Happy Holidays

Roland and I hope that you had a wonderful and very Merry Christmas. Our day was a normal day in many ways with Roland working and our overall transition. My mind kept coming back to the wonderful reality of my Savior's birth and his great love for us. We are so grateful for this Great Love.

Alex is with us now and enjoying being back with mom and Papa. We took him to a local dogpark today for the first time. He wasn't quite sure what to do with so many strange dogs running around. There was a lot of sniffing! A couple of the dogs were puppies and didn't have developed social skills so it made for an interesting time. We love the dogparks!

The picture above is of Roland using Uncle Glenn's snowblower. He is a natural; don't you think? Haha! He had fun plowing the yard. We received a heavy rain the past two days so there isn't much snow left. It seemed funny to see rain in December. While doing some shopping today we only wore light jackets. We should be getting snow later in the week.

Our house hunting is having to begin anew with an offer being accepted on the house we were considering. So, we are still deciding on buying or renting. Please pray that the Lord will guide us into his will and meet our needs as he always does. We are very curious how everything will pan out. Please pray and we will keep you posted.

We have not found a church home yet. We visited First Baptist this morning. There are a lot of good churches in this area and we know that, in time, God will lead us to a place where we can serve and love. BSF has taking their holiday break until the 6th and I am looking forward to being with the group again. I love this group of ladies!

We hope that you enjoy the remaining holiday season and everyone in your family is well.

Moving On

Hello dear friends, we hope that you are all enjoying this wonderful season. I am blogging for the last time from our living room in Georgia. That's right, we close on the 18th. A moving company is coming tomorrow and Thursday to pack and load our things. God did not provide a buyer for our home but we are confident that His will is best and has a perfect purpose. So, we take our loss and move on. Perhaps, He will amaze us in the next few months with a fantastic offer. The company will then pay us the extra. Who knows, but the important thing to keep in mind is that He is in control.

Some of you are asking, "but Chelle, this has been such an awful time and you are losing so much money". The Lord has provided his perspective and I am very grateful! Early one morning this week after a late night talk with mom, my Savior revealed my error. I was reminded of the rich, young ruler who walked away from an intimate and personal relationship with Christ because he was asked to turn over his earthly possessions. "But Lord, I said, you know that I would gladly give everything to know you more". It was as if he said 'Then what is the problem? Why are you so discouraged? Why are you so afraid?' Perhaps, in the drama of circumstantial life I forgot that possessions are meaningless and the only security I have is eternal.

One might ask how a girl may forget such basic principles. Although I am not entirely certain I am certain that my eyes were not focused exclusively on Christ. I am reminded that keeping focused solely on Christ is a choice that I must make each day; and when circumstances arrive one day becomes several times a day.

I pray that you never suffer being focused on circumstances and that you (and most certainly I) can remain entirely consumed with focusing on Christ, our Savior. To my Georgia friends, thank you again for such a wonderful time of life! I praise God for you and pray that his blessing are overflowing.

Good Night!

This Time in Life

Roland and I enjoyed watching about 2 inches of beautiful snow fall all day yesterday. We laughed as we said "This isn't like Georgia snow". Everything was white, shinning and clean. Miss Jane enjoyed bounding through all the white stuff in her little coat. Roland did have to do some driving but managed just fine.

We are very much hoping that the Lord will see to providing a buyer for our home in Georgia. We have seen little activity and have until December 17th to accept an offer. We have lowered the price in the hopes that interest will be shown. This whole situation is heart breaking because we love our home so much. Please join us in asking God to provide for us. We have confidence that His will is best and working.

Roland is still enjoying his job. The time off is nice. We feel like we have more time together. I have been sick for a week now. We believe it is the flu and headed out now. We spend most of our time trying to find a house. The houses are typically very small and don't meet our needs. We have found one house that we both love. We hope to be putting an offer in at the end of this week.

We hope that you are enjoying the holiday season. We enjoy seeing pictures and reading posts about you and your family.

Settling In Part 2

Hello dear friends,

Things are beginning to feel more like home here. We are settled into our apartment. We have decided to bring Miss Jane up with us this month. I think this will make our little apartment feel more like home. And it will give us company when one of us is working. So, here are some highlights.

We visited Calvary Baptist Church Sunday. The sermon was very challenging and the people were very friendly. This church differs slightly on doctrine but the major points are agreeable. We were invited by a woman in my BSF discussion group but we chose to visit a Sunday School class and go to a later service. BSF is FAN TASTIC! I am really thankful for my discussion group. We are all interested in developing relationships which is such a beautiful gift! Roland is planning on joining a men's group.

Roland is really enjoying his job. He has a board today and then he begins to qualify on his first set of five plants. He begins shift work next Monday and is excited to get started. He has been really impressed with the training offered. It is very extensive. We have been invited to watch the balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade being blown up with nitrogen from Linde! We are both excited about this and hope we can go. Linde is providing buses for the 1 1/2 hour trip each way. We will also be near the Natural History Musuem. We think it would be fun to tour that too.

