Christmas Letter 2014 or 2015

So after 10 years, the goal was to mail out Christmas cards…

The cards were made, signed addressed and waiting for this letter, then the flu – chicken and pig type, strep throat, bronchitis and sinus infections passed through our entire family in the days after our first big Christmas together!!! 

Now…Happy New Year!!!  Happy Valentine’s Day!!!  Happy Everything in 2015!!!

So in just a few lines – what have we been up to for the past 10 years????

David continues to work for Chemtreat in the central or some would say southern part of Florida – in reality, we still live outside of Tampa. He is thinking about retirement, but we just aren’t sure what that looks like yet.  Several weeks out of each year for the past 8 years, David travels to Uganda or Kenya with mission teams helping to set up clean water systems and working with Water Missions International out of Charleston and Kelly Green Global out of Tampa.   It continues to amaze us both at how God has used his vocation in the mission field. 

I have finally and officially retired from teaching and education.  My time is now spent between Florida and SC and Maryland.  Mama moved into Covenant Place, an assisted living facility in my hometown of Sumter, two years ago this month.  That was a tough decision for all of us. After 6 good months there, we almost lost her due to a “med error”.  As a result of that "error", as they call it, she is now in a full care nursing home in Sumter.  This has been a trying and difficult time for all of our family.  It means lots of trips back and forth from FL to SC.  Time in between is filled with David’s office work, riding a new bike, beach time, reading, sewing, taking care of two houses, hosting a ladies study group that has been together since 2008, and being a fulltime KaKa – what the kids call me.  Now that’s my favorite activity!

Kaiti and Robert have moved from Pensacola, to Corpus Christi, to Pensacola, to Jacksonville, NC and now to Pax River, Maryland.  Collin was born in 2008, Legare was born in 2011 and Adley, July of this past year.  Being grandparents has to be THE BEST and MOST FUN job in the world!!! Robert has been deployed 3 times since 2008, and just graduated from Test Pilot School.  He is currently working at the Test Pilot School, and his masters in engineering at John's Hopkins.  After completing her Masters in Education, Kaiti has been able to be a stay at home mom since 2010 – SHE has the best job!!!  She also works from home for an online curriculum firm out of DC.  

Kelly moved to Charleston  - “back home” as she says several years ago.  She worked at Wild Dunes and then at Trident Technical College.  Her job there was as an admin assistant to one of David’s closest friends at the Citadel.  What a small world to reconnect with him in this way.  In the course of this job, Kelly met Marshall.  They began dating, got engaged and were married this past May.  The HUGE bonus of their marriage is that we welcomed Marshall’s two little boys, Bryson,8, and Cameron,4, into our family.  Now we have FIVE grandchildren.  Marshall is assistant dean at the Trident Berkley campus, Kelly is now a fulltime nursing student, 

We now have a home in Florida and a home in the Lowcountry of SC.  This does make driving back and forth a little easier. It's a fun and wonderful place for al of us to get together and make wonderful family memories.   Our hearts and so many of our family and friends are still there, so the plan is to eventually be there full-time. 

To sum it all up – if you can do that in a few words…we are blessed beyond measure from God by the richness of family, friends, community, good health, 38 years of marriage, sweet times and memories, We pray blessings on your families and long for the time when we can see you again. 

2011

As I sit here on the first day of 2011, my prayer is that this is a better year for everyone that I know - both near and far. This has been a year of change, a year in a new season, a year of health concerns, a year of pain, hurt and loss for so many that we know.

There have been wonderful moments and times of joy - any time spent with our family all together, watching as Kaiti grows into an amazing woman, wife and mother, Mama's Steel Magnolia birthday celebration, David's time in Africa, Robert's homecoming, being a part of answered prayers as Kelly finds her place in and then out of school with a wonderful job, times with my kindred spirits, watching my last 2 students getting to the place of being on their own, time spent at the ocean's edge, any time that is spent with Collin as he grows into the most extraordinary 3 year old in the world and no I am not saying that just because I am his KaKa.

I just read this New Year's prayer by a friend of mine and wanted to share it with anyone reading....

A New Calendar Prayer

by Michael B Henderson on Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 10:55am

I open a new calendar, Lord.

