My Mommy

My Mommy is my hero

She is beautiful

She is brave

She is loyal

She loving

She is a servant

She is a woman that would do anything for someone she loves

And that is what she has done

She has sacrificed her self in doing what Christ would of done

She has given herself as a servant

She has given herself as someone to call on at anytime

She has been a shoulder for me to lean on all the time

She is a Titus 2 Women

She is a roll model of Proverbs 31

She is my role model

My Mommy is my hero

She is MY Mommy and for that I am so thankful!

I pray that she continues to be strong

That she will continue to be joyful

That she will have peace

I love you Mommy and thank you for being MY Mommy!

My Daddy...

If I ever go anywhere and a person doesn't know who I am, I can tell them where I live and my Daddy's name and they know him. They more then likely knew my GrandDaddy too. They know my GrandMother. My Daddy, GrandDaddy and GrandMother are such amazing people. GrandDaddy was born in 1914, the middle child of 11 children. He and his family were Share Croppers. They moved from farm to farm as a form of living. He went to bed hungry, he lost his mother at age 12, his father was a very gruff man, he had to except a new mother when he was 13 or 14. He and his brother's and sister's had to pick cotton for their family in order to survive and then pick other people's cotton and get payed in bales of cotton instead of money so they wouldn't have to move. Bales of cotton was how they were paying for their farm. They worked so hard so they could get out of share cropping. When he was 16 or 17, the age where boys just eat and eat, he only got 2 classes of milk, (one sweet milk and one butter milk) and two pieces of corn bread for supper after working so hard. And when I say "so hard" I HAVE NO IDEA how hard he worked.

At 26, in 1940, he and my grandmother got married. She was 19. They then had four children. Their first son after their first year of marriage, then 2 years later their daughter. Then 13 years later, Daddy came along and 5 1/2 years later came their last son. They raised up all their children with integrity, they taught them to be honest. They still work very hard! Daddy and Uncle Keith, his little brother, have a booming business together. And I think that one reason why they have done so well is because they have honored God in all that they do! And GrandDaddy and GrandMother taught them to do that. They taught them to serve God, to tithe because they COULD. In this recession Daddy's business has grown more then it ever has! They have been able to give two men full time jobs in these hard times!

GrandDaddy taught them these things and he of all people had every reason to be bitter! But he wasn't! He loved his family, served God, was always helping a neighbor! The fellowship at our church was dedicated to him because of how much he did for our church. In 1979 he had a heart attack sitting on his tractor after pulling someone's car out of a ditch. He died helping someone!

I could go on and on writing about my family, where they have came from, what they have done for me and how much they love me but I'l stop here and you will probably hear more later on. I just hope that I will treasure my family and all that they do and have done for me!

Thanks for stopping by!

God Bless you!

Leah-Joy.

Another Way God Has Made My Life Beautiful...

Aren't they just gorgeous????

Gotta love these hams!!

...is an amazing Family that we get to go see this weekend!!!! The Cousins!!! Love you guys and can't wait to see y'all!

Jesus has Made my Life Beautiful!

As I am sitting here thinking about the name of my blog, yes, life IS beautiful but I am not the one who has made my life beautiful or anyone else on this earth. GOD and only GOD is the one who has made my life beautiful! He has blessed me with Family from all over the world (literaly!). He has given me opportunities to spread His promise, to help others, to love others, He has sent others to encourage me and get me out of my comfort zone. HE gave me two of the most amazing siblings that I thought were never going to get home and PRAISE THE LORD THEY ARE!!!!! He has given me new friends and friends that I already have to become closer. There has been heart break and hard times but those have taught me forgiveness, they have taught me to move on, to keep praying even when it seems like nothing is changing. Not everything has turned out like I thought or wanted it to, but, like everyone else, I had to learn to let God take care of it! And guess what? HE DID! You woud think that I would remember all the times He has taken care of me and I would let HIM DO IT! But no, I AM IN CONTROL (so I think)! And just like every other time, he just gently nudges me and gives me a little reminder and eventually I give to it Him and everytime I wish I had done it sooner (you would think I would remember!). Wow, I could go on and on about the ways He has made my life beautiful but I will stop here. I think I will do a series of posts with a few words and a picture of a way HE has made my life beautiful!

I hope you all have a beautiful and blessed week from Our Lord!!
Leah-Joy.

