GOD'S LITTLE HELPERS

Well I survived the night! Those of you who know Ethan, imagine 7 little Ethan's running around. That's where we are for the week. Gary and I are taking on the little boys. Please pray for us. :) I came to the little boys cottage yesterday morning and everything was going fine...and then the boys came home from school. Screaming, running and banging on the walls. O my! I started thinking what did I get myself into. Well after about an hour they calmed down a LITTLE. 3 of the boys helped get dinner ready and the others worked on their homework. One set the table and one blessed the food. Time for a shower and no one was interested. We had to go from Mr and Mrs Nice to Mr and Mrs not so nice. It seemed to be the only thing that was going to work for these little guys. After a few screams (from the kids not Gary) and banging the walls, all was quiet. That's when I think I took my first breath. Gary and I just kinda fell onto the couch and looked at each other. Neither one of us needed to say anything. We both knew what the other was thinking. I got my notes done on the boys, finished up the menus and was in bed by 11:00 pm. The little boys don't get up until 6:00 am. So at six this morning the alarm went off. Gary went out to wake up all the boys and I got dressed. I walked out to the living room and all I seen was boys running in circles around the couch screaming! (I know...I had to laugh) I told Gary, quick get their medicine. After meds and breakfast things went well. They all got their chores done, made their beds and got dressed for school. We combed their hair and Gary sprayed some cologne on them. One of the boys came up to me and said; Do I smell good? I said yes you do. He said; I'm gonna have all the girls chasing me. Precious boys with a lot of energy! After they left for school I just started reflecting on the morning and thought, God's children. With a positive influence these boys can do great things for God. They be small but God uses the small children too. God Bless you all. Please pray for us we have a week to go. :)

TRAIN A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO,
AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT TURN FROM IT.
                                       PROVERBS 22:6

THANKSGIVING AT HOME WITH THE KIDS

Sorry I haven't had a chance to write the past couple of days. As you can imagine it has been a very busy holiday for us. We took 7 of the kids home with us for Thanksgiving! We arrived at Crystal Hill Baptist Church on Wednesday afternoon. The church fed our kids dinner and then we had service. After church some of the youth came to hang out with our kids and they played basketball in the gym. Me and one of the girls I brought from the home went to my moms to spend the night. Gary and the 6 boys stayed and slept at a room in the church. (Well, they didn't sleep. They played basketball all night...poor Gary) The kids had a blast! The next morning we all met back at the church and 2 of our wonderful friends cooked chocolate chip pancakes, (at the request of the boys) bacon and scrambled eggs for us. After our morning devotion we piled in the van and headed for my moms for lunch. I thought she had a big house until we all packed in there. We had a great time. The boys really made us all stop and really think about what we should be thankful for. I was able to be with my mom when they couldn't be with theirs and I believe even the strongest of us all was broken a little by the strength of these kids. The day was really amazing. I believe it was the best Thanksgiving ever. Just being able to take these boys and make them feel like they belonged was a great experience. The kids played football, jumped on the trampoline and played video games all day. In the afternoon we went to my sisters house to eat AGAIN.  I think that is what we did the most while we were gone. The boys hung out with my nephew while me and the girl I brought played Scene it with my sister, my daughter and my niece's. The kids rode the 4-wheeler, which I think was the highlight of the day for them, and again played video games. They really enjoyed getting to hang out with a family for Thanksgiving. We were only suppose to stay one night but the kids were having so much fun, they begged us to spend one more night. We made a phone call and got the OK and we were able to stay 2 nights for Thanksgiving! One of the boys told me he never gets home visits and he was so grateful that we let them go. He said he was really surprised how welcomed my family made him feel. I'm just glad God gave us the opportunity to take them home with us and let them experience a different Thanksgiving this year. I now have several boys begging me to take them home for Christmas! We are gonna pray on that one. :-)
I just wanted to say thanks to my family for welcoming these boys in to their homes. Thank you mom for letting us come, cooking all that food for us and making the kids feel like you were their nanny. Thank you Theron and Stacy for making the boys feel so welcomed. Thank you Karen and Rusty for letting the boys hang out, mess your house all up and feeding them waffles for breakfast. Thank you Carrie for baking them a cake at 10:00 at night and Thank you Payton for letting them play in your space. (Which they loved and said you were so patient with them) Thank you Crystal Hill Baptist Church for letting us use your facilities, I'm not sure we could have come without it. Thank you Shane and Stephanie for cooking for us and sharing in our devotion. And Thank you God for being the Awesome forgiving Savior that you are. I'm sure this will be a Thanksgiving that we all will have wonderful memories of. Love all of you and appreciate everything you do!


YOU ARE MY GOD, AND I WILL GIVE YOU THANKS;
YOU ARE MY GOD, AND I WILL EXALT YOU.
GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD;
HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!
                                       PSALM 118:28-29

THANKSGIVING WITH THE RODGERS!

We are at Crystal Hill Baptist Church and Stephanie and Shane Rodgers are making breakfast for us. The kids are having a blast. We are so thankful for our church and our Christian friends for doing everything they have done to make this an awesome Thanksgiving for the kids. We love you and appreciate you sooo much!

HEADED TO MOMS FOR THANKSGIVING!

We are all packing and heading to my moms for Thanksgiving. Pray for my mom. She is going to feed 7 of our kids! I know we will have a great time. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family....I will let you know how ours goes. Love you all and God Bless you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DADDY WHO IS CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY WITH JESUS TODAY. I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So far our cottage has had Thanksgiving twice. We will have one at the home tomorrow and then one at my mom's house Thursday. I am so tired of turkey already. :) The thing I'm looking forward to is spending some quality time with my family. I miss sitting on my mom's porch and talking about... well, nothing. That's the best part about it. You don't even have to say anything. Just being with my family watching the stars twinkle is enough for me. Please pray for the boys that won't get to go home for the holidays. This is a hard time of the year for them. Some of their friends get to go home and the rest are just looking for a place of acceptance. I know one day they will have a loving happy family of their own. Until then, we will make it feel like a real family for them as best as we can. Born by blood doesn't always mean you are part of a family. Love does! Be willing and open to what God has in store for you, for HE is our family. Our true father in Heaven.  Love you guys and thanks for all the prayers.

GOD SETS THE LONELY IN FAMILIES, HE LEADS FORTH  THE PRISONERS WITH SINGING, BUT THE REBELLIOUS LIVE IN A SUN-SCORCHED LAND.
                                            PSALMS 68:6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER THERON AND MY SISTER KAREN!!!!!!
PRAYING YOU TWO ARE BLESSED IN A MIGHTY WAY TODAY!
LOVE YOU'LL VERY MUCH,
GARY, DENISE, LYNDSIE AND ETHAN

GOD.....THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS!

We started our morning off a little rocky. Some of the boys decided to get up on the wrong side of the bed. Someone said something about the other ones mom and all the sudden almost everyone at the table was arguing. Well, we quickly put a stop to that and told them that moms were off limits for people to talk about. Even though these boys are here most due to the fact of their moms, they still love them and are very protective of them. As I was getting ready for church I just started thinking, wow I wished these boys were that protective of their true creator, God. Gary was preaching at Arkansas City Baptist church today so when we loaded the boys up in the van I just turned around and said; OK, I'm going to tell you something. I don't want any comments, any arguing...I just want you to listen. I reminded them of the breakfast table and how defensive they became of their moms. But I said do you realize who created your moms and who created you? I said without God none of us would be here. I told them I would love for them to be that defensive of their God. I said next time someone disrespects your God, ask them to not do that. Start defending your God! For HE is your father and HE deserves our respect. No God, no mothers. The van was quiet for a few minutes and then everyone was back to talking about everything else. I don't know if they even thought about what I said, But God layed it on my heart to say it. Two of our boys gave a speech at the church about what it means to them to live at ABC Homes. It really touched my heart with what they said. They really do appreciate structure, security and having a stable home. One kid has been told by a judge that he can return home to his mom in a couple of months. He has asked the judge to let him stay here. He said without this place he would not be going to church, he would not be going to school and he would be running with the wrong crowd. It's awesome that he knows he will be taking care of and loved here but sad that his mom can not provide that type of environment for him. I am very proud of him for thinking about his future and not just wanting to get out and run from his problems. We gave one of the boys in our cottage a Birthday party today. That was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed hanging out and playing the Wii together. The Birthday boy wanted a peach cake for his Birthday so I managed to make one and it came out pretty tasty. Surprise. Good thing I enjoy Birthday parties because they seem to happen here all the time. :-) Love all you guys and hope you have an awesome God created day!

FOR BY HIM ALL THINGS WERE CREATED: THINGS IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, VISIBLE, AND INVISIBLE, WHETHER THRONES OR POWERS OR RULERS OR AUTHORITIES; ALL THINGS WERE CREATED BY HIM AND FOR HIM.
                                                                   COLOSSIANS 1:16

BUSY BEE'S FOR GOD!

We have a very busy day ahead of us today. We have 2 group's here working and Gary is grilling 100 burgers for everyone. The boy's have finished up their chores and are helping set up for lunch. The workers are digging ditches, building pump houses and putting up a new fence. Busy place today and glad to know it's all for the glory of God. Just watching all the volunteer's working so hard to please their God is a joy in it's self. Love you Lord and looking forward to the day you call us home.

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP........

Sleep...hummm. What is sleep? According to the Webster dictionary it is "The natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which powers of the body are restored." Wow, powers of the body! No wonder I feel powerless. No sleep! I thought you might be interested in knowing the typical day of a child here at the home. Which is also a typical day of the house parent's.

5:15am  The kid assigned to hot breakfast has to be in the kitchen and ready to cook.
5:00am The house parent is up and ready to make sure the kids are up.
5:55am Every child in the home should be sitting at the kitchen table ready for devotion.
5:55am The house parent sits down for a Bible devotion with the kids.
Breakfast is then served. Time to eat.
6:20am Time for the kitchen person to clean and the other kid's to start their morning chores.
Their chores consist of a household chore assigned to them as well as them cleaning
their room, making their bed and starting their laundry if it's their laundry day.
6:20am Time for the HP to make sure the kitchen is clean, the kid's are doing their chores,
and they all have received their morning medicine. (This is a crucial step) :-) It is also
my time to get my own son ready for school.
7:15am Time to be in the living room and ready to catch the school bus.
7:15am Each HP rotates riding the bus with the kids. So on our day we load the bus along with the children.
8:20am We arrive back to campus on the bus from dropping the kids off at school. Now it's
time for me to get in the house and take care of some things. This is when Gary does
maintenance and I check the kids chores that they did that morning. I check each 
household chore as well as each kids bedroom to make sure everything is nice and
tidy. I will take their check off list that they filled out for the morning showing they
had completed their chores. This is where work time comes in. Sometimes the
sneaky little guys will check off that they did something and hope that you don't notice.  After checking their chores I usually will start on my own personal laundry and cleaning our room. If needed, and most days it is, I will go to the grocery store and buy what I need to cook dinner that evening. I will also use this time to pick up thing's the kids need for school and check the office for any memo's or appointment's the kids have for the week. I also try to get a phone call in to my mom and daughter, whom I miss very much, but a lot of the days I usually run out of time. Sorry mom and Lyndsie.....Love you bunches!
Gary and I usually try and get a lunch in together and then finish things up before going
to get the kids from school, like assigning work time and filling out the consequence
log. (Which is a log showing the kids if they received any time for their chores that
day and what they have to correct.) We also are trying to get things out and ready to
help the kids start dinner and at some point during the day I do my Bible study as well.
2:35pm Time to load up on the bus already! Let's go get the kids.
3:20pm Kids picked up and at home. Everyone is in the house checking the consequence log
and their room slips to see what they need to work on.
3:20pm The HP is getting school slips to turn in to the office and assigning work chores.
4:00pm Time for the kids to redo some chores, start study hall, tutoring and work time.
4:00pm The HP is monitoring study hall, (which when it comes to math usually consist of calling
Lyndsie and putting her on speaker phone to help them-Thanks Lyndsie) making sure
the ones that are supposed to be going to tutoring are on their way, making sure the ones
serving work time are working instead of throwing the football and giving afternoon
medicine and getting it logged in the book.
5:30pm Time to start dinner.
5:30pm HP assisting with dinner, still watching ones in study hall, making sure we still have
the work time students on track and making sure dinner is not getting burned.
6:30pm Hopefully by now the table setter has set the table and we have sat down to eat.
6:30pm HP listening to how every ones day went, trying to be referee between some of the       boys and enjoying family time.
7:00pm Time to clean up from dinner. Table setter is clearing the table and kitchen person is
cleaning the kitchen. Certain days of the week its recreational time in the gym.
7:00pm HP is assisting with kitchen, assigning computer time, watching the boys that are
everywhere in the house, trying to make sure they are all getting along and home work
if finished up as well as the laundry if it's their laundry day.
8:00pm ALREADY! Back from the gym if it was recreational day and hopefully we are starting
showers. One at a time in the bathroom.
8:00pm HP is making sure the chemicals are out and there is only one at a time in the back      
hall. We are monitoring those on the computer and if time allows we are watching
someone jam on guitar hero!
9:00pm Time for the kids to be in their room
9:00pm HP making sure everyone took a shower, chemicals have been put up and medicine
has been given and logged in the med log book.
9:30pm Kids in their room and lights out. (Unless it's the weekend. They can stay up longer
which is at HP's discretion.)
10:00pm Kid's in bed with the light's out.
10:00pm HP's getting the last ones in bed that are running late. This is usually when a couple of
the boy's want to pull you to the side for a "private talk." Girlfriend problems, spiritual
problems and "I miss mom" today talks. (One of my favorite times)
11:00pm All the kid's in bed. (I hope)
11:00pm HP's making sure all the bedroom door's are shut and the alarm is set. Now it's time
for us to do our contact notes. This is where we document what the kids did that
day and if any consequences were issued. We also have to make the menu out of
what they ate that day. This usually takes about an hour.
12:00am HP is hopefully taking their shower by now.
12:30am HP is hopefully in bed and falling asleep.
2:00am Usually by now a child just got up to go to the bathroom and has set the alarm off.
2:00am The HP gets up to turn the alarm off and checks to see who is up and why.
2:30am HP resets the alarm and is back in bed to fall asleep once again.
Before you know it, its 5:15am and time to start the day all over again.

