Well...

Well...I have been pretty absent for the past week or so. As you know by now we have a foster child in our home right now and that keeps us pretty busy most of the day! I just don't have time to update 3 blogs :-)

I have another blog that is secured that I am spending most of my time updating. It's just where we are right now. I may stop by here later on as life finds its new rhythm. But, for now...I'm neck deep in boy toys and playing outside, homeschoolin', visitations, and speaking at retreats...and lovin' every minute of it all!

So, if you want to take a new journey along with us...you gotta let me know. I'd love to send you an invitation to it...so either leave me a comment in the box with your email (I won't publish the comment when it comes to me for moderation) or you can email me at frances@desertflowerministries.com.

Thrive my sweet friends in whatever the Lord has called you to...enjoy the ride!

Thanks!

Thanks for all the texts and emails encouraging us on this new adventure. I have begun a private blog for those that would like to journey with us. You will have to email me at frances@desertflowerministries.com for entrance and web address for this blog. I hope to "meet" you there!

I will still keep up this blog...doing more of the same kind of thing. I will also include some pictures (not of faces) of our journey...but without much commentary. The new blog will include all that. Love to you all...


***Important reminder for blog comments below***

Quick reminder...

Because we are keeping names and situations confidential from all of cyberspace...if you know us in real life and know our precious new friends...please remeber not to use any names in your comments. I want to be able to post your comments...but can't if there are any names in them. I so appreciate any encouragement you share and want others to be blessed by it as well:-)

Our New Normal...

Our Newest Member...

As of this afternoon, we are officially foster parents! We were in the midst of doing respite for another foster mom, when we got the call for our first foster child. He is almost 3 years old and right now he is in the hospital. We went down to meet him this afternoon and we don't know yet when he will be discharged. Pray for this little fella and his health, loss of family, transition into our home, and for his family. We pray that God will unite this family again soon, if that be His will!

Respite...

We are keeping a 9 month little one for another foster mom until tomorrow. Precious...

Hope for the Hungry Update!

Well, yesterday was AMAZING! We loaded up and headed to the church around 9am and were joined by lots of precious Noonday folks who were going to be a part of this ministry. The truck arrived and the training began! Our folks were registering people, handing out food boxes, taking pictures, greeting, signing our guests in, and "shadowing" counselors. It was awesome to see our faith family loving others and loving each other!

It was our first day and since we didn't get our promotion sign until Monday afternoon...we only had 2 days promotion. Even with that we were able to serve around 25 families from our community AND...

10 people prayed to receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior!!

Four of those 10 people where Spanish speakers...and the Lord allowed one of our deacons from Cuba to share with those precious people and they were able to understand and accept Jesus as their Savior!!

The great thing is that all of these people are in our community and we are able to follow up with them. We can check in and make sure they understand what comes next, answer any questions, encourage them to find a faith family, and begin to disciple them. Also, we got the prayer requests, those who are not attending church anywhere...and our Lifegroups are following up with all of them!!

I already got 4 contacts for women who accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior whom I will contact personally!! It's so exciting to see lives changed...theirs and ours!

We have a wonderful prayer team that lifts us up...and we would covet your prayers also. If you know of anyone that is in need of food, love, and prayer...and JESUS...please let them know that they can stop by our church on the first Wednesday of every month and Hope for the Hungry will be there...and so will we.

Our prayer is that the BREAD OF LIFE will be glorified in every single moment of this ministry. Won't you join us in that prayer? If you have any other questions feel free to leave a comment...

There's Hope for the Hungry!

Today, our church will host our first There's Hope for the Hungry ministry!! Several months ago, a man in our church asked Jay to go with him to see this amazing ministry at a local church. Jay went and when he came home, he told me that no matter what it took or how much it cost, our family would be a part of bringing this ministry to Noonday and our community. Well, about a week or two later the entire staff went to see There's Hope for the Hungry in action and THEY felt the same way too!

Last Sunday, my husband preached an amazing sermon on Fields of the Fatherless...why we should care about the poor, the fatherless, and the lost. It was hard...but true. Then, we had the pleasure of having Michael Brown who is one of the directors of There's Hope for the Hungry come and speak to us. He showed the following video. It tells all about the ministry here in Georgia...and gives a real view of why they exist in a way much better than I could ever do justice here myself.

Please go to this link and watch the video North American Mission Board did on their ministry:

There's Hope for the Hungry Video

Here is the sermon Jay preached and the testimony by Michael Brown at that service:

Fields of the Fatherless

After our church heard the sermon, watched that video, and heard Michael Brown speak...the Holy Spirit broke loose and people were lining up to partner in any way possible to love those in our community and share the GOSPEL with them.

I have been in church most of my life...and travel to churches all over...and truthfully I have only seen the Spirit move in a handful of times the way He moved in our church that morning. People received Christ as their Savior, rededicated their lives, lined up to volunteer, gave money, prayed at the altar...it was amazingly POWERFUL. I cried and laughed so hard...all at the same time!

What encouraged me the most is that our church was responding to taking the GOSPEL to those who are hurting, hungry, fatherless, poor, widowed, and lost!! That's what opened the door and ushered in the unmistakable move of the Spirit. And...it is continuing!! This Sunday was amazing as well!!

So, today begins our partnership with There's Hope for the Hungry. I can't wait to get up there tomorrow morning and be a part of this! The exciting thing for me? I get to serve the poor and the lost alongside my husband and children...God is just SO good!!! Another amazing part of this ministry is that our church will do the follow up on the people that come. They are in our own community and since they register and we have a record of them...we get the honor of touching them, praying for them, sharing Christ with them, disciplining them, and loving them!!

