Rejoicing Over Them

"Let's dress like twins for church!"

These two have been our reason to celebrate this weekend! June 21 was Jedidiah's 7th spiritual birthday and June 22 was Adam's 6th birthday. Essentially these days promised to be as normal as any other day, except for the fact that I made some extra treats, bought some gifts and prepared mentally for a day of pouring life and love into them. In the midst of the busyness of life I looked forward to carving out precious moments to celebrate these two mighty men.

Unfortunately, Friday dawned with a heaviness in my spirit ... the events of the previous day had tucked me into bed with a restless mind.  Oh I tried to lay it all down, tried to set my mind on things above and tried to grasp His perfect peace that passes understanding.  However, I awoke with a turmoil in my spirit. I grudgingly prepared breakfast and rushed out the door by 7:30 for a doctor appointment with Jedidiah.  En route, he confessed something in attempt to make right the wrong. This was the issue causing my heaviness that had me questioning the validity of my love as a parent. My thoughts ... "If I only love him when he does good and obedient things, do I really love him at all? Why can't he just be obedient, unselfish and compliant?"  These questions had my mind swirling with doubt, fear and uncertainty about my parenting and questioning my ability to fulfill The Call. As I stopped for gas, Johnny our gas attendant, whom I'm fairly certain is an angel, greeted me with his usual smile and affirmation.  Upon seeing my tears, he quietly turned around and continued the fill up process. As he returned my card, he looked me straight in the eye and with a boldness and confidence in his spirit, he said, "Woman of God, He has a perfect plan for this and He has called you AND your family here!" Tears freeing my turmoiled spirit and Jedidiah's confession redirected our route to the doctor. Instead, I pulled to the roadside and asked him to talk about it. As my anger of said situation faded and sadness filled its place, we began to weep together for our hopeless humanness. His confession and explanation brought to reality some issues for both of us that go deep.

Fast forward 48 hours ... Adam's successful celebratory day of turning 6 safely tucked away in the scrapbook for another year ... and Father opens my heart to read from Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord will rejoice over you with singing." This comes in the context of Israel's choice to keep on sinning and Father's choice to forgive and love ... I picture in my mind one of those parenting moments of gazing upon His hopelessly human child with eyes full of compassion and a tenderness in His heart that no matter what, He loves them ... irregardless to their choice to sin. I mean, can you even imagine the intensity of those eyes? ... I would love to conclude this by saying I "rejoiced over Jedidiah with singing". Instead I'll conclude with this ... As I learn to keep my eyes on HIM, He's helping me to see through His eyes. Rejoicing in the journey ...

Confession ... Tears ... He's rejoicing over us!

Life on the Mountain
Preparing, organizing and getting ready to receive our students back from outreach this week ... a few Doctor visits to get to the bottom of these colds ... Celebrating and rejoicing over these two mighty men ... Feeling His gaze and hearing Him sing over us!

Praises
Doctor Carla at Cedcas
Heart connections with our neighbors
Words of hope from Father delivered through human vessels

Prayers
We travel to PA for 2 weeks this Saturday, pray for health, strength and peace
Complete healing for my back and colds
Sound sleep as we prepare for things to continue here while we're away for two weeks

Remembering his decision 7 years ago and 

celebrating his choice to follow The Giver of life!

Adam celebrating with his school friends! ...

So much energy and excitement over a 

chocolate chip cookie cake!

Chocolate cupcakes, peanut butter icing and ...

His best buddies and partners in crime!

Thank you Grandparents! ... 

Trucks and cars make his heart happy!

A rolling backpack and ...

Hand-me-down, camo, dress up, play set from Joseph ... 

yup, it's 12 years old and almost good as new!

I would say that's a good Mennonite except that it's army fatigues! 

Faithful Devotion

Eagles and Phillies in one outing!

