GOING HOME

I know it's been a few days since I have written. Gary and me have been under a little stress and I have had a lot on our mind. For those of you that don't know, Gary and I have resigned from ABC Homes and will be going home to our family in two weeks. We are just spending the precious time we have left with our wonderful boys and not taking advantage of any of it! We are taking one of the boys with us and are very excited about that. He is part of our family and he has made the decision to join us when we leave. We are so grateful God has allowed us to share our family with him. I know this seems sudden, and I must say that it was unexpected for us to. We just feel that God is moving us on to a different ministry. We are leaving precious friends behind that we love and will miss dearly. I will continue to post on the blog and feel lead to continue doing daily devotions. Please pray for the ministry and the kids. We did get a new boy in the cottage on Tuesday and he needs prayer. Adjusting is the hardest part. Please pray for our family and where God will be taking us. We love you and may God bless you all!

GOD ALMIGHTY

I KNOW WHO I AM...I KNOW WHO I SERVE....I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!

GOD IS STILL IN THE MIRACLE BUSINESS!

We left out on Tuesday morning with the senior boys and girls headed for Super Summer Camp at OBU in Arkadelphia. We got there to a flood of kids. Turns out that there was over 1,100 kids at just at the Senior high camp this year. Amazing! The first day I got there our activities director told me that one of our girls in junior camp had accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. I was excited before camp even started! We got checked in and went to our dorms to unpack. After unpacking we headed for dinner and then to church service. John Randal's was our speaker. I don't know if you have heard of him but he is an awesome messenger for God. He talked to the kids in language they could understand. "Yo-Dog", dude, etc. LOL He talked about being dangerous disciples for God. He said; The rain is coming. If you don't want to get in, tread water cause it ain't my problem! He preached a great sermon. The kids went by tens to the alter. They had so many people go to the front of the church that they had to pull all the adults out of the crowd to go and pray with the kids. It was beautiful work God was doing. I'm not sure how many decisions were made that night but it was a bunch! We had a concert outside afterwards called; "The After party." All the kids hung out together, ate snacks and worshiped with the praise band. We had to be in our dorms and lights out by 11:30. We never made it on time due to us always running behind schedule, but we didn't mind. The next day the kids went to their group meeting and the adults went to theirs. They asked for Volunteers to help run the concession stands, the recreational activities and the nurses station. I volunteered for the nurses station. I'm not sure what I was thinking. LOL. I got called all the time. But I guess with 1,100 students I should have known that. I would like to say Thank You to my new friend, Ben Ford. I was at church camp for 2 days before I found out that there was a place to buy unsweet tea. If you know me, you know that I have to have my tea. I was standing in line waiting to pay for me tea. It was lunch time and the line was so long. While I was waiting I got a call on the radio that I needed to go for a student that passed out. The man in front of me heard the radio and grabbed my tea and said; Go, I will get this for you. I was talking to the girl that passed out when he came in with my tea....and a straw. I tried to pay him for it but he said; No, this ones on me. Nice guy and a living example of why we were at camp.

We had a good day Wednesday. All the kids were doing great and showing up to their groups when they were supposed to. We were so proud of them. We went to church services that night. Again he talked about being a dangerous disciple. (Romans 8:29) I KNOW WHO I AM....I KNOW WHO I SERVE....AND I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING! There is a price to be paid, and I'm ready to pay it. He said that Jesus did not use the word "Christian." He said, Jesus used the word "disciple." The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John do not have the word "Christian" in them at all. The word "Christian" is not mentioned until the book of Acts 11:26. Again at invitation, the kids flocked to the Alter in by tens. I was sitting there watching them all go up and I started thinking to myself, Wow, if my daddy had not raised me in a Christian home, where would I be today? I began thanking my daddy while sitting there watching these children. Thanking him for being a dangerous disciple and telling him I would see him again one day when I get to Heaven. We had taken a girl with us that was starting to question this "Jesus" guy, but she said she was not quite sure he would die for her. She didn't think anyone could die for someone they didn't even know. She went to the front but when it came time to pray, she wasn't ready. But it wasn't over....there was still 2 days to go. I heard nurse duty pretty much the whole time we were there. I stayed busy. During recreational activities the young ladies were getting too hot and passing out. People were getting hurt on tug-a-war. We had so many people in the nurses room that we had to lay them on the sidewalk and put fans on them. It was so hot! I stayed pretty busy nursing while I was there but it was a good way to minister. One of the girls I went to take care of turned out to be someone I knew. During worship service they came in the chapel and got me to go take care of a girl in the lobby. I went out there and started helping her. I asked her what her last name was and she told me. I recognized the name but it's not a common name and I asked her if she knew my primary care doctor. She said yes, that's my mom. Turns out that the primary care doctor who has taken care of me for over 20 years, roles reversed. I was now taking care of her daughter. Talk about Karma. LOL The next day was another great worship day. The band was, "Two Empty Chairs." I don't know if you are familiar with them, but you should look them up and listen to their songs also. They put on a great worship service. Larry, the lead singer, started crying one night and said; I will never forget Super Summer. He said; I finally get what true worship is all about and you kids at Super Summer have changed me. He said; I will never forget you guys. In the picture below you will see how much the kids enjoyed their band and how they worshiped while they played. It was awesome to be a part of this.

