A Day at the Lake

I grew up going to Lakeside.

The Chautauqua on Lake Erie.
(That funny word means a really fun place that kids and adults love to go.)

My parents started going there the year I turned 10.  

Guess what that means?

They've been going there for 30 years straight! (I'm not 10 anymore.)

Ha ha! I'm a real math whiz. Just ask my Dad! ;)



We joined them for one amazing ACTION PACKED day. And it was pure heaven. 

Three generations at Lakeside.

Allow me to revisit it...

We hung out while it rained in the morning and had lovely visits with extended family and cousins! The rain gave way to a lovely rest of the day!

We marveled at some balanced rocks that others had carefully placed.

We walked along the lake path and delighted in some new additions like the new beach area and bistro tables.

We ate Sloopy's pizza (hey, this IS Ohio ya know!) where they have the best pizza in the midwest. Even got an award this year to prove it!

We were welcomed to the pavilion area with the sound of the Lakeside orchestra, laughed as we saw hundreds of people gathered under tents and shade trees to enjoy the ice cream social and marveled at the long lines to get a twisty balloon from a clown. (And gave up when the clown needed to sit down to rest on the child right before us in line! Hey, even clowns get tired!!)

We enjoyed the "Mayberry" feel of the park full of people playing shuffleboard, basketball, putt putt and getting their faces painted and lining up for rides on the horse and carriages. And we nearly got run over by the athletes working on their running skills!

We opted for a favorite place to have ice cream cones and dripped ice cream all over ourselves.

We napped.

We shopped in the adorable shops and found a few early Christmas gifts! :)

We oohed and ahhed over a new bookstore where DQ found the perfect place to play with a doll house nestled in the corner of some children's books.

We found some great new Lakeside tee shirts for the kids and made the merchant so happy with our purchase.

We fished and laughed out loud with joy as Oliver couldn't get over that he actually caught one!


We shared a home-cooked lake-cooked meal with my parents, bro and family and his in-laws. So fun!

We hung out on the rocks after dinner hour and watched the freighter come in. (My dad's favorite part of Lakeside I think!)

We grabbed our camera and shot some new favorite pictures as that "golden hour" of sunlight was truly magical!!

We delighted in yet another gorgeous sunset.

We played "Going...going...gone!" as we watched to sun sink below the horizon. (This little game my dad made up a LONG time ago--and I think it still enhances the show!)

Those flags are off the Lakeside pier: the American flag on top and the Lakeside flag below.

We swatted biting flies while laughing our heads off at our kids perform songs and dance with the microphone down at the park by the water! OH MY, our kids are such hams!!! (see video trust me...the video piece of this blog post has sunk hours of my day and I'm no longer going to try and do it. Please help me if you love iMovie!)

We bathed kids and visited a little more with some Olympic men's track and field trials thrown in.

In bed at midnight, back in our own beds.

It was a PERFECT DAY!!

Can't wait for next year...longer we hope! :)

GREAT NEWS about TOBY!!!!

There are days of celebration, and then there are

DAYS OF CELEBRATION!!!!

Today is one, my friends!!!!

This morning we got an UPDATE on our Toby!!

Now let me explain a few things so you can REALLY celebrate with us...

Toby has something called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita or "AMC." This means that his joints and muscles have been contracted and frozen before his birth. He is unable to bend his elbows (they are fixed straight) and his wrists are severely bent backwards and is unable to use his hands in the proper way. This is a permanent condition that does not progress. It was present at birth but CAN be helped with multiple surgeries.

What we DID NOT KNOW was whether Toby's other joints were involved. You see, if his hips, knees, ankles were affected...this would mean he could not walk. At least he would not be able to walk until multiple surgeries were performed over a long stretch of time. I have been told to anticipate upwards of 20 surgeries if all 4 limbs are affected. In every picture, we could see one of his knees bend, but the other remained perfectly straight.

We have been planning and operating as if Toby will not walk.

Wheelchairs.

Specialty van.

Ramps around our home.

Needing to carry him up and down stairs...

...you get the picture.

When we were praying about adopting Toby, it was clear to us that HE WAS OUR SON. After that, it didn't matter what the extent of his issues were. He was ours and we were going to embark on this journey of special needs, come what may.

But we truly didn't know how BIG this might be for us. (and really, we still don't!)

