Hands. What do you think about??? My mom and I were talking about our hands today. I had a terrible habit of chewing my nails for most of my life. I had fake nails put on in an effort to break myself of the habit. Kept them on for 3 months, I've had them off for almost 2 weeks and so far so good, but I have not watched a movie yet. Quite a random fact but for those who know me, it's not at all random :) I remember holding my moms hand when I was little and she had the most beautiful hands. There was so much comfort in her stroking my hair. There is still just nothing like a momma hug! Just told Jeffrey yesterday that Grandma Panhorst's hands always smelled like bleach. My dad always told me to be afraid of any man with nice hands LOL I always envied (I know it's wrong don't remind me...) my sister's hands/nails. She has gorgeous long fingers with long beautiful nails. When my boys were young we would put their hands in plaster and make a mold of them or trace them on paper and put their name and date. It's very interesting to me how hands and feet mark our growth, how much we work, how we work... etc. Even the nail is a picture of health. If it's blue... well, that's just not good haha A healthy nail is a picture of a healthy person.
Here's what is on my heart... Psalm 63:4 "Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name" For me, lifting my hands to God is a picture of surrender, of giving everything to Him. It's a gesture of respect, giving glory and honor to the ONE who made my hands. What are things we lift our hands for? My boys raise their hands when they have a question, or they need help. We raise our hands in celebration at a sports game. We raise our hands in frustration at times.
Lord help me to raise my hands to You in PRAISE!
There is so much to praise Him for! My creator in such intricate detail, made my hand like no other. He made them for so many different abilities... the least I can do is to lift them up to Him in His name!

taking a breath

Today has been one of those days with so much in it that I'm not sure it has been just ONE day. May be that I'm functioning on little sleep and for some reason my body does not do well with little sleep no matter how much I try to "train" it. The Christmas season is in full swing, being out and about today reminded me how FULL the swing really is. I had my to-do list and I set out to get it done. With a couple of "snags" first thing this morning I was not sure how the day was going to turn out. In the midst of all the craziness God showed me a little picture of Himself once again. Our THIRD stop for the day was at Sams to get our tires balanced and rotated in preparation for our trip to Florida. An elderly gentleman was waiting on his car too. We scooted over and he joined us on our bench. He was quite hunched over, I found out later in the conversation that he used to be taller than his 3 boys and now he had shrunk. We just chatted about different things and then he says "my wife and I have an anniversary 2 days before Christmas" I asked him how many years, "65, I think we'll go steady" he said with a slight grin. I said "I think it just might last". Found out he has 4 kids, 7 grandkids and 5 great grand kids. He said "ya know, time goes by faster when you have someone to talk to. My wife usually does the talking so I don't have to worry about it" He did just fine though :) He had a hearing aid and the guy at the register was hard to understand, he turned to me and said "what did he say?" After I told him he pushed both of his hearing aids and said "I have my hearing aids on but sometimes it's still hard... you are distinctive though" I didn't inform him that I had seen his hearing aid and was speaking clearer than my normal mumble :) His car was ready and he was shuffling off... to DRIVE home... y'all be patient with those who you think should go faster ;) As he walked off he told the boys "y'all be good to her" Made me cry because we had been having one of "those" days... ya know the kind where teen boys think they KNOW everything... oh don't tell me you don't know what I'm talk'n about :) So fast forward, lots went on in between but here is my other side of the day... I'm standing in line at Publix and this cute little feisty boy, probably 5ish, steps on my foot. His mom apologized and I tell her I'm used to it that mine step on my feet more than I do. She laughed that "whew" kind of laugh. The little boy said he was sorry and I started talking to him about Christmas. Of course he was so excited about seeing grandparents and getting gifts. I told his mom that I miss my little boys... really I do haha She said she had told him she was going to put a brick on his head. He looked at me very seriously and said "I'd push right through it". I checked out, gave him a high five and a "Merry Christmas" and went my way (to eat my sushi) I sat there reflecting on the age span of these 2 blessings I had today. There were so many other little glimpses of God today that it is really blowing my mind. From 5 to 85... they are precious and they each have a story. I would love to sit and talk with them more deeply, such fleeting glimpses in to their lives. I pray for them! Thankful that God placed them in my path today... a day of really busy running and mommying and wifing (i couldn't think of a word for that haha) So now, I'm exhausted, yet I'm breathing a bit of fresh air (well... besides when Joe... well.... he's a male dog, nuff said) Going to bed tonight grateful! thankful! blessed! and.... TIRED!