I have been offered a part time job at Best Buy as a customer service rep. I will be working up to 32 hours a week. It won't be anywhere close to as stressful as working in mental health. I was impressed that everyone working there seemed happy and the management was nice. I think I will enjoy the business and bustle of the holiday season in retail. Since we will not be going home during the holidays it will give me a chance to be around people.

We hope you are happy and well.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Settling In

Hello Dear Friends,

We are beginning to settle into our new home in Bethlehem, PA. We have leased a small apartment while our home sells in Georgia. We hope to begin looking for a home here in December. We have mixed emotions about moving in winter but trust that this is the Lord's timing and that he has reasons for his timing.

We are enjoying being closer to family here. We are an hour from my cousin, Angela, and her family. We are an hour and a half from my aunt and uncle in Carslise. Although, technically, this is all my family they all adore Roland and he feels they are, in every sense, his own. We are five hours from Grami and four and a half hours from Grandmother. It is so nice to be able to spend time with these people that, normally, we only see a few times a year (or less).

We took a weekend trip to Grami's this past weekend. It was a nice drive across Interstate 80. The leaves are brilliant up here and everywhere you look you see signs of a magnificent God who wants to bless us with beauty. We were able to begin to get Grami ready for her annual trip south for the winter. That was a great blessing for us! Roland also replaced all four brake pads in the MINI and the leaking power steering pump. Praise God, the hose had shrunk because of the cold weather and that was all that was wrong. I am so thankful for a husband that enjoys doing this kind of stuff. It saves a ton of money and we get better quality than if we had to take it somewhere for someone else to do. On a side note: If ever your husband replaces your brake pads pass on his offer to take them out to test them! Just think about a dirt road with deep ditches on each side, emergency brake, the movie "The Italian Job" and my poor heart stopping!

We are still trying out gyms in the area. We have decided to join a gym because Roland now has a "desk job" and we have both gotten a little too flabby in the last few years. We have not been able to begin looking for a church home but hope to begin that search this week. I won't go into details but will say that our GPS is having a bit of trouble adjusting to our new area also! ;o)

Roland is really enjoying his new job and flying through his qualifications. I don't think they really understood what hiring someone with experience was going to mean for them. I am beginning to look for a job this week. I am writing to request letters of recommendation this week. It's been so long, all my letters are from five to six years ago! Please pray about this. I really believe that this is the Lord's will for this time. It will also help me to meet people and get more involved in our new community.

We will have our phone, television and internet connected tomorrow. I will be sending out our new information after that is done. We hope you are doing well and would love to hear from you.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Good Morning!

Today is another raining day in PA, similar to yesterday. It snowed on Roland's way home from work yesterday! It is OCTOBER right?! Snow flurries are on the forecast for today.

Things are going pretty well here in the north so far. We have been staying at the Holiday Inn this week while we chose an apartment and settle a bit. We have chosen an apartment in Bethlehem which will be central to our home search in a few weeks. They are very pet friendly which relives a big stress for me. The "kids" will still stay with "Grandma" until we settle into a house. The apartment we chose is very small but new and clean. This is our choice since all our furniture is in our house. Haha! We bought an air mattress for a bed; isn't that funny?!

We are laughing a lot more as things have started moving along. Being away from our house has helped our stress level quite a bit. Our neighbors, Josh and Kristen, are being FANTASTIC! I cannot thank them enough! We have been so blessed with "dream neighbors". We have decided that we don't like Allentown but, do think we like Bethlehem and Easton. We haven't ventured out into the townships further away yet. We will save that, primarily, until we begin house hunting in earnest.

Roland is enjoying his job. It's nice that he is acquainted with many people working with him because he is now developing those relationships. He is doing well with "qualifying" for his new job. He is working on studying and taking boards this week and probably will be doing the same next week. He is very excited about hunting and fishing soon and can't wait until he can go wandering the woods.

I enjoyed joining a BSF group up here which was a wonderful blessing because I also had a group of people to join immediately. They were warm and welcoming. I am staying busy (but less than previously) managing all the processes for selling our home in GA and renting here. It was really nice to see Uncle Glenn and Aunt Karen this week. Hopefully, we will be going to visit on Saturday for the day. We hope to be able to meet Angela and Matt's newest son, Ryan.

Well, this is such a random and long blog. I will end for now and write more details soon as they develop. We hope you are well and enjoying this season!

Love, M

A quick update

Roller Coaster...that pretty much describes the last three weeks for us. Tomorrow we leave for South Georgia and then on to PA on Saturday. So much has happened and to be honest it is tremendously difficult.

The realtors in PA are discouraging. So, I am trying to wait until I get up there to decide about temporary housing. The realtors here should have our house on the market tomorrow. The appraisers have finished their work at the house and are finishing the reports. Based on these reports Linde will make us an offer on our house. The septic system inspection went pretty bad. There is something wrong but I have to wait for the home selling relocator to call and tell me what it is. The termite inspection went great. Please, please, please pray about this "stuff"; especially the sale of our house and the septic system!

