I Will Be In The Garden

Good morning sweet ladies,

I have more to share about Purses With Promises, but I will tell tomorrow. 

Last night a huge storm came through. Again we were only on the edge. My Honey said 1/10...........not enough to make a difference, but we never know what the Lord is doing with the little. He does you know? The weather is cooler. Very nice to walk out into the garden with it not being so hot. I will be weeding........it is truly amazing that the weeds flourish and I mean flourish!!!!!!!! We can see Genesis living itself out. Our Lord said it would be hard for the farmer, but I am thankful He is always with us. I have been enjoying all the birds out in our garden.  Watching them drink water from the hose. Quiet out there and very beautiful. We are really having to make sure all of the animals and poultry have enough water. They are really thirsty with this drought. 

Yesterday our daughter in love Tonya was out to get her new blog ready to get up on the world wide web. Tressa helped her with the design.......(she helps her family so much) such a blessings to our family!


If you would like to meet Josh and Tonya you are welcome to come and visit their blog.

Come Rest At His Table click

She put up her first post yesterday. It will be their journey on adopting their Vitaliy from the Ukraine. 




Just received news that little Ellianna cries much of the day. This is just a reminder to keep them in prayer please. Thank you from their family.


Blessings to your day,


Linda

Sixth Building Our Homes Together With Jesus!

Hello sweet ladies,

As I have been thinking over the last days about Building Our Homes Together I knew what I would be sharing. Sherry called one time as they were on their road trip to Joplin. It made me more aware of the sorrow of what some families were going through in Joplin.  Daddy's, Momma's, Grandpa's and Grandma's who all had lives that were one way in the morning and changed real fast in early evening in seconds. Homes were destroyed and gone. 8000 homes were demolished. That would change a city, but Sherry and Jim witnessed Hope when they got there. God was there working.  I can't wait to tell you their story. 

Sherry will be my guest today. I will have to break this post in two different parts. I took 7 pages of notes late last night as she shared their experience. It was amazing. I will never be the same. Thinking to myself Purses With Promises has just begun. We are praing it will go out into our country. Praying for other devastated towns with CHRISTian ladies in surrounding areas to pick up this idea of Purses With Promises and go with it. If there are other older ladies that have a little more free time who want to do Purses With Promises......it is doable. I am not excluding Momma's I just know raising children takes a lot of your time and don't want you overloaded. Anyone is welcome though!!!!!!!


As you will see the Lord was with Jim and Sherry. Our prayers were heard and He definitely gave traveling mercies.

Here is an email from Sherry to all of us, they got home on the 4th. Picture of Sherry and 

Forest Park Baptist Church 

725 South Highview 

Joplin, MO 64801

I will say here, people from the tornado are desperately needing sheets, towels and pillows. Families are living with others and if you can imagine each home and all their bedding is gone? 

Welcome ladies and meet our Sherry, (if you have anything you would like to say to Sherry and Jim, leave it in the comments. They will read and I will tell them to look)!


This is where they brought the purses. This church was not touched. Others were gone. God is using this church and has already. Sherry said that Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Grahams organization, had just left an hour before they got there. 7000 volunteers had been in Joplin helping. They had brought semis loaded with food and needs. I need to say, that when these volunteers go out........they see things that are very sad and will be in their minds forever. You can not have over 300 people killed without remains under the rubble. We need to be praying for them.  The volunteers were there to minister and help clean up. Amazing. I hope that they were there beings they are CHRISTians was on the evening news, I so hope so. She said that people are getting saved........lots!  Turning their lives over to the Lord for Him to start working in their lives. He will make a difference in our world if we let HIM!
Here is Sherry's email in the different font.

Linda, we are home now after seeing so much devastation - I wept most of the time for the lovely people who lost all they had.  The pictures just don't do it justice - you really have to be there to understand it.  Miles and miles of it everywhere you look.  Here's the first picture I'll send you - this is me besides our mini-van filled with exactly 250 lovely purses and each purse filled with a Bible, devotional book, and many other items such as
tea cozies, manicure sets, lotion, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Merle Norman products (not samples) from Bright Side Boutique in Highland Village, Tx who supplied over a 125 simply beautiful purses - most of which were designer purses - Coach, Brighton, Dooney & Bourke, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, Vera Bradley, etc.  Most were new and those that were gently used didn't looked like they had been used.  The ladies filled them with lovely items - some had new Prada Sunglasses - Linda these are $250 to $400 a piece.  And the case itself it probably $50.00.  How generous the ladies have been.  I know each who gave will be blessed in many ways by the Lord as these were actually given to Him and you cannot outgive Him.  

We also took 3 bags of sheets, pillowcases and towels which they desperately need.  I will be contacting companies to see if they can make a big donation to them and I need lots of prayer for that please.  

Linda, pls. tell the sweet, precious ladies that I so love and appreciate them all for giving to this endeavor.  It wouldn't have happened without them.  All the items and purses they gave and the LORD considers it a gift to Himself as He said "if you give to the least of these my brethren, you've given unto Me" - Matt. 25:40.  The world would consider these people the least as they now have no earthly possessions.  All kinds of homes were utterly destroyed - modest ones and very, very expensive ones - many over $1M.  But no matter the size or cost - each lost all the property they owned.   Just think over 8,000 homes destroyed.    

Also, pls. tell the bloggers "a huge thank you for their prayers".  We had one very close encounter with a big tractor trailor who also hit us at a fast rate of speed but God was hearing their prayer and somehow protected us 
by directing us to the middle where there was no lane.  A split second timing.  Praise the LORD and thanks to all who prayed.

Here's a view from upstairs where they put our many huge bags of purses - they will display them for the ladies.  This is the gym where they have set up a store for the victims.  They have shopping carts for the people to shop just like in a store.  Each person has to register and show that they had a home in the area where the tornado hit.  Then a personal shopper will go with them to help them select items needed - some don't want to take much at all and are embarrassed at having to take as they have not experienced being on the receiving end but always on the giving end.  We must learn to accept and to give - both are necessary.  Then each person is prayed for and the gospel is presented.  Many have come to know the LORD thru this.  

We had 10 big outdoor bags filled with 25 purses each along with the linens and towels.  We had almost no room for luggage and had to pack each a very small bag.  But we made do just fine - perhaps we don't need to take so much after all when we travel.

Here's where I am talking with Lori who is in charge of the receiving into the warehouse.  What a job she has and she was so excited about the purses - no one had given a purse before. 

This is Part one, I have more to share, but I will do it in parts. I want to get this post up so ladies can start linking . I want to say thank you so much for being a part whether you made the tea cozies found along my side bar), sent purses, prayed or  whatever it was you did, God noticed. Now other's will be loved. Sherry said last night that they are not going to set the purses out. That they were going to be used for something special. Maybe used to start a Bible Study or something like that. Think of it over 200 purses with Bibles in each!  The ladies are needing a touch from the Lord. I think the purses will be an avenue to do something very very special. It tickles my heart to think of a silly purse!


Please let me know if you want to do the Tea Cozies. We are not stopping!!!!!!!!!! If you have purses please let me also know that! I will get you the info. 

What is going on in your HOME?

First off PLEASE PUT UP THE Building our Homes Together LOGO on your post and link back to this post. Thank you.


YOU HAVE UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY TO LINK UP.


Here is how to link up

Use the linky below in four easy steps.

go to the bottom of my post and it will say

You are next click on

Click here to enter

Up will come this.

1. Enter a link to your blog post

2. Enter a caption

3. Enter your email

4. Upload a thumbnail

One more thing if you want to link all the linkys to your blog, there is a place that says GET THE CODE HERE.

God is using us ladies, we had 12 ladies link up last week. Precious! You are welcome to go back at any time and see the week before and click on the links. Wonderful information and encouragement as we Build and Love on our families for 
HIS GLORY!


