Since May of 2008, we have seen many of our old Tanton Memorial Baptist Church Friends.

In May we went to FL to see Dan’s two younger sisters walk and receive their college diplomas.  Then the next day, Lillian (the youngest), got married.  While we were down there we got to see some friends at our church down there.  Though we didn’t go to the church, as they have had troubles since we left there in 2002, we did get to see some of our friends.

We went to church with Pastor Bill and BJ McNeely, Luis and Amber Roman, and Charlie and Monica White.  It was wonderful to see all of them again and to see Luis’ little boy.

Bill was the pastor of the first church I ever joined and Dan worked there for a total of 5.5 years under him. 

Luis was a PCC boy, who finally married Amber a PCC girl.  They had dated for while, and then didn’t, and then did and finally got it finalized with “I do’s.”  Luis, Frank, Dan, and I hung out while in college. 

Charlie had attended PCA while in grade school and he when he came to the church ran into all of us PCC people.  He said he had no idea that PCC people could be so much fun.  He ended up meeting and marring Monica who attended TMBC with her family.

Then in the fall while, I was trying to teach Anna, Dan called and told me that there were a couple of people down at the church who wanted to see me.  I told him that the house was a disaster, but I guess they could come.  Since he said that he was bringing them out, I figured that these weren’t church people.  So I got to cleaning up the living room so we could have a place to sit and talk.  Well, who should arrive?  Peggy Moore (now Peggy Graham) and her husband Otis.  Peggy was Anna’s “grandma” down in Florida.  Peggy loved to hold and spoil Anna while we were down there.  [We moved from FL when Anna was nine months old.]  Peggy and Otis did stop by once and stayed a few days with us up in New York State.  This time, we had no idea that they were coming and they stayed in the prophet’s camber, since our guest room was not set up yet.  It was good to see them again.

Later on, while Dan was at a preacher’s meeting, he ran into the father of one of our other TMBC friends.  Dan found out that our friend had had some struggles in the ministry and wasn’t currently in any ministry and lived a few hours from us.  So Dan invited him and his wife to come down the church.  Nathanial Hill was a music man and Dan had him do some specials for us.  We were hoping to have them move down here and work with us.  Nathaniel was just looking for a non-ministry job for awhile and then working in a church (without pay).  We thought that we could be an encouragement to them while they were an encouragement to us.  But they decided not to move down.  It was nice to see him and his family.

Then in January, Joel Simkus (who also worked out at TMBC) and his family came and stayed with us about 10 days as they ministered in the church.  Joel is on his way to South Africa as a missionary.  It was a blessing to have Joel and his wife here.  Their son had fun playing with our dog and with Anna.

While Joel was still here, another PCC boy who worked out at TMBC, came by for night to see us and Joel.  Frank DeVries had been down in south Florida, but had just returned back home to NC and he wanted to see us and Joel again.  Frank also gave us a visit up in New York State. 

Tough we haven’t been to FL for a little under 6 years it was nice to go back and then to have old Tanton Memorial Baptist Church people stop by and visit us.  It is always nice to see old friends again.

Sunday, Joel taught the Jr. Church children and was pleased to find out that again they weren’t as rowdy as the Monday night group.  Sunday night Joel and Kelly sang a special for the church.

Monday was a day off for everyone as we slept in and then went down to the NC Aquarium.  Joel treated us to brunch at Cracker Barrel before we went down.  We thought that with schools being out for the holiday and people still having to work that the aquarium wouldn’t be that busy.  Boy were we wrong!  After we got there we found out that it was free to get in that day.  I guess the aquarium has two free days (Veterans’’ Day and Martin Luther, Jr. Day).  Though it was beyond full there, we had a good time.

Once again, I took the time to play with my new camera.

(seahorse)

(diver playing around with Anna)

(starfish -- used micro mode)

(crab)

(yellow violet -- used marco mode)                                                                                                                                               

(water dropplets on grass leaf -- used macro mode)

(rattle snake)

(Anna playing in the water)

(Anna playing in the water -- used continues shot mode)

Then on Saturday Joel ran a teen activity for us.

Before heading out to the mission field, Joel was a Youth Pastor.  They did a football and foot activity.  About 6 of Dan’s wrestlers came out the activity and one or two brought a friend.  The whole group was a not calmer than Monday’s crowd.  I think it was because the wrestlers were afraid of Dan.  Paul, who runs the Monday program, says it was because the average age went up by 6 years.

The boys spent time playing football while the few girls did whatever.  Then we had a cookie bake off.  There were two teams and each team had to pick out 3 “cooks” and the rest of the team could stay and cheer them on.  Each team of cooks was headed up by a wrestler.  It was strange to see these boys get into cooking.  Anyway, both teams were both given what they needed or more and they had to figure out what amounts they needed to make a quarter batch of cookies. 

While some cooked and stayed inside (as it was chilly for NC), others went outside to play more football.  After the cookies were cooked we had 3 people eat and judge which team made the best cookie – team 2 won.

Once again I took my camera and tried it out.  The only thing is, I kept setting the settings wrong, so the photos weren’t that great, but I’ll show you some anyway.

(looks like the pastor and one of his wreslters are getting into it) 

(up, up, and away)

(Paul [in blue and kakii] takes on Ronny)

(let's see.....)

(lesson time)

(directions for cookie bake-off)

(team 2)

(team 1)

(Anna finding her own fun)

(3 judges - Lea, Frank, and Anna)

(team 2 wins!)

(even kneeling on his knees, Joel is the same height as Dan)

(Dan's wrestlers- Zack, TL, Robbie, Ramos, Aquian, coach Dan [Nate is missing])

(TL and Dan doing a head and arm)

(Ayden and Wyatt playing Battleship)

On Tuesday, Joel did visitation and radio ministry taping.  Wednesday he preached to the adults.  Then Thursday he and his wife joined Dan and I on visitation.  Friday we had a young people games night out at our church.  I think we had about 25 people here. 

I hope to be able to have a game night once a month.  I think it is great for Christians to hang out with each other and just spend time having fun and getting to know each other.  Every place you go, you have clicks, and we have some at church and I’m hoping to get people branched out more.  Plus people act differently in different situations and places.

While everyone was here, I pulled out my new camera and took some photos, but I had the camera set to the wrong settings.  So the pictures aren’t the best, but I’ll post some anyway.

(kiddos playing Twister -- do you see the boy with the bus in the middle?)

(getting ready)

(JoLynn takes a turn)

(Pastor Dan takes his)

(Joel's turn now)

(And Bryan sends it crashing -- see David's face on the far right?)

The Simkus family came Saturday evening and went right to work on Sunday.  On Sunday morning Joel resented his ministry to South Africa and then preached and during the evening they went to another church to present their ministry.

Monday, Dan took them for a walk into the woods and down to the river.  Little Wyatt got to try to fish, and he had a great time though he didn’t get a bite.  Later that day, we took them to the Moores Creek Battlefield.  Though we had been there several times I took my new camera out to try to out.  It was fun playing with the camera.  Here are some photos with my new camera I got for Christmas.

That night, the Simkus family and Dan went to church to work with our Monday night children’s program.  Joel was to give the devotion.  They all came home looking very exhausted.  Our Monday night program is made up of our bus children and they are a handful.

Back in college, during Dan’s and mine sophomore year, Dan had to change rooms.  There was a room of 3 guys who had run off their APL (assistant prayer leader) and Dan was moved into the room to be the APL and to keep an eye on the boys.  These three boys were 6’ 10”, 6’ 9”, and 6’ something.  The two tallest were brothers.  And the 3 of them were trouble.  Dan didn’t spend much time in the room.  He hung out with me, because what he didn’t know, he couldn’t get into trouble for.  I remember when Dan moved in there, I told him not to make them made because they would squash him like a bug (Dan’s only 5’ 6”).

While Dan was in Seminary he went to the church recruitment at the college.  He had worked at an off campus church for the past 2 or so years and he went to hand in his card to work at the church again.  While he was there, he saw the 6’ 10” guy and was wondering why on earth he was there.  You see this guy was an art major in undergrad.  Dan went up and talked to his old roommate and found out that he was now a majoring in Bible and he was Seminary.  Dan invited him to his church, which he did.

