Sweet Shakira...

Please pray...

for our children's birthparents & their Parquet interviews that are scheduled for Wednesday. Please pray that they all show up & the interviews go smoothly. Please pray that God's peace & comfort will fill their hearts as they have to go through yet another "interview" to complete the adoption process. Please also pray for their safety as they travel to & from the interview. Thanks!

Sweetness...

Peek a boo...

Be still...

One of my favorite Bible verses has always been "Be still & know that I am God" even though I'm not the best at being "still." For the past few weeks this verse has been playing over & over in my head. I've been trying to be still & listen to God speak but apparently I haven't been still enough. So for the past 5 days I have basically been in bed all day being sick & very "still." I am thankful that I have been out of bed all day today...thank you Lord! The following is a devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah on being still.

The Cushion of the Sea
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
Recommended Reading
Matthew 11:28-30

A number of years ago, a submarine being tested had to be submerged for several hours. Upon returning to harbor, the captain was asked, "How did that terrible storm last night affect you?" Surprised, the captain exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!" Their submarine had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached what sailors refer to as "the cushion of the sea"—a depth in the ocean where the waters below are never stirred despite any commotion on the surface.

In our fast-paced world, it is a challenge to slow down and remember that God is in control. We are a society of "do-everything," "go-everywhere," "get-it-done" people who mistakenly believe we can handle everything if we just keep going. In reality, we need to become so submerged in God's peace that no matter what's happening in our lives, we are able to remain as calm as "the cushion of the sea."

If you feel overwhelmed, bogged down, or burnt out, add one more activity to your daily schedule: Spend time with Almighty God. It is the only way to reach the depth needed to find true calm in the midst of any storm.

In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know that we live too fast.
Peter Marshall

March picture recap...

Spring Break Review...

Well, Phoebe had a great spring break. Although she had a minor version of the "crud" I have, she really enjoyed Spring Break Sports Camp. She liked doing gymnastics the best...no surprise there! They finished the camp on Friday with a Karate demonstration so now she's been "practicing" some moves on us...thanks camp! :o) I guess I did "okay" with my to do list considering I was dealing with allergies, a chest cold, & a hand thing all week. I did get Caleb's room finished & I am really pleased on how it looks. I still have to organize closets, utility room, & garages. I will work on the closets & utility room over the next couple of weeks & then will tackle the garages after that. I don't want to wait too long to complete those projects because I will soon be heading out doors to do spring planting & some outside painting to the house trim, garages, & shed. I wanted to do that last spring but got sidetracked with adoption paper work so I really want to do it this year because I know that once the kids come home I won't be tackling any major projects for quite some time. The high light of my week was Carolina getting into the Final 4!

Dancing Queen...

Giving...

As I have grown closer to the Lord over the years, my idea of giving has changed a lot. I have always considered myself a giving person but after some careful reflection or maybe through some convicting conversations with God, I realized that I still had a ways to go in this area. God wants us to be generous in our giving. That doesn't mean He is telling us to give away all of our money...He may...but a lot of times He does not. In the Bible God instructs us to be a cheerful giver. We should be cheerful whether we are giving a little or a lot, whether it be money or in time or talents, & above all it should be done to the Glory of God & not so we can boast in ourselves. So now when God instructs me to give I try not to even hesitate about it. I may not even know why He's instructing me to give a certain thing or at a certain time that may not make sense to me but I need to trust in His plans & His ways & be obedient. The following is a devotion by Dr. David Jeremiah on giving & helping others.

Ten Dollar Bill

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18 NIV


Recommended Reading
1 Timothy 6:17-19


Traveling home from Georgia, a man saw a family walking on the side of the road; so he pulled over to see if they needed help. He discovered they had just lost their home in a fire the night before, and they were almost to their neighbor's house where they would stay temporarily. Seeing that they didn't need a ride, the man pulled a ten dollar bill from his wallet, handed it to the family, and drove away. The Lord began to speak to him though, reminding him of his thriving business, palatial home, bank accounts, and investments. He pulled over and emptied his wallet into his hat. He then drove back to the family and handed them all of the money, which amounted to several hundred dollars.

In the face of disaster, we have witnessed many generous people reaching out to those who've lost everything. This spirit of sharing should be evident in the lives of believers all the time, but especially in times of great need.


Be warm and merciful and let no one go from you empty-handed. The least you can offer is your time and patience, your affection and prayer.
Anonymous

Jumpin'

--
A friend sent this to me yesterday & I just had to post it. It's Shakira on her birthday last year.

