At this moment, my dad and mom are traveling from Charlotte, where they flew out, to Greenville. I imagine that when they get home they will be exhausted, yet they will have many stories and blessings to tell. My dad has already indicated that they have so much that they want to share.

But, little do they know, we children have one more surprise for the parents. Not long after they left on their pilgrimage, I brought up an idea that we have had for a long time but have not had an opportunity to do. We decided to renovate the bathroom.

Friday morning I had a plumber friend come over and tear out the old fixtures. We made plans for the rest of the weekend the rest of Friday. Saturday we started serious renovations. We bought everything we needed (well most of it) and began the tiling process. We laid hardiboard, mudded the walls and made any other preparations.

Sunday (we had an afternoon baptism service so we had the evening free to continue) we put in a ceiling light/fan a few other things. Monday we tiled and painted. (The bathroom is now the second room in the house without white walls.) Tonight we finished the tile, finished the painting, and finished putting in the new fixtures.

It has been an experience. But we have been glad to do it on a number of levels. Mostly, we want to show my parents in as many ways as possible that we love them. We are glad the God has blessed us with such wonderful

parents.

We will post later pictures of the final product. (hopefully Thursday)

Well, here we are again – several days later. We have had an exciting time since arriving in Wisconsin on Tuesday. After staying at Kuhlman’s on Tuesday night we went to the Chalet Restaurant for our noon meal. As in our dating days we bought one dinner and split it. We then toured Maranatha Baptist Bible College to see how the grounds have changed since we last had opportunity to walk on campus.

Leaving Watertown behind we took the route of Highway 26 to Highway 16 to Portage. From there we went straight north on I-39 to Plainfield, WI arriving about 5:20 PM. It was very exciting (in particular Andrea). We met immediately Jennifer and her sister, the neighbor girls, that were helping Andrea with something special. We finally had the opportunity to meet Pastor Tom Gaudet, his wife Gail, Cameron (just ask Andrea!!!!), Micah, and Keenan. There was one young lady, Annie, and three young gentlemen around too – Micah, Tyler, and Gavin – the first two who have been working in the church here.

After a great supper we went to church at First Baptist Church. After the time of testimony of answered prayers and a time of prayer, there was a birthday and anniversary reception downstairs. The birthday was a young lady Megan who turned 20 this week and for our 30th anniversary.

Thursday morning I had a job interview at 8:30 AM in Stevens Point (commonly referred to as ‘Point’). It was a very good interview, but they have other interviews and times out of the office so I should hear back in 2-3 weeks. On the way back I drove past a piece of land I had seen on the real estate listings. It very apparently was already purchased as a housetrailer was behind the house and trees had been cut back. Much of the rest of the day was spent in conversation with Cameron and then Pastor Tom and his wife. In the evening Pastor, Cameron, Andrea, Micah, Keenan, Tyler, and I took a walk to the grocery store for ice cream. Jennifer’s mother and family were there. On the way back we looked at a couple of houses, one which appeared to be somewhat abandoned and the other was for sale. Once we returned home we watched the video we brought, But We See Jesus. The Riendeau’s were able to stay for most of the presentation.

Friday morning Pastor Tom and I went to a nursing home in Point (very near where I had my interview) where he preached to 20 – 30 residents and a couple workers. We arrived back home in time to eat. Cameron and I gave a lady from Guatemala a ride home. She had stopped by for some food. Once we returned the Gaudets and the Blahas that were present took a drive to Knapp, WI (very close to Minneapolis/St Paul) where we helped celebrate the Gaudet’s eldest son’s (Nick) son’s third birthday. It was on a dairy farm and parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, a great uncle and aunt, were all gathered to celebrate. Andrea and I had the great priviledge to ride a SideHiller. After all the celebration we drove the three hours back home.

This morning after sleeping in a little Lois and I spent time in discussion about God’s leading about moving to Plainfield. It was very good. We realized that if any changes need to be made in our lives they were needed whether we moved here or not. We are still looking to what God is going to do. Once we came down stairs we had a great time talking with Pastor and Gail and Andrea. It covered a lot of ground leading up to Andrea and Cameron beginning their courtship. So far the rest of the day has been conversation and this opportunity to review open jobs, houses for sale, and making this post.

Hopefully soon I will share more than a diary of our trip. There are specific exciting parts of life here I look forward to telling – all in an entry by itself. And pictures – yes pictures, but not yet. Until later…

Such a blessing God has truly blessed us (Rick & Lois – the father and mother of BFIASH). Our 30th wedding anniversary was July 30th. God used our children to give us a anniversary trip to Wisconsin. We left from home on Tuesday July 31st at about 6:20 AM and drove to Charlotte, NC. Our flight left at 9:15 AM EDT and landed in Chicago at about 10:07 AM CDT. While we have flown separately to various cities they either required transfers or were to cities we have not driven often if at all. Chicago is one with which we are very familiar, whether traveling to my family in Michigan, or Lois’ family in Wisconsin or to Northland. The route takes usually 12 – 14 hours to MI and even longer to WI from the Greenville, SC area. It was extremely refreshing to take about 5 hours from the time we left home (including the wait for our flight to take off in Charlotte).

