Webster Baptist Childrens Program

Christmas Concert 2011

Ivy played her violin at a Christmas Concert at the Library. The Western North Carolina Orchestra played the Toy Symphony and invited all the kids in the audience to come down and play toy instruments. Trent and Ivy had a great time!

Celebration for Hayley Beth!

Our family and friends had a Huge celebration for Hayley on the day that we got our adoption decree. Here are a few pictures. I will post more as soon as I get them from Alicia and Sharon. It was so much fun to sing and praise the Lord for being so good and faithful! Thank you Ellen, David and Tamme for sharing what God has placed on your hearts! Thank you John Luke and Casey for sharing your musical talent with us! Thank you Alicia, Matt, Buck, Gay, Mom, Dad and Sharon for providing the food and for that WONDERFUL STRAWBERRY CAKE.

It's Final!!!!

Monday, December 19th 2011 was one of the best day's ever!!! It was the day that we received our Adoption Decree. All of the paperwork was complete and the state made it all legal! In my heart, Hayley Beth has been my daughter since the moment I saw her, but it was a very important day as we read the papers that she is OURS!!!! (Well, she belongs to God but well you all know what I mean!!!) We Praise God for creating her, and allowing us to enjoy her! My heart overflows with Thankfulness! Thank You God!

A few Christmas Pictures

100 Dresses

Michelle Pate let us borrow two great books. I read the book "100 Dresses" by Eleanor Estes to Ivy in one day. Ivy loved it. I did too. It did make me a little sad at times but the message in the book was very powerful! A young girl, Wanda, was from Poland. Her family left Poland to escape being persecuted by Hitler. Ivy and I spent a lot of time drawing dresses, coloring dresses, cutting out dresses, talking about the country of Poland, had a discussion about Hitler and how he persecuted the Poles as well as the Jews. Our discussion of how Wanda had to leave her home because of Hitler fit right in with another book that we are reading about the missionary Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We also took a map of the world and drew the route that Wanda and her family traveled from Poland to America. There were so many lessons in the book. Thanks Michelle!

I found this summary on line to share with you:

"In this Newbery Honor Book, a young girl comes to terms with the effect that the teasing of her friends has had on a shy classmate. Though Maddie feels increasingly uncomfortable with the way the other girls — led by her best friend, Peggy — joke with Wanda, she doesn't have the courage to do anything about it. Then one day Wanda stops coming to school. Maddie can't shake a bad feeling about Wanda's absence, but she pushes it aside, preferring instead to think about the drawing contest, which she is sure Peggy will win. On the day the winner is to be announced, the girls enter the class to see the walls covered in one hundred brilliantly colored drawings — each of a beautiful, unique dress. Here, at last, are Wanda's hundred dresses, but though she has won the contest, she will not be coming back to class to accept her medal. A letter has come from Wanda's father, saying that they are moving to the city, where having a different name is not so unusual and won't incur such cruel treatment. In the days that follow, Maddie and Peggy try to apologize to Wanda for what they've done, but they learn that deciding you want to make amends doesn't always mean that you can. For more than 50 years, Eleanor Estes' story of kindness, compassion, and standing up for what is right has resonated with young readers. The author captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, without simplification, understanding that such personal standoffs can be equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. Wispy, evocative, color sketches by Caldecott Medalist Louis Slobodkin echo the often wistful tone of this time-proven classic."

More Cookie-World!

Decorating our World and finally EATING IT!

Cookie-World!

Here we are baking our "world." (Molasses cookie mix!)

Fun With DAD!

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Christmas Tree Season is Almost over! We Praise God for being faithful and selling Christmas Trees. God really is amazing and we are so thankful!
Father, Thank you for another great tree season. Thank you for selling trees. Thank you for providing workers. Thank you for the fellowship that you allowed between Brent, Matt, Devin and many others. Thank you for the Hispanic workers. Thank you for Tino and Andres and for the love you have put in Brent, Matt and Devin's heart toward them. Thank you for providing Devin with many opportunities to witness to Grant. Thank you for Devin's love and faithfulness to love Brent and to share the gospel. Bless him Lord!

