Marilyn's Moments

I'm So Bad At This!

2011-10-08T09:24:00.004-05:00

I've decided that I have to be the world's worst "blogger"! I can't even claim "blogger ignorance", I know that I'm supposed to update on a regular basis. I just never get around to it for some reason. I'd like to say that I'll do better, but I doubt that's going to happen. Guess I won't be winning the "Blogger of the Year" award. I was so looking forward to all the fame and fortune that comes with that honor. The talk show circuit, the magazine articles, speaking for all the college commencements, etc. Oh well, something to strive for next year!

Things here in Ireland are going very well! The church continues to grow and God continues to give us new outreach opportunities. We had a great Kids Holiday Bible Club this past summer. The kids absolutely love coming to this each year. Kids will even stop us in town and ask if we're going to be having it again. It's a lot of work, but when you see the excitement on those little faces you know it's worth every minute of planning.

Our family is doing well also. Our grandson will be a year old on October 29th. It doesn't seem possible that it's been a year already. Just thinking about him and his adorable smile warms my heart. I love being a "Nana". Our youngest daughter, Tiffani, is a Junior at Liberty University. She is studying Child Psychology and doing very well. Our middle daughter, Tara, also the mother of our grandson, is finishing up her Nursing Degree and working full time. Needless to say, she has her hands full! Our oldest daughter, Trisha, works at a bank part time and is also very active in our home church. God has blessed us with an amazing family!

I think this brings us up to date so far. Oh, I did forget one thing ~ we have added a cat to our family. Sheldon, (named by Tiff), is five months old and has become quite a joy to have around. I forgot how crazy kittens can be, but I'm sure he'll mellow with age. Ohhhhhh, how I hope he mellows with age! Okay, now that really should be everything.

May God bless you and yours and may each day be a new reminder of His amazing love!

Not Quite What I Had Planned!

2011-02-02T19:48:00.003-06:00

Towards the end of October, 2010, Bob and I headed back to the states for the birth of our first grandchild (see previous post), and then to spend the holidays with our family. What we didn't know was that I was going to end up getting sick right before Christmas and would require a total Hysterectomy. I had surgery on Saturday, the 22 and am on my way to a full recovery. Praise God, they found no Cancer, and the doctor has said that I should have no further complications. I have six weeks of recovery and then I should be released to fly back to Ireland. I am very thankful that God had us in the states when all this happened. I would not have wanted to have this done in Ireland. I was very fortunate to be able to recuperate at my parents house, especially since we felt that Bob needed to return to Ireland to continue the work there during these six weeks. Besides that, things always seem better with my "mommy" to take care of me.

I wish I could say that I didn't get frustrated during this process, but I must admit, I was a bit confused at why this was happening. I realize now that God's timing was perfect ~ as always!

Lord willing I will be back in Ireland the first of March. I really miss all my Irish friends and are looking forward to getting back to the work there. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my time here with the girls and of course the baby, but Ireland is where I belong :o)

Introducing David Robert

2010-11-27T21:03:00.004-06:00

On October 29th, our middle daughter, Tara, made us grandparents for the first time! She gave birth to a little boy named David Robert, (named after both grandpas). He weighed in at 7 lbs, 10 oz and was 19 inches long. As you can see from the attached picture, he was born with quite a thick head of hair. I was so blessed to be able to be in the United States for his birth and then to enjoy snuggling with him through the holidays. I've always heard that being a grandparent is wonderful, and I do have to admit. . .I LOVE IT!

I am so thankful for the family that God has given me and for the pleasure of being able to experience the pure joy of having a grandchild. There is just something truly special about holding your childs child. I look at this little guy and my heart melts.

Thank you Lord!

And Me Without My Camera!

2010-10-04T08:33:00.002-05:00

The other day Bob and I were driving down through the main part of Mallow, on our way home from town. At one point we pulled in behind a man driving a smaller, maroon SUV. As we came to a stop, at one of the few traffic lights in Mallow, I noticed something moving in the back of this guys SUV and told Bob to ease up closer so I could see what it was. It looked much bigger than a dog. I was quite intrigued as to what I was seeing moving around. As we got closer and the moving object came into view, I was gobsmacked with laughter to see a full grown sheep in the back hatch area of this SUV. I'm not kidding you, this guy had a big, woolly, black-faced sheep along for the ride. The sheep didn't seem to mind being there, in fact, it looked like he had been in there before because he was fairly relaxed and enjoying the view.

Only in Ireland my friends, only in Ireland! And me, without my camera!

Busy, Rewarding Summer

2010-08-13T09:40:00.005-05:00

This summer has been filled with lots of activity and many opportunities to present Christ to the people of Mallow. In July we had a group of 26 from Breezy Hill Baptist Church, in South Carolina, come over to work with us for 10 days. They did everything from passing out flyer's, (over 4,000 of them to be exact), to conducting a Kids Bible Club, and then presented the people of Mallow with a free Gospel Concert. They even built the town a much needed fence. They worked hard and made a positive lasting impression on the towns people.

Then, the first of August, we had another group of 16 from our home church, Canton Baptist Temple, come over to serve with us for 7 days. They also passed out church information, held a Holiday Bible Club for us and helped us get our church name out to the community. Both of these groups did a marvelous job and people have already been added to our church because of their efforts. It takes more than just missionaries to make missions work. . .it takes all of us working together to bring Jesus to the world.

We also enjoyed having our youngest daughter, Tiffani, here with us for the summer. Nothing makes my "mama's" heart happier than to have my girls around. I do have to admit though, now that everyone has gone back to the states, our house is way to quiet for my liking, hahahaha!

Thanks to everyone who came, who worked, and who prayed for us this summer. God has great things planned for Mallow, and we're glad that you were a large part of that.

Summer ~ Finally!

2010-06-04T14:55:00.004-05:00

Summer has finally arrived in Ireland! We have had lots of sunshine, blue skies, and nice warm temps for the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the Irish people are telling us that this is not "normal" summer weather and that we shouldn't get used to it. BUT I WANT TO! They are saying that when it gets this nice this early it usually means the rest of the summer will be rainy and cool. I'm hoping that this year will start a new trend. I believe that Ireland deserves sunshine too.

This summer brings lots of exciting opportunities for our Ministry here in Mallow. We have two mission teams coming from the states, one in July and another in August, and we are looking forward to the many different outreach opportunities that this will give us. The church people are also very excited about working along with these teams to reach the people of Mallow. We will be doing everything from "Holiday Bible Clubs" to "Community Outreach Projects". Little quiet Mallow won't know what to do with all this activity, hahahahaha!

I'll post pictures along with "outreach" updates as the summer goes by. Please pray that God will really use these mission teams along with our own church people to make a lasting impact for Christ on our town. This is why God brought us to Ireland ~ to make a difference for Him!

New Puppies Next Door

2010-03-29T06:35:00.003-05:00

Those of you that know me well, know how much I love pets, (especially dogs and cats). Well, one of the things that we were unable to bring with us to Ireland was our dog "HalfPint". Fortunately, he was "adopted" by my parents and is living the "life of Riley", so to speak. I honestly think if we tried to take him back now he would hate us forever. He lives very well at Grandma's house!

When we arrived in Ireland I was so delighted to find that God had even taken our "missing" pet issues into consideration when He gave us our house here in Mallow. You see, our next door neighbor, Nora, has a dog named Sandy who I just absolutely love. On February 18th. Sandy had puppies and now I'm really in "doggie heaven". They currently have two puppies left and I go over everyday to play with them and get my puppy fix for the day. Sandy is a wonderful mommy and keeps a very close eye on her babies.

I know to most people this may seem like a wasted post, but when you stop to realize that God cared enough to make sure I had a dog to love here in Ireland, it just reminds me of how much He really does care for me. I miss my "HalfPint", but now I have Sandy and her puppies (Herbie and Monty), to fill the "missing" pet hole in my heart.

Even in the simple things, God always provides!

Spring Arrives In Ireland -- FINALLY!

2010-03-26T05:48:00.004-05:00

Spring has finally arrived here in Ireland. As you can see from the attached pictures, the sun has been shining and flowers are blooming everywhere! It is so good to see and feel the sun after a very long cold Irish winter. While working out in the yard recently, Bob found that we have a whole row of beautiful Daffodils lining the front drive. After the very long and tiring chore of digging all the grown up grass away from the plants, Bob now has it all mulched off and looking very nice. I love to walk around our house and see all the new things growing. I never get tired of seeing God's beauty through nature. I'm so thinkful that He shows His love even in these simple things in life. Oh, may I never stop being amazed by His awesome handy work.