A friend of mine has also adopted a son from China with AMC. All four of his limbs are affected. She says that parenting him is very labor intensive as she must do so much for him: feed, dress, potty, carry, etc. We heard what she said, and since God made it clear that Toby was ours...we knew Toby was worth it.

We moved forward.

After we were given Pre-Approval (PA) from China to be his family, we were able to request an update. We submitted 10 questions that were translated into Chinese and we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

And today...we heard back!

There were 3 glorious pictures of him!!!

BUT THE BEST NEWS:

TOBY CAN WALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES!!!

Both of his knees bend and in response to our question, "Can he walk, is he learning to walk?" The response was translated:

He walks freely.

Suddenly all the wheelchairs, ramps, specialty van and surgeries melted away.

He walks freely!!!!

I rejoice!

I feel like what a mother of a cripple back in the days of Jesus must have felt like! WOW!!!!!

There were some other amazing descriptions of our little man too...so much fun!

"He is bright, he interacts well with other children and adults, he gets along very well with them."

"He laughs easily."

"He loves to be held and cuddled."

"He has a sweet temper, occasionally he is bossy, he does not cry a lot."(...and Lord knows he is gonna need to hold his own with a DQ around here...!!!)

In response to some specific questions about how he uses his hands:
"He waves his hands and says goodbye, he will use his hands when he wants to catch something. Although he cannot play with toys freely, he can catch up his toys."

And in response to my asking if he can sit up on his own (he could not at 18 months):
"Because of his toes missing, he will be a little afraid of sitting up, but he can sit up slowly by himself."

My little conqueror is already mastering the sit-up!! AND DID I MENTION THAT HE IS WALKING!?!??!?!? Hahahahhahahaha!!! BURSTING WITH JOY!!!

And of course, some NEW PICTURES!!! Just in time for our birthday!

Feast your eyes on our little man:

Oh! I'm giggling like crazy! Do you see that sweet smile? Do you see that sideways glance? He's getting READY for some SIBLINGS!!! OH YEAH!!!! :) :) :)

Hungry for MORE...a book review

When you find something that you really love, you share it.

If it's a meal at a restaurant (oh, those amazing Sushi Nachos we had on our date night in South Carolina!!)

OR

if it's a favorite lipstick (like Avon's Beyond Color in Pink Lemonade that they discontinued! :( Sniff sniff!)

OR

if it's a favorite brand of jeans (love me some Banana Republic jeans!)

And if it's a book...

well, I'm gonna tell you about it!

I read Kandy Persall's Hungry For More recently. It was an amazing journey of a book!

Click to buy

First, some background. The author is my personal friend. She and her husband and two daughters served in East Asia as missionaries when we did and they were amazing mentors to us. They served for a good 20 years (we only did 2!) before moving home to America. They are amazing faith-filled people who love to do whatever God gives them to do.

And she wrote a book. A very good book!

She asks a very GOOD question:
What are you hungry for?

Really—What is your deepest desire?

Kandy's book was my daily delight as I would meet with Jesus each morning. This book was a fabulous companion to the Word. I quickly realized that this book was not going to be a "quick read" but rather a deep, satisfying read. In her terms of meals...it was a slow, savory rich meal--with chopsticks! ;)


By no means was it hard to understand, you see, my friend Kandy writes some very humorous tales of her time in Asia and has this incredible ability to tie it to spiritual truth. Her style is very honest and open about her own struggles and she shares what God taught her through them. She uses parenthetical notes with Scripture addresses so the reader can pause and look up each verse as he or she is reading. Kandy encourages this of each reader so they can reap the most benefit from her work.


I was delighted to discover that each cited Scripture was NOT the typical verses we tend to think of. She has done an exhaustive study of the Word and is sharing Scriptures to be read and understood in new ways. There were many times while reading the book that I would just pause and let the verse sit on my heart before moving on. There was MORE to get from it. 


Kandy's own pursuit of the Lord and His ways and heart are inspiring. She lays out her own vulnerabilities and allows the reader to enter in and study the Scriptures that relate. I found new truths and realities in my own walk with God because of reading her analogies and her journey. 

I have made myself a note to go back and refer to Chapter 14 when I am a worn out, exhausted mother of 6 children. I know those days are in my future, and I will use Kandy's words here along with my Bible and prayer to combat those future days!

I especially liked Chapter 22 where Kandy gives guidance in learning to discern God's voice apart from Satan's. She offers practical questions to help the reader determine if they are tuned into the Lord's frequency or picking up evil words of the accuser. She also explains how a long battle of taking thoughts captive might take--more than just calling off the evil one once or twice! Her writing is very practical training for anyone who wants to learn the voice of the Shepherd and to hear it clearer.


As you read this book, you will be asked to read through 3 of the 4 gospels. Kandy lists the references at the top of the chapter. My time was limited each morning so I got into a habit of reading the 3-6 chapters on one morning and digging into her chapter about them (and all those parenthetical Scripture citings) the next. It was a good rhythm that worked well for me.


Chapter 25 was like an old friend. As I read, I recognized the material. 9 years before, Kandy had given a break out session that I attended. The topic? How to STOP being a people pleaser and learn to tune our hearts to our Lord and please HIM only. I even still have my notes from her talk in my Bible...it was THAT GOOD. And sure enough, it's that study that springs to life in this chapter!


I lovingly recommend this book to all my bloggy friends who want to go deeper or have a new experience in their personal time with God!


Click here to hop over to Kandy's website where her book may be purchased. And yes! E-books are available! I read mine daily on my Kindle! You will enjoy all the goodies on her website!

And looky at what I unearthed...a picture taken by then 3-year-old Jensi of Kandy and I (and baby Anneli with her mouth hanging open!) while we made homemade Jaozi for a fun Chinese meal! Hee hee! :)

circa 2003

Kandy joyfully smiling with her whole family. 

So, are you hungry for more? Well, get feasting!

Da Big One!!

I have long loved birthdays!

And...as much as it's not "proper" to...I love MINE! :)

And this year folks, it's the BIG ONE.

Yes, somehow it happened and I'm turning:

and our little Toby is turning 2 on the very same day!

As I see it, I got to use this fabulous day for my birthday for forty wonderful years. Now it's time for me to give this wonderful birthday to someone else...a very special little boy in China.

You see, it was the sharing of our birthdays that God used to speak clearly to us that Toby is our son. He went from being another unwanted orphan on a waiting list to standing off the page as our child. And it was that AUGUST 13th that did it.

So, I got to thinking...what best way to celebrate this momentous occasion????

Although I have much excitement over turning 40, my heart is broken because on the other side of the planet, a little boy sits in a crib and needs to have immediate medical attention so his muscles and joints do not further contract with his condition. That little boy will spend a birthday with no fanfare, no cake, no funny little songs that our family sings. In short, he will turn 2 without any celebration at all.

This simply breaks my Momma's heart.

So, I propose to you we do a little something.

In place of my birthday, I choose to have 40+2 friends/family donate $40+2 to our Adopt Together account to help bring him home.

I want to be SURE that he is HOME for his next birthday, and every single one after that!!

Will you celebrate my 40th and Toby's 2nd by giving to our adoption account? If you have a big birthday celebratory heart, you might consider giving more than $42...say $420? Or $4,200! I don't want to stop the celebration by limiting anyone! ;) 

And you get an extra little giggle by reading all the way to the end...a genuine circa 1974 picture of ME at age 2...the same age as our little Toby!

Let's bring this little boy HOME!!

Picture Yourself...Helping Toby Home!

So...this past weekend I had amazing fun with my all-time BFF!!

They are SO cute, aren't they?

She and her precious family came and visited us for 2 wonderful days...we laughed and talked and just had a great time together.

One thing we did was take a few family pictures for them. This took about 10 minutes...and then we were back to hanging out and laughing.

It was way cool.

I just emailed her the files to print.

And it started my wheels turning...

What if we offered to do little "mini sessions" like this for others in exchange for donations to help bring Toby home?

We tossed around some ideas...

...so if YOU are looking to have 

some high quality family portraits done 

mid to late August...

...then we invite you to contact us about taking a slot. (Comment here or on Facebook and we'll get details out as soon as possible.)

As a caveat, this will not be a "full session" like we used to do with our photography clients. The time allotment will be 10-15 minutes per family. It will not be for large groups. It will be light retouching only. You will do the printing. (One of the main reasons we stopped our photography was the enormous time commitment on our part. The goal of this project will be to provide you with a high quality image of your precious ones with minimal time on our end.)

