Victor, Idaho

"Just a short drive from Jackson Hole, Wyoming and at the foot of three mountain ranges (the Tetons, the Bigholes and the Palisades) is Victor, Idaho. This is Teton Valley, with close access to three National Forests and two National Parks - Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Teton Valley offers a peaceful setting for your Rocky Mountain vacation."

Hello everyone! We stayed in Victor, ID tonight. We are on our way to Yellowstone tomorrow and will be meeting the Shoemake's. The quote above tells a little bit about where we are. We had a 10% grade to drive over today. Whew! In the motorhome with the car on the trailer, it was quite a deal. We finally stopped in a "turn out" and took the car off of the trailer and I drove it over the mountain while my wonderful husband drove the motorhome. We were glad to get to the RV park safe and sound.

Ashlyn Dedicated

I just HAD to go back a few days and report on Ashlyn's Dedication. Darrell and Jeanetta (Mandy's parents) came to Wichita Falls so we could dedicate our precious baby, Ashlyn. What a "jewel" she is! God has blessed us with another gorgeous little girl and Andrew and Mandy gave her back to Him last Sunday morning. Baby dedications are so special and I am always touched when parents take this very important step in their lives. Ashlyn, you are privileged to have parents who love the Lord with all their hearts and they will lead you to "follow Him". We love you more than we can say. You are chosen for Him!

Note: I thought it appropriate to show Ashlyn with her Pastor, Papa Elms. :) I had more pictures, but know that Mandy will post the ones she has for you to see.

Relaxing Day

Today has been a wonderful day! We have travelled into Wyoming and the weather has been pleasant except for a little wind. Of course, being from North Texas we are used to it. I got to talk to all of my kids and grandkids today and that makes my whole day sparkle! I also talked to my sisters, one "brother" (Gene) and one nephew (Chad). WOW! Getting to visit with all of them for a little while made me so happy! Jonathan told me about baptizing 4 people in Jesus Name and one person receiving the Holy Ghost this passed Sunday, and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he talked about all the wonderful things God is doing in Beaumont. God is just so AWESOME and knows exactly where to put His men to do His work. Savanna told us tonight that she has lost another tooth! It's hard to believe that she will be 6 years old in about 5 days. How time flies! Scarlet was so cute talking about Taco Bell! LOL! She was even singing a song about loving Taco Bell! LOL! Alayna was her sweet, happy self when I talked to her earlier. Although, she was pretty preoccupied with her "make believe world". :) Well, I guess I'm not telling ya'll much about my vacation, but just being able to talk to my family means everything. There's really not a lot happening right now to tell about. We're just relaxing and having a GREAT time being together! Love ya'll!

Vacation

Just to let everyone know...I am on VACATION!!!! We are having a wonderful, relaxing time. We visited with the Royce Elms family a little last night and then had breakfast with Royce and Jeana (his daughter) this morning. It was so good seeing all of the "clan"! The grandkids are all growing up and the family is still growing! One baby is due this next week (to Ron and Jeana) and TWINS are expected in a few months to Rolonda and Nathan!! By Christmastime, they will have SIX (6) high chairs around the table!! All I can say is that it is a real "trip" to be with all of them at one time! LOL! It's never quiet, but it's always a lot of FUN! We left Amarillo after breakfast and are in Colorado tonight. It's beautiful here. I love you all and will blog whenever I can while I am away. I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

Well.....?

I need help! I posted about Bro. Holley's iPhone, and ever since my page has been rearranged, so I had to take it off. Can anyone help me? I have tried several things, but I am stumped!! Is there such a thing as having too many slideshows, or pictures? Is there a limit on what is allowed? This has never happened to me. I would appreciate any help. Thank you!!

We're HOME!

It's NOT raining! We can go in and out of our house, now. They are working on getting the electricity on today or tomorrow. We saw the stars last night for a little while. That was good to see!! Please keep praying this low pressure system away! Thank you!

PLEASE PRAY!

The low pressure system that was over us last week and brought so much rain went into Oklahoma, but has now returned to our area. As you all know, we do not need anymore rain! I'm asking everyone that reads my blog to please pray that the rain will stop and the atmosphere will become stabilized again. It's not only our city and state that is being affected, but Oklahoma and Kansas is also flooding. Thank you so much for praying!

It's an iPhone!

