Happy Birthday Mercy!

Happy 1st Birthday to our precious little Mercy Faye Carolyn. Today March 19th at 10:06 a.m. after 17 hours of labor and the cord around her neck the Lord brought her safely to us. My normal labor time ranges around 6 hours so this labor was certainly unusual for me. The midwife thought the cord around her neck is what prolonged it. We have had such joy with this little girl this year.

The children arrived shortly after her birth from some friends house down the road. Hosanna was the first one to hold her. Joel was pushing his way through to see his new baby sister. With bright eyes and a cheerful smile he had his first hold too, of this sweet new treasure. Josiah didn't want to hold her at first he said "I'm scared." I think it was several days before Josiah held her with the help of his brother Daniel. To this day the children still have a race to Mercy's bed to see who will rescue her. The person that is blessed to get her first has to contend and fight off arms and hands trying to tug her away. She is "smothered" in love. As many of you know they like to come up with special names for each other. Mercy's names include, Misty, Musty, Little poor one, Merf, Musty Ray, Wyoming, and Warming. By the end of the day she will probably have some new birthday names!

13 blessings, what an honor and privledge the Lord has given Terry and I. May the Lord give great grace to nurture and admonish these arrows for his Kingdom. Mercy is going to have a "Happy Spring Party". We'll celebrate with cake, presents, and some spagetti for her birthday meal.

My heart is still ever so tender. I need God's grace to get through it, but I'll never get over it. So many times in my thoughts I feel like I'm living in two worlds- this world for now and yet my heart or a part of it is already in eternity. Heaven is for me such a real place now. Not that it wasn't before Joel went to be with Jesus, but now I find myself thinking... what is it like, what is Joel doing, who is he seeing, what is he experiencing?

My thoughts are filled with this "time last year." Going through all the "firsts" is with great pain to my heart. The first warm days--last year Joel and Josiah had a little picnic on our front porch. Thinking of all our family was doing last year, preparing for Mercy and then enjoying this new blessing together. Thinking that this very day last year Joel was here in our home. Oh the mercy of the Lord that we do not know what a day may bring forth. The warm spring days bring hope and a feeling of joy, yet it also causes me to think of Joel and Josiah playing together. A few evenings ago it was so nice outside. After supper our family went out to enjoy it. Some were playing and others were just walking around and looking. I found myself down at the driveway with a heart full of hurt as this was a special time in the evening for our family. Picturing in my mind how evenings have come and gone and we were all together, and yet now there were empty shoes that would not plod the cool evenings with us. The memories are still ever so tender and precious but with tears streaming! My plead of the Lord is grace and faith.

I had another sweet little conversation with Josiah the other night at bedtime. I was telling him about the special things I saved in a suit case under the bed that belonged to Joel and then we played a little game Joel liked to do. I would say "I love _________", and Joel would fill in the blanks with his Mommy, Daddy, and then go through each of his siblings names, I did this with Josiah and he said "I love Bally" then he said "I want my Bally to come play with me." I don't think Josiah can understand the permanant absence of Joel. He seems to be doing fine, although he does seem to be more "Mommy this and that" I enjoy the outward expressing of the need he has for me.

Sunday was an extra special Lords Day for our home church. Two other home church groups gathered at our home to worship with us. There were seven families represented and there are 52 blessings of fruitfulness the Lord has bestowed! May he raise up a host of godly young men and young ladies that will love Him and serve Him. May the Lord give great grace to all these fathers and their families to be strong and mighty for his glory. We had a wonderful time and alot of food!! The singing was so uplifting, the strength of so many voices singing hymns that brought glory to the Lord God Almighty! Once again my thoughts soared to eternity and I thought of the triumph of praise around the throne!

A busy week ahead with another birthday on Wednsday, Andrew will be 11 and he is getting a Boer goat. We will have a total of 17 goats. We have 6 does that are due soon. Busy days ahead!!

The DVD is in the making, John-Clay Burnett has videoed and is in the process of editing. Caleb and Daniel are waiting the arrival of some music software, so it will be a little longer. I know this will be a blessing to all of us!

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouraging words! May the Lord bless your household of faith!

Cindy