We found out later that this guy got right with God and went to the deans to tell them what he had been up to and he thought he would be removed from the school.  But the school allowed him to stay and even made him a floor leader so he could help catch other wrong doers. 

Joel, for this was his name, had changed a lot from when Dan was his roommate until when Dan met him again looking to work at a church.  Joel, Dan, and I all worked at TMBC for a year together and the change in Joel was genuine. 

I’m not sure how they caught up again, but Joel and his wife (6’) are heading to South Africa to be missionaries and Dan invited them to come to the church to present their ministry.  Joel’s family stayed at our house for about 10 days.  When we moved down here we stayed in the prophet’s camber for about 7 weeks, and I knew it wasn’t fun with a little one.  So I told Dan that they could stay here as long as they new that I was still going to home school Anna, that we had a kitten and a dog.  It was nice to have them around.  Wyatt got to play with Anna and with our dog. 

While they were here, I mentioned to Dan that if he would help me watch their son so they could go on a date together.  So, Dan brought it up and they went out on a date while they were here.  They returned the favor, which was not necessary, and they watched Anna so we could go on a date.  They even gave us some money to go out with. (I was not comfortable with this as I’m used to giving missionaries money, not them giving me money.)

Dan kept Joel very busy while they were here, but we also took some time off.  We took them out to Moores Creek Battlefield and the Aquarium.  And Dan took them fishing out in the river, though they didn’t get a bite.  I’ll post some photos in later posts.

What I really wanted for Christmas this year was a new camera.  I had been using Dan’s dad’s for the past few years and it has been a very nice digital camera (my first, I believe).  But for the past couple of years it has had two spots on the inside of the lens that has been messing up my shots.  Since I like to try to get some of my photos published, this has been an issue with me.  Some of my best shots have been messed up by these two little dots.  If I have a lot of color in my shots, you can’t tell that they are there, but if I do a sky shot or a sand shot (many taken in New Mexico), you can tell.

Well I told people for Christmas I was collecting money to get a new camera.  I knew what I wanted and it would be $350.  I thought I would have to hold the money and get more money next year in order to get the camera, but when I went to eBay, I found a new opened box one for $148 and now it is mine.  So the money had already begun to save and the money Dan’s mom and my parents gave me was enough to buy me my new camera. 

I was using an Olympus Camedia C-3040Zoom with 3.3 megapixels.  It had a 3x optical zoom and a 2.5x digital zoom.  This nice camera also had f1.8 super bright zoom lens.  This thing shot well and it was a lot brighter than the one I have now.  In fact I would take pictures at a football game from the stance while Dan took shots from the sidelines and mine where brighter than his.

My new one is the same as the first nice camera Dan used while working at the Pender Post.  The first one he had wasn’t very good so he did some research and the newspaper bought him a different one to use while he was there.  The paper paid around $350 for theirs and I was very excited to pay only $148 for mine.  Dan and I loved to use this camera as it had a wonderful zoom and it had a micro.  After awhile, the paper got Dan an even fancier camera to use, and the little Minolta went to the next reporter.  I did offer to buy theirs from them, but they wanted a little point and shot in the office for other reporters.

So yes, my new camera is a Minolta.  It is a Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 in fact.  It has 4.0 megapixels and 12x optical zoom. 

 Recently we have gone to the Moores Creek Battle Field and NC Aquarium.  We have had a Young People’s Game night at our house and a teen activity.  And believe it or not we have even a snow fall.  So I have been playing with my new camera. 

Last year we spent last Christmas surrounded by boxes, not gifts, but boxes.  Most of the house in Burgaw was packed up as we expected to be moved into our new home out in the country before Christmas.

This year we unpacked our Christmas decorations and decorated the house.  Anna helped vacuum and then she helped set up the tree.  Anna has wanted to decorate the tree, but I like it done is a certain way.  This year, however, I allowed her to decorate the tree and she was so happy and proud of her tree. 

Normally we go up to my in-laws for Christmas.  Last year was quite an experience with the house now only having one restroom and about 13 people in the house.  So my mother-in-law rented three hotel rooms out, but the first set of three were nasty.  With having a long double-wide with 3 bathrooms and several rooms, I suggested we have Christmas here. 