 I LOVE IT!!

Compassion!!!!

I have been wanting to wait until everything was set and finished and for sure before I mentioned this on my blog. But, today my THREE boxes arrived from Compassion filled with all the resources and promotional things I will need...since I am now coming on board officially with Compassion International as one of their speaker advocates!!!

About 2-3 months ago, I was contacted by Shawna who is the Women's Speaker coordinator for Compassion International. She and I had the most amazing heart connection and we knew this was a perfect fit for our ministries. So...from there I began to learn, fill out paperwork, and most importantly pray! It has been a beautiful fit and one that God had already begun to place on my heart at the beginning of this year.

God was placing on my heart the desire to take ministry opportunities WITH me as I travel. I wanted to not only encourage women...but provide avenues for them to overflow into the lives of others. Since I had been with Compassion as a sponsor for over 6 years and sponsor 2 children with them, I am humbled and over the moon excited to take them WITH me!

I will offer Compassion packets alongside my Bible studies and we will work together to provide ways for ladies to not only seek satisfaction for their own souls...but provide that hope to another...to a child! I can't believe God's goodness in this and His amazing way of connecting people.

I didn't even know this kind of thing existed with Compassion (except for singers and artists!) and I know that only God could have made this amazing connection! That thrills my heart and gives such JOY!

So, here's just a little glimpse into my boxes today...I'm like a kid at Christmas...

My groovy shirt that I will wear at events as I share! I love the verse specifically...

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Provers 31:8-9

LOVE IT!! I'll be wearing this all the time for sure...

Can't WAIT to read this book!

My "how too" manual on working as an advocate.

You can tell they work with women speakers...there's amazing DARK chocolate:-)

There was even more...and I can't wait to dig through and look/read it all!!

Please continue to pray for this partnership! PLEASE let me know if you would like more information on sponsoring a child with Compassion. I would love to help you get started, offer you a child packet, share at your upcoming event, and encourage you to make the most awesome investment $38 will ever make.

Let's work together to help children in Jesus' Name...

Thrive sweet friends,
Frances

Our journey continues...

Last summer, Jay shared with me that he felt led by the Lord for us to become foster parents. That was a place I could never have imagined myself going. The thought of loving a child and then them leaving after months or even years...was something my heart and mind could not fathom at the time. But, Jay was insistent that we at least go to the orientation with the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).

We went and at the time I was simply following my husband and the Lord in obedience. I was still really anxious and scared. It was a road I just couldn't imagine. But, we began our 7 weeks of IMPACT training each Tuesday night for 7 weeks. Some weeks were so hard that I didn't want to go back...and yet every week we returned. It was hard to hear about what children in our own country...down the street...are going through in their homes. It broke my heart to hear the stories. And as hard as it was to hear...my heart ached at the children LIVING that reality!

We got to the end, were verbally approved and just waiting on paperwork to be cleared, when we found out about the chance to adopt from Uganda despite my "history of cancer." We still had such a heart to adopt, that we jumped at the chance to start the paperwork to adopt from Uganda. I was so happy to be going down the adoption route!

In the same month that we began adoption paperwork from Uganda, I began volunteering each week at My Sister's House in downtown Atlanta. This is a shelter and recovery home for women and children from all over the United States. I am lead their GED classes each Tuesday and I have gotten VERY close with all of my "girls." As we have been together each week for a YEAR, I have gotten to know them and their stories. Many of my sweet friends have children in foster care while they are working daily to recover from addictions and begin to live a life that glorifies the Lord. For most of them, being in this recovery home is a part of their judges "plan" to get their children back.

For months I have held women's hands as they cried over their children who are not with them due to poor decisions they have made. Yet, I also see these women week in and week out coming to classes to get "clean", get their GED, learn more about the Lord through discipleship classes, and this month...

FIVE of my girls are commencing from the program and will graduate completely in just a WEEK!!!!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!

A few months ago, Jay and I began to pray about re-entering the system as foster parents. This time...I had real situations to remember. I had real women who are working so hard to reunite their families. I have FRIENDS now that are on the other end of the situation.

And. I. Love. Them.

I want them to get their lives back in line with the Lord and GET THEIR BABIES BACK! I work weekly with them to that very end. I can now imagine loving and caring for children with mommas just like my girls...and wanting so badly for them to go back. I can SEE it now. I can IMAGINE it now. I DESIRE it.

I am no longer scared of this system. I am no longer worried about meeting a birth mom who is struggling. I hang with those ladies every. single. week. I LOVE it! I'm not fearful of loving and then having the children leave...because it is no longer about ME.

So, as you can guess, we are re-entering the foster care system. We haven't ever really been in it...we never got through the approval of our paperwork since we changed to adoption. We are working with a private agency that mediates between their 40 families and DFCS. They support us, they give respite time, they provide activities for foster families to have fun and connect. They only have a few families and they care deeply for each one. Their only job is to support us and care for us and help us in any way possible.

We are excited! For the first time I can say that and truly MEAN it! Our girls are over the moon thrilled.

We have gotten our first TWO calls this very week!

We accepted both of the placements, but due to issues in both cases, they were placed with other families. One had an older brother (which we were not eligible to care for) and they were all placed together (PRAISE THE LORD!) and the twins on Thursday were placed with a family in their county (we are in a different county...so they found a willing family in the same county. That makes things cheaper and easier.).

