This evening after the kids fell asleep to a movie, I went to my room and locked the door. I then, went to my closet to sort through the things I bought today. Black Friday had taken it's toll. I sat down and then got comfortable and enjoyed the silence. I reflected on our Thanksgiving Day. -I had done everything I planned. I had the privilege of having dinner at our home. It went perfect! Aaron was off, I was prepared and made the turkey ahead of time, my in-laws came over, and I even had our leisure time planned. I won the argument, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade v.s. football. We compromised because the Cowboys were playing in the afternoon and the Longhorn's even later than that. After we ate, we had an amazing time of worship with music. Aaron played the guitar while we all picked our favorite songs and hymns and sang along. JD even found songs to play his trumpet. (he has gotten quite good at playing by ear). The guys watched football and slept while Chris and I cleaned up the kitchen and my china. We spent time at my mom's house enjoying dessert.
I thought about all of that and then wondered, what am I missing? I didn't forget to pray or give thanks for our many blessings. I love the Lord with all my heart, I know he was and is the reason we can celebrate Thanksgiving. The story of Mary and Martha came to mind. -Mary and Martha welcome him into their home. Martha is busy getting the house ready, just right for Jesus. Mary was sitting at his feet listening to what he was talking about. Martha gets upset and Jesus tells her she is worried about too many things. Mary had made the right choice. - Was that it? I could have spent more time enjoying my time with the Lord that day, ALL day. It was all around me. I stayed busy to make sure it was a perfect day. I don't really think there is anything wrong with either one. I may have missed out on other blessings. Mary and Martha both loved Jesus. They just expressed it differently that day. Jesus was telling Martha she was missing out on his time with her. Balance is probably the biggest thing but there are times we should set it all down and be still.
We have lots of distractions. On any given day you could probably ask me about our schedule. Every time you will get the same answer. Busy, Aaron is a firefighter and one of the pastors at our church. I work part-time, Derek is a senior and works, JD and Georgia both have school and usually sports. We are proud active members of our church. God has blessed us dearly and I do not want to take that for granted. Everyday I need to pray for balance.
This holiday season, I choose to pay attention. Is this a time to be Martha-trying to be organized and get things done- or Mary - be still. I love a God that loved us first. And Mary and Martha loved him too. Christmas is when we are reminded of when God sent his only son Jesus. That baby grew to die on a cross for me and you. That's what I need to stop and think about. And, boy, am I thankful for that!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Haiti- Boys Orphanage
After lunch on the second day, we headed out to the orphanage. We had a few gentlemen in our group that were focusing on making improvements in the buildings. Painting, repairing the chicken coops, future expanding are several things on the list for future projects. One of our main goals is to establish a relationship/partnership with Faith Lutheran Church and the orphanage it supports. While some went to the Haiti version of home depot, some of us stayed to play!
They were all very interested in their visitors. Our translator Enock stayed with us. This little boy came up to me right away. He looked to be about 2 or 3 years old. He put his hands up to let me know he wanted to be held. He didn't anything else but to be held. He only wore boxers and they barely fit is little frame. His name was Li'Son son. While I held him, I asked the oldest who was 23 to give me a tour. After insisting he was too shy (translated through Enock) I begged him to show me around.
Each room had it's own building. The kitchen and an empty room to watch a small TV. Then, we moved to the dining room and the place where the caregiver sleeps. There were 2, if I remember correctly, toilets. They looked like cement wells with small holes to take care of business. The showers were like camping showers, mostly large and tiled in. I commented that their shower was bigger than mine! Then, they showed me the sleeping quarters. There were bunk beds that kept 3 in each bunk and 2 bunks to a room. They have an empty concrete room set aside for playing. The lot is just empty. No toys. Goats and chickens, and even a dog. The dog recently had puppies!
That's where I saw the blessing!!!! Right before my very eyes was a mosquito net!! I used one this morning in VBS not realizing that they knew what it was. They had one for each bunk that spreads over all three beds. Protecting them at night!! How amazing is that! On our last day three more boys were taken in at this orphanage. We, our congregation, donated this net to protect these boys at night. Wow, who knew that we would be able to bless on the spot like that. I saw that kind of giving first hand!!
