Loving And Hugging

I am learning so much I have had no time to write here. My oldest has gone through so much as a freshman in high school. She has such a wonderful testimony now that maybe one day she can post someday. Wouldn't that be great!

My youngest is just growing up too fast. I can't tell you what a blessing she is. She is on fire for God and keeps telling me so everyday.

I think they have given me so many hugs that it has made my body heal itself. They are constantly giving me hugs. My oldest who's nickname is "Sunshine", says "Sunshine need Joy!" when she wants to hug me. How awesome is that. And My young "Munchkin" is constantly hugging me. What a healing power they have. And my husband, as soon as he gets home from work makes sure he always seeks me out no matter what is going on.

Hugs are a healing power. How awesome that God gave us two long arms to wrap around each other. We need to always be thankful for that. Because God has his arms around us through everything--good and bad- pain and happiness! His arms are ever around us.

Building or moving into house can be War

Wondering where I've been? Well there are two answers to that question. One is trying to get settled in our new house that was part of the settlement after the other house's foundation was bad. Second trying to get well and off some medications.

Both have made it so that I've disappeared and have been fighting a war for our family. First off I've been restricted from driving. And having to rest from stress or the change in what my body is going through. ( weird but PAul could stand it so can I). That can be really stressful. Not being able to take your kids to their practices or just going to the grocery store. Then while trying to get settled we had a flood in our new house!!!

Yes you heard right! A FLOOD!!!. If not needing another stressful thing in our lives. Right?It was a slow leak from a nail that hit the hot water pipe behind a kitchen cabinet. And had been flooding the whole time the house has been sitting here. And the water finally started coming up through the slats. (about a year)

Anyway, you can imagine we have had another time with the builder here in BRYAN, TX. They refused to pay for the one we chose (at a $1discount store they asked us to use- because they thought it was too expensive. However we made sure it was equivalent to the one in the house. Well, we had our insurance do an estimate and the builder didn't like that either. We tried working with them as you should. We prayed about it. Stressed about it. It started to effect us as a family again- just like the last house. So when we realized what was happening.That was the day we filed with the insurance. We felt they were better off to take care of it and they had a restoration company already in the process of doing the drying things out, ripping the floor out so there was no mold, etc. So we are filing with the insurance and the insurance will go after the builder to get their money back. ( the builder didn't like we had ripped the floor out and dried things out either. Why? Who knows?- but we are all allergic to mold)

I do wonder why they didn't try to come back and say ok we will fix it with the one you picked. I really didn't pick a very expensive floor. But the only thing I can figure is when it comes to things like this, Satan really likes to get in there and make it so no one gets along. It is definitely a spiritual war when building, moving into, or fixing a problem with a a house. Be sure to have your Armor of God on and praying always. Blessing it continuously. Fight to keep Satan out and to stay tight as a family. Because it effects everyone. And can push some of the family away. Never a good thing. We are still trying to fix it.

Guess who knows before you do?

Yesterday, my daughter called my from school and said ”WE won!” We won what? Then I realized she was talking about the small essay she sent to ‘Opee’ or Kevin East, the director at Pine Cove Camps. It was a contest telling him why you thought your family should go to Family Camp at the Woods over New YEAR’S weekend. I had thought about writing one too, but she was so into writing. And I still am not sure I know how to ask anyone for anything. It’s hard enough to ask God and wonder if He ever really hears you.

But this time God showed up! He heard her heart and mine as well. I had told Alan, my prince through all this, that I had wanted to add on to her entry because I felt like she and her sister, Ashlyn deserve to see some normality. But before I could put it all together and make that long painful trek of 12 inches from my heart to brain, God heard my daughter’s heart. And through her words He heard my heart. I hadn’t even taken the time to sit down and talk with my Abba, Father, before I knew what it was I desired and needed.

You SEE this is the story of one of the winning families stories.  Our story from the heart my Libby Joy:

Opee,

When my mother was pregnant with me,

her doctor discovered that she had

Crohn’s disease. Somehow, her intestines

had split open and she had to have

surgery, while still pregnant with me!

That was15 years ago, and it was

only the beginning of a long story! I

don’t want to go into the whole thing,

but this past year and a half has been

especially hard on our family! Last

February, my mother had a flare up of

her Crohn’s disease that landed her in

the hospital for a month! During this

time, my sister and I still had to go to

school. All I could think about was my

mother!

About 6 months after she got out of the

hospital, my mother noticed some spots

on my father’s arm that had her

worried. My dad went to the doctor,

who took a biopsy and said that the

results would probably come back

benign. They didn’t. It came back

malignant and positive for melanoma

skin cancer. During this, I was

thinking, “God, what are you doing to

my life? I mean REALLY! I already

have enough STUFF going on in my

life!”

(I know this is getting really long, and

I’m ALMOST done! :) )

After this our HOUSE started falling

apart (literally)! The foundation started

sinking so bad that the whole house is

Just in pieces!

When all this happened, I was really

bummed! I didn’t know what God was

doing with my life and it was really

frustrating!

This past summer, I went to Pine Cove

(I have been going to summer camp

since I was in 2nd grade, but never 

to Family Camp) and realized that God

has a plan for my life. No matter how

I feel or what’s happening to my life, I

know that my life is in God’s hands!

I think my family and I really need a

break from all the stuff that has been

happening in our lives. I would love for

us to go to Pine Cove Family Camp as

a family and reconnect with God! It

would be a great time to be together and

just say, “God, we don’t know what

You are doing with our lives, but we

are humbly and adoringly Yours! Help

us to follow your will and path, despite

the bumps in the road!”

I know there are a lot of families that

would have a great time and need to go

to Family Camp. But I feel that our

family could really use this as a time to

get away and recharge our batteries with

Christ’s love. Thanks for letting me

share this with you. Libby.

…. Now you know the rest of the story. The story through my sweet 15 year old daughters eyes. She somehow knew my heart as well and I told her to go for it. The beauty that came from it was God saying, “Yep you need to recharge your batteries! Not your physical batteries, your family’s spiritual batteries. God knows even before we do. *He knows we are still struggling. *That I will be going on a stronger chemotherapy tomorrow. But that a GI work up is next week and I’m confident He will lead the doctors to the place in need of healing. *That this house is still falling apart. But that a NEW house is waiting on us just down the road, again by God’s grace, as soon as we get everything in order and sign the papers with the builder. But who is in control and knows it before we even have have a chance to pray about it. He does! And we can only thank Him for walking the path before us. God is using us to further His kingdom but this time He has a recharging ready for my family. Praise the Most High God!