We know it won't be easy...no parenting is! We know it will be impossible in our own strength. We know that this is where it gets sticky, uncomfortable, and hard. But, we know that if the Lord is calling us there...HE WILL PROVIDE!

We just know that His word MANDATES that we care for the fatherless, the orphan, and the widow, the poor, the homeless, those in prison, the lost...the least of these. Because as we have cared for them, Jesus says we have cared for Him. Wow.

So, that is another reason my blogging has been a little sparse :-) I wanted to wait until we were completely through the process and had begun to get calls. It is pretty funny having to explain to an event coordinator that though I was on a panel of speakers...I had to take my phone on STAGE with me in case I got a call from Jay :-) I didn't and I know they were glad! It's a 24 hour on call kind of thing...

It's been a roller coaster week as we have learned the system a little better...but then again...we haven't gotten a placement yet! Keep us in your prayers and as my mom always say about our lives...

Stay tuned!

 

It's been a while...

Well, it has been a while and it wasn't because I have been busy, out of town, or anything like that. The Lord has been doing His work in my life and daily I have been under His moment by moment prodding in my heart. We've been walking and talking together about the last few verses of the book of John.

I hadn't planned on leaving this book so soon. It took me a year to go through Luke...and here I am at the end of John and the close of the Gospels. I've been walking with the God in flesh for over 3 years now through His Word. I don't want to leave and yet how perfectly Acts wants to welcome me. I felt this way after 5 years in the Old Testament. I was actually anxious about walking with the Man I had only been reading and looking for in the lines of prophesy and shadows and portraits. I was like a girl on her wedding day...about to take hands with her Beloved...whom she had known so deeply and yet taking his hand in a whole new way that day.

So, I have been relishing every single word of the last chapter of John. Making it last. Licking my finger to make sure I taste every last bit of goodness...before I meet my Comforter and Counselor afresh. I know it's time...but I feel like the disciples standing on the mountain as Jesus ascends...gazing up into the heavenlies not quite sure of what is to come. But, I DO know what is to come...

These past few days I have been thinking about blogs...about my blog...and blog reading. As I saw Peter and Jesus and John all together for one of their last times, while Jesus lovingly forgives and embraces Peter. Jesus begins to tell Peter the hard truth about what glorifying God would look like in Peter's life. What road he would walk, the death he would die...how he would GLORIFY God.

And without realizing it, Peter's eyes drift over to the "disciple Jesus loved." What about him? Peter wonders out loud. In the very midst of Jesus reincarnated standing before his very eyes and sharing the depths of God glorified...Peter shifts his eyes and his thoughts to John. What about HIM?

I have done that. I still do that. I see my own journey and the hard, yet wonderful, ways Jesus has allowed me to glorify God...and my eyes drift. They look across the Internet into the home of a family whose adoption seemed to work out smoothly. They see a mother whose creativity flares and her children gleam...and I wonder about HER. I know in my head all the ways God is using this long, windy, and dusty road- life of mine to work all things to good...but my heart wonders about HER. What about her?

Have you been there? Have you taken quiet moments to quickly hear beautiful, God-centered, God-glorifying language from your Savior through His Word and prayers...only to shift your gaze across cyber space to her? To the one whose family seems to ooze with perfection. To the girl who is gifted like you...yet seems to be able to do it better. To the woman whose marriage seems full of kisses, roses, notes, and hand holding...while yours struggles moment to moment just hanging on. What about her, Lord?

Perhaps your gaze is so fixed on her, that the quiet moments spent hearing the woo of your Beloved have stopped all together. Perhaps your heart is so tired of the HERS getting to recline at the table with Jesus basking in the glow of their journey...while you wonder if you ever heard Him at all. While you doubt. While you struggle. While you walk a lonely and difficult road...day, after day, after day.

Days filled with diapers, baby food, nursing sick children, working long hours, crying yourself to sleep...what about her, Lord?

I've been there...still am in some places of my journey. I have gazed far too many days at our long adoption hallway of closed doors wondering if we were just crazy...maybe deaf...maybe both? I have breathed in the glorious moments with Jesus only to flip on my computer to read of another family united. What about her, my heart asks the Lord. What about her?

I find muck and mire in the oddest of places in my heart, do you? How I can rejoice and envy all at the same time...or can I? How I can speak Truth and believe a lie all at the same time...or can I? Odd, isn't it?

These past 10 days, He and I, we've been talking about that very question. We've been walking together in the cool each morning...talking about HER...talking about ME. Talking about my heart's gaze leaving my Savior to fall on a mortal every bit as finite as myself. He's had stout words in response...just as He did to Peter.

What is that to you? YOU FOLLOW ME!

Truth that drives out the lies. Joy driving out envy. Leaving me with a satisfied soul...again.

Isn't it funny that on this Saturday I will join a few other women and sit upon a panel to speak to women's leaders throughout the state of Georgia? My question? What will we say to women when they seek to find their satisfaction somewhere other than God's Word, and find that it won't?

Yes, I am smiling at the perfect timing of my Savior. He speaks to my heart right on time. He makes sure that I remember the muck and the mire in my own heart...before I step up to say anything about theirs. He wants to remind me that I one of  "those women" who have sought after broken cistern to quench my thirsty soul. Yet, He draws my wandering eyes back to His face again...ready to speak Truth. About glorifying God in the long journey. About closed doors that are love letters from the Beloved. About loving others. About drinking deep from the Living Water.

