the MWH

Mary Wallace is nearing on 14 months now.  Wow!  How time goes by so fast!  She has been such a joy despite her recent run with the word “no.”    Tim’s home and we’re off to see his family and mine.  More to come!  Enjoy the photos!

God at Work

Just returned from Senegal on our first of many trips to Southern Senegal.  The Lord answered our prayers that the people would have open hearts to hear His Word.  They were ready!  We have another team going back in June to check on progress and to see who has decided to follow Jesus alone and to stop making sacrifices to their idols.  God’s Word is so powerful.  It was a blessing to see them respond to it and really think about what it would be like to walk away from their sacrifices to trust that Jesus was the final sacrifice.

Might need a stiff drink too Marc

So sorry I have been slack in updating the blog.  Life is busy with a 11 month old running around the house.  This girl is BUSY!    So is little Miss Ruth, right Marc.  Aunt Leah does a great job of posting, so here are some updated pics of MW with her cousin Silas.  http://toddlovesleah.blogspot.com/.

The Hortons have some big events coming up:
- MW turns 1 on the 30th of March
- Cooper River Bridge Run on the 31st of March
- Going to Senegal the end of April with our faith family
- And baby #2 coming in September…oh man!  We’re excited!

a year of seeing God at work

My camera battery is down at the moment so look at Tim’s sister’s blog for pics of MW and her cousins for Christmas.  There is a hilarious video of MW.

The Lord has been so gracious and has provided for us in so many ways.  We are so grateful. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

Year in Review

- MW was born March
- New job for Tim (he loves it)
- Moved to new side of town
- Quickly met some neighbors and are forming relationships with them (we prayed for ministry with our neighbors and the Lord answered that prayer)
- Lots of quality time with our families. Thankful for them.
- A friend in college started to grow in her relationship with the Lord
- A friend gave her life to the Lord and was given peace and joy
- Marriages were restored
- The Lord answered our prayer to meet more Senegalese people. We have a really good relationship with one family in particular. They are seeking truth!
- Marc & Kari and Tim’s sister Dana had babies (along with 5 other women in our church)
- My “little sister” got excited about learning Bible verses together and started opening up a little more.
- More people in Senegal became believers
- Our church adopted a unengaged people group in Senegal and a church in Mexico City. Multiple trips are planned for 2012.

Lots to be thankful for, and most of all, the most encouraging and life-giving part of our year was to see the Lord at work around us. So exciting!

Surrender Gives Way to Joy

We continue to be amazing at God’s graciousness to us in letting us have a child.  What a huge responsibility it is to think about how we must teach our children diligently about all the Lord has said and done.  So thankful for a husband that encourages me to be in God’s Word and who leads by example.  He seeks to be obedient to the Lord, he serves the church so well, and he serves us and loves us so well.  Thankful for you Tim!

It’s been awhile since I have picked up my favorite (what the heck do I do with this baby book) Babywise.  It has been SO helpful with scheduling, introducing food, and now manners and discipline.

MW is learning so fast and it blows my mind that when I say, “come on MW” she crawls down the hall after me.  Amazing!  I was just reading a part in the book about a mom teaching her little girl sign language.  She said, “I was taken aback when she resisted and actually tried to fight me,” the mother explained. “I realized this was one of the first battles that I, the mother, must win.  I stayed with it, and in one week’s time, my daughter was willingly and happily signing ‘please’ when she wanted something.”  “Even more amazing was the lesson I learned; my child’s surrender gave way to her own happiness.”

I was thinking about that comment and it’s so true.  They don’t understand that what we are trying to do for them is help them for their good…to keep them from harm.  It’s just like when my pride tells me that my way is better than God’s way.  He ultimately knows what’s best for me and He loves me enough to instruct me in that way.  I can truly say my surrender and God opening my eyes to the truth gave way to true JOY, not just happiness.

8 months old

Wow!  Time has flown by.  Our little 7lb 14 oz baby is now nearing 17 lbs.  Our little girl who couldn’t do anything but just lay on her back is now sitting up on her own, pulling up on things, standing all by herself for 10 sec at a time, saying ma ma ma, and da da da.  She’s started to mimic us when we make silly noises.  Her little laugh melts my heart.  Each day she seems to be doing something new.  Her new thing is tilting her head to the side.  She is so full of life.  Everyone always makes the comment that MW looks at people like she’s known them her whole life.  She’ll study you at first and then she’ll give you a big ol’ smile.

