Happy First Birthday!

One Year ago today...Tyler Edward made it safely into the big world a happy , healthy little boy! Been thinking today on those months I carried him facing uncertain and , truthfully, scary moments. Getting through 7 months of a grim prognosis, the daily threat on his little life that my body placed on him, the weekly 8 hour treatments to give him a fighting chance, the moments of panic, the testing...all a testimony to the Bigness of my God and his provision and love and grace and strength! Those days are a fading memory as they have been replaced with daily life with my kiddos. But as Jack is my reminder of God's foreknowledge and his inclination towards performing miracles...Tyler will always be a reminder of how much God cares for me and how even in dark, troubled times he's behind the scenes working things out. Looking back at where I was a year ago today I can see some of what God wanted to accomplish through my situation. I was able to share HIS grace and what HE had done for me with countless doctors and nurses and people in waiting rooms and maybe God has used those times to touch someone's life for the better...I like to think so. See, God can use the good, but when things are good we don't see things clearly. God does his best work in the dark times...when all self reliance is stripped away and aside from God there seems to be no hope, nothing to look toward. It's been my experience that those times are the closest I have been to God. So Happy Birthday to Tyler and lots of thanks and praise to God for what he did for me and my family during that rough time.

We're Workin' On a Building...

The last 6 months or so has seen a real test of faith to my church family. I'll take a moment to say that the there are a couple of things that make a good church. 1:Solid biblical preachin' by a man of God who lives out what he believes delivered to a group of believers that , though not perfect, desire to serve the Lord even through the times they fall flat on their faces and blow it. Just clinging to the hope they have no matter what. I think it helps to have a congregation where everyone loves one another like family. I am blessed to be apart of just such a church.

But we have been a church family without a permanent home, as of now having church services at my father-in-laws's house who is also the pastor of our tiny congregation. We lost our old church building a while back and we just decided we wanted to stay together no matter what. And it's been difficult at times and we've all suffered from discouragement, but we've kept on praying and we have stuck by one another, assured that God is going to do great things.

But several weeks ago, a man gave us land and building materials and his expertise and we are into building mode. Labor Day the church got together and worked on the church. It was a great day, though the sun was beatin' down all day and it was hot. The ladies cooked breakfast and dinner for the crew and sat around and "supervised". Even the kids got in on the action. We've got some great young people , I must say. They impress me, they really do. But here's some pictures of the day. I was so excited to see the walls go up and couldn't help but just look up and Thank God for his goodness to us.

Wall #1...YAY!!!!!!!!!

Jack doin Man Stuff....

Wall #2...

By the time we left they had almost all the exterior and interior walls up! They worked like dogs...

If you've been considering dropping a ton of money on a swingset...just don't. Get you a big ole pile of dirt...kept the kids busy for hours.

Have a Blessed Day!

I Love a Good Ole Fashioned Dunkin' !

Sunday proved to be a beautiful day for a river baptism. I had been looking forward to the Sunday all week, the Lord was just so good to me! So after morning service and lunch, we joined our church family and a crowd of others down to Wolf River in Pall Mall. I love the Grist Mill area there and the water wasn't as cold as the dunkees were expecting. I remember my own baptism there almost 7 years ago. I was 8 months pregnant with Lillie Anna and I remember gettin down in that cold water and she seized up in my belly. I have a picture from that day and Lillie always asks who was in my belly when I got dunked. We had 5 get baptized, one being my lovely sister-in-law and three of the best young ladies I know. So here's the pics, excuse the horrid quality...my old camera doesn't zoom well and I couldn't get any closer or I'd been in the water...not something I want to do again.

Some Before Shots...
Here They GO!
One....
Two...
Three... Next....

And the littlest dunkee of the day...

Waterlogged... My father-in-law was telling us that night at service that a couple from Ohio commented that they really enjoyed watching the baptism...said that where they were from they had outlawed river baptism...what a shame. Other than seeing someone get saved it's one of the biggest blessings to be a part of.

Have a blessed day!