Breaking Records

2010-01-14T10:34:00.005-06:00

As most of you know, Bob and I arrived in Ireland July 1, 2009 to begin our missions work. Since then, Ireland has been breaking all sorts of "weather records". For instance, August and September were the two wettest months in 20 years. These large amounts of rain brought extreme flooding. Our city centre was flooded (see attached picture), along with many other city's.

Already, this winter has been the coldest winter in Ireland in over 50 years. On Sunday, January 10, 2010, we had 3 1/2 inches of snow in Mallow - the most snow to fall here in over 50 years. . .are you getting the picture??? It's been so cold that water pipes have frozen and burst all over the city. We were without water for three days. You never know how often you use water throughout the course of the day until you don't have it to use! We were able to get drinking water and "dirty" water (used to flush toilets), from our Landlady. She even picked us up on Sunday and took us to her house for brunch and then let us shower. I think maybe we just smelled so bad she felt she had no choice, hahahahaha.

At any rate, all is back to normal (for now). Except the temperatures that is. It's still very cold for Ireland. Thank God for fireplaces, lots of coal, wood and turf to burn. Keeps us nice and cozy on those extremely LONG winter nights.

I've attached a picture of our snow storm. I know it's not much by Ohio standards, but it was a huge deal here. Ireland has no snow tires, no snow plows, and very little salt for the roads. When it snows this much here, city's come to a complete stand still.

Holiday Adjustments and Joys

2009-12-13T12:44:00.003-06:00

Once again, I must apologize for the absence of new posts recently. I always have good intentions, however, those intentions don't always make their way from my head to the computer screen. Things here in Ireland have been moving at quite a fast pace. Although Ireland does not celebrate Thanksgiving, Bob and I had our own "Thanksgiving Day" celebration, despite being away from our families. It was very strange spending the day alone when we knew that back home our entire family was at my parents enjoying lots of food and fun. We tried our best to keep it as "normal" as possible, but it just wasn't the same. We had turkey, pumpkin pie, the whole works, we even spent the evening watching American Football, but we went to bed that night feeling quite homesick.

We are now preparing for the Christmas holidays, which will be quite a different situation. Two of our daughters will be coming to Ireland to spend Christmas with us this year. Needless to say, we are very excited to get them here. Unfortunately, our oldest daughter will not be able to join us. Please keep Trisha in your prayers, as this will be very difficult for her to have all of us over here and her back in the states. She will spend the day with her husband, my parents and my brother and his wife. They will also be spending time with her husbands family. Although she will have family there, it will still be quite a change for her. We will definitely be setting up some "Skype" webcam time, that should help a little.

The Church here is going well. We are currently running right around 19 each Sunday. We had a Christmas Dinner after church today, the people seemed to enjoy the time of fellowship. The Lord has really blessed us with a great group of people.

As you can see from the attached picture, the Christmas decorations are all up and ready for the girls arrival. I love Christmas. . .I love everything about it! I know this year will be quite different for our family, but I trust that God will ease the ache of being apart and give each of us a wonderful holiday.

To each of you, I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Enjoy your time with family and friends and be sure to give hugs and kisses in abundance :o)

My "Spidey Sense" is Tingeling

2009-10-15T04:56:00.003-05:00

As some of you might know, Ireland has no snakes! Irish folk lore has it that Ireland did at one time have snakes, however, St. Patrick charmed all the snakes on the island to come down to the seashore, slither into the crashing waves, thus drowning all of them. Hence, the absence of snakes on the Emerald Isle! Okay, I think we all know the real reason Ireland has no snakes ~~ God didn't want any snakes here. . .however, for this blogs sake, let's just pretend that St. Patrick really did banish all the snakes to a watery grave. . .WHAT WAS HE THINKING!

Did he not realize that if he banished all the snakes off the island, there would be a bil-zillion spiders moving in? I really don't think he thought his plan through very well.

Everyday, I go out with my "spidey" broom and I whisk all the cobwebs, with their occupants, away from my house, windows, deck, balcony's (you name it those stupid spiders are there). Ireland is seriously being invaded with those nasty, crawly things. The Irish people are telling me that this is the worst time of year because they are looking for a nice warm place to hang out for the winter. . .NOT IN MY HOUSE!

Now, I realize that if I was Tom Hogsed, (a great friend, and fellow blogger), I would be making all kinds of spiritual applications from this experience. Well, I'm not Tom, and I HATE SPIDERS! That's the only application that I can dwell on right now. I read an article once that said that nine out of ten women are born with a fear/hatred of spiders. . .so nice to know I finally made a "statistical group".

I'm sorry, but I have to go ~~ my "spidey sense" is telling me that somewhere a spider is trying to attach it's little creepy web to my house ~~ now, where did I leave my "spidey broom"???

Learning To Drive In Ireland

2009-09-30T09:49:00.004-05:00

Sooooooooooooooo, the time has come for me to learn to drive here in Ireland. Normally, driving would never be a problem for me. I have actually always enjoyed driving. However, it's all the differences in driving here in Europe that have me a little uneasy about this new adventure. There's the obvious difference. . .they drive on the opposite side of the road, and then there's the fact that they drive from the opposite side of the car, and then, if that's not enough, I've never driven a stick shift. . .which is what they drive here in Ireland! My brother told me that I wouldn't have any trouble learning to drive a five speed since I ride motorcycles. He said I already have the basic knowledge of how it all works, all I have to do is transfer all that knowledge to my feet. Well, he was right! I haven't really had any trouble learning to drive stick shift, it's just getting used to all the other stuff. I did drive myself to choir practice last night. I didn't have any trouble until I hit the hill at the end of our road. Don't let anyone tell you that a little Fiat Punta won't burn rubber, especially when you're trying to get it up the hill after stalling it once. . .;o)

We are going to take our "Driving Theory Test" next week, and then we have to wait six months before we can take our actual driving test. We are going to take some driving lessons right before our final test. Apparently, the National testers have a list of driving skills that you have to be able to do if you want any chance at all of passing. The driving schools here will teach you exactly how to do those exact skills. They did tell us that most people don't pass on their first try. . .now that's encouraging!!!! Keep praying and I'll keep you posted as to my driving progress.

Our church services are going very well. We had 24 in attendance last Sunday. The people are excited and very happy to have their own church to be a part of. We will be choosing a name for the church in two weeks. Please pray that God will give us direction in this matter. We want to be sure that we choose the name that He wants for this ministry.

God did answer a huge prayer for us just recently. We had been praying that God would provide us with Hymnals for the church. We had nothing for the people to use during the song service. I was typing up the songs each week and then running 15 to 20 copies for Sunday services. Well, the Massillon Baptist Temple donated some of their old Hymnals and then two families in the church paid to have them shipped over to Ireland. Praise God. . .we received them in less than a week! In fact, we had them for our services this past Sunday. Our people were so excited and amazed. They couldn't believe that people they have never met, and probably never will meet, would be willing to go to that much effort. It's things like this that make me feel so honored, and privileged to be part of God's work here in Ireland.

First "Church Family" Get Together

2009-09-19T12:53:00.003-05:00

Today we had our first "Church Family" get together! We had a grand time! There were a total of six people there, (including Bob and I). We shared food (duh. . .we are Baptist!),
tea (duh. . .we are in Ireland!), and lots of giggles. Our main objective for today's get together was just to get to know each other better and hopefully help them feel a little more comfortable with Bob and I.

They told us how they had been praying for God to send a preacher to Mallow. They wanted someone who believed in eternal security and preached the Bible. . .guess God answered their prayers :o)! It was so sad to listen to them tell us about how alone and lost they felt without a church or a church family to connect to. One lady told us that she has felt more alive in the last two weeks, (since we started our services), then she has felt in years. I am once again humbled, and amazed at how perfectly God orchestrated all of this. I am so thankful that God is allowing Bob and I to be a small part of what He has planned for these dear people! They truly love the Lord, and as they said today. . ."we were just waiting for you to get here".

Thank you for your prayers and support of our ministry! Despite missing our families, and our friends, there really is no place we would rather be. . .especially now that we know how long they have been waiting for someone to come.

Oh God, please keep us faithful to you!

Good Things In Ireland

2009-09-05T05:43:00.005-05:00

Things here in Mallow Ireland, are falling into place rather nicely I must say. It has become home, and we are very happy and comfortable here. Aside from missing our daughters, family and friends, we have adjusted to living in a different country quite easily. God has continued to go ahead of us in each situation and make our transitions very easy up to this point.

We received our Immigration/Garda cards yesterday and have already gotten our "first year" visa stamp in our passports. After some of the horror stories that we had heard from other missionaries, about the hoops they had to jump though to get their stamps, we were very relieved to get ours in one trip and with no problems. The next step is to go to Cork City and get our PPSN numbers (basically, the equivalent of a Social Security Number). We will attempt to do that on Monday morning. After that is done, we will have completed all the government requirements to stay in Ireland, (other than our drivers license). At this point we do not have to check in with Immigration again until next August. Once again, God has proven to be Almighty!