There were several reasons for that.  All of us could stay in the same house.  We wouldn’t have the farm animals which seem to need constant care to worry about.  We already have so many of the family here and two more just about 2 hours from us, so only Grace and Laura, Bill, and John’s family had to travel.  These are some of the reasons.

Anyway, everyone came to our home for Christmas.  Lillian and Laura helped cook and the guys washed the dishes.  Everyone seemed to have a great time here and I was asked by some if we were going to have Christmas here next year.  I told them that was fine with me, but we would have to check with Grace. 

So I had company from the day after Christmas to that Sunday afternoon.  Bill, Dan’s brother, who had been staying at the church while the rest of the family was here moved up to the house and he stayed until Thursday morning.  Then Dan’s oldest sister, Laura, came up Thursday evening and left Sunday morning.  She was going to stay until the afternoon, but wasn’t feeling well.

I had about a week off, and then we had missionaries come and stay for about 10 days, but that is for another post.

Dear Blog Reader,

Time to write Christmas cards again, though the grass is green and brown.  Anna and Wenonah still long for white Christmases.

Last January we were finally able buy a large double-wide.  It had holes throughout much of the dry wall, but a man from our church blessed us by fixing many of them.

We took three big trips this summer.  The first was to Florida in May.  Both of Dan’s sisters graduated from PCC, and the next day Lillian, the youngest sister, was married to James Williford.  Dan performed part of the wedding, and Anna was the flower girl.  It was great to see some of our old Pensacola friends again.  Our next trip was in June to Tennessee for a week’s vacation with Wenonah’s parents.  Our last trip was a 10-day mission trip to New Mexico in late July to help build up a young church.

Dan is still the pastor of Bible Baptist Church near Burgaw.  This keeps him very busy, as the church is quite active.  He also helps coach the wrestling team at the local high school.  He also had his first short story published in a major anthology. 

Wenonah still stays busy with church work and home schooling Anna.  She no longer baby-sits because of our new location.  She has enjoyed painting some of the rooms of her new home. 

Anna is growing so fast.  She currently has three teeth missing.  During the summer, she attended a soccer camp, and this fall she participated in a soccer league.  Her team won no games, but it was good to have her out exercising and playing with other children.  Anna loved our trip out to New Mexico and was a better trooper than her mother.

As you can tell by our photo we added a new member to our family.  Aunt Lillian gave Spooky to Anna as an early Christmas present.  In late May/early June, we will be adding another member to our family, as Wenonah is expecting our second child (much to Anna’s delight).

As we approach this busy time of year, let’s not forget the reason for it.  As Wenonah saw on a church sign….’Tis His Season.  Let’s not forget the most important Person during the holiday.

Have you accepted the Savior, the one the holiday is for?  The Bible says that there is only one way into Heaven; and that is by accepting Jesus as your Savior – by being born again (as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3).  Won’t you accept the best Christmas gift in the world this year?

May the Lord bless you in 2009,

Dan, Wenonah, Anna, ?, Duchess, and Spooky

Dan’s youngest sister, Lillian, got married this past May down in Pensacola, FL.  We all went down to the wedding.  Dan did half of the wedding ceremonies and Anna was the flower girl.  She liked being the flower and as there was no ring bear, she got to be the full show, which fit her just fine.

After she moved into the house her husband had already been renting for awhile, she said that she would like to have Christmas at her house, but it was too small.  I told her that I had planned on having Christmas at our house and that there was plenty of room.  She said that she would like to do Thanksgiving.  I told her that sounded just fine to me.  So we went up the Saturday after Thanksgiving to celebrate Thanksgiving with her and her husband.  Dan’s brother Paul came up as well and brought down a box spring and mattress that Lillian didn’t want anymore and that I was going to use for Christmas.  Their sister Laura came down from VA to be with us.  Grace was to join us, but something came up and she couldn’t make it.

Well anyway, Lillian had a special early Christmas gift for Anna waiting at her house.  A stray kitten had found her and Lillian has taking care of it and she wasn’t allowed to have pets in the house and the dog outside kept trying to kill the cat.  Lillian called and asked if she could give the kitten to Anna for Christmas.  I laughed and handed Dan the phone.

