Hey! I’m trying this out for the first time, so we’ll see. . .

“Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord;
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.”
Psalm 127

Lately I’ve been thinking about how blessed I am to be a mother. My kids are so awesome! I’m not talking about how successful they are with activities and things; I mean how their characters reflect our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has given John a heart for missions. He’s been on several short-term missions trips, and now is preparing to spend a month in Cameroon, West Africa. (And God is teaching me to trust Him more as I let John go!)

Sarah brings music into our home with her violin and piano playing–and several students she is teaching, too. She has been growing even closer to God recently since she and her boyfriend broke up. I am so impressed with her attitude as she meets various “bumps in the road.”

Rebecca is on a missions trip right now, with our church’s youth group and two other youth groups together. She is on her way to Victoria, Canada to work with some native people there (with Y.W.A.M.). She also has been growing into a beautiful young lady who is following the Lord. What an encouragement she is to me!

And then there’s Stephen. What would we do without him? (We’ve been at his youth baseball tournament games all weekend.) 🙂 I can see God working in his life, as he is learning so much. He is an active and also a sensitive boy. I appreciate how he talks to me.

Anyway, I don’t mean to brag, and of course my children aren’t perfect. I just feel blessed by God to have these kids. It’s nothing we have done or not done: it’s His grace and His amazing gifts to us–to J. and me. I don’t understand many of His ways, but I want to thank Him for my children, and for the special relationships we have.