Obviously, this will be limited to people who live nearby. Sorry friends in Singapore! How much we'd love to come and shoot on location!

If you would like to donate toward our efforts to bring Toby home you can always click on his picture in the side bar and give directly to our Adopt Together account. All gifts are tax deductible.

We hope that this will be a delightful way to raise funds to help meet our next agency payment to bring home our little man!

Just picture yourself...helping bring Toby home!

Sunday Playtime!

We love family days.


Sunday.


It's just got built-in family fun time.


So fun!

Run, Olly, run!

Scooters brought home from China are a staple of our park play! 


How fun is it to go down this ramp?


A LOT! :)

Indeed, we ALL think so! ;)

Any chance she looks like her Momma? Ha!


 So...

No matter where YOU are hanging out...

We hope you're having fun too!

Decorate for an Orphan...our Toby!!

I am so excited to announce our FIRST FUNDRAISER to help bring Toby home!!!


drumroll please.......


We are so blessed to once again have an Uppercase Living fundraiser to bring home our little guy in China!!!

This company is TOP NOTCH and everything the do is with excellence! We have several vinyl creations in our home that you can see from this post here. We just love them!

When anyone buys something from Uppercase Living through the end of July, 20% of the purchase will be donated to help bring Toby home!


WOO HOOOOOO!!!!!

They've even got fun jewelry! Something for everyone!

Just please make sure you associate your purchase with our party! 

Here's how to participate:

1. Go to Karrie's website…http://kstewart.uppercaseliving.net.  Click "Shop" so you can view all of their amazing categories of products or click "Customize" to create your very own!

2. Add items to your cart (you will be prompted to register).

3. When checking out, choose to "associate" your order with "Amy Shaw" so we receive the credit.

4. Your order will be shipped directly to you!

And in case you needed the motivation, here's Toby's picture in case you forgot how totally adorable he is!! ;)

Oh! Did you just melt again? Me too!! :)


We hope that you will shop to help bring our son home so he can get the medical attention, love and family that he so desperately needs!!


We are so excited! For YOU and your decorating ideas... 


               ...and for Toby who waits on the other side of the world!

Beachbody 21 Day Ultimate Reset--my experience

WOO HOO!!!!

I successfully completed the Beachbody Ultimate Reset!!! That's TWENTY ONE days of amazing food!!

This program was incredibly thought out both by the chefs who created DELICIOUS recipes and by the scientists behind the detoxifying of the body.

It has been so successful and it is now in testing by University medical clinics!

Take a look at a few days of food on the Reset:

At first, I was wondering why I would want to do such a program. After all, I was daily exercising and eating clean.

Or so I thought ...liked to think.

I had some serious addictions.

To what, pray tell?

Butter. Oh yeah.

And icing.

[Ahem.]

Two things that I don't eat everyday, but when I would, I would lose control. It felt like if there was bread and butter on the table, I could kiss my resolve goodbye. I would have at LEAST two slices...and the bread was merely the vehicle to get the butter to my mouth. [Nobody wants a grown woman chewing off a hunk of butter from the stick...at the table, right?]

Got a food like that?

Yah, you get me.

Anyway, after watching the results of several fellow Beachbody coaches, I decided to jump into this myself.

I had no idea that I would break FREE of my addictions!!

BUT I DID!!!

I also lost weight (8 pounds!), lost inches (4 1/2) and my face and arms look leaner. My smallest-sized pants are now loose and my thighs measure smaller than ever as an adult. I did not lose muscle but rather lost the fat over hard earned muscle from all those awesome Beachbody programs I've been doing like Turbo Fire and P90X2!

Other changes I've been so pleased with include deeper sleep, natural strong steady energy and new tastebuds!  (Did you know they remake themselves in 2 weeks? Mine now do not want sugar and crave healthy, whole foods!)

So, you are curious, how does it work?

You order the package from Beachbody. It arrives. You watch the DVD's to familiarize yourself with what you'll be doing. You put on your bracelet to remind yourself, "I'm worth cleaning up and resetting to my optimal best!"

You learn the routines of your supplements and shop for the main staples of the reset: oils, vinegars, spices, miso paste...don't worry, if you can't find it locally there are places to order online.

You have your coach (me!) support you all the way through. I will email you a helpful plan that gives you day by day all your recipes and foods and gives you the heads up when you need to cook double for tomorrow's lunch. (Thank you, Erin, for creating this for me!!)

