21 Days of Prayer For Our Sons

Recently a friend of mine shared a post from the MOB Society on Facebook. I went and checked into it and LOVED it! It took me a bit of searching, but I finally discovered that MOB stands for "Mothers of Boys!" :) That's me! I'm a mother of two boys. That's right - only two. When they were younger, I would be asked if I had three or four children. My response was, "No, I only have two. They just move around so much that it seems like three or four," then flash them a big smile. :) The MOB Society is a place for godly mothers of boys to share their experiences. I have longed to belong to such a group for a long time. There's something about knowing that I am not alone that brings peace and comfort.

I LOVE my two boys, very nearly 10 and 7. They are my miracles. Before I married Mr. Gehrke thirteen years ago, my body was inflicted with uterine fibroid tumors. At 24 I underwent a myomectomy to remove the tumors. A few months before the surgery, my doctor told my parents that it was very likely that I would never be able to have children. Instead of despairing I turned to God. I spent many hours with Him. I delighted in time with Him. And in return, He gave me Hope! (Jeremiah 29:11) He gave me dreams and visions! He showed me who I would marry (Mr. Gehrke)! One night I dreamed of my children (a boy and a girl - another story for another post), and He asked me to place them on an altar. I had an idea of what Abraham must have felt when God asked him to place Isaac on the altar. So, after much hesitation, I did as He asked and was filled with such peace. With the promise that I would have children someday, I did not give up. By the time of the surgery, my doctor was now saying that if I had children, they would have to be born by C-Section. Praise God that I live in a time with such medical advancements!

Back to the topic - 21 Days of Prayer For Our Sons... I have been praying for my children since they were a "twinkle in God's eye." And we have raised them to be young prayer warriors as well. I've never really been one to read a prayer. Perhaps it was the church culture in which I was raised. But this event being sponsored by the MOB Society has caught hold in my spirit. I've signed up. I'm looking forward to it beginning May 1, 2012. Knowing that I will be praying alongside countless other Mothers of Boys encourages me. I am reminded of Matthew 18:19-20, "Jesus said, 'I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.'"

If you are a "MOB" and would like to sign up for the 21 Days of Prayer For Our Sons, visit http://www.themobsociety.com/2012/02/announcing-the-next-21days4sons/ and follow the directions. You will also need to get the ebook "Warrior Prayers" (http://www.themobsociety.com/warrior-prayers/).

Being a mother of boys is full of challenges, but I am blessed that God saw me worthy to be a mother to boys. :)

The Boys - December 30, 2011

The Busyness of Life

Life can easily become filled with busyness. Our family has experienced much in the past ten months.

• New life - kittens being born
• Death - my mom (C's) being very ill, finally diagnosed with lung cancer that quickly became aggressive, taking her life in three short weeks from diagnosis
• Broken bones - our oldest boy, S, tripped and broke the right wrist, he's left-handed
• Responsibility - S raised two market goats for the county fair, did very well :)
• Confidence - when my mom was ill, A & I ent to see her; I ministered to her and Dad with my guitar - she told me she was proud of me; also I played and sang at her memorial service
• New vision - our youngest boy, M, got fitted for his first glasses in the fall - he can see! :)
• Healing - S had his tonsils out the day after the fair; C went to Hawaii with her sister in October and painted pictures; A picked up a virus the boys had gotten at school - 3 months later he was finally well
• New priorities and appreciation for each other - in January a nearby mountain "ate" our ATV - praise God that Andy was clear of it before it went down the mountainside! Stuff is stuff! An ATV is easy to replace - a life is not - and it was covered by insurance
• Turn-key pets - some of our pets have moved on to places unknown, one to a new home down the road, bird dog no longer with us; new pets have shown up and adopted us - one new cat (the Mama and all her babies are gone) and one new little dog who showed up January 30 and is still with us

Through all of this our faith in Jesus has grown stronger. Our family is healthy. We have learned to listen to what God's plan is for us and obey. All that happened over the past 10 months helped prepare us to do just that.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

New Life!

Last Fall a young kitten, perhaps 3 or 4 months old, made her way to our front door. Our big cat, Daisy, wanted nothing to do with her. (Nothing has changed there!) We found out later the mama, brother and sister had made their way to the neighbor's place across the field. We called the kitten "Baby," and being such a friendly girl, quickly won our hearts! Well, little did we know that kittens can get pregnant. One morning in February I heard an awful howling at our front door. I ran to the door, flipped on the lights, and there right in front of Baby's house was the long-haired tomcat from across the road. OOPS! Looks like kittens will be arriving around April 27!

The night of April 25, our oldest boy dreamed that Baby was laying on his bed and had five furry kittens with her. He was sure excited! We thought she'd have maybe two or three kittens.

On April 27, around 2 a.m., Baby started having babies in a birthing box in our closet. She gave birth to two in that hour. The boys were so excited. I got them on the school bus, went inside and grabbed the camera. Wanted to get some more pictures of the Baby's baby. So, I took the picture, and saw on the digital screen not two, but three kittens in the birthing box! And Baby was working really hard at giving birth to a fourth! Wow!

After school, I let the boys go look at the new kittens. They were surprised to see four. We wondered if our oldest had seen 4 kittens + Baby in the dream. No, he saw 5 kittens + Baby. After dinner, our dreamer boy went to go check on the new family. He came running to the kitchen to tell us there were now 5 kittens!!!!! Oh boy!

So, we now have five male kittens. As soon as they are weaned, we will be taking the Little Mama to be spayed. We don't need any more cats around here! It's a good thing we have farm fields all around on three sides, and lots of mice! Baby has turned out to be quite a good Little Mama, even though she is still not fully grown herself. She's very protective of her little ones. :)

We are letting our oldest pick out one of the kittens for himself. Not sure yet if his brother will be allowed to keep one. The jury's still out on that one. So, around Father's Day (June 19) we will have 3 or 4 male kittens ready for new homes. :)