Growing up is hard.
Being a grown-up is hard too.
My cousin has a son that is about five weeks younger than the girls. This last fall someone he knew died after a couple of months in the hospital following a football injury. I remember wondering if any of my kids would ever go through the loss of a friend while they were younger.
Today that wonder became reality.
Two summers ago Sparky played on a local recreation league softball team. One of our neighbors happened to be her coach. Tonight Hubby saw the coach's wife in the grocery store.
There is a girl on the team that Sparky has been in touch with for the last year and a half through texting. They have had serious Biblical discussions, and Sparky has invited her to some church youth events. She just invited her to laser tag in December, but she was unable to come due to a work conflict. She promised she'd come to the next event, which was the upcoming dodge ball tournament.
Sparky texted her on Christmas and the day or so after. Hubby found out today that on December 28 this sweet, spunky girl was in a car accident through no fault of her own and never regained consciousness. She died on January 6.
Oddly enough, there is a family at church and one of the sons goes to school with her. She was mentioned last week in youth group and in prayer meeting as a prayer request. The thing is, when you play softball for a short time with someone you often just get familiar with their first name. Hubby and Sparky both thought her name sounded familiar, but they didn't realize who it was, until tonight.
Hubby had to come home and tell her as well as the rest of our family. It's been a rough evening, especially for Sparky. Three lives were saved because her kidneys and liver were given through the Gift of Life program, but Sparky is most concerned about her eternal life. She's just not sure if she was a believer, but God knows her heart.
Sparky did everything she could to reach out to her friend. But things like this always make us think about our lives here on earth and eternity, and what we are doing to reach others.
James 4:14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
The KJV says we are a vapor. Whether it's a mist or a vapor, they don't stay around long. Are we, as followers of Jesus, doing everything we can during that short time?
It makes us think hard.
*I have intentionally left out the name of Sparky's friend. I don't want people coming here because they have googled her name, and I don't want it to look like we are saying something just because we knew her.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Plans
"What brought you to Michigan?"
We always felt a little funny saying a job, considering there were so many people in the auto industry losing theirs and unemployment was so high in this area.
But backtrack to 1999. Hubby was in the military. A promotion that should have happened by all human standards didn't. We were expecting our fourth child and had three children five years old and under. We would soon have four children six years old and under.
We were expecting to no longer have the job security we'd had for the past 11 years. We had to decide whether or not to have Hubby go ahead and look for another job and get out of the military before he was told he had to get out, because at that stage promotion was such a minimal possibility it wasn't even something you could expect to happen.
Hubby decided to wait and see what the next year brought and base his decisions on that. Technically we probably had less than a year. We chose to live out Psalm 46:10. This was October, 1999.
The following July Hubby gets a call literally out of the blue. His promotion is going to happen, and he's being offered a position in the one place that both of us would chose as our top location to go — Scott AFB, which was located in Illinois just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. This job was a three-year rotation and only came open every three years. (God had this all figured out. No wonder he didn't get promoted the year before!)
Fast forward another four years, Hubby returns from Kuwait and works in St. Louis at a job based here in the Detroit area. He's up here two out of four weeks every month. At the end of this two years, we move to Virginia, not because we want to move, but because we have to move.
God didn't plan for us to stay in the St. Louis area. He knew we would never leave willingly. Once we were in Virginia and Hubby retired (which is a whole drama in and of itself), we looked at other locations for settling down permanently. Namely employment.
Within two days of dropping his retirement paperwork, the men from the Detroit area that he worked with for those last two years we lived in the St. Louis area called him. One of them was retiring. There would be a job opening...
Now we live in the Detroit area. Almost a year ago we met Mrs. Missionary and things fell into place for Sparky to go to Africa. She's felt called to be a missionary since she was seven or eight years old. That's all she's ever wanted to be when she grows up.
Now in October she'll be going to Bolivia with Mrs. Missionary as her chaperone again. All because of God working out a promotion not happening when human beings couldn't explain why it didn't when it shouldn't.
We always felt a little funny saying a job, considering there were so many people in the auto industry losing theirs and unemployment was so high in this area.
But backtrack to 1999. Hubby was in the military. A promotion that should have happened by all human standards didn't. We were expecting our fourth child and had three children five years old and under. We would soon have four children six years old and under.
We were expecting to no longer have the job security we'd had for the past 11 years. We had to decide whether or not to have Hubby go ahead and look for another job and get out of the military before he was told he had to get out, because at that stage promotion was such a minimal possibility it wasn't even something you could expect to happen.
Hubby decided to wait and see what the next year brought and base his decisions on that. Technically we probably had less than a year. We chose to live out Psalm 46:10. This was October, 1999.
The following July Hubby gets a call literally out of the blue. His promotion is going to happen, and he's being offered a position in the one place that both of us would chose as our top location to go — Scott AFB, which was located in Illinois just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. This job was a three-year rotation and only came open every three years. (God had this all figured out. No wonder he didn't get promoted the year before!)
Fast forward another four years, Hubby returns from Kuwait and works in St. Louis at a job based here in the Detroit area. He's up here two out of four weeks every month. At the end of this two years, we move to Virginia, not because we want to move, but because we have to move.
God didn't plan for us to stay in the St. Louis area. He knew we would never leave willingly. Once we were in Virginia and Hubby retired (which is a whole drama in and of itself), we looked at other locations for settling down permanently. Namely employment.
Within two days of dropping his retirement paperwork, the men from the Detroit area that he worked with for those last two years we lived in the St. Louis area called him. One of them was retiring. There would be a job opening...
Now we live in the Detroit area. Almost a year ago we met Mrs. Missionary and things fell into place for Sparky to go to Africa. She's felt called to be a missionary since she was seven or eight years old. That's all she's ever wanted to be when she grows up.
Now in October she'll be going to Bolivia with Mrs. Missionary as her chaperone again. All because of God working out a promotion not happening when human beings couldn't explain why it didn't when it shouldn't.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Service
A couple of months ago I was asked to serve on a group with seven other women in our church. Due to health issues, another lady was unable to fulfill her term until the end of the year.
