Sunday, September 12, 2010

AUGUST 3 - SEPTEMBER 12 An unbelievable 40 days



I didn't realize, until I just typed the title of this post, that it had been exactly 40 days that our life has been an absolute whirl of activity and WORK!!! This is a very long post, and is really a time-line for me to remember all that happened during these 40 days.


On Tuesday, August 3rd Mickey & a close friend of ours, Mike, began working on our 5th wheel in preparation to selling it. They worked Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. Then on Friday, the 6th, Mickey went to the VA Clinic in Tulsa about the incision from his chest surgery, which was giving him trouble. That evening we took our son, Marc, and his wife, Deann, out for steaks to celebrated Marc's birthday which had been August 2nd!


Monday through Thursday, August 9 - 12th, they worked each day on the 5th wheel. It was hard labor and work and very hot temperatures!!!! Their work was finished and the next week Mickey & I began to clean the inside from top to bottom, plus Mickey washed the outside. Again dealing with heat index temperatures over 100 each day.


Monday, August 16th, we made a trip to the VA Hospital in Muskogee where Mickey had an echo-cardiogram.


On Wednesday, August 18th we heard that our Pastor had tried out at another church on Sunday, when we thought he was on vacation!!! By the next morning, August 19th, we knew for a fact he was resigning as pastor of CAG. It almost knocked the socks off of us as it was so totally unexpected!!!!


On Sunday, August 22nd, Pastor Gary announced to the church that he was indeed resigning. We were broken hearted in the natural and yet in our Spirits we knew this was God working and not man.


On August 23rd, Monday, I borrowed a carpet shampoo machine from a friend. On Tuesday the 24th I worked from 6:30 a.m. until 7:oo p.m. at the Run-off Election and Mickey harvested his fall honey. On Wednesday we shampooed the 5th wheel carpets. On Thursday, the 26th we processed and bottled the honey crop. Boy, his girls (as Mickey calls his bee's!) did a great job and he got 5 gallons of that pure, delicious, rich local honey. YUM!!!






After bottling it we ended up with 31 pints, 4 - 1/2 pints, and 17 - 1/4 pints.


What a beautiful sight!!




That evening we joined others to celebrate the birthday of Cameron, a young man in our church.


On Friday night, August 27th, we had an Indian Taco Dinner and a Silent Auction as a fund raiser for a dear friend, Mark Bates, who recently lost part of his right foot to diabetes. Mickey and I worked in the kitchen serving and then cleaning up. We came home exhausted and literally fell into bed at 9:30 ..... BUT a total of $11,995 was raised!!!! WOW!!!!


Mark and his lovely wife, Robbin. Robbin is the one who sees that the King's Kitchen has the wonderful home made desserts each and every week.


The next day, Saturday, August 28th, our church held an Estate Auction which was left to our church but we were so exhausted we did not attend.



Sunday, August 29th, was Pastor Gary's last day as our Pastor and his last sermon. The Woman's Ministry hosted a lovely reception with cake, cupcakes, and finger foods for them after the Sunday a.m. service. That evening we had Charles Graham, who has a beautiful voice, bless us for the evening service.



Wednesday, September 1st, we are back at VA Hospital where Mickey has minor surgery to remove about 2 inches of the metal stitching from his October, 2009 heart surgery which they replaced with regular stitches. Our oldest daughter, Suzette, had surgery the same day, here in Tulsa. That evening at church the Board of Deacons placed the name of Steve Lee, our Associate Pastor, as a candidate for the Senior Pastor position. We were delighted!! Both that it was Steve, AND that the Board was acting quickly so that CAG would not miss a beat in our moving forward for the Lord.


Thursday, September 2nd we went to Jenks to visit our recuperating daughter, Suzette at home.




Friday, September 3rd, Mickey had an eye appointment at the Tulsa VA Clinic!!!




