Hopefully your weekend was peaceful and your energy is at it's peak! The week's weather here is supposed to be excellent and that is good news as school begins.

I feel so good, I finally have room to move and a place for almost everything! ( :
Anna has been going to bed at a good time every night since she got her room and new bed, WOW,what a relief, Bruce and I are actually able to hit the hay by 10!
I have been able to get the house cleaned up too, it just feels so good! The days have been peaceful and the kids have been doing well, we can only hope and pray that continues to be the case! (Although conflict and troubles are all part of growing)
And how about the cooler temps, even 10 degrees cooler can really lift your spirits!
So, dear ones, take time to count your blessings, they are always there we just need to look for them!

Bruce went for his physical yesterday and found that his prostate cancer count is up considerably. Please pray that he makes wise choices as he looks at available treatment. Also please pray that he prepares physically for fighting this cancer and that the Lord heals him, with the help of doctors or through a miracle.
I am very concerned that Bruce hesitates to do any treatment because all treatments seem to have negative side effects. We have tried diet/exercise, but Bruce finds it very hard to stick to any regiment. Stress plays a large part in this growth of cancer. Bruce has had a lot of stress lately, both with his business and from other sources. I am praying these will lessen in the days ahead.
Thank you in advance for your prayers!

We have finally finshed painting Anna's room except for a dophin and few waves. Kelsi, Hannah and I painted the room to look like the ocean with a sandy beach. Now we are having fun putting sea creatures and beachy things all around. Kelsi has been a great help the last two days, she has helped me clean as well, so today we took some time off to go to the library and craft shop.
Sarah is trying to paint her room and I am wondering if she will need help, ugh!

We did not make it to the Seveth Day Baptist Special Service today and I am feeling a bit sad about it. The Fedoriws are a sweet example of a godly christian family and it is a blessing to be with them.
I have been suffering from stomach ulcers and other stomach problems which sometimes keep me awake at night and leave me feeling wiped out and exhausted all day. I have started back on a medicine I had been given awhile back. I believe it helps and will try to stay on it for now. I had tried to slowly take myself off of a lot of prescriptions because I don't like taking so many, but I suppose some I will need for a while longer.
Many of you know at this point that our daughter Abigail is expecting in December and she has determined to give the child(girl) to a christian family she chose on her own. I am somewhat broken hearted about this for many reasons you could imagine. But after much prayer I believe God is telling me to let it go, this is Abby's responsibility not mine. After seeing the sonograms I needed to remind myself again of this, as the sight of this innocent little baby took my heart for a loop again!
Prayers on Abby's behalf are much appreciated!

Bruce and I were invited to visit the HELP office which helps homeless people find housing, pay for life sustaining meds, utilities, rent and transportation for those who need to get to work.
We also now have a better understanding of how to screen calls for help and what the process is for someone who needs help.
We also made an appointment to meet with a gentleman who runs a food bank in Harrisburg.
So we are encouraged that we are finding ways to help personally and ways that the church can help as well! I believe that we will continue to see more and more need as the economy down shift has left alot of people without work.

Wow, what hot humid weather, typical of August I guess! At least there appears to be some relief in sight, according to the weather map a cold front is coming to cool things down ! Yes, I am so thankful!
Samuel and I attempted to weed the overgrown strawberry patch this morning. We did get quite a lot done but there is still much more to be weeded. After realizing I was straining to breath, from being over heated and very tired, I told Sam we would stop and try again when it is cooler.
I attempted to make salsa this afternoon at Bruce's request. I thought it tasted pretty good, but Bruce thinks I need to cook it. Any ideas on this, is salsa better fresh or cooked what is your opinion? For now I am cooking some for him and leaving the rest fresh.
I am also hoping to make some grape juice today from our small vineyard. A storm is coming so I best go and get the grapes. (Update: I did make it,the grape juice that is, and it is great! Sarah keeps saying "Dude, dude this is really good!" Guess she never realized how good the real deal could be. Sometimes our Christian walk is that way when we have a fire lit under us after years of luke warm living!)
Hope your week is productive in the Lord!