He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you are who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The king will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matt.25: 33- 40

I will write more tomorrow on this precious story of one woman Sherry, one man Jim and some precious ladies from a blog, with a heart for God. God's name is being honored. We are going out.......sharing the Jesus.......right from our HOMES.

Love you all very much, 

Linda

70% chance of rain tonight. Please pray for us. It would make such a huge difference in our crops. My green beans in my south garden are crispy. Not going to work for canning. If the rain would come I could plant again.

How was your 4th?

Hello sweet ladies, 

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th. It was hot hot here in Kansas!!!!!!!!!!! We are tired today.  Our fundraiser didn't go as well as expected, but it was a start. We brought in $160, I thought it was 200, but we forgot to take out the 40 cash........oops! Anyway the family time was such a sweet thing. Working together.....from the young to the old....to bring our little boy HOME! The children worked by telling the people what we were selling. Adorable! Again, I loved the fundraiser ideas, thank you!!!!!!

We sent off this pict to the farm company that let us use their parking lot. They liked! It was really funny because they had this "huge big sprayer". We told them thank you, that we did a raffle ticket and sold it for them..........Bahahahaha........just kidding. Jonathan the owner got a chuckle out of it. Wish I wasn't kidding. The thing was worth 30 thousand. Give them back 10 and we would be all done. Heehee! 

Here is a fundraiser idea that someone donated to us. In case you might ever need an idea. Smile!!!!!  Take a puzzle, break up the pieces and put in a jar. Have the person that wants to donate take the puzzle piece and sign their name. After you have the puzzle all signed put it together and lacquer the backside. All the names will be there for  the child to see who was a part of bringing them here to America.

The 73rd Sterling 4th of July Turtle Race. 

Tressa took the pictures for us!

A big thing here in our little town are the Turtle Races. The grandchildren won one first, two seconds and three third prizes. It was so funny because they kept saying Stubbs, Stubbs, Stubbs.......... Josh thought they might band us next year from the turtle race! 

The Stubbie kids made a total of $10.00. Ian the grandson, who will receive Vitaliy for a brother put some of the money he won in the donation jar. He will never be the same after this experience!!!!

Thank you for all the prayers. This is a 4th we all will never forget.........Lord willing next year we will have another little American flying his flag high! Brings chills to my heart!!!!!!

We have 30% chance of rain today and 40 tomorrow........looking good...........PRAY PLEASE! 

Love you all bunches, tell me a highlight of your 4th!

Linda

Got some pic's from Sherry!!!!!!I will put up tomorrow! 

God is good!

An Old Fashioned 4th!

Happy 4th Sweet Ladies,

Thank you for all the precious encouraging comments yesterday. Your personal emails were also appreciated also. What precious true friends you are. 

We were at church yesterday..........I shared what the Lord had taught me about Trust. We were all studying the Word. We heard thunder........a lot of thunder. We left with it raining. Then we started Home. The rain line stopped before we got to the river. It didn't rain at the farm.........it didn't concern my Lord...........He knows exactly what He is doing. It should not concern me........I will try! Smile!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE HIM, who have been called according to His Purpose. Romans 8:28 

 I am sure you have heard this verse over and over. I love it. It is specific. Did you see the IN ALL THINGS? and that it isn't me it is GOD WORKING?   and THE FOR GOOD of THOSE WHO LOVE HIM and I know I have been Called According to HIS PURPOSES. I qualify to be called HIS CHILD not because of me, but because of JESUS. He knows best what THIS CHILD needs along with all His other CHILDREN. I can rest and I will do my best to do that even if it doesn't rain..............EVER! 

Late in the afternoon we went to set up for the 4th celebrations. Tonya called and said that they had received 600 bottles of water for us to sell. By the end of the day more bottles showed up. It was precious!!!!! We set up the tables and tent. I don't have time, because we have to get in there early this morning, but I will send more pictures later. The afternoon was spent with the  our whole family working together. 

From age 4 to age 62. It was a SA-WEET (new word, I have a friend that has lots of new words for me) time. People from where we work in the fall came and gave. Never would I have thought!!!!!!!!! God is building a new family for us! 


