Happy Birthday Christopher!!!

Twenty six years ago today you came into our world and made two people very happy. Of course, your grandparents (and granny...whose birthday you barely missed) were happy too!

You changed our world.

I remember the first time I put you into your crib (which had been mine...Dad repainted it for our BOY,) as I stood up from placing you there an overwhelming feeling came upon me...this is a life with a soul...nine months ago there was no Christopher V. Stockwell, today here he is (fresh from Heaven) and he will always be.

Wow!!!

I asked God to allow me to be the mom you needed, knowing that I could not do it on my own!

I'm not saying that I was a wonderful mom...BUT I AM SAYING that I believe you have turned out pretty darn well!!!

Dad and I love the man you have become and are so proud to be called the parents of Christopher Stockwell.

You have been a GIFT that keeps on Giving!

While praying for you on the way to church today (it takes about 45 min. on public transportation so I had plenty time to pray!) I thought about the GIFT you are to us. I thanked God for you (AGAIN) and then I asked Him to show you, today, the GIFTS He has given you.

Here are the ones I thought of...26 to be exact!!!

1. Life 26 years ago today...and your daily breath

2. Eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

John 20:31 "But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name."

3. A wonderful wife who loves God more than she loves you (you come in a close second...this is how it should be)

Exodus 20:2,3 "I am the LORD your God...Do not have other gods besides Me."

4. A dad who has always believed in you

5. A mom who thinks you hung the moon...you did, didn't you?

6. Two brothers who helped to form your leadership skills

7. Godly grandparents who pray for you daily

8. A mother-in-law who loves you (this is no little thing)

9. A great dog--Bailey

10. Friends from your past and new ones you and Katie have made together

11. The Hoggards, Popes, and others who put prayer, time, money, and LOVE into you through the years

12. An amazing church family

13. A good mind

14. Artistic abilities

15. The gift of words...the way you say things is ORAL ART

16. Sincere heart that is sensitive to God and others

17. Your faith and dependency on God

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

18. The ability to see the good in others and the desire to bring it forth

19. A cute sense of humor

20. The opportunity to see the world from more than one world view

21. Stories of how God has shown Himself mighty and caring on your behalf

22. Good health

23. A job you like!!!

24. Another year to enjoy the abundant life God has given you

John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance."

25. God's Plans (which He has for you)

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

26. AND if that were not enough...a MOM who wrote all these out for you...making things easier for you today son. Why? Because I'm your mom and that is what a mom lives to do!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR CHRISTOPHER

Baby Christopher

September 1983

We shave like Daddy!

Train trip to Moscow, Russia

Black Sea 2000

Praise Band

Youth group in Kharkov, Ukraine

God answered a major prayer request that

took place right here on these steps!

The cutest men in the world...this is my blog

I can say that!

Plus, it is TRUTH

HAPPY DAY

June 16, 2007

Christopher V. Stockwell

Monster Mom's birthday wish

MONSTERS…just the mention of the word can bring up some ugly pictures in the minds of kids. As a little girl I had to check under my bed and in my closet at night before I’d let my parents turn out the light and leave the room. Sometimes I’d do it before Mom or Dad came to “tuck me in”…so what did that mean? It meant that in my mind LIGHT made me invincible…I mean, really, what if I’d found a MONSTER under my bed or in my closet? For some reason I could face him/her (what gender is a monster?) in the LIGHT.

OH, sure…I can laugh about it now. I bet you are laughing with me as you remember some of your fears. But at the time the MONSTER (in the dark) was a BIG DEAL. I’m so glad I out-grew the MONSTER thing.

OR did I???

Maybe I just grew into a MONSTER myself!

I read a book once (well, I don’t really think I read the whole thing, but a chapter from a book) that talked about “THE MONSTER MOM” that comes out from time to time in every female who is blessed enough to hold the title “MOM!”

Sometimes MONSTER MOM can be a BAD thing. I really don’t think I have much of that in me. The boys might have another story to tell, but this is my BLOG and I’m not asking for their input on this one!

But then, other times…the MONSTER MOM is a blessing. She goes to bat for her kids, she makes sure that they are not mistreated, over-looked, or put into harms way.
She stands up for the treasures that have been entrusted to her keeping!!!
And when this MONSTER MOM stands up…she stands up BIG AND TALL and with MUCH FORCE.
Remember, this is a good thing!

Today, I’m doing the MONSTER MOM thing again. Not standing up because of a wrong done to one of my children…but STANDING UP BIG AND TALL to celebrate from AFAR Jonathan’s 24th birthday. He and Katherine are twelve hours behind us. So, I’ll be celebrating long before he is awake. I will bake cookies, fix a meal I know he would love (maybe something as simple as Chicken Salad) and Mick and I will take the day to remember the miracle of his birth.

