So much has happened since last time I posted!

Our wonderful friends the Staddons came to visit over Christmas, bringing their enthusiastic smiles with them! God blessed us with snow on Christmas evening, and we all excitedly watched from the window as the long-awaited snow came down at last! During their visit, we held a gingerbread-house building contest with two teams and a judge!  The gingerbread houses were a Christmas gift from the Staddons. We also played a game of football on Christmas day, did some photo-shooting with our families, played numerous games, and celebrated a Staddon and Stelzl birthday on Christmas Eve. On the last day, several of us from both families piled into the big van and drove to a store nearby called Black Lion. We had the privilege of meeting the store owner and his daughter, and of hearing about the business  – how it first began, how it is owned and operated, and what policies are used to create the best and most efficient business. The store is made up of hundreds of tiny rooms (separated by dividing walls) where multiple businesses sell their wares. The owner of the store runs the business and makes a percentage of every sale, while giving others the opportunity to make money without opening their own store. It is really neat! The Staddons were interested in discovering more about the business, and we have never had the opportunity to learn so much about the store. It was a wonderful opportunity and time of learning for all of us!

On December 30th, members from our church gathered at the little house where we worship (we are preparing to build on the land there in the future.) for a bonfire and time of singing, sharing, praying, etc. We roasted hot dogs and had smores and played games. It was a really fun evening!

New Year’s Eve we went to visit some church friends, along with about 115 others. They were going to have a huge Christmas tree bonfire, with all the trees they had collected throughout their neighborhood, but it ended up raining so the fire was canceled. We passed the evening playing games, talking and laughing, and fellow-shipping over food.

This week we got snow again! Last year we were all astonished at the 4 inches that fell…this year we think there may have been 6 or more inches. We have started this new tradition of driving down the road (if we can make it) to a gigantic hill just outside the neighborhood in an empty field. People from all the neighborhoods and houses around come and line their cars up on the road to sled there. We went on day two when everything had turned to ice. I discovered after the first time down that you cannot actually get back to the top without crawling up. Of course crawling up a steep hill of solid hard packed ice…in a skirt…is… . We ended up walking down a ways to where the hill was much less steep, and the snow had not been packed down by sleds yet. That turned out to be much  better for all of us, and we spent about an hour there before heading home.

To wrap up this post, I want to share with you one of our newest projects that we are working on. As a family, we have discussed that one our goals for this year is to cut back on the cost of our food budget. With food price inflation, numbers are skyrocketing…and with a family of 9 that is not a good thing. Daddy, Mommy and I had a meeting in which we discussed how to change our menu in order to incorporate some new rules into it. Things like, healthy, less expensive, easy to make on a school day (as each of us kids has a cooking day), etc. We decided to make a list of all the things we use on a regular basis at the store, and do some price comparison. On Monday, Mommy and I visited our local store that is closest – Harris Teeter. On Tuesday we went to Walmart. Thursday we visited Costco. Friday we went to Food Lion, Trader Joe’s, and Earthfare. It sounded rather simple at first, but looking back, it was anything but that. We spent 4 hours in the first two stores, and about 2-3 hours each in the other 4 stores. BUT it has been worth every minute!!! We are discovering so many hidden ways that stores deceive you into paying more! I hope to share some of those in the near future. For now, we are busily comparing all our lists, and making notes for which things to buy at which stores! I am so excited, because this project has been extremely fun, insightful, educational, and useful! I know that we are really going to benefit from this study throughout 2011 and in the years to come.

December is a busy month for our family! It’s that time of year when we host our anual Christmas party for couples. And as of last year, we’ve begun the new tradition of hosting a large family simultaneously - a huge added blessing! In addition to having our dear friends from VA, the Wilkes Team, and putting on a Christmas party, we eagerly anticipated opening our home on Sunday evening for our weekly “small group” Biblestudy, and having a baby shower for a close friend on Monday.

Monday(Nov 29th)- Wednesday(Dec 1st): Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! We rushed to get a week’s measure of school completed in just 3 days; the guest room was cleaned, organized, and “spiced up a bit” for our wonderful guests from VA; Some of the team set to work on their weekly house-cleaning assignments. We set up the Christmas tree, placed our presents underneath, and set about putting up all our Christmas decorations around the house; last minute decorating projects were completed, such as hanging random objects on empty wall spaces; the term “white tornado” took on whole new meaning as one and all rushed from place to place, keeping things neat, clean, and organized!