This group of ladies ministers to the homebound and widows, and is responsible for the church baby showers, bridal showers, and funeral dinner coordination. We are responsible for two or three of the homebound or widows on a three-month rotating basis, and we send a card, call, or visit, or any combination of those during that period of time.
Each spring we also have a luncheon for these ladies. Today was the day. We had an "apron" theme based on a kit that one of our members found at the library. We sang a song, had a couple of skits, and asked all the ladies to bring and wear one of their aprons. Almost every one of the 17 ladies did! We also asked them to share an apron story or memory, so some of them talked about the one they chose to wear. The laughter and fellowship that we shared was such a blessing.
This was the front of the room.
A couple of us made aprons to give away as door prizes.
We told the lady who made the food for us that we were thinking about chicken salad on croissants and some fruit salad. She said she'd come up with some other things. It was all decorative and creative!
Fruit on skewers, but in watermelon halves (the bottoms were cut where they were flat and would sit without rolling).
Vegetable strip bundles. There were little pieces of plastic wrap so the pipe cleaner didn't touch the vegetables. The picture is not the best because the plastic cover is still on everything.
Potato salad boats. The little bread rolls were scooped out and the potato salad stuffed in. Who would have thought?
These were little lemon cakes that I think were store bought, but they were so yummy. I love lemon.
I kept popping these pecan tarts, which I've always called pecan tassies, into my mouth. Really, I think it was only three.
This is one of our ladies.
I told her a few months ago at church that she reminds me of my Grandma Wheeler, so if I ever call her that she'll know why. The kids and I are always saying, "There's Grandma Wheeler," or, "Grandma Wheeler just drove up," and stuff like that. She walks like my grandma used to, she's small like her, her smile is similar...everything. She's about 15 years younger, but here is the most recent picture I had handy, which means I could copy it off another post.
If nothing else, I'm curious to hear what my mom says the next time I talk to her.
Even though I was simply exhausted from yesterday, I had a wonderful day with these ladies. I loved to see them interact in a casual setting. I enjoyed watching which ones were the mother hens with the others. One lady had such a good time, I've never seen her smile so much and look so truly happy, and she was one of the ladies we didn't expect to be able to come because she's just been overcoming an illness.
By the way, the weather was beautiful outside today so they all enjoyed being able to get out (mid-60s for all of you in the hot South).
I'm going to leave you with this apron story I originally saw posted by my friend, Betsy.
This group of ladies ministers to the homebound and widows, and is responsible for the church baby showers, bridal showers, and funeral dinner coordination. We are responsible for two or three of the homebound or widows on a three-month rotating basis, and we send a card, call, or visit, or any combination of those during that period of time.
Each spring we also have a luncheon for these ladies. Today was the day. We had an "apron" theme based on a kit that one of our members found at the library. We sang a song, had a couple of skits, and asked all the ladies to bring and wear one of their aprons. Almost every one of the 17 ladies did! We also asked them to share an apron story or memory, so some of them talked about the one they chose to wear. The laughter and fellowship that we shared was such a blessing.
This was the front of the room.
One of the ladies made "recipe bundles" for everyone to take home. It has five or six recipes that came from different ladies that were there from an older church cookbook.
A couple of us made aprons to give away as door prizes.We told the lady who made the food for us that we were thinking about chicken salad on croissants and some fruit salad. She said she'd come up with some other things. It was all decorative and creative!Fruit on skewers, but in watermelon halves (the bottoms were cut where they were flat and would sit without rolling).
Vegetable strip bundles. There were little pieces of plastic wrap so the pipe cleaner didn't touch the vegetables. The picture is not the best because the plastic cover is still on everything.Potato salad boats. The little bread rolls were scooped out and the potato salad stuffed in. Who would have thought?These were little lemon cakes that I think were store bought, but they were so yummy. I love lemon.I kept popping these pecan tarts, which I've always called pecan tassies, into my mouth. Really, I think it was only three.This is one of our ladies.I told her a few months ago at church that she reminds me of my Grandma Wheeler, so if I ever call her that she'll know why. The kids and I are always saying, "There's Grandma Wheeler," or, "Grandma Wheeler just drove up," and stuff like that. She walks like my grandma used to, she's small like her, her smile is similar...everything. She's about 15 years younger, but here is the most recent picture I had handy, which means I could copy it off another post.If nothing else, I'm curious to hear what my mom says the next time I talk to her.Even though I was simply exhausted from yesterday, I had a wonderful day with these ladies. I loved to see them interact in a casual setting. I enjoyed watching which ones were the mother hens with the others. One lady had such a good time, I've never seen her smile so much and look so truly happy, and she was one of the ladies we didn't expect to be able to come because she's just been overcoming an illness.
By the way, the weather was beautiful outside today so they all enjoyed being able to get out (mid-60s for all of you in the hot South).
I'm going to leave you with this apron story I originally saw posted by my friend, Betsy.
The Apron
I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
~~~~
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
~~~~
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
~~~~
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
~~~~
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.
~~~~
author unknown
I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
~~~~
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
~~~~
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
~~~~
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
~~~~
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.
~~~~
author unknown
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Resurrection Cookies
Make these the night before Easter.
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 ziploc bag
wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
electric mixer
baking sheet
waxed paper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This is important — don't wait until you're done preparing everything else.
Place the pecans in a ziploc bag and let the children beat them with the spoon until they are in small pieces (you could have more than one bag and spoon for each of your children and just split the nuts between the bags). Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. of vinegar in the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was on the cross, He was thirsty and the soldiers gave him vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life for us. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste the salt and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears that Jesus' followers shed and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients aren't very appetizing. Add one cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died for us because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat the ingredients on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents purity in God's eyes of those whose sins are cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in the broken nuts, and drop by rounded teaspoons onto waxed paper covered baking sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus was buried. Read Matthew 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door shut. Explain that the tomb of Jesus was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may be sad to leave the cookies in the oven over night. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The Resurrection cookies are hollow! On the first day of Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Jesus has risen! Read Matthew 28:1-9.
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 ziploc bag
wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible
electric mixer
baking sheet
waxed paper
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. This is important — don't wait until you're done preparing everything else.
