when life is through, I want to be with Jesus!

Gracie, I want to see you

up in Heaven when life is through

I want to be with Jesus

and Gracie I want you to be there too!

I wish I could put a recording on here so you could hear the above song being sung. It is so sweet and one we've been singing this week at Vacation Bible School. Chris is helping with the singing portion of VBS and he's trying to give every kid a chance to wear the crown and stand up front while the song is being sung to them.

Yes, VBS is here. I'm tired and it's only Tuesday. We still have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and a family day picnic on Saturday. It's fun though and the kids are enjoying themselves and that's what's important. Right?!!? We had optimistically planned for 50 children to attend, really thinking that 50 was overly optimistic. Last night, we had 47 and tonight we had 44! We are very pleased with the numbers, especially since many of them are visitors.

A curious thing about visitors...last night I was sitting at the registration table when a lady walked in and started signing up her grandchildren. I asked who she was with or who had told her about it. She said she'd just seen the sign while driving down the road. I was really surprised but happy that she'd decided to bring them. She signed them up~all 5 of them~and left. I thought that was kind of interesting that she'd just drop them off without really knowing any of us there. 2 men came to pick them up which made me a little nervous because how did we even know who these men were?!?! Tonight when she came, she just pulled up in front of the building and the doors to the minivan opened and they started piling out. She wasn't even going to come inside. My friend and I walked out there to ask who was going to pick them up because we'd been a little puzzled the night before since she hadn't mentioned that she wouldn't be the one coming back.

I think it's great that the kids are there and I hope their hearts will be touched by something that happens this week. Most of the other visitors are "connected" in some way to someone at the church so I don't find it as odd that those children might be dropped off; I just found it odd that someone who didn't seem to know any of us at all would just drop off her grandchildren and leave. Maybe others have had this happen and it's not that big of a deal. I guess I'm just not used to it with our smaller congregation. (Come to find out, one family did think they knew the lady but they hadn't invited her.)

One of the little boys who was visiting was something of a behavior problem last night although he was better tonight. Some of us were talking about them just being dropped off and about his behavior and I tried to remind myself and those around me how Jesus did say to let the little children come and they probably need to be here the most. It's not that anyone was thinking or saying that they shouldn't be there. I don't know. It's hard to explain. I'm not sure what I mean to say. Chris and I were talking about it later too. Jesus wants all of the little children to come to Him, not just the ones who know how to be respectful or the ones who dress like our kids or have parents who come to church all the time. I guess it's just made me think. We talk about wanting to impact the community for Christ. This is a great opportunity and I will pray that we don't mess it up!!!!!!!!!

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I got a prize today! I recently won a contest on BST's blog. You can see where I won the contest here & here. Brandon had told me a couple of weeks that his friend Stuart from Waterbrook Press was sending me my prize and I've been anxiously awaiting it. The doorbell rang late this afternoon and it was the UPS guy. My prize was here! Let me tell you, this is a fantastic prize! Next time BST has a contest, try to win. You won't be disappointed! Here is a list of all I received:

"Grace in Thine Eyes" by Liz Curtis Higgs

"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver

"Bad Girls of the Bible" by Liz Curtis Higgs

"The Three Hardest Words in the World to Get Right" by Leonard Sweet~hardback!

children's books~all hardback

"Hello, Sun! A Morningtime Tale of God's Great Care" by Sheila Walsh

"Hello, Stars! A Sleepytime Tale of God's Loving Presence" by Sheila Walsh

"God Gave Us You" by Lisa Tawn Bergren

"Go Away, Dark Night" by Liz Curtis Higgs

"Don't Tell That to Beasley" by Tara McClary Reeves & Christa McClary McElveen

"The Long Shortcut" by the De Villiers Family

"Purple Spot Sickness" by the De Villiers Family

Thank you Brandon, Stuart & Waterbrook Press!

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Micheal is not doing too well. He was going to be transferred to rehab but some complications have come up. His therapist told him that he will NEVER walk again and that he is a Level 5 quadriplegic. Jenny isn't taking that news well and she & Micheal are prepared to keep fighting to prove the doctors wrong. After all, she was told she'd never walk again and she is living proof that doctors can be wrong because she is walking today! Praise God! Please keep them in your prayers as they work through financial problems and this depressing prognosis. Micheal has been talking to my uncle about spiritual matters so that is certainly a blessing.

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Dear Lord,

Please help our VBS to be pleasing to You. Help everyone to learn more about You & Your son & Your word throughout this week. Help all of us to reach out to those who need You! Please help me not to stress!!!!!! You know I worry about any & everything. Please help me to trust in You. Thank you for all of my blessings! Help me to do things that please You and help guide me when I'm not sure what the right thing is. Please heal Micheal and help them all to trust in You!

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

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I apologize if this post looks like a big run-on paragraph. For some reason, Blogger doesn't want to acknowledge my returns!