MIA Alert...

Just wanted to give everyone a head's up that I may be MIA this week in blog land. Phoebe has Spring Break Sports Camp M-F this week from 8-5. She will have free play time, playing baseball, basketball, dodgeball, flag football, gymnastics, & soccer. She will also get to watch movies & make crafts. She will be very busy & so will I!

I'm sure most of you are thinking since I will have the whole house to myself all week that I can sit back, relax, watch soaps, & eat bon bons. Although that sounds really nice, I can assure you that is not what will be happening here. Here is my to do list for the week. This is of course, in addition to my normal daily activities.

1. Strip wall paper out of Caleb's closet
2. Prep Caleb's room for painting
3. Paint Caleb's room
4. Pull out carpet in Caleb's room
5. Clean & polish the floor in Caleb's room
6. Organize 5 closets, large downstairs utility room, & 2 garages
7. Take a nap :o)

Please pray for Phoebe's safety as she will be very active this week. Please pray for mine as well :o) I'll give you an update at the end of the week to let you know if I was able to finish my list of things to do. Have a great week!

Easter Pictures...

Sorry that I don't have church pictures included in this. Mrs. "Organization" forgot her camera & Phoebe's Easter basket this morning.

He is Risen!!!

He is risen indeed!!! These are pictures from yesterday's Easter service at the orphanage. Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

Phone call...

This is the closest that Shakira got to a phone call with us today. We were suppose to have a skype call today but they were having connection problems in Haiti so we didn't have it. We finally have a web cam now so they will be able to see us now at home.

Good Friday...

Today is "Good Friday." I always thought that was a strange title for today. I'm sure if I had beaten, made to carry a cross, & then be crucified on it...I wouldn't call it "good." I know that although Jesus's death was very painful & "bad" for him...it was "good" for us. For without it we would not have the opportunity to have a close, personal relationship with him through the Holy Spirit & we would still be sacrificing animals for the temporary atonement of our sins. Jesus made that atonement for us...once & for all.

The following is today's devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah. He mentions the different traditions that different countries across the world do at Easter. They also fly kites in Haiti at Easter.

Go Fly a Kite

There they crucified Him.
Luke 23:33


Recommended Reading
Luke 23:26-34


Today is Karfreitag, a German word meaning "Friday of Lamentation." In English we call it Good Friday, but other languages usually refer to it as Holy Friday. In Armenia it's called High Friday, and the Russians refer to it as Passion Friday. In China, it's known as the Day of Christ's Suffering.

In Bermuda, kites will be flown today, all of them using wooden frames in the shape of a cross. As the kites soar into the sky, they symbolize the crucified one who has now ascended into heaven. In England, hot cross buns will be served, and the BBC will introduce its morning newscast with a verse from Isaac Watts' hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

All over the world, Christians will pause today to ponder anew the wonder of our Lord Jesus who shed His blood for the sins of the world. Perhaps each of us should establish a personal tradition. Let's find a way and a time today to direct our thoughts to the old rugged cross and to thank God for overcoming death and making us more than conquerors through Him.


I can't control all the circumstances, but I have One who lives within me who is able to triumph over them all, because if He triumphed over death, is there anything that can happen to me that is too much for Him?
David Jeremiah

I pray that you are having a very blessed & thankful "Good Friday."

Happy Spring!!!

Yeah, Spring is finally here!!!

Stuck in my discomfort...

After talking to a few of my friends lately either in person or via comptuer, I've come to the realization that there must be a "cloud of dryness & reflection" hanging over us right now. I use to ignore my spiritual "dry spells" because I don't like feeling dry...it makes me uncomfortable. But as I continue to grow closer to God I know that these "dry places" can also be places of change & growth if I allow them to be. So for the past few weeks I have been reflecting on my life & God's plan for me. It's a good thing to do from time to time but it can get pretty deep with thoughts & feelings. Add to it that with the exception of a couple of days here & there it has either been freezing cold, ice, snowing, or raining since the middle of December = one very "interesting" Kathy. Randy & Phoebe deserve some sort of reward for having to deal with my hormones, SADD, & reflection time right now. So as I eagerly anticipate spring & the things it brings such as sunny, warmer days, & blooming flowers...I eagerly anticpate moving out of the dry desert into a land of green grass & gently flowing rivers.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Daddy...please...

come soon & wipe my nose :o)

Get ready...

because the first "deployment" of the E-ville crew from Haiti will be here soon! I just got the word today that my friend Michelle's files are on the last desk of the last step prior to getting their passports & visa....Praise God!!! Please pray that they will be home very, very soon!

