Merry Christmas 2010!

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1

Merry Christmas 2010! We love you, and thank God for each and every one of you!

A little girl was taking a walk with her father one evening. Looking up at the stars she exclaimed, “O Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!”

On May 19th, 2010, my dad went home to be with Jesus. A musician his whole life, he is now presented faultless, in perfect harmony, to our heavenly Father. We are getting use to “The new norm,” without my dad. I miss our Friday morning coffee hour together, just him and me. My sister, brothers, and I now have the honor and privelidge of taking care of our mom and helping her adjust to life without the man she spent 54 years with, the guy who adored her! Thank you for all your prayers, and for the outpouring of love to my family. Many of you interrupted your own lives effortlessly for a month and walked us through a difficult trial….making meals…taking my kids….visiting us in the hospital…praying with us…we are eternally grateful. God’s grace was truly sufficient….moment by moment…..

The Book my mom and I wrote was accepted for royalty publication last January! It is in the final stages of production, ready to go to Marketing. What a fun journey this has been for mom and me. The title of the book is Andti’s Antics. It is a story about a girl (Emeline) who struggles with ADD. Feisty Andi tells her story with a tender touch, sharing how she “ADDs” pizzazz to her world, hoping to send a message that God has created all of us special! Please pray for us as we reach out to many girls (and boys) through the book!

Other highlights - As a family we just like to have fun! Each day we begin with devotions, thanking God for all we have, praying that He will show us opportunities to serve Him. I insist the boys pray that they will be nicer to each other or at least stop beating each other up!! Traveling is in our blood, so any opportunity we can go..we do!! We love camping with our friends, my favorite activity is when the parents play flag football with the kids…..yes us moms jump in too!! Then of course there is the beach, Camp-of-the-Woods, and Nantucket, my personal “fave”…..where we go turtle hunting, squid hunting, watch sunsets on the beach, and make daily stops at “The Dump” where you get all kinds of junk for free!

Emeline – Jersey #59. She still loves soccer and soccer loves her! Her soccer travels will take her to Orlando in January and Virginia in March. We continue to encourage her to enjoy the game, have fun, and be a light to her teammates. So far…so good. School is going quite well for Emeline, she loves to work hard. She also enjoys serving our community with The Girl Scouts (I think her leader is an angel..seriously). She enjoys Junior High activities at church which includes a Girl’s Bible study (LJ3), and an additional Bible study with a small group of lovely young ladies seeking to grow and mature in Jesus. Emeline has raised support for materials to make blankets for the homeless this winter. We have started delivering the blankets as a family. Heading downtown Philly made us all nervous at first, now we can’t wait to go back! Check out our blanket adventures, www.utterlydeb.blogspot.com

Samuel – We are both in fourth grade this year! Sam seems to be smarter than me! He is doing well. Recently he was asked to write a bio on himself. He wrote “I’m neat, I’m kind, and I love Jesus with all my heart.” He is so sensitive to what is right and what is wrong….we all need a ‘Sam’ around us! Sam loves to play Tackle Football, and Lacrosse. This year he ran the ball successfully quite a bit, scoring many touchdowns for the team. I’m always thankful he comes out of it alive every week! Sam’s latest hobby is “Trash Picking”. He has found some real treasures, and even sells items on e-bay to raise money for the Go-cart he would like to purchase. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

Zachary – Is in second grade, ready to set the world on fire! Anyone who knows Zachary will tell you that he always has a smile on his face, and he is always ready to have fun! Sometimes that gets him in trouble. Zach is also on a travel soccer team, and loves the game. My challenge to Zachary is to always honor God with every goal he scores, because “it is in Him that we live, move, and have our being…”. Both boys participated in a Kids Triathlon last summer. They finished the race within a second of each other. Sam was just one step ahead of his little brother.

All three swam for LMT Swim Team this year. It is my favorite sport they do! This year I accepted the position of Co-Meet Director. What a big job…but oh the fun we had! Emeline participated in a relay that broke an LMT record….the thrill of it all! I LOVE our community!