These boys are taken in after being abandoned and mothers who cannot provide for them at all. They are fed 3 meals a day. (I mentioned be for the average Haiti-including children-eats a full meal every other day. They have cooks. They have play clothes in very poor condition but at least 1 clean outfit for church or other special occasions such as VBS. They receive a medical and dental check up every year. They do not have malaria.
They love to play. Language barriers did not really matter. Derek taught them how to play gaga ball. It's like dodge ball, sort of. Some played marbles, some played soccer, most wanted to play slaps. Boy, were that good at that!! Some hit so hard we had to back out of a game.
Eventually I had to put Li' Son Son down and we headed out. We would be seeing them again in the morning for VBS.
We closed that night with dinner and devotionals as we debriefed about what we saw. I just kept thinking mostly those boys wanted attention, someone to play with, and some just simply needed to be held. I could have carried Li' Son Son for ever.
They were all very interested in their visitors. Our translator Enock stayed with us. This little boy came up to me right away. He looked to be about 2 or 3 years old. He put his hands up to let me know he wanted to be held. He didn't anything else but to be held. He only wore boxers and they barely fit is little frame. His name was Li'Son son. While I held him, I asked the oldest who was 23 to give me a tour. After insisting he was too shy (translated through Enock) I begged him to show me around.
Each room had it's own building. The kitchen and an empty room to watch a small TV. Then, we moved to the dining room and the place where the caregiver sleeps. There were 2, if I remember correctly, toilets. They looked like cement wells with small holes to take care of business. The showers were like camping showers, mostly large and tiled in. I commented that their shower was bigger than mine! Then, they showed me the sleeping quarters. There were bunk beds that kept 3 in each bunk and 2 bunks to a room. They have an empty concrete room set aside for playing. The lot is just empty. No toys. Goats and chickens, and even a dog. The dog recently had puppies!
That's where I saw the blessing!!!! Right before my very eyes was a mosquito net!! I used one this morning in VBS not realizing that they knew what it was. They had one for each bunk that spreads over all three beds. Protecting them at night!! How amazing is that! On our last day three more boys were taken in at this orphanage. We, our congregation, donated this net to protect these boys at night. Wow, who knew that we would be able to bless on the spot like that. I saw that kind of giving first hand!!
These boys are taken in after being abandoned and mothers who cannot provide for them at all. They are fed 3 meals a day. (I mentioned be for the average Haiti-including children-eats a full meal every other day. They have cooks. They have play clothes in very poor condition but at least 1 clean outfit for church or other special occasions such as VBS. They receive a medical and dental check up every year. They do not have malaria.
They love to play. Language barriers did not really matter. Derek taught them how to play gaga ball. It's like dodge ball, sort of. Some played marbles, some played soccer, most wanted to play slaps. Boy, were that good at that!! Some hit so hard we had to back out of a game.
Eventually I had to put Li' Son Son down and we headed out. We would be seeing them again in the morning for VBS.
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| slaps |
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| gaga ball |
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| This little boy asked me to take his picture. So, he posed for it/ |
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| Gaga ball |
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| Enock verses Olivia |
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| Derek attemps to win at slaps |
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| Enock and Georgia battle it out |
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Haiti Day 2- VBS
Bonjour! Our team split into three groups, vacation bible school, working at the orphanage, and an eye glasses clinic. Our family worked with the vacation bible school. Our theme was Jesus Loves Me. Today's story would be about how important children are to Jesus and it is his desire for us to come to him and be blessed by him without fear. I was super eager to get started!!
I had seen the church online, thanks to You Tube. So, I had already planned where activity would be more or less. It was a concrete open building. No doors or windows. It was painted yellow and white but didn't have any decorations. It was just empty with pews. We brought everything for VBS except music. Boy, was I glad they led the music. We had four translators that led the music and helped to share the gospel. They made it very obvious that they were on fire for Jesus. It blessed us like crazy!! They sang the same songs we knew but in Creole. How exciting to praise the Lord together in different languages! It really is hard to express in words what it was like. Most of these kids knew who God was and were excited to celebrate. They hadn't had VBS in years. Some had never been. We sing the song, Jesus loves the little children of the world. We got to experience another part of our world first hand and the kids were very aware of it. One boy even commented, "we are black and you are white but he loves us the same." I said, "absolutely!".
