Snow day :-)

Snow on my daffodils

Today I don't have any particular topic to blog about so I thought I'd just post a picture of my dad and Chris's dad. This is a picture of them after working at the site of the house we built years ago. We have since sold that house, but they both put in alot of time and work over there with us. I am so thankful for memories (and pictures :-) These two sweet daddy's are missed a bunch.

Chris and I were planning to drive to Northside Baptist church in Greenwood tonight to hear Charles Billingsley sing, but Chris is working in Asheville today. I hate for him to be on the road all day then turn around and leave for another hour of driving. I think we'll take advantage of this rainy day and stay in town. Olivia can't wait to spend her allowance so we may go shop. Who knows??? If you live in the Greenwood, SC area and want to hear Charles sing the church website is www.northsidebc.org for more information.

On a side note: according to the weather person my daffodils may have a little snow on them come Sunday night/ Monday morning :-) There is always hope.

Go make fun memories this weekend.

Simple faith

These are all of the daffodils popping up in our yard that I keep talking about. As I walked around in the cold and took these pictures yesterday I was amazed at how such a delicate flower could break through the cold, hard ground. Realistically it doesn't seem possible. I mean if I were to go outside right now and try to push a stick in the ground I would have a difficult time. Tell me then, how it is that a flower stem that is not as sturdy as a stick,can push through that ground and not even damage the delicate frame of the flower? Ok I don't really want your response. It's simple (like everything else viewed from my eyes :-) it's a God thing. He brings those daffodil's through the dirt and then makes a way for them to pop up perfectly. It reminds me of a saying that I hear often these days; If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it. Why do we worry or concern ourselves with anything? If our great Lord is making a way for the daffodil, don't we know he'll make a way for us?

Luke 12:26-28 says

"If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
"But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith!

Wow, I can't add to that. Go be a blessing. Do a simple kindness.

The GOAL has been met!!!!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Wow, what a blessing. We have met our fundraising goal and Chris is set to go to Thailand. We cannot thank you all enough for your support. I never dreamed when I started this fundraiser that we would receive all of the funds needed for his trip. Oh, me of little faith :-) I serve a big God who can do all things. I am in awe. Thanks be to the Lord for his provisions and thanks to you for your willingness to give. Keep us in your prayers as the trip approaches in June. Here are all of the families who helped make this possible:

Rachel Boiter ( my mom :-)
Sylvia Neal (Chris's mom :-)
Granny Quinn
The Gowan family
The Wilde family
The McBride family
The Ford family
The Pitts family
The Neal family
The Duggins family
The Gosnell family
The Anderson family
The Welch family
The Lankford family
The Fowler family
The Georguson family
The Sinderman family
The Hennecy family
The Crocker family
The Loyd family
The Brendle family
Uncle David Neal family
The Johnson family
McAbee, Talbert & Halliday & Company PA
The Cooley family
The Farris family

Thank you, thank you. May the Lord bless you all.

We love you.

Little things mean a lot

When I wrote today's date on a thank you card I had to stop and think; "why is today's date sticking out in my mind?" immediately it came to me, 14 years ago today Chris and I had our first date. He lived alone in a cute rental house that had a back yard full of wild daffodils. He picked a bunch of those daffodils for me and rubber banded them at the top and bottom of the stems to keep them perfectly together. Can't you just see a 25 year old guy out in his back yard picking daffodils? What a guy? Chris has such a caring and thoughtful heart. We were married 15 months after our first date and moved into that cute rental house for 3 years. Now we live in a different home, but amazingly wild daffodils bloom in this yard too. Every time I see one pop up through the ground the memories of that perfect banded bunch he gave me comes to mind. It truly is the little things in life that mean the most. Never be ashamed to do a simple kindness, you never know how big of an impact it will make. No deed is to small.

Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Go be a blessing ... do a good deed ... smile ... love ...

Free Jack Russell

Is there anyone out there reading this who would like a free Jack Russell? Her name is Daisy and we've had her since she was born; July 26, 2006. She is sweet to us and loves my neighbor Fern ( who walks her daily), but there are some folks that she doesn't like. She is all that a Jack Russell is suppose to be; cute, hyper and faster than lightning. We've always taken good care of her and she is up to date with her vet appointments. We realized a long time ago that she is not the dog for us. We need a Golden retriever or a collie (a dog that a child can sit on and not be bitten). If there is anyone who would like to meet Daisy to see if she likes you enough to go home with you, you can have her and all of her toys for free :-) She can't go home with just anyone, she needs some where to run AND she has to be the only dog ( I think). We'd love to find her a new home, but refuse to take her to the shelter. So if you are interested please comment below or email me at susanbneal@gmail.com

Praise, Praise, Praise

I got a call early this morning from Sarah's mom telling me all the tests came back and showed no abnormalities. Praise the Lord for watching over Sarah. I am so thankful for prayer. What a way to wake up!!! Praising the Lord for His wonderful mercy. Thank you sweet Jesus for taking care of us the way you do.

