Baker's Grocery

We get our kids involved in the ministry plans because it will hold us accountable.  Remember that we have been trying to pray for the people we meet in the stores.  Can I tell you this is still a work in progress for me?  UGH!  There are just times I pretend to forget, all the while knowing that I should ask.  And, it hasn't totally disappointed me that I've been cooped up in the house for almost three weeks so I haven't been to any stores.  My girls will eventually remember our prayer plan and I'll have some lame excuse; "Oh, we should have asked before we walked away!" or "Don't interrupt Mom while I am talking to the clerk."  Fully knowing they are trying to remind me to ask them about prayer. 

But thank you Lord for your grace and for Pastor Theimer's comment a long while back.  Baby steps!  If we keep doing something that is uncomfortable now, it will eventually become comfortable.  We might even forget that at one point we struggled with the idea. 

So, while giving my lame excuse at McDonald's, where we enjoyed a cone, I prayed for boldness as we turned up the street to Baker's grocery.  I determined I was going to ask and I all but blurted it out!

Me: "We pray for those we meet in the store, is there anything you want us to pray about?" 
Clerk: "Yes!  My boyfriend was just sent to prison on Monday."
Me: "How are you doing with that?"
Clerk: "I tear up a lot!"
Me: "It just so happens that my pastor was in prison."
Clerk: "Really?  Where is your church?"
Me: "30th & Lake"
Clerk: "I live right near there!"
Me: "You should come!"
Clerk: "What time is the service?"
Me: "10:00 a.m.!"
Clerk: "Thank you SO much!"

So by now we are more than done and bag gathered we say we'll pray.  Ecstatically we bop to the car and share the interaction with the family.  We all pray and then write her a note that Jon and two of the girls carry back to her. 

Bridge Church

30th & Lake

10:00 a.m.

Pastor Myron Pierce

(200 year prison sentence)

Pastor Josh Dotzler

Please come!

Jenn (and I include phone number)

Take a moment and pray that she will come. 

I know God will meet her there and begin to heal her heart. 

 Our God is so very faithful!

I Saw Him Do It!

A bright, red sparkly bag with white tissue paper was waiting on the trash can.  Attached was a note that read, "WARNING!  Yummy treats hidden inside.  Enjoy!  Have a blessed day!"  Jon had gotten it outside nice and early for us.  We peered outside the window at the sound of those familiar brakes and saw the entire scene.  The truck pulled up and the man on the back jumped off as usual but he stopped and picked up the bag as if it were a bomb.  He turned it around and then read the note, running the bag to the front cabin.  After emptying the trash he did something we've NEVER had happen before.  He OH, SO KINDLY brought our can up to the garage and ran off. 

See that?  The ripple effect!  Love can bring a domino effect of more love out-poured. 

We are already planning a strategy for next week but have a BIG BREAKFAST TO-GO box planned for a few weeks out.  AND we have to get to know their names! 

SO FUN! 

Lord, prepare their hearts even now for you.  May your Holy Spirit be tilling the soil that they will be open and receptive to that seed of faith in You Jesus! 

Reaching Out

OK!  After several weeks of trying to keep up with life and the tasks at hand we feel we are ready to turn the corner and dig in.  We are ready to be used and poured out.  We can't wait actually, feel like a bird in a bird cage ready to be let loose.  I feel God has been speaking to us about praying into areas where we can serve right where we are; no longer waiting.  I am hearing His voice about this in every area I turn. 

Please share your cool ideas of how you minister to others, with your family, right where you are.  I would love to hear them and be challenged in new ways and ideas!

I'll share that we have enjoyed loving on our mail carrier.  Mr. Craig will usually find a treat and a note in the mailbox 1-2 times a week.  We even went so far as to make up a questionnaire for him to find out his favs; favorite treat, favorite drink in the cold, favorite drink in the heat, when his birthday is so we could extra splurge on him.  AND you know what?   He said, "I've never seen a nicer family!"  Now, I don't say that to brag on us a bit, I almost want to leave that out BUT we must know it because that is the point.  If we love the way Christ asks us to it will not look normal, it will look radically different and people will notice.  They will feel a love that they rarely, if ever see.  SO, let's love away people! 

