I'm better than lucky

Since Buddy and I got married back in 2003, we have had several major decisions that we had to make.

Moving away from the town we called home to a town where we knew no one, but the job opportunity seemed like the right thing.

Buying our first home.

Deciding to start a family.

Deciding to try for a second child.

New job opportunities for Buddy.

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.....that a decision had to be made, we prayed and prayed and talked and prayed some more. Because every single one of these decisions was life-altering in many ways. Above all, we wanted to make sure we were making a decision based on God's will for our life, and not a split-second, after thought.

I have always had a knack for finding four-leaf clovers.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been able to find them, and fairly easily too.  When I was a little girl, I just thought I was lucky...that's what 4-leaf clovers are all about.

Now that I'm older, it's still pretty easy for me to find them, but I don't view myself as lucky anymore.  Now I see them as a sign that God is going to answer my prayer.

When we made the decision to move from SC, Buddy and I had been walking through the yard of our apartment complex. We were talking about the job opportunity and how it had been brought his way by a friend who "out of the blue" called us after months without seeing him.  We stopped and prayed that God would help us make the right choice. My head was bowed and when Buddy finished his prayer, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a four leaf clover! I still have it, pressed and in one of my Bibles.

We prayed about the decision to purchase a home, and later I took our dog Tillman for a walk.  While I was outside I found a four leaf clover.

And on and on and on.

Sometimes we prayed about decisions and found four leaf clovers and God's answer was YES.
Sometimes we prayed about decisions and found four leaf clovers and God's answer was NO.
Sometimes we prayed about decisions and found four leaf clovers and God's answer was JUST WAIT.



I found this one today. It's been a rough week at work as we found out there will be two teachers who will have to leave my school due to low numbers. On my drive home today, I was thinking about this and  praying about my job. I love my school and the sweet children I get to work with every day.  This job was another answer to prayer when we first moved to NC. I know that God will provide a new school for me to love, if that is the case, but I know He knows how much this school and these kids mean to me.  When I got out of the car to pick up Jacob, I just happened to look down and saw the clover. I paused by my car to thank God for hearing my prayer and making a way for me. I don't know the outcome yet, but He does!

I no longer see four leaf clovers as a sign of Good Luck.


I no longer consider myself "lucky" when I find one.

When I find a four leaf clover, I see it as a tangible sign of God's work in my life.

I'm not LUCKY....I am BLESSED!

Miracle on a Mountaintop

Yesterday I was checking my Facebook account, as I often do. I noticed that both my cousin Hannah and her mom had status updates that said they were at a hospital, thankful for good doctors who work on the weekends. My first thought was that my uncle had a relapse with his back. (He has an issue with his spinal cord that has rendered him unable to walk, but that's a post for another day.)

When I was finally able to get in touch with Hannah, I discovered that her boyfriend, Dave, had been in a bad motorcycle accident. Now, being a part of the fire department, I have been on the scene of many MVAs (motor vehicle accidents). Some have been as simple as fender-benders. Others have been much, much worse.

Dave had been on a motorcycle ride in the mountains and wrecked into a tree. Due to his location and distance from the hospital, he had to be air-lifted out. From the perspective of an emergency responder, this sounds about as bad as it can get. Amazingly enough, he barely had any scratches on him! No broken bones! He's been monitored and is already out of ICU and in a regular room! Praise God!

I know God has a plan and a purpose for everyone....and Dave's purpose didn't end on that mountaintop, as it easily could have. I've not yet had the chance to meet this young man, but I know that there is a reason he is still here. God wasn't ready for him yet. This story is just another one that proves that your life can change in an instant, yet before anything even happens, God is already there. God knew what was going to happen to Dave on Sunday. God even put that particular tree in the spot it was growing. And God left Dave here. Dave has a purpose.

Here's a fairly recent picture of Hannah and Dave. Please continue to pray for Dave as he heals and recuperates.

