~My Valentine!!~

Back in 1992, God brought a WONDERFUL man into my life.  I will be FOREVER GRATEFUL to Jesus for bringing us together!  I'm SO GLAD PHILLIP IS MY LIFE-LONG VALENTINE!!

~On our way to FOREVER TOGETHER!!~

 Wow! Jesus really "OUT-DID HIMSELF" when he made my Phillip and gave him to ME!!!!  I feel like I've been BLESSED with the BEST Husband in the WORLD!  (But, I hope you feel the SAME about your husband!! =)
I LOVE MY PHILLIP WITH ALL OF MY HEART!!!
Phillip is VERY LOVING, and Spoils me rotten.  =)
He Loves Jesus with all of HIS HEART,
and then I'm NEXT IN LINE =),
and then our children!
He is praying man and prays for our family, and many of YOU everyday!
He LOVES to study His Bible, and is truly a STUDENT of the Word.  (He says that he used to read more of what OTHERS SAID ABOUT GOD'S WORD, until He came to the mission field and only had a FEW books with him (& VERY SLOW INTERNET!)
That is when he REALLY started studying WHAT GOD SAYS IN HIS WORD!!  =)
  ~My Sweetheart Phillip and I~

 

 Phillip is a worker and loves to provide for His family.  Although his work as a missionary/pastor is different than working construction like He used to, He is still VERY FAITHFUL to use his time wisely!
My sweetheart is an artist and is always willing to help me make the FUN recipes I want to make to serve to others.  Or put together that "something artistic" to decorate our home.
Phillip loves having company over, and often helps me put some of the last minute touches on before my company arrives.
He understands that my life as a missionary's wife isn't the easiest.  I can't just "jump in my van, and strap our kids in and run to "Wally World" (Wal-mart!)" for groceries/supplies.   I have to walk a MILE OR TWO one way, dragging a little 2 wheeled cart behind me, and walk to several different stores.
Then after buying all the groceries, I have To LUG THE HEAVY CART back home!
So, Phillip often does my grocery shopping for me, or watches our 3 youngest children while the girls and I go.
THIS IS A HUGE HELP TO ME!  =)
And since I have no CLOTHES DRYER, and have to hang up EVERY LAST SOCK that I wash for the 7 of us, Phillip will often go upstairs and while praying, he'll hang up a load of wet clothes for me!!!
DID I MENTION THAT I LOVE THAT MAN???!!!!!  =)
~In a fun restaurant up on Monserrate, the mountain where we ride the Gandolas.~

 In 2010 after traveling around the USA and Canada for MONTHS on deputation, we left the USA to come back to Colombia.   I was so TIRED from deputation, that I was coming back to Colombia EXHAUSTED!
In the airplane on the way back to Colombia...our Sarah NEARLY DIED of a low sugar attack, being unconscious for over an hour in the airplane in between Nicaragua and Panama. The pilot of our large plane didn't know whether to turn around and go back to Nicaragua or continue on to Panama. (Sarah had NEVER had anything like this before, nor since then.) It was SO SCARY! After giving her lots of SUGARED ORANGE JUICE, she finally came around, and when we landed in Panama, the Pilot welcomed "Sarah" to Panama and the whole plane full of people clapped. We spent several tiring hours there in Panama on a lay-over, before we could catch our plane on to Colombia. We landed in Bogota that night.
Then, after that STRESSFUL DAY...I'll never forget arriving to Colombia to our TINSY apartment with all of our suitcases. There were suitcases to unpack EVERYWHERE YOU LOOKED.
The next morning I was SO OVERWHELMED!!
While we were gone to the USA, my refrigerator had died.  And we had no food in the house for breakfast.  I was SO TIRED, I didn't feel like getting dressed to go ANYWHERE to get something to eat.
Our suitcases FILLED UP OUR LIVING ROOM/DINNING ROOM AREA of our TINY apartment.  But before we could unpack them, we had to go into our rooms and sort everything out of our drawers and closets, pack bags to give-away FULL of older, smaller clothes, and only THEN did we have room to put away the newer clothes out of our suitcases (that we had purchased from the Thrift Stores in the USA).
All that was the background to my main story. =)
Once I got everything unpacked, it was time to start homeschooling...THAT YEAR it was 3 Students instead of 2, PLUS keeping a BUSY 2 year old Elijah out of trouble.   =)
The VERY next day, I found out we were expecting BABY #5...our SURPRISE Baby Mary!!
I didn't know HOW in the world I could do it all. Morning sickness ALL DAY SICKNESS for the first 4 or 5 months, (and then we nearly lost her, and I was on bed rest for WEEKS)...And as you know, with the life God has called us to...everywhere we go we have to pack suitcases, run through airports, walk lots, or use taxis or buses, etc.
But, my sweetheart Phillip (who was so EXCITED about having another baby =) told me that he would be right there for me, and we'd just work together to help bring this blessing into our world.=)
 I'd never have made it without him. He went over and beyond His call as a "husband" and lifted my load more than words can describe!  He's such a dear and has been/IS a wonderful husband for nearly 18 years now. =)
 ~With the Andes Mountains behind us.~

