Happy Birthday, Anna!

This was posted on October 31, 2018 by Sarah Maxwell.

Our sweet Anna celebrates another year today! It’s exciting to see the Lord pour out His blessings on her life. Anna thrives with ministry to kids, and the Lord has expanded that. She and Mary are involved in a Bible club twice weekly for kids after school.

Anna loves to serve, and it’s really neat to see the areas she excels in. Whether it’s planning and shopping for Operation Christmas Child boxes (a huge undertaking with the number they do!), babysitting for a relative, planning out Bible club, or spearheading Saturday organizing projects, Anna is one incredible gal! Her energy rarely runs low; she just goes and goes!

Anna is also talented with InDesign (layout software). She’s great with the program and uses it for Titus2 and one of the brother’s businesses.

Anna, we love you and pray God’s richest blessings on you in this coming year!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sister!

Love,
Sarah

Anna makes it a special point to shop with the nieces and nephews for OCC.

I think this beautiful picture sums up Anna’s love for kids!
Here she and Mary are with all twelve nieces and nephews.

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:
let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
Psalm 5:11-12

Autumn Splendor

This was posted on October 29, 2018 by Sarah Maxwell.

Autumn has been at its peak here in Kansas the past week. Golden yellows, burnt oranges, brilliant golds, and ruby reds have blended together to create a glorious testimony to God’s creation.

We’ve enjoyed family times, walks and runs, time with littles, and work projects.

This past week has also been finalizing my book before it goes to press. I’m very excited to share more with you soon! I’ll have the exact pre-order date to announce shortly, but it will be about mid-November. God has been very gracious, and all that has gone into pulling this together is incredible!

Love,
Sarah

We girls recently took a great Saturday run
through downtown to the Riverfront Park.

Saturday work projects!

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
Psalm 19:1

Meet Up at The Apologetics Conference?

This was posted on October 25, 2018 by Teri Maxwell.

Anyone going to the EPS Apologetics Conference: Reasonable Faith in an Uncertain World in Parker, Colorado, November 15-17th? Jesse and Steve will be there and would love to meet up with you.

If you haven’t heard of the conference, it is Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday morning. The cost is quite reasonable: $49 per person.

Steve and Jesse have never been to this conference before, but the speakers look good and Steve has read two of the speakers’ books. Steve and Jesse are looking forward to their trip together and the conference.

If you are going and would like to meet up with Steve and Jesse sometime during the conference, you can e-mail Steve ([email protected]) and let him know so you can exchange contact numbers to figure out a meeting time and place.

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:13

Happy 8th Anniversary, Christopher and Anna Marie!

This was posted on October 23, 2018 by Sarah Maxwell.

L-R: Joshua, Ruthanne, Lydia, Daniel, Christopher, Anna Marie, and Elizabeth Maxwell

Happy 8th Anniversary to my brother, Christopher, and his sweet wife, Anna Marie! It’s exciting to see the Lord’s blessing upon their lives over these past 8 years. Their glowing family is proof enough (see above 🙂 ).

I’d love to hear from some of our readers who have been following their journey since their courtship and marriage 8 years ago.

Serving Jesus,
Sarah

“Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”
Psalm 127:5

Hudson Taylor, A Great Audiobook

This was posted on October 22, 2018 by Teri Maxwell.

Some homeschool moms seize the opportunity for extra reading using audiobooks. I used to listen to Elisabeth Elliot messages while I sewed for 1/2 hour in the afternoon. I did back exercises so that was another opportunity I had to listen to something edifying. If you exercise at home, you might be able to pay attention to an audiobook.

Now I listen to Scripture, sermons, or audio books when I:

Work in the kitchen alone
Clean
Do back exercises

As we mentioned earlier, Steve and I listen to audiobooks during part of our daily walk. We use air pods so we can listen to the same book.

We recently finished the audiobook called Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor. We have the two-volume book in our home, having read it about 25 years ago, and this appears to be a comprehensive, audio abridgment of that work.

The book was well written and engaging. Hudson Taylor is the founder of China Inland Mission and was a man of great faith and courage. He determined to trust God alone to supply his personal needs and the needs of his mission, never making any appeals for money or even letting others outside the mission know of needs.

Steve and I were blessed, motivated in our walk with the Lord, and greatly encouraged by the life of this great man of God. Not only does the book tell the story of events in Hudson Taylor’s life but the spiritual growth he experienced and how it was lived out in his life.

Whenever we can, we are getting our audiobooks from christianaudio.com that has a monthly subscription program similar to Audible. You can try the first month for free! They also have a family share policy for 5 family members to share an account name and password if those family members are dependents.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

“He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:
his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7

A Mommy Retreat

This was posted on October 17, 2018 by Teri Maxwell.

Our two daughters-in-law with school-age children are busy homeschooling mommies, each with five children. When GiGi went to visit my sister for two weeks, it was a perfect opportunity to get a retreat day for both Melanie and Anna Marie—a time of spiritual refreshment. The goal was to give them a break from their everyday lives that are filled with giving of themselves in service to their families, and for them to be able to spend a day quietly with the Lord.

Melanie had her day first. She took a suitcase with her that was filled with Abby’s down blanket. It was a surprise for Melanie. Abby loves that blanket dearly, and Melanie used it all day! Bethany helped collect Melanie’s Bible and books. She wrote a note and put it in Melanie’s Bible. She also packed her lunch in a cooler.

An especially sweet part of Anna Marie’s day was the note she discovered at GiGi’s house for her from her 10-year-old niece, Abby, with Scripture verses on it. Psalm 63:1 was one of them, and when she read that verse, she spent much of the day studying and meditating on that chapter. Also in her hurry to get ready and out the door by 9:00, Anna Marie hadn’t grabbed breakfast. When she opened the fridge at GiGi’s, she found breakfast—yogurt and cheese that Melanie put there for a special treat for her. Anna Marie told me that Melanie didn’t even know those were two of her favorite treats.

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri