Trick or Treat!

We got together tonight for our annual Trick or Treat Fellowship. It was so fun to be with good friends. Here's a pic of the entire clan of kids - God has added a few to our mix this year. What a blessing!

And of course, one of those additions is our Baby Chloe! What a cutie!!!! She slept through all the Trick or Treating - but she sure looked adorable in her hat!

Jarod as BoBoFett (From Star Wars) and our little cowgirl, Anne.

We can't leave out Will (the Lion) and Ollie (the little monster) - How cute are they?

Ready to go.....

Jarod and Zander

Maddie has a new baby brother, Cooper. The Princess and the Frog! Hee! Hee!

Just thought I would share. Until next time......

Anne's Fall Festival

Anne's Pre-K had their Fall Festival this morning. She had a blast! She enjoyed the Pony rides a lot but said it was too short. I told her that this wasn't Oregon and there were other kids that needed to ride too. She's so funny. It's hard to believe it was over a year ago that we were on the horse ranch in Oregon. Being part of the staff like we were - Anne would spend a good hour or more on a horse, several times a week. She definitely had special privileges. For those of you who just started following our blog, CLICK HERE to link to our Oregon blog. I don't add to it any longer, but you can see what God did in our lives Summer 2008.

Posing in the pumpkin patch......

She wanted a butterfly on her face today. I'm actually off to stick her in the shower as it's rubbing off on everything and is kind of annoying. But it was really cute at the time and that's all that matters.

Tomorrow, we'll have Trick or Treat pics........

Brother and Sister Pumpkins

The kids decided they wanted brother & sister pumpkins this year. I was excited because they were old enough to put their hands inside and take all the gunk out and I didn't have to! YUCK!!! Enjoy!

Two Weddings and a Funeral

Sounds like a recent movie title, huh? We didn't see this movie - but we have our own version. As we step into our new ministry at the beaches, it seems many opportunities have already come up. Russ was contacted to do a funeral of a 97 year old man who had passed away. He had outlived his wife and children and his friends wanted him to have a Christian burial. Russ accepted the task. Even though he did not know this man and was not able to give his friends any kind of assurance where he was in death, He was able to share the gospel with those at the funeral. What a wonderful opportunity.

This past Thursday, he officiated the marriage of a couple in our church. Russ has been meeting with them and having pre-marital counseling sessions. It was a small, private ceremony at our church - a middle aged couple that didn't want all the fuss. It was so nice.

Now, let me tell you about another man in our church. He has terminal cancer and is living his last days with his 94 year old mother. She, along with Hospice are helping to care for him. She is amazing! He and Russ have gotten close over the past few months. He is a strong, Christian man and he and Russ bonded very quickly. He's even asked Russ to do his funeral service. Russ accepted and is quite honored. Russ goes over to help encourage him but leaves encouraged. Russ and I were talking the other day and I said to him, "Isn't it amazing that you can go over there and be so comfortable. That you can encourage the family as they deal with hospice, you can know confidently what is normal and what isn't. You can be okay just being in the room with him because you understand all that is happening. You don't feel intimidated by the situation?" Yet another purpose for my mom's and his sister's death. God was preparing us for this ministry. Preparing us for these types of situations. It would be so difficult to know what to do and what to say if we had not been there ourselves.

So - as this man nears the end of his life, he's been dealing with his past and finding closure. Last Thursday, after the wedding, the bride and groom took us to lunch. We were all chatting and having a nice time and Russ kept getting phone calls. He was ignoring them and letting them go to voice mail and then realized that it might be about this other man. He had been going down hill all week and we were expecting a call at any time about his passing. So, Russ excused himself and went and took the phone call. As it turns out, it was this man's daughter and instead of giving us bad news she said, "Um, I have a really strange request - my parents want to get remarried! Can you do this today?" Russ chuckled and told her that he has just finished up one wedding and he would be more than happy to do another!

Turns out, they had divorced many years ago. He had called his ex-wife into his room to apologize to her and make things right. The next day, he went a step further and proposed! She said yes and Russ officiated their marriage at 5:00 last Thursday afternoon. All of their children were present and Russ said there wasn't a dry eye in the house! Since then, this man has been at great peace and is ready to be with the Lord. What a wonderful testimony. Russ actually just got a phone call that they are beginning a morphine pump on him and he doesn't want to start it until he speaks to Russ. So - Russ is on his way now to be at his side. Please pray with us as this family continues the process of saying goodbye. We are so very thankful to have been able to watch God do mighty things in this family. This is what ministry is all about.

