Noah Turns 7! A lesson in love....

Can you believe it? My little Noah turns 7 years old in just a few short minutes! Before I know it, he'll graduate from highschool. It won't be long after that, and he'll get married! Which leads me to my thoughts.....

Noah has a little girl in his class that is sweet on him. Whenever he walks into the room, her whole face lights up. She takes him by the hand, squeezes him arm really hard when he's talking out of turn (trying to keep him out of trouble!) and overall just seems to really enjoy him being around.

Did I mention how much I like this little girl? Honestly, I don't know much about her beyond her name, but I know she loves my Noah and that's enough for me! I can't help but like someone that beams when she sees my boy.

That'a exactly the kind of woman I want to marry Noah. I don't care what she looks like, how many degrees she has, how much money she makes, etc. I just want someone who loves the Lord, and who will light up at the sight of my boy, Noah.

It was during these thoughts that God spoke to my Spirit. It was as if he said, "That's just how I feel when you take the time to APPRECIATE the people I have created - My children." It suddenly occured to me that it actually pleases God to watch us "light up" when we see each other, after all, we're all His children!

Happy birthday Noah!

Daisy's 5th Birthday Party
Jimmy Needham - of course
Kids at Sea World being Polar Bears

For Sharon

This post is for Sharon - should she dare check in to see if there is anything new.....

I guess I have been busier than I realized. I thought I was only a few weeks behind on posting, not almost 2 months!

I should have a lot to say.......more later!

Not Abandoned

This morning I was reading in Mark 15:33 - chapter 16. Verse 33 says that it went dark from the 6th hour to the 9th hour. It was the 9th hour when Jesus cried in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me."

It struck me that it was dark for so long, then Jesus finally shouted out his despair. It made me think of how we can suffer for a long time before we break. It wasn't long after Jesus cried out that he died. But of course, we know the rest of the story - that God had not forsaken Him, but breathed life into him.

It made me think of so many who feel completely abandoned. We all need to remember that even when it has been dark for so long, God has not forsaken us. Feeling like that is very real. Jesus felt it. But just as God had something better in store after the struggle for Jesus - He also has something better for us.

I'm not talking about heaven. Jesus had many more things to do here before his ascension. Let's not forget that! Jesus had to go through the pain and suffering. We would have no hope otherwise. There is some purpose for what each of us are going through. It doesn't necessarily make the struggles easier when we remember that, but it helps to keep our eyes on the hope that we have. God has not actually forsaken us.

He breathed life into Jesus. But Jesus had to submit His spirit to God first for that to happen. Luke 23:46 records that Jesus' last words were (in a loud voice) "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." I think in order for God to breathe life into us, we have to hand it over to him. As long as we carry our own burdens, they will be ours. Once we turn ourselves, worries and all, over to God, He is free to breathe life in us. He will renew us, and display His power in our lives, just as He did with Jesus.

A Post By Noah M. Terrell

So far I have had a great school week. God has protected me lot's of time's. Hard time's, scary time's, sad time's, any time's, and God can protect you! I got my bible at chrch today. I also have very nice parents. Donna {mommy} and todd {daddy}. Daisy and Gabe are very nice too. I have a watch too. That's all. Have a nice day. From:Noah.

One for the ladies....

Alright ladies, this one is for you!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you were made to feel inferior as a woman for showing emotions? Have you ever willed yourself not to cry so you wouldn't lose face with someone? Have you ever secretly wished you could be more stoic like a man? Have you ever felt like crying made you appear to be unstable to others?

No more!

Remember one simple scripture with me - everyone's favorite memory verse as a kid - "Jesus wept." Let's say it together - "Jesus wept." Please notice with me that the author does not say, "Jesus cried" or "Jesus shed a tear" or "Jesus was moved" or "Jesus kept a stiff upper lip" - NO! Jesus wept.

The King of Glory, the one who has infinite hope because He is the Author of Hope, the Son of God, the promised one, the Messiah - WEPT!

Please remember with me that we are told in Genesis that we are made in the image of God. Well, the God whose image we bear is a God who wept. A God who didn't hold it all inside, a God who released emotion, a God who created emotions. Our God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus, wept.