Place the pecans in a ziploc bag and let the children beat them with the spoon until they are in small pieces (you could have more than one bag and spoon for each of your children and just split the nuts between the bags). Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. of vinegar in the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was on the cross, He was thirsty and the soldiers gave him vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.
Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life for us. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste the salt and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears that Jesus' followers shed and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far, the ingredients aren't very appetizing. Add one cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died for us because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat the ingredients on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents purity in God's eyes of those whose sins are cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in the broken nuts, and drop by rounded teaspoons onto waxed paper covered baking sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus was buried. Read Matthew 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door shut. Explain that the tomb of Jesus was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may be sad to leave the cookies in the oven over night. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The Resurrection cookies are hollow! On the first day of Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Jesus has risen! Read Matthew 28:1-9.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
The Bible in 90 Days
Well, I needed the two grace days to finish, but I did it in 90 days.I've heard about people who have been given a Bible and read it cover to cover in literally days. That's always amazed me. The Bible is a long book.
Now that I've read it through in 90 days, rather than trying to read it over a year (which I've never successfully completed that way), I can sort of see how someone might do that. The Bible reads much more like an ongoing story when it's not being chopped up into 365 pieces. You want to keep reading and not put it down, and if it weren't for the obligation of my children and home, I would have kept reading at times. I actually got at least a couple days ahead early on, before I got hung up in the Chronicles. The beginning of those went slow for me.
I've never been a lover of the Psalms. I know, I know. I'm the only person in the world. But reading them through in larger chunks I found that I liked them more than I thought I did. They made more sense to me that way too.
I've also never read the four gospels through one right after the other so quickly. I enjoyed seeing all the similarities and being able to recognize them immediately.
One thing I did when I was a little over halfway through the Psalms through the end of the Bible — any time I read a verse that contained the words for a song or hymn, I would put a musical note in the margin of my Bible. I heard someone say they did that and I thought it was a neat idea. Now I just have to do the other half of my Bible when I read it through the next time!
I want to read the Bible through in 90 days chronologically. I think I might do that starting in July at the mid-year point.
Thanks to Mom's Toolbox for guiding us each day along the way. I just noticed she's leading it again starting July 5...
Monday, January 25, 2010
I never say never
Because when I say never, then I do.
And when I want to say never, it's usually something I really don't want to do, so I don't want to say never. I've managed to get around that little technicality.
"I will probably not ever (fill in the blank)."
For example, I will probably not ever watch the movie "Arachnophobia" being an arachnophobe. Because I have absolutely no desire to ever in my lifetime watch it, so I won't say never.
And about a month ago when I was flipping through the onscreen guide to find something to watch, guess what movie was on? I actually thought to myself, "If I'd said never I'd have to watch that just because I said never, and now I don't.
See how it works.
And all of that nonsense just to tell you something really important. I will probably not ever read my Bible in a year again, because I am loving reading it through in 90 days.
I'm a little bit about instant gratification, which in and of itself can be a fault, but a year does drag out a little for me. 90 days is a fairly short timeline in consideration of the length of the Book. If I'm able to read without interruption, it's about an hour a day. It just means I'm not reading other books. Which is okay.
There were multiple bloggers that were doing this challenge. I never signed up anywhere officially. I think the first place I saw it was at We Are THAT Family. I clicked through the links and there is actually a Bible (NIV version) designed for reading it through in 90 days. I haven't seen it, but the type is supposed to be a little larger and easier on the eyes, and I'm assuming it's broken down by the days.
They also had a list to print of the daily readings for each of the 90 days where you use your own Bible. This is what I did since I didn't have time to buy the Bible and get it by the beginning of the year. I'm using my NIV version, until I get to Job and Psalms when I'll use The Message because I don't do poetry.
You don't have to start at the beginning of the year, so if you want to check out the Bible you can click here or here, and if you want to just print off the list and use your own Bible click here.
I highly recommend reading it this way. It reads much more like a book and flows so much better.
I will probably do it again this way after I finish it, maybe trying to group it into 90 days from my chronological one year Bible, and I will probably not ever read it over an entire year again.
And when I want to say never, it's usually something I really don't want to do, so I don't want to say never. I've managed to get around that little technicality.
"I will probably not ever (fill in the blank)."
For example, I will probably not ever watch the movie "Arachnophobia" being an arachnophobe. Because I have absolutely no desire to ever in my lifetime watch it, so I won't say never.
And about a month ago when I was flipping through the onscreen guide to find something to watch, guess what movie was on? I actually thought to myself, "If I'd said never I'd have to watch that just because I said never, and now I don't.
See how it works.
And all of that nonsense just to tell you something really important. I will probably not ever read my Bible in a year again, because I am loving reading it through in 90 days.
I'm a little bit about instant gratification, which in and of itself can be a fault, but a year does drag out a little for me. 90 days is a fairly short timeline in consideration of the length of the Book. If I'm able to read without interruption, it's about an hour a day. It just means I'm not reading other books. Which is okay.
There were multiple bloggers that were doing this challenge. I never signed up anywhere officially. I think the first place I saw it was at We Are THAT Family. I clicked through the links and there is actually a Bible (NIV version) designed for reading it through in 90 days. I haven't seen it, but the type is supposed to be a little larger and easier on the eyes, and I'm assuming it's broken down by the days.
They also had a list to print of the daily readings for each of the 90 days where you use your own Bible. This is what I did since I didn't have time to buy the Bible and get it by the beginning of the year. I'm using my NIV version, until I get to Job and Psalms when I'll use The Message because I don't do poetry.
You don't have to start at the beginning of the year, so if you want to check out the Bible you can click here or here, and if you want to just print off the list and use your own Bible click here.
I highly recommend reading it this way. It reads much more like a book and flows so much better.
I will probably do it again this way after I finish it, maybe trying to group it into 90 days from my chronological one year Bible, and I will probably not ever read it over an entire year again.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
To go to Togo
As in Togo, West Africa.
As in Sparky.
As in not with her dad. Or anyone from her church. Or anyone she's known for more than a couple of months.
It's simply called faith.
