Sunday

DH and I were married almost 15 years ago. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! I can hardly believe it. I feel like I was 23 and young just yesterday. Suddenly I have become a woman in her late 30s who is older than many of her friends! Where did the years go? I am thankful that they have been 15 very happy years. DH & I had a very happy beginning in Dallas, Texas. We just LOVED living there and making our own new friends. Our 3 years there were such a great adventure for us as a couple. No one loves their state more than Texans. They own it. We attended Park Cities Presbyterian Church where we made our best friends. Our Sunday School class was a huge blessing in the marriages of many young couples. We were challenged and stretched and learned so much! We used to have a group that would meet in the evenings to sing and pray. Darwin Jordan and his wife, Kay, opened their home to us so many times. They were probably about the age we are now. I remember wanting to be just like them with a beautiful home full of children who were being raised to love the Lord. And here we are! On those sweet evenings, we sang many songs I just love. At least two of them were written by Chris Miner. One of my favorites is listed below. You can imagine how excited I am whenever we sing it at church. In fact, I love it so much that I sing at the top of my lungs, and I always feel like people are turning around to look at me. This song always gives me chills and often makes me cry. The words are so touching! Happy Sunday!

From the depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,

O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)
O who shall stand before Thee?
(Who shall stand before Thee?)

2. To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,

And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)
And live alone by mercy
(Live alone by mercy)

3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;

I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)
I wait for it with patience
(Wait for it with patience)

4. What though I wait the live-long night,
And ’til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;

And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)
And wait ’til God appeareth
(Wait ’til God appeareth)

5. Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free

From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)
From all their sin and sorrow
(All their sin and sorrow)

©1997 Christopher Miner Music.

Our Sunday of Blessings

Doug and I decided on our drive that if the children woke up on time, we would go ahead & visit our new church. No time like the present, eh? Well, despite their exhaustion, the first 2 were up a little before 7, so we all dressed, ate breakfast, and went to visit our new church. When we arrived, people were so friendly, and some had even heard we were coming!! A nice lady took us to find baby H's class and we saw our one friend, A, when we were seated. During the service, my favorite hymn, "From the Depths of Woe" was sung!! What a sweet comfort.

Then, I read:
From Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 28
Q: How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us?

A: We can be patient when things go against us,
thankful when things go well,
and for the future we can have
good confidence in our faithful God and Father
that nothing will separate us from His love.
All creatures are so completely in his hand
that without his will
they can neither move nor be moved.
I Corinthians 1:18-31


After church, everyone was very friendly. DH and I enjoyed meeting so many sweet people!! We felt very welcomed and loved and even excited! We went to lunch and then took the children back to our new home. Our painter did a fabulous job and was there finishing his work. He said his wife babysits!!! The children jubilantly jumped into the pool and made a big splash! It was precious to hear them so excited to have a pool. DH & I, however, did not get in!! It was warm outside, but the water was COLD. We are all excited to move in our new home and make it ours. I am excited to visit IKEA in Orlando for some exciting and creative storage ideas!

At church, the little girls wore smocked dresses and had double names, just a little comfort that made us feel like home!

We need school lunches and snacks for tomorrow, especially since our school does not have a cafeteria. While in Publix, I ran into a cute girl who was a nurse at Camp Greystone while I taught Cooking at Jr. Camp! It was wild to actually run into someone I know in Tampa!! We are constantly amazed at how the Lord has ordained this move... His little reminders are everywhere! M said her babysitter lives on our street, which is especially incredible since we only have about 8 houses on our street!!! We will try not to steal her sitter, but it's nice to know a sitter lives near us!

Our new church felt like home. Our house is beautiful, and our children are adjusting. That's not to say we haven't had some challenges... when we sat down, Doug and I both wondered who around us needed to use the bathroom. We then discovered that either we stepped in dog poo poo or someone around us had. We were reminded that we are all dirty and sinful, yet saved by grace. It was funny to be stinky visitors!! After the service, our son, A, vomited in the church parking lot and then fell asleep in the car while waiting for us. We were excited to make new friends, and lingered while he rested. The same thing happened again in the car, but thanks to my smart Mama, we had a garbage bag handy!

The Lord has truly blessed us with an amazing place to stay this week. We have flat screen tvs in every bedroom, a brand new front loader washer/dryer, a dishwasher, a living room, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a beautiful kitchen, etc. I have already made lunches for tomorrow and will have everyone in bed by 7 since their day starts an hour earlier than it did in Raleigh!

Mimi has arrived to help with H & K, and my parents arrive tomorrow afternoon! Tomorrow will be exhausting as boxes and furniture are unloaded once the movers arrive at 8am, but it is so exciting to see our home begin to take shape as OURS!