Those of you who know him can attest to his devotion to his beloved Phillies and Eagles! Whether they're winning the Super Bowl or on the worst loosing streak of their career, his faithful support is unwavering. Without a doubt, his devotion to these two hometown teams is nothing and pales in comparison to his devotion and love for his Creator, our Mighty Men, and yours truly.  He has rejoiced in Father's favor, walked victoriously trampling the enemy of lies, and he has walked though the depths of to many barren valleys in his young life. However, through it all, even in the 'wondering', he's kept his eyes on The Sustainer of life. Even though questions and doubts arose, his faith never wavered. Quite dimply, he is the steady, stable Mennonite boy I never wanted to marry ... but am eternally grateful I did! Through it all, he's taught us faithfulness, devotion and how to stand on The Rock when ones strength is crumbling beneath ones own feet. He has taught us where his true devotion lies. Today, we honor the life changing work Father continues to cultivate in him. Today, we honor him as the seed bearer for our 6 Mighty Men. Today, we humbly bow before the throne of grace thanking our Heavenly Father for this incredible gift of an earthly father we have been given to share life with. Happy Father's Day sweetheart, we love you!

Micah 5:4-5 Daryl will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And, we will live securely, for HIS greatness will reach the ends of the earth and HE will be our peace!

Psalm 40:1-4 Daryl waited patiently for the Lord; HE turned to Daryl and heard his cry ... HE lifted Daryl ... HE set Daryl's feet on a rock ... HE put a new song in Daryl's mouth ... Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

He is a gift ... Celebrating life in his spirit ... Mennonite boy, my dream come true!

Life on the Mountain

Welcoming Tonio y Meli to our family for base maintenance and cooking! ... unfortunately 1/2 of us have joined the ranks of colds, coughs and ear infections that seem to be plaguing the world around us ... Jedi had fun participating in a political party at school as possible VP, unfortunately they didn't win ... Our older 3 enjoyed a night exploring at Martin and Dolores' and had the fun of mowing their lawn, planting a garden and cleaning up using the wood chipper ... Daryl and I enjoyed a quiet evening movie and peaceful alone time snuggles with Adam ... Attempting to organize our work duties for the next month as we plan for 2 weeks in PA ... Blessed to celebrate the gift of Fathers, eternally grateful for the incredible blessing Father chose for us!

Praise

Life in Daryl's spirit

Sharing life with our fathers even though we're not physically with them

We have a vehicle for both stints in PA

Tonio and Meli arrived safely from Honduras

Extra days for M & J to finish school

Library shelves built by Pop Diener

Prayers

Organizing our roles to make life flow smoothly while we're gone

Complete physical healing for our family, back, colds, ears.

Fostering intimacy with Father when life is a whirlwind around us

For our 6 teams of 30 students on outreach to finish well

"Random" physical ailments of our leadership team and staff ... we believe in HIS miraculous touch!

Liz, Manu, Declan & Sara as they serve in Turkey

Boldness to plant and patience to nurture

"Vote for PAP!" ... Political party for elementary grades!

Community time ...
Baking cookies and cupcakes and making milkshakes!

He was itchin to get his hands on some wheels ... 

Greeting church friends on Father's Day ...
My baby all grown up!

Proud Mama moment ...
God given talents and a willingness to share them!

Yes, he sat through 3 hours of a noisy school celebration ...
Now that's fatherly love!

 A few Father's day throwbacks ...

True devotion ... he carried me to and from the water EVERYDAY so I didn't have to 'crutch' across the sand!

 Never to young to learn ... Adam

 Proud Grandpa ... A full quiver!

 Too cute to resist ...

Then ...

and Now

If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24

Acknowledging Him

Acknowledging HIS gift of music in this One

I have been arguing and debating with God these past two weeks. Well, maybe I was just being stubborn and not wanting to obey what He was asking me to do. Of course I've succumbed to His request, willingly, I might add. I had told Father that I would share this 'thing' two weeks ago when I got out of the hospital. However, the delicacy of this holy moment seemed almost too sacred, something I wanted to ponder and guard in my heart reflecting on the impact it had on my spirit. And ... perhaps I was a bit fearful and didn't want to diminish the impact of their words by uniting them to the public world of my Blog. A sweet friendship has been growing and I don't want to alter or affect the impact of their openness that has come by their acknowledging Him. Quite certainly this is an answer to the prayers and petitions of the saints.  The reality of it is, this is all because of HIS GRACE. None of my urging, pleading, begging, inviting, sharing or coercing could draw these comments from them. It has everything to do with the impact Father is having on their spirits. The beauty of him acknowledging HIM in his own simple way!