It lies flat, clean, crisp, pristine on my desk.

The days are numbered, and, as yet, have no markings in them. Each blank space an opportunity, something that can be filled.

Fill them with your grace, O Lord.

Let me see each one become a place, a time, where your love, your peace, your joy, your righteousness, your justice is made real in this new year.

Remind me to intentionally leave some blank, so that my days do not become so full that I have no time to reflect, no time to rest, no time just to be. Keep me from so much busyness , and allow me to commit, from time to time, the sin of the assembly-line- wasted time.

As the year progresses, Lord this calendar will become creased, marred, torn, stained with coffee-mug rungs. Let those things bring character not only to the calendar, but to this year, and to me.

Finally, when I put this calendar away 365 days from now, let me do so with love and gratitude for all you have done through the year.

This I pray in the name of the One who is beyond time, yet created time, even Jesus.

Amen.

and this I pray for each of you....

Delight is also a Verb

de·light

  [dih-lahyt] –noun- a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy, rapture

verb - to have great pleasure; take pleasure

For years - I guess most of my life - I have only thought of the word "delight" as a noun, or only as a verb in a Biblical context.

Psalm 18:19
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me

Psalm 111:2
Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

So a couple of weeks ago I was catching up on my dvr'd programs. I am not an everyday Oprah fan - but have decided to record the programs that interest me during her last year. This show had Susan Boyle, Jackie Evancho and Debbie Boone. I had tuned in to hear the incredible voices and stories of Susan Boyle and Jackie Evancho. What a surprise when I listened to the interview with Debbie Boone. Now how does Debbie Boone look like she does when we are the same age????

Rosemary Clooney, was Debbie's mother-in-law. When Oprah asked her what kind of grandmother Rosemary was Debbie's immediate response was that Rosemary "delighted in her children". That statement really impacted me - more of an epiphany moment. What a powerful verb!!! WHO do I delight in. I delight in my family - my husband, my children, my son-in-law, my family that I grew up with, my kindred spirits and my grandson. My grandson...he has brought a whole new definition to this word - "delight". Collin brings me great pleasure. He takes me to a happy place. I only pray that I do that for my God.

Waterways and Trees

I borrowed this from Kaiti's FB post after she finished reading South of Broad, by Pat Conroy. One of the best reads from last year - and I had forgotten how this passage spoke to me. We are salt waterways, but what kind of tree are we or do we need to be???

You can bury all the streams and creeks you want to, but salt waterways remember where they came from." "...the palmetto tree has more natural flexibility and can bend all the way to the ground and still survive, but an oak knows only how to stand firm against the amazing blasts of wind, and makes itself susceptible to the perils of uprooting." - Pat Conroy

Shifting Gears

This was in my email this morning. I love Holly's writing and wanted to share it. I need to learn to shift gears. I so feel like I am in a very different and new season of my life - for so many reasons. I know that many of you are in the very same place. New jobs, new ministries, new friends, sadness, new physical challenges, changes, dealing with our adult children, dealing with relationships, new life in your families - everything is changing so quickly. Last night I was able to spend time loving, eating, praying and laughing with some very dear friends. I was reminded me of how very precious this life is - and how quickly any of our circumstances and places in life can change. Today my prayers are with the Wilcox family as they walk through a very different season in their lives. I pray that God will place his power of healing on Kristin, and supply strength to each in her family. May we be there to help them shift to an easier gear. K Heart to Heart with Holley