I have wanted a cat for a while, but the timing has never been right.  Dan didn’t really want the cat, though Anna did.  Lillian called mom, who than called me to have talk to Dan that he should let Anna have the cat.  Lillian has befriended one of our writing friends through Facebook, and Lillian even contacted her to have her talk Dan into letting Anna have the kitten.  Everyone was saying that we needed to let Anna have the kitten, but no one was volunteering to help pay for the vet bills.

Though the timing still wasn’t good, Dan allowed Anna to have the kitten.  Anna couldn’t wait to get to Aunt Lillian’s house so she could see her kitten. So we came home with a 6 or 7 week old, sick, black with some white kitten.  This little kitten is hours of entertainment, buy she isn’t easy on the wallet. 

Our collie dog, Duchess, was very curious about our new little family member.  They first met through the glass window.  I got a photo of them, it was very cute.  Duchess liked the little kitten all over and Anna held it all the time.  But after we took the kitten to the vet and I medicated her eyes 3 times a day and have it antibiotics 2 times a day, the little black kitten was feeling better and became very active.

What’s her name?  Well as we were bringing her home she did a lot of sneezing and I said we could call her Sneezy.  Then looking at the gook in her eyes, I suggest Gooky.  After that I looked at the little kitten’s color and mentioned Spooky.  And Spooky it is.  So our newest member of our family is a little black kitten named Spooky. 

Awhile ago, I told you about Sandlapper’s nice rejection letter.  Well, here it is;

[begin quote]

Dear Joy:

Elaine Gillespie, Sandlapper’s design consultant, really liked your photos (particularly the albino peacock) and would like to encourage you to submit more for future consideration.  As I may have said previously, Ms. Gillespie and Bob Wilkins, Sandlapper’s editor emeritus, are interested in showing more action on our covers and endpapers, so if you have any vertical of people working and playing in South Carolina, send them on.  (We get our share of lighthouses, waterfalls, shorebirds, wildflowers, and beach sunsets.)

{Here she placed the deadlines for photos.}

We look forward to seeing more of your work, and appreciate your interest in us.  Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Adia Rogers

[end quote]

Then at the end of the letter she had wrote:

[begin quote]

P.S. Your package was damaged when it arrived – I think it got wet somehow – but we were able to access the CD.

[end quote]

See, I told you it was a very nice rejection and this is from a whole lot bigger magazine than Haruah.  Ms. Rogers and I did quite a bit of corresponding back and forth before I got my photos sent in and I don’t recall her saying anything about action shots of people.  Right now the computer that has these shots is crashed; but I don’t think I have what she is looking for. 

I guess I’ll have to take another trip down to South Carolina.  J

I talked to Mom and Dad last night and I found out that in March Mom will lose her job.  She has worked there for 16 years and she planned on retiring there.  Now Mom and Dad don’t know what they will be doing.  Dad is a substitute teacher for the Rochester, MN

Schools and now Mom will need something.

Mom said that there was an opening in Charlotte, NC and asked if they should move down here.  I know that she was joking, but I like the idea.   Plus, they have wanted to get out of MN and get someplace that doesn’t have all of the snow to shovel.  I think Charlotte would be great for them as it is by the mountains and about 4 hours from the beach.  Plus, it is closer to me.

Mom worked at Herff Jones: and here is what the local MN paper had to say:

Rochester Postbulletin (http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=379190)

Though it took awhile, I did finally hear back from Sandlapper.  I guess my package with my photos and CD got wet and damaged in the mail, but they were able to open the CD to look at the photos.  

Though they did not accept my shots, they did send a VERY positive rejection letter and asked me to send in more photos (if I have any action shots of people in SC).

I’ll have to bring the letter here to church, since I don’t have internet at the house, and type out what it says another day.

I never did hear from NM Magazine, so I’m guessing that is a no.  

I did get a start on the photos I want to send to Our State Magazine, but the computer with those shots crashed and we haven’t been able to get it up yet.

I also have another South Carolina magazine that was interested in looking at my pictures if Sandlapper didn’t accept them, but once again those are on the crashed computer.

I did send photos into Sandlapper before their Sept. 8^th deadline, but I haven’t heard from them.  I’ll send them an email in a few days to see what I can find out.

