Overwhelmed

Our Baby Tommy Greg is growing very quickly.  In only a few weeks, he will be 9 months old.  As he grows (and gets fatter as he now eats solids), he is quickly outgrowing his clothes.

When our baby was new-born, a sweet friend of mine sent our baby 15 3-6 month onesies, which I put on him just about every single day.  He has used those onesies and practically worn them out.  I don't know what I would have done without them!  (Thank you, Misty!)

The other day, I told my husband, "We need to get the baby more clothes.  He has outgrown the ones he has."  (My sister recently went to the U.S. and had bought some clothes for our baby. We had been waiting for someone to go her way so they could bring them to us, but my brother-in-law sent them to us last week.)  Last Saturday, I mentioned to one of my friends here in town that our baby has outgrown his clothes, and that I was expectantly awaiting the box of clothes from my sister.    My friend said, "Oh, I have a bunch of clothes that my baby has outgrown!  I'll give them to you!"  She gave me two bags of 9-12 month clothes.  (She gave me very nice OshKosh and Carter's!!  Overalls, the most darling blue jeans, matching outfits and onesies!!!)  Andrew and I were overwhelmed, and when we got home, Andrew put the clothes on the baby and he "modeled" them for us.  What fun!!!  (Thank you, Julie!)

And today, we got our package from my sister...3 bags of 9-18 month clothes...I cannot contain myself at the goodness of God's provision, and His exact timing.  I marvel that He loves my baby so much, and clothes him. 

The clothes we have received in the last 4 days are a direct answer to a specific need.  Yes, if God so clothe the grass of the field, and He feeds the sparrow, He will provide our every need.

God's Provision

Our Birthday Girl

On September 23, our Debbie-Girl turned 8 years old.  To this Mama, that sounds so grown-up...doesn't 8 sound so much older than 7? 

 My baby girl's first pair of shoes.  Don't they look so sweet?!

Debbie's Sunday shoes

Her birthday wish was that she be able to ride a horse.  (Our original plan was to travel down to the capitol city and go bowling and let her pick out her gift; but due to the roads being blocked by the disgruntled teachers here, we were advised not to go.)  So we came up with Plan B:  to go to a local park where Debbie could ride a horse and where we could have a birthday picnic.

Debbie woke up and smiled when she came into the living room...she was excited to see the birthday sign I had put up the night before after she went to bed.

I fixed one of her favorite breakfasts:  French toast with cinnamon.  Before we sat down to eat breakfast, I prepared a scavenger hunt so she could have fun looking for the gift that her Daddy and I had bought for her.  She and Andrew had fun running through the house and yard, following the clues to find her gift.  The last one said, "The nose of an elephant is called a ________; look there, and you will end this hunt."  Yep...it was hidden in the trunk of the car.  She was thrilled with the dress-up teddy bear we had gotten for her.

Mimi had a very special birthday card (as she does for everyone every year!) with the cutest little poem:

"Once upon eight years ago, an angel came from Heaven

And brought a lovely Princess down, and she's no longer seven.

Horses, dogs and peacocks this Princess would love to own

And maybe her wish just might come true before she's even grown."

I wanted a picture of Debbie and her Mimi together, but Mimi said, "No!  Look at my hair!  It looks horrible!"  So Debbie just took off her hat and put it on Mimi's head, and look at the adorable picture that I got.  What a sweet, treasure this picture is!!!

We finally got our picnic things together and drove out to the park where we were to meet some little friends.  But when we pulled up to the park, it was...closed!!! (We had forgotten they don't open on Mondays!)  So we went to Plan C, which was to drive to another park not far from there, where we had a lovely birthday picnic and a fun time with our friends.

We came home and rested some, and then it was time to pack up and leave Mimi's house.  Debbie was disappointed she would have to leave Mimi's on her birthday; but Daddy had to be at work early on Tuesday morning.  So travel we did, and we had a nice trip (all three children slept the whole way, which made for a nice time for Daddy and Mommy to have a sweet visit).

As we drove into our town, Daddy said, "Debbie, it's still your birthday.  Do you want to go get some tacos for supper?"  "Yes!" was her prompt response.  So we went to the best taco place in town and had a delicious supper, ending her day with a sweet family time.

She didn't get to ride a horse for her birthday, for which she was just a wee bit disappointed.  But her Daddy told her that to the best of his ability, he would find a way for her to ride a horse BEFORE September ends.  (Hurry up, Daddy! You only have 3 more days!)

 Debbie sleeping with her birthday gifts

That night, when I kissed her sweet head as she drifted off into dream-land, I thanked the Lord for this sweet, witty, talkative little girl with which He has blessed our home.  She is truly a ray of sunshine in our world.  She has such wonderful qualities, and a heart full of love.  She is a natural baby-sitter to our Baby Tommy Greg; and she absolutely adores her Daddy.

Little girls are just a lot of fun, aren't they?  I look forward to seeing how much fun 8-year-old little girls are.

We love you, Sweet Debbie-Jolenie!!!