God Is Awesome

To us, this was a great picture of Tiny Girl, and at the time, it was...

...but God has changed this little beauty so much in 9 months.

But even more so, she has changed us!

Bob

Sometimes I call J Man Bob, so that is what I have decided to call him in my little blogger world. He is so smart! This picture just goes to show what I am talking about!
What do you think?

Hope that you all have a very blessed week!
Leah-Joy.

Easter Way Out Here...

Easter was amazing! In the morning at our wonderful country church me and my sisters sang, two baptized, there was an aming skit and one was saved! Can't get much better then that! Then we went home and Mama had fixed the most amazing lunch ever! We rested and then headed out for Grandmother's ( daddy's mother). There with all the cousin and aunts and Unlce we had an egg hunt for the little ones and a lot oflaughs as our sweet and precious 89 yearold Grandmother walked around the yard witha grin on her face witha switch pretending switch the rude ones! It was hilarious! Then we went inside and had the most amazing meal! Everybdy just brings what they want andit is always fantastic! Man, can my family cook! I am so blessed to have them as my family and supporters!

I hope that you all had an amazingly blessed Easter! Please leave a comment and tell me what you did or tell about a family Easter tradition! I would love to hear!

Just today I read this quote and it pretty much sums up my family,
"Familys are like fudge...mostly sweet witha few nuts."
Well, let me just say this, my family is a very crunchy fudge and I love them for that!

God bless,
Leah-Joy.

I Don't Know What to Say...

This past week we went to Louisiana on a mission trip, you talk about a blessing. God has given me the most amazing joy I can' describe it. You know how the Bible tells us that He will give us a peace that surpasses all understanding, God has given me a joy that surpasses all understanding, or, at least mine and that is fine with me because He has changed my heart and I hope and pray that I never change. As we sang "Victory in Jesus" this morning in church I LITERALLY COULD NOT STAND STILL!!! I just kept moving vack and forth and tapping my feet. It was awesome!!!! I felt so victorious!!!! The Holy Spirit really spoke to me in the second verse.

I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,"
And somehow Jesus came and bro't
To me the victory.

Chorus
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

After I sang it, I realized that the week before last, I was broken, I had broken myself away from God. So, He took me 500 miles away from home to bring me back to Him and jimany cricket, I don't ever want to leave Him again!!!!!

I hope that this has been encouraging and that it has helped you in some way!
May God make you joyful,
Leah-Joy.

PS. coming soon: a post of our trip to Louisiana!

I Need to Remember...

To be crazy with my sisters...


To love my family and be thankful for my friends...


To do things that I love...

To capture special moments...

And Love Like Crazy

they called them crazy when they started out

said 17 to young to know what loves about

they've been together 58 years now

thats crazy

he brought home 67 bucks a week

bought a little two bedroom house on maple street

where she blessed him with 6 more mouths to feed

thats crazyjust ask him how he did it

he'll say pull up a seat it'll only take a minute to tell you everything

(chorus)

be a best friend

tell the truth

over use i love you

go to work do yourbest

don't out smart your common sense

never let your prayin knees get lazy

and love like crazy

they called him crazy when he quit his job

sellin home computers boy they'll never take off

well he sold his one man shop to microsoft

and they paid like crazy

just ask him how he made it

he'll tell you faith and sweat

and the heart of a faithful woman who never let him forget

(chorus)

be a best friend

tell the truth

over use i love you

go to workdo your best

dont out smart your common sense

never let your prayin knees get lazy

and love like crazy

always treat your woman like a lady

never get to old to call her baby

never let your prayin knees get lazy

and love like crazy

they called him crazy when they started out

they've been together 58 years now

ain't that crazy

Lee Brice

LOVE Y'ALL!!!!

Thursday...

