Bark RIver Bible Church in the UP

Mark and Molly King and their family came to see us! What a treat that was.















This is the Bark River Bible Church where we were on Sunday Morning. They have a beautiful new addition.

Our Saturday Adventure in the UP

We spent Saturday with Brad and Becky Cochrane and had a great time going hiking to the Pier Gorge. The rapids are amazing and what a beautiful place way back in the woods! What a cold, windy day it was!

The rustic cabin where we stayed in the UP this weekend....

This cabin is certainly one for hunters...deep in the woods, and full of the "game" they have gotten during hunting season.
















This was the view from the cabin...a beautiful creek flows through the back property.

Our UP Weekend trip.....Friday Night

Friday night I had the privilege of speaking at the Mother/Daughter Banquet at Bark River Bible Church in the UP. There were about 125 ladies there, and the theme was "Overcoming the Daily Grind". They used "coffee beans" as the table decorations, and had many flavors of coffee available. The dinner was a "brunch" with a quiche, fruit, muffins, relishes and salads. What a wonderful group of ladies and daughters there were! My devotions were on "What kind of Coffee Are You?"

Happy, Happy BIrthday, Canadice!

Happy Birthday to you, Canadice! We are praying that you will have a wonderful day today...so glad that you could celebrate with your family this weekend. Enjoy your day! We love you so much xxx

The Missionaries are Here!!!

Our kids choir sang, "Be A Missionary"

"Build your own Ice Cream Sundae"

Saturday night we had our big "kick-off" for our Missions Conference. We had around 200 here. There are 8 missionary families here, and we're off to a GREAT start!

THE MISSIONARIES ARE COMING!!!

We had a poster contest, and Abby Tuck was one of the winners!

The Missionaries are coming on Saturday for our Missions Conference, and we've been stocking our Missionary Closet. So many from church have been so generous - and the missionary families are able to come and "shop" for items they need. What a blessing this Missionary Closet has been to so many missionary families.

A wonderful Baptismal Service

Paul Gadzinski

Debbie Gadzinski

Alex Giftos

Carrie Giftos

Tony Giftos

Anna Giftos

Christopher Stanley

Anna Stanley

Theresa Stanley

These were the 9 that were baptized Sunday night. What a beautiful service we had. We sang their favorite hymn, and had a great time of fellowship following. Several relatives and friends came to encourge them as they were baptized. The Giftos family is a new family that has been coming, and the Stanley family is also coming regularly. Paul and Debbie were saved through the witness of Ron and Ella Cochrane about 1 1/2 years ago, and are an active part of our church. We praise the Lord for these that have followed the Lord in Believer's Baptism.

The rain came down...and turned to SNOW!

This is what we saw when we got up this morning....and it's STILL snowing! Glad we didn't put the shovels away yet :)

The rains came down, and the floods came up....

Here is the"Ark" in our backyard after a big rain/thunder/lightning storm last night. The only thing we were lacking last night was the rainbow at the end of the storm!














Enjoy this devotion on Mrs. Noah.....


Climb aboard the Ark with me, and just imagine how Mrs. Noah, a God-fearing woman, handled it all!

Madness and Merriment! Mrs. Noah had her hands full...beasts and boys and chores, noises --and all the bugs! But through it all, she survived! She knew this was God's plan and in GOD'S plan, we always survive. Mrs. Noah didn't have a dishwasher, a microwave, a washer and drier--or a computer! She couldn't email her friends--or download a chocolate dessert--and yet, she managed to KEEP her sanity, to live "one day at a time," and to know God was with her.
We moms face days when we think we will completely lose it--and then the next day, you look back and laugh.....Why? Because God has made us with a sense of humor to see the funny side of life. It may take a day or so--but we laugh and re-count and write in our diaries the misdeeds of the "Ark" we operate. Merriment is a part of making it work and a sense of humor is God's gift to help us get through all of our endless days and never-ending nights -- He got Mrs. Noah through it all, and He will do the same for us!

Odors and Other Oddities! Mrs. Noah had no odor-repellants, bug-repellants or scented potpourri. She endured what must have been incredible circumstances and atmosphere. This was a very strange houseboat--full of noisy, smelly animals, from parrots and penguins to monkeys and mice. Along with the animals came the clean-up and Mrs. Noah probably was a great domestic engineer, with a daily chore chart posted on the ark wall for her boys to see. There was no praise music to drown out the noise, no Christian TV to occupy her mind, no mall where she could escape--she was stuck in a smelly, non-air-conditioned floating zoo!
And sometimes we are too. The "odors and oddities" of life can become frustrating, as we put up with dirty socks, messy rooms, noisy fights, and fussy kids. We run ourselves ragged "cleaning the ark, picking up the ark, straightening the ark," and by the next day, it's a mess again. The Lord knows what every "Mrs. Noah" is going through at every stage of life--whether pampers or preschool; high school or those dating years.... God knows. And He walks the ark with us each day as we love and care for our kids. They face incredible dangers and temptations in the world--but when a godly Mrs. Noah gets them "up the ramp and in the ark," she trains and teaches them, loves and prays with them, and ultimately places them in HIS safekeeping.

Ministry and Mercy! Mrs. Noah must have been the 2nd chief ministry person on board--of course, she was probably the cook, and we ALL know what a ministry THAT is....and then there's the soothing of bruises. Mrs. Noah was probably the mediator, the person in charge of encouragement, and probably lots of love and hugs. Moms are like that--and she would be no exception, I'm sure! But wait a minute--along with the marvelous ministry, there was probably a lot of tender--and not-so-tender mercy. Maybe she had to resolve some sibling warfare and give a lesson or two in relationships and relative peace--just as you do! And loving God, she knew where her strength came from, as weary day after weary night, she lovingly ministered love and mercy to her floating family. We Mom's soothe bruised egos and wounded spirits along with Band-aiding the banged-up, bumped-up bodies. We temper mercy with justice, sometimes with a "time out" or "punishment" and we try to teach our children the ways of the Lord. We know we are not alone. God is with us and He joins us in our ministry. As we extend mercy to our imperfect kids (and husbands!), HE extends His mercy to us--thank God!--and we survive!

I have no idea what her personality was, how she kept her "houseboat," and handled her kids....I DO know that the same God who helped Mrs. Noah through such a wild adventure is going to see us through whatever we face today - He will never leave nor forsake us; He will not withdraw His presence from us. He knows the difficult role we play as Moms; He knows our hearts and our desire to raise our kids for the Lord. He rides the "ark" with us--and we WILL survive!

Madness and merriment; odors and oddities; ministry and mercy - put it all together and it spells M.O.M....the one who works together with God to bring her family into His safe haven...and the one who some day will hear, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." With a word like that, you can ride through every storm knowing He's the captain of the boat...you and your family are safe in His love and care.

Follow the trail...

It looks like we have a new "pet" in our backyard....he's been here all winter, and has left his "burrowed trail" all over! When the snow melted, this was the result of his taking up residence here. We have gophers, moles and all sorts of "pets" that live here all year long, but this one certainly left his mark! Click on the picture to see it enlarged :)

It's FINISHED!!!!

Our Busy Bee's room is now done, and our little ones just love it! Here are a few of our Puggles, and Emily, our Puggles Director, and Milly Bundy one of our great helpers. Thanks to everyone that had a part in making this room so bright and special!

It's ALMOST Done!

The finishing touches are being done to the Busy Bee room....and hopefully tonight, it will be put back together and ready for Sunday School and Busy Bee's tomorrow! Colorful, cheerful, and bright....come see it! These were our two "little helpers" today...Karl and Emma Webster.