hallmark moment

This morning (not bright... just EARLY) the boys and I were able to go help unload Christmas trees for an organization called Young Life. Actually, I counted as the trees came off of the truck, the boys helped unload. What a blessing to see so many people serving the Lord so EARLY in the morning... did I mention it was EARLY??? Let me just say, there were some STRONG girls there!!! They had finished unloading both trucks and we were discussing going to get breakfast (because it was EARLY) when the driver came up and asked if someone would sweep the truck out. Micah volunteered so I began to talk the truck driver. He was an older gentleman... 70ish maybe. He is from North Carolina. I asked him how long he had been driving. He laughed and said "girl, I have socks older than you. Have you heard of the year 1964? That is when I started driving and found my wife both in the same year". He began to pull out his family pictures and showed me how proud he was. One grandson has Cerebral Palsy and was 2 pounds when he was born. When we left I said "you have blessed and safe travels". He said "When you talk to the man up there, say a good word for me". Micah had finished so we made our way over to the Waffle house to meet with the others and eat breakfast... yes, because it was EARLY! A few minutes after we sat down the truck drivers came in. The boys and I ordered our food and we were sitting there eating. Shortly after, a soldier came in... now, I'm saying this for a point... otherwise I wouldn't even point it out. This soldier was a young African American gentleman. As this older Santa Claus looking, SOUTHERN truck driver finished his meal, he went over and shook this soldier's hand, patted him on the back and thanked him for his service for our country. I sat there and tears came to my eyes. Micah says "mom, if the food is too greasy you don't have to eat it" LOL I had to laugh! I showed him what was going on. THEN as this driver walked out of Waffle House the young soldier folded his hands and gave thanks to God for his food. I told Ross I felt like I was in a movie or something. He said it was a Hallmark moment hahaha THEN a very country man walks in with flowers for a lady that was working there. All in the span of less than an hour, at Waffle House and God blessed me in letting me experience these little moments even though it was very EARLY :) So, is God trying to tell me something... maybe I'm missing out by not getting up at 5 every morning... nnnnaaaaaa

"welcome home"

We are now back in the good ol USA! We had an amazing trip! Full of God-given opportunities, conversations, activities... we are very grateful!!! The people there are amazing! I really enjoyed the different cultures. There is a respect of differences because to a certain extent we are all culturally different. It is not "ok, that's just weird", there is more "cool, that's different!". I do feel like I've spent a holiday with friends and only God can do that with total "strangers".

Wednesday and Thursday were extremely busy! We celebrated Nate's birthday in London on Wednesday. We survived the tube and rail system of London. My favorite memory of London may seem simple but it will stick with me. We had been walking for quite a while and everyone was getting a little tired and ready for a break. The London Bridge was an awesome sight, but the boys were ready for FOOD (as always ha). Nate picked lunch since it was his b-day. He picked a little asian place on a main walk way through a financial part of town it seemed. We could see the bridge from where we sat. Sushi!!! super perfect for me of course. The boys chose rice bowls. They were very good... except for Nate. Although he has come a LONG way in eating different foods there are still some things he just is not fond of. I noticed he wasn't eating so I told him I would switch with him ~ yeah, I'm sacrificial like that hahahahaha the rice bowl, really was good. It just had some different spices in it that were stronger than we normally eat. Nate had 2 sushi rolls and then he was done. He didn't complain at all... I just noticed he wasn't eating much and I KNEW he was hungry. He didn't want to go get anything else because it is quite expensive to eat there. We reassured him that it was fine, we would really like him to EAT... especially on his birthday. Jeffrey took him to another little place where he was able to get an amazing sandwich and he ate ALL of it. He was so thankful. Just a simple memory like that... out of all the places we went... that one is special to me. My family, together!!! We ate outside and watched as the people hustled by. At one point when we were running through the tube system I hollered back at Jeff "it's contagious!" We weren't even on a time schedule but if you didn't walk/run you pretty much were trampled haha

Overall, we feel this trip was amazing in MANY MANY ways!!! God used it to give us information, friendships, memories and so much more!!! To see the work of God from a global view is an amazing thing and we were able to get more of a glimpse of that on this trip.

There is a blog coming about a near death experience in a big pasture with horses.... another blog to come.....

it's just too much ~ lemme sum up!

Wow! what an amazing trip it's been! I have tried a few times to sit down and type out some experiences and feelings... it just hasn't come out right. So, I thought I would try to "sum up". I'm going to attempt to hit some highlights of the days we've had here.
Day 1 ~ trip day, lots of airport time. Overall things went very very well! We were immediately aware of the MANY nationalities as soon as we stepped off of the plane. Arrived here at the base safely Praise the Lord! Our first walk in to the near by town.

Day 2 ~ Micah and I were blessed to lead worship for the IT conference. Very sweet time for us. Jet lag was hard to get through. Meeting new people, learning more about things here and abroad.

