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

Camp Meeting '07 and Great Weekend!

This passed week was wonderful! We had our Texas District Camp Meeting and it was the best we have had in awhile. The preaching by Bro. Ron Mullings, (California) Bro. David T. Elms, (Florida) and Bro. Paul Mooney, (Inidana) was wonderful! Every message I heard touched my mind and heart. On Friday night was crusade and Bro. Greg Godwin preached the message and it was interpreted for the spanish speaking people by Bro. Drost. At the end of the service there had been 246 people receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! The Holy Ghost was falling all around and while people received their personal Pentecost it sounded like a "count down"! It was almost continuous! Then, to make it even more special, our little Alayna Joy (4 years old) received the Holy Ghost!!!! It was wonderful! She came up to me and I asked her if she had received the Holy Ghost and she said, "Yes". I asked her how she knew she had received it, and her answer was so cute. She said, "Because I felt God's words come up in my throat!" She is so precious! Mandy asked her a lot of questions the next day and she answered everyone of them "right". She told Mandy that she "said God's words"! There is no doubt that she received the greatest gift anyone could ever receive! Also, Haiden, (8 years old) a boy from our church, received the Holy Ghost a few minutes before Alayna did. The wonderful thing about children receiving God at an early age is that they have a lifetime to serve Him! It was wonderful being in the presence of God in the services. Sis. Dedie Cooley was the Music Coordinator for the week and if you know her you KNOW the music was incredible! She did a great job! She worked so hard. It seemed like she was always at the keyboard going through songs with the musicians and singers. It definitely made the difference! We came home to a wonderful move of God this weekend. Bro. and Sis. Mullings were our special guests, and he definitely blessed out church with his ministry! The messages were powerful and ordained by God. I cannot tell you what the message he preached on Sunday night did for me. You need to listen to it on LifeTab.org. The title is: "My Faith Fights for Me". WOW! I know you will be blessed when you listen. We had a wonderful time. There is nothing like having "old friends" to visit with. We enjoyed a time of fellowship today, also. It was hard to say "goodbye", but we have great memories of this weekend. I trust you are all having a wonderful summer. I've missed blogging, but I haven't been where I could be "online". It's good being home! (I will add a slideshow sometime this week.)

Special Friend

This week has been very special for me. Since Wendell was gone with his brothers for the annual "Elms Brother's Reunion" Bobbie flew in to spend the week with me. We haven't had this much time together since Mother passed away, so it has been a special time for us. We tried to go shopping but couldn't get anything done, because we would start talking and stop in the middle of the store so we could keep our conversation going. I finally said, "Bobbie, this is ridiculous! We might as well go home!" After a few more attempts to keep shopping, we got tired and decided we really should go home, so we did! We had the best time! For those in the blog world that may not know our background let me explain. When Bobbie was 13 years old my parents took the church in Fresno where Bobbie and her family attended. I was 6 weeks old and she became my baby sitter along with her sister, and parents. Then she grew up, and met a young man and fell in love. When they decided to get married I was her flower girl. I was 4 years old! I can hear you all now, so go ahead and say it with me....AHHHHH! LOL! Her Dad and Mom were pillars in the church that I grew up in, and they have always been part of my life. There are so many stories that I could tell, but there is not enough room on this page to share them with you. I'll just share one thing. Wherever there is a piano you will usually see Bobbie eventually make her way over to it, and she will sit down and start playing and singing. I've had that experience all through my life when I've been with her. I have felt the presence of God come into my heart many times as she began to sing and play. To Bobbie, singing is not entertainment, it is worship to God! Anyone who has ever experienced her singing at the piano will agree with me and say that, "she has a special anointing" that everyone feels when she sings, and "no one plays the piano quite like she does". I know you'll enjoy this little home video I took while she was here this week. Sit back and relax and feel the presence of God as she sings from her heart.

Trip to California

Last week we flew to San Jose for Sis. Blanche Shoemake's "going home service". It was a beautiful service and we were so glad we could be there. I thank God for my friends and family! I also thank Him for the promise of HEAVEN! You can see there are a lot of smiles, but the reason we can smile during the "sad times" is because we know that someday we will see our loved ones again! "Won't we have a time when we get over yonder!" We also enjoyed visiting with Ronda and Nathan. We stayed with them and got to see Nathaniel, Matt and Danelle. It's always good being with them!

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and let you know I will be blogging again, soon. I've been very busy and haven't hardly turned on the computer this week. I hope everyone is doing good. See you soon....

Tagged!

I was tagged by Ronda, my sister, so I did it because I HAD to! LOL!

“A to Z Meme”

A -Available or Single? NEITHER! Married 34 years and still on our honeymoon!

B- Best Friend - Wendell, my husband. I've loved him since I was 12.

C- Cake or Pie - Cake. I love dense, heavy cakes or muffins.

D- Drink of Choice - Diet Coke!

E- Essential Item - my Bible - I find any answer I need in the pages of this Book.

F- Favorite Color - Emerald Green

G- Gummi Bears or Worms - I don't like either one!

H- Hometown - Fresno, CA

I- Indulgence - Hot fudge sunday from Braum's

J-January or February - January! It's the beginning of a NEW YEAR!

K- Kids - Two incredible sons! Both in the ministry.

