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.

More Good News!!!

Aren't they beautiful?
God has blessed us with more good news!
Both J Man and Sweet Pea now have their pastports and visa's!!!!
God has done so much and He is continuing to do even more!
Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to pray that everything will be provided.
An example of that is, Mama has been wanting to sell one of the trucks that we have.
Daddy put it at the end of the driveway and within four days it was gone!!!

Thank you Lord for all that you have done and all that you have provided and brought us through.

May we never take anything for granted!

This is forward that I got and wanted to share with you.

Your cell phone is in your pocket.
He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.

You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you.
He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty dolphins.
He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.

You complain about how hot it is
He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.
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You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.
He doesn't get to eat today.

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.
He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.
He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.
He's told he will be held over an ext ra 2 months.

You call your cousins and set a date for a get together.
He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.

You hug and kiss your parents, like you do everyday.
He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.
He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.
He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.
He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.

You see only what the media wants you to see.
He sees the broken bodies lying around hi m.

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.
He ;does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.

You stay at home and watch TV.
He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.
He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopter s all night long.



REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget them LATER
Lest we forget.






Please pray with me for all our Marines, Solders, Airmen, Sailors and Guards! May we never forget them and the price that they have paid so that we may do whatever we are doing!

As I look at these pictures I am reminded of a story that Our great grandpa told us. He was in Coast Guard for twenty-one years. He served during WWII. He was in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and many more. He was in the deck of the ship and a Japanese plan flow so low that Grandpa could see his face. To this day, at ninety two years old, he remembers what this mans face looks like. Then, the Japanese fighter pilate dropped a missile. Right then Grandpa thought, "I'll never see Jeanette (his wife) and my two boys again." And only by a miracle of the Lord was granpa and all his men saved! A wave came up and knocked the missile off course! If you don't call that a miracle I don't what you would call it!

Please pray that God would protect these young men and women as he did Grandpa!

God Bless,
Joy.