Please make no apologies when a certain song touches your heart during worship and tears fill your eyes. Remember, Jesus wept.

When it's time to grieve, don't feel like you're being unfaithful and distrusting to/of God by crying in your sadness. Remember, Jesus wept.

Many Thoughts Beginning To Come Together

I'll post later about New Hope again. It really deserves a good write up, but my mind is somewhere else. Sort of. New Hope is part of what's on my mind, but it shares a lot of space.

I'm going to post some summary thoughts after coming back from Uganda a second time. They may sound challenging, but they are my thoughts, and you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't at least somewhat interested in my thoughts, so here I go.

I used to think that you couldn't come back from a mission trip to a third world country without being changed. I don't anymore. I think the last time I came back, I had been deeply affected by the trip, but I don't think I was changed. If I had changed, in time people would not have had to ask me about what I learned from my trip - they would have seen the change.

I think my first trip to Uganda taught me a lot about myself. That's probably because I was generally self-focused. How would I cope being away from Todd and the kids? Would I get sick? What would I be doing while there? Would I be safe? - Some questions were self-focused, but baptized a bit to sound more righteous - What would I say to these people to teach them about Jesus? How many people would I see receive Christ? How many miracles would I witness? (We all know miracles often occur in Africa....)

Don't get me wrong, I went the first time because I knew God wanted me to go, and I really believed I was there for Him and for all the right reasons, and who knows, maybe I was. But I came back the same me - affected by what I saw, smelled, experienced - but the same at the core.

I didn't really make any friends with the Ugandans we met. I had no one that I intended to stay in touch with. After all, when a Ugandan wants to be your friend, they just want your money. Someone told me that and I ran with it. After all, I don't have any money to give. Can't these people understand that even though my country is rich, I am not? I don't have "extra." We go without a lot of things that many of my friends consider essential because we live within our means and our means are limited. Can't these Ugandans understand that I'm poor too?

I missed out on so much last time.

I can remember telling people that Uganda was beautiful if you kept looking up. Just don't look down. When you look down you see garbage thrown randomly - haven't they heard of garbage cans? You see poverty, you see disease, you see sewage, etc. If only these people would do things like us! They don't have to live this way! We could help them so much if they would just be willing to make some small changes. And haven't these people learned about time? It's just courteous to arrive at least by 9:30 if you tell someone you'll pick them up at 9:00. Time is valuable. We have things to do for the Lord and only a week and half to get them done!

Okay, I'm making myself sound like a big jerk. I'm just telling you what was really going on in my mind. Yes, I had nice thoughts too, but you don't learn as much from the nice stuff. You learn in the mistakes - if you allow yourself to.....

This time around, I had no idea why I was going on this trip, and to be frank, I really didn't have the time to be pensive and try to "figure out" what God was up to. I was much more just along for the ride. I knew I would have a role in the women's conferences, but the Lord only put some very general themes on my heart. He didn't fill in the gaps stateside. I didn't know how often or long I would speak. I didn't know if I would sing at all. I didn't know if Todd and I would get any time to work together. The interesting thing was, this time, I didn't care. I really didn't care. I didn't go with expectations or fears. I just went.

So long story short (too late, I know) this time I was changed. This time I met people. I have made some lifelong friends. I found my soul sister from Botswana in Vivien. You have no idea how wonderful and scary it can be to find someone whose mind works exactly like yours. Someone who is wired the same. Someone who gets you and doesn't need any explanations about your words or emotions. Vivien and I met one morning at breakfast on Sunday and it felt like I had known her my whole life.

But Vivien wasn't the only friend. Todd and I came home with many addresses and emails. One of our Ugandan friends said at our last banquet "God has created a bond between our souls. You will remember us. You will come back." His words really struck me because they were right on target. We experienced God in such close, tangible ways together. We will remember our friends.

