Enjoying Some Family Time

Since August 29th, Bob and I have been in the states enjoying some precious furlough time. We are loving being able to spend time with our daughters and, of course, our grandson! Although we are very blessed to be able to keep up with our families via Skype, nothing compares to being able to physically give them a hug or to enjoy a "family game night". We are also enjoying being a part of our home church again. One of the first things I do when I get back to the states for furlough is to jump back into the church choir! I really miss being a regular part of CBT's music ministry. We are also spending time getting reconnected with friends and making sure we are getting our fill of our favorite foods. Funny though, we've been in Ireland for four years now and I have made such wonderful friends there that it's now hard to be away from them also. I'm so glad that God gives us exactly what and who we need in our lives to be able to serve Him wherever He places us.

I'm So Bad At This!

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!

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

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!

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

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!

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!