 He wants my eyes fixed on Him, the Author and Perfector of my faith and theirs. To stop looking at her and start LOVING her. Loving her by looking deep into the eyes of my Beloved and see her reflection there instead of mine. Loving her by following Jesus every single moment of each day. By hanging on every breath escaping His lips...as it falls open in my lap each day.

I may visit here again tomorrow with the other side of this verse. More conviction was waiting...but so was restoration, forgiveness, and a journey of glorifying my Savior. Peter...we got a lot in common...praise God!

(If you would like to read a much better blog on these verses please visit this Girltalk pdf. I read this many months before I got to these verses myself...and I have been blessed again recently by studying them on my own...and alongside these godly women. Enjoy... Snare of Compare)

Back to School Update!

We began our homeschool year last Monday and we are LOVING our new year of My Father's World curriculum! We began using this last year after I had been eyeing it for over a year learning all about it. But, there's nothing like truly getting it in your hands and working with it yourself with your kids. And last year we fell. in. love with it!

So, we ordered the next year and are beginning our trek through the 4 years of history! We are doing a chronological history...which is the way it happened ;-) This year we will travel from Creation to the Greeks...and I am just thrilled with it so far! We are already learning some Greek in our book English from the Roots Up. This will help us to learn and love one of the languages of the Bible...and also learn more about our English roots as well. Our first word? Biblos...book...where we get our word Bible. I love that :-)

My Father's World is not only a history program that walks us through history from Creation until Modern Times in 4 years...but it includes our Bible, Vocabulary (English from the Roots Up), Music, Science (they use lots of Answers in Genesis material that follows the days of Creation along with Genesis for Kids), and Art History (God and the History of Art following the years we study in History and it will span the next 4 years). It's very thematic and everything focuses on the same time period we are studying. I'm a very thematic person!!!

We will be using Shurley English for this year and perhaps next year. It's going good so far...

Along with that, our girls will be taking their enrichment classes at Timothy Ministry. I can't wait to see all the fun they have learning guitar, knitting, ballet, cookie decorating, karate, and piano this year. They will also be doing Keepers again this year where they will earn badges for learning photography (taught by me!), service projects, card making, cross stitching, and cooking! We are super excited about all that too...whew.

It's surely going to be a busy year, as always, but we are also enjoying being back in our routine! My husband was about to go crazy and asked that we start school earlier this year...'cause he was just in major need of some structure :-)

So...that's what's going on around here for school this year. This will be our 5th year to homeschool and we are loving it! I count it an honor to be a mom to these amazing blessings...and the icing on the cake is I'm their teacher too :-)

I hope that your year is kicking off great whether you homeschool or attend public or private school! Enjoy every moment while it lasts...they are going by so fast these days.

That Jailhouse ROCKED!

This weekend was filled with put of town family, lots of practice for our musical, and FUN! This year we kicked off the summer with our creative arts camp that included our musical Jailhouse Rock. We have really enjoyed working with all the kids and other wonderful adult volunteers all summer...and today reminded us all that it is ALL worth it!!

This is my 5th musical to help with at Noonday...and every single time I cry through most of it...tears of absolute JOY over seeing these precious kids sing and praise the Lord with everything they have! Now, there are moments we all want to pull our hair out and finish practice totally worn out from "wrangling 35 cats with a watergun" as my husband says :-) But, there are moments that are PRECIOUS to us and to our Father. I understand more and more what Christ means when He says we must become like little children to enter Heaven...the faith of a child.

Today was amazing and those kids ROCKED! The story of the play is that no matter what we have done, where we are in our lives, and what has happened to us along the way...Jesus can SET. US. FREE! I pray that you have been set free! It talked about men of faith like Peter and Paul...along with a wonderful guest video appearance by one of my favorite women of ALL time Joni Eirikson Tada.

So, here are a few pictures and some clips of Virginia and Anli's praise to the Lord...they were precious...and hysterical! You'll see what I mean...

Another YUM money saving tip...

We have recently been using a tip that I had heard of before and yet never tried. My family LOVES homemade cookies and brownies right out of the oven. So, since we are not buying any more pre-packaged snacks and desserts in order to save to give...we wondered how we were going to get that wonderful conveinence without the price. Maybe you wondered the same thing?

Well, what we have been doing is making a full batch of cookie dough (our family is in love with oatmeal and chocolate chip!). Then instead of baking up like 100 cookies in one day, which wears me out, we have begun "flash freezing" the cookies and them storing them in the freezer in a large zip-top bag.

Here's how it works (many of you already know this wonderful tip!)...

*Make your family's favorite cookie dough (double it if you really like cookies!)
*Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil
*Scoop our your desired size of dough for each cookie (we use rounded tablespoon sized)
*Place the scoops onto the lined cookie sheet close together but not touching to get as many as possible on it
*Then just slip that cookie sheet full of raw cookies into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes until they are hardened
*Place them in a large zip-top bag and place in the freezer
*Repeat these steps until you have finished all the cookie dough

The "flash freezing" method allows those balls of dough to stay hard and not stick to each other. Then, any time you want warm, fresh, homemade cookies that are YUMMY...all you have to do is open that baggie and pop those goodies in the oven and enjoy! And truthfully, if you do a large batch you might only have to do this once a month...but with our family it's more like twice a month :-) But, that is still not a lot of time for such a yummy investment!

Easy enough? Yep! And to think that you probably have all the ingredients you need for yummy cookies in your pantry without spending almost $3 for about 12 large cookies at the grocery store! Today the girls and I (they did almost all of the recipes themselves!) made about 4-5 dozen cookie dough balls and froze them for about the price of one package of cookies at the store...and they are much better!!

