328 – Welcomed by Dan’s Good Friends

328 – Welcomed by Dan’s

Good Friends

October 31, 1988 Wheaton, Illinois

As Dan and I prayed against hopelessness, he got a picture: he saw an old weathered train station. Even the tracks and buildings were gone. He felt God was saying: don’t go back there (your old way of thinking) for information about self and life—God has a new station—He’s conforming you into the image of Jesus.

Daniel, age 5, said: you have 4 sons and if you have one more baby you’ll have 5 sons—but it’ll be a girl, and you can name her Georgann.

November 1-2 Des Moines, Iowa to Grand Island, Nebraska

November 3 – 15^th Castle Rock, Colorado

Dan’s friends became the kids and my friends!!! Dr. Jim and Sugar and their children welcomed us in and very happily gave Dan handyman work so he could earn money for the remainder of our trip. The work kept him busy every day for almost 2 weeks. There were animals (chickens, goats, dogs, cats), lots of open spaces, and hills for the boys to climb, and a boy Steve’s age who they all enjoyed.

I proclaimed in my journal: NOTHING IS GOING TO GET ME DOWN. I WILL NOT BE OVERCOME. THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH.

Proverbs 31:15 She can laugh at the days to come.

NIV note: she is free of anxiety and worry!

Every day I read Lloyd Oglivie’s book, You are Loved and Forgiven. I received encouragement every day. I had time to rest, and I took lots of notes.

November 16 Cheyenne, Wyoming

It snowed often when we were in Castle Rock, and it snowed the day we left in our wobbily motor home. Dan’s friends Del and Florence were excited to see Dan and meet the family. We were loved and welcomed again.

267 – We Are Being Sifted

April 9, 1987

I drove into Lima for our home school gathering. A church marquee said:

April 5, 1987 UNBOUND

THAT WAS MY BIRTHDAY! I feel that was for me!

Yesterday I got:

ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you; rise to a new life]!

SHINE – be radiant with the glory of the Lord;

for your light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you! Isaiah 60:1 (Amplified)

The sheriff came while we were in Lima with a summons! Dan’s passenger in the November car accident is suing our insurance company because Brian did not feel he got enough wage compensation during his recovery period. Funny thing—the people who were going to support him didn’t. I pray he will see clearly to drop the suit.

And the Lord said,^[a] “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Luke 22:31-32

We are being sifted.

Check from Life Center in Reno for $55 which is our grocery money for TODAY’s shopping! Praise Jesus!

Bill and Carol sent $10 and a letter. Bless them!

Gregg and Cheryl gave $40 for Dan and I to go out to dinner to celebrate my birthday.

238 – The Wonderful and Wondrous Christian Life

December 6, 1986

On Monday we had a neat experience of seeing God work.

I suspected I had a bladder infection. Dan gave permission to go to the doctor. (The question is always—do we have the cash to cover it?)

Josie, our neighbor, needed to get to Avon to pick up her car in the shop.

I tried the doctor’s office for 20-25 minutes, praying for God to supply a same-day appointment.

Also praying for a ride to work out.

Got an 11am appointment.

The idea came to borrow Sue Skiff’s car. She was working at ShurFine, the grocery store down the street.

In her rental car, Josie took us to ShurFine (the boys and I got ready miraculously quickly and efficiently, packing color book and crayons and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples). They also had a big toast and jelly snack while I was bustling around.

We brought Josie’s rental car back to our yard after we picked up Sue’s car.

Then we went to Avon.

Dropped Josie off at the car place.

Drove to Honeyoe Falls.

Got to the docs at 3 minutes to 11.

Barely room to sit in the waiting room.

We were all in good spirits and they were model kids. Praise YOU, Lord!

Read a story, all of them crowded around me.

I left the kids to give a urine sample. I was then called in.

The boys colored outside my door (end of the hall, in no one’s way).

I had to change to a gown for the exam.

Tim took Danny to the restroom. They had to go down to the doctor’s bathroom in the basement because a patient had passed out in front of the restroom on our floor.

We went to the front desk to pay. Timmy pointed out Tracey Belcastro, who needed love and prayer!! Praise God.

To the pharmacy.

Back to ShurFine to get Sue. She was off at 1 and we got there at 5 minutes till!!

Had time to get more hot dogs for dinner and $5 to give her for gas, which blessed her.

We blessed each other.

Josie and I blessed each other.

Tracey and I blessed each other.

The boys and I blessed each other.

PRAISE AND GLORY TO YOU, LORD!

This is just how I wrote it in my journal. I was 41 years old, full of simple faith in Jesus. And loving living that way.

191 -Goodbye to the Familiar, and Onward ho!

191- Goodbye to the Familiar and Onward ho!