Day 3 ~ We lead worship again on Friday. The day is a bit foggy to me, jet lag hit me hard on Friday. The boys were able to play futbol with Europeans from many different countries and found out just how serious they are here about FUTBOL ~ NOT SOCCER :)

Day 4 ~ A day full of adventure (even though we set out for it to me uneventful and laid back haha) Our idea was to take the train in to the nearest village and just look around and get a feel for the train system. We made a tiny mistake and boarded the fast train which went straight to London w/o stopping. We had a nice convers with a young lady on the train who was very helpful to us. She was typical British and my heart went out to her. After finding the right train we headed back to our original destination, walked around a bit then headed back to Gerrard's Cross where we found a pub and had some WONDERFUL food! Stopped by on the walk back for some coffee. This was a really really good day of conversation with our new friend Melanie. It's amazing how God just puts the right people in our path for just the right time!!!! Even with her mistake... I love her :)

Day 5 ~ Sunday! We had the opportunity to go to a local church here. We took the mini bus. We had a great conversation with a gentlemen before service started. As I looked around I saw mostly elderly people but there were some children up in the balcony. The boys have been doing very well with just coming along for the journey. Today was no different. We filed in to our row as the music leader began to play his guitar. They had lost a dear sister in Christ just on Thursday so they were all wearing different color flowers in remembrance of her. It was such a sweet time of worship. I absolutely love hearing the body of Christ sing praises to our God. If you can imagine a couple hundred of British accents singing loudly in an old church building... it echoes, and it's beautiful! Some songs were sung acapella and some with guitar and keyboard. They did have a band but were in a time of just letting the congregation "lead". It was truly amazing! People just prayed out from the audience, or would just start a song. It was very orderly and very respectful and VERY sincere! The pastor is from Ireland and wow what a cool thing! He was not red headed but I think maybe he colored it... no, I'm totally kidding. He had the passion of what one would think and Irish Red Head would have haha A very timely message for us! The service ran late and no one seemed to mind... I know I didn't. Our bus was waiting for us so we headed back to Bulstrode. Meals here are a great community time. We've enjoyed meeting the different people here. Today we had a wonderful meal! We have tried some new things and some familiar foods as well.

Overall, we feel God is moving us forward. Clarifying, speaking through different people and situations. We are enjoying all of the cultural experiences as well as spending time just listening to God and seeking what He has for us. Tonight we will go to some friends house for "tea" (what we call dinner in the states). They live here so it's just a minute walk... very nice!

feel'n the love

We have had a day full of visiting with wonderful friends and wonderful family. As I was thinking about that I thought about how thankful I am to call Jeffrey's family "friends". I love being around them!!!! Jeffrey's mom is an angel and worked so hard yesterday, preparing so much wonderful food for today's lunch. It was all so good. She knows I like sweet potatoes so she bought them especially for me and baked them. She makes me feel loved! I know I've said it before but... I was born in to an awesome family who loves me dearly and I've been blessed to marry in to a family who loves me!!! How blessed I am! I posted a pic of the incredible german chocolate cake she made with lots of love!

We had such a great time visiting with our friends from the good ol days :) We are a few years older and wiser... well, ok, a few of us are wiser hahaha Can't believe we didn't get a group pic :( I did post one of Terry and Christy on FB.

We are in major mental prep mode for our trip on Tuesday. We have to make some last minute purchases tomorrow, wash some clothes and be all packed and ready tomorrow evening. It. is. almost. here. WOOHOO!

On our way to England

We made it to our first stop ~ Starke, Florida. Stayed up until about 1 this morning trying to get everything packed, re-packed, then OH WE FORGOT THE SHOES.... un pack, re pack.... repeat.... We did get some sleep though before we hopped up out of bed all ready to go at 6 HAHAHA NOT! we rolled out of bed and stuck a coffee IV in LOL We had a lil drama this morning before leaving but it truly wasn't a huge deal and in the big picture it is all good. Jeffrey has hopefully temporarily misplaced his kindle :( He made a trip to the church thinking he had left it there but couldn't find it. We shrugged it off and reminded ourselves it's just a "thing". Mother Dearest made us an amazing breakfast that sent us off in style with FULL bellies! She made fried potatoes, eggs, biscuits & gravy. She had some sausage from Cindy's pig that was a bit too spicy for me but the boys LOVED it! Hugged Cindy Lou and Andrew but didn't get to see the kiddos :( It was great to have coffee with my mom though. THEN we were on the road! We had Joe with us so we had to stop a few more times than normal but overall it was a great trip! I love traveling with my husband! We have the best conversations. This trip is pretty exciting for us but we are trying to stay "calm" haha We arrived here at Dad & Mom Thomas to find Mom T. made arroz con pollo... be jealous, be VERY jealous!

We are so blessed to have family and friends rid'n along with us on this journey! God has just blessed my heart through their prayers and words of encouragement! I have thought of the team from our church who should be in the D.R. by now. Praying they have a blessed time this week!!!

Thank you God for today! COME ON TOMORROW!!!!!!