Never To Young To Begin Learning

I took these pictures while Qavah, Annelise, and Nehemiah were sharpening their computer skills. While they are learning how to use modern technology, I am most blessed by knowing that these children are beginning to hide God's Word in their hearts at such a young age. All three of them enjoy Christian music and hearing Bible stories. Annelise can already recite small passages from the Bible and Qavah has acknowledged her need for a Savior. It's a serious, but joyful responsibility to teach the next generation about loving the Lord with all of their, "heart, soul, strength, and mind." (Matthew 22:37)

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6

A Good Week

Even though the season is now officially Fall, it doesn't feel like it today. The temperatures are in the upper eighties with plenty of sunshine and clear skies. I don't mind this weather one bit. Winter may be "just around the corner," but I'm already planning a trip to Florida when the weather turns cold and snowy here.

I am doing well health wise. Most of my mouth sores have healed. In addition to keeping my mouth extra clean, I've also been eating one spoonful of yogurt a day. I do have a doctor's appointment on Monday for labs. The hematologist wants to check my liver levels to see if they're in the "normal" range.

Tuesday night after dinner, we visited with Coin, Jennifer, and the children. Actually, it was Jennifer's birthday so we celebrated by bringing pumpkin pudding cake and presents to their home. Below are a few candid pictures.

Happy Birthday, Jennifer:

Jennifer preparing to blow out her Birthday candle:

Annelise will be three in November. I tried to get a nice picture of her, but she was having too much fun playing. Annelise has a plastic star in her mouth:

Nehemiah is fifteen months old:

Eva is almost two months old:

Jennifer decorated these pumpkins with special glitter paint. She got the idea from a Martha Stewart Living catalog:

I just like how this picture turned out with the candles shining:

Praying Like A Child

The last two evenings, I've babysat Qavah for a short time while Mom and Dad attended small group and Bible study. The days have been busy, so Qavah has been ready for sleep at an earlier hour. I've enjoyed the bedtime "routine," especially the part here we recount her day and pray together. If Qavah has any sense of doubt or worry about God (which I don't think does exist), I have not detected it when she prays. Qavah speaks to the Lord with such sincerity and trust that I end up leaving her room with a quieted, yet joyful spirit. Qavah may only be six years old, but she is teaching me about the Lord through her childlike faith.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt. 18:1-6)

Looking Up (Physically and Spiritually)

It has been a rough few days, but I'm praying and hoping that things continue to progress in a good direction. I still have some intense abdominal pain, but I do feel better then Friday when I went to the emergency room. Tonight, I did some more "investigating" via the internet. I visited several websites where people can write their experiences of different medical issues and remedies. Thrush is very common for those who use inhalers on a regular basis. I now remember my Aunt Judy mentioning this early last month when she visited our home, but unfortunately, her advice to rinse out my mouth after using an inhaler did not "stick". I also plan to cut back on my sugar intake. This is going to be a bit hard to do as I'm discovering how many things contain sugar. However, at least right now, the discomfort I've experienced over the weekend has been incentive enough to change my eating habits. Please pray that I'll continue to desire and find foods - especially snacks - that are better for my body.

Today, in the midst of my physical pain, I was strengthened spiritually (even though I wasn't able to attend church). I was also reminded of the importance of living my life in a way that would make others desire to seek and follow Christ. We had a visitor for lunch who used to work at the same company as Colin does, but is now in the process of returning to his home country of India. He is also a Christian and shared with our family his testimony. It was encouraging to hear of how he came to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior; it brought tears to my eyes. I'm always in awe of the length God will go to draw someone to Himself.

This young man is thankful to be reunited with his earthly family, but even more eager to share the Gospel message with fellow Indians. It was a privilege to pray for this Brother in Christ before he left our home, but I was even more blessed when he prayed for our family. Isn't that the way God works? We are told to give and be servants to others, but are often more blessed and energized than the receiver. Lord, as this next week begins, may we "look up" to You in total reliance. Thank you for the promise that You can be our strength and song for the days to come. Amen.

The Most Unique Birthday Gift

Thank you for the Birthday cards, presents, and prayers. One thing about having a birthday near a holiday is that the celebration stretches out over several days. Since the postal service doesn't deliver mail on Labor Day, I sometimes receive cards a day or two after Monday's holiday. Almost always, Dad doesn't have to go "into work" at his job. This year, Paul Burton and I also had off.

I spent my Birthday at home with my family. That is one of my most favorite things in all of the world. When I was little, I would often ask if the activity (such as meal time) would be done "as a family." It was very important to me that every member of our family joined in, so it was only fitting that this year's birthday was spent "as a family". We worked and laughed together during the afternoon. Then the evening was spent celebrating at Dairy Queen and watching a movie from Netflix.

I'll also remember this September fourth because of the uniqueness of the day's activities. I don't imagine many people would consider pulling staples out of the plywood floor or putting away fine dinnerware as fun ways to celebrate someone's life. However, I had the best day doing just that! Back in early August, Mom and I dreamed of redecorating the dining room by repainting the walls, but we wanted to wait until the weather was cooler and less humid. So, after reading the weather forecast and looking at the family calendar late last week, we decided that this holiday weekend was the perfect time to turn our dreams into reality. What a birthday gift it turned out to be, too!

We changed the walls from a dark blue to a light green, replaced the lighting, installed new flooring that is healthier than carpet, and rearranged the furniture. By late Saturday afternoon, Mom and I were ready to return all of the dishes to their proper place. We finally finished all of our work just in time to have our family meal in that room. This entire weekend-long redecorating process created some interesting Birthday memories, but now I'm looking forward to entertaining guests in the "new" and very clean dining room. May all those who join us around the table sense the Lord's joy and peace. You are certainly welcome to visit!

Before (Thanksgiving 2006):



After (I'll get some better pictures soon):

Family Celebration

Last Sunday, we celebrated my upcoming birthday since Colin and Jennifer will be traveling on Friday. It was a beautiful, Sabbath day! We had a colorful salad with grilled chicken and potatoes. Yummy! My dessert was scrumptious, too. I ate blueberry cake with vanilla ice cream, blueberry syrup, and of course fresh blueberries! It was a perfect end-of-the-summer celebratory dessert. Below are a few pictures from the evening.

We lit this candle two more times after I made my wish so that Qavah and Annelise could have a turn blowing it out!

Since most of the adults and Qavah were drinking cups of coffee, Annelise wanted to have her own cup of coffee. So after getting "permission" from Annelise's mommy and daddy, some milk and a small amount of coffee was poured into a miniature teacup. The way Annelise stirred and drank out of her teacup, you wold have thought that she was an experienced, lifelong coffee drinker! It was so precious to watch her!

Nehemiah is now fourteen months old. He is beginning to walk when holding onto furniture or other objects.


I got to hold Eva for a little bit; she actually fell asleep in my arms. That was a birthday surprise from the Lord and a wonderful way to end a joyful evening!