We are getting up early tomorrow at this house because it is trash, recycling and lawn waste pick-up.  That is THREE sets of people coming right to our driveway and we are going to be waiting for them!  How often do they get loved on???  Come on now, let's make it a point to have a treat waiting for them too! 

Share away!  I (and I'm sure others) will enjoy your great ideas! 

We're Back!

After ten days of battle-of-the-lice, I believe we have won!  After the daily, tedious search the results are in... ZERO... nothing was found!  So, we will continue to pick and look and do diligence but for this we give thanks!

We had blessings from this adventure.  Laughter even amidst the daily drain of laundry, vacuuming and picking.  Don't get me wrong, there were hard moments and Wednesday was a particularly hard day of exhaustion and discouragement.  Yet, God gave us sweet bonding, rolls of laughter at the dinner table, songs that we'll remember and sing for joy...

The girls came up with this rendition.  On the night we were treating everyone for the second time, the girls came to me donning shower caps, bouncing to this tune...

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
LICE! (whispered)
You give and take away
LICE! (whispered)
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name'

Mimi thinks she is so funny!

Soaking up the solution!

Shower cap beauties... lovely! 

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

You have journeyed with us while we have experienced things that make us soar; children serving others, worship of our Lord Jesus Christ, families being knit together, one less orphan in the world, homecomings.

You have journeyed with us while we have experienced things that make us cry; poverty, hopelessness, waiting children, fatherlessness, hearts that are not united with Christ.

Now, against my worldly desire to do so, I share with you a path that we are traveling that I feel is pretty ugly right now; being in the thick of it. 


On Wednesday afternoon we found that we have lice.  SO bad that it is a bit embarrassing that I missed it until now.  Punya's head was so full that I could randomly pull my fingers through a section of her hair and adult lice would fall to the sink.  Amazingly, only Jon and Ella escaped the critters but we treated all of us none-the-less.  That night we were up past 2:00 a.m. just working through hair.  It is something that I'd rather not share to the world but I do so for several reasons.

Mainly I share because I know that there are some of you out there that will in fact flood heaven's gates for us and pray that it would be halted and contained quickly.  Pray that we would treat this and find that we are not being re infested.  Please pray that with us!  I was already going to bed quite early with exhaustion and then this... 

I also share this because when we went on this journey we planned to be honest and upfront, not trying to hide certain parts but sharing openly what God is doing; because we know in all things HE is to be praised.

Lastly, I share because even in the midst of storms and "terrible" moments HE is there, walking beside us and wanting us to cling to Him.  WE do have the God-given freedom of choice; we are not puppets.  I can choose to walk through this journey and be angry and bitter OR I can see His blessings in the midst of the storm; blessings like...

* my dear neighbor who came over to confirm, what I already suspected was brewing...
* a special friend who texted JUST after we found out, dropped everything and brought us products from the store
* three friends offering to nit-pick with me through layers and layers of hair...
* friends still bringing meals so that we can focus on laundering, vacuuming and bagging...
* a husband who does research to the 10th degree for us...
* same husband who elaborately shares exactly what and how much pesticides we just lathered all of us in, that will go straight to our bloodstream (OK so not the best blessing but I am smiling now at the thought of it)...
* a friend dropping by treats especially for Mom; so I can cope  :)
* the same friend bringing new shows so the girls would be mesmerized; to pick some more...
* laughing even through this trail; the girls keep things lite for me, one of them proudly saying, "I don't have nits, I just had the bugs!" 
* both of our parents being willing to come and help if needed...
* new family phrases; "Buggy, Buggy!" whenever a new nit is found; yes day three and still finding way too many in Punya's hair...
* nearly falling asleep in my personal "salon" chair as Jon combed through my hair (it was relaxing if I forgot why he was pampering me)...

So even in this, I am staying focused on the Lord and His out-pouring which means taking every thought captive as there are times (like after only 4 hours of sleep) when I need to choose to love because I'm not feeling very loving.