So what are you waiting for...go make some of these!

***New Post Below!***

Please Pray!

Many of you have asked for my 2010-2011 speaking schedule in order to pray with and over me...and I can't thank you so very much for that! I need it so very badly as I will be traveling more often, homeschooling my girls, and heading into the new world of foster care...whew! There's more going on, but if I look at it all at one time I would go crazy :-) Thankfully, God only calls me to look at TODAY and rest in His precious strength even when I feel so very weak for the task. So, today...I'm just enjoying a day of homeschoolin' and going to church tonight.

But, the rest of the year looks like this...

August 2010

August 28th
Women’s Leadership Exchange
Georgia Baptist Convention
Janet Spear

September 2010

Sept. 10-12th
The Best Part of Wakin' Up
Ladies Retreat
Camp Pinnacle, GA

Sept. 24-25th
Haiti Women's Mission Trip
tentative dates)

October 2010

Oct. 8-9th
Satisfy Our Souls
Ladies' Retreat
Camp Pinnacle, GA

Oct. 16th
Women's Banquet
East Brainerd Baptist
Mary Beth Smith

November 2010

Nov. 5th
Ladies' Mission Event
FBC Duluth
Duluth, GA

Nov. 6th
Holiday Banquet
Mountain Baptist Church
Stone Mountain, GA

Nov. 12-13th
Ladies' Retreat
Carter Retreat Center
Williamson, GA

December 2010

Desert Flower Ministries
Women's Event
Noonday Church
Kennesaw, GA

January 2011

Jan. 17-18th
Ladies' Retreat
Camilla, GA

Jan. 27 – 29th
Georgia Baptist Minister’s Wives Retreat
Toccoa, GA

February 2011

Feb. 17th
Ladies' Mission Banquet
Savannah Association
Savannah, GA

Feb. 18-19th
Ladies' Retreat
Butler FBC

March 2011

March 11-12th
Ladies' Retreat
Ranburn Gap, GA

March 17th
Ladies' Event
Carrolton, GA

April 2011

Apr. 1-3
Ladies' Retreat
Richmond, VA

Apr. 29-May 1
Ladies' Retreat
Voorhesville, NY

May 2011

May 7th
Ladies' Banquet
Ringgold, GA

October 2011

Oct. 19 & 20th
Ladies Night Out
North Metro

I also have a few tentative summer events that I will add as soon as they are confirmed. Thanks again for praying! I will keep updating the sidebar that has my events so that you can lift them up with me :-) Love to you all dear friends...

A Precious Gift...

Yesterday we all headed over to meet and greet with Anli and Virginia's teachers at the homeschool co-op that we attend each year. They were thrilled with their new classes and their new teachers! Anli is taking guitar classes, a cookie bouquet class (gotta have that cooking class!), and Kenpo Karate.

Virginia decided to take Ballet again (7th year!), knitting, and she will be doing piano separately. We had a great time hearing all about the fun that is to come...along with seeing lots of friends...discussing classes...planning lunch schedules...and just getting all around ready for classes next week! I am so grateful that we are able to attend classes there (along with about 1,000 or more other homeschool students!!) and that the girls have found sweet friends and learned some really cool stuff I could not have offered to them.

Then...since it was Tuesday and free kids meal night at Chick-fil-a we headed over there to eat a quick meal before I headed off to the mission and then the girls got their faces painted for kids night. While we got settled to eat...Jay opened up his bag and plopped three wrapped presents on the table....all with different ribbons. One said "Franny" on the side so I knew that was mine and the girls had to guess theirs based on the ribbons.

When we opened the gift boxes up THESE were inside...

OK...we were ALL squealing in DELIGHT! He ordered these Bibles for us...and got it just right!! See, I am a little obsessed with the color red and because ladybugs are red...well they are my FAVORITE thing! And Anli loves dragonflies and it didn't hurt that this particular one was purple and blue on a green background...all three of her favorite colors!!! And our sweet Virginia is a butterfly LOVER! She also happens to love the color pink...so she was thrilled with hers.

What a WONDERFUL man we get to call Daddy and Hubby! It made our day and mine went directly into my purse (I always carry my SWORD with me...who knows when I need to fight with it!) while the girls put theirs right beside their beds and have used them already in school this morning during Bible.

Thanks Jay for such a thoughtful and precious gift to us girls. We love you more than you could imagine! You really made us each feel pretty special. We love you! You are one mighty good man...

30 Days of Prayer

Please join Christians all over the world as they pray for Musl*ms starting today during the 30 days of Ramad*n! My family signed up for these email prayer requests a few years ago that come to us every day and guide in praying for these precious people. We use it every morning in our family devotion time during these 30 days.

We want them to know the Good News of Jesus Christ while they are turning their hearts and minds towards spiritual things. Here is the link and it will give you lots of great information and a daily prayer guide.

http://www.30-days.net/

**New Post Below Too!**

Great thought for today...

I read this today on a blog I love...girltalk. I cringed at a couple of these thoughts realizing that I was G.U.I.L.T.Y of thinking some of these ways. Take a moment to read this and let's toss off that yoke of flesh and comparison and embrace the yoke of Jesus! It's easy and light...let's learn from HIM!


“Sometimes I don’t want to serve when it is something I don’t think I’m very good at” the young woman humbly confessed to me. The ugly truth behind her reluctance? Pride. This woman realized that she wants to be “the best” at whatever she puts her hand to, and if she can’t be the best, well, then she’d rather not even try.

