To God be the Glory!

As I finish up this MOPS year and my time as coordinator of College Heights MOPS, I've been reflecting a lot. I'm not going to lie -- I am very proud of what God's used me to accomplish. I am not a confident person by nature, so it feels good when people comment on the success of the group and thank me for the time and work that went in to it. There is no denying that starting MOPS took a lot of time and hard work, and I was stretched A LOT! But what needs to be made very clear is that I took on that endeavor and began that journey only because the Lord directed me to do it! And there is no way it would have been successful had I not relied upon Him and allowed Him to work through my weaknesses. The Lord was involved in every step that led to the initial success of College Heights MOPS, starting with providing the most excellent steering team a coordinator could ever ask for! Girls, seriously, your support and encouragement kept me going! And your willingness to work hard alongside me deserves just as much credit, not to mention all your thoughts and ideas that helped make the dream a reality. And Mentor Mom, thank you. It would take all day to type how God has used you in my life.

At our final meeting of the year, I was really surprised to be formally thanked and honored for my service as coordinator. It was completely unexpected. The gifts were lovely and obviously someone's been paying attention to my tastes:), but what means the most to me and what I will treasure forever are the cards written by moms who have been impacted by MOPS. To close out this entry, I am going to share some of these treasured thoughts with you.

-MOPS has become such a highlight in my life!
-I am thankful...for your love for Christ; it inspires me to search deeper spiritually.
-You inspire me to give. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and being a true friend.
-Thank you for helping make sure this mom is not alone - because it surely can get lonely out here!
-I can see the Lord's light in you...
-You have made an impact on so many lives.

Thank you, Jesus, for picking me. I love to be used by you! To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Lawn Tractor

 

 

I think this is Ollie's first ride!

Grandpa's Boat

 

House Progress

Psalm 100

"Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his paople, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

O Lord, I love you! I feel you moving and working in me once again! Please continue! I have been called according to your purpose. I want what you want. My will is your will. My life is yours. Use me! Use me.

Trailer Life

It's not always pleasant. It's not always pretty.

House Progress

We have basement walls! You might notice me atop the rock in one of the pictures!

MOPS Graduation

When a mom's youngest child is in 1st grade, she graduates from MOPS. It is a bittersweet transition. College Heights MOPS will miss Jen Harvey! Jennifer, you have helped me so much in getting this group going and have always been so supportive and encouraging to me! I don't know if I could have done it without you! I am so thankful that you will continue to be beside me at Teen MOPS! I love you, my sister in Christ!

Walk for Babies

It was sunny, but windy on our Walk for Babies/March of Dimes. This is the College Heights MOPS team! You may notice that I am without my kids! That is because I had several things going on that day and I pleaded with my mom to keep them home rather than bring them on the walk.

Gardening with Grandpa

 

While I'm Waiting

This song is very powerful and has been a sort of anthem for me over the last year or so. There's just this one thing that I have petitioned and prayed for for so long...and yet I still wait. It's painful much of the time and I often have to face reminders that this thing is lacking in my life. There will be stretches of time that life is busy and I am blissfully unaware of my need. But then I will be reminded once again and my sadness returns. It's hard to put on a happy face all the time when this issue is weighing on my heart, but I feel that is what I must do outside of my time with God. Meanwhile, while I wait, I will continue to serve God and worship him. I know he loves me and has great plans for my life. And I will continue to pray. Won't you pray with me that my waiting will come to an end?

Corn on the Cob

This family loves corn on the cob! 2 for a dollar is not cheap, but it's less than $1 each! We had our first of the season and Ollie had his first experience of his life! He LOVES it!

First Haircut -- Boo Hoo!

His hair wasn't curling and was just looking more and more mulletish, so I had to give a trim. :( We're not going to get too drastic yet!

House Progress

There is now concrete hiding all this!

The Park!

Now that Ollie can finally be outside and be put down outside, he is thrilled! When we walk past the door without using it to go out, he throws a fit because he wants to be outside! This is his first park experience.