If you want to document your progress with your doctor, you go see him or her. Get some basic bloodwork done especially your cholesterol. Turns out I had just been in to see my doctor for an adoption clearance and I couldn't have another well visit two weeks later. Silly insurance!

Going to insert a personal tip here: wean yourself off caffeine before starting the Reset! Oh, and don't worry about not having enough fuel for your workouts. You take a 3 week break from them and merely take soothing walks and stretch your muscles.

Then you do it. You shop about every 4 days and cook. You cook and chop and cook and chop some more. Your family and friends wonder what happened to you because you never leave your kitchen and somedays you feel a bit grumpy. [Gotta be honest--when things are in "detox" mode...you can't help feeling a bit weepy, irritable and generally dazed. But one thing you are not is hungry. You are FULL of GOOOOOOOD food! But worry I only had 3 1/2 days like this out of 21!]

You learn to replace all your previous drinks with water. You learn to drink water before a meal. You learn to chew your bites 20 times...afterall, your tummy doesn't have teeth! ;)

And you learn, or maybe marvel, that you actually do not NEED MEAT or DAIRY or even GRAINS in your diet to survive this reset. In fact, for 21 days, you wean off these foods to focus exclusively on high amounts fruits and vegetables.

Each week is a phase. Phase one you wean off of whatever junk you've been eating and dairy and meat slowly fade out. Phase two your focus is ridding your body of toxins...you drink a supplement 3 times a day that gently clings to impurities and unwanted crud in your digestive system and flushes them out. This supplement was created carefully so no one is doubled over running for the bathroom all day long. It was very natural.

Phase three ushers you into a vegan diet. This was the most incredible phase for me. I'd read a lot about vegan diets and really wanted to try it...but wondered HOW IN THE WORLD would I give up things like butter and cheese and Greek yogurt?? Well, the Beachbody Ultimate Reset answered that for me! I effortlessly slid into phase three and was doing it! [You know, like when you suddenly realize your dad's hand wasn't on the bicycle seat and you'd been riding all this time?? LIKE THAT!!]

I was plenty happy when the 21 days were over. Not because I couldn't wait to dig into a fresh slice of bread and slather it with butter though. No, I was simply weary of having to cook from a list of dictated day plan of meals. My desire for butter and icing were BOTH tested. And truly, their power was broken.

Test number one came when I was cooking for my family something they longed for. It needed butter melted and I was nervous. But I pulled that stick of saturated fat out of the fridge and saw it for what it was: saturated fat that was a hinderance to my health. Didn't. Want. It. Fo reals!!!

Test number two came when we held another cupcake sale for Sixty Feet. Spending several hours around icing-topped sweets had zero affect on me. I even bumped into a cupcake with my finger and my first thought was to wash it off, not lick it. I was further reminded of how bad it was for me when it didn't wash off easily...that fat clings! Just exactly what it does inside a body.

And now, you want to know...did she keep the weight off? Did she go back to her former addictions? Did her family eat the Reset food???

Let me answer those great questions!

Not only have I kept the weight off, I have lost more! I love love love eating the recipes that came with the reset. They are SOOOO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD!!! I continue to make them in real life and am shocked to find myself roasting up some beets for Sunday night dinner. (This really sounds so different after doing the Reset...I know to you it must sound like I live on a different planet!) Even tonight, while I make dinner for everyone else (Friday night is PIZZA NIGHT in our family) I will eat an acorn squash. And be very happy, mind you!! :)

I have not had any butter or icing or cheese or any sugar for that matter since I've finished the reset. I simply don't want it. Now I know that I could eat them...and that old temptations could take hold of me again, so I will probably steer clear of these things for a long while.

My family rocks. They eat whatever I feed them. I intentionally cooked ahead before I began the Reset so they would have food that I could pull from the freezer and focus on what I needed to cook for my reset. As it progressed though, they wanted what I was oohing and ahhhing over. And I fed it to them. And we still eat it.

So, in my personal critique, I would say the Ultimate Reset was worth it. It was labor intensive, took some work to swallow the different liquid supplements (the capsules were nothing!) and those grouchy days were not fun, but the benefits WAY OUTWEIGH the "pain." It changed how I look at food and how I feed my family. My tastebuds long for healthy food and my body is satisfied with foods I never thought I would even like.

