Ila Rose

Look! There's another Sanders since the last time I posted!!!  This blog is soooo behind!

Ephesians 6:10-18

The Whole Armor of God Ephesians 6:10-18

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.   In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.   Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Blessings for Obedience Deuteronomy 28:1-14

28 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. ² You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:

³ Your towns and your fields
    will be blessed.
⁴ Your children and your crops
    will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
    will be blessed.
⁵ Your fruit baskets and breadboards
    will be blessed.
⁶ Wherever you go and whatever you do,
    you will be blessed.

⁷ “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

⁸ “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
⁹ “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. ¹⁰ Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.
¹¹ “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. ¹² The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. ¹³ If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. ¹⁴ You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

I Would Gather Children

Some would gather money

Along the path of life

Some would gather roses,

And rest from strife.

But I would gather children

From among the thorns of sin,

I would seek a golden curl,

And a freckled, toothless grin.

For money cannot enter

In the land of endless day,

 And roses that are gathered

Soon will wilt along the way.

But oh, the laughing children,

As I cross the sunset sea,

And the gates swing wide to heaven,

I can take them in with me!

~ Author Unknown~

Pictures need no words- she's an 18 mo. old little firecracker!

Precious Emi Claire

Awwe..... the moment. I woke this morning before dawn unusually wide awake. As Emi lay next to me sleeping I couldn't help but cradle her up in my arms and draw her close. She stretched a moment and went softly back to sleep. As I stared at her flawless beauty before me I couldn't help but reflect on the blessings of a mighty God. This little perfect human given to me only by the acts of a powerful God and entrusted to me to protect and love with my whole being. Oh the joy in that moment! How could I have been chosen? Why me? Oh the delicate skin. The thick dark curls encircling her angelic face. Her rhythmic breathing that puffed the sweet breath that only a baby can possess. I breathed her in. Really felt her with every sense and just praised the creator and thought for one moment I knew (really knew) how much He loves us. Thank you Emi for a glimpse of heaven.

Baby Cottontail Has a Family

I have not posted in a long while but I wanted to say that our little boy in Ukraine has a family!  He was adopted by a family in Israel.  Once the country opened back up and his special need was back on the list all our paperwork was expired.  Knowing another family was interested in him I chose to wait.  They indeed have picked him up and he has a forever family.  My heart is thrilled.  Ultimately the goal from the start was to keep that precious little boy from remaining an orphan.  I am sad he did not join our family but knowing only God knows best,  I rest in the assurance that he is right where he is supposed to be.  All my love to the family of 'Baby Cottontail' and to our sweet boy.

Emi's Best Friends

Unbelievable how this little cat and dog love this little baby.  They act as her protectors everywhere we are.  Every place I lay her down to nap here they are!  Ready to sleep right alongside her.  If she is upset sitting in the floor because I'm not holding her my little dog obediently goes over and sits quietly next to her as if to let her know it's OK.  It's just amazing to watch this relationship of dog, cat, and baby and how it all works.  Animal lovers everywhere would love to watch them in action.

SUMMERTIME!!!!!

My Little Cinderellas

The Best Little Buddies

Lizzi and Kelissa's kitten have been inseparable since she brought him home with her for the summer.  It is just the cutest thing.

Just a Day at the Local Livestock Auction

 Kelissa getting away from that big red cow.

 Kade is sorting the calves.

Kelissa's first day to work since overcoming her allergies.

 Chi was born to be a cowboy.

Chloe loves it too!

 Kade only loves the paycheck.

 Five of my greatest blessings,  Cason was in the penning alley unavailable for a photo.

Great times!

I've had all six of my children for about a week.  It has been wonderful.  Cason leaves for an internship in the morning.  He will be working five hours away for a company that does oil drilling simulations.  So glad he found a summer intern. He has one more year of college.  I can't believe how time flies!!  Kelissa is taking online classes and living at home for a few weeks.  She has been job hunting.  Since she has yet to find a job she became our cattle unloader along with Kade.  She did a good first day on the job.  Her childhood allergies had kept her from coming to the sale for more than 30 minutes at a time.  She has been healed from them and now she is learning a little about 'sweatequity'.  As a junior with a 4. gpa studying toward law school, I think this job teaches her just how to get down and dirty.  I'm proud she can be an Alpha Phi and also come home and work in our family business.