Wow

Well, wow just about sums it up. We had over 600 attendees at our youth rally this year. It felt so good to help with the Lords work, and working with the registration team. My mom and I worked the numbers after each group got signed in, mom would count the numbers in each age group, and then the totals, and I input it into the spreed sheet so that we would know how many were there after every group. We did it this way for the first time this year, so that the kitchen team would know how many they needed to prepare for for the snack times last night as well as for all the meals and snack times today. In previous years, the total wouldn't be tallied until the end of the registration process and it was all added by hand. This way, we tallied each group as they came in, and the computer did the tally for us. SO MUCH EASIER!!!!!!!!! We are planning on doing it this way again next year. I got to listen to a little of the singing and devotions off and on, as they had a live feed to our christian service center. God has blessed our church to be able to do the youth rally every year for 13 years now. There have been members of our church who would be visiting other churches in surrounding states, as well as in Tennessee, who said that when he mentioned where they attended Church, the other people would know that it was the Church that has the youth rally every year. It is known about now in about 5 states. I just think that is the coolest thing. We have churches that plan on coming every year, they plan it as a normal activity in their churches youth groups. I just can't express how exciting it is, and how full of the Lords love I feel after being a part of it all. I know, I am babbling a bit, but I am just so upbeat about it all, as well as blown away by it all.
Well, I pray you all are as blessed as I feel!
With Loads of Love,
Judy

Busy days!

Well, it has been busy around here. I have been helping the Church with the registration part of our upcoming youth rally, plus baby sitting, and the normal stuff around the house. I am enjoying it, but it doesn't allow much blogging time that is for sure. I guess it will be like this when I start to school too, but I will still be online when I can and update when I can as well. Our youth rally is this weekend, Friday and Saturday. I won't be able to go on Saturday, due to baby sitting, but I will be up there helping the churches that are coming to get registered and keep a count of how many we have as they come in for the ladies that are working in the kitchen so they can be prepared. I am fixing to go in and get my cookie dough ready so that I can get the 2 dozen cookies done to take up there too. We all do our parts to make it a good experience for the 7Th through the 12Th grades, so they can learn more about God and how he works in our lives, and how they can become closer to Him. It is our biggest event of the year, bringing in from 500 to 700 teens and adults. So there are a lot of us from our congregation that have been busy, busy, busy getting ready. We have to get their packets ready, which have name tags already printed for them and schedules on the back, plus wrist bands that are color coded for each grade (class) and they have the option to buy tee shirts with the theme for this year which is "Transform". The classes will be focused on transforming our lives to reflect God and His light in our lives. How great it is to be doing the Lords work, even if it is more of a background role in the process. My heart is so full of love for God and the work we are doing to bring more souls to him. I am just so excited!

I am also starting back to my Russian speaking class. I have missed it so much, but was able to be there last night, and it was so much fun. I may never use it besides at class and talking to the other people taking the class, but it is fun, and it really gets my brain working again. It takes studying and practice, and it isn't easy, but the couple that are teaching us are so patient and fun that it makes it so enjoyable, even if I do mess up (which I do often), that it is just fun. Thank you Adrianne and Erik for all you do for us and the youth of the church, you guys are an inspiration to many.

Well, I guess I will go for now.
Remember that God is always there for those who seek him,
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
In Him,
Judy

RMH Telethon News

Well, I had my taping session with channel 2 news for the RMH telethon today. It went well, yes tears fell, but it was all good. I found out that it is a tribute to John and that they will be using part of our interview from when he was still alive as well. I do not know how it will be, and how much editing they will do, but I do know that it will be on the telethon on April 18th, from 7 until 10pm, on Nashville, TN news channel 2. I hope you all that can watch will watch. If it is like the session today, you better have some tissue ready. Anyway, I just thought I would post and let you all know that even though it has been a very emotional couple days, it is all good, and I feel good about it all. I am very tired from it all so I am going to make this a short post and get in bed.
May God bless us all,
Judy

Nerves set in.

Well, the nerves have set in, and I am a little out of sorts because of it. Tomorrow, I will be going to do a taping for RMH, and I have been gathering pictures of John for it. I wanted some before, during and towards the end of his treatment, and it has been very emotional to say the least to go through some of the pictures of our time in Nashville. Needless to say, it has been a very teary eyed day for me, and I have been sobbing quite a bit today going through my files to find pictures to take. I miss him so much, I just hope I can keep it together tomorrow during taping, so that maybe it will be helpful to their fundraiser. I am glad I am taking my oldest daughter Becky with me. I am so proud of her! She will be graduating from Cosmetology classes by the end of the summer trimester, and she is growing into a very nice young lady. Still has a wild side, but she gets that naturally.

Well, that is about all for now, I just don't feel like being online much right now. I am sure you can understand.
May God bless you all,
Judy

Hello all

Well, hello all. I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy. It has been a rather weird couple of days. Sunday we woke up to about 5 inches or so of snow. It is supposed to be starting to warm up, but we are now colder than we have been for a while. The schools were closed yesterday, but it has melted off the roads well enough that they opened today. There is still snow on the ground were the sun doesn't hit it well. I took some pictures, but I haven't uploaded them, but it sure was a pretty winter wonderland. It was actually more snow than we have had all year here. I pray it is over though, I am ready for spring, and mild weather. So that the heat doesn't have to stay on, but we don't have to use the air conditioner either. I would like to have a decent electricity bill for a couple months. But it will be what it will be, God knows what he is doing, so I guess I will deal with it no matter what and try not to complain either.

Everyone here is doing okay, I am fighting off a slightly stuffy nose, but other than that I have been blessed to not have gotten really sick through the winter, and I pray that I can keep it all under control and not get sick for a while.

B.J. is doing well, she has been going to the park in town and walking and running on the track there, and as she said, "I am trying to get ready for bathing suit season." She isn't that big, just a little pudgy, but she is at the age that she is aware of her looks and health, and is trying to get "in shape" and I have to say I am proud of her for doing it the right way. She eats smaller portions, and exercises, and tries to limit her snacks. She isn't starving herself, or depriving herself, and I am very proud of her. I am nervous of course, she has started wearing some makeup, and stuff, I know the "boy" issue and dating will be next. She knows that she can't date until she is 16, but that isn't but about 10 months away. The scary years are upon us! HA! But she has a good head on her shoulders so I will just have to trust her, at least until she breaks that trust (if she does). I know quit rambling on, and let her have her fun while she is young. But it is scary for a mom in this day and age. There is way to much trouble that girls can get into. Oh well, one day at a time I guess.

My husband is doing okay. We are struggling financially, but he is doing his best, and there just isn't any jobs around here so I can't do much to help him. God will provide. I just have to trust that he will take care of it.

Well, I guess that is about it for now. Sorry about the rambling. May God bless you all.
Judy