Update...

Just wanted to give you a quick update on my last post...Our friends are arriving any minute. Praise the Lord for a safe trip in wet and gloomy conditions. Thank you, to all who prayed for me to get my "chores" done the past few days. They have been challenging, but I think we're ready (well, mostly...just don't look too closely at my desk :) Adding to our "normal" schedule has been a graduation, funeral preparations, and a one-on-one discipleship Bible study. God has blessed and helped me make the most of my time. Also, my boys are amazing helpers. In a moment of honesty, I was unsure when they were little, that the day would ever come when they would truly help more than they hindered. Praise the Lord!!! The day has come!!! They're awesome! As I was typing that sentence one of my Guys came in to ask, "Mom, are there any jobs you need me to do?" Ah, it does a Mom's heart good to hear that. :) So for now, I am off to go enjoy a few busy days with my Chum, enjoy celebrating my little Daniel's 7th birthday, and spend a few moments thanking the Lord for the amazing Mom and Mom-in-Love He gave me. God bless!

Time for People

This coming month holds lots of exciting events for both our family and our church. May is always just a little bit crazy around my house. This year is will be even more so for several reasons...all good ones. I am excited about what God has planned for the next few weeks; however, if I dwell on all that will happen in the next four weeks, I start to hyperventilate just a little bit. I. need. a. plan. My Dad (who is Mr. Organized...) taught my sister and I the value of a good plan. Somehow, she caught onto the execution part of it a little better than I did. :) So, after a day of feeling like we are a ship taking on water I have settled on a plan. Want to hear it? I am going to make time for people! There...that is the bulk of all that my plan entails. Now my dad is hyperventilating. :) Just kidding!!!

Sometimes we are so busy in ministry that we do not have time to minister. As my Mom is fond of reminding me, Jesus was never too busy for people! We are trying not to let that happen this May. As mentioned earlier, May is an intensely busy month, but it also holds several unique ministry opportunities. We are going to try and capitalize on each one.

In just a few days, some friends that serve on the mission field of the Northwest Territories of Canada will be here to spend some time with us. We are so excited to open our home to them. While they were on deputation, they were frequent guests at our home in Tennessee. The Bayou is a little out of their way, but they are making a special trip to see us. We want to enjoy every  single moment of our limited time together. During the week that will be here, in addition to our normal schedule, we also have a funeral, teen fundraiser, a graduation, and a recital. During all of the busyness, I do not want to lose sight of the few days God has given us to encourage our friends. So please pray with me that I can balance it all in a way that glorifies God. How do you juggle an extremely busy season of your life?

Iron Friends

This weekend I was blessed to be able to attend a women's retreat hosted by a chruch in Tennessee. This retreat was so very special to me for two reasons. First, my Mom was the speaker and I love being with her anytime! It was fun getting to be roomies for a few days and just enjoy each other's company. The sessions she taught were such an encouragement to me! I probably appreciated them more because I knew how much time and energy she spent preparing and studying for them.

The other highlight of my weekend was seeing my "Iron Girls." A little over 6 years ago, God brought a group of four women together and bound us as friends. They are my Iron Friends as found in Proverbs 27:17- "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." God has used each of them, many times to sharpen my countenance. They have encouraged me, been honest with me, even when there were tough things to say, and they have shared many memories.

I share all of this as a reminder that we must be thankful for our friends! True friends like these girls do not come along every day. In fact, our friendships are a direct result of prayer. At the time God brought all of us together, we were all lonely and needed a true, Godly, heart-connected friend.

Personally, I had just moved and left my Mom, sister, and two other heart friends. I was a young mom with little ones, a husband that was finding his way in a new ministry, and I was so very lonely. I was surrounded by people and yet felt very alone. I started praying, asking God to please just help me find one real friend. He blessed my with three!

In the six years we have all been friends, we have gone through many changes in each of our lives. We have since moved again to our current ministry. One of my chums has moved twice due to some very challenging and unexpected circumstances. One recently moved away from our church in Tennessee as her husband took a pastorate in Virginia. And my final chum is leaving in a few short weeks to begin her new life with her family as missionaries in Uganda. God is busy in our group and I pray that continues. As ministry has now spread us out across the globe, we strive to find ways to stay connected. Friendships like these are too valuable to die. We send "round-robin" messages through Face Book and we will begin a Bible study together as soon as our Uganda Girl gets settled. I am blessed beyond measure and I praise God for my friends!!! If you have friends like these, take a moment and let them know how thankful you are for them. If you do not, ask God to connect you with someone. He will!

How do you stay connected with your friends near and far? Leave me a comment with some ideas. Thank you for stopping by today. God bless!