Thursday I was feeling so very defeated. I felt as thought God had told me what to do slong ago, I was passionate then it got and I quit. I was feeling as though there is nothing a sixteen yearold from a little town in the South could do about abortion. Hope, as always could tell I was not myself. I didn't want to tell what was botherng me but because I was honest with her she helped me so much! She told me how Sonny Perdue can' do anything about abortion in our state because it is a federal issue; that things like this take time, perserverance and patients. While she was telling me elderly friend of ours was over helping us learn "The Star Spangled Banner" (we have been to sing at a Thrasher's game). As I was listening to the words I began to wonder what Francise Scott would think of our country now? And that just me feel een worse. But then, something awesome happened! God is so amazing!! It was late in the evening and I hadn't practiced piano yet. I really didn't want to but I knew I needed to. I was ending my practice with the hymn that I am learning and something told me to play all the ones that I knew in the book. As I was playing I began to sing and it was the most amazing feeling! It felt like the Holy Spirit was filling and lifting me up! The last song I sang was "It is Well With My Soul."

And I pray and hope that everything today is well with your soul!
God Bless and continue to pray for Haiti!
Leah-Joy.

J.Man and SunShine's first CHRISTmas!

WoWW! a lot has happened since my last post. Sorry I have been out of blogger world for a long time )it seems like every time i post i say i'm sorry i haven't posted in so long). We had an amazing time with Cousin's, a blessed CHRISTmas, and a fun time with an Aunt and Uncle ringing in the new year. I would to do this post about CHRISTmas morning and then another about the afternoon and then our visit with the cousins!

We got up at 8:00 and did the usual wake up call (stomping on the floor above Mama and Daddy's room to wake them up and caroling at the top of the stairs).

Then we came down stairs, took the annual "children on the stairs" CHRISTmas picture.
Before we opened the gifts, Daddy read the CHRISTmas story. It was so peaceful.

J. Man was so excited! He didn't know what to do with all his gifts!

Sunshine woke really fast when she saw her first very own doll house!
And just her Mother, she put as many tables in one room as possible!!!

IT was so awesome to see Little Man excited about getting books about animals!
He loves them!

It was amazing to my little big brother excited about getting his new Bible!
This morning it was awesome to sit with him in the foyer and read the Bible.

How many 13 year olds would do you know that would excited about getting a hard, all one, Narnia series?
MY SISTER!!!!! She is so insipiring!

I know, I. AM. CRAZY!
I was so excited to get a pretty apron!
Hope said that I picked out the loudest one!

Hope is so cute when she gets excited!
I got to help Mama do a lot of shopping for Hope! It was a lot of fun!

And MARIGRACE GOT A GUITAR!!!!!!
She was really excited and so were we!!

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope that you a have peace in your soul about the this new year that surpasses all understanding! God has blessed me beyond words and I am so grateful! Thank you again for stopping by!
God Bless,
Leah-Joy.

The Cousin's are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those you who don't know who the Cousin's are, they are our awesome family who we don't get to see a lot. Well, there are 10 people in our family, already houseful you would think, right? Well, with cousin's there are 24 people in our house and it is an awesome party!!!!

At times there are peaceful moments with Gomer Pyle... then crazy moments with hide and go seek. It is pretty awesome!!

then crazy moments with hide and go seek. It is pretty awesome!!

I am really sorry...bad blogger person!!

I have been the worst little blogger person! I am really sorry. I am not going to make an excuses, I have just been a really bad blogger. Thanksgiving we all had the flu and we are all now getting better. School is going good and Christmas is just around the corner! WoWW!!!! I am so excited about Christmas. I have been able to go in with Baby Girl on a lot of presents and they are awesome!!! I can't wait to give them to everyone! The house is full of Christmas cheer, school is almost over and there are going to be partys!!! HOORAYY!!!!!! I love dressing up and going to peoples houses. This Christmas is going to be really special. This time last year, we were all longing for the little ones to come home and now if youi ask them where they are they will say, "Ome for Christmas!" (they don't say their h's) THEY ARE HOME!!!!!! It is amazing to think about. This time last year Mama couldn't listen to a song about a family going through an adoption and their children weren't home and then its Christmas time again and now their home. And now, that is us!! They are home and we are all together!

The man at the pack N ship we used to mail all our important adoption papers owns a place with blow up toys and gave Mama two tickets for the little ones! They loved it!

This is me and my wonderful *favorite* aunt! I am her name sake which she made very well known at my 16th surprise birthday party! It was great!!

Cody and Sunshine! He came over the first day they were home, stuck his huge hand in her face and she has loved him ever since then! We were all just treating them like they were egg shells but Cody just played with her like any other little kid!

Thank you all for stopping by! I hope that you have an amazing Christmas!

God Bless,
Leah-Joy.

