Peace that surpasses understanding

   I have heard this verse before, but it has really hit home this last month.  The verse reads, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus". Phill. 4:7  I am clinging to this verse and also praying it over a family that is very near to losing one of their own to cancer.  Shannon Reynolds Smith was my RA for a year while I was at Bryan and then one summer we were roommates while we worked at Bryan.  I learned recently that she is nearing the end of her battle with cancer.  Shannon is young, a wife, a daughter and a mother to a precious little boy.  In April Shannon's family lost her mother to cancer and now her life is ending.  There is no understanding in my heart. So I am praying for peace that surpasses understanding.
     This past week has been tough for the Troyer family.  My husband's grandfather recently passed away and the legacy he has left behind is such an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness.  I did not have the opportunity to know him for very long, but I knew him well enough to know that when he saw Jesus he was greeted by the words," Well done my good and faithful servant".  Grandpa Troyer has touched so many lives in so many ways; I think of how he has impacted my life.  If it were not for Grandpa Troyer being obedient to the calling of the Lord, I would probably not be married to Jeff. You see Andy set an example of following God no matter the cost, I believe this example is what enabled his children to listen closely to the voice of God and his will in their lives. In 1972 God called my father-in-law to the state of MS, this would take him and his wife a long way away from their families.  But my father-in-law was obedient despite the sacrifice required.  I believe there were many blessings bestowed upon his family for his obedience, but one that was given to me was the privilege of marrying his oldest son Jeff.  God's plan is so intricate and beautiful, even if there is hurt and pain involved sometimes.  When Grandpa Troyer left the Amish church following God's leading he set in to motion events that would change my life for the better and for that I will be eternally grateful. 

  These are things that I must cling to when I can find no understanding in my heart. God's plan is so much greater than my own, my own life is evidence to that fact. 


Pics of McKenna with her Great Grandparents before Aunt Lisa's wedding in Ohio.

McKenna loves to put her hands in your mouth!!

Saying hello

Becoming friends

Love them all

This makes my heart smile.