precious note that each of them had written on for me.   

 

My family has a CRAZY tradition of singing... um like a million verses to happy Birthday... It was so sweet to look into each of their eyes as they sang... the sweetest expressions... there is Levi (not the biggest talker:)  just thrilled to be banging his hands on his lap... Precious memories! 

 

I would appreciate prayers for safety and protection while we are apart... exciting news coming soon...

THE SACRIFICE... SO THAT WE MIGHT BE SO BLESSED!

OPEN ADOPTION... 2 WORDS THAT STRIKE FEAR IN SOME...

 

We have open adoptions with all of our adopted children.  They are all unique situations and with each one we have had different levels of openness...

 

My basic opinion on open adoptions???

1st thing... I try to put myself in my child's birth mom's position... if I literally grew a child in my womb and had to give them to someone else to raise (whatever the reason) I would probably give anything to see them, what they look like, especially that they are safe and happy...

How can I not give a birth mom that opportunity when they have given us so much??? (as long as it is safe and in the best interest of our child:)

 

2nd thing... I really think that including the birth parents in my child's life, is giving my child the chance to be loved by more people. 

 

3rd thing... I think including the birth parents in my child's life takes away some of the unknown for the future... that child can't really have a fantasy opinion of what that birth mom or dad might be like if they know them, it takes a whole lot of questions out of the equation for their life... they already know some of the answers...

 

(I could go on and on on my other thoughts about our open adoptions, but those are my basic thoughts on open adoption in a nutshell:) I know too, that sometimes openness just can't even happen in some adoptions due to different circumstances beyond anyone's control)

 

 

We have an arrangement with Isaiah's birth mom.  We have seen her and Isaiah's birth father a handful of times at the agency before we moved.  I also have her email address to email her photos every once in a while.  To be perfectly honest, I had a mix up on her email at one point and then WE MOVED...

 

I felt terrible that I hadn't sent her as many photos as I would have liked... packing, unpacking, computer in boxes, no Internet... on and on the craziness went...

 

But 2 nights ago I sent her a few pics of this sweet pumpkin  and her response had me in tears...

 

 

 

Basically, she gave me an update on what has been going on in her life... Rough stuff... My heart just broke for her... some of the same things that she has gone through in the past... but honestly, it sort of made me want to adopt her... She isn't young by any means, 34 years old, but I just wanted to scoop her up and take care of her... (I remember thinking the same thing at the hospital the first time I met her)  I can't explain the love that I have for her...

 

 

She said how much she missed him, but that she trusted fully in God's plan for Isaiah's life.  She said that she was so thankful that it was us parenting Isaiah, that she had no worries with me mothering a child from her womb. When Isaiah was born at 7 months and came out perfect, she said she knew the Lord was involved with his life...

 

 She was overwhelmed with tears and with love for us for loving her son.  She even expressed how much she wanted him to know that she loves him... that if something should happen to her, that we make sure he knows she loved him... And that we would lead him to know his Savior so that she could one day see him again...

 

 

 

Oh my goodness... the beauty and pain of adoption... Here I sit with the precious, miracle baby in my life... I was in tears... I love this mama SO VERY MUCH!  How could I not?  She willingly sacrificed so much so we could be his parents.  She literally handed him over to us... no strings attached and trusted us with his life.  She did the hard thing... knowing she couldn't parent him... but first to give him life... then to give his life over to us to raise him. 

 

I  look at him and marvel at the goodness of the Lord.  He is perfect for our family.  We are so in love with him... There are many many times I have to remind myself that this little man didn't come from my own body... Oh the joy he brings us...

 

It is almost too much for me to take sometimes.... The love I know she has for him... the Love we have for him and her...

 

 Adoption...

 

What a miracle from our Heavenly Father... only He could work such beauty and love from such challenging circumstances... He is so good...

 

Pretty Irresistible huh???

Finally.... house projects...

Ahhhh... we finally have towel hangers in the kids bathroom... Awesome!  (Thank you to Greg for getting the job done!)

 

We need to cover the screw holes... but that will come... We are just thankful to get all those towels off the floor!:) 

 

 

 

We finally have a mud room that is in order... quite possibly my favorite room of the house.  I know that sounds absolutely crazy... but as a mom to 7 children here living with us in this house, a place to hang up ALL of those jackets and put all of those shoes gives my heart peace... No more tripping over a million shoes by the front door:):)

 

I know that the snow, slush, boots, snowpants, and mittens are just around the corner and I will be EVEN MORE thankful for this room.  I had so many extra pictures of the kids that I wanted to hang somewhere, so to put them in the mud room was perfect... It totally warms it up and makes it feel like home:) 

 

I am so thankful to have extra storage space in the mudroom.  Our kitchen is a little smaller and doesn't have nearly the cabinets we had before so we keep some of the "extra" things that we don't use very often  in the mudroom... I found all the containers at IKEA and on summer clearance at Walmart... Yay!