There is no benefit like feeling FREE from addictions, thin, happy and energetic!! Way to go, Beachbody for this great product!!

Small Town America

5 years in this small town...

of 7,000 people.

It's been a HARD adjustment from living in more populated areas.

WAAAAY more populated areas.

But you know what?

I've got some good things to tell about a small town life!

And I mean more than tractors driving down Main Street!

Let me tell you about a cashier at our local WalMart.

That's right. I said it.

WALMART!!

I have hated going there and what's worse is realizing we go there nearly 3x a week or more to pick up the odds and ends we need to keep this family running.

But there is a cashier there who simply rocks.

Her name is Stella.

She's not just friendly, she's gone the extra mile.

She has learned my children's names.

And let's just review those now so you can see that this was NO EASY FEAT for her!

Jensi

Anneli (AH na lee)

Oliver

Zareb/Zeb

Darrah Kate (Darrah rhymes with Sarah)

So when we left the store yesterday, Oliver asked me, "Mommy, how do we know that nice lady?"

This is when it dawned on me: this is no ordinary place.

Fo reals.

Let's just see: please raise your hand if you have a cashier at Walmart memorize your 5 children's challenging names and then chime them out one by one as you leave her line, "Good-bye Darrah Kate! Good-bye Zeb! Good-bye Oliver! Good-bye Anneli! Good-bye Jensi!"

Mm-hmm. I didn't think so.

It's pretty special up here.

Let me give you another example of amazing life in a small town.

My children left a sticky note on our mailbox for our mailman.

A day later they had a HUGE package on our front porch addressed to them.

Inside were coloring books, stamp collecting catalogues, stamps, stickers, US Postal Service pencils and a THREE AND A HALF page HANDWRITTEN letter!!

Above and beyond the call of duty, I'd say!!

As today is the 4th of July, I also want to highlight something our little tiny town did.

After traveling around the world and seeing face to face poverty--the REAL poverty, it has been a major issue of mine that cities will drop a million dollars or more on a fireworks display. It makes me so angry to think what GOOD that money could have done for the city's homeless! Or feed the hungry... Okay, you get my drift.

But this little small town in the past years has CANCELLED their fireworks display because of lack of funding. And this year? It's back on. How? They fundraised for it!

I love that!

So while I miss date nights at Easton, dining at Brio and having our parents just a few minutes away, and it still freaks me out that I walk into the bank and they greet me by name, this small town life is really pretty special.

Pretty special indeed.

Just Because...

...because Darrah Kate is adorable.

...because evening light is beautiful.

...because we have a teddy bear for Toby that has a tag in his ear that actually says, "Toby."

...because we think about Toby so far away it hurts.

...because we ache to go get him and bring him home.

...and because I just want to share these moments with you.

Update on Josh Wilson

So deeply thankful to all of you who have joined us in praying and giving to help his family!!

Josh has Cerebral Palsy. When he fell out of the van a week ago and hit his head, it did some real damage.

BUT GOD IS BIGGER!!!

Here is the latest report from Renee (Josh's amazing mom) as she balances her busy life between Josh's needs hours away in the hospital and those of her husband and other 5 boys back home:

Had a huge emotional roller coaster of a day. The Dr's came in this am & told us that "we were in for the long haul" & that it would be a long time before Josh wakes up. There is some new damage on his right side & more detrimental was the new damage they found in the middle (thalamus) of his brain. :(
So we settle in for the "long haul". I leave & make some phone calls. I walk back into the room & I notice that his left eye is slightly opened. So I talk to Josh & he SMILED!!!!!!!! I then yelled (very loudly) "PRAISE JESUS!" He smiled LOTS & LOTS!!!! He kept responding as the day went on! He has no control of his body except his eye & that beautiful smile!!! :)
No idea when we will be home. Will probably be coming home in a wheelchair & need LOTS of therapy. So grateful to Jesus that He allowed my little Joshua to wake up and smile at us!
Also, we are allowing people to come and see Josh next week. PLEASE let us know if you are wanting to come see him. We do not want a ton of people here at once.
God is so good to me!!!


Please keep on praying!!!

We will continue to collect funds for the Wilson family through this Wednesday, July 4th. Please just click on the sidebar "Chip In" if you would like to help off-set expenses that are mounting daily for this precious family.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."  ~James 1:2-4