The Dog Days of Summer

Ok maybe summer didn't really fly by but it sure seems like it as we look back over the last 8 weeks. Boy have we had a fun and busy summer, from VBS, Branson vacation, basketball camp, swim team practice, Colorado Coolness....and now Russ is back to work, Hope is still swimming, and we are beginning to get our school stuff in order. Whew! And all the while we have been sweltering under 100+ days! Thank goodness for A/C!
Hope has done exceedingly well with swimming... she has almost completed level 4 of the 6 levels of swimming...plus she has made great progress on the swim team! You go girl! This year has been a huge year for her.....Her first overseas missions trip...her first testimony in front of 500 people...her first experience of leading kids to Christ....her first solo in a Children's choir program....the only kid in AWANAS to complete all 3 Sparks books (earning her the Sparky award). Hope, I am so proud of you!
Claire continues to make baby steps, although this year has been a tough one for her. We are still struggling to get her seizures under control which does make it harder for her to make physical progress. And to top it off, she grew 5 inches over thw winter---she is one tall girl now....
Molly is still the life of the party, our comic relief and the pusher of all limits! She is a great sister to Claire and she bugs Hope endlessly, all the while telling you how much she loves you!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the summer. May the end of summer and beginning of Fall be filled with as many blessings as we have seen this year!

Easter!

He is not here! He is Risen!

Probably one of my favorite Bible stories---the Easter story! Still takes my breath away to think about the amazing sacrifice that Christ did for us. Amazing love! Oh that I would remember daily what you have done for me and that then you conquered death and the grave and you are ALIVE today!

Ok flashback to about 5 years ago, Hope goes to Sunday School on Palm Sunday. Her lesson that week is of course about the Triumphal Entry. Her teacher asks the question, "What did Jesus ride into town on?" And Hope answers, "a donkey!" Good job, Hope!

Fastforward to this year. We are reading the Miss Pattycake Easter book. I ask Molly, "what did Jesus ride into town on?" and Molly answers, "a donkey!" Good job, Molly! And then I ask, "what did the people say when they saw Jesus?" and Molly says, "Hey Jesus! Why you riding that donkey!" Ha ha ha!

We have had a wonderful Easter time, from reading Miss Pattycake, to decorating eggs, to hunting eggs at church. Even Claire enjoyed the fun of coloring eggs and hunting them!

Thank you Jesus for Easter!



Easter Morning!

Pajama Time!

Easter Eggs!

Our Year so Far!

Whew! This year is flying by and we have filled it with all kinds of fun, crazy activities! Here are a few of our highlights!

*Trip to Nicaragua
*Move to a new house
*ACES started
*Valentine Banquet
*State Basketball Tournament(just got to go watch)
*2 girls Birthday party
*Spring Break to Grandma's

And here are some of our pictures from the year! Enjoy!

Nicaragua Times Two!

Here we come Nicaragua! This year a group of 6 of us are headed back to Nicaragua. And this time I am getting to take Hope with me. I am so excited about this opportunity for both of us. As seen in a previous blog, I truly feel God has laid this trip on my heart for both Hope and I and I can only assume he has great and amazing things in store for us.

So we are flying out early Tuesday morning and will be serving in Nicaragua for a week. Plus getting to enjoy the amazing beach and ocean front mission house.

Please pray for safety....boldness in sharing...Hope's overall experience for her eyes are going to see a completely different world.... for patience (I know I am going to answering lots of questions)...for Grandmommy and Grandaddy as they watch the other two girls...for Russell as he is home alone....for Christ's word to penetrate many hearts...for me to have enough love to share with all I see... for our translators they are our life line over there.

I will post again after the trip and share our amazing journey.

My little elves

Fall Fun times

The Ratliff family has had lots of fun times this Fall... from homeschool projects, to the circus, the State Fair, and Pumpkins in the Park. Wow! We sure do know how to fill our calendar up to the max. But Dad and I have had a great time with the girls in some of these exciting endeavors. It is quite fun to watch them learn, grow, and experience life. May God continue to bless our family times together....

Enjoy the pictures!

SSV

Voices?!?!

Everyone has one and it can be used for much good or much bad. I grew up with a father who we teased had "the voice", and you sure didn't want to be on the receiving end of "the voice". It usually meant you were in pretty big trouble. But somehow he managed to win our respect and even reverance without really raising his voice.

Voices can be raised in beautiful song, can be used as cheers at many sporting events, can be a quiet whisper of love to a child.

But what does God's voice sound like?

In youth choir one year, we did a musical that featured SSV as a main character in the play. The SSV was God's Still Small Voice. This voice choose to speak to the main characters in voices that we could hear but the other cast members could not at the time. I have always loved the idea of God's Still Small Voice. After all, in Psalms it tells us to "Be stil and know that I am God". Possibly implying that we must be quiet in order to hear God speak to us.

But I have had a few experiences in my life, when God's voice is neither Still nor Small. It is almost as if I have heard a real voice saying as plan as day what I should do. And yes, it scared me spitless the first time I "heard" it.

The first time I remember hearing God's voice was when Russell and I had really just become friends. And I heard an almost audible voice tell me that I was going to marry this guy. Imagine my shock! What? I hardly know him! Well of course 2 1/2 years later we were engaged, and now we have been married for 12 years!

The next real time I remember God speaking to me in that audible voice was before Molly was born. In fact God told me I was pregnant with Molly before I physically knew, but he also encouraged me over this time with Claire. I remember talking to him about how hard it was to watch Claire suffer, and I remember him telling me that he knew, and he understood suffering. And then I remember asking him "why?", "why us", "why now?", "why Claire?" And his answer was as plain as day... "Because I love you"! WOW! speachless! And today it gives me goosebumps to think of a love so vast and strong and amazing!

But his latest audible voice to me that came out of the blue, really.... was that I needed to take Hope to Nicaragua with me this year when our church is going! What? take a 7 year old overseas on a mission trip? Am I crazy? Apparently so.... because she has been approved to go by everyone I could ask about it... God moves in amazing ways, and I am so glad he chooses to talk to me sometimes!