Our first services are this Sunday (September 6th). We are very excited about getting the ministry off and running. We have had a number of people show an interest, but it will be exciting to see who actually shows up for the service. Please join us in fervent prayer for this service. I will write a post on Sunday afternoon to update all of you as to how things went.

Another answer to prayer for me was that I was able to join the Mallow Community Choir! This choir does a lot of singing around town and also competes in a number of choir competitions throughout Europe. I am praying that God will allow this to be a great opportunity for me to meet more people from Mallow, and also to make many new friends. More friends mean more opportunities to share the love of God.

When we came to Ireland, we told God that we would walk through every door that He opens for us. That we would take advantage of every opportunity that He brought our way to win the Irish people to Him. We are trying our best to do just that. Please pray that we will remain faithful to that vow.

First Year Stamp In The Books

2009-08-27T08:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Wednesday, August 26th, Bob and I had to go to our local Immigration Officer here in Mallow to see about getting our "one year stamp". Ireland only gives "Religious Workers" permission to stay in the country for a year at a time now. It used to be that they would give you a three year stamp, but that has changed within the last year or so. Anyway, we went to the Immigration Office in order to get our stamp, not really knowing what to expect. Other missionaries had told us how they had to go back seven or eight times before Irish Immigration was satisfied. We had also heard stories of people not being allowed to stay in Ireland and being told they had three months to leave the country. With all this in our heads, we went with quite a bit of reservation and "nervous belly". We arrived at 3 pm (right on time), and began the process of registering as "Missionaries" in the country of Ireland. In less than one hour we were leaving the Immigration Office with our "one year stamp" granted. We will receive our Immigration Cards next week. Praise the Lord, once again He proved "Almighty".

We will have to return each year, for the next three years, to allow Immigration to recheck our status. After the three year mark we may have to change our visa status unless the Irish laws change in regards to "Religious Workers Visas". However, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, for now, we are praising God for giving us our "one year stamp", and for allowing us the privilege of serving Him here in Ireland.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us -- God is hearing, and answering those prayers.

Tiff's College Address

2009-08-21T13:42:00.002-05:00

Here is Tiff's college address if any of you are interested in sending her mail. I'm sure she would appreciate it bunches. Please continue to pray for her, as she is trying to get adjusted to college life and having her mommy in another country. I know both of us will be fine in time, but right now it's really difficult. I know that both of us are where God wants us, which means that He will also take care of us. This is just another of many transitions in our lives for this year.

She is going to love Liberty, as soon as she realizes that she can survive without me there, :o)

Here is her address:

(For regular mail use this address)

Tiffani Hutton
MSC Box E9612
Liberty University
PO Box 20,000
Lynchburg, VA 24506-8001

(For packages use this address)

Tiffani Hutton
MSC Box E9612
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24502

Thanks in advance to any of you who take the time to send her a card. It means a lot to me!

College Bound & Ireland Address

2009-08-15T16:02:00.005-05:00

I will start this post by apologizing for the lack of updates lately. As most of you know, I am in the states preparing to take Tiffani down to Liberty University for college, thus the lack of time for blog updates. I have also been without Internet service since Tiff and I are staying with my parents. I know, it's hard to believe that there are still people in the states who don't have Internet in their homes, hehehehe!

Please pray for Tiff, myself, and my mom as we will be pulling out of the driveway bright and early Monday morning to begin this next adventure in our lives. Tiff, like myself, has mixed emotions right now about this new venture. We are excited, nervous, and sometimes numb! I know she will be fine, and will love Liberty! I also know, that I will be fine in Ireland without her. Right now, it's the task of getting her there, and then leaving her there that keeps me right on the verge of a mental "meltdown". God has made it very plain that Liberty is where she is supposed to be. God has also made it very plain that Bob and I are supposed to be in Ireland, so given those two facts, I have no doubt that God will give all of us exactly what we need to get through this huge change in our family dynamics. . .just like He's done with all the other changes in our lives. I love knowing that in times like this I can step back and let an Almighty God be just that. . .ALMIGHTY!

Some of you have been asking for my address in Ireland, so I will be including that at the end of this post. As I've told some of you, I love to get mail! It really is the highlight of my day when I find mail waiting for me in the morning after the postman has come. For most regular letter/card size things it will cost around .94 to send it to Ireland.

I want to thank all of you who have been so faithful in praying for our family as we have embarked on these very large family changes. God has already blessed us in so many ways it's absolutely amazing to wake up each day to see what He's going to do next. Life is exciting, and it just keeps getting better!

Ireland address:

Marilyn Hutton
Woodlawn, Navigation Road
Mallow, Co. Cork
Ireland

No Rain, And New Friends

2009-07-27T12:37:00.004-05:00

Well, we made it all day (so far), without any rain! WOOHOO! That may not seem like such a big deal to most, but here in Ireland that's HUGE. Oh well, Ireland has never claimed to have the best weather in the world.

I was able to meet another one of my neighbors Sunday afternoon. Tiff and I were walking into town and met our neighbor, Olive. She lives three houses down from ours. I have now met Nora, Noreen, Olive and LaLon (not sure of spelling). All four are very pleasant widow ladies, who love company. I am so excited to begin these new friendships.

I decided to bake some Banana Bread today and take some to each of my new friends. I spent the majority of the morning baking and then Tiff and I delivered a portion of bread to each lady. They all seemed very thrilled with the bread and the visit. Hopefully they will remain thrilled after they taste the bread, hahahahaha.

Please join me in prayer for each of these wonderful ladies. Pray that God will allow me, though friendship, to show each of them the love of God.

The Practical Stuff

2009-07-23T10:30:00.003-05:00

We have now lived in Ireland for three weeks, and I have to say, I love it here! I understand that three weeks might not seem like a long time. However, when you're living in another country, away from your family, friends, and every other person you know, three weeks can seem like an eternity.

We are adjusting very nicely so far. Bob is getting very good at learning his way around Ireland, and also learning to drive on the left, (wrong) side of the road. I haven't started driving yet, so I'll have to get back to you on how that goes, should be very interesting don't ya think?

The house is done, for all practical purposes. It has already started to feel like home for us, which is always a nice feeling. I am learning how to use the cooker (oven). All the temperature settings here in Ireland are in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit, so that has proven to be quite a task. I have figured out that 180 Celsius is 350 Fahrenheit (just in case you ever need to know). I have also almost got the washer and dryer figured out. . .at least I think I do. Again, it's not as simple as picking which fabric and wash time you want. The washer settings go by water temperature instead. The dryer goes by settings like "Ready To Wear", "Cupboard Ready", or "Iron Ready", etc. I have yet to find a setting that offers an anti-wrinkle option. Apparently, the ladies here like to Iron! I really can't complain though, I haven't shrunk anything to "Barbie Doll" size, or turned Bob's underwear pink yet, so things are good, yes!

I can also now cook an entire meal without having to stand in the middle of the kitchen and think "Where in the world did I put. . ." (whatever I happen to be looking for). See, I told you it was feeling like home.

As some of you know, Bob is allergic to dairy and eggs, so everything I cook or bake has to be done with Soy. I've been able to find Soy milk and butter in our local supermarket, but cannot find an egg substitute yet. Our local health food market is supposed to be ordering me a powered egg substitute to try, but it hasn't come in yet. If this works that would be great! Right now I'm limited to cooking things that don't require eggs. I have also found that no one sells "Minute Rice" here. I have found a good "cook" rice that actually tastes very good and works well in recipes. See, God is supplying us with everything we need, even down to egg substitute.

It's The Little Things In Life

2009-07-17T05:23:00.004-05:00

I was brought to tears today by the simplest thing. When I woke up this morning I found that I had gotten a card in the "post" (mail). It was from my mom and dad in the states. I was so excited as I opened it up. Not only was it my first piece of "post" here in Ireland, it's from two of my favorite people in the world. . .my mommy and daddy. I was very careful not to rip the envelope as I opened it. Since it's my first piece of mail received here I wanted to keep the envelope nice also. You know how store owners frame the first dollar bill that they make? Well, I told Bob I should frame the envelope being it's my first one in my new home. He just laughed at me. . .wonder why?

Anyway, I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a beautiful card that my mom had underlined parts of. She also added a paragraph below the card contents. . .that's when my eyes started to leak! I could see her sitting at the kitchen table writing her thoughts on this card knowing that it would make me smile, laugh, and cry all at the same time. I can almost guarantee you that she cried as she wrote it. My heart aches as I miss her and my dad right now, but I know that I'm exactly where God wants me to be, and so I have to trust Him to take care of them and this hole I feel in my heart.

