Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Oh Happy Day!!

Today was "de-banding" day for Victoria!!!   
The orthodontist office gives their patients who have their braces off a bottle of sparkling apple cider!
(Especially nice this time of year!  ;-)
One of the biggest blessings of both Victoria and Valerie having to get braces,
was the providential meeting of the sweetest, most thoughtful, kind, caring,
patient, encouraging, faithful, praying friend anyone could ever hope for.
(She's also THE BEST Treatment Coordinator any orthodontist office could ever hope for!)
We are so thankful for you Carolyn!
Thanks so much for all the countless ways you bless our lives,
and for the special time with you today! 

Friday, September 26, 2014

Happy First Week of Fall!!!

Pure Joy pups that went to their new families this week!

OH MY!
Just when we thought she couldn't get any cuter!!!!

Celebrating Timmy's 10th Birthday,
with all four brothers and all five sisters . . .
and carrot cake!!!!

Strawberry crepes for birthday breakfast!

Steak and mashed potatoes was his birthday dinner of choice!
Fall campaign started this week!
As a family, we're enjoying reading through the
40 Days for Life book again.
And praying, both at home and at an abortion facility nearby.
Pray for the moms and their babies going to these facilities during the next forty days . . .
that many hearts will be touched and lives saved!
 
:-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)   :-)
And the icing-on-the-cake at the end of this week is news that our adoption finalization papers should all be FINISHED and sent to our attorney by Monday!   Which means by the end of next week, we might be able to get a court date!!!!  Woo hoo!

For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
Psalm 92:4

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

40 Days for Life Campaign Starts Today All Over the World!

(This is copied from an email written by Shawn Carney, the 40 Days for Life director, on this first day of the fall campaign.  You can sign up to receive these daily updates at: http://40daysforlife.com/)

This is it! 

Ten years ago, the first-ever 40 Days for Life campaign kicked off in College Station, Texas. Since then, God has clearly shown what He can do when we pray, fast ... and stand vigil:
  • Lives are saved
  • Hearts are changed
  • Abortion facilities close  
Will you join His efforts over the next 40 days ... in 297 cities in 13 countries? 



40 Days for Life started in Texas ... but abortion is a global crisis. Many courageous and faithful volunteers will be meeting this enormous challenge with prayer and peaceful vigil — starting today — in these countries:
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Croatia
  • England
  • Ghana
  • Latvia
  • Mexico
  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
  • Spain
  • Wales
To see the full list – and to sign up for the vigil location nearest you – go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/browse-campaigns/

With that many locations, there’s going to be a lot of travel involved for the 40 Days for Life headquarters team. Without question, the man who will be logging the most miles over the next 40 days is Robert Colquhoun, our international outreach director. 

Robert brought 40 Days for Life to his home country of England in 2010 ... and has since helped the mission spread far and wide. 
Ghana 

  Robert visited with the 40 Days for Life leaders in Ghana this week. Please keep the people of this African nation in your prayers.

“We spoke to the youth group at a Presbyterian church on Sunday morning,” Robert said, “and we also did a rally in one of the poorest parts of Accra. Edward, the local leader, spoke passionately about abortion for both talks.”

Robert said abortion is, for the most part, illegal in Ghana. But they’re done anyway – slightly undercover. “A large number of illegal abortions are done with chemicals under the scenes and in secrecy,” he said, “with considerable dangers attached.”

Croatia  

Efforts in Croatia continue to grow. After a very successful initial campaign in Zagreb, the Croatian capital is joined by four other cities for this campaign. The response has been most favorable. The Croatian team had some great stories to share from that first campaign, and no doubt will continue to make a difference.

But you don’t have to go to Ghana or Croatia to pray!  

There may be a campaign in your hometown. You can pray wherever you are, of course, but if there’s a vigil near you, prayer on the sidewalk in front of the abortion center sends a powerful message – to the women seeking abortion, to the people on the facility’s staff ... and to your community.

Here’s the link to find your local 40 Days for Life vigil:
http://40daysforlife.com/browse-campaigns/

Pray hard! 

Here's today's devotional from David Brandao, the communications director for 40 Days for Life. 

Day 1 intention 
That we may use these 40 Days for Life to plead for God's mercy and grace upon all those involved in the sin of abortion.
Scripture
Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly. Gather the people, notify the congregation. Assemble the elders; gather the children and the infants at the breast... Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare, O Lord, your people."

— Joel 2:15-17  

Reflection

The toll of abortion cannot be measured. We hear estimates of almost 50 million innocent victims, but that's only one aspect of the harm that has unfolded in abortion's wake. There are also the mothers and fathers of these millions, as well as the grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins. Unborn lives destroyed. Lives of the living shattered.