The preacher preached his sermon on being a Shark and not a feeder fish. Be the dangerous disciple and don't let the predators invade your home. He said; "Friends come and go but enemies accumulate." He also said it takes 25 touches (estimated) to lead someone to Christ. He said you can be the first touch, the 15th or the 25th and have the privilege to lead that person to Christ. But you have to create relationships to lead them to Christ. You have to gain their trust and start witnessing. Most importantly you must become a good listener. You have to stop and listen to what they are saying. Tune your ears to listen...stop talking and just listen to what they need and what they have to say. Target people and build relationships. Build good character, earn trust and witness to people.  Be a dangerous disciple! Be the Shark not the feeder fish. I KNOW WHO I AM, I KNOW WHO I SERVE AND I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING. There is a price to be paid...I'm ready to pay it! That night we had several more make commitments to God. We also had one of our seniors give her life to Christ. It was the one who thought that a guy named "Jesus" could not have died for her. This Jesus guy that didn't know her.....she fell in love with. It's hard to believe if you don't know Jesus, but we know Jesus and we know how Awesome and Forgiving our Savior is...Amen! She was saved from a Devils Hell that night. Praise the Lord. Coffey Anderson came and performed a concert for us on Friday. It was really great. His wife went in to labor and he had to boogie out of their. Look him up on You-Tube. He is doing a video of us at Super Summer. He was so funny and sung so well. I love to worship with music. I had great bonding time with the kids and enjoyed just stopping in the middle of the day, going to the chapel and praying for them. Such a Hugh impact can be made with prayer. Prayer is powerful. God is going to answer but it is going to be in his time and the answer he wants, not the answer we necessarily want. It was such a great week and I grew in the Lord so much. I learned things about myself that I am going to work on changing. I want to be a dangerous disciple. In the end we heard that over a 300 were saved and over 600 kids made personal commitment's to Christ.

These are my friends The Luchador's!

They put on skits for us. They were so funny! We had such a great time watching them.

You can look them up on You-Tube and watch some of their stuff.

PRAISE THE LORD! GOD IS STILL IN THE MIRACLE BUSINESS. I was so blessed to be a part of God's ministry this week. I am so privileged that he used me to help him with these kids. God is so Awesome!! We got home Saturday afternoon and we were all dog tired. I think I could probably sleep for two days straight. It's wonderful to go to camp....but it's also wonderful to come back home. I challenge you to go out and be a dangerous disciple for God today! I KNOW WHO I AM....I KNOW WHO I SERVE...AND I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!


GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIENDS!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF GOD??

I can not wait to share my week of Super Summer with you'll. I have so much to share and I am so excited about it! I think you will be excited too when you hear what God did this week. I will post real soon. God bless you!

GOING TO CAMP

We are packing today and leaving for Super Summer Camp! I am excited. I love this time of the year.  We get a lot of praising God and visiting with each other. By the end of the week your heart is so on fire because you have come closer to God. I enjoy watching the kids come closer to God and the ones that get saved. It's a precious time of the year. We are leaving today and will be back Saturday. I will let you know what went on and how many were saved when I get back. Please pray for a week of kids getting to know our Lord and Savior. Gary is going to try and post some things while I am gone. I hope you have a great week. God bless you!          GOING TO CAMP!!!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS!!!!

Thank you Lord for giving us our dads. Thank you for giving me the time that you gave me with my daddy.

I know there are lot's of dads celebrating in Heaven with you this year.

Thank you for dying......so we could live. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY LORD AND SAVIOR!