Sometimes it is the little things:):)  As the mama of the house... when things are in order, my mind is so much more at peace!  We are getting there... I think I have about 3 more projects that I need to get to to feel "REALLY" settled... but who am I kidding... I always have at least 3 projects that need to get taken care of ... so I guess this should feel normal:) 

one thing that matters most... part 2

There are days when we are homeschooling that I am utterly overwhelmed by the amount of things I have a responsibility of making sure my kids learn...

 

As they get older that weight or burden seems to increase...

 

I am a pretty laid back person, but in all honesty... there are moments when I just don't know if I can do it all or I question whether or not they will be as equipped as they need to be when they leave my nest...

 

It is then that the sweet gentle voice of the holy spirit whispers back in my heart...

 

REMEMBER THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS MOST...

 

When it is all said and done... the ONE THING... that matters to me is that I will see my kids in eternity... that they will have a living, breathing, vibrant, walk of faith with their Savior Jesus... and that they will desire to share Him and His love with others...

 

(Just this morning I was so blessed when Louis right away after breakfast said, "Mom should we do our quiet times now?"  The list of to do's for school was long and I literally had to stop myself and repeat... THE ONE THING... HE IS REMEMBERING THE ONE THING... my heart sang!)

 

Why oh why do I get distracted from the one thing???  It can be so disappointing to me when I let the unimportant take priority sometimes...

 

(I want to preface this by letting you know that I am not at all trying to be boastful in regards to my kids, our life... anything... we are such a work in progress, every last one of us!  The following story is just to share how wonderful our God is!)

 

So back to my story... now that you know what ultimately matters most to me in raising our kids I can tell you what happened when we sat down for dinner 2 nights ago and I read the blog post about purchasing beds, mattresses etc. for Praise's home...

 

Mind you, my kids are quite familiar with Praise and the kids there.  Louis, has been there on short term trips the past 2 years to spend time at Praise's house.  Caleb and I were there this past January!  But my little kids, while they haven't been there... they have heard the stories.  They have seen the pictures.  They can sense the love we have for the kids there... so they love them just the same.  We even have pictures of the kids on our walls and a clock set to Uganda time so we can remember to pray for them and can think about what they might be doing at any given time...

 

So after I was finished reading the blog post to them and asked what they thought... immediately the wheels were turning...  Jojo was saying that he thought he knew what he wanted to purchase... the other kids were pooling money and eventually between them purchased 2 mattresses, and 3 children's care packages.  I was amazed by their generosity.  Louis even was trying to find a way to make sure his 2 care packages were for some very special boys there... (Greg and I had already decided what we wanted to give for Praise's home:)

 

(I don't remember a time when I was any of their ages that I would have parted with those kinds of funds for someone else... so sad to say, but true...)

 

So I run upstairs and there is my precious Jojo enlisting the help of Caleb to count ALL of his money. 

 

 

He was determined to see what he had!  And when it was all accounted for, he said, " I am $3.85 short mom... Can I work for you to earn that last bit of money... I want to pay for it all!  I want to buy a set of bunk beds!" 

 

Now mind you, this little fella wanted to give every last penny he had to buy a bed for 2 children on the other side of the world...

 

Here is where I had to even question my parenting and in the end Greg and I went round and round about how to handle it... we did not ever want any of them guilted into giving... We wanted them to know ANY amount, great or small, given with a joyful heart would be a wonderful amount...

 

Jojo insisted... on and on he went with comments like,  The kids need it so much more than I do... They have nothing and I have a family... Oh no mom, I want to give it all!  Think how nice it will be mom, for them to have their own bed...  And with total joy he continued to insist!

 

 

Greg and I thought we would let them all sleep on it and make sure they were still feeling the same way in the morning... we even thought we would try to see if Jojo would split the cost with a brother ( still a super huge gift for an 8 year old!)

 

No way!  He was determined and totally desiring to share every last dime to give beds to kids who currently may be sharing a bed with 2 other kids... now they will have their own!:)

 

A part of me wonders, how could I question my sweet generous 8 year old?  He meant it and I knew it!  Who am I to stall or even hinder the working of the Holy Spirit in his little heart... Who knows these may be the plantings of a missionary heart in him...

 

So tonight my heart is in awe and wonder of an 8 year old... who gave it all! What a lesson learned and I am grateful!  This world is fleeting... it will all pass away... the only thing... the thing that matters most as a parent is passing on that torch of faith to our kids... Just when I think,  thank you Jesus, something we are teaching must be sinking in... I realize that I am the one who has so much to learn. 

 

I am so grateful to all my kids for their compassion for the orphan, generosity to give to those in need, and straight up excitement over the opportunity to give.  Oh Lord, teach me to hold on loosely to those things that really don't matter... and to focus on what matters most! 

