Tonight after Mack’s shower he started whining about not wanting to go to bed. As I was drying his naked self off I said, “Mack, if you start all that whining and screaming like you did last night, I will pop your bare-bottom.”
He frowned at me and said, “NO, peoples don’t have ‘bear’ bottoms.”
Ruby and I died laughing. He did not like that I would insinuate that he had a bottom like a bear! Hilarious kid.
I say hilarious kid now that he is sound asleep –and has been for two and a half hours!
I have been outside a little bit with Mack. We’ve been walking through the woods and watching the leaves fall. It is gorgeous out there. The Fall is my favorite season, by far. One of the reasons may have to do with what happened one Fall evening many years ago…..
Thirteen years ago today, I drove from Augusta back to Middle Georgia College during my last semester there. I had spent the weekend thinking and praying about dating Josh exclusively. He had asked that Friday afternoon after we had lunch together at “Village Pizza.” He says I talked the whole time and he couldn’t get the question in during lunch….BUT, I think he might have been nervous about asking because he didn’t eat very much.
We met outside between our dorms on that Sunday evening, and I let him know that I thought we should date exclusively. He said he already knew I would come back saying that. 🙂 The only “negative” I had written down (I had a list of pros and cons….can you say analytical???) was that we would be long distance. That didn’t end up being so bad except for the monthly phone bill that our parents received. These were the days long before every 12 year old you know had a cell phone.
ANYWAY, it has been true love ever since. We never broke up or even threatened it. Just wanted to be together so bad we could hardly stand it. Well, maybe that is just the way I remember it.
I love you, Joshua Lee Dorminy!
It is that time of year again where we get to participate in a church-wide “mission trip” as a family! And we had such a blast! Josh, me and the kids went visiting a few homes and handing out some food boxes and a great gift package on Friday evening, all the while meeting new people and beginning new relationships as well as tending to some older ones. We were very excited to see many younger couples with young kids, like us. I think in light of my recent out of country trip I was able to see what we were doing with a new perspective that really made it more exciting and way, way less about me and way, way more about Jesus. I was personally able to share the gospel three times and talk to one lady we have known for a while about the day that she was saved.
There was a lunch today, sponsored by the church where we got to meet more people from this particular neighborhood and eat with them. We had tons of books for everyone to take also. A few guys had cleaned some road signs and planted pretty flowers at the entrance. Overall, a fantastic day! Two couples and their kids are following us to church tomorrow, and we are thrilled to have them with us! One lady was able to have all of her teeth pulled yesterday, which was good for her because she had been in horrible pain from her bad teeth. A guy is going to get eye glasses, which he desperately needs. We were made aware of other physical needs that we hope to be able to help with, but a far greater need for every single person who lives and breathes is a relationship with a loving Heavenly Father who loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, so that we might live in His freedom. The physical needs are secondary in comparison, but they are real needs. I pray that they see the love of Christ in all we do and all we say. He alone has what we need that will matter when this physical world is over.
setting up the tables and chairs
Mack was a big helper!
Another big helper…this is one of my favorite parts of Love Loud…seeing our kids being a part of it all.
Double Trouble the help
We even got to see Pastor Johnny this morning! We were glad he was a part of our day!
He shared a snippet about his testimony and prayed.
Blankets were a huge hit. Some of us were able to help out with these on Friday evening. Most every kid and some of the older adults got a fleece blanket that was made with love and prayed over before being handed out. Very cool.
Sweet mother-daughter team cleaning up!
(This picture doesn’t have to do with Love Loud, but Mack did love that Olivia was pulling him on this broken go-cart! He is a mess.)
I just have to say that today was a wonderful day of service to the Lord. This morning when I woke up and got alone with Jesus, I was overwhelmed by His love for me. I have done nothing in my life to deserve His lovingkindness, but He is so good and offered it to me. I read from Ruth about how safe it is under the wings of God…the only true shelter, no matter where you live.
Mack, in his effort to stay up with us, started saying, “My belly hurts, my belly hurts.” I said he needed to go to bed. He said, “No. Because I sleep so much is why my belly hurts. It’s why my belly hurts…because I sleep so much.”
Next, he said a snack would help his belly.
Stinker boy.
We took a trip to visit with Gran and Paw Paw this past weekend and had a wonderful time! The weather was so nice. The kids had a fun time at a local pumpkin patch. And we got to stay in the new & improved pool house (my kids call it the “beach house.”). Everything was so pretty and nice. The kids got to sleep on double beds that were bunk beds. Mack was on the bottom, of course. He cannot be trusted. (As I type this he is “sneaking” gummie bears that I just told him not to touch…oh my.)
