Families

Last Thursday, we received an email from Dr. Gupta explaining that Justin’s situation would be presented to the surgeons on Monday.  We are not sure exactly what that means or when we will know anymore details.  We definitely want everyone to agree on what should be done, how it should be done, and who the best person is for the job.   We continue to pray that all of those involved will have the wisdom to make the correct decision. 

Friday was the first day of school for middle school and high school students!  So, I had my first day with students!  Mom and I teach together in the same room for those of you who didn’t know that.  Because of the laws about teaching gifted students sometimes it works out that you get 2 teachers in the same room.  We love it!  We have a 6th grade homeroom (VT- Viking Time), which is great because they are new to middle school and usually a little scared.  It is nice to be that comforting support system they need on the 1st day of middle school.  My students learn quickly if they are shy, that will not last long.  It won’t be too embarrassing, but I do ask that you take some risks (not anything life threatening of course).  For some getting up in front of their peers is not easy and very risky.  I ask this of my students on the first day, so that they get used to the idea of speaking in front of others.  I ask them present their work all of the time!  1st day in Intellectually Gifted (IG) is spent jumping right in to work.  Since, we have the same students from year to year (for the most part) we don’t spend time getting to know each other, we immediately jump in to thinking! 

Also, on Friday, Justin’s co-workers had a benefit for him at work.  They are a wonderful team who has really taken care of Justin the entire time he has worked there.  His group at work is only about 5 people, but he works closely with many others.  Many of these people visited him in the hospital last year after the surgery.  But most impressive was after he came home for recovery.  Justin’s co-workers drove from Tupelo to visit him at home twice!  First they came to visit.  The second time they brought him lunch and sat down and ate with him!  What a great group!   After finding out a few weeks ago that we were going out of state for surgery, his co-workers told him they wanted to have a benefit for him.   Justin tried to talk his way out of it, but they would not have that.  They worked very hard to organize a benefit for him which happened this past Friday.  My boss, also wonderful, let me leave school to attend the benefit.  It was very humbling to see the hard work and participation.  The outcome was way more than we ever expected!  I can’t say thank you enough to all of those involved!  Justin has a wonderful place to work and a wonderful work family!  We are both so blessed, not only to have wonderful jobs that we love, but to have wonderful work families that love us and pray for us just like our other families!

The Sunday School lesson this morning was about having faith without works.  In the book of James, it says that faith without works is dead.  When you put your faith in the Lord to practice you work for the Lord.  Then the message was also similar in that we get the biggest blessing when we get in to the meat of God’s word and begin to serve Him.   If you are a Christian but have not been serving the Lord, then you are missing the blessings of being a Christian.   Then the pianist played “How Great Thou Art” during the offering.  And that is just it.  Its not about how big we are or what we can do.  It is about putting our total faith and ability to the Lord because He is so GREAT!  We have faith because He is GREAT!  We want to serve HIM because HE is GREAT!  We want to tell others because He is GREAT!  We can endure because HE is GREAT!

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!