THANK YOU Bro. Holley for letting us ENJOY your iPhone! You were so kind to show it to us!!! Thanks for being a friend to all of us. We all love you and Sis. Holley.

Update and More Pictures

1. GOD IS GOOD.....ALL THE TIME.....ALL THE TIME.....GOD IS GOOD!!
2. THE SUN IS SHINING! (Pray there will be NO MORE RAIN)
3. MY HOUSE IS STILL DRY!
4. The city truck took us in and....WE EMPTIED THE REFRIGERATOR AND FREEZER!
5. PUT SANDBAGS AT THE OTHER ENTRANCES OF THE HOUSE (just in case)!
6. THE WATER HASN'T RISEN MUCH IN THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS!

We took a few more pictures while in our neighborhood, so you could get an idea of what is happening with us.

We need to pray for the people who have flooded homes and businesses. It's sad!
Thank you all for your love and care!

Windstorms, Flooding and Evacuation

I wanted to give a quick update on our situation as of 11:40 tonight. This morning at 12:30 we decided to go take a drive to see how much Wichita River had risen, so by the time we got back to the house we had decided we should go ahead and pack some clothes and leave our house. Just as we were pulling out of the drive-way a policeman came to our car and said, "We are going through the neighborhood advising folks to evacuate tonight. If you want to get out, now is the time to do it." We thanked him and left. This afternoon we needed to go back to the house for a few items and was told it would be fine to drive to the house, "just be careful". By the time we left, about 15-20 minutes later, the same policeman told us that she hoped we had gotten everything we needed, because they had just received a call that no one could go into the neighborhood for anything unless it was an emergency vehicle. So, we were fine with that, then a few hours later I called a neighbor to see how things were going and they told me that the electricity had gone off and there was a "mandatory evacuation". A little later they did allow Bro. Elms to go into the house for about 15 minutes to get some things, but the only way for him to get there was for one of the city trucks to take him in. At that time, some of the houses down from us was flooded with about 4-5 feet of water!! Our home sits much higher than a lot of the neighborhood just a block away, so we are thinking we might be fine. I just feel so bad for the ones who are suffering from the rising water. There is a lot of flooding in our city so I wanted to show you some pictures of what has been happening. I have also included the pictures I took after the 90 mile an hour winds the other day! Usually by this time of year we are burning up from the heat. This year, the weather has been so cool. Note: Just since I have been working on this post Bro. Elms called the Emergency Contact number and they said the water is now rising less than an inch a minute. It was rising 2 inches a minute for several hours today. Maybe it will stop rising soon and start going down! Thank you all for your prayers and notes of support. Bro. Kenny and Sis. Rita came by this afternoon and gave us some moral support and we appreciate that so much. Others have called to check on us. Thank you! You are all so special and we love you!

OK.....I Give!

A few days ago I was talking positive about the rainfall we have received here in Wichita Falls, but now that we are being threatened by Wichita River over-flowing its banks, I'm ready for it all to STOP! Seriously, we are watching the river very carefully. We are close to the area that is suppose to flood and I'm not real comfortable with it. I'm not real concerned about the water getting into my house, but I don't want to be stranded in my neighborhood and not be able to get out! My husband, on the other hand says he would rather be stranded at home than anywhere else. The flooding is suppose to peak by 1:00 P.M. on Friday and will not start going down until Sunday morning! So....if we can get out of our house Sunday we will be at church! :) Ya'll pray that we don't get water in our home. I really don't think we will. I'll keep you updated as time goes along.

Rain, Floods, and Washouts!

This evening Wendell and I went driving around town to see all the water that has accumulated from all the rain we've had. We tried to drive out to our old house in the country, but couldn't get through because of "water over the road", so we turned around and was headed home when we turned on Anchor Road and saw THIS! We were expecting to see water across the road like we had seen everywhere else, but we were not expecting to see the road washed out! So, I decided to take more pictures and share them with ya'll.


I'm sure glad we didn't drive off in this crater! Gene and Karla, we took these especially for ya'll!

