Around mid-afternoon, everything was ready and the Sorensen’s arrived!! They brought an additional amount of fun, brilliance, and enthusiasm to our home, as, over the next 2 days, their seven children just radiated the joy of Jesus Christ added to abundant energy! During dinner, the dining room buzzed with cheerful chatter. During a tour of Accurate Innovations, they listened attentively. I was also particularly blessed by witnessing how they interacted with each other, and with our little ones – responses were kind and loving!

Another highlight of their visit for me was listening to and talking with the adults. The various topics discussed throughout the weekend were edifying, uplifting, and educational. I enjoyed hearing the new, exciting perspectives they had on different issues facing the Church today.

Thank you, Sorensen’s, for being faithful to carry the Light of Christ to all! He truly shines brightly through you!!

We were touched and encouraged, and can’t wait until next time!   

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light to all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

“Wow! I can’t believe this is really happening!!” I thought as I fastened the last buckle of my parachute and climbed onto the wing of the navy blue Stearman biplane. Tingles of nervous anticipation raced through me as Cousin Dave helped me buckle the  seatbelts and calmly explained emergency procedures. In front of us, in his blue and yellow plane, Cousin Rick guided Dad through the same  process as we prepared to make the flight from the hangar to the showgrounds of the Flying Circus. With my ear plugs in, sunglasses and flying cap on, buckles securely fastened, and the last adjustments made, I sat back to enjoy my surroundings and wave goodbye to Cousin Bill and the rest of the family on the ground while we waited for our pilots to finish their preparations. Moments later, another thrill shot through me as the engine sputtered, then came to life with a roar. 

We taxied over to the runway and I remember thinking, “We’re off!!”, as the planes took off in formation. At first, we just flew in big circles, gaining altitude in preparation for the aerobatics. We made a couple passes over the hangar while we were doing this and waved to those watching from below. (One time, I actually reached outside of the cockpit to wave… and about got my arm ripped off because I wasn’t prepared for the force of the wind!) My nerves continued to tingle, and suddenly the feeling intensified when we split from formation – the real fun was about to begin! Glancing in the mirror (the only method of communication in the open-topped plane), I saw Cousin Dave motion to ask me if I was ready for a loop. Shivering with a mixture of nervous suspense and intense excitement, I signaled back “thumbs up!” Suddenly, my stomach jumped as the plane dove down for a second, then began climbing up, up, up. I grabbed the rails as we reached the top of the circle, and then we were upside down! For a few seconds, I savored the exhilarating sensation of hanging upside down in the harness, and then my heart leaped into my throat as we dove back down the other side……

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) How true we found this verse to be while we were in Virginia last weekend! We had been planning to go to the Family Encouragement Weekend for quite a while, looking forward to it with much anticipation as one of the  biggest highlights of our year. This year we wanted to get there a day early to help with the preparations, so we left on Wednesday night, split the trip, and went the rest of the way on Thursday. Little did we know that the Lord would use the extra time we had planned in a way we would’ve never imagined…

While we were traveling up the Interstate on Thursday, we received a call from my aunt. When she found out where we were headed, she exclaimed, “Oh! We have cousins that live there!” As it turned out, my grandfather’s first cousin, Bill, and his wife, Marty, live just around the corner from our friends! But I’m getting ahead of myself… After another phone call or two, we got the contact  information for them and tried to call, but had to leave a message. Not knowing whether they would be home or not, we decided to stop by anyway, hoping to get to meet/reconnect with them. Imagine what they must have been thinking when their house was peaceful and quiet one  minute, and invaded with 12 practical strangers the next!! However, they were very gracious and invited us in, and we sat and talked for about an hour and a half. It was a great visit! Cousin Bill is a retired commercial airline pilot, and flying runs heavily in the family; in fact, Cousin Marty  has written a book about flying. Their two sons are also commercial pilots, and fly on the weekends at a local airshow called the Flying Circus. Throughout the course of the visit, especially after they found out that Dad has his private pilot’s license, they repeatedly urged us to come back on Sunday to meet their boys and go to the show. We wanted to, but were unsure of whether it would work out, since Dad was supposed to be back at work in Monday, and we had a 9 hour drive between Virginia and home…