I just hope that we are following the Lord's will correctly. I know that our hearts are right. So much is going wrong and I am terrified. Don't get me wrong, I completely know that God can do all things and that he loves us. I don't doubt his goodness. Roland is very excited though. He can't wait to get to hunt and fish in PA. New starts are exciting and he can't wait to start his new job.

Thank you so much for loving us and praying for us. I hope you are well and enjoying fall so far.

News at Last!

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to be writing and telling you that Roland has accepted a position at the Remote Operations Center ("the ROC") in Bethlehem, PA! This is a wonderful opportunity for him professionally. We are so thankful for your prayers and encouragement while we have been waiting for God to work all of this out. There is no doubt that our calm hearts and peace came to us from the Lord because so many were praying for just that!
Roland's first day will be September 21st. It is a somewhat flexible date because there is much to do before then. Our goal is to arrive in PA around Friday, September 18th. We will be living in a hotel for a couple of months while we are looking for a permeant home and/or selling our house. The next step is for us to receive the relocation package and choose options. Also, we will be working on getting our house ready to sell. The relocation package itself is generous and we are praising God for his abundant blessing.
Thank you so much for your prayers! Please join us in thanking God for leading us and everyone else involved. Thank him for meeting our needs so far and ask that he continue to amaze us with his provision.

Love and blessing to you,

Roland and Michelle

Pa job

Good morning sweet friends!

Roland was called this morning and told that Dan had a couple interviews lined up and so Roland would not be hearing about his decision until next week. So...although "technically" we still have to wait we have peace with our disappointment. It would have been easier without all the "encouragement" from Rome (Roland's boss) and people at the ROC but God is in control and we should have known better.

Right now we are praying for peace and comfort for our hearts, that Roland's position currently will be secure, comfort for Grami and our family, and that God would continue to guide us to the place he would have us right now. I realize this sounds as if I have accepted that Roland has been turned down for the position. In part that is true. Roland feels differently. He hasn't been turned down and may receive a grand offer next week. For me, it's just too much "double talk". I have confidience that we have done our best to do what is right and follow God's direction.

Thank you so much! You are such a tremendous blessing!

Out on the Lake

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Roland's Interview

Roland's interview went really well yesterday. Although, it was not at all what we expected. We had been told that he was going up to interview and sign papers so that everything would be final. As it turned out we will not know the final decision until Monday.

All of the executives and administration for Linde (North America) work at the NOC or closeby in Murray Hill, NJ. It frequently happens that these people come to the NOC to see how everything is going. Yesterday, the president and vice president decided to hold their meeting at the NOC which meant that the person interviewing Roland had to be apart of these meetings. So, Dan only met with Roland for about thirty minutes + lunch during the day-long interview. Roland met instead with the engineers who asked him practical questions.

Through a series of events Roland learned that ALL of the engineers gave their enthusiastic approval for Roland to be hired. But they still have to talk to Dan. So, we wait until Monday...

One funny story...Roland went to dinner with Mick last night who is an operator. They went to a popular resturant and while they were waiting Roland's boss' boss walks in with another man. Roland says "Hey Fred, how's it going?" Fred says, " Hey Gonzo! This is Rob (I don't really remember his name). Rob, Gonzo works in Cartersville and is interviewing up here for a ROC position." So Roland shakes the guys hand and says "Hey Rob, it's good to meet you." Mick greets the men too and refers to the second man "Hi Mr So and So." Roland's eyes pop a little. "Mr. So and So"? "Yep that's me. It's nice to meet you in person Gonzo." This is the president of the company. Nice one honey! (I should add that this man is former Navy so it isn't as big of a deal to Roland as it seems to me.)

Roland really likes the area and the people. Dan did have a chance to answer a few questions. The big one for us is that the relocation package is pretty negotiable in parts. Dan really stressed to Roland that he wants to take all of the risk out of us moving as he is able. Then after he has done everything he can he will go to his boss and eliminate more risk. Praise God! Linde will still not buy our house out-right. But they are committed to helping us up to that point. Even after papers are signed we can negotiate as we need. For example, the package says two months of company paid housing but if we need more then that will be worked out as we need it. Our Aunt and Uncle have also offered to let us live with them while we are transitioning. Praise God! He has truly gone before us.

Our prayer is that God will continue to lead us where he wants us. Also, that we will receive an offer that exceeds our expectations so that people will be amazed (including us) with how God provides for his kids. Thank you so much for being apart of our lives!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Roland flies to PA this afternoon for his interview. Since interviewing is not one of his favorite things please pray for calmness and God's words to be given. This house is going to be especially empty the next couple of days! Roland will be coming home Friday evening. We should have a lot more information after Thursday's interview.

We are so blessed to have such a strong prayer team around us. Thank you so, so much! God is working so mightily in our lives right now and you are apart of it through prayer. I will post Thursday afternoon and let you know more details.