In the Bible, when scripture indicates that God remembers someone, He always follows through with an action. When God remembered Noah, he sent a wind and the flood waters receded. God remembers, and He acts. So, here's the challenge. If I have really been changed by this trip, how will that change be evident? When I remember my friends and my experiences, how will that remembrance cause me to act? If a remembrance is truly a call to action, what is God calling me to do when I remember Uganda and my friends?

Good questions..... I'll save some of the answers for another post. I'll pray that God continues to fill in the blanks as well. And maybe sometime, I'll share with you how I was changed- between trips, and during this one. That's personal - we'll see......Hopefully you'll see the changes before I have time to articulate!

New Hope Orphanage

I told you that I would save a post for the Orphanage. This is part one. I'm posting some photos and the link to the church/school website.

Todd and I have left Uganda with Pastors Chris, Agnes, and the Kids at New Hope firmly in our hearts.

A few more pics.....

Here are Winnie and the Praise Team worshipping God in Kampala at Salaama Full Gospel Church International. What an awesome Team! Enjoy the pictures of this amazing group!

Here is my friend Vivien that I have written about several times. She is the most amazing worship leader. When she begins to usher us into the presence of God, you feel like you can reach out and touch Him. I miss Vivien!

Here is a picture of London. Doesn't it look British?

Here is a monkey that greeted us at the airport in Entebbe.

We're Ba-ack!

Home sweet home! Boy it's great to see the kids! I woke up with one husband and three kids in my bed. It was nice to get up this morning and take care of the kids. We were always waited on hand and foot while we were in the hotel.

There is so much to tell about our trip. I really don't know where to begin. I'll be able to post pictures on my next post. They are all saved on my work computer which is not currently online.

I guess I'll start at the beginning and post a little at a time. God worked things out for us on our trip over. Todd and I were able to sit together on each flight. We made all of our connections. Our malaria pills did not make us sick. My asthma wasn't great, but resting for hours on end on the planes really did help. Rest is the best thing for me when I'm not breathing well.

We were able to go into London for a very short while. It was fun though! We didn't feel confident that we had enough time to tour around and see any major sites, so we just took the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station and walked around town. We got a few pictures and sent the kids a post card. The dollar is very weak right now, so London was very expensive for us. It's not the best time financially to visit Europe!

We flew from Tampa to Chicago, Chicago to London, London to Nairobi, and Nairobi to Entebbe. Once we finally got to Entebbe we discovered we were short 3 out of 4 bags. I stood in line with about 20-30 Ugandans reporting our lost bags. As it turns out, the plane from Nairobi to Entebbe was very full. Not everyone's luggage could fit on the plane. There was another plane coming over a few hours later, so why not put some of the luggage on that plane? It's all going to the same place, right? So, a few hours later our bags arrived.

Pastor Ken and Pastor Chris (a Ugandan pastor in Kampala) were late picking us up. Since I spent so much time in line reporting our lost bags, we didn't actually wait outside too long. All of the Ugandan cab drivers were very helpful. We had at least 5 different drivers offer to call Pastor Ken for us. Uganda is a very friendly country! We saw several monkeys at the airport. That was very cool.

Our first 4 days were spent in Kampala. As I posted before, the air quality is very poor. It was extremely difficult for me to breathe well. I'm curious as to whether or not I would have done much better if I had not already been sick.

We loved Pastor Chris and his wife Pastor Agnes. Yes, Pastor Agnes. They were both wonderful! I'll post pictures of their church service later. The praise team/choir was incredible! The worship leader, Winnie (yes, another woman leader) did an amazing job. Worshipping in Uganda is so free and natural. The masks that we tend to wear at church do not exist in Uganda. No one tries to appear like "everything is fine." There is an unashamed dependency on the Lord that we don't often have here in the states. It's just something I hope each of you can experience for yourself someday.

We met Karen and Sandy Baird from Manna worldwide. Karen spoke along with me and Renate at the Women's Conference. Manna sponsers feeding centers all around the world. One of the newest feeding centers is Pastor Chris's orphanage in Kampala. I'll save a post for the orphanage. It was really amazing! We enjoyed Karen and Sandy. They will be coming to FishHawk in October for our missions celebration. I hope all of you FishHawk people will make it a point ot meet them!