She’s understands some things I say like, “come on, Mary Wallace”.  I’ll start walking towards our room and she’ll crawl at lightning pace just to catch up.  So stinkin’ cute.

Another common phrase these days is, “no, Mary Wallace.”  Crawling = Don’t touch that.  Guess we need to baby proof, but it’s good for her to know that there are some things she can touch and some things she can’t.  I have to remember that discipline is good for her.  Not fun for me, but good for her. The Father disciplines those He loves, right?  Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6.  So, I love you MW, get ready for the discipline.

It’s crazy how an 8 month old is already exercising her will.  God help me!    She looks at me when she is nearing things that I have already told her not to touch.  She’ll stop and think, then she’ll look at me to see if I am watching.  Seriously! Sometimes she’ll keep on crawlin’ past the beloved trash can without even a touch, but other times she’ll tentatively begin to reach out for it until she hears me say “no, Mary Wallace, we don’t touch the trash can.”

If I let her do what she wanted she would have taken all her dirty wipes out of the trash can and put them in her mouth, she would be gagging on paper from chewing her books, she would have torn pages out of daddy’s Bible and eaten them as well.  I’m not trying to keep you from having fun MW, I’m just trying to protect you from hurting yourself.

As I am writing this it reminds me of the goodness of the Lord.  He is always trying to keep me from harming myself by living life the way I think it should be lived.  If left up to my own devices I would be miserable and lost.  Thank you Lord, and mom and dad, for your love and your discipline in my life.   “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

we’re truly thankful.

Today was a great day for many reasons.

• The fam came into town!
• We actually got to watch some of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  We always seem to turn the TV on at noon when it’s going off, but today we caught some of it.
• This was MW’s first Thanksgiving.
• We have so much to be thankful for. Christ. Family. Family of believers. Friends. Great church. Ministry in our life.
• Some friends from Senegal came and celebrated Thanksgiving with us. We just met them about a month ago and we have already hung out with them 3 times. They’re great. Very devout, but interested in seeking truth with us. The Lord answered our prayers for us to have more Senegalese friends!

It was so much fun today watching MW play with her new friends. She’s fine with anyone and everyone holding her, which is great. Makes people feel loved and it’s more enjoyable for everyone involved to have her just sit in their laps and talk and grin. Our friends brought thiakry, bissap, and a ginger drink to go along with our Thanksgiving meal. It was so amazing! They sampled a little bit of everything. They’ve lived in the States for 10 yrs. so they are pretty Americanized, but it was their first time eating green bean casserole.

Pray for them that God would reveal Himself in a powerful way!

my daily struggle

I feel like these verses explain my daily struggle so well.  My struggle with doubt, fear, self-dependence, self-glorification, arrogance…all these things stemming from PRIDE itself.

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.  Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:21-25

Then as I continue from chapter 7 of Romans to chapter 8 it seems like it crescendos into a glorious, amazing, freeing truth!  To Him be the glory and honor forever. AMEN!

I’m SO thankful for Christ’s forgiveness and that He reconciled me to the Father!  Thankful that His Spirit indwells in me to guide me in truth, convict me of sin and that dispels all doubt and fear!

teeth, teeth and more teeth

Man, what a rough couple of days with mw.  But we are thankful she is coming out of her teething funk.  I feel so bad for her.  We’ve given her everything from… tylenol, an array of frozen teethers, a mesh bag with ice for her to munch on, my finger, dad’s finger.  If we’re not around she’ll usually chew on her hands or even her arm sometimes.

We might have to give in and get the teething biscuits.  Something just grosses me out about her sucking/chewing on what looks like a dog biscuit.  I’ve heard it helps but that she’ll get all pasty from the soggy biscuit.  I think I just made up my mind.  We will forgo the teething biscuit and let her just gnaw off her arm.  Poor thing!  We’ll just keep trucking along until she gets all 32 teeth.  Seriously, is it going to be this way for all of them.  Ha!  Hope not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

MW’s new sippy cup.  I splurged a little.  It’s so cool!  Now she doesn’t have to tilt the cup to get anything out.