Thursday, May 30, 2013

~Our Camera MIRACLE!!!...and pics of our time in Nebraska!~

Do you still believe God can work Miracles?
Well I do...for we experienced one YESTERDAY! =)
On Tuesday night we spent the night in Mitchell, SD.  On Wednesday morning we got up EARLY (Story coming later) and left to drive to El Dorado Springs, MO.
On the way we stopped to eat breakfast in Des Moines, IOWA. We stopped at one of our favorite restaurants...Cracker Barrel.  We hadn't eaten there since we've been back to the USA, so were excited about the TREAT.
Before getting out of our van I SEARCHED HIGH AND LOW for our camera.  As you know, I don't go ANYWHERE without our camera!!!
Finally, in despair I locked the van and went to join my family in Cracker Barrel.  I met one of our kids on the porch and asked them in they had seen our camera ANYWHERE???? 
They responded like this.  "Last night, when we were outdoors I LAID OUR CAMERA ON THE VAN, SO WE COULD EASILY GRAB IT TO TAKE MORE PICTURES."  
MY HEART FELL TO MY FEET.  FOR I REMEMBERED THAT AFTER THAT, PHILLIP HAD USED OUR VAN TO GO TO WALMART!!!! 
So, I ran to ask Phillip if he had seen our camera and removed it from the van before he drove off.  He said, "Oh, NO, that is what I SAW GO FLYING as I went down the road toward Walmart!  I wondered WHAT it was that went flying, and had planned to check when I came back, but I went a different way and FORGOT!!!"
UGH!!!  My heart was really DYING by now!!
Phillip then said, "I'll call our friend Ron A. who lives near there and see if he can find our camera."  So he called Bro. A., who wasn't at home, but told us to call his son Anthony.   So, Phillip called Anthony and told him exactly where he thought our camera had landed.
Meantime we TRIED to enjoy our Cracker Barrel Breakfast.
About 10 minutes later Anthony called us back....AND HE HAD FOUND OUR CAMERA!!!!  Here it had flown across the opposing lane of traffic, and landed on the bridge, and had been RAINED ON for hours...but when he turned it on, it still works!!! 
He is mailing it to Dad and Mom's house in AZ.  =D
WOW!  What a God we serve...who can protect our camera while it was bouncing down the road, and while it laid in puddles, and then help Anthony to find it for us!!!!!!!  No other word but ...AMAZING!!!  Thank you DEAR JESUS!!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~We took this picture on Friday, May 17th, as we were heading into Nebraska.
We had a service in Wauneta,NE, on Sunday morning, May 19th.~
~We stayed with the Lloyd Bleys.  Here we are eating a YUMMY supper with them and Mike and Naomi K. (their new pastor) after we arrived Friday evening, May 17th.~
~We were excited when we found out that their church had planned a picnic on Saturday.  It was supposed to storm, and the Nebraska Winds were BLOWING, but Jesus held off the storm long enough for us to have a great picnic at a nearby park.
We had so much FUN seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.  =)
Here I am chatting with Nathan K., a b-i-l to my dear friend Ashlea A. =)~
~Sis. Bley and I.~
 ~There was a fun playground there for the kids to enjoy.~
 ~Little Mary meets Andy and Brittany's latest addition.  =) ~
 ~Phillip and I enjoying the yummy picnic.~
~Phillip even joined the guys and played some basketball.~

~Only in Nebraska would you see this. =) ~
~The men checking out a squeaky belt in our van.~
~And since Bro. Bley is a farmer, our kids got to ride in this TRACTOR!!!  =) ~
~Elijah and Noah got to ride first.~
~There they go.....~
~Then Sarah and Mary got a turn.~
~Phillip took our 4 youngest on the Bley's a 4-wheeler too.~