I also sent photos to the NM Magazine photo contest before their Oct. 15^th deadline.  They said that they would contact the winners by the end of the month, so I’m still waiting to hear from them.

I know what photos I’m going to send to Our State Magazine, but unfortunately at the moment, the computer with all of the photos on it is out for lunch.  I hope that we will be able to get back in there and recover all of our photos and documents.  It will be very, very, sad loss if we can’t.

Well, I finally got my submission off to Sandlapper.  The dead-line is September 8^th.  I have no idea if I did my submission correctly.  Their submission guidelines weren’t very clear.

I so need to find a place that will help tell and show how to set up a professional photo submission.  I know how to for writing, because my husband found out and told me.  

My photo of Anna peeking through a rotted stump did not make it into either the print or on-line version of Carolina Country.  So that is one submission turned down.

I have stated, once again, to work on my submission to Our State.  

I wrote NM Magazine a question and am still waiting to hear back from them.

Well, not much to talk about in the photo and writing deparment.

Hi, all.  Yes, I know long time no hear.

In late June 2007, we moved to North Carolina.  I got a job baby-sitting, which took time away from writing and photography submitting.  Then January 2008, we bought a house that needed some fixing up. 

Due to a tight budget, getting tighter I have returned to trying to get photos published.

On June 29, I sent inquiry emails to:

Carolina Scene Magazine (www.carolinascene.com)

Carolina Country Magazine (www.carolinacountry.com)

WNC Magazine (www.wncmagazine.com)

Only June 30^th, I heard from MNC Magazine stating that they would “gladly consider submissions” and told me the name of person to contact (while including her email address).

On July 6, I sent inquiry emails to:

Sandlapper Magazine (www.sandlapper.org)

South Carolina Magazine (www.scmagazine.net)

On July 7^th, I heard from Sandlapper saying that they did take free lace material and sent me a copy of their submission guidelines.  I have been in contact with the editor there several times now.  They are interested in photo essays and some stand along photos.  As I don’t have enough photos for an essay, I sent a list of the 9 photos that I had.  She contacted me back and there are 3 shots (of the same thing) that she isn’t interested in; but I could send the others.  I emailed her today to get the formatting for the submission.

On July 8^th, I heard from South Carolina Magazine.  The editor stated that they don’t normally accept photos that hadn’t been assigned to an article, but I could send her a few to take a look at.

My plan for my few South Carolina photos that I took last year while vacationing there with my parents and my family is to send them to Sandlapper and then to South Carolina Magazine.

I don’t remember the date, but I sent an inquiry email to Master Sunday Bulletins to see if they take free-lace material.  I see the photos on the bulletins every week and I often think that I could have taken a shot like that.  I let them know that I was a pastor’s wife and that I have had photos published else where.

Well, on July 4^th, I got my answer:

[begin quote]

Thank you for asking about our use of unsolicited images for publication by Master Sunday Bulletins.  

We have a long term contract with a group of photographers who supply our images.

We wish you every success on monetizing your photography!!

James E. Johnson, Director and Advisor to the publisher of Master Sunday Bulletins.

[end quote]

While looking in our issue of Carolina Country, I found that they were having a photo contest.  The contest was “My Favorite Photo.” The photos that get published in the magazine get $50.  There will be photos that don’t make the print magazine that will make the on-line magazine (though those aren’t paid anything).  Only July 7^th, I submitted a photo to this contest.  The winning photos will be printed in the September issue. 

So, I have one submission out.  I am trying to finish a submission of six photos with Sandlapper Magazine.  I have information about sending to Our State North Carolina Magazine.  I just need to sit down and prepare my photos according to their submission guidelines.   I just got back from a mission trip to New Mexico and before I left I found a photo contest to send photos to; so, I have to choose my six photos and prepare those for according their guidelines.

It feels good to be getting photo submissions out there again and hopefully, God willing, I’ll get a few published.

December 26^th found Dan at church working and that evening all of us at church for Wednesday night service.  Thursday morning, we packed the car and headed off to Farmville, VA to spend a few days with Dan’s mom and family.   

