Celebration Time!

It’s time for celebrating! Our house is done. Two years after Super Storm Sandy flooded and ruined our home, it is done—all because of Samaritan’s Purse Ministries.

This Tuesday, November 18^th, at 3:00 we will welcome the Samaritan’s Purse staff and volunteers, family, friends and everyone else who wants to share this special time with us. They call it a house dedication. After eleven months of Samaritan’s Purse people devoting their time and energy into rebuilding our home, we have this opportunity to thank them and give God the glory for it all. They will pray a blessing over our home as we pray for every person who came.

After the storm, we felt discouraged, trying to cling to our hope in the Lord. We had faith that God was in control, but still struggled with how we could ever get back to normal. Then Samaritan’s Purse teams arrived.

Every week a different team of volunteers wearing their orange t-shirts pulled up in vans. They came from all over the country: Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, California, Ohio, and upstate NY, even outside the US--Australia, to name some places. Under staff supervision and instruction, they fixed the entire house—new floors, ceramic tiled bathrooms, new cabinets, new oven and ceiling fans. The list goes on, amazing and humbling.

Over 100 volunteers have worked on our house. I wish every volunteer was able to come to our dedication, so we could thank them again personally. We did nothing to deserve this awesome gift. It is a perfect picture of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Just because of love and grace.

Each volunteer and staff for Samaritan’s Purse was part of His answer to our prayers. Our home is more than a home now; it’s where we saw Christ’s love in action! We pray that God blesses them as we have been blessed.

Book Review: A Soul as Cold as Frost by Jennifer Kropf

From the first page, I knew this was going to be something special. And it was even better than I expected. I’m not one to usually read fantasy novels, but the poetic descriptions of this magical world author Jennifer Kropf created sparkled. Her characters had depth and personality that had me rooting for them and enjoying getting to know them as the story progressed. Helen is transported into this winter land parallel to her home where she encounters all sorts of different creatures somewhat like human, but not. Her mission becomes a journey with her patrolman to save the Truth. It had a touch of The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe aura, but such a unique story with its own charm and suspense. This book is one I won’t forget and will add to my list of favorites. I am looking forward to reading her sequel. Amazon / A Soul as Cold as Frost

Art Lovers

(The house I grew up in, where my creative life began.) Since graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a major in fashion design and illustration, I have had many interesting jobs. I painted the faces on mannequins; had freelance art jobs that nearly gave me a nervous breakdown meeting the deadlines; I tried to make stuffed clown patterns (a total fail); did magazine layouts for Bridal Guide Magazine while preparing my own wedding; worked as a house manager for a group home; became a homeschool mom for my five kiddos; worked as a medical records coordinator; and found my passion as an author and illustrator, writing novels and picture books. Now I also sell art prints in my Etsy store. I love sketching, playing with colors and textures, and creating beautiful artwork, sometimes more realistic, sometimes more stylized like in my children's book illustrations. I'm obsessed with drawing birds. The endless variety reminds me of God's love in all he created. Hol...

OUT OF THE BLUE (Spring Fling Kidlit Contest)

Robin sang, “No. Not flying from my nest. Ever.” The ground was too far, and the sky, too wide. She wished she could climb back into her blue shell and forget about flying. Chickadee chuckled. “Come play air-tag!” Robin sang, “No.” Benny Bee buzzed by, somersaulting, ruffling Robin’s downy feathers. “Bet ya can’t do that!” “Show off!” Bee twirled again… Bang! Into a branch. “Buzzzz! Bzz! Bzz! Help!” A black and yellow dot spiraled out of the blue sky, past Robin’s nest. Without thinking, Robin dove and darted, flapped and floated. With Bee on her back, she landed on a cherry blossom carpet. Bee buzzed a soft “Thank you.” Robin waved her wing. “No problem.” Chickadee chirped, “Now are you ready for air-tag?” Robin sang, “Yes.” She tossed her shell to the ground. It was her time to fly.

Francy's New Morning

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