Blessed Happenings

It has been a while since I have written on my blog.  Life as a wife and mother is busy, especially when you home-school and when you have an adorable 8-month-old baby boy to care for.  My children are growing so (so) quickly, and loving, nurturing, teaching and training them takes up most of my time.  The rest of my time is for my husband, with whom I fall in love all over again every day as we spend time together...caring for and loving our children together.

My brother, Philip and his family came in August, and we were blessed to spend a week with them.  They have moved on to the state of Veracruz to begin a new work there.  How we miss them here!  It did my heart good to be able to spend such a special time with Phil and Liz and his precious boys (Josh, Sammy and Mark).  We are excited to meet their sweet expected baby, who is due to be born in November.

My husband's nephew, Joel, is a pastor in a city not far from where he was raised.  Joel and his sweet family recently started a church in Ch'ol country, where the Lord is using them in a great way.  The Lord recently provided a way for them to purchase a land on which they plan to build a church.  Please pray for this dear family as they work hard for our Lord.  It is so hot where they work, and they do not have the luxury of air conditioning; but I wish that you dear readers could just spend some time with them and see how joyfully they serve the Lord.  Their enthusiasm is certainly contagious!

We recently took a much-needed and amazingly fun vacation.  We enjoyed the beautiful, scenic drive to the peninsula of Yucatán.  We were able to spend some very special time with beloved friends (missionaries in that part of the country); and we were also able to visit with my husband's sister and family.  (They are unsaved, and my husband was able to once again share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  Two days ago, his brother-in-law passed away, and we can only hope that he called on the name of the Lord for salvation before he died.)

Adrian and Maurisa

We have also been able to spend special time with my sweet mother.  How privileged I feel that I live close enough to my mother that she can watch our children grow up, and they can see her life and testimony at this young age.  I know they benefit greatly being able to fellowship with and love on their Mimi, and to be able to see her walk with the Lord.

My Little Andrew is doing really well in school.  I thank the Lord for his seriousness in his school work, and pray that he would do his work as unto the Lord.  I remind him daily to do his work, not to please his mommy and daddy, but to please the Lord.

(Our children playing with the little neighbor boy)

Our Debbie-Girl will turn 8 next Monday (September 23rd).  How a part of me wants to stop time and keep her little; but the other part of me delights to see how she is growing and learning and getting sweeter every day.  She loves (loves, loves, loves) animals and dreams of one day having her own puppy and horse.  Her daddy bought her a pair of bunnies as an early birthday gift.  She is so happy to have them as pets and gently and lovingly cares for them.  She and her daddy enjoy working together caring for the few chickens that we have.  They are learning all about chicken care.  (I'll admit that I'm glad they're the chicken care-givers and not I!!!!)

...And our Baby Tommy is growing and learning so quickly!  He now has 2 teeth; he eats very well (he thinks that all the food he sees is naturally for him and eats just about anything anyone will feed him); he is learning to clap his hands; he gleefully plays with himself when he sees himself in the mirror; loves seeing his Daddy walk through the door; and gets so excited when he sees Daddy play his guitar; he "sings" along with us; and....the list goes on and on.  I believe I have spent more time on this month's page in his Baby Calendar ("Thank you, Mona, for this priceless gift!!") than I have any other month.  The things he does are just too cute, and I hope I can remember every new phase in this sweet baby boy's life.

My Honey and I enjoy a cup of coffee together every evening.  It has been a routine of ours for quite a few years now, and I so look forward to that time of our day.  Some evenings we have specific things about which we talk, and other evenings we just share being together.

The Lord is so good to me, much more than I deserve or expect.  He has given us good health, safety, a good church in which to serve, a home filled with love, and the privilege of prayer and sweet fellowship with Him.  Though there are moments of uncertainty, fear, and discouragement, we are aware that these feelings are caused by attacks from our enemy.  But we rejoice in the fact that "greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world."

I would love to hear from you dear readers, and to know that you pray for us.  How encouraging is the thought that others are praying for us.

Have a lovely day!!!

When Children Pray

"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them."
Mark 10:13-16

My Little Debbie Girl sings the following song in her school time:

"Early in the morning, little children pray
Then again at noon time, then at close of day
God has said, 'I'll answer prayer if my children pray'
What a blessed promise this:
So little children, Pray!"

I love to hear her sweet little voice as it floats down the hallway to my ears and right down into my heart.

And I love to hear my children pray.  How refreshing it is to me to hear their sincerity as they voice their desires and needs to their Heavenly Father.

My children are each praying for a specific thing, a material desire that they each have.  My husband has helped them set up a savings system so that they can save money for that "thing" they desire.

In April, Debbie saw the Lord answer one of her prayers.  She had been praying for a certain "thing," and had been praying and saving for that "thing."  We looked online several times to see if she could get it for a better price online.  Then one day, we were shopping in the capitol city of our state, and she saw her "thing," and guess what:  It was on sale for way less than what we had found online!  It was marked down 70% of its regular price, and about $10 dollars less than what we had found online!  Her daddy gave her permission to buy it.  She kept telling me, "God answered my prayer, Mommy!"  Her "thing" is a constant reminder to all of us that God is interested in the lives of little children, even taking interest in their desires.