Now let me back up and tell you the whole story.
I mentioned Missionary Christmas at our church back in November. (We hosted the Baptist Children's Home at our house.) There were foreign and state missions, local missions, multitudes of missionary service represented.
At the dinner on Friday night we sat with a family that we've known basically since we started going to the church about a year and a half ago. They have six people in their family also. Oddly enough, only the mom and one daughter were there, and there were eight seats at the table. Just right.
Then when Maureen (the mom) and I were walking around before the dinner, we met with a missionary couple from Lapeer, Michigan. She has known them for years. She asked me if I thought we'd have room for them to eat with us. Right before we had left the table, unbeknownst to her, two of my kids went to sit with their friends (Chatty and Caboose). Still just right.
We were able to talk with this couple and develop a relationship with them over dinner. Sparky had gotten up to go look at the missionary displays in a different room, and we happened to mention that she has felt the call to be a missionary since she was seven or eight years old. Mrs. Missionary said, "When will she be 16?"
I said, "December."
She said, "She should go to Africa with me in February. I'll be her chaperone."
I said, "Well, you can go ask her." As she walked off to find Sparky, Maureen told me that Mrs. Missionary had chaperoned two of her three girls on trips. I think the world of Maureen and her family, so that was really just the icing on the cake.
Mrs. Missionary found Sparky and asked her. I suppose you can tell from the title what the answer was.
Of course there was prayer and a lot of intervention from God. Sparky went before our church's Missions Board for approval. She is sending out letters for support this week and then will be giving her testimony in front of the church on Sunday morning, January 24th.
Her trip is from February 20th-28th. Sparky and Mrs. Missionary will be meeting the group at JFK and then flying to Ghana. They will drive five hours into Togo. The group is adding on to a maternity ward at a hospital they have previously built. She will be doing primarily kitchen work and will be staying in the guest houses on the hospital grounds.
We are very excited for her.
She is very excited.
I am a little scared for her. I will not speak for her dad. I just know that he always thought he'd go on her first trip with her, so I know at least initially this was tough on him. I think he's just hiding it well right now.
I think I just spoke for her dad. Dang, I do that way too much.
I will update as it gets closer to her trip, but please start praying for her and her safety. Pray for the group and the work they are doing. She is actually going the last (fourth) week, so the first group will be going soon. They are also trying to fill slots for the second and third weeks, so pray for that as well.
Pray for Caboose, too. He's kind of having a rough time with her going.
As in Sparky.
As in not with her dad. Or anyone from her church. Or anyone she's known for more than a couple of months.
It's simply called faith.
Now let me back up and tell you the whole story.
I mentioned Missionary Christmas at our church back in November. (We hosted the Baptist Children's Home at our house.) There were foreign and state missions, local missions, multitudes of missionary service represented.
At the dinner on Friday night we sat with a family that we've known basically since we started going to the church about a year and a half ago. They have six people in their family also. Oddly enough, only the mom and one daughter were there, and there were eight seats at the table. Just right.
Then when Maureen (the mom) and I were walking around before the dinner, we met with a missionary couple from Lapeer, Michigan. She has known them for years. She asked me if I thought we'd have room for them to eat with us. Right before we had left the table, unbeknownst to her, two of my kids went to sit with their friends (Chatty and Caboose). Still just right.
We were able to talk with this couple and develop a relationship with them over dinner. Sparky had gotten up to go look at the missionary displays in a different room, and we happened to mention that she has felt the call to be a missionary since she was seven or eight years old. Mrs. Missionary said, "When will she be 16?"
I said, "December."
She said, "She should go to Africa with me in February. I'll be her chaperone."
I said, "Well, you can go ask her." As she walked off to find Sparky, Maureen told me that Mrs. Missionary had chaperoned two of her three girls on trips. I think the world of Maureen and her family, so that was really just the icing on the cake.
Mrs. Missionary found Sparky and asked her. I suppose you can tell from the title what the answer was.
Of course there was prayer and a lot of intervention from God. Sparky went before our church's Missions Board for approval. She is sending out letters for support this week and then will be giving her testimony in front of the church on Sunday morning, January 24th.
Her trip is from February 20th-28th. Sparky and Mrs. Missionary will be meeting the group at JFK and then flying to Ghana. They will drive five hours into Togo. The group is adding on to a maternity ward at a hospital they have previously built. She will be doing primarily kitchen work and will be staying in the guest houses on the hospital grounds.
We are very excited for her.
She is very excited.
I am a little scared for her. I will not speak for her dad. I just know that he always thought he'd go on her first trip with her, so I know at least initially this was tough on him. I think he's just hiding it well right now.
I think I just spoke for her dad. Dang, I do that way too much.
I will update as it gets closer to her trip, but please start praying for her and her safety. Pray for the group and the work they are doing. She is actually going the last (fourth) week, so the first group will be going soon. They are also trying to fill slots for the second and third weeks, so pray for that as well.
Pray for Caboose, too. He's kind of having a rough time with her going.
Monday, January 4, 2010
-hyphen-
What are you doing with your hyphen?
We had a substitute Sunday school teacher a couple of weeks ago. During the course of his lesson he mentioned visiting Patrick Henry's burial site and seeing his dates of birth and death, separated by a hyphen. He went on to talk about how that hyphen is what our lives are, that space between when we are born and when we die, however long.
Then this Sunday one of the passages our pastor used in his message was James 4:14 "whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."
A vapor. That's it. It's significant and yet it isn't. Think of the impact it can be though.
So now I'm thinking a lot about my hyphen.
We had a substitute Sunday school teacher a couple of weeks ago. During the course of his lesson he mentioned visiting Patrick Henry's burial site and seeing his dates of birth and death, separated by a hyphen. He went on to talk about how that hyphen is what our lives are, that space between when we are born and when we die, however long.
Then this Sunday one of the passages our pastor used in his message was James 4:14 "whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."
A vapor. That's it. It's significant and yet it isn't. Think of the impact it can be though.
So now I'm thinking a lot about my hyphen.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Houseguests
Our church has one of the most amazing events I've ever been privileged to attend or be a part of. It's called Missionary Christmas.