Friday(Dec 3rd) & Saturday(Dec 4th): Baking/Cleaning/Decorating day; for our party menu we whipped up 3 cheesecakes, 1 chocolate cake, 1 frozen chocolate-peanut-butter pie, 8 dozen peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, and several dozen cream puffs – made completely from scratch. Hurry, Hurry, Hurry! Thanks to David especially, and many others who jumped in to help with the load, we had a undescribably-delicious sampling of eatables on Saturday evening!!! House cleaning projects were completed with wonderful results; last minute decorating dilemas were solved and the whole place began to have a wonderfully festive atmosphere of Christmas and the holiday seaon; The Wilkes Team left their home at 3AM and arrived for brunch on party day (Saturday); Many hands made light work of the remaining tasks; fellowship and friendship made the day sweeter, and the Wilkes Team took a load of “to do’s” right off our back. The party was a grand success!!!

Sunday(Dec 5th): The Wilkes Team attended church with us; David did the piano music for our church, and we heard a  powerful and wonderfully inpsiring message on the verse “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5); The twenty of us prepared for our small group that evening, and eagerly welcomed new guests in addition to some of our regular attenders – a total of 52 people this time; We “hit the hay” well after 10PM.

Monday(Dec 6th): Early to rise!!! My alarm clock went off 1 hour and 45 minutes ahead of schedule which resulted in a very interesting situation; Sarah Wilkes and I started on a special breakfast for our families and were joined by other wonderful and AMAZING helpers. (Thank you Mommy, Hannah, Bethany, Daniel W, and others who jumped in to get things done!); Our families enjoyed over an hour of devotions, testimonies, and prayer time in the family room after kitchen clean-up; Everyone hurried to load the van and get things done in time for a short game of football before the Wilkes Team left; we baked and decorated a baby shower cake for Lydia Love H; hurry hurry hurry! The shower was wonderful and special for everyone as we shared in fellowship, devotions, giving gifts, and eating food; I am happy to say, the baby shower was a perfect ending to our busy busy busy week! It gave us a valid reason to get rid of ALL the leftover sugar from Adam Wilkes’ birthday celebration, the Christmas party, and our meals with the Wilkes Team. As for me and my family, we are enjoying some fresh fruit and salad this week!!! 

Needless to say, this season of rushing about to get “a million things done” has become very special to our family! Oh what joy it is to open the door and see 11 smiling faces from VA standing on your front steps. What fun it is to organize rooms and make finishing touches on the little unseen things – for the sake of special guests! What a thrilling thing it is to feel the warmth of friendship and fellowship as 10 or 20, or even 52 gather together in your home over the holiday season – to smile, laugh, share testimonies, play games, and celebrate as sisters and brothers united in Christ Jesus. This is something so incredibly special and beautiful, and we ought not to take it for granted. What may easily become an overwhelming burden of stress, has oh so much potential for creating JOY and working together as a team, and making memories with friends and family! There is so much blessing in serving, and in showing hospitality, and in fellowshipping with likeminded believers. This past week has been worth every minute of work, and all the hurry-scurrying around to get things done. It has been such a precious time!!!

(Note: Music creates a peaceful atmosphere for busily-working people, and may put a smile  on faces from morning to evening – and especially our favorite Christmas CD, “Let the Joy Begin” by our dear friends, the Neely Family.)

A HUGE thank you to our friends, the Wilkes! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work and service for our family and for all those who came through our home during the three days you were here. (Over 150!!!) We have been continually BLESSED, ENCOURAGED, and INSPIRED by your wonderful friendship, sweet fellowship, and zealous love for our Heavenly Father. What a JOYOUS time we had with all of you, whether playing dutch blitz and various other games, throwing the football, baking in the kitchen together, or gathered around the room sharing and exhorting one another. We are greatly looking forward to the next time our paths may cross – whether in VA or NC. We love you all  so much and thank the Lord with hearts of gratitude, for how He has brought our families together in Christ.