First week in June, 1986 – our church friends blessed us…

John and Jan invited us to spend the week with them so we could empty out and clean our 1200 square foot house. The boys slept on Kyle’s bedroom floor. Dan and I slept in the extra room, me on a twin bed, Dan on the roll-a-way. One night Janet brought dinner for the whole group!

Auntie Bev gave us a black account book to use as a trip log and to keep a record of our expenses. She wrote: A journal of the events of the Dan Lemaire family while on an adventure across this nation to a destiny of service to our Lord! God bless your journey and each of you!

Our garage sale brought in $200. Bill and Carol had taken the kids overnight and the whole day. Bill and Joyce brought Dan and I a special dinner of Bill’s famous beef and potato pasties.

The church gave us a money gift to add to the garage sale proceeds, and we stopped downtown and sold Dan’s silver dollars to add to our cash stash.

The Suburban was packed to the hilt with kids, camping equipment, coolers, camera, and clothes. We said tearful goodbyes to our friends and headed for the freeway. We could see our church up on the hill, and one of the kids yelled goodbye, and we all yelled good bye. As we passed St. Mary’s hospital where Dan and the boys had all been born, we yelled goodbye! In another mile, Tim pointed to the area where Jackie and John and their girls lived and we yelled goodbye at the top of our lungs.

The boys were 7, 6, 4, 2 years old. They were all in car seats or boosters so they could see the scenery for the next 3,000 miles.

We all felt the pangs of separating from our excellent friends and support system, but we were geared up for adventure!

First stop, just a two-hour drive to spend the night with my high school best friend Nancy and her family. We swam in their pool and had spaghetti for dinner and waffles for breakfast.

Second stop, four days with my family in Oxnard, CA –including a trip to Disneyland! Our brother-in-law Jerry surprised us by treating us to the Disney* tickets!

*In 1986, Disneyland adult tickets were $18 and children’s tickets were $12.95. As I am editing this post, February 2018, prices increased just today: adult tickets are $119 and children’s tickets are $113.

118- Mary Did Not Have a Nursery

118- Mary Did Not

Have a Nursery

December 7, 1983

Worried about traveling to Bible School to start the fall semester while I am pregnant–but then I got a revelation: Mary did not have a nursery to bring her Son home to. I can do this!

Mary and Joseph probably traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem during her third trimester of pregnancy, walking or perhaps riding on a donkey. The road is 90 miles of uphill and downhill terrain. Because of Mary’s condition she and Joseph would probably have only progressed about 10 miles a day. The temperature in that part of the country in winter might have been freezing at night, with rain. There would have been danger from bandits, lions, bears and wild boars.

(facts taken from an article in the LA Times, December 23, 1995)

This young woman knew something of hardship.

And when her Son came forth she did not have a nursery for Him. Or soft fuzzy blankets or gift cards or disposable diapers. I wonder how they managed.

December 30 Friday

May I have any encouragement or instruction pertinent to this baby I am carrying.

(Answered on Monday)

January 2, 1984 Monday

I had been spotting and was worried about my baby.

Three of my friends came by saying to me:

*take the spotting as a warning to not get caught up in the busyness of those around you

*your home is your ministry

*you are raising a mighty army for Me

*what you are doing does not look like much now, but every bit is counting toward the building up of these men of God

*you are not forsaken

*your work is very important

*rejoice and be glad…rejoice!

*be sensitive to Dan, learn to listen to his heart. He doesn’t always speak, so become sensitive to listening to his heart.

*this house is to be filled with praises

*do not meditate on your life, your mistakes, who you are, your brokenness, but on how I broke my Son for you! What is coming out of this family is what I am doing.

1 Peter 5:2-3 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you…not by compulsion but willingly…being examples to the flock.

Lord, I know in my spirit that Your will is perfect. I feel backed into a corner—pregnant, winter, no money, unreliable car. I know I will not regret Your will. You will have to help me immediately and constantly.

I’m wondering if I was rejoicing as I had been exhorted, or keeping my eyes on the circumstances and languishing in self pity, as I was prone to do.

90- My Frame of Mind

November 5, 1982

Something is occurring to me about my frame of mind:

*there will always be kids’ issues to tackle and battle, straightening and picking up in the house, unfinished projects, dishes to do.

*there will always be times when Dan’s away, spaces between my parent’s visits, days without friends.

*I’ll always be pre, post, or having periods, or having a cold, sore throat or canchor sores or detergent burn, needing a haircut; underweight, overweight, having a tooth problem, broken fingernails.

*there will always be people more organized, more stylish, with better kids, or worse, neater houses and cars, greater spiritual gifts and fantastic hobbies.

*our house will always be in stages of getting finished, we will always have free/used furniture, and I will always be dealing with mud.

*I’ll always have hand-me-downs, only a couple of shoes.

*etc., etc.

So why not realize the vanity of wishing things could be different and of being discouraged. My family pattern is not like when I was living at home. So what??? Where would I rather be? There is no contest: I am GLAD I am right here!