Heading North

Hello dear friends and precious family,

I am writing because it looks like we will be moving North, to Pennsylvania in a bit. Roland has been heavily recruited for a promotion with Linde (the company he currently works for). The job is located in Bethlehem, PA, which is on the eastern PA border to New Jersey. Roland will be going to PA for an interview and to sign hiring papers on August 12th.

A few prayer requests come with this. First, that everything will continue to go well and God will guide our steps. Peace and calmness for Roland during the interview. Our house also will be sold which is complicated since we have only lived here 2 years (as of the end of August). We are both, as you know, very involved in our church so our leaving means new leaders need to step up. We teach 4th grade Sunday School and DivorceCare for Kids. We know that God has already laid a call on people to fill these positions. Please pray with us that they will answer the Lord's leading to serve. Please pray for all the kids involved. This could be a difficult transition for them because the 9th is the beginning of the new year. (So, we will be there for maybe 3 weeks then it's new teachers!)

We are both extremely excited about the job and moving. Oh, we LOVE North Georgia, our friends, church and home! However, this move will put us closer to aging grandparents and other family. God is throwing doors open too!! We have been offered a wonderful relocation package, a place to live while we sell our home, Alex and Jane have a place to stay while we live in a hotel room for two months and last night I was even offered a job! Rome (current boss) is very excited about Roland being promoted and very understanding. Please praise the Lord with us for these blessings!

M

Divorce Care for Kids

Roland and I are teaching DC4K again this fall. This is really a passionate program for me. Here's a promotional video to give you an overview. The first "club meeting" is August 12th from 6-7:30.

Praise God from whom ALL Blessings Flow

I often like to share how God amazes us with his grace and blessings. This morning we got a big blessing.

Roland came home from work last night and in talking about his day said that his boss had once again not turned in his overtime. This is three weeks worth of sacrificing and working hard; it was to be a big addage to his salary. We were disappointed and felt unappreciated.

Roland went to group last night and the topic was disciplines at work. I find it amazing how God prepares ahead of time for our needs. The Lord knew that Roland would need encouragement, affirmation and guidance from Godly men exactly yesterday. And...He provided!! Roland came home with new insights (many of which I can't know because I am not part of this group, Poof! Haha...just kidding), things he needed to do differently and much encouragement. Praise God for this group of men! There are just some things that a wife can't really help with.

So, this morning I got an email saying that the administrative assistant had used a favor and gotten their overtime in for this week! Yeah! Praise God!! Please thank him in your prayers today for graciously making a way for us. I think God enjoys when we praise him for the blessings of those we love.

I hope that you find many special touches of God's grace in your life today.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

Jeremiah 29:11-12

Eggs are almost available!

I am delighted to say that we have three hens laying eggs now! Two more hens are going to start laying any day now. The Dominic eggs are medium in size but they seem tiny in comparison to Rosie's (our Red Star hen) gigantic eggs. The hens mainly graze but they are also given some chicken food as a treat. They are not given any human food at all! (Apparently, this is a common practice. Yuck!) All of the eggs are a light brown and of course, very yummy! 

 We can sell six of the extra large eggs weekly for $1.50. (Those are available now.) One dozen of the Dominic eggs will be $2 and we will have two dozen a week. I am taking potential orders now to "gage interest". Let me know if you are interested by sending a message. 

Summer Adventures

Ahhh...a moment to stop and reflect. 

This has been a busy couple of months to say the least. The summer began with decorating the church for VBS. Have I mentioned how much I love VBS? ;o) Soon after we were heading to South Georgia to pick up  our nephew (12) who was visiting for two weeks. VBS was a great success thanks to awesome leadership in our church and the amazing hand of God working! Then we took our nephew home and prepared for the wedding of our good friend Leslee. Our niece (6) joined us for "a weekend away" and Leslee's wedding. Our niece is finishing her first full week with us now. On the 10th we take her home to South Georgia. On the 11th Roland takes his compass exam so that he can begin finishing his bachelor degree in the fall. Roland's birthday is on the 12th. On the 13th I will head to PA for a week long visit. 

I have already written a little about our nephew's visit so I won't go into too much detail now. He is a wonderful child and a lot of fun. Wesley really enjoyed VBS and said that it was his favorite part of the trip. Praise God! Wesley made some casual friends and enjoyed his Uncle Roland immensely. This was his first trip away from home and we were surprised that he didn't seem at all homesick. 

VBS was terrific this year! I wish that I could say that all my things are put away but that will probably have to wait until I get home from PA. At least our "basement" is being put to good use! ;o) Two of the girls in our Sunday School class accepted the Lord as Savior and we are so excited! I can't wait to spend eternity with these precious girls and enjoy calling them "my sisters". We will make some visits next week as we were not able to do so during the scheduled evening. 

Roland and Verity joined me in Charlotte for Leslee's wedding last weekend. We enjoyed a great hotel room and a beautiful wedding. Leslee was a wonderful bride. She had a fantastic maid of honor who really went the extra mile! Christian (her new husband) seems to be a laid back guy who adores Leslee. I am so happy for her. Charlotte is an interesting town and we would like to visit again if the opportunity arose. 