---

When you're looking for a little more joy... Posted: 11 Oct 2010 04:22 PM PDT This morning my husband and I set our for a bike ride. A brilliant blue sky hung above us and the first kiss of fall found its way onto our cheeks as we began to zig-zag down the trail. Biking hasn't always been easy for me (okay, never). I do enjoy it—especially on flat pavement. But we live in a hilly part of the country and every ride is full of ups and downs (anyone else feel a spiritual analogy coming on?). My husband is a great biker and my big break through came when he taught me how to use my gears. You see, I had been doing everything in the hardest gear. I was showing off, really. I thought if I could tackle the biggest, baddest hill in that gear then I must be good. But that's just silly. And I understood why when I learned you can make it easier to pedal just by a little flick of your fingers. Now my gear fits the terrain...I can adapt, shift, make the most of of where I am at the moment. And when I flip it into just the right gear and it feels a little bit like flying...I feel JOY. God has been given me some "gear lessons" in the rest of my life the last few months too. As on my mountain bike, I can be a bit intense. I think, "I'll just do it all in the hardest gear. That will prove what a good little Christian I am." Can anyone say "craziness"? Instead the One Who Loves Me is gently showing me how to shift, adapt, allow seasons of rest with seasons of pushing hard. It has changed everything for me. And when I flip my heart into just the right gear with Him and it feels a little bit like flying...I feel JOY. What helps you find a little more joy? by Holley Gerth

Where Do I Start????

There is so much to catch up on. For the past 7 months I have had writer's block, reader's block and just didn't need to be spending time here. I found that I have really missed so many friends - new and old who blog and share their lives. I have missed the friends here that I kept up with and prayed for. So, I am back and will gradually catch up on what has really been going on for the past 7 months -so much - so very much!!!! But for today - I have been watching the weather channel off and on all day. Worrying and praying for our friends along the Carolina coast. Watching the warnings and Jim Cantore coverage has really thrown me back over 20 years to a Thursday night - Sept. 21 when we were listening to reports about Hurricane Hugo, and wondering where it was going. That was a night that changed all of us forever. So tonight, we are praying for the folks and friends who live along the outerbanksof NC. Praying that when they wake up in the morning -they will be safe. Don't ever underestimate the fury of the storm!!!!

We're Back

After a long break - mostly due to reader's block and writer's block, we're back. Back - only to find that aliens had hijacked my blog with no posts even visible and bizarre ads all over the place. So after 2 days - it's back up in a simple format and officially "under construction" again. I have missed my old and new friends and can't wait to catch up with each of you. See you again and SOON!!! Very soon!!!!

Protect Our Loved Ones

Psalm 91 (New International Version)

Psalm 91

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. ^a]">[a]

² I will say ^b]">[b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

¹⁰ then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

Update from Uganda

Here is an update from the team in Jinja, Uganda. Keep those prayers going!!

Just a brief update on our team.....

TUESDAY:

Today was another exceptional day in Uganda! Our two rally teams (a mixture of Americans and Ugandans) performed at 15+ schools in the past two days. The teams consist of a puppet and drama team, HIV/AIDS presentation and then a gospel presentation. So far we have seen over 700 students ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior! Several thousand people have been attending the nightly crusade since Sunday and well over 300 salvation decisions have been recorded.

Our dentists have seen 300 patients in 2 1/2 days and our medical doctors over 400. We left the clinic today with about 150 dental patients and 300 medical patients to be seen. Unfortunately it was our last day in this town (Myunge) because we must move on to another location. It was difficult to announce to those who had waited for so long that we could not treat them. We could stay here for a month, in this one village, and never see everyone. It's so hard to leave them. Tomorrow we move closer to town after caring or the pastors who have been attending the pastor's conference.

We have had many exciting things happen already and we cannot wait to share with you all when we return home! Please continue to lift us up as we meet the physical and spiritual needs of the men, women and children of Uganda! We love you all and covet your faithfulness to pray!

Hello Again....

After a very long haitus from the blogging world - I am back. There are many reasons for not writing, but probably the most important would have to be the tone and words of some of the comments that were made concerning my posts. Those were not published for any of you to have to read. Soooo, I am back and ready to catch up with my online friends. If the comments begin again - I will have to make some changes to the way that I post.
Life has been crazy as usual, but it has taken on an even crazier pace for us in the past week. David leaves on Thursday morning for Africa. This time a week in Jinja, Uganda and then he travels with three other men to Siaya, Kenya. This is really a dream come true and answer to many, many prayers. Our friends and "family" in Siaya are going to get "CLEAN WATER" !!!!
More about all of that later...so check back.
Kelly has completed a year of living on her own and going to school in Charleston. Kaiti has completed her Masters in Teaching, and has decided to stay at home and be with Collin next year. Robert is already gearing up to deploy again in January. This time he will fly off of an aircraft carrier. David is busier than ever with his job, and his passion for the people of Kenya and Uganda. I have cut way back on my real job and now spend too much time doing David's office work. I have also taken on two incredible 8 year-olds who were struggling with home-schooling after the sudden death of their Daddy. I have been working with them on a full-time basis from January up until Apri. Now, I am there as support several times each week. What a blessing this has been!!!
Collin is growing up right in front of us - literally. We are able to skype with him almost daily. What an absolute joy he is!!!!

