KINDERGARTEN MISSIONARIES

I love it when God speaks to me. Today I was driving to VCA to teach kindergarten and a great idea came to me. My mom is a kindergarten teacher in a public school in West Virginia. How cool would it be if my Christian School class called her public school class and sang to them. We could put my cell phone on speaker and she could do the same. I sat my 18 darlings down and we talked about being missionaries. We talked about how a missionary is someone who tells people about Jesus. Many times missionaries have to reach out to places that are far away. We talked about where West Virginia was. I thought it was humorous when one student asked what language they spoke in West Virginia. Our call was scheduled for 10:55. We called and sang Jesus Loves Me to the students at Kanawha City Elementary. They in return sang us the peanut butter song. Oh well...you have to start somewhere.

BLESSED BY A FIVE YEAR OLD

I have gotten into a really bad habit. When I come home from teaching I lay down and take a nap. The other day I was resting and I heard a noise outside. It sounded like someone was shoveling the 3 inches of snow from our driveway. Wally was working from home so I just assumed that it was him. A few minutes later the doorbell rang and it was my five year old neighbor. He said "I shoveled your driveway." I thought he was kidding...HE WASN'T. This little five year boy shoveled over half of our driveway and sidewalk. He did an incredible job. I was speechless. His mom said he just decided on his own to come and do this for us. I was blown away by his servant's heart, by his dedication to finish a job and his ability. He blessed me more then he'll ever know. I am going to do a little something for him. One more thing...this darling little boy was recently diagnosed with mild autism. I think he has a bright future ahead of him.

IF I COULD LIVE ANYWHERE...

If I could live anywhere...I would consider moving to Pennsylvania? Why?Some of the best people I have ever met...live in PA. I had the honor...no the privledge of being a part of two pretreats with some wonderful women from PA. My first visit was in January of 2006. I came to the retreat as their speaker not knowing what to expect. I left there with 40 new girlfriends. What a wonderul surprise it was when they asked me to come back and be their speaker again this year. This time I wasn't going to spend the weekend with women I didn't know. This time it was like coming home. I looked forward to the reunion. It was WONDERFUL.

Many things had changed in those 2 years. Women got married. Babies were born. Bones were broken and my favorite...solos were sung. The last time I was with them I asked the women to talk about their dreams and what God was calling them to do. One lady, Mary, humbly spoke up and said that she always wanted to sing a solo in church. Guess what...Mary sang her solo in church and now Mary sings on a regular basis. That was so cool to hear. She just beamed as she talked about putting aside her fears and serving.

It was a great weekend. We ate alot. We laughed a lot and we talked about God A lot. Our theme was "Living Like There's No Tomorrow." Ashley came with me and did my "tech" for me. It was great spending time with her and seeing how much she enjoyed the women. We are never too young or old to learn from other women. I love that. We both won wonderul gift baskets and enjoyed showing the women the fun and joy of "dance, dance revolution."

One of my favorite women in the whole world was there. Her name is Jo Anne and we connected two years agao. Jo Anne was so faithful to email me consitently over the 2 years. She is one of those women who just make you feel better each you are around her. SHe has more energy then a 20 year old. I love Jo Anne and the others. I hope they invite me back next year.

Reconnected With Friends

Our Christmas card search has paid off and I have heard from another long lost friend. You may remember that Wally and I decided to try and find some military friends that we had lost contact with this year. We searched the internet and found an address and mailed cards and christmas letter. I was so excited when I received an email from my friend Robin. We were neighbors in Colorado. Robin's husband was in the army so we had alot in common. I believe that we had a relationship that is very typical of military wives. We bonded immediately and felt connected as military wives. She is one of the few people who knows what a bx stands for...what it means to receive a pcs and can definately understand the importance of "your sponsor's I.D. Number. We had children similar ages and spent many hours in each other's yards. We took decorating classes together, shopped gap sales together and more importantly volunteered as Young Life leaders together. The last time I saw her was when Alex was just a baby. We visited them when we were on vacation and they were stationed in South Carolina. We have promised each other not to lose contact again. She now lives in Pennsylvania. We are still hoping to here from one more family.