By the end of the day we made 70.00. Take away 20,000........a piece of cake for the LORD! Makes me giggle big time!

a peek at my fabric.........smile!

This 4th is a little different for our family. The one thing that stands out to me though is we have a "system that is legal" here in AMERICA. We can go through the steps our country has set up and adopt a little boy from another country and bring him here to America. To live with us. That is FREEDOM for Vitaliy from living in an orphanage. 

May God Bless American and may draw HER to HIMSELF. Now that is true FREEDOM...........but only if we have HIM!

Now off to a fun day with fam raising money to bring our boy home. We will also be able to see  the turtle races...........our children always had turtles..........it hasn't changed for the grandkids.

Love, 

Linda

It is A Beautiful SONday!

Good morning sweet ladies,

We prayed...........and prayed..........and prayed and watched the huge storm clouds go to the North and the South. It sprinkled for about 3 minutes. We could see the rain coming down...... to the South South East of us. I worked real hard at not being sad. Does that sound stupid? Maybe. We have been praying forever it seems for rain. Farmer's like no other occupation need rain and sun. We are so dependent on the Lord to give us what we need, to have a yield. What it comes down to though is  Will I TRUST?  The crops are literally drying and burning up right before our eyes. This has happened before and you know what? The Lord helped us then and He will help us now. It doesn't look like what I want it to look like, but His Word says in 

Hebrews 13:5 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. 

What a precious truth and you know..........He hasn't......ever! 

Blessings.........life! 

On a lighter note..........Tressy shot this pic of my ducks. They are beautiful.......don't you think? The one on the far right is the duck that I got an egg from my farmgirl friend Gail down the road. I don't know what I have as far as girls or boys. It doesn't matter if I can just get one girl out of the bunch. It was fun to watch them when the sprinkle came yesterday. They loved it. They didn't think it lasted long enough........smile!

Have a blessed day in the Lord.........I asked Him to watch over you........I know some of you have real heart breakers in your life.......God won't forget you........stay the course.........it will be worth it in the end............He promises us that. A lot of times the answers don't always look like what we want........He is still there working. I do know one thing for sure.........He loves us so much.......enough to give us a Savior.......Jesus!

Hugs from my farm,

Linda

On the Farm

Hello sweet ladies, 

30% chance for rain today. We drove around to look at the crops yesterday.........really sad. They need rain so bad. Some places are burning up. If we could just get some rain it would help. Thank you for praying. 

This morning we went out to water the garden. I have little patty pans and baby white pumpkins coming up.  You have to  plant the baby pumpkins now, so I can decorate with them in the fall.

When you are a crafter.........you sometimes have to be thinking about the season 3 months in advance. These truly are the cutest little things.

Another wonderful thing.......... if you have a garden in the same place sometimes you will get volunteer plants. I didn't have to plant this one..........A GIFT FROM HIM!!!!!!! I just have to water it. I have these plants all over. I don't even know what it is for sure. Looks like a squash to me..........whatever..........we will eat what the plant gives us!

I JUST GOT A CALL FROM SHERRY!!!!! They just arrived. She said the pictures don't give the devastation justice. Very sad. She said that the Hobby Lobby is standing........the stores next to it are gone on each side. You know that the man that owns Hobby Lobby is a CHRISTian man. I am sure he is thanking His Father!

She said that Jim packed the car all night long with the purses. They figured that they were worth about 25 thousand dollars of items. Amazing ladies. God owns it all.......He gives........then we can pass blessings on to others in need!

We are baking away our cakes and God has really blessed the water giving.........can't wait until we can start!

Love you all and thank you for being such faithful friends! I am so blessed!!!!!!

Linda

Purses with Promises........In A Car, bound for Joplin!!!!!

