God, I Look to You

When the battle rages... we MUST remember the truth! 

Our God Reigns!!!

What ever battle you are in the midst of... adoption, interceding on behalf of a prodigal child, a difficult marriage or financial struggles...

Look to God... not your circumstances.  Our God Reigns!

God I look to You

I won't be overwhelmed

Give me vision to see things like You do

God I look to You

You're where my help comes from

Give me wisdom, You know just what to do

I will love You Lord my strength

And I will love you Lord my shield

And I will love You Lord my rock

Forever all my days I will love you God

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Forever all my days Hallelujah

Adoption FINAL!

OH! happy day!

 Sharon is officially ours!

We thank God for His faithfulness!

He ALONE made this day possible...

and He ALONE is worthy of praise!

Thankful

So MUCH to be thankful for!

A husband that loves to create yumminess...

children that come home for the holidays... 

sisters bonding...

laughter that brings tears...

 cousins that are friends...

the peace that surpasses understanding

and joy that comes from the Lord...

grandbabies...

and a house FULL of family! 

and the list just goes on, and on, and on, and on, and...

I hope you had a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Every day is a day to be thankful...

count your blessings!

Step of Faith

Have you noticed how God calls us to do things without giving us the whole picture?

And have you noticed how He doesn't wait until WE think we are ready before He calls us to go?

Hence, "walk by faith, not by sight".

The thing about faith is that you don't have to have all the pieces put together before you move.  When you have faith, you begin a journey without knowing exactly where you will end up.

Like Abraham for instance.

"The LORD had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.'" Gen 12:1

Did you catch that?

Go to the land that I WILL show you.

It takes faith to GO without knowing exactly WHERE you are going.

When God called us to start The Suubi Project in Ug*nda, He didn't give us the whole picture.  And I definitely did NOT (do not) feel equipped to do what He has asked of me!

The Suubi journey has felt like a scene right out of an Indiana Jones movie.  You know the one... where Indiana has to take the first step BEFORE the stone bridge appears!  The step of faith!

Every step of this journey has felt like that!  Do the first thing... then the next... then the next... and so on.

I have yet to feel "ready" for what God is doing through this project.  I feel inadequate most days to do this job. 

I am so very thankful for His promise of "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

When it comes to overseeing an orphanage, finding sponsors for school fees, providing for a church, figuring out ways to minister to a village, putting a website together, doing interviews to hopefully gain more interest in what God is doing... wow!  He could have picked someone with a LOT MORE knowledge and ability than I possess!

But OH! how thankful I am that He has let me be a part of all that HE is doing through Suubi!  It's so exciting to be in the middle of it!

I encourage you... if you feel God is calling you to do something AND it lines up with Scripture... like care for orphans, adopt a child, take care of a widow, give to the poor, start a ministry...... I encourage you to take the first step.

Be faithful in the first step.  He will show you where to go next.

He will provide what you need and He will direct your path.  He will close doors... and He will open them.

He is indeed FAITHFUL!

Next month the Living Magazine of the DFW Area is publishing an article on The Suubi Project.  Needless to say, we are a little excited about it!

So... ready or not... God is moving!

My prayer is... that what ever He asks of me and you, we will be faithful to walk in faith one step at a time, doing all that He directs us to do.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.' Isaiah 30:21

What is He asking you to step out in faith and do?

Happy Birthday, Juliet!

Our sweet girl celebrates another birthday!

What a difference a year makes!

Her confidence has grown...

She has made new friends...

bonded to her siblings in a deeper way...

and blossomed into a lovely young lady!

Happy Birthday, precious daughter!

We are so blessed that God brought you into our family!

Life and Death

Today we celebrate the life of our precious Katherine.

She is our beautiful daughter that has brought joy into our home
since the day she was born.

All her life she has been a happy girl.

Katherine has loved Jesus since she was very young.

Now as a young woman, she has dedicated her life to following Him
in passionate pursuit of what ever He wants her to do
and where ever He wants her to go.

Yes.  is her answer to His call.

We are so very proud of her.


One year ago, today is also the day that my stepDad died.

A loss that is still difficult to believe.

His death left me with the sad realization
that I hadn't said all the things I wanted to say...

and I wonder if he knew just how much he meant to me.

The heart break of losing him was magnified
by watching my mother grieve the loss of her husband...
her very best friend.

My heart aches for her still.


On this day that is so very special...

and so very sad...

I will celebrate life.

Because after death...

there is new life for those that know and love Jesus.

My Dad loved Jesus.

So LIFE everlasting is his.

I wish my precious, beautiful Katherine a very happy Birthday!

and my Dad... I hold on to the hope that promises
I will see him again someday.

Pray for Ruby Grace

There's a precious, tiny, girl named Ruby Grace

 who needs our prayers.

Go HERE to read her story...

and pray.

Are You Available?

I am learning that when it comes to God's calling...

I just need to be available.

He can work through 'available' people.

When He wants to achieve His purpose through you...

when He calls you to be His hands and feet...

be available.