So this is pretty much a typical day at ABC Homes. Give or take an hour or two off schedule.
And sleep....who need's it anyway!  :)

WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AS WORKING FOR THE LORD, NOT FOR MEN, SINCE YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN INHERITANCE FROM THE LORD AS A REWARD.

                                                                        COLOSSIANS 3:23-24

NOT ALWAYS PERFECT

I almost chose not to write on the blog today because I am struggling in the ministry. I decided that I needed to write because as in the real world, it's not perfect here either. We had struggles and the devil tries to be our leader when we are weak and vulnerable. I had a really bad day yesterday with one of the kids and it continued on through this morning. Sometimes I feel like I have put my own child in a undesirable environment. I love the kids here but do get frustrated with them as I do my own kids. I want what's best for them and they really don't understand that. They think everyone is "out to get them" or "picking on them" and we are just trying to help them. We want to take them off of the rough road they have been traveling and show them love for the little time that we have them. Most of them tend to reject love. They don't want to get close to people because that makes them feel weak. Weak is not a good feeling for any of us and for the kids its a scary feeling. They don't want to attach themselves to anyone because they know they are only here for a while. I would love for all of them to be receptive to what we have to offer but I guess that would be too easy. So I guess I just needed to release some emotions today. I thank the house parents that are being such good support for Gary and I. Without them our job would be even harder. Please pray for the Lord to give me the strength  that I need to endure the road ahead. I love the kids and only wish the best for them.  God bless you all and love each and every one of you!

LET US FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS, THE AUTHOR AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH, WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, SCORNING ITS SHAME, AND SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF GOD.
                                                        HEBREWS 12:2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY!

The boys wanted to give Gary a surprise Birthday party last night. One of the boys went over to another cottage and made Gary a cake so he wouldn't know he was having a party. They were all so excited to think they were going to surprise him. We ate dinner and then planned for Gary to have to go to the store for milk. Two of the boys said they would go with him and stall him while me and the rest of the boys prepared for the party. When they left, me and the rest of the boys got everything set up and two of the other cottages came over. We turned the lights out and waited for Gary to come in the door. When he came in everyone jumped out and yelled "surprise!" There were probably about 20 kids here that came out from everywhere. It was the biggest Birthday party Gary ever had. Several of the kids wrote personal cards to him, which he loved and they truly did surprise him! Gary said he thought the two boys he took to the store were going crazy. He said they would get candy and then put it back. They would get a coke and change their mind again. He said when they finally left the store one of the boys said; Mr. Gary, could you please take a little detour I need to see something. (This boy is our newest Christian) Gary said he drove down the street and the boy said, "Oh look at that cloud God made. Isn't it beautiful! OK you can turn around now." CRAZY BOYS....but they stalled him. I got to looking around at the party and although no one here was a blood relative, I realized these kids are a big part of my family and are a major part of our lives. We love them and want to see the best for each of them. And for kids that just met us, they wanted to do something special for Gary. We had a great time and have memories that we will cherish forever!

