~Our Elijah has a birthday~

~We recently celebrated little Elijah's 5th birthday.  I didn't know where we were going to be on his actual birthday, so we bought a DQ ice cream cake and celebrated a tad early...with our good friends Steve and Luann Boardman, and their family.
We bought the cake on Friday, but then...the way our day went on Saturday...we ended up celebrating Elijah's birthday over Luann's yummy biscuits and gravy breakfast, and then saved his DQ ice cream cake for later! =)~

  

~Kara hung streamers for Elijah.  Elijah was HAPPY!~

~With us having our deputation service in their home on Saturday night, (a good 40 of us were there and Luann served yummy snacks afterwards), ...she and I were sort of glad that we hadn't had time to serve Elijah's birthday cake...for it made a GREAT Mother's day dessert on Sunday.
Elijah wanted a monkey on his cake, so DQ drew a monkey face.  =) ~

~On his actual birthday we were traveling from Milan, IL back to Ava, MO, for a service at Mt. Zion.
This picture is when Elijah's cousins Brittany, Darla, and Bryan called to wish him a Happy Birthday. =D~

~Since we were traveling and needed lunch anyhow, we let him choose where we should eat lunch.  Of course, he chose..... Mcdonalds. =) ~

~And we let the little kids play for a few.~

~Back in the van, he drew this truck on his new Magnadoodle he got for his birthday.~

~Then as we got closer to St. Louis, I asked Phillip if we could PLEASE stop and take our kids up into the St. Louis Arch.  I remember doing that when I was younger and wanted them to get to do it too.  Here we are walking toward the Arch.~

~Getting closer....~

~Elijah took this picture of us.~

~I thought that this pic that I took of the Arch turned out pretty neat.  =)  ~Heather~

 ~Waiting to be called down to where the elevator was.~

~Phillip with Elijah and Mary.~

~All through the line I was trying to convince myself that I COULD do this.  I well remember that my Moma could NOT get into that elevator years ago when I was a little girl due to being claustrophobic, but I figured that somehow I would be able to do it!
When we got TO the elevator...I snapped this picture of Phillip and our children before the elevator door opened for us to get inside the T.I.N.Y. elevator!!!!!
I was sort of Sad that I couldn't be in the pic, but happy to at least have a pic of the outside of the little elevator.
(Little did I know that this pic without me was how it was going to be!)~

~I had saved a story to tell my family....for when I got inside, so that it would help keep my MIND off of the TINY elevator....but when I got inside and sat down, I started becoming VERY nervous!!  
Although I TRIED not to think of it...I kept thinking of those doors SHUTTING ME INSIDE this tinsy elevator for the 4 minute ride to the top.   (Which would have felt like an ETERNITY!!)
Phillip told me to close my eyes, which I did for 2 seconds and then I opened them and DARTED out the elevator door!   
I knew there was NO WAY I could handle being TRAPPED INSIDE THERE!!
Just as I got outside, handed Phillip our camera, and told my family I was SORRY that I couldn't go with them....the door shut behind me!!
WHEW!!!  Was I ever GLAD I was on the outside.  I was SAD that I couldn't be with my family, but HAPPY not be in that SMALL space.
(My heart raced for several minutes afterwards, and I STILL feel panicky and nearly FAINTY when I think of that door almost closing me in there.) 
For those of you who have never been claustrophobic, I can't explain the feeling, but ever since I was expecting our little Mary...it has become very REAL to this Mommy! 
Phillip took this pic of our kids inside the tiny elevator!~

~Phillip took this pic....At the top of the ARCH which is...630 feet tall (It is also 630 feet wide!)
The Arch is nearly double the height of the State of Liberty and taller than Mt. Rushmore too!~

~The view of St. Louis from the Arch.~

~Elijah and Mary looking out the tiny windows up top.   
When my family came back down, they told me that they understood me being scared that it was a very SCARY ride, and that when they were on top they could feel the Arch sway with the wind!!
 (' ~')
(Meantime, I was happily shopping in the gift shops below and PRAISING THE LORD out loud, each time I thought of the fact that I did NOT get shut inside that elevator.  =) ~

~Phillip and I with our little birthday boy Elijah.  We were happy that our kids got to go up into the Arch...for it's a fun once in a life time experience!  =)

We got to the Gaylerd Miller's guest house at 10:30 that night.
We had an enjoyable day and Elijah (and the rest of us) ENJOYED his birthday! =)
We're making memories...that will last a life-time!  =)
More pics of our deputation services coming up!

 

~Happy Mother's Day!!~

I hope each of you have had a very HAPPY Mother's Day!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We had a deputation service last night (Saturday night) at 7:30 and so between that service and trying to get ready for the Lord's day, I completely forgot to post a Mother's day post for My Sweet Moma.
So, here it is...Better late than never. =)
As my last post indicated, We surely had a fun weekend with Daddy and Moma last weekend.

While we were there in Westfield...some of the ladies from the Union Friends Church asked my sister Laura and I to write something about Moma being "Our Example" so they could read it this morning at church. 

So, here's what I wrote.

~Our Example~

Martha Bryan became my Mother in 1973

That's when she started being AN EXAMPLE to me!

She was faithful to talk to Jesus each and every day,

In fact it was her that taught ME how to pray. =)

She's been very much in LOVE with my Daddy all my life.

She taught me how to cook, keep house, and be a good wife.

She showed me that being a Mommy was SUCH A TREAT!!!