We split the children in two groups. One group started with story time and the other with crafts and then we switched. We did not run on a time schedule. That does not exist with Haitians. Olivia, Cindy, Derek, Georgia, and sometimes Josh (he was split between vbs and the orphanage). JD, Grace, and I did story time. JD was our story teller, Georgia illustrated the story on posters. I was thankful that we kept the stories super simple. Telling it with a translator takes longer. Our translators shared with the joy of the Lord, literally. I am challenged to have the same joy when I am praising. These people praise without holding back. What holds me back? Forgive me, but you don't see many Lutherans praising God like that. You would think that we would be jumping up and down praising God for all his blessings of resources and the "stuff" we have. These kids have nothing. At the end of the story we opened it up for questions. When JD asked what they were afraid of, most of them said Satan. One little girl admitted she was afraid of God. Some asked questions that I called Aaron over to answer.
During crafts, the children were asked to draw pictures of what they were afraid of or something they were thankful for. We used a mosquito net as a demonstration of God's protection and desire to bless us. Little did we know, they knew exactly what a mosquito net was for. More on that later. We kept the cards for us and our congregation to pray for them.
When we were done everyone gathered on an open lot behind the church to play games. Duck Duck Goose was fun. But the big hit was balloons. We didn't even play the game we planned. They just wanted a balloon. We couldn't blow them up fast enough. While everyone played with the balloons Olivia and Georgia made lots of friends. The girls were in awe of their white skin and blond hair. They just kept petting them and holding on to them. It was very amusing.While we went back to get the snack, Lophaine and I welcomed a whole new set of kids we were not expecting. He asked me what I wanted to do. I said,"let's do it all again". So we did. :)
Once the kids received their snack they were on their way. Some went back to the orphanage and others, well, I don't know. But we all relaxed and tried to take in all that the Lord blessed us with in just a few hours. We didn't expect to be blessed so much!
I had seen the church online, thanks to You Tube. So, I had already planned where activity would be more or less. It was a concrete open building. No doors or windows. It was painted yellow and white but didn't have any decorations. It was just empty with pews. We brought everything for VBS except music. Boy, was I glad they led the music. We had four translators that led the music and helped to share the gospel. They made it very obvious that they were on fire for Jesus. It blessed us like crazy!! They sang the same songs we knew but in Creole. How exciting to praise the Lord together in different languages! It really is hard to express in words what it was like. Most of these kids knew who God was and were excited to celebrate. They hadn't had VBS in years. Some had never been. We sing the song, Jesus loves the little children of the world. We got to experience another part of our world first hand and the kids were very aware of it. One boy even commented, "we are black and you are white but he loves us the same." I said, "absolutely!".
We split the children in two groups. One group started with story time and the other with crafts and then we switched. We did not run on a time schedule. That does not exist with Haitians. Olivia, Cindy, Derek, Georgia, and sometimes Josh (he was split between vbs and the orphanage). JD, Grace, and I did story time. JD was our story teller, Georgia illustrated the story on posters. I was thankful that we kept the stories super simple. Telling it with a translator takes longer. Our translators shared with the joy of the Lord, literally. I am challenged to have the same joy when I am praising. These people praise without holding back. What holds me back? Forgive me, but you don't see many Lutherans praising God like that. You would think that we would be jumping up and down praising God for all his blessings of resources and the "stuff" we have. These kids have nothing. At the end of the story we opened it up for questions. When JD asked what they were afraid of, most of them said Satan. One little girl admitted she was afraid of God. Some asked questions that I called Aaron over to answer.
During crafts, the children were asked to draw pictures of what they were afraid of or something they were thankful for. We used a mosquito net as a demonstration of God's protection and desire to bless us. Little did we know, they knew exactly what a mosquito net was for. More on that later. We kept the cards for us and our congregation to pray for them.