Well, that's enough for now. I will post more later with pictures.

The Wild Nile!

We did it! We white water rafted the Nile River today, and I am still here to tell about it. Yes, I went swimming a lot. We went over two class 5 rapids. I'll admit, I was scared, but we had a really good time. Todd, my new friend Vivian from Botswana and I were the only ones to go today. The rest of the group will go on Tuesday or Wednesday after we are gone.

Our time in Iganga was very sweet. The women's conference there was amazing. The clinic was very busy, and many ladies had their hands full trying to do a VBS with the children. I am learning to speak Lungandan and am working on their traditional dance. I have a few songs now that I can sing in various African languages. I hope I can remember them at home!

We spent yesterday in Njeru which is in Jinja. Todd spent most of the day in the clinic. Vivian and I were in charge of the VBS, which turned into more of a school visit. Long story. It was fun though. Vivian, Lindsey (from Alabama) and I went over to town to see the soccer clinic going on. We got a tour through the villages and market. That was really nice. The soccer clinic went well, the tournament is going on right now. The last teams are playing and it's tied 2 to 2.

Yesterday afternoon Todd and I both had a chance to watch the Rally Team (made up of young adults/teens from Jinja) do some street evangelism with puppets and drama. They drew quite a crowd! They did an incredible job.

I'm only giving the very briefest thumbnail sketch of what has gone on here. We have seen many people accept Christ. We have seen many women blessed by Bibles, the spoken Word, and gifts. We have loved on children. (We have even had 2 girls ask us to take them home with us.) It has been an incredible experience for us. I hope to be able to share more detail later.

Keep my mom in your prayers - she has the kids now until we get home Monday night! We have a banquet tonight, church tomorrow, and then we begin our journey home on Sunday afternoon. See you soon!

We Are Here!

Hi everyone!

We are here in Uganda! I will write little because I am paying by the minute for the internet connection......

We arrived in Kampala on Saturday. We have had an amazing trip so far. I have had some asthma issues while in Kampala. The air quality is very poor. You can literally see the pollution. We were greeted at the Entebbe airport by monkeys! They were so cute! We lost 3 of our 4 bags, but they were found within the day. God has been very good to us!

There are not enough words to describe the experiences we had in Kampala. From Pastor Chris's orphanage which houses 800 children, to the amazing worship at his church, to the women's conference where we saw a muslim girl give her life to Christ........I could go on forever. After experiencing Sunday's worship, we were satisfied with our trip.

We are now in Jinja and the air is clear. Hallelujah! We are headed to Iganga today and tomorrow. I will speak at the women's conference. Todd doesn't have his assignment yet. He was the pharmacist at our last conference. He said he sampled a little of everything.......

Keep us and our family in your prayers!

We're on our way!

Well, we are finally almost on our way. Unfortunately, I (donna) have come down with a cold. I'm sure I will get lots of dirty looks on the plane. Todd and I checked in online tonight, and we don't get to sit together from here to Chicago! That means I'll be coughing on 2 complete strangers. Not likely to make friends that way! We do get to sit together from Chicago to London. It's too early to check in for London to Nairobi or Nairobi to Entebbe. I just hope the Lord grants me (and the people around me) rest on the plane.

We have promises of being online while oversees, so please check in from time to time to see what's happening. I hope to add a bit every few days. We'll see!

If all the flights are on time, Todd and I will have time to tour around London for a few hours. We plan to get lunch and see some sights. Pray that they'll give us visas with my red snotty nose and croupy cough. Better yet, pray that I lose the snot and croup!

Enough about us (me), that's not why we're going. Please pray for the people of Uganda. Pray for the women who will be attending the conferences. The Lord has laid a message on my heart for the women about the calling He has for each woman. Pray that they will feel loved, begin to see their worth in the eyes of the Lord, and feel a special touch from the Holy Spirit.

Pray for the orphans in Uganda, that they will feel the embrace of their heavenly Father. Pray for the students and villagers who will hear the gospel message. Pray for the Pastors, that they will be educated and receive a fresh touch from the Lord. Pray for the doctor on the team as he seeks to treat patients with limited resources.