GOD KNEW

I got down on my knees, and told God I didn't have a clue.
That's when he whispered, Oh but child I do.

I placed the stars in the sky one by one,
I hung the moon and I painted the Sun.
I named each bird and taught them how to fly,
and I gave them wings to soar into the sky.

And then there was you,
.........I knew what to do.

I gave you the power to love and be loved,
And I give you daily blessings, sprinkled from above.
When you are weak and feeling led astray,
I give you the strength to make it through the day.
And when you feel alone and don't know what to do,
I place the people in your life to help you make it through.

Child don't be dismayed, just know that I love you...
and when you feel like you are going to fall, I'll come to your rescue.
The night those tears fell from your face when you were feeling blue,
You thought no one noticed.....but my child I knew.

There is nothing you could do,
to ever make me stop loving you.
Because when it came to creating you, my dear child.....I knew.

Denise Rochester
6/18/2011    

A new addition to our family....

Meet our new family member. We got a horse today from the home. Her name is Nativa. She is a very sweet girl. Lyndsie and me went out this afternoon and gave her a bath and a haircut. Lyndsie braided her tail and trimmed her bangs and Nativa was ready to strut her stuff! We had a good time bathing her and giving her a haircut. I think she enjoyed the attention as well. It's amazing how horses are like people. They come to you begging for you to love them and they walk away when they feel like you are done with them. One thing we can count on....Our Heavenly Father will never walk away from us! God bless you!

Are you talking to me??  LOL

A horse all cleaned up. Just imagine how we must look to God once we have been washed from our sins. I bet we shine like the stars in the sky to our Lord and Savior.

Freedom to run. Just like the freedom of choice God gives us. Will you run from Him....or go to Him?

LOL...I had to throw this one in there. One of our boys stuffed my dog in the couch. LOL

Don't worry. It didn't hurt her. She kind of liked it. She hung out there for a while. :)

            Uummm....can someone get me out of here!       

IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Jesus came and died so that we could live with our Father in eternity. God gives us each day to serve him in the most fulfilling way we possibly can. Live each day to serve God and live each day to it's fullest. God is amazing and he has blessed us with another beautiful day. Love you Lord! I hope you all have a great day with the Lord. God bless you all.

OFF TODAY.....

Wow. We are off today and getting some much needed rest. We love the kids and love spending time with them but it has been a busy couple of months. The board met here yesterday. We got to spend some time with them and have lunch. It was nice having them here and getting to know more about them. I am sitting on my couch today, watching TV and thankful that the Lord gave me another day to serve him. I am also thankful that the Lord allows quiet times for us to rest and reflect on him. Please continue to pray for this ministry and all the prayers needs. You are so faithful to pray for us and it is much appreciated. God bless you and I hope you have a great day with the Lord!

GET WELL

Get well wishes going out to my grandmother and cousin. Please continue to pray for them as well as so many others that are in need. A lady from our home church passed out today at work. She still has not woken up and they thinks it's a brain aneurysm. Please continue to pray for all the unspoken prayers and count your many blessings. God allowed you another day to breath. God bless you!

OLD FRIENDS

Yesterday we had Alumni day here at ABC Homes. We met some really nice people that grew up here. One man had lived here between the years of 1958-1970. He said those years were some of the best years of his life. He toured the cottage and told us some stories. Each room held a special memory for him. This was his home....and in some way, still is. There was also a man that came with his wife. The man was carrying a rose. Another car pulled up with a man and woman in it. They got out and walked toward the crowd. The man with the rose went over and handed the lady the long stem rose. He said; This is for you. They had spent some of their teenage years here at ABC Homes and were childhood friends. He just wanted to bring her a rose and let her know he cared. I thought it was sweet that the gentleman had fond memories of a girl while here. They had both grown up and married other people and had gone on with their lives. God knew the ultimate plan. They had a reason for being here and they had a reason for leaving...even if they left friends they loved behind. I bet he has thought of his time here and his friends often. I imagine many of them have. The turn out was great. Some of the stories told and memories recalled were fascinating. I just pray that the kids we have spent time with have those fond memories to hold dear as they grow up, leave and move on with their lives. I know there are kids that I will remember for as long as I live. They have made a Hugh impact on my life. Friends and family for a life time....and a place they called home.  Hold your friends dear.....God bless you!

