2012 "Year in Review"

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Significant items often come in groups of 3…

    body/soul/spirit

    faith/hope/love

    earth/sky/sea

The theme for our "2012 Year in Review" 
blog is the significance of the number 3  
in our life happenings...

Our 3 families...
     Nathan, Katie and Baby B  
     Papa, Granny and Grandma
    Jim, Ann and Chiree  

Nathan and Katie are having a baby (BOY!)
to be born in March making them a family of 3!

Katie's sister, Hannah, helped her mom
paint a tree mural on the nursery wall.

Mural completed, crib assembled...
Now all is ready for the finishing touches of 
the nursery decor and Baby B sleeping within. 
(Oh, my! We are getting so excited!!!) 

Though our traveling schedule was 
full last year, when we were home, the 3 of us 
always looked forward to our evening meals 
together sharing the happenings of the day. 

(When you are in the area, please 
stop by---we love company!)

Our 3 wonderful parents look for ways to invest in others’ lives through their gifts and talents. 

Ps. 92:12,14–“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree…They shall bring forth fruit in old age.”

Papa Bollinger, faithful, faithful 
man of God, is often found in his shop 
building items for the kids, grandkids and 
neighbors---headboards, desks, shelves, 
highchairs, special orders. You name it;
he can do it and do it well!

Granny Bollinger works hards without 
complaining, despite the effects of her 
strokes in 1998 (what an example she is to us), 
AND can she ever cook! We are trying to 
master at least some of her specialties. 

Grandma Mitchell's greatest love
is to write letters of encouragement,
 which she does almost daily. Many
 are blessed by her mail each week! She 
also is a avid supporter of veterans and 
those in our military. Most wedding 
gifts from her will include an
 American flag to display.

Our 3 ministries... 

     Prairie Flower Bible Church
     Revive Our Hearts
     Prison to Purpose   

Prairie Flower Bible Church - 70 years old
www.prairieflower.org

The Word of God and the gospel is faithfully 
preached each week and is a place for us to 
serve and be a part of a loving church family.

Revive Our Hearts - 11 years old
with Nancy Leigh DeMoss
www.reviveourhearts.com

Nathan, Katie, and Chiree 
are very grateful to the Lord to be 
able work with this ministry and to be 
a part of a team of people committed 
to reaching people with God's truths.

                                 

Prison to Purpose - 7 years old
www.prisontopurpose.com   

Working with Prison to Purpose 
has taught us much about the 
importance of being 
"Word saturated" so as 
to think biblically.

Our 3 memorable family weeks... 
        Ann's 60th Birthday
        True Woman '12 Conference
        Christmas Gatherings 

       

My 60^th birthday in April was spent at 
Nathan’s and Katie's home in Michigan. 

                 (Many great memories made that week!)

  Neosho Mini-True Woman conference
was the birthday celebration with friends.

                          

The national True Woman ’12 conference
in September was held Indianapolis 
with over 8,000 women attending.     

           Prison to Purpose leaders and inmates from 

     McPherson prison joined the True Woman

           conference through a live video feed..so special!

9

Grandma Mitchell's family Christmas 
made some fun memories, including 
our day at Branson's Silver Dollar City, 
"Old Time Christmas." 
http://festivals.bransonsilverdollarcity.com/mini-section/default.aspx?id=55
 We so enjoyed celebrating with my 
sister, Michelle, and her hubby, Dan,
and Dan's mom, Laura.

    "Fun-loving and enery-giver," 
our niece Rebecca, flew here 
twice during the summer and 
for the Mitchell Christmas, as well as

attended the True Woman '12 

conference with us.

        Papa and Granny Bollinger's family 
Christmas had lots of 
great food and fellowship!

The Bollinger Gang became the
"Apple Dumplin' Gang"
with all the Apple electronics,
including iPads and iPhones!

     Our 3 recommended sets of books...
   THE GOSPEL

           Fishing for Men by Richard Seymour
    Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan

           PARENTING 

           Bath Time by Erin Davis 

           Together Growing Appetites for God 
                                                                by Carrie Ward
     DEVOTIONAL
      Pearls of Great Price by Joni Eareckson Tada
       The Quiet Place by Nancy Leigh DeMoss


                                                                                  

       Learn practical ways 
      to share the clear 
        gospel message. 

  Take the challenge to examine
and change your lifestyle in view
of millions who are not saved.

Embrace motherhood
as a sacred calling.

     Be inspired by the
benefits of reading
through the Bible
with your children.

                                                                 

See how suffering brings sanctification
and a joy that can only come from the Lord.

Be encouraged, awakened 
and challenged by biblical 
truths that call to action.

      Our 3 new kitchen "must-haves"

                               Pampered Chef’s garlic press
                               Tone’s “Spicy Spaghetti” seasoning

                                       Bear Creek's soup mixes

      

 Our 3-fold prayer for you:

Colossians 1:9,10 - We “do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you might:"

     “Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

       Being fruitful in every good work.

       Increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Blessings and love to you, 
our friends and family!

Jim, Ann and Chiree
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are a few more pictures that didn't fit into our theme of "the number 3" for our "2012 Year in Review" but are fun memories of five other short trips we took over the past year... 

              The Dominican Republic and Haiti

Nathan, Katie and Chiree worked in the
Dominican Republic for 17 days in February
for Revive Our Hearts helping with a conference
and filming stories of changed lives. It took 17
pieces of luggage and equipment to get
them there prepared for work. Whew!

                          

Chiree traveled to the Dominican 
Republic and Haiti in May to help train 
nationals in prison ministry. Her heart was
touched by the many needs of the Haitians.

                                            Colorado

Jim and I traveled to Denver in August
for Kym and Jordan's beautiful wedding.

Kym is the daughter of Jim's nephew,
Gary and his wife, Kathy. Jordan is the son of
Rick and Shelley, both students of mine
in the 70's at Arvada Christian School.
Small world! 

McPherson Penitentiary in Arkansas

Jim, Chiree and I traveled to Newport, 
Arkansas, in November for the annual PAL 
retreat at prison. What a time of refreshing 
to see inmates and visiting ex-felons lives' 
changed because of the Word 
of God and the gospel.

Colorado

I flew to Denver in January to help
 my niece Rachel and her husband, Brad,
in the care of newborn baby Coen for two weeks.
What a blessing it was being with this family!