Ok, so I've just been a little bit busy....

I haven't been able to blog as much lately, since school has started back. I had a week of teacher in-service, workshops, meetings, etc. My students started this past Tuesday, on the 25th. It was an interesting week to say the least.

A little bit about my class:

So far I have 23 students in my fifth grade class (that's 7 more than last year!!). I say so far, because my particular school seems to have a lot of students who move throughout the year for various reasons. In fact, when I got my roster on the 17th, I had 22 students listed. Two we found out had moved, by the first day of school I had added two to replace those, and on Friday, I added one more!

Three of my students are refugees. They have come to America seeking safety and a better life, and the Lord has seen fit to place them in my class. One of the students arrived to America in time to be in my class for about 5 weeks last school year. The student who arrived on Friday is one of the refugees. These students speak little to no English but are as sweet as can be. My student who was here last year seems to understand more of what I say this year, as she was able to explain something to one of the other refugees for me. I cannot wait to see how much they will grow in knowledge this year!

Another thing that made this week interesting was Quinn getting sick on me mid-week. Luckily Buddy's mom was able to come and stay with us for a couple of days so I didn't have to get a sub on the second day of school.

Tomorrow starts the first full week of classes. I am excited to get into the swing of things with our official schedule and homework and grading papers and the full routine. Please continue to pray for my class and all that we have in store this year, especially for these three sweet ones who have a lot to learn. Pray for me as I try to teach 23 students, three of whom need extra time and attention. Pray also for health for my family, as I will potentially be bringing home extra germs (eww). I can't wait to see what this year will hold.

Hodge Family Update--June 2009

This is my monthly update on my friends, The Hodge Family.

June was an exciting month for the Hodges, mainly because some family was able to fly down to Costa Rica for a visit. Michael's mother and grandmother made the trip and they all spent several days together. They went to the Sarapiqui River and also did a tour through a rain forest. Sounds like fun to me! His mother also brought some fun treats from the USA, like Reese's Pieces, no-bake cheesecake, and Bisquick! I'm sure when you are in a country where these things aren't common-place, it's easy to get excited about them.

Michael and Amanda continue to take Spanish classes and endure the dreaded tests, while Alexis and Jerret go to a more laid-back summertime Spanish class, which is more like day-camp than school.

Here are their prayer requests for this month.
1. Language acquisition and retention of what they are learning.

2. Safety as they walk to and from school each day.

3. That they will continue to grow in their knowledge and love of the Word.

4. Efficiency of time management. While they have their homework from language school, they each also have assignments to complete from their mentors.

5. For the International Mission Board to be good stewards of the funds they received in 2009 from the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. (The IMB is the group that has sent them out as missionaries).

As always, the Hodge Family appreciates your prayers. You can link to their blog from my list, or just click here.

Jesus Loves the Little Children

On Friday afternoon I got a phone call. Given the time of day, I assumed it was Buddy calling to say he was on his way home. Instead I heard the voice of one of my nephews, Evan.

(Ok...let me clarify. Technically this is Buddy's nephew, since he's the one with sisters, but I fit in with this family so well, that his dad says he has 4 daughters, not 3! And let me go ahead and say that there are 8 grandkids all together. Six of them are the "older" ones, with Quinn and his cousin David coming in seven years after the rest. Evan is the youngest of the six older ones.)

Here he is. Doesn't he look like a miniature Buddy?


So here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hello?
Evan: Hey, this is Evan. Is Uncle Buddy there? I wanted to tell you and him something.
Me: No, he's not home from work yet, but you can tell me anything you want.
Evan: I just wanted to tell you guys that I got saved last night!

What an awesome phone call! Of course, Uncle Buddy called him later on to get the good news for himself. Buddy's sister, Fran, told me that after she and her husband prayed with Evan, he said "I feel like a bunch of rocks have been lifted off my back!" I guess even an almost-9-year-old can carry the weight of sin.

