Changing Places

It's been a whirlwind year so far!

The Daddy and the young'uns (plus 2 extra) in SC

Here's the highlights.
(Cute kids at the bottom)

Gene - Last summer and into the fall I was praying specifically that Gene would feel like a good provider.
God answered.
He now has a better paying job within the same company.
He got paid to go to school to become a truck driver and is now doing on the job training. He has no real schedule and we know that the next 6-18 months are going to be crazy and hard as we adjust to this new normal. But so far (one month in), he's been home every night.

Because it's the same company he keeps all the benefits and vacation time and seniority - all the good stuff. He's just is low man on the totem pole with the other drivers.


We did go into this job for the money - we are very adamant in everything that "it's not about the money."  But we do like to eat and live in doors and have modern conveniences like hot running water and electric light bulbs that actually come on. So, this was totally for the Benjamin's, Baby.

However, this new job is not ministry friendly. My new prayer for him is that he will know how God would use him in this job for God's glory OR that something miraculous would happen and we again get to minister together. We really love that.

The Lake Hartwell Community Bible Study
Servants Team - 2014-2016
I LOVE these ladies!

Erin - Two years ago I had just come home from Community Bible Study (CBS) training in
Colorado. God had called me to serve as Associate Teaching Director. He confirmed the call with His Word as I prayed. He answered me through a verse where I was already reading. No searching for hidden meaning. Just got there and "heard" Him. As if He whispered, "THAT VERSE! That's your answer!"

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

I Thessalonians 5:24

I've clung to that verse. Any good done through me was just and act of God.
I thought I would be serving in this roll for a long time. But after serving two years, it is customary to pray about your role again. And pray I did. It took some time to "hear" His answer. But again, He answered right where I was. 

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 16:6

How was THAT an answer?!?!
Funny you should ask. I knew my answer when I read the verse. But I fought with God. Like a little child, I rolled my eyes and stomped my feet. "But Lord, I love teaching. I love these ladies. I ... I... I ..." And my long-suffering Heavenly Father, kept talking to me about my beautiful inheritance. All over the Bible, He kept pointing out verses about my inheritance. 

The Mama and the young'uns at UGA

Saying to my heart, "Read to the children."
In context those verses are talking about Heaven. Home of my citizenship. That place I know I'll go to. But my heart was talking about those young people I wanna take with me. 
So, I realized my calling is His business. And when I said, "Okay, Lord. No 'buts'." What a relief!
What peace! 
After Nine and a half years, God has called us out of CBS.
It's bitter sweet. 

The vision statement of Community Bible Study is: Transforming Lives Through the Word of God.
If that statement could be boiled down to one word and found in the dictionary, my picture would be beside it. Transformed.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, through the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God.

Me and my friends Ann and Omar the Camel
at UGA

 And we know that for those who love God 

all things work together for good, 

for those who are called according to his purpose. 

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined 

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

And those whom he predestined he also called, 

and those whom he called he also justified, 

and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 8:28-30

Would we recommend joining CBS or getting a job at AutoZone to others? Absolutely YES!

But change is hard. How much harder it would be if we didn't know Jesus?
Faithful. Trustworthy. Redeemer. Friend. 
We know our lines have fallen in pleasant places. We know THE MAN (from Galilee) with the Plan. 

And we know that He is able to make us stand.
Here we stand.

Picnicking at the Park

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors 

through him who loved us. 

For I am sure that neither death nor life, 

nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, 

nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-39

In Other News

Ava's 17th Birthday

Ava @ junior pictures

Ava just turned 17, she's now a licensed driver and has been all the way to the local grocery store. She is finishing up her Junior year of high school at home.

Autumn got a hair cut (from Ava - and they are old enough to

know better but it turned out great). She would love to dye it green.

Elijah's voice is deeper. We never realized how "boy changes" would be really weird to us grown-ups.

Alex is about to be 14. He is still standing by the fence at the hormone pool. We expect him to dive in head first any minute.

Lora just turned 11. Unbelievable! She is a struggling craft-er and already needs more fabric.

Jorja and Jacob are struggling with major meltdowns today. They are currently trying to "cow-boy up" by sleeping it off. For a few minutes everyone was playing so nicely and I said out loud that the littles could stay up a little longer. And that's when the LAST meltdown happened.

Josiah turned 6 last month. He got a bike at a thrift sale one evening and got up the next morning and learned to ride it. He discovered this evening that his biggest problem was his mother. 

Golden Zoie and the black wiggles

Also, we have puppies.

Our Zoie the Golden Retriever married Vald the German Shepherd and had four little black Golden Shepherds 
(thankfully that's a thing, a "Hybrid dog," and we don't have to call them German Retrievers - that sounds terrible).

Smallish coop (aka the nursery) inside the big coop
Built by Elijah, Alex & Autumn
with The Mama's Supervision

And, we have chicks. Bringing our chicken total from 5 to 14.

So, that's the long and the short of it. 
(It's okay to notice that the part about me is the longest).