Back in March of this year, Hannah and I left for our 3rd Journey to the Heart…and to be sure, we came home with more than a few “sisters” to keep up with! The bonding that takes place between like-minded believers at a place like Journey, over the length of 10 adventure-packed days, is an incredible experience that you don’t just throw away the day after you come home

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 It felt strange to sing happy birthday, eat cake, and watch Abigail open her presents…all in the dark!

It’s strange how the little things that happen in life can mean so much! Sometimes they are the difference between 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!

On the way home we passed a billboard for the Cracker Barrel…it said, “Dinner by Candle light.” :-) (Do you suppose they meant that the way it sometimes happens?)

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!

Have you ever experienced a day in the past that was really refreshing in every way, yet packed with excitement and adventure? A day spent enjoying fellowship with like-minded believers, learning new Biblical principles for everyday living, and gaining priceless treasures from Scripture? With a family of 9, it’s hard not to fill the calendar up with every kind of plan imaginable; yet you can look high and low, and never find a day labeled “refreshment and relaxation.”

We had the joy of experiencing this kind day for a whole week, beginning the last day of May! One of our highlights of the year is attending the regional ATI home-school conference that takes place in Nashville each June. As a family, we eagerly look forward to crossing paths with dear friends again, participating in exciting programs for all of our different ages, and having some time away from the busyness of normal life to simply rejoice and be inspired! Needless to say, the best part of every ATI conference is the time of growing in Christ, as new principles are brought from Scripture and stored up in our hearts for the years to come! We always come away so enlightened and exploding with rich treasures from God’s Word!

Hannah and I were blessed with the opportunity to be COMMIT leaders again, and I had the privilege of having Bethany on my team! It was her first year as a COMMIT student and God made it a very special experience for her David was also able to be a leader for the Alert Cadets, with Jonathan on his team. Josiah and Timothy enjoyed the main sessions with our parents. They were amazingly quiet and content

God really spoke to my heart in two ways this year through the conference. (1) I was able to experience the love of my Heavenly Father and His voice speaking through me, as I shared with the COMMIT girls, and with the students in afternoon sessions. Before my second Journey, I was a VERY fearful person, and God has been daily teaching me the importance of putting my eyes on Him, and allowing Him to DO all the work. (2) I watched God at work during the last COMMIT large group session, as we had a time of praying and declaring freedom on the  girls present. I was so touched by the lines of girls who came from every corner of the room to share areas that God had given them a breakthrough! During that time of prayer and silence, God stretched my love for others to a whole new level! I felt His leading to lay hands on and pray for several of the girls there, and as a result, He gave me joy in watching them experience breakthroughs as well!   It was so special to hear various ones praying in the name of Jesus for freedom for all the girls!

I wouldn’t trade the experience we had at Nashville for anything in the world! The “little” things God taught me are in fact huge things that will change my perspective from day to day life! As evangelist Paul Washer points out, “you can’t have an encounter with God (no matter how big or small) and not be significantly changed for life! The week was refreshing! Relaxing? Not exactly, but amazing!!! There is something about looking back over your life and seeing how God literally transformed you from one day to the next. It is awesome when you consider the person you used to be before you experienced His powerful presence and love! This is something that can never be accurately described with words in a book, or written with a pen, or even to some extent spoken with the mouth. For each person, the encounters they have with God and His Word, are testimonies of His love that can only be understood by experience.

This past weekend we had the wonderful privilege of hosting the Neely Team for a short visit! They were passing through on their way to the beach for a family vacation, and were planning to participate in the NRA (National Rifle Association) gun show, representing Accurate Innovations. They arrived late Thursday evening around 10:00, bringing joy to the close of one of our busiest days ever! Although they were absent nearly all day Friday, we willingly took advantage of every spare moment in between, including late night conversations that lasted into the early morning hours

On Friday we prepared one of our favorite meals that we often share with guests. The Neely Team arrived back from the gun show just in time for scalloped potato special (made with an Italian tomato and herb mixture rather than cream sauce), grilled chicken, salad, and brownie-ice-cream-desert. To top off the meal, 15 of us kids played “beat the clock” to get the kitchen sparkling in just 5 minutes! Although the dish scrubbing line got a little behind, we certainly had the most experienced of dish-washers hard at work with great and amazing effort! Way to go Amanda, Bethany, and David (and all others who were involved with other jobs as well  )! It is simply amazing how normal tasks like wiping crumbs off the tables, sweeping floors, and scrubbing dishes can be SO much fun when individuals become a team and willingly pitch in with joyful determination!

