Our Thanksgiving

Rachel's afraid Geoff will eat all the sweet potato casserole so she's not passing it to him and he's about ready to climb over the table to get it!

Rachel finally gives up the sweet potatoes!

Saturday Deal

When I was working at Grace House a few years ago one of the volunteers brought in a couple issues of Real Simple for me and I really liked it! 


So I was excited to see that Real Simple was one of nine or so magazines on Amazon.com offered for $5 right now! That's only .42 per issue. And using my five dollar gift card that I snagged through SwagBucks my one year subscription is FREE!

The offer ends on Tuesday, December 1st.


These would make a great gift that the receiver could enjoy all year long!


Browse the full list here:

 

Click on the banner above to join SwagBucks and start earning your own points! It's fun! My husband laughs at me when i do a search and a swagbuck appears and i'm so happy! =)

Welcome!

Elijah's Adventures a.k.a. The Gill Family Adventures has a new name!

I was going to wait until we moved to Missouri and started the missionary training to put it up but I'm afraid it'll be too busy and changing the name/look now will mean one less thing to worry about then. So welcome to The Missionary Mama!

I wanted a name that reflected who I was and I think this one does. I may be a missionary (or soon will be) but first I was and am a wife and mother. And my family is a priority for me, even when we are on the mission field my family will be my main "ministry". I'm thankful for a husband who views it the same way and encourages me in that area and sees our family as a ministry as well.

I've been asked how we will raise our boys on the mission field and I'd have to say the same way we would if we were living here. They were given to us by the Lord to raise and I'm so happy to be their mommy! I don't want them to feel like we are putting our "missionary work" above them. But I also think it's a great experience for them to grow up seeing that there is a big world out there and it doesn't all revolve around them. There are millions of people around the world who have never once heard about the true and living God who sent His son so they don't have to live in darkness and in fear anymore. But that's another topic for another post.

So now that I have a name that will be sticking around for a while (sorry i've changed it so much!) I'm wondering if one of you can help me make a blog button?

Ok, i need to go make this sweet potato casserole or Rachel and Geoff may not let me come to dinner tonight! =)

PS. Don't forget you can still order a pencil drawing from Andrew! Makes a wonderful Christmas gift!

He can do portraits of both people and or pets. If anyone would like one they would need to send Andrew a jpeg of the picture they'd like to have drawn through email. Portraits will be 9'' x 12'' & the price is $40. That's a great price. I've seen them online prices for a lot more!

Here's his email again... andrewtopel@hotmail.com

Is anybody there... or are you all out shopping?

Sunrise over Strangford Lock, Northern Ireland

Well, you all had your turkey dinner and sweet potatoes yesterday! I hope you enjoyed it! Today is our turn! Bring on the turkey! Because Thanksgiving isn't celebrated over here work carried on as normal but today after Geoff gets home from work we will be enjoying a thanksgiving dinner with our family over here! Isn't it great that they want to celebrate too? Or maybe it's just an excuse to make pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole! Yum! What's your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?

I wonder how many of you are out shopping today?

Today i'm thankful...

What a year this has been! This time last year Elijah and I were spending Thanksgiving with my family in Florida. We were waiting for my visa and passport to come back so we could return to Northern Ireland. Geoff was in Northern Ireland on his own working. We missed him!

So this year i'm so thankful that we get to celebrate Thanksgiving together!

I'm thankful that our family over here wants to celebrate with us! We'll be having our Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I'm thankful for the beautiful day God has given us today.
I'm thankful for the happy laughter i hear between my children.

I'm thankful for health and life!

I'm thankful that God has our future in His hands.

I'm thankful for a hard working husband who strives to follow the Lord and do His will.

I'm thankful for family and friends here in Northern Ireland who have made our time here so enjoyable!

And I'm thankful for family and friends in the States who make moving that direction again something to look forward to!

My heart is full. Full of thanksgiving and joy that God has given me.

I pray your Thanksgiving is full of joy and thankfulness as well. Enjoy your day!

Touring N. Ireland

I'm getting my tour of Ireland that's for sure!

Tonight's meeting is way up at the top of Northern Ireland. If Geoff didn't have to work today we would have a day trip out of it.

My dear husband is working so hard. He's at work today after getting home late from a meeting last night and having a short nights sleep. And then this meeting tonight will be the farthest away of all our meetings so far!

The Stepping out in Faith tour has only 4 meetings left!

Thank you for your sweet comments and encouragement. Last nights meeting went well enough. I could have always done better. Why isn't it getting easier the more we do it? Maybe so we don't start depending on our own strength. This way we have to keep trusting God to work through us.

Did any of you watch the video from yesterday? I'm really interested in hearing what you think of it, but nobody responded!

Ok, Elijah wants to type something.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

ebvz yybbbbbb5ttyyyihhhhhhhhhhhhnhhhhgggtet6t67t77787tgh77g7ty7tg7ft7g7f7gtr6g7rg7r
yyffgjkbi bigh igiiininiininihinioiiininibnk g ibijihijinbu hugvu buhubhrtu gtugugugtuguvuyuhydtt
5r5 4545

Thank you, Elijah. That was your first guest post! =) Haha, are you going to be a blogger too?

I hope you all are having a good Tuesday. I need to go change a diaper, clean the house, snuggle my babies. It'll be a good day.

AWAYO

AWAYO - Fear to Faith from New Tribes Mission on Vimeo.
In the remote corners of the world, people groups have existed for generations.

They live in fear of the spirits.

They die without hope.

This is Awayo's story.

I Smile...

My Sister

"I smile because you are my sister, I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it!"
-- Author Unknown"

The theme this week is sun flares.

Click here to watch today's new video!

Looking at the Sky

Every morning as I go in the kitchen to grab my cup of coffee and greet the day i look out through the big window over the sink to see what the sky is offering that morning.

Most days the sky is heavy with gray clouds but some mornings the view over my back fence is something like this...






Enjoy your Friday everyone!

Imagine having the whole WORLD to paint!

When I was growing up and going to boarding school in Africa one of our teachers organized a play. We did "Down By The Creekbank" and it was so much fun! The story was about a group of kids who spend a summer day down by the creek bank and the lessons they learn about God. I still remember most of the songs we had to memorize and one in particular comes back to me once in a while. I don't remember the name of the song but this is what I remember of it...

"God paints the world with love
that's how we know He cares.
He filled the earth with colors
and in that way He gives such happiness.

Oh, how we're blessed to have this picture of
a wonderful God who cares so much
that He paints the world with love!"

Just look at all the colors He's blessed us with!

I want to share some of God's love with you today...

Autumn Pinks

Autumn Greens

Autumn Reds

Autumn Blues
Autumn Oranges

How has God shown His love to you today?