Last year we had just recently moved here and started attending the church so it was the first time we had the experience. A few people tried to explain it, but it's really difficult even though it should be simple, so I know I'm going to have trouble putting it into words that even come close to illustrating it for you. This year was obviously our second one, and it's always held around the beginning of November.
Our church independently supports a multitude of missionaries locally and around the world, as well as local missionary agencies (I'm roughly guessing 20 to 25 without having any numbers in front of me but having just recently seen the budget). During Missionary Christmas this year, 28 missionary families (including a few retired missionaries) attended the weekend-long activities.
We have a dinner and service on Friday night, a brunch on Saturday morning where we hear a small word from each missionary about what they are doing, a service on Saturday night followed by a dessert fellowship, and then special Sunday school times followed by the service on Sunday morning. At the end of the morning service all of the missionaries are presented with Christmas gifts, some of them rather significant for specific things they've mentioned they are in need of over the weekend. It's humbling to see God's work.
Well, as it turns out, our kids wanted us to keep a missionary family with children at our home for the weekend, and the family that used to keep the Baptist Children's Home is no longer at our church, so guess what we did?! We had an absolute, crazy blast!
And here are the two sets of parents who made it through the weekend with smiles still on their faces.
You know what we'll be doing the first part of every November from now on.
Last year we had just recently moved here and started attending the church so it was the first time we had the experience. A few people tried to explain it, but it's really difficult even though it should be simple, so I know I'm going to have trouble putting it into words that even come close to illustrating it for you. This year was obviously our second one, and it's always held around the beginning of November.
Our church independently supports a multitude of missionaries locally and around the world, as well as local missionary agencies (I'm roughly guessing 20 to 25 without having any numbers in front of me but having just recently seen the budget). During Missionary Christmas this year, 28 missionary families (including a few retired missionaries) attended the weekend-long activities.
We have a dinner and service on Friday night, a brunch on Saturday morning where we hear a small word from each missionary about what they are doing, a service on Saturday night followed by a dessert fellowship, and then special Sunday school times followed by the service on Sunday morning. At the end of the morning service all of the missionaries are presented with Christmas gifts, some of them rather significant for specific things they've mentioned they are in need of over the weekend. It's humbling to see God's work.
Well, as it turns out, our kids wanted us to keep a missionary family with children at our home for the weekend, and the family that used to keep the Baptist Children's Home is no longer at our church, so guess what we did?! We had an absolute, crazy blast!
And here are the two sets of parents who made it through the weekend with smiles still on their faces.You know what we'll be doing the first part of every November from now on.Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Please...
...pray for Meredith, her family, and the doctor and his team tomorrow. She'll be having her second (more invasive) heart surgery starting at 5:30 in the morning.
If you missed the earlier posts:
Please Pray for Meredith
An Update on Meredith
If you missed the earlier posts:
Please Pray for Meredith
An Update on Meredith
Saturday, October 3, 2009
An Update on Meredith
Thank you for praying for Meredith on Wednesday.
My cousin Jeff sent out an email yesterday with details of the surgery. He listed a boy version and a girl version. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Evinrude boat motor commercial that my hubby is so fond of, where the punch line at the end is, "A woman will say 21 million words before an Evinrude E-Tec needs maintenance. A man will say 7 million." (Just for fun I've posted the commercial from YouTube at the bottom of the post if you haven't seen it.)
Here is the boy version from Jeff's email to update you on Meredith's condition:
We went to Children's in Little Rock, had a seven and a half hour heart surgery, they fixed some problems, but maybe not all of them, they will be watching her for about two weeks before deciding on the next step.
Please continue to remember Meredith in your prayers as she heals from the lengthy surgery (she went home the following day) and as she and her family wait. Waiting is sometimes the hardest thing for me.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Here is the commercial:
My cousin Jeff sent out an email yesterday with details of the surgery. He listed a boy version and a girl version. It was somewhat reminiscent of the Evinrude boat motor commercial that my hubby is so fond of, where the punch line at the end is, "A woman will say 21 million words before an Evinrude E-Tec needs maintenance. A man will say 7 million." (Just for fun I've posted the commercial from YouTube at the bottom of the post if you haven't seen it.)Here is the boy version from Jeff's email to update you on Meredith's condition:
We went to Children's in Little Rock, had a seven and a half hour heart surgery, they fixed some problems, but maybe not all of them, they will be watching her for about two weeks before deciding on the next step.
Please continue to remember Meredith in your prayers as she heals from the lengthy surgery (she went home the following day) and as she and her family wait. Waiting is sometimes the hardest thing for me.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Here is the commercial:
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Please Pray for Meredith
On Wednesday, September 30, Meredith (the daughter of my cousin Jeff and his wife Jennifer) will be having surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital. This surgery has been specifically planned since the beginning of September, but has been known for over four years. This is an excerpt from their email earlier this month:On July 7, 2005, we took our daughter Meredith to the NWA Pediatric Clinic for her 4-year-old well-child check-up. The visit resulted in Meredith's first helicopter ride (compliments of ACH's Angel One) and an 8 day visit to the Cardio Vascular Intensive Care Unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital. Meredith was diagnosed with Atrial Ectopic Tachycardia. AET affects approximately 1 in 10,000 children. The condition is basically a heart that beats too fast.
Meredith, now 8, is in third grade; she has now been taking an oral medicine twice a day for over four years.
We have been going back to ACH to see her electrophysiologist several times a year. Her doctor has now decided it is time to go in and try to fix the problem. She is scheduled to have the heart surgery on September 30th at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Please pray specifically for Meredith to have peace, strength to endure the procedure, and a speedy recovery; for the doctor to be well-rested, have steady hands and a clear mind; for the team who will operate on her to be on their "A game," and for the equipment to function properly. Thank you for all of your prayers!
The email ended with my personal favorite Bible verse, Romans 8:28:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him"
Although we rarely get to see any of our family having moved often and not in close proximity, it's still a privilege to lift them up in prayer. Please remember Meredith and her family tomorrow and following the surgery during her recovery.