Today I was reading some scriptures apparently about Satan that caused me to think about how our Heavenly Father viewed the fall of Satan. In Ezekiel 28 it says,:
"The word of the LORD came to me: 12 "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings
were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, or so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
Although I have often contemplated what the beauty of Satan might have been like I had not really thought much about his character. If indeed this is talking about him then we can assume he was very wise, a model of perfection and blameless.
The first thing that strikes me is how great Our Father's lament is over the prideful fall of something He created! I believe He really understands our parental groans and tears over things our children do that are contrary to the christian walk we have, with great effort, instilled in them.
The second thought is that a being of such perfection and wisdom turned so evil over pride and vanity. How easy can we as Christians fall in this culture where beauty is so important, being ahead at any cost is common and where there is a lot of wisdom, contrary to God, being taught in our colleges and played out in politics and in science institutes where God is ignored and disdained.
I am sure Satan knows his time is short, remember he is very wise, of course in his own ways, and ready to trip us up at any and every chance.
Dear ones we must be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves" in a culture bent on setting itself above Our Lord and Redeemer!

Sorry about the length of time it has taken to write. Life here has been hectic and I have been quite low and now am sick to add to it.
Sabbath was a blessing again! Helen ( a dear sister/mother in the Lord) is turning 75 this week and her children(4) and grandchildren, who have never been to our church, surprised her by all coming together to our church this week. Some came as far as Ohio and Maryland! What a way to honor their mother!
Daniel and Kelsi took Sarah and Anna overnight so I slept late today. I awoke to Kelsi and Sarah making breakfast in our kitchen, and what a breakfast it was! They were so thoughtful, and it really cheered me up!
Dear ones keep looking for the little blessings along the way, especially when Satan keeps trying to get you down!

I hope to be giving you a verse a week that has some good food for thought and meditation. Just look for it at the top of the pictures. This picture was taken by Lorie my sister, she does some awesome photography!
We have a prayer request for Robert(Assco. Pastor) and Beverly's son Grayson. He is sick and was tested for whopping cough. His cough is really bad and keeps them all awake at night. Our family seems to have some type of virus as well, and Anna started another cold last night as well. Hannah is having severe back pain and she is not able to sleep, she has no health insurance. I have tried everything I know from rubbing creams to tens unit to medication to help her and nothing is working. She has some scoliosis and I believe it may be aggravated by the virus, it has been almost 2 weeks she has suffered pain in her upper back. So if you could remember her as well we would appreciate it.

Please look for the pictures of the reception down loaded today! It was great fun thanks to all who helped out, it was greatly apprecitated!

We had a very full weekend beginning with a really nice visit with the John's, at their home. Saturday began with a good study from Beth Moore's Esther study at 9:00AM, children's class followed by a great worship service. Then in the late afternoon we set up the back parking lot for a luau type reception for Daniel and Kelsi. Then a church picnic on Sunday.
The reception was interrupted by rain,but everyone was very helpful with taking tables, chairs and food indoors.
I was a bit upset by the rain, especially after praying a lot about it and watching watching watching the weather! But God had something else in mind and through it all I saw the great love of our brothers and sisters in Christ as they worked so hard, with wonderful grace ,to help setup at the beginning of the evening and then help move everything down to the fellowship hall when rain became to heavy to ignore.
I suppose the lesson in all of this is that sometimes God answers prayers in a different way then we hoped because he has a different and sweet blessing in store for us.
Thankfully I have most of this week to clean-up although I am having trouble with fevers, perhaps a days rest is needed before clean-up, is that possible?!? We shall see! ( :

Daniel and Kelsi are home safely and getting back to work. We had a really nice dinner together last evening as we heard of their adventures over seas. And now the hard but fun work of getting a home organized and function-able is at hand.
We are still trying to get Daniel's old room ready for the study, spackle and priming are done. A coat of paint should be rolled on in the next couple of days and then Bruce must sort through his books and pack them and move them. Then we must prime and spackle Anna's new room and then paint. Not a quick or easy process.
I hope to spend this week preparing for the reception, which includes a lot of yard work, let's hope for the temperatures to get a little cooler, as it is now, you get exhausted quickly with little exertion.
I found today that by writing prayer requests on a piece of paper before I pray helps to not forget some important things that need brought before the Lord. Often when praying I would tend to get emotional and then forget some of those important issues that really need His care! I would often remember them later and pray as I worked, which is good to do as well, but there is nothing like being in the quiet and pouring out your soul to Him. May your week be full of God's presence and your participation in His will!