Here are some pictures from our weekend. Wish I was feeling creative and full of energy right now, but that is not the case. I am sure pictures will tell enough of the story. 🙂
Well, I do have to say that Molly’s teachers and her class made this awesome poster for Gran as she is going where the Lord takes her these days. She is feeling well and looks fabulous! Keep praying for her!
While this golf cart is the usual mode of transportation down there, PawPaw brought out a new set of wheels that we all wanted to try out!
We had a blast and can’t wait until Thanksgiving! It will be a fun time with lots and lots of family. And food–we can’t forget the delicious food!
I didn’t know that I could steal Bekah’s pictures, but I could! I re-activated my facebook account, got some pics and then de-activated again. 🙂 Thanks, Rebekah! I hope you are getting back into your normal routine…though I am sure it is a new normal after all we saw and smelled and learned.
This is at the end of our time there. God’s creation was overwhelming. It was almost too much for eyes to take in…sunrises, sunsets, beautiful water, gorgeous rocks, and more.
At an open market…oh, the smells.
Our fearless leader!
On a plane…where I spent an outrageous amount of time! Like, 21 hours one way.
Fun times in the wee hours of the morning in Singapore
I gave this little dude a pack of gum. I think all the pieces were gone before we left!
On Sunday I was able to share a bit about the trip, and I really did not want to bore them with minute by minute details, so I asked the Lord for clarity on what I should say. What would matter from my trip to the friends I live life with here at home?
1- LANGUAGE. Wow. I so take for granted that I can communicate with people very easily. I was so impressed watching my friend with her friends and hearing her speak the language. I was clueless as to what they were saying, but I was so thrilled to see her conversing in this language. It made me think of everyone I come in contact with here in the States….from a simple “Hello, how are you doing?” to “Isn’t this a beautiful day!” to actually sharing the gospel. I can say the words. They can understand them. A very cool thing. I hope I will speak more, start more conversations and use my language to spread the Good News.
2-ORDINARY WOMEN. I was able to meet ordinary women involved in an extraordinary work. And I am one of those women and so are the women I am in class with! As believers, the Lord has called us to be a part of His work…an extraordinary work…wherever we are. I don’t want to miss out on one second of that.
3-PRAYER. I am so glad I went across the world to see my friend and meet her friends. It will greatly help me in the days ahead as I pray for them. They desperately need it. I also have a renewed commitment to praying for the nations as a family.
And lastly, here are a few random thoughts from my time away:
-I now know what the term “jet-lag” means. It ain’t pretty.
-My hair had never been curlier. The humidity was off the charts. Hilariously, I brought my CHI blowdryer and diffuser and didn’t use it one single time. First of all, it would have used too much power. Secondly, my hair dried on its own in about 1.8 seconds.
-I had to carry my own toilet paper to public bathrooms. Different. I also learned that Asians stand in front of the stall to make a line for the bathroom; there is not just one line that waits for the next available potty. And squatty potties were what many used. Thankfully, I only had one encounter with a squatty potty…ends up, I didn’t use it correctly, but that’s ok. I did go, and I didn’t end up wetting myself…that was the goal. 🙂 (TMI? sorry.)
-I have a new appreciation for our traffic system. You see, over there everyone just kind of drives and goes and goes until the traffic from the other direction somehow inches their way through and then they just go and go and go. There were lights, but I am pretty sure no one used them. It was very exciting. Again, I am so proud of my friend and her driving skills. She also made me cross the street with her, which I was set against, but it worked out just fine. Turns out, they pay more attention to pedestrians over there than I first thought. My friend likened it to the game Frogger…i think.
-I have a new and fresh appreciation for things like the grocery store or plugging in my dryer or washing and drying my clothes or worshipping with many believers or making a meal…my coffee maker, my microwave, air condition, the Fall season AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, my sweet husband and kids!!!!! There is no place like home—wherever that may be and with whomever you get to live life with!
HI! Just a quick word to say that I am back and so happy to be with my family! (and happy to be enjoying 0% humidity, cool temps and leaves changing colors!) Josh did a phenomenal job keeping things going. I came home to flowers, a clean house and 99% of the laundry done! How awesome is that??? Not to mention that he did all of the school work, so today was so easy in regards to school work. I couldn’t believe how much he did while I was gone. I didn’t leave him like I would have if I had known how drastically our plans were going to change, but the Lord took care of every detail.
I hope I get to share some pictures and some stories in the days ahead. I am a different person after my trip! There’s way too much to share right now….funny things and wonderful things, but for now I must go to the grocery store and the library. 🙂
Thanks for praying for all of us!