Pray for our team, many of whom have never been to Africa, some who have never been on a mission trip. Pray for health, safety, and unity.

Pray for our family. Pray for us. We'll be in touch!

Return from VBS Land

I'm back!

VBS was great! We had 258 children enrolled. 42% of those registered do not attend our church. I haven't figured out what percentage is unchurched yet. 21 children committed their lives to Christ and/or committed to follow through with believer's baptism. 5 of those children were baptized today! The children collected just over $400 for the Sarah and Joseph Foundation, an organization that provides pigs and goats to widows and orphans in Uganda as well as training in how to raise, breed, and sell the animals. The children also brought in many donations for our upcoming mission trip to Uganda.

Now that I'm back from VBS land, I have to get ready for a real trip to Uganda. Todd and I leave on July 10th. I am looking forward to the trip, but I really hate leaving the kids. They will have a great time with grandparents, but I feel like I miss so much already, I hate adding 12 more days! At least I have Todd with me this time.

Please pray for us as we go on this mission trip. Pray for the safety of our children while we are gone. Pray for the Kingdom of God to be expanded here on earth specifically in Uganda. Pray for our safe return. Pray for our team, most of whom are going to Africa for the first time, many on their first mission trip. Pray for our families as they care for our children. Pray for my church and the countless volunteers that have come forward to "do my job" for the 12 days (2 Sundays!) that I'm gone.

Here is a picture from my last trip to Uganda.

VBS Land

I have taken a trip to VBS land and I'm actually still there. It's a nice place to visit, but I am looking forward to being home soon! Please pray for our VBS, June 23-27.

Showing Kendrick How This Works

I need to help Kendrick learn how to insert pictures between paragraphs. So now I'm writing a paragraph to have something to insert a picture in between. See picture below.

This is a picture of Kendrick's first-born child, Sophia Margaret Dyer. I used to have a cat named Margaret. She was evil. Sophia is not. She is very sweet. My kids still call her baby Sophia.

This is a picture of a quarter of Kendrick's face, and her second-born, Ethan Daniel Dyer. We call him Squire Dyer. You see, Kendrick is related to Daniel and Squire Boone. Hence the middle name. We think they should have gone with Squire.

Graduation and Recital Pics

Inspiration

Ahhh the beach! I knew it would inspire me!

So, here is what the Lord showed me at the beach. I was able to use this as a devotional for our VBS planning meeting last Sunday.

Sanibel Island is the shelling capital of North America. When the tide goes out, the people come to the beach in droves. Everyone wants to find big, beautiful sea shells! There are rules, however, to shelling. You are not permitted to take a shell off the beach if it still contains a live animal. Doing so can bring you hefty fines. Finding big, beautiful shells becomes much more difficult.

I went out to the sandbars and tide pools along with everyone else in search of big, beautiful shells. I was somewhat disappointed when after about an hour, I only had a handful of shells. Most of the big shells had live animals and could not be taken. I could find them, but I couldn't retrieve them.

Somewhat discouraged, I walked up off the sandbars and noticed a shell mound that most people were neglecting. Many people were walking on it, crunching the shells beneath their shoes. There were clearly no big, beautiful sea shells in piles such as this one.

Something called to me though, and I stooped down to take a closer look. To my surprise, I found exquisite, beautiful, tiny sea shells. These shells were perfectly formed, intricately designed, and void of live animals. Here were the beautiful shells, small, yet ready for the taking. All it took was for someone to stoop down and notice.

I couldn't help but think of the way we sometimes do church. How often do we focus all of our programs and outreach on adults, trying to save the big, beautiful shells? The reality is, for all of our efforts, we're only going to find a few. Yet here are the children, just waiting for someone to stoop down and notice them. They are ready and open to receive the gospel message. If we don't stoop down, someone else will - unless, of course, they are crushed under the feet of those who simply don't care.

That's what we do at VBS. We stoop down and notice children. We walk with them and share the message of salvation through Christ. Many are open and willing to receive.