We just kept praying about it through the whole weekend, asking the Lord to work it all out if it was His will. Our friends offered their home for another night, and Dad made a few phone calls, trying to get Monday off. We were absolutely thrilled when everything worked out, but our joy then was only a prelude to blessing of that Sunday afternoon and evening. Immediately after  church, we slipped away and raced back to Cousin Bill and Cousin Marty’s house. We met their “boys”, Rick and Dave, while they were getting their airplanes out and preparing to leave for the Circus. Much to our surprise, they told us that “anyone who wanted to ride was going to ride!” (I wonder if they had any idea what they were getting into before they offered that…) Dad and I were the first volunteers… the story above tells about that. The ride over was fantastic! I’ve wanted to ride in a stunt plane for almost as long as I can remember, and I know Dad was absolutely delighted to be in the air again (Cousin Rick let him fly most of the way there)! After we had done a loop and a roll, we headed straight for the showgrounds, and as we flew over the beautiful countryside, I sat back in awe: the only thing I could think was “God is SO good!!”

When we arrived, our cousins took us to the pilot’s briefing. Cousin Dave introduced us, and mentioned that our family sings, and the moderator shocked me by asking if we would sing the “Star Spangled Banner” at the beginning of the  show! Dad agreed, although I have to admit, I got far more nervous about that than I did about the plane ride! The rest of the family arrived a few minutes later, and we had a great time watching the show – it was  amazing! I don’t have time to go into detail about the rest of the afternoon, but between the show, airplane and ATV rides, and visiting, we had a fantastic time! Cousin Dave’s wife, Terry, and their two girls, Rory and Elly, also came – what a delight to meet them! (We’re still waiting to meet Cousin Rick’s family… hopefully next time!) When we finished up everything at the showgrounds, we went back to the hangar, where we picked up Cousin Marty (she hadn’t been with us at the show) and went out to eat.

By the time we said our final goodbyes at 10:30 that night, we’d had an incredible day. The Lord’s hand of providence was so evident in everything that happened; we marveled at the way He worked it all out in a way that far exceeded our wildest imaginations!! But the biggest blessing we received didn’t come from the material generosity of our new-found family. As Dad said it, yes,  the airplanes were cool and everything, and we had a fantastic  time, but what really impressed us the most was the genuine love and tenderness that whole family showed toward one another. Honestly, we have never seen anything like it! There was never a correction or argument, a joke at another’s expense, or even the slightest suggestion of  anything other than kindness and friendship. The couples acted as if they were still on their honeymoon; the brothers were obviously best friends. The loving looks, the care, and concern of parents, children, and siblings for one another was amazing to watch! We came away feeling rebuked for our own lack of affection and tenderness, and yet encouraged to show our love to each other more! “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” (Hebrews 10:24) “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” (Romans 12:10) “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11)

We praise God for so clearly directing our steps; truly, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

During the course of the weekend, the 200+ attendees were able to participate in potluck meals, prayer and sharing time, singing, a children’s energy-burning discipleship game time, and one of the best aspects: glorious fellowship centered around the common bond we have in the Lord Jesus Christ!

The Wilkesteam graciously opened their home once again to us, which allowed for excellent planning/discussing among the conference leaders and their helpers. The night before the conference began, I shared a challenge with several of the young people that the Lord had laid on my heart: to meet at least one member of every family. Now, that sounds pretty simple, but I desired to not just meet them, but to learn about them, share, and leave them encouraged from having talked with me. This was a challenge, but by God’s grace, many of us almost succeeded!! In the process of reaching out, I’m sure all of us that accepted the project would agree that we came away with even more encouragement than we were able to give!

Thank you, Staddons and Wilkes, for blessing the Neely Team in so many ways throughout the weekend!! We are always encouraged by your love for the Lord, your joy in service, your eternal perspective on life, and your hearts for ministry! What an immense blessing to work with you to bring a God-given vision to pass! We thank our God upon every remembrance of you ALL!

So…… as we look back on the weekend full of cherished memories, we look forward to the work of maturity that our Father will continue within each one of us!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Well, since the turn of the economy, we haven’t been able to do it. We’ve certainly been blessed with some work, but its rare to have people working overtime.

