Testing of my faith!

Wow! It has been a long time since I last posted! There has been so much going on in our lives all summer long! We have been travelling and living out of suitcases all summer! I think the last time I slept in my bed was in June sometime! I miss my bed!
Things have been pretty crazy, but I can't complain, because God has proved Himself faithful over and over again to us through all the unknowns! There were times that I thought that I just can't do this anymore....but I KNOW that God has called us to this task and He WILL see us through! He never said that following Him and His will would be easy...but He did say that He would take care of us through it all! He has done just that!!!
In the past 2 months since I have written...we have lived with my brother & sister-in-law and my 2 nieces and nephew for the summer...travelled to several different states...and we are now living in the basement of some of our sweet college friends, who so willingly offered us their home to spend a few weeks in until we can find a place to rent!
I was panicked and having some doubts a few weeks back....I didn't have a job....we didn't know where the kids would go to school....what about daycare for Klaire if I did get a job....our house selling in Lebanon.....finding a house here....etc., etc., etc..... I seriously thought I was going to have to go to the doctor and get some serious drugs for my mental well being! How much more Lord is what I kept asking....and He kept reminding me that He is ALWAYS there and He was in control! We serve an awesome God!!!! Every time I went to church...the SS lesson was on finding joy in all things...look back at what God has done....then I would go in to the service and guess what the sermon was on..... rejoice in the Lord always! God is so good to remind us that He is in control!!! :) I just LOVE Him for that!!!
Well...in the past 2 weeks....I have a job...teaching kindergarten with an incredible godly team with a godly principal and assistant principal! The girls are in a Christian school and Klaire is there as well in the preschool program! WE have found a house to rent close to the school and church! It is amazing what God has done in less that 2 weeks...just when I thought I would lose it! You know that His timing is not always my timing ;)
We are still praying that our house will sell soon!!! Please pray that with us! We need to be rid of that burden! I do know that God has the right person to buy it...they just haven't seen it yet! ;) Also...we would love for our small inflatable game business to sell too! These would be huge prayers answered!!!
Testing of your faith is NEVER easy, but it is ALWAYS worth it! I am growing more and more each day in the Lord and I will strive to rejoice in Him always! That is a hard thing to do at times...but God is so good and has been to me all my life! Who am I to complain about living out of a suitcase in a friend's basement..... I have my health, my family, clothes, shelter and food-what more do I need! I am gaining a whole new perspective on life and what really matters! My faith is still be tested...but I am going to choose each day to make the choice to learn from it not complain about it! (even though that is really hard at times-ask me tomorrow! LOL!)
I am claiming Ephesians 3:20- "God can do immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine!" I pray that you will claim that too!

One HUGE thing I will miss.....

                                                   A treasure from my kinder friends!

             My friend, Dawn, covering up the Bud Light sign for the pic! LOL!

                                                       Sweet friends!

                             

   Tonight, I was blessed to have one last dinner with my amazing Kindergarten team before we move to Tennessee! I am really going to miss my co-workers who are also dear friends!  This was a very sweet night...but hard night for me!  Of course, there were a lot of tears shed! I could not have asked for a better team to work with!  We have had a lot of fun over the last 6 years!   

    My friend, Dawn, made a scrapbook with notes from each one of them!  It is something I will treasure for a lifetime!  How special it was to read all of the notes! :)

    As I think back over my time at Esther Elementary.....I will have to say that it has been one of the most wonderful and exciting parts of my teaching career!  As we move,  I am leaving part of my heart at Esther Elementary in Lebanon , MO!   I will never forget each one of these special people who have made an impact on my life!  You all are the BEST!!! 

   

Overwhelmed....

Sorry, it has been so long since I last posted!  Just wanted you to know that Joe resigned our church yesterday as pastor and we will be moving sometime this summer to Nashville, TN.

Joe is taking a position as a program director at the Free Will Baptist International Missions Department.  

Needless to say...I am a little overwhelmed at the task at hand!  We have to sell our house, find another house, say good bye to good friends,  find a teaching position, sell an inflatable game business and our girls will be starting new schools in the fall!  So....we have a lot of things going on in our household right now!  Please pray for us as we make this journey of faith that God is leading us on!  I have a variety of emotions going on in my head right now!  I know God is leading and He will take care of every detail....I just need to believe that with my heart and not just with my head- because right now, it is a little more than this girl can take!