 

I am so grateful for this sweet bunch of kiddos!

 

Praise's home almost completed!:)  Wahoo!  Isn't it beautiful?

The one thing that matters most... Part 1

 

Beautiful Mama Praise

All pictures taken at Praise Home January 2013

 

When I think of Praise's Home and our time there in Uganda... I barely know where to start...

 

That literally was the place where my heart was broken for the things that break our Father's heart... As a mom myself, I was brought to the end of myself by the reality of how harsh life is for some children... Oh how I wanted to scoop them up and make it all better...

 

That literally was a place where a piece of my heart was stolen... (haven't gotten that piece back yet!!!)

 

What a beautiful precious place, filled with amazing kids all orphaned for one reason or another...

 

I believe when we were at Praise's home she was caring for 30 children...

I believe the number now stands at 36 children...  Can you imagine... 36 kids... Praise is an amazing gift to those kids...

 

International Voice of the Orphan (IVO) took on the mission to build Praise a new home... (her current home at the time was leaking terribly when it rained and was allowing rats in at night that would chew on the kids feet) I believe the finishing touches are coming together in the building process on that house and now they want to make her house a home for these 36 kids... They want to fill it with bunk beds, mattresses, (as you can see from the picture above they are in new of new beds and mattresses) a dining room table, individual care kits for the kids, mosquito nets, shelves, chairs, couches, etc.  When I read Emma's blog that you can find here www.emonamission.blogspot.com  about helping to get these kids and Praise these much needed items, I knew I had to read the post to the kids at dinner....

 

What happened next made me overjoyed, humbled, even made me question my parenting... and I can't wait to share it with you.... stay tuned...

Talk about a determination....

 

Show Caleb a picture on facebook... Caleb has a little free time... Caleb gets to work...  Less than 48 hours later...

 

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!  I love it! We all do! Talk about the perfect place to relax!

 

I am not kidding when I say this kid is determined and will not sit idle.  It is very rare that you see him really chilling out... If he has too much time on his hands he gets a project and gets it done.  Or many days you will see him out harvesting produce from the garden... he has put in many hours out there:) 

 

He has been my go to guy this summer.  Truly, there have been jobs around the house that I have wanted to complete... that were hanging over my head...  that I would still be waiting to complete with out Caleb... painting cabinets... painting more cabinets... .organizing basements rooms, making outdoor hanging beds, just to name a few. 

 

I literally showed Caleb the picture of this hanging bed one afternoon... He thought he could do it! He went out to the garage to see what scraps of wood we had and set to work.  Literally, all we had to purchase was a cover for the mattress and the rope to hang it and less than 48 hours later, I was resting in the back yard listening to the millions of cicadas hum all around me.  It has been the go to place to read, hang out, or do school.  We all love it!

 

I am so thankful for Caleb and his good work ethic and determination to get the job done... I am really proud of him! 

There God goes again...knocking our socks off...:)

 

THE FOURS LITTLEST AT THE LOCAL LABOR DAY PARADE! 

(APPARENTLY, WE WERE ON THE NEWS... OF COURSE WE MISSED IT:)

 

 

When I think of our last 3 months since moving... the best way I can describe it is to say that the Lord has knocked my socks off...

As tired as I am from days and weeks of unpacking and organizing... the faithfulness of God has carried us through the exhausting and at times somewhat trying times of the last few months... moving can be stressful!

Although some of the blessings that shine through may seem small to some, they are like little nuggets of sweetness from God to our family...

We moved from the country, to the big city... God so graciously allowed our home on campus, in the middle of a very busy city to back right up to 4 acres of soccer fields and beyond that the woods... and beyond that, a beautiful golf course... We are tucked right back, almost hidden and it literally is like country right in the city... With every single convenience within a few minutes drive... It is crazy!

Back in Oklahoma, our older 2 boys worked for a retired marine in our neighborhood... It was SO CONVENIENT.  They were a great couple to work for, totally flexible, trustworthy and  so sweet to our whole family!  The boys could just walk over when he needed them.  It was the perfect scenario, and honestly, I was worried about where the boys would be able to find a job... in a safe environment, close by.  Well leave it to God to immediately upon our arrival provide another perfect job for the boys.  They worked maintenance, outdoor grounds crew, all summer.  I was so thankful that they had a reason to get up, out of bed, and out the door before 8, to run across the parking lot to their new job.  They were flexible with our vacations and the boys loved it! Caleb has continued to work for the head of maintenance here and Louis surprisingly got a job for the after school program each day.  I love that they are in a safe place and learning from someone besides us that their hard work will be rewarded... It has been great!

We are so grateful for the people that Greg has the opportunity to work with.  We have so much respect for the pastor that Greg is under.  You can not help but be on board with him.  He is encouraging, humble, "the real deal", has great leadership qualities, is passionate about sharing Jesus with those inside our church doors as well as beyond, and as neighbors totally put up with the craziness that our family adds to the church neighborhood.  They are a precious family!

