Abby lights the Advent candle~by Beth

Another Advent season at Tamiami means lighting the Advent candle. Here Abigail lights her first candle. She may have done it last year with one of her sisters, but not by herself. Her brothers are in the background in the front row. You can also see two of the new windows the park put in this summer. We were very surprised at all the improvements when we returned this fall. It all started with a roof leak and lead to a new tin roof (not flat anymore but with pitch), new entry, new windows and doors, some new improvements in the kitchen, opening up some doorways, and moving one door. It looks really updated and nice. I am trying not to covet the kitchen!

A Field Trip~by Beth

I did it. I actually took the kiddos on a museum field trip this past week. I had tickets for our local hands-on museum and thought I better redeem them before time ran out. The above photo is of Emma doing a weather forecast. There is a closed circuit camera and tv that allows the children to see themselves doing the weather. Emma did a fine job. I helped her with placing all the icons for the different weather. It is quite unusual to have snow in Minnesota and a hurricane in the Gulf at the same time. The children also got to see gravity in motion with various tracks and balls, air, clouds, a thunderstorm, wind tunnel, and a live demonstration of feeding the sting rays. We also were able to get to a show that featured a python, some sort of frog, and an alligator which they all got to touch. Can anyone say "Hand Sanitizer?" We had a nice time and even stopped for a quick lunch on the way home.

Abigail's 4th Birthday~by Beth

The day after Nathan was married was Abigail's 4th birthday. While all the relatives were around, like Grandparents and a great Aunt and a great Uncle, we had a little celebration. Here is our beautiful Abigail.

Caleb and Joel are both Referees~by Beth

Last August Caleb took the referee course to become a certified, Florida soccer referee. He passed his test, ordered his uniform and got on the roster of refs. Here is a photo of my two guys headed to Caleb's first game as a ref.

A Fall dinner~by Beth

Just before we left for Nathan's wedding, I cooked up our great big pumpkin that was gracing our table. I froze all the cooked pumpkin for future use and made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for the trip. When I got home I made a yummy fall dinner of pumpkin soup, generally liked by most, and some fresh baked rolls. It looked so fallish with the seasonal table cloths, decorations and candles. I just had to take a photo. Kind of reminds me of Abby Anderson posts :-) I also made a delicious chocolate pie from a recipe I found in a magazine. It turned out wonderfully. It was so rich it was a good thing that we all only got a thin slice.
So, here was our dinner last week. It took me until now to get the camera unloaded with all the computer trouble we had at the end of the summer. I hope to update with some other photos. That will have to wait for another day.

Nathan's Wedding

We arrived home early on Monday morning after attending Nathan's wedding. It was very beautiful and both brides in this double wedding looked beautiful. We had six members of the family be a part of the ceremony, including Jon who was the officiant of the service. After a cold, rainy week, the heavens opened up to sun and warm temperatures for a perfect wedding day. It was still very chilly for the pictures at 8 A.M., but by an hour before the ceremony our jackets and sweaters all came off. We are beginning to get some great pictures off facebook. Of course our photographer has a slew of pictures that we will get after she edits them all and Nathan and Hannah get back from their honeymoon.

We arrived in Big Sandy on Wednesday last week. Nathan and Hannah had planned all our dinners and lunches for the entire time we were in TX, including the night of their wedding! That was a blessing. There were so many involved in some way in making this day happen. We are so grateful for everyone's help. Johanna was a wonderful flower girl. She was always at Nathan or Hannah's side, even after they ran through the bubble line on their way to change to leave. I made her come back to me. It was bittersweet to see them drive off. I was happy for them, but sad to say goodbye. That night all my family and Katie left along with a good portion of the folks that came for the wedding, so the dorm where we stayed was quite empty and quiet. That was depressing. After so much noise and activity it was like the air went out of a balloon and everything felt flat. We got up at 4 A.M. to pack up to leave. Of course it took us nearly two hours to actually get on the road, but we made it home in 19.5 hours, which is pretty amazing. Jon and Joel had to get to work and college the next morning. I have gotten most of the unpacking and washing done, and nearly everything put away. Now to look forward to Christmas when Nathan, Hannah and Katie will be coming home. Yea!!!!

