Dexter’s Birthday Party!

 

 

 

 

 

Dexter had his 4th birthday on June 21. For some reason its not hard to remember his arrival 4 years ago. Our

first child and the day of his delivery was never forgotten. 

Here he is already 4, growing up so fast. Dexter is very ambitious and loves to learn.  Anytime I find a project

to do around the house, he is always right beside me wanting to help and looking for that approval from his dad.

Making new friends here in the south has not been a problem for him.  May God give us wisdom to direct his

energies in the right direction.

 

 

We had some neighbors over to celebrate his birthday and help eat the cake.  Did you notice the cake my wife

created herself, no need for the local bakery this time. 

Playmobil and goggles brought the smile to the face as he unwrapped the gifts and discovered what he had.  The

goggles are for swimming, but we had to wear them for the next couple days.

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoy socializing with the neighbors and are thankful for their friendships. Not sure what we would do

without them, its definitly an act of God that we have the opportunity to live in this neighborhood.

Above, the carport has turned into a screened in sitting area so we could enjoy

evenings outside without the bugs.

I had to post this pic, our dear neighbors James and Vonelle Horton use the gator for travel to neighborhood

functions and to do his work projects for whoever.  The boys, Dexter and Isaiah, are always waiting for a

ride offer, which Horton loves to give. 

Picture Post

 

   

   

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Visit from Family

The last weekend March we had a visit from my mom (her first time here) and brother Jeff with his wife and two sons. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we had with them and especially having mom here for the first.

We did a lot of relaxing over the weekend and had some of the neighbors meet my family. On Saturday we went to the Birmingham zoo and visited more of our relatives!! (that was supposed to be funny)

We had all kinds of goodies to eat from, thanks to the kindness of, those back home, along with mom and Jeff's. We especially love the meats, cheese and pretezels that only Lancaster County can produce. This would be a negative of the south, not finding food like that.

Dexter and Isaiah had such a good time with their cousins, we actually had very minor disputes to settle. Hours were spent outside riding bikes and never know (which was probably a good thing) what you might find the 4 of them discovering or trying to organize a game plan. The explanation to the picture above has Isaiah pushing the button to operate the door opener (he can't be seen because of where the button is) and the other guys are trying to see who can hang on the longest as the door goes up. Gotta admit it had to be fun!

The ice cream truck made its rounds the one day which had grandma running for her purse as the grandsons were thrilled to realize the truck offered some treats and it was on grandma. What is not seen is the music being played and since this experience Dexter catches the sound of this truck before I pick it up. The hard part for him is that not everyday grandma is here, dad is not as kind you might say.

Enjoying their treats, thanks mom for your kindness. I know dad would have loved to do the same thing.

We always look forward to and love the visits we get knowing that it is a sacrifice to drive 14 hrs from Pa. So anyone wondering if its a bother for us to host visitors, no, we really do enjoy it. Come and see us!

Spring Time In Pleasant Grove

I think spring was more exciting to see come this year than others, not knowing what all to expect and see come to life. The warm weather was a welcome, allowed for some energy filled boys to be outside and the neighbors to see that there are some new kids on the block. They spend hours outside riding bike, playing ball and picking any flower they see bloom to give to mom. One of the things we like about this place we have is the space to ride outside and a fenced back yard, not really to keep the boys in their boundaries but to keep the stray dogs out.

We have enjoyed seeing things bloom and something that is plentiful here more so than the north is the azaleas. As the grass started to grow we came to realize our backyard is a weed patch. So this landscaper is supposed to figure out a way to grow a nice yard. Well, I am still observing and trying to figure out how that's done. We are thankful for the space we have to grow a garden and the soil here is nice enough for it. With the help of my neighbor, Mr Horton, he came by with his equipment to help me out.

One day when i got home from the prison he was in the back yard cleaning up brush and getting an area ready for my garden.

This man is one of a kind and loves to be a help to anyone. He's been seen doing projects for the other neighbors as well, never wants any pay. In no time flat we had an area all ready to plant.

This was the last step in this whole process, what he is doing here is making the rows for me or what he called it
"laying it off ". So now we wait and see, hoping for some fresh vegetables that we won't be able to find along
roadside stands like in Lancaster Co.

You need to work for food around here. Dexter loves to help his dad with whatever the latest project is, in this case it is planting strawberries. He does a good job and its fun to have him by my side even though it slows up a project.

When I was landscaping there were times when I would take one of the boys with me to a job for part of a day. Dexter was the one that got that privilege most of the time and he loved going with me. That is one of the things I miss not being able to do with the job I have now.

The garden is planted and now we hope that all the labor will not be in vane. That makes me think of the work I am involved with in the prison, I have been talking to guys and hearing their stories or journeys they have been on. And they have built of thick walls of hatred and unforgiveness from things they have experienced. Talking to them feels at times like talking to a brick wall and I wonder what in the world am I doing here or I ask the question "is this really worth my time". These were some discouraging thoughts going through my head and I hope and pray that my labor will not be in vane. God is teaching me to be faithful to what He has called us to do and not faint even if at the time we see no results. He is the one doing a work of changing hearts made of stone. Thank God that it is Him and not me doing that.

