Proud of My Heritage

It has been more than 24 years since my maternal grandfather, Papa, went home to be with my Lord Jesus. The older I get, the more poignant my memories of him become. I am so proud that he was a Baptist pastor and that he faithfully served the Lord until his death at age 70.

A few years ago, my grandma lovingly gave Chad some of Papa's books and materials he used for the decades he taught and preached. Chad refers to them as needed for his Sunday school lessons and discipleship classes.

I received my Christianbook midweek markdowns email this morning and a book caught my interest. I ran it by Chad to get his opinion and he paused. "I think I have that book," he said and then went straight to it on his bookshelves. "Oh, that's the 7th edition," I said. "This one is the 13th edition." Then after looking at it for a moment, I recognized it and opened the cover. "Austin Rissmiller, Shelbyville, MO - 3/84" was written in Papa's distinctive handwriting. I don't know if he received it as a gift or if he picked it up out of interest. If my memory serves me, he had already been diagnosed with colon cancer and I am sure knew his tasks were nearing completion. A newspaper clipping had been tucked into the inside cover with underlined passages.

For some reason, that has stayed with me this entire day. It brings a smile to my face to know that I was drawn to a book that my Papa owned. I don't think he ever had a chance to read it. The binding has not yet been broken. I plan on reading it as my time permits. What was the book, you might ask? The Handbook of Denominations in the United States.

Healthy, but still quarantined

Just a quick update to praise God that my entire family is no longer sick. Thursday morning, Hannah and Zach both showed great improvement and began eating normally without throwing up. We dealt with this virus and all it's horrible side effects for 15 days.

Now the downside. This was a Norovirus which, according to the CDC, is still contagious up to 1-2 weeks after the victim stops having symptoms. Because I don't want to knowingly share this virus with anyone and because I do not want the kids to contract anything else, the kids and I will stay home from church tomorrow.

I don't think it's oversimplifying to say that I am going stir crazy. I have not left this house since last Saturday. I have not really had contact with anyone other than my family for more than a few moments for 8 days. If I were by myself, I think I would be fine. Since I have been with 3 sick, cranky siblings, it's been kind of like Chinese torture. I look forward to going to Brookshires this weekend just to see other people.

Today, I am very thankful for a healthy family and am exceedingly thankful for the phone and Internet so I can at least stay in contact with the world!

Rebecca's 2 Year Appt

I'm about a month behind on this, but I wanted to share Rebecca's stats from her 2 year appointment at the end of October.

Weight: 28.4 lbs (69%)
Height: 35.25 in (83%)
Head Cir: 19" (70%)

My growing girl has 19 teeth now, passed her vision and hearing screens, and got two shots, including her flu shot. She got a new eczema cream for her face. Hoping that clears up the red blotches on her cheeks. That brings her up to 3 prescribed creams plus over the counter creams to treat her eczema which appears in patches on her face, arms, legs, and behind. Praying she outgrows this. If she doesn't, we may consider allergy testing down the road. :(

Other than the eczema, she is doing great. She promoted to her toddler bed two nights ago and is so proud of it! We will purchase the mattress and box springs for her twin bed frame as soon as time and funds allow. For now, she is quite content and hasn't rolled out of the bed even once!

Stomach Flu Go Away

If you haven't heard, our family has been battling an evil little virus called Viral Gastroenteritis. The common name is stomach flu even though it is no relation to the influenza virus. The most common ailments are vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. Did I mention it's evil? So here is the timeline of how it's been going:

Thursday, 11/11: I wake up with serious intestinal issues, but contribute my troubles to my IBS and go about my business. Rebecca fusses during naptime for 2 hours, never sleeps, then vomits all over her crib and floor next to her crib. She then has the worst diarrhea I've ever seen in my life for the next three days. I experience the stomach cramping for about two days.

Wednesday, 11/17: Zach complains of a brief tummy ache just before dinner then decides he's fine, eats supper, and we go to Awana. That night, he spikes a fever and vomits all over his bed.

Thursday, 11/18: Zach has all the side effects and low and behold, I get a second round of the virus.

Friday, 11/19: By evening, Chad is the next victim.

So today we are all watching Hannah to see if she is going to get it. Zach is still very bad and has little to no energy. So sad that we may miss all the Thanksgiving festivities at church and with our family. We're taking it one day at a time and will determine on Tuesday who is able to travel and how far we can go. We may just have to have ourselves a little celebration here under quarantine.

