Off and Running

Ministry Update
The Lord has graciously allowed us to be in meetings during a time of year when things are usually a little slower for us. We had a wonderful meeting at Maranatha Baptist Church of Yorktown the first full week of January. The pastor wanted not so much a revival meeting as he wanted me to preach a conference on holiness, roughly following the contents of my book. The Lord used the meeting in the lives of many people and we are so grateful to see that.

We started the month in the Tidewater area of Virginia and before the end of the month, our meetings will take us to San Diego County, California, a great place to be in the winter, to be sure. Then in March, we will once again be in eastern North Carolina for meetings. Don’t feel sorry for me in the travel. I look forward to it about as much as a little child looks forward to Christmas. The family does not always share my zeal for hours in the cramped quarters of the truck, however, and doubtless would appreciate your prayers.

Family Update
Due to the many drains and demands upon my time, I have taken an unintentional hiatus from writing our updates for several months. School and travel have kept me quite busy in addition to the normal duties of a wife, homemaker, and mother of four very active children.

In November, Daniel celebrated his first birthday in great style. We actually had two parties in two different states, and all of his grandparents and some of his great-grandparents were in attendance, along with other family members. He was a bit uncertain about the candle, but quickly caught on to the cake idea! It was really nice to be able to spend time with our extended family on this special occasion.

Christmas came with a whirl of activity – parties and church programs, rehearsals and the like. One of my favorite things is to watch our children participate in the children’s programs each year. Something funny always happens, and this year, Esther was the one who made us laugh. Although she is only three, she has an uncanny ability to think and act older than her years. Her job in the program was to hold a sign that said, “Merry Christmas.” She turned it over at the correct time, but it was upside down. She cannot read, but she kept looking at the sign as if she knew something was wrong. Finally, a helper turned it around, and only then did she smile and hold the sign proudly. It was one of those “mother” moments!
We had a wonderful Christmas with our family as well as extended family. It was a blessing to us to see Josiah become a giver this year. We do not encourage greedy materialism at Christmas, although we do give gifts to one another. Josiah came to us and said he wanted to spend his money to buy gifts for all of us this Christmas. He carefully and thoughtfully planned his budget and picked out the “perfect” gift for each person. His generosity has shown itself on several occasions this past year, and we are thrilled to see him giving with a cheerful, willing heart not just to his family, but to missions as well.

Abigail is well entrenched in the trials of kindergarten. She is somewhat of a perfectionist, and gets quite frustrated when her shaky letters and wobbly numbers don’t look like the ones printed on the pages. However, she is quickly learning to read, and can be found sounding out words she sees around the house. So far, the most impressive one is “pomegranate.” She is so excited about reading, and her eyes just sparkle when she learns something new. This year she has also stopped sucking her thumb and biting her nails, major milestones for her. I am so proud of her for working hard to conquer these difficult habits!

Esther is more and more the vivacious, helpful, little sweetheart. Her energy knows no bounds, and she is always doing some kind of imaginative play. She loves her dolls, and many times the babies can be found in various places “sleeping,” so we have to be very quiet! I do hope my children outgrow their penchant for weird names before they start having children of their own. Josiah used to have pretend children that he named Shadrach and Meshach, which, though unusual, are not too terrible, but the girls have followed his example in such a way that now we have dolls named Mrs. No Head, Grandma Cock, Flamingo Baby, and Italy. It really is scary!

Daniel is up and running – well, at least walking very quickly. He perambulates about the trailer finding all kinds of trouble. He loves to eat crayons, play with scissors (left out by his thoughtful older siblings), tear pages out of books, eat baby wipes, and wave pencils in the air as he walks around the house! He is a real cutie, and loves to play “rough” with us – growling and chasing, tickling and giggling. He also plays “where’s Daniel?” which is our version of peekaboo. He covers his ears and says “doo” without looking at you, and then he will make eye contact and shriek with laughter, as if you couldn’t see him at first. It makes us all laugh to hear him chortle so happily. It is hard to believe that just a few short years ago, it was Josiah that I held in my arms, and now, my firstborn is eight years old!

Josiah spent New Year’s Day in the hospital with a severe asthma flare-up. It all started with a cold and twenty-four hours later, he was in the ER. He ended up being hospitalized for three days in Virginia. He Lord was so good to us, and the church where we were ministering that week was so gracious and helpful. I know that many people were praying for him that weekend, and our family thanks each one of you that spent time interceding for Josiah. He went for a follow-up visit to his own pediatrician when we came back to North Carolina, and she declared his lungs totally clear. Some of you may have heard the saying, “Swallow a frog first thing every morning, and no matter what happens that day, it will never be worse than swallowing the frog!” I do hope that this was our “frog-swallowing!” We are so thankful that Josiah has had such good health for the last few years. His last hospitalization was over three years ago, and while his asthma still flares from time to time, we know that it has been the good hand of God upon him that has given us such relief from a really serious episode. Please continue to pray for health and safety as we travel.

We look forward to what the Lord is going to do this year. We anticipate a tremendous year of ministry and blessing that only He can provide. I will try to be a little more frequent in my updates, so that you will better know how to pray for us. Thank you for your prayers and your part in our ministry. Your words of encouragement mean so much to us. We thank the Lord for such faithful friends.