That babies sent from Jesus were BEYOND SWEET! =)

Jesus is our TRUE example, showing us we can live without sin...

But it's nice to have an earthly one...one with SKIN!  =)

Moma is just that...A Good example to Me!

She inspires me to be like Jesus, and a better wife and Mommy.

As a stone causes ripples in a pond to spread far and wide

So her influence points others to the Crucified.

Moma, on this Mother's Day, I HONOR YOU....

Thank you for loving Jesus, Daddy, and us...and staying TRUE!!
    

                           I LOVE YOU!!! ~Your baby girl, Heather Dickinson~  May 2013

~I've had a super fun Mother's day weekend with our dear friends Steve and Luann Boardman.  Luann and I have had fun shopping, sneaking in some Starbucks, laughing together, and having some great heart to heart chats.
Here's our family today on Mother's day.  Steve and Phillip were such dears and surprised Luann and I with corsages.~

~The Boardmans (minus their boys) and our family~

~We were so happy to get to meet some friends of the Boardmans, the Brian Dowds.  They are such a sweet family.~

~Elijah was cold so Phillip put his coat on him.  =D~

~Julie, Luann, and I.~

~Phillip, Steve, and Brian.~

~Our family back at the Boardmans' house.~

~Our YUMMY Sunday dinner that Luann made us.~

~Having a great time enjoying Luann's food.  =)~

I'm SOOO HAPPY that Jesus has made me a Mother!  I realize that it is SUCH a PRIVILEGE!!  It's a FUN job BUT one which comes with LOTS OF Responsibility!
If I mess up on a recipe, I can start over.  If I miss a stain in a piece of clothing and Dry it in...I can replace it...but if I fail in the lives of my children I have made a HUGE disaster!!!
May Jesus help me to be the Mommy He wants me to be!
I love you, Kimberly, Sarah, Noah, Elijah, and Mary!!  =)

~Our Mother-Daughter Breakfast~

I have a PRAISE!!!!  On Monday my b-in-l from Ohio called us while we were in Indiana and told us that a tree had fallen in our back yard.  It did NOT hit our house!!!
Thank you, Dear Jesus, for watching over our Your home! =)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~Over 15 years ago my sister Laura and her 2 little girls, and I (who was great with child carrying our first-born Kimberly =) got to attend a Mother-daughter banquet with Moma.  Little did we dream that it would be 15 years, that God would call both Laura and her family and I and my family to be missionaries, and that our families would spend time in 5 different countries... before we would get to attend another Mother-Daughter function with Moma.
A few months ago, I called Moma from Colombia and told her that if her ladies were willing to have their Mother-Daughter breakfast a weekend earlier than Mother's day weekend...that Phillip would try to schedule our deputation schedule so that I could attend.
We're SO GLAD it worked out that we could attend this Mother-Daughter breakfast with Moma at her Union Friends Church.  I tried to take lots of pics to remember that special day and time together. =)
~Years ago in Phoenix, AZ Sis. Boardman and Moma did Women of Worth together. It was so nice to see Sis. Boardman again.~

 ~My sweet sister and I.~

 ~There was a good crowd of Ladies and their daughters.  If I remember correctly there were 84 of us!~

 ~Sis. Pam led us in the hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus."  We sang it A Capella and it was beautiful hearing all the female voices blend together.~

 ~In 2011 Melanie Smith from UBC came down and did her internship with us.  We LOVED having her.  She was such a blessing to us that month she was with our family.  So, I enjoyed getting to meet her 2 sweet Grandmothers at the Mother-Daughter breakfast. =)  Melanie had to work, so she couldn't be with us.  (We MISSED you, Melanie!  =( ~

 ~Our speaker Sis. Everhart and beside her was our dear friend Mrs. Penny.  It was so fun to see Penny again.~

 ~Shannon Rose catered our breakfast.  It was all yummy!~

 ~Greg and Shannon working in the kitchen.~

 ~My 3 nieces (Laura's girls) Brittany, Natasha, and Darla played a fun special for us.~

 ~Here's our table.  Mrs. Martha Forsee and her 2 daughters joined Moma, Laura, and her girls, and our girls and me at our table.~

 ~Laura, Martha F., and I had a fun time visiting together.  We were remembering our days at T.R.Y. conference.~

 ~Our little Mary.~

 ~Kimberly, Sarah, and I sang: "I don't want to be just any Woman" written by Maren Duren.~

 ~Sis. Parker introducing our speaker...~

 ~Sis. Pheobe Everhart.  Jesus helped her and she did a great job speaking to us from her heart. It was very touching and challenging.~

 ~Laura, Moma, and I.~

 ~L to R: Natasha, Brittany, Laura, Darla, Moma, Heather holding Mary, Sarah, and Kimberly.  It was such a fun time being together.
I want to say a BIG Thank you to my Sweetheart Phillip, for arranging our deputation schedule so that our girls and I could attend.  =)
THANK YOU, Daddy and Moma, for changing the date, and all y'all did to make it possible us to come HOME to be with y'all for that special weekend. =)
And Thank you, Laura and family, for taking the time to make it happen...even in the midst of busy school days. =) ~

~A few hours ago, we loaded our van, held hands with Daddy and Moma and had special prayer together, and hit the road for our nearly 2 months of doing deputation in the West.
~We just passed the St. Louis Arch...so we are technically out West now.  =)
~We surely appreciate your prayers and God's help so far!