{blessed}

Today a few things hit me. So many things that I take for granted. I would like to take a minute to reflect on those things that The Lord has blessed me with.

~ I am so grateful for Jesus, His Word, and my salvation. I am thankful for the peace and joy and freedom that this brings! I am thankful for His work in my life. 

~ I am so grateful that I was homeschooled. I would not trade my home education for anything! Mom....what she put up with in me for those years. These were far more than "a few school hours a day." These were real life experiences, character building, faith sculpting. Where would I be today without her loving guidance? I can't say enough good about homeschooling. After being homeschooled since kindergarten, I have no regrets. People ask me, "don't you wish you could see how public school is....do you regret being homeschooled....?" 

And my honest answer to those questions is "no." 

I feel extremely blessed. There is no other way to describe it!

~ my beautiful, growing family!!! Dad, the spiritual leader and mighty knight, who works hard to earn the means to support his family, who he wants nothing more than to see grow into the next godly generation. Mom, who treasures her role as wife, mother, teacher, homemaker. Can I ever fill your shoes? Grace, music lover, joyful follower of her Savior! Edward, funny, witty, hard worker, growing taller by the day. Elisha, letter-writer, encourager and organizer. Jonathan, the nonstop ball of bursting energy. Who can keep up with him? He has a special vision for starting a ministry to spread the gospel In New England. Nicole, always willing to help and care. Full of laughs!!! Rosie, a bursting, running, jumping, laughing, singing, wonderful ball of fun!! Jerry and Zoey...I long to know you both!! And my precious older sister Brittany, brother in law Chris, sweet niece Marlie and precious niece Annie!

~ I am so grateful that God has blessed me with my wonderful job! I love everyone I work with, each one a bright spot, and such an encouragement in my life! They are like my second family, the store my second home. 

Thank you Lord, for your blessings. May I be more grateful in the coming year.

A Baby is the Answer!

The world is messed up. People everywhere are in sin. The people God made are going their own way. What will He do? His whole plan has....gone sour! How could He ever make it right again? We, in our human wisdom, doubt Gods sovereignty. We think, "He'll have to do something big, with someone great, with fanfare and extravagance. 

But He did something quite different. 

The answer was a baby.

A baby? How could a baby save the people?

Born in a dirty, crowded barn, among animals. "Why lies he in such mean estate....?"

No one to welcome Him. Helpless and tiny. What could He do for a lost world? 

The answer was so much more than we could ever imagine. This was much more than "just a baby." He was God, made into a baby. And He grew in wisdom, and in favor with God and man. He gave His sinless life, and became the sin of the whole world. 

Lets celebrate by praising Him today and always.

A Smashing Success!!!

More pics to follow!

Come to Our Play!!!!!

The Lamplighter Homeschool Theatre Presents...

The Scarlet Pimpernel 

Friday, November 22 at 10am and 7pm

Saturday, November 23 at 3pm

Tickets: $5 in advance or $7 at the door

Family rates $25 maximum in advance or $30 maximum at the door

Please contact Jennifer to order in advance: 603-664-5890

Our family is in the play! 

"...they seek him here, they seek him there...

those 'Frenchies' seek him everywhere! 

Is he in heaven, or is he in hell...

that sly, elusive, Pimpernel!" 

You will not want to miss this mysterious, adventure-packed, suspenseful production! 

I am so blessed!

I pull in the driveway after work on Saturday, November 2. I say hi to Dad, Edward and Jon who are loading wood outside. I go in. I put my stuff away. I look outside to see that Mom and the girls are pulling in the driveway. The phone rings. I pick it up, It's Mom. She tells me to come outside, we needed to go somewhere. I get in the van which everyone is now sitting in. We drive to our friend, Martha's house. I see a car that isn't normally there in the yard. We all pile out. Mom hands me a card from Grampa Dave. Then she hands me a set of keys. She turns on her camera and shows me a video from Grampa. On it he says, "Enjoy the car, drive safely...it's been a long time coming - but it's finally here!"

Sitting on the lawn at Martha's is a Subaru Legacy, my new car!

I can't believe it!

Thank you so much, Grampa!!

Give Thanks!

Memories

The above photo was taken at the Deerfield Fair in 2009. Aria was 15, I was 14 and Grace was 13. And the photo below was taken this year! Wow! 

It's a Wonderful Time of Year

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit. {Jeremiah 17:7-8}

Romans 5:6-8 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?For you are our glory and joy.

Matthew 17:20 ²⁰ He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”^[a]

Isaiah 20:15 "In quietness and trust is Your strength."

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 2:14 For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

An Update

Happy Autumn! 

I love this time of year... so beautiful! 

I also love Deerfield Fair, which was this weekend! What fun! :) :) 

So here is an update on what has been going on in my life as of late. 

This summer (right before I turned 18 and got my license) I had dropped off an application at Parable Bible Bookstore in Concord, NH. They weren't hiring or anything, but they said that they would keep it on file and if they should be hiring that they would give me a call. So time passed, and I wondered what might happen...Mom suggested that I call them and follow up. So I did, and they still said that they didn't have any openings, but they would let me know as soon as they did. That very weekend, I got a call from them. They said that they were sending me a more extensive application, and that they needed a part-time, friendly sales clerk who is good with computers and is very detail oriented. 