Community Fall Festival (43 photos), by Julie Smith

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Happy Anniversary Chad!

I am so proud to say that Chad and I celebrate seven years of marriage today. It seems like such a short time, but so much has been packed into it! In the first five years, we had three children, built a house, Chad changed jobs, and God relocated every part of our lives to Gunter (including Chad's office just in the last month!). In the last two years, God has been growing us and equipping us for ministries and opportunities that continue to grow and appear on the horizons.

I am so proud of my handsome husband. He works hard, loves our children, is an amazing protector, and has devoted his life to serving God. It is my pride and joy to stand by his side as his partner and wife. I am so thankful for God's direction in both of our lives that allowed us to have second chances.

Happy Anniversary my sweet sweet Chad! I pray that together we will continue to seek the Lord with all our hearts and I look forward to the surpises and blessings that He has in store for us!

Obedience

This is an excerpt from Experiencing God: Day-by-Day Devotional, November 2, which I read today. It spoke so loudly to me that I felt the need to share it.

Have you done what you know to do? "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:17

It is never a minor thing to know God's will and not do it. God calls this sin. . . . in God's eyes, rationalization and procrastination are nothing more than disobedience . . . When we encounter God . . .it is not enough to write down the date . . . or even to tell our friends and church . . . God's call is not to "make a decision" but to obey! Deciding to obey is not equal to obeying (Matt 21:28-31)! Loudly affirming the necessity of obedience is not the same as obeying (Luke 6:46). Making commitments, even publicly, is not the same as obeying our Lord. Substituting our own good works is not the same as obeying.

God expects you to obey everything exactly as He tells you. Only obedience satisfies God's desire for obedience.

I'm praying that each of you experiences the freedom and joy of obedience today.

Messianic Genealogy Wall Chart - PDF Download - Answers Bookstore

Messianic Genealogy Wall Chart - PDF Download - Answers Bookstore

Check out this link. Free download this week only.

Who needs expensive containers?

I just love my son. He gets so excited about simple things and he always reminds me to find the joy in every little thing. Today, I offered him an empty animal crackers container for his cars and trains. It's a big one from Sam's. I like to store various toys or supplies in them.

It was like Christmas for him. He beamed and said, "Thanks, Mommy!" Then he ran upstairs and started gathering all the trains and cars in sight. What a sweet boy he is!

Changes, Allergies and Awanas

It has been oh-so-busy around here the last week. After receiving the excited "okay" from Zachary, we are finally swapping Rebecca and Zachary's bedrooms. I knew it was going to be a challenge with all the toys and furniture, but you never know exactly how much you have until you begin to move it.

Chad went to enjoy a few days at Papaw's this weekend. While he was gone, I decided to really dig in and cleared half of Zach's room. We also went to Lowe's and picked up the paint for Zach's new room. It is simply titled "Sand 3." Zach thinks it's way cool. Daddy tried to complicate it by asking if that was sandbox sand or ocean sand. Thanks Daddy. lol But it didn't deter Zach. He is still very excited. We will complete the furniture move over the next few days and then paint will be at the end of the week.

The other not-so-fun stuff lately has been allergies. From the day I got back from Disney, a variety of allergens have been lurking in the air. Apparently, I am allergic to them all. My sneezing, wheezing, coughing, and subsequent headache and body aches have escalated and it now appears that I have an upper respiratory infection. Since Chad has IBM training all this week, I'll be making the journey to the doctor tomorrow with three little urchins in tow. Maybe that will make the nurses push me through a little faster.

I know this post is an assortment of items, but I also wanted to share how much I am enjoying Awana this year. I am the Sparks Director this year. I was a bit hesitant on taking the role because it is much more responsibility than just a leader, but I wouldn't change it for anything now. It is so FUN!!! We had 28 Sparkies last Wednesday. When you have 28 kindergarten through 2nd graders in one room, there is always a lot going on! Between me and the four leaders (including Chad), we keep them in line. I think my favorite part of being with the Sparkies is their honesty. They will ask you any question that pops in their minds without any reservations. And they are so thirsty to hear about Jesus and the Bible. It's such an enormous blessing to be a part of this ministry and I pray that God keeps me in this role for awhile.

So now I am off to take some more medicine and hopefully get some good rest for the night!