Posted in Family on 10. Jul, 2010
Austin's first birthday
Am I that old?! Yep. I am. My third-born child and first-born son, Austin Wayne Benjamin, is twenty-five years old today. From his first breath he was a joy to us, because we had been told, according to a sonogram, that he was more than likely a “she”. He never would cooperate with the sonogram technician and was always turned the wrong way, but they gave us their best guess. We already had two girls, Courtney and Destiny, and were more than thrilled to add another girl to the mix. Well, when Dr. Fong said, “It’s a boy!”, it just didn’t register at first. Then we started crying and saying, “A boy?!!! A boy?!!!” Then the tears REALLY started flowing!
These twenty-five years have really been a joy. Austin loves to have fun. He always keeps us laughing. He values family. He loves God with all his heart and is committed to seeing His purposes lived out on earth before Jesus’ return. He loves people. He is fiercely loyal. He prefers interacting with small groups of people as opposed to large crowds. His sensitivity to the needs of others around him astounds me. He enjoys LOVES all types of sports. Just ask him about any sport, and he will tell you the stats of the best players. He has seen just about any movie that you can think of. To say he’s a movie lover is an understatement. He is a worshiper of God and loves to lead others into His presence. He is seriously a joy to all around him. He is precious to me.
When Austin turned 9, he wanted a Ranger birthday!
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Posted in Family on 09. Jan, 2010
Maddy turned six years old yesterday! I was so busy with getting her uncle and bonus aunt from the airport, that I wasn’t able to get this out yesterday, but I’ve had the pictures picked out for a week!
Madysen is amazing. I love her so much. She’s a quiet strength to the family. Not that she’s quiet all the time. When she gets the giggles, it’s all over! She loves to cuddle, and she is so sensitive to the feelings of others. She is such a great sister to Ashlyn, Kadyn, and Judah. She loves her mom and dad and all her aunts and uncles. And last but not least, she loves her Gigi and Poppy. I REALLY miss her crawling up in my lap and just sitting with me for a while. She is SO cuddly and precious!
Another special thing about Maddy is that she loves Jesus and loves to worship Him. She has such a sweet voice. I can’t wait to see what God has planned for her. She loves to pray. She even prays for Jerusalem and the Jewish people at night before she goes to sleep!
Maddy, never forget how precious you are to Jesus and to me and Poppy!
Maddy at school on Grandparents' Day
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Twenty-six years old…oh my goodness, it seems like just a few minutes ago we were driving to a park in Dallas to get Destiny’s bridal pictures made. What a fun time! God had done such a life-changing transformation in our little girl just a year before at Gateways Beyond in Cyprus. She came home a different person, washed clean, set free and in love with Yeshua. She also met the earthly love of her life in Cyprus. That’s why we were getting bridal pictures made that day!
Since I’m living in Israel, I don’t have access to all my old photos, but you can still get an idea of what a joy Destiny was as a little girl. Her name was definitely prophetic. She is destined for joy. She brings joy wherever she goes. The room lights up when she walks in. She is a fiery prophet who wants to see other young people set free. There’s no gray area with Des. It’s either right or wrong. And if it’s wrong, you shouldn’t be doing it! These kinds of children make life very interesting when you’re trying to raise them!
One year they all wore sailor outfits to church on Resurrection Day. They were the cutest kids, seriously. Everywhere we went people commented on how cute and well-behaved they were.
Destiny is standing beside me.
Here are the girls in our family on our way to a Tacky Party. They were so excited about dressing as ugly as possible!
She always had so much energy! When we took family road trips, we stopped frequently to give the kids time to run and play. She needed it just as much as the boys! All it took was for Dad to start humming the theme to “Man From Snowy River”, and off they went! (That’s kind of random. I don’t know what made me think of that!)
A drama awards night. She was kissing the frog (aka. brother, Austin).
I love my daughter. She is such a blessing to our family. She is the most loyal daughter, sister, and friend in the entire world. She lives to give. She’s always thinking of how she can bless someone. Her heart hurts deeply for orphans. She wants to make life easier for the poor and the hungry. She is such an amazing wife and mother. I’m so proud of the homemaker she has become. Her cooking skills put me to shame! She and Jon have recently sold their house and most of their belongings in order to move to Brussels, Belgium in November. God has made it very plain that He wants a house of prayer/missions base established in Brussels, the capital of the European Union. We are so excited about this, and eventually our whole family will have at least a small part to play in this. I’m grateful for the way she and Jonathan have listened to God’s voice in spite of the obvious sacrifices in making such a move. From the time she was a baby, I knew that her dad and I would be sowing her to the nations. That’s what gives me peace through it all.
The rest of my pictures were all taken two months ago in Israel. This has to be the best, most wonderful surprise of my entire life. I will remember it forever, and it has gotten me through these first six months of being away from the family. I still can’t believe they were here. It seems like a beautiful dream.
This was her first day here. My eyes are still red from crying!
One day we walked to the Old City and had shawermas and falafels for lunch. Destiny has this thing about onions and proceeded to pick her chicken shawerma apart looking for the little rascals.
Here we are in the prayer room one afternoon. I LOVED having my girls worship with us. There's nothing better in the whole world.
One morning we went up on the Temple Mount. This is her sister, Courtney, and friend, Rachel Baker. Women’s shoulders must be covered (Muslim rules), so that’s the reason for the shawls. This was the site of Solomon’s temple and also the second temple rebuilt in Ezra’s day. This is the actual place where Yeshua will set up His headquarters when He returns to Jerusalem! He is returning as King to rule and reign with us! (Sorry…this is Destiny’s birthday, not the time to explain the sites of Jerusalem…I get a little carried away.)
This is the family on the lookout right next to our apartment building. The Old City of Jerusalem is in the background.
My daughter is simply amazing, and life would be so boring without her! Happy Birthday, sweetie!
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