Saturday morning provided opportunity for much needed sleep as we prepared to fix a big breakfast on the later side – 9:00. The Neely Team hoped to get on the road before lunch in order to arrive at the beach for their family vacation in good time. A few of us decided to forgo sleep for the joy of extra precious hours together! I enjoyed my devotional time outside with Kathryn immensely and later wrote about the wonderful memories we made together in my journal. There is nothing like the sweet lasting fellowship between like-minded believers in Christ, and the blessings that come from sharing and praying together!

Overall, we had a perfect visit with our dear friends the Neelys! They are such a beautiful example to us with their willingness to serve, their radiant joy, and their sincere love for Jesus Christ! We eagerly await the time when our paths will cross again…wherever, whenever, however that may be. We praise the Lord for drawing our families together in such a special and unique way…as sisters and brothers in Christ!

Photography by Hannah & Sarah Stelzl

Today my feet hit the ground running as the old saying goes! Everybody scattered to do their part as we got ready to have a couple over at 9:30 AM to begin viewing the basic seminar. These were two “new” friends. We were meeting the wife for the first time. Bethany and I headed for the bonus room with Timmy in tow to clean and iron. David put away the mini trampoline in the bonus room and then headed for his cleaning assignment in the girl’s room and the boy’s bathroom. Sarah went off to clean the girl’s bathroom. Hannah began Josiah’s phonics lesson. By 9:30 we were ready with a clean bonus room, snacks, beverages, registration form and workbooks and a comfortable atmosphere. Our new friends arrived and were ushered upstairs to see the first two sessions.

Meanwhile…the weekly cleaning and schooling continued while I put the finishing touches on my outline for this afternoon when I would be speaking to a class of girls about hospitality. I finished 2 minutes before our friends finished watching the seminar tapes and came down for lunch with us. We had a nice lunch as we got to know them better and talked about the seminar contents.

At 1:00 David’s friends were arriving for a birthday play day while Sarah and I dashed off to my speaking engagement. When we got there, things were getting started a little late, and there was some concern about finishing the class on time. There was going to be a meal, so I offered to speak while they all ate instead of eating and then speaking (since I had just eaten with our new friends I wasn’t hungry anyway!) I really enjoyed sharing with the girls about hospitality!

We returned home at about 3:00 to see the boys all playing football in the backyard. I came in and checked on the status of the home bacause you see, our dear friends the Neely’s are coming tonight to spend the next two nights with us. They are a precious family of 12 who are coming for the Charlotte NRA conference. We can’t wait to see them! I found that Hannah and Bethany had done a great job setting up the bonus room with an air mattress, a twin mattress,  several sleeping bags and pads, towels, porta crib, etc. Whew, what a relief! Soon it was time to cut the birthday cake and open presents with the boys. I had a brief visit with my dear friend Sonja while the boys ate their cake. We said goodbye to all the boys and were on to the next phase of our day.

Back in the kitchen, Sarah and I made a giant fruit salad for tomorrows breakfast for 21 Hannah and David ran to the store for more fruit (didn’t you know Hannah is driving now?  ) After the fruit salad was complete, I sat down (for the first time today?) to write this post.

So why did I plan all of this into one day? Well, it’s because I enjoy hospitality so much! Today most people think hospitality is having friends over and “hanging out.” The word hospitality actually means “stranger, hostile stranger, loving strangers.” God showed us hospitality when he died for us in our state of hostility toward Him. He wants us to follow His example. According to this root word meaning, hospitality is reaching out, meeting needs, putting others before yourself, and not only toward our closest friends, but toward hostile strangers. Did you know that hospitality is not a gift or a talent, but it is a command! If a widow has not shown hospitality she can not be considered a “widow indeed,” and is not qualified to be cared for by the church. The Proverbs 31 woman is characterized by this kind of hospitality. A man cannot qualify for the position of elder if he is not “given to hospitality.” And finally, Paul says to “the brethren” (that is ALL Believers,) be given to hospitality! To be given to something is to be characterized by it, to be known for it, to be consumed with it. There is no person excluded from this command, not men, not elderly, not children, not any believer. This is not a “female” thing. It is a believer’s duty, to be joyfully carried out so we can be examples of the love and hospitality of God toward us.