Thank you. I know this precious family appreciates it too (picture from 2006).Jeff and Jennifer are my two cousins, and yes, Jeff married a Jennifer. I have a sister, so there were just four cousins. I'm the oldest, Jennifer is four years younger than me, my sister five years younger, and Jeff is 10 years younger. My cousin Jennifer blogs here.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Accident Update
It's been quite an emotional week. Sparky and I are still sore — her mostly in the back and me mostly in the top of my right shoulder. The muscle is in a very tight spasm and I think it's originating from the neck. This has made it difficult to sit down at the computer to type, but I'm just going to try and work my way through it at this point. Our chests are still sore. I mentioned that mine was goopy. Well, Hubby must have brought home a cold from the airplane on the way back from DC the previous Friday, because that's what was developing. So we've been hacking at our house all week, which is hard with the bruised feeling Sparky and I have from our seat belts. My left knee is also bruised down deep but I didn't realize it before. Probably from sliding forward in the seat and bumping against the dash. My right one wouldn't have hit since my foot was slamming on the brakes and my leg was fairly straight.
All those things said, we are so fortunate to be in one piece. The air bag kept me from whipping hard and from hitting anything. Since Sparky was behind me she took it a little harder. We're going to the chiropractor to work out our kinks. Our vehicle was officially totaled.
Tomorrow I will be doing Memory Monday and then I'm going to get back in the swing of things with some regular posting. This move has had me on my behind far too long and I can't seem to get any posting done, unless I want to stay up until 2 a.m., which I am not currently willing to do. I'm ready for things to seem normal again.
All those things said, we are so fortunate to be in one piece. The air bag kept me from whipping hard and from hitting anything. Since Sparky was behind me she took it a little harder. We're going to the chiropractor to work out our kinks. Our vehicle was officially totaled.
Tomorrow I will be doing Memory Monday and then I'm going to get back in the swing of things with some regular posting. This move has had me on my behind far too long and I can't seem to get any posting done, unless I want to stay up until 2 a.m., which I am not currently willing to do. I'm ready for things to seem normal again.
Monday, January 19, 2009
God Was There...
No other explanation possible.
I was the driver. Sparky was sitting in the seat behind me. We were on the way to the orthodontist.
It happened just before noon today. My chest hurts quite a bit, probably from the seat belt and possibly the air bag. We'll see how my back and neck are tomorrow.
Sparky's chest also hurts, as well as her shoulders, neck and back. She of course didn't have the benefit of an air bag, only the seat belt.
Although people from another vehicle had to be transported also, I understand that everyone was okay. That could have various interpretations, but everyone was alive.
It's pushed about three feet back, but nothing touched my legs, and it's not because they are short. The inside compartment was not compromised. What other explanation is there? When Hubby saw it, I think he was stunned at the damage because he'd seen us first.
Although many verses are on my mind today, no Memory Monday until next week. See you in a day or so.
I was the driver. Sparky was sitting in the seat behind me. We were on the way to the orthodontist.
It happened just before noon today. My chest hurts quite a bit, probably from the seat belt and possibly the air bag. We'll see how my back and neck are tomorrow.Sparky's chest also hurts, as well as her shoulders, neck and back. She of course didn't have the benefit of an air bag, only the seat belt.
Although people from another vehicle had to be transported also, I understand that everyone was okay. That could have various interpretations, but everyone was alive.
It's pushed about three feet back, but nothing touched my legs, and it's not because they are short. The inside compartment was not compromised. What other explanation is there? When Hubby saw it, I think he was stunned at the damage because he'd seen us first.
Although many verses are on my mind today, no Memory Monday until next week. See you in a day or so.
Friday, October 31, 2008
15 Years Ago Today...
...I was on bed rest at my grandparents' house in Arkansas. All my maternal family lives there, and since my grandparents were home all day to keep an eye on me, they got me.
I'd been on bed rest since the last week of September. Hubby and I were supposed to move to Virginia for him to attend a military class for a few months that October. I wasn't allowed to travel that far once I got put on bed rest. So I got taken the three hours from Missouri to Arkansas, laying down in the back seat of our vehicle the whole way.
Today was Hubby's last official day as an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, although he's felt like he has been retired since he's been on terminal leave since the beginning of August. Tomorrow he will be a true civilian for the first time in a little over 20 years.
15 years ago when I was only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom, sit at the table to eat three meals each day, and take two showers a week, I had no concept of today. All I could think about was that home uterine monitor I wore each morning and evening, sending the results in every day to see if things were happening that I wasn't feeling, and my bruised hips, because I could only lay on my sides and not my back.
It's funny how today seemed to sneak up on me. It's a little strange that it made me think back to what I was doing 15 years ago today.
I'd been on bed rest since the last week of September. Hubby and I were supposed to move to Virginia for him to attend a military class for a few months that October. I wasn't allowed to travel that far once I got put on bed rest. So I got taken the three hours from Missouri to Arkansas, laying down in the back seat of our vehicle the whole way.
Today was Hubby's last official day as an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, although he's felt like he has been retired since he's been on terminal leave since the beginning of August. Tomorrow he will be a true civilian for the first time in a little over 20 years.
15 years ago when I was only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom, sit at the table to eat three meals each day, and take two showers a week, I had no concept of today. All I could think about was that home uterine monitor I wore each morning and evening, sending the results in every day to see if things were happening that I wasn't feeling, and my bruised hips, because I could only lay on my sides and not my back.
It's funny how today seemed to sneak up on me. It's a little strange that it made me think back to what I was doing 15 years ago today.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Search Is On...And Maybe Almost Over
I don't know about you guys, but looking for a new church has never been tops on my list of things to do. Probably doesn't even rank in the top ten. Necessary, yes. Hard, yes. Fun, not always. Being a family that has moved a lot, we got to do it more than we wanted, but being a military family that moved less than most, we got to do it less than we could have. And of course since we just moved to a brand new state, the search is on again.
Now I will say one thing - the internet is a beautiful thing most of the time. We used it to do initial searches on the Awana website for churches that have the program all the way up to 12th grade because our girls are working toward their Citation Awards. Now attending the church where we go to Awana is not a must, but it's a start in searching for a church. In looking around at lots of church sites on the internet, we only found one to put in our "favorites" folder to check out when we got here. That was pretty slim pickins'. The only time we have joined the first church we tried out was in Illinois, and odds are just against that happening.
