Another Special Day

Today is Friday, March 31, 2006...That means a special young man in our household is turning 12 years old! Jonathan is a jovial fun kid, he is also an amazingly diligent worker that always seems to have a smile for everyone he meets :) Being his sister, I really appreciate the gentlemanly behavior that Jonathan exhibits to the ladies in our family...We always feel so special when he is around! We can't believe that twelve years have already flown by since Jonny was born but we have enjoyed watching him grow and hope that many more full years are yet to come. It will be exciting to see what God has in store for our special son/brother.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JONATHAN! We all love you and pray that you will serve our blessed Lord with your every breath all the days of your life!

Happy ? Birthday

Should we disclose the information of how old Dad turned today?...Yea, he doesn't care, here it goes, he is officially 44! Yay Dad, congratulations! You made it through another year juggling work, Church planting, a wife and 11 kids! That's what I call amazing :) Well, the truth is that my Dad is amazing. He daily shows to his family what a true work ethic is and what it means to love God with all one's heart and soul. I'm not sure how he makes it through the trials of everyday but it is an awesome testimony of the grace of God in the life of a man who humbly seeks the will of his Heavenly Father. If I know of anyone who loves the Bible, it's Dad. If there is anyone in the world who honors his parents and the other authorities in his life, it's Dad. If there's someone in the universe who cares about others more than himself...Just think of my Dad. He is through and through a dedicated servant of the Lord and leads his family with a passion. You might think I'm exaggerating if you don't know him well enough, but those of you who do, would have to agree that my Dad is one in a million!
May you enjoy the Happiest of Birthdays! You are our hero :)

Happy 18th Birthday

The day is not yet over, I still have time to write a birthday post for Katherine! Where does one begin when talking about such a great gal? Well, all you who know her, realize how lucky you are to have her as a friend...Now just imagine life as her sister! All you who don't know her are definitely missing out :) The list of her qualities might run on rather long so I will sum up this post by describing her in one brief statement, She is beautiful inside and out! We love ya Kath and thank the Lord for the gem He has given our family in the form of a daughter and sis! Thanks for being you and for loving Jesus with all your heart!

WOW!...

It's accomplished, completed, finished and whatever else you want to label it. The benefit concert for Nathan Valor was tonight. Oh course, the Lord made it all happen and we praise Him that all went well. More details about the amount of funds raised later...For now I think some sleep would be nice, especially since it's after midnight :)

Cheaper by the Dozen...

Self explanatory title :)

Unbelievable!

Want to know what an incredible opportunity is and how amazing God works? I'll give you an example:

Tonight Celestial Sounds quartet (members: Katherine, Brandon, Anthony and myself) were coached by Dr. Eugene Dowdy (department Chair, associate professor and conductor of the Orchestra at University of Texas in San Antonio)! We had an unbelievable hour and a half of incredible coaching. Dr. Dowdy is helping us prepare for the upcoming benefit concert and mentioned that he might continue working with us for the rest of the semester. I didn't realize how much I really missed great ensemble coaching with a college level teacher until tonight! It brought back great memories of years gone by under the instruction of musicians at Rockford College Music Academy in Illinois. I am grateful to the Lord for opening up this opportunity for us not only to learn but to learn together as a team. I was getting discouraged coaching the group and playing myself at the same time...You can't always hear what's going on when your ear is up next to your own instrument (plus I'm NOT a professional).
Lesson for all of us who put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ:
NOTHING is too big for God and He knows all our needs and will fulfill them in His own good time!

Busy?...

Well, perhaps. There is a reason for no posts, we aren't just being anti-social. We have been:

Working on a benefit concert for Baby Nathan Valor which includes ~
a. Practicing music
b. Designing and printing fliers. What's so hard about printing? Try spending some time at Kinkos my friend!
c. Finding a location for the concert
d. Writing a script for the video about Nathan Valor
e. Compiling and editing the video which includes getting footage, photos and music


Perhaps this isn't much but when you add it to life...Wow!
We have been campaigning for a godly man running for the office of State Representative. The Lord graciously answered our prayers and Mr. Nathan Macias WON this week in the primary election by 45 votes! God is truly amazing and it was such a blessing to see His hand at work through the entire campaign! I now love politics, well maybe "love" isn't the right word (at the least I enjoy campaign work). It is exciting to help godly men fulfill what God has called them to do. What a joy to see victory :)

Church update:
Our Church has been such a blessing. I never imagined that God would so abundantly enrich our lives with some of the most precious people. I have learned much from the families God has joined together in Cross and Crown Church. The infant stages of a Church planting work are so special and we are enjoying every moment. I have to brag a bit on my Dad too, sermons on Sundays are amazing!

Lets see, what else is new? We had a wonderful but busy time with the Webb family from Illinois a few weeks back and Hannah Zes spent two days here this week. I am truly grateful for the refreshment godly friends bring into our lives!
Katherine and Jonathan are in Illinois helping with care of our Grandmother as she recovers from surgery. As of tonight, they are having a wonderful time though living in a quiet house is always interesting when you are in a family of thirteen :) Grandma is doing well and we praise the Lord for her safety.

Man alive! I was planning on posting for a few seconds before heading for bed. Talk about an epistle...No journaling tonight will be needed! We hope all our readers are well (Perhaps we don't have any faithful subscribers anymore due to our lack of communication on this blog.) I motion for some activity from everyone. I am going to start some sort of questionnaire so we can hopefully (hint, hint) get some interaction going. Topic?... Thinking...Um...There's soooo much to choose from, where to begin...

Every morning upon waking, what is generally your attitude:

a. "Ahh!I can't believe it's morning...zzz...zzz"
b. "Yes! It's another day"
c. Never wake up in the morning so you have not response to the above question
d. "The sunrise is quite beautiful but this is just another day like the one before it and the one before that..."
e. Hearing footsteps down the hall you, dash out of bed so quickly that you haven't time to think anything about a new day
f. zzz...snooze button on the alarm is great...zzz...snooze button is wonderful...zzz
g. "I'm late again!"

The list could go on and on but I think this is good enough. If you are going to comment, just type what point best describes your emotions each day (that would be weekdays, NOT weekends). Thanks for participating...And don't forget to be brutally honest! Don't worry, we are all friends :)


Have a restful night everyone,
Nikkae for the family