I can't believe it's already May! So much has happened since December. We sold our house in Madisonville...God's timing is always perfect. We sold the house to our neighbor's daughter; the neighbor is the one who had originally sold it to us. Ivan and Svetlana now had to figure out where they were going to live next. They fasted and prayed about where God would have them to go. They set the timeline for the Saturday a week and a half after our closing believing God would reveal to them what He wanted them to do. They were not going to look at any homes until that time. The Thursday before that Saturday, I decided to do the same. We had been praying all along for God's perfect timing for us and whoever else He wanted to affect with the sale of our house but decided to take that extra step. I quit looking and just prayed for those few days. Saturday came. God moved someone from out of state to call Ivan and offer him a $100,000.00 loan with no interest. Ivan and Svetlana found a foreclosure home for $99,000.00. They bought the house. We were invited to attend a house warming/blessing...such a cute place...Thank You God! We couldn't feel good about selling our home until they were taken care of so that was such a relief for us. Back to "the Saturday"... I went on HAR that morning and there was a new listing... a short sale (they are not short but that's another story!) I called our realtor and asked to see the house that morning even though Gary wasn't at home I just felt like we needed to see it then. Gary got back just in time to go see the house with me. We liked it well enough and decided to put an offer in on it. We got a call back later that day saying someone had outbid us and to give our best offer. We did but it was still not enough so we said, oh well, that's that. Later that week we got a call from our realtor...the other people had backed out and our offer was the next in line...we were back in! We waited for over two months for the bank to decide if they were going to accept, reject or negotiate our offer. We finally got a call this week saying they accepted our contract and with no negotiations! I believe God allowed us to wait for a purpose. We knew the house was on the market because of a divorce situation but we only learned the week before that the husband had left his wife and daughters to fend for themselves. She didn't even have a job at the time. Our church pitched in to buy groceries and purchase gifts cards for the family last Sunday. On Monday we finally heard from the bank...coincidence? I don't think so...God's timing is always perfect! We hope to be able to continue ministering to this family.

Let's see what's been going on since the last entry...
Well, we were able to pay for Drew's first semester of college, praise God! No loans so far. He has done very well with his classes for his first semester...I'm still waiting to see if he's going to stick with the PGM program, only time will tell. Derek had a rough start this past semester. He had mono and wisdom teeth coming in at the same time and strep throat on top of both of those! It really put him behind. He tried to stick it out but finally realized even if he did pass the classes the grade wouldn't transfer and would really hurt his GPA so if at first you don't succeed...try again next semester! Dustin has been settling into his new job and so far seems to be really enjoying it. He likes living in the Austin area and being able to take advantage of all the concerts in the area. I adore my boys! Gary and I have been adjusting to the empty nest. We've been so busy it has helped take my mind off of it (somewhat). We got to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with all the boys and both of our families which was a real blessing. We are supposed to have Christmas Eve with the boys and then we all go to Deer Park for Christmas Day. We're still waiting to see if my family will come up with a plan that will work for everybody. With Gary and I not having a place of our own (our house is occupied) we can't have it there. Robyn, Carl and Marcy will all be gone and David may have to work. I can't complain though because we have been blessed to be able to have Christmas with both families for the past 28 years, a lot of families don't have that opportunity. My best friend from high school and I have gotten to spend some time together these past couple of months and that's been great...the relationship feels just the same as it did in highschool...well with a few gray hairs and wrinkles, etc. added. I feel so blessed at this moment.

Me and My Boys

I Can't Believe it's Been a Month!

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. A lot has happened but so much of it is just the normal everyday for us. Gary and I got away for a week at a Pastor's retreat. It was at the Selah Ranch east of Dallas...it was awesome! We spent a week pretty much doing nothing. It rained all week but that didn't matter to us, we enjoyed just hanging out playing games, reading or visiting with the other couples at the retreat. The rain let up a few times during the week so Gary got to do a little fishing. We rediscovered how much we enjoy playing Rummy Cube...I can't seem to remember who won the most games. The whole week was focused on Sabbath rest which is something we have really needed to work on. There was no TV all week, we did not miss it at all. We had suggested readings from different books for morning, afternoons and evenings on Sabbath rest. They were really good and made us re-evaluate how we do or don't take time for rest. It was so good to be away for a week with no demands, nothing to do but spend time with each other. Gary turned 50 this past Wednesday....it will be my turn next year!