Please pray for Evan as he begins his Christian walk. Pray for him to keep his childlike faith in the Lord as he grows up. Pray for his parents, Fran and Brian, and his older sister, Mackenzie, to continue to help him grow in his faith.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

The Hodge Family Update--May 2009

So the Hodges have gotten all settled in down in Costa Rica. Michael and Amanda have been attending Spanish classes, while the kids have been going to school, and their son Jarrett recently graduated from K-5 kindergarten. They have a new “pet”….a gecko who comes into their house pretty often. They have nicknamed him “Geico”. They are able to get a dose of English now and then when they go to the movies. Apparently in Costa Rica, the movies are released in English, with Spanish subtitles.

One thing I’ve never mentioned about Michael and Amanda is how beautifully they sing. I remember them doing many solos/duets at my church back home for the “special music”. Michael has joined the Praise Team for the weekly chapel for the Adult students. He is beginning to be able to sing in Spanish, too. Most recently he learned the praise song "We Fall Down". (As a side note, we sang this song on Sunday. I was covered in goosebumps the whole time, imagining that while we were singing the song in English, the Hodges could have been at their church singing the song in Spanish. Isn't it amazing to know that God can understand us, no matter what language we speak to Him in??)

The most important thing for this month was that they changed the name of their blog. After much prayer and the call of God to serve others, the Hodges have changed their blog to “Seeking2serve”. This is based on the verse Mark 10:45 “…but the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” So from now own you can catch the Hodge Family at their new blog here.

Prayer Requests:
1. Language Acquisition and retention.
2. Alexis and Jarrett as they go to “Spanish Camp”, their summer enrichment program
3. Opportunities to share Christ, even with limited Spanish knowledge
4. Laura, their next door neighbor, who is pregnant and due this summer. They do not indicate if she is Costa Rican or not, but I assume that she is. They are unaware of her spiritual condition.
5. They also request prayer for “a love for the people”.

Thanks for reading this month’s update. The Hodges are grateful for your prayers.

Testing, Testing, 1..2..3

For those of us in the public school system, it is that time of year again. End of year testing is once again upon us. This is a very stressful time of year for me. I have spent all year doing my best to teach these students all the things they are supposed to learn in their fifth grade year, and now it is their turn to show me what they've learned. I feel very stressed as I walk around the room watching them complete their tests each day, knowing I can do nothing to help them. I can't explain anything if they ask me a question. I can't do ANYTHING at this point. Some students tolerate this testing pretty well. I have others who completely panic. And then there are those in between.

I know some of you may have certain opinions about public schools, testing, etc. This is not what this post is about. I am asking for you to say a prayer for my students each day this week at 9:00am. This is the time we will start the tests. Please pray for the students to feel calm as they begin the tests. Pray that they can remember all that they need to know to complete these tests. Pray for them to feel confident in themselves.

(If you choose to comment on this post, please keep it positive. Remember...I moderate all comments....)

Hodge Family Update--April

Here is an update on my friends, The Hodge Family.

They have safely arrived in Costa Rica! After being commissioned at the end of March, they returned home to South Carolina for a few weeks of fun and fellowship with family and friends. Alexis was baptized by her father, Michael! They were able to attend services at their home church and also do some speaking with various groups to help gain support. They even attended a service in Spanish.

They arrived in Costa Rica on April 27th. They will be studying at The Instituto de Lengua Espanola in San Jose, Costa Rica. They will be here for the next year. Michael and Amanda will be in Spanish classes 5 days a week, while the children go to school and learn Spanish in addition to their regular academic subjects. They have been paired up with another couple who will serve as their Big Brother/Big Sister. I thought this was a great idea. Who better to help you know what to expect than people who have already been there for a while.

Last week they had their Spanish Language assessment tests to determine how much of the language they already knew. They also visited the Costa Rican version of Walmart, Hipermas. Did you even know there were Walmarts in other countries? I didn't. You can read all about their adventure here. They also visited an outdoor fruit/veggie market and attended their first official church service in Spanish. The kids are pretty sure they learned about Moses!