When we were done everyone gathered on an open lot behind the church to play games. Duck Duck Goose was fun. But the big hit was balloons. We didn't even play the game we planned. They just wanted a balloon. We couldn't blow them up fast enough. While everyone played with the balloons Olivia and Georgia made lots of friends. The girls were in awe of their white skin and blond hair. They just kept petting them and holding on to them. It was very amusing.While we went back to get the snack, Lophaine and I welcomed a whole new set of kids we were not expecting. He asked me what I wanted to do. I said,"let's do it all again". So we did. :)
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| Let's get started! |
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| The church |
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| Story time |
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| just getting started |
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| Crafts |
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| I was impressed by how well they listened and how well they behaved! |
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| Thankful for Jesus |
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| The mosquito net we clipped the prayer cards to. |
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| Story time |
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| Praise and worship |
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| duck duck goose |
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| The girls were quite star struck by Olivia |
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| Star struck by Georgia as well |
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| Derek- some just wanted to be held |
Friday, August 10, 2012
Haiti Day 1
Greetings! After a couple of weeks I finally feel like I can somehow put into words our expirence in Haiti. As I looked at our pictures I realized there is no way I can sum it up in one post. So, I will break it up into days. Some of our supporters are in town and we have had an opprotunity to share but I know lots of you living out of town would love to see how God worked through your prayers and financial gifts. Thank you so much. This was truely a "church" event. By that I mean a the body of Christ as a whole.
So, we got up bright and early at 4:00 a.m.! We flew in to Dallas and then to Miami. When we arrived in Miami we met up with Helen and John. Helen is the mission and project coordinator. They are part of Mission Haiti. They partner with Faith Lutheran Church in Haiti. They would be our guides through the trip. They gave us helpful instructions on what to do when we arrive.
We arrived at an airport in conditions extremely different than ours. It was like a warehouse. Going through immigration and customs was pretty easy. When the bags came in I noticed a huge difference in the people. Everyone dashed and grabbed the luggage like they were diving for gold. Weird. Once we were ready with all are bags we began to head out. As soon as we stepped outside all I saw was tons of poor people mostly beggars or police. We had to say "no merci" over and over. We had helpers already paid to help us. We had police officers escort us to the guest house (3hrs away).
We met our translators that would be staying with us. Enock and Lophaine. They both are very committed Christians. Enock lost his Dad in the earthquake. Anyway, our driver for the week Noel, loaded us up and we headed out. The guest house was only 93 miles away but it took us 3 1/2 hours to get there. The roads are terrible and there were some bad cities that we literally sped through. We even got pulled over! Thank goodness we had a police officer with us! The traffic was insane. There didn't seem to be any rules but nobody had a problem. Everyone seemed to get around on buses or motorcycles. They have what is called a "tap tap". you tap when you want to get on or off.
The streets were lined with poor housing and people young and old just standing around. Trash was EVERYWHERE! They seldom have trash pick up. So, it is everywhere. The standing around and doing nothing was just something we saw over and over. I kept thinking, what are they waiting on? They literally had nothing to do. The unemployment rate is 80%! I did notice that the people that did have a legitimate job worked very hard. Others just focus on surviving. There were tent homes and homes made from concrete blocks. Usually only two rooms. Tons of homes with no electricity!! They will use oil lamps at night. Also roaming the streets were goats, chickens, and cows. The cows usually had a rope as a leash. Some goats had these wooden triangles around their necks. It was made big enough to block them from going inside the home. There were NO CATS. I will leave that to your imagination as to why... The average Haitian eats a full meal every other day. The water was very dirty. They will use this water to bathe, cook and drink. Enock told me they boil the water to clean it or some have filters. Some sold things out of there homes, children running around playing. Some had clothes on and some didn't. We even saw two young guys JD's age naked. Women were everywhere with huge bowls of all kinds of things on their heads. After about two hours Derek finally admitted to needing to use the bathroom. Our translator told our driver in Creole that we need to stop to go "wee wee". The whole van got a good laugh at that. Thankfully the toilets were standard toilets but the restrooms were not clean. Once the sun went down you could smell the campfires everywhere. They were cooking or burning trash.
We finally reached the guest house around 11:00. It was big, clean, and air-conditioned!!We were very tired and hungry. We had very dedicated kitchen ladies that served us very well. We ate pumpkin soup and had fried plantains. Our water to drink was bottled water the whole time. They used it for our cooking and it is also what we used to brush our teeth. We divided into girl/guy rooms. After a devotion and debriefing we went to bed.
So, we got up bright and early at 4:00 a.m.! We flew in to Dallas and then to Miami. When we arrived in Miami we met up with Helen and John. Helen is the mission and project coordinator. They are part of Mission Haiti. They partner with Faith Lutheran Church in Haiti. They would be our guides through the trip. They gave us helpful instructions on what to do when we arrive.