I gave each volunteer a beautiful, tiny shell that I collected that evening at Sanibel Island as a reminder of why we all take part in this crazy week.

MINI VACATION

Have you ever had a mini-vacation in the middle of a meeting? You know, the kind where someone is going on, and on, and on, and on, and you realize 10 minutes later you have no idea what was just said because you were one million miles away in your thoughts? Hopefully you were nodding slightly and writing something down. Good cover. I took a million minis yesterday, but tomorrow I get to take a real one!

We are going on a mini-vacation to Sanibel Island for two nights! Yeah! And it's all thanks to Vacation Bible School. Really.

We have our big volunteer organizational meeting this Sunday for VBS. I've been getting ready for it all week. I've worked on the volunteer handbook, handouts, decorations, menu, etc. I found in planning that I was lacking proper motivation and inspiration. We're using LifeWay's Outrigger Island. Living in Florida, the theme is super easy to use and super easy to be complacent about. That is, unless you take off for a beach trip!

I need beach sand and sea shells for decorations, so why not get some fresh from Sanibel Island?

So now, I must get back to work. I have a lot to do to be ready to miss a half day of work before a big meeting. Isn't strange how much work it takes to be able to take a vacation?

Llama Love

This is one love-sick llama. Should I be worried?

Mary and Martha Revisited

**This has nothing to do with my family, just some thoughts.**

I'm sure this isn't an original thought, but it's new to me.When Jesus came to Bethany and Martha opened up her home to him, (notice the scripture says it was her home, not the home of Lazarus or Mary) she busies herself with preparations.

Not being an expert on Bible history, here are some questions. Why does the home seem to be owned by Martha? Was Lazarus a young kid? Were they all orphaned? Did Lazarus have his own separate home? Were Mary or Martha married? If so, why are their husbands unmentioned? If the home really does belong to Martha, how does she afford to keep it up? Are she and Mary in the marketplace?Well, regardless of the other questions, why does Martha ask Jesus to only reprimand Mary? Is it because she also owned the home, so it was her duty as homeowner to show hospitality? Was is more a statement of Mary not staying in her place? You know, women in the kitchen, men about the business of learning from Jesus.

I've always been taught that Mary and Martha are a study in contrasts of resting versus being busy. What if even more was being said? What if when Jesus said that, "Mary has chosen the better part" He made a huge statement implying that women were allowed to choose to sit alongside the men of the day and learn, that women didn't have to perform all the duties of the home? Why didn't Martha ask for Lazarus to help her? He may not have been there at that time, but what if he was?

This passage has always meant a lot to me affirming the priority of resting at the feet of Jesus. How much more it will mean if the Lord is affirming me as a woman. We see Him doing this throughout scripture, I've just never applied it to this passage.I'm not saying this is a correct interpretation of what transpired that day. But here lately the Lord has been challenging a lot of assumptions I have held. Assumptions about Him, how He works and moves, what my role is as a woman, how we are to really walk out our faith as Christians, etc. I think God likes it when we ask Him questions - it means we're thinking.

Noah McKinney Terrell

Here's Noah! The first place winner of the Awana Grand Prix at FishHawk Fellowship Church!

Noah is our first born child. He is six years old and finishing up Kindergarten! He graduates on Thursday. He has a little cap and gown. I think that is so funny!

Noah is amazingly smart. I'm not just saying that because I'm his mom. It's true. He taught himself how to read when he was three. Academically he is far beyond his peers. Emotionally and socially he's right on target. So what do we do with him? Todd used to get irritated when he would hear me speak of how smart Noah is. Now that he's staying home and he interacts with a lot more kids, he realizes what I've been saying. Noah has taught himself how to tell time, math concepts, more facts about space than I have ever known even as a former teacher, and an amazing amount of trivia. He remembers everything, but more impressive is how he is able to figure things out and make connections.

One of the most unique qualities of Noah is his tender heart. He wants the best for everyone. He loves people and animals. His love for the Lord and his desire to please him is amazing. He accepted Christ as Savior when he was 5. Even as a five and now six year old, he is able to walk out his faith.