I've decided to walk into town today and buy some postcards to mail back home. I'm sure they will be as excited to receive mail from me as I was getting mail from them.

Please continue to pray for all of us! This is a huge transition, and although God has been wonderful to us, sometimes our hearts almost break in two missing those we left behind.

Ireland At Last

2009-07-11T10:41:00.002-05:00

I am writing this blog today while sitting in my living room here in Ireland. As I write I can see it raining outside, as it has been all day, and I can hear and smell the logs in the fireplace as they slowly burn and give the house a nice warm, cozy, country feel. Those of you in the states are probably wondering why I would have a fire burning in the middle of July. . .well, come visit me in Ireland next July and you'll have the answer to that question. There is always a damp, cool feel to the air here, and with the all day down pour the house was especially damp and cold feeling.

It almost feels surreal to be here. Although we've been planning for this move for so long, it always felt so far away, but now, I'm here -- finally! The deputation, the packing, the heart tearing goodbyes, along with the millions of other details, are all done and we're ready to see what great things God has planned for us and for the good people of Mallow, Co. Cork Ireland.

We already have almost all of our boxes unpacked and the house has come together quite nicely. God has truly blessed us with a great house. It is perfect for Bob and I, and also for the ministry. We have plenty of room for Bible study groups, Church meetings, and of course guests. God always thinks of everything. He leaves nothing undone nor does He leave anything to chance.

We have already met a number of wonderful people that I believe will prove to be very good friends. I would ask that you begin praying for Catherine, the lady that we are renting our house from, along with one of our neighbors, Nora. Pray that God will allow me a friendship with these two ladies that will eventually enable me to show them the love of God.

As God begins to bring the pieces together for our ministry here in Mallow, I ask that you also pray that Bob and I have the wisdom and the discernment to do things God's way and in God's time, not our own. This is God's ministry not ours, pray that we never forget that!

Next Stop Ireland!

2009-06-29T21:42:00.001-05:00

Since it is already after 1 am and I was planning on getting up tomorrow around 6:30 am, I'm going to keep this blog entry "short and sweet". This will also be my last post until I get to Ireland and get an Internet connection, so keep checking back often.

Tonight we said our final goodbyes to our daughters, my parents, and even our dog Halfpint. Amazing how attached you become to those little "furry ones"! He will be living with my parents from now on. It will be a good thing for all of them, but I will miss him -- terribly! Saying goodbye to the girls and my parents was "gut wrenching". . .that's the only description that seems to come close to how it made me feel. Even as I type this post, it's hard to see the keyboard as I battle the tears in my eyes. I know without a doubt that God has called us to Ireland, I just wish the "getting there" was easier, ya know?

Please continue to pray for Bob and I as we prepare to serve God in the country of Ireland. We are very excited to see what He has planned for us and for the people of that amazing country. I would also ask that you continue to pray for our three daughters, and the rest of our family that will be here in the states. It's hard to be the ones left behind! They will continue to do the same things they've always done, and go to the same places, but we won't be there -- that's hard!

Well, I'm off to try and get some sleep, and then Ireland here I come -- woohoo!

Post For Mrs. Young

2009-06-16T18:19:00.007-05:00

Okay, so I have this friend who informed me the other day that she cries every time she reads my blog. Well, being a kind person who loves to laugh, I hated to think of this poor soul crying every time she reads my updates. Sooooooooooooooooooo, Mrs. Young -- this blogs for you! I will not be putting anything in this blog that will cause your eyes to leak. . .I promise. Let's see, it was very sunny today (that's a good thing). I was able to ride my motorcycle (another good thing). I'm doing laundry, and cooking supper, opps, that maybe kinda sad (sorry).

I hope you will now continue to follow my blog to see what great things God is doing in Ireland. Hey, I just thought of something else that will make you smile -- if you ever get to Ireland, you will have a place to stay -- with ME! Now that should make your smile huge, hahahaha!

Tiff's Graduation!

2009-06-08T11:35:00.009-05:00

On the evening of June 5th, 2009, I watched as our youngest daughter, Tiffani, graduated from high school. We are so proud of her! She graduated with honors and was also her class Valedictorian. She was extremely nervous about giving her speech, but she did a great job. She also sang at her graduation ceremonies, which she also did very well. It doesn't seem possible that she will be off to college this fall. It seems like she grew up over night. I'm sure it was just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital -- well, maybe not yesterday, but close to it! It was so hard to watch her cross that platform and get her diploma. I wanted to jump up on the stage and grab her off and scream "this is a mistake, my baby isn't old enough for this to happen", however, I did refrain. As difficult as it is for me to let her go , I'm so excited to see what God has planned for her in the future. She's a great girl and I know she can accomplish anything she feels led to do. Congratulations baby girl. . .we love you, forever and always!

Shipping Container Fun

2009-05-29T20:04:00.010-05:00

For those of you who have been following my blog, you are aware that I tend to use the phrase "Praise God" a lot! Well, this blog is no exception, I have to say "Praise God", one more time. When I woke up this morning it was gloomy, rainy and just all around "yucky" outside. Why did this matter to me you ask? Well, you see, today was the day that we were scheduled to load our shipping container for Ireland. I could just see us trying to load everything we own into a container in the rain (not fun). Then, the driver of the semi called and informed us that he had been sent to the wrong city. He was sent to Kenton, Ohio, instead of Canton, Ohio. Because of this, he was going to be at least an hour late. . .oh joy! On top of all this, we weren't sure how many people would show up to help us. We had asked for six to eight people, but we didn't know how many would or could help with it being in the middle of the day. So now, the weather is less than perfect, our container is late, we don't know if we will have enough help to load, and on top of those things, I had a major case of nervous belly. Actually, I thought I was going to throw up at any moment, (sorry for being so graphic). This is where the phrase "Praise God" makes it's blog appearance. You see, by the time we got to the storage unit, we had close to twenty people to help load. The sun had come out and the sky was as clear and blue as I've ever seen it, and because the driver was so late he said we could take as long as we needed to load, (instead of the original time of two hours ONLY). Now you know why I have to use the phrase "Praise God" once again. He orchestrated every event of this day to perfection! Despite the container looking way to small for all the stuff we had, our "movers" did a great job of loading it. They were able to get everything in except two bookcases. I'm including a picture of the finished project. As you can see, there was "no room in the inn" by the time they were done. We'll let you know what happens when we open those doors in Ireland, hahahaha! Now, that might prove to be interesting. Thanks again to all who gave up their day to hang out with us, our stuff and a metal container. . .you really are the best!

A Tearful Memorial Day Service

2009-05-25T19:47:00.005-05:00

On Sunday, our church had a special Memorial Day Service, as they usually do. They recognize all past and present service men/women, along with special music etc. I have always been extremely sentimental when it comes to our Country, our Flag, our service men/women and of course our National Anthem. Well, Sunday was no exception. . .the tears fell almost the entire service. They had asked all the service men/women who could still fit into their uniform to wear them on Sunday. During the service they asked all these people to come up to the platform. As I watched as men in their seventy's, and some closer to eighty, walked down the aisle in their uniforms, (some with the help of canes), I couldn't help but notice the pride in which they carried themselves even after all these years. Then as our National Anthem begin to play, I couldn't help but cry as I watched these special men place their hand up to their forehead and salute our flag. By this time I was crying so hard I couldn't even sing the National Anthem. In fact, I was barely able to stay standing. It's so hard for me to understand how some Americans can be so blase' when it comes to all things patriotic. Have they forgotten what a great country we live in? Or maybe they've forgotten what freedom has truly cost us. Which ever one is true, I just wish more people were still brought to tears when they see our Flag, or hear our National Anthem.

I will miss seeing "Old Glory" flying freely when I'm in Ireland. I will also miss hearing our National Anthem played prior to sporting events, or celebrating July 4th. These are things that I didn't think about when I was making my mental "things I will miss in Ireland" list, but I will miss them - terribly!

God Sent Us A Miracle

2009-05-19T18:25:00.003-05:00

This morning (Tuesday, May 19th), the doctors were able to wake Jody (my sister in law), up without any issues. Within two hours of opening her eyes, they had removed the vent and stopped all other life support machinery and drugs. She is alert, ornery, and breathing on her own with little help from the nasal oxygen that they gave her. When I saw her tonight at 5 pm, she was complaining because they won't give her any regular food. All they had given her was liquids so far (for good reason).

They are planning on moving her up to the hospital's rehab floor tomorrow. For those of you who don't know, Jody has been on life support for a total of 14 days. We've already had a couple of the Doctors and Nurses tell us that they gave her little to no hope of surviving, but to see her make a complete recovery has them amazed. That is why I am claiming her recovery as a miracle! I am so thankful that God never loses control of any situation. Thank you Father, for being everything we need, even when we don't know what that need is.

