Our Faith, Our Family, & Our Friendships.: June 2021

"Sometimes it's really hard to breathe under water"-Ben

........

Oh boy. Lol

Kindness in the little things

We have an elderly lady who lives next door to us and recently she became a widow, so she holds a special place in my heart for many reasons.

The Bible teaches us to care for widows. There are so many scriptures that speak of it, The Lord definitely makes it known his feelings on the matter, and I believe he has a special hand of protection over them. If Fact Timothy gave detailed instruction on how the church is to care for the widow. and many times in the Bible God gave serious warnings to anyone who took advantage of the window and the fatherless.

I read this on another blog and I love how she put it,

"God’s very character is described as the defender of widows and father to the fatherless. The word for “defender” means advocate — one who pleads the cause, renders justice, and rescues from wrongdoing.Caring for the widow and the fatherless is not just what God does; it’s who he is. And because it’s his character it will never change. God has always cared for the widow and fatherless and he always will. We can count on not only his promises for the widow but his character."

So when I see my son next door helping "our" widow out, my heart melts. Something as simple and running to help her bring in her garbage, and I'm not sure he even knows what the Bible tells him concerning this area. But the blessings from our Lord will be upon my son for his kindness.

Walleye Fishing with PA

Ben had an amazing time! A day spent with his Grandpa Tom, doing something fun, making memories, and learning a lifelong skill!

And they caught 3 large fish! And we ate them for dinner when they came in! So delicious!

Thank you, Pa, for taking this time with Ben, for investing in his life and adding to his summer! He has said over and over how much fun he had and can't wait to go again!

"And I got to drive the boat! 30 miles an hour mom!!!"

Father's day

What a lovely day it was. A full day of being a family.

Stuffed artichokes for dinner, a rare treat around here.

And a relaxing afternoon watching the children play in the yard

And ending the evening taking matts parents out to a new local ice cream shop!

New addition!

I can't help myself. You walk me into tractor supply and pass me near the baby chick I get weak 😄😄

And it didn't help that Ben has wanted some polish chickens to add to our flock since the beginning of our "farm"

These guys make me laugh. The grouchy faces, and the fluff on the head. How can you not love them! Lol

Day 3

Such a great experience for these boys. So much hard work. Ben is moaning that "everything hurts!" And he's so tired. Lol, All the boys are, it's great!

I'm so thankful that this school puts this on for the kids each year, and so thankful for the leaders and high school students who gave up their time to be with them. To teach them hard work and skills, and hopefully instilled in them positive attitudes.

I was talking with one of the high schoolers and he was telling me and a group of young boys how he's not interested in having a girl friend, he put all his energy in sports and he thrives. He's not home till 10 at night after practices and he's busy! Such a great attitude. No laziness. Not sitting in front of a screen, he's out working hard for what he wants! Most kids of today need that mentality. So much laziness and screen time.

Whether it's Sports, Education, a Hobbie- better yourself, strive to be more. Laziness is not a good trait.

Drive by VBS

Tonight I took the kids to a local church that had drive-by VBS! It was awesome, they handed my kids a lesson plan to go home and learn about Jesus, a link to an online devotion, a craft (magnet), a slap-on bracelet that they can color, coloring pages, and more! They also gave the kids slushies(not pictured) and 2 packs of cookies! My kids were thrilled!! Something so simple, yet such an impact! Covid or not, this church still did their best to share Jesus in a manner that they felt safe. More churches need to take this initiative, and honestly don't have much excuse on NOT doing something like this. Kids need to hear about Jesus. And something so easy could plant seeds, water, or deepen a child's relationship with Jesus. Tomorrow's generations needs churches of today to stand up, be bold, and take action. If ONE CHILD comes, it's worth it. And Jesus will be glorified.

Day two.

The boys are loving it! Tired and sore, but getting energy out and feeling back to normal!

Day one of football camp!

A tradition for years! A local high school football team hosts a 3 day camp for kids grades 1st-8th grade, Ben has gone for years and Loves it! They rough and tumble and have a great time together.

Well over a hundred boys showed up this year! It was so good to see a sense of normalcy, no one was afraid, no masks, and no 6 feet, Just boys being together and having fun! My heart was happy, and I smiled big as I dropped him off. Ben was in his element, playing sports, being with friends, and throwing balls around!

a little boy loves his momma

Picked from a rose bush by the pond. When we first moved in to this house it got maybe one or two roses. But now, Hundreds. It's so pretty! My Ben picked me some today and they smell so good!

strawberry picking with Gigi.

What a gift to be able to pick a harvest with my mother-in-law. It was hot but the kids had great attitudes and The fellowship with gigi was wonderful. How blessed I am to have a woman in my life who loves the Lord. Her example to my children is priceless.

Between all of us we picked about 25 pounds!

The precious freedoms we have.

As I dropped my son off at VBS last night, I realized how thankful I am for the ability to take him to local churches to learn more of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It crossed my mind that other countries may not have this precious freedom at all To freely come together to teach and learn of him.

How joyous to have a room full of children singing loudly songs of praise and know they are safe and free to do so.

It made my heartbreak for others who can only dream of these freedoms, or worse, have to suffer for their Faith.

These people need our prayers.

Never take for granted our freedom of Faith and religion. Fight for them. Treasure them.

Never a dull moment with this boy.

Minutes of being home on Summer break Ben jumped on the 4 wheeler for his traditional "drive the school out of me ride!"

He drove through mud puddle after mud puddle in the yard due to the rain the night before, and just had a grand old time! Full of mud he was all smiles and ready for a summer of adventures!