We arrived at an airport in conditions extremely different than ours. It was like a warehouse. Going through immigration and customs was pretty easy. When the bags came in I noticed a huge difference in the people. Everyone dashed and grabbed the luggage like they were diving for gold. Weird. Once we were ready with all are bags we began to head out. As soon as we stepped outside all I saw was tons of poor people mostly beggars or police. We had to say "no merci" over and over. We had helpers already paid to help us. We had police officers escort us to the guest house (3hrs away).
We met our translators that would be staying with us. Enock and Lophaine. They both are very committed Christians. Enock lost his Dad in the earthquake. Anyway, our driver for the week Noel, loaded us up and we headed out. The guest house was only 93 miles away but it took us 3 1/2 hours to get there. The roads are terrible and there were some bad cities that we literally sped through. We even got pulled over! Thank goodness we had a police officer with us! The traffic was insane. There didn't seem to be any rules but nobody had a problem. Everyone seemed to get around on buses or motorcycles. They have what is called a "tap tap". you tap when you want to get on or off.
The streets were lined with poor housing and people young and old just standing around. Trash was EVERYWHERE! They seldom have trash pick up. So, it is everywhere. The standing around and doing nothing was just something we saw over and over. I kept thinking, what are they waiting on? They literally had nothing to do. The unemployment rate is 80%! I did notice that the people that did have a legitimate job worked very hard. Others just focus on surviving. There were tent homes and homes made from concrete blocks. Usually only two rooms. Tons of homes with no electricity!! They will use oil lamps at night. Also roaming the streets were goats, chickens, and cows. The cows usually had a rope as a leash. Some goats had these wooden triangles around their necks. It was made big enough to block them from going inside the home. There were NO CATS. I will leave that to your imagination as to why... The average Haitian eats a full meal every other day. The water was very dirty. They will use this water to bathe, cook and drink. Enock told me they boil the water to clean it or some have filters. Some sold things out of there homes, children running around playing. Some had clothes on and some didn't. We even saw two young guys JD's age naked. Women were everywhere with huge bowls of all kinds of things on their heads. After about two hours Derek finally admitted to needing to use the bathroom. Our translator told our driver in Creole that we need to stop to go "wee wee". The whole van got a good laugh at that. Thankfully the toilets were standard toilets but the restrooms were not clean. Once the sun went down you could smell the campfires everywhere. They were cooking or burning trash.
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| Killing time in the airport |
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| Customs forms |
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| Helen with our police escorts |
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| Tent housing was everywhere but it was worse after the earthquake |
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| An average street outside the capital |
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| The van was a tight fit |
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| This was a very big day and she was tired! |
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| streets in Port-au-prince |
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| Trash was everywhere |
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| tap tap |
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| our van for the week |
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| A very welcomed meal |
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Exciting Update on Haiti Mission!
Greetings!
We have been praying as you have been as well! One of many prayers would be for God to show us what we would be doing in Haiti and how to accomplish this mission. Our team originally teamed up with Food for the Poor however we were unable to get a clear itinerary and felt uncertain that we should move forward with them. We want to be good stewards of the financial gifts given for this mission and good stewards of our time and talents. Through several people in the Lutheran church we have made and formed a new partnership for our team!! We are so very excited about this!!!
We now have a plan! We have members of our team that will run an eye glasses clinic to provide glasses for those in need. I can't imagine not being able to see. They have a boys home that houses boys from ages 3 to 23. They take them in, clothe them, feed them, and educate them. Our boys will help with maintenance on the buildings like painting and such. We learned they have not had a VBS program in years! We decided to put on VBS for them. I am writing the program, others are doing crafts, snack, and games. Our them is "Jesus loves me". Our object is to replace the fear they have that comes from Voodooism with the love of Christ!! God is big and powerful. I can't wait to see him work in such a powerful way! One way they worship is through a lot of music and prayer. I can't wait to see us worshiping the One True God in different languages!!
Please continue to keep our team in your prayers. God hears them and has answers for them!!
I will keep you posted.
