I don’t know why I call it that, I really hate getting shots of any kind! Going to the Nashville ATI training conference is like getting infused with something… WONDERFUL! It is inspiring, motivating, convicting, thought provoking, revealing, awe generating, exhilarating and….. exhausting! But it is a good kind of exhausting. It is the kind of exhausting that comes after searching and searching for a treasure and actually finding it; or like you feel after completing a mammoth project and you stand back and look at it with great satisfaction! Between the wonderful fellowship with new and old friends, inspiring and informative speakers, and seeing the excitement in our children as they lead or participate in various aspects of the ministry, it is completely rejuvenating. It is just what I need before beginning another year of school. It sets the vision, renews the pace, reminds me of why it is I do what I do, and why I do it the way I do it. It keeps God’s principles before my eyes. It reminds me of the blessings that come from keeping on the narrow path and the risks of straying from it.
We were able to head out on Sunday to have an extra day and a half to rest and mentally prepare for the conference. Tuesday was quite an experience as David had to report to be an Alert Cadet Squad Leader by 10AM with a sack lunch, then we went to registration and lunch, followed by dropping Hannah and Sarah off for Commit leadership training. Just when I got back to the hotel and Dave took the younger children to the pool for a short swim, we realized that He and Jonathan had to be at the church in 30 minutes for flag ceremony practice, (oops… we were late!) After dropping them off I had to go back and register Jonathan for alert cadets, because they did not know earlier what team David would be leading. Finally I flopped down in the lobby of the training center to take a deep breath and rest until supper! Timmy immediately noticed his dear friend Robert Staddon in Mr. Gothard’s office (it has glass walls), and began calling, “I want to see Robby!” How do you tell a 2 year old who has been asking for “Robby” for weeks, and has been told for weeks, “We will see Robby soon,” that ,”You have to wait a little while longer sweetie!”??? Well, after a little while, “Robby” appeared, to Timmy’s great delight! He picked him up, and Timmy immediately laid his head down on Robert’s shoulder snuggling in for a cuddle from the person he had been asking for since we left the Staddons at Easter time. After a short visit with Robert it was time to go to dinner. At dinner, David told me that he had gotten sick after eating his lunch. He was not able to eat any dinner, (OH NO!) During the flag ceremony, I saw Dave and Jonathan make a Quick exit from the stage before it was time to come off the stage. As it turned out, Jonathan and David were coming down with a stomach bug that Bethany had the week before. I whined inside saying, “Oh, why does this kind of thing always have to happen? We anticipate this conference all year, and then someone gets sick!” I immediately began feeling sorry for myself and mentally preparing myself to spend the week in the hotel room while everyone else enjoyed the conference. That night as I got into bed, I asked God to forgive me and make me willing to serve my family, even if it meant missing the conference. Suddenly a great feeling of anger at the enemy rose up in me. I began to bind the enemy and ask God not to allow the enemy to keep my family from being able to serve or from getting whatever He had for them our of this conference. I prayed that He would heal David so he could lead in Alert Cadets, (they were very short of leaders,) and that He would heal Jonathan so he could learn and experience what God had for him. I felt more at peace and was able to go to sleep. What a day!
The next morning, to my surprise, David felt good. Jonathan still felt kind of puny, but he thought he would be able to sit in the auditorium with us. By the time it was time to drop students off for their various activities, Jonathan felt up to going to alert cadets! That was the last I heard all week of tummy aches, in spite of being outside in 90+ degrees and running around. God had answered my prayer and healed them. The other thing I had anticipated was a noisy and fidgety Timmy, and that Josiah would complain and whine about sitting quietly for 3 1/2 full days. To our great surprise and amazement, both of them sat quietly and did not complain at all. Timmy only had to be taken out for correction one time the first day. After that it was smooth sailing all the way. Timmy even took naps on the chairs with his pillow and blanket every morning and afternoon. I know that is normal for a lot of toddlers, but Stelzl toddlers have never successfully napped anywhere but in cribs or car seats, and forget about moving a sleeping Stelzl baby. As soon as the engine is turned off they are wide awake. Our babies wake at the drop of a pin in spite of having them sleep with lots of noise at home from the time they are born. So this was a real miracle for us!