We will remember how God kept him safe in the delivery (though the cord was wrapped around his neck twice.)
How Christopher loved his head from the first time he saw him. How he grabbed his head and said, “HAIR!”
Dad will remember the steak dinner he ate in the hospital before heading home (less than 24 hours after delivery) with our new bundle of joy.
I’ll remember the thrill of the blessing of another baby in the house.
We will also remember the family and friends who welcomed Jonathan Woodard Stockwell into the world.

We will eat too many cookies and I may cry a bit (it comes along with this MONSTER MOM thing) and that will be Jonathan’s birthday for us here in Prague.

Maybe Jonathan will celebrate a little differently…I know that Katherine will make sure his day is SPECIAL...BUT he has to know that his MONSTER MOM is wishing him a WONDERFUL DAY and that I thank the Lord, Jesus for him and his life.

PROUD as any MONSTER MOM can be…

Baby Jonathan 1985

First family picture

A little mess never killed anyone!

Shaving MEN

One of Dad's favorite pics

Check out the shoes...they don't match!

FisherMan

A little help from my DAD

Family picture with Daniel

Family picture minus Mick!

I love this one

Captain Jonathan

Mr. and Mrs. G...

also known as Kenny and Teri Pope

MY THREE SONS

Plus a FATHER

Jonathan and Katherine

Grandparents

Mom and Son in RED

(morning of his wedding)

January 17, 2009

One of my favorite moments

of all time!!!

OH MY GOODNESS...go back and look at the outfit that Christopher has on in the hospital...now, go and look at the outfit Jonathan has on with the mix-matched shoes...

Look familiar???

Why yes,

This MONSTER MOM is economical!!!

Happy Birthday to MOM

Mom is older today...Her 76th Birthday!

I'm celebrating my way in Prague KNOWING that Papa is doing the same in Wichita Falls for Grandma...right Dad?

Billie Inez Thornton Woodard was born and raised in Joplin, Texas. Pa and Granny (her parents) had three children. My mom was the oldest and best (in my humble opinion!)

She lef the small town of Joplin and went all the way to Decatur, Texas for college at the age of sixteen.

After college she begin teaching in Wichita Falls, Texas...she taught a young man named Dwain Woodard and that is how she met my dad and became Dwain's and Evan's mom and later, MY mom.

She is the BEST MOM in the world (even better than me!)

She never made me feel like I was in her way, never yelled at me, always pointed out the best in me, always loved and encouraged, never was self-seeking...always kind to others...and the wisdom she has, well, it is amazing!

I've learned a few things from her:

*If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing WELL.

*God will repay, so let HIM...don't try to do it myself!

*It is better to be the one being treated poorly than the one treating someone poorly.

*The Judge of all the earth will do right!!!

*A job should be FUN!!!

*And that if you do not have time to go over your Spelling words but you have been told to do so (by your father who is out of town working) you can WAVE your hands over the book once or twice and say, "OVER, OVER, OVER" and it counts!

I love the way you love JESUS, DAD, Dwain and family, Evan, Me and mine...your family and all.

I just love the way you LOVE and LIVE!!!

I'm so thankful you are my mom!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILLIE INEZ

I don't know about the shutting you up...

BUT I know it will not slow you down!!!

ONE CUTE COUPLE

She still gives a day a week to work for a Mission organization in her

OLD AGE

At Papa's 8oth birthday party...2007

One of my favorite pictures of her!

Christopher and Grandma at his graduation

2007

Grandma at Jonathan's graduation...2008

Grandma (and Papa and the rest of us)

in Poland

In Memory of the World's Famous Weenie Dog

KoKo came to us six years ago this month on July 5, 2003.
We waited for Jonathan to return to Ukraine to help pick her out. The job wasn’t that hard, though, as she was the only little black dachshund at the Pet Renok that day.

She was beautiful. I wanted to name her Toechka (means DOT in Russian) because she looked like a little black dot on the floor. But Daniel picked out KoKo (and the weird spelling.)
She was hard to house train, but when she did get the hang of it she was perfect. No dog was better. I could leave her (not that I often did, mind you) for up to 10 hours or more and not worry that she had taken the liberty of “going” indoors.

KoKo:

LOVED EVERYONE and EVERYONE LOVED KoKo (even uncle Joel!)
She was beautiful (inside and OUT)
Never was the least bit spoiled nor conniving…she would not treat humans in such a manner.
She loved BIG dogs but had little use for small ones. Don’t think she knew she was SMALL.
SHE DIDN’T BARK WHEN THE DOORBELL RANG!!!
She kept me company when Mick was away.
She loved (or endured) “serberts” from her DAD.
She was a LADY!!!