Oh, how I can relate! I wrestle with the same temptation. But I’m grateful for my husband who has modeled humility in service for me. Whatever endeavor he undertakes, he acknowledges (to himself and others): “I know there are many people who can do this better than me.” Then he seeks to faithfully serve in whatever ways God has called him to, regardless of how gifted he feels to do it. His goal is to obey God and bless others.

Using our gifts requires humility. For as I’ve often reminded my girls (and myself!): “There’s always going to be someone better than you at what you do.” There’s always going to be the smarter kid in the class, the more outgoing friend, the more talented co-worker, the more organized homemaker, the more capable homeschool teacher, the more energetic servant, the more gifted than you at whatever you do. And you know what? These people have been strategically placed in our lives to expose our pride and help us serve with humility.

How much easier it would be to stick to arenas where we think we shine. But we should do our best even when we may not be the best. We should be willing to risk making mistakes, to allow others to see where we lack gifting and need help.

And when we humbly serve--even when we’re not the best--we’ll be pleasantly surprised at how God can use our meager gifts to encourage others and bring glory to Him!

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3

Rest...

I was on my way home from a wonderful visit with my family during the annual "Camp Sassy." Each year the girls and I head to Alabama to my parent's farm and we enjoy fun activities, surprises, lots of swimming, the best home grown veggies, amazing cooking from my parents...and wonderful memories. This year was no different and it had the added JOY of being able to horseback ride for two days straight!! I will share some videos and photos tomorrow...but there is something else I want to share now.

I had gotten everything packed up and loaded into the car (thank you Mrs. Judy for loaning us your car while ours is waiting to be fixed!!!!) and headed back home to see our Daddy. The girls were exhausted from all the fun and wanted to watch a movie and just rest for a while. As they got all settled, I decided to take this time to listen to one of my podcasts on my phone. I went to David Platt's "Abide" series on the life of a disciple. I wanted to share this with you...because I was truly challenged and infinately encouraged by this. There is a second message that goes with this one you can subscribe to in itues to get. I pray it blessed you as much as it did me. And...truthfully...I was so convicted in so many areas of my life in which I am still striving to live on my own strength.

A Tough Road Worth Taking...

I got this article from my friend Rhonda and I thought it was really good. It encouraged and challenged me in many ways as I continue to think over it...

Tough Road Worth Taking

by Jedd Medefind

Published Jul 29, 2010

Last weekend, my brother and I hiked deep into California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our mission: to re-supply my father and his two close friends who are filling a lifelong dream of hiking the John Muir Trail, 210 miles of breathtaking, rugged wilderness. Their faces glowed as they described the glories of God’s creation they’ve encountered, from Alpine meadows to granite peaks. But my father’s friend Henry, though never losing his smile, also reminded, “There’s been real pain, too.” Severe blisters, cramping legs, shoulder pain, biting hailstorms and cold to the verge of hypothermia were just a partial list. It was clear the three hikers were having the time of their lives, but pain was interwoven with the journey.

It is easy to feel it should be otherwise. Something deep inside us still recalls the world before the Fall, and joins creation in groaning at all the things that aren’t the way they should be. But this side of heaven, most anything worth doing comes with pain—care for orphans via adoption, foster care or global ministry as much as any.

Of course, keeping our roots in Scripture (from Jesus’ words about “counting the cost” to Hebrews 11:36-38) disabuses us of any fantasy that health and wealth are guaranteed compensation for faithfulness. Yet still there is a temptation to gloss over the difficult thing or just shove them under the carpet. In adoption ministry, for instance, there can be a pull toward making “ministry” mainly a “cheerleading” for Christians to adopt with little emphasis on support after the child has come home. There’s certainly a place for helping people see the beauty and purposefulness discovered in adoption and other forms of orphan care. But ultimately we need to know: there will be pain, too.

What’s tremendously heartening is that the movement of Christians committed to orphans is coming to embrace that truth. I increasingly hear church orphan ministry leaders talk about the journey—that long, often beautiful, often difficult road that comes with loving anyone for a lifetime, especially a child coming from a hard place.

My prayer is that more and more, church orphan ministry will be a place where this beauty-mixed-with-pain is shown for what it is: an inescapable reality of life in a broken world and a journey worth taking. May it be that in Church, like nowhere else, worn out foster parents, struggling adoptive families and weary orphan care workers can speak transparently about their burden. And where others can help them bear the load in discerning, well-prepared, sacrificial ways. That’s church orphan ministry—and just plain Church—at its very best.

Sassy Camp!

We are having a BLAST at Sassy Camp!

Free To Give Updates: A few months later...

Well, it has been awhile since I ended the series on being Free to Give featuring lots of fun and money saving ideas from Alysia. All this money saving was not to pad our bank accounts...but to be freed up to GIVE more...it has been exciting!

I wanted to give some updates on everything and add some new ways we have found to free up money to give more...

Updates:

*We still are munching away on popcorn, fruit, and granola as our snacks. It has saved us a fortune in boxed snacks and we have even explored new popcorn flavors too! Our staples in the pantry are salt and olive oil (my favorite!), white cheddar (girls favorite!), and ranch (Jay's favorite!). We get these sprinkle favorites at a farmer's market  from an Amish brand I can't remember right now. They are super yummy!