Nathan's courtship journey~by Beth

When we joined ATI we were exposed to the idea of courtship instead of dating. We decided that was a more biblical idea and that dating definitely was not God's idea. So, that became our family standard. When Nathan was 15 years old he was able to attend the Young Men's Counseling seminar in Indianapolis. He was challenged to give the Lord his youth in order to serve Him, kind of a tithe of his life. Nathan made the commitment to give the Lord the next seven years of his life. During this time he would not be looking around for his future mate but would concentrate on serving the Lord and his family. He had also felt the Lord calling him to attend the ALERT Academy, and just before his 21st birthday he left for Texas. After completing the program in a little over a year, he was asked to remain and come on staff working in the computer department.

When the seven years he committed to the Lord came to an end, he talked to his dad about talking to girls. I later found this out and told him that it was no different than when he was talking to them now, but when the Lord showed him the right one, he would know in his spirit. I also told him that when it happened it would be fast since he was already in the position to be married and had prepared himself spiritually as well. Those words were prophetic.

So, a year passed. Then in September of 2008, he began to pray about a young woman that worked at ALERT. He did not tell the woman, nor her father, nor us. He just prayed about it. He prayed all Fall, all Winter, and then in the Spring he approached her father, Capt. Smith about the possibility of courting his daughter, Hannah. Capt. Smith liked Nathan and gave his blessing. Nathan had already built a relationship with Capt. Smith, and so he was able to evaluate Nathan as a future marriage partner for Hannah based on how well he already knew him. During this period of time he indicated to us that there was someone special. He planned to ask Hannah if she would begin a courtship with him. We talked several times about the timing of this "proposal" and he decided on a day and time.

Nathan told us later that he was very nervous about asking Hannah. He felt that before asking if she were willing to begin a relationship with the idea of marriage he should come clean with her about areas in his life in which he had failed. Full disclosure. She said yes, and Nathan later recounted that it was in that moment that he knew she would say yes to getting engaged. That was the first week of June.
Several weeks later Nathan came home for vacation to Florida. We talked about their relationship and he revealed that he was ready to ask her to marry him. He initially thought that he would propose on October 24th at Hannah's sister's wedding. But as time went on he told us he did not want to wait that long. He asked our counsel and if we had any check in our spirits about him getting engaged sooner. We did not and gave him our full blessing. Now, just before he left to go back to Texas we went looking at rings. We found one that was stunning, but still needed her ring size. When Nathan got back he got her ring size. I asked him how he got it thinking that somehow he had gotten a hold of one of her rings and then called to have the ring sized. He told me that he just asked her. The ring was to arrive on a Friday but arrived a day early. He and his roommate went to find a microscope to check the number on the diamond and see if it was the same as the one on his certificate, which it was. He had told us he thought they would get engaged on his birthday, but he wanted to keep the ring in his pocket in case the right time just came along. Lo and behold, the very next night the right moment came and he asked her to marry him. She said, "Yes." That was July 10th, making his courtship five or six weeks long.

We are so grateful that the Lord has brought a godly woman into Nathan's life. We pray that will be a testimony for our other children, and others about leaving their future spouse in God's hands and serving him with their whole heart.

I am also grateful for e-mail since it has allowed me to get to know Hannah. We have been sending lots of e-mails back and forth and having deep conversations. Jon is counseling them for marriage and will be performing the ceremony.

Tomorrow, Katie leaves for ALERT. Glad I will be busy with the children and school.

A new chapter in our lives~by Beth

Well, so much for trying to keep of more often on this blog. I love to write, just can't seem to get to it with the wonderful business of our lives, oh and the computer finally getting fixed (well, a replacement until it gets fixed in the next few weeks). After we began school and Jon went back to teaching at Ft Myers Christian School, we did settle into a routine. That is, until the boys began asking to go to football practice before basketball practice on Tuesdays. All their friends were going to play, which includes most of the basketball team, so we said they could go practice but don't plan on playing as we did not have the money for that, nor did we want the extra scheduling challenges. Well, next thing I know they are on the team and have games scheduled. So, instead of having a more relaxed Fall leading up to the busy winter and Spring, now we are going to games that last 2 hours!!! Plus the girls volleyball play during the hour before so we have to go cheer them on. I don't mind all of this, but it is hard to keep up some days. Yesterday we got poured on and soaked. But, with 2 hours of the game, we managed to dry off to just damp.
Wednesdays we have the boys' co-op followed by 3 piano lessons, home to dinner and then catch up on any school work that didn't get done, or correct work they did not understand. Today Jon worked with David and Charity on their math.
Katie is getting ready to move to TX to minister at the International ALERT Academy where Nathan is. She has felt that the Lord wanted her to give Him at least a year to serve. We will miss her but look forward to the growth that the Lord has in mind for her life. She leaves in one week!! Then we will all be leaving for TX for Nathan's wedding about 20 days later. I have been e-mailing his fiance' Hannah for some time now and am excited to be getting to know what a sweet, godly woman she is. Nathan used courtship to begin a relationship with her and then was shortly engaged. They will be having a double wedding with Hannah's sister Emily. Jon is performing the ceremony. I can't wait. Maybe next post I will write their courtship story. It is soooo of the Lord. What a blessing. I am excited that our other children will have such a great example for their lives.
This replacement computer does not have our hard drives so I do not have access to any photos except this one of Nathan and Hannah right after they got engaged.

Family reunion at Chesley~by Beth

We were so blessed to attend our family reunion on my Dad's side of the family at my cousin's estate in VA on July 31-August 2. We did not expect to be able to attend as Jon had no summer employment and we did not have any resources to go. However, God made it possible and we had a fabulous time. It was so nice to see so many of my family that I had not seen for many years and introduce many of our children that had not been born. When we arrived home our computer was hit by lightning. We are trying to get it up and running and have access to the many photos that I had just unloaded from my camera. Fortunately Joel had some photos on his computer so these are ones that he took. One photo is of the grand piano and beautiful vase in the ball room. Another is on the second floor looking across the open area above the first level. Straight ahead on the lower level is the dining table. On the sides are the second floor bedrooms. That is real gold leaf on the ceiling. Notice Joel in the mirror taking the shot. He is at the top of the staircase. The third photo is of Chesley as you drive up. It was beautiful and amazing.
We are busy in the swing of school now and new co-op classes (summer American government, then for the school year World History for Caleb and Zach, and Physical Science for David). I hope to get everything organized and into a rhythm so I can update this more often.

Johanna starts school~by Beth

After many months of waiting until the new school year began, Johanna has finally started kinder- garten. She has been eagerly looking forward to this day, and it couldn't arrive fast enough. The photo is of her getting her pencil box the day before she began school. We had a great two days so far. She is so smart and quick as lightning to catch on. Teaching her will be easier than the previous student who I think is a bit dyslexic. We rearranged desks and places that we kept some school work. Joel will begin college next month, though he already has 40 some credits. Caleb will be joining him as a dual enrolled student. Zach and Caleb will be taking a co-op world history class this year. This summer they are taking an intensive American government class that just began today. David will be taking a physical science co-op class too, Lord willing. I hope I find the books that I need at our used curriculum sale this weekend. Oh, and it looks like Jon will have his math job at the Christian school this fall. So, all in all it has been a good week. We have gone back to having our wisdom search first thing before breakfast and are trying to put the Lord first in our day and our lives. Praying that we keep on track.
My next post will have to tell about Nathan's engagement this past weekend. Sorry, you will have to wait till next time.

25th Wedding Anniversary Getaway

Beth and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this month. It was June 2, 1984, that we were married in Parma, Ohio. Both of our fathers had part of the service. After the ceremony and reception, we were off to our honeymoon on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida.

Fast forward 25 years: Nathan, Katie and Joel surprised us with a special gift by sending us on an anniversary getaway to Siesta Key. This time around the travel time to Siesta was only an hour and a half, rather than 20 hours. We left Sunday afternoon and came home Tuesday around supper time. The older children held the fort and took care of everything. This included Joel cutting open his foot on some broken tile. We had replaced some tile in the kitchen, and it sat out by the basketball hoop waiting for the garbage man. Playing basketball in bare feet can be a dangerous thing with that tile nearby.

Anyway, back on Siesta Key, Beth and I enjoyed the beach, the pool, some good food, and the whole tourist atmosphere. The first photo is of Beth in our little room at Tropical Breeze. It was very small but fit our needs. You can see her necklace in the photo. It is made of Italian Moretti glass, Bali silver and Swarovski crystals. I, Jon, received it as a gift from the parents of one of my students. He owns a really nice shop in Ft Myers that Beth and her mom like to shop in, unbeknownst to me. She was thrilled to get it.

We walked on the beach both evenings that we were there. The first night we did not make it until just after sunset, but we determined to get there before sunset the following night. The third photo is of our feet on the beautiful white sand. Recently we heard that Siesta Key is one of the three best beaches in the world. The sand is so fine and soft and because it is white it is never hot. Notice the nice French manicure that Katie gave Beth.

All in all, it was a wonderful time to be away for a short while. We hadn’t been away since our 15th anniversary.

Thanks, Nathan, Katie, and Joel for blessing us in this way!

And now he is one~by Beth

It's been a year now and Stephen is one year old!!! We are so blessed to have this sweet little boy. He is such a joy in our lives and in our family. We have so much fun watching him grow and develop. Last night we had a birthday party for him with Nathan while he is home. We also celebrated in Ohio, but that was a couple weeks early with Grandma and Grandpa and some other family. Here is a photo of him just hanging around. Isn't he adorable? Tonight he took his first steps. Crawling days are nearly over. Thank you God for Stephen.

On the road again~by Beth

We just returned from our 24 day adventure. The children and I (minus Katie and of course Nathan) traveled from Cape Coral to stay with our friends the Thomas's in NC overnight and went to church with them the following day. Joel played Rustle of Spring for the offertory. Later we drove to VA to attend the wedding of Natalie Mayer, who taught Joel piano one year, and whose family are dear friends of ours. We had a great time. Nat even had child care for the little ones during the wedding and the reception. It made the day so much easier. Then we headed onto our conference in Nashville. It was so inspiring and uplifting. Just the shot in the arm that we needed for another year. After that we headed to Ohio to visit with my family. God prompted a dear family to give us a gift to stay in a motel that night after the conference so that we did not need to stay in the van overnight. God is good. On our way we stopped at the Creation Museum. We also stopped there on our way home this past Monday. The picture above is of us on our second time there. Joel was an excellent map reader and direction giver. He figured out the map and was extremely helpful in finding where we were going. Some of those back roads are confusing. He did quite a bit of driving on the way north and that helped. All in all it was a refreshing time and a blessing to be with people that we love. Now we are home in the summer heat. It takes some getting used to after the beautiful temps up north. I would love to go again this summer when we have a family reunion in VA. Then in October there is family camp in TX where Nathan is. We want to see him and meet the young lady he is courting. I am invited to a special mom's retreat in MI in September too. I need a pilot in the family I think. We are praying for the Lord's guidance daily.

Joel graduates-by Beth

Saturday was the day for Joel's graduation. What a whirlwind year with school, college classes 5 days a week, soccer, reffing, basketball, soccer again, and just a lot of activities mixed in. Our home school support group does a really nice graduation, rivaling any school grad you have ever been to. Above is the photo of Joel and his high school faculty (Dad and Mom) just before heading out the door. Before the ceremony and reception we were priviledged to attend another reception for Ronald McDonald House scholarship recipients. From there we headed over to the church where graduation was held. Joel's part in the program included his speech, singing a duet with his best bud Josh, and then playing a Jean Sebelius piece on the piano, which he played beautifully. Sunday we had a nice reception for both Joel and Josh and had a large group of people here. We got it all cleaned up and now are turning the corner to getting ready for our big trip to NC, VA, TN and OH. We still have a few grad things to finish and of course then getting Joel and Caleb registered at Edison for classes. Caleb will begin his dual enrollment so can hitch a ride with Joel. Time to get packing. Maybe we will see some of you on our trip.

A Final Farewell~by Beth

This is a photo of Jon with his dad at the viewing service in Fergus Falls, MN last week. It was a sorrowful, yet joyful event. We know Dad B is in glory, but we know that we will not see him in this earthly life again. Jon did a great job leading the service at the viewing and at his interment. It was wonderful to see many of his family. There were 6 of his 7 siblings there, along with numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. The funeral was really well done and gave honor to Jon's dad and the Lord. It was a long trip and we had little time to spend with family. But, we are glad we were able to be there. No regrets. The second photo is of the siblings that were able to be there. Now that we are home we are trying to get caught up and finish up the school year, soccer season, have Zach's confirmation, and get Joel graduated. I hope we can get the program done soon. We ask for the Lord's help to accomplish what seems to be too much to do.

Easter 2009

Here's the family. Also, Stephen's first Easter and Easter basket. Isn't he cute? Just look at all that candy for mommy and daddy!

Swimming after boating

I mentioned that we went boating with our friends the Van Vurens. After we returned we all headed over to the pool at their complex for swimming. Here are a few shots of this joy filled event.