Could they be ANY cuter???

Pray for Haiti...

Please pray for the people of Haiti as well for all of our adoptions. Below is an article just recently published by a woman who has been involved with Haiti for quite awhile.

The article was published in the San Francisco Daily Journal and ran on Thursday, Februrary 28th.

Love and Haiti
By Vera Valdivia

The country of Haiti is located just 600 miles off the coast of Florida. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. Additionally, Haiti has one of the worst records of human rights violations in the world.

It is time for a call to action, which is why on Friday, March 7, 2008, at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, a panel consisting of legal academics, Haitian government officials, a Haitian human rights lawyer and women and children’s rights activists are coming together to discuss these egregious violations.

In Haiti, political activities result in the violation of human rights through kidnapping and torture, poor people are detained in jails without legal representation for stealing a loaf of bread, girls and women are forced into prostitution, children are used as household slaves, thousands of children die from malnutrition and illness, and hundreds of babies die at birth or shortly thereafter.

The Haitian legal system is not available to protect the victims because only people with financial resources can afford justice. In Haiti, about 10 percent of the population holds 90 percent of the wealth. Consequently, the economically powerless, especially women and children, suffer unspeakable abuses and do not have access to the protection of law. Many of the tiniest victims of this abuse end up in one of the morgues located in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The morgue I saw resembles a toy store with what looks like hundreds of toy dolls on storage shelves in a large dark room. However, they are not dolls but dead babies and children who are stacked on top of one another on shelves that reach all the way to the ceiling. Nobody seems to cry for these dead children, nobody asks how or why they died. Nobody comes to claim their bodies.
Many of the dead babies were born to the girls and women who have been forced into prostitution for various reasons, and as a result many unwanted babies are born. Babies end up in garbage piles on the side of the road, inside of sewer drains or in the river drowned. Some of the babies are born out of liaisons between the prostitutes and U.N. peacekeeping troops.

American, Canadian, French and Dutch nonprofit humanitarian or church-sponsored organizations operate and fund many of the Haitian orphanages that provide shelter to some of the unwanted, abandoned and orphaned babies and older children. Several of these organizations seek adoptive homes for the children and, since the mid-1990s, thousands of Haitian children have found permanent homes with families in the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Argentina and Germany. Although international adoption is not the long-term solution for the plight of so many of Haiti’s children, it provides homes to unwanted children while the Haitian government and the international community should be working on making fundamental changes in the country’s economic and legal system.

UNICEF has expressed its concern to the Haitian government regarding the deplorable conditions under which the majority of Haitian children have to live. Although UNICEF does not have the financial resources to improve the situation of the abandoned and orphaned children, it told the Haitian government that “too many children” were adopted internationally.

In 2006, approximately 1,059 formerly abandoned and orphaned Haitian children joined their adoptive families in the above-mentioned countries. This number dropped dramatically in 2007, when only approximately 724 adopted Haitian children joined their new families. However, this decrease is not a result of a drop in numbers of abandoned or orphaned children because Haitian orphanages are still filled beyond capacity, and needy children are turned away daily because there is no more room.

Some powerful judicial and government officials appear to have taken notice of UNICEF’s concern regarding the large numbers of children leaving the country through adoption. One of the judicial officials, a powerful judge with the title of chief prosecutor of the Port-au-Prince parquet (the main court), is in charge of approving international adoptions for orphanages located within the capital’s judicial district. Another government official works within the Ministry of Interior who has been placed in charge of approving passport applications for adopted children who are about to leave the country to live with their new families.

In 2007, the chief prosecutor began refusing to sign adoption decrees even though the petitions have been approved by the home countries of the adopting families after thorough screening and by IBESR, the Haitian Social Services Ministry. More than 300 adoption files have been stuck in his office during 2007. These adoption files represent 300 children who remain in orphanages waiting, while their prospective adoptive parents hope that the chief prosecutor will have a miraculous change of heart and sign the decrees.

One of the problems with the Haitian legal system, which is based on French Napoleonic codes, is that as new laws are passed by the legislature, old laws are not repealed and stay on the books. One of these old, unrepealed laws only permits childless singles or couples to adopt. The law had not been applied in years, but the chief prosecutor cites this particular law as the reason he has not signed off on the adoption decrees. In response to the existence of the old law, Haitian President René Préval has issued letters of exemption for these families granting a presidential pardon and permitting the adoption. The chief prosecutor, however, has continued with his refusal to sign the adoption files. Conversely, many of the waiting adoption files are of childless singles or couples, and the chief prosecutor has refused to sign those adoption decrees as well, without citing a reason. Some of the adoption files have been waiting in the main court for a year.

