Refreshment in Orlando, FL

 I got to meet John Piper in Orlando, FL!  He has encouraged me so much in my thirst for the Word and in scripture memory.  I am also currently reading "Desiring God" for the first time.  This leader loves the Lord and His glory!  It was neat to sit in the second row right behind him in worship and to know we are all raising our hands to Jesus together.  "The ground is level at the foot of the cross," and yet it still is fun to meet him in person!

 Here is the huge room that I got to sit in for a weekend and just soak in the feast of the Word and in worship!!!  There were 3,800 women who attended "Here is Our God", the first women's conference with "The Gospel Coalition."  I felt like I was under the Niagara falls of spiritual refreshment!  I kept crying at all kinds of random times as I feasted and worshiped and soaked it in.  Nate was wonderful in helping with the 3 boys while I attended.

 http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/07/10/now-available-audio-video-from-tgcw12/

I totally recommend you click this link and try to listen to some of the sessions.  It was a conference "For women but not all about women."  It was about God.  I am so hungry to know Him more!  They walked us through the Bible, from Exodus with Moses on the mountain, to the temple in 1 Ki. 8, through the Psalms and Isaiah 6, into the NT with the Transfiguration, and to end in Revelation!

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My favorite ones were by Paige Benton on 1 Kings, and the one on the transfiguration, as well as the last two in Revelation (the best by Carson, who I met in person!).  Also some of the break-out sessions were good, like one by Nancy Guthrie on grieving with others and one on scripture memory.

Thank you, Lord, for letting me go to this conference!  I had wanted to go, and then I found out it was the perfect timing in the perfect city.  Our mission headquarters are in Orlando, and they flew us down for the re-entry program that took place just after this conference ended!


 Here's Elijah at the Wycliffe headquarters!  They were such troopers going on two more planes, staying in one room hotel and meeting tons of new people--not to mention letting Mama sit and learn for a weekend while they roamed around a new city with Papa.

Here's our family of 5, enjoying a walk together around "Lake Tyndale".  That is Malachi's middle name, so he was happy to know it was his lake!

 Here is a "BEFORE" pic from 2004 when Nate and I met here at training camp!

 Here we are, the "AFTER" pic, 8 years later at the same place, only we are now married with 3 sons!

 Just the 2 of us, in 2012 =)  Still loving the romance.

 This is the lake we walked around as our romance was blooming in 2004.  Some lovely missionaries from Thailand watched our kids for an hour so we could have a walk alone.  That was a great gift!

 The Wycliffe family encouraged us so much!  They watched our kids while Nate and I got to attend sessions and reconnect and refresh!

We went to "Gatorland" one night with the group.  I feel really bad for making Malachi sit on my lap.  I didn't know it would scare him so much.  He doesn't see the tape that shuts the gator's mouth.

Elijah, on the other hand, was thrilled to hold him one more time.
Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of a trip to Orlando.  So refreshing!