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.