Rain, rain, go away

"Rain, rain, go away....come again another day"! I never dreamed at the end of June, in North TEXAS, that I would EVER say this little rhyme! It's just a rhyme we said as kids when we had a "rainy day". We have had so much rain that it is now flooding!! How unreal is that? If you've ever been in Texas in the summer you know that we are usually about to melt from the heat. Wow! It is 70 degrees today and has been raining non-stop this morning. I do love the rain and cool weather. I am not complaining at all!! I can still feel the heat from the last 23 summers when you didn't even want to go outside, because you felt like you would smother from the stifling heat!! We acutally have beautiful green grass, and the flowers are still pretty and I didn't even plant any this year, because usually by the time we get finished with all the travelling in the summer we come home to wilted, dead flowers because of the HEAT! Maybe I didn't plant the right flowers. Oh well! All of you Texans, I know the constant splattering of the rain gets a little tiring for some, but let's ENJOY the COOLNESS that we have this year! Remember, JULY, AUGUST, and SEPTEMBER are still ahead of us. Who knows...maybe it will SNOW! LOL! Wouldn't that be something? LOL! I can just see eveyone's faces if we had a snowstorm! We would know for sure that Jesus would tell Gabriel to go blow the trumpet and call us all home if that were to happen! The Lord knows it would put us into such shock that He would have to come rescue us from this crazy, mixed up world. What a BEAUTIFUL DAY for the Lord to come again! Just a little thought for a COOL, rainy day in North Texas. Have a GREAT DAY!

Hello Blogworld!

I just wanted to write and say hello to all my friends out there (wherever "there" is). I know life can get a little tough at times, but God is there to help you through it. Hold on just a little longer for He will return someday and we will no longer have to go through the trials of this life. I wanted to say that first. Now, I want to say that today has been a great day! Not that anything happened out of the ordinary, but that everything was "normal". Just living life, enjoying my kids, grandkids, and friends. Living with my husband! :) Eating tacos, guacamole, chips, refried beans, salad, cheese, red onions, sour cream, hot sauce and Diet Coke!! UMMMMMM....GOOD! Isn't life grand and God good?

My Brother, My Friend

Seven years ago today Keith, my brother was taken from this life. (picture is Keith and his wife Ginger) Never did I ever dream I would be left here without him. I will never forget the day Wendell rushed him to the hospital, only to find out very quickly he would have to undergo heart surgery. I always thought he would pull out of it, but he died 5 days later and my world started shaking. I knew that God doesn't put more on us than we can bear, so I placed it all in His hands and He gave me peace in the midst of loss. Keith was a great brother! Everyone loved him and as Chad (Karla's son) said one day when he saw Keith coming to my door..."Here comes Uncle Keith with all the laughs!" Yes, he was known for bringing a lot of laughter when he was around. He also had an incredible voice! No matter what style of song you gave him to sing, he sang it well. My favorite style for him to sing was always "country style". No one could put the country in the song like Keith could. When we were in a church service and began singing we always had fun. One day we were sitting together, (which was a mistake) and song service began. When they gave the page number in the songbook Keith and I decided we were going to sing the songs exactly the way they were written. You have to understand that as Pentecostals we give songs our own "twist" and sing it the way we want to, but that day, we wanted to sing them "right". That was a BIG mistake! LOL! We started singing and listening to the difference of how they were SUPPOSE to be sung and how the congregation was actually singing them, and we got tickled! I'll never forget laughing so hard that we were almost hysterical. We never let it go quite that far, because if Daddy would have "caught us" we would have been called out for sure! That was one thing you didn't want to happen! I can hear his booming voice right now as he would call our names out and say, "Keith.....Linda.....GO SIT BY YOUR MOTHER!" That wouldn't be the end of it either. We would have "gotten it" when we got home and would never do "that" again!! That is just one little story in my life, with my brother. Oh how I miss him. He would be so proud of his grandkids today! If he were here you would think no one else had any grandkids but him. LOL! Brag...brag.....brag.....! If you think I brag about mine...well....we'll just leave it at that. :) I wish I could tell him about my FOUR granddaughters. He would think they were beautiful, and so cute, and he would be RIGHT! LOL! I hope I haven't bored you with a little memory about my brother. I just felt like writing. Keith, I miss you, Wendell misses you, Jonathan and Andrew, Ronda and Karla, and all the family and thousands of friends. They still talk about you and the memories they have of you. I love you and will meet you again in the "sweet by and by". We will laugh, and sing, and talk, and laugh, and sing, and talk some more when we all gather around the throne. When the saints begin to sing I want to be standing right next to you. I get excited thinking about it!

