A Christmas surprise!

As many of you know, we have a new home. When we decided to build this house, we were blessed with an opportunity to purchase an unusual lot and build a new floor plan that had never been built before. Our neighborhood is built around a golf course so some of the lots have unusual shapes to them, ours included. Our builder did not have a floor plan that would fit on our lot (until the one we built) so this lot had remained vacant for a couple of years. Because of the irregular shape to the lots, some of the houses are tucked back in and beside other houses. This is where our neighbor’s story begins. When she built her home on one of those lots that is tucked in behind and to the side of our house, it was explained to her that since they did not have a floor plan that would fit on our lot, they had no current plans to build on this lot. When they began breaking ground for our house, she was quite concerned and upset since it was her understanding that they were not going to build a house on this lot. She now has a view of nothing more than the side of our house and our bathroom window! I can understand why she was upset that now they were building on this lot!! Anyway, she has always been very nice to us, but I have hoped and prayed for an opportunity to get to know her better, something to break the ice. We don’t see much of her with our work schedule and the fact that we live in our car on the go more than we seem to live here! Anyway, on Christmas day as my parents were leaving our house, I walked them out and helped them get everything in the car and waved goodbye and came back to the house. The next thing I knew, my dad was back at the door and asked if I had a minute to come outside. I came rushing out afraid something had happened to Mom, only to find our neighbor and her mom at the pick up talking and hugging on my parents! As I approached, she reached out to me and gave me a big bear hug and excitedly said, “I didn’t know they were your parents!” Her mom proceeded to give me a big hug and say, “We just love your parents!” By this time I was up to speed and asked them if they attended Crosstown where my parents go and our neighbor replied, “Oh yes, and your Daddy will always be my elder!” Come to find out our neighbor use to attend Garnett where her husband was an elder until his death a few years ago and she now attends Crosstown where I grew up and my dad served as an elder for 30+ years. Needless to say the ice is now broken and the spring thaw has begun in our relationship! Isn’t God good!

Mrs. Hinky-Dink has arrived!

As you may have noticed, I have a new hairdo. I have also been experimenting with contacts and decided I would wear them too when I went to school the next day with my "new look." I knew I was in shock over the new me, but I hadn’t really anticipated how my 4th graders would react when they saw me the following day. There were various comments and shocked looks and suddenly one of them exclaimed, “Who are you and what have you done with Mrs. Priest?!?” Well, me being somene who is always up for a little fun and secretly always wanted to be an actress (or a preacher) responded, “Didn’t she tell you I would be subbing for her today? I’m her identical twin sister, Mrs. Hinky-Dink!” That kicked off what would be a two hour long practical joke that ended with an awesome God moment. They quizzed me intensely and I was very impressed with the thoroughness of their questioning, but for every question from “How did I know their names already” to “How come my jewelry matched hers identically”, I came back each time with quick and easy logical answers. I created a complete new identity for myself being careful to take notes on where I said I lived, taught school, etc… so I wouldn’t get myself confused! By the time I took them to their computer class and dropped them off, I had several of them so confused they were almost convinced I was my own identical twin sister! They simply could not find a reason to doubt my story even though they knew deep down in their hearts that something just didn’t add up. When I picked them up from the computer class, I had put my glasses back on and said, “Oh, I’m so glad to see you guys! Did you enjoy meeting my twin sister?!?” They were so confused and thinking I was really quite crazy by now! We went back to class and started our Bible lesson. We have been studying Abraham and what it means to have faith. I confessed that I was indeed me and had been the whole morning. We talked about that even though they knew deep down in their hearts that it had to be me, I was able to cause them to doubt when I could answer every question they posed to me with a deceitful answer and be quite convincing too! I told them that sometimes the world will try to convince you that there really isn’t a God. That no one could possibly love you enough to die for you. That heaven and eternity don’t really exist, it’s just something adults make up to try and make kids mind and be good. I told them faith is knowing deep down in your heart that God does really exist, that He does love you so much He died for you so that you can spend all of “happily ever after” with Him in heaven, and believing it no matter what the world says. I told them to never doubt what they know deep down in their hearts to be true and they too would have the faith of Abraham! Thank you God for teachable moments!

Daughters!!!!!

This is what happens when your daughter knows your password! Well at least she used a picture of me from when I had hair! I'm afriad to think who my look alikes would be with my new hairdo!!!