~Then Saturday night, Sis. Bley made us a yummy Spaghetti supper and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM!!!
We probably haven't had homemade ice cream since we lived in AZ before 2004!!!  It was YUMMY!
~Our kids were THRILLED to get to stay in the Bley's camper...it brought back FUN memories from our Motor Home days on our 2009 deputation.  =)
Bro. Bley and Phillip visiting in their living room.~
~We did get the predicted storm and it made our trek to church the next morning...ON THE DIRT ROAD....QUITE INTERESTING!!
We were slip-slidding around like as if we were in snow or ice.  Thankfully Phillip had lots of experience driving on those kinds of roads when he lived in MI.~
~Here's their cute little country church.~~
~Phillip speaking Sunday morning.~
~Me with Andy and Brittany's cute little baby boy.~
~Our family.~
~The Bleys and Phillip and I~
~The Klines and us.~
~Then after church Elijah (who was wearing cowboy boots) slipped and fell, and gave himself a HUGE egg on his head. =(  This dear lady helped him get ice on it.~
~Andy and Brittany and their sweet family.  SO HAPPY to get to see them, and see them serving Jesus!!! ~
~Elijah and his "ouwie"...after the "egg" went down some.~
~After church we couldn't take time to eat lunch there in Nebraska, for our evening service was to be in Colorado Springs, CO...a 4 1/2 hours drive away. 
So this dear church, had purchased us a soft-sided cooler and ice packs, and then packed us a YUMMY lunch for the road...complete with:
~lots of sandwiches,
~juices for the kids,
~water bottles, and packets to make them flavored,
~Pringles,
~home made cookies,
~and store-boughten cookies too. (There were so many yummy goodies...that I might have forgotten to mention something from our great lunch!)
They also gave each of the kids a gift bag full of toys/candy, and Phillip and I some goodies too!~
~Mary opening her gifts from the NE church.~
~Elijah with his gifts from the church.~
 ~Before Elijah's birthday my Moma had given a gift to Kimberly to give him on his special day.  However, every time we thought to give it to him, he was asleep, or one of us weren't there, or something.  So, on this Sunday afternoon, while opening the gifts from the NE church, Elijah finally got to open his nice birthday gift from my parents, Gramp and Gram.
He's happy with his coloring book and here he's showing you his 5 dollar bills and the 5 cents that was taped into his card from them. =) ~
 ~Noah opening his gifts.~
~Phillip got a screwdriver set, and some sesame snacks.  They got both of us a pack of YUMMY REESES!!!!  =D
And I got a cute little "Nebraskan corn cob."  Half of it is a SALT shaker, and the other half is a pepper shaker.  =)  I also got some fun stationary/note cards.
WOW!  What a thoughtful thing for them to do, to get us gifts.
We were all HAPPY opening our gifts while we were heading to our night's service.  =)
THANKS BUNCHES, WUANETA CHURCH!!!  =) ~
~Sis. Bley gave me the book, "God knows my size."
~And then the kids and I settled down for an afternoon's nap in the van...while Poor Phillip had to stay awake and he drove the 4 1/2 hours to our Colorado Springs, CO service that night, Sunday, May 19th.
We got there at 5:20 and our service started at 6:00.    Pics coming soon.
 

7 comments:

Jonathan and Judith Otto said...

I just bought that same dress Sarah is wearing! I was trying to find clothes to hide my baby flab because hardly any of my old dress clothes fit yet. I saw that at Cato and was wishing it was in the ladies size but I tried it on anyways- and it fit ;-) an XL of course :-) -Judith

sherryldickinson said...

Well, of course I would love this post, what with the Bleys, the Klines, Anthony finding your lost camera, Andy & Brittany with their 3 children, the nice lady who helped Elijah's 'egg' to shrink, Lloyd giving the children rides in his tractor, Durenda fixing spaghetti and THEN homemade ice cream, the picnic on Saturday, the large packed lunch with gifts for your Sunday afternoon trip to Colorado Springs, and the warm and kind hospitality of these dear people that was extended to your family. I am so enjoying your travels across the United States, since I don't have to pack, unpack, jump in the van, sit in the van, ride in the van, sleep in the van, sit in the van, talk in the van, live in the van, keep up with all the junk in the van, and so on and so forth. And not to mention all the other things you have to do, besides not getting to be at home in your own house. Bless you and the dear kind people, as you work together to make your deputation services happen. All of you seem like good sports!
Love, Mom D

Daryl Hausman said...

Oh how we miss those special friends, The Klines here in OH. But we are sooooo happy they are content in God's Will for their lives. Thanks for including their pics! Glad for your camera miracle! Glad, so glad for all the fun things that Jesus gives you along the way to help your hearts... for I well remember how "Not easy" deputation days (or should I say "daze") can be. God is good all the time! May the Lord richly bless all of those who are giving of themselves to meet your family's needs... we love you all much!!! Laura and Family

Daryl Hausman said...

P.S. Love your family's patriotic pic!!!

lila said...

Praise the Lord for protecting your camera!!! We blog followers would die if you didn't have a camera!! What a fun time the children had at the Bleys. Praying for strength and protection as you continue to get further from your Ohio home. Love you all tons

mmsbryan said...

What a delightful post! Glad that Elijah finally got his Bday gift. We have three more checks ready to send to other birthday Grands. Only Gramp thinks when the kids get to be twenty they are too "Big" for his playful punch of adding a penny per year sending only the dollar per year. I tried to tell him nooooooo they will never get to big for that. It always makes me sad when they reach that 20 year for it makes them sound so grown-up. Four of the Grandones have made that special Birthday now. So glad to see the Bleys again. Thank the Lord for His keeping a Hand on the camera. What a story! Sorry for Elijah's boo boo. Love, Gram

Dorcas said...

Thank God for taking care of your camera. You sound like me that you can't hardly live without it especially now while traveling :o)

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