So BE JOYFUL IN CHRIST!

Savor the things of God.

Seek pleasing Him.

74- An Active Life

I remembered today (March 18, 2017) that I had a box of our old calendars in the garage. It appears I have all the years from 1977 to 2016!

Consulting the 1982 wall calendar, I noticed we had a very busy life: we scheduled lunches and dinners with friends 3 or 4 or 5 times a month and caught every special speaker at church. Dan was working part-time in the next town, Carson City, pre-recording his daily program at KNIS, the Christian radio station. We were sick quite a bit with colds and went to the pediatrician’s office for well-baby checks and sick visits a couple or a few times a month. Dan was attending the leadership class at church called the Servant’s Class one night a week, and the boys and I were in a Bible study/mothers’ support group a couple of mornings a month at my friend Michelle’s house.

**Subtract the dog, add two speeding boys and another kitten, then color her hair brown!**

We hosted a Bible study on Wednesday nights at our house and later attended one at the home of another family.

AND THEN, I was strongly encouraged by a good friend to take a position at the Christian school teaching science to the junior high kids. I was not qualified and not confident and I can’t fake anything. Yet, I succumbed to her enthusiasm that I could do it and that it would be great. It lasted a month and my journal reports that it was encouraging to be with the other solid Christian teachers and school staff and that I did okay with the students. The good that came out of it was that I knew I wanted to raise my kids myself, and not turn them over to a babysitter for a few hours every day and have her raise them. So that was that.

We tried the Natural Family Planning system of birth control through the Catholic Church. I had to do a daily charting which I will not describe, and a nun wearing a gray and white mid-length dress and a headscarf, Sister Julianna, came to see us once a month for consultation. After dinner one night, I remember her good-natured laugh as she watched Timmy and Stephen zipping gleefully around the living room: “They feed off each other, don’t they?”

Best friends, Timmy & Stephen. And their cute baby kittens.

And they did.

The new baby, now four months old, would be be joining their rambunctiousness soon. [And with another new little brother joining the ranks in a year-and-a-half, it was a bustling life we lived, especially as little boys are tireless!]

18- Flashback: A Glimpse of My Childhood

18-Flashback: A Glimpse of My Childhood

My sister, Marsha (born in 1948) and I (born in 1945) say that we had a Leave It to Beaver childhood.

Leave It to Beaver was a sitcom in the early 1960’s, in which the parents were hard workers (she at home, he at the office), loved their two sons, and took their parenting seriously. Rather than having all of the answers, Ward and June worked with their sons to figure things out. Their home was comfortable and all of their problems were manageable.

Marsha and I grew up in the security and innocence of the late 1940’s and the decade of the 1950’s knowing we were very loved. Connie (born in 1953) enjoyed a good start like we did, but by the time she got to middle school and high school society had changed a lot and life was more challenging for her than it had been for us.

1953 - Dad and Mom — 1953, Dad and Mom relaxing

Our parents loved each other and they loved us. We were their focus. Our home was very stable and happy. Our small house was kept clean and tidy; our clothes were washed and ironed. We ate every meal together at the kitchen table. For dinners our mom fixed meat and potatoes and vegetables and home-made desserts, and fish on Fridays.

When we were young, Mom, Grayce, enrolled us in dance lessons, swimming lessons, and gave us birthday parties. She made us Halloween costumes, and many church and school dresses. She bought us Sunday hats and gloves, and polished our white Easter shoes. After school, she had snacks ready for us and was excited to hear about our day.

Our Dad, George, was the rock of our family. He was a quiet man who went to work every day at 7:55 and was home every night (except for the Elk’s club meetings once a month) a few minutes after 5. He built us a playhouse, set up the tether ball pole, taught us to ride our bikes, and how to drive a car. He took us to church every Sunday and to confession every two or three months.

Daddy was more than a provider; he was a fan of his girls. We each knew that he and our mom loved us unconditionally. When he spanked us (because we deserved it), it truly hurt him more than it did us. We knew that there was a deep mercy inside him for each of us.

When troubles came, and they did, our nuclear family foundation was firm and our relationships were laced with love. Even in our extended family, love won–over and over again. Disclaimer: one woman who married into the family moved herself to the fringe of the group through her very critical spirit. We tried to keep a good attitude about her and kept welcoming her back, but she became embittered.

I mentioned that our parents were social drinkers and that it was always a positive part of our family life. At some point daddy began using alcohol as an escape from a troubled relationship with his brother, who was his business partner, and from the stress of being a small business owner and paying taxes every quarter. Daddy and Walt had carried on their father’s tractor sales and implement business. Uncle Walt was the office manager and daddy was the mechanic.

I’m sure daddy had also taken refuge in alcohol as an escape from the worries and sorrows that we three girls caused him as we were making our way into adulthood.