And that was week one in Costa Rica. Looks like the Hodges are in for a lot of fun and adventure on this leg of their journey.

Several of their monthly prayer requests have already been answered, since they had to do with safe arrival in CR. The family does ask that you pray for the loved ones they have left behind in the United States, who they will not see for a long time. Also pray for the other 9 families that have also made the journey to Costa Rica.

To follow the Hodges journey, you can use my sidebar, or click here. They appreciate your prayers!

Grandma's Test Results

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a prayer request for my Grandmother. Today she got all the test results back.

First of all, the arteries in her neck have some calcium deposits. That's what was causing the "whooshing" sound in her neck. This can be treated with medication. PRAISE!!

Second, they determined that she has something called Aortic Valve Stenosis. In a medical nutshell, this is when the aortic valve becomes more narrow than normal, causing blood to not be able to flow like it should. The doctor thinks he can also manage these symptoms with medication. PRAISE!!

Finally, they determined after an overnight heart monitor test, that she is averaging a heart rate of 48 beats per minute. The average heart rate is 72 beats per minute. So, as you can see, hers is significantly lower. To manage this problem, she will be having a pacemaker installed next Thursday, March 12th. PRAYER REQUEST!!

We are hoping that through the pacemaker and medication, she will get her energy back. She has been increasingly tired lately, and with a low heart rate, and narrow valves, well, you can see why she has been tired.

Please continue to pray for Grandma as she goes through this procedure next week, and will have to stay overnight for observation.

Here is a picture (taken a year ago) of my wonderful Grandmother, so you can see who you are praying for. She is holding Quinn, age 10 days, her first great-grand child. Can you believe she will be 89 in July??

My entire family thanks you for your prayers.

Hodge Family Update--January and February

I’ve been waiting to update you all on the Hodge Family, mostly because their computer malfunctioned during their first week at Orientation! But now they are up and running again, and were finally able to send out their newsletter. So here is what they’ve been up to.

At the end of January, they moved up to Rockville, Virginia, to the International Missions Board Training Center. They have been attending classes and trainings to prepare them for the missions field. They have heard testimonies from other missionaries. Their children are able to attend school during the day while Michael and Amanda go to their different sessions. The family took a trip to Washington DC, since they are so close to the Capital City.

Most recently they had to deal with “SHOTS DAY”. Apparently there are several rounds of shots they all have to get, and as everyone knows, kids are not big fans of shots. So to make Shot Day more enjoyable, the kids get their faces painted. It must work because neither Alexis nor Jarrett cried!

Here are some ways you can pray for the Hodges:
1. Continued good health while at Orientation
2. Continued growth in their walks with the Lord
3. Contingency Training: will train them to deal with hostile situations while on the missions field
4. The 100+ children who are on-site, as they begin to understand the calling of God on their families
5. The directors and staff of the Orientation Center

Thank you for following the Hodges’ Journey. I know they appreciate all the prayers!

As always, you may click here or on my side bar to keep up with the Hodges in between monthly updates.

Prayer Request

I found out last week that my grandmother is having some tests on her heart in a couple of weeks.

Apparently she was having some vitals taken in anticipation of needing a routine colonoscopy. The doctor thought he detected a heart murmur, and wanted this checked out before he would do the procedure. So she went to see her family doctor, who also heard the murmur, and suggested she go see a cardiologist.

My mom took her to see my dad’s cardiologist (he’s had open heart surgery, but that’s another story). My parents trust the opinion of this doctor so they chose him for Grandma’s visit. Anyway, as he listened, he also thought he detected a “whooshing” sound in her carotid arteries. These are the ones that run through your neck towards your brain. He also thought her pulse rate was low, which made him wonder….if her heart rate was low while she is awake, how low does it go while she’s sleeping? So he made her wear a heart monitor overnight. We do not yet know the results of this.

