You know how our children fight sleep because they are so afraid that if they give in and snooze, they will miss something while they are sleeping? I am doing that very thing right now! I have no idea what is going on with me but I am barely able to keep my eyes open and I have dozed off and jerked back to life more than a few times in the last few hours. It is 3:20 in the morning right now. Did you get that? 3:20am! I am the only one up. Everyone else is sleeping peacefully...as I should be. BUT I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO DO IT! I have even gone so far as to make coffee. At first I only made 1/2 a pot. but then when that was all gone, I thought, "I really don't want to go to bed. I REALLY DON'T!" So I made a whole pot of coffee this time and I took 3 super guarana (a natural source of caffeine). I'm still nodding off. I think I know what the problem is. I am alone and it is SO quiet. I don't want to fall asleep and miss out on the silence. I mean... the kids are ASLEEP!! So much has been going on around here lately. I haven't been able to blog much... but I'm hoping to catch up. It has been hectic here but at the same time it has been awesome. The Holy Spirit has been hanging out a my house....

Let me fill you in.

Tommy and I know this young couple (He's 24 and she's 22) with two daughters (Cheyenne is 7 and Mackenzie is 1). They suddenly needed a place to live and The Lord told us quite plainly that He wanted us to invite them to live with us for as long as it takes for them to get solidly on their feet again...even if it takes several years. So we did something that unfortunately, is very uncharacteristic of us. We obeyed Him right away. We did not complain or question Him. We just did what He said. And that was that. They moved in. You would think that squeezing this many people (10) into a house of this size (small 3 bedroom/ 1 bathroom) would be a recipe for disaster. You would think that we would be tripping all over each other (physically and emotionally) every time one of us moved. You would think that. But...you'd be wrong. Amazingly, this has been a wonderful experience so far. Jess and I ...as well as Tommy and Daniel, are growing closer everyday. We are all so much alike. The kids get along and haven't fought (except with their own siblings). We have been having SO much fun. We are comfortable with each other. Their kids like us and our kids like them. Tommy and I have no doubt that God is planning to do something huge with Jessie and Daniel. Just a few days after they moved in...we had the awesome privilege of explaining to them The Father's unconditional love for them. We told them about the sacrifice that Christ made for them and why. We explained why only He was worthy to pay our debt. And we explained God's amazing grace to them. The Holy Spirit confirmed it in their hearts. He drew them to Himself and they accepted Christ as their Savior that night. The joy that filled this house... it was indescribable. And that same joy is still lingering today! We just know that this is the beginning of an AWESOME plan for them and we are SO thankful to be a part of it! Our Father is SOOO AMAZING!!!

So, that's what's been going on around here that has kept me from blogging. I'll try to check in more often.

Until next time...

Trusting in HIM,

Shirley

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."(Psalms 19:14)