Since January 2007, the Ministry of Interior has been in charge of reviewing all documents related to completed adoptions that have been processed and legalized by the different Parquet (court) locations in Haiti and the few adoptions that the chief prosecutor has signed. The passport office is not permitted to issue passports for adopted children without an approval letter from the Ministry of Interior. Approximately 500 completed adoption files are currently awaiting such approval. Some files have been waiting for passport approval for the past 12 months. In the meantime, adopted children who are no longer abandoned or orphaned cannot join their new families because they cannot leave the country without a Haitian passport.

Instead of focusing on the real problems and working to make effective changes that will improve the lives of children, these officials have reduced the number of adopted children who left the country during 2007 by about 32 percent. Hundreds of children whose files are stuck in the adoption process or who are waiting for passports remain in orphanages. Other children, without a prospect for a better future, continue to be homeless, malnourished and ill.

Haiti is desperately in need of possible solutions to its human rights crisis and changes to its legal system. These fundamental changes have to be made in order to improve Haiti’s human rights record and to improve the lives of all Haitians, but especially those of women and children.

Fun in the Snow...

Well, we finally got a "real" snow last night. Not ice, not just a couple of inches of snow...but a "real" snow of 4-6 inches. Enough to make a "real" snowman & go sledding. Randy & Phoebe made this snowman together. I brought out the "extras" to go on Mr. Snowman.

Man, Oh, Man!....

Are you ever getting big my "little man?" Not to mention...so cute!!!

Goody bags...

I sent Shakira, Samara, & Caleb goody bags from us down with the Feb. trip. It looks like the girls enjoyed theirs. I didn't get a picture of Caleb with his...hopefully he liked the baby food I sent down :o)

The picture says it all...

Kristal Bells...

This is Phoebe playing with the "Kristal Bells" today. It's a children's hand bells group with the church where her pre school is located. They played Amazing Grace.

Pictures...

I "borrowed" these pictures from the 3A blog. They are pictures taken during the last mission trip. Hopefully I will get some pictures from my friends who just went down there. I'm still waiting for one friend who went in Jan. to give me the pictures he took :o)

Shout & Praise God!!!

We're in Parquet!!! Praise God!!! Thank you Lord!!! Now please pray that we get out very quickly! :o) Please also pray that our dear friends Don & Teresa, & Cathy & Troy exit IBESR very soon & quickly enter Parquet so we can bring our children home at the same time. Thanks!

Just as a reminder to those of you not familiar with the Haitian adoption process I am reposting the steps I posted back in Nov. to show you what steps we have already gone through & what steps we still need to complete.

These are steps that are taken once our dossier reaches Haiti...which happened May 2007.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (1st legal)• Documents notarized and authenticated are now legalized.
DHS
• Submit Orphan First Petition and birth parents interview happens, DNA testing is done if requested by DHS officer.
Justice of the Peace
• Judge issues a formal request for IBESR to exam potential adoptive family as permanent family for child.
IBESR• Family and child’s dossier are examined. 4 signatures required to exit.
Civil Judge• Issues official adoption decree.
Parquet• Social Representative (similar to a prosecutor in a US court), insures that the above departments have done everything legally.
Civil State Officer
• New birth certificate is issued.
Archive• Verifies all signature’s, certificate is issued. (Similar to being notarized)
Minister of Justice
• Above verifications are now legalized (similar to notary being authenticated).
Passports• Minister of Interior
Insures all of the above documents have not been falsified.
Political Affairs
Gives final authorization to issue the passport.
• Passport is issued
DHS• Take adoption decree to finalize orphan first petition.
Embassy• Visa is issued.
****We get the call to come and get them**** Do the HBWD & get on an airplane!!!

The Work of the Potter...

The following is a devotion that Randy & I read this morning out of our "Quiet Moments with God for couples" devotion book by Honor Books. I have always liked the analogy of God as the potter & we are the clay so this particular devotion really spoke to me & I would like to share it with you.