Hello sweet ladies,

First I have to tell you what the LORD has DONE! There is a lady that owns a shop in the Houston area called Bright Side Bags. Sherry went to her store a week ago to see if she would have any sample purses that would work for Purses With Promises. The lady was the sweetest, she said. She had a few, but she said that she wanted to do a special for Sherry. Her idea was to have ladies bring back there "Gently Used Purses and they would get 50% off their next purse purchase. Sherry went by yesterday.........now you know that they left this morning with purses in tow......I can see two little heads peeking out the front window and purses EVERYWHERE ON THE INSIDE! Hehee! Anyway.......the lady had 100 (some still in the plastic) purses........not only that.....they were filled with all kinds of things on the inside!!!!!!!!! That was a GOD THING (details, smile). Is that the sweetest thing??????? Sherry brought them home to add to the other purses. They didn't have Bibles.......... her sweet husband said, "well I am going to try something." He has been with the Gideons for years. He called............he was able to buy 100 more BIBLES..........in the purses they went........GOD IS SO GOOD! When He has a job to be done.......He makes it Happen. So this morning Sherry and Jim are on their way to JOPLIN........with Purses with Promises, 218 I think was the last count! They will need prayer please. I bet Sherry is so excited!!!!!!! Such a precious story......and you know you ladies were a part........but please don't stop now! They are continuing this until the Lord stops it. Feel free to take this idea yourself if you would like. There are other catastrophes and families in our nation that need encouragement!  

I just got an email from my friend Becky.......SHE SAYS SHE CAN ROUND UP SOME MORE!  Yes!!!!!!!!

Vitaly and Josh roughhousing!!! He loved Josh! It was so hard to send V back to the Ukraine. So close to bringing him back home!

Now to tell you about our Vitaliy for those who have been asking. It has been kind of mundane, just lots and lots of footwork and papers to be signed. God is moving and He really moved this last week. Please, please, pray for our family. Tonya and Josh had to get everything in by July 11th, remember I told you that if they didn't get all the papers done that they would have to wait up to another 5 months as the Adoption Agency will be closing down. Here is what my Tonya wrote me so you can see what is happening. Note, the lady that my Tonya works with, her name is Tonya also. Kind of confusing. 

I went to Topeka today & got the dossier documents apostilled!!  Praise God He helped me get there & back! :)

I (my Tonya) sent the dossier off to Tonya (the adoption person they work with) & she should get it tomorrow @ 10:30, then she'll look it over & forward it onto a gal that's going to Ukraine. So it will be in Ukraine next week to get translated then to the adoption offices before they close!!! Glory to God!  :)

Please pray for protection for all of the papers now. They are on an airplane right now......... on it's way to the Ukraine!!!!!!!!! We are so excited!!!!

So here is where you sweet ladies come in.........we need fundraiser IDEAS.  I know lots of you probably have someone in your life that has adopted, so any ideas are needed please! We need to raise 20,000 before October. Seems impossible.......not with the Lord leading the way. I will keep my eyes on HIM!

The Family Kitchen

We have some things that we are doing now, but we need more IDEAS, please!!! 

Here is one of our ideas we will do this 4th we are going to set up a tent and will sell iced bottled water and Cakes in a Cup! We started thinking about this last night. This morning we just got 250 solo cups.......donated freeeeee.......500 forks...........donated freeeeeeee! Yikes! We also have a business (a farm supply), that is close to the lake that we can use their parking lot to set up! Freeeeee! We are needing water bottles donated, so please would you pray that we would be having some donations brought in. Thank you so much. 

Just got on facebook and Tonya is getting donations and bottled water donated........makes me cry thinking of precious people caring about our family.........humbles this heart for sure! 

The girls and I will be making the Cake in a cup and will have so much fun doing so!  We are going to decorate the area real sweet! I will be going around the farm gathering galvanized tubs. That will be fun in its self! I will take some pic's for you all to see. We can't wait to start these fundraisers to bring our Vitaliy, HOME! What a fun day that will be. Thank you again for your prayers. You are such precious ladies!!!!!!!!!!

One more thing, I had a sweet friend write me on flag etiquette. As you are putting up your flag this will help to do so properly. It is a very good article. Flag Etiquette click here

Enjoy your weekend..........I will be praying for your safety!

Don't forget Sherry and Jim, please!

Blessings, Linda