a little clarification

My aunt asked me for a little more info about the pics I published last p.m. and after looking at them I realized that they did seem sort of "random". The one of Malachi was from a few weeks ago (we think he's recovered now). The others were all from the lake trip we took with the Mighty Men at the beginning of last week. Jeff and Charlotte Connally and their kids (our DEAR friends who are moving to Como next summer), Ben and Trisha Wall and kids (Randy's sister), Terrence and Julie Butler, and M.L. and Candice Gladney and their kids all went to help out - so some of these people are in the pics as well. I love the one of Samadge - he is a very high-energy Mighty Man and I thought the pic of him fishing was beautiful...reminded me to have big vision for the FUTURE of this guy!

Today we went to "open house/meet the teacher" for the kids. They don't start school until the day after Labor Day. I almost started crying right there in front of everyone as I watched my sweet daughter try to be positive as she talked to people at school this afternoon. Her BEST friend, Eden, is not returning to Covenant because the Guilds are going to homeschool this year. This is SO what the Lord wants for their family and it is so right for them. Their kids are thrilled and Tiff will do a fantastic job. But the night McKenna found out, she and I had to go spend a late night hour at Sonic crying and drowning our sorrows in a milkshake. She and Eden have been in school together since the first grade and they've been inseparable. McKenna is fun and well-liked by all her classmates, but she doesn't feel like she has a real FRIEND without Eden. We know that God is sovereign and has something special planned for her this year, but she's having a really hard time being excited because she already feels lonely. Please pray for her if you think about it. I've loved my time with her this summer and I'm sad about THAT ending! She's starting SIXTH GRADE!! I'm sort of weepy tonight. sorry. :( This relatively small trial was custom made (as Elizabeth Elliott would say) for her and I believe that she will know Jesus more intimately at the end of this year because of it. God is so merciful and there is grace for this season in her life.