That’s why it was so exciting to hear the news when Daddy came home one night a few weeks ago and told us we were going to cook! There were squeals of delight! A really neat factor, is that when we were in NY, we older ones had spent some time praying with our cousin, and one request mentioned was the need for more work. And what do you know, the very next week we were cooking because there was a need for the guys to work overtime. What a testimony of how God answers prayers! And what an encouragement to keep praying!

“Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof… Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the islands.” (Isaiah 42:10, 12)

Some of my favorite individual/small group/misc. scenery shots from the week:

“…the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king… He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures.” (Jeremiah 10:10, 12-13)

The next step on our trip was a long-awaited family vacation at Surfside Beach, SC!! As we looked back over the last several years, we realized that this would be the first time since Dad and Mom were married that the Neely Team had spent a whole week away – just us – for nothing but time together, relaxation, and refreshment! Sure, we have definitely had many, many, many amazing trips and have loved every moment of every one of them, but again, every one has been connected in some way or another with a visit to friends, ministry opportunities, missions trips, business outings, conferences, family camps, etc. Not just a solid, week-long VACATION!! After a extremely wonderful but extremely busy winter and spring, we were all ready for and needing some time to reconnect and just rest!! The Lord provided this in His perfect timing when some friends offered for us their time-share about a mile off of Surfside Beach. How excited we were! We arrived Saturday afternoon after a splendid stay at the Stelzl’s house and attending the NRA show. We were able to spend the next seven days listening to messages on CD, reading the Word and a few other encouraging books, taking mile-after-mile walks along the shore , swimming, having family discussions, sharing joyful fellowship around the scrumptious meals Mommy prepared at the condo, resting, memorizing Psalm 91, and many other adventures that you’ll just have take part in by the hundreds of pictures we took!! We praise the Lord for providing this opportunity for spiritual and physical rejuvenation. The Lord is good!!

Our first night on the beach… 

The condo was perfect – all we could have asked for: three bedrooms, three bathrooms, Jacuzzi tub, a large kitchen, nice living room, back deck, etc., etc.!!

Before we left, Mommy got us all flipflops – a worthy investment for going to the beach. They were such fun we couldn’t resist a bunch of pictures. (Thanks, Daddy, for being the photographer!!)

We saw all sorts of marvelous specimens demonstrating our Creator’s design, creativity, and skill!!

If we don’t stop here, it will take three days to upload this post loaded with pictures. Ha ha!! Check back for more soon…

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)

Two weekend’s ago, we had the delightful opportunity to experience the love and fellowship of the Stelzl family when we stayed in their home while attending the 2010 NRA Show in Charlotte, NC. The Stelzl’s are a admirable example of a family that works together as a team to bless many through quality time spent in their home. Though we have only known them for a few years, they have become good friends and we are always thrilled with a chance to see them! They made us feel right at home by their gracious hospitality and attention to even the tiniest details (like having a pitcher of water and little cups in our room for middle-of-the-night thirstiness ) and made our stay as special as it possibly could have been! One of the highlights for me of our time together was the fellowship and the edifying conversation we shared. On our last morning together, Sarah and I were able to spend an hour and a half on the porch swing reading the Word, discussing what the Lord has been teaching us, and praying. I came away inspired!!

Thank you, Stelzls, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to let us come and be encouraged by your love for the Lord and His Church. It was definitely “good and pleasant” to spend time with you!! May you continue to shine your lights so that “men may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”

For more great pictures of our wonderful stay, visit the Stelzl’s blog!

Saturday morning was very busy. We cleaned, prepared, practiced, organized… and enjoyed all of it!! Before people started arriving, Dad and Mom presented me with my diploma… WOW! I know that it is just a credential and doesn’t mean that I’m done learning, but it is a huge milestone and testimony of the Lord’s grace and faithfulness!!

Anyway, friends and family started arriving at 1:45, and the party began! It was a wonderful day of fellowship and visiting with many people we hadn’t seen in a very long time. One of the biggest highlights was having both grandmothers there, which was a big surprise! What a  joy!!

I praise the Lord for all He has done for me… for parents who have willingly taught me all these years, for the wonderful “support group” I have in my family, and for the blessing of completing high school. God is so good! Great is His faithfulness!