"I went down to the potter's house, & behold, he wrought a work on the wheels."
Jeremiah 18:3 KJV

Have you ever watched potters begin to shape vessels? It is a most amazing sight, because the potters will only succeed if they get the unformed chunk of clay in the exact center of the wheel. Once the clay is centered, the skill of the potters can be realized. The potters carefully wet their hands, select the clay, & place it on the wheel. As they begin to turn the wheel, the lumps in the clay are revealed. Spinning the wheel faster, they smooth out the lumps, & the clay begins to take on an unruffled apprearance.

This is just the first part of the task. We now see them shape the mass of clay so that its heart is perfectly aligned with the very center of the wheel. This requires both strength & a loving, delicate touch. This "centering" is the most important step in the preparation process, because it gives the piece strength & integrity. Our spiritual walk with God is just like this. We begin as a hunk of clay with many lumps, & through God's grace & skill, we are transformed into beautiful, strong vessels for the Kingdom. But we must align our very heart with the center of God's will. God is always at work in our lives, especially during the times of proper preparation.

Henry Ward Beecher said, "We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things." Of this you can be rest assured; When you allow God to shape you, He will always use you for good.

"Be simple: take our Lord's hand & walk through things." Father Andrew

Tom Petty & My Life...

You're probably wondering what in the world Tom Petty has to do with my life. We aren't related...I have never met him...haven't even been to one of his concerts although I would have liked to "back in the day." I don't listen to much secular music anymore but I still have my favorites & Tom Petty has always been one of them.

I liked him & his music for several reasons. I liked his clothes because he always wore whatever he wanted to...not what some one told him he should wear. I liked his outfits because they were different without being "out there." I really liked his hat collection...I wonder if he still has all those hats???

Although he may not have the best singing voice in the world...I like it. I think that sometimes a person's heart & love for music can over shadow the fact that they don't have the best singing voice...notice I said "sometimes" :o)

He wrote many of his songs & I connected to the words of many of them. Several of them could be used as anthems for my life such as "I Won't Back Down", "Runnin' Down A Dream," "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," & "The Waiting." I use to think "I Won't Back Down" was my theme song...and it was to a certain degree but as I continue to be refined by God's Holy Spirit...it isn't anymore. I do however, think that Phoebe has picked it up as her theme song...Lord help me! :o) Right now I am definetely in another period of "The Waiting...is the hardest part." I keep telling God that I have this waiting down because I've done it so much...that I really don't need to do it anymore...but He's not buying it :o) So until then...I'll continue to wait...it's better than "Free Fallin' :o)

Weekend Polling Question...

Randy & I think that Cole, Reece's little brother, looks like a little Peyton Manning. All he needs is a Colts jersey! Do you think he looks like Peyton Manning or not? Yes or no would suffice but you can elaborate if you would like :o)

The most awesome call!

My friend Angela, pictured with Caleb, called me via Skype yesterday. She's in Haiti right now & she called so I could see Caleb crawl & trying to walk. It was so precious. I could see & hear them but they couldn't see or hear me so I "chatted" when I needed to say something. It was awesome just to watch him crawl, stand up, take a couple of steps, fall down, get back up, sit back down, crawl, play with computer cords, play with a cup, play with a puzzle piece. It really warmed my heart & it did Phoebe a world of good. She has been so sad lately because they are not home yet & she's not gotten to spend time with them like Randy & I have. After the phone call her whole countance changed. It was wonderful! Thanks again Angela! I love you! Give my "little man" much love from his mama & papa. Please give hugs to our girls too!

Papa is on his way in May!!!

I bought Randy's airplane ticket last night so he can go to Haiti with the May mission trip. I am sooooooooooooo excited that he's going to visit our children. He has been to Haiti once last July so it's time for him to see them again. I know they will be so excited!

Happy 9 months Caleb!!!

We love you so much little man & can't wait until you are home!!!

Wedding Day...

Phoebe was having a "pretend" wedding day today. I fixed her hair & did her makeup...note to self...I know now why I won't be fixing them on her "real" wedding day :o) Then I helped her into her wedding dress. She walked down the "aisle" with her daddy & then went through the "ceremony." We were then at the dance & she was dancing with her daddy which is what the video is about.

The test...

I personally have never "enjoyed" taking tests. They didn't make me very nervous like they did some people but I still didn't like them although I knew they were necessary to measure what I had or had not learned. As an adult out of school, I still have tests. They usually aren't the paper & pencil type any more. They usually come in the form of daily life tests that test my spiritual & moral integrity, & my mental & emotional fortitude. I still don't like them but I know they are necessary. The following is a devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah that speaks to this.

