Missing Dad...

Well, Nick had to fly to Nebraska on Tuesday to be with family following the sudden death of his stepsister, Janice. We have been praying, not only for his safety, but that he would be a blessing to his family during this difficult time and be a minister of the gospel while he's there. It's been a long week, but God has kept us safe and mostly happy. I think the grace has lifted. Good thing he's coming home tomorrow.
The volume level has risen steadily throughout the week and today Sabina was really acting like a pill at church. "I don't wanna be at OHOP! I don't wanna be at OHOP..."  "Well, where do you want to go?"  "At church." "Sweetie, OHOP is church." Then, she had a meltdown as we left. Proceeded by the adventure her 4-yr-old brother Luca decided to try in her room (shared with her sisters) of opening the window and attempting to climb out onto the roof over the garage WITH his little sister. Then, no one wanted to go to sleep tonight.
I think we're at the end of our "no daddy" rope. We miss you, Nick! Fly home on wings of angels!!!
(Y'all pray too, bring him home quickly and safely, Lord!)

Living by Faith

Today, there was a special meeting called at IHOP that we were strongly encouraged to watch on the webstream. John Mulinde, a pastor, evangelist and ministry leader in Uganda (and the world) was there for a short visit, sharing with leadership, and they were compelled to have him speak and release the Word from God he had. He had been called by God to "live by faith." Since we have been trying to do the same thing, I was truly straining to hear him over our general home noisiness. I won't even attempt to share the whole thing, I believe they're going to make it available on the IHOP website soon - it was amazing! I was fully struck by his personal story of walking in signs and wonders but getting many scriptures and words to repent. He had asked forgiveness for his sins, he had been forgiven, but he wasn't changing his WAYS. God wasn't dealing with his heart, but his ways.

God is calling us out of our human ways to walk fully in God's ways. The work done on the cross was fully complete. If we are still dealing with woundedness, bitterness, selfishness, we have not died to ourselves, so we cannot be experiencing holiness. We are being called to deep repentance and total surrender to God.

Romans 2:1-5 says: "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed."

Holiness comes from God.

My heart is stirred to lay down all my worldly ways and fully pick up the mantle God has for me. I will not fear people, I will only fear God. "Gather together, gather yourselves together, you shameful nation, before the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger." Zephaniah 2:1-3

Happy Birthday Antonio!!!

Last Saturday (on Abraham Lincoln's birthday), Antonio - our firstborn - turned 13. Hard to believe, and I'm still a little freaked out about it, but true! We're parents of a teen. Although there are certainly challenges, and surprises... "What? You're taller than me now?"... we're pretty proud of him. Antonio is growing into a man after God's heart. He's kind to his siblings, most of the time, and serves in the prayer room by playing drums. He works hard at home and in his classes. Plus, he's usually game to watch the little ones while Nick and I have a quick coffee date. We're pretty blessed.
Here's a short video of him opening presents:

Our House - Long Overdue Video!

Here's the long-awaited 3rd video of work on our house and moving in. We were so grateful for the help we had but truly believe that God was training us up through this process. A lot of things that we thought were lined up fell through, but we had many Christians volunteer their time, skills, and sweat for us as well. Plus, Nick learned that he CAN work with power tools and install a wood-laminate floor! We have learned and lived with a lot over the past few months and have so much left to do! Sabina's 3rd birthday was on moving day, so we shared (store bought!) cupcakes on the porch and got her a special balloon. I have to give a shout-out to the Dykraff family who generously donated carpeting for our bedrooms, as well as Dr. Bob Richardson and family who donated toward the (big project!) flooring. In addition, I have to give a big virtual hug to Rebecca Johnson who brought her homeschooling family over to paint primer- you are an inspiration! I'm just sorry Nick didn't get that on video. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of love and prayers.

Work-in-Progress

This title applies to many areas in our life right now. Yes, our house is STILL a work-in-progress. Our schedule ALWAYS seems to be changing and trying to right itself. Will we ever be organized? Will I ever get the hang of homeschooling? Stay tuned! There is a lot going on. How can there NOT be? I'm working on the little movie of the progress made on the house. It was so nice to get all the Christmas decorations out and make our home beautiful. It wasn't so fun putting it all away. Especially since it was a bit of a rush job to get ready for everyone coming over to celebrate Keliah's 8th birthday a couple weeks ago. I really can't believe she's 8 already! When we first moved to Florida, we LEFT Kansas City on her 3rd birthday. I'd actually kept some little gifts for her to open on the trip, even though we had a party with family the night before. (NEVER attempt a big family party at a crowded Chuck-E-Cheese with only 1 bathroom open after you'd all spent the day packing the UHaul and cleaning! Especially when you are 6-months-pregnant with your 6th child.) The past 5 years have gone by so fast. 2 more family members, exploring beaches, discovering the winding Florida roads, 5 more moves, and serving and growing at the Orlando House of Prayer for half of it! God has been so good. He keeps us steadfast and feeds us breakfast. Hope you join us for the rest of this work-in-progress!

Securing the Doors to life...

Another hard day of work at the new house! I got up early this morning and began to work on getting more primer up on the walls before rushing over to OHOP for our children's set. I was extremely blessed to have Keith and Leonarda help paint the primer upstairs. Both of them worked so hard in getting almost all of the upstairs finished! We got a LOT accomplished today, but this process is so slow it FEELS like we didn't get a lot done.
I find myself occasionally missing family, but today was a little harder than most. It's not just a matter of having people to help out, but having people who share in your joy. And, know how to comfort you in your disappointments even when you're trying hard not to show it. But when you don't have family close by, it's all the more impacting to know that you have good friends. This evening my friends Matt and Carlos took out the entire front door frame. After lots of drilling, sawing, and other brilliant stuff, we now have a secure front door! (We also have a refrigerator!) YAY!
As I watched my 2 good friends fixing the door, I couldn't help but think of the significance of how our relationships are often doorways to life. The friendships we choose can lead us down amazing paths that we might never know if we didn't take the time to care for them.

Thank you, Jesus! (and some of your amazing people)

Things are really moving along with the house. Even though A LOT of things haven't gone according to "plan" (and we can't be too surprised at that) I'm so excited about the changes already made. On Saturday morning, Nick left with Antonio and Rocky to start working at the house. I was planning on joining them an hour or so later after a friend arrived to watch our little ones, however she fell ill during the night and couldn't come. I was disappointed, but Nick assured me that I didn't want to be there. While bagging trash, they'd disturbed something with a smell so foul that he almost lost his breakfast. So, I contented myself with working at home on packing and enjoying some near-quiet since only the 3 little ones were home playing; regular updates made me feel that I was kept in the loop while praying.
I am so excited about all the progress they made! Sorry it's taken so long to get the video up from last Saturday. I have to say a special THANK YOU to Carlos, Jeremy, Juan, Luis, Matt D., Matt P., and of course my boys Antonio, Rocky & Nick. You are all awesome men of God and I am so honored to call you friends.
As I've put my own hand in a few days this week, I know just how hard they all worked and I stand in awe of them! I scrubbed bleach water over some of the walls and started fussing about the blister I was getting. (More of a callous really.) Nick just laughed at me and said it was a good thing I wasn't there on Saturday. I know I'm a girl...