Thank you for watching over Brent and all of the workers. Thank you for giving Brent a wonderful brother in Matt. Lord, it is truly a blessing to watch them work together. Lord, I sure have missed my husband for the past month but you have carried me and given me strength and lots of Joy from being with my two girls. Thank you for Brent. Lord, please bless him and give him vision for our future and wisdom to lead our family.

Jesus is the Light of the World

I have spent many hours searching for crafts and activities to do with Ivy about Christmas. Last night, I couldn’t find anything that just jumped out at me. I was overwhelmed with all the ideas and just tired so I went to bed. I woke up this morning and wanted to jump right back on the internet and search for a way to make her excited about Jesus’ birthday, a cool craft or idea but I knew that I really needed time in the word.

Ellen, Lauren and I are reading through an advent devotional. Today’s reading was “Jesus, is the Light of the Nations.” One scripture that went along with this was Isaiah 49:1-7 “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—He says, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” This is what the Lord says—the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: ”kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” There is a lot of things I could focus on in this scripture. I just jotted down thoughts that popped into my head about what God might want me to take from this scripture. Some were, “Jesus is God’s servant. Wow...I've never spent a lot of time thinking about Jesus being God's servant especially at Christmas time. I thought again of the title of today's reading, "Jesus is a light of the nations." Jesus is a light for all nations. Then I thought about the word Nations…sometimes I don’t get the full meaning of the word nations. I get world better. I think of a big piture of the world and then the nations. All the people of the world! The many, many people in the world.....

1. THEN I remembered what Ivy had asked me on the way home from church last night. She randomly said, “Mom, can I watch Jim Elliot when I get home?” “Mom, Jim Elliot is a missionary.” “Mom, are we going to seminary to become missionaries?” Ok, where did that come from? All we did at church last night was sing Christmas songs. I can barely wrap my mind around the possibility of going to seminary and Ivy is talking about being missionaries. I’m sure not there yet. My response, “um, Ivy, um, you will have to ask your dad that question.” She meant missionaries like Jim Elliot! I'm so thankful that He is working in her little heart!

I confess that I often get so wrapped up in me and my own little world that I forget about the nations. I pray every day that Ivy and Hayley would develop a desire to see “God’s glory declared among the nations and His marvelous deeds among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:3) BUT, I seldom think about praying that for me! I too want to have a desire to see God’s glory declare among the nations. I REALLY think God is going to use Ivy to move me to pray for the nations, to love the nations!!! Can't wait to see what He does through her!

So how do I meditate on “Jesus is the Light of the Nations?” How can Ivy and I focus on this today? Jesus was born in a manger. Jesus was born to die. Without Jesus we are in darkness. Oh how pitiful I am to try to live without Him.

Yes, He was born for me! Yes He died for me, Ivy, Hayley, Brent, my family and friends but He also came for the Nations!

So today, we made a big construction paper world. Tomorrow we will make a world out of cookie dough!

Our unexpected gift....our daughter.....Hayley Beth Stewart!!!!

Oh my heavenly Father! I have so much to praise you for! My heart is so full of thankfulness for the blessings that you have given to me! Lord, I pray that you would draw me closer to you each day! Lord, thank you for answering so many prayers. Thank you that every day I have a real picture of what you did for me! Thank you that when I look at Hayley I am reminded of the gospel! Thank you for adopting me into your family. Oh Praise YOU God! For you alone are worthy! Oh Father...you did this...you created her and you are allowing us to enjoy her! Thank You!

Today, we signed the last paper! Today, the Clerk of court told me..."It's over Amanda! It's over!" It's still sinking in! Still haven't gotten to the shouting part...but it's coming and we will definitely have a PARTY to celebrate the way that God was faithful to us. I want to have a Praise party for the way that He is always faithful! Family and friends, that are reading this...He answered your prayers for us! He listened to you and answered. I pray that you will be able to look at Hayley's life and remember that He is faithful! We have learned so much and are still learning. The song that I sing to Hayley every day is, "When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word, what a glory He sheds on our way. While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey for there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey."

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments

Cinnamon applesauce ornaments. They make our house smell so good. Thanks memaw for all the cookie cutters. The recipe called for 3 cups of applesauce and 3 cups of cinnamon but we used 1 cup of applesauce and 2 cups of cinnamon.