We have been praying as you have been as well! One of many prayers would be for God to show us what we would be doing in Haiti and how to accomplish this mission. Our team originally teamed up with Food for the Poor however we were unable to get a clear itinerary and felt uncertain that we should move forward with them. We want to be good stewards of the financial gifts given for this mission and good stewards of our time and talents. Through several people in the Lutheran church we have made and formed a new partnership for our team!! We are so very excited about this!!!
We now have a plan! We have members of our team that will run an eye glasses clinic to provide glasses for those in need. I can't imagine not being able to see. They have a boys home that houses boys from ages 3 to 23. They take them in, clothe them, feed them, and educate them. Our boys will help with maintenance on the buildings like painting and such. We learned they have not had a VBS program in years! We decided to put on VBS for them. I am writing the program, others are doing crafts, snack, and games. Our them is "Jesus loves me". Our object is to replace the fear they have that comes from Voodooism with the love of Christ!! God is big and powerful. I can't wait to see him work in such a powerful way! One way they worship is through a lot of music and prayer. I can't wait to see us worshiping the One True God in different languages!!
Please continue to keep our team in your prayers. God hears them and has answers for them!!
I will keep you posted.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Saying Good-bye to 5th Grade
The beginning of this year was bittersweet. We parted ways with our homeschooling years and moved forward into private school. Boy it went by fast!! It was quite an adjustment. At home his assignments were given and he completed one before he started another. At school he had to finish it at home. Keeping up pace in a group setting is different than on his own. He was usually done with all his school work by 1:00, with some breaks. But, that was probably the biggest adjustment. The LONG day. But, he really enjoyed art, p.e everyday, and band. He managed to make all A's and B's. I thought he did great for having to make such a big adjustment. His teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez, was already a family friend. We were delighted she would be his teacher. She had her first baby this year so JD also had the blessing of Mrs. Cahill as a substitute. We are thankful for their great team work.
He did a major invention project this year, he made a hot air ballon out of Legos. He also made a video series completely made with Legos of the Holy Week. (and went to Lego Land for his birthday)
This year he participated in:
Band
Card Club
Basketball
Baseball (pictures to come after he gets his award)
Handbells
Drama Club
Several fundraising for our Mission trip with the church to Haiti!
And continues to be a book worm!!
Went on the 5th/6th grade Camp Lonestar retreat.
All of this kept him pretty busy but he had a wonderful time! Here are some pictures of this wonderful year!!
He did a major invention project this year, he made a hot air ballon out of Legos. He also made a video series completely made with Legos of the Holy Week. (and went to Lego Land for his birthday)
This year he participated in:
Band
Card Club
Basketball
Baseball (pictures to come after he gets his award)
Handbells
Drama Club
Several fundraising for our Mission trip with the church to Haiti!
And continues to be a book worm!!
Went on the 5th/6th grade Camp Lonestar retreat.
All of this kept him pretty busy but he had a wonderful time! Here are some pictures of this wonderful year!!
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| gaga ball at camp lonestar |
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| Handbells |
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| Canoes at camp lonestar |
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| golf at Incredible Pizza with Zach |
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| A hunting game with Zach |
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| Lego Land! |
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| basketball award with Coach Knowles |
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| Jammin out to Bohemian Rapsody |
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Pastor Aaron Tilt
On my last post, I stated he was certified. Today's ceremony officially ordained Aaron, Doug, and Craig. Doug is the school pastor and they called him Mr. B. One of the pastors visiting called them Pastor A, Pastor B, and Pastor C. That had not occurred to me! Too funny! I just thought I might share with you a little about our day. Some of you were toooo far away to attend. Share in our blessing here.
This morning was a normal church morning so we all headed out to Sunday school and Aaron was staying for the service. I figured God wouldn't be too upset with me if we skipped out this morning to be more prepared for the afternoon. Thank goodness all my cleaning was done ahead of time. Now I just needed to get ready to have family over for lunch and the kids to do some last minute stuff. Derek had his girlfriend Savannah there to help. He went and picked up the lunch while I made a place for it.
Once the family arrived and Aaron was able to get home, we dug in. I waited untill Aaron finished his lunch and I couldn't take it any longer!! The kids and I had a suprise for him!! We had a friend make a stole for him. This was a unique gift! We made cut outs of our hands and feet. She placed these on colored fabric to represent all four church seasons. I can't thank her enough for using her talents to make this gift. Thank you Ramona!!