We will be taking Karlee tomorrow to Nashville and leaving her for the next 3 weeks as she goes to France on a mission trip!  Please pray for her during this time!  

Just wanted to update you all on our family!  I hope to write more in the near future...when I can finally see over the boxes of stuff that we have!  I do know one thing....we are selling a lot of stuff!  How can you collect so much "junk" in just a few years!   So....garage sale...here we come! :)  

I would appreciate your prayers- I need all that I can get! :)

Great Bow Giveaway!!!

I wanted to pass along to you a great give away that my dear friend, Jeanette, has on her blog right now! She is giving away these 3 sets of bows! Aren't they adorable?!!! I have several bows from her and everyone is sooooo cute and Klaire loves them! :) Jeanette is selling bows to bring her daughter, Sara Beth, home from China! Every bow she sells...the profits go to her adoption fund! How great is that...you get adorable bows and it helps bring her daughter home! :) (they have been waiting for 30 months today!)

Just click here to go to her blog and sign up for these super cute bows sets! Maybe you will win some for your daughter or granddaughter! (hint, hint, mom!) ;) Let her know that you heard about her bows from me! ;)

Good luck!

I am one blessed mom!

    Today, Joe, Klaire & I, went to an adoption seminar in Springfield and the other 2 stayed home.  Joe also took me shopping! :)   While we were gone, Karlee & Kassidy were watching cooking shows on TV and decided to make me a special dessert for Mother's Day!  Look how beautiful it was...... :) (notice I said was....)

      It was sooo sweet of my girls to think of me today and take time to do this for me!    After supper they surprised me with the dessert!  It didn't take long for the glass to be empty! :)  They told me they made me a bigger one than everyone else in the family. ;)

   By the way....they also folded the laundry and vacuumed the house! WOW!  I thank God for the privilege to be a mother- what a gift!  I love you girls.... and I am sooo proud to be your mom! :)

What a fun night!

    Ok...I think I had one of the most fun nights of my life tonight!  Our women's Bible study group surprised  3 girls from our church, Karlee, Katy & Nicole, with a shopping trip around town!   These girls will all be going on summer mission trips!

    As you know from an earlier post, we had a fried pie fundraiser a few weeks ago....well, we raised enough money to pay off all of their trips to France, Brazil and Mexico and also we had enough to give each one $100 to spend on clothes for their trips! 

   We asked them to come to Bible study tonight and fed them supper....then we proceeded to tell them that we were going to take them shopping! SURPRISE!!!  Their reaction was priceless...there were screams and tears and hugs!   It was so much fun to see their faces! 

     There were about 10 of us and the 3 girls that all hopped in cars and drove around our town to shop!  It was like a marathon shopping spree!  We made it to 4 different stores and of course we ended at Wal-Mart! (which 4 stores is about all we have in Lebanon to shop for teen girls)

    They all got some really cute clothes for their trips!  I was so blessed to be a part of this fun night!  I think all of us women had as much or more fun than the girls! :)   God blessed immeasurably more than I could have ever asked or imagined!  What an awesome Thankful Thursday I have had! :)

(** the pictures are some we took while they were having fun in the dressing rooms....I am not sure any of those were purchased- I know the mumu dresses were NOT! ha!)

    

     

Handmade Necklaces for Sale! :)

   As you all probably already know...Karlee is going to France this summer with an E-Team.  We have successfully raised all of the funds that she needs to go, but now she is trying to find ways to make some spending money! :)  

    My grandma, Aileen, (Karlee's great grandma)  crochets necklaces to sell.  She has donated 40 necklaces for Karlee to sell to make spending money on her trip.  These are handmade and actually look like beads when you wear them.  They are very lightweight!  They sell for $5.00 each with $1.00 shipping.  If you would like to buy one or have any questions- please e-mail me at teacherwilson@hotmail.com or just post a comment on here.    They come in many colors....the pictures really don't do them justice!    The necklaces come in blues, reds, multi colored bright or pastel, browns, black/silver, gray/purple, rose, teal/green, etc... 

   I appreciate Grandma for thinking of Karlee in such a sweet way to help her make a little spending money for her trip!    Thanks so much for taking the time to look! :)  

**The girls are modeling some of the necklaces in the pictures above!  Klaire had to get in on the action too! :)