Sunday & Monday, September 5 & 6, Labor Day week-end. I spent Sunday afternoon and all day Monday thawing, skinning, cutting and slow cooking a huge 37 lb box of chicken halves that were donated by a family in our church for The King's Kitchen. I ended up with an ice cream bucket and a large size container that you purchase potato salad in of cooked chicken. We will be able to make 2 or 3 meals from this bounty. Sunday afternoon Cameron & Athena and their youngest daughter dropped by for a visit. We so enjoyed them.




Also, Monday and Tuesday, September 6th & 7, Mickey and I were busy preparing and pricing for a garage sale. HARD WORK!!!




Wednesday, September 8th, I left the house at 8:15 a.m. to take our daughter Suzette for her 9:30 a.m. 1 week Dr. check-up from her surgery. We stopped by Arby's and I brought lunch which we brought back to her house to eat. I stayed with her until about 2:30. It was so nice to have this one-on-one time with my daughter.




Thursday, September 9th, we set up for the garage sale which we held on Friday & Saturday, September 10th & 11th. On Thursday we also visited with 2 new couples who had called and inquired about our King's Kitchen meal. They will be added to our routes and beginning receiving the meal next Tuesday.




On Saturday, September 11th, I left Mickey watching the garage sale at 11 while I went to Wagoner to participate in CRY OUT AMERICA outside the Wagoner County Court House. It was a wonderful 1 hour service.




I got home at 1:30 and Marc, Deann, Oksana & Aric came out and brought us hamburgers and fries for lunch. We had a nice visit with the 4 of them and then Aric stayed with us Saturday night.


We closed down the garage sale at 4 p.m. It was successful and we praise God for that but Mickey says it is the LAST one we will ever have.



TODAY: September 12th!!!! Steve Lee preached his "try out" sermon at both the 8 and 10:45 services. The title was "Greater Days Ahead..." taken from John 14:1-14 with special emphasis on vs 12-14. It was GREAT. There was such an excitement during the entire service. After church Aric, Mickey & I met Marc, Deann, & Oksana at Delta Cafe for lunch and for them to take Aric home with them. Then at 4 o'clock we had an open forum at the church for the members to ask questions of Steve & his wife, Michelle. MANY very important questions (a total of 30) were asked and both Steve & Michelle's answers were so right on. The forum lasted until almost 6 p.m. All the members only were given a simple ballet with a Yes and No on it. One of the deacons opened the meeting with an explanation and time line of Pastor Gary notifying them on August 19th that he was resigning and our voting tonight.



The vote was taken and STEVE LEE was elected Senior Pastor of Coweta Assembly of God by a unanimous vote of 100%!!!! There is such a feeling of total unity in our Body and we are all excited about what God is going to do not only at our Church but in our City of Coweta.
Steve & Michelle Lee and their 3 daughters


After church we went to McD's for ice-cream, apple pies and coffee. Three ladies from our church were there so we joined them and enjoyed our visit.



What a Day - What a G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S Day.

I have to tell you though, I am ready for a little less work and constant activity for a little while!!!!! But time is short and we must be busy while there is still time. We are so thankful that the Lord gives us the strength and the stamina that we have been blessed with.




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Saturday, September 11, 2010

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY 2010 #11 - Blessing Basket

I had blogged earlier about receiving one of these blessing baskets that one of the young woman in our church had started and given to me. Then I blogged about passing it on to a young single mom in our church.

Well, I just thought this was such a wonderful idea that I got a basket and made up another one to start around.
Here is my little filled basket with the tag that reads:

A blessing basket

filled just for you,

with cheerful thoughts

and prayers, too!

Enjoy your gift

but when you're done

please fill it up

and pass it to

another one :o)

The reverse side of the tag reads: If you are unable to fill it up that's OK! Enjoy your gift and return the basket to Cowetqa Assembly of God. 486-3110 Have a blessed day!
The person I choose to present my blessing basket to, and start this chain, is Thelma. Thelma attends the Monday morning Bible Study we go to and she and I worked together in the Klothes Kloset at the church up until I quit to help Mickey with The King's Kitchen. She is a wonderful, jewell of a person.

Here she is with the basket. Betty, her co-worker is looking on. I presented it to her on Thursday when the two of them were busy sorting and going through bags of donated clothing at the Klothes Kloset.

