Snap Shots of our Life

Hello everyone it sure has been a long time since I have written anything on here! I do not have much time but want to make a short update...During the past (almost) year my husband stopped building sheds since the company he was working for began to short us large amounts on his paychecks. We started a company as a family hauling all over the US and added many new States to our "been there" list. Lately the Lord has led us to do more local hauls as Grace is growing quickly and it is very hard for her to take long trips now that she is mobile. Though in the past few weeks people have been calling us from all over wanting things hauled and we end up making more than when we were looking for things to ship! We have taken note of the fact that this has happened only after we each (separately) "let go" of our ideas of what God wanted us to do and just let the Lord show us day by day what to do next. We are overcome with the peace He has given us now! No longer are we saying "we need to pay these bills so we have to look for shipments that will meet our needs". We just say "what should we do Lord?" and everything is met without all the worry and stress! I am so thankful that He is so patient and has brought us to this point. Thank you Lord Jesus!!! Our God is faithful and delights to care for His sheep.
 We are much closer to moving our mobile home to our property! I can hardly wait for that! and..... We are expecting a new little one the beginning of October!!!! We are so excited and praising our Lord Jesus for His great blessings on us! I love being a Mommy...no I said that wrong... I LOVE being a Mommy!! There are so many challenges and we are learning so much as Grace grows and learns, I wish I had time to share what the Lord has been teaching us. Our lives seen to be a whirlwind of activity and I am so grateful to our Lord for the quite times He gives us to seek Him. I could not survive otherwise, He is everything we need and indeed everything we have. Praise Him!!!

I must go now but here are some pictures recapping the year:

A visit to Wisconsin in October! We were able to share the gospel at the Bayfield Apple Fest

Grace's first time at Lake Superior

Enjoying time together! :)

Grace and Nana!

Playing with Grandpa!

With Daddy on the skid loader :)

October 26th Grace is 7 months old!

While visiting with family in Colorado Springs, CO in December, they took us to see "The Garden of the Gods" It has a strange name but what a wonderful place to see the beautiful creation of our God!

Patrick and I at the "Balanced Rock"!

Grace on the military tank :)

This tank is the reason we were out West. We hauled it from Ohio to Idaho. It was quite the adventure!

Patrick and Grace in Yellowstone National Park!

We did not realize that they close Yellowstone to "tired" vehicles in the winter until we got there and did not get to see much before a park ranger told us we had to leave. It was beautiful though!

On our way back home we stopped to visit my family again! :) Here is Uncle Michael playing the piano with Grace :)

Lifting a skid loader out of our truck in Indiana

Skipping ahead a few months...March 10th 2012... Grace in Birmingham, AL enjoying the warm sunshine

We hauled this load of flooring down there

Not so sure about being bare foot on the ground :)

The warm weather spoiled us, it was so beautiful!

Patrick and Grace :)

Back home again, Grace is showing off her teeth :)

She absolutely loves to read!

Grace's Birthday! March 26, 2012  It is so hard to believe she is one year old! Can you tell she is enjoying her balloon?! :)

Best of all Grandpa and Nana were able to make it down for her big day! Thank you Lord Jesus!

Grandpa points our something of interest

:)

Too much fun!

Grace was eating it up!

Ready for work around the house :)

Reading with Daddy :)

We love you so much!!!

So hard to say goodbye

Here we are hiking at Mohican Sate Park April 1st

At the Dam

That is all for now I hope to update more often... May our dear Lord Jesus be glorified in all that we do and say! Praise Him forever!

Bayfield Apple Festival

Friday and Saturday were amazing days for us!

My Mom, my brother Michael and a brother in the Lord Josh and I, went to the Bayfield Apple Festival in Bayfield Wisconsin to hold gospel signs and give the gospel.

This event is huge, with around 60,000 people attending. There are many many booths and tents set up with people selling their wares, mostly hand crafted items and tons of food. All crammed into a couple of city blocks, so the crowds are incredible.

On Friday we were not sure how we would be welcomed by the many police which patrolled the area, so we began on a sidewalk with one sign and handed out gospel tracts.

Even though many officers walked past us, they never said a word, so we went to a more prominent sidewalk. Then we moved into the middle of the street among all the people and again, not a word. So...we brought out another of the signs and began walking around on the streets through the crowds, handing out gospel tracts and giving the gospel to anyone who asked.

A couple from a Church with heretical teachings talked to my Mom for close to an hour. They objected to the sign that includes the words "stop sinning." They believe that once you are saved, you can continue living a lifestyle of sin. They teach that you do not have to repent, you can even become an atheist after you are "saved" and still go to heaven! Oh yes, it is good to stop sinning, but you don't have to and some people just can't stop sinning. We finally came to the conclusion that they deny the power of God. There are so many scriptures that point to the power of God to change a life completely around.

Here are a few:

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24)

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:9-10) and all of Col. 3

A couple of young ladies said that they had never read anything like what was on our signs, they were very excited to be given pocket New Testaments.

Michael confronted a man at an Obama booth and was able to give him the gospel.

Saturday, Michael was not able to come but my Mom and I went with Josh again and this time we brought three signs. The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder and we walked among the crowds with the gospel signs just above their heads. People would crane their necks to read the signs and many young people shouted out what they read with a question in their voice, "Fear God(?)" and "Everything you ever Did, Said, Thought will be judged(?)" "what I think will be judged?"

Of course there were many sneers and jeers and many laughed, but the name of Jesus Christ was proclaimed on the streets and we pray that God will use the seeds planted in people's hearts to turn them to Himself.

One lady asked us for a tract because for the last five days she had been trying to find out who Jesus is! She listened as my Mom gave her the gospel and said she would continue to read the Bible.

At one point a small crowd gathered around us to listen in as we gave the gospel to a few. One lady asked me "How do you get saved?" Wow, what a sobering question! I told her to cry out to God for mercy and explained what Jesus did on the cross. She listened and had questions asking, (as she held a can of beer and a cigarette), "Is drinking and smoking sin?" She had never read the Bible and was very sincere in her questions, Praise God! By His grace I was able to answer her from the Bible. God knows what He will do with that seed planted, I pray that it will bring forth fruit.

Several professing to be Christians, told us that they felt our signs were turning people away from the Bible. We explained that Jesus, Paul, Peter and others preached out on the streets.

An example is found here:

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. (Acts 17:16-17)

These truly were full days and we praise God for the opportunities and for all the people that read the signs, may He use it for His glory.

Sunday night we went to a pro-life event were Michael played the piano and a friend of his played the violin. They did very well. Then we listened to the guest speaker Star Parker who had a very good message.

It has been a busy, but good weekend.