RALLY AROUND COURTNEY

Job 23:10-14
"But he KNOWETH the way that I take: when he hath TRIED me, I shall come forth as GOLD. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is APPOINTED for me: and many such things are with him."

Our beloved Courtney is going through a battle right now, "a battle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age..." Ephesians 6:12ff. Courtney is seeking after the Lord and His Word with all her heart, and the devil indeed hates it. He in turn is seeking to rob her of her joy. As you know, our COCO is currently in Wisconsin at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. It is -9 degrees today for her and bitterly cold. She has 16 hours of piano practice every week that she is required to do for her studies...not to mention taking 18 credit hours, orchestra, choir, freshman student council, and much more. She will be playing the offertory at her church, Brookside, this Sunday night for the start of their revival services with Will Galkin. She is very excited, but heavy at heart. There are those around her that would seek to pull her down with their words.

Please encourage her today by posting a Bible Verse or word of love to her on the comment board. We need our friends to show that we are "RALLYING AROUND" our precious sister in Christ.

WE LOVE YOU, COURTNEY. STAND FAST FOR JESUS.
HE WILL LIFT YOU UP!!!

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: HURRAY! IT'S SNOWING!

Job 37:5-7 "God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the SNOW, 'Fall on the earth';
Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man,
That ALL men may KNOW His Work."

The FIRST SNOW OF 2008: JANUARY 16-17
And Mercy's First SNOW

Frosty The Snowman Stops in for A Visit
in the Backyard of the Shumakers












Frosty Getting
His Picture Taken
at Papa's Office

It began to snow while we were at Wednesday Night Church, Tiny Trackers. We were teaching our K-5 class when I turned to see the snow falling outside the window. The boys and girls were currently coloring, but not for long! What precious squeals of delight came from their mouths as they pressed their hands and faces up at the windows to see the white snow fall. After Church, we went to Arby's for supper. The snow started really coming down. Emmy, Natty, and Marie could not wait to get outside in it....oh, and don't forget Andrew! What a special time of fun and laughter we had running around the parking lot and throwing snow balls at each other.

Snow Invasion at Arby's

Today we found the ground covered with a blanket of white...a very light blanket, but still a blanket....some rain too, but it stopped after awhile. It was enough snow to allow the girls have a Snow Day! We went to Papa's Office this morning not for the snow though. Mercy had stayed up the whole night previous crying inconsolably. We discovered today that she had a double ear infection...NOT FUN!!! Papa fixed her up though and she is doing much better. We shall see how tonight goes. She really was in awe over all the SNOW! By the way, this snow is nothing in comparison to our COCO's SNOW in Wisconsin. Saturday's forecast for her predicts a -9 degree low. BBBBRRRRRR!!! And for COCO...that is COLD!!! She can barely make it if it is 50 degrees. She is dressed like an ESKIMO...a very fashionable ESKIMO, of course! So to encourage our beloved Courtney, we made this little video clip for you! LOVE YOU LOTS and as Natty says, "MISS YOU!"

A SNOW VIEW FROM THE CAR:
THE FOUNTAIN INN POST OFFICE


DRIVING TO PAPA'S OFFICE IN THE FIRST SNOW of 2008





PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GIFT OF SNOW...IT IS A REMINDER TO US THAT THE LORD CLEANSES OUR SINS
AND THEY SHALL BE AS WHITE AS SNOW!
ISAIAH 1:18

Dancing and Eating Markers...All in A Good Day's Work

2Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."

Our little Mercy Rose has less than a week to go and she will be 8 months old. How this precious time flies with God's humble little treasures. Natty, Marie, and Mercy are indeed a great work of the Lord. Last week, at my morning lady's Bible Study, I learned that I have been given one of the Greatest Assignments a woman can have...I have been entrusted with 3 little souls to raise up to love our Saving and Wonderful Jesus.

Everyday that has been given to me with them is a Gift. I am truly baffled by other mothers who are so wrapped up in their careers that they can leave their little ones behind to be raised by someone else while they go to work. I may not be driving the fancy car, having the big salary, or buying all the great looking shoes and outfits I want; instead I have something even more great. I have the opportunity to invest in a SOUL which means so much more for eternity than all the stacks of paperwork on an office desk that will one day burn up. Don't get me wrong. Some mothers have to go to work. They do not have a choice especially if their spouse dies. In that, the Lord will take care of your little ones and He will take care of you too. Yet, if your husband works, believe me when I say, that the Lord will take care of the extra finances. YOU invest in your little ones. They are only young once. You will not have them forever, and you want to be the one that guides and directs them into the man or woman they are to become.

On that note, I should probably tell you the reason for my writing this title. Natty, Marie, and Mercy were playing today in their room. Natty and Marie had out their Dora Doll House...of which we have two...one we found on the side of the road thrown out and the other at a yard sale for $5.00 (with accessories). Courtney and Emmy had a hand in the side of the road one. It was right after Christmas. "You've never seen any two girls jump out of the car faster to grab up a doll house," states my Mama. By the way, it was pouring down rain too! That of course did NOT deter their mission.

Anyway, there are several buttons that make noise on the doll house when you push it. There is the radio button which says, "Vamos A Bailar." That means, "Let's Dance" in espanol. Well, Marie pushed that button and Mercy's ears perked up. She started bouncing, so I lifted her up on her feet...she holds herself up pretty well now with help...and off she went. The little video clip below shows her "Dancing Debut." I had to put the camera up on a shelf to hold her up and tape it at the same time, so it's a little off centered, but you get the idea.


As for the markers, they were on the floor in the girls' room, and Mercy found them. I turned my back for a second to find her sucking on one. I thought, "That's ok, the cap is on." I had to LOOK and THINK AGAIN! She had got the cap off all by herself. As I pulled the marker out of her mouth, I found a completely green tongue with green lips. She had colored on her arms and bib as well. How did my child get to be so smart?




I cleaned her up and let her enjoy playing with them a few minutes more under close supervision and of course with the caps on! It's All in a Good Day's Work...for a Baby anyway.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work"
2 Corinthians 9:8