Our niece, Verity, is a precious little girl! We are playing Barbies and watching Shirley Temple movies. Yesterday we baked cookies and played in a park (Delinger). She is a sweet child that loves to tease and "act big". She loves Alex and calls him "her dog". Six is an interesting age and it takes me a minute to adjust at times. She is well behaved and as long as she has a nap and is in bed at 9 she is positively delightful! She is excited about the party we are going to on Saturday and can't wait to "go back to church". 

Roland has been working evenings most of the summer which is okay with us. I will be happy to have him home more hopefully next week. The overtime is nice though and we are counting our blessings. He is a little nervous about the exam coming up and we would appreciate your prayers. Finishing school as an adult is a big deal and will require a refocus of priorities. We feel it is a door God has opened for us though and that the sacrifices will be well worth it. Hopefully, I will continue to "stay at home" (haha!) and be able to ease some of the burden. He will be attending Southern Polytechnic University which I hear is a really good school for engineering. He is absolutely brilliant and I am sure he will excel. 

Roland's work continues to be trying at times (as any job is) and we appreciate your prayers. We also are praying for his boss who at times seems to be blind to things happening around him. Roland continues to be given more responsibility above his peer though and we hope this is a sign of his boss' confidence. 

Although our summer has been full it has also been extremely fulfilling. We have enjoyed many of our favorite activities throughout the summer. God has been very gracious to us; His hand has been woven tightly around all of our activities and we are very thankful. We hope that you have also had a wonderful season and would like to hear your stories. We love you all and praise God for our precious friends and family. 

New Locks

There are a few emotions that come with this post. Someone broke into our house yesterday afternoon while we were in town. We came home to the front door wide open, the house 84 degrees and Alex standing at the bottom of the stairs (inside).  I know that the first thought is that we just forgot to lock the door. Not the case. Before leaving I asked Roland to lock the back door while I was locking the front. I am certain the house was locked up.

The first (known) way that God provided for us is in giving us a big, guard dog! Alex is just the perfect dog. From now on when he barks I will be checking to see what he is barking at. We all agree Alex is the reason that the intruder left quickly. I praise God for giving our boy instinct to protect his home and his people!! 

Another provision is in our neighbors who are sheriffs and friends. We went over to see if Josh had come into our house for something while we were away. He went inside, got his gun and did a through search of our house with us. Praise the Lord! He also evaluated the doors and windows. The person(s) who broke in either had a key or a "bump key" because there was no damage. (We haven't changed our locks and there are a lot of people who have had a key to our house.) 

Still, there is more... when we went to Home Depot to buy new locks we found good and knowledgeable sales people. And better still we found a set 50% off! My terrific and quite brilliant husband installed the new set and now everyone is safe and sound. 

The whole potentially awful ordeal cost us a couple hours, less than $100 and some emotional challenge. We gained a new respect and appreciation for Alex and even more appreciation for our amazing Father in Heaven who always watches over us and protects us!!

Just Checking In

Dear friends,

So much is happening in our lives right that I don't really feel like I have had time to breathe. However, right now Wesley is playing the Wii and dinner is in the oven. Ahhhh...so quickly here are a couple of highlights.

It's summer and we have our nephew, Wesley, visiting with us for two weeks. I believe the plan is to take him home Friday. It will be another wirlwind trip but the visit is worth it. He is 12 and such a neat kid! He looks just like his uncle and loves to play just as much. He is really enjoying VBS and has made a couple friends. We took Wesley to Carter's Lake last Friday for an overnight camping trip. We are so thankful that Roland was able to get a vacation day Friday. More on the camping trip will have to wait though until I have downloaded more pictures. The plan is for Wesley to spend a couple hours with Roland tonight at work. I think they will have a great time together.

Vacation Bible School is happening this week which is my favorite week out of the year. That's a whole other blog in itself. I am just amazed by our church leadership! The first day of VBS is often harried and chaotic but not at TBC! Lisa Bandy has everything ready and waiting. Other leaders step up and help. Being a teacher is such a joy and the focus can be on teaching and my own class. I am sure many of you understand that this is a great blessing! I praise God for you Lisa! We are teaching 2nd grade and had 14 kids today. I consider that a "perfect" number. The other teachers and our youth helper are fantastic! I don't know how I always end up with the best but I sure have this year!

On a slightly different note I have a prayer request. I won't go into too many details here. Please pray that Rome's (Roland's boss) eyes will be opened to the truth. Also pray for Roland, especially tomorrow (Wednesday). He has a potentially important meeting with Rome. There is a man at work that is really miserable and is trying to make life miserable for Roland. It is actually getting serious and Roland has to take a stand. Please pray that he will have God's strength and wisdom. We know that the Lord gave us this job and life together and we are only here while it is His will for us to be. Truly, we wouldn't have it any other way. 