 We have loved working with the fellow staff members here... They did a great job getting the house ready for us and making it really feel like home for us.  This is probably not the easiest task for a family of 9... but we love it and for the most part it really suits us (which also isn't always the easiest to do for larger family!  It actually is very much like the home I grew up in... and it feels like home.  God graciously allowed this new city and home to feel like home so quickly... only God could do that and it is a precious gift!

There have been the sweetest of moments... last week as the Septemberfest in town was wrapping up with fireworks, we literally walked to the next door neighbor's house, the head pastor's house, threw down blankets and got the BEST show ever.  It almost felt like our very own private fireworks display... All the kids were loving it!  Amazing!

Just tonight, we had a neighbor, whom I had never met, walk over with 3 bags of clothes for Anna... In Oklahoma, we had a neighbor gal with a daughter older than anna... she was always so gracious in sharing with Anna... well tonight, another need provided for... beautiful clothes for Anna... it was like Christmas for her... and since I have such tiny feet... I gained a couple pairs of adorable shoes till anna can grow into them:)  What a gift!

I could go on and on with other things that the Lord has done for us here.  I know these things may seem so small, yet they are all ways the Lord has shown his faithfulness to provide for us in times of uncertainty as we moved this big crew of our 12 hours to a new home...

God knows so much more so than us what we need... and He has blown us away! Not only does He provide for our needs but he goes above and beyond to providing for so so many of our desires in this new place!  He is so good! We do miss our friends in Oklahoma dearly!  Trust me there are hard moments for sure... for all of us... We had some precious friends who walked through such hard times with us and were so faithful to support us in the years that followed!  But we are so excited to be here, grow here, serve here and see all that God has in store for us in this place!

Typical...

 

 

CATCHING SWEET MOMENTS WITH THE LITTLES WHILE  HOMESCHOOLING THE OLDER 4:)  THESE ARE CRAZY DAYS...

 

 

SUCH A TYPICAL PICTURE OF HOPE... NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH THEM ALL LOOKING NORMAL!  BUT I LOVE THOSE CRAZY SWEETIES AND THE CRAZY MOMENTS WE SHARE!  I CONSTANTLY THINK OF THE AMAZING GIFT OF ADOPTION... WITH OUT IT NONE OF THESE LITTLE TURKEYS WOULD BE HINTZ'S... WE ARE SO BLESSED, CRAZINESS AND ALL!

 

(I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE EXPRESSION OF LEVI IN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE... HE IS SUCH A PRECIOUS RASCAL!)

 

WE HAVE 3 WEEKS OF HOME SCHOOL IN THE BOOKS FOR THE YEAR...

I AM SO THANKFUL THAT FOR WHATEVER REASON I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN A GROOVE FOR A WHILE ALREADY, USUALLY IT TAKES A GOOD MONTH TO FEEL THAT WAY. 

 

I WILL ADMIT THE DAYS ARE CRAZY BUSY... I WILL TRY TO POST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR DAYS AND OUR SCHEDULE SOON... I LOVE HAVING A SCHEDULE IN PLACE, BUT WE ARE TOTALLY FLEXIBLE AT THE SAME TIME! 

MUST HIT THE HAY...



Precious 24 hour visit...

 

THE 2 MAMAS TO THIS CREW OF LITTLE ONES...

 



 

BECKY AND CHAD WITH THEIR GOD DAUGHTER HOPE!  I LOVE THIS PICTURE... LOVE HOW BECKY IS MESSING WITH AND SMILING AT HOPIE...

 



 

GREG AND I WITH OUR GODSON ASHER!  I LOVE THAT LITTLE MAN!  WHAT A SMILE HUH?

 

 

This past week we were so blessed to have our precious friends, the Boggs family,  from Seminary stop for a quick but wonderful visit.  Before they came... I was SOOOOO excited, I could barely contain it!

It was a super quick, less than 24 hour visit... But it was precious, like a little gift from God.  He always knows what we need! A visit from a dear friend is just what my heart was longing for.  Becky and I have so much in common... we could have talked for hours and hours... It was too short, but I was thankful for every minute.  The kids did great... all 14 of them. 

I will never forget heading to seminary for Greg's schooling thinking that we were totally heading there just to get his schooling accomplished.  Boy did the Lord have other plans in mind for me.  It was such an amazing time for me.  I by far, had the hardest time when we moved from there on to Oklahome.  I marvel that the Lord brought me such precious friends from all over the nation during those years!

Becky was a rock for me after Samuel died.  She was unfortunately for her, my go to gal when I was out of control in my grief... Her understanding, compassion, encouragement, and constant prayers helped me get through what felt like the impossible. 

What a gift to have a brief, but wonderful visit with dear friends...