Another week gone by

Wow where did this week go? It started with an awesome weekend with my dad. The kids were SUPER excited to see him and spend some good quality time with him. Samuel got to have sleepovers with Grampa in the men's dorm and that was neat. He found it really amazing when Grampa brushed his "real teeth" (dentures); at breakfast he informed mommy and daddy of exactly how Grampa brushed them. We spent Friday night and Saturday morning in New Orleans and it was great to get off the camp and into the city for a little 'down time'. Samuel loves going to New Orleans since he knows that's where he was born and Olivia just loves eating so we can find that out there too.

Harold and Sandra had to go home to Calgary for a funeral so it was a different week here at Pass. Busy like always but different. Willie is loving his drywall, mudding and taping job. Sounds strange because not very many people do. This week he got to work with experienced 'mudders' so he was really pumped about that (as pumped as my relaxed husband gets).

The kids were lovin' the group this last week, but like every weekend they had to say goodbye again. It's hard to believe we're on our last month already. It's going to be really hard in so many ways to get back to things at home because we enjoy this reality and are trying to take as much from this to apply to our lives at home. Working and living for others is so much more rewarding than the selfish life we live at home. But we miss the relationships we have at home and hope that we can just jump right back into them when we arrive. It's only about 6 months from home but the kids are already forgetting some faces and names so we'll have to do some photo study before we get home.

God has shown us again this week that He loves to make us smile. We love how He's in control. A contractor that came to MDS said that if he had a new crew every week there is no way he could get a house complete - but here we have that situation and homes are being built and in good time as well - that shows you that God is building the house... not man! Thank you Jesus!!

Our Beach Play Date

Hello all, it's been a long time since we sent an update. This previous week was a busy one and full activity. Willie is much more busy at this site than the previous one so the kids see little of him. I'm working in the main trailer usually from 10 am until 4pm so that means the kids have to entertain themselves and work around me for a big part of the day. Samuel is acting up a little and we're praying to change some things so that he can come out of that and be the easy going kid that he usually is. Olivia is her busy self and finds her way into people's hearts and laps in no time.
Some of Willie's projects this week were building steps, siding a home and prep for mudding/taping. Homeowner lost everything here in Mississippi after Katrina and then moved out to Atlanta where they lost everything again in a fire; now they're back and starting over one more time.
My dad comes on Friday and I'm counting the days!!! The kids are really excited so I'm hoping the time he's here won't be too short.
Andrew there is still room for you to come down... just let us know when you wanna come - we'll make it happen.
Have a great Sunday... we're off to worship with an amazing church that is excited to praise God! Pray that Olivia can sit for a little more than 16 seconds at one time!!
Blessings!

Boots, Bulls and Buckles... we saw it all in Biloxi!

We went out to the CBR Tuff Hedeman Shootout - Samuel loved it. I was wondering if this would confirm that he was country boy at heart! It was a lot of fun to get out and our kids were entertained for 2 hours!! We put the kids in pj’s for the ride home because we knew they would fall asleep as soon as we hit the road - in the morning our son woke up with a big smile and wanted to see the video and pictures I took the night before. And Olivia has changed her “Yee Haw Cowboy” to “Buckin’ Bulls!”

Sounds crazy but I was in tears before the whole thing started. The announcer said before they started he wanted to participate in the greatest freedom in the US... the freedom to worship God. He lead us in a wonderful prayer, the cowboys all knelt on the arena floor. It was so encouraging after all the news about God being attacked by law makers.... and coming from a country where this is so not the norm! There were quite a few bull riders that knelt after their ride (not sure if that would have been a “Thank you Jesus that my brave but somewhat crazy heart was saved once again” or “Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to do what I love to do - all for you Jesus”. So yes we saw God even at the CBR! It’s really amazing how God is in EVERYTHING and still so evident!

Talking about having God in everything, He has kept us safe on a lot of miles! We’ve had a few travels in the weeks that Willie’s schedule has been more relaxed and I knew we had traveled far enough when Samuel says from the back seat “Daddy, stop the truck! I need to deal with Olivia!”

As we begin another year we anticipate seeing God work in families and individuals who come out to work with MDS and the people here in Pass Christian. The best part is that we don’t just have to see it happen... we can help make it happen. Thank you Jesus for your provision and your guidance.