I know my daily checker-inners are wondering if the Lawrence Family has dropped off into the blogging deep - we haven’t just been so busy that I honestly haven’t had time to update. SO, be prepared - here comes a long post that might take me a while to finish.
Hang with me on this one.
My last post was November 17th I believe, today is December 15th - I can’t believe I have actually gone that long without posting. I have pulled my calendar out to help refresh my memory as I type.
November 21st - I had an endoscopy done to stretch my espoghus out. This procedure has to be done every couple of years so that I don’t choke when i eat. It is nice to be able to eat again and not worry about the food getting stuck going down! That same day Brantley woke up with a fever and not feeling good. My WONDERFUL neighbor let her stay with her while Ed took me to the hospital. Later on in the day - she got sick (if you know what I mean). The toilet became her friend. Ed took her the doctor that afternoon and she tested positive for strep. Thus the fun began.
November 22 - We headed to Lake Martin to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with Ed’s family. We enjoyed our time. Ed of course participated in his Black Friday tradition. Although this time he wasn’t up as early. I made him sleep late. He was up and at ‘em at 5:00 with his mother in tow. They were able to knock out a great deal of her shopping and I stayed at home with the kids and manned the fort. We came home later that weekend to get our house ready for the Holidays. Ed and I love decorating our home. I would really like to just leave the decorations up all winter long. Christmas lights make everything so pretty.
November 28 - I left for Atlanta for the National Career Technical Educators Conference. I was glad it was close to home this year. Didn’t make for such a bad trip. The conference was great! The keynote speakers were fantastic this year. (Very different than last year!) The first was Dave Weber. He spoke about the Goliaths in our lifes. That David redirected his focus and was able to overcome Goliath. We were challenged to be agents of change in our lives. The other speaker was Chris Gardner who is the subject of the movie that opens this weekend “Pursuit of Happyness”. Oh my goodness, he was wonderful. What an inspiration! Both men challenged me in different areas of my life. The breakout sessions were very good and provided some much needed FRESH looks at my job and our programs. Now let me tell you about my highlight! My room at the Marriott Marquis. I had a king size room with the most heavenly bed I have ever slept in. Every night I couldn’t wait to put on my PJs, crawl in bed and watch TV without having to worry about who was going to come in the middle of night saying “mommy…..”. It was WONDERFUL. Ok - enough about Atlanta - it was just a great trip. I throughly enjoyed the conference this year.
December 3 - Church this morning was unbelieveable. Buddy ended the service in a way that he typically does not. We had a season of prayer. We have been studying the book of James and this was his next to the last sermon in the series. We were challenged to let God handle the big things and little things in our lives that is HIS role not mine. This quiet time sitting there holding my husband’s hand was beyond any words. Afterwards, Ed and I spoke to Buddy and without saying a word - he knew exactly what to pray for. WOW!!! Ed and I left the worship center in quiet tears, knowing that God has powerful plans in store for us. It is amazing to see His hand at work. After church Ed, Hunter, Brantley and I went to Sayre with a group from church. If you don’t remember reading about Sayre on here before, let me refresh your memory. It is a community northwest of Birmingham. It is an old mining community that has seen it’s share of difficult times. Many in the community live at or below poverty level. The people there are the sweetest people you will ever meet. Hunter Street has had a partnership with them for years. We helped build the church building that stands in the center of the community. Ed and I love going up there and being with the folks in the community and being around their Pastor, Bro. Dell. He is a true man of God who loves people, but most importantly LOVES God. Everytime we go to Sayre, we leave blessed beyond measure. The kids have been up there before, but never to serve. This time, we would be assisting with a Christmas Party for the kids in the community. Ed and I talked with H and B about the true meaning of Christmas and that we were there to serve others. VERY hard concept for a 6 year old and 5 year old, but we were determined that they would get it! And GET IT they did!!! They helped set the places for the kids, putting out stockings and plates filled with food. They even went around the room asking the adults if they wanted something to eat and then brought them a plate of food. Once everyone was served, they were able to share in the goodies. As the kids were leaving the center, Hunter gave everyone a book about the ABC’s of Being a Christian. He was very good at making sure everyone had a book before they left and got very upset if he missed someone. Brantley helped pass out the goodie bags to the kids as they left. She was very diligent in her work. There were left overs of each of the things the kids were passing out. Of course they wanted something, but Ed and I explained they had more than they could want at home and we needed to save those for kids who didn’t have as much as we do. Surprisingly they understood. What I about to share with you now is very personal - it is something I can’t explain - but Ed and I know that God is moving and we are just along for the ride. Bro. Dell always prays with you before you leave him, even if you are on the phone with him, he ends the conversation in prayer. I can not tell you the times he has prayed with me and things that he has prayed for have been answered. This particular time, Ed and I shared something with us that has been challenging us and on our hearts. He prayed with us in the most powerful way I have ever heard before. I can’t even put into words what happened. I don’t even remember the words he said. I felt the Holy Spirit at that moment in a way I have never experienced before. Ed and I got in the car and didn’t say a word. Neither of us was quite sure of what had just happened. God moves in mysterious ways. I know that. I know that I can feel Him, but not see Him. I felt God’s presence that day. You may be reading this and thinking oh my, Sallie is losing it - but this afternoon was one of the greatest afternoons I had experienced in a long time!
Another Sayre story - can you tell I love this place? Three years ago when our students where in Sayre cleaning up the community for DiscipleNow, we met a man named Davis. Davis had hit rock bottom. He had been through a divorce, didn’t have custody of his kids, didn’t have a job - didn’t have a lot of hope. Davis lived in a make-do tent. It wasn’t even really a tent, more like an old sheet over four sticks. Our students were drawn to him. They purchased him a LARGE tent, camping equipment, shoes, clothing, blankets and food. Several groups put their resources together and gave him money to help him get back on his feet. Davis saw the love of Christ through our kids that weekend. He worked right alongside us. I think at times, he was working harder than our kids. Bro. Dell called me the week after we left there and shared this with me. After we left and Davis found the money the kids had given him, he first went and got a haircut. Then he came to Bro. Dell and asked what the tithe was off of the money that had been given to him. WOW! I was blown away, here was a man who literally NOTHING and he was tithing. Talk about witnessing. In the times we have been back to Sayre, I have never seen Davis. I have oftened wondered what became of him. This visit I got my answer. I saw him walking up to the community center. I immediately called his name out. He responded with a hardy, “I remember you!”. Davis has been working full-time for over a year at a nearby auto parts store, he has a home with four walls and a roof, and the best part, he has custody of his children!!! He is providing for them and he and his ex-wife are working to train their children to be Godly men and women. I was completely taken back by his next statement. He told me that the weekend our students were there was the turning point in his life. He shared many things about that weekend and what it meant to him. Isn’t God good to let us be part of His kingdom work!!!! Now do you understand why that was such a GREAT afternoon???
Ok - I am gonna stop for now. I have to go to my Friday lunch Bible Study. We are studying the book of Daniel and if I haven’t gotten started on roping you in on that study - that will be coming soon.
Come back soon, I will pick up with the first week of December and get you caught back up on the Lawrences.