PS. Fun Fact: Merry Christmas! Merry=mighty, Christ is Christ, Mass=celebration, so when you say "Merry Christmas" you are telling them that you hope they have a Mighty Christ Celebration!!

Encouragement!

If anyone is feeling bogged down, like you can't get anything right, or your just feeling discouraged, I would encourage you read this post from my Aunt Renee. It is an amazing and uplifting message from a fellow sister in Christ.

God Bless,
Leah-Joy.

the wind and the rain

Here lately God has really changed my heart. As I read what I wrote a while ago, my cry to God, I realized that He has done what I asked of Him. Isn't it amazing when God does that. That He can do it so gradually that you don't even notice it? I love it when He does that!

Thank you Lord,
For changing my heart. For being patient with me and having mercy on me.

I wrote prayer during a great storm in my life and it has been amazing to listen to God tell the wind to stop blowing and the waves to be still in my heart. Sometimes, like the picture above I have little ripples, but, they aren't ripples of anger like they used to be, they are ripples of sadness and pity. And the amazing thing is, He is there and then they are calm and peaceful again and He lets me know, that I need to pray.

How can I not worry about anything?
Show me how to hide under the shadow of your wings
Heal my heart so that I can hold me arms out open
Help me to forgive and forget
And never look back again

Some say that's just how it is
Why does it have to be this way?
Please let us all be home one day
Don't let us be separated anymore
By miles, burned bridges or wars

Help me to love others and be of help
Use me in a way that your light will so shine
Help me tell others that love is here
That you are Yahweh and always near
That it is okay to mourn and shed a tear
God, I know that this will be tiring, but it must be done.
I do it in hopes that it will inspire a reunion

Some say that it can't be done
That it will always be this way
Please, bring us all home today
Don't let be separated anymore,
By miles, burned bridges or wars.

The the end is in your hands
Please give us strength to stand
Help us, as your children to stand with You in all we do.

Picture Perfect (post 200)

Buddy is growing into such an amazing young man. He now has cows pigs, and this summer he had an amazing garden. He has become even more of an amazing older brother to J Man and Sunshine and I am now looking up to him. He works so hard and becoming everyday more like our Lord. It is wonderful to see him fill the chivalric code of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave,pure and reverent more and more.

Dear Father,
Thank you so much for my brother. Thank you for allowing to look up to him even though he is younger then me.

It Is Amazing!

Last year at this time I never would of imagined that every night before we "off the light" as Sunshine puts it, would I read a Bible story to her and then pray with her! It amazes me every night! I get share with her about my Lord, listen to her tell Mommy the babies name in the basket, and listen to her tell Hope and Grace* "Jesus said 'Let the little children come to me.'" It is amazing! Just the other night she was saying the words of the story with me as I was reading them and she asked me about the guards in front of the tomb. I got to tell her why they were there, how they went to sleep because God wanted them to and that Jesus came out of the tomb! It was so awesome. Then we learned what Mary said when she saw her Lord! It is amazing to hear our precious ball of a miracle look at Mommy and say, "JESUS IS ALIVE!" All I can say is that it is awesome!

Then I get to pray with her. We pray for Grandmother, Nana and Papa, and Grandpa, and Noel and Darell every night. She always asks to pray for Mommy and Daddy. She loves them so much. It has been wonderful to see her get more and more confident saying things without me saying them. Not only is it teaching her (i hope), but, it has taught me that I need to be more like her. One night in her prayer (i say it, then she says it) we said sorry for not listening to Mommy. That has taught me that I need to apologize more, it made me realize that when I throw an attitude at Mama, not only does it hurt Mama but it hurts Him and that when I mouth off at Daddy, that hurts Him too! I need to be more honest, tell Him more and ask for something even if I think that He may not care when really, HE DOES! They both have been such a blessing. As Grace* said, "They needed us and we needed them."

I can't imagine our life without them and can't think of a time when they weren't here. They fit in so well. We love them and they love us. We have learned how to even each other out, listen to each other, and discipline each other. We remind them to chew with their mouths closed, if they eat all their food they get a cookie and they tell us to answer Mommy when she calls and to not pout (because we remind them not to). We are like little accountability partners for each other. As Mama and Sunshine say, "It is amazing!!" I hope that this has been encouraging. Thank you for taking the time to read it!