"WHO AMONG THE GODS IS LIKE YOU, O LORD? WHO IS LIKE YOU-
MAJESTIC IN HOLINESS, AWESOME IN GLORY, WORKING WONDERS?
                                                                      EXODUS 15:11

AWAY FROM ME SATAN!

We have a young man in our cottage that has been fighting the devil for a while. Well last night he told Satan to get behind him, and he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior! We are so happy for him and ask that you will pray for our friend in Christ because we know his walk will be difficult. He comes from a background of violence, drugs and money. But he says from here on out...it's Jesus! He is going to be a changed man. He doesn't want his past "treasure's". He wants what God has stored up for him in Heaven. Please pray for our friend that he can stay strong for God's army and that he can make Satan walk behind him and NOT LEAD HIM ANY LONGER!
God bless you my friend and we will pray for Jesus to guide you in your walk and help you be strong in your times of weakness. We Love you.

JESUS SAID TO HIM, "AWAY FROM ME, SATAN!" FOR IT IS WRITTEN: 'WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY'.
THEN THE DEVIL LEFT HIM, AND ANGELS CAME AND ATTENDED HIM.
                                                    MATTHEW 4:10-11

TO OUR CRYSTAL HILL FAMILY

We were so excited to see some of our friends from Crystal Hill today. We enjoyed spending time with you'll and hope you had a good time here. Please continue to remember the home in your prayers. We love you guys and thank you for the pizza and fellowship.

ARE YOU THE SALT OF THE EARTH?

Yesterday I kept having a visual thought of my dad pouring peanuts in a bottle of coke. When I pictured that I thought, he must have liked salt. At dinner I watched the boys salting their food. Something we do everyday but never really "noticed" it before. This morning when I woke up the first thought that popped into my head was "salt of the earth." I said God, I don't know what you want to tell me but please help me find out. I went to the book of MATTHEW 5:13.

"YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. BUT IF THE SALT LOSES ITS SALTINESS, HOW CAN IT BE MADE SALTY AGAIN?  IT IS NO LONGER GOOD FOR ANYTHING, EXCEPT TO BE THROWN OUT AND TRAMPLED BY MEN."

Well I can say that this verse confused me. I called my mom and she read me a good description of what she thought the salt was and then I spoke with my husband and asked him what he thought. I asked two of the boys what they thought it meant, each with their own definition but they all made sense.  After talking to them, I decided that God was letting me know that I am the salt of the earth and I can help these boys be the salt of the earth as well. Here is my description. I became saved as a young girl and witnessed and shined for Jesus. (I was the salt) In my teenage years I started hanging out with the wrong people and doing bad things, not going to church and not even mentioning Jesus to any of my friends. (I had lost by saltiness and at this point in my life I was no good to God) As I got older I realized that without God I would never be happy. I could have money, nice cars, big houses but none of that mattered if I wasn't working for God and making my Heavenly Father happy. I started going back to church, rededicated my life to God and started working to please him. (I became salty again) You see we can become saved, but if we are not working for Jesus we are not any good to him. God needs us to witness and tell other's about him and be willing to do what he ask us to do. And when you do go astray and lose your saltiness, with repentance God is always willing to make us salty again for him.

"YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN. NEITHER DO PEOPLE LIGHT A LAMP AND PUT IT UNDER A BOWL. INSTEAD THEY PUT IT ON ITS STAND, AND IT GIVES LIGHT TO EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE. IN THE SAME WAY,  LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS AND PRAISE YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN."
                                                                              MATTHEW 5:14-16

So tell Satan to get behind you and leave you alone! Let your light shine for Jesus so you can be the salt of the earth!

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US!

