They are in Jamaica!

Doug and Hannah and the missions team left yesterday morning for Jamaica and arrived safely yesterday afternoon. They are staying at the church in Jamaica in a poverty stricken area and they are locked in the gates when the come in and locked out as they go out. The women are staying in a room about 20 x 25 and there are 20 women in that room....close fellowship! lol! They visited the outreach center yesterday and did some magic tricks for the kids and gathered in a pretty good crowd and invited them to VBS which will be started tomorrow. Please pray for their continued safety and that lives will be changed for eternity! If I hear anymore I'll post it. If not, I'll post more after their return with some pictures. Pastor Paul had spoke with the head of the missions team and relayed the info. to me.

8th Grade Graduation

I can't believe it!!!.....I have to daughters in High School! How did that happen? ...Where did the time go?? A Senior and a Freshman....Wowsers! The 8th grade awards ceremony was sweet. So many people were recognized including Hannah who won 4 awards. At the end they showed a powerpoint presentation of all the kids....over 300 of them, caught in their everyday settings with friends and set it to music. It was so sweet and in a way sad. I couldn't help but think that some of the relationships they have formed and developed here will remain but some in high school will take different routes and those relationships will dissolve. It was a sweet morning though, and here are some pics for you to look at.

8th Grade Graduation!

Braces Are Off.....................waaaahoooooooooo!

Here are some pics of Hannah without her braces. Lauren's mom was gracious and let me check out Lauren to go with us....she was there for support the day Hannah got them on....and there to celebrate the day she got them off!

Girls, Girls, Girls......

They are absolutely WONDERFUL! I highly recommend having one! lol! These girls are so sweet and so much fun to be around. Hearing them laugh makes you laugh even if you don't know what they are laughing about! They had the best time this afternoon running and jumping in that pool! I'm so glad I have had the honor to be a part of their lives.

Ordered ahead of time.....

Our pastor started preaching a new series yesterday morning on Elijah. I can already tell it is going to be wonderful! He talked about Elijah being a man who knew God intimately and focused on his personal relationship. A man with the power of God on his life. He was also a man who knew God in the valley because he experienced those low times, times of discouragement and confusion. The passage yesterday was taken from I Kings 17:1-9. This is where Elijah predicts the drought to come and is instructed by God to go to the wilderness. As Paul was reading the scripture verse 4 jumped out at me in a way it never has before. It reads as follows "And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there." Did you catch the tense in that verse? God wasn't waiting on Elijah to get to the wilderness to provide a brook and to then give direction to the ravens........He had already prepared it. Don't you know that there are times in your life where God has provided through people, or miraculous circumstances and He didn't wait until last minute....he already had it taken care of before you ever got to that place. The God of the universe, God of creation had already spoken to those birds and told them that at a certain time and place they would take food to the man of God! WOW! God already has a blessing prepared for every trial you go through, it is up to your response whether or not you receive it! What if Elijah had refused to obey? What if he had hid in a cave instead of going to the wilderness? He wouldn't have ever tasted the cool pure water of the brook or heard the calming sound it made as it trickled by. He would have never experienced the miracle of those birds being God's tool in provision to bring him meat and bread. I think God was so specific with those birds that they knew ahead of time who would carry the meat and who would carry the bread! Hallelujah....What a GOD WE SERVE!!!

What does that mean for you child of God?.......He's preparing your path.....he knows the plans he has for you....Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that....so trust Him.....be obedient and experience His provision!! He loves you.