I know God has great things in store for Noah. I can't wait to see what the next few years have in store!

Daisy Girl!

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you...........

She has grown up hearing that song! Daisy is 4 years old and finishing up her first year of preschool. She is such a cool kid. She has this incredible sense of who she is. I don't think I've seen anything or anyone intimidate her. In large groups, she sometimes comes across as shy and reserved. The real Daisy is anything but!

Daisy is our middle child. She is slim and petite. She is about to dance in her first ballet recital. As it turns out, she is quite an amazing tiny dancer! She really seems to love it. She is quite athletic and has a great sense of balance. She also sings very well.

One of the fun things about Daisy is how she likes to "tuck in" all of her dolls. Not just her dolls, she'll put little pieces of fabric on the cat too - and on her brothers or anything that apears to be sleeping around her. Her room is filled with various dolls, toys and stuffed animals in make-shift beds with blankets. Very precious!

Daisy is also notorious for mispronouncing words. I really think she does it on purpose. Noah is a stickler for doing everything right, and she seems to delight in driving him crazy with her Daisyisms. For example, instead of saying "all gone" for years she would say "all gonk." That's one of her famous ones.

Daisy seems to resent my job at church more than the boys. She is very demanding of time alone with me - just the girls. She wills herself to wake up around 6 am on Sundays so that she can come with me to church to be my helper. I never wake her up - but she never misses a Sunday! I try to do all I can to meet her need for my time. It isn't easy!

Daisy got her name because while she was in the womb she seemed carefree and happy. She seemed to be so content and at ease. I wanted to pick a name that captured that spirit. She reminded me of a field filled with flowers. Hence the name, Daisy. It has been a perfect fit!

Short and Sweet

Well, Gabe and I have been sick with a cold this week. He'll probably have to stay with me at the Welcome Desk today at church. Each time I get this cold it is less severe and I get over it more quickly. I must finally be building some immunity!

Everyone else is doing well. I plan to post about Daisy next, and then Noah. That is, unless I learn some profound life lesson between now and then that I feel compelled to share with the world.

My Baby Gabe-y

I have to admit, my youngest son Gabe is quite an adorable child. He has this way of being so darn cute all the time, I sometimes have a hard time disciplining him like I should. Just look at this face. The bowl cut is gone now and replaced with a "surfer cut." I'll have to take a new picture soon.

When I was pregnant with Gabe I knew he would be a big strong boy. He kicked harder and more frequently than the other two. The last trimester was very painful because of the force of his kicks. When we were thinking of names, I searched for a name that meant strength. We chose Gabriel because it means, "strong in the Lord." We call him Gabe because we like the sound of it. Isn't it funny how you can already tell what your kids are going to be like even before they are born?

Gabe has a way of making everyone feel special. He gets very excited to see people. He is an affectionate child and loves to give hugs and kisses. He loves having books read to him. I think his very favorite thing all week long is being an "only child" for a few hours each Tuesday and Thursday when the other kids are both in school. He will go back to his room and play independently for hours. As much of a people person as he seems to be, he also seems to cherish this time alone.

Gabe's full name is Gabriel Neslon Terrell. He got saddled with Nelson because of Todd's love for Willie Nelson. That's right. Willie Nelson. Gabe does seem very musically inclined, who knows?

Gabe is a great kid. We love him dearly. Stay tuned to read about Noah and Daisy!

There are two sides to everything......

Caveat: This is not about the Terrell Tribe. It's really about what I experienced today and what it taught me.

There are two sides to every story. There are always at least two ways of looking at situations. You can be a "glass half full" or a "glass half empty" kind of person. I had an interesting set of circumstances happen today. I could tell the story two different ways, with two different outlooks, and both stories would be true. However, only one telling conveys the whole truth. Here it is.

In case you don't know, I'm the Director of our Preschool and Children's Ministries at church. On any give Sunday, we have about 80 Preschoolers (birth-4yrs old), about 85 K-3rd graders, and about 30 4th and 5th graders. We're looking at close to 200 children each Sunday. I guess you could say we're a moderate sized church.