Acknowledge: "Accept or admit the existence or truth of, recognize the fact or importance or quality of." This is really quite simple. By acknowledging God, He starts to take residence in ones mind as you contemplate, ponder and consider.

As I pondered this encounter, Father gave me this picture that acknowledging Him is a bit like pebbles being washed over by the changing tides. These stones had some rough edges, but with time, the water is changing their exterior and giving way to something beautiful inside. In some ways, I see our lifestyle and choices as being like this water washing over the rough edges of those we share life with ... a.k.a. neighbors. Those people who live close enough to hear us argue, yell and fight and close enough to see that our lifestyle is different from the world they grew up in.

Upon returning from my recent hospital stay, 'they' were here to welcome us home. It's never a chance meeting, we live in the same 'compound' and interact daily as we come and go. The interaction that transpired next was a profound Holy Spirit encounter that left me feeling like I should take my flip flops off as I was standing on holy ground. It rolled off his tongue as though he were casually asking me how my day was. With a hint of nervousness perhaps because it's not his usual vocabulary, he simply stated ... "I don't talk to God, I don't have a relationship with Him. And because of this, when I do say something to Him, I think He listens ... I talked to Him about you."

And that was that, he handed me a small 'get well' gift and walked away leaving me speechless. In my feeble attempted to utter my thanks and appreciation his wife gave me a sweet smile clearly as surprised and speechless as I was. Without hesitation, I would walk through every second of this humbling and excruciating back pain to hear his acknowledgement of HIS presence again.

He promises ... Isaiah 35:2 They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God! 

Acknowledgment ... Seeds planted every day ... The purpose of my pain

Life on the Mountain
Where has this week gone ... Saying goodbye for a few months to some dear friends ... The week started with a bit of anxiety for me regarding kitchen/cook issues ... Father took care of the details as everyone pitched in ... Dressing up for a date night in support of our Turkey mission team ... Proud parent moment watching Jedi perform for the school Arts Festival ... Blessed to receive care from a chiropractor friend ... Last day of home school co-op, blessed by time to share our hearts and laugh together ... Saturday was a day to catch up at home and enjoy some reading and rest ... Today Father provided the perfect afternoon for Family photo shoot laughter with Evan (the boys were not as happy about this as Mama was) ... Looking for opportunity to acknowledge His presence in the normalcy of our days!

Praises
*We’re feeling connected and called to be the steady-stable for those whose lives are changing in monumental ways ... a.k.a ... We are reappointing with EMM to serve at VidaNet for a 4-year term!
Look for details in our soon to be released newsletter.

*We have a vehicle for our two stints in PA!
*Nellie is well enough to return to school and church
*Dr. Abbott, a Godly chiropractor whose skills are helping to alleviate my back pain
*Jedidiah's boldness to enter the school art festival by playing guitar and singing  ... see our FB page https://www.facebook.com/dnjhoover

Prayers
*Complete healing for: my back, Delynn's hip, Gloria's elbow
*Parenting Jedidiah
*Salvation for our neighbors
*Housing for fall home leave
*Turkey Mission team, pray for opportunities to share His love
*Brotherly love ... to put each other's feelings before ones own
*Adam to be a positive example and not a follower for his little playmates
*Safe travels for many
VidaNet staff coming and going this next week
*Surrender and complete obedience to those inner nudges

Turkey Mission team ...
Ready to take HIS love to a Syrian refugee camp 

When the cook (a.k.a. me!) leaves her phone 'lying around' ...

"Baby Shark do do ..."

When Mama remembers last minute ...
 "Tomorrow I have to dress like something under the water!"

Playing house with Pipo during an afternoon downpour ...
He stopped shaking!

Delicious date night ... It's fun to dress up ... 

Hiding the spot I slopped on my dress : )  

Feeling fancy with my girl Kara! ...

Grapes and almost as good as homemade Strawberry Jelly ... Acknowledging HIS gifts! 

Oh this boy ...
"Take a picture of me like I'm in a magazine!"

Patience Mama, patience ...
How's this for our new prayer cards?!
Would you prayerfully consider supporting this crazy crew?

His Glory in Gray Hair

Drying out after the downpour! 