I have not scheduled my surgery yet. It has been on my to do list now for two days but...

Please continue to pray that we will follow God's will for our lives especially specific to this situation. 

Love,

MLG

Always Working For Our Good

    On Wednesday evening I began the 800 + mile trek to western PA to visit Grandmother and Grami. It was to be a quick visit with mom and I heading to South Georgia on Friday. That was the plan anyway. 

    I spent Thursday with Grandmother in Butler. We had a nice day together and got a few mini-projects completed. Mom and I decided to stay through Friday which gave us the whole day together. 

    What I really would like to tell you about is the amazing way that the Lord worked through seemingly bad circumstances to answer a desire. A few weeks ago my power steering pump stopped working. It was the worst possible time to lose my car.  Roland and I have been a one vehicle family for a few weeks now. One of our challenges was my trip to PA. Roland would be without a car, quite an inconvenience. David (co-worker) picked him up each morning and took him home. About 1am on Thursday it occurred to me that because I had to drive the truck up I would be able to bring home a dresser and desk for Doug. This set was given to my dad by my Great Grandfather and Grandmother had been really looking forward to giving this furniture to Doug. Grandmother was delighted and Doug loves the pieces. SO worth any hassle! 

    Praise God for caring about everything in each of our lives! How good He is!

Oconee State Park

Roland and I met our friends, Leslee and Christian, at Oconee State Park in South Carolina for a relaxing weekend. We left for South Carolina on Friday, early in the morning. The drive was just beautiful, winding through back roads lazily. We enjoyed looking at all the wonders that God had given us to enjoy in the forests and farms.  The highlight of the drive was visiting Toccoa Falls College. I have wanted Roland to see where I went to college but we could never find the right time to visit.

We stayed in a two bedroom cabin that was on the lake. Roland and I (usually "tenters") enjoyed the "luxury" of hot water, a full kitchen and even a screened in porch with rocking chairs. I think we are willing to stay in cabins again! We spent the three days fishing, hiking to beautiful waterfalls and exploring the area. We visited one restaurant nearby, otherwise eating from the grill and stove. 

It was especially nice to get so much quality time with Leslee and Christian. They are getting married soon so this was a great opportunity to get to know Christian better. I really miss my wonderful girlfriends from South Georgia. It was a lovely time to catch up on the many things that life has brought us in the last year.

Creatures of Creation

We attended both showing of Creatures of Creation with "Dan the Animal Man" at TBC during "Awesome April"! April truly lived up to it's name because there was a lot happening. Anyway, back to the Creatures of Creation show. We had over 500 children in attendance and the animals preformed terrifically. 

Dan gave Roland and I a quill from 'Prickles' with a warning that bacteria would be attracted to it easily. What?!? Obviously, he gave it to Roland and I hid it in a safe place! ;oD I am so sneaky! Hopefully, I will soon make a shadow box of some sort to display it in; it is really neat after all! We were also given a book that Dan signed for us. 

Dan is also a pastor and has a terrific heart for explaining the truth about creation, evolution and global warming. He is easy to understand and has good insight. Here is the website if you are interested.

 http://www.wildanimalencounters.com/

If you are interested in contacting Dan about creation material please let me know. We have a personal email address.

Nontraditional Student...God's Answer

The deadline for application has come and gone for summer sessions at Southern Poly. Roland's high school did not get the transcripts in on time. We are praising God for his decision and awaiting to see what he has planned for the summer. 

To be honest, there are a lot of exciting opportunities with work, church and something else that I won't talk about quite yet. It is amazing to watch Him work everything out. Frustrating at times because my vision is so limited but it is always amazing in the end.

PS- My April MD appointment did not happen. It is scheduled for May 27th though now. I am struggling and praying that God leads us somehow by then. 

Michelle

Nontraditional Student

Hello dear family & precious friends,

I hope that you are well and enjoying a beautiful Spring so far. It is hard to believe it is already April! Roland received some exciting news this afternoon and I wanted to share it with you.

We just received the news that Southern Polytech has obtained Roland's transcripts from Long County. This means that we should know if Roland has been accepted for the summer semester in 2-4 days! That astounds me. I am asking that you pray for this situation.

There are numerous factors and although we feel that Roland should finish his degree, timing is very important. We have a lot of fantastic commitments this summer and all of them take time. So, we are trusting that the Lord will open and close doors to guide us into his will. 

Thank you and I will let you know how it goes!

Michelle

Girl's Night!

Let's Have a Girl's Night! I am hosting a Mary Kay Party! Come join us for a couple hours of pampering.  April 30th from 6:30-8:00pm 30 Moriah Way NE; Rydal, GA 30171 (770)334-8160 Please RSVP A friend is welcome to join you too! Kelly Storm will be calling you to talk about your skin type. She is the Mary Kay Representative.