I personally love hospitality because I am an exhorter and I love to see people grow in their walk with the LORD. I also love meeting needs and just being able to host people making them comfortable and doing special things for them. Was today busy? Was today a little crazy? Was I out of my mind to do all of this in one day? Perhaps, but it has been fun and oh so gratifying knowing my efforts have made a difference in the lives of people.

I have to thank my family for the privilege of showing hospitality, because without my family members working as a team, I would be in a puddle of tears on the floor somewhere trying to get it all done. If it were not for them, I could only dream of having the kind of hospitality ministry we have. There was a time I used to cry, because Dave did not want to have people over. (I have permission to share this ) He would say, “A man’s home is his castle, and I want to enjoy mine in peace and solitude.” God transformed him, and today he is soooo hospitable. He loves it almost as much as I do. What is the key to this kind of hospitality? It all begins with our attitudes. Do we have a selfish attitude, only thinking of our personal comfort and convenience? Or do we love our neighbor and desire to impact the lives of others by serving and sacrifice? Dave did not know the satisfaction and wonderful feeling of accomplishment he was missing as he was “enjoying” his peace and solitude. As God changed his attitude, he began to see the magnitude of what he was missing out on. I am so thankful those years of selfish solitude are over, my tears are dried, and I can spend a wonderful day like today!

Today was a very busy day! Today was one of the most wonderful, gratifying, satisfying days! And it is not over. Our friends are on their way, and today will end with smiles of welcome and warm fellowship. What could be better? Thanks to Dave, Hannah, Sarah, David, Bethany, Jonathan, Josiah, and yes, even not-so-tiny-Timmy for enabling me as the lady of the house to be hospitable!

There is a GREAT TIME in store!!!!

This past weekend we had the privilege of visiting with the Staddon family at their home in West Virginia. What an amazing time we had!!! Words cannot describe the depth of our fellowship, the laughter, the excitement, and the friendly competition that created magnificent memories and new motivation to make the next visit “not so far into the future” (Unfortinately we did not take many pictures Visit the Staddon’s blog to see the few that James captured.)

If you have been around the Staddons, you know that their enthusiasm is contagious and they just can’t help serving others! They prepared delicious meals that went perfect with the table talk, and arranged thrilling “adventures” that included building a new bike trail, visiting tree forts high on the mountain, sharing funny stories while planting potatoes, playing ping-pong with a balloon, hauling fallen branches out of the yard and  up the mountain, singing hymns, photo-shooting, and playing outdoor games from football to volleyball to “follow the judge to court,” and more. To top off the wide variety of activities we enjoyed, the majority of us participated in a thrilling, competitive game of Catan which lasted nearly 3 hours! We enjoyed a detailed property tour and got hands on experience in many areas of mountain living Michael shared helpful hints on how to improve our garden and designed a beautiful work of art for the little boys – a piece of wood with Scripture and art burned into it.  Donald helped Jonathan make a pencil holder with the initial “S” burned into it. Robert set right to work building us our new family blog and devoted hours to making everything just right, even though other activities were going on around him. Everyone was quick to jump in and help out wherever they were needed whether washing dishes, including little ones in activities, or setting aside personal comfort to make our stay the best ever! We even enjoyed fresh maple syrup on our pancakes, harvested from the Staddon’s own maple trees!

The highlight of our visit was surely celebrating the resurrection of Jesus! We had the opportunity to sing “Trust and Obey” as a group at their church. We later enjoyed resurrection cookies as well as a time of fellowship with the Mrs. Staddon’s relatives who dropped by for lunch. James took a picture of both our families beneath a beautiful tulip poplar tree in their grandparent’s yard. We were sorry to say goodbye, but anticipate that the next visit will surely be even better! There is something significantly special about visiting families who live far away - it makes the time of fellowship so much sweeter, and the time together to be treasured all the more, knowing that goodbyes will soon be said With each visit, all the good memories just keep building up, making friendships so much sweeter and better.

Thank you Staddon family for your generous hospitality! You are a beautiful channel through which the love of Jesus flows to encourage and bless other believers, and His light is radiant in your joyful countenances and in your everyday enthusiasm. Continue to rejoice in our precious Savior and allow Him to draw others to Himself through you!