Remember when we were young and ... dumb? How about young and invincible? Perhaps it doesn't sound as foolish to say young and never thinking of getting old? Young and able to run miles without pain, strain or fear of tomorrow? Never giving thought to the effects of those cheesy fries at midnight or the suns golden rays a noontime! Oh I'm sure we thought about 'in years to come' because of mother's warnings. But we felt invincible, never fearing age, gray hair or a diminishing waistline. If 5 pounds were gained today, they could be lost tomorrow. If gray hair sprang to attention, there were no wrinkles to accompany it and thus it was plucked from existence with peals of laughter! Bare with me, this is an issue near and dear to my heart ...

My body isn't full proof, it's human. I'm not meant to keep this body for eternity, no need to be attached it it, right? Choosing to believe in the fallacy that I'll have it forever is like thinking my pre-child waistline will return when my years of being the barer of life are completed. The truth is, no amount of 'whatever' will bring my waistline back, hide the wrinkles and gray or erase the years of carefree living in my younger years. I don't want to get old. Mature, wise and full of grace and beauty of course, but old, NO way! I'm having a hard time coming to grips with these changes in my body while reflecting on the truth that I am made in His image ... I know, pride right?

Without question, my hearts desire is to represent HIS image to those around me. To be full of His heart and love with a self confidence in my changing body that can only come from reveling in the fact that I am His beloved! But the truth is, I really struggle with representing His image with gray hair, wrinkles and a 'larger than before' waistline. His gentle prompting is sort of a step beyond His grace being sufficient for me. In my weakness He is strong. He knows my struggle, but more that that, He knows my heart. I can only hope that in sharing this weakness, He will in one form or another, be made strong, His glory will be revealed. If we are created in His image, He quite possibly could have gray hair, wrinkles and a waistline that denotes giver of life. I'm pretty sure He's laughing at that one ... Perhaps it's better to focus on being made in the image of His heart ... When people see me, am I an image bearer of the Savior of my soul or an image bearer of the society in which He's planted me?

Maturing body ... My heart belongs to Him ... Reflecting His glory through gray hair

Life on the Mountain

Mimi and Pop-pop returned from celebrating their 50th anniversary to spend 2 more weeks with us ... An unexpected lunch date and laughter with church friends ... another ER visit this time due to intense back pain revealing a inactive tumor on my spinal column ... never fear, Mimi is here! She took care of the house and boys while pop-pop built book shelves and played with the boys ... Friday family night, hot dogs, macc n cheese and Little House on the Prairie ... Making memories from a Saturday afternoon down pour and s'mores over the grill with Martin and Dolores ... Girls night, guys night and Golf ... Enjoying the delicacy of Applebees with Mimi and Pop-pop ... Extended Family Wii time ... Praying for healing and receiving prayer ... Reflecting on His image. 

Praises
Mimi and Pop-pop in Costa Rica and safe return to PA
Doctors who patiently explain what's going on and answer my myriad of questions
Holy Spirit encounters
Byron's creativity in cooking
Time spent with Adam's school buddy and his mom
Soccer Saturday

Prayers
Complete healing for: my back, Delynn's hip, Gloria's elbow
Parenting Jedidiah
Healing for Nellie
Discernment for time in PA
Couple coming for Honduras for Cook and Maintenance
Housing and vehicle for fall Home leave

Surprise lunch at Smash Burger ...
Really, they didn't have enough food at the fellowship meal!

Acting out the Crucifixion ... train em' while they're young!

First lost tooth ... "It didn't even hurt mom!"

,

The gift of free golf clubs and a buddy to golf with! 

Checking out the sights near and far

It really was sudden! ... 

When you can't run for safety ...

Lincoln Logs ... remembering my childhood!

One final pic ...
Joseph is as tall as Mimi, her hair is just puffier!

Pale yellow hospital gown ...
Little things that make me happy!

It was time for a new hammock ...
Pop pop needed a place to read and rest! 

One of Pop-pop's projects

Extended family Wii time ...

Date night with the older two ... Cinnabon!

Finding a school buddy while playing Futbol!

Adam was proud to wear a hand-me-down ...
from 11 years ago!

Throwback to show when the "hand-me-down"
was first worn by Micah!