Lillian and Laura were already at the farm when we got there, for they headed there right after semester break.  Lillian’s fiancé, James, was there as well.  After we got there, Bill showed up and then John and his family.  Paul was leaving NC in the evening so he could have this Bible study that we started.  Paul arrived in VA around midnight.

After Christmas dinner, we opened gifts.  Grace liked the mouse pad with Anna’s picture on it and the mug warmer we got her.  Anna loved the book her cousin Sarah gave her.  You had to make Anna stop tuning pages, just so she could open her other gifts.

Normally we all stay at Grace’s house (and that’s...let’s see...John’s family-5 plus daughter’s fiancé; our family-3, Bill, Paul, Laura, Lillian plus fiancé, and mom and dad – so 16 people).  However, this year she removed a bathroom that she had installed and found out later that the person who put it in didn’t get any permits to do it.  So this year Grace rented three motel rooms, one for Dan and I, one for John’s two girls (the third is married and living in TX), and the last one for John and his wife. 

We were told that the rooms were “worn”, yeah I’d say that was an understatement.  Grace had told us that she had turned on the heaters for us and I thought we’d be going to a warm room....not, it was cold and then Dan saw the space heater on the dresser drawers; and one with a set of legs missing as well.  So we turned off the main room heat and turned on the space heater and went to bed. At midnight the phone rang with some foreign man on the other end saying something about room 115 and 116.  I told him that we were in 117 and he said something about turning in keys.  Well, John’s family was to have 118 and 119.  I ended up giving Dan the phone and Dan ended up going out to see if John was in 116.  We found out in the morning that when John’s family looked at their beds there was cracker crumbs and hair in one and there were roaches crawling on the walls as well.  So they took two other rooms and chose the cleanest to stay the night in.  Grace asked us what happened since I had called her at night, not knowing what the guy wanted.  She was wondering why Dan and I didn’t change rooms, I told her it sounded like we had the best room in the place.  (Oh yeah, let me mention here that Anna and Duchess slept in Grace’s room on the farm.)  Needless to say we got rooms at a different place for the next night.

I should also say that Grace had the rooms in her house re-floored at it looked great.  The piano and some of her books were now in what I had known as the bathroom.  It was nice to be able to have two rooms to sit in and talk and it was nice not to have the piano not beside the TV.

The next day, Anna’s Cousin Sarah helped her make a gingerbread train.  Anna loved it.  She really loves how Sarah spends time with her.

Anna also loved spending time with Aunt Lillian, and soon to be Uncle, James.  James plays very well with Anna and she enjoyed all the piggyback rides.

And I can’t forget Aunt Laura.   She has been one of Anna’s favorites.  This is mostly because she sees Aunt Laura more than the others (well not now that Uncle Paul lives down here).  Laura bought Anna a breakable tea set that she is going to keep on the farm to have tea parties with Anna when Anna is there with her.  They enjoyed a party together before we left.

Anna is defiantly a Robelen (don’t ya know that all Robelens love books?).  She will never, well hardly ever, turn down a book reading.  And who better than Grandma?

I’ll be back to finish this later.

Christmas is always a busy time of the year.  After eating out with a church couple on Dec. 21^st, Anna and I went to a cookie decorating party at one of their daughter’s homes.    

On the 23^rd we had our children’s Christmas singing and baptismal service.

Then of course was the 24^th Anna helped make some cookies for Christmas Day.  Dan had to do without all my special Christmas cookies once again – as my mixer was packed some where in some box.  In the evening Anna and I watched The Santa Clause and when Dan got home from working at the church, she got to open a couple of gifts.

The next day was Christmas morning and though she got up to use the restroom at around 4 in the morning, Dan and I were very glad that she wanted until after 7 to tell us it was Christmas and she wanted to open her gifts.  So we had to crawl out of bed.  J

Though she doesn’t get as spoiled here as she did in New York from our church members, she still had plenty to open up [I’ll spare you the list though].  (Notice there is no Christmas tree in my photo?  We had a Christmas bookshelf instead.)

Around 11 in the morning Dan’s brother, Paul, came over to spend the day with us.  Paul moved down a couple of months ago to use our church as a home church as he heads out into evangelism.  He has enjoyed being used of the Lord here and leading people to Christ. 