Quick House Update

Many of you have been asking about our house situation. We went looking on Friday and found a great house in an awesome neighborhood - but we found out today that the application for our house has not been sent from Iraq yet. They have put a hold on incoming and outgoing mail for security reasons and she was not able to mail it as planned. So - once again we sit and wait. I have to trust that if that is the house for us - that it will still be available once the application gets here - which could be weeks. If not - then He has something better planned for us. Until then, we continue the commute and we wait. It's kind of frustrating to move forward in a positive direction only to be put on hold again. But the Lord knows and we will trust His timing. Thanks for your continued prayers. We'll keep you posted......

"My Savior, He Can Move the Mountains"

God's timing is always perfect! After my stress filled week last week, I was able to take a couple of days and relax at home. I love being home. Sunday morning I thought I was ready to get back into the swing and Anne came down with a 101 temp. God knew I needed a few more days. We've been laying low and it's been so nice. Anne is doing much better - nothing serious. Just God's way of slowing me down. He is so good.

On Sunday afternoon, our Property Manager called us to let us know that there is a pending application on our house. There is a girl in Iraq that is being transfered here to Jax the beginning of November. She found our house on line and likes it. The application should be in later this week and we will know more then. If everything goes through - we could be moving in November! AAAHHHH!!! No stress.....

Russ and I have been on line looking a little and it's a bit overwhelming! To rent a house the same size as ours (1700 sq ft.) is going to take a good deal more than what we pay for our current mortgage. I know that God's timing is perfect and that our new place is out there. I'm trusting Him for that. He knows my desires - He knows our needs. But when I look at things on paper - I only see mountains! God moved mountains to get us into this house and I know He can do it again.

I've been struggling a bit again with the move - go figure! Wondering why God would take us from our current position (affordable housing, good schools, etc) and place us somewhere that seems so risky. Any one of you that have followed our lives for any amount of time know that God loves to put the Franklin's in new places of trust. You know, I think this all happens because when Russ and I first married, we asked God to use us - to use our lives - to use our marriage as an example to others. That must be why I'm always so compelled to share my stories!

Anyway - back to my struggles. I was talking with a dear friend of mine this week. A very wise, tell it like it is, woman. And she simply said to me, "God is moving you to the beach because for some reason He no longer wants you in Orange Park." What a concept! Why hadn't I looked at it like that? I don't want to be where God doesn't want me and He is obviously closing the doors left and right here. All we do is sleep here - our lives are at the beach. Our new work is at the beach. Our new church family is at the beach. If God doesn't want me in Orange Park - why do I want to be in Orange Park? I can't even use the "because it's easier" excuse anymore! Because it's hard going back and forth!

God always has to do things gradually with me. Baby steps to get me where He wants me. Poor Russ is almost always three steps ahead - waiting. I guess he's supposed to be there. But I'm thankful for God's graciousness! He knows me - He knows what I can handle - when I can handle it. And He always sends that perfect person or thing to put everything in perspective for me - again.

So - I say all of this to ask for your prayers as we begin to look for a house. I don't want to feel rushed and settle. I want to find that house that God has for us. I think I'm beginning to get excited because I know it's going to be "Exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or imagine." It has to be! He has mountains to move and I look forward to sharing with you how He does that!

Office Antics, Guitar Lessons and Stress

Ya know, there's that famous photo of the kids playing in JFK's office - this is our version! I walked in on Sunday afternoon to this mess. Ha! Good luck trying to study, Russ!

No comment!

Much better!

On a different note, Jarod started guitar lessons this week. I walked in and saw him practicing and I thought this would be a fun picture when he's older and has grown into the guitar!

I actually got to stay home all day today! The first time in weeks. Russ took the kids to school and I went back to bed. It was so nice. We've just been running like crazy and I'm just not used to it. I guess it's proving to be a bit more stressful than I thought. I went to the Dermatologist yesterday for some strange hives that have shown up on my hands. Basically, he told me they were stress related and that I needed to calm down. I was worried they were contagious and spreading to my face. He said that I was making myself worse with all the worry. My immune system is down from all the stress and I'm having a weird reaction to something. I did a similar thing when I was caring for my mom, so I knew he was right. Something has to change about our situation soon. We actually have someone coming to look at our house on Monday so please pray for God's will to be done. And please pray that I can find a comfortable pace in our crazy schedule.

I've gone from being a stay at home mom with a Calligraphy business - a really easy, laid back schedule, to adding a part time job in the mix with deadlines and weekly expectations. I love doing what I do - but there is a lot of running with the commute involved. I have never been so tied down to a clock! It really will be a lot easier on me when we live closer to the church and all of our family is on one side of town at once. God knows and we wait for His timing.

Thanks for your prayers and I'll keep you posted!