Last week we went to service at this particular church and enjoyed it. We met a few people, a lady that homeschooled her two children through high school and just graduated her second one (which was of immediate interest to me with the girls starting high school this year), the person in charge of the Awana T&T program who told us a lot about their program, and others. So we went back to Sunday school this week. Now my boys are never enthusiastic about trying out new Sunday school classes, which is one of the reasons we just do service the first time to make sure the church is even one we would consider. Buddy is excruciatingly shy around people he doesn't know, and Caboose is just a pickle about it to be a pickle about it. Glory be, they both enjoyed it! They were also very happy that the children at this church, unlike in our last church, seemed to be well-behaved. It was the status quo at our last church for children to act up and be rowdy, and this completely went against anything our kids had ever been taught or had been exposed to. It was difficult for them to be around, and they never fully adjusted or fit in. Our girls enjoyed their class, we enjoyed our class, and we enjoyed the service for the second week in a row. It's a Biblically sound and conservative church, the size we are typically drawn to and comfortable with, and at first glance they seem to be highly involved in both home and foreign missions.
Our kids are already asking us if we can keep going to this church. We are praying that God will continue to show us if this is indeed the right church for our family. But how amazing that it may once again be that the first church we visited is indeed our new church home.
Now I will say one thing - the internet is a beautiful thing most of the time. We used it to do initial searches on the Awana website for churches that have the program all the way up to 12th grade because our girls are working toward their Citation Awards. Now attending the church where we go to Awana is not a must, but it's a start in searching for a church. In looking around at lots of church sites on the internet, we only found one to put in our "favorites" folder to check out when we got here. That was pretty slim pickins'. The only time we have joined the first church we tried out was in Illinois, and odds are just against that happening.
Last week we went to service at this particular church and enjoyed it. We met a few people, a lady that homeschooled her two children through high school and just graduated her second one (which was of immediate interest to me with the girls starting high school this year), the person in charge of the Awana T&T program who told us a lot about their program, and others. So we went back to Sunday school this week. Now my boys are never enthusiastic about trying out new Sunday school classes, which is one of the reasons we just do service the first time to make sure the church is even one we would consider. Buddy is excruciatingly shy around people he doesn't know, and Caboose is just a pickle about it to be a pickle about it. Glory be, they both enjoyed it! They were also very happy that the children at this church, unlike in our last church, seemed to be well-behaved. It was the status quo at our last church for children to act up and be rowdy, and this completely went against anything our kids had ever been taught or had been exposed to. It was difficult for them to be around, and they never fully adjusted or fit in. Our girls enjoyed their class, we enjoyed our class, and we enjoyed the service for the second week in a row. It's a Biblically sound and conservative church, the size we are typically drawn to and comfortable with, and at first glance they seem to be highly involved in both home and foreign missions.
Our kids are already asking us if we can keep going to this church. We are praying that God will continue to show us if this is indeed the right church for our family. But how amazing that it may once again be that the first church we visited is indeed our new church home.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Faithfulness
I have a tendency to be funny and silly in my posts, but I wanted to share how our family has been touched by the hand of God. We have frequently been asked recently, "You retired to Michigan?" or "Are you originally from here?" And of course we aren't. We're from the South or Midwest, depending on how you categorize Northwest Arkansas. But we left our hearts in Southern Illinois a little over two years ago.
It all started back in 1999. Hubby didn't get the military promotion we expected. There was absolutely no reason he shouldn't have gotten it. We were completely dumbfounded. We were also expecting our fourth child, had five year old twins and a two year old. We didn't have a lot of money, and we weren't sure what to do except to trust God. So we decided to be patient and not make any rash move, and Hubby decided to wait until the next year until he had the opportunity to be promoted "above the zone" which has a five percent or less chance. If he wasn't, then we would have about three months for him to find a job.
Now if you had asked either of us at any point where we would like for him to be stationed, we would have said Scott AFB, Illinois, even though he was in the Army. He had been stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, aka Fort Lost-in-the-Woods, early in his career, and it was only three hours from our families and two hours from our beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Scott AFB was 20 minutes from St. Louis! One Wednesday evening in the summer of 2000 at our ladies' neighborhood Bible study, my prayer request was for "career and future planning." Vague, but God knew what it was. On Friday Hubby came home to attend the post VBS lunch presentation the kids were putting on, and I told him he had a message on the answering machine, and all I knew was that it was "some guy."
So Hubby listens to the message, says it's his branch guy, and calls back. He's outside talking, giving me a thumbs up, and I'm really just clueless. Next thing I know he's telling me that even though they can't officially tell him, they are offering him a position at the new rank at Scott AFB, Illinois, and we are moving in less than a month. Through my tears I immediately pulled out my prayer list and showed Hubby what I'd put down and requested of the other ladies. See, if he'd been promoted in the "right" year, this job wouldn't have been available, because it rotates every three years, and it was the only job available for him there. Plus, this meant he was locked in for military retirement.
We had lived in New Jersey for three years and loved it, but it couldn't touch the love we developed for Illinois. We loved our friends, our church...everything. We really planned on retiring there. But God had other plans. In 2006 we were moved to Fort Eustis, Virginia, and fully expected to enjoy it at a minimum. It was the South. We're Southerners. But we never really fit there, and I can't even think of a word to use to explain it better than "fit." While we were there we kept wondering why God moved us there, what our purpose was, were we missing something? But in the back of our minds we always suspected that it was God moving us away from Illinois, because if He hadn't done it, we would have never listened to Him and done it. We would have probably turned a deaf ear or never realized God's plan. Once removed from Illinois, we were able to consider other possibilities.
When the retirement option came up, and I could probably do a whole post about God's faithfulness there, I'll just simplify it by saying that He definitely made His plans clear. The timing was obvious and set out perfectly before us. Doors were opened and closed like clockwork. There was never really any doubt about where we were to end up, and Michigan it was. We are happy about it. Yes, we miss our friends, but we'll have plenty of room for them to visit us. (Please come!)