After lunch and visiting with our family, it was time to head out to the church. We had plenty of seats reserved for our family. I then needed to meet up with the other wives to see what our role would be in the ceremony. I have had many people ask me, "Are you ready to be a Pastor Wife?" I even read several books. I was worried about what would be expected. Quite honestly, I have too much normal wife and mom things to do. We have great examples of pastor wives in our church already. Sharon and Ashley are wonderful Godly women!! So, I have decided it is okay to be me. To be the wife and mom I have been and continue to support his ministry. To be his helpmate in new ways that God reveals to me everyday. Whether I am a pastor wife or not.
The service started with music that was so majestic you felt like you had a glimps of heaven. God has generously blessed our church with talented musicians. You can feel the worship flowing from every organ note, trumpet sound, typhanny boom, bell rang, string instrument, flute fluted, and surrounding choir members singing. To see and hear all the Lutheran pastors in the area proceed to the front of the sanctuary singing was quite overwhelming. Soon, they were kneeling at the feet of the man who would be ordaining them. All of the pastors took turns laying their hands on them and giving enouraging words of wisdom and scripture. The Board of Elders and Deaconess presented them with a gift as well. Then they called the wives to come and place the official stoles on them. While placing the stole (very neatly I might add) the pastor tells us we may kiss our husbands if we would like. I'm sure I was red in the face. I gave him a quick peck. I'm pretty sure it landed somewhere completely unromantic, like his eye or nose. Thankfully he was facing the altar, no one saw.:) I red all over again once they were able to get up and bring us roses!! I love roses! Sweet.
What a special day. He is thankfull for all of the cards, gifts, encouragement and prayer. We enjoyed one gift of wine tonight! We are excited to see what God has planned for this journey!! Here are some pictures of the service.
This morning was a normal church morning so we all headed out to Sunday school and Aaron was staying for the service. I figured God wouldn't be too upset with me if we skipped out this morning to be more prepared for the afternoon. Thank goodness all my cleaning was done ahead of time. Now I just needed to get ready to have family over for lunch and the kids to do some last minute stuff. Derek had his girlfriend Savannah there to help. He went and picked up the lunch while I made a place for it.
Once the family arrived and Aaron was able to get home, we dug in. I waited untill Aaron finished his lunch and I couldn't take it any longer!! The kids and I had a suprise for him!! We had a friend make a stole for him. This was a unique gift! We made cut outs of our hands and feet. She placed these on colored fabric to represent all four church seasons. I can't thank her enough for using her talents to make this gift. Thank you Ramona!!
After lunch and visiting with our family, it was time to head out to the church. We had plenty of seats reserved for our family. I then needed to meet up with the other wives to see what our role would be in the ceremony. I have had many people ask me, "Are you ready to be a Pastor Wife?" I even read several books. I was worried about what would be expected. Quite honestly, I have too much normal wife and mom things to do. We have great examples of pastor wives in our church already. Sharon and Ashley are wonderful Godly women!! So, I have decided it is okay to be me. To be the wife and mom I have been and continue to support his ministry. To be his helpmate in new ways that God reveals to me everyday. Whether I am a pastor wife or not.
The service started with music that was so majestic you felt like you had a glimps of heaven. God has generously blessed our church with talented musicians. You can feel the worship flowing from every organ note, trumpet sound, typhanny boom, bell rang, string instrument, flute fluted, and surrounding choir members singing. To see and hear all the Lutheran pastors in the area proceed to the front of the sanctuary singing was quite overwhelming. Soon, they were kneeling at the feet of the man who would be ordaining them. All of the pastors took turns laying their hands on them and giving enouraging words of wisdom and scripture. The Board of Elders and Deaconess presented them with a gift as well. Then they called the wives to come and place the official stoles on them. While placing the stole (very neatly I might add) the pastor tells us we may kiss our husbands if we would like. I'm sure I was red in the face. I gave him a quick peck. I'm pretty sure it landed somewhere completely unromantic, like his eye or nose. Thankfully he was facing the altar, no one saw.:) I red all over again once they were able to get up and bring us roses!! I love roses! Sweet.
What a special day. He is thankfull for all of the cards, gifts, encouragement and prayer. We enjoyed one gift of wine tonight! We are excited to see what God has planned for this journey!! Here are some pictures of the service.
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