Well, today I had a sense in my spirit that God was in control of the day. That's a good feeling! Sometimes I feel in my spirit that God says, "Hold on, today is going to be a bumpy ride!" But today, He said, "Don't worry - I've got everything worked out." I'm so glad He told me that on the front end of the day, because I was greeted this morning at 7:30 am by my Pastor with a message that a volunteer wouldn't be in today. That volunteer was supposed to lead our children's church at 11:00. Pastor said, "I am really sorry to have to tell you that." I just smiled and said, "It's okay. God will work it all out." I meant it too.

Long story short, I was more short on workers this Sunday by call ins and no shows than perhaps any other Sunday since I've had this job. Oh, and the message Pastor gave me about that volunteer, was really about a completely different volunteer. Neither one was there, so at least I was prepared for the worst.

Here's the really cool part. This is the good stuff. This is the kind of stuff that affirms my calling and makes me so thankful that God lets me see His omniscience and His care for all of the details. This is the stuff that makes missing worship services, plunging poop clogged toilets, holding paper towels over bloody noses and cajoling crying kids to go to their classes while I'm missing my own class, all worthwhile.

We were short in preschool (3s and 4s) this morning. By 8:30, our early service time, I had no workers. However, I only had 3 children between both classes. That NEVER happens. One set of workers came late, we combined the classes, and all was well. God had that under control. At 9:30, a choir member came up to me and asked, "Where do you need me? I'm not singing today so I figured I should see if you need any help." At the time, I didn't think I needed any help, but responding to a prompting by the Holy Spirit I said, "Yes. Go at 9:45 to the three year old Sunday School class. The teacher is always by herself, and having you come in would be a real blessing." 12 kids showed up in that class this week. The teacher could not have done it alone. We didn't know that, but God did.

I made a mistake this week and forgot to call 3 sets of "5th Sunday volunteers" to tell them that their spots were covered (long story) and they didn't need to serve. This is not ordinary for me. I'm pretty detailed and seldom overlook conveying important information like that. Well, with our call-ins and no shows today, I actually did need my 5th Sunday volunteers. The Lord knew I would need them all along. We didn't have to scramble, close any rooms, combine any classes to an unsafe capacity, etc. God is so good!

There are more bits to the story that I haven't written that just make the point even stronger that God has everything under control. I just don't have time to write them all now.

There are 2 sides aren't there? I found myself recounting the day with Todd and focusing on all that went wrong. The Lord quickly reminded me of the peace He gave me in my spirit, and that all the things that "went wrong" were already taken care of in the heavenlies. He really did have it all under control. How cool is it to see God work in such a real and practical way? I am truly blessed!

It's about time!

It's about time I started blogging for the family! Welcome to The Terrell Tribe! I feel like I should write a theme song.......

I'm hoping Todd will post some too - he is without a doubt the writer in the family. We'll see.

So here's a picture of the kids. They are the best kids God could have given us.

Noah is 6 years old. He's the one in the tie. This picture was taken in November when he was baptized. What an awesome day!

Daisy is 4. She's the one in the dress in case you were wondering. She is full of life and beauty!

Gabe is 3. Yes, 3. He and Daisy are 17 months apart. Everyone asks if they are twins. When I say no, the next question is - Was he a surprise? Well, my belly growing exponentially over 9 months gave us a good head's up. We really weren't all that surprised.

Todd and I are extremely blessed. God couldn't have planned better kids for us to raise. We love them dearly. They truly are our delight. That having been said, we do enjoy getting away from them from time to time.

The last trip away we took was almost a year ago last May. We made our way to Philadelphia courtesy of the Ding Fare from Southwest Airlines. $29 for a one way ticket to Philly! How could we pass that up? It was a wonderful break before I started working full time and Todd started staying home with the kids. We had a blast!

Our next trip is a mission trip to Jinja, Uganda. We'll be going July 10th and appreciate everyone's prayers for us and for our parents who will be watching the kids! We are really looking forward to it, although it's not exactly a romantic get-away - unless white water rafting on the Nile works out!

It's about time I started this.