God is good.

Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday :-)

Specific prayer needs for today

Already this morning my heart has been crying out to the Lord on behalf of 3 different families. I am a strong believer in prayer so I want to share my concerns right now with you. At 10:30 this morning a dear friend of mine is taking her 7 year old to have an ultrasound of her stomach and kidneys at Spartanburg Regional (pray for peace for Sarah). I used to be a member of Tucapau Baptist church and a lady named Joan was my Sunday school teacher. Joan's mother died this week and her funeral is today at 1:00 (be in prayer for Joan and her family). Just yesterday we received a fundraising letter from a family affected by Cystic Fibrosis. They are walking for a cure on April 18th and are trying to raise $2000. The letter was from the wife of a young man who has CF. His brother lost his battle with Cystic Fibrosis in 2007. This wife is raising money to literally help save her husbands life. We need to pray for a cure for this terrible disease. It is a life-threatening and often fatal genetic disease that affects the respiratory and digestive system of tens of thousands of children and young adults. This family will be walking to raise a cure at Riverfront Park in Columbia. If you'd like to donate to this worthy cause you can go to http://www.cff.org/ I sent our check today to support the Tysinger team. If you can't send money (since I'm good at asking for money ;-) pray. You can pray and prayer is powerful.

On a more personal note I had to take Olivia back to the doctor yesterday. She's had a fever on and off this week and a terrible cough. It turns out she has an ear infection and slighty swollen throat. She was given a new antibiotic and a pass to miss school today. While being examined the doctor noticed a mole on her back that he said needs to be removed soon (as it is getting darker). This news brought tears to her eyes as I had 3 moles removed a few months back and she recalls the shots and stitches I had. So ... please pray for peace for my Olivia.

We are told in Galatians 6:2 Bear one anothers burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Thank you. Have a blessed weekend.

Getting closer to the goal

I came to the computer to type last night, but blogger.com was down so I couldn't get into my blog to post a new message. It has been down all day today until now; 4:50. I am so glad that I can finally update the fundraiser chart. Chris has received more money for his trip this week and is only $365 dollars away from his goal. What a blessing. We can't thank you enough for your support. A few emails ago I posted the names of those who have contributed. When we reach our goal I am going to post all the names again to semi-publicly thank you all. In case you are wondering what the $2200 is for this is my understanding. It will cover the cost of his flight, breakfast and lunch and lodging. He will pay for his supper and any items he wants to buy while he is there. Several people who have been there before told us that he can get a really nice suit at a good price as well as jewelry. So ... I look forward to seeing what he brings back for me and Olivia :-) She and I both want a native dress. I can see it now, red and gold.

God is so good and we are excited to be a part of this mission. You are a part of it too. Have a great day.

Spring pictures, today???

I can't believe my daughters school is taking spring pictures today. It's 34 degrees, hello ... the only sign of spring are the few daffodils that decided to bloom early. It would not hurt my feelings to see some snow on those daffodils :-)

I haven't been blogging very much lately because I haven't felt well. Olivia got sick on Valentine's day and she and I both missed church Sunday ( she had a fever and was up a good bit of the night). She also missed school yesterday due to a fever and cough with yucky stuff. This morning she said she felt ok and since she had no fever I let her go to school. I still don't feel my best and wonder how her day must be going. I hope she's ok. She's my little girl and I think of her and Chris so much through out the day.

The Lord is lining everything up for Chris' Thailand trip. I am very happy, but the reality of him being gone for 10 days is starting to sink in. What in the world will I do without my Chris for 10 days??? We've been apart before when I stayed in Columbia at the hospital with my dad and he's been to Beaufort on shrimping trips for 3 and 4 days, but 10 days ...that's a long time. With me and Olivia being sick over the weekend, Chris had to go to the store for us and he even cooked supper Sunday night. Oh how I will miss Chris. Y'all stop sending money, I've changed my mind, he can't go to Thailand. LOL, I'm kidding. I wouldn't stop the Lord's work for anything; I couldn't stop the Lords work. I want to ask for your continued prayers and we do thank you for your support. God is so good.

Ok I've got lots to catch up on. Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.