ICU Waiting Rooms and Vending Machine Food

2009-05-18T17:42:00.006-05:00

On Thursday, May 7th, my mom called me to let me know that my sister-in-law, Jody (my brother's wife), was in ICU at one of the local hospitals in our area. Apparently, she came home from work the night before and wasn't feeling well. By midnight they were headed to the ER and everything went downhill from there. She was admitted with Septic Shock (a bacteria of the blood). In the process of fixing that issue, she contracted Septic Pneumonia. She has been on life-support since then. Just when we think she is getting better, something else happens and she takes two steps backward. I know that God is ALWAYS in control, but it is so hard to watch her lay there hooked up to all that machinery. Jody has never been a sickly person. She works hard, plays hard, and loves her family to the extreme.

They have tried a couple of times to wake her up with the intent to remove the vent, but both times she struggled so much that they had to put her back under. The doctors have told my brother not to expect to take her home for at least a month or so. They say she will remain in ICU until the vent is removed, and then an additional two to three days after that. Once they are sure she can breath on her own they will transfer her to a rehabilitation facility where she will stay until she is strong enough to go home.

The family is tired, frustrated and sometimes confused, but despite all that, we still know that God is in complete control of Jody's life. The doctors are now (after eleven days), giving us a good prognosis, it's just going to take a long time (patience has never been one of our families virtues). Please pray for Jody, and the rest of the family.

Festival Of Tables

2009-05-05T11:46:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, May 2nd, our church had what they call a "Festival Of Tables". Basicly, women volunteer to decorate tables and then these tables are judged and some are given prizes. They also then fill each table with eight to ten women for a wonderful luncheon. My friend Sheila, and I, decided that we would decorate a table this year and then invite our moms, and our daughters to join us for the luncheon. We had a blast coming up with our theme, and then planning what we would put on the table, and then finally putting it all together. We decided that our theme would be a "Redneck Table". I've attached a couple of pictures so you can see how detailed we were in our planning. Unfortunately, we didn't win any prizes, but we sure had a great time doing the table, and then spending the afternoon with our moms and the girls - that was priceless!

I've determined that the reason we didn't win anything is because, just like in life, Rednecks are good for laughs and giggles, but when it comes to "money time", we're never taken seriously. :o)

If you ever have the chance to attend one of Canton Baptist Temples "Festival Of Tables", you have to go - it is a great time.

We Came, We Saw, We Conquered

2009-04-21T18:32:00.006-05:00

Recently our three girls and I were able to take a bus trip to New York City. GREAT TIMES! We left our home town at 11pm on a Friday night, got into New York City at 8AM on Saturday. We spent the entire day Saturday touring the city, and then headed back home at 8pm that evening and were back home by 7am on Sunday. I know most of you are probably thinking, "Are you nuts?" Well, maybe a little, but we had an amazing time. The bus took us to each place, dropped us off and then picked us back up and we were off to the next stop. We didn't have to worry about taxi's, subways, or getting lost. We were able to see the following places while we where there: Battery Park, Ground Zero, Grand Central Station, Central Park, China Town, Little Italy, Pier 17, and ended the day at Times Square. We also saw many other interesting things in between each of those mentioned above.

We bought shirts, purses, pizza and hot dogs all from street vendors! Only in New York can you get everything you need for a day from someone standing on the street, hahahahaha. We wanted a slice of New York Cheesecake, but by the time we found it none of us were hungry enough to eat it. . .how very sad. Needless to say we were tired, full and smelly when we got home, but we would all do it again tomorrow if we had the chance.

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T18:02:00.009-05:00

Keeping with family tradition, our family along with my brother and his wife, went to Mom and Dad's for lunch Easter Sunday. I have attached a couple of pictures that were taken after lunch. The first one is of myself, and the three girls (Trisha, Tiffani, and Tara). The other picture is of my Mom, Dan (my brother), myself, and Dad. My brother and I were laughing because I think this may be the only family picture with just Mom, Dad and my brother and I since Dan and I were very young. We've had many pictures taken with our extended families, but very few with just the four of us. This is definitely a picture that I will treasure.

The afternoon was wonderful! We ate way too much (in fact, by the end of lunch I was wishing I had worn my "fat pants"), and we laughed until our cheeks hurt -- good times I tell ya. I will miss days like this when I'm in Ireland. It will be the memories of these times that I call on to get me through the rough days. Thank you Lord for an amazing family, the gift of laughter, and pictures that make it possible to hold our memories for a lifetime.

Surprise 49 1/2 Birthday Bash

2009-04-06T20:14:00.009-05:00

I know most people don't celebrate their 49 1/2 birthday, but those people apparently don't have friends with the same sense of humor that my friends have. You see, a number of my closest friends have recently celebrated "milestone" birthdays. Being the good friend that I am, I couldn't just sit back and let these special birthday's come and go without harassing them a little - okay, maybe A LOT! I felt pretty safe doing this because I will be in Ireland for my next "milestone" birthday. In light of this, my friends decided to celebrate my 50th birthday five months in advance so they could have their fun/revenge (depending on how you look at this).

Since my birthday isn't until September, I didn't suspect anything when they told me they were planning a surprise birthday party for one of my friends husbands. I brought the covered dish that they requested I bring and I even had my daughter pick out a funny "old man" card for the man whose party I thought was taking place that night. Even after we got into the building I still didn't realize that the party was for me until one of my friends ask me, "Marilyn, where are you going to be on your 50th birthday?" I couldn't believe they got me! I'm usually pretty good at picking up on things like this, but I honestly had no clue on this one. I have to give cudo's where their due. . .this plan fell together perfectly.

The party was wonderful. They had invited all my family and they even invited friends that I don't usually get to see very often. Of course, the room was decorated with black tablecloths. The centerpieces were made of metal coffee cans filled with dead tree branches and black balloons. They also had lots of "Over The Hill" signs, and blowup walkers scattered around the room. They were even thoughtful enough to provide a roll of toilet paper so people could write "Happy Birthday" notes for me. I must admit, this was one of the best "Over The Hill" parties that I've ever been to. One thing is for sure, when my friends throw a party it's a huge success!

I can't believe they got me, but I also can't believe they went to all that work just for me. I truly do have the best family and friends in the world! Thanks guys for all your work and effort. I will remember this one for a lifetime.

First Motorcycle Ride Of The Season - WhooHoo

2009-04-02T16:31:00.014-05:00

Due to the bright sunshine and the warm temps today, I was forced to get my motorcycle out of our storage unit and fire it up for the first ride of the season. It took quite an effort to get her started, but once we got her running she ran like a jewel all day long. I know some of you are probably saying "why in the world do you ride a motorcycle". Well, if I have to explain why I love to ride, you probably aren't a rider, which means you wouldn't understand even if I did explain. Motorcycles are one of those things that people either love them or they hate them. I happen to love them!

Riding for me is a great stress reliever, along with a great time to pray. There's no radio, no cell phone, nothing but me, the bike and time. I've done some very valuable praying over the years on my motorcycles. I'm so thankful that God provided this beautiful day for us to enjoy. It felt good to feel the sunshine and the warm temperatures after a very long Ohio winter. Regardless of how you relax or enjoy your sunny days, I hope that you were able to get outside today and spend some time appreciating the blessing that God sent our way. Those of you that enjoy motorcycles, well, maybe I'll see you on the road someday. Until then, ride free, ride long and ride safe!

Fun With Moving Sales, and Shipping Containers

2009-03-31T13:06:00.006-05:00

Since I've had many people ask where we are in the process of moving to Ireland, I've decided to use this post to update all of you on our progress to this point. Our target date to leave is the week of June 28, 2009. The exact day will depend on airline ticket prices, and departure and arrival times from here to Ireland. We are very excited about the knowledge that in three months we will be in Ireland beginning our ministry. However, we are also very aware of how much work lays ahead of us in order to make that a reality.

My next huge project is going through all the piles and boxes of "stuff" that we have to sell before we leave. I would like to just drag the boxes outside and stick a sign in the yard that says "Moving Sale - Make An Offer", but that probably isn't the best way to handle it. So, what I have to do is go through everything and separate it according to price. Then I'll have to start getting everything on tables that can be pulled out in the driveway. I wish there were "Moving Sale Preparers" that you could hire to do all this before hand stuff. You know, like what "Three Men and a Truck" does for people who are moving. Hey, there's a business opportunity for anyone who enjoys doing that sort of thing. You could call it "Three Women and a Price Gun", (or something like that). Just remember whose blog you were reading when you got the idea, hahahaha.