One of Anna’s gifts from Dan and I were a set of building blocks.  I got tired of her using our Jenga blocks so I bought her some.  In less than two minutes of opening the box, she was building.  (See picture below.)  When Paul came, he also helped her build different things with them.  

We also played with her dominoes game and matching game she got from Grandma and Grandpa Wright (all of our other games are in boxes).

Besides playing with Anna’s toys and eating lunch and supper (which was fun with most of my baking dishes packed in some unkown box), we just sat around and talked and watched some TV or DVD’s.

The 23^rd of December was a busy day.  Of course we had Sunday School and Sunday Morning and Evening Service.  Our children sang songs during the morning service and Dan preached a short, untraditional sermon.

That evening Dan preached again and after his preaching he preformed his first baptismal service.  This was a highlight for me as we had five children and one adult get baptized. 

The adult was lead to the Lord by Dan as her children entertained me in their bedroom.  So though I didn’t get to led in her in prayer, I was still able to be part of it.  The Lord truly worked through this.  Several months ago the church was looking to buy a new church van and ran into this lady’s husband.  He stated that he was saved and our men invited him out to our church (on several occasions).  One night a two man team from our church went knocking door-to-door and knocked on her door.  She couldn’t talk at the moment, since her children were in the tub; our men handed her a tract and left (not knowing she was the wife of the car salesman).  That Sunday she was in church with her two children and mother-in-law.  Later that week (or the next) Dan and I went by the house.  Knowing her husband’s testimony and how she presented herself, Dan stated that he always asks and then proceeded to ask her if she knew if she would go to Heaven if she died (Dan of course thinking she would say yes).  The lady said she didn’t and she wanted to.  Her heart was an open door just waiting for someone to tell her about Christ.

The next one baptized that night was one of our church family children.  I had mentioned to him that Dan wanted us to talk to our bus children about baptism while we were out and I told him that he could talk to family.  He told me that his grandson (whom lives with him) was saved.  The Wednesday before our baptismal service, his grandson came to the front of the room to get saved.  (My helper and I taught on Lazarus and the Rich Man.)  After Wednesday night class I told his grandma and grandpa about, incase they wanted to follow up. 

His sister got baptized after him and I had the privilege of leading her to the Lord one Sunday morning after she had struggled with putting her complete faith in Him.

The boy Dan baptized next was the first student I led to the Lord here at Bible Baptist Church. 

After him was another of our church children.  She prayed with me one after Jr. Church one Sunday morning and afterwards I told her grandmother (she comes to church with grandma and grandpa).  This was a treat as her grandpa came up to me on a later day and thanked me.  Though that was nice, the great award will be seeing this girl in Heaven one day.  (Of course I feel that way about every child the Lord as allowed me to lead to Him).

The last one to get baptized that night had made a profession of faith before we moved to North Carolina.  This young man stated that he started riding our bus at the age of 7 and he is now 12 years old.  I praised him for his faithfulness.

This was so special to me for this is the first state that I have led people to the Lord.  Have had children realize their need of a Savior before, but it was during VBS and I had sent them to talk with someone else, so I could continue teaching.  Not only have I been honored to lead children to God, but this is the first time that I have seen any of them get baptized.  I know that we aren’t to be proud, especially in salvation (which only God can bring and give), but I was proud to know that those where “my children”.  And I’m truly grateful that God “gave” them to me.

Well let’s see if I can do some catching up while Anna paints in her new Christmas book. 

During the time we remember our Savior’s birth, several churches put on big Christmas plays.  Last year and this year our church didn’t.  We have kept it small scale.  We would like to do something bigger, but with most of our children being brought in with the buses (and some of them not consistently) we find it difficult.

We had each Sunday School class bring us something in song/scripture or both.  The nursery class joined the 4 and 5 year old class in singing a few songs.  Anna was in this class.

Paul’s 1-3^rd grade class brought some scripture and a song.  He said he knew that they would get nervous and quite, but he didn’t think they would be so quite.  I could only smile, as my Jr. Church had done that to me several times.

Our 4-6^th grade class brought scripture and their teacher have us a challenge.  He said that they weren’t singing since he nor his wife were singers. 

Our teen class got out of it all.

After the children, our choir sang 3-4 songs.