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Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,
Last month we had guests from Texas come and serve with us for a few days, we launched Jobs for Life with three students, we began Phase 1 of the Storehouse transition, we began exploring homeschool options for Lily, and I turned 36 years old. Greg Dunne informed me that BUSY stands for Being Under Satan's Yoke, so I've been making a conscious effort not to be busy, but rather to have full days and get plenty of rest and family time.
Everett and Jenny Newland brought their precious kids Rachel and Garrett to serve with Mountain Vision for a few days. The kids raised money for their mission trip and donated nearly 150 Bibles for children and youth. Having a Bible that kids (and their parents and grandparents) can actually read is a huge blessing to many families.
Our spring Jobs for Life class has three students! Each of them is in a different place with a unique life story, and they are committed to developing the skills necessary to find and maintain employment. Please pray that the Lord would encourage each of them throughout the course, and that they would all be able to find employment in order to be able to provide for themselves and their families.
Denton Bible is sending a mission team with contractors to help us finish the bathrooms in two weeks (Phase 2). Please pray for all the details to be worked out, and for the Lord to provide all the materials necessary to complete the job!
Lily and Hosea are a true delight. This month they've enjoyed Easter egg hunts and finally getting to be "outside", which is one of Hosea's many new word this month. Can I just brag on his mommy for a minute? One of Hosea's first five words was the phrase "thank you!" In a world where manners are largely forgotten, my son learned to say "thank you" right out of the gate, because everyone in our house, and especially his big sister, says "thank you"! There were times when Meredith thought Lily would never remember, never get it, but today, because she worked on it so much with Lily, it just came naturally to her little brother. That's a mommy win right there!
Many of you have asked about Meredith's daddy, so here is the update on Dannie:
About a week ago the doctor went in an took out a larger chunk of Dannie's bladder. They're going to biopsy it to confirm the initial pathology report, and he will begin a series of chemotherapy treatments very soon. After chemo, they'll monitor him regularly at increasingly lengthening intervals forever. Though this cancer does have a high rate of recurrence, the doctor told us that he has also seen it go away and never recur, which is of course what we're praying for. It's difficult not physically being able to be there, and we appreciate your prayers.
Things you can be praying for this month:
1. Pray for the short-term team coming in a couple of weeks, that all the details would come together in such a way that the Lord is pleased to bless the work of our hands.
2. Pray for our Jobs for Life class. They're studying hard and learning well, so please pray for the Lord's guidance and provision for them.
3. Please continue to pray for Dannie as he starts chemo, and for Meredith who hasn't had the opportunity to go and visit through this time.
A few more pics from the month...
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| We don't do a ton of media in our house, so when it's cold and wet outside and we do need something to occupy the kids for a bit, the Toddler Bible on DVD works great! |
Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,
Last month we had guests from Texas come and serve with us for a few days, we launched Jobs for Life with three students, we began Phase 1 of the Storehouse transition, we began exploring homeschool options for Lily, and I turned 36 years old. Greg Dunne informed me that BUSY stands for Being Under Satan's Yoke, so I've been making a conscious effort not to be busy, but rather to have full days and get plenty of rest and family time.
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| Our team with the Newlands and their Bibles! |
Everett and Jenny Newland brought their precious kids Rachel and Garrett to serve with Mountain Vision for a few days. The kids raised money for their mission trip and donated nearly 150 Bibles for children and youth. Having a Bible that kids (and their parents and grandparents) can actually read is a huge blessing to many families.
Our spring Jobs for Life class has three students! Each of them is in a different place with a unique life story, and they are committed to developing the skills necessary to find and maintain employment. Please pray that the Lord would encourage each of them throughout the course, and that they would all be able to find employment in order to be able to provide for themselves and their families.
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| We began Phase 1 of the Storehouse transition. A local plumbing crew removed a large section of the slab floor and installed new drains for the future bathroom. |
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| We passed our rough-in inspection, and a local concrete finisher is coming to put the concrete back down. |
Denton Bible is sending a mission team with contractors to help us finish the bathrooms in two weeks (Phase 2). Please pray for all the details to be worked out, and for the Lord to provide all the materials necessary to complete the job!
 |
| I turned 36. Praise God for another year! This year I managed to get two dates with my wife and a cupcake out of the deal, and it doesn't get much better than that. |
Lily and Hosea are a true delight. This month they've enjoyed Easter egg hunts and finally getting to be "outside", which is one of Hosea's many new word this month. Can I just brag on his mommy for a minute? One of Hosea's first five words was the phrase "thank you!" In a world where manners are largely forgotten, my son learned to say "thank you" right out of the gate, because everyone in our house, and especially his big sister, says "thank you"! There were times when Meredith thought Lily would never remember, never get it, but today, because she worked on it so much with Lily, it just came naturally to her little brother. That's a mommy win right there!
Many of you have asked about Meredith's daddy, so here is the update on Dannie:
About a week ago the doctor went in an took out a larger chunk of Dannie's bladder. They're going to biopsy it to confirm the initial pathology report, and he will begin a series of chemotherapy treatments very soon. After chemo, they'll monitor him regularly at increasingly lengthening intervals forever. Though this cancer does have a high rate of recurrence, the doctor told us that he has also seen it go away and never recur, which is of course what we're praying for. It's difficult not physically being able to be there, and we appreciate your prayers.
Things you can be praying for this month:
1. Pray for the short-term team coming in a couple of weeks, that all the details would come together in such a way that the Lord is pleased to bless the work of our hands.
2. Pray for our Jobs for Life class. They're studying hard and learning well, so please pray for the Lord's guidance and provision for them.
3. Please continue to pray for Dannie as he starts chemo, and for Meredith who hasn't had the opportunity to go and visit through this time.
A few more pics from the month...
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| Loading a storage unit full of furniture donations.... |
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| That's teamwork! Note that Charlie and Daniel are supervising (not working). |
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| I think Garrett had as much fun chasing Hosea as Hosea did running everywhere! |
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| Garrett and Rachel got to give a Bible to a boy named Christopher who came to the Storehouse with his grandmother. |
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| That's a LOT of Bibles! |
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| Our family had a great time with the Newlands! |
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| One of many egg hunts last month. |
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| Collecting the loot. |
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| This month Lily has really begun to enjoy drawing, and the pictures actually look like something discernible! It's been fun to watch as that skill just happened! |
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| I love cotton candy! Lily thought she would, but didn't. So I ate hers too! |
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| We love our Saturdays! |
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| This hunt had too many people (and not enough eggs!) |
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| Hosea enjoyed the popcorn! |
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| We may not have found many eggs, but we did find the candy store! |
