The best kept secret

Have you ever planned a 'Surprise' for someone only to be disappointed that somehow it leaked out and it was no longer a surprise???  That's what usually happens to me when I plan something... but NOT this time!  I'm going to let you all in on this, but first let me give you a little background to my story.  Somewhere bewteen 5 and 6 years ago, we took in 2 twin 14 yr old Korean girl homestays that lived with us for just over a year.  We LOVED them like our own children, they were amazing girls.  We enjoyed getting to know them really well, and spent many nights sitting up late talking and laughing.  They loved the Lord and even their Grandma had answered prayers when they left their home town to come to Canada, that they would end up staying with a christian family.  We too prayed with them often, and one of their requests was that when they went home to Korea that their Dad would start coming to church with them as a family.  Their prayer was answered just shy of them leaving us to return to their home, when they received a phone call from their parents saying  "we can't wait for you to come home so that we can start going to church as a family"!Praise the Lord.   Let me tell you that saying "goodbye" to them at the airport was one of the teariest days (well almost) of our lives. We hugged and cried and hugged and cried (get the picture!) and promised to always stay in touch.  We knew we would be spending eternity together in Heaven, but it still hurt to say goodbye.  I felt like a piece of our hearts had been ripped away, all of us felt that way!!  But you know how time and busyness has its way of eating up time...days turn into weeks turn into months...we would go 6 months and not hear from them, then we would get that looooong awaited email, and we would all squeal and scream with pure delight and gather anxiously around the computer to read their email.  We never dreamed we would ever get to see them again, at least not on this side of Heaven! WELL...to make a longer story shorter, they are coming to visit and stay with us for one week, and we have been able to keep this a secret from our children!!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are.  This is truly a dream come true for us, something I thought would never be possible to happen.  Isn't our God great?  We have been blessed beyond measure to have these girls cross our paths in this life on earth and to think that we will get to hold and hug them and hear all about their life back at home is just more than I can imagine. They are young adults now and I'm sure so much has changed for them. Ooooooh I can just see...a few more late nights and lots of laughing and of course tears again when we have to say goodbye again, but I wouldn't trade anything for this short visit that is sure to leave memories that will last a lifetime.  So onto how we kept this a secret from our children.  It's actually only Dustin and Kassidy  who will be surprised because Corey wasn't even born yet, the girls have only heard of Corey they will get to meet him for the first time!  So Dustin and Kassidy know that something is happening and that someone is coming for a visit but they have NO CLUE who it is!!!  We have only been telling them that we are preparing as if the Queen were coming to visit.  So how would you keep your bedroom and tidy up around the house if the Queen was coming ??? You would do your very best and go above and beyond the call of duty to keep your room in tiptop shape!  They have made many guesses, (not one of them being the girls) and we just respond with 'trust us, this will be the summer of 2010 that you will never forget!  Well TODAY is the day!!! It has finally arrived!!!  We will be picking them up from the airport this evening at 9pm and this is going to feel like the longest day of the year.  The kids are busy making a 'Welcome' sign for their unexpected guest (they think it's only 1 person because we have been carefull not to pluralize 'Queen' in case it gave it away, hehehe) 
Please pray for them and us...that they would arrive safely, for a week filled with God honoring conversations, and a blessed time of just being together reunited for this short time and again for a safe trip when they return home. 
We are humbled that the Lord would grant us this most special occasion, we give thanks to the maker of heaven and earth.
Well here is a few pictures of the things that have been going on lately at our home.  We have been blessed with special moments and I have been able to capture a few of these on camera.


Baby sparrows getting ready for their first flight!

A small tree frog that the kids caught in our yard

Corey tuckered out after a long day of play.

The onions we harvested from our own little garden

Dustin and Corey enjoying a jump on the trampoline that was given as a gift.

Dad and Dustin learning how to use the scroll saw.

Look at the magnificent details of this dragonfly that landed on Dustin's finger!

Red Beets grown with love

Corey and I feeding Elvis the horse some grass from our backyard..

Dustin and Kassidy enjoying a game of frustration together.

Richly Blessed

Scott and I have always been the kind of people that love to get away even for just the day...spontaneously! Looking back over the last 17 years of married life the Lord has blessed us with some of the most amazing memories as a result of our little last minute getaways.

This was another one of those times and it took us all the way to Blue River BC. Well ok, it was kinda planned, for my DH who was being sent there for work, but what wasn't planned was that my little people and I would get to join him. I don't know about you but I don't like my family separated even for a night. So in Cheryle style when I found out that accomodations would be free for us to join, I planned meals, packed up and left the following morning!! I don't know about you but I absolutely love being nestled away in the grandeur beauty of the mountains, and wouldn't you know it...that's exactly where our travels took us. Upon arriving to our destination and stepping out of the vehicle all I could do was gasp in absolute awe at the wonder of God's creation. There is something so wonderfully peaceful about stepping out of the everyday busyness that can encompass ones life. We are mindful about not shelving God while we are away which so easily can happen when your not in your usual schedule But instead purposed to spending time in HIS word, worshipping our creator.

We were grateful for the lake that was just 2 min away to play in during the day. My heart was filled with gratitude as I sat back and watched as Dustin and Kassidy swam and laughed and truly enjoyed each others company. We have been working hard at training Dustin to treat his sister as he would treat a future wife, practicing to be a gentleman and preparing Kassidy to be a future homemaker by practicing to serve her brothers. What a precious gift of friendship they have between one another.

