Family Photo Time!

We tried to take a family photo yesterday for our Christmas cards, but unfortunately none of them turned out decent. They did however turn out rather funny! I couldn't stop laughing when I saw them, so I decided to share some with you all. Enjoy!

Extreme Prisoner...

China: Al Ling

"You are saying it wrong," the exasperated guard instructed the elderly Chinese believer. "You are supposed to say 'Prison is good,' not 'Jesus is good,'"

Al Ling smiled. "But prison is not good. That's the point. Am I supposed to lie?"

"Then give me fifty push-ups!" the frustrated Communist guard commanded. "Just like yesterday."

Seventy-year-old Al Ling did her push-ups and returned to her camp. Ling's husband had been arrested for spreading the gospel, and he had passed away. Now she was in prison for telling her fellow Chinese people about the love of Christ.

"Food is good, prison is good!" the prisoners were forced to shout as instructed after a hard day's labor in the field. "Jesus is better!" Her strong voice stuck out from the crowd.

"Al Ling, do you want to do more push-ups today?" the guard asked.

"I want you to know how much Jesus loves you," she smiled in response. She was thrilled at the opportunity to tell the Communist guards and other prisoners how good Jesus was, even if it meant doing daily push-ups. Upon her release, the guards decided to interrogate her one last time. "Where does your husband work?" the young guard asked.

"Oh, he is doing underground work," she answered. The interested guard took out a notepad. Al Ling smiled, "He passed away years ago." -The Voice of the Martyrs, Extreme Devotion.

I read this story in my devotional the other day and I couldn't help but chuckle at the responses Al Ling gave to the guards. After all she had been through, she still had a positive attitude about her situation and she wasn't going to let the guards change that. I just wanted to share this story with you all because it reminds me to try to have a positive attitude no matter what we may be going through. I can bring glory to God regardless of my situation, I just need to make sure I have the right attitude in order to do that. Hope this encourages you all as it has encouraged me! May God bless you!

10 Months Old!

I can't believe Emma is 10 months old already and in 2 more months she will be 1! Time sure does go by fast! Emma is growing so much. She "talks" a lot! It sounds like she says, "dadda" and "momma" but I can't tell what else she says. She has 8 teeth now and loves to eat pretty much anything! She waves and claps her hands. She stands more, but still needs assistance.