Phillip is the PrinciPAL of our home school!  He's a great PAL to our kids.  He often spends time helping them, or listening to one of them read their school work, scoring something they've done, or helping Kimberly with her Algebra.
I LOVE to see my Phillip with our children.  HE ADORES EACH ONE OF THEM!  He's NEVER too busy to give them hugs and kisses,or pick up the little ones and give them an "airplane ride."  And when our schedule is more normal than it is right now (we are doing tons of extra schoolwork right now, and sorting, giving away, etc.) he takes turns taking the girls "on a date" (out to eat and chat with Daddy), and the boys "out for coffee." =D   If one of our children needs to talk, he's right there to talk to them/pray with them for as LONG as it takes, no matter what time of day or night.
Phillip takes the TRAINING OF OUR CHILDREN SERIOUSLY!  He spends LOTS OF TIME with them!  He likes to take a kid or two along with him when he's just running errands...for he says, "We can't influence our children for God, if we are never with them, or think "they are a bother," and don't take them with us whenever possible, when we have to run out of the house."
Phillip and I like the Scripture verse that says,
"Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept, here a little, There a little."
So, he and I are always talking about everything we think is important for our children to know, especially things about God and righteous living.
  ~Phillip and I...With Bogota behind us.  I'm holding my red roses he gave me, and inside the gift bag I'm holding, are 2 coffee cups with saucers, with the name of the nice restaurant where we had just eaten.  Talk about NICE Colombian souvenirs.  I'm HAPPY! =) ~

Phillip is very FAITHFUL to lead our family in family devotions.  He is the PASTOR of our family and IT IS HIS GOAL TO HELP OUR CHILDREN AND I MAKE IT TO HEAVEN!!
He often asks our children questions about their Spiritual condition to make sure they are ready for THAT LAST TRIP TO OUR ETERNAL HOME!
In our devotions, we try to memorize some Bible verses, (just memorized the books of the Bible in order), pray, sing some songs (action songs for our younger ones too =), and then he reads a few pages out of short, exciting, Christian Biogrophies that are VERY INSPIRING stories of Holiness Heros of by-gone days.  We like the books by Anna Talbot McPherson.  We often cry during or after hearing these stories, and ask Jesus to help us be careful Christians like the story we just heard. 
 ~At night with the city and the fun restaurant (white fancy house) behind us.~

And last but not LEAST....Phillip LOVES his wife to pieces! (ahemmmmmm, THAT WOULD BE ME!!! =)   
He treats me like a queen.
We are BEST FRIENDS.
HE IS FAITHFUL TO ME!
When he asked me to marry him, He told me that He wanted to, "LOVE ME AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH!"  HE DOES JUST THAT!
He respects me, Asks for and listens to my opinion, he loves to take me out on dates, compliments me OFTEN, tells me how pleased he is that I'm HIS LADY, brings me special little gifts (he knows that I LOVE gifts =), flirts with me, confides in me, shares his MANY DREAMS with me, =) (I'm married to a VISIONARY MAN!!), Believes in me, is there to hear me when I have struggles, and PRAYS for me.   His love makes me who I am!
I do not take My Phillip for Granted!!  I THANK JESUS FOR HIM!!!
I know, we're SUPPOSED TO COUNT OUR BLESSINGS IN NOVEMBER...BUT, This Valentine's day, I'm COUNTING MY BLESSINGS AND NAMING THEM TON BY TON!!  =)
Thank you for being my Valentine, Phillip, 
YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
I LOVE YOU,