Simple Treasures: Andy's First Convert!

   Andy was able to lead our next door neighbor to the Lord a couple nights ago. We were out late that night and got home around 10:00pm. The man, named Brandon, came out of his house and called over to Andy to see if he could speak to him for a few minutes. I took the kids inside and put them to bed while Andy went over to talk to him. They sat down on the steps and the man began telling Andy that his house in the country was haunted and that he couldn't stand it anymore. (There seems to be a lot of this sort of thing around here. I've heard many stories, even from Christian folks in our church) Brandon and his 13 yr. old son moved in with his mother who lives next door to us. He began to describe some of the things that they have seen and heard in the house and its got them too scared to go back out there. Brandon asked question after question, and soon they had covered not only that subject, but many others. Andy told him how to be saved and the man bowed his head and prayed. Andy said it was very real! Brandon stood up after the prayer and told Andy, "I've never felt like this before in my life! Its like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! It IS for real!" Andy told me later that he thought Brandon would run around the house from sheer excitement. :) Every time Andy is outside, Brandon comes over to talk. Andy is going to start having Bible studies with him. Brandon wants to know what the Bible says about "ghosts" and the things he's been experiencing at his house. Andy's going to try to get him to start coming to church. He's on cloud nine! We've had some folks get saved at church since we moved here, but this is the first one that Andy has gotten to lead to Christian himself, one on one. Pray for Brandon!
   I'll be packing for Andy this week. He leaves for Vietnam next Monday. I'm not looking forward to it! He'll be gone for a whopping 17 days! That's the longest we've been apart in the 9 years we've been married! I think I'm going to cry! Andy is looking forward to the trip though, it being a good opportunity for him to see the mission field first hand. Though I will miss him terribly, I am happy he gets to go. Knowing Andy, I'm sure he'll have a couple dozen of those orphans following him around every waking moment. :) He's looking forward to it, too. :)
   Audra took her first step the other day!!! She can stand up pretty well now and balance without holding onto to something, but the steps are a great challenge still. She took one teenie weenie step, but STILL it WAS a step none the less! :) Its a start. When she stands up, she starts grinning like a monkey and clapping for herself. But when I say, "Come to Mama!", she drops to all fours and crawls to me faster than any toddler I know. She'll get it, though. And it'll be soon, too.
   Andy and I have been in Ebay mode lately. We've been making trips to the thrift stores and yard sales lately and have found some china dishes that will bring good prices. So I've got about four cardboard boxes full of china on my kitchen floor waiting to be shipped out a little at a time. We found an HUGE set of phaltzgraph at a yard sale for $25 for the whole bunch. We've sold a few of the dishes and a couple canisters so far and have made $65 already! And we still have more than half of the set to sell! A tea pot in the set is bid up to $26 itself! Our money back with one item! Now that's what I call a good buy! We found a couple pieces of Doulton china at a thrift store that will hopefully bring a good price as well. Andy picked up a WWII training iron pistol at a yard sale and it's got bids on it as well. Its fun, and we are learning a lot about what is worth money and what sells well.

   Christian's Latest... "I was explaining to him our family relations, how Grandma is my mother, and Great Grandma is my grandmother, how Papaw is Daddy's daddy, and how Great Mamaw is Daddy's grandmother, etc. He listened quietly til I got to Great Mamaw Price (Daddy's grandmother). His eyes lit up and he said, "Great Mamaw Price is my friend! She's MY girl!!!" :)

Both of them LOVE the piano!!! Christian begs for lessons all the time.

History repeating itself? First it was Andy and Brad...Then Andy and Me...Now these two. :) Christian tells me all the time that when he learns how to play the piano, he's going to play for church. He also informed me that he was going to play for Audra while she sings at church. :) But, if she has anything to say about it, they'll be fighting over the piano bench. She loves the piano, and good music in general, as much as he does. I LOVE this picture! (Pardon the plaid and stripes...He's ready for bed. :)