I filled out the application and got it to them a few days later on a Monday. They scheduled an interview for that Wednesday, September 18th. I was so nervous leading up to it! Wow, was I nervous (just ask my mom! Actually, please don't! It would be too embarrassing!) Anyways, I drove myself to the interview that afternoon (it was my first time driving all by myself). I prayed and sang (I had to do something-I almost cried, it was so lonely!). I got there right on time and prayed as I walked in. A friendly  Missionary wife that we actually know greeted me and led me into the back where the interview would take place. The young woman who did my interview was SUPER nice, and my nervousness practically vanished as the meeting went on. Basically, she got to know me, and I got to know her, about her family, and about the business. It was like meeting a new friend! It was great! Her mom even gave me apple cider - ultimate fall-time treat! :) :) :) :) 

They told me that there were a couple of other people who were being considered for the job and that they would let me know soon if I got the job or not. 

Just this past Monday (Sept. 23rd) I got an email...and I got the job! I am so excited - I started this Friday and worked Saturday, too. I absolutely love it! it is such a blessing to be around Christians in the workplace and be encouraged by all the great literature and wonderful Scripture all around me. I am being trained right now and soon will learn how to use the custom laser engraving machine! I am so excited that I have joined the team at Parable! 

I will be working a few days a week (approx. 25 hours.). 

Please come and see me: 85 Manchester Street, Concord

I am also the Stage Manager for the Scarlet Pimpernel homeschool play that our friend Holly is doing. I have put together my crew of stage hands and I am looking forward to working with them as the play gets closer (its in November). I am also the Narrator, and I am in the process of writing my own narrator part. This is natural yet hard for me at the same time, while I love writing, I am not a huge history person. Holly IS a history person, so she has helped a great deal with that aspect. Please come to our play, by the way!!!! It is November 22 & 23. We would love to have you!

Bright Lights is starting for the fall season on October 8th. I am so excited at all the interest that has come in about it -  not only from past participants, but from some new families as well. The Lord has been good in blessing the ministry of Bright Lights. This set of lessons that we will be working through is Set 2, and it only has 4 lessons. That will take us through October and November. We plan to take the busy month of December off, and then see where we are with the adoption and all, and go from there. This set of material focuses on ministry, and how important it is that each of us, as followers of Jesus Christ, have a ministry. It is called, "Having Pitchers Full of Living Water." I am looking forward to seeing the fruit of these truths of Gods Word in the lives of the girls that God brings. Please pray that He would have His hand on each girl that He desires to come, and that they would learn and grow in The Lord and in His ways. 

Pet Sitting has picked WAY up in the last six months. RIght now I am in the midst of a week long job for 4 indoor cats. 

 I know that The Lord has placed all these things in my life at this time and I am so grateful that He is keeping me busy. The Proverbs have a lot to say about idleness and how dangerous it is. I definitely do not want to fall into that trap and sin. So I am grateful that He has given me all these things to do and be busy now that I am done school for now. I am also still doing my monthly newspaper, and my family's laundry, and cooking, cleaning, etc. around the house. 

I am feel like The Lord is maybe wanting me to wait a little while longer before I start on my doula studies. I have been easing into some birth books, but I haven't begun my doula certification course yet. I am still considering which association to go through and I am looking at a couple of Christian ones. Please pray for wisdom for that.  

So that is a brief (maybe not so brief) update on me, and what God has been keeping me busy with. 

 

25 years ago...

...today!

Through the years a young girl prays for her husband to be

She prays that God will reveal Himself, and set His spirit free

To love, believe, and walk with God, His Spirit to obey

She asks that Truth will be his guide, and keep him for her someday.

Now she's rejoicing in his Love as it flows from God above.

The one for whom she's prayed and dreamed is here for her to love

She knows now who God's given to her, that she might understand

The love of Christ for His own bride - she's rejoicing in God's plan. 

At the same time a young man asks for God to give him a wife

A woman pure, who loves the Lord, a friendship made for life!

He hopes that she will love God's Word and often that she'll pray;

For Jesus Christ to be her life and then turn her heart his way.

Now he's rejoicing in His love as it flows from God above.

The one for whom he's prayed and dreamed is here for him to love.

He knows now who God's given to him, that he might understand,

The love of Christ for His own bride -- he's rejoicing in God's plan.

Today they come to unite their hearts as one in Jesus name;

They'll give their hearts, their lives, their love; a ring to seal the same.

What once was two shall become one, that the world might see again

A testimony of the love of Christ between a woman and a man.

Now they're rejoicing in His love

 as it flows from God above.

The one's for whom they've prayed and dreamed are here for them to love.

     

       

They know now who God's given to them, that they might understand,

The love of Christ for His own bride, they're rejoicing in God's plan.

Rejoicing In His Love 

Song by Norm Wakefield