Last week...

Dear Ladies,

I am SOOO sorry we haven't updated our blog for a week! I feel really bad about that!

So, I will tell you all about last week!! It was a very fun and exciting week! :) Starting on Sunday...

We went to a family's house for church last week, and the service was outside on the lawn! It was a very nice time of singing, and a few men went up and shared their testimonies. It was very neat! After the service, several of us girls gathered around a very special young lady that is visiting Washington! It was so encouraging to talk to her and get to know her better! It was also encouraging to me, because she included all the younger ones and made them feel special too! That is something I really need to work on... including the younger ones in all the things that I do!! Anyway, after we had a nice talk on the lawn, we got to take several pictures with her, which I am putting up! I hope you enjoy them! :)

On Monday, we had a mysterious cleaning day.... I will have to let Dani finish that story! :) But before I close, I just wanted to share a couple of things that the Lord wants to teach me right now! DO any of you ever find it hard to obey with the right attitude? Well, I do! When I'm asked to do something that I really don't want to do, sometimes I don't obey with a joyful countenance, and I know that that is displeasing to my parents and to the Lord. Another thing that I am trying to work on is patience!!! Wow, that's a big thing! When my younger siblings are grumpy, or things are not going well, I often get impatient. The reason I am sharing these things is because I want to encourage you ladies in working on these things as well, and I would love your prayers for me! Thank you all! It is a humbling experience to share these things, but it is very good practice for me! :)

Well, I am going to let Dani take over and tell about the rest of this last week!!! I love you all!!

May the Lord bless each and every one of you as you continue to grow in Him!!
In Christ,
Amanda

Hello all my dear friends!

I would just like to add to what Amanda said above. This young lady has been very special to me and extremely encouraging in the work the LORD has for us ladies at home. What a blessing she has been to me, and her cheerful and rejoicing spirit is so lovely and pleasing to the LORD; such an encouragement. I had a lovely time visiting with her on Sunday as well!

I shall do my best to write what all happened this last week. I give all praise and glory to the LORD for working all things out according to HIS plans!

Monday: I was having a normal day and I had finished all the normal things. Early that morning, I thought it was just a LITTLE strange :) that Dad really wanted us to vacuum the addition and get it all cleaned REALLY well! So that morning, Em and I were doing that. Then as I was finishing lunch, I was just going to go to our girls' room for a few minutes, (and normally I always do dishes RIGHT after lunch, but I was just waiting a few minutes) Mom called me and asked me to come wash dishes. Also SHE took out the recycling when normally that is Greg's job. I thought that was a little strange. So after cleaning up a little, I went to mom and said "I feel SO good! Look at the house! It's spotless and the addition is the neatest it's ever been! I am SO happy and feel so free" or something like that. Now if you don't know me very well, the LORD put in me a strong desire to keep all things straight and orderly, and if it's not that way, I strive to clean up and make things neat! That's just how I am... I can't handle clutter well. :) Anyways, after that statement, :) I asked Mom if it was ok for us girls to clean our desk, and kind of thinking maybe there would be something to come first, expected another task first. But right away she said yes, so we girls had a wonderful time doing that; making our desk un-cluttered and neat! :) Happy day for me. :) We were getting quite a few phone calls on the cell phone which Mom always answered, so that was kind of different. :) (our phone was not working that day) Mom then told us girls we could go to our room and read or write our letters. So excitedly I sat down in my bed to work on writing my letter to my Dear Bosom Friend, Raquel. After writing for a while (Emily kept going in and out of our bedroom, and I was wondering what was up), the all of a sudden, Mom called "Dani! Come here!" and I jumped out of my bed and answered, "Yes, mom. Is it urgent?" while running out. She said, "Yes!". Now, we had the curtains drawn in the family room at our slider door, which is strange for the middle of the day, but I took little note of that. :) I came out and said, "Yes, what do you want me to do!?!?" and she told me "Go open the slider door!" Hmm... she has never told me to do that before in such a rush, and I was wondering if maybe some Jehovah's witnesses were coming to our back door for some reason and Mom didn't want to answer, so that's what I kind of prepared myself for! :) As SOON as I opened the curtians, I looked out.... and there stood some one I knew... some one very tall and beautiful..."RAQUEL!!!!! YOU'RE HERE!!!" and I swished the door open as fast as I could and ran into her arms, shaking, crying, screaming, not really knowing what was going on! Not believing it was really her, I stood back with my arms still around her, crying and looking at her face!! We went back and forth like that about 7 or 8 times!!! :) Now, I can't really explain all that really well; it was MUCH more real in person, but I was SO in shock and surprised, delighted and overwhelmed with joy at FINALLY seeing my friend whom I only knew from letters, emails and phone calls! We had NEVER met before, and we had only DREAMED of meeting. For the longest time, we had tried to plan ways we could meet, but the LORD never allowed those times to come. He had a better plan for us, a way that I now realize blessed me more than it would have if we had actually met at the airport when we went to Hawaii or something. We would NOT have been able to run into a hug and scream like we did! :) :) :) It is SO neat looking back! The LORD is SO good! Wow! Just remembering last Monday at this is amazing! :) We were outside on our back porch for 10 or so minutes, hugging every one, finally meeting every one and all, then we invited them all in. I took Raquel immediately to our room and we were SO excited! I showed her first where I was JUST writing to her in my bed, then we got out the stuff we had made lists for (months previous!:) out and laughing, hugging. I couldn't BELIEVE this was happening! I pinched myself, and was just a huge excited overwhelmed Dani. :) It's really funny just remembering all this. It is very dear to me, those first few hours together. We offered her and her family some lunch then. I was starting to put those puzzle pieces together then. This is why we had cleaned the house so well, why Mom had taken out the recycling, why we vacuumed the addition (our guest room)!!! :) I had NO idea. Oh, it was funny, when Raquel and I were sitting down, she told me a couple hours later, that her Dad thought I was going to pass out from the scream he heard from behind the tree he and the little girls were hiding behind. (Only Raquel and her Mom were at our back door to start with. Then after meeting, I saw them walking down toward our house. All her family except her brother, who willingly stayed with the animals who needed care so Raquel and the rest could make this trip, came. That day was full of laughter, hugs, kisses, and talking!!!! I was SO amazed and thankful the LORD finally brought us together! It was wonderful, that meeting! Emily, Greg, Dad and Mom were the only ones that knew Raquel and her family were coming! What a surprise for me. That night, after writing in our journals and all, we went to bed. Amanda and Emily in the bottom bunk went to bed at 1:00 and fell asleep pretty quick. Raquel and I had to finish writing and finally got to bed at 1:30, very tired and all... then we got second winds and just started talking. And talking... and talking! :) It was SO fun, we talked until 3:00 AM!!!!!! Never in my life have I stayed up that late! :) When we finally went to sleep, it turns out we only got 3 hours of sleep, because we woke up at 6:45! :)