One of My Heroes

Today was the Home Going Service for my friend, Sis. Barbara. What a lady she was! Sis. Barbara would have been so pleased with all of the friends and family that came to honor her. Our new parking lot was full and some even had to park on the grass. It was the first time we have had it completely full since we got it. I can hear her saying how excited she was that so many people were at "church" today, and that someday we will have a congregation at least that large and larger! She was a lady of vision! She loved seeing the church progress. The presence of God was felt by all who attended the service. From the first note played to the very end of the service God was in the sanctuary touching hearts and bringing comfort to all of us. I'm glad I knew this beautiful saint of God, a warrior of the Cross. My life was made richer because of her! I have never met anyone quite like Sis. Barbara. She was definitely a woman with a mission. Her mission was to teach children so that they would have a chance in life. She also wanted to win someone to the Lord. She wanted to take her family and friends with her to Heaven. That was her greatest desire! She met her goals. Her boys (Joseph, Jason, Brandon and David) are living for God today with a firm resolution that they will be saved! "Sis. Barbara, I already miss you and I will see you in my minds eye for a long time sitting in YOUR pew. I want you to know that Bro. Elms and I will keep preaching, teaching and living what we've always taught and lived and we will meet you one day "in front of the throne" and your sons and Julie will be with us. You fought a good fight! You kept the faith! You've "made it home".

Happy Father's Day!

Wendell, I love you more than words can say, and I wish you a very Happy Father's Day! You are my best friend and an awesome Dad! Your hand prints are all over the lives of our sons, and I appreciate you for all you have put into them. They are carbon copies of you and I'm proud to be your wife! I LOVE YOU!

I am a blessed lady to have two sons! Andrew and Jonathan, I want you to know that I couldn't be more proud of you! I have watched you become men, and then watched as you became husbands, and then as you became fathers to your beautiful little girls, and you have excelled in all of these. Thank you for being the men you are! I love you!

Go to Joseph's Blog!

Okay everyone.....you need to go read the post on Joseph James blog. We've had several children receive the Holy Ghost recently and what Joseph has to say about it is very, very, good! For those of you who do not know Joseph, let me explain just a little. Joseph and his brother Jason, have been raised in our church all of their lives and their parents have been "pillars in Life Tabernacle". I cannot tell you what they have meant to our church! Bro. Joe (the dad) was one of the greatest encouragers I have ever had in my life. A little over a year ago he died suddenly of a massive heart attack. Losing Bro. Joe left us all reeling from the shock. Sis. Barbara, (the mom) was fighting cancer when Bro. Joe was taken, so she was left to finish raising 2 younger boys whom her and Bro. Joe had adopted. What an incredible Dad and Mom, Bro. Joe and Sis. Barbara have been! Well, to not go into a lot of detail at this time....Sis. Barbara is now in Hospice and unless the Lord heals her we will not have her with us much longer. I ask for prayers to be sent to heaven on the behalf of this wonderful lady and her sons. Now, to get to what I was saying earlier.....Joseph is over our children's ministry in our church and when I was talking to him yesterday about the children getting the Holy Ghost he said some great things about how we are as adults and how we sometimes question whether or not a child gets the "real thing". I did not know he was going to post about this until I went to his blog tonight. I was moved beyond words for him to take the time to congratulate the children who have recently received the Holy Ghost, then to take the time to talk to us adults! I know he would not want me to bring attention to him, but that's why I have my own blog! (lol) Joseph, you never cease to amaze me in your commitment to God, your church, your family, and your ministry to children. Thank you! I know you have your hands full in watching over your mother, and younger brothers, David and Brandon, but God is giving you strength that is not understood by those "who have no hope". Thank you for helping me laugh yesterday when I was overcome with grief. You helped me through a tough time along with Julie (Jason's wonderful girl, soon to be wife). What a sweetheart she is! Jason...you are also in our prayers. You have been carrying a heavy load and I cannot even start to understand how you are feeling. Just know we are all holding you in our hearts! I will stop now....but I just want to say, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!"

NOTE: After posting this before going to bed, Sis. Barbara went to be with the Lord around 4:00 A.M. Heaven has gained another beautiful rose from this earth. Again, please be in prayer for the family. Thank you!

Camp Meeting and Friends Slideshow