When we are willing to do what EVER He asks of us,

when we are available for Him to use...

instead of being too busy with life and wrapped up in our own plans...

when we say "Here I am, Lord! Send me!"

He WILL use us.

I am amazed that God has allowed our family to be a part of what He is doing in Ug*nda.

I am humbled by all that He is accomplishing through us.

It is a beautiful thing to be in the middle of what God is doing.

Check out what He's doing HERE.

Sunset at Suubi

If you want to be a part of something amazing...

be avaliable.

Wedding Day!

In a beautiful ceremony

inside a quaint little chapel

nestled in the hills of Kentucky...

our oldest son stood before God,

said his vows

 and became husband.

There was such joy in witnessing

the happiness and love he and his bride share!

We are so happy to have Lauren join our family!

It was so wonderful to have ALL 10 (now 11!)

 of our children in the same place!

Brandon is missing from this photo because

he was busy taking wedding portraits. 

Much more important at the moment!

As Brandon and Lauren said their vows,

it made me smile at the thought of

Gary and I over 20 years ago

making that same commitment.

I am so blessed to be married

 to this wonderful man.

We've come a long way, Baby!



Congratulations to Brandon and Lauren!

May God bless your marriage

and keep you always friends...

may He fill your home with love

and laughter...

and may His good purpose

for your life together

bring Him glory...

And may you visit your family in Texas often!!!

SUUBI

The JOY of the Lord fills this place!

Visit The Suubi Project blog...

and rejoice with us

at the GREAT things God has done!

He is SO good!

One Year Ago

It is hard to believe it has been one year

since Juliet and Kenneth came home!

It some ways it doesn't seem like it could be that long ago...

but in most ways it feels like they have been with us forever!

They fit so perfectly into our family!

(So HAPPY that Sharon is finally home too!)

ONLY God can do that!

Praise His glorious name!

Ireland

To celebrate Kat's 18th birthday AND high school graduation...

I took my beautiful girl on a trip to BEAUTIFUL Ireland!

First stop... The Cliffs of Moher.

The cliffs declare the beauty and majesty of the Lord!

The first place we stayed was Delphi Lodge.

Delphi is a quaint fishing lodge,

but non-fisherman find it just as appealing.

By far, one of our favorite places...

and if I ever have the opportunity to visit Ireland again...

I will definitely be returning to Delphi Lodge!

There are beautiful ruins all over the country side...

With SO MUCH incredible history.

  We visited Blarney Castle...

and the Rock of Cashel and cemetery.

The Rock of Cashel was the place where St. Patrick introduced

Christianity to Ireland.  It is an incredible story!

Mount Juliet was another LOVELY estate home that we stayed in...

with incredible countryside...

and roads that required long, quiet strolls.

Moving on... we visited the Powerscourt Gardens.

They were the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen.

and Powerscourt Waterfall was incredible too.

Then there was the quaint little village of Kenmare...

where the streets are lined with shops and restaurants

 all inviting you to come in and stay awhile.

Kat and I stopped in O'Donnabhain's for some delicious fish and chips

and live Irish music.  It was so very Ireland!

From there we went to Ashford Castle.

It was a grand place and holds some dear memories...

We went horseback riding...

walked around the gorgeous grounds taking pictures... and

A favorite memory is the Scottish/English couple we met

 who adopted a precious little girl from Ghana.

Love that!

The landscape in Ireland is breath taking...

with street scenes right out of the movies.

It's a lovely place...

just lovely.

This trip was such a precious time for me and my girl.

We traveled all the way around this beautiful country...

taking pictures... and enjoying every moment.

We met some amazing people that we will never forget...

and made memories that will keep us laughing for years!

It was truly...  lovely.

I'm BACK!

Are you still there?!!  It's been awhile since I've checked in! 

Since I arrived home JUST four weeks ago, life has been CRAZY busy!  But... AMAZING!

I hit the ground running when I got back and Sharon has had to run right along with me!  She has handled everything beautifully!  Even though sometimes I catch her staring at me like a deer in headlights!

The day after I got home, Kat and her friend, Emma, had a garage sale to raise money for mission trips...

Followed by our annual dance recital dress rehearsal (on Monday) and performance (on Tuesday)...

Then we had piano recital on Thursday... 

Our school's annual "Classics Festival" on Saturday...

followed that night by a friend's graduation!  That was week ONE!

My second week home...

I spent the first couple of days running around like a mad women getting everything needed for Kat's graduation ceremony...

Thank you, Minda, for the amazing Cake Pops!

On Wednesday, my precious Mom came into town...

Then the last day of school and "Moving Up Ceremony" was on Thursday...

followed by Graduation on Friday...

Oh. My. Goodness!

But... as crazy busy as it has been... I am so HAPPY and BLESSED to be home!

I am learning to be in the moment... to not take where I am right this minute for granted.  I'm learning to enjoy this moment and not rush ahead to the next one before it's time.  I am also learning that life isn't an emergency... it's a journey.  And to be completely in the moment is the best way to enjoy the journey.

I hope that in the midst of the craziness of life... you will be able to enjoy and appreciate...

right. where. you. are. this. moment.