We had to put her to sleep today. It wasn’t a hard decision, just a SAD one to make.
She woke up in the middle of the night a little over a week ago in pain. We took her to the vet and got medication for her and were carrying her everywhere so that she could heal (if she was going to do so on her own.)
Her pain got worse and she developed the limp that goes with the damaged back.

I’m glad she is out of pain. But I already miss her and the thought of a long winter’s nap without her makes me cry.

This morning, she was, and now she is no more. I do not believe that there is a DOGGY HEAVEN (but if there were KoKo would be its STAR resident!)
KoKo is just GONE.
This thought made me very sad. But then I thought about the fact that it would be better to be no more than to be HUMAN and have a soul and to “BE” one moment on earth and the next separated from God.

I remember when we came home from the hospital with Christopher. As I was putting him in his crib I thought, “This is a soul…at his conception he “became” forever more.
It was a very thought-provoking moment in my mind. What did his life hold? Would he choose to accept Christ into his heart and live in that wonderful relationship with HIM forever?
Praise the Lord Christopher did choose that path (with God’s Grace drawing him unto HIMSELF!)

No, KoKo hasn’t gone to a better place…but she hasn’t gone to a worse place either.
KoKo was just a DOG…the BEST IN THE WORLD for sure…but still, a DOG.
How many PEOPLE do I know who have souls and will live on after physical death without knowing the truth of John 3:16?

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 3:16-17 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

One of my dear friends posted this on her Facebook status today: 1.6 Billion people have never heard the name of Jesus - How many of them will I pass by today?

May we live our relationship with our Father so that souls can know the truth and will accept Christ so that they will go to a better place (the place prepared by HIM) when they die.

KoKo will never be replaced nor forgotten…she was The World’s Famous Weenie Dog

One of her favorite things to do.

Sit with DAD as he did his devotions.

She loved her toys!!!

Did I mention that she would fetch?

She loved her family.

She loved walks in her woods with her DAD

Vicarious living

Another big day has come and gone in the lives of the Stockwell family. Jonathan and Katherine have moved to Hawaii. This past weekend Christopher, Katie and Bailey went up to spend time with them on their last weekend on the mainland (for awhile.) I’m told that they had a splendid time on the water and much great food was served.
They were joined on Monday by my parents and brother, Evan, at Mee-maw’s for another day of eating and memory making.

I am not jealous in the least that all of them got to love on Jonathan and Katherine before they left…I wish I could have been with them, but have learned through the years that I can live my life VICARIOUSLY through loved ones who STAND in the GAP during important moments.

I remember the first time I realized this…Several years ago Mick was going to the states around Thanksgiving. He was making his plans to rush back and be with Daniel and me. I said, “Hun, why don’t you stay and have Thanksgiving with the boys?” (I’ve always called Christopher and Jonathan “THE BOYS” and Daniel, just “DANIEL”...have no idea why…I think it must have something to do with when Daniel was a baby and stayed with me while “THE BOYS” went and did things with their dad!)
Anyway, back to my story: Mick looked at me and said, “You would let me do that?”
I said, “Let you…I want you to do that!”
He did and that is when I first became aware that I felt as if I were a part of a holiday or a celebration when at least someone from the FAM was also involved.

God has given us so many wonderful times together…Many more times together than I thought we would have living on two different continents. Mick allowed me to go and deposit each son at the college of their choice. We got to visit each one on campus while they studied. We had the joy of seeing Christopher graduate in 2007. And were home for several months before and after Christopher and Katie’s wedding. What a blessed time that was!
We were all together Christmas of 2007…Christopher and Katie’s first Christmas as man and wife!

Jonathan’s graduation last May was awesome. Several weeks afterwards Mick had a special time with all the boys on the STOCKWELL MAN TRIP (camping.) Katie and I had our own sort of FUN on our STOCKWELL GIRL TRIP (malls!)

We were in the states for Jonathan and Katherine’s wedding this past January and had the privilege of stopping by their home on the way out of the country just a little over a week after they were married. They were happy it was a STOP OVER!

During Daniel’s freshman year Mick and I were on his campus for several days during a Mission Week. Got to eat with him in the Caf and enjoyed meeting his friends.

GREAT TIMES!!!

BUT there have been those times when I was not able to be present for a major ordeal in the lives of my kids. BUT God has provided someone from the family to be a part of the celebration and in that I’ve felt connected…I’ve been there in Spirit!
My parents were with Kenny and Teri for Jonathan’s graduation. Through the years my parents have joined forces with mee-maw and celebrated Thanksgiving with Christopher and Jonathan. Daniel and a friend went to be a part of Jonathan’s graduation from Ranger School just last month.
And now this past weekend.