Once I get the sale taken care of then we have to turn our attention to getting our shipping container ready to send to Ireland. That will have to be sent the first of June. Right now it's taking approximately four weeks to get the container from the States to Ireland. The most difficult thing will be deciding what clothes, shoes, kitchen items and things like that we'll need over that month. We can only keep out what we can fit into our suitcases for the flight to Ireland. This part should prove to be rather exciting. I just know I'm going to send something that I'll end up really needing after the fact. Doesn't it always work that way?

Daddy's 83rd Birthday

2009-03-25T15:03:00.006-05:00

Today, March 25th, we celebrated my dad's 83rd birthday! Instead of going out somewhere, my mom decided to cook a wonderful lunch and we were able to eat and visit with them for awhile this afternoon. Of course, we also had "birthday cake". I mean, what's a party without the cake, right? It's hard to think that I won't be in the states for his next birthday. Everyone knows that part of being a missionary is leaving family and missing family events, but that knowledge takes on new meaning when you're the one who will be missing those events. I know I can call him next year and maybe even arrange some "web cam" time with him at one of my daughters homes, but the fact still remains that I won't be there to give him a hug or a birthday kiss. Next year will be hard for dad and I both. I'm thankful for the promise that God's aware of that already, and He'll give both of us the strength we need to get through the day even though we will be in different parts of the world. I'm so thankful for the privilege of being the daughter of Dr. W. Jay Dolvin. God has truly blessed me. Happy Birthday Daddy. . .I Love You!

Florida

2009-03-20T16:03:00.010-05:00

I always love it when our Missions Conferences take us to nice warm, sunny places. . .like Florida! We got here last Saturday, March 14th and will be here until Monday the 22nd. We have been staying with my husbands youngest sister and her family, in Cocoa Beach.

So far we've spent two days at the beach. Soaked up lots of sun, and played in the ocean. We've also done lots of running around to different little shops. . .just in case they were having sales or anything :o)

Yesterday, we were able to surprise Tiff with a trip to Disney World for her graduation gift. Needless to say she was very excited! She was there years ago, but doesn't remember any of it, so we were glad that the Lord provided a way for us to take her this trip. I have to admit, I'm a huge Disney World fan myself. I love riding the rides and watching the fireworks and the big Main Street Parade. We took our niece with us also. She had never been there before so it was fun watching the two of them enjoy all the "Magic".

We will leave here tomorrow (Saturday) morning and drive to our next church. I will be speaking for their "Spring Ladies Luncheon" on Saturday, and then Bob will be presenting our work and preaching in the Sunday morning service. After lunch we will drive to Lakeland Florida, where we will present our work to a different church during their evening service. Sunday evening we will be staying with a dear couple that Bob and I have stayed with before. They actually live right around the corner from the church in Lakeland. They are one of those couples that make you feel like your "at home" when you stay with them. We thank God when He brings people like that into our lives.

We will leave Florida on Monday morning and then it's off to Atlanta, GA. We will be spending Monday night with another missionary family that we met during one of the missions conferences we were in. Here again, it's so wonderful how God has brought such neat people into our lives while on deputation. These are people that we will be friends with long after all of us have moved to our specific countries and begun our individual works. On Tuesday, it's home to celebrate my dad's 83rd birthday, and start getting things ready for our moving sale prior to moving to Ireland the first of July.

Unwelcome Changes

2009-03-11T15:51:00.009-05:00

When Bob and I surrendered to the mission field we knew it would bring about some major changes in our family dynamics. We also knew that those changes would come in one of two forms. On one hand there's the kind of change that makes you jump up and down, waving your hands in the air and yelling "yippie", and then there's the kind of change that makes you think your heart will break in two and you're convinced that crying has become your favorite hobby.

Well unfortunately, on Thursday March 12th, we will experience a change of the second type. I will be taking our cat, Katherine Noel (affectionately known as Katie), to her new home. She will be living with Bob's sister and her husband, and I know she will be loved and pampered. Although God has blessed us with a very good home for her, the fact still remains that she will be missed greatly. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, "it's a cat, what's the big deal". Well, any animal lover knows exactly what I'm talking about here. . .it is a big deal!

Katie and our youngest daughter have shared a room and a bed for the last five years or so. Needless to say this is going to be a hard transition for Tiff and Katie both. I know her new owners will take great care of her and make sure that her "Heiness" gets anything she needs or wants, but we will miss her terribly. Our house will feel a little less "homey" (at least for awhile), without her "welcome home" meow's and her "I love you" purrs.

Just so you know, we also have a dog that will be going to my mom and dad's before we leave. Yeah, you guessed it. . .there will be another post involving me, a pet and bunches of tears. Just so you know!

New Friends

2009-03-06T12:28:00.011-06:00

We have just returned from a Missions Conference in sunny California. In fact, this was the first time we had been to California. It was nice! Far to much traffic for me personally, but it was wonderful to see and feel the sunshine again. Our wonderful hosts, Jeremy, Heather and Avery Mayol, (I've attached our group photo), were gracious enough to take us on a couple of very interesting and fun site seeing trips. On Monday, we went to the Regan Library and Memorial. That was really nice! I enjoyed reading all about his life and looking at all the memorabilia that they have there. We were also able to go aboard the "Air Force One" that Regan used during his presidency. I was amazed at how big it was and yet they said that three of his plane could fit inside the new Air Force One. The plane we flew home in seemed so small after seeing his plane.

On Wednesday, they took us to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. We walked down Rodeo Drive and saw all the expensive stores and saw a number of "Hollywood stars hot spots", as Heather called them. Unfortunately, we saw no stars, or at least none that I recognized. We were also able to see Kodak Theater where they have the Oscars along with the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I'm glad that I got to experience it once, but believe me, it doesn't look anything like what you see on television. The Kodak Theater and the Hollywood Walk of Fame are both in a really run down area of California. Our hosts were telling us that none of the stars even live in or close to Hollywood anymore. They have all moved out to more expensive, secluded areas. One of the highlights of our trip to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, was our stop at "Sprinkles", a fancy "hole-in-the-wall" cupcake place. The church even sent each of the Missionary families home with a box. Needless to say, ours are almost gone!

Although we enjoyed the site seeing, the best part of the trip was the wonderful way God worked in the conference itself. Their church was packed to "standing room only" almost every evening. The church staff and the congregation treated us like we were royalty. They made us feel like we were at home with family. There were a number of times during the conference that I was brought to tears by the outpouring of love from these dear brothers and sisters in Christ. These dear people truly love the Lord and they genuinely care about lost souls. They gave freely of everything that they had. Praise God for churches that still believe that it takes people to win people and for churches that are willing to give above and beyond to make sure that people like Bob and I are able to do what God has called us to do.

Please join me in praying for the people of Faith Baptist Church in California. May God bless them for their willingness to give so we can go!

Problem Solved

2009-02-27T17:59:00.003-06:00

As you can see, I was finally able to reload my "Family" slide show on to my blog page. I would love to tell you it was because of some extremely intelligent programing talent that I process; however, that would be a complete lie. The truth is, I signed on this morning and WAHLAH it worked. I was also able to remove my "Ireland" slide show, add some pictures, and reload that one with no issues. Don't ask me why I thought it would be a good idea to try that, given the problems I had with the other one, but I did it anyway. To my pleasant surprise and great joy, it worked just like it was supposed to. I really have no clue what I'm doing on this computer. I just push buttons and hope for the best most of time.

Bob and I will be flying to California bright and early tomorrow morning for a missions conference, so I will try to post when I can, but I'm not making any promises. Of course, I'm sure my faithful blog followers are used to my posts being more, hmmmmmmm, lets say sporadic in nature, hahahahaha!

Becoming a Blog Master - yeah right!

2009-02-26T19:17:00.004-06:00

Okay, not even close to a "blog master", but I did determine that I was going to learn how to dress up my blog today. Like anyone who is looking for information about how to do something "techie", I headed for the Google search bar and typed in "free blog backgrounds". Much to my surprise the first site I clicked on turned out to be a gold mine. I found backgrounds, blog accessories, and a truck load of "how to blog" helps. This site walked me through changing the background, changing the layout and lots of other cool stuff. If you're reading this post then you've seen my finished blog project. What do ya think?

The only issue I am having is getting my "Family" slide show back on my blog. I removed it to add some more photos, and now it will not allow me to reload it on my blog page. If anyone has any hints on accomplishing this, please contact me. I would greatly appreciate any help in this matter. The worst thing is that I had it on here and just couldn't leave it alone. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. You're saying, "why don't you just do whatever you did to get the "Ireland" slide show on here". Well, I've tried that, and for some reason it will not allow me to reload the "Family" slide show. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, but for now it does leave me a tad miffed.

