“Trust the Lord in all your ways… ” Proverbs 3:5-6

Pics- Kitty not leaving his post (my January and April). Kitty is eager to face the days ahead, and so am I.

Regardless of circumstances, I praise Jesus for freely giving His life that I might be with Him forever. Praise God for His undying love and mercy. If you do not know Jesus personally, let’s talk!

You recall my January was a bit of a challenge (frozen well, burst pipes, leaky roof, etc.). Through it all, God provided peace in the midst of my storms as He blessed February and March beyond measure.

And then came April! 3. Heavy rains and wind pounded our car as we headed for Kirksville and the annual Missions Celebration, “What Joy“. Well, my joy plummeted as we tried to check in.

“Your credit card has been denied!” Ooops! After the second card was denied and they didn’t take checks, only God could have given me the peace to relax and enjoy the next three days. (And a friend with cash!) Later, I would verify charges on my statement and have new cards rushed to me. (Sounds simple, doesn’t it?)

My first card was delivered the next day. The 2nd card was another story. Most of the week was spent enduring robocalls to get to a real person. Following Robo’s instructions, I canceled all appointments and spent two days in front of my open door awaiting my package. At about 8 pm, the second day, a FedEx truck flew past my house looking straight ahead. A text followed on my phone: “Driver unable to locate the address.” Duh! BOTTOM LINE…I learned my package was in Springfield both days, awaiting pickup.

I want to tell you exactly what I repeated loud and clear each time I was privileged to speak to a live FedEx person. “I have great admiration for your FedEx guys. Every person I talked with has gone above and beyond to help me. I seriously do thank you. HOWEVER, that robo stuff is CRAP!”  I will continue to give my delivery guys bags of candy, scripture, and a “God Bless You”. I can’t imagine their job in this computer age.

And so ended the 2nd week of the 2nd quarter of 2025. (I will spare you the details of the next week.) Life! Sometimes it’s messy, unpredictable, not good, confusing! And, I want to stay in my safe place, snuggled by the fence with Kitty, and wait until the storm blows over.

But I am reminded of who I am, a child of the King. I hear Father’s plea, “Come unto Me and I will give you rest…” April had some turbulent times, but as I pen this, we have just celebrated Jesus’ life, death, burial, and glorious resurrection. Somehow, that puts all the “stuff” in perspective.

Just as Christ rose from the grave, I, too, will rise to face what God has planned for me.

Just as Kitty moved bravely forward, ready to climb her mountain, so, too, am I.

I celebrate Easter every day. Christ is risen. Whatever comes my way here pales in comparison to the joy my Father has in store for me.

“What Joy,” indeed.

In a few days, I will be blessed to celebrate 25 years of directing DCASB’s annual women’s retreats: God’s Amazing Grace!

I have more speaking engagements booked this spring. God has sent two dozen amazing stories for our book: What Love Looks Like. (Seriously, prayer is appreciated so that I can hear God clearly as I put it together.)

I am rich! I see His hand at work all around me. I feel His presence. I praise Him for each of you.

How can I pray for you?

Let me hear from you…

Hugs,

Susie