~Our Deputation services and travels...the first part of May~

Thank you for your prayers, Jesus is helping us keep going. =) Sarah and I would appreciate prayer that we can kick these allergies/sinus troubles that are REALLY hindering our voices, and our speaking/singing abilities.  And since we 2 are the ones that sing LEAD in all of our deputation songs, it makes it doubly hard.  =)
Here's a couple BUNCH of pics for you to enjoy!
~May 1st, we were honored to have a chapel service at our own Bible College... God's Bible School.  Thanks, Laura and Brittany, for taking pics.  ~

~Jesus helped us and they tell us that little Mary sang so well that she stole the show...and some of the students hearts as well.  =) ~

~On Sunday, May 5th, we had our deputation service at Daddy and Moma's church, the Union Friends Church in Westfield, IN.  Here's a pic of Gram with 9 of her GRANDkids.  =D ~

~Enjoying Moma's yummy Sunday dinner together.~

~And that evening our dear friends Dave and Roseanne Evans and their kids came for a visit.  We had such a great time and visit that we all talked until midnight! ~

~On Tuesday, May 7th, we headed west to our service in Fordland, MO.  Moma packed us a yummy picnic, which we stopped at this fun rest area to enjoy.~

~In Colombia...going barefoot is STRONGLY looked down on.  So, little Mary has hardly ever been barefooted outside.  Here, she is all concerned for the ground was wet and her feet were muddy.  =) ~

~Noah picked me some Dandelions back at Gramp and Gram's house, so we brought them along and they were the centerpiece for our picnic.  =)
Moma had fried us some donuts (made out of canned biscuits...one of my favorites) for our breakfast that morning, and packed a few for our trip in this flour sack.) ~

~That night we stayed with our dear friends ...the Gaylerd Millers...he is also the pastor of Fordland, MO church.
Our kids were so THRILLED the next morning to wake up to all the FUN things they would get to do at the Millers.   A fun pond, fishing, and canoeing, blowing up and letting go BIG balloons, being with the Millers, etc.~

~Our service that night was at their church, Fordland, MO.  I was so HAPPY to see my dear friends Adrian, and Katrina.~

~They served us a fun pot-luck before church.~

~Elijah met a new friend.~

~I was happy to finally meet a long-ago blogging friend...Misty!~

 ~Bro. Gaylerd Miller took this picture of us singing during our service there in Fordland.  We don't often get a picture of us singing...so we were happy to have it.~

 

 ~Yours truly playing and singing.~

 

 ~Then on Thursday we drove to Milan, IL to spend the weekend with our DEAR friends, Steve and Luann Boardman and their precious family.
We became great friends back when Phillip pastored in Phoenix, AZ....before our missionary call.  Luann's the one that helped me scrapbook all of my pics before we went to the mission field.  Their family and our family were VERY SAD when we had to say those hard goodbyes and leave to head to the mission field.
During our AZ days, we had a Kindergarten graduation for their Kara on the left and our Kimberly on the right! Aren't they so CUTE? (They still are! =)~

 

 ~So, it was so FUN to be with the Boardmans again.  (We hadn't seen them since little Elijah was 3 weeks old, and this time we celebrated his 5th birthday with them. =)
Here, Luann is showing the boys how to do some wooden puzzles.  Sadly, I wasn't feeling the best that weekend.  But, Dear Luann helped entertain our children and with a little help from our girls and her girls she made some Yummy meals. I did try to help when I could.~

~Phillip helping their Matt put together some out-door furniture.~

~Eating at a fun cafe with their family.~

~Then on Saturday we had a service in their house.  Here's a pic of our 2 girls, the 2 Boardman girls, and some new friends before service started.~

~Phillip speaking in our house service.  Steve and Luann invited some of their friends in so there were about 30-35 of us there in the house service that night. Jesus' sweet presence was there too.~

~Eating one of Luann's yummy snacks with some friends.~

~Sarah and her sweet friend Bethany.~

~Starbucks Luann's "Coffee Bar."
She had such yummy goodness...that it would nearly put Starbucks out of business. =) ~

~Luann and I with some lady friends.  The lady in hat is a niece to the man that runs sound in our CNC church in OH. ~

~Then, after everyone left, Bro. Steve told us that we had been asked to provide a stringed/piano offertory for church the next morning.  So, this pic below is us practicing in their awesome "music room."
So, Kimberly, Sarah, Bethany, and Bro. Steve played violins, Kara played a viola, Matt played a cello, and I played the piano on a fun arrangement of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee."
It turned out so pretty and so fun...I think we could have played together all day. =D~

~Bro. Steve and Mary before service started on Sunday morning. I didn't get a picture, but our family also sang that morning.~

 ~Sunday morning after church L to R: Carmen holding Mary...whom she nearly adopted as her baby sister =), Kimberly, Sarah, Kara, and Bethany.
Kimberly and Kara, and Bethany and Sarah dressed in matching colors that morning since they were playing the offertory together.  =)~

 ~Bethany and Sarah "swapped" clothes for the evening snack.  Bethany wore Sarah's dress, and Sarah wore her jean jacket.~

~Kimberly snapped this pic of us sitting together in the Boardmans' living room and relaxing Sunday night after service.
We are SO HAPPY that Jesus worked it out for us to spend this time with them!! We love them to PIECES!!!  =D~

~On Monday, I let myself SPLURGE and have 1 more YUMMY coffee at Luann's house. =)  (Due to my illness, I was TRYING to STAY AWAY FROM COFFEE...but it was virtually I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E. to not indulge...with all these "DELIGHTS IN A BOTTLE (OR CAN)" sitting around in Luann's kitchen. =D~

~Little Miss Mary even learned to "swim" while we were there in IL.
She was VERY NERVOUS when she first got into the water ...but it didn't take her long until she was "swimming" all the way to the deep end...with a floaty suit on.
She looked like a little tadpole...her legs and arms were going everywhere. =D  ~

A few more pics from our time in IL...and more pics from MO, and our service at Mt. Zion coming up.
Right now we are headed to Mitchell, SD, for our service tomorrow night.  TODAY will be a L.O.N.G. travel day for us...about 10-12 hours on the road. 
Thanks for praying...we so APPRECIATE God keeping us safe mile after mile, and helping us service after service.  =)
 

~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!!  =)