ON THE ROAD TO WITNESS

I have been helping a good friend of mine prepare for a mission trip this week. He is going with our church to Kansas to witness to people. We came up with the ideal of making cards with Bible verses on them so they could hand them out with their tracks. We have worked all week on them and made almost 200! My daughter, Lyndsie, helped and we all had such a good time. It took us about 4 days to do them and several hours but it was worth every second. Making as many as we did gave us the opportunity to look up many Bible verses for each card. It was an amazing Bible study for me, and it came at a much needed time. I have had a lot going on in my life this week and I really needed God's direction. He showed me several verses in the Bible while doing these cards and let me know in each of them that I could depend on him. It's amazing how our Lord and Savior works. He knew I needed this Bible study and he gave me the time to help out. Thank you Lord for being my Great and Almighty Father. I hope each card made touches a life, all for your glory. Please pray for the people going on this trip. They leave tomorrow for a week. Pray that many people come to know Christ as their personal Savior.....and even so Come Lord Jesus Come! God bless you!

HOW TO MEET JESUS FACE TO FACE

I have been helping a good friend of mine get Bible verses ready for a mission trip he is going on this week. It has been a great study time for me. This week we have had a lot going on in our family. My grandmother is in the hospital, my cousin is in heart failure and my dad's best  friend died. I wondered why people make thing's so complicated when it comes to Heaven. Some people believe you get there by good deeds and some just "don't" believe. The Bible is very clear on how you get to Heaven. It's not my thought, or the way I perceive the Bible...it's what God said. God makes it very clear how we are going to inherit his kingdom for eternity. It's hard enough on your family mourning you when you die. But it's even harder if they know they will never see you again because you didn't believe in Jesus Christ.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto them, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me.

You have to confess with your mouth that you do believe in Jesus and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins. You have to confess that you are a sinner and you have to ask that Jesus come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior. Jesus loves you so much and he is waiting on you to call on him. Jesus says EVERYONE who calls upon my name shall be saved. HE is not choosing who he is going to let into his kingdom. We are making the choice for him. If we deny him, HE will deny us before his father. I pray that you have made the choice to seek God's kingdom and that one day I will see you at Heaven's gate.
God bless you!

It's going to be more beautiful than we could have ever imagined!

TIME FOR REST!

I got off this morning and I feel like I have been run over by a truck! I think I am mentally exhausted. Everything just seemed to go wrong yesterday. I moved from SB Cottage to IB Cottage because we had one of our house parents going for a procedure. All is well with her. Thank you Jesus. In IB Cottage, one of the boys decided to play in the house and ended up punching a window and breaking it out. Thank goodness no one was hurt. The air conditioner in the house leaked and soaked by bedroom floor. I can say that in the end, none of it really mattered. I lived through it and it was no big deal. It just seemed like a big deal at the time. I spent today helping my friend make the cards to give out on their mission trip next week. I hope that many people learn how much Jesus loves them. They are going to an Indian college. Pray that many kids are reached through their ministry. I go to Super Summer in a couple of weeks with the kids here on campus. I am looking forward to it but I'm trying to get in all the rest I can before I go. :)
God is so good! I know that a lot of great things are happening and HE is going to equip me with everything I need to make it through. I do have a couple of prayer request. My grandmother is in the hospital and ill. Please pray for divine intervention for her. My cousin who is in his forties is in the hospital with heart failure. Please pray that they find a heart for him soon. His sister, who was in her thirties and a single mom of two, just died from heart failure last year. Their family is in much need of faithful prayer warriors. I pray that you all have a great day and can see the love of God. Take a look at the picture below. That's where I would love to be right now. Peace and quiet. LOL I probably would not even enjoy the quietness anymore. I'm so used to having all the kids around now, that it just doesn't seem normal to not have a house full of kids and noise. I pray you feel peace in your life today. God bless you!

AWWWwwwwwwww......

FAITHFUL VIEWERS OF THE BLOG....THANK YOU!!

I wanted to show you the stats on the faithful readers of the blog and where they live....

AUSTRIA: 4 readers
BRAZIL: 60
CHINA: 45
CZECH REPUBLIC: 16
DENMARK: 68
GERMANY: 18
HUNGARY: 13
INDONESIA: 32
JAPAN: 15
RUSSIA: 58
SPAIN: 42
THAILAND: 57
UKRAINE: 8
UNITED KINGDOM: 22
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: 4,652

Top blog post being read:
1) OUR FATHER WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US
2) THIS IS MY TESTIMONY...THIS IS WHY I'M HERE
3) NOT ALWAYS PERFECT

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR US. THIS MINISTRY WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE POWER OF PRAYER!!
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

WE LOVE YOU!