It's so Quiet

It finally happened... for real this time. I took Drew to Sam a little over a week ago. Gary couldn't go this time but there were some great kids there that helped us unload all of his stuff from out of the van. He has an apartment style dorm room so that means he has his own bedroom, small as it is, but clean and fairly new. I still keep waiting for him to walk through our door every day...but he doesn't. The first time it really hit me that he wouldn't be walking through our door every day was the first Saturday he was gone. The realization had barely flashed through my mind when the tears started. Things will never be the same... I'm working on that being okay. I spent the afternoon with Derek last Monday. It was just to take of some things for him but I loved every minute of getting to be with him. He is such a neat person and I pray that God will give him someone that will love and adore him the way he deserves to be loved. Dustin is settling into the Austin lifestyle. I called him the other day and he was at a cafe listening to a live band, I could hear them playing in the background. I have to constantly restrain myself from calling the boys every time I think about them. I want to know that they're physically okay, that their happy, and that they're behaving! My greatest desire for them right now is for them to be connected to a church that will be a family to them and where they can be brought closer to the Lord. "Father I know that You hold them in Your hands, please draw them close to You, watch over them, keep them safe, and send them their perfect lifemate" - amen.

Today was the day...or so we thought!

Today was the day we thought we were taking Drew, the last one out of the nest, off to school. Jenny, Drew's sweet girlfriend, was going with us. We all got up, got everything loaded in the van and then headed out. First a trip for Gary and Drew to 'Ms. Patti's' for haircuts and then on to Walmart to pick up stuff for his room. We drove on to Huntsville and arrived at his dorm only to find we had the wrong day and that he can't check in until Thursday, a slight reprieve for me! No problem, his stuff will be ready to go Thursday... Gary and I were headed to Madisonville anyway. An awesome missionary couple, Ivan and Svitlana, and their two preschoolers moved in to our house Sunday. We wanted to go check on them to make sure they had everything they needed and to answers any questions they might have about the house. Their testimony is so inspirational to me. They were deported from Uzbeckistan because of Ivan's ministry. They were given 48 hours notice before they had to leave and then were put on a plane bound for Moscow...with a two week old baby and a toddler! They stayed in Moscow for a few months and then had to leave there. After much dealing with and praying for the US embassy in Moscow, they ended up (Svitlana and the children first and then at a later time, Ivan) on a plane headed for the United States. They can't even try to go back to Uzbeckistan for a minimun of three more years...if they try they were told they would be killed. They arrived in the US with only two or three suitcases. Before they left Uzbeckistan they had to quickly sign over to friends in their church their recently purchased home and all their possesions or the government would have just taken them. Since they arrived here less than two years ago, God has done amazing things for and through them...their testimony is one of trust in and to the faithfulness of God. We feel so blessed that we can play a tiny part in their international ministry. Instead of crumbling under oppression their ministry continues on an international scale and they now also have several ministries to Russian groups here in Houston, the Woodlands and Bryan/College Station. God is so much bigger than anything our finite minds can fathom!

Empty Nest

I'm sitting here at 11:00 pm having gone to Sam Houston's website...again, looking at the total one more time for Drew's tuition before I send in that first payment. It brings tears to my eyes even writing this because it just reinforces the fact that my last precious boy is leaving home. It is so hard to let go. You spend what seems like a lifetime raising them but it also feels like it was just yesterday they were little and you thought you had all the time in the world. People tell you time and again when they are little to enjoy it because they grow up so fast and it's true. It seems like just yesterday we took Drew to school for his first day of kindergarten. Ginger & Calvin, Sandy & Keith and Gary & I all had to drop the kids off in their classroom. I remember how hard it was to leave. We stood out in the hallway afterwards and took pictures of the guys pretending to wipe our eyes. 18 years later we used that very picture in a senior graduation slide show at the church. Raising my children was my second greatest calling from God... the first was to be a minister's wife.
I remember when Dusty graduated... since he was the oldest it was another "first". It was exciting going through the process with him and the other boys were still there to distract me (although I did call Dustin a lot!). Then Derek left, sooner then what I was ready for. He got a job right out of high school in College Station so we didn't get to have a last summer together with him. And now, in just a few more weeks it will be official...my nest will be empty. I'm praying for God to show me how He wants to use me in this next phase of my life. My mom job isn't over but it is definitely changing. I pray daily for God to protect my boys, guide them, speak to them, and direct their paths toward the women that He would have them to marry...it is the greatest gift I can give them.