God bless and sorry for being absent from blogger world for so long!
Leah-Joy.

I Don't Know What to Title This One

Well, as you can tell, I have been out of blogger world for a while! Well, last saturday we were blessed with being ale to go to a Do Hard Things Conference (i talk more about that later). While we were there God told me that He had something big for me to do. And so, I was like, well, ok, whatever you say. Well, when He did start giving me signs about what He wanted me to do I got really scared! I told Him that he was going to have to keep giving me signs in order for me to this. Well, I guess He smiled and said, "Hey y'all, what this," and He did. And I guess I should of thought that it was amazing but, because what He wants me is so big the sighns scared me. I was hoping that I was making it all up and that I wouldn't see anything. Well, I saw alot. The mission He has given me is to bring abortion to an end in our state. And when He told that I was like "Well, that would be really hard, what if I fail and look dumb?" What is crazy is at the conference they talked how even FAILED EFFORT BUILDS MUSCLE! We have to kee going! I had shared with Small Group last Sunday that so mant great men in history were because they were stuborn and determined. Whinston Churchhill said to "Never, never, give up." He wasn't considered smart, he had a lipse, but what most people don't know is that he was the only man that Adolf Hitler was afraid of. A humble, determined servant of Christ, who never gave up. And when I thought those thughts of doubt I realized that I was being dumb and COMPLETELY contradicting myself. Let me share with you some f the sighns that He gave.

• In our history lecture our teacher talked about the sactity of life.
• I have seen the director of our Criss Pregnany Center' name twice this week.
• I am reading a book called "Just Do Something" and in it the author talked about Esther saving her people; last year I wrote a paper about Esther saving her people and how the babes of abortion are our people we need to save them.
• I was able to talk about Abort73 (a website who's mission s to raise aware in teens about abortion) on Wednesday night at church and it felt so awesome and I was thankful for that oppurtunity!
• Matthew 8:10,13 says, " As assuredly as I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel... 13Go your way and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."
• Before I read this I was very afraid, Matthew 8:26 says, "But He said to them, 'Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?' And there was a great calm"
• In the book I am reading for school the author talked about what miracles babies are!
• In "Just Do Something" the author sad that if you want a career in medicine, then do something that will honor God, "to not perform abortions." (talk about feeling like you were feeling being hit up side the head wth wrds!)
• And just now my sister told me that our cousns ran a marathon to help stop abortions.

So, yes, there it all is! I am so thankful for all the girs that listened to me tonight at Small Groups and all the girls who got so excted and wanted to join me! God is so awesome!!! As I was talking with them and as I have been writing this I have realized that I wll not be doing this alone, that even if I am physically alone, HE IS with me!!

So, we hope that maybe we can start by volunteering at our local Crss Pregnancy Center. And just a shout out to ny other girl who may read this and have a passion for innocent lives, please leave a comment and I would love to pray for you and would appeciate if you would pray for me. Thanks to all who took the time to read this. Please pray that God will guide so that I will do what need to do, one step at a time.

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and if you know anyone who wants to help fight this injustice and speak for those with no voice, please send this way and I would love to encourage them if I can, pray for, just form an online community of ACTIVE prolife young women, for we are either a child or an adult and God has called us to be adults and act as adults, so we need to do something adults would do.

Again thank you all so much for listening!

God Bless you!!

Joy.

Before and After

(well, i uploaded them backwards on accident, but you get the point. as Miss Anita said "these babies are blossoming" in the care of my wonderful Mama and Daddy!)

God had given us so much. It s so amazing to look at pictures of them while still at the orphanage and then be able to hold them now! It is amazing! He has brought us through so much! At one point in time it seemed as though we were never going to be able to hold our babies, but they are home forever now by the grace of God! Our God is an awesome God!





Thank you all so much for your prayers. They would not be here without them!
God Bless,
Joy.

More Pictures of Our Precoius New Additions!

God has blessed us with an awesome week!
We have had a lot of company.
Here are just a few pics and more to come!

Our paster came by and what was the first thing he taught J Man???

They love the blocks and build such awesome towers!

Aren't they amazing??

They both love Cody!! He so good with kids! It's like he's a magnet!

Buddy's friend, Grasshopper is always at our house so he is like a brother!
They loved him and his sunglasses!

God Bless,
Joy.