School Days ~ School Days ~ Dear Ole Golden Rule Days....

Yes - today was Kodie and David's first day of school at Calvary Christian Academy in Ft. Lauderdale! David is a freshman this year and Kodie is a Junior! Wow - I am feeling old. They are traveling their own journey ~ the one that God has for them. I am excited to watch how God works in their lives on a daily basis. I am truly blessed to have the best kids! Thank you God!

School is around the corner...

As you will see the pictures say it all! Our teens begin school on Monday. Another part of this journey in our lives. If you had asked me two weeks ago, were my teens returning to the school of their choice? I would have told you No. About 5 weeks ago, when I was thrown out of my boat to change the course of where I was going on this journey, it affected my entire family. See with no job, my teens will be not be attending the school of their choice. After many discussions with the kids and praying a lot, they understood perfectly that God had other ideas of where they needed to attend school. I contacted the school and requested their records. Now - that is where God showed another side. The registrar refused to withdraw the kids and let God work this out. That night at 10:30 pm, we received a phone call explaining that God had done a miracle! Our kids were attending the school of their choice for FREE until I found the job that God has for me. WOW! When you think you have God all figured out for your life, and then He throws a huge Miracle - curve in this journey of our lives. Our teens will begin school on Monday at Calvary Christian Academy (both in high school, David in 9th and Kodie in 11th) ~ this is their desires of their heart! I am waiting to see God work another miracle ~ the job that is the desire of my heart!

Community Group

As you travel this journey of life, one important thing to be involved with is Community Group. I am so blessed to be leading a single mom's community group / Bible Study at our church on Thursday nights. The picture is a baby shower that the group gave to one of our newest ladies. There are so many bumps and curves and pot-holes on this road in our journey of life, that it is so refreshing to share it with such a great group of ladies. I am blessed to be leading this group and watching how God supplies their needs (and even their desires).

Read the following testimony....

I wanted to share with you my storm story so that you could share to others that are going through one of there own. I do not do well speaking in front of others so I ask if you could speak on my behalf and share this with our church members.
If you can recall my storm started right about in December of last year when I emailed you asking for your prayers in regards to a relationship I was in that had turned violent and I was in fear for my life and my children lives. You referred me to Pastor Brown, let me say that I am forever grateful to you for bringing him into our lives and forever grateful to the church for all that was done for my family and me since December of last year.
I have never felt so loved and cared for by a church like I have with yours. Well back to my story…
After I was a victim of domestic abuse, I did not know where to turn I was in fear for my life and my kids. It took me 3 months after the first attack to finally get rid of this person from out of our lives, but I did not do it alone, I had Pastor Brown behind me 100% encouraging me and I had the Lord on my side.
In the mist of this thunderstorm, On March 6th, 2008, I lost my Job of 7 years, I felt lost, and I kept saying why??? Why now?? I cannot handle all of this, I was in the process of getting a restraining order to rid this man out of our lives and now I loose my Job?? What have I done to deserve this? Was my question to the Lord….I was dumbfounded, lost my thoughts, I was going in all directions and I felt like I was in a twister of a storm, not knowing where to turn or go….I felt like the carpet had just been pulled from up under my feet and all the stability that I had work so hard for was taken away from me in seconds! But never feared I had Pastor Brown right behind me and guiding me and praying with me and letting me know that there is a reason for everything that happens in our lives and that God is in control, not us….
Well, one week after I lost my Job, on Good Friday if I recall correctly, a very dear man who I called my father was diagnosed with cancer, three tumors in the Brain and it metastasized from the Lungs. Right there I finally lost it!!! I kept asking LORD why! Pastor Brown was with me and he suggested that I should come one Thursday night to meet Debby Brown, (his wife) that she has a single mother’s group that she holds every Thursday night at the Pines Campus. Well I came and since then I have not stopped coming. That group was a huge blessing for me and they were there for me, they shared tears, laughter and supported me through my ordeal.
In the first week of April I was granted a restraining order for this individual that brought me so much agony. Would you know that not only were my friends and family there in the court house to support me, but Pastor Brown and my father who was just release from the hospital early that week was right there too. I am forever grateful for there support and the church will always be a part of our lives. Not only was he a great support but my family and I never went hungry and the Church was there to help in whatever we needed.
Now since I was without a job I was able to take dad to his medical visit’s and help my mom in whatever they needed, while the other siblings had to work, which was natural. I told my brother and sister that I will do it and that I would be honored in helping my father fight this horrible disease. I can tell you that I interviewed and applied in over 30 jobs or more and dad was wanting to me to find a job and not worry about him and I told him he was more important than a job at this moment and I prayed with my community sisters to have God lead me in the direction of a good job when it was time for me to have one…..I found a job on June 9th that offered a higher pay than my last job and less than 2 miles from my home.… J
Dad was very happy for me…….., but then he died 4 days after……..he only lasted 2 ½ months, he died June 13th, of this year…..and it was not until a few day’s after his funeral that I realized what GOD did……he took me away from my stability ( one week before dad was diagnosed) and created a storm for me, but he had a reason and outcome at the end of this storm for me….even though I went through horrible times, I was the chosen one to help dad through his fight with his disease and his Journey to be with the Lord. And before the Lord took him from us, (1 week before he died I found a job) the Lord found me a job and let my dad rejoice that I would be ok now, and gave him the peace that we will be good now, and then he went to be with the Lord only 4 days later after I found employment…….So yes did I go through a storm…most definitely, but the clouds have opened up an now we are recovering and moving on. Thanks be to GOD, Pastor Brown and most of all OASIS CHURCH that they were and still are with me and have never really left me……..
The single mom’s group was there for me every Thursday praying and giving me support. I love those girls and we have a great team and I hope that more single moms would come join us. We really have a great time, through good or bad we are there for one another. So please consider joining a group, the journey is great and you get a lot back in return and you can actually mature more in the word of the LORD…there is always room to grow….we never stop learning in our lives…and GOD has a plan for each and every one of us….but it is up to us… as Christians to listen to what he is telling us and follow his steps….
I now volunteer for the church on Sunday’s and I enjoy every moment of it….I owe so much and this is one way that I feel that I can give back to church, for which I call my family…..I also do it in memory of a wonderful man….my father….God bless…. Katie

