Getting Back Into a Routine

Well, at least Brad and Bethany are getting back into a routine. I just work four days a week, Tuesday through Friday, so I have one more glorious day at home by myself before I start back. For a little while this morning, it looked like they might be coming home early...there was a dusting of snow on the ground when we got up, and as I was driving Bethany to school, snow began falling again. It continued to snow heavily (beautiful, giant flakes) for a couple of hours, and I was beginning to wonder if I would be getting a call from the school, when it finally thinned out and stopped. As I watched the snow fall, I was reminded of the evening of Hannah's visitation. It was February 28th, and just as the visitation was beginning on that cold evening. a light snow began to fall...unusual for Arkansas. Several precious people whispered to me that evening that Hannah must have sent the snow from Heaven just for us. And I had to smile to myself, because unlike most kids, Hannah hated snow. Oh, she liked it when she was little...we have great memories of sledding (or trying to sled) on our neighborhood streets in El Dorado, making snow angels, having snowball fights, etc. And she liked getting out of school because of snow. But, as she'd gotten older, she liked snow less and less. She just really didn't like cold weather, especially after she got sick. But she would have appreciated the beauty of the snowfall this morning, and I wished she was here with me to watch it.

Yesterday in church we had some special guests. Mike Beck was Hannah's youth director when we first came to Hot Springs Baptist Church about 4 1/2 years ago, and Jennifer, his wife, was Hannah's Sunday School teacher. Mike was Hannah's youth leader when she attended the Disciple Now event where she prayed for a storm. He is very talented musically, and would often lead the youth in worship. Anything he sang became one of Hannah's favorite songs, including the one I shared in my previous posting. Just a few months before Hannah was diagnosed, God called them to the mission field in Portugal, where they are still serving today. It was wonderful to see them yesterday. As they shared their struggles and frustrations in trying to reach a very secular society for Christ (Mike became emotional as he shared that only one person had accepted the Lord as his Savior in the past two yeas), I couldn't help but think about how much of a difference they had made in the life of one teenage girl in Arkansas. Clearly, some of the things she learned under Mike & Jennifer's teaching helped her get through an incredibly difficult experience. We are so thankful for the influence they had on Hannah's life, and know that God has great plans for their ministry in Portugal. Seeds are being planted and watered for the kingdom of God. You can read more about them at http://www.becksinportugal.com/.