Yes, I am still here...

Whew...a new school year is underway now and I can tell that it is going to be a great one. I cannot believe that we have already been in school for 13 days now. The first few weeks are tough.....getting twenty-one six year olds adjusted to a totally new schedule and routine can be quite overwhelming, but I would not have it any other way.

I have been blessed with the job of leading twenty-one little first graders to the cross each day. Our day begins by sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from HIS word. These children amaze me with their trust in HIM and I am so touched by their innocence and sincere approach to the throne.

Today, we celebrated the our first day since school began of EVERYONE in our classroom making Kingdom Choices. One little girl said, "Well, I have been praying for that and God answered my prayer! I knew HE would!" Is that not precious? ( I said "Thank you - let's start praying for another one!)

There are many lessons to be delievered and many to be learned this year. I have a student who suffers from CP. She has learned to walk on forearm crutches this summer and can I just tell you that she has taught me more about life in 13 days than I will probably teach her all year. She is amazing and determined and I cannot wait to see how God is going to continue to use her to bless the other children in our classroom by her example. What a lesson in compassion, friendship and kindness that we have gained from her already! She and I have already talked about how one day she is going to be able to walk with Jesus on shiny streets of gold - to which she replied, "No, Mrs Staples, I am going to run and dance with Jesus!"

Who else gets to experience what I get to experience each day? What a privilege I have been given! I just know in my heart, it is going to be another great year!

I promise to post more often....I miss you!

Can I get a witness?

Someone sent this to us....don't know if you have seen it or not but it is a sermon in itself!

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

"I can do all things in CHRIST who strengthens me!" Phil. 4:13

If you carried a cardboard sign, what would it say? Post and let us know.

Remember My Grandfather?

Remember me asking you to pray for my grandfather last month ? Well. we know that we are tremendously blessed to have had a lifetime to spend with him - he is 89 and we do not take that for granted.

After being on IV antibiotics 3x a day for six weeks, he has been released from his orthopedic specialist and given permission to drive again....at 89. With my 84 year old grandmother in tow, they drove to a restaurant to eat ham and eggs together to celebrate.....how precious.

His foot is healed from the surgery and he has been fitted with a special shoe to help him maintain his balance after losing a portion of his foot. And you know where my dad found him today? Yes, out walking around in that garden!

Amazing......God is good, isn't he?

Happy Birthday America!

We got up early this morning to meet some friends at the Harrisburg Town Parade! Thanks for getting us motivated to participate in this celebration Tisha! We had fun!

What's a parade without a horse? This one was beautifully decorated.



Everyone one loves freebies being tossed to the crowd - my son and Tisha's girls loved it!

Be sure to thank a soldier today for his/her service to our country.

Loved those older cars and trucks - that's my son again - grabbing for trinkets.

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." Galatians 5:13

As we pause from our regular schedules today to participate in patriotic celebrations, let us remember the sacrifices made by our forefathers - The vision that they had for religious freedom and independence. The way that they put their lives on the line to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Teach your children about the sacrifices of those men that make America what she is today. Give thanks for the brave men and women of our military who serve so that our freedoms are protected. Pray for continued success in Iraq and peace in their efforts. Pray for our nation and her leaders. And above all, praise God for the greatest freedom that we have in America - the freedom to worship and pray when and how we wish. God bless America!

Enjoy your freedom in Christ today and your time with your family,

Kim

News to Share with You....

Hi friends,

I am excited to share the news of my new business with you. I am now a consultant with Thirty-One gifts. (Yes, I will still teach full-time but I also wanted to do something fun and earn some extra money on the side as well.) I wanted to share my website with you. You can view the on-line catalog and view the monthly specials by accessing the following site: www.mythirtyone.com/staples

I recently hosted a Thirty One show in my home and was amazed at how easy it was to earn FREE products. With very little effort, I was able to earn almost 100.00 in free products and I was able to purchase three half price items for personal use and gift giving as well. I LOVED the products so much because they are so reasonable and come with FREE monogramming that I decided to join in on the fun.

To launch my business, I am in need of six friends to host a show in the next 40 days. I know that you are enjoying your busy summer and to make things easy for you, if you get me your guest list within three days of booking your show, I will take care of the invitations for you! The hostess specials for July are the best ever. In addition to earning FREE products, you can earn gift certificates to redeem in the Fall catalog. The customer special for July is a super buy as well and will certainly be enticing to your friends and family.

I would love to hear from you. I will also be glad to mail you a catalog if you live to far away to host or attend a show. You can always shop on line. Call or email me and we will get your show scheduled. Can't wait to celebrate you!

God Bless you -

Kim Staples
Thirty-One Gifts
www.mythirtyone.com/staples

Home again....

Well, we are home once again. Here to stay for a few weeks anyway. I have got to stay put and tackle some of those projects that I started over Spring Break.....the wallpaper....remember...and the border war in my son's room...yeah, it is still waiting on me. The paint fairy never showed up although, I gave him ample time.

We had a great week at the beach with one another. Doesn't this picture of the ocean just look so inviting? We had so much fun playing as a family. I can definitely say that hubby and I have caught up on time that we missed during golf season when he was busy coaching. We have spent quite a few hours in a car on the road together lately.....it all went well though and I really miss both he and the boy once school begins. You sure get spoiled spending two months at home toghether as a family and then school resumes. Oh well, we are blessed to have that time together so we must enjoy it.

I promise to get back to my normal blogging next week. Thanks to those of you who have prayed for my grandparents. My grandfather is home and is doing okay considering all that he has been through. Please continue to pray for the infection to heal and not spread any further. Pray for rest for both of them and an easy adjustment to allowing others to do for them. It is so hard for them because they are independent.....

Have a blessed weekend!

Kim

I Have Been Blessed!

Okay friends, I need you to pray for someone special in my life. This is my grandfather. He is 89 years old and has such a very sharp mind. He has been generally healthy but has recently had a difficult time battling gout in his foot. To make a long story short, he developed a severe infection in his foot and has been hospitalized since Sunday. To expedite his trip to the ER last Sunday, he wrapped his foot in a plastic bag to "protect" it while he worked all day in his garden on Saturday which accelerated the infection. He had surgery this afternoon and they attempted to remove the infection by amputating his toe and as much of the infected area as possible without drastically affected his balance. Please also pray for my 84 year old grandfather who will be caring for him when he comes home. They are amazing. They still live on their own and drive and have a huge garden every year.

I had the privilege to go and sit with him in the hospital for the past three days. We laughed about old times - he told me the same familiar stories of what he experienced in WWII and although we have memorized them all, we are going to miss hearing them someday. My grandfather is a treasure. He is hardworking, honest and a man of integrity. He grew up in the depression era and is such a great steward of all that he has ever earned. He dearly loves his wife of 65 years and he never fails to wash dishes for her following EVERY meal. I have had numerous conversations with him standing at the kitchen sink. He also vacuums for her. When facing surgery, his concern was not of himself but of his wife and who would be available to do those things for her while he is recovering.

I was moved to tears this morning when his 77 year old best friend called to make sure that he was right with Jesus. ( and the asked to speak to me so that I could verify that he was - precious I tell you. ) His friend told him that he loved him and just didn't want to face living in eternity without him....it is so sweet to see them humble themselves before God.

So while I am tired from traveling to be with him, I count it a blessing to have been able to do so....

Thanks for your prayers.

Kim