A Curve in the Road on this Journey!

Today is Monday, August 11th! Another bittersweet day in this journey. A dear friend and her husband have been unanimously voted as the new pastor of my home church, where I grew up, graduated from high school, was married and made a lot of my life long friends. But as this journey unraveled and God moved this man into this position, if left me at this time without a job. I know that God has His hand upon this, for I saw the writing on the wall that God was calling Dennis and Faithe DaCosta to First Baptist of West Hollywood and I truly am excited for both of them. But at this time, I am waiting now for God to show me the rest of the story. Where does He want me to minister? Where does He want me to work? What does God want to do with my life? I am asking a lot of questions at this time? My husband is tossing out many opportunities... My kids are asking a lot of questions right now? Where will this journey take all of us? This does make one stop and ponder over the things that God has for you - it makes you search scriptures and spend a lot of time in prayer (not only for others - but also for yourself at this time). I know this is a curve and not a cliff - God always takes care of those that are His children...

We are home...

We arrived at 12:10 am ... We had a very special friend, Kevin, pick us up at the airport (must be a friend that would pick us up at that hour). We had the best time of our lives - we can't stop talking about all the things we did. Our journey to California is over, but the new journey of back to the real life ~ no more vacation (right now).

Headed home today...

We are headed home today! Sad to leave - it has been an amazing vacation! But also happy - I have missed our kids terribly (but now they are at camp). I have a few more days at home to adjust back to Florida time... Every couple needs to take vacations so they disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other. I'm sorry to say this is probably the longest vacation that Jim and I have had alone together... It was awesome!! I want to thank my dear husband for the trip of a lifetime ~ you are the best, I love you more now than I did 30 years ago!!!!!

Napa Valley, CA

Today we drove out of the mountains and now in wine country, Napa Valley, CA. We are staying at a B&B. Really nice - still cool 57 degrees! We ate a very nice Tuscany Inn. It made us begin to plan our next big trip ~ our 35th Anniversary. In the meantime we began to plan our next family trip! (Try to guess where kids...???) I think that God has given me a direction for my new journey - using different people we have met on this trip. I praying for a stronger direction. God knows what is best and already has the road prepared ~ now I must travel.

Yosemite is Awesome...

Today we got up and left our hotel at 6:45 am and did not return until 9:45 pm. We spent the entire day in Yosemite Park. WOW! The pictures say it all. Those Redwoods are HUGE and the giant mountains, the waterfalls, the unbelievable sights... Our God is the world's best painter... How can anyone not believe in God after seeing the sights we saw today. After we returned from our all day excursion, we were trying to find a place in Yosemite to have dinner. The first place closed 5 minutes before we got there, the 2nd one was too big of dinner, the third place only served drinks, so by the time we got to the 4th place - we just decided to eat there. While I went to the bathroom and wash my hands, I heard all this commotion outside and Jim breaking down the bathroom door yelling at me to get out the building was on fire and it was near the propane tanks. So we got out of there and fast... went on down the road and had a very nice dinner! God is so good to always take care of us... Enjoy some pictures...

In the Yosemite National Park!

We are now in the Yosemite National Park at a place called Riverside Inn. There is nothing to do here. Everything closes by 5pm - a whole lot different than San Francisco. No cell phone! It is really nice and quite. It is a good place to unwind - and watch God work during your storm.