We have had a busy weekend. Friday night we had our campus "Out of school" picnic. We had face painting, hamburgers and hot dogs and just let the kids hang around and visit. Saturday I helped two of our boys pack. They went home today. They have been here for almost 2 years. Really nice boys and they are going back home to family. That's the hardest part of my job. Saying good-bye. I'm just not good at it! I get attached to the kids then don't want to share them with anyone. :) Lyndsie and me made them their favorite cake. It was strawberry cake topped with chocolate icing and strawberries. We invited the other cottages over and let the kids hang out and say there good-byes.  I wrote them a letter and put it with their luggage so they could read it when they got home. I walked out to the van to say the final good-bye and they already had their letters out reading them. They both drew me a picture to hang on my bedroom door in the cottage. (Some of the boys are really bad about leaving their Face book up. So, when they do, sometimes I have a tendency to post something nice about myself on their status. LOL The boys will usually get on their and post that they were "hacked.") One of the boys put on his picture; 'Dear Mrs. Denise, I love you very much and will miss you very much. And No, I was not hacked!' LOL I thought it was cute. I'm going to miss them dearly. Today I just went in their rooms and stood and looked at how empty the rooms were. I didn't like it! I wanted to see their things back in there. I know. I'm selfish. I'm sure they are thrilled to be at home with their family...but it doesn't make me miss them any less. All the kids here are good kids. They just need someone to love them. I pray that these boys have wonderful new beginnings with their family. I pray that they have left here knowing that they were loved while they were here. And I pray that while they were here, they seen God in us and will carry that on to someone else. Love you boys and wish you the best. God bless you always!


                              TURN FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD;
                                 SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.
                                            PSALM 34:14

JESUS LOVES YOU!

Today I took the boy's to Taco Bell for lunch. One of our boy's loves telling strangers that Jesus loves them. We were standing in the line at Taco Bell and one of our boys turns around and sees an elderly woman behind him. He says; Hello. Jesus loves you! She said; Thank you and Jesus is coming back soon. He said; Yes he is, but no man knows the day nor the hour. She said; Not even the angels in heaven. My guy looked back at me and said; that's whats up! I like this lady. He looked back at the lady and said; I will visit your mansion when we get there. She laughed and said; I will visit your's to. Then she started singing the song, "Mansion over the hilltop". My guy and I just looked at her and started singing with her. In a line full of people at Taco Bell.....we were singing "Mansion over the hilltop". It was great!! Amazing what happens when you mention the name of JESUS! Jesus loves you and we do too! God bless you!

DO NOT FORGET TO ENTERTAIN STRANGERS, FOR BY SO DOING SOME PEOPLE HAVE ENTERTAINED ANGELS WITHOUT KNOWING IT.
                                               HEBREWS 13:2

GOD IS GREAT....AND ALWAYS HAS THE ULTIMATE PLAN....in his time.

God always has the ultimate plan worked out for our lives. It's important that we remember we can not rush things along. We only mess up God's plan by doing so. God will do the work when he is good and ready. He teaches us patience and gives us what is best for our lives. Count your blessings and praise God for each of them....big or small. HE is an awesome God and HIS name is to be glorified in all we do. I love you Lord! God bless you my friends!

CLEAN YOUR OWN BACK YARD FIRST!

Have you ever become so wrapped up in trying to help other's that you didn't realize that the people closest to you are in need of help even more? I know you have heard the saying: 'Clean your own back yard first'! Sometimes I get so busy helping the kids here that I forget about my own children and their needs. I am guilty of thinking that my home is safe from the Devil and it's the kids in my cottage that need my help. Recently, I became so busy and wrapped up in what was going on in the cottage, that I didn't realize one of my own kids needed me more. A child hurting, no matter the age, crying out for help can be easily overlooked by the busyness in the day. Lesson learned.....the hard way! I am going to make sure my own house is well before I try to fix another. I pray that God helps me always focus on what is more important in my life. My family and my own kids. I never want my children to say that they didn't have a mother who loved them or did not listen to them. Always take time to stop during the day and make that phone call to your child. Knock on their bedroom door and ask them how their day was. Tell them you love them. God bless you!