The testing of your faith produces patience.
James 1:3

Recommended Reading
Psalm 17:3-5

About a hundred years ago, a Bible college in Lestershire, New York,
asked Walter Martin to help them compile a hymnal for school use. He
moved there with his family and took up the assignment. One Sunday he
left the house for a preaching appointment, but his wife Civilla felt
ill and stayed home. That evening as Civilla thought about the struggles
of life, she wrote the words to the poem, "God Will Take Care of You."
Returning home, Walter read the poem and composed the music; and a great
hymn was born.

The last stanza of this hymn says, "No matter what may be the test, God
will take care of you." Our trials and troubles are often tests. Genesis
22:1 says that God tested Abraham. David said, "I know also, my God,
that You test the heart" (1 Chronicles 29:17). Psalm 11:5 says, "The
Lord tests the righteous."

If you're facing trials and troubles now, think of it as a test. God is
testing the quality of your faith to see if you'll trust Him; and He's
testing the extent of your dependability to see if you'll obey Him.

The testing of our faith produces patience; and as we trust and obey
Him, He will take care of us.

"Through every day, o'er all the way; He will take care of you." Civilla Martin

Blessings upon you today as you take various "tests." :o)

Rock N Roll "Starr"...

For two years now, Phoebe has been saying she wants to be a "rock n roll star" when she grows up. She definetely has the personality for it. I think she needs some guitar lessons from Shawn :o) And no...the "Starr" in the title is not a typo...it's her middle name :o)

IBESR exit...

I just got the word that we are out of IBESR...Yeah!!! Time for the HBWD!!! Now it's time to pray that we'll quickly enter & quickly exit Parquet. :o)

My "big little man"...

Phone call #2...

This past Saturday we had another Skype video call with the kids. They can see us but we can't see them yet but that will change by the end of the month when a web cam is being sent down for the "O". Samara didn't talk much the last time so I thought we would engage her by singing her favorite "English" song which is "This is the day that the Lord has made." It didn't really work well. She did sing a little with us at the end but Sandy said she was smiling at the screen. You could hear Shakira in the background singing a little. Sandy said she was up dancing around. They both told us that they loved us & that was so good for our ears & hearts :o) Sandy didn't put the head phones on Caleb this time but she did bring him in to look at our faces. He is crawling all over the place & trying to walk. Samara is doing very well. Sandy suspects Shakira may have a corn allergy so she's going to keep an eye on that but other than that is doing well. She said that her attention span is increasing & she's sitting still for longer periods of time. Sandy is also working with her on potty training which is so wonderful! It would be great if she was potty trained before she came home. Four of my close friends are going on the Feb. mission trip to the "O" & although I would love to be able to go with them, I am content on having them love on my children for me & taking some pictures of them.

A Sunday afternoon...

Happy Birthday Spendy!!!

Praying that you have a blessed & joy filled day!

She's got the moves...

Intense Love...

If we all loved & obeyed like this. The following is from Dr. David Jeremiah.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands.
2 John 1:6

Recommended Reading 1 Samuel 15:22

Bible teacher Donald Grey Barnhouse told the story of a young son of a
missionary couple in Zaire who was playing in the yard when suddenly he
heard his father's voice ring out, "Philip, obey me instantly! Drop to
your stomach!" The boy did so immediately. "Now crawl to me as fast as
you can!" The boy obeyed. "Now stand up and run to me!" Philip ran into
his father's arms. When the young boy looked back at the tree he had
been playing near, he saw a large deadly snake hanging from one of the
branches. His instant obedience had saved his life!

You can almost feel the intensity of this father's love as he asks his
son for complete trust and obedience in order to avoid impending danger.
It is no different with God. He sees what we cannot; and when our life
is headed for peril, He cries out to us with the intense love of a
father trying to save his child's life.

So when you hear God's voice commanding you to obey, remember it is the
loving, caring voice of your heavenly Father who only wants the very
best for you. Believe Him and obey!

If we want the Word of God to have authority in our life, there is only
one way--obey it. If we want the Holy Spirit to have authority in our
life, there is only one way--obey Him. Tom Marshall

No, I'm not dead...

I've been slow on the posting the past few days due to Super Bowl party preparations, sick child, sick me, storms, & internet being down for a day due to storms. Now would be a good time to compose a very profound post since it's nice & quiet but it's also 1:31am & I'm very tired so it's going to have to wait :o)

Happy Birthday Belle!!!

Praying that you have a very blessed & joy filled 10th birthday!