This was hanging on my bathroom mirror for at least the last year in Virginia:
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
God's plans were always in place, and sometimes the waiting was hard, especially for someone with my personality. But it's always better when we do it His way.
It all started back in 1999. Hubby didn't get the military promotion we expected. There was absolutely no reason he shouldn't have gotten it. We were completely dumbfounded. We were also expecting our fourth child, had five year old twins and a two year old. We didn't have a lot of money, and we weren't sure what to do except to trust God. So we decided to be patient and not make any rash move, and Hubby decided to wait until the next year until he had the opportunity to be promoted "above the zone" which has a five percent or less chance. If he wasn't, then we would have about three months for him to find a job.
Now if you had asked either of us at any point where we would like for him to be stationed, we would have said Scott AFB, Illinois, even though he was in the Army. He had been stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, aka Fort Lost-in-the-Woods, early in his career, and it was only three hours from our families and two hours from our beloved St. Louis Cardinals. Scott AFB was 20 minutes from St. Louis! One Wednesday evening in the summer of 2000 at our ladies' neighborhood Bible study, my prayer request was for "career and future planning." Vague, but God knew what it was. On Friday Hubby came home to attend the post VBS lunch presentation the kids were putting on, and I told him he had a message on the answering machine, and all I knew was that it was "some guy."
So Hubby listens to the message, says it's his branch guy, and calls back. He's outside talking, giving me a thumbs up, and I'm really just clueless. Next thing I know he's telling me that even though they can't officially tell him, they are offering him a position at the new rank at Scott AFB, Illinois, and we are moving in less than a month. Through my tears I immediately pulled out my prayer list and showed Hubby what I'd put down and requested of the other ladies. See, if he'd been promoted in the "right" year, this job wouldn't have been available, because it rotates every three years, and it was the only job available for him there. Plus, this meant he was locked in for military retirement.
We had lived in New Jersey for three years and loved it, but it couldn't touch the love we developed for Illinois. We loved our friends, our church...everything. We really planned on retiring there. But God had other plans. In 2006 we were moved to Fort Eustis, Virginia, and fully expected to enjoy it at a minimum. It was the South. We're Southerners. But we never really fit there, and I can't even think of a word to use to explain it better than "fit." While we were there we kept wondering why God moved us there, what our purpose was, were we missing something? But in the back of our minds we always suspected that it was God moving us away from Illinois, because if He hadn't done it, we would have never listened to Him and done it. We would have probably turned a deaf ear or never realized God's plan. Once removed from Illinois, we were able to consider other possibilities.
When the retirement option came up, and I could probably do a whole post about God's faithfulness there, I'll just simplify it by saying that He definitely made His plans clear. The timing was obvious and set out perfectly before us. Doors were opened and closed like clockwork. There was never really any doubt about where we were to end up, and Michigan it was. We are happy about it. Yes, we miss our friends, but we'll have plenty of room for them to visit us. (Please come!)
This was hanging on my bathroom mirror for at least the last year in Virginia:
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
God's plans were always in place, and sometimes the waiting was hard, especially for someone with my personality. But it's always better when we do it His way.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Please Pray For Zoe
I felt compelled to write a quick post before I go to bed tonight, which is actually Saturday morning for me. I read on Lora's blog the other day about a friend's family member whose baby was born early at 34 weeks gestation. The baby is very sick and needs prayers.
Those of you reading my blog who aren't family don't know the pre-birth or birth story of my twin girls, and I probably won't post it in detail until their birthdays in December. To keep it simple, I'll just say that they are truly miracles and were born at 27 weeks gestation...and not close to 28 weeks, they had just hit 27 weeks the day they were born. There were preemie complications, but we did not have to deal with any brain bleeds like baby Zoe (pronounced Zo-ay). After we dealt with the immediate complications following the birth, the girls were able to get stronger and a little older before their tiny bodies had to fight so hard against other stuff, again unlike baby Zoe.
That said, I have chosen not to post comments on Zoe's family's site, because I really don't know what to say. Every situation is so different. We watched a baby born at 30 weeks that should have done much better than our girls die within her first week of life. We know from experience in the NICU that 34 weeks is usually a walk in the park, but not always. Look at this precious baby that is fighting so hard right now. I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I am choosing to say nothing to the family. What I am choosing to do is to ask whoever reads this to pray for Zoe and for the family, and then to spread the word. They are asking for prayers for complete healing of their little baby's body, that he may live a completely normal life. I know from experience with our girls that the power of prayer is the best gift of all.
You can read more about Zoe, get an update, or leave a comment for her family here. Speaking from my heart and from personal experience, I ask that you also pray for the family's strength during this time, because the Lord will be carrying them through it.
Those of you reading my blog who aren't family don't know the pre-birth or birth story of my twin girls, and I probably won't post it in detail until their birthdays in December. To keep it simple, I'll just say that they are truly miracles and were born at 27 weeks gestation...and not close to 28 weeks, they had just hit 27 weeks the day they were born. There were preemie complications, but we did not have to deal with any brain bleeds like baby Zoe (pronounced Zo-ay). After we dealt with the immediate complications following the birth, the girls were able to get stronger and a little older before their tiny bodies had to fight so hard against other stuff, again unlike baby Zoe.
That said, I have chosen not to post comments on Zoe's family's site, because I really don't know what to say. Every situation is so different. We watched a baby born at 30 weeks that should have done much better than our girls die within her first week of life. We know from experience in the NICU that 34 weeks is usually a walk in the park, but not always. Look at this precious baby that is fighting so hard right now. I don't want to say the wrong thing, so I am choosing to say nothing to the family. What I am choosing to do is to ask whoever reads this to pray for Zoe and for the family, and then to spread the word. They are asking for prayers for complete healing of their little baby's body, that he may live a completely normal life. I know from experience with our girls that the power of prayer is the best gift of all.
You can read more about Zoe, get an update, or leave a comment for her family here. Speaking from my heart and from personal experience, I ask that you also pray for the family's strength during this time, because the Lord will be carrying them through it.
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