In Chicago we left from Midway and went downtown to see places I spent some time when I went to college. We first went by Moody Bible Institute (my place of employment for about three years) and then Moody Church. From there we went to where I lived my last two years in Chicago, around DeVry University (it was DeVry Institute of Technology when I was there), and finally past the first apartment I lived in when I started at DeVry.

We left Chicago behind and headed to Wisconsin. We stopped just inside the WI border to get a little something to eat. I knew the brevity of the flight from Charlotte to Chicago left me a little amazed, but so huge a disappointment to be sitting, finishing up our meal at Taco Bell and then to see the name of the neighboring restaurant, Brat Stop. Were we not being careful with our money we may have had a second meal right then and there. HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED IT?!!!!

We continued on to Watertown (from where I am making this entry). We drove past Tivoli Island (all those bullheads and catfish we caught there just before we moved Ricky!!!). Then we drove past the house where we lived when we were first married, the park, and Dr. & Mrs. Hollowood’s house of many years. From there we went to see the new church building for Calvary Baptist Church now out on Milford Street. We returned later with Rick and Terri Kuhlman to tour the inside of the church. Their they showed a picture of the house we lived in on Milford Street for three years being burned. We ended our afternoon tour driving briefly onto the Maranatha Baptist Bible College campus and then on to Rick and Terri Kuhlman’s.

We had a meal of celebration at the Kuhlman’s. Three other families came one person from each of whose birthday was on July 31st, the same as Terri Kuhlman’s. Also, our 30th wedding anniversary was part.

That’s all for now. Now on to Plainfield, WI. I guess the best way to describe our anticipation for going to Plainfield would be that given about ‘Adventures In Odessy’ – ‘a place of wonder and excitement’. By God’s will there will be more to share from there. (Might even add pictures!)

I look here every week day just to see what my family is doing. I also have Ricky’s. Eunice’s, and Josh’s blogs come up automatically when I log in at work each day. I was about to comment that since they got involved in using facebook not many entries are being made in blog’s these days. Yet these have been days full of many important things taking place. Since April (2007) there has so much been going on and yet so few entries on any blog to keep up with them all.

April 29th was a huge step for our church, Calvary Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC as we had a groundbreaking ceremony for our new worship center to be hopefully completed in 2-3 years.

May 5th Ricky finally graduated from college. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities from Bob Jones University and now, as he says, he has learned to be a human. He left the next day for two weeks to visit a church in Nova Scotia and then to meet up with us in Michigan.

A week later Andrea’s school (Northland Baptist Bible College) finished their regular school year. That was the day my motherboard in my computer just up and quit. The next day (Sunday) was my last day of teaching Sunday School for the then current 5th grade class. It has been a good year with them.

Then on May 17th, Josh, Hannah, Cherith, Jesse and I headed to Michigan in Josh’s Jetta (gets the best gas mileage of any vehicle in our family). In Michigan my niece Jesica Blair added the name Brann as her last name marrying AJ Brann on Saturday May 19th. We headed back south on Monday May 21st. Jesse stayed behind to come later with Tommie Bream, and Ricky came with us so he could get back to work. About 5:30 PM Josh’s car broke down. We had pulled into a Subway parking lot to get something to eat and steam poured out from under the hood. We looked at what had taken place and started to figure out what to do. A part that had been replaced three times already split wide open again. It is what feeds the coolant back into the engine. While Josh and Ricky went to look up garages and junkyards and the rest of us prayed that God would help us. Three or four people asked if there was anything they could do or offer some advice. Ricky got an answer at a junkyard that was closed. They had a VW Fox they thought a replacement part could be taken from. One of the first men that stopped gave Josh and Ricky a ride to get it. When they got back it was not an exact duplicate, but we were able to make it work. (This part was metal where the previous parts purchase from the dealers were of some sort of hardened plastic.) The Lord answered prayer and we made it home about 6:30 in the morning (just in time for me to go to work).

(NOTE: Somewhere in here Josh finished up his sophomore year at Greenville Tech.)

