M.I.A. Come find me!

Hey Friends,

Please go here for a fun poem on being M.I.A. these days and some recent pics of the kiddos.  

Trusting there is Joy in your Journey:-)

He is always and ever faithful even when we are faithless...Hallelujah, What A Savior!

As of Late

Lately, I’ve been realizing how little I truly love.  (doing Loving Well by Beth Moore with my wonderful small group from church.  suffices to stay started with a bit of pride, asked Him to show me my heart…and He very much did.)

Lately, I’ve been seeking to love better by receiving His love and not settling for ‘no’ as it regards if I will love another.  I must love…and not in indifference or numbness but in thought, word and deed.

Lately, I haven’t been enjoying my kids as I know is the life-giving path I need.  I’m praying to BE HERE. PRESENT. AND LOVE THEM BY SIMPLY BEING WITH THEM.

Lately, I’ve been learning about homeschooling through the homeschool pre-school my friend, Anita, and I have been doing.

Lately, I’ve been saved by beauty, in particular sunsets and glorious moons, but I’m praying it grows to seeing the beauty in the four walls where I live.

Lately, I’ve started writing a Twin Book with my…TWIN!  Very early and we may poke at it for years, but we’ve started and were raised, ‘you start something. you finish it!’  It will be a wonderful keeper of us as we move to being an ocean apart.

Lately, I’ve had the chance to bless my best friend and neighbor, Anita.  She has blessed me immeasurably since I moved to Florida…become family.  Been everything a friend (or sister) could be…I was able to nominate her and she won ‘Woman of the Week’ for our Christian radio station!  (funny aside, they announced it this morning, but played the pre-recorded message of another winner! oops! first time it’s happened.  They recorded me yesterday morning and I knew they’d have to edit, but joked, ‘it really was bad! they had to use someone else’s!’…they’ll run it next week, Thursday morning at 7:20am)

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed with our overseas transition.

Lately, I’ve wondered if I should just let go of ‘order’ in this year of transition…

Lately, I’ve been so encouraged to walk more intimately with my husband as he’s joined the blogging world He’s my hero and I cannot wait to follow as he shares more intentionally the conversations he has with others about the Gospel.

Lately, I’ve been stressed about money/finances and been breathing in and out and feeding on Philippians 4:4-8 in particular.

Lately, I’ve been so blessed by these free sermons of Tim Keller’s that are all from the Story of the Prodigal Son and go with his book, ‘The Prodigal God’.

Lately, I’ve been seeing how inconveniences are preparing me for when I will not have some of things I have here…over there…in Eastern Europe.

Lately, I’ve been wondering what life will look like this same time next year.  Colder (for sure)…and so much more…different.

Lately, I’ve been carrying a beloved couple in my heart (our hearts) and tears have been close and praying Romans 8:26-39 for them as times are uncertain and the extent of cancer unknown…

Lately, I’ve wondered almost constantly if I’m a good mom.  I always feel like I’m falling short and this certainly doesn’t get me anywhere better.  The Gospel is hard to receive when you realize your failures are affecting little impressionable people.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about my Dad and have written several posts that include something about him, like how he has prayed with a Papa heart for me (and my husband, kids, siblings, spouses, and kids and many more) every day since either of us can remember

Lately, I’ve been wondering about my two blogs.  The one is my ‘family and ministry blog’, though very much just the family side and I’ve been posting less and missing more of bringing our friends and family far away into the life we live where we are. That’s because I noticed that a fire was so lost inside of me I was forgetting who I was in the doing and then watching (i.e. tv, movies, to ‘relax’ etc.) because I was tired and all of these thoughts of something more were there, I just didn’t do something about it until I started my ‘writing blog’.  But, lately, I’ve been longing to bring the two together. somehow.  Or at least feel like the friends and family I’ve lived near and we’ve shared life that are my reason for keeping up the family blog can share life as my new and dear bloggy friends do even though we’ve never met.  And, vice versa.  I want my blog friends to share more of my family’s life.

So, lately, I decided to make this my first post that I am posting exactly the same in both of my blogs.  Family and friends, I would love if we connected not only here, but there.  And blog/writing friends, I would love if we shared more of the daily stuff that I post here (with some of you, we do!)  And maybe someday I’ll figure out a way to have it all come together in one place. 

What have you been up to lately?

So thankful to find out about this monthly link up, ‘As of Late’, hosted by Christy at CrittyJoy, through my blog friends Natalie and Jen.

Join us?

My grandmother featured online for Mother's Day

Look here to see an article with a simple Q&A and some of the most seasoned and experienced "words of wisdom" for any mom/grandma...given by none other than my (famous) grandmother!

Love you dearest Mor Mor...you will always be an inspiration and I cannot believe that we have all been blessed to have you so long...

God is so good to us!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you precious mothers reading!

Story of Faith...how Nadia was rescued...

...such clear, amazing, depiction of who God is and how He leads us in all things as we trust Him:)

James King, Nadia's Rescuer Talks to Media

Nadia Bloom Found!

This has been an incredible morning for us down here as they found this girl, Nadia Bloom, deep in the woods sitting on a dry spot on a log in the midst of a swamp.
Here's the full story.

Nadia went missing on Friday afternoon and disappeared into the woods behind her gated community. They have been doing an all-out search for her in the thick woods and so many feared the worst.

Then, this morning, Tuesday morning--so after Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights being spent all alone in the woods with the likes of alligators and wild boars, she was found in waist deep water, alive and well! They had been combing the woods since her disappearance with no success.

At dawn, a man from her (current) church, had been praying to the Lord for Nadia and believed He would show him where she was and he went this morning seemingly taking each step with the Lord's guidance and was led STRAIGHT TO HER!

This family, the Bloom's, used to be a part of "the Harbour" the church that we go to currently--a few years ago. Several people from our church know her personally.

Very bright and mildly autistic (I've read she has "Asperger's"), Nadia, it is believed began this trek into the woods after reading an American Girl book about a girl (Tania--I think) who goes exploring for an adventure in the woods.

This story has now gone to national news and in all of the reports by the media--it is such a vivid miracle to everyone that she would be found alive and safe! All have been saying that everyone involved has relied on the power of prayer and their faith and belief that the Lord would keep her safe and bring her home to her family!

Truly, this has been a marvelous testimony to the existence of God for all to see!

We are so thankful and overjoyed for the Bloom family and Praise God for how He's brought glory to Himself in this!

Praise You Lord...as they JUST said on the TV "nothing short of a miracle!" and "definition of prayers answered!" and it goes on and on...
(a little less than 90 hours...unbelievable!)