Little Light of Mine

Today we really turned a corner for good, I believe. After such a long, intensely challenging test of faith and patience and love, I think an almost lost dream is coming true. I have thought that numerous times over the years, but this time it is for real. I feel it in my bones... or spirit, or somewhere seriously deep inside me.

Bob has quit his job and going to part time. Plus he is now off Crestor, the Statin drug which has caused him and all of us so much pain. He is still aching in every muscle and has significant muscle wasting in his legs, but it is leaving his system at the same time as hope is returning to all of us.

This evening Em and Chad and the little ones came over for volleyball and ice cream. Sweet six year old Mia Elaine (which means 'My Light') is spending the night wrapped in one of Grammy's long nighties like a princess. I just tiptoed out leaving her hugging a hot water bottle and snuggled in the cherry wood spindle bed I used to sleep in as a little girl.

God is amazing and so gracious. I am speechless.

Detroit Lions' Luther Ellis

I've been taking the guys to a church I used to attend Wednesday nights when we lived here. Robbie had given his heart to the Lord Jesus there as a little tow-headed boy, during VBS, one summer. I can still picture him up front praying and receiving a nice Bible story book.

The wonderful couple who headed up the youth and sponsored a Bible quizzing team there which Maggie and Emily were a part of, are still doing so! Before we left Mississippi I had felt the nudge to contact them. I did, and they welcomed us back and began praying our boys would attend the youth.

This past Wednesday they informed us that Luther Ellis, a football player from Detroit Lions team was going to speak at the church today, and that he was helping coach the new football team at the bigger school. I felt the Lord whispering that that was my answer to school and now I am peaceful and going to trust the Lord with the tuition.

Then, oh joy! This seemed to be confirmed today when Luther spoke at church. He has the most fervent and humble heart of devotion to God I think I have ever seen. As God would arrange it, after the service he stood at the end of our pew trapping our boys in with his huge bulk, and chatted with them in such a quiet friendly manner inviting them to a football camp this week at the school. They are definitely interested, even Rob who got burned out on sports in Mississippi.

At the picnic lunch after church I sat across from Luther and his mom. She is recently widowed and may move here from Colorado to be near him and help out with his big family. Luther and his wife have four biological kids and six more adopted babies. They live near us.

So... every day God opens interesting and glorious doors for us, and shows more of His great big, kind heart of love for everybody. I love Him so much.

All will be well. Of course.

Little School

This past week God did some wonderful things for us. I believe he has answered my prayers about school for the boys. I determined not to register them at the school our Rob attends until I felt a definite 'yes' from the Lord. Well, tomorrow I shall go to register them and trust the school will take them.

Recently I was feeling insecure about tuition since Bob has been talking about retiring. A little school nearby is half the tuition and seemed so safe and easy for me to handle. All three boys were sweetly content to obey Mom if I said that is where we would go. However, it would mean a move for Rob in his senior year and no football for James and no track for Peter.

In other words, God let me go through the motions of inquiring there in my fear of not enough money. However, the day I was to have the interview with the administrator I simply could NOT find the paperwork. It was a pleasant enough interview, I really liked the man, and understood his vision for the school, which, as it turned out would not fit for us, because our attending a small home fellowship was not his idea of a local church that meets their criteria of a local church. Their school is primarily a ministry to their own church kids.

I needed to remember that God likes to bless families through the role or 'office' of the husband/ father. Hence I could have avoided a rejection had I just rested in Bob's plan and trusted in God for finances. We are not at all hurt by our rejection letter; it has also happened to others we know because of the church they attend.

We simply accepted it as God's way of answering our prayer for direction, and our visit to the school as a way of acquainting ourselves with other Christian schools in our area. The boys actually went up there the other night with a friend to their youth outreach and had a blast.

6th Prettiest Lake

We did indeed head north, and this time it was to Higgin's Lake, the 6th most beautiful lake in the world according to some standard or other.

We threw a few things in our new, old camper, and Emily promised she'd do the rest if I'd supply our part of the groceries. The old camper stood true to its description. As we set it up, the pulleys snapped at one end when the men hoisted it into position.

Kim says this type of camper is poorly designed and does that often, so to keep a spare on hand next time we go camping. The eight guys descended upon the potential disaster and soon had the thing aloft and rigged in such a way as to inspire enough confidence for us to cautiously creep into it after our campfire. Kim says this is how it is camping. Everyone is so nice; they all help each other.

We fell fast asleep with the fresh, cool breezes moving through the screened windows and woke next morning to the bird songs filling the woods around us and Mia's sweet little voice singing out in the next tent, "Can I ask Grammy to take me to the lake, Mommy?" Little voice of Will's followed, " To lake! to lake!"

Another opportunity for God to shine on us was today at noon when Rob discovered his cell phone had bounced out of his pocket on one of the numerous bumps as the guys sped their bikes up and down trails in the woods around the campgrounds.

He retraced the trails with someone else's cellphone calling his, but to no avail. Later when I saw his downcast face, I suggested we walk together and ask God to help us. "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

We had the glad choice of simply trusting God with this, because he knows these trails like the back of His hands and besides he loves us. So we prayed and asked for his will to be done, that we could grow through this, and it would bring the greatest amount of glory to His Name.

Sure enough, someone turned the phone in to the park ranger! We got the phone message here in Rochester. Peter will bring it home tomorrow when he returns to town with Em's gang. (Rob and James came with us because of volunteering in camp in the morning in Rochester.)

Isn't God just the kindest person you could ever meet? Why do we ever worry about anything?

Unrelated but still very precious to me, was yet a third moment I will treasure. I had given Peter one last tip about relating to people, he had thanked me humbly, and just before we left he caught my eye and came over to me to say goodbye. Very tenderly he put his arm around me. He is getting so tall.

That boy will someday surprise everyone. They will get to see his heart like God and I do, and be amazed.

Old Camper

Driving home from home church on this cool, clear, and absolutely gorgeous Sunday evening, we passed a camper for sale parked at the side of the road. This time instead of driving by and dreaming about it, we stopped and had a look.

Short story shorter, we bought the thing. Rob and James and their friend Chris went back for it, and the guy showed them how to set it up and take it down. It is an oldie, but with new tires, new canvas, a new floor and new propane tanks.

You know how something will trigger a delightful memory? Well, several years ago we bought a piece of land in northern Michigan, which had an old camper on it. Bob, Maggie and Rob and I cleaned the thing out. It was full of lady bugs. After airing it out we slept the night in it. Lying in the bunk and gazing up at the night sky above us was likely one of my sweetest memories ever.

After all, before we went up there I "chanced upon" a verse that read, "They restored their souls in the north country."

We did that night, and we will shortly do so again, I just know it, even if the north country is our backyard. God is good.