Precious Friends

So thankful that I've gotten to see some very dear friends in the last few weeks.  Ones that I don't see often, but am always blessed when I do!

Sarah was my roommate/colleague when I taught in Rochester, MN!  Boy do we have lots of crazy memories!  She put up with me even at my worst point in life...and for that I am very grateful!  It was fun to get to spend time with her as we cheered on our Cougar Basketball!

Mary was another friend from Rochester!  She was the secretary where I taught...she was always my sanity when my little preschoolers were making me ready to pull my hair out!  So thankful that our rooms were across the hall from each other!  Love her!!

Anna has been a precious heart friend since high school!  We have so many fun memories!  Thankful to have had her by my side when walking through some rough things throughout the last 13 years!  Anna truly challenges me in my walk with Christ and for that I am eternally grateful! Love her so very much...and her littles, too!

Michelle...ah...sweet Michelle!  Michelle has a special place in my heart for many reasons!  One...as a high-schooler most people didn't understand what it was like to be a Pastor's Kid...but Michelle did.  She understood what all came with that.  She also was the one I went to when struggling with spiritual things...and she constantly turned me back to Scripture.  Still to this day I think of her when I read lots of verses because she is the one who used them at just the right time in my life.  So thankful that although many years later we are still close and share each others joys and struggles.  Love this girl!!!

Christy ~ For the first 10 years of knowing this precious lady I knew her has Mrs. Trout...but now..."since we're both adults" I call her Christy...although it's still weird to me.  I met her when her school attended convention with us when I was in high school.  She encouraged me when I was facing health issues many years ago.  She has been a source of encouragement to me for all these years through so many different things.  I love random e-mails and our Panera dates!  God has truly blessed my life with this mentor/friend!  Truly a blessing to my life!

Candace...yet another convention friend!  Such a blessing!  We may not talk for months...but picking up is never hard.  I love our Perkins dates after Convention!  Her faithfulness to God and active spirit in her church are a huge encouragement to me.

Sarah~  Sarah has been my "little sister" for a VERY LONG TIME!  We have gone through many tough situations together and each time we encourage each other to depend on God and trust Him...even if we don't understand.  I love that we are still close no matter how long it is in between seeing each other!  She has blessed my life just by being in it!  Love her so very much!

I am one blessed girl!

Meet the Halls

Julie and Randy ~ Julie has been my "sister" ever since I can remember.  Her family would live with us when home on furlough from their mission fields.  She and her sister became like other sisters to us...something I loved!  One can never have enough sisters you know!  Julie married Randy Hall and they now have 5 beautiful children.

Ryan ~  Oh, Ryan has stolen my heart since the first day I held him...he was so tiny...and skin tinged yellow from problems...but oh man...what a doll!  Ryan now steals my heart with his sweetness...he has so much joy and love and he can talk your ear off!  Boy...I never knew so much about R2D2 in my life!

Kendra ~ Ah...cutie little blondie Kendra!  Kendra is the spunky one in the family!  I love her smile and watching her interact with the others.  She was very excited to tell me about her action figures...which I had never even heard of...

Haylee ~ Haylee's looks are carbon copy of her big sister...but her personality is totally her own!  She is little miss petite and I love her!  She was very happy to let me braid her hair and help her get all pretty for church last time I stayed there!

Sweet Taylor ~ Taylor what a doll baby!  Full of so much happiness even while going through such a big struggle in her life.  Taylor was diagnosed with Stage 3 Neuroblastoma earlier this year.  She has had more chemo, surgeries, blood tests, pokes, and scans than most people in their adult years have.  Yet, this little girl still lights up the room with her smile.  Thousands of people world wide are praying for God's hand of healing on her.  We have seen it...Taylor has come through HORRIBLE Chemo...and very risky surgeries...and truly we know that is all God!  Taylor is about to undergo Stem Cell Transplant and another round of HORRIBLE Chemo...basically it seems like they will take the life out of this little one...and then give it back...Please please please pray for God's hand of protection on her as she goes through this.

Jeremiah Trust ~ Jeremiah was born shortly after Taylor was diagnosed with her cancer.  His middle name simply shows where their family was at that time...simply trusting in God's perfect plan.  Jeremiah started out in the NICU...but was soon home with his family.  And let me tell you...he is Taylor's baby...she LOVES LOVES LOVES him!

Please pray for this family in the weeks to come!  They will be going through so many things.  Pray for Julie and Randy as they hand over their sweet Taylor once again...trusting only in the God of the Bible to pull her through what seems impossible.  Pray for Taylor's little body to be able to endure...pray for her siblings as their world is turned upside-down.  Pray for the rest of the family...that they would find joy, peace, and strength in God alone!

This family has truly been a testimony of God's grace and strength!  They have been used by God in the lives of many others.  Julie currently wears the bands of many cancer kids...each one she's been able to minister to their moms in a way that only she can because of what Tay is going through.  Julie and Randy's faith in God is amazing.  Are they scared?  Yes, they are.  Are they unsure of the future...sure...but they know and trust in the One Who holds their precious Taylor and loves her more than they do!

I love this family so very much!  As much as if we were truly family...and that's because we are!  We are God's family!  Thank you so very much on behalf of the Hall family!