Family Game Night

2009-02-21T09:58:00.005-06:00

Recently our family has started having regular game nights. Nothing fancy, just lots of snacks and bunches of laughs. Those present usually include Bob and I, along with our three girls, our son in law and my parents. Everyone usually brings a snack of some sort and we spend the evening playing games and eating. Let's see, family, laughter and lots of food. . .sounds like a perfect evening to me, hahahahaha!

Last night as my parents were leaving and we were done with the normal "goodbyes", my mom turned to me and made this comment, "why haven't we been doing this all along, why did we wait so long to have a planned family night?". My response, "I don't know mom, I guess we thought we were just too busy". TOO BUSY! Are you serious? How can we be too busy to spend time with family and even friends for that matter. I look back now and wonder why I let work and other "junk" be more important than time with the people who love me the most.

I understand our situation may be different than most. Our family realizes that in four months Bob and I will be moving to Ireland. Once that move is made our only contact with our girls and parents will be through webcams, email, facebook and "snail-mail". Your family may not be leaving the country, but that doesn't mean that the people you love the most will always be with you. I think of all the "family game nights" we could have had if we had just planned a regular evening a couple of times a month to get together.

Your homework (as my faithful blog followers), is to determine to take advantage of every opportunity to be with family and friends. Don't let things that have no eternal value keep you from enjoying life the way God intended you to. . .surrounded by family and good Christian friends.

Our Amazing God!

2009-02-20T15:58:00.005-06:00

Have you ever had one of those "duh moments", when that proverbial light bulb comes on in your head and you finally realize that God has and is answering your prayers? Let me explain! Since we returned from Ireland back in June, I have been praying that God would completely break my heart for the country of Ireland. I wanted Him to give me a love for the Irish people that runs so deeply in my soul that I would wake up every morning wishing that this would be the day that we leave. Well, the other day I was watching our missions presentation video on my computer, and I found myself crying. I'm talking real tears down the cheek and the whole deal. Now, I wish I could tell you that my reason for watching the video was to fast and pray for Ireland, but my reason was much more selfish and much less spiritual. You see, I was trying to figure out a way to change the picture that my husband used. On a side note, why is it that men always choose the WORST picture they can find of the family (or at least of you) when they are doing things like this?????? Anyway, back to the story. . .so there I am watching our video and wondering why I can't seem to stop crying. This is where the "duh moment" happened!

At this moment it dawned on me that the last couple of times we had shown our video at missions conferences I have had to fight to hold back the tears. I just figured I was having "one of those days". However, when I couldn't hold the tears back anymore the other day, I finally realized what was happening. God was and is truly answering my prayers in a BIG way. I don't know if I can explain this in a way that those of you reading this entry will be able to completely understand, but when I see those pictures of Ireland I feel like my heart will explode if I don't get there soon. There is no place else in this world that I would rather be!

Please join me in prayer for the country of Ireland and it's amazing people. Pray that God can and will use me in very special way in that country. Praise God that once again He has shown Himself amazing!

FINALLY! A new post. . .at last!

2009-02-06T18:42:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I admit that I've been a little lazy in my blog postings; however, I hope to correct that starting tonight. So, let me fill you in as to what has been happening in my life over the last three months. We celebrated three major holidays since I've posted last. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I've attached the family picture that we took on Thanksgiving day. As with most holidays, we spent as much time with our families as possible. Of course, knowing that we will not be with our families next year for the holidays, made a big difference in how I approached each one. I found myself spending a lot of time standing back and watching and listening to all the excitement of each day. I wanted to burn each laugh and face into my memory for future recall when we're celebrating these same holidays next year without those me call family. God has truly blessed me!

Another big change that has happened since my last post, is that we have now moved out of our house (after 26 years), and into our churches mission house. We will be living here until we leave for Ireland on July 1, 2009. Moving out the house was quite traumatic I must admit. I really had to make that a matter of prayer. Although I understand that it's only a house, the fact still remains that we had lived there 26 years and all our girls were babies in that house. Any mothers reading this will understand what I'm saying. As always though, God did supply the strength and courage needed to make the move. He also sent us a great family, complete with kids and dogs, to take our house. I pray that they enjoy living there as much as our family did.

Bare Shelves and Christmas Decorations

2008-11-04T17:12:00.003-06:00

Okay, so as you know, I've been packing like a crazy women since I lost my job. Well, the other day (Monday to be exact), I realized that the house was starting to look like we really didn't live in it. I guess the best way to describe it was that the house no longer had any personality. It contained all the things needed to "function" in it, but nothing to show the character or individualism of it's occupants. The above observations were confirmed as accurate when my youngest daughter came home from school and said, "Wow Mom! It looks like we're moving tomorrow. . .can't you just leave some stuff out so it's not so bare?". Now, being the wonderful, loving mother that I am, I couldn't continue to let my baby girl feel ill at ease in her own home. So, I did the only other thing I knew to do to make her happy. . .I PUT ALL THE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS UP!

Our family has always waited until after Thanksgiving before we start the long process of "Christmas Decorating". Although I never really knew why we waited, other than the fact that no one wanted to climb into the attic to drag everything out. I decided that since this will be our last Christmas together in this house, I was going to make it last as long as possible. I will say that I held off putting up the main tree (I put up a second tree in my office), and I didn't put up any decorations outside yet. That's Bob's mission each year! I will wait until after Thanksgiving to do those two things. I have to admit, the house looks great! As I sit here typing this post, the Christmas tree in my office shines brightly in the corner, and it makes me feel like all is right in the world. My kitchen and living room are filled with Snowmen and Christmas candles and other bright, shiny "Christmasy" things. I love the glow that comes from the many candles I use and also the many "light up" decorations that I have. Oh, did I forget to mention the Christmas music that is playing in the background, hahahahahaha! I know, I know. . .I'm nuts, but I'm happy, and now more than ever I can say that I'm really ready for the holidays.

Go ahead, admit it. . .you know after reading this you want to go drag your Christmas boxes out of the attic and start decorating your own house. It's okay, I promise that your head won't explode if you plug in Christmas lights before you eat that last bite of turkey. Try it, and see if it doesn't end up being your best Christmas ever.

Weddings, and Lost Opportunities

2008-10-28T17:47:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday, October 25th, the daughter of one of my dearest friends got married. I was fortunate enough to be asked to sing for the wedding, so that meant that I got to spend lots of time with the family during all the rehearsals, ceremony, etc. It was so wonderful to be together will all of them again. When you don't see people much you tend to forget how special your times together are. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. The giggles were in abundance I tell ya. The girls had asked me to sing a special song for their mom (my friend, Brenda). It was a song that she especially liked and they wanted to surprise her by having me sing it at the wedding. I knew it would make her cry so I didn't look at her. . .besides that I knew she was gonna be mad at me for making her cry. I told her it wasn't my fault. . .the girls asked and I couldn't tell them no!

After the wedding, while I was driving home, I realized how much I'm going to miss spending time with Brenda once I move to Ireland. Although we don't see each other as much as we would like, I always knew she was there, and the opportunity was always there to get together. It hit me Saturday that although Brenda and I will always be the best of friends, the opportunity to get together whenever we want will soon be lost. That makes me very sad! I wonder why we get so busy that we let important things like spending time with family and friends take a back seat to work and other less important things? I know it's a common fact of life, but it doesn't make me feel any less sad. I've been a "weepy" mess since Saturday. I think I will probably own stock in Kleenex tissues by the time I leave the states. I wish I could take all my family and friends with me to Ireland!

Cheryl, This Blogs For You

2008-10-22T10:47:00.003-05:00

My friend Cheryl informed me the other day that since I was now a "stay at home women" she saw no reason why my blog was not being updated on a more regular basis. Well, Cheryl, this blogs for you!

I will try, from this point on, to update my blog at least once a week. I probably will never be a "daily blogger". My life is neither that interesting nor that exciting; however, there really is no reason why I can't come up with enough information to make an entry each week. Besides that, I would hate to think that poor Cheryl has nothing new to read when she logs on to my blog.

For all of you "blog followers", if you ever find yourself in Hartville, Ohio, stop in and see Cheryl at Crosswalk Christian Bookstore. She's there Monday through Saturday. She would love your company and your patronage. Tell her Marilyn sent you. You won't get anything free (well, maybe a smile), but the conversation will sure take a new direction, hahahahaha!

Okay Cheryl, there's your business plug. . .now where's my money???????