My young son, Andrew, has been saving up for his "desired thing," and had been able to save up over half of what he needs to purchase it.  Every so often he'd take out his money and count it, then figure out how much more he needed to purchase his "desired thing."

Our church has started to build a new auditorium on the new church property, and our Pastor urges the members to give toward this building project.

One Saturday night as I was ironing our clothes for Sunday, Little Andrew came to me and said, "Mommy, I feel like I need to give my savings to the building offering.  Every time they announce that more money is needed for the new church building, I think about that money that I have in my savings."  I asked him, "Andrew, let me ask you one question:  Do you feel like God is asking you to give that money?"

His big brown eyes filled with tears, and he said, "Yes, Mommy, I think God is asking me to give that money."

I did the best I could to keep my own composure and I pulled him to me and hugged him.  He said, "Mommy, it's so hard!"

I looked right into those sweet eyes and said, "Andrew, I want to tell you that right now I feel so happy.  You know why?!  It makes me happy to think that God would speak to you!  Imagine that!  God wants YOU to give YOUR money!  He wants to use YOU to bless the church!"

I explained that God is a Spirit, and that He needs our hands to be His hands; He needs our feet to be His feet; and He needs our mouth to be His mouth!  "Andrew," I said, "He wants to use YOUR hands, YOUR feet, YOUR money!!!"

I continued, "I want to tell you another thing:  It would be a wonderful thing if at your young age, you could learn to be obedient to God's voice; that every time God wants to use you, and when He leads you to do something, that you would be obedient. God blesses obedience, and God will bless YOU if you are obedient to Him! Great joy comes from being obedient to God."

He was quiet, as he wiped the tears from his eyes.  "Mommy, what should I do?"  I said, "Honey, you need to decide what to do.  I will be praying for you.  I know you will make the RIGHT decision."

A few minutes later, he went to bed.  How I prayed for my young son, asking God would help him to make the right decision.

The next morning, he was up early.  I heard him go to the washroom and get his clothes.  He brushed his hair and put on his nice Sunday shoes.  Then he appeared in the door of the kitchen with a big smile on his face:  "Mommy, I've made my decision.  I'm gonna give my money to the church."

Then tears came to MY eyes as I hugged him!!!

After church that evening, he walked out to the church office and had a talk with the treasurers of our church.  He put his money into an offering envelope and filled it out and turned in his money.

How my heart is overwhelmed with emotion as I think about that...I pray that my children would be sensitive and obedient to the Lord's voice.  I would be so grateful if being obedient to the Lord's voice would be worth more to them than any worldly, material possession.  To me, there is nothing worth more than being obedient to God's voice.  How I desire for our children to learn that early in life!

What a blessing it is when Little Children Pray!!!

Trust in God

I was looking through my Dad's Bible the other day, reading some of the notes he wrote in the margins. I came across this poem and wanted to share it with you.  It was a sweet encouragement to me, as I hope it will be to you.

Trust In God by Norman Macleod

Courage, Brother, do not stumble,
Though your path be dark as night;
There's a star to guide the humble,
Trust in God and do the right.

Let the road be rough and dreary,
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely, strong or weary;
Trust in God and do the right.

Perish policy and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light;
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do the right.

Trust no party, sect or faction,
Trust no leaders in the fight;
But in every word and action
Trust in God and do the right.

Simple rule and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward might,
Star upon our path abiding;
Trust in God and do the right.

Some will hate you, some will love you,
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Cease from man, and look above you,
Trust in God and do the right.

                       Dad, 2002

Girls Are Special!!!

"A daughter is a day brightener and a heart warmer."

When my Debbie-Girl and I are home alone, we always try to do something special.  We love having "girly days."

Last week, we had such an opportunity, and we had a tea party.  What fun we had, dressing up in high-heels and pinning a flower in our hair!  We had a lovely Mommy-daughter time.  

"Thank you, Lord, for giving me a daughter."

P.S.  Boys are very special, too.  I love my Andrew and Tommy-Greg, as well!!!

A Missionary Testimony

My mother, Mrs. Billie Sloan, was interviewed for Missionary on Fire, a ministry of Missionary to Africa, Bro. Joseph Consford.  Her testimony through this interview was a blessing to me, and it encouraged me as I listened to it.

I want to share this link with you so you can listen, as well.  Mom's testimony can encourage children, young people, adults, and elderly people, as she honestly answers the questions asked her by Bro. Consford's wife, Laura.

I encourage you to take 40 minutes (the length of the interview)...sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and listen to Mom's testimony by way of an interview, and allow God to speak to your heart.  You will be glad you did.

~~Would you leave a comment letting me know you listened, and how it blessed your heart?  I will be glad to pass these comments on to my mother.~~

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