Words can not express how much joy and fun we had last week during our time with sweet Hannah. She is growing and changing so much; developing her own little personality. She loves her cousin William and whenever he would leave the room and come back, she would squeal with delight. (her arms and legs moving as fast as they can!) We will cherish this time together. We love you Hannah!

your aunt Dondra

History

On wednesday night of this week, I experienced history in the making. It wasn't a cure for cancer. It wasn't the latest and greatest addition to the IPOD. It was seeing 92 people (2 of them are my sister and brother-in-law) be commissioned to be foreign missionaries around the world. As the praise team sang "He Reigns", each of the missionaries filed in with the presentation of the flags from each country and with an excitement I have never seen before. Dodie and Jake gave their testimonies of how God brought each of them to this point of surrender and obedience. They will take their family of three and be missionaries, be Jesus, to the people of Peru. As the speaker challenged each of us to be our own missionaries, I am reminded of the words in Acts 1:8 "You shall recieve power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth." How exciting it is to know that they are going to a part of something great. As the day ended, I was forever changed. I am proud that I caught a glimpse of history...the history of lives being changed through Jesus Christ.

Dondra

Celebrating Easter

As the Easter season approached, I knew early on that I wanted to share the true meaning of Easter with William. This would be the year that we discussed everything from Palm Sunday to the Resurrection. With the help of some great research (via the internet), helpful advice from friends, and wonderful books, we discussed at length the meaning of this special day. We read the books entitled The Legend of the Easter Egg and the Legend of the Three Trees. What amazing words and illustrations to show him that this isn't about the eggs or the candy but about the love of Jesus and what He did for us. As each day came and went, the closer Easter was. As we prepared for our egg hunt at church, we made a cake for the cake walk. William asked me "who is the cake for?" and before I could answer he said "it's for God and Jesus!" This is what it is all about. :)

Dondra

p.s. the pictures below are of him showing off his decorated egg and his cross we made on Good Friday

Teachable Moments

Last night as we were getting ready for bed, William wanted to read some books. As he looked through his bookshelf and decided what to read, I reminded him only 1 or 2 books. Much to my amazement, out of all his books, he brings me this small book from a Bible story collection called 'the First Easter.' (It is one of those books you get with all the others at showers and you forget what you have.) I was blown away and thanking God in my heart for this precious moment. Of all the books he could have picked, he picked this one. As we began reading, I was praying for God to truly speak thru those words and that in some small way William would understand what the true meaning of Easter is. I have spoken in other posts about those teachable moments and what a wonderful blessing it was for me to experience one. I look forward to many more...

Dondra

the season of Spring

This past weekend I attended a mother's conference hosted by Sally Clarkson. The discussion all weekend was about the seasons of a woman's and mother's heart. As I have thought and prayed about the different seasons, God has revealed that I am entering the season of spring in my own life as a mother. A time to reflect and start anew. A time to know and be content as a wife and William's mother. God layed some things on my heart about truly making Him known to William and I want to start fresh. Just like we get to start a new season of spring with new grass, flowers, and a new feeling in the air. To be mindful of those teachable moments and to let William know of God's beauty and love; to be proud of the season of my life and be joyful in doing and going in that season. I need to be excited about what God is going to do thru this time in my life and how each of us will grow. I was also reminded that teaching my child how to know God is one of the most important things I can do. All of my focus should be on revealing God to William thru his education, his play, his activities, his discipline. This is a very humbling thought to know that God has entrusted me with this challenge. I look forward to the days ahead and the season of spring. I look forward to growing and becoming like David and having a dancing heart. A season of spring is just around the corner.

Dondra

Life Lessons

We have been busy the last couple of weeks with various activities. As I look back at those weeks gone by, we have all been learning some lessons along the way. William has really been testing the patience of his mom and dad at bed time. For several nights it turned into this game (a game that I don't like to lose!) of him needing several things before actually settling down and going to sleep. Back and forth this went night after night. The rules were laid down and again this one-sided game would unfold. William (finally!) learned that these rules need to be followed or there will be consequences. I (finally!) learned that these rules need to be followed or there will be consequences. These life lessons do remind us that we need to be proud of what we are trying to teach William. Whether it is about obeying, telling the truth, and/or forgiving, these are the lessons he will remember forever.

Dondra