I am so BLESSED, blessed to have the family who has taken up the ropes in the states and been there for me…stepped in and helped me to BE A PART OF THE SPECIAL TIMES!

Thank you:
Mom and Dad
Mee-maw
Kenny and Teri
Christopher and Katie
Daniel
Thank you, for being there FOR ME!

I was contemplating these things today and thanking the Lord, again, for this gift He gives me. I wondered how that could be…how does it make me feel a part of the situation when I’m not there but someone else is there for me? What makes living vicariously through them make me feel so wonderful???
I don’t know the answer…I just know it works (for me!)

Then I was reminded of a message I heard when I was younger…about letting others see Jesus in me. The message states that Jesus only lived 33 years on earth and covered very few miles (in comparison to travel today) of that earth while He was on it…How do people living today get to see Him? Only through His children who allow Him to live through them!!!
And somehow this brings Him pleasure.

My conclusion is this: When I live allowing Him to live through me…THIS BRINGS HIM JOY and allows others to see Him…to be drawn to Him. I make Him happy.
If you know me at all, you know that I like it when EVERYONE is HAPPY!
I want to live my life in the way that makes HIM ecstatic!!!

I want Jesus to live Vicariously through me!!!

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (New King James Version)

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best! II Corinthians 4: 7-12 (The Message)

Mother's Day 2009

I bet you thought I was DEAD…well, I’m not. Just takes a lot more out of a 50 (Okay, I’m 51) year old to move than a younger more able bodied woman!
We are here…in my TANGERINE HOME. Yes, it is already home to us.
We will be attending a Russian church start so all that Russian language study was not for naught!
I’ve made new friends already (not that they replace the old…and NOT that the old are OLD!)
I’ve met both IMB personnel and nationals who are very sweet and helpful. Our location is fantastic and I had no idea…I guess the Lord knew and gave me this handful on purpose. I love it!
Excited about the days ahead…language study, learning more about the culture here, making more friends, ministering to Russian and Czech alike, and the seeing all my friends who tell me that they are coming to visit!

These precious people make me a MOM

Well, tomorrow is Mother’s Day…how could I not write about that?
I love being a mom…the best job in the world!!!
For some reason the Lord saw fit to give me the BESTEST sons in the world…and now they have brought us home two of the BESTEST girls in the world.
MOM is a wonderful, wonderful word.
What a joy to be called MOM (or MIL (stands for mother-in-love) by my daughters-in-love!)

This year I’ll not be with my children. It isn’t as hard as it might sound because I have magnificent memories of Mother’s Days past.

I could share so many…
My first Mother’s Day when Christopher was just eight months old. How thrilling it was to actually finally be a mom celebrating the day!
All the Sunday mornings when the boys would wake me up with breakfast in bed (with the help of their dad!)
The heart shaped crystal studs (that I wore just the other day and still love!)
The perfume (we will not talk about that Mother’s Day gift!)
Home made cards.
Home made jewelry (from Christopher…he has always loved making me things!)
The Mother’s Day when Daniel stayed up into the wee hours of the morning making me a special Mother’s Day program on the computer.
The first Mother’s Day when I got a card from a girl (Katie Girl!)
Many, Many marvelous memories…

But the one that stands out the most is the Mother’s Day when I received a ragged African violet. We were in Kharkov, Ukraine and going to have a worship time with the missionaries on Mother’s Day evening. I bought an African violet for the kids to give to each mom. They all were in perfect shape.
At some point during the SHORT time when the kids left the room to get the plants for their moms and come back in one of them got turned upside down and smashed.
This smashed plant is the one I received. I had no idea what had taken place…just minutes before all the violets were beautiful and now this one was dying in front of my eyes and my sons had chosen it to give to me…what was up with that?

I caught Christopher’s eye with a questioning look and could tell that I should say nothing until later. On the way home I asked the boys about the plant.
They explained that one of the girls had turned the plant she had picked for her mom upside down…they quickly gave her mine to give to her mom.

Jonathan explained further…
He said, “Mom, we knew you wouldn’t want her mom to have a messed up plant and we knew you had us for your gift!”

Yes, the Mother’s Day that the boys realized that they were GIFT enough was my best Mother’s Day ever…so far, NOW if they wanted to all come and see me at one time…that might take precedence over this memory and become the BEST MOTHER’S DAY EVER!!!

I’m so thankful that God allowed me to be a MOTHER.
I’m thankful for my mom too. What a blessing she STILL is to me daily. The best!!!
Also thankful for a wonderful Mother-in-Love who loves me like her own!
Thankful, too, for the "MOM friends" the Lord has given me. They have taught me much about “mothering!”

I’m one blessed MOM!!!

I've enjoyed every stage and age...

now we get girls in the mix!!!