He wants her to have an echo cardiogram on her heart to determine why the heart rate is so low. He also wants to do an ultrasound on her neck to determine what the “whooshing” is all about. Needless to say, the colonoscopy has been postponed.

Grandma is one of these people who "never gets sick." Sure she gets a cold from time to time...we all do. She is almost 89 years old, and is not having any major problems. She is the oldest of her brothers and sisters...and she is in the best health of all of them. She has had her gall bladder removed and a knee replacement surgery and did great with both of them. These procedures happened several years ago and she's had nothing major since.

She will be having these tests on February 19th and 20th. I am praying that she will get great results, and I’m asking you to keep her in your prayers as well.

Hodge Family December Newsletter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I will be posting pictures of Quinn's first Christmas soon.

I posted a while back about my friends, the Hodge family, who are becoming missionaries. I will be posting regularly on this family as I get their monthly newsletters. This is exciting for me, as I have known missionaries before, I've never known people in the beginning phase of missions work.

I just received their newsletter for December 2008. They have had their commissioning service and have finished up their time at my home church. They will be leaving in January for 8 weeks of orientation in Virginia. They have been packing and crating personal items that they want to take with them to Argentina. Due to many people's generosity, they have been able to purchase a brand new washer/dryer set to take with them to Argentina as well! That is a blessing.

They do have a few items for prayer.
1. Pray that they receive all their needed paperwork before leaving for orientation.
2. Pray for a smooth transition to the orientation training.
3. Pray for their kids to have a healthy adjustment to this new life.
4. Pray for the other missionary families going through the same trainings as them.
5. Pray for people to continue to give to the Lottie Moon Offering for Foreign Missions. All the money from this special offering provided by the Southern Baptist Convention goes directly to foreign missionaries.

I know Michael and Amanda are thankful for your prayers.

The Hodge Family

I've recently found out that a family at the church I grew up in are in the process of becoming missionaries in Argentina!

Michael and Amanda Hodge are a young couple who joined my church (First Baptist of Gowensville) while I was in college. They came originally to be the youth pastor. I had already "aged" out of the youth group when they came, but I was amazed at how many great things the youth began doing. The two of them really made an impact on the young people at this church.

Several years ago Michael became the Associate Educational Pastor and started getting more involved in missions work. He and Amanda have gone through several stages of interviews and meetings and have been appointed as missionaries. Tomorrow (Sunday, December 7th) they are being commissioned during a special service. Then they will head to Virginia for a few months of orientation, and then they will go to Costa Rica for about a year to become fluent in the Spanish language. After that they will head to Argentina!

Please pray for Michael and Amanda, as well as their two children, Alexis and Jarrett, as they begin to follow God's plan for their life.

Please also pray for the pastoral staff at First Baptist Church of Gowensville as they search for the right person to take Michael's place on the church staff.

To follow the Hodge family on their journey, or if you want to read the background of how they decided to become missionaries, or if you want to see what all they've had to do to get to this point, click here.

Picture credit...The Hodge Family blog

Prayer Needed

I found out tonight that my neighbor's daughter was diagnosed this week with breast cancer. My neighbor, Cookie, has several children, but Stacey is her youngest daughter. Stacey also has a young son that is about 4 or 5 years old.

According to her CaringBridge website, "On September 22nd, 2008, Stacey was diagnosed with “Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). IDC accounts for about 70 percent of all breast cancers. The cancer cells form in the lining of your milk duct, then break through the ductal wall and invade nearby breast tissue. The cancer cells may remain localized (staying near the site of origin) or spread (metastasize) throughout your body, carried by your bloodstream or lymphatic system.”

I've met Stacey several times when she has come up to visit with her mom and she is always so nice to talk with. Please add Stacey to your prayers.

Please click here to visit her CaringBridge site and see her story.