Steve – is busy with the Snow business. He has a great team of “Snow People” working for him! I always pray for less stress for Steve, but there’s a part of it that he thrives on! Steve is the most amazing dad to our kids…..he plays, teaches, prays, and guides them daily. All three adore Steve. He just arrived home from a quick trip to Germany to celebrate a family 60th wedding anniversary. I was happy he was able to go, but happier when he came home safe and sound. The fall was busy for Steve with coaching Sam’s football team, and he enjoys attending a Men’s Bible study throughout the year.

Me – I celebrated a very large (really BIG) birthday this year! Friends came from near and far to celebrate this “Birthday girl”, yet I was celebrating them. I wanted to thank them for being my friend, for seeing the best in me, standing by me, laughing, and crying with me. For letting me be “real” with them…and still loving me. “A friend loves at all times.” Thank you sweet girlfriends! My life is richer for knowing each and every one of you! My ordinary days include interruptions to interrupt the interruptions! I hope to continue to substitute teach, I love working with kids! The Bible study I co-facilitate is going well; we are all growing and learning about God’s will in our lives. My daily goal for each day is to rest in Him, and His Word alone. Life is still utterly chaotic, yet we are utterly o.k.

In closing, I pray for God’s blessing on your families. Take the hands of those you love, look into their eyes, and tell them how much you love them! May your desire for 2011 be…”Reaching forward to what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal.” Philippians 3:13-14

By His Amazing Grace………….Stephen, Debbie, Emeline, Samuel, and Zachary

It Was Chilly In Philly!

We set out on Saturday night to deliver blankets. It is a busy time of year, and other events were tempting us not to go.

We were all so nervous, especially Emeline! As we parked the car we all prayed and asked the Lord to calm our nerves, asking Him to help us minister to these people in need.

The first person we spotted was on the street sleeping. Steve insisted we first go buy him a cup of coffee. By the time we found a McDonald’s, the kids were hungry so we fed them. As we arrived back to the spot, the person was gone. We were disappointed, but trusted there was a reason.

Our next person was on the street covered completely except the top of her head. I approached her asking if she could use another blanket. Looking over the top of her “Heap”, she said “No”. There was so much fear in her eyes. The kids were disappointed to be turned down but we explained to them that some people are fearful and don’t want to interact in any way.

After driving around a park, we spotted a woman playing a flute-type instrument. It looked like something you might purchase at the dollar store. She was playing her instrument for money. The kids and I jumped out of the car and approached her. Soon we realized that Sheila was blind. Sam dropped a dollar in her cup, and then we asked her if she would like a blanket. What she needed from us was to help her. She was on a corner that was too cold for her; she wanted to move but needed our help. Sam grabbed her cooler filled with her belongings, and I extended my arm to walk her to a less windy spot. It turns out Sheila is a Christian, and loves Jesus. She has been blind since birth, and has no family at all. She earns money by playing the instrument on the street. We bought Sheila hot apple cider and a cookie (that is what she wanted), and we gathered around her, held hands, and prayed with her. My boys especially did not want to leave Sheila, it broke their heart, and they kept hugging her. Sheila loved the blanket. For her the softness of the blanket, and “touch” is what blessed her. She knew it would be nice and warm!

After a decision to not stop for a guy who seemed drunk and obnoxious, we found our last person on the street covered with a blanket trying to keep warm. This gentleman Russell has lymphoma and is dying. He has a daughter, but does not hear from her. Russ said the shelters are dangerous; he would rather sleep on the street. He told us that drugs destroyed his life and he spent 10 year in prison. We shared Jesus with him and prayed with him. With tears in his eyes, he thanked us for the blanket and the Bible. After getting back in the car we wanted to go buy him some soup, so Emeline and I returned with soup, bread, and hot apple cider (the homeless like the hot cider!). As we approached Russell with the food he was reading Emeline’s letter she wrote…..the inspiration behind the blankets.

We returned home that night with happy but heavy hearts. We were happy to serve these people, but sad for their life. Our home, heat, bed, blankets, and food seemed so extravagant that night. We praised and thanked God for all He has provided for us. We can’t wait to go again!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

By His Amazing Grace,

Debbie