The following weekend we went as a family (Andrea was not home from college yet as she was completing her summer school course) camping with a large group from Grace Bible Church. I believe they said there were about 83 altogether camping at Lake Greenwood. Lois, Cherith, Jesse, and I were able to meet new friends and build a better acquaintance with others we have met at Grace when visiting from time to time. Hannah Gfeller came with us (ask Josh). Also, a new friend Steve went camping with us and Tommie Bream stayed a night with us also. We didn’t hold it against him that he had finished his first semester at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Tommie had brought Jesse back from Michigan and Wisconsin straight to camp. (Lois and I wouldn’t have much to say anyway as she graduated from there and I attended there several years (part time) until my body could not keep up the pace.)

Andrea came home the following Wednesday. The following Saturday I took Eunice to Charlotte, NC to begin the two week vacation she had planned (see her blog). Then also that same day the Academy of Arts began their summer drama team ministry camp. Lois has now been the cook there for the last 13 (consecutive) summers and a few other summers before that. (She cooked for them the year Cherith was born and Cherith just turned 16 this past Sunday.) The following two weeks Lois cooked with the great help of our friend Kim Terry. Cherith and Jesse were suppose to help (and they did), but they also spent much time with the teams. This year the Southern team is presenting ‘The Sanctity Of Life’, the Eastern team is presenting the newly re-written ‘Raise The Flag’, and the Midwestern team is presenting ‘But We See Jesus’. A special opportunity arose for the Academy as they were able to go to Jamestown, Virginia for the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Jamestown (see also the Academy link previous in this post).

After two weeks of recovery we are not completely recovered. Eunice got back and has started her summer babysitting job and is (or has) started her new tutoring therapy job. She finished up her second year of being teacher’s aide for a Special Ed Middle School class at Mauldin Middle School (Mauldin, SC) on June 1st.

Cherith had her 16th birthday this past Sunday and now Cherith and Jesse are at The Wilds Christian Camp and Conference Center for the week. Two weeks after they get back Cherith is off on a missions trip to Mexico for a week with many of the teens from the church. Pray for her as she has support yet to be completed and for the time they will have there.

Ricky is leaving this weekend to sing in a wedding in Florida. Andrea will be leaving the weekend after the fourth of July to return to Wisconsin to minister with the First Baptist Church of Plainfield for the rest of the summer.

I guess that covers the last two whirlwind months of the Big Family In A Small House. Before the end of school everybody was making statements like “I’ll have more time when school gets out to do…” (breath, keep my blog updated, read my Bible like I should, etc). Interestingly enough it appears that instead of having more time, more activities have taken over the time school occupied.

This year I have purposed to read the Bible through. Many of the different books and chapters I have read, studied, and have heard preaching on over the last few years are really coming together. So new and fresh, but always the same. The Lord has really laid on my heart that the Big Family In A Small House with four adult children (from ages 22 to 29 are at home with us), that I really pray more concerning their walk with the Lord. My Bible reading has just begun in Job. Job prayed and made sacrifices (burnt sacrifices) to God because he was concerned that maybe one of his children were not right with God. I have a special burden that they read God’s Word to give something new and fresh each day for God to work with in their lives.

This past Father’s Day I received three ‘island’ shirts. They are very special and what I actually wanted this year. But over the last several years I have received special ‘World’s Best Dad’ t-shirts. What made them very special to me was that they would each write something on them and so when I wore them everyone could see what my children thought of me. It is so special for me to read over again what they have said. As I thought on that I also thought of how special having what God wrote for us available at anytime to know what He wants us to know.

God has been working in our hearts (Lois and I) over the last 6-7 months about working in a smaller church, in Michigan or Wisconsin perhaps. Our special time of being a Big Family In A Small House may in the next few months be dispersed. Lois and I cherish every moment we have with all of our children. May we as well cherish every moment we have with God and the One we know as Saviour.

One last thing – the FingerPrint part of the title. I am currently working on incorporating biometric fingerprint technology into the Time and Attendance system the company I work for sells (Davisco). Last Wednesday night we saw at Unity Baptist Church in Greenville, SC the Academy of Arts Southern teams presentation of ‘The Sanctity Of Life’. I was impressed by the fact that at 10 weeks after conception the unique fingerprint that the baby has in the mother’s womb at that time, that fingerprint is complete and could be registered or enrolled using a biometric scanner like I am working with and still be valid for verification that you are that person the day you retire from 45 years of working (barring any scars or blemishes that may occur over those years). The lives of our children are precious. I thank God for the time we have. Some do not have that privilege and some forsake it. Cherish the moments.

