Celebration!

We have had a lot to celebrate lately! That is good for us, since there is a lot that God is doing in our lives! We are aging of course but there is a great amount of territory that we cover as we do so! Gray additions to our hair, or taller marks on the growth charts do not tell the story of God's great milestones for us. Eric and I were able to travel to Thailand to see what the Lord is doing through the C&MA missions there! It was a great celebration of God's mighty hand moving in that country and in our own lives to get us there!! And, Eric turned forty-four painlessly of course, but his ministry challenges are cause for party and prayer always intermingled!!

There were a few pangs in our hearts as Joel turned 16! We were unselfish though in our celebration of his life, a gift to us for 16 years! He will be learning to drive over the next year and taking on more responsibility...a life open to God.

Erika's events are cause for tears and celebration also as she graduates from high school. She lived through her life of homeschooling and is happy, strong and ready to go, registered at Monroe County Community College for next year, to check out the nursing field. Her desire to go to a Bible college was met with disappointment but her declaration to her peers at the last quiz meet of the year was that she knows He has called her to missions and that she has to trust Him completely for what is ahead...His will, not hers! We are very excited to watch Erika grow as we remember those first days in her first school year of kindergarten..so eager and joyful! She still is! We are thankful for what God has planned for all of our children, even though we don't know what it is!

Seth is trusting God for his schooling next year and for growth in height! He is praying about going to 7th grade at Triumph Academy or staying in homeschooling. He feels like it is a great challenge for him to attend the public school there, charter school, and to meet it with faith and fortitude! We are all for him, if God has this open door for his growth! He is a giant in his heart for God's Truth, and hopes to gain inches to match that!! A mark on the wall to compare to at the end of the summer indicates a party to come!!

So much to celebrate...God's handiwork is always worth some festivities!!