L- Life isn't complete without - God, family and friends. (relationship)

M- Marriage date - September 15

N- Number of siblings - 3 (one brother, 2 sisters)

O- Oranges or Apples - Oranges

P- Phobias/Fears - Flying in a plane! I'd rather have my feet on the ground.

Q- Favorite Quote - "I cannot fail for there are those who trust me."

R- Reasons to smile - God has been so good to me and I have FOUR beautiful granddaughters!

S- Season(ing) - Season - Fall; Seasoning - Salt! Not too many things taste good without it.

T- Tag Three - Mandy, 'Dubya' Lynn, Christina

U- Unknown fact about me - If it's unknown...I'm sure not going to tell it!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals - I'm not real crazy about meat, but not totally vegetarian.

W- Worst habit - Maybe this is the "unknown fact"?

X- X-rays or Ultrasounds - I do not want either, but have had both.

Y- Your favorite foods - Mexican, especially MY tacos!

Z- Zodiac - Taurus, but does it really matter?

Ok....Mandy, 'Dubya', and Christina it's your turn!

Home

We're HOME! Thank the Lord for safe flights. It was bumpy a few times and I nearly squeezed my husbands arm off, but it got smoother and wasn't too bad. We got the news about Sis. Barbara being in the hospital and headed there as soon as we got home. I hugged her and she asked me how I was doing, then said, "It's alright. It's alright." Please keep her and the family in your prayers. Those who are not part of our church, would you please pray for all of us. We need your prayers! Thank you and God bless you all.

A Wonderful Time In Lake Charles, LA

It has been a very busy week, but also very enjoyable. We left last Monday headed to Lake Charles, LA to preach for Bro. Rick Treece. We had not been to the church in 30 years! Jonathan was just 2 years old when we were there last. Now, that can make you feel "old" if you think about it very long. LOL! We arrived there on Tuesday afternoon, unloaded the car at the motel, and about an hour later we received a call from Elder Sis. Treece saying her and Bro. Treece would like to take us out for dinner. What a treat to get to be with them for a time of fellowship and talking about "old times". Sis. Treece can remember more than you can believe! It was so much fun talking to her, because she knows so much history about friends and family! In 1976 we were in Lake Charles for about three months with Bro. and Sis. Treece and we enjoyed being there helping in the church. It was one of life's highlights that we look back to with a lot of fond memories. Bro. Treece had trained coon dogs and he taught Jonathan to "howl" like a coon dog! It was so cute and everyone at the church remembered him doing that. We were surprised that a lot of people remembered us being there and to see so many saints of God still living for the Lord blessed us. They have a great church! Their worship is so heart-felt, and they still love the preaching! The presence of God is so strong when you are there in service. Bro. Rick Treece, pastor of the church, and Diane, his wife are gracious hosts. We had so much fun visiting with them. We didn't have to do one thing for ourselves. They picked us up when it was time to eat, took me to a couple stores that I needed to go to, showed us the new property where they are going to be building a new church real soon, took us to Cameron, LA where Hurricane Rita came through and wiped out the whole town, showed us wild alligators along the road, and when we were finished touring for the day, took us back to the motel so we could get ready for church, then, picked us up for church! They treated us like we were special. It's so nice being with "long-time friends" and enjoying each others company. We also enjoyed seeing Paula and Russell (Treece's daughter and her husband). They are a great couple! There are some people in life you never forget and the Treece family are such people. Thank the Lord for true Christian friends that you can have fun with and when you leave you feel you have been with some of God's CHOSEN people!

Another "Angel" Taken Home

This morning Sis. Bobbie Shoemake called and told us of the passing of Sis. Blanche Shoemake. My heart is saddened to know another precious friend has gone on to her reward. Sis. Shoemake was a beautiful lady! "Pure gold" are the words my husband used to describe her. Please keep the Shoemake family and church in your prayers. God bless you all!

Travelling

The last two weeks have been very busy for us, so I want to catch you up on where we've been. Last week we took a few days and ran to Beaumont to see Jonathan, Brenda and the girls, and see the "field" the Lord has moved them to. I had already been, but my husband had not. It was good for us to be with them and be able to tour The Apostolic Church. We also went to service on Tuesday night and enjoyed the presence of the Lord in the service. The church is doing wonderful and they are loving their Pastor and family. It's always good hearing Jonathan preach. We do not get to hear him very often and this was a treat. After spending several days with them we then went back to Lufkin to be at the TBC Graduation. Kyle was so happy to be finished with college and ready to be home for awhile. We were happy to be there with him to celebrate his accomplishments. We got to visit with friends which is always refreshing. We went home for Sunday (as I have already reported below). We had great church on the weekend, then on Monday afternoon we left for Lake Charles, LA to preach for Pastor Rick Treece. (I will report on this later) On our way down to Lake Charles we stopped in Beaumont to eat lunch with the family again. Isn't it funny how "Beaumont" has become a part of my vocabulary? Ron and Debbie Alomar (Brenda's parents) are there visiting. They have recently moved from California to Jackson, TN where Donald and Bridgett are pastoring, so now they are only 10 hours away from Brenda. It was good seeing them, again. Now, we are in Lake Charles. I will write about being here later. I hope you all have a great week!!

I really hope no one gets tired of reading about my family, friends and church, but they are my life, so I guess I'll keep talking about them. If it wasn't for these wonderful people "life wouldn't be near as much fun"! I love you all! May the Lord keep you, guide you, and be near you in everything you do. Until He comes...I will always be thankful for my family, friends, and church.