Overwhelming Blessing

We had another frozen day. The wind had died down a little in the morning so the walk wasn't as bad as expected but by afternoon had picked up slamming into the house slipping through cracks and crannies so that even with the thermostat set on 70 the house felt cool. Anna dropped off Braelyn, Taegan and Kensley while she painted at their new house.
When Emily came back from her arm therapy we had a little squabble over who got to hold the baby. Kensley is so cuddly right now and snuggles right up. After Anna picked up the girls it was time to get motivated to step outside and do our real work. No one wanted to face the freezing cold and wind but Rhiannon's owner wanted pictures before she ships out next week and she needed to be groomed up first. The wind chill was hovering around 8 degrees and our fingers were frozen but the pictures turned out ok. Check out how the wind parts her mane in the picture below.

The owner was surprised at how much she has grown. Emily had to take a few minutes to give Violet some attention after Rhiannon was put back in the field with the weanlings.

We may have the wind and cold but at least we aren't having snow like Buffalo NY had last night. Check out the pictures below that came in from that snow storm that dropped 68 inches in some areas and to think they are expecting 2 to 3 more FEET tonight and tomorrow!

Tonight was a touching blessed night for our Peoria church. We arrived early to find the parking lot filling up quickly. As we were hanging up our winter coats I looked back to see people pouring into the church. It was so touching my eyes started leaking and of course that caused mom to tear up also. Before the service we had a ballot vote on if we could support Greg and Heather Rumbold for the pulpit and the answer was YES overwhelmingly! Jeff Grimm the elder from Goodfield gave a short message before we could go through the receiving line to greet Greg, Heather and their 4 children. 

Rhonda sent the email below that came in from Taryn one of the many Berean volunteers at the Tazewell County Jail: They become like friends, excited to see me and pouring out their hearts about how God is changing their life. Tonight, the 7 of them handed me stacks of finished bible studies that they completed in a mere 3 days and anxiously waited as I supplied each with more. "We all do the bible studies together, and the COs call us the God Squad," they told me, "but in all seriousness, they are more than just something to keep us busy. We actually love learning about what's in the Bible and where the different chapters are, and always talk about it together and ask each other questions." On Sunday, we talked about how everything happens for a reason, and tonight we talked about how our true purpose in life starts with God, not ourselves. "I'm saved, but I'm still ghetto," one of the girls told me. This is why I love my ladies at the jail-- it's authentic, it's real life, and it's all about Jesus meeting us where we are and changing our hearts. A shout out and thank you to anyone who helps grade bible studies for Berean Prison Ministry.... You are appreciated more than you know!