*Speaking of the homemade granola recipe Alysia shared, we make a batch twice a month and eat it all the time! We don't purchase cereals anymore (which saved us about $12 each month!!!)...we just use that yummy homemade granola with milk and bananas sliced on top of it. Here are other ideas for that granola we love:

*sprinkle on yogurt for a snack
*slice apples and cover them in peanut butter...then roll in granola. OH BOY it is GOOD and super healthy!
*slice bananas length-wise and cover with peanut butter and spinkle the top with granola and raisins.
*grab a bag and munch on it!!

The popcorn, granola, and fruit make up 95% of our snacks. We don't buy chips anymore either since we just grab a handful of popcorn with a sandwich.

*Rice and beans - We still eat it at least once a week! My kids beg for it and LOVE it. Our favorite by far has been the black beans, rice, tomatoes, avocados, and plain yogurt I shared a while ago. It lasts forever and is SO cheap to make! WE LOVE IT!

*Laundry detergent - LOVE IT! I still have TONS left and it has worked like a charm on everything I have washed. And since it softens the water, I have never needed any more fabric softener. Still love this detergent...and still use it every single day!

*Cleaners - I still use all of them...except the dishwasher detergent recipe. It wasn't getting my dishes clean enough and I was having to re-run the loads and that's not saving me any money or time. So, other than the dishwasher detergent recipe...I still use all the cleaner recipes that I wrote about from Alysia. That has saved me a bundle!

*I am still not using any more paper plates, plastic cups, etc. I hardly ever have to go down that aisle anymore since I reuse my zip top bags, etc. It's been great!

Since we have stopped buying cereals, chips, snacks, etc. and pre-packaged items (mostly) our last grocery bill was $35. Seriously. I bought ground beef, ORGANIC milk, eggs, OJ, yogurt, apple juice, lots of fruit (strawberries, grapes, bananas, apples), etc. I couldn't believe it! Now, the week before I think it was around $50. But...it's not more than that!

You won't even imagine how much less your grocery bill will be if you you stop buying packaged foods and simply buy ingredients. They go so much further! I am NOT a great cook...seriously. I don't love cooking. But, I have found that there are a few recipes, that only take a little while maybe twice a month to cook, that will help rid your budget of paying for packaging. It's better for you too!

New Way to Save:

OK, we bit the bullet and got rid of cable! I know...many of you have lived for years without it while many may be thinking we have lost our minds (if we ever had them to begin with!). We began to look at the shows we REALLY wanted to watch and looked to see if we could find them anywhere else for FREE.

My kids really only watched PBS. They have some really cool shows they love to watch like Fetch, the Electric Company (new jazzed up version for big kids), etc. We found that all the shows they love to watch are found for FREE on the PBS Kids website (full versions and clips). So...the kids were taken care of!

I only watched one show that I really cared about seeing...and Jay only had one or two he cared about. So, we were paying almost $60 for THREE shows???? Um...I think not! So, we decided to just do it and see what happened.

And guess what? No one cared. Like, AT ALL. No one has even noticed! Seriously, I couldn't believe it! We don't even get the basic channels...nothing...snow on the screen...nada. No one cared one bit.

We still have our TV (a really big screen one Jay's parents dontated to us) and we rent movies from the library. We have one of those duel VHS and DVD machines and so we have watched lots of old VHS goodies like the King and I, Sound of Music, Parent Trap, etc.

That was the largest single way we have saved to give. Some of my friends have suggested some free websites to watch tv shows on and I have only done that once to watch one episode. But, they are out there...just be careful...there are NO safeguards on those sites so to me they are kind of pandora's box. I don't suggest them, but I know many people use them and have no trouble.

So, that is the update! We are still reviewing everything and seeking other fun and exciting way to save in order to give. And realize, that during all this, our God supplies not only our needs but our wants as well. Truthfully, He has worked in ways that have not only allowed us to save and give more...but we haven't even really felt many of these. He has changed our hearts so that we don't even notice the changes most of the time. We have increased our giving, our saving, and we have been on vacations, planning others, bought school supplies, clothes, shoes, are taking classes at Timothy again this year, and having a BALL!

Many times we think that God wants us to be miserable...and until we are...we aren't really serving Him. What kind of Father is that? One we have made up. He is a loving Father! All GOOD AND PERFECT GIFTS come down from Him! We have EVERY SINGLE blessing in Christ Jesus! He has given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness!

These are just a few scriptures! He loves us and we can't imagine all the blessings physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially that He gives us. But, many times we have our eyes set on a worldly prize. A worldly standard. A worldly blessing. A worldly inheritance. But, when we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, we see clearly!!!

He has brought us on this journey...and changed us! We might have less, but we truly don't even think so. The math and budget tells us that we don't have much to spare...but when we look around at our lives and see how RICH we have been blessed...we serioulsy know we have BUNDLES MORE to share! When we see prayers answered, patience growing, and love abundant...we aren't missing a THING!!!!

Don't you just love Jesus?

Me too:-)

Fun in the lake!

This past weekend we had a blast at a friend's family lake house! We sure are squeezing every last bit of summer fun out these days! We begin school in a week or so and just want to enjoy these times together...

Say Yes...

*Newer post below too*

Hello again:)

Well, things have been pretty busy around here lately! I have been traveling and speaking recently at a few locations, we have been doing some paperwork, updating physicals and records, dance camp for both girls, community makeover with our church, getting together with homeschool friends, VBS  having playdates with friends and having some fun together during the last days of summer before school starts...whew!

We went tubing yesterday with some new foster friends with our agency as we chaperoned one of the 10 trips they offer to their families and had a marvelous time!!! The parents don't come on these trips...because it is a full day off for them! We wanted to help chaperone and get to know some of the kids and workers better.

