A Short Review of our Daily Happenings...
Nathan continues to love his life in Franklin, Tennessee, working with Franklin Springs Family Media (www.franklinsprings.com) and attending Trinity Baptist of Franklin. His church has been a source of great learning and many opportunities to minister and perfect timing for this time of his life to be a part of this nurturing church. His videography work has taken him to Ecuador in May of 2007 and Peru in October of 2008 helping Compassion International. He also travels in the states while production work is done for Joni Earackson Tada’s TV programs on (See www.joniandfriendstv.org to view several programs.) Filming families with disabilities and tragic life situations and seeing their hope and joy in the Lord always ministers to his life. We miss him but are so excited for him to have this great job and attend such a special church.
Chiree keeps busy with video production work on Bible classes taught at the McPherson’s Women’s Peniteniary, as well as filming conferences in Missouri and Arkansas for Prison to Purpose (www.prisontopurpose.com). She works with Stacey Smith (an ex-felon who had a 60-year drug sentence) who ministers through Prison to Purpose. We are so grateful for the wealth of wisdom she gleans from Stacey and for the close friendship they have. (Stacey now teaches weekly in the very prison in which she was incarcerated.) This past year Chiree has also been working for Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ ministry, Revive Our Hearts (www.reviveourhearts.com), in preparation for their national women's conference, True Woman '08. The highlight of this fall was seeing the great work that the Lord did in the lives of thousands of women while filming at the conference (www.truewoman.com). We are grateful for all she is learning spiritually as she works for these ministries. She says to us so often, “I love my job!” She still enjoys playing the violin, cooking and helping us and with home organization.
Jimmy and I like this stage of our lives with a little more flexibility with our schedules. His electrical business stays busy, but he has been able to arrange for us to accompany Chiree on many of her out-of-town productions. Over the past few months, we have gone on 15+ trips, so we have enjoyed scenic America and have been blessed by the people we have met. We continue to attend our church of 18 years that provides solid Biblical teaching and the dearest of friends. We sure do miss them when we are traveling. Our weekly activities always include taking care of things around the farm and spending time with our parents. We also enjoy having missionaries and those traveling with their ministries stay with us throughout the year. Each one brings an education to us as we sit around the table in the evenings and talk. Jimmy is blessed to be on the board of Prison to Purpose. He and I help at the conferences, visit prison and review the resources being produced. My, how much we have learned! We are so excited to see how God is using this ministry to make an impact, not only on those who have been in physical prison, but those who are in a prison of their own minds from wrong thinking. Applying God’s Word is the truly the only answer!
Our dog, Polly, continues to live up to her breed’s characteristic, “Labrador RETRIEVER.” She is known for retrieving the dead carcasses of ground hogs and deer and carefully placing them in her doghouse by our sliding glass door…Needless to say, they don’t stay there long! She is quite congenial, too, and has always allowed the newest litter of kittens to sleep wherever they wish!
Special Events
- Christmas Eve 2007 was Chiree’s “Golden Birthday” when she celebrated being 24 on the 24th. Chiree’s name means “greatly loved” and that she is!
- March 8th was Grandma Mitchell’s 84th birthday. My sister, Michelle and her husband, Dan, were able to come from Denver for the celebration. Mom continues to always be a source of encouragement to everyone she meets.
- Jimmy hit the big “60” in April still not looking his age. J Nathan surprised him and drove in for our big family celebration of this birthday. Jimmy’s wife, son and daughter sure love him to pieces!!!
- In June the Bollinger clan headed to Illinois at Connie and Don’s lovely lakeside home for a family reunion. There were 37 out of 49 Bollingers that were able to come. What a ball we had that weekend!! The scrumptious food, games, swimming, golfing, talking, laughing and Sunday morning church service done by nephew Kevin had us all returning home with wonderful memories.
- We celebrated our 30th anniversary on July 15th and decided our special trip would be to attend our Florida Bible College reunion in Atlanta at the end of August. We were so glad we did as being with friends from over 30 years was truly a blessed time of fellowship.
- The weekend of October 4th brought the Bollinger kids back together again as we celebrated Papa and Granny’s 65th wedding anniversary…What a testimony of love and commitment they are to all of us!