I am posting this here on Spiritual Sundays, even though I had already posted about it on my blog the other two times regarding the first basket. I just think this is such a wonderful idea and wanted to share it here and hopefully many of you who read Spiritual Sundays will pick up the idea and get it going in your Church.



Please let me know if you do!!!

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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

FOR TODAY - The Simple Woman's Daybook


For Today... Tuesday, September 7, 2010






Outside my window...it is pitch black and night time.

I am thinking... I am really tired and need to go to bed.
I am thankful for... another successful delivery of our Tuesday's King Kitchen meal to 41 shut-ins.

I am remembering... why I love the fall season of the year so much.

I am currently reading... two books: When GOD winks at You by Squire Rushnell and A Place Called Heaven by Dr. Gary L. Wood.

I am hoping... My garage sale this Friday & Saturday will be a success.

On my mind... my part in Cry Out America at my local Court House on Friday, September 11th.

Noticing that... the weather report is on the TV my husband is watching.

From the kitchen... the dishes all washed and put away and everything in order ready for tomorrow morning.

Around the house... things are winding down for the night.

One of my favorite things... the Bible reading and prayer time my husband & I spend doing together each morning.

From my camera...


this picture of the many pints 1/2 pints and quarter pint jars of honey we bottled from my husbands honey bee hives a couple of weeks ago. Soooo good!!!


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Monday, September 6, 2010

PRAYER SHAWL #4

Here is my 4th Prayer Shawl. This variegated green one, prayed for as I made it, is for our youngest son, Marc.

These are the hands of the 7 of us at the 3rd Day Sister's Tuesday night bible study class as it was being prayer over there.

The gals at the Monday morning bible study I attend have also joined in this Prayer Shawl Ministry so this one for Marc was also prayed over by the 7 woman who attend it. Double blessed!!!

It took me only 29 days to complete this 4th Shawl. I've certainly gotten faster at them :o)

I am already working on #5 which will be a purple one for my 15th year old granddaughter. I had failed to put one of the earlier ones I was working on up when she came over and seeing it she said, "Grandma, if you're making one of those for ALL of us I want a purple one!" So!!!!!! Who's NOT going to fulfill that request?

I'm curious if any others of you out there are making these? If so, please be sure and let me know.

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Friday, September 3, 2010

A GIVE AWAY with a BIG purpose!

Charity at Life with the Hildebrands is doing a giveaway that you don't want to miss.

See the cool new way that you can be involved in helping those in less privileged nations. You really have to see it for yourself at Get Bridged.

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PASSING IT ON!!!

When I received my wonderful basket last week I asked the Lord to let me know who I needed to pass it on to. It was a hard decision!!!! I would have liked to have 100's of them because I have so many wonderfull friends who deserve to be blessed and are such a blessing in my life!!!


I had prayed about it off and on all day Wednesday and Wednesday night we had gone to church and were sitting in the pew waiting for services to start and Carrie came in and hugged us and sat in front of us, which she usually sets in another section of the church!, I knew it was her. I leaned over to Mickey & whispered it to him and he knew that was right.

Carrie is a wonderful single mom of two little boys, Ethen & Aiden. Aiden suffers from epileptic seizures.

Here is the filled basket.

These are the items I included: A china angel from my collection of angels. This is only the 2nd time the Lord has ever impressed me to give one of my angels to someone. A tall blue mug with a flower on each side, a handknit dishcloth, a counted cross-stitch cross bookmark, a little book "Peace" from The Fruit of the Spirit, a Rain Home & Garden candle, a 1/4 pint jar of Mickey's newly harvested fall honey flow, and some monogrammed notes with "M" (her last name).

My little notecard to her showed two girls on the front steps and read: "A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." Proverbs 27:9 The Message and my personal note read: To Carrie - I immediately thought of you as the one I wanted to pass this to. Your infectious, sweet smile and your friendliness are such a joy to both Mickey & me. Your faithfulness and faith for Aiden are a real inspiration. I love you & ((hugs)), Susan.

Carrie, with Mickey looking on, as I presented her with the basket.

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