As I go through life there are what we call good times or bad times, all to often based on how we feel about the particular set of circumstances in which I find myself surrounded. When this is expanded to husband and wife, then also parents and children each viewing the same set of circumstances from their own perspective, and collectively you agree that these things are ‘good’ or this situation is really ‘bad’. But deep down in your very soul trusting in Almighty God’s great love and forgiveness through the death, burial, and resurrection and shed blood of Jesus Christ His Son in newness of life you have a struggle with ‘another’ presence in your family, in your own self. Though there are times throughout each day when the enmity of my old self is very evident against the Spirit of God within me, there are also times when conviction of sin and that which may trigger remembrance of similar struggles throughout my life seem to collectively overwhelm me. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night and these struggles confront my soul and I spend sometimes hours with God confessing and crying to God for that strength to completely forsake all sin that separates my fellowship with God.

Recently I have gone through several nights over periods of weeks struggling with things brought to heart and mind through my Bible reading, the preaching of God’s Word, dramatization portraying such struggles, and often blatant, obvious sin in my heart which may or may not be seen outwardly. One morning last week I was truly overwhelmed. The feeling of shame and remorse for some things even 30-35 years ago were just as clear as if they happened that very day. Though confessed and, as best as could be, forsaken, years of struggle made me cry out to God for the mercy that He has shown faithfully over those years. More than the sin that was confessed in those things, it was the remembrance of those who had been hurt and or, worse yet, turned from seeing Jesus Christ as He should be seen and in evidence in my life.

As I spent those hours through the night that night I cried upon my bed within myself. Mommy woke up and could sense that I was struggling and asked, What are you thinking about? When I told her she tried her best to encourage me in forgetting the confessed sin like as God removes my sin as far as the east is from the west. We prayed together and I left for work.

Then I started receiving emails and text messages.

From: Lois
Something to think on today because I love u very much. Ps. 27:14, and 31:24 ,is. 51:11 and heb. 1o:35,36, gal. 6:9, and phil. 1:6, i peter 1:6-9, phil. 4:6-8, ps. 138:7 just some help in time of need. 10:32am 2/28/07

Feb 28
Hey daddy,
I guess I haven’t seen you much lately since we haven’t ridden together all week. I have had a better week so I am sure we would had some good discussions. I hope you are feeling well. I was thinking yesterday about how I have learned from you and mommy to be dependable and faithful. You have been such a great example of that for us. I guess as I think about it, yesterday was a great example of that. The Chavers had mentioned how they think of me as a person who is dependable. But then there you and mommy where faithfully fulfilling the things that you have agreed and sometimes even volunteered without being asked to do. Thank you for being such a great example for me to follow. You works so hard for us too. Thank you for that. I don’t thank you enough. I am slowly working on that. It doesn’t come naturally to me as it may to others. But I wanted to take a step in working on that by emailing you. I love you and miss our times when we aren’t able to chat. But sometimes it just works out better that way for vehicles, so don’t feel like you need to change too much because sometimes it is better on gas. Absents makes the heart grow fonder. Love ya.

Eunice

Feb 28
Hey PaPa,
I was reading Ps. 27 this morning and it was such a blessing to me. Your should read it I know it would be a blessing. You are special daddy. I am truly blessed to have a dad like you. I never have to question your love for me. Thank you for being so faithful to mommy for these 30 years. I was just thinking about you and wanted you to know that you are a blessing to me and I am very proud to call you my dad. I could have never asked for a better dad than you. I love you very much. I am very excited to see you in May. God is so good ~ This weeks Biography of God is God is our Rock. I have found that to be so true for the last several days. I love you my handsome daddy!
Love always,
Your little girl
Corkski:) HaHa
Rom. 8:28-29

From: Josh
I love you daddy! You’re the best dad in the world. You are special to me. 10:03 PM 02/28/07

And a couple days later…

From: Blaha, Ricky
Hey daddy! I love you. Sorry for being rude to you this morning. You are a wonderful dad and i appreciate you very much. Prayin for you! 7:47am 3/2/07

That same evening (Feb 28) I asked Mommy if she had said anything to anyone that day. She said she sent a text message. I asked her to forward it to me.

From: Lois
Yr dad is very discouraged today. He feels like he has failed as a husband and as a father, because of poor decisions he has made with the money and other things i wont mention but maybe sometime today u could send him a t.m. Just tell him how much t appreciate him and pray for him tks lvu. Mommy 7:07am 3/1/2007

Needless to say I was also overwhelmed that day with God’s forgiveness (that morning when I cried to Him) and with the love of my wife and my family. Of the three we are warned to be wary of through God’s Word, the world, the flesh, and the devil, I may shut out the world for a time, the devil is not omnipresent as is my God, but the flesh dwells with me every hour of the day. But because of the forgiveness of sin and the salvation of my God I also have His Spirit living within me. So not only is my family a huge blessing in gathering around me for encouragement, but God’s Spirit lives within me as my Comforter, that very present help in time of trouble.

Thank you so much for all of you, my big family in a small house, and praise to our God.