Monthly Archives: December 2009

No Matter What!

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I am so grateful for the parents God has given to me. Every night, NO matter how busy we are, we have family Bible time! There have been so many times that they could just have said, “We’re too busy tonight. We’ll just skip Bible time.” But through their faithfulness to Bible time, they just prove even more to me how important that time is! It is such a special time that we have together as a family. We can enjoy some rest from our day’s activities while we learn from God’s Word!

These days before a trip have been very busy, and many things go unexpectedly wrong. We have experienced some sorrows, but the Lord gives us comfort. We have faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but the Lord gives solutions. Sarah has spent hours over the last weeks on support calls for computer issues. She has been very determined to find out how to fix her problems and has not given up until she has found the solution! The bus work has provided its own list of challenges.

We are so grateful for your prayers and request that you keep lifting up our trip and the preparations for it! I have been reminded at times lately of the verse.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Truly, everything we do will work together for good! I love how the Lord brings Scripture to mind just when we need it.

John has been a great help on the bus!
Joseph has did a great job covering the side of the refrigerator.
Joseph has did a great job covering the side of the refrigerator.
What a cutie!
What a cutie!
Mary sewing.
Mary sewing.

May you have a blessed new year!

In Christ,
Anna

Anticipation Builds!

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We are pressing on with projects and preparations! It’s so exciting to see the bus taking shape and things happening to prepare for the six-week trip. Everyone has much to accomplish.

The furniture is now being installed, so we’ll have pictures of that later.

Thank you so much for your prayers! We are truly grateful!

Sarah for the rest

We continue to get more snow, which is beautiful :-) ...
We continue to get more snow, which is beautiful.

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalms 51:7).

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Progress!

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I was gone quite a bit today between an “unexpected” dentist visit and some errands with Mom. While we were gone, the guys installed the carpet in the main area and the kitchen flooring. Uriah is looking so much like a home! Lord willing, we leave a week from tomorrow. It’s hard to imagine leaving in a week–but the Lord always gives us the grace to push through and get things done!

Sarah for the rest of the family

Its looking like HOME!
It's looking like HOME!
Jesse and Mary had been chatting with Dad.
Jesse and Mary had been chatting with Dad.
The Guys
The Guys

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him” (Psalms 28:7).

The Countdown Begins?!

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Nine days until departure, Lord willing, but who is counting?!

I forgot to mention that the bus was fixed and back here on the 23rd. The shop foreman worked incredibly hard to get it back to us quickly, and we are VERY grateful to have it back.

Joseph and Dad worked on laying carpet in the front half of the bus yesterday; it’s looking great! The big step this week will be to install all of the furniture.

Thank you for your prayers; they are needed! We are excited about the trip, and we are in prayer for those who will be attending each conference.

Sarah

The cookie thank you basket
The cookie "thank you" basket for the guys who repaired the bus.
The girls also made some cookies for a family-friend.
The girls also made some cookies for a family-friend who absolutely LOVES the chocolate chip cookies.

“The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).

The Blessings of Special Times

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The last few days have been filled with many hours of family togetherness.

Christmas Eve day, as is our tradition, we had a special time of giving gifts to each other. We like to set aside Christmas afternoon to visit the nursing home, and the rest of the day fills in :-).

Jesses guinea pig died Wednesday afternoon. Mitch had been his little friend for quite a few years. Mary surprised Jesse that evening with a new little guy!
Jesse's guinea pig died Wednesday afternoon. Mitch had been his little friend for quite a few years. Mary surprised Jesse that evening with a new little guy!
Decorations for the girls room.
Decorations for the girls' room.
For those of you are grandparents, you probably had a discussion as to what you wanted the new little one to call you. A little over a year ago, we tossed around some names, and most of us had opinions, because we were picturing our children eventually calling Dad and Mom by their "grandparent" names. Well, it came down to not being very original: Mom was going to be Grandma, and Dad was going to be Grandpa. Well, Abby decided differently. Lately, she's been calling Dad "Pa," and Mom "MeMaw," which we think is cute, so I guess it'll stay!
Waiting for Anna to get her new Leatherman to open my box :-) ... (Guess who gave it to her? You dont have to guess very long, if youve paid attention to posts and whom she helps a lot).
Waiting for Anna to get her new Leatherman to open my box ... (Guess who gave it to her? You don't have to guess very long, if you've paid attention to posts and to whom she helps a lot.)
Abby received a toy fiddle, which even plays songs. Anna demonstrated how a fiddle is to be played, and Abby watched intently. You could almost "see" her thinking.
Abby received a toy fiddle, which even plays songs. Anna demonstrated how a fiddle is to be played, and Abby watched intently. You could almost "see" her thinking.
A new family from Fort Leavenworth is joining us, and they came on Christmas Day. They have four children, and our dear friends loved hearing them sing.
A new family from Fort Leavenworth joined us at the nursing home on Christmas Day. They have four children, and our dear friends loved hearing them sing.
As I mentioned earlier, we had snow on Christmas morning. The roads were a bit interesting when we went out, and although the splendid combination of Dad's expertise in snow driving and the new tires on the Civic helped, it didn't negate the fact that the Civic isn't a snow plow. When we came to the last turn (which is generally cleared nicely) before the nursing home, we found out too late that it hadn't been plowed properly, so the Civic became temporarily stuck in the deep snow. Our car only had the girls, Dad and Mom, so we girls and Dad piled out (which made me very grateful I had decided against wearing nicer shoes), and with Dad instructing Mom, after several tries and us pushing, the Civic made it up the small incline. I had my camera with me, but sorry for not having a picture--I was needed to push ...
Christmas evening. Mark, our cousin, is in the middle between Jesse and Grandma.
Uncle Rob and Aunt Tami gave us cards with money, and just like last year, each card contained a letter, which was part of two words for us to figure out. We finally decided it said "Road Treat." Yummm.... We'll be sure to enjoy it sometime on the next trip.

“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalms 100:5).

Merry Christmas

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It’s a beautiful, snowy, Christmas morning here in Kansas! Dad took us out for dinner Wednesday night. We listened to the 12 Voices of Christmas CD set on the drive there and back. It’s actually a free download from Back to the Bible. We’ve been blessed by listening to the 12 Voices almost every Christmas.

We had our family Christmas celebration yesterday, and today will be a quiet, but busy family day. We will be going to the nursing home to sing and chat with our friends at 1:30.

Our hearts are full of gratitude for the gift of Jesus. What a special time to ponder this great gift!

Merry Christmas!

Love,
The Maxwells

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Ice and snow hit the Midwest yesterday, and when it came time for Nathan, Melanie, and Abby to leave, it was rather exciting outside!
Ice and snow hit the Midwest yesterday, and when it came time for Nathan, Melanie, and Abby to leave, it was rather exciting outside!
The guys fixed breakfast for us this morning!
The guys fixed breakfast for us this morning!
The family before breakfast...
The family before breakfast...