Adjustments to the South

Within a few days of moving here, our closest neighbors had stopped by and gave us a warm welcome. We continue to enjoy them and appreciate all the kindness they show us. The very first time we were here to see the property with our agent, as we were leaving I noticed an older gentleman waving at us. He was more than glad to let me know all about the neighborhood and the people that originally lived here. As we left we still had not decided for sure if we like the place but deep down something kept telling me that we wanted to live here. Mr. Horton was that neighbor and I believe God used him to confirm that this would be a good place to live. To this day he and his wife, Miss Vonell, are more than a neighbor, they are our friends. He makes sure everyone on the street is taken care of, he basically is the local hardware/borrow anything you need store. He has been so helpful.

This is our dear neighbor Jean Morgan (known as Miss Jean to the children), her husband passed away 2 years ago. She loves our children and the boys have warmed up to her real quick. Quite a few times she has called and offered us food that she had been cooking, the best yet was her cornbread salad. This picture was taken on a warm saturday, the boys were out front and she told them to come swing with her. She was embarassed with what she was wearing for the picture, I assured her she had nothing to worry about.



Since we have been here we had 3 different occasions of visitors. The very first of those was mom, dad and Steve. Steve and dad helped with the Crusade and mom stayed with Charmaine and the children as I went into the prison. They came within the first week of being here, which was nice because it gave my wife company. Dad spent a couple of days helping me with some projects the worst of those being some spackling, finished some painting, and hanging out our birdfeeder (and he was sure to fill it). Mom was willing to entertain the children and read books with them. We were very glad for them being here and helping us get settled in, it was hard to see them leave.



Phil and Shelly Nissley, along with Dietrich and Claudia, were the next to stop by and visit. We always enjoy them and the few times a year we spend with them at the cabin. They were willing to miss the big snow storm in pa and instead be here. We spent the evening at home, letting the boys play guns and us parents catching up on the latest; solving the worlds problems. Thanks Phils for taking the time to stop by even though it was a short visit.


Dave, Sonia, and the clan were the next and last of the visitors we've had. We met them in Nashville for a day and then drove with them here for the rest of the weekend til Tuesday morning. Dexter had great fun with Michael and Cedric, his latest heroes. A lot of that had to do with them giving him an album to keep his baseball cards.


We did a lot of relaxing and enjoying family who we had been looking forward to having here. Even with our small house, it was no problem putting up a family of 4. So anyone who wants to top that number we would love to have you here.




Getting back into a routine after visits is the only negative, but we would rather deal with that than do without family and friends visiting.

As life continues here we keep learning more of the culture and seeing how people live in the south. So far we love the culture and early on someone warned us not to "get dirt between the toes" if we don't plan on being here for long. I would say that will be hard to avoid. Maybe we are still unwinding from our busy lifestyle, but right now it seems life has never been so stress free. That is another blessing from God and a confirmation that this is where we are to be.

A few interesting things about the grammar of the south here is that its not tornadoes that frequent here but tornaders. Nor is it tomatoes but tomaters.

This is at a local restaurant, Jacks, that was advertising their latest deal. People keep telling us that we have an accent, which I always thought they are the ones with the accent. We are "yankees" they say, so maybe we do have the accent. In the prison I often find myself asking the person I am talking with to explain what he meant or what he said. As we continue learning and adjusting to the southern culture, people here are forgiving when we misunderstand. In the public with the children it is nothing new to be recognized or have someone stop to talk to them.

God's goodness has taken on a new meaning as we live and become adjusted. Psalm 13:5-6 says, "I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."

We've Arrived!!!

The reason for this blog is to keep family and friends updated with what we as a family are experiencing here in the south. And at the same we want to allow you to see God's faithfulness to us, we want to be an encouragement to all who follow this blog. As we post pictures this will allow family to see our children grow up and stay connected in that way. We hope to update this blog on a weekly basis, but with 3 little ones loving attention it might not always happen each week.

If we back track to day we moved it would take us to January 18 when we officially arrived in Pleasant Grove, Al. With us in the van was Juanita (Charmaines sister), Myla, and pulling the trailer with our belongings was David and Chad Nissley. Long time friends who we are very grateful for their kindness in helping us move.

We managed to get what we needed in the trailer which belonged to Flaud and my brother Jeff allowed us to use his truck. The details of what we will use came into place the week we moved, which was definitely the hand of God. Some might think why didn't you plan ahead better. Months before this I came to realize that if this is all suppose to be, us moving, I will not stress myself out making sure all these details were in exact place. Through this, God revealed His faithfulness time and time again.

Just arrived and gettin backed into place. Was a beautiful winter day to move. The temp being in the 50's.

 

In no time flat we had the trailer unloaded and the Nissley's were on the way. And thanks to all the help of packing the trailer, we had very minor scratches to the furniture. Juanita stayed till thursday and helped put things in place. I do not enjoy that part of moving and so i was glad she was along to help my wife. Erma Zook had sent a meal along down with us, which was a real blessing. No one felt like cooking up dinner after traveling all night. By evening we had enough furniture in place and we had somewhere to sleep. Rest never felt so good before.

We will try to do a fast forward overview of the happenings in our lives the last 8 weeks in the next few blogs and catch up with where we are now.