Lee James

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of 

Lee James

"Dependent on God and prosperous"

6.21.17 // 7lbs. 12oz. // 21 in.

Congratulations Ryan and Ruth! 

We love your precious little family!!!

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well." 

Psalms 139:14

He Can't Stop Smiling

He is smiling bigger these days! And it's not just because his birthday is today. This past year has been an eventful one for Matthias, mostly because of his girlfriend, Michelle! Happy Birthday Matthias! We love you!!!

"For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name." Psalms 33:21

A New Adventure

New adventures are always exciting and stretching. Yesterday morning we said goodbye to Elizabeth as she heads out on a big one!

God has opened some incredible doors and we are so excited about where He has directed Elizabeth this summer. She received an invitation earlier this year to help serve at a camp in Sweden for a couple months. After praying and talking about it she decided to go and bought the tickets! Although we already miss her and are counting down the days until her return, we are really looking forward to seeing how God is going to use her over there. 

Her joyful smile and serving heart has been such a blessing to our family and we are so excited to see what God has in store for your summer.
We love you!!!

"Direct my steps by Your word... 

Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statues." 

Psalms 119:133, 135

April

In April we spent our weeks working in Nebraska. But since I've already posted pictures of that and you can only enjoy pictures of the same thing for so long I'll give you a glimpse into our weekends instead!

The first weekend in May we enjoyed in Branson. Just for fun we decided to all wear neon shirts which made it super easy to spot each other. Not to mention it made for some fun pictures!

We tried to behave! :)

A few more bright smiles.

The farm where Nathanael works had a batch of darling puppies that we could play with.

One Saturday was spent watching the Huskers play football for the spring game! 

And of course, Easter. What a joyous celebration of life! The truth that He is risen should not just be something we celebrate once a year, but it should impact how we live every single day of the year.

The last couple of days in April and the first week of May needs it's own post because it was so eventful! We expierenced a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences. And God, once again showed his lovingkindness thru it all. So check back soon because I have a lot of pictures and stories coming your way!

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." 

Matthew 28:6

March

March was a pretty normal month. Except for the days when it rained we spent a lot of time working in the fields!

To celebrate Susanna's 20th birthday we had a surprise party which included lots of games, food and good conversation.

One weekend was spent on the road singing.

You can usually tell who is hungriest by who arrives at the table first when a meal is ready. Family mealtimes are always such a special part of our day. Not only because of the food, but the conversations that happen are wonderful! We've used the time to discus the latest happenings, plan what needs to be done, laugh so hard we end up crying, build relationships and make some of the most best memories.

Elizabeth, Alaythia, Nathanael and I enjoyed helping out with the annual kids conference again this year. It is always a joy to be able to share with children the treasures found in God's Word! Whether it's playing games, singing songs, teaching lessons or simply showing a child that you care, you never know how God can use a simple act to change someones life.

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works."

Hebrews 10:24

1 + 1 = 4!!

We are delighted to announce that there is another little one due in October!! Congratulations Alan, Rachel and Kendrick. We cannot wait to meet this new precious bundle of life!

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him." 

1 Samuel 1:27

February

When you surrender areas of your life to God it is amazing to watch Him orchestrate it way better than you ever could have. 

During family devotions we commit our day and schedule to our Heavenly Father and I have seen Him honor that prayer time after time. Since Dad's business is seasonal work the weather dictates a lot of what we do and the weather is not something that you can plan on far in advance which makes it challenging to schedule when we need to be on the road and when we need to be at home. But God always works it out and this year has been no different! 

Long story short we made the decision to stay home the beginning of this year and what a blessing that ended up being! Our Grandma Wissmann turned 91 in February and was losing health pretty rapidly. It was so special to be able to take the two hour trip down to see her as much as we could. 

{this picture was from a while ago but I didn't have a recent one with all of us.}

The girls decided that their room was in need of a facelift! So in free moments they painted the walls and Stephen made them a new bed just like the one they found on online. I'll post pictures of the finished room when they get the last few projects done.

This year we had a couple weeks of gorgeous weather in February which meant we needed to start working in the fields. Another amazing blessing from being home.

Working on music is always something that needs done. We were able to get quite a few new songs worked up which means that a new cd will (hopefully) be in the works this summer.

Hopefully you enjoyed a glimpse into our February!

A man's heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

January

This year has been a little bit different than previous years. Usually we head out on the road the middle of January and don't arrive home until March but this year there were a number of things that made us realize that we needed to be home instead. It was different for all of us and though we missed the annual trip that we have taken for 10+ years in a row it was good to get projects done at home and have a consistent schedule.

Here is a quick glimpse into a our highlights from January!

Being home during through the winter meant that we were able to enjoy more of the snow that came. Which in our house means that we get to make doughnuts!

When our friend was moving to a new home we took care of all the kids for the day so the adults could focus on getting everything moved. The house was filled with their little voices and lots of toys! We spent the afternoon making and frosting cookies for them to take home.

Time with family is always a huge highlight! Dad had a meeting down south and so some of us were able to join him and spend a couple of days with Andrew and Kori at their new home in Florida.

And a quick stop in Kansas on the way home to see Alan, Rachel and Kendrick.

The guys spent a lot of time turning a space in our new shop into an office / recording studio. Since the work is still in progress I'll post more pictures of this later.

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, 

And do not return there, But water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, 

That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,

And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." 

[Isaiah 55:10 -11]

Hello Again!

Wow! 
What can I say except that I am sorry for not updating this blog for the last couple of months. We are greatly humbled by each one of you that read the blog and follow our family's journey. There has been a lot of mountain tops and valleys so far in 2017 and God has shown Himself faithful each time. 

I am going to pull out some pictures, take some new ones and try to start blogging consistently again. So, get ready for a bunch of new updates coming soon!!

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory 

Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth." 

Psalms 115:1

Gingerbread Fun

During our Christmas reunion, we pulled out an old family tradition and had a gingerbread-house decorating competition. 

Yes, our family can become quite competitive, so enthusiasm was rising high as we rolled out the gingerbread and carefully cut the pieces to size. We assembled the houses and waited for the frosting to dry so the grand event could commence.

(Making donuts for nibbling during the decorating process!)

We covered the table in edible 'building materials' and divided into three groups: 

Girls, Guys, and the Young Decorators.

The girls hard at work

Charissa did a great job heading up the Young Decorator's house. Their goal? Fit as much candy on the house as physically possible! 

The guys' house

The conversation was lively as the house decor took shape.

Sister love!

"Can I please eat them all, Mom?"

The sweet 'littles'

The girls'

The guys'

We held a final vote on our Instagram account. 

And the winner is...

The guys! (pictured right)