Stephen's first boat ride

Last Saturday we had our annual boat ride with our dear friends the Van Vurens. Stephen is 9.5 mos. old. He did not like wearing the life vest and fussed over it for a long time. But he eventually got used to it. He even took a nap while we were driving along. We anchored down by Shell Point and started to fish. That is where Caleb caught his first blowfish. Here Stephen is touching a sheephead that David caught and was quite interested in it. He is such a blessing!!

Something Else Happened On Tuesday

When the crew of children and I returned home from soccer practice last night we were blessed by a wonderful dinner prepared by Beth. It was enjoyed by all, and soon after it was over the phone rang. My sister, Lois, was on the other end. She informed me that our father had died just a few moments earlier. He had lived a long, full life. He had been declining for some time, but when he went into the hospital last Friday, the end came quickly. I had been to see him and my Mom just over a week ago. At that time I knew he was declining, and Lois had been keeping tabs on his health, so we knew his time was not long. It's just always a shock when it actually comes. It was providential that my brother and sister, Steve and Priscilla, were able to travel from the West Coast yesterday and arrive to see him just an hour before he died. They both were able to say good-bye to him in the final moments of his life here on earth. Our hope in the resurrection is that we will see him again someday in a better place, and in the presence of his and our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have been privileged to be the son of Paul Philip Blikstad, and appreciate all the wonderful life lessons he has taught me. Blessed be his memory!

A Depressing Tuesday

Today seems to have a lot of troubles in it. We found out that our best car is being totalled by insurance because of the extensive damages to it after Joel was rearended by a school bus. That is a hassle and we are trying to figure out the best way to go. Our usb port is not working so I can't unload pictures from our camera. I need to get to the computer store for a new one. My detergent bottle fell off the washer while it was on the spin cycle, spilling about a half gallon of detergent on the carpet in the garage and destroying the laundry basket it initially landed in. I don't know why the cap came off, but if it had stayed on it would have prevented a whole lot of work. Caleb and Zach had to move a ton of stuff to try to remove the carpet piece. They hung it over the swing set and Caleb began to hose it off. He is about knee deep in suds right now. Then there are the daily needs that never seem to have an end. I just keep praying in my heart that God will meet every need. I know that I can trust that whatever He is doing, it is for the best for us. Though we will sorely miss our Rodeo, God must have a plan in all this for us. Just wish we had not put new tires on it two months ago! I can't post any photos today. But, if I get the new usb port then we can post about our wonderful boat trip and swimming on Saturday. BTW, my spring cleaning list is still not finished. Maybe after school is done, or soccer, or graduation, or our vacation, . . .

Spring Cleaning

I look out my windows and can hardly see glass, thanks to Caleb's great window washing effort. He spent about 5 hours today cleaning them. The screens are still drying, but they will soon be reinstalled and the widows finished for Joel's graduation. We have this week off school, even though the kiddos still have piano lessons, soccer practice, trips to the chiropractor after they were rearended last Friday, etc. I made a massive list of all the things that should be cleaned or fixed up before Joel's grad party May 17th. Today the walls were finished being washed by Caleb, Zach and David. Katie cleaned my computer and the desk area (I love how clean the keyboard keys feel) today. Yesterday we tackled the pantry. I reorganized and decluttered and she wiped off everything and every shelf. It sure looks nice. We also got our flower beds in front all weeded, new flowers planted and mulch layed. Caleb has been watering the dry grass too in hopes of getting it green again. I don't know how much more we will get done in the next two days of break. The little girls are looking forward to coloring Easter eggs Saturday. Dad comes home from Minnesota that day too. He left today so we are going to work as hard as we can to get it all done, or at least as much as possible. Wish it would stay this way until the party, but at least all of it will not get dirty, like the fans. How much dust can accumulate in 5.5 weeks? Caleb and Katie did those Monday and the glass on them just sparkles. I love a clean house!

LCHS Soccer game 1~by Beth

No sooner did we finish with basketball (though the boys will be practicing through out the year) then we formed a new soccer team with another Christian school league. We had scrimmaged Cape Coral Christian School in basketball the past two years with our varsity players, which led to forming a jv team with our middle school age boys. We were then invited to form a soccer team and play in this same league. So, we now have a girls team and a boys team. We played our first game last week. It was an eye opener to the boys, many of whom had not played before. We lost the game but gained a lot of knowledge about how to play the game. We have some amazing raw talent. Our Zach and David,seen above, are the most experienced and showed their abilities during the game. Next time we should do better. Jon is in the background of the photo. It was also the day that Stephen had his first graham cracker, so that is pictured too. I am looking forward to our next games.

