January 2, 2006

Happy New Year! Can you believe another year has passed? To me, it is almost inconceivable that we are beginning another year. Time has come and gone so quickly, I wonder how I got all the laundry done, let alone the really important things!

We are currently in Atlanta (we leave for California tomorrow morning) enjoying Uncle Guy and Aunt Jeanne Hufman. My folks came with us to Atlanta and will go home to Michigan tomorrow. Uncle Guy is my mom’s older brother, so my parents wanted to get in on a little family time for the holiday.

We sang at a New Year’s Eve Watchnight service at Norcross United Methodist Church and prayed in the New Year. It was a great service and we so enjoyed worshipping and thanking the Lord for His faithfulness during 2005. Crawling into bed at 2:00 AM, we could not believe it when the alarm went off at 7:00 AM. I kept thinking, “You have got to be kidding!” But, we made it back to the church and participated in their 10:00 AM service. The Pastor preached a wonderful sermon on “New Beginnings” and I was so thankful to start the year with this challenge.

Already missing our home church family, we were warmly welcomed at Norcross and made to feel apart of them. This is what the body of Christ is all about.

This has been the most wonderful time with my Aunt and Uncle. I keep thinking that as we age, we value family ties with a deeper understanding of where we have come from. Uncle Guy and Aunt Jeanne have always been apart of our lives, but we have not been able to spend a lot of quality time just getting to know them over the years. Now, with the type of ministry God has us in, He has blessed us abundantly with getting to know my side of the family so much better. My family is spread far across the United States and it has been thrilling to spend time with many loved ones. Uncle Guy and Aunt Jeanne have showered us with good old-fashioned southern hospitality so much that I think we will go through withdrawal when we leave!

Not to mention the time we have been able to spend discussing what God has done and is doing in all of our lives. My cousin Sherre and her husband, Davis, had us over yesterday and we got to talk about how good God is. It made me worship deep inside my soul…just hearing the testimonies of my family. To see the love my Uncle has for my mom, his sister, after all the years of change, growth, laughter, pain, success, disappointment…so many evidences of God’s goodness…it is a thrill to experience the love. I pray that we can look back on our lives and cherish the years together.

Please pray for us as we travel to San Diego. We should get there by Friday if all goes well. We have had several problems with the motor home, including the fridge dying a painful death. It is about $1200.00 to $1600.00 for a new one. I am not worried a bit…God has come through so many times. Please pray for all of the needs associated with this trip, but more importantly, pray that God does something in the hearts of people that will last eternally.

Thank you! We love you!

January 9, 2006

We made it to sunny San Diego and had a great trip! Thank you for praying for us and lifting us up to the Father.

Yesterday we sang at Cornerstone Community Church in Lemon Grove, CA. We have been there before and just love these people. Pastor Mark and Anne Stapleton are just fantastic and they have a 9-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy, Meagan and Camden. The kids love playing together and even spent the night with them on Saturday. We took our niece, Amber, with us to Lemon Grove on Saturday and she was a huge blessing.

Sunday’s concert went really well and the comments were quite encouraging as people told us how they were challenged and reminded of God’s love for them. We are constantly asking the Lord to do work that will “effect eternity” instead of some nice music that lasts for a moment. Please join us in this prayer, as God listens to the righteous.

Please pray that the Lord will give us a fresh vision for the coming year in song and testimony and that we will resist the temptation to relax in the pursuit of His holiness. He is doing wonderful things and we want to be a part of it.

Happy New Year!

January 16, 2006

This weekend was really busy and bountiful. The opportunity for ministry was a blessing and the Lord opened up wonderful moments of worship and testimony for us. We traveled to Port Heuneme (why-knee-me), near Oxnard, California right on the ocean. We walked to the beach and played in the sand, all bundled up…it is chilly here. But, I am not complaining one bit…it’s not that chilly!

Both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning we sang at Worldwide Church of God churches, which are extremely loving and responsive. During the week we parked in an Assembly of God church parking lot and sang at that church on Sunday night. All three concerts went really well and we met precious people at all of them. Don and Anne Cline, a couple who we met last summer while leading worship at the youth camp in Big Bear Lake, organized the concerts for us. We were blessed by spending time with them and they even treated us to an authentic Mexican meal. It will be great to see them again this summer during SEP youth camp.

Kennedie and Kadison are doing really well and learning to rollerblade with their new blades that they got for Christmas. School is going great and KC is learning to read quite quickly. Kennedie is trying to focus on consistency as fourth grade is proving to be a bit more challenging than third. All in all, they are excelling and getting along just fine.

January 25, 2006

We just returned from the Pasadena area and New Hope Christian Fellowship. We got there Friday and spent a wonderful weekend with Pastor Dennis and Lorraine Pelley. They lead this Worldwide Church of God and serve with such humility and graciousness that just being with them makes you want to MOVE IN WITH THEM! So we did. We were given the run of their home…what servants and hospitable friends. There is an art to having company, and they have mastered it. Never did we feel in the way (even though they surrendered their king size bed and bath), even with the kids! They just set out the food and let us lounge and relax. It was wonderful, like a cold drink in the desert!

Sunday morning’s concert was a fantastic time of worship (although I forgot to dismiss the kids to junior church) stemming from the hearts of these people. They love to worship, love to be encouraged and love to fellowship. After church, a potluck went late into the afternoon and the encouragement we received was priceless. One lady who home schools her five children, spent about 15 minutes telling me how God has led and sustained her, and how she prays for wisdom regarding each child and their education. She just really depends on the Lord. I want to be like that and she challenged me more in those 15 minutes than I have been challenged in a while. I came away with a passion to pray for wisdom and for the kids in more specific ways.

From there we went back to the Pelley’s (after a brief stop at a Creative Memories party…my first experience in scrap booking. That is all I will say for now, except if you want the real story, email Pastor Dennis and he will thoroughly enjoy tattling on me.) for “Family Popcorn Night” which is a 55 year tradition between Dennis and Lorraine. Their daughters came over with their grandkids (adorable) and we had some of the best popcorn ever (special ordered from Pennsylvania). A special visit from the Santa Ana winds (upwards to 75 MPH) on Sunday night and Monday kept us at the Pelley’s home, for which we were so grateful. We just HAD to stay! So, we went to see the movie “Glory Road” and ate at Jake’s Burgers. We loved the fellowship and were so taken care of. We keep thanking the Lord for how he provides us not only with the finances we need, but also with the people we need to invest in us. All we can say is that God is ever faithful and His plan for us has been quite the adventure. Have a great week and keep believing in His ever-lasting love for you.