Once the conference gets started, it is kind of like a snowball picking up momentum the rest of the week until the final crescendo on Friday with the choir singing “It Will Be Worth It All.” We heard great sessions that gave us a lot to think about. We learned about the difference between dedicating our business to God and giving our business to God from Steve Dulin. It was a highlight for us both as we heard how this man has applied God’s ways to his business. Steve also spoke about taking three sabbaticals each year to hear the LORD’s direction. Dave and I are both looking for our first available opportunity to take one.
Another highlight was hearing Gil Bates tell “How to Support a Family of 19 Without a Salary.” What an inspiring message about letting God develop stories in your life while you pray and trust Him for answers! Often, when we felt God wanted us to get a certain thing, we would not feel right about praying for God to supply it if we already had the money to buy it. We assumed He had already provided by allowing us to have the money for it. Even when Gil had enough money to get whatever it was he needed, he would wait and pray and often see God provide a better item than he could have bought with the money he had for it. This gave us something to think about. Perhaps when the money is there it is for something else, (a widow, a needy family, the church, a ministry, or even some other needed item?) In any case, waiting and seeing God provide, gave Gil many stories to impact others in their walk with the LORD. He constantly reminded us that it is all about impacting people. We are praying about what is in this message for us.
We also heard a pastor of a Hispanic church talk about the experience of a group of girls in his chruch at Journey to the Heart. They came back in such one accord power that they are seeing answers to prayer everywhere they go. They went on a missions trip with their church and the leaders of that country asked for them to go to many cities and pray for the people. Everywhere they went people were healed and delivered. The country has asked them to return regularly. Dave asked them to pray for my health. It was an amazing time. That group of people truly had one accord and tremendous faith. I can’t explain it, but you could feel the difference! I pray I will have that kind of faith one day!
Well, as we were approaching Charlotte, I began to feel that old familiar discomfort of a sore throat. By the next morning I was sick, and Jonathan was once again feeling “puny” on his tummy. By Sunday afternoon Dave was feeling a sore throat coming on. When the adrenaline comes down, so does the immune system 
Getting back on track this week has been a little slow because we have needed lots of rest and “remedies.” The blessing in it, is that I have had some down time to reflect on everything I have heard, and have sarted reading some of the new stash of books we bought. It has been like having a pre-sabbatical while I am waiting for the real thing.
The conference was amazing. God was so good to me and our family. We are refreshed and inspired. I am excited about what God is showing Dave and I for our family, our ministry, our business, and our personal lives. I am filled with excited anticipation of what God has for us in the coming year. I am so grateful for God’s servant, Mr. Gothard and the ministry he started years ago. God uses different things in different peoples lives, but for us, it has been IBLP and ATI that have kept our biblical priorities before our eyes and kept us going on the right path. Now it is time to come back to earth, roll up our sleeves, and get busy doing what He has shown us. I am already looking forward to next year!
On Saturday, we were blessed to be able to drive about an hour and a half to Columbia, SC, where we met up with the the Adams family from Evans, GA. Hannah and I met Madelyn and Abigail at Journey and visited their home shortly after, for the celebration of Madelyn’s birthday. This time we met up at the Cracker Barrel for Abigail’s birthday, about halfway between our homes! We had NO idea what an exciting time lay in store for our celebration together.
How do you describe the sweetness of fellowshipping with like-minded believers in the Lord? How do you write about the memories that were
made, the smiles that passed between us, and the little moments that made our short time together a VERY special time? While we laughed and talked, and shared updates about our Journey friends, we couldn’t help but notice the thunder and rain outside the windows. (Probably because the lights flickered a few times). Just as our meal arrived, the power went out. When we waited for it to come back on and it didn’t, we all started laughing. 
Our waitress ran around lighting the lanterns on every table, and soon the entire restaurant was filled with
flickering lights from every corner. It was a rather awkward experience, because I couldn’t tell one thing from another on my plate…or rather, should I say, I was having difficulty seeing my food! People cleared out pretty fast and soon we were practically the only ones left there! A few waiters were playing checkers nearby, and others were standing around talking… a very unusual situation 
having a good time and having a GREAT time together! It was hard to say goodbye…but that means that next time will be even better! We are so thankful for the Adams family, and their faithfulness to God! They have been such an incredible blessing to our family, and we await with great expectation the time when our paths will cross again!