Sorry if above I'm a bit confusing. I'm trying to be clear, but it's a tiny bit hard with all that went on! :) To say in short, it was one of the Biggest surprises I've EVER had in my life, and I was extremely Happy!!!! I love you, Raquel Dear!!!!!!! :)

Tuesday: We got up and read our Bibles and devotions, us 4 girls in our room, went outside and milked the goats, ate breakfast (you can guess where I sat! :) By Raquel, yes! :) then I started washing breakfast dishes. I worked at that, and Raquel behind me, brushed my hair and put a PRETTY braid hair-do in. We talked too, during this time. Then we dressed up in the BEAUTIFUL reenactment skirts she brought for just her and me to wear. We had planned this time for a LONG LONG while. We got to go out into the fields and run, laugh, take pictures and just have a WONDERFUL time together talking. Amanda and Emily totally understood Raquel and I doing this together, and I am grateful for such understanding sisters, them knowing that Raquel being so close to me, we would want just a little time to talk alone. When we got back from our refreshing walk, we changed, and lunch was prepared, so we ate as a family, then got to journal a little so it would not take quite as long in the evening. Mom had to take a trip to a small town to pick up some library books for Greg, so during this time, all of us girls looked at old photos and showed her when we were younger. That was fun, then we were inspired to take more pictures. Around 4:00 or so, Raquel wanted to read us some of her published stories, so during that time, I helped Hannah try to knit and we all listened. :) That was fun. Dinner was not too long after, and as we ate, Raquel's Dad told us about his testimony and about how he met his wife! :) That evening, the children went on a walk with the ladies, and us girls stayed inside to wash dishes and milk the goats. That done, I was so excited, Greg very willingly went outside with Raquel, Amanda, Emily, Lydia (Raquel's sister) and I to take some professional pictures with his big camera! :) That was SO much fun. We got some nice pictures of Raquel and I then of all of us girls. I praise the LORD for such a special brother I have that is so willing to help us out and bless us by his talents! Thank you Greg! :) Love you! When we got in after 8:30, the little ones got in bed, and we older ones with the adults sang hymns for a while which was very refreshing. I love to sing praises to the LORD, and what a wonderful way to do it; with special friends. That evening, we got to bed late again, and as the girls below fell asleep again, Raquel and I talked once again until 3:30!!! :) We have a lot in common, and it was refreshing to share our hearts and encourage each other in relationships, purity, encouraging others, and many more things. Thank you LORD for blessing me with a special friend such as Raquel! I am so grateful to You for allowing us to finally meet! You are a gracious and mighty God!

Wednesday: Raquel and her family, after a family breakfast, prayer and then packing, had to leave at 10:00. I was very sad. Raquel and I had a special last day talk, and she thanked me and we hugged, cried :), and then took last pictures together. How special all those moments with a special Daughter of the King were to me. I was so blessed by all the members in her family of 6. We waved until we could no longer see their car, then I got to dishes. :)

I just want to give God all the glory for this special visit for me. He worked all things out for His good, and we all were refreshed and encouraged by another family of believers that have so much in common. It is always neat when the LORD puts together families and the time of building up! Praise the LORD for those blessings!

Thank you for reading and for being such wonderful friends to me. I love you all and may you be blessed! I am excited to add to this blog and may this place be a blessing and give all praise to the LORD for his wondrous works!

Love in Christ,
Dani

I am adding photos in this next blog post! :)