It's overwhelming and depressing, but even in the midst of such unfathomable darkness, the church teaches us to have hope. Yes, it was indeed Calvary that followed Christ's 40 days in the desert, but without Calvary there would have been no Resurrection -- His victory over death that opened the gates of heaven to those who believe in and follow Him.

The psalmist encourages us to go humbly before God as we seek His will: "A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me... Give me back the joy of your salvation and a willing spirit sustain in me... O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise" (Psalm 51:12, 14, 17).

We are called to be God's messengers; or as the Apostle Paul told the Corinthians: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

That is the true message to all we encounter at the abortion centers and in our communities who have been deceived by the Culture of Death. We don't bring condemnation; we bring God's good news.
Prayer
Lord, we ask for the strength, courage, wisdom, determination and stamina to carry out this mission according to Your will.

Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and proclaim Your truth, always doing so with a spirit of love and compassion, as was demonstrated to us by Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.
Printable devotional
To download today's devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends:


For Life,

Shawn Carney
SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Monday, September 22, 2014

Caroline and Victoria's Birthday Celebration!

Victoria and Caroline love taking their horses to Long Beach to ride at an arena there,
and on the beach!
First stop is the arena!
 A few of the siblings enjoyed riding a bit as well!



 Then, the ride through town to the beach!
  It is such a fun thing to go together!

On the beach!

 Out to the waves!  
 The rest of the family got busy making something in the sand!










 
Meanwhile, the family is busy . . .

 carving this in the sand!

And playing in the waves!

 And the girls come back from a long ride on the beach!

 What a great day!!!
We love you Caroline and Victoria!
Happy Birthday!  

Friday, September 19, 2014

40 Days for Life!

Our family learned about 40 Days for Life a year or two ago.  Last year, we read the 40 Days for Life book (which we highly recommend!) and also participated in their fall campaign with spending a few afternoons praying at the closest Planned Parenthood facility. 

Sometimes the fight for life can be overwhelming to us. What can we as individuals do?  Well, we found lots of encouragement through the efforts of the folks that started and run the 40 Days for Life campaigns.

We'd like to encourage you all to read the 40 Days for Life book with us during the upcoming campaign.  We have a whole box of them, so we'd love to give or loan one to you!  And we can all earnestly be praying together during these 40 days! We know you would also enjoy following their daily updates on their website www.40daysforlife.com  under "updates," or you can sign-up to receive them by email.  They are sure to be very inspiring once again!

The next campaign starts on September 24th . . .next Wednesday!

Shawn Carney, the director of the campaigns just sent out this email today . . . .
 
"Just a quick note before the weekend to remind you that the next 40 Days for Life campaign starts on Wednesday, September 24 ... and runs through Sunday, November 2.  

There will be peaceful prayer vigils in 297 cities in 13 countries ... so now is a great time to find the one nearest you: 


Once you get there, go to the page for that city and sign up for the vigil!

Many of the locations are holding kickoff rallies between now and the start of the campaign — you'll find information about those events on many of the local pages, so please make note of the time and place and, if you can ... be there!  

Again, the link to find a local 40 Days for Life campaign is:

http://40daysforlife.com/location/  

We start our daily campaign updates and devotionals on Tuesday ... so have a great weekend, and I'll talk to you again soon!"

For Life, 

 Shawn Carney


SHAWN CARNEY

Campaign Director

40 Days for Life


Thursday, September 18, 2014

Timmy, Joe, and Ben's Birthday Celebration at the Fair!

It's that time of year again,
when we celebrate 7 (8 this year with a late addition of Benjamin)
birthdays in six weeks!
It has been our family tradition to let the birthday girl/boy pick
an activity of their choice to do as a family.
So, in keeping with this tradition,
and the boys' desire to go back to the fair for a fun day of riding rides,
we picked up some more FREE admission tickets from the school,
and off we went this past Tuesday!
Mommy and the birthday boys!
(Not sure who the guy in the back is! ;-)  
 The siblings of the birthday boys that were willing to come along and join in the fun!

Despite his fearful looks, Daddy is usually willing to ride the spinning rides with the boys!
 I think he actually does enjoy them!
This is Mommy's kind-of-ride!
We found a ride card on the ground so the sibs rode a couple rides with the birthday boys!
This is just before going on a favorite rollercoaster! 



 Mommy and Timmy and Joe on the big boat!
(About the only big ride Mommy will go on!)
 And Caroline too!
 All these years of keeping your kids safe,
and then . . . .
 we put them on this ride!  ;-)
 Practicing their driving skills! ;-)
 Delicious and fairly inexpensive fair scones,
tiding us over between our PB & J sandwiches we brought in to the fair,
 and having dinner outside of the fairgrounds! Yum! 
 Caroline racing down the giant slide with her bro's.
 With the "dizzy pass" you get one free fair game.
And a stuffed animal!
Just what we needed!  ;-)

Happy Birthday, Timmy, Joe and Ben!
We love you!!!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...