Last night at dinner the boys were talking about going home to my moms house for Thanksgiving. They were asking what my mom was like and I was telling them about her and where she lived. Then they said; What about your dad, what's he like? I said, Well my daddy died 4 years ago from cancer. But he was a great man. He was very kind and I love and miss him very much. You could see some of the boys hang there head and continue to eat. Some of the other boys chimed in and said, Well I don't like my dad. I haven't seen him in forever and don't want to. Another boy talked about how abusive his dad was to him and his mother. He said, It's because of my dad that I'm here. It made me miss my daddy even more. God took a good man from his family and left daddy's on earth that abuse and hurt people. It became hard for me to understand. But then I realized how many boys have been saved here at ABC Home. If God did not have a plan for these boys, they would not be here right now and possibly not even know Jesus as their personal Savior. I guess the conversation got me thinking about my daddy. In 2004 my daddy went to California to see his brothers. He brought me back a bottle of wine to keep as decoration. I liked it just because he gave it to me. I have held on to that bottle of wine ever since then. Now that he's gone to heaven to be with his father,I feel like if I have that bottle of wine, I have a part of him with me. (If you look at the ABC Home picture's we have posted you can see it sitting behind my mom's hands made with candle wax.)Well when I went to bed last night I had a dream. I dreamt that my daddy was with me and there was also an elderly woman there that I didn't recognize. I dreamt that she came to my house and seen the bottle of wine and asked me for a glass. I told her NO. My daddy gave that to me and I'm going to keep it! My daddy never spoke in my dream. He looked at me and took down the bottle of wine from the shelf. He opened it and poured the lady a glass of wine. I didn't feel upset in my dream though. My daddy was there and he was serving this lady the wine and I guess that made it OK for me. It's almost like he was telling me you don't have to hang on to this. You can let this go because I am always with you.
Just like these boys at the home. Their daddy's can't be with them. But we have one father in common who is always with us. A Father that has promised to never leave us....our Heavenly Father.

Thank you daddy for being the father to me that you were. I will cherish the memories for as long as I live. And unlike most of the memories the kids here have of their dads, I have wonderful memories of you.


KEEP YOUR LIVES FREE FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY AND BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, BECAUSE GOD HAS SAID, "NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU."
                                                            HEBREWS 13:5

LIVING IN GOD'S HOUSE

This morning my alarm went off at what I thought was 5:15am. I got up and got ready for the kids to start getting up. Pretty soon I realized everyone was late getting up but me! Well, I waited a few minutes more and said Gary, are you going to get the boys up. He said not at 4:15. Whoops! New day....New beginnings. Well the kids got up on time and came to the table for breakfast.  The kid assigned to cook chore on that day says the prayer before we eat. We have devotion, eat breakfast and then they start doing their daily chores. I was walking around the house watching them complete their daily chores. The kids were laughing and talking about what they had planned today. Each one was working on a different chore and they were trying to make sure the house was getting clean so they didn't get any consequences. I just started thinking, wow! I live in God's house. It's really the first time I realized that. How many people actually get to live in God's house! Every morning we have worship and then we get the privilege of taking care of the Lord's house. We should be cleaning to please the Lord. The joy and laughter from the children must be music to God's ears. Taking care of his children and his house is a blessing. Hope everyone has a blessed day. All the boy's are doing well and excited about Christmas! Gary and I are just hoping we survive it. :)

SURELY GOODNESS AND LOVE WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.
                                                     PSALM 23:6
Amen. What an awesome verse!!

KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY....KNOW WHEN TO RUN!

I had a little bit of a rough day. Things did not go my way today. I guess God wanted them to go his way. :-) Have you ever just had one of those days when you wished you could just crawl back under the covers and start the day all over again? That was me today! I tend to take things too personal sometimes, when I should just let things roll off my shoulder. I'm working on that part of myself. I have to learn when to walk away from  situations and learn how to handle it if I'm not capable of running. I really want to learn how not to run. Although, God may want to teach me to run. He would not put us in the race if he knew we were not capable of learning the lesson. I want to learn how to listen, take it in stride and learn from the lesson. Even if I know I have done nothing wrong. Stand up for God because the devil wants you to walk away from God's ministry. Lord, teach me how to stand strong for you. Teach me to run when needed but to run only to win for your ministry. God bless each and every one of you. Please pray for this ministry and for Gary and I to stand strong and only run in order to win for Jesus!

THEREFORE, SINCE WE ARE SURROUNDED BY SUCH A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES, LET US THROW OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS AND THE SIN THAT SO EASILY ENTANGLES, AND LET US RUN WITH PERSEVERANCE THE RACE MARKED OUT FOR US.
                                                               HEBREWS 12:1

JESUS LOVES YOU...AND HE APPROVED THIS MESSAGE!

SOTO....SO FUN!