Oh, those cuties were just precious and the weather was so nice! We had a blast going down the river in Helen and enjoying some fun on the waterslides as well. We hadn't done the waterslides before and it was so cute to see the kids flying down them having a great time. Even us adults took a few turns ourselves and the weather was even cooler than we expected which made the float trip very relaxing!

Our whole family went on the trip (I just LOVE my husband for taking his time off work to serve and love on kids!) and we got to load up some new friends to ride with us to Helen. We watched movies and got to know them better on the way there and back. It was neat to have a full car of precious kiddos and listen to all the laughs at the movies they watched and conversations going on! Made my heart smile:)

I can't post any photos...for security reasons...but they all were so fun and precious. Our girls made quick friendships and Anli was the always amazing helper to the little ones...especially little P-man...the youngest on the trip. She is growing up in front of our eyes into a wonderful and nurturing girl whose heart always cares and loves on others.

Virginia made a friend who is her age and they spent the afternoon floating down the river with their tubes strapped together. Poor G-man (one of the workers) brought up the rear of the group and that included those two girls. They were so busy collecting rocks, giggling, and "falling" out of their tubes. She and her friend were having a great time! Virginia is such an easy friend and goes with the flow...all the while having a great time and making us laugh. What blessings they are to us and others along the way...who are in need of love, nurturing, laughs, and friendship. Thankfully, God has filled them to overflowing and they know that those gifts are to be used to encourage others and reach out with the love of Christ to everyone they meet!
What an honor to see them serving and loving those who need it so badly...and having a BLAST doing it.

Our lives have been quite full the past few weeks with lots of prayer, changes, amazing opportunities in partnerships with DFM, potential overseass ministry trips, sharing with women's groups and teen camps, and plain old fun as a family. I just haven't had the time or felt the Spirit's leading to blog for a little while. I'm trying to just hang on to Him as our lives are constantly being refined and molded to His plans and His ways.

I'll share more along the way...but for now I just wanted to say hello again my friends! Have a great weekend and be sure to pour your life out into those who are all around you desperately needing the love of Christ to shine. Don't just keep it all to yourself...like Abraham...we are so very blessed to BE A BLESSING!!!

Who are you blessing today?

Community Makeover!!

Today and tomorrow our family along with about 18,000 other Christians will be serving our community in what is called the community makeover! Our church has been partnered with a local elementary school and we will be busy painting, planting, cleaning, and helping teachers in their rooms. We pray this will forge a relationship to last beyond the makeover! We pray te Lord brings us into contact with teachers and administrators we can work with throughout the year to reach them and the students with the love of Christ!

Pray for all of us as we love and serve this weekend! We are all SO excited and get to attend a HUGE celebration service on Sunday night with over 18,000 others and hear stories of God's greatness in our community!

Please Watch...

I will share our story on Monday...but in preparation we would love for you to watch this video. It will give you a peek inside the hearts and lives of children living in foster care. We were so grateful to hear from the older ones who now have a voice to say what others are too small to share.

Would you be willing to pray about becoming a foster parent? Would you make a call and just go to the orientation? Would you open your heart to the 800,000 children in foster care in the US right now?

If adoption seems too expensive and daunting to you at this time, would you pray about opening your heart and your home to a child right here in GREAT need? Would you consider joining God's call to the fatherless...even if for a weekend, a month, a year?

God's Word will Change Your LIFE!

Please pray with and for us today as we share
the Good News that God sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty of our sins which is death. God sent Jesus who is in His very nature God...who was the only perfect and spotless sacrifice to be offered to pay the wages of our sins. He lived a perfect life, died on the Cross in our place, was buried and rose again three days later conquering sin and death forever...for those who will love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Then, He ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of His Father! And one day He will come again to rule and reign forever and ever...creating a new heaven and a new earth!!

What GOOD NEWS we have the JOY of sharing!!! Please pray with us as each crew leader shares with the small crew of kids they have been loving and leading all week! May many be drawn today!!! I LOVE VBS!!!

Your Life Will Change!

Today at VBS we talked about God' Word is SUPRISING!! I want o share the lyrics of this song with you...it is theme song for today! I LOVE this VBS because it I ALL about God's Word in our lives every single day...I'm loving it:-)

YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE


From the page to your heart, God’s Word is where you are.
Read it now and your life will change.
It’s exciting, surprising each and every day.
Read it now and your life will change. Woh-oh-oh,
Read it now and your life will change.

From the page to your heart, God’s Word is where you are.
Read it now and your life will change.
It’s exciting, surprising each and every day.
Read it now and your life will change. Woh-oh-oh,
Read it now and your life will change.

(interlude)

God’s Word____ will surprise you.
God’s Word____ will amaze you.
God’s Word____ will surprise you.
Read it now and your life will change.
Oh, how your life will change.

“Your Life Will Change” by Jay Stocker. © 2009 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

I pray your life is changing DAILY as you read God's Word. Our verse for today is Psalm 119:18:

"Open my eyes that I might see wonderful things in Your Word."

Lord...open my eyes today!!!!!!!

VBS!!!

Today began our VBS!!! We are going to be voyaging the High Seas all week...so I won't have much time to blog:) Yo, ho, ho! Let the vast voyage begin...

The Dad Life

My husband sent this to me and I laughed out LOUD! This is made by the Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK. I have one of these amazing husbands...who LOVES living the "Dad Life." Enjoy this one...