Mom and Babe

Here are some pictures of our wonderful week with Mom and Babe!! We are so happy they could come and miss them already!

Some highlights were: talking and talking and talking some more with my mom, birthday celebration+cheesecake(yum!), doing Cate's hair and my afternoon with her, sharing with the MKs at the MK retreat...among many other wonderful times we enjoyed!

I can't thank the Lord enough for the blessing of parents and sisters that love Him (and Marvin and me) with all their hearts. They are truly my best friends. Jesus said in Matthew 12:48-50: "'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' Pointing to his disciples, He said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.'" I am more and more aware

of what a blessing it is that my family fit in this spiritual category of relatives that Jesus is talking about here as well as in a physical sense. I realize more and more that there are Christians all around the world who don't have that---who, in fact, are called to break away in many ways from their physical families or even face persecution from their very own families in order to serve the Lord. These Christians are called to unite with their spiritual brothers, sisters, and mothers: those who do the will of our Father.

Lord, help even us who have such strong families to see our spiritual brethren as our family and truly accept them into our lives and live with the same kind of sacrificial love towards them as we feel for our physical family. Help us to have spiritual eyes to draw in the brother or sister who has been rejected or had to break ties with his/her physical family, taking up his/her cross to follow You.