Summer

Well...(Deep sigh)
Alot is going on...Health, Heat, Fun, Friends & Family, Finances, Missions, Learning, God...
This is June 27th and we have only been in "Summer" for 6 days now...
Wow, what a start...
Health:
Shelby's Insurance cancels on July1st, so we are scrambling to get her new insurance... Kentucky has been paying for all her insurance up to now, but has decided we do not qualify anymore, so we now have to pay for her insurance which makes an 80/20 policy for the 3 of us nearly $900 a month... WOW!
Our parents are all struggling... Jenn's dad has knee and heart problems, he mom has several problems we don't want to discuss including diverticulitis.
Ron's mom is having dental problems and is loosing her sight (in at least one eye). Ron's dad has spinal problems, heart, blood pressure and diabetes problems. (Surgery is on the near horizon)
We are very concerned about all of them and don't want anything to happen, but they all know the Lord and we know where we will meet again should anything happen.

Heat:
We broke down and put a couple of window AC units in... It has been getting in the 90's with high humidity. Ron's work only has one room with AC, so it is starting out to be quite a hot summer... (Standing in the freezer department at Krogers is a huge treat)

Fun:
Along with the heat, a small portable pool was a necessity... Shelby and Savanna (Our friend's daughter who is spending the summer with us) are LOVING it! Even when we first filled it with COLD water, they couldn't wait to get in - over & over again... (Jenn & I are still waiting for the water to warm a little)

Friends:
Mindy & Scott brought Savanna for her yearly visit and she will spend a month or 2 with us... We wish Mindy & Scott could have stayed for a while, but Scott's work and Mindy's school required them to be back in Akron quickly.
Mike, Jean, Brian & Devon are still holding out in Panama... We pray for them all the time as they are going through "humbling" times. We all seem to be being "tested" lately and are definitely aware of Satan's presence in our everyday world. Hopefully we will soon be able to go forward with God's plan and work (see Missions)
Brad & Pat are going through quite a bit with personal issues and threats. We pray for their safety and for calmness in their lives - for God's grace to cover them and help them through their trials and tribulations.
Al Savage, our friend and landlord, continues to teach us humility, gardening, about life and about God. We pray for his continued teaching to everyone he touches and for his friendship.
Ernie Perry is teaching me how to pray... One of my deficits in my Spiritual Gifts... He can pray anytime, anywhere - even on the phone - for someone...

Many other friends and family have important things going on in their lives- we are concerned with each and every one and pray for them. We even pray for those who hurt us - we are ALL God's children.

Family:
Nick is a United States of America Marine and stationed in Iraq. We have been asked not to say anything further for security reasons. We do pray CONSTANTLY for his safety and the safety of all of our armed forces protecting us daily. It is a double edged sword....we are so proud, but we fear for his safety! Like the war or not... they are still our secular protectors. PLEASE pray for Nick and all of our soldiers!
Jake graduated High School and is preparing for college. He is working 3 jobs to try and pay for his education as we cannot help much with his schooling (see finances). He will go the Michigan State and gear towards Sports Medicine (at least for now) and prepare for work for God! Pray for Jake's finances and goals, and his walk with God. He is an awesome man of God, a growing Christian and a proud son...
Shelby is 6 going on 16 and has "graduated" Kindergarten. She can read , write and even multiply... WOW! She is having a blast going to YMCA camp with Jennifer and having Savanna with us for the summer.
Jennifer is working hard for the YMCA as as "Off_Site" Director for the Y-Care program. Trying hard to keep up with us is a full time job all in itself, and now she is working almost 2 full time jobs.

Jenn, Shelby, Savanna & I are headed to a family reunion this weekend and will see family who we mostly see only once a year. This is not right, but it is a fact in the secular world we live in. None of us make enough time for our families. I particularly pray for my Aunt Jean and Aunt Corsey - both who have lost their husbands (my uncles) in the last year or so. Both are not in the best of health and struggle with the challenges of age daily.
My dad's side of the family have become strangers to Jenn & Shelby as we have not taken the time to visit West Virginia... Again, we need to ALL work on staying closer to our families.
My sister Laura is wonderful - a good friend to Jennifer and a wonderful Aunt to Shelby. We pray for her personally life and that she stays close to God in her walk!
We pray for Jennifer's brother and his family. We have had our differences in the past but they are still family and we love them very much. We pray for forgiveness and healing in this relationship and hope that someday we can break bread together again.

Finances:
Well, for those of you who know us, we have been struggling with our finances for years. Certain things happened to make them worse, and then we found ourselves "Humbled" by God. "Stuff" is not that important anymore...
Old medical bills, and previous expenditures have caught up with us and we are praying about what to do... We have found expenses exceeding income but are still resolved to continue our work for God... As always, prayers are welcomed for enlightenment...

Missions:
On The Wings Of Doves remains intact - poised for growth with several "tentative" commitments... We are still looking for sources of operating income from God and His people.
See "OnTheWingsOfDoves.com"
Leap Of Faith Farms continues to grow slowly and there are several potential avenues for tremendous growth. (see "LeapOfFaithFarms.net)
For His Own has fed many families through the holidays, and has planted "The Safe House" - a church for "at-risk" kids. we are on "vacation" during the summer, but pray that we will be able to continue God's work with these kids.
Southland's Ironman Mentoring program is growing slowly. (I was recently asked to take over as coordinator of the program) Summer is a hard time to get a program like this running on a consistent basis, but hopefully the Mentors will be able to reach and teach the Mentees and grow them closer to God!
Ichthus just finished their 2007 concert. Jenn and I were privileged to work there this year. Tens of Thousands of people attended, praised and worshiped God... What a wonderful experience far anyone!
Habitat For Humanity continues to grow in Jessamine county. Brad and I have been proud to help in its growth. Exceeding the goals set forth for the ReStore by tremendous numbers. Having two builds scheduled for this year and 1 rehab... 2 partners are already selected and another should be selected before the end of this years projects. We are currently working on expanding the Restore from 7000 sq ft to either 12,000 sq ft or 19,000 sq ft.
Our friends Rhoda and Armstong Cheggah from Kenya continue to educate themselves and their children in God's word, continue to educate God's people throughout the US and continue to birth churches and pastors throughout Kenya.

Learning:
Learning is a constant thing. Jennifer has undertaken a management position with the YMCA and I am contemplating additional coursework or even a Master's degree in Christian Counseling or Missions. Each day we learn more about God, more about the secular world, and more about how the two will collide.

GOD:
This is a BIG one... GOD works in our lives every day! Sometimes we listen, sometimes we don't! Our goal is to learn to listen ALL THE TIME! We MUST put on the Armor of God everyday. We must learn to pray EVERYDAY about EVERYTHING!
We will constantly learn and will never know it all... sometimes it is a bit unsettling not to be able to reach the "conclusion" (at least on earth) . But we will eventually, with our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior.


Summer Continues and I will try to keep up with this blog better...

If you can help let me know....

We appreciates all your prayers!

Ron & Jenn