WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!

We Won!!!!!! We Won!!!!!!!!! Joel's Journey won the Biblical Family Catagory. Terry, Caleb, Daniel, Bethany, Elijah and Anna left Thursday to go to the San Antonio Film Festival. Thursday, Friday and Saturday was spent going to films you wanted to see. Joel's was shown Friday morning. Terry said many came up to him and the family after and said kind words to them. The ceremony of awards started Saturday evening. Terry called around 8:30p.m. and told us Joel's Journey won. John-Clay, Caleb and Daniel went up to recieve the award. There were only 4 of these "Jubilee Awards" given out. Terry said it was a bronze statue type and weighed about 20 pounds. I hope Anna has a picture of them with the award! Out of about 45 films Joel's Journey was in the top 4. It really was a great suprise to us all. Terry said John-Clay said a few words of appreciation to Caleb and Daniel for composing the music and to the Morris family. This is so wonderful!!! Joel's Journey was also announced as one of the 4-5 finalists for the Documentary catagory as well, but another film won that one. Terry said as they announced the few finalists for each catagory, they showed a small clip of the film. He said it was a clip of Joel laying in the hospital bed and then of Dara the nurse speaking. After the ceremony the winners were asked to go upstairs for pictures. Terry was able to offer Mr. Doug Phillips (president of the Vision Forum Ministeries) a word of gratefulness for granting Joel's Journey to recieve this award. Mr. Phillips told Terry that the film brought tears to he and his daughter as they viewed it. He told Terry that he didn't win because his son died, but it was his courage for standing for the truth! After that the boys and John-Clay had a few moments of conversation with Mr. Phillips as well. They were very encouraged with that short little meeting with him! I am sooooo thankful that our family was there!!!!! John-Clay's family was there too! My heart is uplifted as I think of Joel's little life being before so many. I hope someway that he is able to know what a blessing he is being and that his story is going on still. May the Lord use Joel's life to let others know that "all of life is precious". O my sweet Joel I wished I could give you a hug for a job well done, for being so brave, for letting God use your life to glorify him!!! I am so grateful for Terry and his commitment to the scriptures when the clouds of darkness were trying to envelope us.

This morning I read some scriptures in Job. I have been struggling these last few weeks. Just being sad with the Lord to be honest. Having a miscarriage is one thing but the delay of this has been hard, plus just the time of all that was happening last Oct\Nov. I feel like my faith is thread bare. I am finding it difficult to hope and trust the Lord. The hurt seems so deep from Joel and the miscarrige. I hope it is all just the grieving process, and of course I feel like the enemy is putting so many things in my mind that are not true about the Lord. I want to be where the Lord wants me to be in this process, but I do not know if I am. The scriptures lifted me up as I again read that the Lord was in control of all the breaths that Joel would take, Job12:9-10, Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:22, He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. I prayed this morning that the Lord would show me light in this death of darkness, I felt like he did by allowing Joel's Journey to win and Joel's little light is shinning!!! One more was Job14:5,7-9 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou has appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. As I read that this morning, I was thinking of the DVD, that Joel's story can continue through this journey he made, and it brought my heart comfort that he is not forgotten. O this journey of grief is one that is inevitable to us all, but a child seperation through death is most painful. What a day it will be when there are no more tears, sickness, death and sin!!! I know there are many that still read Joel's Journey and we are grateful, I am really writing all this for me, it is like therapy and I want to journal for the future of our children, that they can remember the journey, especially the younger ones that are not understanding all this path and I want to be able to remember all of the Lord's doings when I am (Lord willing) so old and my memory might fail me, then I can just read about it!! So as long as I can I will be just making enteries as we continue this journey. Again, so many of you express your prayers for our family and we are so very thankful for you! You have held our arms up!!!!

So since Thursday, we have been "home alone". It has been different being here without all the other "dads" and "moms". Wow, they do alot around here. I am not use to doing laundry and fixing all the meals. We have done some "fun" things too, like go to Atwoods and get cover-alls for Josh and Josiah, cook hamburgers and hotdogs and have our favorite, ice-cream:) Micah(13) and Andrew(11) have done an outstanding job of taking care of all the outside chores. Joshua(9) has helped soo much with Bethany's little "pooch", Hosie and Miah have helped keep things in order inside and help with "Mercy get in to everthing girl" Josiah has done well too as long as he can have Hosie to play all the "stuff" he wants to play. We will be glad to get everbody back together!!!

The family will travel back tomorrow (Lord willing) so pray for safety. I hope to post some pictures here Sunday evening. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you!!!!! The picture of Joel and Josiah was taken Oct.30,2006 in their outside fort, see he was still doing well. That beast of cancer is so ruthless!! Hosanna, Josiah and Jeremiah were recently having fun on all the haybales!!!!

~~~Cindy