Intro Classes

Hello Sisters, I hope that you are all well and that your week has started off great! I wanted to tell you about a Bible Study that I have been attending the past couple months. BSF, or Bible Study Fellowship International, has been conducting a pilot study in Acworth. There are two "introduction sessions" coming up that I would like to invite you to attend with me. These introduction sessions are April 25th and May 4th. I will not be attending May 4th because I have a VBS meeting at my home church. If this is the date you can attend I promise you will be just as welcome as on the 25th. BSF is interdenominational, international and evangelical. The website is www.bsfinternational.org  if you would like to learn more about the ministry corporately. The Bible study in Acworth is just hosting a women's and children study currently. (There is a long story as to why and you will learn all about that at the intro session.) Also, ask about the children's sessions at the intro session. I think there are several specifics that I don't know.  At the intro session here is what you can expect. We begin at 6:55pm (promptly) with a couple hymns and prayer. If you want to fellowship get there a few minutes early. After the introduction everyone breaks into smaller discussion groups to discuss the homework questions. You will stay in the sanctuary with everyone else there for the intro session. A lecturer will tell you about BSF, the upcoming sessions and answer any questions you have. You will be given a commitment card and asked to make a commitment by turning in your card. This is in no way required and if you have a question about this (I did) just send me an e-mail or call. Everyone will return to the sanctuary for the lecture. Most people take notes so bring paper and pen. I also bring a clipboard. After the lecture we sing a hymn and are dismissed in prayer.  It is important to me that you understand that I am not asking you to replace local Bible studies in your (our) home church. At Tabernacle Baptist, we have fantastic (!) Bible studies that take place in a women's home each week. The "homework" for BSF takes approximately 10 minutes each day. The first day that you read through the notes and all references takes longer. So, I hope that you will consider BSF in addition to the (Women's League at TBC) Bible studies through your home church.    Blessings to you! Michelle (678)823-0216 mlgonzalezga@gmail.com

How DARE you!

I am not an angry person. Actually, one thing people say about me is that it doesn't matter if I get angry because I will forget about it in just a few minutes anyway. I just don't hold onto anger. I heard an exception this morning. 

While getting started this morning I was made aware of our Homeland Defense Secretary's, Janet Napolitano, report about what constitutes a terrorist. Apparently, our family is the current threat to America! 

My extremely brave, sacrificial, strong and wise husband served almost ten years in the United States Navy. When I married a sailor I was delighted to be a small part of serving. I quite my career so that we could obey the Navy even though we were barely making ends meet. It's what was required. Secretary Napolitano has said in a recent report that veterans of the UNITED STATES military are a current threat to Americans. What did my husband put his life endanger for? What are our friends sacrificing their families for? It is most certainly to keep this BEAST Napolitano safe and secure HER FREEDOM to persecute veterans! People are DYING so that she can put this in writing. Actually, this is not a new story, we have heard it before.

Apparently, we are also terrorists because we are Christians. My Savior did not yield when he was dying on the cross. As for this house, we will focus on the CROSS! We will serve our Savior Jesus Christ no matter what you call us! There is nothing else for us to do. He bought us with his blood. He is the source of our strength. ALL OF OUR STRENGTH! He is our sustainer, provider and protector. He writes our future and secures our eternity.

We are also deemed terrorists because we are Republican and white. We are called terrorists because we have a gun in our house. I am appalled! I will be reading Napolitano's report in full. I hope that you will read it also. The lines are being drawn as we speak. We must prepare and inform ourselves. Here's a link: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/16/napolitano-stands-rightwing-extremism/

Kayaking on the Etowah River

Roland and I went kayaking on Saturday with Jim and Nancy Pohl who are dear friends of ours. The weather was quite cold and never hit the expected 70 degrees. We managed, however, with jackets and towels.  Nancy and I took our time on the way up while the boys took more of a quick paddle. We all hurried more on the way back. :D

We put in at the Riverside Day Use Area Boat ramp and paddled to the old trussels. Jim told us that the train tracks were destroyed during the Civil War by the Northern army. The trussels are a beautiful landmark visible from Highway 411. Jim said that he had dreamed of paddling up to these trussels for the last 12 years. We all enjoyed relaxing and talking while taking in all the beauty God had given us to enjoy. 

The wildlife was rather shy due to the overcast and cold weather. We did get to meet a beaver and a woodchuck. Nancy was surprised a bit by how close the woodchuck let us get. The beaver was not as curious of Roland chasing it! We also got to see a lovely Great Blue Heron. Roland and Jim saw an eagle but Nancy and I were too far behind. 

After our paddling we grilled lunch. The boys headed back to the boat ramp where they found only 3 boats! One was heading down the river on it's own trip! Roland and Jim hurried after it thankfully. Jim and Nancy are new to kayaking but we are working on "hooking them". Hopefully, our next trip will be a 9 mile "float" . 

Spring Sunday School Party

The Sunday School class party went really well. We had about ten kids come and six adults including us. We praise God for the beautiful day he gave us. It really turned out perfect. We began with an egg toss. DH and CG won...WAY TO GO BOYS!! The girls weren't far behind though. There were broken eggs all over the yard. It was fun because there were wet wipes handy and most everyone had brought a change of clothes as instructed. 

We hosted an egg hunt called "resurrection eggs". This is a wonderful experience for children of all school age. There are twelve eggs and each one holds a token of the last week of Christ's life on Earth and a corresponding Bible verse. One clear, easy to use website is www.rainbowcastle.org/resurrectioneggs.html

Each child was given an empty egg carton and told to find twelve eggs numbered 1-12. Once everyone had their collection, we began opening the eggs one by one. Each child got to read a verse and show what was in the eggs. Afterward, each child took home their eggs to share with family and friends. Numbering the eggs and everyone collecting 1-12 made the hunt more challenging. Even the middle school children (siblings) enjoyed the hunt. 

We enjoyed lunch together with a lot of laughing and talking. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, pasta salad, cookies and pop. It was wonderful to get to know each other better. The kids were completely comfortable in our home. At one point, two girls came up to me and asked, "Can we go snoop around your house?"! After my own heart!! After promising not to go in closets (danger zones potentially) they were off. The excursion only lasted about five minutes. The kids played Wii games for a few minutes and then it was back outside.

We "washed cars" to follow through with our silent auction commitment. It started off good until CG and DH started sending silly string (prize from egg toss) everywhere. The only retaliation was water, they were the only ones with silly string! We all were amazed at how long DH's can lasted, it just never emptied. A party miracle! Although only two cars were "washed" all the kids and Mrs. Michelle got "clean". 

DC4K is done for the Spring

We had our last session of Divorce Care for Kids tonight. I am very thankful that the Lord entrusted us with this task. Although we only had two boys in our program we really saw both of them grow through the process.  Strong bonds were formed during the thirteen weeks of sessions. We had great leadership and help also for which we are very thankful.

 I praise God for a church that seeks to meet people's needs. Divorce affects so many aspects of a child's life and there is so much hurt. This is a really good program from a biblical perspective. It is honest and therapeutic which I greatly appreciate. There is permanence in the Word and rest in Christ. That is better than anything fluffy. 

I am looking forward to the boot camp that is being held in a couple weeks. Then I will start preparing for the fall semester. There are thirteen week sessions in the fall and spring. The kids' program corresponds with an adult program that occurs at the same time.  The website for the program is www.dc4k.org.

Mission Banquet 2009

The Mission Banquet Friday and Saturday was a wonderful success. Everything seemed to flow beautifully and we sold out with 200 tickets each night! The best part of this event was that the entire church was involved. 

The main entertainment was a play called "The Love Liner". It was funny and interactive even. The crowd seemed to interact a little more on Saturday night. The cast did a terrific job and so did everyone else involved with the production!

The auction went well. We raised just over $5,000 over the two nights. I was so delighted by everyone's generosity. It just amazed me. Thank you for giving! Thank you for bidding! Thank you for praying! Praise God that he was glorified by our efforts!

Have a wonderful week. I hope that it is full of joy and laughter.

accountability group

I started attending an accountability group for men. right now we have 5 men attending and it is going pretty well i think. it is nice to have a group to talk with and listen to. it is also nice to have people that will hold you accountable for the things that you do or might do.  we are going through a book called disciplines of a godly man written by kent hughes. it is a very good and challenging book that calls to life the way discipline and the lack there off has shaped our society and how us being christian men are supposed to handle ourselves in this society. we are only on the third chapter but it is already a very challenging and motivating book. i am looking forward to working through the rest of the book.

Camping at Carter's Lake

BSF Introduction Session

We will be hosting an introduction session next Monday. This is an opportunity for any woman interested to see what Bible Study Fellowship is all about. The session begins at 6:55pm in Acworth. We will begin Colossians during this session. Let me know if you have any questions. 

I love this group of ladies and I think the teaching method is a challenging one. I would enjoy having you ride with me up there. 

Setting Sail

I wanted to post a quick reminder that today is the absolute last day to make a donation for the Silent Auction on Friday or Saturday. I am still hoping that a few of you have been thinking of a service to donate but just haven't had the chance to let me know about the details. Today is the day!

What are some donations that have not been donated yet? Here are some ideas but please use you special gifts to serve someone else in the body of Christ. 

Boat/Fishing Trip, Pet Grooming/Sitting, Gardening, Swim Lessons, Accounting Service, Singing at an event, Video a special event, Carpentry, Plumbing, Organize a Room or Office, Alterations, Laundry

We all have a gift. We each have something we like to do that many people don't. That is the donation we are looking for!

All proceeds go to the Ric Mason and Perry Gould Scholarship. If you have made a donation already, I praise God for your generosity! Please pray especially this week, for this special event. Pray that the Lord will bless everyone's efforts and He will be glorified.

Creating A Blog?

Roland and I are creating this blog to share our life and adventures with friends all over the world. We hope that you will enjoy checking in to see pictures and hear stories about what God is doing in our life. We hope to post at least once a week.