Sunday, September 12, 2010

It's good to be back from a very busy Summer!!

Hello dear blog friends,

I've missed you!! To say I have been busy is an understatement. Summer is usually a time of relaxing and no busy schedules. This last spring I had no idea what I would be doing this Fall and no idea how busy I would be during this past summer. The best I can do to explain is to just tell you what I've been up to each month. Hopefully I won't bore you but it's the only way. So here it goes.

May - On Mother's Day I hosted a brunch for both sides of the family. It was so great to have everyone here and the weather turned out to be cool but no rain. My Aunt and Uncle from Missouri were able to be here and it was so nice to visit with them.

I had an opportunity to preach one Sunday at my childhood church 3rd Presbyterian. It is always so nice to go "back home" to be with those who helped set this girl on her faith journey.

We celebrated the graduations of our neices, Emily and Lindsey. I can not believe that they are old enough to be heading off to college this Fall. They are beautiful young women and I am so proud of them.

June - June started out with going to Des Moines Iowa for 4 days to attend the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. What a wonderful time spent with hundreds of people who love the Lord and want the church to continue to grow and do the work of the Lord. I also got to room with my dear friend Valerie who at the time was the Associate Pastor at our church but was appointed July 1 to another church in a community 3 hours away.

3rd Presbyterian invited me to preach 2 Sundays in June with one of them being on Father's Day . What a great day! I had family there that had not heard me preach and it was a very special day. Part of my message was spent talking about my Dad and what he has taught me in my life. It was emotional but I made it through and my Dad gave me a huge hug at the end of the service.

On June 22nd my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Our 3 kids had a dinner party the Saturday before at a local restaurant with family and friends. It was a lovely evening and meant so much to us. I still can't believe it has been 25 years. It has not always been easy and Dave and I have grown up so much. But as I said that night to everyone "I wouldn't have missed a minute of it". I love my husband more today then the day we got married. I love his sense of humor, intelligence, support, strength, kindness, faith and love for his family. I pray that we are able to celebrate many more anniversaries together. God truly blessed me with Dave.

At the end of June I had to say goodbye to my friend Valerie. It was bittersweet as we celebrated her wedding to a wonderful man and wished her the best in her new church.

July - July brought 2 more Sundays of preaching at 3rd Pres and also chauffeuring our son to Drivers Ed classes. We celebrated my baby brother's 40th birthday and spent some time with my nieces from Montana who spend their summers with their Dad (my brother) and my sister-in-law.

August - August started off by saying goodbye to my nephew Sgt. Benjamin Handke as he left for Camp Shelby Mississippi. He will be deployed to Afghanistan in October. He is such a wonderful young man who is very strong in his faith and a great big brother to his sister Emily. I am so proud of him and pray that he will come home safely a year from now.

Kayla graduated from college and we were able to finally go on vacation to my parents cabin in Minnesota. It was a week of pure relaxation and fun. I was able to bike, swim, kayak and walk each day. Dave and I got up before everyone else each day and took the dog along with a cup of coffee to the dock and watched the beauty of God's creation. I've said it before but it truly is my very own "sanctuary". It is the most beautiful place on earth. One week just isn't enough but I am so blessed and thankful to be able to have a place like it to go to.

We celebrated my brother-in-laws 40th birthday and I was able to preach 2 Sundays at 3rd Pres and my brother who had never heard me preach before was able to be there for one of the Sundays.

I had to say goodbye to my sister Terri ,as she and her husband and little girl Aimee moved to Spearfish South Dakota. I've never been this far away from her and it is hard. She is the mother of Ben and her other daughter Emily started her freshman year at Iowa State.

Kayla's soon to be mother-in-law and my dear friend Sandy, gave her a beautiful bridal shower and our computer room is now filled with shower gifts.

September is now here and I am busy preparing for my Thursday evening Woman's Bible study that starts this Thursday and the One Day Women's Retreat that is on September 18th.

I am still trying to find my dress for the wedding and it is less than 4 weeks away. There is so much that still needs to be done for the wedding and I just keep praying that God will give me the patience and calmness that I need. The one thing I don't want to do is to get all caught up in the details and miss the experience of my daughter getting married.

Thankfully I was not asked to preach this month. I believe God knew that it would probably put me over the edge.

As you can see I was not appointed to a church. I spent May and June waiting but nothing happened and that is okay. I have said from the very beginning that when God is ready to open the door, there will be no obstacles in the way and I will have a place at a church.

I am still busy with my ministry and feel very called to continue in Women's Ministry. I have even felt that it is the area God wants me to be in. I just wake up every day asking God to use me in the way he sees fit and to open the doors to make it happen.

So there you have it. My summer in a nutshell. So how was your summer? Anything happen that you would like to share? Where did you go on vacation? Do you have a special place where you feel God's presence? I would love to hear from you.

Blessings,
Jill