Kaylee Jo

As many of you know...I love "my" kids!  And I have LOTS of kids!  This last week we added a new one to the family!
I have had the privilege to be in on all three deliveries of my twin's babies!  What a huge blessing!

Meet Kaylee Jo (Kaylyn Joella) 6lbs 14.5 oz of pure sweetness!!!

Love love love baby feet!!!

My twinkie and her little happy family!

They both just wanted to love on her!

"Oh, I just LOVE her." ~Jack

Ashley is one of our sweet friends...she shares a birthday with Kezia!

So cute!

Love my baby girl

Kaylee Jo, I love you so much!  You have blessed my life in so many ways in just a few short days!  Just gotta get you used to that camera flash...since I love pictures!  So thankful you came into this world without any struggles and as healthy as can be!  You are blessed to be born into a family who loves Jesus and we can't wait to teach you about Him and His love for you!  Jesus loves you, baby girl!

Rejoicing in heaven

I have so many things to blog about in from the last 2 weeks of being MIA in my blog world...but that will wait...maybe I'll back blog or maybe I won't...but today deserves blogging about...

As a Christian school teacher I pray daily for my students...especially for those who need salvation...

One issue that keeps creeping up in our school this year is LYING.  More than one time we've sat them all down and explained that lying is sin and that God hates lying, but over and over again it keeps happening.  Last week I was really discouraged about it...am I really gonna get through to them...one in particular...that's when it hit me(thanks to a gentle reminder from a dear friend)...how can I help her understand NOT to sin...if she isn't free from her sin and doesn't have the Holy Spirit to help her...Satan is still in control of her heart...so I started praying specifically that God would give me the opportunity to share the plan of salvation and that she would see her need.

So today...I had to deal with 2 students right away with sin issues...and today I took a different approach...the HEART...not the outward issue.

So...I prayed that God would give me wisdom and clarity and the words to say.  That I would be clear in my presentation of the Gospel and that one in particular would see her need for salvation.

On break time I sat her down and talked to her.  First we talked about sin...what is sin...who sins...etc...we looked at Romans 3:23 which states "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

We also talked about "The wages (payment) of sin is DEATH..."

Thankfully that verse doesn't stop there..."but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We talked about Jesus dying on the cross to pay HER penalty for sin.  And that he was willing to pay her "wage."

Funny part of the serious story -
     I wanted to give her the illustration for receiving a gift.  I held an item in my hand and said, "This is a gift for you.  Do you want it?"  To my shock she said, "NO!"  I said, "Why not?"  She said, "Because I already have one of those, Mrs. Gerhardt gave me one yesterday."  I just about lost it :)!  So alright...NEW illustration...how about MONEY...so I put a quarter in my hand and asked if she wanted it...she said yes...but didn't take it...so there it sat in my hand.  I said, ok...it is YOURS...but you have to take it.  So she took it.  I said, ok...now who's is it...which she responded "mine."  EXACTLY...I offered you a gift and you took it and now it's yours.  Then I explained that God's gift to her was eternal life...but she had to accept that gift...the wheels were turning...and she started crying and just looked at me...I asked her if this made sense and she said yes.  So I explained a little farther.  I asked her if she really understood and if she wanted to accept God's gift and she did!!!  

HALLELUJAH!!  Matthew 15:10 "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents."  The angels are rejoicing today in the fact that Shayla is now part of God's eternal family!!!  And I'm rejoicing, too!

So thankful that God gave me the opportunity to help win this soul for Him!!
God is good!!!

Lyv turns 2

     What amazing blessing from God above that our sweet girl was home for her 2nd birthday!  Another blessing is that I was still here with them to help celebrate!  She is doing great!  A few rough moments, but all-in-all she's doing better than expected.  Praise be to God alone for answering so many prayers for her and her family at this time.
     She is happy, healthy, and enjoying life for the most part.  She laughs, smiles, dances, sings, and jabbers all the time.  She loves her older siblings and sometimes loves on them too much :)!  She LOVES being outside. We try to speak to her in Korean just to help her transition be easier.  This is harder than we thought...we have the Korean words written out in phonetic form...but where to put the inflections is beyond us.  Sometimes Lyv just stares at us like...what are you even trying to say...at other times she nods her head indicating that she does indeed understand our very broken Hangul (Korean).  She is already picking up on English things we say all the time...so cute!  She's a little smartie!  Can't wait to see the progress she makes between now and Christmas! 
     My sister and her family are just doing great with her.  The kids are very patient and kind and LOVE her to pieces.  D and J are so kind and loving and just love her to pieces...they take each step with her with so much love.  They comfort her sadness, encourage her happiness, and love on her so much!  She is one blessed little girl to be placed in this family.  God's sovereign plan is indeed amazing! 

     Here are a few pics from her birthday fun!  She's amazing!!!  Thank you, to her birthmother for giving her the gift of life...to her foster moms for giving her the gift of love...and to her new mommy (and daddy) for giving her the gift of love and a forever family...and to God for planning this perfect plan for Lyv's life and for giving her to us!!  We love her sooo much!

This one isn't from the birthday, but it's a favorite from today...so I had to post it!

 

First 24+ hours

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...so you're gonna get a few of my favorites from the last 24+ hours with our sweet girl!  She is grieving some, but she is doing great.  She loves the big kids...and shadows Noah everywhere!  It's very cute!  Thankful for this new blessing to our family!  To God Be The Glory!