Lost Jobs, Answered Prayers and Trips To The Dentist

2008-10-13T16:57:00.004-05:00

A lot has happened since my last blog! I'll start with the event that at first seems to be the worst thing to happen. On Friday, October 10th, I was informed that my position was being done away with. . .I was being let go due to "cut-backs". Naturally I was a little confused as to why God was allowing this to happen. I really couldn't afford to lose my job right now and I knew God knew that! I was trying to tell myself that God had everything under control, but I have to admit, I was failing miserably in that quest. As I drove home in tears all I could do was pray that God had something better planned. Well, He did! Within two and a half hours of getting home I received a phone call that removed all doubt as to rather God was still in control of this situation. I'll skip all the details for the sake of space, but I will tell you that God has provided the money so that I am now able to stay home and concentrate fully on packing, and spending quality time with family and friends. He literally gave me what I wanted most. . .the ability to spend my last nine months in the states soaking up as much family, and friend time as I possibly can. Once again God has shown me that when we are doing what He wants us to do, He will provide everything we need (sometimes, He even gives us our personal desires). And to think I was concerned . . .silly me!

I had to go the the dentist today. Like most people, I don't find much pleasure, joy or happiness at the dentist office; however, sometimes it's necessary to make the trip. Today, was one of those necessary days. I had a crown that needed to be done prior to our move to Ireland, so like a good girl I spent two hours of quality time with my dentist this morning. . .great fun I tell ya. The really fun part was that when I made this appointment I was still working, so to insure that I wouldn't miss to much work, I made my appointment for 6:45 am! By the time I lost my job (on Friday), it was to late to change my appointment time, which meant I had to be up at 5:00 am on my first day as an unemployed person. YUCKY! Don't worry though. . .I plan on making up for it tomorrow morning, hahahahaha.

New Friends, New Key, Same Cold

2008-10-09T07:25:00.002-05:00

I've taken a short break from packing in order to nurse my cold. Stupid cold! I hate being sick, it just interferes with everything. I stayed home from music lessons and choir last night to give myself some added rest. I do feel a little better this morning, so maybe I'm done with the worst of it.

I did get my new key made for my truck (remember, I threw my original key away, duh!). It works like a charm. The man at the Ford dealership told me had my truck been a year older they could not have made a key. Something about it missing a key code and the computer only stored these numbers back through 1999. Thank the Lord my truck is a '99. Another perfect example of small blessings that usually go unnoticed. I love the way God takes care of us despite our own stupidity.

We met new friends the other evening, which was great fun. God allowed our paths to cross with a young missionary couple who are on deputation to Ireland! The Bowman's have just started their "deputation journey", but we are praying that God will supply their support quickly. Although we had never met them before, it felt as if we were old friends just catching up again. We were able to spend Tuesday evening with them and their five sons, and let me tell you, the giggles were abundant. We talked about Ireland, about missions and shared many deputation stories. I look forward to the day when both of our families are in Ireland, and we can share our new friendship and our new ministries together. They are currently looking to start up in the County Kerry region, specifically the town of Killarney. Please add them to your prayer list, as they have a long road ahead of them. God is so good! He's already started supplying us with good Christian friends to share in our new life/ministry in the country of Ireland.

Boxes, Colds, and Thrown Away Keys

2008-10-07T10:10:00.006-05:00

The past few days have been. . .hmmmmmmmmmm, interesting we'll say! Of course, there are the endless number of boxes that have been filled, taped, marked, weighed and taken to the storage unit in preparation for shipping. So far I have packed all the books from the living room bookcase along with the bookcase in my office, along with all the knic knack's from the bedroom, living room and kitchen. Bob and I moved a couple of bookcases along with numerous boxes to the storage unit on Saturday afternoon. Today (Tuesday), the movers came to move the piano to my middle daughters house for safe keeping. The house is slowly starting to look a little bare in places. Fortunately, it's almost time to put up Christmas decorations so that will help fill in the "bare spots". Yesterday (Monday), my youngest daughter and I were both sick so I kept both of us home for a day of rest, cold medicine and homemade chicken soup. Both of us are up and at it again today, but still feeling poorly. Then to top everything off, I couldn't find my keys this morning. So, after a frantic search of the house I remembered that while I was carrying a rather large box loaded with groceries into the house the other day, I had thrown them into the box so my hands could be free. After getting into the house I emptied the groceries out of the box and then filled the box with trash and proceeded to dump it into the dumpster in the garage. So far this doesn't sound to awful, right? Oh, just wait, it gets better! I didn't realize any of this until 7 am this morning. . .our trash was picked up at 6 am this morning!!!!!! Yep, I managed to throw away the only set of keys that I had for my truck and I was already running late for work. Fortunately for me, I was able to take my youngest daughter's car to work and my husband was in town so he was able to get my truck towed by AAA to the local Ford dealership here in town so they could make me a new key. I would like to blame all this craziness on the cold medication that I'm on, but I don't think the people who know me best are really going to believe that. Oh well, I'm still standing by that excuse. As they say, "that's my story and I'm sticking to it".

Boxes, Boxes Everywhere

2008-10-02T14:16:00.004-05:00

My mission tonight, if I choose to accept it, is to finish cleaning the remaining Precious Moments. I was able to get approximately half of them cleaned the other night, but still have a large box that needs to be done. The plan is to finish them tonight and then move into my office and start boxing up books, knic-knacks, etc. We are hoping to have the Precious Moments and the piano moved to their new "homes" this weekend. We were able to finally find a storage unit that had enough empty space in front of it for our shipping container to set. That means that I can now start weighing and moving packed boxes out of the house and into the storage unit in preparation to ship. The hardest part right now is trying to decide what to ship, what to sell, and what to store and where! Although there are times when I don't think we will ever get all this done, I have to tell you, it's quite an exciting challenge!

Our youngest daughter doesn't like the idea of us moving things out of the house already. She would rather we just took our house to Ireland with us. She has never known any other house, and this is a lot for her to process right now. Time will make this transition easier for her.

Let The Packing Begin

2008-09-30T09:03:00.010-05:00

Well, as of last night, the packing has officially begun! My Mom and my youngest daughter were gracious enough to help me sort, check and catalog ALL my Precious Moment figurines. I knew I had a large number of them, since I've been collecting for years, but I didn't realize HOW many until I started pulling them out of my corner hutch, off shelves, bookcases and out of every room in the house (except the bathroom)! By the end of the evening we were more then tired of looking at Precious Moments. . .in fact, we had experienced all the "Precious Moments" we could handle for one night, hahahahaha! We did, however, get all of them done. . .go us! Now I have to clean them all and then decide which ones I will be taking to Ireland. Since over half of my collection has been retired or is currently suspended, I will probably leave most of them here. No reason to risk them getting broken or stolen during shipping. Our oldest daughter has volunteered to become the "guardian" of the Precious Moments after we move to Ireland. I told her to guard them with her life if she and her sisters wish to have an inheritance!

As we went through each of the figurines last night, I found myself remembering the reason I'd received some of them. For instance, when we got to "Baby's First Haircut" or "Baby's First Steps", I was transported back in time to when the girls were little, and my mind was flooded with happy memories. There is an entire lifetime of memories for me in those figurines. I was happy to be able to share some of those memories with my youngest daughter. Now that she knows the stories behind some of those Precious Moment figurines, those memories will continue on for another lifetime. That's a good thing!

A Little About Me

2008-09-28T18:43:00.007-05:00

For those of you who just happened to "stumble" across this blog, let me tell you a little about me. I have been married to my husband Bob for 29 years and have three wonderful daughters. Our oldest daughter is married, our middle daughter is in Nursing school, and our youngest daughter will graduate from High School this year and then off to college she goes. I'm not really looking forward to that day, however I know it's part of the growing up process. . .but I still don't have to like it. I have never been one of those mom's who couldn't wait for their children to leave the house. I have always been the opposite. . .why can't they just stay home forever?

This year will hold many BIG changes for our family. Not only is our "baby girl" going to college, but Bob and I will be following our dream of missions work and moving to the country of Ireland in July of 2009. We were originally heading to the country of Mongolia; however, due to health issues, the doctors in Mongolia and those here in the states will no longer give Bob medical clearance for that country. After praying for God's direction we found the doors being opened for us to travel to Ireland for two weeks in June of 2008. Soon after arriving in Ireland we both felt that we were at "home". We just seemed to "belong" if that makes sense. Needless to say, we are very excited, and a little nervous about this new adventure in our lives. We will be leaving our children, along with the rest of our family here in the states. As a mother and daughter who comes from a very close family, this is a concern for me at times; however, I know that God can take better care of them than I can and He, more than anyone, knows how much I'll miss them. I also know that God will take care of the "homesick" issues and the "nervous belly" that I'll face as the time to leave draws closer and even after I arrive in Ireland. I'm excited to see what He has planned for us in that country and how He will use us to reach the Irish people for Him.

First Blog Entry

2008-09-26T18:31:00.003-05:00

Well, I have decided to join the "techno" world and try my hand at blogging. We'll see how this goes, hahahahaha! I'm sure the page will change frequently as I learn via "trial and error" best.