Collin's Christening

It has been soooo long since I have had time to post anything. There is much to say and write about but only a few minutes right now. Here are some photos from the weekend of Collin's Christening in SC.

Memory Verse #3

Job 8:21 (New International Version)

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Don't you just LOVE this little bitty scripture - what a prayer to wake up to each and every morning!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Finally - the gift from Christmas 2007 is happening tonight!!

Our Birthday Boy!!

Collin Robert Wicker - 1 year old

God Stop Friday

Now, I just love it when God shows himself as just a totally, delightful surprise to me. Like I said earlier, music is in my soul - it flows through every fiber of my being. And that is just nothing but a gift from God. Now, there is a certain kind of music that I have loved for years and years and years.

Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, is a regional genre which developed from various musical styles of the forties, fifties and sixties. These styles ranged from big band swing instrumentals to the more raucous sounds of blues/jump blues, jazz, doo-wop, boogie, rhythm and blues, reggae, rockabilly and old-time rock and roll. Beach music is closely associated with the style of swing dance known as the shag, or the Carolina shag, which is also the official state dance of both North Carolina and South Carolina. Recordings with a 4/4 "blues shuffle" rhythmic structure and moderate-to-fast tempo are the most popular music for the shag, and the vast majority of the music in this genre fits that description.

So, I am driving around Jacksonville, NC, Friday morning running errands for Kaiti to get ready for the big birthday. Turn on the radio and guess what!?!?! 94.1 - a station dedicated to playing beach music!! I just slowed myself down,took my time and listened to some wonderful music!! And just kept finding more errands to run out and do...now I KNOW that there are some blogging friends out there who will appreciate this one!!

Thankful Thursday

Up at 4:30 to drive to the airport and fly to NC to spend the weekend with Kaiti, Robert and Collin for his birthday weekend. Can I say how thankful we are to be able get away for this time with our favorite little boy - not to mention the rest of his family and friends that we will be able to see. We got to Jacksonville, stopped by Kati's school and were actually able to see her at work. What a thrill, and this sort of visit of course set off her class of 8th graders - who really couldn't believe that she really had parents. Off to get Collin from the daycare, and on to Chuck E Cheese for the very first time!! Yes, this was a day to be thankful for.

A Very Late Wordless Wednesday - well almost...

I grew up surrounded by music...it is in my soul and always has been. I started playing the piano when I was a preschooler. My parents saved and bought our first piano when I was old enough to take lessons in1st grade. My very first job was as a church organist to a couple of churches in our small town. Best job in town was the organist for a funeral home. So, anytime I hear the sound of the pipe organ in the National Cathedral -I am speechless - there are no words. I couldn't find recordings of the song that I heard on Wednesday - Holy,Holy,Holy -but when it came on the radio I had to pull over to listen. Amazing how we can be in a spirit of worship as we praise and raise hands with contemporary music, and at the same time can hear an old standard like Holy, Holy, Holy and be brought to the very same place in our soul.

Just a reminder...

It REALLY is tough being a woman...but I was reminded today of the commissioning from the first Beth Moore event that I attended almost two years ago...

Count it a joy, Dear One When life gets hard. God is doing something huge! He is also proving That you are NOT a fake. Be brave, Mighty Warrior. Your God is with you! When waves are crashing, Stand to your feet, Throw your head back And feel the wind of the Spirit! God is painting a masterpiece With multi-colored trials. Go forth and display Divine special effects To the great glory of God. YOU CAN DO IT!

2nd Memory Verse

This is my 2nd memory verse, and also my daily prayer.

2 Chron 7:14 (NIV)

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land."

For Such a Time as This...

Can't wait until tomorrow night. Finally - we are beginning our study of Esther!!