Romans 12:10-13 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11.not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12.rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13.contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Corey waded in the water with Mamma and sat on the clear waters edge to build castles in the sand and chase ants. We filled in the time each day waiting for Daddy to arrive from work so we could spend the evenings together exploring Blue River and just enjoying ones company.

One of the lessons we worked on this week was JOY. J = Jesus first, O = Others second, Y = yourself last. We hold each other accountable in this area, as we all fail!

The week went by fast and now we are home again.

There really is no place like home.

May God Bless you in this season of your life.

Togetherness

So I've been playing around with this new adventure of mine called 'blogging', and I have quickly realized that there is a whole lot more to this than meets the eye.  Let me first say that this whole process is so much more fun when you find that one special friend who wants to begin the same journey of starting her own blog, (because it's so much more fun getting on the phone and sharing what you've learned and figuring this this thing out together!)  So you have to sign up, then you have to design your page and add gadgets (who knew what they were before all this???) then you have to decide if you want music or not.  I have always enjoyed listening to soft music playing in the background as I am reading the latest updates on some of my favorite blogger friends.  I apologize in advance if you hear a song or two that you play on your own blog, I basically chose all of my favorites from others playlists to compile my own.  I hope you enjoy listening  to them as you read, otherwise you can always feel free to turn the volume down.  I promise I won't be offended :)   I have really been enjoying the whole process of setting up this blog, and now I feel as if it's time to share with all of you just whats been going on around here.  So grab a cup of tea or coffee if you prefer and join me.

What could be more wonderful than berry picking

with those that you love to be with?

My family of course!

Sure I could have gone to the grocery store, or better yet, a farmers market, but then I would miss out on the sweet memories that were made by being together.  Besides...I've come to learn over the years that it's best to go berry picking at the beginning of the season.  Strawberries always come first, usually around the middle of June, so I be sure to call the farm ahead to ask how the berries are doing, and find out when they think that u-pick will begin.  I have been bringing my little people with me (ok, so Dustin is not so little anymore at 5"8 or is it 5"9??) since they were very little.  They really enjoy being apart of the whole process from picking the fruit to preparing to freeze and of course make our favorite freezer jam! YUM, and I of course, love being with them...all of the time.  We picked raspberries as well, but I sadly left the picking until much too late (I think they came early and the season was much shorter this year compared to last year ) and can you believe I FORGOT my camera!!!  So unfortunately I don't have a picture to share.  It was such a sweet blessing to be working with my dear daughter Kassidy as we shared lovely conservations while we worked hard to fill 4 ice-cream pails full!  This was Corey's first trip to the raspberry patch and he was so excited to learn how pick the berries and begin to fill his pail, with each berry he would say to me "Mama, anudder one", and he was so proud of himself.  Dustin of course was so helpful to be mindful of Corey and so they wandered around and played in the petting zoo and then to the playground and then back to joining us girls.  The fruits of our labour were well worth every moment.

Do you love spending time with your children?  I sure do.  My dear husband and I have just finished reading a book together called  "Keeping Our Children's Hearts" by Steve and Teri Maxwell, and I have to tell you it was one of the very best books that we have ever read (not including God's Word, of course)  To give you a glimpse of what this book is about I will quote from the back of the book, and let you be the judge:

Written for parents of young children to teenagers, this book shares the joys and outcomes ofour vital priority--keeping our children's hearts.  Rebellion and immorality are commonl among teens even within the Christian community.  Does scripture offer any path of hope for more than this for our children?  What can parents do to direct their children toward godliness rather than worldliness?  When does this process begin?  What is the cost?

Steve and Teri Maxwell believe the key factors in raising children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4 are whether or not the parents have their children's hearst and what they are doing with those hearts.  Keeping Our Children's Hearts offers direction and encouragement on this critically important topic.

This is an amazing family of 8 children with 4 of whom are adults now, so they certainly have seen their children grow and become obedient followers of the Lord and live this out.  We loved this book so much I felt it worthy of sharing this with you.  I highly recommend it. 

Scott and I have been so encouraged and certain of the calling in our lives to raise these precious children that God has placed in our lives, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  We don't want to be satisfied with the outward conformity from our children, what we really want is their hearts so we can turn their hearts to Jesus Christ.   "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" Romans 10:10.

We are to love them, spend time with them, listen to them, teach them and guide them

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" Deuteronomy 6:7.

We certainly haven't 'arrived' by any means in our journey as Christians, we still fail miserably, but God's mercies are new every morning, and I feel sooo blessed to be given this most amazing opportunity to be chosen as the parents of my three precious gifts, to be their Mamma. 

My God is good ALL of the time.

Blessings and hugs

Cheryle

Daisypath - Free Anniversary ticker

Daisypath - Free Anniversary ticker

My First Post!

Well, here I am. I can't believe that I am actually going to start blogging, after all I have only been trying to get this going for the last 3 years!

This will be short, but I just wanted to tell you how excited I am to finally be doing something that I love. I have been reading others blogs for years and have always been blessed by what others have to share.

I hope you'll join me as I write about my journey through this life of mine that I love and Cherish every moment of it. I might even share a favorite recipe or two!

I pray that you will be encouraged and most of all that God would be glorified through this blog.

Stay tuned...