A Girl Thing!

Day Six:

AMERICAN GIRL day, which sounds funny since YOU are NOT in America!

We had an amazing day at American Girl store. What a treat for the girls! They needed about 1 million dollars to get all that their hearts desired! ;) They all left the store happy and with a new outfit for their doll. We wish that you were there, although it may have been a blessing for you that you were not! It was a girlie, waiting in line, eye rolling store~ but our sweet girls loved every minute and so did I...must be a girl thing!







I just got off "skype" and phone with you. Your day is just beginning and you said you will call in 10 minutes. So I will try to finish this so that you have my total attention, no kids, no worries, just you! You are traveling to villages today and I pray that you are safe and that you touch many lives, with the words that God has given you. I know that you are cherishing this time, what an adventure that you are on!

I am praying and thinking of you and I can't wait till you are home. Safe and sound~ Talk to you in a few minutes!

Love always and forever!
Susie

A Certain Regret

Day Five:
I feel like the days are wildly busy and that is good but today it made me sad...and I will tell you why.

At about 3:00, you called. It was right after Kitty and Angel (these two names together in a sentence make me laugh!) had left with Ella and Nat and our girls were getting a lecture on glue crafts on the table with no paper to protect the table. They were WILD from the antics of the day with their cousins and they were craving my attention. Add to that a call from Poppy, and the girls at the office with a prob...then you call and it was a light in my day but with all that was going on, it was hard to focus and enjoy just...YOU. It was a moment that I wanted to pause and leave the house and find a quiet hiding place and then press the play button so you would have my undivided attention. You had amazing stories and it made me want to jump through the phone and be there with you. After I got off with you, I was back to returning the calls that I missed while on the phone with you and then to get read to take dinner to Christina (whose baby is an absolute doll.)This was the first time that I felt so overwhelmed while you were gone and I had to take a moment to "collect myself." ;) A few tears were shed and a few prayers were said. It was not a major moment but I felt a certain regret that I couldn't figure out a way to make time stand still for your calls because your calls mean the world to me and I just want to make them last.

After I dropped dinner off, I met Kitty for my b-day dinner at Glorias, while Joshie watched all the girls and it was just what I needed after today. She became my "mate" for the night. ;) We talked and laughed till I almost cried and I am so thankful to have had this getaway, to brighten up my mood. (THANK YOU, KITTY AND JOSH!)

Today was challenging, but we made it through with a little help. ;) Today was frustrating but we made it through with a little prayer. Today was sad but we made it through with a little laughter. While my certain regret still lingers, my day was filled with help, prayer and laughter and that is what I will remember!

It is 6 o'clock A.M. (In Uganda)...Goodmorning, Baby!I love you!

Q

A Certain Peace

Day Four:
I was reading in Psalm 67 and the first few verses really touched my heart.
Psalm 67:1-5
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among the nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for your rule your people justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

How perfect for me to read this while you are so far away, Bri. I am praying that God will use you to do exactly this. "...that Your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among the nations!" It gives me chills to think of how many people do not even know the name of Jesus. I thank God that He has called you to Africa to be this light for Him.

Day four has been fast. We met friends at the pool, which was when you called and it was so hard to hear you. (I hope that you are having the BEST nights sleep right now!) Then it was home to get things ready for Angel to come tom. Stacy brought dinner, which was SO sweet and SO yummy! (...I wonder what you are eating?) Tonight was busy with chores but easy with the girls. Maddie looked up magic tricks on the compt and then gave me a demonstration, which was really good! And Ally and Hunter played SO well tonight. It amazes me, the way Ally is with Hunter. She knows exactly what to do to make Hunter smile, to make her do what Mommy said, to make her stop crying...I just sit and watch them in action and smile.

The girls and I think about you all the time and I remind them to pray for you for a specific thing every day, today of course was that you are able to sleep. We MISS you and can't wait for you to be HERE but we are actually doing pretty well, no major meltdowns, no big probs....just a certain peace as we wait for you to come home.

I can't wait for you to call again; I love hearing your voice.As always, missing you and loving you...forever and always.

Q

I Love Skype!

Day Three:

Yea!!!!! I was so excited to be able to talk to you and see your gorgeous face today! What a surprise! Skype rocks! Meeting Jimmy from next door was amazing! It felt so real to see you and yet SO far away...

Today was National Ice Cream Day, so I took our girls to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream fun! They thought that I was kidding....Mommy, how do YOU know that it is National Ice Cream Day?? Are you kidding??- When we arrived at Baskin Robbins, they asked, "Why isn't it crowded? Do people know it is National Ice Cream Day???" They were so worried! I told them that we must have just missed the crowd! :)

We all miss you more than you know. The girls always include you in their prayers and I love that they are thinking of you always, we all are!

You are amazing, Brian Aubrey Cheek!

I love you and I love Skype! (Call me soon!) ;)

"Where is Daddy?"

I have been trying to call you today, knowing that I will probably not get you. You arrived in Uganda today...and I am so excited for your adventure!

Hunter has been asking about you today. "Where is Daddy?" she asks. "Remember, he is on a trip to Africa?" I reply. "Yea, Africa!" she says. Two minutes later, she says, "Where is Daddy?" This will be a long 12 days!

I miss you, precious man! And I am so blessed to be able to pray for you while you are away.

I LOVE you, always and forever!

Q

A Little Push

I know that is has been a long while since my last post and a few things have been encouraging me to start again...a little push... in the right direction. I won't start with where we have been but with where God is taking us.

The love of my life left this morning, on a "non traditional" mission trip to Africa for 12 days....I want to write down my thoughts, for him and for me, during these days while he is away spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Day One:
I think that that this day may be the easiest. It hasn't hit us that you are really gone and that we really don't know where you are. That may come tomorrow...the girls are happy and Maddie and Ally are spending the night at a friends house, so it is just Hunter and me tonight. Nice and easy. (Are you already looking out for me, Lord???) I have been praying for you and this trip constantly and forever, it seems, although it has only been a month since it all began. And today, I found myself just saying the name of "Jesus" and "Lord, Your will", over and over, because He knows my prayers more than I do. Brian, I have been praying that the Lord will do amazing things through you and that His Will will be done in Africa and the Glory of it all will be His. I pray also for your safety and that you will come back to us. I pray that we will be able to communicate and that our precious girls will not drive me crazy! :) I am amazed at your willingness to GO....you are my hero and I love you more than ever. Thank you for being a Godly example to our beautiful girls and to me. You amaze me, Brian Aubrey Cheek and I am yours forever and always.

A little push...and here we go....

God's Whisper

Have you ever just known when someone needs you? A tug on your heart, a feeling? Some say a mother's intuition.... I don't think so, rather, God's sweet whisper that you must stop what you are doing and listen.

Where does this come from, you wonder? Well, I was taking my nightly relaxing, "let no one bother me bath" and I just literally stopped reading to listen. And then I realized that I forgot to turn on the monitor in our bathroom. But I try to always keep a second monitor on in the other room, just in case and when I felt the need to stop and really listen I heard a funny sound. I didn't recognize it as crying but just different. Because I had this funny feeling, I got out of the bath and turned on the monitor in our bathroom and on came the sounds of Hunter screaming.

God whispered in my ear that I was needed and it was so amazing to FEEL it!