We won a game at state!~by Beth

We went to state nearly 4 weeks ago and for the first time in Ambassador history we actually won, not one but two games. Our first opponent was from Zephyr Hills. We went up undefeated so had a bye for the first game. Zephyr Hills had beaten Gunnery Road Baptist and was scheduled to play us. We had a little shuffling around though since Zephyr Hills had an ineligible player in for their first game and so the league had them play a rematch. Poor Gunnery lost twice that day. We came in fresh and did beat Zephyr Hills, but our schedule was late because of the rematch. Made for a late dinner. Then, the next day we played New Testament Baptist. We lost that game. The final game was for third place against Emmanuel Baptist, whom we had beaten twice during the season. We prevailed again and took third place at state. It was a great time with all our wonderful players and families. We all took loads of pictures. Joel had an ankle injury two weeks before state so it was still sore and swollen, but he played and played well. He received the MVP award for our team. He was the lead scorer for the season with 159 points total.

Basketball is in full swing

January and February are prime months for us to play basketball here. Our home school team is doing well. Presently we are undefeated in our conference. This means we will be traveling up to the state playoffs in March. Joel is a starter on the Varsity, and Caleb plays a good deal. Zachary and David are on the Middle School squad. They both play a lot. Both have started for me (I'm the coach!).

A COLD day in February in Florida-from Beth

I knew that I would be getting up with Jon's alarm to make hot cocoa (the good kind with bakers chocolate and sweetened condensed milk)because it was going to be cold. It was 30 degrees when Joel looked at 7am. That is cold for around here. The picture above was taken at 9am. It is kind of fun to have these unusually low temps since we have much higher ones most of the year. This cold snap won't last long. By the weekend it will be in the mid to upper 70's.
We have been so busy with all the work involved in applying for scholarships. I hope that soon we will not be so swamped and update more often. I want to post and put pics on of the boys in basketball (two in jv and two in varsity).
Till then, I'm off to a game

He's crawling at 6 months!-by Beth

I can't believe how rapidly Stephen has passed out of infant to baby. He is always practicing all his newly acquired skills. He just last week learned to sit up from the floor. I had been thinking on the weekend that we had better move his crib mattress down since he was getting more mobile. Jon had Monday off, but we did not have time to do that before we left for the boys' basketball game (which they won--Joel was high scorer with 17 points). When we put him to bed that night he pulled himself to standing in the crib and was crying because he was stuck!! We were so surprised. The next day, today, I was out with two girls to the dentist and a couple errands. I came home and Katie had Stephen on the floor and said "Look Mom, he can crawl!" I couldn't believe it! Three big milestones in less than one week. I have never had a baby crawl at 6.5 months. I wonder when he will walk. We only started using the walker about a month ago and he has figured out how to get around in it. Well, time to take the boys to basketball practice. Stephen turns 7 months next week so I will take his picture then.

Christmas memories~by Beth

Why is it that you spend many weeks and months planning special celebrations for Christmas and they seem to pass by with the speed of a freight train? We were so blessed to have Nathan home for over 5 weeks while he was on furlough from the ALERT Academy. It went by too fast, but we so enjoyed the time together. As you can see, Nathan has a very close relationship with his sister Katie. They love to spend time together, call each other, e-mail or just hang out when they can. Nathan just melds into the family routine. He always helps out with whatever is needed and pays a lot of attention to all the little people of the family. He truly is a family guy. I think God is blessing him because his heart is right toward God. Nathan was able to again work for his old boss here in Cape Coral during the weeks he was home. The economy has been hard on all businesses and Nathan's boss Jerry has had a hard year. In fact, Jerry has even been contemplating running his business out of his home and save on lease cost. But, God blesses his business whenever Nathan is working for him. Right away the first day and the following days, business picked up significantly. Jerry wanted Nathan to stay, but Nathan is committed to ALERT right now. Please pray for Jerry and PC Solutions that they may prosper.
Nathan also told us when he got home that he had been promoted to Sargeant. What can we say except that we are so proud of him. He is such a good example to the younger children of loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. I hope that Stephen will get the opportunity to know Nathan as the older children do. They all adore him and love to talk to him on the phone.