What a great time we had at Shepard of the Ozarks! Everyone together in unity praising God. Just looking at the beautiful mountains and all the gorgeous colors of the leaves on the trees, was a treat for me. God did beautiful work! The kids had a great time. They played activities, rode horses and even swung off a cliff. (I was going to do that but the drop looked too high..lol...) There was so much laughter and so many smiling faces. For just a little while, they could forget about their problems and focus on having fun. When we had worship time the speaker would ask for volunteers to help him with the stories. The hands that would go up was amazing. They were so excited to help and participate in what he was doing. The kids voices filled the sanctuary during praise songs. That was such a beautiful sound. Kids singing to God! I know that God has something special in store for each of these children. I'm glad we could all come together and praise him and feel the Holy Spirit. Thank you God for allowing me to be part of this ministry. I am so blessed by being here.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father or our Lord Jesus Christ.
                                                                      ROMANS 15:5

GOD.....HE ADOPTED US BEFORE WE WERE BORN!

There is  a small child here that thought she was going to be adopted. There was another child chosen and this child was heart broken. I want to go over and do their devotion one morning and let her know that God has already adopted her. So much more than any human hand could have ever done. God loved us before we were born. Please pray for this little person. They are heart broken and need to feel God's love wrapped around them.


FOR HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS IN HIS SIGHT. IN LOVE HE PREDESTINED US TO BE ADOPTED AS HIS SONS THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS PLEASURE AND WILL-TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORIOUS GRACE, WHICH HE HAS FREELY GIVEN US IN THE ONE HE LOVES.
                                   EPHESIANS 1:4-6

AND YOU ALSO WERE INCLUDED IN CHRIST WHEN YOU HEARD THE WORD OF TRUTH, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION. HAVING BELIEVED, YOU WERE MARKED IN HIM WITH A SEAL, THE PROMISED HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS A DEPOSIT GUARANTEEING OUR INHERITANCE UNTIL THE REDEMPTION OF THOSE WHO ARE GOD'S POSSESSION-TO THE PRAISE OF HIS GLORY.

                                  EPHESIANS 1:13-14

It's so great to know that God OWNS me. He has marked me as HIS. He chose me before I chose him. He loved me when I didn't even know him. He kept me safe when I ran with the devil. He knew I was coming to him. He waited patiently. And when I begged for him to live in my heart he cradled me in his arms and said I was his. Already marked, already forgiven....a child predestined according to God!

Need a cure for insomnia.....?

I have always had trouble sleeping. If I was able to go to sleep I wasn't able to stay asleep. Problem solved. How you ask? Work for ABC Homes and cure your insomnia. :-)  I have no trouble sleeping any more. When my head hits the pillow I'm out in less than 2 minutes, literally!  I've tried for years to fix the issue my self but it just took a little dose of working for Jesus to help me get to sleep. All kidding aside, it's a great place to work for the Lord. Very exhausting at times but always worth it in the morning. Thank you Jesus, for you work in mysterious ways. God is good all the time.....all the time God is good. (for my very precious friend Bro. Larry Ballard)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.                                        GALATIANS 6:9

JESUS STILL TEACHES US.....THANK YOU LORD!

I was up until 1:30am this morning trying to get my notes done on the kid's. We had a rough day yesterday. Things just didn't go "our way." I was so tired and my eye's so heavy. The boy's had given us such a hard time. I was questioning God. Are you sure this is what we are suppose to be doing? This is so hard!!!!
God never said that our job would be easy. God said go to my children and witness to them. You are going to have good days and you are going to have bad days. We had some defiance from a kid last night that normally is so well mannered. After talking to him I realized that Gary and I were being too insensitive to his needs. Not stopping to realize why he was here and not feeling his pain. Sitting on his bed talking to him, I started feeling his pain. I started feeling how hard this transition is for him..and us to. I started being not only his guardian but his mom, if only for a while. This morning I was up at 5:15 for devotion, breakfast and chores. At devotion all the kid's chimed in. I realized that God is still teaching me. I am here for them. No matter how hard it gets. God is with me and still teaching me. I know he Love's me and is going to hold my hand through this. Getting my hugs this morning from the kid's makes it all worth it!  Thank you Lord for teaching me that I still need to learn.

PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for our house parents. We have a man that is having a triple bypass surgery tomorrow. Him and his wife are in need of prayer. Put your prayer boots on and let's lift him up to God.  Thank you all and Love you!