Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your prayers for us on this trip. We are so grateful to each of you! The Lord has been so faithful, and has really blessed our time here.
What a refreshing and encouraging week we have had! We have
thoroughly enjoyed our week-long stay at one of our favorite parks; Saddle
Mountain RV! The people here have blessed us in SO many ways during our stay
here. We have felt so overwhelmed by their kindness and generosity. Though we
played several days during this past week, we were refreshed by a few days of
rest and family time as well.
Sisters! What a blessing each of my siblings are. Daily, we have opportunities to invest in our siblings' lives; I am constantly reminded of how important family relationships are!
Two of my precious little sisters!
Hannah, Rebekah and Leah had their own little "band" before we started playing. Several of the younger ones definitely have an interest in music-- it's exciting to see!
Sweet Hannah! She is vital in keeping our CD table going.
We really enjoyed hearing the pastor that comes to Saddle Mountain each week to preach. He gave a challenging and refreshing message. He talked about coming to the end of ourselves and not walking in our own strength. When we say, "I can't do it on my own. I need You, Lord!" He will work, and HE will get the glory for what is done. I was also challenged by Philippians 4:6, "
Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God." When we worry, we are wasting our emotional energy; Jesus wants us to take our worries and cares to Him! When we do this, "...the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." What peace we have when we trust the Lord! When we understand that trials and tests grow our patience and are for our good, we can give thanks, knowing that the Lord is working in our lives.
What a joy it was to hold this precious 2-week old!
A couple of days ago, we had the opportunity to visit more with the Haining family. It was a neat time of fellowship and getting to know their family! We enjoyed food, fellowship and games.
Yesterday, we had the special treat of going on ATV rides! Several of the guys from the park wanted to give us the opportunity to ride through the desert on their quads. This was a new experience for most of us, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it! Dad used to ride a dirt bike quite a bit, but hasn't for about 20 years. So, it was a big treat for him to be able to ride the one yesterday. It was fun to see him having a great time; we could all tell he was enjoying himself! :)
May the Lord bless you all as you seek to serve Him in what you do!
Blessings,
~Amanda
Hi Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI seem to say this every time I leave a comment, but it is so true that I will say again: I love it when you post pictures! What a treat to get to hold the baby! Whose is it?
Did you drive the dirt bike or quads? That looks like alot of fun! An it looks like the perfect land for those vehicles!
One of my aunts lives in Mesa, AZ, and she has said that they get terrible "haboobs". Have you experienced one yet?
Thank you for posting!
You should be hearing from me anytime.
I love you!
Ashley
I am so glad you enjoyed the pictures! I know I always enjoy seeing pictures too! It WAS such a treat to hold the baby; it's been too long since I've held one so small! He is the baby of a couple from a church we played at that generously passed him around! :) SO sweet!
DeleteI drove in a quad. It was quite fun! On occasion, we would run into a bush or cover our faces because of branches, but it was really fun! :) No, we haven't experienced a haboob, thankfully! It sounds like quite the experience!
I love you too!
Hello dear Amanda,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting - I enjoyed the update, pictures and encouragement!
How have y'all been doing lately? Have you been enjoying Arizona? Have you been busy?
The little baby looks so sweet! We recently got to see and hold an almost two week old baby. He is so cute! :)
Thank you again for posting! I love you so very much!
Love and Blessings,
Martha Joy
Proverbs 3:5,6
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! Yes, we have been very busy with many programs, and enjoying our time here! A few in our family have been sick, so please pray for protection for those of us that do the singing! We have a little less than 2 weeks till we finish, so it would be a blessing if we stayed well through it all!
DeleteI love you too!
You girls grew out your bangs!! And you all look so pretty and grown up! Heavens! I haven't seen an updated picture of you in ages; how wonderful to be back on your blog. I apologize for 'neglecting you' over here...if you may have noticed, I've neglected my own blog..life is so busy. But we miss you all SO SO SO much. <3
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds as though you are having a wonderful blessed time in AZ. And what fun to be able to stay in a place called, "Saddle Mountain;" it sounds so western! ;) I agree; siblings are INDEED a blessing and a treasure, as are friends like YOU. As soon as you get home, CALL US, okay?? ;D <3 <3 We apologize for not getting birthday cards out, too. I guess we'll have to wait until the conference to really get connected again. <3 :( :)
LOVE YOU ALL!
In Him,
Your Friend Always (though far away),
Lu
Hello, Luci! It was wonderful to hear from you again!! :)
DeleteHopefully we will be able to call you soon; we have some catching up to do, for sure! Are all of you coming to the conference this year? How fun it will be to see you again!! We love and miss you, too!! <3