6 Given 2 Jesus

We just spent the last week, minus RJ, in Nashville, TN. (Moriah missed about half, too.) It was extremely relaxing and TONS of F-U-N!

The first night  we went to a country music opener which kept us up late.

From then on we played horse shoes, basketball, ping pong, and went to the indoor pool for swimming almost everyday.

Our kids even got to play team bowling on a Nintendo Wii with several of the other kids they met. The adults had a barrel of  cheering and laughing along as we watched them enjoying themselves.

<-   made  friends   ->

The sauna was hot and the ice cream sundaes cold. The mornings were a little chilly but the folks we met were warm and friendly.

The sunshine arrived full force the last few days and was a blessing of warmth. AND the light show at the Opryland Hotel fountain was COOL! (Check video post coming soon.)

Our last night we played Glow Golf, what a trip!

We couldn’t have enjoyed all this if not for our friends giving this to us as a gift.

Thank you Jeff, Suzanne, and family!!

We sure have enjoyed everybody’s blog…but it  has been a long time since our last post.  Facebook has taken over, as well as other events….  Moriah’s 4th grade class is studying cells and they all made “edible” cells today.  Here is her effort…Can you guess the ingredients?  Some are hard to see…..

Cell Membrane: Apple peel, Centrosome: raisin

Cytoplasm: Green Jello, Mitochondrion: carrots, Lysosome: choc chips, ribosomes: strawberry seeds, Nucleus: grapefruit,nuclear membrane-rind,Nucleolus: marshmellow, Rough ER:chopped apple, smooth ER: sliced apple, Vacuole:banana  Golgli Body: sliced strawberries

Due to the passing of my Grandmother, I have decided now would not be the best time to leave the country for a month.

Thank you all, for praying for our family and for my opportunity to go see Indonesia. I believe the Lord will make the way and the time perfect for this trip, but for now it is indefinitely postponed. We will trust the Lord as in the past, to make it clear.

Well, I thank the Lord for the time and clearheadedness (word?) to write - FINALLY.

Two Saturday mornings ago, my Grandmother (Mother by adoption) passed away. She was known as a sweet Christian woman by all her friends, proven by their testimonies at her funeral. She was feisty, ornery, and sometimes hard-headed, too. She told me that every time I offered our home for her to live with us.

I had the sweet joy to attend the funeral, praise the Lord.  She was buried this Monday at Forest Lawn of Glendale, Ca. The presiding minister had some fond reminiscing, my niece Elizabeth sang “I Come to the Garden” wonderfully, and our family friend, Mrs Sally Geer also sang “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. It was a blessing to be with our family, those who could make it.  Several of my childhood friends came to pay their respects to “Mrs. Shafer”, too.

I am glad to know that “Grandma Mumsy” is with the Lord. During our Christmas visit to California in 2004, she was not feeling well and was questioning whether she would die and go to heaven. What a privilege to got to the Word of God and walk the road with her. It was so special to see her remember how she could be assured of her salvation - confidence that only comes by trusting in what the Bible says. When our conversation ended that afternoon, she was all smiles remembering that by Jesus’ finished work for her she was ETERNALLY saved!

It was a precious treat to have spent some time with her this last April, too, while I was out West for work. I got to drive up to the Assisted Living residence she was in. We talked, laughed, I think she beat me at Cribbage. I will enjoy the memories, and thank God for her life many times in the days ahead.  I am so glad now, to know my Mom was NOT perfect. I judged her with worldly eyes when I was not a Christian. I turned away from God, believers, organized religious people, and especially “The church”.  She and my Grandfather, Pop, never held a grudge they just kept on loving me. I thank God now for both of them. I have come to realize, even though they were old and set in their ways, they did the best they could with what they had. I love them and thank God that I will miss them. I thank Him even more that I will have some company and family in Heaven waiting for me to get there.

Thank You Lord, for Mumsy’ life, given as an offering that You used to reach me. Thank You, Lord.

It seems many of you have been missing out on our latest updates because of the great service our mailserver performs for SPAM protection. It has been stopping send outs at about the 50 mark. So I made some adjustments this afternoon. Hopefully you will not be missing anything in the future!

Thank you for following what the Lord is doing in our family’s lives. Let us know how we can pray for you!

in Christ,

Roland (for the family)

2 Corinthians 3:4-6